#'No OnE wOuLd CaRe If ThE gEnDeRs WeRe ReVeRsEd'

[takashi0]

I know going into tumblr tags is a mistake, but I'm just fucking flabbergasted how I've managed to find no less than three people claiming that everyone who's not liking the MAWS version of Lois is "the sexist dudebros who would have no problem with a maaaaaaaaaaaan doing the same thing"

Like the bar is so fucking low, how do you manage to be even STUPIDER than the people bitching about Lois in the first place oh my fucking GOD

[ingravinoveritas]

I thought I was the only one who weirded out by the fact that a mother can define ON THE INTERNET her own daughter a “drunken accident”. Like??? Everyone find her so funny. Maybe I have no sense of humor, but I can’t tell from experience that knowing to be your parents’ accident hurts A LOT. It isn’t something you want to make public. And yes, she’s definitely bragging. We get it, Georgia, you’re the luckiest woman alive, now chill. There’s no need to remind us about your sex life, unless you have something to prove...

Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear of your negative experience, and that it affected you so deeply. It's a curious thing, too, because in the same post where Georgia wrote that caption, she has Birdie's face censored/covered up. So seeing her kids' faces is too private, but sharing that piece of information (about Birdie and about Georgia's sex life) is somehow okay? Because that seems like a pretty strange disconnect.

I also think what a lot of people are missing is that in many cases, using the word "accident" when referring to a pregnancy also tends to correlate with "unwanted." There is an entire media trope built around this that we see in both TV shows and movies (i.e., an older sibling saying to a younger sibling, "Mom told me you were an accident"). And while this can be and has been played for both comedy and drama, the underlying negative connotation is the same: That Sibling #1 is saying it as an insult/to be hurtful toward Sibling #2. And that feeling of being unwanted is not something lightly brushed aside.

But if the comments on this post are any indication, you are definitely not the only one who felt weirded out by Georgia's caption, and I would not at all say it has anything to do with a sense of humor. This is par for the course for Georgia, as she posted this about Ty on Valentine's Day last year (putting it side by side with today's post, so we have the comparison):

...As well as her repeated use of the hashtag #vaginabragsunday (or just #vaginabrag) when making posts about her kids. She even (inexplicably) used that tag on her post for David's 50th birthday a few years ago.

The common thread with all of these (the post about Birdie, the post about Ty, the post about David) is that these posts are meant to be about someone else, yet she manages to center herself in them instead. That's where I think much of the issue lies for many of us--that this post for Birdie's birthday was phrased as if directed toward her, yet Georgia is using it to brag about her sex life, and clearly aiming that/the post itself at the general public.

Which brings me to your assertion about her having something to prove. As we know by now, Georgia has pretty much built her brand around the concept of--to borrow a terrific turn of phrase from @clayisforgirls--"I shagged David Tennant and you didn’t." But what I feel like some people are missing is that "I had sex with David Tennant" is a world away from and not the same thing as "I had sex with my husband David, the man I love." And if she needs to brag and seek validation from complete strangers--on her own kid's birthday post, of all places--that seems to speak volumes about the state of her and David's relationship, and not in the way that most people commenting today seem to think it does.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. I think folks often feel like they can't speak honestly about these things in the fandom, so I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to do so. Thanks for writing in! x

[sysig]

What if baby VUX (Patreon)

[theres-whump-in-that-nebula]

Imagine doing so much hard work and persevering through law school to have your failed tests advertised on the internet news. The bar is really hard; he’s not “cringe fail.” I am jealous of his ability to even attend college without committing suicide. He did a good job. Leave my dude the fuck alone.

I don’t care if they’re elites. If they’re elites; then make fun of them solely for being rich nepotism babies. There are non-elites who have failed the bar (or any important test) once or twice as well who will see this and feel bad about themselves.

[liberaljane]

Women's Not So Distant History

This #WomensHistoryMonth, let's not forget how many of our rights were only won in recent decades, and weren’t acquired by asking nicely and waiting. We need to fight for our rights. Here's are a few examples:

📍 Before 1974's Fair Credit Opportunity Act made it illegal for financial institutions to discriminate against applicants' gender, banks could refuse women a credit card. Women won the right to open a bank account in the 1960s, but many banks still refused without a husband’s signature. This allowed men to continue to have control over women’s bank accounts. Unmarried women were often refused service by financial institutions entirely.

📍 Before 1977, sexual harassment was not considered a legal offense. That changed when a woman brought her boss to court after she refused his sexual advances and was fired. The court stated that her termination violated the 1974 Civil Rights Act, which made employment discrimination illegal.⚖️

📍 In 1969, California became the first state to pass legislation to allow no-fault divorce. Before then, divorce could only be obtained if a woman could prove that her husband had committed serious faults such as adultery. 💍By 1977, nine states had adopted no-fault divorce laws, and by late 1983, every state had but two. The last, New York, adopted a law in 2010.

📍In 1967, Kathrine Switzer, entered the Boston Marathon under the name "K.V. Switzer." At the time, the Amateur Athletics Union didn't allow women. Once discovered, staff tried to remove Switzer from the race, but she finished. AAU did not formally accept women until fall 1971.

📍 In 1972, Lillian Garland, a receptionist at a California bank, went on unpaid leave to have a baby and when she returned, her position was filled. Her lawsuit led to 1978's Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which found that discriminating against pregnant people is unlawful

📍 It wasn’t until 2016 that gay marriage was legal in all 50 states. Previously, laws varied by state, and while many states allowed for civil unions for same-sex couples, it created a separate but equal standard. In 2008, California was the first state to achieve marriage equality, only to reverse that right following a ballot initiative later that year. 

📍In 2018, Utah and Idaho were the last two states that lacked clear legislation protecting chest or breast feeding parents from obscenity laws. At the time, an Idaho congressman complained women would, "whip it out and do it anywhere,"

📍 In 1973, the Supreme Court affirmed the right to safe legal abortion in Roe v. Wade. At the time of the decision, nearly all states outlawed abortion with few exceptions. In 1965, illegal abortions made up one-sixth of all pregnancy- and childbirth-related deaths. Unfortunately after years of abortion restrictions and bans, the Supreme Court overturned Roe in 2022. Since then, 14 states have fully banned care, and another 7 severely restrict it – leaving most of the south and midwest without access. 

📍 Before 1973, women were not able to serve on a jury in all 50 states. However, this varied by state: Utah was the first state to allow women to serve jury duty in 1898. Though, by 1927, only 19 states allowed women to serve jury duty. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 gave women the right to serve on federal juries, though it wasn't until 1973 that all 50 states passed similar legislation

📍 Before 1988, women were unable to get a business loan on their own. The Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 allowed women to get loans without a male co-signer and removed other barriers to women in business. The number of women-owned businesses increased by 31 times in the last four decades. 

Free download

📍 Before 1965, married women had no right to birth control. In Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), the Supreme Court ruled that banning the use of contraceptives violated the right to marital privacy.

📍 Before 1967, interracial couples didn’t have the right to marry. In Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court found that anti-miscegenation laws were unconstitutional. In 2000, Alabama was the last State to remove its anti-miscegenation laws from the books.

📍 Before 1972, unmarried women didn’t have the right to birth control. While married couples gained the right in 1967, it wasn’t until Eisenstadt v. Baird seven years later, that the Supreme Court affirmed the right to contraception for unmarried people.

📍 In 1974, the last “Ugly Laws” were repealed in Chicago. “Ugly Laws” allowed the police to arrest and jail people with visible disabilities for being seen in public. People charged with ugly laws were either charged a fine or held in jail. ‘Ugly Laws’ were a part of the late 19th century Victorian Era poor laws. 

📍 In 1976, Hawaii was the last state to lift requirements that a woman take her husband’s last name.  If a woman didn’t take her husband’s last name, employers could refuse to issue her payroll and she could be barred from voting. 

📍 It wasn’t until 1993 that marital assault became a crime in all 50 states. Historically, intercourse within marriage was regarded as a “right” of spouses. Before 1974, in all fifty U.S. states, men had legal immunity for assaults their wives. Oklahoma and North Carolina were the last to change the law in 1993.

📍  In 1990, the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) – most comprehensive disability rights legislation in U.S. history – was passed. The ADA protected disabled people from employment discrimination. Previously, an employer could refuse to hire someone just because of their disability.

📍 Before 1993, women weren’t allowed to wear pants on the Senate floor. That changed when Sen. Moseley Braun (D-IL), & Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) wore trousers - shocking the male-dominated Senate. Their fashion statement ultimately led to the dress code being clarified to allow women to wear pants. 

📍 Emergency contraception (Plan B) wasn't approved by the FDA until 1998. While many can get emergency contraception at their local drugstore, back then it required a prescription. In 2013, the FDA removed age limits & allowed retailers to stock it directly on the shelf (although many don’t).

📍  In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), the Supreme Court ruled that anti-cohabitation laws were unconstitutional. Sometimes referred to as the ‘'Living in Sin' statute, anti-cohabitation laws criminalize living with a partner if the couple is unmarried. Today, Mississippi still has laws on its books against cohabitation. 

[namism]

their love language/s | headcanons

➳ categories: canonverse, gender neutral reader

➳ summary: Looking into everyone's top love language/s with Sanji, Nami, Law, Zoro, Kid, Koby, & Sabo.

➳ notes: thank you for 200 followers!! i don't write headcanons, but here's a special treat for everyone who's ever read, liked, and supported my fics! 🧡

Sanji: Words of Affirmation

Above everything, Sanji is a smooth talker.

He's incredibly good at romancing you through his words that it doesn't take long for you to completely fall head over heels for him.

Canonically, he calls people with different pet names. "Mellorine" is arguably the most creative. If he were with you (or were trying to flirt with you), he would definitely create a personal nickname that only he would call you.

That said, there is no defeating his terms of endearment. All of them are truly endearing.

Also, best believe that he's amazing at communication.

You know how couples need therapy because their communication sucks? Yeah, that's not happening in a relationship with Sanji.

If this man can flirt through words, then he can talk things out with you.

Overall, Sanji is a very romantic person, but he would work out the most with someone whose primary love language is words of affirmation.

Acts of service as second? Sure. Quality time as third? Sure, but overall, words of affirmation takes the cake.

His sweet talking is just something an ordinary person can't resist.

Nami: Quality time/Gift giving

Is this a hot take? Maybe, but Nami is definitely sweet to whoever she ends up falling for.

She values hanging out with her friends and the people she cares about, so it wouldn't be any different if it were with you, the person she's into. Something about spending time alone together is intimate for her.

On another note, Nami would totally be into giving gifts.

Being the treasurer of the ship apart from the navigator, everyone is aware that she's strict with where the Straw Hats' money goes. It's safe to say that this would be the case for her personal savings as well, even though she likes to treat herself every so often.

But being a shopaholic just means that she loves buying things not only for herself but also for you.

Nami would totally buy you gifts if she finds anything that reminds her of you, and you can imagine it playing out sweetly.

