#they argue a lot but they would (and probably have. honestly) kill for each other

[batfam-stuff-posts-0]

The fact that this is a tag makes me. so happy, actually

[roseameilatempest]

Post canon sanegiyuu headcanons (part 1)

• They definitely find comfort in each others heartbeat, or even breathing. Something about them being alive

• Tanjiro and giyuu definitely ended up making the ohagi and giving it to sanemi (sanemi accepted it)

• I like to think they wake up from nightmares often, from ptsd, and those nights often end in soft chaste kisses and non sexual half/fully naked cuddles

• Sanemi likes baths to calm his nerves, so does giyuu, so after tough mental health days they like bathing together.

• A lot of their days would be spent resting and also healing, them doing nothing but domestic tasks, no requirements to kill demons just them, learning to love again.

• For cuddling, spooning i’d think sanemi would be the small spoon unless giyuu is having a particularly hard mental health day. However i do think they cuddle facing each other way more often then they spoon, because they like being able to kiss each others faces whenever.

• Physical contact is probably very overwhelming for them especially early on, which is why they love short chaste kisses, they’re not too overwhelming

• Sometimes they get too carried away with just loving each other they make out, they definitely love showing their feelings through actions.

• Tanjiro or tengen sometimes come over, and early on sanemi and giyuu didn’t want to be affectionate in front of others so those days are often spent with a lot of pining, and urging to be held, they often end in cuddles too

• Sanemi and giyuu love physical affection all around, after the first few couple months of being together they just crave it because of not getting it a lot in their lives.

• Their relationship wasn’t labeled for a very long time, because of the fact dating didn’t really exist, and while being in same sex relationships weren’t illegal they weren’t very common ether. They eventually had a non official wedding that tengen hosted.

• The only time they argued was on genyas birthday, you can choose if this happened before they got together or after, but sanemi attempted and giyuu stopped him.

i definitely have tons more headcanons but i honestly can’t think of any right now, i’d be happy to hear other peoples post canon ones though. ^^

[etaleah]

What Is the Appeal of Sonadow?

I have a lot of thoughts about this ship, what draws people to it, and why some of the criticisms of it are exaggerated or less than honest. Putting them under a cut because it’s gonna get long.

First of all, the critique of “Lol why do people ship them when they beat the shit out of each other whenever they disagree on something, they’re abusive!” is dishonest framing for two reasons. One is that it ignores the fact that Sonic and Shadow are allies far more often than they’re enemies, and even when they are enemies, it’s usually over something serious, not just a minor disagreement. The other is that it’s bad media criticism to apply real human standards to a cartoon animal universe.

When you watch the classic Looney Tunes short where Bugs and Daffy are arguing over whether it’s Rabbit Season or Duck Season and Bugs tricks Daffy into shooting himself, do you see Bugs as abusive and evil? Probably not, because the laws of physics don’t apply in cartoons and Daffy getting shot in the face doesn’t actually hurt him. He’s still completely fine afterwards because he’s a cartoon and is therefore invincible. The same is true for Sonic and Shadow. Have you ever seen either of them seriously injured after one of their fights? Has either one ever needed to go to the hospital because the other beat him up so badly? No, of course not. They groan in pain for about two seconds and then they’re fine. If the creators wanted to convey them being injured, they could show bruises or blood or have bones snapping and the characters limping, but they don’t. The fights are never meant to be taken that seriously. I find this criticism every bit as annoying and overzealous as people who insist that Pinky and the Brain are abusive because Brain bops Pinky on the head. They’re cartoons, y’all. They’re not realistic, were never meant to be realistic, and shouldn’t be treated as realistic. Different standards apply.

To the second point, Sonic and Shadow don’t actually fight that often. In all the interactions they’ve had together, it’s only been a handful of times. They’re allies in the Archie comics, Sonic ‘06, the canon ending of Shadow the Hedgehog (they’re only enemies in that game if the player wants them to be), Sonic Forces, Team Sonic Racing, The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog, and most of the IDW comics, along with the endings of Sonic X, Sonic Adventure 2, and Sonic Heroes. They’re allies for much of Prime as well. But hey, let’s break down the times they do fight:

Sonic Adventure 2: Shadow’s memories have been tampered with and he and Sonic are literally fighting over the fate of the world.

Sonic X: Same thing for season 2, and in season 3, they’re fighting over whether Cosmo should live or die. Sonic says killing her is wrong, Shadow says stopping the Metarex is what’s most important and if that means little Cosmo has to die, well, them’s the breaks, pal.

Sonic Prime: Sonic has broken their world, Shadow is trying desperately to save it, and Sonic is valuing the Shatterverse inhabitants over Green Hill.

IDW: Shadow says Eggman is too dangerous to leave alive and if that means Mr. Tinker has to die too, well, them’s the breaks, pal. Sonic says killing anyone is wrong no matter the reason.

You see a pattern here? Most of the time what they fight over is literally life and death. They’re not going at each other’s throats over petty bullshit like who gets the last slice of pizza or who gets to pick the film for Movie Night. They fight over serious moral differences. I would argue that Amy and Knuckles have gotten angry at Sonic for way less than what Shadow does.

Now, there are a few instances where their fights are stupid, namely Sonic Boom and Sonic Heroes. But I think it’s pretty universally agreed that Shadow is out of character in Boom, and honestly, all of the fights in Sonic Heroes are very forced. There was no reason for Team Dark or Team Rose to fight Team Chaotix; their goals don’t contradict each other in any way and it’s clearly just manufactured conflict to give the player another boss fight. And these are the exception; most of their fights are over serious ideological divides.

Those serious ideological divides are exactly what makes Sonadow so interesting. I personally prefer ships where characters can learn and grow from each other, where their differences can clash until they learn to reconcile them. I don’t find a ship like, say, Sonamy nearly as interesting because I don’t think there’s many (if any) moral stances Sonic would have that Amy wouldn’t. They already agree on the important things. I’m not bashing anyone who likes that ship; if that’s your thing, good for you. It just doesn’t appeal to me because I think Sonic and Amy already having a lot in common morally means they can’t really grow and change from interacting with each other in the same way.

Sonic can bring out the best in Shadow, teach him to trust others and lighten up and learn how to live in the moment rather than being tethered to the past. Shadow can teach Sonic how to think before he acts, to view the world more realistically, and to consider the impact that his insistence on moral purity will have on others. That setup makes for some amazing stories.

Also? These guys love fighting each other. They’re both athletes and very competitive. Look at how much they smile when they fight:

Like…they love this. It’s so much fun for them. Sonic and Shadow are both competitive athletes who love pushing themselves, but in terms of speed, no one is any competition for them except each other. No one else can beat either of them in a race. Imagine spending your whole life winning so easily that there was no accomplishment in it, and then suddenly this guy comes along who’s actually as good as you or maybe even better. Finally you have a challenge and can really enjoy the feeling of being the best. That’d be amazing. They give each other something no one else can, and to me, that’s what good romances are made of.

And all of that is combined with the fact that Sonadow offers an Odd Couple setup, which is always fertile ground for fun, comedic situations that require opposite characters to work together. Plus the Enemies/Rivals to Lovers aspect, which adds a bit of “forbidden fruit” to the mix because we all know that the most tempting and appealing relationships are the ones that are Forbidden (TM). That’s literally the premise of Romeo and Juliet, people who aren’t supposed to be together but end up wanting to be anyway.

I wouldn’t want Sonadow to be canon, but I definitely enjoy exploring it in fandom. It’s a fun ship that offers a lot for a writer or artist to work with. And while I would never force it on anyone, I wish the criticisms of it weren’t quite so shallow and disingenuous.

[endofthelinepal107]

sukuna - a deal with the devil pt. 2/3

{in the aftermath of your agreement with the king of curses, you find your alliance becoming more personal than either of you expected} 5.8k words

part one + part two + part three

notes: kind of OC sukuna because he's way too lenient and soft with you

warnings: cursing

tags: @missroro

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

Sukuna sat down on the concrete, one leg propped up. You sat down opposite him, leaving a healthy amount of space between you. The two of you needed to figure out how this arrangement was going to work, and that meant being open with each other. You started.

"In the jujutsu world, I'm not exactly as much of an insider as my friends are," you told him honestly. "I try to follow their moral code, but it's no secret that I don't agree with a lot of it. I cross lines pretty often, get into trouble with the higher-ups. I think, if I didn't associate with the people I did, I'd probably have been executed a long time ago." You looked down at your hands. "I wasn't meant to actually... help you. Just manipulate you enough and provide just enough benefits to win you over. But I don't want to do that, because it doesn't have to be done like that. And I- I think that you recognise that, too."

Sukuna listened in silence. Up until then, he hadn't been able to identify what it was about you that kept catching him off guard. Now, he knew. It was your sincerity. When was the last time someone was sincere to him? Even Uraume wasn't entirely sincere, because of their stifling obsequiousness. So the last time someone had looked at him and spoken completely honestly and sincerely was probably never.

When you finished talking, Sukuna didn't argue. He took his turn fairly.

"Before I was incarnated in this form, I was a sorcerer, like you. Stronger, much stronger. The Heian era was a much harsher world than the one you live in, so my strength increased rapidly. Then I died. Then I was a cursed spirit. And now I'm me again." His expression shifted in a scowl as he continued. "During your foolish attempts to antagonise me, you mentioned my four arms, which I still retain. My true form is still present if I wish it to be, and so are my cursed techniques." He paused, then looked you dead in the eye. "If I see fit, I will kill you in an instant. A binding vow will not stop me from doing that."

He didn't know what response he expected, but the nod he received wasn't it. And he couldn't stop the thought that ran through his head: He knew for certain that he was not going to kill you. Ever. He didn't know exactly why, but he knew that with conviction.

"Okay." You inhaled, then exhaled. Then you turned your palm up, as though you were offering him something. "We have to determine the kind of dynamic we're going to have."

"I will maintain absolute power."

"I don't think you will, though."

"Sorcerer, you should watch your tone when you address me, or you may find yourself without a tongue to backchat with."

"King, you might think I'm an idiot, but I'm not so much of an idiot that I don't realise that this is a mutually beneficial situation."

"Your death would be mutually beneficial."

"What would be mutually beneficial would be an equal partnership."

"I must admit, I'm a little impressed that you said that with a straight face."

The bickering made you sigh and you leaned back on your hands. "The other sorcerers aren't going to let you out of my sight regardless. What I should really be suggesting is that I hold the power, but I'm not stupid. Equality is the fairest way to do it."

He stared you down for a long few moments. Then he let out a huff, turning his head and looking down the road. "If there is an instance where violence is necessary, it falls into my jurisdiction."

You were just as amazed as he was that he had just agreed to that, but you had the sense to talk before he could change his mind. "If there's negotiation, then I should get to do it."

"I don't want to talk to juvenile, weak sorcerers, anyway." He sounded petulant. He looked it, too.

"We should share information back and forth," you added, "to make sure this works properly."

Sukuna looked back at you. "Currently, we're establishing a structure of co-dependence." He waited for you to argue. When you just nodded in acknowledgement, he carried on. "The usual barrier to co-dependence is a lack of reciprocity."

"So, we need a sort of constant flow between us," you nodded. "A continued stream of back and forth."

"Information, opinion, and intention," he nodded.

You held his gaze for a moment, then rose to your feet. "I think we should go and talk to the others. Before they come looking for us."

Sukuna stood too. It was going to take him a while to get used to someone using 'we' and 'us' in reference to him. "I suppose there's nothing they could say that would allow me to massacre every one of them without breaking our agreement?"

