#feeling normal. feeling like a normal member of society

[ititledit]

Terrible headline choice, but overall I'm glad child free women are getting some mainstream coverage

________________

The number of women choosing not to have children is growing and the global birth rate is plunging.

While their reasons vary from climate worries to financial concerns and health complications, those making the decision to be "child-free by choice" say societal acceptance is yet to come, often leaving them feeling ostracised.

The BBC spoke to members of Bristol Childfree Women, a social group with more than 500 members, set up by women and for women who have decided not to have children.

While Caroline Mitchell always knew she never wanted children, she wasn't prepared for how hard reaching "child-bearing age" would be.

The 46-year-old, who lives with her husband in Brislington, Bristol, said while it never bothered her when she was younger, she had not anticipated the barrage of personal questions she would face as friends and acquaintances started to have children.

"I have felt like a freak because of it," she said.

"I feel like my perspective and my experience is just not acceptable."

In Caroline's eyes, society is set up for motherhood.

"You realise how you're quite excluded from a lot of life," she said.

"It's really hard for me to meet people, because it's all about the women you meet at the school gates or the writing clubs for mums."

Caroline said she thinks that sometimes women with children believe the "whole world" is set up for child-free women.

"Actually, it's really exclusionary," she said.

Many in her circle of friends have children and while they have never knowingly done anything to make her feel different, she says, the fact they are "all doing one thing" and she is doing another has been "quite hard".

While Caroline is "100% certain" and "very comfortable" in her identity, she admits she has, on occasion, “agonised" about her decision.

She said that was down to the "cultural expectation" of what was normal and the concept that if you were a woman, having a child was "the natural thing to do".

Official figures released in 2022, external show record numbers of women are reaching the age of 30 child-free.

More than half (50.1%) of women in England and Wales born in 1990 were without a child when they turned 30 in 2020, the first generation to do so, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Megan Stanley, who is originally from Oxfordshire and lives in Bristol, was so certain about her decision to not have children, she has been trying to get sterilised since the age of 19.

When it comes to her painful periods, Megan said it feels "cruel" to go through the "suffering every single month for a body function" she feels she does not need.

"I know that sterilisation doesn't solve periods but it does alleviate a lot of those major symptoms," she said.

But the 31-year-old said she has come up against hurdle after hurdle.

“The doctors would say ‘you're still a bit young’ or ‘you might change your mind’,” she said.

The furthest Megan got was when she was 29 and had an appointment with a surgeon.

"I'd prepared everything - my medical history, prepared all my line of reasoning. I'd even gone as far as to get a testimony from the therapist I was seeing. I'd gone the full mile," she said.

However, permission was not granted once the gynaecologist asked about her relationship status.

"At the time I'd been dating my now long-term partner for maybe three months," Megan said.

She told the doctor that her partner also definitely did not want children and he had already had a vasectomy.

Megan said the doctor then told her that if her partner had a vasectomy, “then you don't need to have this done, do you?"

It was then that Megan said she realised it was "inescapable" and they were "just not going to do it".

"Why should what happens to my body be beholden to what he's done to his?" she said.

"It's got to the point now where I long for the menopause. That's what I'm looking forward to."

Caroline believes women without children may be “complicit” in keeping cultural expectations as they are.

"We don't talk about it - so there's still this thought that it's what everyone does," she said.

"Motherhood is just everywhere all the time, in your face."

She said it was hard not fitting in with the "norm of society" and at times, she had wished she was "different".

"My life would have been easier in some ways," she said.

Yet for many women, whatever choices they make, they seem to beat themselves up about it and "seem to be not very accepting of everyone's choice", Caroline added.

Fiona Powley said she knew she did not want to be a mother from the age of 12 after seeing her own mum struggle with motherhood.

“I just thought motherhood didn't look like lot of fun," she said.

Now 49, Fiona runs the Bristol Childfree Women group, external and while she is currently experiencing menopausal symptoms, she has "no panicking feeling" that she did not use her ability to reproduce.

"It feels very comfortable," she said.

Ironically Fiona now looks at herself and thinks she could have actually done “quite a good job of parenting" but she "never really wanted it enough".

However, like Caroline and Megan she said new people she meets can react negatively when she tells them she chose not to have children.

“There's being told you'll regret it. What's your point of existing? If you don't have children you're not valid as a woman," Fiona said.

Fiona has even been called "selfish" and some have questioned who will look after her when she is old.

“It's almost like people feel uncomfortable," she said.

“It's probably because it never occurred to them that they also had a choice.”

Megan can sympathise.

In the past, the reaction to her not wanting children has been quite "visceral", she said.

She claims some people have painted her as "a child-hater, or a mean person” because of it.

"I think my not wanting kids is just an innate thing to who I am," she said.

Fiona said there were so many reasons why people decide not to have children.

Looking back, she thinks her own reasons were "probably quite unhealthy", but she knows that she is not going to "suddenly wake up as an old lady and feel bitter and regret".

Caroline said she would be a "resentful mother", adding there were a "huge amount of upsides" to not having children, like focusing her time on her relationship with her husband and her hobbies.

Megan agrees.

“There’s a lot of joy to be had in not having kids," she said.

“It isn't all about freedom and money. It's about choice."

#feminism #radical feminism #child free #bbc news

[bisexualisteve]

maybe it's because i recently rewatched it but i can't get over the ending of catws...what do you MEAN after everything he's done steve is fully accepting of the fact that he'll die on one of the ships and is slumped over but the moment he sees bucky struggling, being afraid of dying he gets up, he goes over, and he saves him. it doesn't even occur for him to let bucky suffer for a moment longer, no, his brain immediately goes overdrive and pulls up his own bleeding body to go hold the falling debris until bucky is safe.

and then after he's done that, he fully commits to it. he throws his helmet, he throws his shield and accepts that he'll die but at least he'll die by bucky's hand. could you even imagine, in that moment, being so in love with somebody you'd let them kill you, just for a chance, a chance they'll remember you. i'm going insane.

#stucky #stevebucky #mcu #catws #steve rogers #feeling normal. feeling like a normal member of society #post.txt

[creative-caramel-coffee]

Ahhh life is so good today i have done so much :)

Drawn today? Yes

Studied? Yes (for two hours … thats a lot for me ok … no hate)

Found any good drawing references? Yes all ready for when i wanna draw next

Got any good fics to read? Yep started a great one last night and still reading it :)

Written anything for posting? Yes sir all lined up in my drafts just needs editing

Got up before midday? Yes ma’am 8am, bright and early (for once)

Been productive? Sir yes sir … Done a lot today

Left the house today? Uh huh … went to the shops , looked at art supplies, did the grocery shopping and bought lunch

Good weather? 100% my fav … Rainy and cold just how i like it (I can wear my hoodie!)

Eaten real food? Yeppers … i had sausages for breakfast and a donut as a snack

Eaten lunch? Yassss … avocado sushi w soi sauce (i probs spelt that wrong haha)

Had something to drink? Why yes… yes i have (coffee and juice)

Spoken to my lovely Anons? Why yes i have

Heard from friends? Texting and happy (making plans to hang out)

Stressed? No who’s she? (Feeling ready for exams and happy)

Made the tags on this post unhinged? Of course i did

Im so proud of myself rn :))

#making depression my bitch rn #slayyy #im so happy rn #is this what i feels like to be a functional member of society #shitpost kinda? #do i know what a shitpost is? nope. absolutely not. #does that stop me tagging it ask one? also no #am i asking myself questions rn? yes #am I crazy? maybe #hotel? trivago #i swear im not on something rn im just happy #well i am on antidepressants but like… who tf isnt at this point #normal people dont exist you just havent found out whats wrong with you yet #livin my best life rn #depression has given dobby a day off… dobby is freeeeee #these tags are unhinged #i promise i did take my meds today #maybe im just delusional #if so i hope it never ends

[yardsards]

i think the issue with having an extremely inconsistent sleep schedule is not that your overall daily schedule will be out of wack (i am quite fine with changing schedules) but rather that all hours of the day are Schrodinger's Bedtime. like, going to bed just feels like An Option at all times and this leads to a lot of laying in bed almost dozing but not really sleeping

#eliot posts #i BRIEFLY got my sleep schedule back on track but then i got sick had to sleep all day to recover and now it is Bad again #and then before that it was STABLE for a while but... #i was going to sleep at sunrise every day #which was Bad #bc by the time i woke up it would be almost sundown #so time completely stopped feeling real #fuck the winter darkness i am moving to the fucking equator as god intended #we must ALL come to brazil (or ecuador or kenya or whatever) #but seriously tho like why is my default circadian rhythm to FALL ASLEEP AT SUNRISE #it has always been like this and it happens in all seasons #(isn't too bad in the summer tho bc there's more hours of sun and also student schedule lets me Live Like That) #i am constantly battling my body to adhere to a somewhat normal sleep schedule #bc alas being a member of society means i have to be awake and doing stuff at certain times #scheduling meals and activities a certain way and avoiding blue light does NOT fix shit #keeping a regular schedule can help sometimes but is‚ again‚ an uphill battle against my body #i should honestly try getting one of those seasonal depression sunlamps and staring into it at like 10 pm every night #trick my brain into thinking it is sunrise (and therefore time to sleep) #(also i tried melatonin supplements once and it made me feel like my bones were trying to slither out of my skin #and i had a panic attack and didn't sleep that night. so i am too terrified to try THAT again)

[ukulelegodparent]

.

#it's so terrible. #I am once again completely incapable of being a functioning member of society let alone have any sort of normal interaction #with people I'm not 100% comfortable with #and I'm also completely unable to communicate that in any sort of meaningful way #if it at least was warm and I could go to the park and lay down in the grass #I feel like that would improve things a bit #but like this? I feel like I'm just dissociating more and more every day

[bomnun]

the weird group of people who think the reason pitigi and dawn might not be best friends these days is that he was dating are making me scream

#they knew since predebut and had like four other dating scandals if they don’t get along well anymore it’s not going to be because of this #little fact #but ofc if it makes you feel more progressive for hating them then ok #/s #(I definitely feel like a lot of people choose to ignore or dislike them bc it makes them feel like they’re owning (tm) korean society … #somehow…for doing that to a group that had a member kicked for this reason ) #(totally a normal perspective to hash /s)

[yisschamp]

Ok good it’s scheduled an hour before I have to be normal in front of my normal friends (they aren’t normal either but let’s pretend)

#hopefully 🤞🤞🤞 #we want to go watch everything everywhere all at once yeah we are Normal Well Adjusted Functioning Members of Society(tm) #also atp I don’t even want the September video srs I feel like it needs to be eradicated liek I think the existence of that video set off #a chain of events that shouldn’t have happened idk. #misc ramblies

[thekubekat]

*Sam stayed like that for a couple more seconds, before carefully placing Em down on the floor. Sam quickly sat down to not be entirely unfair height-wise.*

I’m.. sorry about attacking you… I’m also sorry about getting you into this mess… and finally I’m sorry for hugging you like that..

*She looked away for a moment.*

I… don’t want to be enemies with you… I was just really fed up when I attacked you.. I’ll still probably fight you over Miché, but other than that, you’re not bad…

*She gave a small smile, extending a hand to help Em sit up.*

-Samantha..

[Em looked at her hand for a second before hesitatantly grabbing it]

I guess you're not horrible yourself blondie...

[As soon as they were up they still pulled their hand away pretty quickly]

I- I don't particularly want to be enemies either, especially not now.

I guess I'm sorry too, I misjudged you Samantha.

[They smiled a little bit, now easing a little bit more back to their normal self]

Yknow whether we're friends or not doesnt mean I'm gonna be any nicer though!

[They said something pretty low and pretty fast, hoping Sam wouldn't hear it

Also... I didn't mind the hug...

[Em wasn't quite sure what to say at this point]

#Em being nice feels strange/ooc #I like it but why are they being a nice normal member of society wuh/ooc #regretevator #regretevator miché #miché ask blog #miché #miché regretevator #regretevator ask blog #ask miché #regretevator stuff #ask blog #regretevator oc #not miché #em regretevator

[vcrnons]

.