Who knew the frugal Nami would willingly spend money on someone she likes? It makes you feel incredibly special because she doesn't casually do that for other people.

Law: Quality time/Acts of service

If you were a member of Law's crew, he would definitely appreciate the one-on-one appointments with you whenever you needed a checkup or anything of the sort.

Call it unethical, but let's be serious—he's a pirate who happens to be a doctor (or is it the reverse?), his epithet is quite literally "Surgeon of Death," and above all else, he isn't doing anything malicious when you come to him.

Instead, it's all sweet and innocent. If Law were to like you, he initially wouldn't know how to act around you, so he's grateful for the quiet moments that you share together alone, no matter the circumstance.

He would enjoy your company and would totally think that being extra cautious and careful toward your health is a good way of subtly letting you know that he cares for you.

He would be the type to do things for you without being asked. Usually it would be medical related, but once he gets more comfortable about showing his feelings, best believe it would be more than just that.

Zoro: Acts of service

Zoro is the type to save people, so he would keep an eye on you every time danger arises.

While he would save any innocent person or civilian in danger, his decision to rescue you whenever you need rescuing comes from a more personal reason rather than simply playing a hero.

Newsflash: it's because he likes you.

He isn't the type to show his interest toward someone through other means anyway, so his best bet is showing it all through actions that you never asked for to begin with.

His feelings would become more obvious the more he does things for you without question, which he would be pleased by because it would mean that you're picking up on his signs.

He would work best with someone whose love language is servitude, especially if you're the type to appreciate the little things that people do out of genuine concern.

Kid: Physical touch/Words of affirmation

When it comes to Kid, he's heavy on physical touch if you already have an established relationship.

Of course, he wouldn't do anything if you guys aren't official yet—even though he's bolder at flirting than the average One Piece man, he wouldn't want to come off as creepy.

Hence, physical touch is the way to go once you're together. He would be the clingy type in his own unique fashion.

If you aren't together yet, he would show his love through words of affirmation.

However, it isn't anything like Sanji's sweet talking in a way that is straight out of a romance film. Kid has his own way of doing things, so he would affirm you through compliments that often have one or two cuss words in them, which end up sounding mean but isn't actually mean.

For example: "Great job, brat. You did a shitty job last time, so it's nice to see you outdoing yourself."

Kid is just that guy, but he can also be sweet if the moment calls for it

If you're into those kinds of things, then dating him would be no problem.

Koby: Acts of service

Koby wasn't dubbed "Koby the Hero" for nothing. This man is deemed a hero even outside of work because of what he does for you.

Koby would be the shy type in a relationship since he stutters as a habit, so he would comfortably express it through actions.

Similar to Zoro, if you need rescuing, then he will be there. He would do things for you out of kindness because he likes you.

His love for you would be innocent and sweet.

On that note, Koby would be the type to do the smallest things for you, so if you're the kind of person who would be driven insane by the smallest acts of kindness, then Koby's your guy.

He would hold the door for you, get a glass of water for you if you're thirsty, check up on you randomly, and ask you to continue speaking if you accidentally happen to talk over each other.

Koby does his best to express his feelings, so he hopes his actions are good enough.

Sabo: Acts of service

In a perfect world, Sabo would make an amazing Prince.

It would seem ironic given how he canonically hated the nobility (including his family) because of the way they looked down on the less fortunate, but if Sabo never left nobility, he would be a Disney Prince.

Sabo does things in service, so it would be no different for him to initiate acts of service toward you.

He would be the type to do things without expecting anything in return.

Similar to how he would drop everything should Luffy or Ace be in danger, he would immediately go out of his way to save you or tend to your needs if the situation calls for it.

It's his way of expressing that he cares for you, and he sure as hell would make sure that you know he's interested.

[areislol]

genshin men getting reverse isekai’d into creator! reader’s world

►— pairings. genshin men x gn! creator! reader

►— warnings. fluff, although it is a gender neutral reader it does mention afab reader, lowercase intended, not proof read 🙅🏻‍♀️

►— synopsis. albedo created a machine where it would bring back their creator, who was stuck in another world, back to where they belong. but instead of bringing you here to them, it brought them to where you were.

►— a/n. i have been meaning to write isekai’d or reverse isekai’d fic for SO long but i’ve been busy and procrastinating so 😢 this is sagau!!

►— wordcount. 3.8k

✧ part one | ✧ part two | ✧ part three | ✧ part four | ✧ part five |more tba.. NAVIGATION

at first, it was the genshin men who wanted you to be transported into their world. you know.. the world you’re familiar with. but somehow albedo’s machine malfunctioned and did the opposite of what it was supposed to do.

it was a normal day, well for the residents of teyvat who were just minding their own business, but not for the men who had gave away nearly all of their mora for albedo’s machine to work.

a very selected few men from each region gathered to mondstadt (sometimes it took a few days for a week to arrive there but they were determined to arrive there faster as they didn’t want to waste time).

kaeya, diluc, venti and albedo from mondstadt gathered were anticipating for the day albedo would put out the news that the machine would finally work. everyday when they had spare time or whenever they could, they would vist albedo in dragonspine and check up on the machine and ask for the good news

if albedo needed anything or needed some mora (or if he needed someone to run errands for him) they would happily oblige, anything for their grace.

zhongli, xiao, baizhu from liyue would anticipate for the news ever since they had gotten the information and letter from albedo himself as well from jean about the machine that would supposedly bring the creator to their world.

they immediately started to help with whatever they could, even travelling to mondstadt to see if there was anything they could help or provide with, if nothing they would stay for however long they could and watch albedo work on it, fiddling with their fingers or twisting their articles of clothing from anticipation, trying to hold back their excitement and joy of finally meeting their creator.

zhongli is one of the few who were your oldest worshippers, in his prime he would sculpt many statues of you, based on what the scripts had described of what the creator looked like and he was sure that it was one his most best work in his lifetime.

zhongli definitely gave albedo all of his mora, not caring if he needed them to buy food to eat, why worry about that when he has something else to prioritise? all he needed was you, to survive.

kazuha, itto, gorou, ayato, heizou and thoma from inazuma was ecstatic at the news of your soon arrival!! they spent their minutes, hours and days filled with excitement and could not focus on anything.

although ayato was calm and collected, there was no denying that deep inside he was freaking out like c’mon? the creator is finally descending? after thousands of years? and they expect him to be calm? no way.

all gave albedo and sucrose their up most help. giving him materials that would only be found in their region and not in mondstadt, for the machine. in their spare time they would fight the enemies and gather whatever they dropped and send it to albedo in the hopes that it would be a major help to the machine (it was and albedo sent his thanks in a letter).

cyno, al-haitham, kaveh, wanderer and tighnari from sumeru was shocked to say the least, at first they were wary of the news. i mean of course they believed in you, and the story of your descent but at the same time how could they trust this.. albedo person? but after getting the letter inviting them to dragonspine to see the machine for themselves and to see his blueprints, notes and so on, they agreed and once arriving, they definitely believed him.

after confirming that everything was real, they began to team up with albedo (if he allowed them but albedo was more than happy for some help as he was getting tired just from doing majority of the things with sucrose..) and helping him. kaveh was an architect so he helped albedo with the model of the machine and with al-haithams, tighnari and wanderer’s knowledge they began to make the machine more safe and reliable.

they’re all very happy and overjoyed knowing that soon they will bring their creator back to where they belong, just knowing the fact that they will soon be able to see and witness their grace in their glory and flesh was everything.

lyney, neuvillette, wriothesley, freminet and aether from fontaine was more than ecstatic upon hearing the news. lyney started to practise more with his magic tricks, trying to add more action and more of the surprise factor in his tricks so that he could impress you and hear you praise him.

neuvillette almost cried tears of joy (and flooded fontaine) at the letter albedo sent to him. just looking at the sentence “we will be able to see our grace soon, please help in anyway you can.” made his eyes water.

he started to mentally and physically prepare himself for your arrival, making sure to look his best and presentable, while also preparing for how he would greet you. a bow would do- no.. a bow where his forehead touched the ground, yes, that will do. he couldn’t wait for your arrival (even explaining to the very excited melusines too about his profound love and adoration for you).

neuvillette admired you from hundreds of years ago, hearing your stories and heroic acts made him fall more in love with you. he goes to your temple (that he made by himself) and prays every day before going to bed.

wriothesley, freminet and aether on the other hand was more calm although nervous at the same time. wriothesley (and everyone else) had heard many great stories about you, the great power you hold like no other, your kindness, your hospitality, your beauty—everything. so there was nothing else he wanted than to witness you in the flesh, although he is scared what your beauty may blind him.

aether is also anticipating your arrival, when he was younger his parents would tell him the great stories about you and how the elements came about, not only that but he has a hunch that you could possibly help him find his sister, no.. he’s positive you will.

and from the other regions, childe, capitano, dottore, pantalone, pierro and dainsleif were almost going batshit crazy once word spread that the creator was going to be teleported into their world from albedo’s machine. dainsleif could feel it in him, he could feel the shift in teyvat, the way the trees and nature around him started to be more responsive and grow more large and.. prettier?

the fatui had paused all of their plans and focused soley on you, their creator. they wanted to make sure that the archons or anyone else doesn’t reach you but.. that would be diffcult considering that a non fatui was creating this machine along with the help with so many different people from different regions.

they had always worshipped you and was hopelessly devoted to you, giving you gifts right below your statue, sometimes even ranting to you about their problems and how the archons were absolutely useless.

dainsleif was.. consumed with many emotions. he believed that he was one of your most devoted and the most loyal of them all followers. he believed that your word was law and whatever you ordered him to do or whatever order you give to anyone, they should obey. and if not he would love nothing more than to deal with them, anything for you.

altogether, they all (reluctantly cough cough the fatui, diluc, tighnari and wanderer cough cough) helped cooperate with bringing you back to the world you belong in, giving albedo thousands and millions of mora, any material from their home region, their support and so on. that was how devoted they were to you.

and finally, the day albedo and sucrose sent out all of letters telling them that the machine was ready, everybody came scurrying to dragonspine, their hearts racing in an inhumane beat, once they all arrived they were swearing BULLETS and albedo offered them all towels since he knew none of them would like to be presented to the almight creator looking… sweaty.

everybody stood around the machine, their eyes shining with excitement and their hearts beating from nervousness, and on the count to three, albedo would turn the notch and whatever came next, well, they would just have to cross their fingers and pray.

“1..”

“2..”