The genuine surprise on your face at what you were ninety percent sure had been a joke irritated him. He didn't follow it up with anything. You led the way towards the more populated area of Shibuya. Or, you did for about ten seconds.

"This must be part of your act, sorcerer," Sukuna commented.

You looked at him in confusion. You didn't need to say anything for him to realise that it wasn't.

"Oh, for-" He cut himself off, jaw ticking. "This is ridiculous. You would move faster without legs."

And, before you could even register what was happening, one of his strong hands was grabbing hold of the back of your shirt, bundling it up in his grip. Sukuna lifted you off the ground effortlessly, keeping you roughly upright as he moved. He couldn't actually fly, but his speed and jumping height meant that he might as well have been able to. 

"Where?" He barked.

You were on the brink of letting out an embarrassing squeal, your feet coming far too close to a rooftop for your liking. You managed to point in the direction of a junction, where you could see Kento and Suguru exorcising a cursed spirit. Sukuna dropped you back onto your feet. Neither of you mentioned it. You smoothed down your clothes and hoped you didn't look too stunned. He tried desperately hard to excuse that act of service as him avoiding an irritating wait.

Suguru and Kento had caught sight of the two of you now. They both looked incredibly wary. It wasn't until you saw Kento reach for his blade that you glanced over at Sukuna and saw the way he was walking.

"You-" You cleared your throat, then lowered your voice. You put it as neutrally as you could. "I think that passivity, or at least the appearance of it, is going to be the best strategy."

He looked at you. For a second, he genuinely looked like he was going to lean over and bite your had off. Then his expression shifted and he looked abruptly less threatening. His face still looked thunderous when he looked towards your friends, who had grown in number as the others joined them, but you knew any degree of softness was something to value.

You didn't have to tell him to fall back. Sukuna walked a pace behind you. He looked casual, but you were close enough to see his jaw ticking as you approached your friends. You shot them a small, tight smile.

"Hi."

They all listened in dead silence as you outlined roughly what had happened and what you'd agreed with Sukuna. He was quiet too. He made mental note of everything you missed out: the time you'd spent sitting together discussing the truth about yourselves, the equality in your partnership, the benefits you'd told him. It wasn't until you'd finished and then paused to make sure there was nothing else you wanted to say that you added,

"And he's under my protection."

That comment was the one that broke the dam. Kento sat up in his chair. Suguru's eyes flicked from you to Sukuna. Satoru laughed and then mumbled something unintelligible that sounded a lot like, 'oh, fuck.'

"Well, we need to remedy this," Kento said once everyone had settled down.

Suguru leaned forwards. "The prison realm is a viable option."

Kento nodded. ""Imprisonment or some method of limiting his cursed energy are the safest options."

A frown worked itself onto your face. Then, to Sukuna's amazement more than anyone else's, you shook your head. "No. No, none of them are options at all."

Satoru's eyes narrowed. "What?"

"The objective of the plan was to get him on our side so that we could ensure his strength isn't used against us." You gestured beside you. "He's on our side. He's not killing anyone. We got what we wanted from him, so why would we continue to treat him like a monster?"

Suguru cleared his throat. "It may have slipped your mind, but the King of Curses is literally a monster."

You crossed your arms over your chest, firmly standing your ground. "Well, you all told me to align myself with this 'monster.' This is the result of that. Those are not options."

Sukuna stared at you. 

Oh, fucking shit. Shit.

Humans and sorcerers were fucking stupid. They were weak, and pathetic, and fickle. He was above them. He'd proven that time and time again. People like this didn't deserve to step foot in the same city as him, let alone stand a few paces away and discuss how they were going to restrain him.

But you. You were standing in front of the most powerful people in the jujutsu world. In front of your friends, your allies, the only people that had your back. And you were defending him. 

It wasn't like you were some fierce, strong-willed sorcerer that feared nothing. He could tell that you were anxious about it. Your hands were trembling, that was why you had crossed your arms. Your voice was a little shaky, that was why you were speaking in short sentences. You didn't like having to be confrontational, especially against them. But you were doing it anyway. For him.

Sukuna took a step forward, so that he was properly standing beside you instead of slightly behind you. They all moved quickly, about to throw everything they had at him. Smoothly, Ryomen stuck his hands in his pockets and let out a soft, almost bored huff.

"If that's all you people have to say, I'm going to take my sorcerer and we're going to go do something more useful with our time. I am above this."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw you straighten up, surprised by the fact that he was speaking, then by his words. Technically, he was breaking the agreement of participating in the negotiation. But he knew you wouldn't mind. To him, this was part of the agreement, too. He was defending you, like you'd defended him.

When all of your friends stood in silence, Sukuna spoke again. "Unless you would prefer for us to remain? There are plenty of civilians left in this part of the city. I'd be more than content to pick a few hundred off while you continue to-" 

"No, no, no," Suguru interrupted. "No."

Sukuna hummed with false interest. "Oh, you don't want that?"

Kento's jaw ticked. "No, of course we don't want that."

Sukuna's hands came out of his pockets. Suddenly, he looked like he'd grown a foot. He looked genuinely furious, enough that even Satoru's eyes widened a little. "You better stand the fuck down then, hadn't you, pathetic sorcerers?" Your lips parted. "Back off and leave her alone, hm? She's done exactly what you've asked her to. It's not her fault that it doesn't look how you intended."

He glanced over at you as he realised how his intention to defend you had become a little more obvious. The look on your face wasn't hugely obvious, but he saw it anyway. You were surprised, despite everything. A little pleased. And...grateful. It was exactly the look his face had worn a few moments ago, when you had spoken up for him. Because it felt nice to have an ally, to know someone had your back.

--

Unsurprisingly, nobody tried to stop the two of you from leaving Shibuya. Sukuna lifted you again, with a little more care this time. You pointed him in the right direction until you reached your house. You couldn't think of anywhere else to take him, and both of you were more tired than you'd care to admit.

He set you down in the middle of the road. Both of you walked in an alarmingly comfortable silence. Sukuna didn't comment on anything or show even a hint of interest until you were pushing open a small gate and pulling a set of keys out of your pocket. 

Then he blinked, looking up at the building in front of him. There was no doubt in his mind that this was your home. And, despite the snarky voice in the back of his head that wanted to mock your human dwelling place, he couldn't stop thinking that this was a little intimate, a little familiar. He didn't feel like he should be standing behind you while you fiddled with your keys. He didn't feel like he should have been the one that made sure the gate was closed behind him. 

He didn't feel like he should be acting like this version of himself here.

"Show me your dwelling place, then, woman."

You dropped your keys. Sukuna glanced at you. The action itself didn't amuse him, mostly because it irritated him that even dropping the King of Curses act didn't mean you weren't scared of him. What did amuse him, though, was that you didn't bend over to pick them up, you just rested your hand over your face and groaned.

"Sorry," you muttered, "that really took me by surprise."

Sukuna watched you, watched the back of your hand. Then he bent down and picked up your keys. It took him a few tries to figure out how exactly to work the lock, but he did it. Your hand fell away from your face at the first clink of metal on metal, and you watched him until he pushed the door open.

"Thank you." 

He looked at you, surprised by the weight of your words. Then he nodded slightly. He looked away, because he didn't like the way that made him feel.

You took the keys back, dropping them into the dish. Then you turned on the living room light and stepped into the house. Sukuna didn't step in.

"May I step over the threshold?"

You looked at him in surprise, already midway through taking off your shoes. "Oh- Yeah, come in. I guess you'll be here for a while." You hesitated and he could almost see you dropping an act, too. Not as big of an act as his, but an act nonetheless. "Um- I hope that it's okay. It's no... palace, or whatever a King of Curses lives in."

He shut the door behind him, taking off his shoes as he looked at you. "I don't live anywhere."

Your eyes bored into his for a long few seconds. And then, when you smiled, it was a genuine smile. "It's step up from that, at least."

"Yes, I suppose it is." Sukuna nudged his shoes out of the way, then rested his hands on his hips. "I told you to show me your abode, didn't I?"

You nodded. "What do you mean, though? A.. Like a tour?"

"Show me everything," he said simply.

You were silent for a moment. Then you led him through the house, towards the bedroom. That seemed like the safest bet, since you couldn't see how a bed and a wardrobe could have changed too drastically. 

You pushed your bedroom door open and flicked on the closest lamp. "This is my room," you told him, stepping aside so he could walk in too.

Sukuna didn't clash with the room as much as you had expected. Especially when he casually walked over to your drawers and started tugging them open. You watched for about three seconds before registering that he was rifling through your underwear.

"Wh- That's-"

He glanced at you as you approached him. "Don't tell me that you're a weak sorcerer and a prude."

You scowled, but his words didn't sting much at all now. "It's my underwear."

"You're a prude," he retorted. But he shut the drawer. "Explain the blinking lights."

You looked at him. "What?"

"The lights that you non-verbally command," Sukuna elaborated. When you still looked clueless, he waved at the lamp. "Foolish woman."

You hummed. "Oh, lightbulbs. Um... electricity."

"An overwhelmingly helpful response."

You walked back over to the lamp, lifting the wire. "It's a current of energy, kind of, and it flows through wires and into things. And then you can switch it on or off. And you can die if you touch the current directly."

"Why are you handling it with such nonchalance, if you may die at any second?"

"Because it's protected by the wire." You dropped it anyway, suddenly struck by the fear that you would get electrocuted. It was stupid, but he sounded so confident that you half-expected your body to start convulsing. "Anyway, that's all there really is in here."

Sukuna didn't respond. He made his way around your room, inspecting everything. He spent a while looking at your posters and photos. It was pretty obvious that he had no idea what to make of them, but he didn't say anything. Once he was done, he pointed towards the door.

"Reveal the next room to me."

You showed him the bathroom. He had the basic understanding of what things were, even if they were much more advanced now. He flushed the toilet three times before he noticed you were trying to suppress a smile. Still, he couldn't help marvelling at all the small elements of human life that he'd never experienced before. He pointed at things and you told him what they were, and he seemed pretty content with the activity thus far.

"That."

"Toothbrush."

"That."

"Vitamin supplement."

"That."

"Rubber duck."

"That."

"Shower- No, no, no-"

Sukuna leaned forwards and turned the shower on. His eyes widened as water shot straight at him. You gasped, leaping over to try and help. His hand was still over the knob, so you had to lean into him to tug it off.

"No, you have to turn-"

"I am turning, your shower is broken-"

"It's not broken, you're turning the wrong-"

"It is not the wrong-"

"The shower-"

The stream finally stopped. You leaned back, soaked through and a little breathless. You looked at Sukuna. He was soaked too, his robe clinging to his skin. His pink hair was darkened and heavy with water. Then, before you could stop yourself, you were laughing. Sukuna let out a soft huff, but he couldn't hide his smile.

He knew he should be warier of you than he was. Nobody had ever gained his trust, let alone this quickly. He didn't like anybody, but he was catching himself feeling a strange fondness as he watched you. And you knew that he could kill you on a whim, regardless of the binding vow. But neither of you can help it.

"Maybe we should change before we continue the tour?" You suggested after your laughter died down.

"Yes, I agree."

--

Sukuna changed into one of your biggest oversized shirts and a pair of sweatpants that were just about baggy enough for him. He swiftly forgot about his new human clothes, though, because he stepped into the living area and saw you wearing your pyjamas. You were wearing little shorts with a simple oversized shirt. Something about it was so domestic and sweet that he actually stopped walking for a second, having to force his feet forwards.