#I’m so tired. I’m so tired I’m so tired #today is not a day for being awake and yet. Here i am. Awake #this doesn’t make sense i went to sleep like an hour earlier than normal last night and I feel absolutely WRECKED #when will the universe let me just be a sleepy girlie and not force me to haul ass out of bed every day #i was not designed to be a contributing member of society i was designed to simply Exist and vibe and not have to work for a living #UGH pls someone rich & famous sugar daddy me immediately im so serious #i make good tea and am only sometimes annoying to live with 😔 #happy Friday y’all #shut up j

[singingvio]

Did you know taking quick little breaks when you’re getting frustrated and stressed actually makes it like.........

Way easier to do things? Because I didn’t.

#Discovering something normal for everyone else but previously impossible for me feels like I've discovered the secrets of the universe #Being a productive member of society makes me feel ready to fight god win and take his place #Even though I'm just doing my math homework #I knew logically this was a thing but I didn't understand it and I certainly wasn't able to put it in practice #but now that I can I'm like holy shit this is the best thing in the universe #IS THIS HOW YOU NEUROTYPICAL PEOPLE FEEL???? #IS THIS HOW YOU PEOPLE WITHOUT CRIPPLING ANXIETY FEEL???? #IS THIS #Is this how dogs feel #I hope this is how dogs feel bc this feels fucking great #I'm not god I'm dog

[soarrenbluejay]

Supervillains for a community. (Well, except those jerks over in Gotham, insular lot, but they’re they’re one problem) Of course they do- supervillains are a group defined by strong opinions and a willingness to see them through, often with a healthy dash of societal failures and trauma as a catalyst.

The fentons, while not active even on the online message boards, are well known and explosive when they do show up, full of fascinating insights and hours long rants on mad science on hair pin turns courtesy of that ADHD attention span. Bit of the cryptids you feel honored to bump into kind of deal. Besides, like a good quarter of the community as it aged, they’d settled down and had kids (not necessarily in that order) and taken it very seriously! Out in the middle of nowhere, where even the most fearsome government outpost members, the local branch of the IRS, quake before them in fear. Out of the way.

Reveal gone okay-ish, Danny moves to Gotham still to get some air bc now things are Akward and he landed that engineering scholarship which is loads better than any other college would give him with his track record. So- the mysterious Fenton children are finally crawling out of hiding! Everyone is psyched! And roll in to Gotham en masse to witness the fireworks!

Except Danny is Determined To Be Normal. He’s had enough of the throwing himself into harms way shit for a lifetime- he wants to be free to peacefully built Rube Goldberg machines and unintentional increasingly complex bombs to his hearts content. JAZZ, on the other hand- the coveted token Normal One, has finally snapped! She’s watched her baby brother she practically raised throw himself into danger over and over and could do nothing, and now that she’s exposed to this whole network of superheroes outside of small town Amnity, some of those uglier emotions are coming out. And boy is she pissed! And can’t afford to show it much while filing the paperwork to have Arkham legally razed to the ground!

See I love this idea of like, niches in superhero society. A villain the heroes know they can plop their kiddo down with for an exciting afternoon brawl while they take care of a particularly grisly case and come back to a few hours later ranting about some new life lesson and a new move they really want to try. A villain who has a functioning moral compass despite their somewhat batshit long term goal and you can contact to fuck with another villains’s plan so they can laugh at them and you can have an easy afternoon. One who pries up hostile architecture and fills in pot holes, idk man. Get creative here, there’s such potential!

So Jazz becomes a Training villain- someone the heroes know their sidekicks will walk away from in a fight 100% of the time, usually with some new lesson to ponder and only a couple of bruises. Sometimes even snacks!

She also absolutely ambushes mentors to check that they’re worth the kiddo, which they appreciate once they get over being jumped in a dark alley by a 7 foot Amazon trained force of nature. They are not used to being on that side of the jumping, it’s a little unnerving.

(Yes, she low key adopts Shazam upon checking in with him on cursory ‘is the main hero of this city and asshole’ checkin. Yes, the super clones get yoinked out from under Superman’s negligent thumb to go have a blast with Ellie. What about it?)

This however only encourages more assorted weirdos to crawl out of the woodwork. It’s not often one of their own forfeits their potential spot for the running of the coveted Most Normal I Swear prize, but when they do it’s bound to be good! But jazz is off hounding various heroes and punching the faces in of pedophiles and shit whenever there’s no cape within easy reach, and so is a mite bit harder to contact than Danny, who has innocently gotten an apprenticeship under a clockworker for access to their workshop and is gleefully going about doing nerdy shit with great abandon.

Plus this is Gotham. No one gives a shit if someone in the Mad Alchemist uniform and still smoking from their latest experiment pokes their head in a window to bother the local shrimp teen- none of the usual social rules apply, everyone’s crazy here! So everyone drops any and all attempts at masking and just acts their genuine unhinged selves, much to the alarm of the Bats and frustration of Danny.

Bc he cannot get these mfers to go. Away. Even liberal use of the creep stick has little effect when the interloper is calibrated for an opponent with super speed or laser vision or whatever, and he’s trying to maintain his guise as a Normal College Student Do No Investigate.

So he calls in the big guns. He’s not super active in the supervillain kids group chat ever since things in amnity calmed the fuck down post becoming King and then immediately using a loophole that says he will not take the throne until he is grown, as defined by finishing learning his trade a la the medieval standards Pariah set up. So he can just take his sweet ass time with his graduate degree and out of inter dimensional bull shit that much longer! Point is, he hasn’t taken the chance to rant over there in a while, so his Crazy friends are getting a lil worried.

The change to come over and shout at their batshit crazy but (mostly) well meaning parent AND see Danny? Score!

The bats, however, are getting awfully suspicious about this one kid that villains from all over the country are flocking to, especially young and upcoming ones as of recently! And he’s acting his engineering course- all the worst rogues are known to have flown through their PhD studies prior to Cracking. They seem to have a real problem on their hands with this Fenton guy.

#dp x dc #dc x dp #mad science #supervillain community #bonus points if you can pull out some super niche comic villain #justice for kite man #local child of a crazy chemist: so you know that trick you showed me with the soda and the reaction that could turn into just like all foam #Danny: yeah and also back the fuck up #lcoacc: so it’s been like my comfort food right but like I started wondering what you could do #danny: oh no (he says while making what amounts of an overachieving smoke bomb) #lcoacc: so I was like what if I add more of a base to it so it could be solid and then maybe just like a LIL acid to see what happens #Danny: oh ancients #lcoacc: but then the killjoy supes came in a ruined everything from where I was ruining lex Luther’s day #Danny:… did you get in on camera #lcoacc: OF COURSE. oh also like everyone ever if coming over for a sleepover lol #Danny: WHAT I CANT FEED YOU MONSTERS #lcoacc: no worrries we’ll rob a bulk store or something lol #Danny: nO

[messylustt]

A HUG? / MAYBE MORE? — miguel o’hara + reader: you make a decision that miguel isn’t too pleased about. miguel doesn’t like this ‘someone’.

marks includes fluff :(( bit of angst (ends well). mentions of cheating (not miguel or reader) — pls let’s just ignore the comic miguel (coz he may or may not have cheated) and focus on movie miguel. thank you. wc 1.4k.

pt one. pt two. pt three.

you walked alone, head muffled. you've found taking one step in front of the other helps focus those muffled voices. maybe then you could make sense of them. maybe then your heart wouldn't feel so heavy.

so, toe after toe you ventured around HQ, humming a soft tune to focus on your breath rather than the voices you found you couldn't make out. but then there was a clearer one, a deeper one, getting your attention.

you look up to see miguel eyeing you and your distracted self. you smile. "miguel, hey."

miguel's eyes dart. ever since the news of your hug had circled the spider society every spider-person had made their own assumption. lovers? close friends? related?—that was a strange and short lived one to circulate. but people could just not fathom how miguel would ever want to hug anyone. you being a family member seemed more plausible at the time.

but now everyone has circled back to potential lovers. but you have someone. had someone... you aren't too sure. because the reminded tug at your heartstrings earns your smile to slightly drop. miguel notices. his inspection of you turning more detailed. "you don't look annoyingly happy." he states monotonously.

you focus your gaze and push away your heart, placing that smile you always seemed to bear back on. "what? you mean how you don't look everyday?" you tilt your head.

to outsiders you would seem normal, fine, happy. but to miguel you seemed far from it. to miguel you seemed troubled, not yourself. and it sets an uncomfortable feeling low in his stomach. he didn't like not seeing you as your bright, bubbly self. Because slowly you had become his rock, his comfort of sorts. and if you weren't stable, how could he ever be?

he steps closer, tapping your chin to raise it up, as you had begun to get distracted in the slightly shiny floor. you meet his gaze, forcing that smile back on. but Miguel places two clawed fingers against your cheeks, drawing that smile down. "don't smile unless you mean it." he muttered.

you were quite surprised by how intensively he had begun to take note of you. you had caught him always eyeing you in briefings, or in the cafeteria (if you can call it that). it now kinda makes sense the whole assumption of 'lovers'. but you weren't. and you personally didn't think you'd ever be. miguel wasn't the type.

you step backwards, away from his close hold, and miguel has the urge to pull you back, his hand slightly moving with you to hold your wrist. "are you free?" he asks quietly. and now you could spot the slight bags under his eyes, proving his need for "comfort".

but you had been thinking. though it's been nice, and you haven't minded it. miguel's hands have begun to drift more permanently around you. the hugs had become to feel far more intimate. you have someone...had someone...someone who you still liked, and someone who you hoped still liked you.

that's where the confusion settled, and the tug of your heart. you couldn't carry on this...whatever this thing was with miguel. it wasn't right. because your feelings had began to not feel right. you have/had someone.

you take your hand away from his hold and miguel's eyes narrow, quickly darting up to your face again. you place that forced smile back on and miguel's lips twitch in a snarl. He didn't want you to be fake around him.

"i'm sorry...not this time...I'm...busy." you space the words out far too randomly and of course miguel takes notice.

"this time?"

you gulp. "and maybe next time."

miguel grinds his teeth. "and the time after that?" he speaks a fraction harsher.

"...and the time after that." you confirm, looking away from his gaze, because you did feel bad. but it wasn't right being that alone and intimate when you have…had—god, just whatever this 'someone' was, point blank you felt it was wrong.

you stand straighter, finally meeting his gaze. and you almost flinch. not because of an expected hardness, but because of a soft...desperation? That couldn't be right... miguel didn't need your hugs like he does air...no.

yes. miguel has been forced to realise that himself. he does need your hugs, he craves them. and in all honesty he hadn't had the chance to think of himself without them. but here you stand, telling him 'that's it'.

"that's it, then?" he asks slowly.

you slowly nod. "i am sorry. but I know for a fact that peter is a great hugger. plus his pink dressing gown makes everything fluffy—“

miguel cuts you off. "peter? you really think i want a hug from him?"

you shrug. "as i said: great hugger."

miguel opens his mouth then pauses. "how do you know that?"

"uh...well, cause I've hugged him before?" you lightly chuckle.

maybe miguel had also noticed the 'intimacy' that had grown between your hugs. because now his chest is aching with a form of...jealousy? over peter? and not in the way a lover feels jealous necessarily. but in the way he wanted your hugs for himself.

yes, that made him selfish, and probably unreasonable. but he liked the thought of something so special as a hug from you being something for him. and now you were saying no, and offering peter up as a substitute? no one could substitute you. no one.

so, miguel began to shake his head. "do you really think that peter's hug could suffice for yours?" he narrowed his eyes, seeing if you truly believed that.

you again shrug. "it's just a hug, isn't it?" because if it was something more than you were right to stop this. miguel's jaw clenched. it was supposed to be, wasn't it? a bit of relief.

maybe that relief has turned into an addiction? maybe the term 'a simple hug' has turned into so much more? all miguel knew was that he didn't want to stop this. he didn't want to not be able to have your body pressed against his.

a voice suddenly calls your name, making you spin. your heart thumps, seeing that 'someone' walk up. a 'peter' spider-man variant. generic, so you chose to call him by his middle name, 'jessy'. named after his childhood dog.