“3..!”

albedo turned the notch on the machine and within a milisecond a bright light had appeared, blinding everyone as they quickly raised their arm to cover their eyes.

some started to cough as smoke filled the room, many yelling in confusion, yelling on top of their lungs if it worked to which no one replied of course, they couldn’t open their eyes nor felt anything different until their bodies started to feel all gooey like they were melting. their vision (despite covering their eyes) was going white, their mind was foggy and they were dizzy.

but after a few seconds they felt better, they felt like they were in a different place, they could sense it.. after waving their hands away to clear the smoke and before they knew it, they were in a totally different room and place. they were inside of a room, not a room from their world, their was unknown technology on a desk that they have never seen before. there was unknown stuff all around them.

they all looked around in confusion, taking in everything. “where are we?” “what is this place” “are we going to meet our grace?”

suddenly, zhongli spotted someone on the bed, sleeping calmly despite all of the ruckus they had caused. zhongli shushed everybody to which some scowled at (wanderer mainly) and before they could argue back, he pointed at you.

pointing at the sleeping figure on the bed wanderer immediately shut his mouth. it was dark so they couldn’t make out your face but no worries! your phone just lit up and everybody looked at it, curious at the light device. kazuha paid no mind to it and grabbed the strange device before shining it on your face. his breath hitched, stumbling back just a bit.

everybody else looked at your face and was stunned. their voice caught in their throats as they finally, finally saw you, their grace.

your beauty was like no other, even the little drool seeping out of the corner of your lips were adorable!

some started to sob quietly, too overwhelmed with their feelings and with the fact that they just saw their creator (neuvillette, lyney, childe and zhongli a little bit..). while everyone else was murmuring under their breaths about what they should do, you were sleepinf peacefully. and everytime you moved in your sleep everybody would tense up and hold their breaths, scared to wake you up (and scare you in you did).

but after a few minutes you did wake up, to their horror and fascination. you rubbed your eyes and looked around groggily and through the seeping moonlight through your blinds you could make out the many black silhouettes in your room, surrounding you.

freaking out, you held your breath and tried to calm yourself down, telling you that your mind was playing tricks on you but after gulping and turning on your lamp to just reassure you it was nothing, you saw many men surrounding you, wincing at the sudden light.

your jaw dropped before screaming absolute bloody murder, grabbing your pillows and (your poor) plushies and throwing it at the unknown men in your room, closing your eyes shut you prayed to god that this was just a dream when someone spoke.

his voice was dreamy and so soft although deep, like silk. it flowed smoothly like running water.

“are you alright, your grace?”

your what? opening your eyes, you could see that some of the men were grabbing a hold of your plushies while some were on the floor, meaning some did get hid while some others didn’t.

wait a minute.. as you took a closer look at the people you realise that it’s…

“zhongli..?” you mumbled, squinting your eyes to see if it was really him and there was no doubt it was really him. you could see his eyes lighting up, he seemed really happy that you said his name, it was sort of cute.

that was when childe and heizou along with others pushed zhongli, trying to get your attention as they called you their “grace” and acted really really happy to see you.

observing everyone you soon realise that all of these men are all from the very famous game you play—genshin impact. “w-wait a minute.. zhongli-“ you point at him, he nods with a tender smile, you could only smile back nervously, totally unaware of the death glares zhongli was getting.

“heizou, childe, thoma, dainsleif, xiao.. holy crap!” your eyes widen and you hop off your bed, slipping on your slippers are you look at everyone else. “this isn’t real…” you mumbled, holding your head with one of your hands. looking around once more you felt the very intense gazes of the very handsome men staring you down.

your cheeks flushed red as you took in the fact that these handsome men are fighting for your attention, and are literally standing in your room and just.. there!!

walking back into your room, you yank the mattress with all your strength when dainsleif and xiao walked up to you, offering you help to which you shake your head at. “no i’m good, thank you though!”

everybody was waiting patiently for you as you set down the mattress.

“okay.. you guys can sit and sleep there for now.. now tell me what happened. as far as i know you two aren’t from this world, obviously because you are all from genshin impact! you know, the game?”

you said, sitting down on your bed as you watched some of them sit on the mattress while some stood beside the mattress.

they all nodded before albedo spoke. “you see, your grace, we intended to bring you back to our world because that is where you belong—the world you created.” he began, looking into your eyes to look for any reaction.

your eyes widened at his words. “me..?” you said in disbelief. “oh.. uh continue!” albedo continued on.

“and we spent many months working on the machine, and today i had finished it, i called everybody else who are in your room and i turned the notch, and there was blinding light, and then we were in your room.”

you nod your head at his words, taking in the information. “i’m just as confused as you are, your grace.” albedo reassures you, you could only give him a small smile before speaking again.

“listen i’m just.. i’m confused on why you’re you know.. calling me ‘your grace’.. i mean i understand the formalities and all but..”

zhongli and neuvillette raises their brow. “that is because, you are our creator, you created the elements, giving us visions, you carved the very world we live on, teyvat.” zhongli explains.

furrowing your brows, you tried to understand him, you really did but, you just couldn’t imagine yourself doing all of those great things zhongli explained to you.

“listen.. you probably have the wrong person and-“ “no,” everybody whips their towards dainsleif, giving him a scowl for him daring to cut their creator off.

“i can feel like, you are our creator, you.. this feeling you give me, to us, is other worldly, please.. your grace, believe me.”

dainsleif pleads, his eye(s?) staring deep into your soul, begging for you to understand. and to be honest you felt yourself getting lost in his eyes, it was tempting you and… you gave in.

gulping you closed your eyes and sighed. “i-.. fine, i may not believe that i was capable of doing all of those mountain moving stuff but i will.. you know.. just call me y/n.”

all of their eyes widen from surprise. kaveh breaks the mumurs of the men among him. “y-you would give us the honor to call you by your real name? i’m afraid we can no-“

“nuh uh, no need to call me ‘your grace’ anymore, it feels weird being called something so high..” you cut kaveh off and you could hear the collective, audible gasps from around you.

venti, heizou and kaveh (who were standing beside the mattress) basically launched themselves onto you, almost crying from happiness of the fact that you were allowing them to call you by your name.

“oh your grac- no, y/n!! it would be such an honor to call you by your name!” venti cries, hugging your body as heizou and kaveh clinged onto your arms, tears brimming their eyes.

you could only laugh nervously at the sudden affection and pat venti on the back, when you realized that this was a one in a life time experience where you actually meet these handsome (fictional but not anymore) men so you decide to hug venti back, patting his back.

“i-it’s all good venti but uh.. you’re squeezing me a bit too hard..” you managed to get out, tapping him on his arm. venti pulled back and smiled sheepishly. “oops..”

venti, heizou and kaveh got a good scolding from zhongli and dainsleif about jumping on the creator like that.

it was starting to get a bit hot and stuffy in your room so you decided to get up (with kaveh still clinging onto your arm) and walk over to the window and opening it up. feeling the cool breeze hit your face you sighed with satisfaction.

turning back around you saw all men staring right back at you. right.. you still had 23 men in your room. “uh.. so, are you guys thirsty?” you said nervously, offering them a small smile. it was your first time having a guy over at your room let alone 23!!

you don’t even know why you offered them water, you just wanted to ease the awkwardness.

they all nodded and you nod your head, making your way to the door and you could feel them staring holes into the back of your skull.

“i’ll go get some water, i don’t know if i have 23 glasses though..” and as you walked out of your room you could hear many footsteps following behind you, through the hallway and into the kitchen.

sighing, you crouched down to the cabinets and opened it, grabbing as many cups as you can. there was only 10. geez, who knew those “best child in the world” and “best co worker in the world!” would come in handy? you had 5 each, filling each of them up with cold water before passing it to thoma, xiao, neuvillette, wanderer, al-haitham, and a few others.

they were all fighting over who would get the last cup since you held that cup, it was special.

“‘kay, once you’re done drinking just wash and pour another cup for the others okay? here’s the tap and here’s the water jug.” you pointed to the water jug and once they gave you a nod of acknowledgment, you made your way back to the bedroom with zhongli following right behind you.

soon, everybody else came into your room, talking amongst one another. you plopped down on your bed and took a deep breath, taking in everything.

you were sleeping peacefully, woken up to 23 handsome men in your room, threw pillows at them, sat down and talked to them about their situation, offered them water and a place to sleep. yeah.. what a day.

“everything alright, your- y/n? i know it’s a lot to take in i… i want to apologize. is there anything i or we can do to make it up to you?”

turning your head, you faced zhongli and smiled softly. “no, it’s okay, if anything im worried for you guys.. i mean how do you feel? you’re not home anymore and i don’t know how long it’ll be until you guys go back home.”

the men hum and agreement and started to question when they will come back home. that was until neuvillette spoke up.

“but, y/n, we worship you and devote our entire selves for you.. i mean yes we would miss our positions but being with you is much more meaningful.

hm. interesting.. you thought to yourself. they seem very fond and loyal to you. it was cute. yawning, you blinked away your sleepy tears and hummed, making yourself more comfortable in your bed.

“blankets and pillows are in the closet right behind the mattress, make yourself at home..” you mumbled sleepily. “if.. if there’s no more space then you can sleep with me, i can only fit two or three people.”

honestly, who on earth would offer that? but you couldn’t pass this opportunity with these handsome men!! so why not?

everybody’s eyes widen at this offer. some of them scrambling to get onto your bed to sleep by your side, dainsleif, zhongli and neuvillette were pulling back heizou and venti back onto the mattress, knowing they would probably be up to no good next to you.

the ones who managed to get on your bed was childe and xiao, yes, xiao. he wasn’t trying to fight for a spot though (kind of was..) but he accidentally pulled away kaveh instinctively and landed him a spot beside you!!

childe sighed happily and snuggled up close to you, while xiao laid on the bed motionless, it kind of scared you.

“it feels so nice to be by your side y/n~” he mumbled, holding onto your arm, xiao scowled at him—staring daggers at childe. “don’t be so jealous, you’re beside them too you know..”

xiao narrows his eyes before staring up at the ceiling again. even though it was dark you noticed how he seemed to be blushing, was xiao always this cute?

the rest of the men had to sleep on three different mattresses, some even sleeping on the floor because they refused to sleep beside some people. most people ignored itto because he snored, really.. really loudly. he kept you up until 3 am.

you knew you were way too calm when reacting to this situation but then again, you have been a big fan of genshin impact for years now.. and you were crushing on all of them!! you would always wish on the very same bed you’re sharing with childe and xiao, that you could meet them, even if it was in your dreams.

so now that you could actually feel, look and talk to them.. you decided to take this opportunity and try to become as close with them as possible.

even if they have to leave in the end, you want to create many happy memories.

> ✧ part two

note: THIS WAS SO RUSHED AND DOESNT MAKE SENSE I KNOW IM SORRY 😭😭 i promise next part will definitely be better 🙏🏻 as i said before this is not proof read so excuse any grammar and spelling mistakes 😢

taglist: @tomansimp @one-offmind @miitchiji @dainsleif-when-playable @momoewn @stygianoir @irethepotato @v4an @imetsk @fiannee @sunnyf4lls if im missing anyone please tell me because i have an inkling feeling i missed a few..

liking + following + reblogs are very much appreciated!!!

another note: I CAN ONLY ADD 30 TAGS? GOD

[ak319]

Lovesick bubbly hubby x fem reader

ミ☆Headcanon#3𓏲

(Warnings: Contains mpreg (bxg pairing, YES, boy x fem reader), and matriarchal themes/gender role reverse so don't interact if you are not comfortable!! ‎♡‧₊˚)

♥︎ Headcanon #2

🍭"Narin, just one more paragraph, c'mon. Then we can go get some ice cream."