"Rise, woman, and show me the next room."

You turned, eyes lighting up at the sight of him in your clothes. You held back any comments, though. You rose to your feet and showed him into the kitchen.

Sukuna interrogated you about every single appliance, from the fridge to the coffee maker. You answered them all patiently. There was no laughter now. That amusement had faded into something else. Neither of you were acknowledging it. It felt heavy, like the air between you was weighed down by something. Both of you were too wary of what it might be to actually turn around and mention it. You weren't even addressing the easy comfort of what you were doing right now.

"And this is the lounge," you finished, arms spread out.

Sukuna watched as they fell back to your sides. He prowled around the room, inspecting everything. "What's the black box?"

You reached for the remote and turned the television on. "Television."

"Its purpose?"

"Uh, entertainment, I guess. You can watch stuff or play games on it." You turned the television off.

Sukuna sniffed a candle, then glanced at the couch. It looked comfortable, and he was getting tired. But he didn't know what the protocol was. He didn't want to offend you, not now. He kind of liked that you trusted him, and he didn't want to fuck that up. So, like he had earlier, he asked.

"May I sit, woman?"

He absolutely hated the look of surprise on your face as you looked at him, but he loved the way you smiled at him, nodding. Your hands were clasped together as you watched him sit down. He made sure to sit comfortably, even though he was unsure if you were watching him like that because you were worried about his comfort, or if it was something else. When he was comfortable, he glanced up. You were sitting down beside him, cross legged. 

It felt right.

"Why did you let me catch you in your domain? The second time?"

He was taken aback by the sudden question for a second. But then he saw your curious face and he realised you'd probably been wondering that for a while now. He thought about it for a while. Then he hummed.

"There's not a deep answer to that."

"I don't mind if it's not deep. Just the truth."

He shrugged slightly, resting his arm along the back of the couch. "I got bored."

You looked at him. You weren't really surprised by his answer. You were friends with Satoru, and although he wasn't as strong as Sukuna, you knew that being that overpowered wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

He continued. "I'm strong. I've done more than your measly brain can fathom. Lived multiple lives. I'm fucking bored."

"Oh, I understand that," you nodded. "I'm no King of Curses, obviously, but it does sound familiar in a way."

Sukuna looked at you. You were right, you weren't a King of Curses. You didn't have his power running through your veins. But he was starting to wonder if he'd been wrong to take that to mean you were any less strong than he was.

And, as you looked down at your hands, thinking about his words and clearly thinking about your own experience, he realised that he already knew you enough to guess at what was stopping you from speaking further. What had you said to him when you were goading him into the trap?

'Because you can ease your inferiority complex.'

You looked like you felt lesser, too. Maybe you weren't having a whole millennia-long thing about it, but he could see the insecurity there. Sukuna wanted to see inside you. In the same way that you had revealed your home to him. He took a breath, then told you so.

"Your secrecy irritates me. Reveal your thoughts."

Maybe it came out harsher than he meant it too, but he still said it.

You looked at him for a second. Then you turned to face him properly, hands resting in your lap. And you told him.

You told him about the stupid worries. About how you were terrified of spiders, about the random and irrational fears you had. You told him about the tiny hiccups in your everyday life. About that lady on the bus last week that gave you a funny look. About how a friend of yours owed you a dinner because you'd let him sleep on your couch again. About how you were always worried about something or other, even when there was nothing to be worried about. About how you always scuff your shoes because you focus on not looking at the ground but then get distracted by the sky or the trees or the birds.

And then you paused, self-conscious about how long you'd spoken for and who you were saying it all to. But then you realised that he was listening like this was important information. That he cared so much that it was shining through even though he was trying to pretend otherwise.

He raised his eyebrow slightly. "Did I ask you to stop talking?"

You hesitated, then opened your mouth again. "And I have a lot of stupid insecurities, too. About stuff that I know doesn't matter and that nobody else probably thinks about so hard."

"Like?" He prompted impatiently.

And so you told him that, too. Stuff that you hadn't told anybody, that you'd only admitted to yourself properly in the last few years. It was so surprisingly easy to tell him. He didn't seem like the King of Curses anymore.

Sukuna listened to every word you said, storing it carefully away in his mind. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to ridicule you for your stupid, petty concerns. Demand why you care about the look you'll get from a stranger if you wear a skirt that's a few inches shorter than usual, when there are bigger things to be concerned with.

But he found himself paying close attention to you as you spoke. And he started to want to murder that store owner that looked at you funny with you dropped your card. And he kind of wants to take you out and spend an infinite amount of time helping you try on clothes until you figured out what you felt most comfortable in. And he wanted to take you to get those two cats you've been wanting for so long and let you decide whether they really will solve so many of your problems.

Because they're stupid concerns. Things that never have and probably never will enter his head. But, the more he listens to the lilt of your voice, the more he notices the little expressions that cross your face and that little habit you have of getting side-tracked but coming swiftly back to the point, the more he kind of does understand it.

Sukuna did have his concerns about how he's perceived. They're mostly rooted in whether or not people are frightened of him, sure, but they're there nonetheless. So he kind of got that part of it. And he was sure that, if he made a fool of himself in front of some lowly humans, he'd be thinking about it weeks later, too.

But he didn't think you should. 

Your self-conscious laugh interrupted his thoughts. He focussed on you as you started to speak again.

"Sorry, I know you probably think those are just... stupid, petty human concerns."

Sukuna didn't so much as crack a smile. He looked you directly in the eye and asked, "How would I generate human currency?"

You blinked at him. "Uh.. Wh-"

"How would I generate human currency?" He repeated.

You were silent for a long moment. Then you got over your surprise and offered a useful response. "Do you have any assets?"

Sukuna nodded. "I possess several estates and a few temples, both of which contain many artefacts. I asked you about human curre-" He cut himself off, staring at you in surprise. You looked back at him with wide eyes.

"Oh my god."

Sukuna raised his eyebrows. "What?"

You laughed. "Maybe I should help you sell all your properties and then steal half your money, since you have no bearing of the value of human currency." Even while you're joking, you're in disbelief. It made sense that he would be rich, but that rich? He was laughably wealthy.

Sukuna still didn't smile. "Why would you need to steal from me?"

You blinked. "Wh- I just mean because you must be very, very, very wealthy in terms of modern money."

"Most likely. I was wealthy in my era. Again, that isn't what I asked you." Sukuna's eyes flicked between yours. "I have no use for money. You can sell what assets I possess and take the money for yourself."

You looked at him for a second, then burst into laughter.

The arm that Sukuna had resting along the couch extended slightly. He hit you on the shoulder. "Don't fucking laugh at me, mortal."

You stopped laughing abruptly. "Oh my god," you say again.

"Will you stop saying that without due cause?" Sukuna snapped. "What is it that you're 'oh my god'ing about?"

"Do you- Do you not realise how much money that would be?" You asked him.

He shook his head slightly. "Enough, I imagine. How much?"

You're silent for a moment as you try to think of a way to quantify it. "It would be... millions and millions."

"Is that worth a lot?" Sukuna questioned. "You forget that this has no meaning to me, sorcerer."

"It would buy you, like... like, you could buy a whole castle. Multiple."

"Again-"

You shook your head. "I don't think there's any way of quantifying it. It's an obscene amount of money. Genuinely."

"Is it more than you currently possess?"

You laughed at that. "If money were animals, you would be, like, a humpback whale, and I'd be a fish. No, not even that. A crustacean. Maybe a barnacl-"

"I understand," he interrupted, "please end your nautical metaphor before I feel obligated to hurt you." You dutifully closed your mouth. "You will take the money. I have no use for it."

You shook your head. "No, I can't do that."

"I'm telling you to."

"But I still can't take it."

"I am the King of Curses."

"But we're equals."

"Tch." Sukuna glared at you for a second before he sighed exasperatedly. "If you are not being misleading about the value of my wealth, you would no longer have to even consider money. You could freely purchase your felines, new clothes, explore the worlds of your various hobbies as you'd like to. You could move to a quieter place. You could leave your permanent job as a jujutsu sorcerer and pursue only what you wish to."

As he spoke, you realised just how much attention he had been paying while you were talking. He hadn't just listened to your words, he had catalogued them, storing them away as though they really did matter to him. And now he was presenting a solution.

Why hadn't anybody just tried to talk to the King of Curses?

Why did he always kill everyone that got close, if he had so much attention to give?

Why were you the exception to his rule?

Sukuna finished talking and looked at you. He registered that you were just staring at him. He looked right back at you, waiting for the inevitable moment when you noticed that you were making eye contact and looked away, pretending not to have been staring.

But you didn't. Your eyes focussed on him and you swallowed, but maintained eye contact.

"Thank you, Sukuna," you said sincerely, voice warm and softer than it had been before.

He was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded. "You are welcome."

You smiled slightly. "Okay."

"Okay." He nodded again, and realised that he was well and truly fucked.

A silence fell over the two of you. It was a tense one, one that came because you'd both gotten a little too close to acknowledging that unspoken thing. You broke the silence.

"So, here's a problem that the King of Curses has never encountered-"

Sukuna interjected, mostly because he felt like he needed to remind you that he wasn't some soft best friend or something. "That is a bold and foolish assertion to make, foolish woman."

You laughed with a hint of nervousness. "Maybe, but I have one bed, and we agreed that we were equals, so.."

Sukuna looked at you. And he said nothing. You cleared your throat, but he still didn't speak. He just looked at you in complete silence for an uncomfortably long amount of time. And then, abruptly, he rose to his feet. He walked briskly down the hallway towards your bedroom.

"Hey..." You protested weakly. Ultimately, if he decided to take your room, it wasn't like you could stop him.

But Sukuna was turning around, arms crossed. "Are you coming, or not?"

You blinked, then stood up, stumbling after him. Sukuna was already in your bedroom. When you joined him, he pointed at the bed.

"There's enough space. We will share." At the first sign that you were going to protest, he raised his hand. "No, I will not accept argument."

"Okay, we'll share," you agreed, with not as much reluctance as you felt like you should have had.

You took a few steps towards the bathroom. Sukuna's hand snapped around your wrist and he forced you back.

"You dare walk away from me?" He growled.

You blinked at him, then reached down and slid your hand into his. The gesture clearly surprised him because he didn't yank your hand away. "I was going to brush my teeth, actually." You walked towards the bathroom, silently amazed when he let you pull him after you.

You let go of his hand and reached for your toothbrush. Then you found a spare in the cupboard, handing it to him. Sukuna had seen a few forms of tooth hygiene during his time, from blackening to using willow brushes. The minty fluoride you were brushing your teeth with was entirely unfamiliar. But he trusted you in your little human endeavours, so he mimicked you.

"Oh, shit."

You looked at him in surprise. Sukuna had just finished brushing his teeth and he was wearing an expression of pleasant surprise. "What?" You mumbled through a mouthful of toothpaste.

"Had I been incarnated for longer, my breath would have stunk."

You couldn't help laughing at that. "Would you not have done it at all?"

"I wouldn't have known what the modern equivalent was," he replied. He glanced at you, then muttered, "I have you to thank."

You giggled. "Well, I'm glad I could show you the wonders of modern tooth hygiene."

"I didn't mean just about that."

You looked at him more seriously, recognising that he was trying to be sincere. Then you smiled. "I'm still glad."

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

that's part two! i hope you enjoyed an arguably OC sukuna. he is going to get a lot softer in the next (and final) part.