"jessy..." your smile was the brightest miguel thinks he's ever seen. and that seems to only dampen his already soured mood. "finished a mission?" you eye his heaving chest.

jessy nods, looping his arms around your waist and giving your cheek a kiss. miguel almost flinched at the visual, his gaze getting caught up in jessy's hand. it's placement somewhere miguel had used quite often. but then miguel looks back to Jessy's face. and then back to your bright smile.

you two couldn't be...because that would mean...jessy had cheated.

miguel remembers passing by a room, moans and whimpers piercing the otherwise silence. miguel had pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering in annoyance. he banged on the door, not daring to look in. "this is communal space...you know that right?" he growled out, as he heard the moans quiten, as voices muttered together. "get out of the office." and then he left, but not before his gaze caught the sight of jessy's face and the girl that certainly wasn't you.

miguel would probably have reacted differently if he'd seen you there, pressed against jessy like that.

miguel now hardens his gaze on jessy, because then he leant forward and pecked your lips, making miguel's claws cut skin. your bright smile showed that you were oblivious to jessy's "secret" doings. but that's why your heart tugged so hard. you knew. those muffled voices were your subconscious trying to drown out thoughts of reason.

things like 'you deserve better', 'don't let him kiss you'...'end it'. all those sensible thoughts getting shoved into a basin of water, left to drown and die. you hated to admit to yourself that someone had cheated on you. it made more prominent thoughts circle the top of the water, free from harm. 'am I not good enough?', 'did I do something wrong?'...'it's probably my fault'.

miguel speaks your name, making you shift your gaze to him. "a mission. you're needed." he says, beginning to walk away. a mission? but you follow anyway, waving jessy goodbye as you slipped into miguel's office.

"sorry, i didn't know i had one today. i would've been more prepared—"

"jessy..." miguel is turning back to you, brows furrowed as he thinks of how to word this. "how long?"

your brows furrow a moment, before the lines smooth. "...a decent while. why?"

miguel grinds his teeth. "there isn't...really anyway to put this..."

you lightly chuckle, trying to ease the settling tension. "you...okay?"

no. he wasn't. because you had said to 'stop this'. but now wasn't the time... "i caught..." god, this was a lot harder to say then he had initially thought.

but when he had said that you had begun to clock on. it's not a surprise someone else had seen them. they were being rather loud. your smile had begun to fade as you muttered. "i...i know..."

miguel immediately looks up at this. "what?..."

you lick your lips, avoiding eye contact. "i appreciate you trying to tell me. that must have been annoying to hold." you lightly chuckle. but this time its void of any happiness. "but just...can you please forget you saw anything?"

you finally meet his gaze, fiddling with your fingers, as you try not to produce a sad expression. but miguel catches it. he always does. his chest is beginning to heave. because jessy cheated on you, of all people. and you knew about it. and you still let him touch and kiss you.

miguel wasn't having any of it.

he stalked forward, making you slightly stumble back. "i'm sorry...did i catch that wrong? you knew? you fucking knew, and you let him..." he's breathing hard, and you don't know why he's so worked up.

"it's...complicated, alright?" you say. "and if that's all, i think i'll go." you move to turn but miguel is grabbing you back, forcing you close to him, because he was pissed.

"you let him touch you...kiss you. after he touched and kissed someone else?" miguel's words are harsh and they bite at your heart.

your face has actually fallen to a scowl. "i again appreciate the concern, or whatever. but you have no place to say that."

you'd hugged a few times. that's it. miguel isn't blind to that fact. but he can't be blind to the one that is making him want to tear jessy to shreds. "maybe it's not. but i'm making it my place. because you aren't doing anything about it. you can't just let him touch you after—“

"he's touched someone else. yeah, i got it, miguel." you try to get out of his tight grip again, but to no avail. "miguel." you say harsher. because all this talk about jessy feeling up someone else is making your heart crack wide open, leaving tears to well in your eyes. you didn't want to cry.

crying would mean that the basin full of water would drain, leaving you to the dead carcasses of your reasonable thoughts. you don't think you could face yourself after seeing that.

"let. go." you say slowly, willing the frog in your throat to just hop away. miguel's grip only tightens, because he's noticing your glistening eyes, he's noticing your crumbling stature. and in all honesty he wants to catch you. this time be the one to comfort you.

so, he brings you closer, lifting your arms to wrap around his neck, as he engulfs your waist in a hug. and that's when you finally break, tears spilling as your hiccuped sniffles meet miguel's ears, only making him hold you tighter.

you were crying into his neck, that basin now draining as you tightened your hold around miguel like a lifeline. after a while miguel had begun whispering things in your ear, as you took note of the empty basin full of your dead reasonable thoughts. "you deserve so much better...he doesn't deserve any bit of you...por favor."

you had never heard miguel sounding so sincere...so vulnerable, even though you were the one crying. then his lips were grazing your ear, drawing you even closer if possible. "don't let him kiss you...don't let him...touch you..." and then as his hands had begun to find solace under your split suit by your hips, rubbing your warm skin, he whispered "...end it".

he had spoken all those dead thoughts of yours. given his own voice in turn for your faulty subconscious. he wanted you to listen to him, seeing your hesitance in leaving ejssy. through sniffles you say "i don't know...if i can..."

"why not?" miguel's tone had entirely softened, your breathing—even though shaky—still your breathing against his neck, calming him.

"i...don't know." you finally say. because you didn't. maybe in truth you felt you couldn't get much better. you didn't want to lose someone that had been so prominent in your life. and miguel seemed to read between the lines, or maybe you head said that out loud?

"you can get anyone...cariño...really anyone." miguel muttered, open mouth dragging close to your ear. "and i..." he drifts off, making you lean your head away, brushing your tear stained cheeks as you met his gaze. miguel tightened his hold around your waist, scared you were going to step farther away, and so he rushed the rest out. "i can be more prominent."

you stare at him, eyes widening a fraction. miguel licks his lips. "can...i be more prominent?"

your mouth is opening and closing. "prominent?" you ask, feeling stupid.

miguel actually feels nervous as he stares down at your slight red eyes and nose, his hand moving up to brush more tears away. "or be just...more."

"more?"

"mhm." miguel hums, the air feeling calmer. your muffled voices now gone in replace for miguel's. "please end it."

you gulp. miguel hasn't stopped caressing your face and waist, not until you agreed. maybe not even after that. "por favor...please."

then you found yourself nodding, and miguel doesn't think he's ever felt so...happy. In a very long time at least. and then he was drawing you back in, this time with his breath tickling your neck, his lips actually drawing in an almost kiss. "gracias, mi cariño....gracias.”

you had always liked his hugs. maybe they had brought you comfort too. maybe they give you more solace then you think you needed. and as miguel actually began to lift you, placing you on his desk, he found a new position, with your legs widened around his hips, his hands circled around your waist, his head in your neck, and the faint brush of his lips that you could quite possibly call a kiss.

more. this provided you two with more.

© messylustt.tumblr please don’t steal, copy or translate my work onto other platforms.

#. ( spidey mark ) #the miguel effect #miguel o’hara x reader #miguel o’hara fic #atsv miguel #miguel o’hara #miguel fucking o’hara #miguel o'hara #miguel x you #miguel o’hara one shot #miguel o’hara fluff #miguel o’hara x y/n #miguel o’hara x you #miguel spiderman #miguel spiderverse #miguel x reader #miguel x y/n #jealous!miguel #miguel o’hara across the spider verse #atsv #atsv fluff #atsv angst #atsv x reader #reader insert #spiderman 2099

[tinyowlthoughts]

Humans are Space Orcs - Chocolate

"Ugh, I would kill for some chocolate right now."

Gorvan fumbled the holopad he'd been typing on, all four hands brushing against the screen as he tried to keep it from hitting the ship floor. He failed and it bounced off the tiles - thankfully neither breaking, nor denting the flooring. Grimacing, he swept it up with his tail and checked over the casing, before the alarming words registered in his head. A glance at the couch showed the human - Max - hadn't moved - still twisted up in their weird, pretzely way, chin in their weird five-fingered hand as they peered at the passing stars with a far-away look in their eyes.

"You, uh, want...chocolate?" He asked, certain he'd misheard.

"Oh my god, yes." Max heaved a sigh, shoulders rising to their weird, inefficient ears before dropping back down. "Jesus, I'd even eat a Hershey's Bar right now."

Gorvan gripped his tablet with two of his hands, hard enough to crack the casing. "Oh, um - what is a 'Hershey'?"

Max didn't look away from the window, still lost gazing into the galaxy. "It's a type of chocolate bar from Earth. Maybe a Mars Bar or a Milky Way would be better..."

Gorvan huffed through his nostrils, tail lashing anxiously behind him. "Oh. Um. I - er, I forgot I have a meeting with Captain! I have to go." Without waiting for an answer he turned and fled the recreation room, hooved feet clattering against the floor, desperate to report what he had heard. He missed the bemused look Max gave him before returning to his star gazing.

🍫🌌🍫🌌🍫🌌🍫🌌🍫🌌🍫🌌🍫🌌🍫

"Max."

The human paused upon entering the meeting room, seeing the rest of the C7H8N4O2 Star Explorer gathered around the table. All eight were tense in their seats, and the moth-like Elaana looked like she'd been crying. (Well, the species equivalent, which appeared as a dusting of pollen along her sharp cheekbones.)

Taurvin, the captain, was sitting in the largest seat at the head of the table, his considerable bulk looming over the rest of them. Oddly, the first-mate seat to his left was empty. Gorvan was instead sitting in Max's own.

"Uh, hey all. We playing musical chairs?" Max glanced between the empty chair and Gorvan, but when nobody asked for an explanation to their odd human reference (a common occurrence), they figured it wasn't the time for jokes.

"Have a seat, Max." Taurvin motioned to the first mate seat and, with a bit of hesitation, Max moved to take it. Luckily Gorvan, despite being bulky himself, wasn't too much larger than a standard human and the chair was comfortable enough. "We have something important to address."

Oh god above, what had they done this time? Max tried to think back to all the interactions he'd had onboard the last few weeks, but couldn't come up with anything too egregious. Sure, there was the whole joke with 'human snot is acidic' thing but that had been more of a gross-out joke for Elaana, the ships medic, who hadn't seemed to upset when he accidentally sneezed on her a few days later and dropped the act. Epitak, the ships engineer, had been pretty pissed when ze found out Max had taken apart the air filtration unit in their quarters to try and understand how it worked, but ze had also walked him through repairing it, so they thought it was all forgiven.

Oh jeeze, had they found the plans to get a kitten onboard under the 'emotional assistance animal' loophole?

"Max." Taurvin's normally jolly voice was grave, and all the crews eyes were on them as he spoke. "It has come to my attention that you have been expressing some...troubling thoughts."

Okay, definitely the kitten thing then. "Look, I can explain," they started, but Taurvin held up a large, three-fingered hand and stopped them.

"I do not want you to feel pressured to speak to us if you do not wish to. As a member of the Intergalactic Exploration Society, you have access to mental health resources at no cost, any time, anywhere. I will be more than happy to assist you in setting up a link to a therapist through HR and, if required, will grant you time off the ship if you need it. You are the best navigator I have ever seen, and I do not want to lose you."

"Well, thanks, but uh, what do you mean?" Max glanced around the table and noticed that their normally upbeat crew were all showing signs of distress (Elaana was brushing away newly fallen pollen from her compound eyes).

"Max, you requested chocolate." Gorvan reminded them. "This morning, you said you would even eat a substance known as a Hershey Bar from your home planet." The human had never heard the first mate sound so distressed. When Max just blinked, Epitak took over, beak clacking anxiously as ze spoke.

"We understand that many planets have government programs in place for self euthanasia," ze explained, technical as always in his word choice, "but we aboard this ship would much rather assist you in healing rather than lose you, despite what you may feel is best for you. Suicide by theobromine is not the way forward."