"You know, you're the cruellest wife anyone could have. Making me do assignments in this condition."

"What condition? You're fine, Narin. You're not even the one typing your essay. Just one more paragraph, c'mon, you can do it." He acts as if he's in his last months, when he’s only three weeks in. After another exaggerated sigh, he finally gave in, and you closed the laptop with relief.

"It's your last semester. Just get it done, and then your lifelong dream of staying home will come true."

"Are you taking me out for that ice cream or not?" You chuckled, getting up and offering him a hand. "Let's go."

Narin finally got what he wanted after so long, but deep down, he knew it wouldn’t be enough to pull him out of university. Still, the thought of becoming a father—of your child—filled him with uncontrollable excitement. He just prayed that your family wouldn’t cast an evil eye on the baby. Hmph! Lost in thought, he unconsciously placed his hands over his stomach as you drove, unaware of the silent storm brewing within him.

Meanwhile, your mind was all over the place. First, an unexpected husband, and now a child on the way?! You couldn't stop worrying about the future. You never imagined yourself as a mother, especially not with a husband like Narin, who could barely take care of himself. Maybe he would mature once the baby was born... or would you just have two kids to look after instead? How did this even happen? Weren’t you both careful? Wasn’t he taking pills, too? Well, it didn’t matter now. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw him, hands protectively resting on his stomach, looking content and as happy as ever. You sighed and decided to put on some music to drown out the spiralling thoughts. Soon enough, you both reached the ice cream shop.

Months passed, and Narin’s university days came to an end. It had been three months into his pregnancy when one day, you came home to find him curled up on the sofa with Prince. There was no usual excitement, no running up to greet you like he always did.

🍭"Narin? You okay? Is something wrong?" By now, the panic in your voice was impossible to hide. You gently made him sit up, cupping his face, and your heart sank as you saw his puffy, red eyes. He was still sniffling, avoiding your gaze, his usual brightness nowhere to be found.

"Narin? You're making me worried. Tell me, what's wrong, baby?"

"I-just-what if you... leave me?! Does your family think I'm not competent enough to bear your child?! Because I feel like it!" His voice cracked with emotion, and you could hear the frustration in every word. Where was all this anger coming from?

"What are you talking about? Who said that?! And why on earth would I leave you?" You could feel your own heart racing. Narin might be childish and immature at times, but he was still your husband, and you cared for him deeply even more so now. Why couldn’t he see that?

"I would never abandon you. Never, you or our child."

"What if it’s a boy? Like me?!" His voice trembled with insecurity, his eyes wide with fear. It was clear the pregnancy hormones were heightening all his worries. You took a deep breath, reminding yourself to stay calm. He needed your reassurance more than ever now.

"Then we’ll love him just the same, Narin. Just like I love you." He finally looked into your eyes.

"Listen, Narin baby. You’re very, very important to me. I love you and our future child, no matter if they’re a boy or a girl. I just want you both to be healthy, and my family wants the same. No one is doubting you, and if they are--just tell me their name. I’ll have a talk with them myself. Now, tell me, did someone say anything to you?"

He shook his head sincerely.

"Then?" you asked gently, stroking his hair.

"I... just had these thoughts..." he whispered, voice trembling slightly. He grasped your collar tightly, his body now almost in your lap. "You won’t leave, right?"

"Never." You held him closer, your voice firm with reassurance, and yet he needed more. He needed to drown in that reassurance, to feel it in every part of his being. You held him tighter, but it still didn’t feel close enough. "And don’t let these thoughts ruin your mood or stress you out. You hear me? Promise me, you won’t."

He nodded, but this time he clung to you like a lifeline, his fingers tightening in your shirt. "Promise," he whispered, his heart racing. He knew that you were not going to leave him but he just wanted to make sure and...was bored. Damn, he can be a really good actor if he wants to but in all seriousness, it's important to remind you that he is now your everything, your new family. In his head, there was no room for doubt. You belonged to him, and no one else could ever come between you two.... and now three of you. Not now, not ever.

In his eyes, the most delightful thing is making you run for whatever he craves, even if it’s the middle of the night or a drive to another town just to get a snack he tried once. He revels in the fact that you’ll do anything for him, and he takes immense pride in bragging about how caring and romantic his wife is. He squeals with childlike excitement when you’re out fulfilling his whims, loving how dreamy and devoted you are.

But lately, there’s a shadow of sadness in his eyes as he watches you work harder than ever. You’ve started a new venture with your friend, and it’s consuming more of your time and energy.

🍭"You should take a break now," he said, plopping down next to you on the couch and peering over your shoulder at your laptop. His tone was light, but there was an edge of concern beneath his playful words. "I don’t want to be a widower in this condition." You jerked your head towards him in shock at his bluntness. It was classic Narin--his naive habit of saying whatever came to mind without fully thinking it through. You just sighed, shaking your head at his antics.

"I’m not dying here, you don’t have to worry. I’ll be done in a few minutes."

"Why are you even doing this?! Isn’t your salary enough-"

"No, it’s not enough. Certainly not for the future when the kid is going to grow up and go to school and stuff." Narin grumbled, leaning his head against your chest with a sigh. He was like a needy kitten, wanting your comfort and attention, and the warmth of your chest made him feel a little safer. 'As disciplined and farsighted as ever. So fucking hot.' Well, he is kind of glad too, now that you are working so much, you rarely have time to visit your own family. Hehe. That's right wifey, work for me and your child now, our child.

"Yeah, you’re right. And also, it’s not like we’re going to have only one, right? I was a single child, so I want more than one kid. Got it?" Your hands paused momentarily over the keyboard.

"Um--yeah, but focus on this one for now..." Narin’s smile widened as he traced his finger lightly across your chest. "Oki! Our kids are going to be the prettiest and the smartest!"

You couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm, even as worries about the future tugged at the edges of your thoughts. "Of course," you replied softly, placing a gentle kiss on his crown before returning to your work. In that moment, the presence of each other made the stress feel a little more bearable.

@mel-vaz 🍭

[qqueenofhades]

I am FULLY ONBOARD the Harris/Waltz train, tho before this i was leaning towards Mark Kelly (AZ is a swing state! He's an ASTRONAUT!) If you want or have time, no pressure, but any thoughts on what makes Waltz a better pick?

I like Mark Kelly too, and since he's married to Gabby Giffords (having run for public office after she got shot and could no longer do so) he would have been an amazing pick in terms of supporting the first female POTUS. But he is a less charismatic public speaker than Walz (for whatever that's worth, but politics is a mess of Aesthetics and Vibes that matter as much and/or more than actual facts) and more moderate/conservative. He's been a great senator and picking him would defuse some of the BORDER IMMIGRATION BLAH BLAH!!! scaremongering that Republicans love to run on, but it would also leave open the possibility of losing a special election and other dangers with the Democratic senate that we really need to minimize. So Walz is a better choice for that alone, but also:

He really has serious progressive credentials as governor, even if he was a fairly mainstream Democrat (who flipped a rural red House district in Minnesota that Democrats have not been able to win again after he left) during his 12 years in the House. This is an INCOMPLETE LIST of what he was able to do in two years with a one-seat Democratic majority in Minnesota:

A Climate Action Plan that included:

Investing in energy infrastructure

100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 goal

Transition off of fossil fuels and onto clean energy resources

Building more electric vehicle charging stations

Providing funding to help workers acquire new skills through apprenticeship programs in clean energy fields

Direct state funding for transit

Money for rail

Tax credit for e-bikes

Permitting form to fast-track clean energy projects

And that was in addition to:

Codified abortion access in Minnesota

Guaranteed paid sick time and paid family and medical leave

Funded replacing ALL LEAD PIPES IN THE STATE

Free school breakfasts and lunches for all

Made public college free

Stronger labor protections

Drivers’ Licenses for All

Voting Rights Act to reverse recent court rulings that make voting harder, including restored voting rights to convicted felons

Banning medical debt from credit bureaus

The "Taylor Swift Bill" requiring all ticket "junk fees" be shown up front

Banning most "junk fees"

No book bans

Protection for tipped workers

Banned non-competes

Legalized recreational cannabis

Gun control, including increased penalties for straw purchases of firearms, expanded background checks and enacted red-flag laws, passing gun safety measures that the GOP has thwarted for years

Made MN a Trans Refuge State, and required health plans to cover “medically necessary gender-affirming care.”

Pay increase for Uber and Lyft drivers

Elimination of the so-called “gay panic defense”

A ban on “doxxing” election workers

A prohibition on “swatting” elected officials

In March, during the height of the Gaza/uncommitted primary protests against Biden, Walz said that young people should be listened to and they had a right to be speaking up and the situation in Gaza was horrible and intolerable, without directly slamming Biden or getting involved in the issue in a way to draw negative headlines. Regardless of what you think about any of it, that is a very deft way to handle it and pairs well with Kamala's better responsiveness on the Gaza issue overall. That was a big part of the reason why Gen Z/younger voters were very excited about Walz despite him being an "old" (actually the same age as Kamala but he has joked that teaching high school for 20 years will do that to a guy) white guy. If half the battle in politics is making the right pick to excite your core voters and reach out to new ones, then Harris nailed it. As I have said in earlier posts, there was just too much energy with young voters FINALLY checking in when Harris became the candidate, to risk introducing a big ideological split with Shapiro.

Aside from that: the most insufferable Smart White-Bro Political Pundits (TM) are big mad about Walz, many Never Trumper Republicans thought they were entitled to a "moderate" in exchange for oh-so-generously lending us their vote against Trump and not run the risk that we might end up with someone *gasp* progressive, and the regular MAGA Republicans are hysterical, which means they're terrified. It's also incredibly hard to paint Literal Midwestern Stereotype Dad (football coach, social studies high school teacher, military veteran, etc) as THE EVIL END OF AMERICA in the way they desperately want to do, though the fact that they're trying shows that they've got literally nothing. The fact that Kamala picked Walz against the PREVAILING WISDOM!!! that she had to take Shapiro (for whatever reason that might have been) is also a good sign, because by far the most genuine and extensive enthusiasm that I have seen from Democratic voters, especially those feeling burned out or disillusioned or angry with specific policy choices of the current administration, was for Walz. Having everyone excited for the pick beforehand, effectively using the "weird" line, and rallying behind the guy, only for her to actually go for him, is inspiring. It makes people feel like they're being heard and the Democrats have decided to win by being progressive, and not just endlessly Catering To The (Imaginary) Middle as they have always been told to do (and often done). That alone is MASSIVE.

Walz is tremendously funny, personable, has Democrats from AOC to Joe Manchin praising it (again, shocking), was right out the gate supporting Kamala, has already been majorly successful on TV, was by far the most progressive-on-policy picks of the VP finalists, is incredibly, hilariously wholesome and small-town Midwestern (he's the JD Vance that they wish JD Vance was), and is already sending ActBlue gangbusters with donations again. And when you're getting this kind of response on the Cursed Bird Hellsite, just:

Just. I don't know what's happening either. But let's enjoy it, and then work hard, because we gotta fucking do this and for possibly the first time this entire year, I really think we might. Heck yeah.