[the-final-sif]

Okay, so XD now has a Small Child (tm), c!Dream is a little 4 year old who has just been take from his family and forced to wear a strange mask that fundamentally changes his body to a human form. He's not a fan of this, but he's taking it well. Probably.

Now, something that helps is that in Ender Dragon hybrid society, kids split off from their parents relatively young. Not at 4 years old normally, but it'd be shocking for a 10 year old to still be in their parent's nest. The average is about 7-8 for moving to a new nest, but some go as young as 6.

This is partially because Ender Dragons hybrids tend to be quite independent and want their own space, but also because much of Ender Dragon society is highly communal. A kid moves into their own nest (or sometimes a sibling/friend nest), but they aren't really on their own nor are they considered full adults. Most stay nearby their parents (or another set of trusted adults, grandparents, a mentor, cool older sibling, etc) and still get a lot of help from the adults around them.

Every adult is generally considered to be responsible for ensuring the well being of any older child based on their ability rather than genetic relation or adoption.

Some of this culture is historic, but some of it has also come around in "recent" years with Ender Dragon Hybrids being entirely isolated from other societies, cultures, and most outside threats aside from a very strange curse that claims the lives of marked children once each generation. The relative safety of this situation helps enable this sort of culture.

As a result, Dream wasn't necessarily super freaked out by a strange being abducting him. He generally trusts just about every adult he interacts with, and this adult is clearly of the End. The mask was quite shocking, but after XD explained that it was to help protect him, Dream understood. He was sad about leaving behind the people he knew, but also quite excited for this new adventure.

Also XD let him have ice cream, something he'd never had before and that tasted amazing. Clearly this man has secrets.

Great! The child has accepted whatever the fuck is going on here. XD was honestly excepting that to be harder than it was.

Uh.

Okay.

Now, admittedly, XD has been working on this plan for at least 300 years. It's the only chance he'll have at this. He had all the details nailed out, he'd picked the kills, found his excuses, figured out how to try to hide the child, all of it was planned for.

Except he kinda sorta forgot that he did need to actually raise the kid during this part.

In his defense, he no longer really remembers most of his human life. He forgot they like, need things.

Right.

Okay.

So XD realizes he needs to take of this now-human child. What do children need? What do humans need? Dream appeared to enjoy the ice cream. Do humans need ice cream?

He doesn't really want to ask for instructions from the child because that would make him look dumb, so instead XD just... tries to replicate some of what he remembers being around the village that Dream was taken from.

Building Dream a new nest is the first challenge, the child is delighted at the idea and has his own ideas for how it should look. But things have to change a bit, Dream no longer has his wings and a lot of his instincts have changed. He struggles to scrabble up cliff faces without his claws, and he keeps falling over because his balance has changed without his tail.

XD sees this and decides that rather than building a nest in a cliff, a treehouse will need to work instead. It lets Dream stay up higher without looking like an Ender Dragon's home. The trees are also much easier for the child to climb.

Getting a treehouse set up with basic supplies isn't that hard. XD ensures that there's food, sets up a potion brewing area with plenty of supplies, remembers that humans need beds and water for various things, and before too long there's a nice little setup.

Of course, there's plenty of arguing and little Dream isn't entirely happy with everything, but he does like that XD lets him use the potion stand. Before he was told he was too young. But look at him now! He can brew whatever he likes!

Obviously, XD also gives Dream some proper armor and weaponry. He even enchants it so it'll grow as Dream does!

And then, having handed this small child enchanted netherite murder equipment, XD leaves.

Not like! Without warning! He checked that Dream was doing alright and that he knew to stay safe and hidden from any gods, and then... went about his day.

XD is a god! He has things to do! Probably.

More importantly, it's not safe for him to spend too much time around Dream. Not only could it attract attention from the other gods, but it could also seriously harm Dream.

See, humans tend to be negatively impacted by too much exposure to gods. Their bodies aren't made to handle it.

Ender dragon hybrids were famously capable of spending lots of time around gods, and godlings are generally immune to these effects.

But Dream is no longer an ender dragon hybrid or a godling. The mask makes him almost entirely human. Which makes him vulnerable to the effects of being exposed to a god.

So XD leaves the child alone in a treehouse, assuming this will be fine and normal, and promises to come back to check in.

And he does!

A week later

Dream was getting worried about his strange guardian not coming back, but he'd been making do. He'd already found a small local river and started fishing so he could put food away for the winter.

XD was quite proud to see his progress! He also remembered at this point that humans can't just morph their appearances at will, and require clothing external to them. So he produced several extra outfits for Dream.

Dream when XD got him was wearing a lime green shirt and white shorts, and so XD assumes that's what he should look like all the time.

He creates an array of different weather outfits based on that color scheme, makes about 20 copies of each outfit and they find space for them in the house.

XD assumes this should last Dream for a month or so, and then he can replace whatever Dream actually used.

Speaking of used clothing, XD realizes that Dream clearly needs a place to get rid of them once they're used. So he creates a little void linked trash can for Dream to use.

Just drop the clothing in once you're done with them and they're gone!

XD is very smart and has prepared for every situation.

It will be another 10 years before Dream finds out about washing clothing.

With all that settled, XD takes a little bit of time to do some basic training. He hasn't quite told Dream that he's going to need to murder two gods in the future. He will, eventually. But for now XD just tells Dream he'll have a big task in the future, and he needs to be ready.

Dream accepts this without question and when XD leaves again, he starts dedicating himself to figuring out his new body and to his training.

He's also working on reading some of the books that XD left for him on combat tactics.

Admittedly, that one is a bit harder. His reading skills aren't quite there yet. But he is working at it! He makes mental notes to ask XD about what some of the words mean. Hopefully his guardian won't be upset that he can't quite make his way through these books.

He is 4. An older 4 year old, sure, but he's still 4. I think this is important to remember.

XD thankfully isn't upset, and spends some time reading the words out loud to him to help him out. The two of them settle into mostly regular weekly visits.

As Dream settles into the area, he starts to explore more, traveling further and further out.

He's curious about the world. His former home was very cut off. People couldn't go that far. But there seems to be so much space here! The world just keeps going!

One day, he hears something quite strange. The noises seem familiar but aren't quite something he understands. Dream finds himself moving close to the noise, trying to understand it.

As he approaches the source of the noise, he hears a familiar word and suddenly it hits him

It's another person talking.

Oh.

Someone else is here too.

[anxiousnerdwritings]

okay but Bruce’s sibling seeing the Jason is falling apart during the Titans show and being able to intervene before the Joker kills Jason Todd in the very last minute when (s)he realized that Bruce wasn’t doing shit to protect his kid and just not letting him go back? when Bruce asks about Jason returning to the manor after being released from the hospital, the sibling!Reader is like “nah, he’s staying with me” and Bruce tries to argue but the baddie is already walking out the door. for a moment Jason can only stare in awe before he shrugs and skips after his new mama. and Jason still becomes Red Hood but a more tamer version under the Reader’s influence. poor Dick wants to rip his hair out when he discovers that she probably would’ve adopted him too if he had asked.

I could totally see Bruce’s sibling!Reader having taken on more of a motherly/fatherly role to Dick and Jason than Bruce would when he took them in. If the Reader wasn’t there when Bruce first brought home Dick then they sure as hell rushed their ass to get there as quick as possible to help Bruce raise him. Then they ended up staying around for Jason too (and eventually the other kids to come). So they’ve been more of a prominent parent in their life than Bruce really was.

When the Reader first ever found out about either Dick or Jason taking part in fighting crime they were completely against it and it caused quite a riff between the two siblings. The Reader literally didn’t talk to Bruce for six months, not a single peep, even though they lived in the manor together and saw each other every day. It took the boys going to the Reader and telling them that they wanted to do this and that it was their choice to become Bruce’s sidekick. The whole thing still infuriates the Reader but they do ever so slowly start talking to Bruce again. The boys both know that the Reader wouldn’t ever come to accept them having any part in becoming a vigilante but at least this kinda smoothed things over between them and Bruce.

But the Reader would finally be forced to put their foot down now that Jason was in the hospital and he was going downhill. The Reader was always much more conscious and hyper aware of Dick and Jason’s mental and emotional health while living with them and Bruce than their brother really was. They knew being a vigilante would be taxing for them in more ways then one and then having Bruce be tough on them too had it’s affect as well. The Reader was always there for the boys though no matter what but they especially made it their purpose to be an anchor for both Dick and Jason. To always be their consistent form of love and warmth after everything. Whether it was a bad day at school or a rough patrol, the Reader was always their for them no matter how late or early the boys were in need of some reassurance and comforting.

So of course the Reader picked up on Jason spiraling and they weren’t going to allow him to be put in yet another environment that would only make him worse. They would take him with them and Bruce wouldn’t be able to stop them. They’re priority was making sure that Jason was safe and taken care of more than anything else but there could be a compromise made for Jason to continue crime fighting if that’s what Jason wanted. And he’s got no hangups about being taken in by the Reader whatsoever, honestly he’s ecstatic for it.

Meanwhile, Dick is beating himself up for never even thinking of the Reader adopting him themself. He is over filled with envy that Jason gets to be taken in by the Reader. Dick may even hit the Reader up and ask if it’s too late to be adopted by them now. But Dick would visit the Reader’s place a whole lot more now that they’ve taken in Jason, for a few reasons. He definitely wants to remind them that Dick is still around and that he still needs them too, he doesn’t want the focus to be completely taken off of him. He obviously doesn’t want to be forgotten by them now that they have their hands full with Jason. But he would also try to be more of a stable figure in Jason’s life too, sure a part of the reason is to look good in the eyes of the Reader but also to keep an eye on Jason too. No doubt that the Reader themself would ask Dick to keep an eye out for Jason too while out on patrol every now and again, just for added measure that he would be okay when he goes back to crime fighting.

The Reader would totally put Bruce in his place and it wouldn’t matter whether the Reader was his oldest or youngest sibling, Bruce will hang his head low in shame and take the scolding sent his way. He knows the Reader is right and that Jason may just need a change in environment and someone else around to get better but still it makes him feel like shit that he failed Jason as much as he did. He’ll try to make up for it though, both with Jason and his sibling. Bruce would want to eventually get back into his sibling’s good graces after all.

[absolutelynotararr]

ANOTHER LITTLE WOLF

RAR!

This idea, like many others, has been sitting in my notes for some time, and just the other day my friend and I discussed it (and we will obviously continue this, as always) Honestly, I don't remember where it all originally came from, but relatively recently this idea came to another friend of mine in a chat, then I remembered the notes and... now the post is in front of you!

What if Antinous had a younger brother? Okay, this idea has been developing for a long time and is still developing, but for now we have such a number of ideas for, probably, a new AU

• The younger brother was essentially supposed to be the same age as Telemachus. (And you should remember this, you will find out why exactly ;) )

• His name, like Aphemachus, not accidental, but again has its own meaning. We thought for a long time about what to call it so that it would be cool and interesting, the very first option wasn't particularly difficult - Evrynous (there was supposed to be a joke here, but I don't know how to present it correctly in english, but you'll get the gist as you read) , but for now we have settled on "Clamalycus ". Now for the explanation (MY FAVORITE PART AAA) Everything again comes from two greek words "Κλάμα" and "Λύκος", meaning "Crying" and "Wolf", and as a result we have "Crying wolf"! Wolf, because well, it sounds menacing and we've all heard (not) enough "Wolf" in LW that my co-writer and I couldn't resist making that reference. And crying refers to his constant behavior

• Yes, the younger brother cried a lot since birth, in absolutely any situation and for a long time, and very heart-rendingly. This habit remained with him, even when he grew older. He quarrels with someone - shouts and cries, he is offended by Antinous - shouts and cries, he fight with someone - SHOUTS AND CRIES. He cries not because of sadness, but aggressively, if I may say so.