"...what."

"It's okay, love!" The pollen was flowing freely from Elaana's eyes now, and she blinked it away with her long lashes. If there weren't a table between them, Max was sure she would have bundled them up in a full-wing hug and refused to let them go. "We'll support you through it all, we promise. You're part of our crew - our family, and we never want you to feel otherwise!"

"Well, uh, thanks. I see you all as family too...?" Max glanced at the four remaining crew members. Dhaca and Lenzoill were quiet but obviously upset, Qhals was staring at the ceiling with their fanged muzzle pulled into a tight grimace, and Ir'ith was -

Ir'ith was smirking.

Max narrowed their eyes at the inventory manager who also served as the ships cook (for the simple fact that he was the only one onboard who could cook). The zad merely shrugged when their eyes met, though his grin was growing.

"I think I'm missing something here." Max admitted, looking between Gorvan and Taurvin. "This is all because I got a chocolate craving?"

"A craving?" Elaana almost lunged across the table at the word, the only thing holder her back Ir'ith's hand on her shoulder. "You mean you've had chocolate before?"

"Well, yeah? All the time." Max was not expecting the horrified expressions they received.

"So humans treat theobromine as a drug?" Epitak asked, aghast.

"Noooo...? It's a dessert. Like, a sweet treat." Max had no idea what was going on now, but by the way Ir'ith's shoulders were shaking, he did. "Hershey's is a candy bar."

"Wait," Dhaca finally spoke up, leaning forward and shoving his glasses (well, glass - one lens for one eye and all) to the top of his head, "theobromine is not toxic to humans?"

"I'm assuming that theo-stuff is chocolate?" When Dhaca nodded, Max nodded in return. "Yeah, no, chocolate isn't toxic to humans. I ate it all the time on Earth."

Ir'ith gave up and cackled, sounding a bit like the grackles Max used to watch in their back garden on Earth. The avian's wings flapped a few times as he laughed, having to lean forward and grasp his stomach with taloned claws to keep himself from falling out of his chair. When he finally glanced up at Max, it was to the flattest look the human could manage, which only sent him into another gale of laughter.

Taurvin sighed, pinching the bridge of his boar-like snout. "I believe this has all been a misunderstanding," he spoke over the cooks laughter, which had turned into squeaky gasps. "Dismissed."

A few befuddled glances were thrown Max's way, but the rest of the crew were quick to leave, avoiding Ir'ith's flapping wings as they squeezed out of the room. Soon only the cook, first mate, captain, and navigator were left.

"Sorry, kid." Ir'ith finally came up for breath, wiping at his eyes as he regained his composure. He fished into one of the many pockets that adorned his poncho and produced a bar wrapped in purple foil, which he tossed to Max. The human caught it and felt their whole face light up. "No hard feelings, right?"

"None at all, dude!" Max tore open the wrapping and took a big bite of the Cadbury Dairy Milk Bar, nearly melting at the familiar, sweet flavor exploding on their tongue.

"For the record," Ir'ith said as he stood, cracking his back, "Zad's can eat chocolate to. Let me know next time you have a craving." He sauntered out of the room, humming happily.

The three sat in silence for a moment, other than the crinkle of the chocolate bar wrapper. Finally, Taurvin cleared his throat.

"Max, I apologize for not conferring with you in private beforehand." The captain sighed. "I did not wish to embarrass you, but an intervention was suggested and I believed that comfort from your crew would be the best way to show the seriousness of our support were you truly entertaining the thought of self euthanasia."

The human shrugged. "It was nice to hear you all care about me, even though I've only been on board a few months," they admitted. "And I got chocolate out of it." He wiggled the remains of the bar.

"Still, if you ever feel the need for mental health services, they are available to you. And if there is ever anything I or the rest of the crew can do to assist you in that way, please don't hesitate to ask." Taurvin placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head, a show of sincerity for his people.

"Well," Max tapped the chocolate against their chin in thought, "there may be one thing. Have you ever heard of cats?"

Next: Bluffing

Original Reddit Prompt:

#humans are space orcs #writing #blurb #The EC Theobromine

[linkspooky]

I WANT YOU TO UNDERSTAND ME

It's not surprising to me that Gojo's dying monologue he spent more time talking about his fight with Sukuna than any of his students. Gojo's priority from the beginning isn't to save Megumi but to fight all-out against a strong opponent, the line is: ""The Absolute Strong. The loneliness that follows. The one who will teach you about love is..."

This fight is basically the climax of Gojo's identity crisis which has been a long running issue for him throughout the manga. He's simultaneously a self-confident individualist with an overpowering sense of "ego" and a person with little idea of who he is outside of the role in society that was given to him. Gojo went into the fight looking for someone capable of understanding him, the fight is about Gojo seeking an answer to who he is, that's why he fights and that's why he loses.

Gojo is Not Normal

Nanami's statement is misinterpreted I think.

"You live for Jujutsu. You don't wield it to protect something. You use it solely for the sake of satisfying yourself."

A lot of people took this to mean that Goo didn't care about anyone but himself, even though Gojo directly contradicts this earlier.

"I love everyone and don't feel lonely snow, but somewhere along the way there was a line I drew, not as a human but as a living creature."

He states he does love other people, if only from afar, he just doesn't understand them. Gojo can't make other people his reason to fight, because he only understands himself. He only sees himself. He can only fight for what's inside himself.

"You can make a flower bloom, you can admire it, but you can't tell that flower 'I want you to understand me'

Gojo's students are the flowers. Itadori, Fushiguro and Nobara are all named after flowers. He's raising them up to be as strong as him, he's fond of them, but he doesn't think they relate to him because he exists in a different category of other people.

A lot of people want Gojo to be a more traditional caring mentor figure like Kakashi or Aizawa they're missing what's really interesting about his character. When Nanami says "Gojo only cares about being the strongest" it's true because his entire character is written around the statement "I am the strongest". He is conceptually about what it is like to be the strongest man in existence. That is the character concept, and Gojo's entire identity crisis revolves around that he's built up his personality around being the strongest at Jujutsu and nothing else.

Gojo can only fight for his own ego and self satisfaction as Nanami says, because he has nothing else, he has no identity outside of that.

However, before I get into why I want to point out that Gojo is not normal. It's not because someone on his power level is fundamentally incapable of relating to other people, but Gojo himself...is not right in the head. He's making an active decision to choose not to empathize with people whatsoever, it's not just that it's hard to understand him, it's that they can't understand him.

Gojo talks about his students like they're members of another species. They're flowers. They can't relate to him on a human level because he's something other than human. A friend had an interesting reading on why specifically it's flowers Gojo chose for his metaphor.

Plants are less sentient than insects, they don't contemplate anything they are just taken care of by their gardener and grow towards the sun. That's how differently he sees himself from others.

I wanted to include this take from @kaibutsushidousha as well.

Gojo's not from the planet mars he's a human who has human emotions and human psychology like everyone else, so that's simply not true, but Gojo believes it is and that belief influences how he interacts with everyone.

Gojo can't see himself reflected back in other people for some reasons that aren't his fault and some reasons that are. Gojo has been from birth, treated as different from everyone around him, not for anything he really did but because he was born with a really strong jujutsu ability. He's a literal chosen one. He always seen as the six eyes user, the strongest, before he was seen as a person. His entire life has been defined entirely by the abilities he was born with, he was born to be a Jujutsu Sorcerer so of course that's what he builds his entire identity around.

Not only is he told that he's categorically different from others, but he also believes it. We know little about his early childhood besides Gege's statements that he was spoiled, but we do see later on in childhood there are people who are willing to treat Gojo normally despite the position he has as the strongest. This is when it starts being Gojo's fault that he continues to see himself as different from other people.

Shoko, Gojo's closest confidante in his schooldays after Geto's days basically tells him that. She's been with him for years and yet he still has the audacity to act like he's all alone in the world. Even when people try to treat Gojo normally and relate to him on a personal level, Gojo actively ignores their presence in his life like he did Shoko because he's not only been told he's different from other people because he's stronger, but he believes it and he's built his entire world view around it.

This is why the only person that Gojo ever let in was Geto, because Gojo believed that Geto was someone who could stand on top with others. THe only person who could believe the strongest, or teach them about love was someone equally as strong. Gojo just happening to meet another sorcerer who was special class as a teenager not only allowed him to have a friend, but fit perfectly into his narrative that he was separate from others and only someone as strong as him could understand. There are people like Shoko and Nanami who treat Gojo normally despite the fact he's the strongest, but Geto was the only one Gojo met in because he met the qualifiaction of being someone equally as strong.

This isn't really the case for Geto. Geto comes to see weak people as inferior yes in the sense he sees Non-Jujutsu Sorcerers as inferior, but Geto is capable of making connections to other Jujutsu Sorcerer. Geto has his family, he has Nanako and Mimiko and the rest of his followers who he all cares about equally. Geto met all of them and chose to relate to them, he even tells Gojo after killing his biological parents that he's choosing who his real family is now.

"It wouldn't be fair if I made an exception for my parents, now would it? Besides my family now consists of more than just them."

Geto demonstrates someone as powerful as Geto can make a choice to relate to other people. It's shown in the way that Geto treats Nanako and Mimiko, he is their father and he raised them as his daughters. Compared to how Megumi is just a student to Gojo. Gojo's only invested in making Megumi into a strong Jujutsu Sorcerer, because Gojo doesn't fathom connecting to someone weaker than him. He's only their to raise up a strong sorcerer, whereas Geto who's capable of connecting with people in other ways is raising up Nanako and Mimiko and they're connected as parent and child.

Geto and Gojo are similiar in a lot of ways, same level of strength comapred to the rest of humanity, same god complex (and yes it is a god coplex, there's a reason the two people Gojo relates to are Geto who has constant religious imagery associated with him and Sukuna who's literally satan) and yet Geto shows someone roughly Gojo's power level can make connections to others Gojo just chooses not to.

This is where I'm stealing from a friend's post a bit. @theanimepsychologist points out that Geto notices the beginnings of Gojo's identity complex soon after it started with Toji.

I always thought of the panel above as Geto being jealous of Gojo surpassing him in strength but, in retrospect, I think Geto’s disappointment had more to do with Gojo’s sense of self over-identifying with the title “the strongest” and how that made him harder to relate to, which is one of the main themes in this chapter. I’ll come back to this in a sec. But first… Quick depth psych segway. I think I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating again that an overwhelming sense of self is all ego. There’s nothing wrong with ego per se. The problem is that an over-identification with ego means inherent separateness because, as an organ of the psyche, the ego sense of self is what gives us a separate identity from the collective.

Geto notices that Gojo is drawing a line between himself and other people, and pulling away because of that because people in the second category of weak can't possibly understand the strong and he's reacting to it. Geto is also the only person to underline to Gojo himself that he's unsure about his own identity.

Gojo knows he's the strongest, but he doesn't know anything about himself besides that, or even what being the strongest entails in his relation to other people. He's never constructed an identity outside of it in part because he's never had to, nobody has ever challenged him for his title as the strongest, and he also fits jujutsu society's mould perfectly. He's perfect at what he does, why would he need to change? Why would a person who reached enlightenment at seventeen need to reflect upon himself or figure out who he is? You can't really become more enlightened.

The other reason he's never constructed an identity is he's never interacted with anyone on equal terms. Metaphorically Gojo exists in a vacuum of human interaction. How appropriate is it in a way that he was sealed in a box where time didn't move completely alone for who knows how long, because that's kind of just how Gojo sees himself in relation to the rest of the world.

As Psycho points out an unregulated ego results in an inherent separateness from the collective. People don't exist in a vacuum however. We wouldn't know who we are if we were entirely alone. We are defined just as much as ourselves, as we are by our interaction with others.

Ich and Du, translated as I and Thou is a book by philosopher Martin Buber. His two main porositions is that we may address existence in two ways:

The attitude of the "I" towards "it" towards an object that is separate in itself, which we either use or experience.