[tiramisu-rambles]

TKATB: Reverse!AU Sol

Summary: some headcanons about a reverse!au, where Sol's entire aesthetic is blonde-dyed hair and angelic, innocent eyes.

Warnings: implied drugging, yandere tendencies (TKATB), stalking, breaking into your home, eventual imprisonment, coercion?? and minor spoilers for the game events. Gender neutral reader but he dresses you in a skirt around the end.

Creative liberties are taken for this AU: where you and Sol used to be childhood friends that lived close to each other, and he used to be a simple boy with ebony hair and ruby eyes, who'd follow you around like your eyes held the stars within them.

The elderly would simply coo and say it was a sweet sort of puppy love, not knowing how seriously Sol would have retaliated behind your back if any other kids were to pick on you or try to take his place. Small accidents aren't unusual in your area, where youngsters become careless and slip into rivers or fall off the monkey bars...

But, knowing how such incidents would upset you, Sol never lets you see that side of himself, and instead melts into the kind, sweet, gentle boy you know whenever you're around him. He puts you first and lets you win at your favourite games, at your side like it's the most natural thing in the world.

To a bystander, he was akin to a raven watching over its heart's treasure - ready to claw and tear at the nearest threat. But things change when you lose your memories in an accident. And from there, Sol is convinced that this is some type of retribution for his tainted love - and paints his wings white for the next time he meets you.

The angel bleaches its locks and ties his hair. Strict; contained. Fashioning himself into a dove.

It works; because you are the loveliest of doves, and there is nothing stronger in Sol's heart than his need to be next to you, even if it takes a few white lies to earn your trust.

"Y/N! Let's play a game!"

Hopscotch - where you'd suddenly lose your balance and fall into Sol's arms. Or hide and seek - where he'd always pretend not to find you, so that you could enjoy the thrill of almost winning, before…

"Four, three, two… one."

When you 'first' meet Sol in college, it's when you wake up in the infirmary after a food fight in the cafeteria, having been hit in the head by a flying tray.

He was somewhat unrecognizable by then - with his hair dyed a sunflower yellow and exuding innocent-softness. He's helpful and doesn't pry too much into your life while he tends to your wounds - and the next thing you know, you're in art class and learn that he isn't actually the nurse, but an assistant. And that he has a habit of doodling cute things onto his skin beneath his sleeves.

Perhaps it's because you've been stressed about your home-situation lately, but you've been spending more time in the infirmary due to headaches, blurriness, and feelings of fatigue.

That, and you've been having the strangest dreams about a shadow wandering through your room at night. (Totally not because Sol has tampered with the food in your kitchen, so that he may come and go more leisurely and make sure you're alright.)

"How're you feeling today, Pumpkin?" Sol asks, clipboard in hand and a smile on his lips. But as he nudges the door to the infirmary closed and makes sure the windows aren't letting any wind in, you catch a glimpse of the papers he's holding and don't see any medical reports.

Drawings, maybe? And a few hearts encircling a name.

If it wasn't for the tracking device that's locked around your ankle, you might've been able to delude yourself into thinking that your stay at Sol's apartment was normal - that you'd chosen to come in here yourself, rather than waking up one day with no memory of how you got here - and that the Sol that's taking care of you now was the same, innocent nurse who comforted you on your first week. When you'd gotten overwhelmed by the new culture of your college and felt lost about your life.

Technically, you suppose Sol did make your life a little simplier, by giving you something much more pressing attend to.

A shiver runs down your spine as you feel a pair of arms wrap around your waist from behind you. Sol presses his smile against your neck, asking if there was something wrong.

"Is there something wrong with the pancakes?" He asks. And you try not to pay attention to the skirt that pools around your legs.

You'd woken up to a closet of clothes prepared in your size. And decorations around the bed that eerily match your childhood tastes.

You cover your mouth to stay silent in your hiding spot, feeling your heart race in your chest.

"…Ready or not. Here I come."

[distantdarlings]

EXPOSED // t. nott

RATING: R / 4.4K WORDS

Theodore Nott x AFAB!Gender Neutral Reader Insert

+ SUMMARY - *Requested - based on this* You were born with giant wings reminiscent of an Angel’s. Though you weren’t technically one, Theodore Nott couldn’t help but compare you to and treat you like one.

+ WARNINGS - SMUT! PIV (not super specified though due to GN!Reader), Oral Sex (GN!Reader Receiving), Top!Theo, Bottom!Reader, very slight voyeurism (if you squint), Reader has wings (with sexual feeling), language (lmk if I missed any!)

+ MUSIC (listened to while writing) -

Haunted - BEYONCÉ

- - -

By the time you arrived back at your dormitory every day, your shoulders were so sore, you were ready to just knock yourself out. The continuation of your shoulders as they spread out past your body and out into the air cramped constantly when you performed that concealment spell you’d been forced to learn the moment you started school.

Even being the minority compared to the whole world, the student body at Hogwarts were not always the most accepting of different people–especially when you had enormous whitened wings that stretched out widely above your head. Spread out completely, they reached nearly ten feet across. They were your greatest inconvenience, but also your greatest love. There was little you took better care of than your wings. They were strong and white like new teeth–not perfectly pearly, but not as dingy as some of the other fliers you’d met.

You could remember when you were younger, when your father—who was also a flier—had taken you to meet some of your distant family near where they lived at the top end of the world.

There, it was freezing all year-round and the majority of the community adorned wings just as tall and strong as yours, if not moreso. You were jealous that you were always expected to hide your wings away from the world—even as a little one—when your father had been able to spread his as far as he wanted to, wherever he wanted to.

It had left a bit of a dent on your self-esteem, always having to hide a large part of yourself to fit in with others. But, as you aged, you’d come to accept it for what it was. Besides, everytime you visited your family on holiday breaks, both you and your father would take long flights early in the morning when the sun had not yet risen above the horizon and had only settled deep within the sky’s cover of clouds.

Flying with your father like that was some of your favorite memories. You were certain it wasn’t as enjoyable for him, simply because he rarely hid his wings. For you, it was as if you were stretching out joints that had been cramped up for years. Still, you were grateful for those little moments.

With a tilt of your head in each direction to relieve any built-up tension, you began to undress. You let your robe slide down your arms and into the floor. Then, you loosened your tie, undid the buttons on your shirt, and pulled your bottoms down your legs, allowing them all to fall away and into the same pile with your robe.

You whispered the reversal of the concealment spell that you had used so many times before, and closed your eyes. The warmth of magic circled your back, spreading heated tendrils in and around your wings. You could feel the feathered things slowly rising to life. You sighed in relief at the sensation, letting every joint within them pop aloud.

With a yawn, you reached your arms over your head and stretched hugely, letting your wings mimic the movements. You groaned, relieved that you were finally able to let them loose.

The only reason you weren’t frightened to let them out in your dormitory was because none of your roommates would be back until later on this evening. Every year, you purposefully planned your schedule accordingly so you’d have a few hours to yourself in the dorm room, specifically so you could have your wings out.

The only other times you were able to have them out besides when you were flying with your father on vacation, was when you were completely alone in the bathrooms or when the curtains were pulled shut around your bed. Other than that, they were tightly and magically adhered against your spine.

You weren’t sure exactly how the spell worked but it didn’t hurt until the sixth or seventh hour of having it applied. At that point, you’d be getting sore. Maybe the spell actually did fold your wings together… Hm, you weren’t sure. According to your father, there were no lasting effects of the spell on your wings or your ability to fly. But, still, it made you a bit nervous to think about.

With a small sigh, you bent over to gather up your crumpled up clothes. You tossed them into the dirty laundry hamper slid up against the end of your bed and prepared yourself to preen your wings. It had been entirely too long since you’d tended to them. You could hardly pride yourself on the care you gave them if you weren’t going to keep up with their cleaning schedule.

You settled yourself on the edge of your bed where the curtains were separated. The cold satin duvet slid against your naked legs. The fabric of your bottoms kept your hips warm as you pulled your preening comb from the small bedside dresser.

You crossed your legs and pulled the length of your left wing as far as it would go, across your thighs. The soft feathers cascaded over your skin as you began to meticulously comb at them, ensuring that every single one was treated.

Oftentimes, you’d sink into a sort of daze as you handled your preening—one filled with straying thoughts and light hums here and there. You’d found that, in the past, you became sort of deaf to the real world as you worked. Your focus was so intense that you didn’t hear little sounds, like that of a quiet door opening behind you.

And this time, your humming was just loud enough, and your combing was just distracting enough that you heard nothing as an intruder pushed the dormitory door open and slipped inside. And you didn’t hear the small gasp he let out as he saw your glorious wings. And you didn’t hear the confusion rattling through his brain as he was certain that this was the room his friend told him to meet her in to pick up his books. And you certainly didn’t hear his light footsteps as he creeped up behind you, so curious as to what he was looking at.

He’d never seen something so beautiful and majestic, except on some of the long extinct, mythical creatures he studied in class.

Though he had some inkling of self control, he couldn’t stop himself from approaching you ever so slowly, fingers outstretched and wanting desperately to touch your wings. They had to be fake, right? Some kind of costume?

Still, he couldn’t resist. It was as if your wings had cast some kind of spell on him, dragging him in so severely. He needed to touch them.

Then his fingers were brushing against the soft curtain of feathers, feeling the way the edge of his skin tingled. You gasped sharply and turned without thinking of your nearly nude body.

You made eye contact with a boy you’d recognized much too quickly. Your wings shot across your body to conceal your naked skin.

“Theo! What are you doing here?” you gasped, trying to back away from him and farther up your bed.

“I was coming to pick up some books…” his words trailed off. He appeared dazed and completely fixated on your wings. You couldn’t help but be frightened at what he might say. This was exactly the horrifying moment you’d been having nightmares about since you were young.

“May I touch them again?” he breathed, finally tearing his eyes away. He looked at you, his lips parting.

“What?” you asked, completely in shock. You were surprised that he wasn’t entirely disturbed by the sight before him. All your life, you’d been taught to hide them from people who wouldn’t understand—which just happened to be nearly everyone. You’d imagined the things that would be said once you were exposed a million times over, but you never imagined they’d be things of wonder and awe.

Still, Theo stared at you with nothing but amazement. His cheeks were dusted with pink flecks and his eyes shone with the light seeping through the windows. Suddenly, you found your wings relaxing a bit.

“Er…yes…I suppose you can,” you said, unsure of your words. Your voice trembled ever so slightly with the breaths quickly filling your lungs than pushing out.

“I-I’m sorry,” he said, seeming to snap out of his daze slightly. “I didn’t mean to pressure you. It’s just…they’re beautiful. I’ve never seen something so angelic.” He chuckled at his use of the last word. You were shocked. Never, had you been compared to your separate winged counterparts. Angels were real, but you weren’t exactly flitting about Heaven. You just had wings. Descended from Angels? Perhaps. But not an Angel.