Someone: *thinks it's a special fighting tactic to confuse the enemy and defeat him, respects the boy* Clam: *just can't hold back tears and is always crying* EM... YES, THAT'S,DAMN, IT!

• Antinous and his father, Eupeithes, also had a long decision about what to name the infant. Father was thinking of something majestic, referring to someone great, but with the same particle "lycus".

Eupeithes: hmm...how about Heraclycus? No-no... Proclycus! No, Autolycus is perfect!

Little Antinous, who, after 7 hours of his brother's crying, is ready to either hit his head against the wall, or hit his brother's head against the wall: What??? "Autolycus"?!?! With such a cry that deafens all of kingdom, he is the only real Clamalycus!

• Yes, the childishly irritated comment unexpectedly pleased the father, which is why they settled on this name for the baby and the baby himself responded only to this name, so yeah XD

• And yes, there were moments when Antinous actually considered killing his little brother, simply cause the crying was so unbearable. But he never did this, but often hinted at it, no, even said it outright, so that his brother would be afraid of him and wouldn't cry and anger him (and this, naturally, didn't work)

• Also, for some inexplicable reason, these two are always arguing, cursing each other and wishing to die soon. They are like fire - no one knows who lit the flame of hatred first, no one knows how long it will burn and no one knows how to put it out. Even their father couldn't make them become friends, so every morning they start not with "Good morning", but with "I HATE YOU!", " OH, NOOO, I HATE YOU, YOU LITTLE CRYING SHIT!", " WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF I HAD STRANGLED YOU IN YOUR OWN CRADLE", " WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF YOUR FRIENDS HAD CUT YOUR THROAT!".

Clamalycus: *Getting ready to go somewhere* Antinous: Be so kind, little bastard, and die somewhere, tripping over the first stone. Clamalycus, mimicking: "Be so kind, little bastard, and die somewhere, tripping over the first stone. Me-me-me..." (๑•̀ㅂ•́)

• They reminded me of Michael and the crying boy from the FNAF series, but with a more intense and aggressive relationship. And then my best friend remembered Belphegor with Rasiel and said that they reminded me of them in some way (and then I started re-watching this old miracle. WHY IS SQUALO SO BRUTAL-)

The second part will be today/tomorrow, but for now don't forget to also read about other au's that are on my best friend's blog! It's just a miracle, really, reader! @gareleia

updated: El gave me permission to mention her yeah, she had a hand in this idea and actually helped me remember it, so thanks u SM! :D @elianzis

[goldeaglefire1]

okay so. I have been inspired by @tf2heritageposts's recent poll. and with that in mind

Ranking How Deadly Each of the TF2 Mercs Would Be In A Fistfight

Note: following the rules of the poll here, we are saying this is simply fist to fist, with no weapons or equipment for either combatant. I think we all know that if ANY of the TF2 mercs had their weapons in this scenario you'd be fucked

With that in mind, from least to most deadly:

9. Sniper

Honestly I think this is the most realistic match for. Anyone on this site really. Sniper's specialty is long range so if you force him to fight fist to fist he is not gonna have a good time. He even says in the comic that when he was a kid and other kids started fistfights that his go-to strategy was to climb up a tree and throw rocks at them. He would not be good in a fistfight is all I'm saying.

8. Scout

Now if we were going purely by SKILL Scout would actually be a lot higher. He definitely has a lot of experience in fist fights, definitely moreso than the two above him on the list at least, and like. Meet the Scout literally has him solo a Heavy with nothing but his fists and a baseball bat. You are fighting Scout in his element he can absolutely kick your ass. The reason he is down this low is not because Scout is bad at fighting, but because Scout is a moron. Out of all the mercs Scout is the one you could most reasonably trick. It is not about "can you beat Scout" it's about "can you distract him long enough to get in a cheap shot to knock him out and book it." And, honestly, I think that's fairly achievable! If you can't manage that though you're fucked

7. Engineer

We are now at the point where you are basically at the mercy of god. Engineer is down this low because, while all the mercs are at least a little insane, he's what you could argue to be the most reasonable one and the most likely to go easy on you. Aaaaaaand he also doesn't seem like the type to have fistfighting experience. That being said he can ABSOLUTELY kill you because, the thing is? He doesn't have two hands. He has one hand, and a mechanical prosthetic hand he can spin like a drill. Can't exactly remove that. Get him pissed enough and you are fucked

6. Medic

Unlike Engineer, Medic not only will happily kill you but has the knowledge to kill you too. He knows how to fix all your bones and that also means he knows how to break them. Only reason he's down this low is because of the no weapons requirement. If he had his bonesaw you'd be fucked guaranteed but it'd be a bit harder to use his techniques with just his hands. He also doesn't have any notable hand to hand combat skills so like. Glimmer of a chance but in all likelihood that would be the Medic's glasses as he opens you up like a frog in a high school science class.

5. Demoman

Demoman has absolutely been in a brawl fight before. Like we may have never seen him in one but there is no way he hasn't been in a bar fight. He also handles live explosives and a whole ass sword with a surprising amount of grace and precision despite being constantly drunk so you can't really count on that throwing off his aim either. He's the exact right combination of skilled, crazy, and competent that you're kinda fucked no matter what. The only saving grace is the constantly drunk thing. Hope he passes out in a drunken stupor before he can actually do anything

4. Spy

Yes, Spy is a twink. Moreso than even Scout honestly. Yes, like Sniper, Spy's not exactly meant to be in a direct fight either. Yes, he's French. However: UNLIKE Sniper, being up close is Spy's ideal range, and he's a trained assassin. Do you really think he doesn't know how to kill you without his knife. Or that the guy who's entire job is to stab you while you're not looking is worried about fighting fair. As soon as you lose sight of him - which is probably going to be easy even without the Invisi-Watch - you're fucked. He's already behind you. Spy's only in fourth place because he's the least likely to get in a fistfight period.

3. Pyro

(NOTE: This section has a page from one of the comics featuring blood and a dead animal to make a point. If you're sensitive to that kind of thing skip ahead)

Now, I know what you're thinking - "okay the Pyro's nuts, sure, but this high up? they have no weapons and they see the world as sunshine and rainbows! surely they can be reasoned with right?" And to that, I say: sure, they see the world as a colorful fantasy candyland and their flames as pretty rainbows. However!

Bold of you to assume they don't know what they're doing. It does not matter if they have no weapons if you are up against Pyro you're fucked. Especially since they are one of the two mercs I can see starting the fight unprovoked for shits and giggles. Pyro cut off Soldier's hand in a car ride they have no sense of proportional retribution. Your only, very slim hope is that you find something flammable and something to light it on fire and use the ensuing flame to distract Pyro long enough to get out of there. And that has the caveat of "pray Pyro doesn't light you on fire first"

2. Heavy

I don't think I need to explain this one. Heavy speaks for himself. Even the people who voted Heavy in that poll seem to be operating on the logic of "maybe I can convince him to be nicies to me" rather than actually beating him in a fight, at least going off the tags. If you're up against Heavy, you're fucked.

1. Soldier

Yeah there's a reason Soldier had no votes for those first few hours. A master fears not the expert but the guy who has no idea what the fuck he's doing, and by god does no one know what Soldier is doing at any given point, especially Soldier. You cannot reason with him. You cannot predict him. Tricking him is easy but has a high chance of backfiring in a way that kills you regardless. His signature move is instantly snapping your neck. If you're up against Soldier you're fucked

[absynthe--minded]

Hello! Can I respectfully request the promised lecture and Powerpoint about Fingon/Maedhros? I'll be honest here... I just do not see it, and I truly do want to understand. There are other relationships in the Legendarium that I really do think Tolkien deliberately and unequivocally coded as queer, and I've used all those same examples you list to back up my arguments. And I do see the parallels with Luthien and Beren (just as Sam/Frodo has parallels with that). But otherwise, I don't see a lot of queer coding. Which is not to say that I think it's a bad ship, just that I don't really see much in the text to support it or see much indication that it's what Tolkien intended. I would love to be convinced, though! I swear I'm not trying to bash Russingon or provoke anything. It seems like you have put a lot of thought and research into this, and I'm honestly curious, because this is a ship that has always puzzled me a bit.

First, thank you for asking! It’s always a pleasure to talk about my boys and my OTP to end all OTPs

I want to start what’s probably going to be a long series of self-reblogs by saying something that’s going to be important in the long haul: there is a difference between “I personally interpret this in a way that enhances the story, and it’s canonically compliant” and “I think and will seriously argue that Russingon is supported canonically by things that explicitly exist to point toward it being more than friendship”. The line can get kind of fuzzy, but it does exist, and the foundation of any good queer analysis is recognizing that.

So before I get into Sarah Waters, Mary Renault, and what the British legal system has to do with any of this, I’m going to make three lists.

Stuff That Probably Doesn’t Mean Anything, But That Is Fun To Examine From A Shipping Perspective:

Maedhros wears a copper circlet, Fingon wears gold in his braids

Maedhros abdicated the throne in favor of Fingon entering the line of succession

Maedhros stepped into a position of military authority after Fingon took the throne, working closely with him specifically to attack Angband after the Bragollach

Fingon is stated by Tolkien himself to have never married nor had biological children, and Maedhros never married nor had biological children either

Stuff That Is Ambiguous In Intent, But Is More Significant Than The Above:

Fingon clearly still cared enough about Maedhros that despite probably not knowing whether or not he burned the ships, he set out to rescue him alone in a display of loyalty to the rival royal line that put his priorities firmly in the “this nér whom I love” camp. It’s worth noting that Maedhros’s family are the reason that his sister-in-law is dead, the reason many of his own people froze to death, and the reason his brother is dead. Maedhros’s rescue, and forgiving him, is more important to Fingon than any of that. Why?

Morgoth’s battle plan for the Nirnaeth Arnoediad (as relayed in the Grey Annals in The War of the Jewels) involved forcing Maedhros and Fingon apart and trying to take both of them down simultaneously. Fingon was of course ultimately killed by Balrogs, and Maedhros avoided being killed by allies-turned-spies, but the goal was to keep them apart and incapacitate them both. Why?

Maedhros’s mental stability, willingness to exist in a society, passion for fighting Morgoth, and desire to curtail his brothers’ worst impulses all evaporate after Fingon’s death and Fingon’s death specifically. Why?

Maedhros and Fingon maintain a relationship with each other that is significantly more important to their actions than similar relationships between Finwëan cousins. Aredhel is never recorded as prioritizing Celegorm to the same extent, and Finrod only goes on a hunting trip with Maedhros and Maglor after things between their families are patched up. Why are they different from others in this way?

Stuff That Actually Matters In Analysis:

Fingon and Maedhros, Beren and Lúthien, and Frodo and Sam all share very nearly the same story at a crucial point. All three feature a situation where a rescuing party feared the one they loved was dead, discovered they were actually held prisoner by Sauron, went alone into peril, and used a song to find who they searched for successfully. Both Maedhros and Beren lost a hand in the course of their journey. Frodo lost a finger, and Sam cut the hand from the orc whipping him. All three pairs were rescued by at least one of the great eagles. Sam and Frodo have on-page declarations of love. Beren and Lúthien are the self-inserts of the author and his wife. This connection is not accidental; the author explicitly compares Frodo and Sam to Beren and Lúthien on the Quest for the Silmaril in the text of The Two Towers. If Maedhros and Fingon are being linked thematically with the central romantic relationship of the Legendarium, there is a reason why.