The attitude of "I" towards "Thou" in a relationship in which the other is not separated by discrete bounds.

I -> It is the world of sensations. If I am looking at a chair, I say "This is a chair. This chair is an eyesore." I am seeing the chair. I don't relate to the chair.

I -> Thou can be used to refer to a relationship between human beings. You don't experience the human being., you can only relate to them and what that relationship means to you. He goes on further to say that love requires a subject -> subject relationship. To love someone means you have to relate to them as if they are another being, you can't love an object.

He's a philosopher to put forward that it's human's connections with each other and their ability to relate to each other that brings meaning to life. Gojo in Buber's terms is only experiencing the world around him, not relating to it. How appropriate of someone with the six-eyes, an ability that gives him sight far better than anyone else to see himself as only an observer to the outside world, like a floating pair of eyes.

The choice that Gojo makes not to relate to other human beings on an equal level, not only isolates him, it affects his sense of self. People cannot exist within a background. Gojo's like a vampire who can't see his own reflection. ? It's all because of this caveat that Gojo himself has set up that no one can possibly relate to him unless they were equally as powerful as him that he can't see himself in others. He can't see himself in others, he can't find anyone to help him understand himself, and therefore his identity crisis goes unresolved.

Twitter user @ det_critics pointed this out that the question: "Take away his strength and what is he?" isn't one Gojo has an answer for, and one he's actively been running from.

As I said Gojo literally doesn't have a reflection, we see that in story when the prison realm opens its eye and it's just a void where Gojo's face is supposed to be. Gojo choosing not to think of himself as the strongest is also a choice not to think about who he'd be if he wasn't. A question he evades over and over again by telling himself that he can't be understood by people who are weak b/c he categorically exists on a different plane of reality.

When he does look for an answer it's telling just how not normal Gojo is in who he chooses to empathize with: which is Sukuna.

This is who Gojo as chosen to be the only other person besides Gojo he felt he could relate to. The same person who monologues about weak people like this.

The same person who monologues that weak people shouldn't even be alive, they should be culled. Sukuna sees weak people as insects. Gojo sees them as plants.

The first person that Gojo relates to as a subject rather than an object Geto is cut short, the next person he relates to as a subject is Sukuna of all people. He chooses to see himself in Sukuna, because Sukuna validates that incorrect idea Gojo has that someone as powerful as him could never possibly be understood by other people. After all, Sukuna the strongest sorcerer of all time isn't even really human anymore, he's a curse a calamity. For Gojo who doesn't see himself as relatable to other human beings this is validation of that mistaken notion.

It's also telling of how much Gojo's own identity issues have warped him that he finds a curse personally relatable, and even pitiable because it's lonely. Sukuna, who's main problem is that he's bored because a life of killing people is unfulfilling and it's turned him into an adrenline junkie. This is who Gojo's personally chosen to relate to because they both only see the world in the category of "the strong" and "the weak."

Gojo's viewpoint of other people is mistaken for several reasons, but one interesting one was pointed out for me by Psycho. He refers to his students as flowers, but they're lotus flowers. Lotus flowers mean many things, but they're seen as symbols of purity because they rise up from the mud. Gojo is only looking at the flowers, not the mud they rise from .

"No mud, no lotus. The mud is what makes us who we are, and no one can 100% understand what wading through the mud feels like. I think people see oh shiny lotus, the outcome of wading through the mud but they overlook the self because we live in an outcome oriented society.

Gojo is someone who doesn't see the mud and therefore doesn't relate to the personal struggles of others. Which sabotages a lot of his personal relationships. Which like, to bring Megumi into this, Megumi is proof that Gojo IS NOT NORMAL.

Megumi is the kind of special genius that Gojo is, he's born with the strongest technique one capable of killing Gojo, but he doesn't become a special class at seventeen like Gojo, nor is he interested in doing that because Megumi is an entirely different person with differnt personal struggles than Gojo. He has all the raw potenital that Gojo does, but they have wildly different upbringings. Gojo was primed for success by being the spoiled child of his clan, while Megumi is an abandoned child. It proves again Gojo's maxim of people who have that much power are inhuman and don't follow human psychology is wrong because Megumi has all the potential to be as strong as Gojo, but he's just a normal kid. Megumi is still wading through the mud and Gojo doesn't see that.

GOJO IS NORMAL

Jujutsu Kaisen seems to be following Buber's logic on how identity is defined by the interactions we have with other people, because there was a period in Gojo's life where he did create an identity outside of being a sorcerer and that's when he was Geto's friend.

In the afterlife we even see him regressing to that previous state of being. There was a period for three years in his life that Gojo was something besides being the strongest, and that was when he was Geto's friend too. If Jujutsu Kaisen is about how identity and meaning are both constructed from the interactions we have with other people (subject -> subject) interactions then it's telling that Gojo reverts to his seventeen year old self because that was the first and only time in his life he was capable of relating to another person, and acted like a fully developed person outside of the role of sorcerer he was born to play.

If identities are constructed though that means they're not inherent. Gojo is not inherently the strongest, just as he's not inherently different from other people. This is different from what Gojo's been told his entire life. He was born the strongest. It's inherent to his identity, a fundamental part of who he is. Therefore people who are strong are inherently different from those who are weak, it's something internally different about them which makes it impossible for Gojo to comprehend the motivations of weak people.

Rather than just strong and weak being constructed categories. Gojo's the strongest at Jujutsu but if you took him outside of Jujutsu and asked him to work any other job he'd no longer be the strongest. He's only the strongest as long as he remains in his fish bowl that is Jujutsu Society. However, Gojo believes differently, he believes being the strongest is what he is, it's something inside of him, and something that makes him fundamentally different from others. This is the line that Gojo has been told due to being born with the six-eyes and this is what Gojo has bought.

This is also what his ability the limitless symbolizes, no one in this world can touch him or reach him, he exists somewhere else. However, the limitless can be breached and Gojo has been shown before there are others capable of touching him.

Toji is the first and only living human being to challenge him, until Sukuna comes along. However, Toji does arguably more in story than just give Gojo a good fight. Toji full on traumatized him, soemthing which Gojo refuses to acknowledge. Toji is the beginning of the end of Geto's friendship, the death of Amanai Riko sends Geto on a spiral for an entire years, and drives a wedge between Geto and Gojo's friendship when Geto self isolates and Gojo doesn't know what's wrong with his friend.

Gojo also experiences what it's like to be defeated for the first time in his life, and his response is to perfect the limitless so he runs it constantly all the time. Remember, before that he was exhausting it doing it for three days in a row, and when Geto told him to take a break Gojo reassured him he wasn't worried because he knew Geto had his back. Gojo was someone who could let down the limitless before that, but afterwards Gojo always insists on fighting alone with his shields up all the time. All to deny that feeling of vulnerability that Toji inflicted on him for the first time in his life, something he remembers years later, you know like trauma.

There are times when Gojo is reminded that it's possible he's the same as anyone else, he can experience human weakness. Geto's fall is another time, one post says it's particularly challenging for Gojo to comprehend why Geto would defect because he saw Gojo and himself as above others and therefore immune to human weakness.

gojou 100% has a god complex and thats why getous downfall hit him harder than anyone else. he saw himself and getou as above everyone else and exempt from ‘regular’ peoples flaws, he never thought either of them could be led astray and when getou finally snaps hes bewildered that something like that could ever happen to either of them. hes not just heartbroken over his best friend becoming an enemy, hes thrown for a loop because getou, the one person he thinks of as just as above everyone else and incapable of failing as he is, could ever do something wrong, could ever be wrong. hes finally put into a position where he has to face the fact that hes just as capable of screwing up as anyone else and he can’t make sense of it. gojous hesitance in killing getou isn’t just a byproduct of their friendship, it’s also him realizing that it could have easily been him on the other side of the conflict, which breaks the illusion of him being better than everyone for a second. and like that’s still not enough for him to reject this idea, personally i think that his comment about him and getou being 'the strongest’ in volume 0 is indicative of the fact that despite everything he still hasn’t grown out of this delusion.

Gojo has trauma, because he's a human being with human psychology. He makes mistakes, he has terrible past regrets like his friendship with Geto gone wrong, but he doesn't acknowledge those things because as stated above Gojo thinks he's immune to having regular people flaws. Gojo seeing himself in another category from regular human beings also allows himself to deny an vulnerability, because the strongest isn't supposed to have weaknesses. Seeing yourself as too distant to ever be touched by others also means they can never hurt you, emotionally or otherwise, an extreme form of the hedgehog's dilemna which is explored an Neon Gengesis Evangelion, an existentialist piece Gege takes obvious inspiration from.

The fact that he avoids other human beings, not because he's fundamentally incapable of understanding them but because he's distancing himself from human feelings like loss, pain, suffering these weaknesses that are part of the human experience just proves he's the same as everyone else. If he wasn't capable of feeling those things he wouldn't avoid it, he wouldn't spend ten years mourning Suguru but not killing him directly until he was forced to on December 24th, he wouldn't be trapped by the box because seeing Geto alive made him have a three minute long trauma flashback.

Gojo is a normal human, with normal human emotions and human psychology, albeit twisted from the power he was born with and his unique viewpoint of the world but he doesn't believe that he is. He uses that as an excuse not to interact with others and because of this his identity suffers. Gojo is someone defined by how limited he is in the story despite having limited power.

Gojo fails as much in the story as he succeeds. As my friend @justapanda put it.

"But, it loos like being strong isn't enough..." Another point could also be made here that, regardless of being the strongest at this point, Gojo was incapable of stopping his closest friend from straying down a dark path, which is perhaps Gojo’s greatest failing in the series. This failure also comes back to bite him much later on as Kenjaku’s ace in the hole to finally checkmate Gojo involved surprising him with the now possessed body of Geto, which distracted Gojo long enough for him to be successfully sealed by the prison realm. Once again, the vast amount of power that Gojo had attained turned out to be completely useless in preventing his own sealing, which has now placed him in an inactive role for over half of Jujutsu Kaisen’s duration. Earlier in the story, Gojo once said: “Ironic, isn’t it? Given everything, but unable to do anything.” when referring to the function of his own domain. This was another intentional use of foreshadowing to describe the dilemma that Gojo was inevitably going to face himself. Satoru Gojo is no limitless man, for no one man is without his limits." Another point could also be made here that, regardless of being the strongest at this point, Gojo was incapable of stopping his closest friend from straying down a dark path, which is perhaps Gojo’s greatest failing in the series. This failure also comes back to bite him much later on as Kenjaku’s ace in the hole to finally checkmate Gojo involved surprising him with the now possessed body of Geto, which distracted Gojo long enough for him to be successfully sealed by the prison realm. Once again, the vast amount of power that Gojo had attained turned out to be completely useless in preventing his own sealing, which has now placed him in an inactive role for over half of Jujutsu Kaisen’s duration. Earlier in the story, Gojo once said: “Ironic, isn’t it? Given everything, but unable to do anything.” when referring to the function of his own domain. This was another intentional use of foreshadowing to describe the dilemma that Gojo was inevitably going to face himself. Satoru Gojo is no limitless man, for no one man is without his limits.

Gojo has moments where he brushes up against the idea that he's not capable of doing everything, that he has faults and fails like every other human being. However, that feeling never really lasts for long. He always tends to double down on his belief that he's the strongest rather than facing his faults because that's where he's comfortable. Gojo can't see himself reflected in other people and therefore is not capable of reflecting and critically evaluating his faults. Not only that but avoiding looking too critically at those losses, he also stops himself from feeling the pain of those losses and denies that vulnerability.

Gojo exists on another plane from other human beings, and therefore why would he experience human sadness and pain? All he feels is a vague sense of loneliness and unfulfillment because he's been so alienated from his own emotions and in Gojo's mind that's better than struggling with weakness. Who would deliberately choose to be just like everyone else when you can be special? Why get close to others when the hedgehog's spines are just going to stab you? However, people form connections because of their weaknesses. Humans cooperate with each other because they are a social species. All of society exists because people divide labor and help each other out. Even Gojo can't say there's no point in his life where he was weak, because he was cared for as a child and raised in a family. He didn't come out of the womb a fully formed individual. The darwinian survival of the fittest, and the black and white strong vs. weak way that Gojo sees the world just doesn't exist, especially in modern society. There's nothing wrong with individualism, but the extreme end of individualism is wrong because no one exists in this world alone you share it with everyone else.