“You’re not frightened of them?” you squeaked, knees clutched tightly against your chest.

“Frightened?” he laughed breathlessly. “Why would I be? They’re incredible.”

You laughed a bit. You didn’t even know what to say. This was going nothing like how you’d always expected it to, and that was a very good thing. And, how much more perfect could you have hoped it would go, than if Theodore Nott—one of the most gorgeous boys in school—was calling you beautiful amongst it all. You could’ve cried.

Slowly, you extended your right wing out to him, while still keeping your body covered with your left. Mesmerized, you watched as he curled his fingers in and around the feathers. It was a light, easy touch—almost like a tickle. The feathers themselves didn’t really have any sensation, just what was pulled from the follicle when it was tugged on a bit.

If you accidentally pulled one out, it only felt like pulling a hair out of your scalp, except for when you got closer to where they sprouted from your back. They were a bit more sensitive up there, as if you were pulling multiple hairs out at once. Other than that, they didn’t really have much of a feeling, besides when they were sore from being cooped up.

At least, that’s what had been your reality for the entirety of the time you’d been on earth, until Theodore Nott waltzed in and wrapped his long fingers around a handful of feathers and tugged at them.

At the feeling of him grabbing on to them and clenching his knuckles until they turned white, you noticed that an uncomfortably familiar sensation pooled rapidly into your stomach. The edges of your vision dripped with black ink spots and your lips fell open in a gasp.

At your reaction, he let go just as quickly as he’d gripped them and backed away. “I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?”

“N-no,” you panted. “Just let me catch my breath.” The remnants of the pleasure that had built in your stomach melted downwards. Heat circled between your legs, provoking more desire.

“Did it hurt?” he asked once more, head dipped down towards you and genuinely concerned.

“No, it felt… really good, actually,” you gasped.

“What, like a massage or something?” he asked. You said nothing—just glanced up at him, then back at the ground. Unsure if he was getting the memo or not, you dropped your outstretched wing into a more comfortable position and cleared your throat awkwardly.

“Er, maybe it’d be best if you—”

“Wait, I’m sorry. Please don’t make me leave. I’d love to touch you again. I won’t do that again, though.”

Your eyes met his again, confusion swirling in your mind. “Well, I’m not a zoo exhibit. I’d like for you to leave now.”

“Please, that’s not what I meant. I’m just fascinated, that's all.”

“I’m so glad I could be an object of fascination for a moment, but—”

“Hey! Stop that. I like you, okay?”

The two of you stopped moving. No sound echoed throughout the room, almost as if the air itself was holding its breath, just as you were. Your eyes widened as they stared at Theo, searching within his to see if he was joking. Surely, he could not mean that.

“I don’t understand,” you spoke. “You’ve never said more than three words at a time to me, then you see I’m slightly different, and you’re suddenly interested in me. That doesn’t really add up.”

“That’s not it at all,” Theo sighed. “I was coming here to talk to you. To ask you to go to dinner with me. I’ve had a crush on you for a while. It had nothing to do with your wings. I would have just asked you out to dinner if I hadn’t seen them.”

“I thought you were coming here to pick up books?”

“That was just an excuse,” he sighed. “I panicked and didn’t want to ask you on a date when I’d just burst in on you like that.”

“Well, I appreciate that,” you laughed humorlessly. He smiled just a bit.

“I really do think they’re beautiful,” he whispered. “But they are absolutely nothing compared to you.”

That heat from earlier made itself known again, echoing loudly in your abdomen. Your pulse picked up as the compliment settled in your ears. The look he gave you was one of utter adoration—one you couldn’t believe you’d never noticed him giving you before. He couldn’t believe it either, because every time he looked at you, it was a look of nothing less than love.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you,” you said. “Generally, people aren’t so accepting of them.” You stretched your wing back out and let it drape across the bed in between the two of you. He sat down on the edge and let the tailend of the feathers drape across his knees. The intimacy of the moment made you flush.

“That’s stupid,” he scoffed. “They’re wonderful. The only reason anyone would think otherwise would be because they’re jealous.”

His fingers caressed softly through the feathers, tracing the outlines of them with a gentle touch. As you watched his movements, you could feel the affection blossoming in your chest. You’d never had someone so genuinely interested in you. It seemed that he cared, but not just because of what made you different. He seemed to care about you as well.

He had begun to experiment a bit, weaving his fingers through the feathers, tracing along the bottom edges, scratching his nails along the follicles. Every once and a while, a light chill would run through your skin at the feeling of him touching you and you’d shudder. The two of you would giggle quietly at your reaction before he returned to them.

He slowly worked his way upwards, exploring ways of which he could touch you. His hands moved higher, gently spreading the expanse of your wing upwards and admiring the full span of it.

Before long, he had scooted so close that his hips were brushing yours. Your other wing still covered your body, but the thought of him being so close to your naked skin had made another shudder go through you.

“Did that tickle?” he whispered, looking back to you.

“No,” you whispered. His eyes flickered to your lips, then yours to his. Then, his eyes returned to your wings. His fingers came down to trace the highest edge of them all the way down to where they met between your shoulder blades. His fingers slid between where they sunk into your back. He traced suddenly down the expanse of your spine just above the end of your tailbone. You gasped lightly. Obviously, the sensation on your skin was much stronger than your wings.

“Sorry, was that too much?” he asked.

“No.”

His index finger bent at the knuckle and traced along your back to your side, where the tip of your other wing ended. He watched as chills raised along your skin. You said nothing. Then, his hand flattened against your side. He cupped you warmly, feeling the way his large hand dwarfed your side. His thumb traced the edge of your feathers.

“Can I see the rest of you?” he whispered.

“What?” you gasped, not wanting to get your hopes up with what you’d just heard him say.

“Can I please see the rest of you?” His eyes were locked on your lips until he finished his words. They flicked back up to yours, aquamarine swirling against the light. He refused to look away.

You kept your mouth shut, but slowly pulled your wing away from yourself, exposing the rest of your body to his eyes. He looked down, drinking in the expanse of your entire body. The only bit of coverage you were granted were the bottoms still hung around your hips.

His thumb stretched slowly to trace the underside of your breast. He watched every reaction you granted him—little gasps and parts of your lips. He watched the chills continue to spread across your bare arms and legs. Soon, he followed his previous path on the opposite side of your body with his other hand. He held you comfortably between his strong hands.

“Is this okay?” he asked. And when you nodded, he gently pushed you back onto your pillows. Then he was over you, hovering with one strong arm and tracing your body from shoulder to hip with a curious thumb. He absentmindedly shyed over one nipple with a barely there touch. Your lips parted at the feeling, desperately desiring more.

“Theo, I—”

“Should I stop?” he asked, immediately pulling his hand back to watch your face.

“No!” you nearly shouted. “No, please don’t stop. I was going to ask if you—if I could kiss you.”

He smiled in response to your words. His hand returned to your body and he lowered himself onto his elbow beside your head. His face was much closer to yours now, his hands more confident. His nose suddenly brushed against yours, attempting to entice you a bit.

“Theo, before anything happens between us…,” you started. “Can you promise me that you aren’t just interested because of my wings?”

“Like I said earlier, even if I hadn’t seen them, I would have just asked you out to dinner,” he said, smiling sweetly. You returned his smile, a bit of excitement blooming in your chest at the current situation you rested in. This was everything you’d been dreaming of for months.

Then you were tilting your head up and pressing your lips to his. He responded immediately with a loving and warm kiss that encompassed the entirety of your thoughts. Your fingers curled into his uniform shirt, begging him closer to you. At your need for him, a small groan echoed against your lips as he tore away from you and roughly tore his shirt apart.

You helped him separate the pieces of fabric and slide them down the length of his arms, while he leaned back over you, strong body protecting you from all angles. Your legs split to envelop him between your thighs. With a bit of stray confidence, you wrapped them around his hips, letting them settle comfortably against him.

His lips pressed against your neck, kissing wetly along the length of your jaw. Your fingers curled into his dark hair, revelling in how soft it was. He was everything you’d ever imagined. Merlin, you wanted him so badly.

“Say the words,” he whispered against your skin. “Say the words and I’ll take you right here. Please, baby. Please say yes.”

“Yes, Theo. Please.” Your words came out in a breathless moan.

You were barely able to get the words out before his lips reattached to your neck. He leaned over to one side, completely balancing his weight on his left arm, while his right expertly undid his belt. The clinking of the metal fastener echoed in the empty space, building anticipation in your stomach.

He whispered a spell and the lock on the door in the corner clunked shut. When he turned back to you, he rose onto his knees and slipped his fingers beneath the waistband of your bottoms.

Slowly, he slid them down the length of your legs, maintaining seething eye contact the entire time. Chills spread across your skin and your wings bristled beneath his gaze. When he saw the reaction his touch gave your wingspan, he smirked devilishly. You shuddered.

Once you were exposed to him, he pressed gentle kisses to the insides of your thighs, rising higher and higher until he was face-to-face with your core. The room held its breath again as you braced yourself against the pillow, anticipating his touch.

Your wings were laid comfortably beside you, just as they were when you slept. But the moment his lips made contact with you, they were soaring off the bed and spreading out to their full expanse.

He hummed against you, vibrations traveling from your core up through your stomach. You gasped aloud at the sensation, grasping at the blankets around you.

With a bolt of confidence, you reached down and trapped his curls into your hands, fingernails lightly scratching against his scalp. He hummed again at the feeling.

He marveled at your wings spread out so gracefully, watching them closely with each ministration of his tongue. You watched as he stared up at you—nothing but adoration swam in his eyes.

He couldn’t believe what the sight of your body was doing to him. He so obviously understood why Angels were revered as Heavenly creatures now. If he had seen you with no further context, he too would have immediately bowed to worship.

When he strung you along far enough that your hips were beginning to rise off the bed, he stopped and pulled himself away from you. He returned to his previous position of hovering over you and placed his lips to yours.

The flavor of yourself was slathered across his mouth and spread to yours. His tongue traced along yours, glazing your tastebuds with his own.

With his lips pressed against yours, he slid his unfastened belt and pants down his legs, revealing toned muscles layered with golden skin. He wore dark briefs that framed him deliciously well.

He leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before lining himself up with your entrance. Though he’d granted no adjustment with his fingers beforehand, you weren't going to deny the stretch he provided, no matter how much it stung.

He pressed into you, allowing you to feel every inch of the expansion of your entrance. Fire blossomed below your waist as your fingers dug into his shoulders.

At his realization of how tight you were, he reached beneath the two of you and began to gently massage your clit, coaxing you more and more open.

With the combination of feeling running through your body, your mouth fell open and your eyes fluttered shut. Without a doubt, he was the biggest you’d ever experienced.

Once he was fully settled within you, he gave you a few seconds to breathe. You pressed your lips lovingly to his bare shoulder, reveling in the warmth of his skin.

His chest was pressed to yours and your thighs wrapped around his waist so tightly, you were unsure if you could ever part from him.