The Grey Annals tells us that Fingon rescued Maedhros “and their love was renewed”. That’s a direct quote from the text, not an exaggeration. This is more canonical proof of love than we get for some married couples (notably Fëanor and Nerdanel, who are never stated to love one another in the text).

Laws and Customs Among the Eldar explicitly states that half-first-cousins are allowed to marry without it being considered incestuous, so long as their parents aren’t close. That seems like an extremely odd standard, until you remember that there is an unusually close pair of half-first-cousins whose parents don’t get along.

(Obligatory note: the published Silmarillion does state that Idril and Maeglin are too close to marry. The published Silmarillion’s treatment of Maeglin is also almost certainly invented by Christopher Tolkien - Maeglin in the drafts written by JRRT himself is wildly different than how he appears when Chris writes him. Tolkien himself avoided making any such statements about cousin marriage and Turgon opposed Maeglin marrying Idril because he didn’t think it was a love marriage.)

The Grey Annals also discusses one of the histories of the green elfstone that Aragorn receives from Galadriel as a wedding gift - in this draft, it was made by Fëanor, and Maedhros gave it to Fingon. When Aragorn receives it, it’s been set in a brooch in the form of an eagle. Here we have another thing that passed between Maedhros and Fingon that is explicitly linked to romantic relationships between two characters echoing Beren and Lúthien. This is once again not accidental.

Fingon’s harp is almost certainly a reference to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, which also heavily inspired Lúthien pleading for Beren in Mandos. Yet again, we have deliberate intent by the author to position this relationship in a light that reflects romance above all else. You could even go further and point out that there are parallels between Thingol’s hostility toward Beren and Fëanor’s distrust and hatred of the Nolofinwëans. Túrin and Beleg, who get to kiss on the page, are also echoes of Russingon - early bliss marred by a kinslaying, a hopeless quest alone armed with a bow, an injury that results from freeing the captive party.

The fact of the matter is that none of this is accidental. Tolkien was deliberate in his worldbuilding, his parallels, his setups and his plot choices. There is a reason that Fingon and Maedhros are linked to so much romance, a reason that they are positioned on equal footing with other more clearly queercoded ships, a reason that it’s their relationship that shapes the First Age. When you accept that none of it happened accidentally, that allows you to broaden your scope, and look at Tolkien’s inspirations, his life, his friendships, cultural influences, and why he might have been so cagey about his M/M ships when they aren’t just important but vital to the text. (After all, Sam and Frodo’s happy ending comes after Sam’s time in heteronormativity, and Túrin and Beleg fall apart in a similar fashion.)

It’s just - it’s not crazy or insane or Shipper Goggles to say “these relationships matter, and the stories actually don’t make sense without them”. That’s all.

(Next time, if you like, we’re going to talk about historical fiction, and there will be lesbians.)

[destinygoldenstar]

As a kid watching Ninjago, I was just interested in the flashy powers, and the heroics of the main characters, like any kid would. Like, 'Aw these guys are so heroic and selfless and awesome'

But now as an adult, when I recommended my GF the show, I specifically said "This is Family Issues: The Lego Cartoon"

Honestly, Jay likes to complain and hide his upbringing, but he's probably the ONLY ninja with any resemblance of a normal happy childhood and backstory. He has two loving parents who supported him, and was an aspiring inventor.

You could argue Fritz Donegan rectified it, but Jay didn't know this, so how would this affect how is childhood turned out?

At worst, he was dirt poor, living in a junkyard and all, but compared to what the rest of his team went through, I think they'd WANT what Jay had.

Nah, instead most of Jay's trauma and emotional baggage is in the present.

And who else do we have?

We have a robot who didn't even know he was a robot, or had any idea of his identity or memory, so much so that he was just... wandering around the land with amnesia. (Then, you know, everyone thought he was weird)

We have Cole, who grew up in a harsh family background where his dad forced/pressured his kid to be a musician, and canonically suffered depression and bad violence habits after the loss of his mother/during her illness. (Idk about those other Royal Blacksmiths if they are in the family or not, but either way they didn't seem supportive)

Kai and Nya's parents up and vanished from their lives at ages five and three, and they had to raise each other all by themselves with just a blacksmith shop. Basically means they were forced to end their childhoods right there, especially Kai, because older sibling. And there's no indication they had any friends or anyone to help them in their town, at most there was that one lady that they hated, so... ouch.

And... Lloyd.

Just Lloyd.

Half of the show is just Lloyd suffering.

Born as the son of a man forced into an evil oni maniac, said father ditched his entire family.

Mom decided it was a good idea to abandon her kid in a boarding school about villainy. (That's like, the ONE thing I genuinely think the movie did better than the show.)

And that school heavily bullied Lloyd and even exiled him, forcing him on the streets, basically

Everyone hates him and doesn't help him (until Pythor)

Gets tricked by Pythor

Gets kidnapped by Serphantine

Nearly dies in lava

Is given a destiny as the savior of all of Ninjago where he's forced to be on opposite sides of his father, and part of said destiny involves him needing to kill him

AGAINST HIS WILL MIND YOU

Was LITERALLY forced to give up his childhood for this destiny

Was tortured by the Overlord for his golden power

Ice Ninja died

He got his father back, and then he died.

Was possessed by an evil ghost tyrant and was forced to do horrible stuff with no control over himself

Was also physically strained to his limit with that possession

Lost his uncle

Fell in love, and then said crush turns out to be a twist villain who wants to TORTURE him, resurrect his father and steal that fatherly love from him, and have said father try to KILL HIM

Which he was very close to succeeding at

Has to live in hiding for a week thinking all his friends are dead

Twist villain crush dies in a building collapse

That traumatizes him and haunts his trust and empathy towards people for A LONG TIME

Gets cubed in a video game (idk if that counts as trauma)

He's also a dragon oni hybrid, and his oni hide haunts his mind for his entire life, and is terrified to even think of a part of himself

Merge. For weeks he thought all his friends were dead. (Again)

And you know, physical beatdowns from being the Green Ninja, one of the most responsible jobs as the savior of all of Ninjago.

And that is not even everything, I'm sure there's a lot of stuff I didn't mention.

This poor, poor Emo Child.

If this wasn't a Lego show, this would have a Clone Wars tone, I'm convinced.

So yeah, 'Family Issues: The cartoon'.

At least they all have each other. They're a happy found family, and the light in each other's lives. They're here for each other. Their dynamics are precious to me.

[icy-book]

Hi, I'm Icy and this is my terrick propaganda post

Why should I vote terrick in the unpopular/niche dndads shipping pole, you may ask. Well, here's my best attempt at consoladating why I ship terrick, things I love about them, and why I think they're a ship that should be significantly more popular than it is:

Narrative parallels in season 1

This one I think is fascinating! The kiddads went through a lot in the Forgotten Realms, and the fact that they're the only ones who can understand what they've been through has been the basis of a lot of fics and posts I've seen about them. But I would argue, Terry Jr and Nicky can understand each others experiences best.

They both had their memories messed with in the Forgotten Realms. Nicky obviously through the trial and the two dads, two timelines things, but vampire Terry Sr literally ate Terry Jr's positive memories of his father, and given how long he was there, Terry Jr probably only has faint or negative memories of the real Terry Sr. They also both have a dead parent that they can't mourn properly because of the memory thing. With Morgan, she's not dead anymore. Except Nicky remembers her dying, remembers grieving for her, and in many ways that Morgan is dead. Glenn himself says so. And for Terry, how do you mourn someone you don't remember? Who you know you grieved but can't understand why anymore. And that loving one dad feels like a betrayal to the other. For Terry Jr, loving Ron feels like forgetting Terry Sr, and for Nicky his two dads are actively antagonistic towards each other. The fact that they go through such similar things in the opposite direction is a really fun playground to play in, and being able to have that openness because they understand it better than the others I think ads an extra layer of intimacy.

2. They're canonically best friends.

Childhood best friends to lovers is a trope I adore. I think the notes of this post describe it well, as well as this fic I accidently wrote in Aether's inbox. They have the potential to be really incredibly fluffy together, even from a purely platonic perspective. But it also puts a really interesting spin on my next point:

3. The Betrayal

Ooooooooooo Terry Jr having been the one to shoot Nicky's arm off was a goldmine of angst potential I was not expecting. The fact that Terry was basically begging Glenn to kill him out of a guilt is something I have thought about a lot. A lot. This also makes Nicky's potential reaction to Terry's death incredibly interesting, especially since Terry Jr went to hell aka Nicky's house. Post-season 2 has a lot of room for divorced energy, as well as the navigation of learning to date someone you never fell out of love with, even though time has changed you both considerably.

There are a lot more reasons why I love this ship, and you should go check out the terrick tag on both AO3 and here on tumblr! AO3 especially has some amazing fics (I strongly recommend this fic by Cookies, the one that officalgleamstar wrote, and all of Aether's fics but especially this one) and then also some of mine. Tumblr is perfect for passionate ramblings, and is honestly 90% me and Aether talking to each other.

If nothing else, I hope this post has given you some things to consider about Terry and Nicky, even unrelatedly from terrick. Oh, and go vote for them in the ship poll (@/dndadscharacterpolls)

[kroosluvr]

i'm genuinely curious I WANT YOU to outline how the shu/ake/sumi romance/and-or/situationship would unfurl in a post-p5r reality (where akechi lives, of course). what are the bullet points for what would happen between them. would they have a falling out. are they doomed. would they be horrible at communicating. would they finally be good at it. which pairing comes together first, if any at all. or would all 3 pairings happen at the same time at the same pace. or are they all in a limbo, not romantic nor platonic but a secret third thing.

OMG HI. HIIIII ok so. i havent actually thought about it that much (SURPRISING I KNOW) because i honestly suck ass at timelines (in regards to canon. tennis au on the other hand...) BUT I WILL DO MY BEST a lot of this is loose too.... im totally up for most anything but this is how i see it most of hte time heheeh (TY FOR THE ASK I LOVE THINKIJGN ABT THESE 3.)

this is .. kinda.. long.. ahem

pre-p5r: sumire is acquainted with goro thru her dad's show: they're not friends, but she's talked with him more than her sister. so when goro meets 'kasumi' at the cafe something strikes him as odd but it doesn't quite register: like ehhhh well why should i care / maybe my memory is just wrong / not worth my time

during p5r: 'kasumi' has a crush on akira, a kind of on-the-surface adoration of "wow i think you're really cool and we get along well!" nothing that's super advanced on or anything, and akira doesn't see her as anything beyond friends anyway.

she drops the crush upon reverting back to sumire, and it builds slowly over the course of 3rd sem but is also never really actualized - like she likes him ok whatever but then what..??