Gojo doesn't even see that though, because he's not living in the same world as everyone else. In his mind the limitless makes it so he basically exists on another plane of reality, but again the limitless can be breached.

Detective critics basically said that Gojo's delusion was always a false one, he always existed in the same world as everyone else, he simply deluded himself into believing otherwise. There are reasons for this, his upbringing, trauma and not wanting to face the pain of that trauma, but it's still a choice he made. Gojo didn't want to live for other people, he didn't want to relate for them, so he lived for himself pursuing his own strength. Ironically, it reflects Toji's own decision to take pride in neither himself or others and live only for the sake of showing that the Jujutsu World that rejected him was wrong.

Toji chose to live a life where he only lived to fight and prove he was stronger than the sorcerers who rejected him. He chose it over his own son Megumi, abandoning him in order to continue his lifestyle as a mercenary. He even chose it over continuing to live because he stayed and fought against Gojo to prove he was stronger than the pinnacle of Jujutsu. Toji lives for strength, and he is someone even Gojo respected the strength of, but what else does he have?

Toji's identity is unstable, he doesn't really live for any purpose, he kills people then blows the money gambling, he jumps from women to women to mooch off of them, he's also mentally unstable as well he shoots a little girl in the back of the head and feels nothing. The instability comes from his isolation, Toji is rejected by everyone the same way that Gojo is lauded by everyone. But Toji goes on step further in that he fails to construct any identity outside of being rejected and his entire life is spent rejecting the people who rejected him. Why does Toji want to be strong, he doesn't know. Purpose is something you have to construct for yourself, because there's no inherent meaning to life. Identity is something that's constructed by both yourself and your interactions with others because people aren't born inherently one thing or the other.

Gojo and Toji just refuse to do this, and only focus on themselves and the goal of being stronger. In Gojo's case I'd argue he doesn't fight for other people because he doesn't feel that connection with other people or rather he doesn't let himself. Hedgehog's dilemna to the extreme. Gojo only fighting for himself isn't Nanami calling him a selfish person who doesn't care about others, it's sad because Gojo never found any other reason to fight or meaning to his life but by getting stronger for its own sake.

Gojo only fights for the sake of satisfying himself, but here's the clincher, he's unsatisfied. Not only did he fail in his goal of giving Sukuna the fight of his life, because he knew Sukuna was holding back on him, but also admits to Geto that what would have really been satisfying is if Geto was there with him to pat him on the back.

He's failed on both fronts, he's failed at being the strongest and he's failed at making a connection to the people in his life. Gojo and Toji die in pretty much the same way, they die standing up in the middle of battle, but their last thoughts aren't of disappointment that they lost but their loved ones.

They spent their entire lives believing they were stronger and therefore different than others, and fighting to satisfy their ego and what does it amount to? Toji lived a life of hedonism and then died abandoning the one person he genuinely loved. Gojo has failed his stated goal of revolutionizing Jujutsu Society and dies before he can see whether or not his dream of a reset Jujutsu World will even come to fruition.

They belived they were someone stronger and therefore inherently better, and are put in their place when someone stronger comes along. They die just like all the other mortals. They believed they were alone so they died alone. It's sad and it goes to show how destructive being "the strongest" was to Gojo's identity in the end. Gojo thinks he's Sukuna but Gojo doesn't want to be Sukuna, because Sukuna's alone, and unlike Gojo you could make the point that Sukuna's not a human being who has human emotions because he's a curse. If Gojo was truly someone who could understand Sukuna he would have been truly alone the same way Sukuna is, and that's not what he wanted.

It's too bad Gojo never thought seriously about what he wanted, and therefore learned his lesson too late. He was always looking for someone he could relate to, except for in the people who were right in front of him.

#gojo satoru #jjk meta #satosugu #geto suguru #ryomen sukuna #jjk 236 #jjk 236 spoilers #jujutsu kaisen 236 #jujutsu kaisen 236 spoilers #jjk spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen meta

[fiction-is-life]

Congratulations on 500 non-bot followers! I just joined the ranks after reading the angstly little treat you did for @eleanor-bradstreet 🤩

I would like to request a blurb for Anthony from your prompt list. #8 - "Looks like we'll be trapped for a while."

This is so fun!

Trapped and Titillated

Author’s Note: Thank you so much for the follow, love, and for your kind words! I am so glad you liked Touchstone of Our Character!  I had so much fun writing this request; it is quite a bit longer than a blurb, but I hope that makes up for the fact it has taken me so long to write it!  Enjoy!

Summary: You are trapped with the Viscount.

Warnings: Angst, getting locked in a room, verbal fighting, steamy make out session, brotherly teasing

~

The door wouldn’t budge.  Oh, I knew when that latch clicked, I was doomed.  Utterly doomed.  And it was all his fault.

“Well, you have done it now, my lord,” I seethed, letting the veneer of polite reserve fall away.  It was always thin around him anyway.

Anthony Bridgerton had the audacity to raise one perfect, dark brow.  “I have done it?” he intoned, his voice cutting through my rising panic, reinforcing who I was angry at.

“Yes,” I hissed.  “You shut the door behind you, and now it is jammed.  It may be hours before someone comes by and finds us, and what then?”

He took a step towards me, matching the one I had subconsciously taken, bringing us closer than society would deem acceptable.  “As far as I am concerned, I have only done what was my right.  This is my library in my home, and I may shut any door I please.”

“Not when an unmarried young lady is in said library - unaccompanied.  Or have you forgotten the rules of the Ton while you were busy raking about the kingdom?” I knew I had struck my mark when I saw the Viscount’s eyes darken, his whole body tensing.

“Miss (Y/L/N), you do not know of what you speak,” he said through clenched teeth, and I shivered from the ice in his tone.  Anthony certainly did not miss it.  “I was raised a gentleman, Miss (Y/L/N), as a member of one of the most respected families in all of England, no less.”  

I scoffed and raised my chin and matched his stance.  We were practically nose-to-nose with each other.  “Well, there must be an exception to every rule, my lord, and I suppose you are it.”

I wanted to take the words back as soon as I said them, terrified at the way his features turned from red-hot anger to a cold, stony silence.  I took a shaky breath.  “M-my lord, I apologize.  I believe I am overwrought from the events of today.  Please forgive me,” I spoke in a rush, not daring to make eye contact with those dark depths again.

A long moment passed before he cleared his throat, his complexion returned to a more normal hue but his posture still stiff.  “It looks like we'll be trapped for a while, Miss (Y/L/N).  We may as well make ourselves comfortable," he spoke in a clipped, quiet tone.  For some odd reason, I wished he would have yelled instead.

He must have noticed the look of panicked confusion on my face as I alternated between staring at him and the couches near the fire.  “Do not fear, Miss (Y/L/N), I shall strive to reign in my more ungentlemanly urges.  Your virtue is safe from me.”

I bit my lip, nodding at his words.  They were what I wanted to hear.  Right?  Oh, dash it!  I had never been prone to hysterics before, but something about being this close to the Viscount was making my thoughts and feelings a muddle.  So, I did the only thing that felt safe.

I pretended to read.

I believed it was working, too.  That is, until the Viscount cleared his throat again.  I wanted to roll my eyes at the realization that the smallest of his gestures still commanded attention.  I was looked over during a one-on-one conversation, but Lord Anthony Bridgerton could simply breathe in a certain way and every head would turn.

“Is there something you need, my lord?”  I asked, my eyes still blindly trained on the pages in front of me so that I missed his growing smirk.

“You must be a great reader, Miss (Y/L/N),” he said.

I raised one perfectly arched eyebrow.  “Yes, I do love a good book,” I returned, turning the page.

“You are most certainly a more avid reader than I.”

That made me look up at him, confusion wrinkling my brow.  “Why do you say that, my lord?” 

He openly smiled now, allowing me to see that little dimple in his one cheek.  “I have never mastered the art of reading words that are upside-down.”

“What?”  I looked down and finally saw what book I had picked up.  It was a tome on new farming practices, and it was indeed upside down.  

Well, I could not let him win that easily.  “I find I absorb the words much better when it is more difficult to read them.”  I looked down my nose as I had seen many women do.  “I believe it is important to challenge oneself, so one does not become ignorant and vain.”

His features twisted into a wry grin.  “Very true, Miss (Y/L/N),” he said in a tight voice.  He crossed over to the sofa I was sitting on and sat down - far too close for comfort.  “What are other pursuits that you find are challenging enough, may I ask?”

I knew he was goading me, but I simply could not back down from his challenge.  “Any activities I find rewarding, I suppose.”  I closed the book and tilted my head, staring him in the eye.  “Making sound investments, helping run the household, volunteering for charities,” I listed, not even trying to mask the smugness in my tone.  “Basically anything that contributes to society, unlike spending every night at gaming hells or with ladies of the night or -”

His lips crashed onto mine, cutting me off.  I felt positively surrounded by him as he crushed me into the back of the sofa, his strong arms encircling my waist and pulling me into him.  He smelled of bay rum and mint, and it was utterly intoxicating.  

At first, I was too shocked to react, but as his lips moved insistently on my own, I started to follow his lead.  He growled when I parted my lips, and my eyes shot open when he darted his tongue into my mouth, but it felt too good to pull away.  So, I pulled him closer.

My hands tangled in his dark locks, and when my fingers caught on a knot, Anthony pulled back slightly, moaning.  I gasped and pulled back.  “Did I hurt you, my lord?” I asked, concerned.

He groaned again, his eyes darkening further.  “Call me that again,” he growled, panting heavily.

My face twisted in confusion.  “My lord?”

“Yes,” he breathed, his lips finding mine again.  His hands wandered this time, sending pings of pleasure straight to my core.  I couldn’t hold back my own noises when his strong hands found my breasts, my nipples pebbling embarrassingly.  

I lost track of time as Anthony peppered wet kisses down my neck and over the swells of my breasts where my dress did not cover them.  He started to work his hand under the skirt of my dress when a crash was heard on the other side of the library.  

“Brother! Are you in here?  I need to get away from all of the matchmaking endeavours mother has concocted,” the voice of Anthony’s brother, Benedict, was heard.  Anthony’s head snapped up, a panicked look in his eyes.  

“Stay here.  I shall get rid of him,” Anthony whispered before rising from the sofa, straightening his jacket where I had mussed it.  “Brother.  You find me at an inopportune time.  I was just leaving,” he called out to his brother, trying to prevent him from seeing me.

“Why?  You already met with the steward this morning.  You have nothing else planned until dinner.”  Even I could hear the skepticism in Benedict’s voice as it grew closer.  

“Well, yes, but I thought I might go for a ride,” Anthony hedged.

“Wonderful!  I shall join you!”

“No!” Anthony shouted.  “I mean, I was wishing to ride out alone this time,” he finished in a more tempered tone.  

There was a long pause where I thought Benedict just may have believed the lie.  “Are you sure you want to be alone?  Because I think Miss (Y/L/N) might disagree.”  I gasped.  “I shall see you at dinner, brother, Miss (Y/L/N),” he said, a door closing behind him shortly after.  

I sat up with a huff, my cheeks flaming a brighter red than they had been before.  “I am sorry; I did not think anyone would follow me here -”

“What door did he come through?” I interrupted what was sure to be a very eloquent apology.

Now, the Viscount’s cheeks turned red and he scratched the back of his neck nervously.  “Well, um, he used the hidden entrance in the south wall.”

“Oh, you cad!” I screamed.  “Open it.  Now, my lord.”