Once he began to move, though, you knew you’d never let him go. He built up a gentle pace, working you wider and wider. Once you were fully open to him, his length hit every spot within you no others were able to hit.

Your breath was coming out of you in deep, whining exhales as he pounded his hips into yours. His lips pressed gentle kisses along your jawline with every thrust.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “Every part of you.” You moaned aloud at his words. Somehow, he knew exactly what you needed to hear to become more and more confident.

You’d never felt so loved in your life.

Skillfully, he built up every single feeling in your body until it coiled tightly within your stomach. You breathlessly said his name, warning of your impending finish.

“Come for me, sweetheart,” he moaned against your throat. He reached upward and shoved his fingers through your feathers, parting them higher and higher, until he had a handful and gripped at them as hard as he could.

Your finish came crashing down around you. Your body rose off of the bed to meet with his and every thrust he worked you through. White flashes seared across your vision, branding the skyline with his face.

At the clenching of your own body, his finish was forced along farther and farther until he released within you. He came with a high-pitched moan into your shoulder. Your fingers remained squeezed into his shoulders until he weakened and laid down on top of you.

The two of you laughed breathlessly at the remaining aftershocks that coursed through your body. His fingers traced lovingly up the length of your exposed arm and swirled throughout your feathers.

“I don’t think anyone has ever focused so much on me,” you whispered.

“Have you ever shown them to anyone else?” he asked.

“No, just my family.”

“Well, I’m grateful you’re letting me see them. I’m not sure how I went so long without seeing your beautiful body. I shouldn’t have waited to come talk to you.”

You smiled sweetly and brushed a stray piece of hair away from his forehead to expose his bright eyes. Despite the amount of time you both waited to talk to each other, you were grateful you had taken the time to do it now. Theo was the only person thus far that had seen you instead of only your wings, and you were so thankful for that.

Then for the rest of the afternoon, you dozed with him, feeling his hands caressing your skin rather than your wings.

- - -

Tag List: @lilymurphy03 , @mypolicemanharryyy , @angelfrombeneth , @clairesjointshurt , @bunbunbl0gs , @acornacreacure , @niktwazny303 , @thestarlithideout, @sarahskakskskskajakwwnwjw , @yhiiil , @xxrougefangxx , @thatblackthorn , @robinyx , @starsval , @jolly4holly , @blvebanisters , @chgrch , @ilovehotmenandwoman , @smutnyrobocikwrakiecie , @synicaljah , @abaker74

[ingravinoveritas]

turquoisedata replied to your post "I don't know if this is just me or what, but…”

This kid will start school in September. Fuck knows what older kids will yell at her. As mum of a kid who is currently off long term sick at least in part because of bullying, I'm genuinely horrified that she would SAY THIS TO THE ENTIRE INTERNET.

I was also someone who was bullied horrifically at school, and the last thing that I think any kid would want is for their parent to add to it, even unintentionally.

There were so many responses earlier that were people praising Georgia and saying how hilarious this is. And I know Georgia has built a brand on being "irreverent" and not having a filter, but nothing changes the fact that it's weird as hell to write a birthday post for your 4-year-old with a caption like this. As others have said, it's likely Birdie will see this at some point, and bullying now is unquestionably worse now than it was years ago because with social media, it doesn't stop when you get home from school. So even if this is a "joke," it comes across as being at Birdie's expense, which is also an odd thing to do on a kid's birthday.

That's not even getting into the numerous implications of the last sentence. I know we only have this little slice of their lives that Georgia chooses to share, but on social media, optics become truth, so why would you even want your relationship to be presented in this way, regardless of whether it reflects the truth? It just comes across as her finding an excuse to brag about having sex with David (again, no cap, I think we'd all love to be Georgia or Michael in this instance), but it makes it seem like she is trying to prove something, and if you're already married to/sleeping with David Tennant, I'm not sure what else is left to prove.

Just...so many choices going on here, and I'm at a loss to understand most of them...

[sophie-frm-mars]

The Cass Review, and what we can do about it

The UK government is making decisive moves toward banning trans healthcare outright. The NHS says it is adjusting its policies to be in line with the "cass report", a pseudoscientific report written by a transphobe that goes as far as to claim that little boys playing with trucks and little girls playing with dolls is biological, and which disregards dozens of scientifically sound previous studies into HRT and trans healthcare in order to reach its conclusions that trans healthcare for under 25s should be radically changed to discourage transition at every turn and make it as hard as possible for young people to transition.

These moves will kill countless young trans people. I would not have made it to 25 if healthcare wasn't available and I know so many other trans people wouldn't have either.

The mainstream reporting in the UK is keeping itself ideologically cohesive by claiming that trans people exist, nobody hates them, and they're very rare, and the big problem is the explosion of new cases of not-really-trans people who are clogging up the system (this is a lie, the system has been intentionally slowed by malicious neglect, it isn't even a resource issue, the clinics have far more capacity than the number of patients who are let through)

Once again, this is genocidal and is actually a commonplace methodology of genocide. The nazis asked GRT people to help them understand which Traveller families were "real" travellers and which were the fake ones, since they insisted it was only the fake ones who were the problem and who had to be exterminated (because a lot of nazi GRT policy was based on American indigenous reservation policy).

Labour, the main opposiiton party in the UK, has announced it will "follow the Cass Report", and implement these restrictions on trans healthcare once in government.

For the survival of young trans people, robust community structures must be developed immediately.

Efforts to change the electoral situation will proceed at a snail's pace and will be entirely at the whims of what is politically expedient. It will turn around, but it will take a long time. At the voting level, everyone in the UK who cares about trans people needs to make it clear that they won't vote for Labour unless they reverse position on this, and to be clear about this: Labour will not listen. They are PR Brained Psychopaths and they don't want to get into this "controversial" issue in a way that might cost them further popularity and the easy election win.

Wes Streeting, inhuman lab experiment and Labour Shadow Health Secretary has said that activists need to "stop protesting to ask us to be better opposition and start protesting to ask us to be better government", in other words their electoral promises are cynical reactionary bargains and deals to get them into power and the only point at which they will change anything is once they are in government, if at all. I know this sounds very "push Biden left" but I'm not saying give up now - to repeat, everyone who cares about trans people in the UK should tell Labour to get fucked right away, and then keep doing it as loudly as possible, but it's just not going to change until after the general election at least.

Another way to help could be through legal routes, like the work that The Good Law Project has been doing for trans people for several years now, but I don't know enough about the law to know if it can be used to challenge this at all.

We have to accept there is no electoral solution right now to this genocidal campaign against trans people in the UK, and while those efforts are ongoing trans people and cis allies need to fucking organise. Trans exclusive / separatist organising is riddled with issues, I don't want to cast hopelessness around but there are really very few of us and while it's absolutely necessary to privilege trans voices in trans organising and give us the deciding power and the autonomy, we need to utilise the support and time and labour of every cis person who is willing to help in whatever way they can.

Robust community structures means community structures that are helping young trans people get healthcare as an absolute basic starting point, but it means a lot more than that besides. We need community structures that are consciously organised by people who are taking responsibility for the community roles they are in and being completely explicit with each other about the nature and function of their organising. We need HRT community resources so young trans people can survive this medical segregation, we need drug user harm reduction spaces so that what people turn to in despair doesn't kill them, we need sober spaces so that people can get away from unhealthy coping responses, we need conflict resolution structures so that our problems are dealt with privately and nobody is left completely isolated, but more than any of those things, and in order to have all of those things, we desperately need trans assemblies

Assemblies are how we will get a community of robust radical organisers, because only by repeatedly practicing the ongoing process of democracy can people learn how to do it in a way that will facilitate their own organising. We have to empower the whole community to answer our own questions, come up with solutions, organise people into structures to enact those solutions and then do them. All this means is that an open door event convenes frequently (at least fortnightly) to discuss what is happening in the community. Trans people get the mic for allotted time, and discuss the issues, and then whatever voting structure the assembly uses facilitates further discussion, for example through working groups - the assembly breaks into smaller groups to discuss the topic and then representatives report the outcomes of those discussions back and consensus is reached from what the representatives report.

We have to get people engaging in this process because in order to effectively combat this situation trans people must agree on the solutions and then tell cis allies how to help and so far we haven't been doing that. We really really haven't been. But we could be with a little work. And as I'm saying, doing this will also empower everyone in the community to organise toward specific solutions for specific issues like HRT provision, sober spaces, housing, food, etc.

fuck

I'll have more to add to this post later I have to get to therapy I just got really mad when I saw the news this morning

[forestleavescat]

Moominvalley: Or Not at All

A long post about Moominvalley through the different seasons. Planning, potential, promises, and outcomes.

This won’t go super far into detail about season 4 but it will talk about a certain outcome as well as handling of characters and relationships. If you don’t want any spoilers or info on the fourth season steer clear

(I’m not the best with titles)

I watched season 4 of moominvalley last night and I was pretty dang disappointed in how certain things were handled. Don’t get me wrong. There was some nice stuff. But it still felt like it was largely missing what made me love the show so much from the start. As well as things I had been looking forward to from the books. Above all else, I feel like their handling of the fandom’s favorite pairing was bad. I can’t even begin to put into words how upset I am since gutsy and by extension moominvalley felt like a company that wouldn’t do this. I want to put my thoughts on paper so to speak. 

It’s insanely disappointing to know that this company has been queerbaiting since day one. This show is a huge comfort to me and it was nice to watch since it helped me feel more at ease with my own sexuality. But now that feeling has been largely reversed because I know that those moments were manufactured to sell the show only for them to drop them by the end. So let’s look at things

Queer coding has existed for a long time. It’s helped creators give hints and nods to a character’s identity or hints of a relationship when times and places don’t exactly allow for it. There are many stories that have queer coding and give this beautiful subtext that those in the community can enjoy. Even though it would remain ambiguous whether a character was gay or two men or women were dating, the coding allowed it to be suggested even when it wasn’t allowed given the time period. 

Queerbaiting is almost the opposite of this. Queerbaiting comes about more from existing in a time or place where it is accepted but instead of giving genuine representation, a person uses the desire to see that representation to sell a product. Moments between characters that are clearly more than friendship only to disappear - often replaced by a hetero pairing. (Tbf the character who was implied to have feelings for someone of the same gender would still be bi or pan but it stings when the idea of something between two people of the same gender was suggested but removed) Queerbaiting has been an extremely frustrating thing to experience in fandom spaces. Series like voltron, sherlock, supernatural, etc. You get invested in these characters. There’s a possibility and every moment that suggests it could be more gets you hooked. Similar to how miraculous viewers became invested in the romance that’s hinted since day one. If you put the time and effort into using that for a story and draw people in with it only to take it away it’s bordering false advertising. It sucks because you spent time caring about it and waiting to see how it would play out. 