3rd sem (long winter au): long winter barebones: maruki's idealized world starts like on christmas or smth (havent thought this out TOO much LOL) and royaltrio-centric part of 3rd sem lasts for quite a while, at least 3 weeks-1 month. how does this work w the timeline i have no idea. BUT it leads to tense moments like spending new years together with the idealized thieves and trying to stay upbeat during all that, all the attempts and failures at breaking them out of it, and a LOT of tension during this time.

they argue and fight and are irritated with each other a lot of the time (goro the most vocal abt it obviously, sumire kind of drawing back into herself, and akira doing his best to stay optimistic. i think when akira starts to lose his spark is when the others r like oh we gotta make up for that slack and they finally up their game a bit) and yeah even sumire argues with akira and with goro and etc. im figuring this out PROMSIE ill come up w stuff and draw comic/write fic for it...

also 1/9 sumire fight is probably the beginning moment when goro starts to respect sumire more/see her more as a friend/comrade than a teammate. bc she almost kills joker and then him LMAO really giving them a run for their money... and also he really sees the pain she feels at being herself and resonates with it, either unconsciously or consciously

also upon seeing her Past broadcasted on maruki live television:tm: he makes the connection and is like oh so that's what happened. so all this time she was just masquerading as someone else. hmmm

anyway they're all very fragile and scared and sad during 3rd sem so they stick to eachother closely bc they're all they got to lean on. i think they have a lot of skinship during this time? handholding hugs leaning on each other sleeping in the same room (they hang out at leblanc A LOT bc 1) they're kind of afraid of being alone during this time 2) they're afraid of the OTHERS being alone during this time 3) leblanc is "untouched", compared to other parts of maruki's reality. can u imagine if even goro's apartment suddenly became nice overnight LMAO) but its like no feelings attached, just pure comfort kinda thing

kissing could also happen during this time but also no feelings attached, purely Why the hell not etc sort of vibe.

also goro and sumire get on first name basis during this time. this comic i drew w goro dying in my head which is Why he initiates first-name basis, but we can operate off the idea that he thought he'd die but somehow magically didnt. YAY!

but they have impeccable communication w each other and are very honest with their feelings. (goro avoids talking about his past tho. so maybe not THAT honest.) but they all achieve a really strong understanding of each other to survive maruki's winter wonderland...

i do think they develop feelings for each other during this time but they're all confused whether it's feelings of like comfort/security with each other or like romance/yay. so like nightmare situationship basically. so they all individually decide to hold on to this happiness while it lasts bc they sure as hell know it won't last (when have any of them been able to keep good things)

3rd sem: the thieves join yay! i think they'd notice that the 3 of them have become very close-knit (bouncing off eachother insanely well in battle, talk to eachother casually, and are generally pretty affectionate with each other. weird but ok! at least they (akira goro.) aren't trying to kill each other all the time.

this is also nice for sumire bc she had those 3-4 weeks to kinda Figure herself (sumire) out btwn akira and goro so she's less like down in the dumps about not being 'kasumi' anymore and more secure in herself and stuff like that. yay!

they beat maruki and stuff. YAY!

post-p5r: akira moves back to his hometown for 3rd year of highschool and college, goro is who-knows-where (i imagine he gets back on his feet of his own making and then goes abroad for school somehow. idk just seems like smth he'd do esp since i think he'd avoid everyone during this time) and sumire stays at shujin for 2-3rd year, then probably goes to a uni in japan but goes abroad for 1-2 yrs (gymnastics and etc.)

the "goro doesn't die and reunites with akira/sumi" timeline

goro, walking into leblanc on 2/4 or whatever: hi guys i didn't die actually

sumire: haha why would u silly? lol

akira: WHAT THE FUCK

the end.

i think they do go to separate universities though and theyre like damn wait i miss those guys but they go thru school and keep pretty decent contact w each other and see each other during vacations and stuff when they can and then when they come back to tokyo it's like no time has passed btwn them and they just pick up where 3rd sem left off but like better and happier and more peaceful. YAY!

i haven't really thought of how they "CONFESS" or whatever but i think all of them just feel (TWINGE OF JEALOUSY) at the idea of any of them dating someone else so theyre like ok well thats that i guess. we're a thing now (they refuse to use any other terms like that i think. For a while at least. until maybe one of the thieves etc gets engaged/married and then theyre like ok we can grow up about this. but basically they're just A Thing and Offlimits:tm: and etc.)

COMMUNICATION IS GOOD HERE!!!! i think for sh/uakes/umi i prefer them becoming a Thing at once rather than 1 couple happening first (esp since i like the idea of "none of them rlly understand romance and stuff so they just say 'fuck it' and become Thing" like thats kinda funny asf to me.)

i also feel like to anyone else they just seem like a group of besties until u see exchanged kisses or hugs or interlocked arms/hands and ur like wait....? hm. well idk. (bc they don't either. no one has any idea)

the "goro doesn't die and avoids them" timeline

also in my head sumire doesn't endeavor for the olympics/world stage/international fame and just kinda sticks around national rankings while she still figures herself out (in this timeline. also probably true for the other one but shrug IT CLD GO EITHER WAY I THINK)

somewhat relevant is my shsm fic where i elaborate on sumire's emotions more during this time (especially while thinking goro's dead). <- actually this is pretty recommended cele sumire reading bc this basically totally encapsulates how i see her. the first oneshot is 6k words tho ITS A MOUTHFUL.. SORRY

she and akira drift farrrr apart. she feels extremely guilty and also bitter and frustrated about goro's death and the fact that akira didn't tell her (or goro, in fact.) and he feels guilty and sad about it too, that he should have done something? anything? for him or for her, and he couldn't figure it out and now its over. so now the two of them r grappling w this and trying to overcome it and forget each other even tho the memories during 3rd sem, although painful and haunting, still were sweet and nice and they don't want to forget but they HAVE TO MOVE ON... RIGHT....

meanwhile goro's probably thinking like "damn i miss those guys." but they also think he's dead so hes also like "this is stupid i have to move on(?) Or whatever." ok imma be honest i didnt really think THAT much into goro's thinking during this time (YET.) bc i think he'd be floundering a LOT with everything during his life and being kinda just miserable.

also during this time they try to date other people and it all is miserable and falls apart and also they havent forgotten about the other two so theyre like fuck.

akira - 25~, sumire - 24~, goro - 26~, eventually goro moves back to tokyo and kinda just goes about his life hoping he'll see them again. or maybe find out what they were up to and finally get some closure. wow he does! they kinda all go back to tokyo at the same time wow shocker soulmate things IM JOKINGGGG but they all kinda hold that sentimentality of ok so much time has passed maybe i'll feel better about this place now. and then when they run into each other again its like no time has passed at all. HAPPY ENDING YAY!

communication is less good in this timeline now they're healing from the "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD" stuff. so thats a whole nother can of worms. probably ironically in this universe they try to actualyl figure out how this whole romance thing works so they can label each other as partners and be like OK DONT RUN OFF AGAIN. ANY OF U!!! DO NOT!!!!

ok this shit is so long im so sorry. HI. SDGSHKJFHJKDSHG THANK U SO MUCH FOR THE ASK IM BAWLING i really havent thought much of post-3rd sem stuff as u can tell........... but i WILL ipromise.

edit: LAST ADDENDUM im very passionate abt shsm being nightmare situationship. guys who never got together but got divorced 50 times. sh/uake fits into this category as well i think. i can also kinda see ak/esumi like that but ironically i feel like they'd have the most stable situationship out of the 3 individual ships..... idk.. need to let it all cook in my head a bit more BUT VERY PASSIONATE ABT THE SHSM THING.

[lord-squiggletits]

MegOP questions *3 (and great news that you're feeling a bit more like writing them again, though it transpires that I do also love your Pharma...):

(a) what's an in-joke between the two of them; the sort of thing that will make one of them smile for what seems like no reason from the outside?

(b) your idea of M very subtly teasing OP and turning him on really gets to me; I suspect neither one is as discreet as they think, though, so what does that look like from the outside?

(c) You've argued in the past that OP makes on-page peace offers: what's your guesstimate for why they don't work out, at least early in the war?

(A) In-jokes between them:

Honestly, I've sat here for a while at a loss of how to answer this lol, I'm not really good at coming up with inside jokes since (naturally) I'd need some sort of context or specific events to references that would make them HAVE material for "inside" jokes specifically.

I suppose Chaos Theory's conceit always works: they reminisce a lot over all the ways they've nearly killed each other, and (to add a bonus for the next question) other people find this particularly shocking to watch Optimus participate in, since he's supposed to have a more dignified, anti-violence aspect to himself. I suppose that just means that Optimus' responses to Megatron's jabs are way more subtle in the references they make, giving the impression that they're playing a game together but Optimus is the one keeping his composure while Megatron has the goal of breaking it (even if it's just to make Optimus laugh at something impolite or snark back in irritation).

(B) Outside view of elaborate courtship rituals:

I think depending on the person, it's variable as to how much they perceive the flirting happening and whether they notice the sexy vibes to it.

A lot of the times I'd say people do notice (the only people who don't would be like, complete neutrals like Camiens and other colonists), but they don't get more than a sense that Megatron and Optimus are having some sort of silent conversation expressed entirely through pointed stares and paperwork. I'm sure that to even casual onlookers, it's very obvious that M and OP talk/interact in a way that's clear they're having whole invisible conversations.

As for people who perceive the more flirtatious elements? It's honestly variable because I have different Schrodinger's headcanons about Megatron and Optimus' sexual behavior/vibes depending on the specific scenario I want to write. But I suppose in general I'd go from the perspective of "Megatron and Optimus have sexual tension, but they still behave with decorum publicly and keep such personal things to private places." I think there'd actually be a decent mix of people who know them well and perceive/don't perceive the sexual intent going on, as well as vice versa. I'm pretty sure High Command on both sides recognizes it and finds it incredibly annoying (Prowl, Starscream, Soundwave) and Optimus has at least one personal friend (Ratchet, also Ironhide but that's less explored in IDW) who knows him well enough to know when he's being stupid as hell. Megatron on the other hand has few to no personal relationships, much less lets his emotions show, so I think he has the advantage in that people don't perceive Megatron as the kind of person that has feelings/desires and so they don't notice as a result.

But the subtle and elaborate courtship rituals probably become more obvious whenever Optimus has a visibly irritated/flustered vibe and Megatron looks unusually smug/satisfied. I imagine it leaves people equally bewildered as they are grossed out; bad enough that Megatron and Optimus were flirting publicly to begin with, but they were doing it with such weird, tiny signs that they were doing it right in front of other people? During meetings and conversations? And the onlookers just have to deal with the fact that M and OP constantly bounce off silent/invisible flirtations at all times? The psychic damage...

(C) OP's peace offers and why they didn't work:

I imagine the biggest sticking point was on foreign policy related to colonization and dealing with organics. For all his flaws and evil, I do think Megatron genuinely believed that there was no peace to be found with organics and that the best thing for Cybertron would be to preemptively attack and grow Cybertron's power. OTOH, Optimus is completely opposed to such imperialistic methods even if they would have the benefit of helping out Cybertron's homeland security. Setting aside the obviously moral choices, I think purely in terms of policy, OP and M wouldn't be able to compromise on that: OP wouldn't be able to accept continued/worsening bad relationships with the galactic community, and M wouldn't be able to accept leaving Cybertron to languish/decay for the sake of appeasing other species/empires who hate them. Even before Cybertron was made completely uninhabitable, from the early days of the war resource scarcity was a huge deal, and population exodus severely cut Cybertron's manpower down, so I think a lot of peace treaties would fall apart sheerly on the basis of Megatron and Optimus not being able to agree on what the goals/policies/actions of a unified Cybertron should be.