Anthony silently moved toward the south wall, pulling a certain book back to reveal a hidden door.  I gathered my dignity about me as I fixed my skirts.  I caught a whiff of his cologne once more as I passed him, and for a brief moment, I wanted to turn back.  Instead, I held my head high, giving the Viscount one of those superior looks other ladies had mastered.  I wanted him to know I was not to be trifled with.

But I knew this was not the end of my encounters with the Viscount.

~

My Masterlist

#500 Followers Celebration #answered asks #anthony bridgerton x reader #anthony bridgerton angst #anthony bridgerton smut #bridgerton fanfiction

[gglitch1dd]

A Wishful Time - Pt 3

Omega Reader x Alpha Eijiro x Omega Katsuki

Context: In the peaceful village of Yuuie, you and your best friend, Katsuki, hope to catch the eye of the Alpha of your dreams. Kirishima Eijiro.

Note: This story is OMEGAVERSE. This story takes place in a historical non modern setting so please take note of that when it comes to the jobs in society that the characters take and how they act. Bakugou Katsuki is an OMEGA. Reader and him are AFAB but there is no smut this chapter so its unimportant right now

[Masterlist]

The kitchen was cleaned and finally no trace of tonight’s dinner was left in the great hall’s kitchen. It would normally be a rather calm atmosphere, with Omegas bustling around happily to keep the space clean again for tomorrow, however the sound of arguing Alphas outside the door was an evident one. It was loud, filled with growling and unnecessary increased levels of testosterone and dominant pheromones. You let out a sigh as you dusted your hands.

Katsuki wasn’t here, he wasn’t on duty tonight, conveniently. Most of the Omegas moved quietly, taking their aprons as they quietly left out of the door to the rather pungent smell of dominating Alpha scents in the air.

A loud bang went through the air as Kirishima Takeo slammed his fist against a table with a deadly look in his eyes. He pointed a finger over to Touya who stood opposite with his father and the other Todoroki Alphas there. “Touya is lucky the Aizawas and the Bakugous are so civil. If that was Tamami, I would have killed Touya with my own bare hands.” Eijiro and his eldest sister, Akari, both let out growls in agreement to what their sire had said.

Touya scrunched up his face at the thought. He rolled his icy azure eyes. “Don’t worry, I would never dream of touching your snotty faced daughter.” He spoke nonchalantly as he stood beside his father and siblings.

At the insult Akari and Eijiro looked right about ready to race across the table and kill Touya. Before Enji could even growl out for order amongst the opposition, Takeo put up a single hand. His face was set in a hard scowl, ruby eyes on the opposing side as he was silent.

“Yet you dared to put your hands on my son.” Mitsuki growled out as she took a step forward, hands on the table. Her crimson eyes zeroed in on Touya with a heavy scowl on her face so much like her son.

Touya raised his hands showing the bite mark that was still present on his hand. He pointed to it with a glare. “That fucking bitch bit my hand.”

Izuku let out a scoff. “You’re lucky that he didn’t bite your balls off, since you clearly don’t need them.” The comment made Touya and Enji growl viciously at the green haired Alpha. Aizawa put a hand to Izuku’s shoulder. He glanced at him, silently telling him it wasn’t worth it but he kept his eyes forward.

Enji sighed as he put a hand on his eldest son’s shoulder. He kept his head up as he stood beside him. “Although Touya’s methods were… a bit much,” Mitsuki scoffed. “His intentions were pure. All he wanted was to express his desire for the two Omegas as the future Head Alpha.”

Takeo watched from the corner of his eye as his son was practically vibrating in rage as he growled lowly at the thought of you and Katsuki belonging to the white haired Alpha.

“So for any Omega the Todoroki’s deem fancying they should just expect such treatment?” Rikkido asked, his large hands gripping his arms. The point he made seemed to resonate with others, clearly making the Alphas feel agitated at the thought of such occurring.

Shoto let out a breath not liking the tension. He didn’t have a choice but to stand by his family. Family was important and was the strength of its members. Shoto didn’t support what Touya did to you and Katsuki, neither did his mother or Enji’s other wives or Fuyumi or even Natsuo, but they wouldn’t dare to speak up against Enji. The bruises were one thing to hide but Enji was known for not being ashamed of his rather rage filled outbursts. “Omegas shouldn’t be moving around out of eyesight right now anyways.” He spoke out. “Especially with the Springtime Festival coming up and all the trading and visitation our pack will have, we can’t afford not to protect our Omegas right now.”

The Alphas continued their heated discussions amongst themselves, sour scents and heated glares and growls filled the space as they seemed so adamant on talking above each other or damn right just arguing. Inko, Chiyo and Rei all watched the Alphas as they growled and sneered at one another.

The three of them formed the three Omegan members that were allowed in the Pack meetings and gave their own inputs and opinions concerning the Omegas and fellow femmes of the Pack. Although they obviously didn’t have the biggest say in most matters and often than not the Omegas didn’t see the need to be part of the meetings as they trusted the heads of their families, their mates and siblings all enough to make decisions for the good of the Pack. Omegas didn’t exactly have a say few decades ago and they didn’t see much of a need to have a say now. However, it was times like this that their input was needed.

Chiyo, being the oldest amongst all of them and practical Head of Omegas being the wisest and knowing the most about Omegas and pup rearing, let out a sigh. She raised her walking stick just a bit above the wooden floors. She hit the ground three times, ultimately silencing all the Alphas around her. She looked around at all of them before letting out a breath, she stood up onto her feet. “I think you, young Shoto,” She started looking to the bicoloured haired Alpha. “forget that you, Alphas, have enough jobs to do to make this village run. Alphas and Omegas have different roles, different functions in society. Alphas run the businesses, head your families and protect this pack. Omegas run this pack in the shadows, do the necessary daily chores, birth and rear pups, keep our pack running. Realistically, Alphas cannot always be watching over their Omegas unless you think the Omegas should stay indoors all day and let everything else slip away.” She looked around, the room silent. She wasn’t wrong and they knew that. Realistically, they couldn’t watch over the Omegas like that. She then looked to the Todorokis who were also silent. She lets out a huff. “Nothing changes, other than young Touya.”

Before Touya could react, other families disagreeing about the whole ordeal and standing with the Todorokis too, Takeo spoke up. “I think,” He started loud enough to get attention. “That Touya can not be considered as a future Head Alpha.”

“Now here we go again, with that bullshit!” Enji shouted as he put his hands on the table glaring at Takeo. “You know Takeo, ever since we were younger you’ve done nothing but challenge me.”

Takeo kept his head up as he faced Enji unwavering. “I shouldn’t have to challenge you if you were right for the pack.”

Enji scowled as a loud vicious growl came out of his chest. He pushed off against the table making a loud noise. He stomped over to the other side, fixated on getting his hands on Takeo. Rei let out a soft chirp, reaching out a hand as she held onto his arm, trying to console him as much as she could and stop his madness. However, he let out a low growl, flicking her off of him, letting her stumble backwards, Shoto just catching his mother before she could fall. Akari and Eijiro let out low possessive growls as they stood in front of their sire protectively. Before they could position themselves in front of him, Takeo put a hand up, indicating that he didn’t want them to do such a thing.

Takeo moved forward, his arms at his side as he stood before Enji. Enji stood face to face with Takeo. The two large Alphas effectively dominating the space enough that everyone else was quiet. Takeo stood unwavering as he stood his ground, not affected by Enji’s snarling as he glared at him. They stood face to face, matching each other in size as they focused on the other.

Enji let out an annoyed tsk as he raised his nose. “The Todorokis have led Yuuie for generations and we will continue to do so.”

The opposing Alpha furrowed his brows. “Continue to do so? I don’t think so. The rest of us stay quiet on how you treat your wives and your pups, but don’t you dare think of bringing that and the rest of your ideals into the village, into the pack where they are not wanted.” He defended strongly.

Enji rolled his eyes as he sneered. “Please. We’re the ones who bring and force our ideals onto the pack? The other’s might have forgotten but I know your family history, Takeo and I know that you Kirishimas have specific taste.” At the statement Takeo’s jaw clenched as his glare tightened. Akari and Eijiro glanced at each other but remained silent, not knowing what was being said. Enji had no proof at what he was saying and that was the only council Takeo had. That and according to everyone around them, it was all just Enji drawling about nonsense. “What about you and your beef brained pups trying to step in on the Head family’s space!” He huffed.

It was true, the Kirishimas often did do things that were typically only done by the Head Family of a pack, but it had no ill intent and they never stopped the Todorokis from doing it. They visited Omegas who had just had pups or expecting pups, seeing how they could help or support in any way, they often than not looked after any pups while their parents were too busy with their own work and they were a looked to figure in the pack. However, the Todorokis often got annoyed and didn’t end up doing said things due to the Kirishimas and how well they were integrated into the pack.

“We support this pack, we do whatever it is necessary to help every pack member here.” Takeo defended as he motioned around to the others around him. “What about you and your fucking high horse that you sit upon. While you’re busy shoving around your wives, I’m doing something Enji!”

Enji stepped forward. Aizawa felt a building tension about to snap. “Now how about you stop talking about my Omegas and focus on your own breeder fat cow of a wife.”

Instantly the silence in the room was insurmountable as the tension rose higher than it had ever done before. Even Eijiro and Akari were silent as they looked between one another and then to their sire.

Takeo was silent, however his hands balled into fists as his body seemed to vibrate in pure rage. A barely contained growl was starting to rumble out of his chest as he moved his big hands so fast it was hard to even see if one blinked. Takeo had Enji slammed down against the table, his hand gripping Enji’s head keeping him down against the wooden table. His nails dug into Enji’s skin as he stared down at him with black soulless eyes, his grip threatening to one to dislocate the arm he was holding.

“What… did you just call my wife?” He whispered down in barely contained fury.

Aizawa glanced to the side to see you Omegas staying within the kitchen away from all the fighting and anger. He then caught sight of you as you held Tamami close to you. He flicked his gaze to Takeo quickly before looking back to you. You understood the silent instruction. The last thing you all wanted was for Takeo to kill Enji, at least not now. Not when a formal fight had not been established.

You turned to look down at Tamami who had been keeping to your side. “Okay, Tamami.” You whispered over to her. The young Omega looked up at you with wide ruby eyes, listening to your every word. “We need you to go calm down your sire. You think you can do that?” You asked the little twelve year old. Her red hair was short and fell to her shoulders and framed her face so cutely. She was still stuck in the stages of between a pup and an Omega so she would be perfect for this right now.

She kept her hands together but nodded her head determined. The rest of you Omegas who were waiting for the tension to die down, let her leave. Tamami was hesitant but made her way over to the table. She kept her eyes on her sire as she moved away from all the sour scents, moving around silently and almost unnoticeably. She squeezed her way through, past her older sister who looked down at her in surprise that she was here and so did Eijiro.

Tamami put a soft hand to Takeo’s side with a soft chirp. Immediately Takeo snapped his head to look down at his daughter. She looked up at him with soft ruby eyes, her soft apple pie scent with dust of sugar was released into the air little by little, trying to calm down the situation but there was an undertone of sour cranberry showing that she was also a bit distressed. “Daddy, it’s late.” She let out softly as she tugged on his tunic. “Let us go home.”

Takeo was silent, frozen in time for a second before visibly his hold softened and so did his expression. However, he did turn back to Enji with a sneer. He forced him back against the table with a low thud before Enji could even escape or think of leaving. “You and me, three days time, village centre.” He growled out lowly. Enji’s jaw tensed but he grunted in acceptance.

Takeo let go of the large Alpha before moving immediately to his youngest daughter here. He picked her up effortlessly, moving her into his arms to make sure she was safe and away from the eyes of other Alphas there. Takeo wasn’t stupid, he knew how some Alphas saw Omegas as young as Tamami.

Enji stumbled up with the help of the Iidas. He glared over at Takeo’s retreating form. “As I thought, keeping family traditions.” Enji snidely said.

Tamami put her face to his neck, trying to calm him down as best as she could so that he wouldn’t focus on anything Enji was saying, scenting him sweetly with small chirps. Takeo rumbled as he rubbed her back, trying his best to console her if he did make her upset. He focused on calming down his distressed pup, and that was his main priority. Eijiro and Akari followed after the two of them, knowing that all had been said and done for tonight.