Then there's also the pre-war tensions of the issues with Optimus being a Prime, lots of the Autobots being part of the existing government that the Decepticons rebelled against, even the New Institute being a thing still thanks to Prowl. Then the crimes the Decepticons committed, not only against organics (which as mentioned before, M would be pissed about crimes towards organics being weighed as equal to crimes against Cybertronians) but also their flagrantly destructive and reckless actions as individuals (since Megatron regularly employs and encourages soldiers that do crazy shit like blow up energon refineries, start gladiator death pits, and just randomly attack whole planets for the fun of it). Negotiations would MAJORLY fall apart in that regard: if they reconcile, who gets punished and who doesn't? Who gets to keep their leadership positions and who doesn't? What about the fact that both factions have hair-trigger tempers and will perceive every suggestion of punishment as an attempt by the other faction to dominate them or punish them disproportionately?

I know that's all just political stuff and not really MegOP in the sense of personal interactions, but given who M and OP are as people, I think the political differences are fundamental to however their personal relationships could/would develop, since not only are they tied to their personal convictions as people, but political policy is also tied to the obligations they have towards their respective armies (countries, in a sense). I mean, OP not wanting to compromise on organics is tied to his beliefs related to freedom and equality, and M not wanting to collaborate with Autobots is tied to his trauma and political beliefs concerning the previous regime. Though it is interesting to consider whether M and OP coming to a peace agreement would happen because of changing personal beliefs allowing them to compromise on policy, or if compromises on policy force them to adopt new routines which then slowly change their worldviews in order to deal with it?

[wsdanon]

Oooh fit in the fuga universe is so interesting too! I wonder how their relationships would be affected by being in Alcatraz. Also, what would Cell and fit think of each other if they met in that time instead of in the future in quesadilla island! There is so much potential in this idea!!

hm I feel a little better now so I can think about the idea more. and writing the first bit this is already kind of long and I have a lot more to say so I think this will be going under a cut lol \o/

also just to be clear there’ll be no spoilers for my 2bxfuga fic this is just me expanding on an idea for the reverse I came up with earlier

I think it’s much harder to make work than the other way around but also this is fanfic so who cares. fit has been in normal society before going to 2b2t and hasn’t been there for as long as on qsmp by the time he gets out. I think he adjusts fairly quickly to the rules but not in his mindset (probably similar to on the island but there’s a difference of everyone around him could still be enemies so he’s not as chill)

fit and cell would be especially interesting to me. I think they would immediately size each other up as being from similar places (kill or be killed places: the war versus the wasteland) and they’d either get along really well because of this familiarity or they’d hate each other. i think you could honestly argue for both ways but for a fitpac story fit and cell hating each other makes more sense

imagine them seeing the new guy come in and he’s immediately pretty cold to cell specifically. also he looks buff and capable as fuck and he’s in for murder \o/ think them trying to hire a gang to protect themselves from cell. maybe they approach him and go “hey we don’t like this guy that you don’t like—how about we team up?”

would fit agree to this? well I think out of his comfort zone in a prison where he doesn’t speak the language (and with pac asking) he’d agree. purely strategic not at all because pac was the one asking (okay maybe a little because it was pac)

fitpac interlude: pac seems pretty into polyamory so I don’t think whatever he has going on with fit will change what’s going on with cell but it might make him think twice about it/might not make it so extreme. I always use the idea that fuga takes place over a year so pac flirting with cell is partially to try and get him to not just kill them whenever he gets mad at them. having the slowburn with fit could just make his feelings for cell less genuine but wouldn’t stop the flirting (pac flirting with prison guards and bobinho even now that he’s dating fit)

mike is honestly probably relieved by this and even though he doesn’t trust fit as much he warms up to him a lot quicker than in my 2bxfuga fic I would say. as now pac has some other hot violent guy to fall in love with and this one doesn’t want to kill him. plus they haven’t had all their horrible experiences with cell yet so the two being similar in his mind doesn’t ring any alarm bells (unlike in the fic) and by the time it would, he already trusts fit

they probably don’t tell him about the escape plans until much later on and they trust him more. and then escape plans have to be delayed to account for another person. I’m not sure how much it would change of the overall plot because to me the biggest plot points are: 1) pac loses a leg 2) they escape—and I wouldn’t want to get rid of either of these

maybe they manage to escape without bringing cell with them? abandoning him at the prison instead of island? maybe JV survives? But then they wouldn’t bring Guaxinim with them… I’m not sure. if I ever wrote something for this it wouldn’t be like what I’m writing with the other version of the au now it’d just be a oneshot maybe. I already have two multi-chaptered fics I’m balancing I don’t think I could manage another lol

[sluzheart]

a/n: hope you like

Warnings:smut,fluff, grammars probably wrong

Neytiri & jake poly headcannons

SFW

They are very sweet and always there for you can’t change my mind (literally)

You could kill someone and they be like “well that's their fault”

But anyways your all strong like very strong

Jakes tutok mato and neytiri was one of the people to tame a thanthor (i know it has a name but i couldn't find it) and you were a strongest warrior/ best healer in the whole clan

Date nights would be fun going on your ikrans all the time (neytiri’s ikran is alive idgaf)

Your all so competitive especially when it comes to ikran racing or who can do better at anything

You guys all sleep in the hammock together you all alternate turns with jake being a ex marine and neytiri's trauma and yours as well but what mattered was you were all together and felt safe felt loved

You and jake play around alot acting like children then come neytiri many times to drag you both back my the ear or tail home

When you had your children they reminded you so much of each other it was honestly scary

While neytiri was pregnant you had always been seen with her no matter how much she demand you go away

Then when you got pregnant it was a completely different story neytiri now understood why you were so protective

Now don't get me wrong jake was overprotective but he knew when to back off you when he took it to the extreme

You sitting on the floor while neytiri sits on jakes lap while she does your hair and you singing your song chord

You telling neytiri she's the better singer than ninat jake agreeing with that statement

Jake/you telling neytiri/you about earth and what it was like

Them arguing whos saved each others life more (its neytiri btw) then you just in the background

You cannot weave to save your life so when your in trouble they both make you weave until you give up

You hate and i say hate bluberries (sorry for the people taht luv blueberries) jaek tried to give you some and you gave him teh duress fucking look to every exist and they never treid to give you blueberries again

You and neytiri like to tease jake a lot whether it be sexual or not

From this moment forward it will me NSFW

Jakes a pussy eater fs he was in a wheelchair for a while he had to up his game which was a gift sent from eywa

Neytiris shy but as you go one she builds more confidence

As i said you and jake like to tease neytiri like a lot it could be you while your eating her out going slow and not reaching her clit just yet but when you do you pull away instantly or you make her beg for it like beg for it then her ruining you and neytiri later for it

Jake loves giving hickeys you can't change my mind

It could go like this jake could have a meeting and in a bad mood but when he walks in your tent and sees you and neytiri making out and groping each others body’s like on would disappear if you let you and as you lips disconnect from each other and string of salvia as you pant trying to catch your breath from your make out sesion

Jakes hard as a board as he sees you two you turn your head at the entrance of the tent and tell him to come in shutting the flap behind him neytiris already going towards your buttom ready to eat you out and jakes at the upper part of your body kissing him like theres no tomorrow

He loves the sound of you both moaning so he removes himself from his lips and goes to your necks sucking your neck and as he found your sweet spot neytiri started her work

[halfagone]

Magnetism, Cont.

I am currently working on the outline for Magnetism (no I am not unnecessarily avoiding sleep, what are you talking about?) and find myself no closer to figuring out who I want to ship Danny with.

Keep in mind Danny can't be super old because his 'reign of terror', if you will, has only just begun and he's only starting to establish himself as an anti-hero after Everything. At the youngest he can be 16, oldest 24. That age can change depending on who he's shipped with, of course. (The younger he is, the angrier I make him. I make the rules and they will hurt you.)

I've seen a few ships thrown out there, and I've narrowed down a few possibilities. I'll even offer you what their ship dynamic would look like in the fic to help you choose wisely. ;3 Make sure to check UNDERNEATH the poll for the reasoning.

THINGS TO KNOW:

This fic will be rated Mature for blood and violence. And by violence I mean that Danny kills a FUCK ton of people, wow. Also, going along with the influence from the X-men's Magneto, there will be political commentary/deconstruction that can and will influence the tone and manner of the ship dynamics. Also, Ghost King Danny.

Jason/Danny - Anti-hero meets anti-hero, true love at first blood, baby. I think these two would get along the easiest, but they also would be very poor influences on one another. Jason is likely invoking Danny's bloodlust even more, only minimally helping him keep a cool head. However, this could also be a learning opportunity for Jason. It's his turn to see what his friends and family saw from him when he first started beheading people. Could either happen at the start of Jason's Red Hood career, or when he's closer to the family. Very flirtatious, very bloody.

Angst score: 5/10

Dick/Danny - There's a little more friction between these two, but at the end of the day, Dick sees the angry child he had been in the grieving, desperate version of Danny that he is now. Danny is very charismatic, matching Dick's charm. They talk around each other a lot, arguing their points constanly because Dick knows Danny doesn't really want this, but Danny knows this is the only way. Dick could be younger, only just beginning his career as Nightwing to match Danny's rising anti-hero career as well. However, this means we only get kid!Jason for the Batfam (and maybe kid!Tim). You could still have him at 24 like most of my fics, of course. Softer, lots of innuendos.

Angst score: 7/10

Bruce/Danny - Oh boy, here comes the Unhealthy, Unresolved Sexual Tension. The political and moral debates between these two make any onlooker believe they're either about to murder or fuck each other. I believe it was @thatrandomsarahchick that pointed out that Magneto has a thing with Professor X (which, you're not wrong about btw), and there were other choices technically, but the Big Three were the ones that stood out to me the most. I couldn't separate Clark and Lois, though, and honestly I think Danny and Diana would get along... a little too well. And thus, we get lots and lots of UST. Bruce knows Danny's anger all too well, which is why he wants to try to convince Danny to change his path, but Danny sees Bruce as too soft to kill, to do what needs to be done, and they are just so broken up over it. However, this would be set at, the earliest, Year Three so no Batfam other than possibly baby!Dick.

Angst score: 12/10 (Highest Score!)

John/Zatanna/Danny - Now these guys, hohoho, let me tell you... These guys are a shit show and a half. This throuple offers you some of the bloodiest, wildest fight scenes I will probably ever write. If you think Jason is a bad influence on Danny, then you are not prepared for what these three have going on. John is unintentionally egging Danny on, Zatanna is trying not to get everyone killed, and Danny is- quite frankly- unused to this kind of attention. More worldbuilding than political debates, honestly the least interesting of all the proposed ships. But still worth mentioning! Their ages have a wide range, however, with potentially a 14 year age gap between Danny and John, as he is the oldest. Zatanna would be between them.

Angst score: 4/10. Whump score: 8/10

Kara/Danny - Now this one is probably the most unique of the ships, just because it has some of the most noticeable impact on the plot progression. I believe it was @thevigilantspider that first proposed this ship for the fic. So in this case, Kara would have to be new to Earth. She's inexperienced with all that the planet has to offer, still grieving her planet, her people, and her family. She's getting used to how, ah, delicate humans on Earth are and just overall not having a super great time. So she would agree to find out more about this anti-hero to prove herself capable and get a feel of the political scene of the planet. This also means that she gets a very interesting lense on everything thanks to Danny, and it really shapes her as she continues with her possible hero career. I think Danny would be the most... Danny, for the lack of a better word, with Kara. However this means there is bound to be a lot of Emotional Hurt/Comfort.

Angst score: 8/10

(Do be aware that these angst scores are for the couples themselves, not the plot as a whole. The plot will be plenty angsty on its own.)

A great many things to think about. Think hard, choose wisely, my friends.