Katsuki and you finally put everything you had made into a basket and made your way to the Kirishimas property. It was a bit of a long walk from the busy village central as you walked along the dirt path that led to some of the farms of Yuuie. The Midoriya acres were much further however the moment you started seeing a nice pretty red fence as well as a lot of green grass, you knew you were close to the Kirishimas. The dirt path had a canopy of the leaves from the trees providing you both shade as you walked side by side.

You looked at Katsuki who seemed nervous as he held tightly to the basket that you had both carefully arranged together. He kept his head up, trying not to seem nervous but you could see it bleeding into his scent. You shoved him lightly. “Katsuki, it’s okay. I’m sure he will like it.” You assured him.

Katsuki nodded before looking down at the attire that the two of you wore for today. A bit more formal than normal but then again, you were visiting another family. Katsuki had made sure to dress the both of you enough to seem casual and yet highlight all and any curves. He moved to take a leaf off your shoulder before focusing forward. “I just want everything to be perfect. It has to be.” Katsuki had a determined look on his face.

All Katsuki wanted was to get their approval, to prove to Eijiro and his family that the two of you were perfect for their son, or at least perfect mate material to push their son into your direction. It was a small fear that Mitsuki couldn’t help but remind him last night. The longer the two of you were unmarried, the longer you were unprotected.

You took his free hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked to you. Upon seeing your soft face and loving features, he couldn’t help but relax. He nodded his head as you both turned down the dirt path on the right towards the main centre of the property.

Huge green grass and weeds surrounded the Kirishima property with a fence to keep the cows in. You watched as cows stayed grazing in their pastures, some drinking water. The cows seemed rather unbothered. You watched as a Kirishima sister, what seemed to be Akari, stood with a bunch of cows surrounding her, petting one on the head as she talked to them as if they could understand her (they seemingly could since they answered back).

You both neared the house to see Nameer walking around with a pup wrapped tightly to his back as he walked across with a bundle of clothes in a large bucket. He turned to look at the two of you. The dark brown curly haired Omega smiled at the sight of the two of you. “Oh, hello you two.” Nameer was Akari’s Omega and had been happily mated to one another for the past four years.

“Good afternoon, Nameer.” You both greeted him with a bow at your waist. “Where’s Eijiro and Takeo?”

Nameer motioned a beautiful golden bronze hand towards a barn not too far away in the fields near the cows. “With the cows but they’re gonna come over for lunch soon. You can go talk to Yua in the main house, she’s making lunch.” He told you.

You both nodded before moving towards the main house. Around the main house were two other homes too. You saw Tamami with a bunch of small pups running around her feet as she placed the cleanly washed sheets up on the line. You noticed some Kirishima pups as well as pups from other families. They all giggled and chased one another, being careful not to dirty any of the newly washed sheets but stayed close enough to Tamami so that she could keep an eye on them.

You and Katsuki moved up the steps into the main house. Inside the home smelt of happy scents and a comfortable sense of family around. In the kitchen, was Yua who was mixing milk and mashed strawberries together.

The red-haired Omega stood in a comfortably dress with an apron over it. She didn’t wear her neck tie, exposing her mating mark that was reopened, red with the evidence of a fresh reclaiming from her Alpha. On her skin were love marks and bites littering her neck, shoulders and chest. Her scent was mixed with her Alpha’s making her beam. She looked up at the two of you with a happy expression. “Oh, welcome you too. I’m glad to see you.”

“Hello Yua.” Katsuki started as he stuck to your side. “May we talk to Eijiro and Takeo, please. We brought them a gift for all they did for us the other day.” He motioned down to the basket that was covered with a cloth but smelt of something warm and toasty inside.

Yua perked up at his words, pausing what she was doing to look at the two of you. It was then that you stepped forward with the two shirts in hand moving them over to her. “These were given to us and we’d like to return them.”

Yua took the shirts and smiled. “Well, let me call them in for you. We were about to have snacks for lunch anyways.” She happily chirped as she moved over to the doorway. “Tamami! Go call your siblings and sire please.”

It didn’t take long before walking into the main house were three big Alphas followed by a younger Kirishima Alpha, Hana, who was just two years younger than the two of you. The group seemed to be discussing something, not minding the small pups around them.

However, the notice of your two new scents did take priority of their attention. Turning to look into the room to find you and Katsuki standing side by side. Takeo raised an eyebrow before turning to look to his wife. He was shirtless of course and down his back were red lines almost as if someone tried to claw at his back. His scent woven in with his wife’s. He let out a questioning grunt with a confused tilt of his head, not bothered by the two of you clearly which was a relief.

Yua giggled as she stepped forward. “Takeo, Eijiro, Yn and Katsuki wanted to talk to the two of you.” She spoke lightly.

Eijiro perked up at the mention of his name before turning to the two of you. He tilted his head to the side confused as well. You both normally never came over to his home on any regular day, so this was new for him.

Katsuki and you raised an eyebrow before nodding. You both moved to your knees in front of the two of them. You lowered your heads down in submission and holding up the gift. “Thank you so much for all that you did for us the other day.” You started for the two of you. “We are so thankful for your intervention and support. Truly.”

“We just wanted to share our appreciation.” Katsuki continued, his voice softer than normal yet still held the low grunt to it that he normally had.. “We…” He tried not to get overcome as his face bloomed red. He looked shy almost, as he kept his eyes down. “We hope you Alphas like it.”

Eijiro’s eyes widened in surprise and so did Takeo’s. This was not what they were expecting at all. Eijiro couldn’t help but feel a bit bashful having two pretty Omegas bowing before him. It seemed like some weird dream he probably has had before. Takeo sniffed as he took a few steps forward. He tilted his head in interest at the smell of meat. Him and Eijiro took the baskets up out of Katuski’s hold, moving the towel away.

Laying still warm and waiting to be eaten were handheld chicken pies. They were still warm and smelt delicious. Takeo and Eijiro both released rumbles in approval, instantly rousing Akari’s attention who joined the two other Alphas. You were sure that if they had tails, they would probably be wagging as they crowded the basket. You watched Eijiro pick up one of the handheld pies. He tilted his head in interest before taking a bite into it.

It only took Eijiro a second before his pupils thickened and consumed his irises as he happily stuffed the rest of the pie into his face with a loud rumble from his chest. Takeo was next, happily chomping on the pie with a smile on his face as he ate happily. Akari moved to grab one of the pies but her hand was slapped away from a possessive Eijiro and Takeo, causing some discord between the three.

Yua rolled her eyes before clearing her throat. The three of them were reminded of everyone else’s presence, they glanced at one another than back at each other. Akari took off with the one she had already bit and handed it over to her Omega who had just walked in wondering what on earth was going on. You giggled at the expression of the three Alphas, almost as if they had gotten caught stealing cookies as pups. You looked to Katsuki. He motioned towards the doorway with a gentle smile, happy to see that they liked your cooking. You both sneakily grabbed two pies and moved outside away from the Kirishimas with an appreciative nod to Yua.

Once you were outside you noticed Tamami move with an empty basket towards the two of you. She perked up in surprise at the sight. A bright smile went to her face. “Hello you two!” She spoke chirply as a little Kirishima pup ran over to tug on the long skirt of her dress.

“Tammy!” The little wide eyed golden eyed pup whined as she looked up at her older sister. Chiyo put a hand to her stomach as she looked up at Tamami. “I hungwy.” She let out a small pup trill indicating her need.

Tamami giggled. “I’ll get you and the others something right now.” She assured the little one before turning back to the both of you.

“No need.” Katsuki told her as he walked over to stand near Tamami. He let out soft chirps, taking the attention of the pups as they ran towards him. Katsuki put on a gentle smile as he bend down to split the pie he had in his hands. He let out a soft purring rumble, lulling the pups towards him. He crouched down splitting open the warm pie carefully. He handed the first piece to one of Tetsutetsu’s younger siblings. The little silver haired pup accepted the piece with a grateful chirp, stuffing the piece of pie into his mouth. He let out a grateful purr making Katsuki smile at the little boy.

You moved over to Tamami, handing her half of the pie you had in your own hands. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. She put down the woven basket, before bowing as she gratefully took the pie from you. “Thank you, Y/N.” She said appreciatively as she gratefully ate the half you gave her.

“No problem, Tamami. You keep doing your best as a shadow, you’ve done a lot of us Omegas proud.” You told her supportively, making the younger Omega perk up in happiness with wide ruby eyes. You moved over to a very happy Katsuki who seemed to just beaming surrounded by pups. You crouched down next to him, breaking off pieces of the half you had and giving it to the pups too.

Eijiro rushed out of the house, looking around for you and Katsuki. He had gotten so engrossed with the pies he didn’t say thank you. He paused upon seeing the both of you crouched down with a whole group of pups around you, yipping in delight at the food you had brought them. Eijiro’s demeanour softened at the sight of the two of you. Katsuki had this beautiful smile on his face, one of those rare ones that Eijiro had the pleasure of seeing, as he wiped the mouth of one Eijiro’s younger sister. You giggled along with some of the pups that were practically licking their dirty fingers clean.

You both looked so good with pups around you. It’s almost as if you were both meant to be dams. Eijiro could see that. He could see it as plain as day. The three of you here, everyday with his family, surrounded by pups and him getting to see the both of you almost every minute of the day. Pups around you and you both carrying his pups inside you.

The thought made Eijiro pause.

You’d both look so good bred with his pups… His Alpha rumbled at the thought.

Breed Omegas.

“Oh what are you thinking about Eiji?” Akari sided up next to Eijiro with a smirk on her face as she folded her arms across her large chest as she looked down at him with a knowing look.

Eijiro perked up, remembering that his scent would give him away he shook his head with a low grunt, quickly covering up his aroused scent by one of annoyance. He glared at Akari. “Nothing.”

Akari chuckled. “Didn’t smell like nothing, little brother.” She commented, ruffling his hair making an angry growl come out of his throat, as he swatted her arm away from him. Immediately his older sister swung her arm and pulled him into a head lock. Eijiro fought back instantly, trying to pull himself out of her hold. She chuckled at his antics. “You better put your balls on straight and go ask for their hand.” She leaned down towards his head. “The last thing we want is a Todoroki getting something that belongs to a Kirishima.” She let out lowly, before patting him on the back and setting him free.

Katsuki and you had finally wiped the pups face with your handkerchiefs and were making your way back down the dirt path heading back to the village. “Y/N! Katsuki!” You both paused at the sound of your names. You turned around to see Eijiro running over to the two of you. You both paused as you turned to look back at him. You both lowered your gazes, exposing your necks to him in submission. He let out a chuft before stepping forward. “Festival… I…” Suddenly it felt as though Eijiro had no words. He didn’t know what to say. Why did he even come to talk to the two of you in the first place. He lifted up his chin trying to stomach some courage. “Thank you. I… I really like your food.”

You felt heat go to your face at the compliment. Katsuki lifted his chin up in pride with a soft smirk making you giggle. Katsuki took a hold of your arm. “We made it just for you.” Katsuki nodded his head before pausing, realising what he had just said. You giggled at his spilling of the truth. Katsuki glared at you as he moved to hide his face near your neck, away from Eijiro. “I-I mean… You and your sire, of course. Not just you. I mean, we thought of you when we made them but… we… I…” Katsuki turned as red as a tomato before deciding to just hide his face in your neck and ignore Eijiro altogether.

You giggled at the blond Omega beside you, rubbing your fingers over his knuckles. You looked back to Eijiro. “We’ll see you at the festival, right?” Eijiro nodded his head. You smiled. Your smile was enough to make him feel like he could faint. “Great. See you, Alpha.” You waved a hand as you stirred you and Katsuki away from him, heading back to the main road.

Eijiro watched the both of you walk off, almost breathless at the beauty of the both of you. Takeo walked over to stand next to him, dusting his hands before putting his hands to his hips. He motioned to the two of you before looking to Eijiro. “I like them.”

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