I mean just look at this. The moominvalley team did this deliberately. I mean, they included that one scene in the teaser which made it seem like more snufmin. It felt like a taste of what the season would offer but in reality it was one of few crumbs. And I mean crumbs. Because compared to the other seasons there was hardly anything. Their moments didn’t have this underlying feeling that they usually did. Every other season felt like it had underlying feelings to be explored. But here it became hollow. And snufkin took a backseat to a lot of the action this season

 But they definitely knew that the fans were interested in this pairing. It’d be tough to get into the moomins without knowing about this part of the story and community. And they acknowledged this idea of moomin and snufkin multiple times in interviews and qnas. 

And voice actors aren’t the ones who decide but there were more than just vas discussing this.

This series started off with their relationship. Episode one ended with the first mention of snufkin who’d be returning to the valley in the very next episode. That entire second episode gave a clear look into how their relationship would develop throughout the series. Moomin waiting for snufkin longingly while snufkin took his time until showing up felt right all while missing moomintroll. This episode has a sort of sense that there could be something more to them. Especially seeing as moomin is more focused on snufkin than snorkmaiden, his love interest. The following episode gives us this:

And while moomin wants the dragon to be his loyal pet, we know that “And just promise me this, that you'll give me all your kisses Every winter, every summer, every fall”

is referring to somebody other than that. This leaned much heavier into the potential for something beyond friendship between them.

There are the usual moments that could go either way, with focus between them and close contact.

This is more similar to other adaptations where they have a clear, close relationship. But in most of those you could come to love the pairing but you generally know they won’t do something unambiguous. Just the occasional scene that could be read as potentially romantic.

Moominvalley doesn’t strictly stick to this though. It feels similar to the original works where there is something ambiguously there. Then it further implies that there will be something important between them storywise. You get Tooticky saying that there are other lost souls waiting to be heard before the camera cuts to Snufkin leaving the valley alone.

And this didn’t really get fulfilled in any real way. Yet it implies that the future of the series will go in a direction where moomin is the one to help snufkin in some way. That part isn’t even romantic, but it goes to show that they stopped focusing on this important connection between them.

Their relationship in season 2 continues very beautifully. Moomin immediately wants to go make sure snufkin is okay when the volcano’s gonna erupt. There’s an entire conversation that highlights their difference of perspective with loving vs possessing in regards to the ruby and the hobgoblin. Something that is linked to their relationship and things they need to figure out. Then when they have to leave the valley, moomin wonders if he’ll ever see snufkin again. On top of that, he and snorkmaiden have their break up.

Which I want to talk about their relationship a bit. A majority of the episodes that feature them as leads do it with a wedge between them. Their relationships is honestly not great going both ways. They clash and are generally unhappy. And usually moomin has to apologize for something that doesn’t exactly feel is entirely on him. Little My I get. I mean he didn’t think the note would get to mymble but this was still a genuine mess up on his part. But he ended up on a rock in the middle of the sea over the ghost episode. And snorkmaiden spends much of their time making a home together getting angry because he misses his family and hasn’t come to terms with saying goodbye to them. There are times they’re together where he’s selfish and she’s just angry at him. They don’t feel like a happy couple to cheer for. Back in 90s moomins I actually did like them. They were cute. I was a bit divided between that and snufmin because there were these moments that really did count for a lot and had such a wholesome feeling. But moominvalley honestly made me cheer for a break up. Meanwhile, he and snufkin have this relationship that they’re navigating in moominvalley. They don’t argue much even when they have different perspectives. Moomin admires snufkin and in some ways tries to emulate him. But all while still being his own moomin and figuring himself out.

The two are still given parallels in little moments such as zooming in when they take each other’s hands.

So back to season 2 and how it handled snufmin. When moomin leaves the valley we see snufkin dealing with that absence for a change. He begins to understand how moomin feels when he’s gone. While he’s at the moomin house he seems pretty in his element for the most part. He seems happy to play along and give toffle an idea of what the moomin family was like. But in that there are scenes where he’s looking for a note. We see bits of how much he misses moomin and wants to know where his friend has gone and when he’ll be back. This is the beginning of a shift in their relationship. Because snufkin gets to feel what moomin feels like. And when he hears that the moomins are coming his face lights up the way moomintroll’s would.

They’re often portrayed in a way that shows that they’re the most important person to the other. There’s this sort of soft undertone that seems to suggest feelings. And all while their relationships grows and changes and they become all the better for it.

Also there’s this

Season 3!

Season 3 felt like there was a change in direction. I feel at this point that there was deliberate queerbaiting but I also know that there was a shift somewhere around season 3. We got the music cut. The voice actor for moomin changed. There were some adjustments with the writing team. But they still deliberately put in scenes with this duo. And with romantic framing. I could be convinced that season 1 and 2 were made with the idea of them as endgame in some capacity. That the queerbaiting wasn’t from day 1 and that it began here. There were really great moments with them. But it feels like they shoehorn snorkmaiden in as a romantic interest again. A lot of episodes with her here don’t exactly make it explicit but there are some that nail it in. They reunite and it almost feels like they’re back together again without a full conversation. Especially with the final episode. I feel like the narrative would’ve been richer if they hadn’t done that considering the way they’ve been building snufmin up.

But I’ll focus on moomin and snufkin for now. When snufkin sees moomin again moomin goes for the greeting he’s been used to but snufkin gives him a hug. That description alone won’t do it justice though. The music rises as it zooms in on their eyes as they make their way to each other. When snufkin hugs moomin you can see the joy from both of them. It shows how their greetings and by extension their relationship has evolved over the seasons.

And then it cuts to snorkmaiden.

This becomes a notable pattern in season 3. It’ll give a really meaningful scene that pushes snufkin and moomin in a more romantic light only to undercut it by reminding you that snorkmaiden is here. It’s at this point where it feels like they know a ton of fans are here for snufmin. They include the pairing. But they also seem to be reminding us that snorkmaiden is here to stay and in a more romantic way. But there’s still this hope, especially if you recall everything from seasons 1 and 2 and the way that they felt. Especially if you rewatch them right before watching season 3. And the show very clearly uses that and makes it feel like there’s a chance. Makes the viewers hope and stick around to find out.

So let’s go through season 2. Moomin and snufkin make some progress on their relationship. They’ve switched positions now and have more of an idea of how the other feels when one of them leaves. And from there they communicate that. Especially moomin. This is shown to a degree in the episode with the fairgrounds. Again in lonely mountain. There are also little nods here and there about their relationship. But again. Lonely mountain is the big one. It starts with little my getting on moomin’s case for worrying over his ‘precious snufkin’

As usual moominmama also seems to act like she knows there’s something more to his relationship with snufkin. Papa remains oblivious though. There’s a parallel between the parents and snufmin too. But the most well known part is this

look. there’s nothing remotely platonic about this. This is one of those things that someone straight and homophobic could detect. The point where they’d stop arguing ‘they’re just friends’ because there’s no way that’s all. I mean just listen to moomin’s “yes” when snufkin goes to add something. There’s so much hope and feeling in that word that I would love to get my hands on the script to find the voice direction for that. I mean come on

And better yet it ends with an interruption so we know they’ll have a whole heart to heart later. A conversation where they lay out their feelings. The feelings that were clearly present here.

Except they don’t

Anyway the season goes on. Moomin, snufkin, and obligatory third wheel sniff go on a journey to take the sun back after it was stolen. They get it back and the season ends with a beautifully queer scene that promises more to come from these two.

Except that a few minutes prior snorkmaiden calls moomin her soulmate and they have their usual thing. And even after snorkmyden really did get some good content this season.

Look, I know that snorkmyden was probably not on their minds throughout production. There’s a difference between the way they handle snufmin and the way they handle snorkmyden. Both duos get great development in their relationships but while there are a ton of cute moments between snorkmaiden and little my, it never feels like there’s a focus on making that endgame. It feels more like snufmin did in some of the other adaptations - something with cute moments and a genuine bond that could be seen as romantic but it’s highly unlikely it won’t be. I want to say this since this series didn’t feel that way for snufmin. It felt like the first chance of it working out fully. I put a lot of scenes in here showing it but the first two season really show it in a way clips and gifs can’t. There’s just so much there and it’s beautiful and sweet. It feels hopeful for them.

Until season 4. Season 4 feels like the team shrugged off all of it. They step even further away. It’s like season 3 but without any of the scenes between them. Suddenly, you’re looking at scenes between them where they talk and have physical contact but the deeper feelings are completely gone. It’s like the anime. Where you can smile about it and think ‘aw them’ but you know it won’t happen. They heavily lean to snorkmaiden and moomin instead. This is the final season. They know people will watch to see if moomin and snufkin go anywhere romantically. And even if people don’t finish it, they’ve got people paying for memberships just to see if it happens. So it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t happen. Because they’ve secured the views and the money.

I do want to say that when I refer to it as becoming canon I don’t know if they’d call each other boyfriends or even kiss. But I would expect them to acknowledge it as there being something more. Like the series ending with them having a discussion about how much they mean to each other. Something that shows they’ll go into the future and continue to get close. Physical closeness like a hug or one putting his hand on the others or even just leaning against each other. Whatever it would be I’d expect more than this. Because they very clearly built these two to be inseparable in that one required the other to undergo their full arc. The show starts with a promise that their relationship will be close to the story. But then season 4 hardly shows snufkin at all

This is what queerbaiting is. And I never expected it to happen with this series. Not after the team talked about it with care. It’s such a gut punch after waiting for five years to see how it’d turn out. I don’t know if they always intended it to be a way to bring in customers. Maybe it was initially going to work out but they changed it between season 2 and 3. I don’t know. But this. This really is queerbaiting. We live in a time where gay relationships are more accepted. They show up in the media more. We’re finally at a time where this relationship could be made more explicit instead of having this ambiguously romantic subtext. And if someone made a new adaptation of moomins and didn’t do that, that would be perfectly and completely fair and okay. If they didn’t consistently imply that there could and even would be something more. But here they used a very old and well loved pairing to gather fans and make money only to never have it come to fruition. Season 4 of moominvalley felt like companies on july 1st. I literally can’t think of a better comparison for how it feels. The first video starts with the quote “The Spring Tune is where we say that this series is going to be different. That you’re going to have to wait and give it time and just be patient. And wait for the story to unfold.”

And so many people did. But then it turned out like this. And I don’t know if that was always the intention. Because it feels like that interview was suggesting that it would go in that direction. But heck. The whole series up until season 3 felt like it would go in that direction. And then it didn’t.

Gay representation is something that has a huge positive impact on the lgbtq community. Even more so on the world overall since it allows people to see these relationships and shows that it’s okay for people to be gay. And it would be even nicer for a series that started off with that subtext got the full representation now that we’re in more accepting times. And it felt like it would be even more meaningful with recent treatment of gay stories.

Our flag means death was cancelled, shadow and bone, the owl house had its final season drastically shortened, good omens is only getting a single episode for their finale

Many are just getting dropped and in a time where this community needs them more than ever. These are shows that make people feel seen. Shows that bring a feeling of joy and comfort and acceptance. And it’s even worse to see that there’s still queerbaiting now. This could’ve had such a beautiful ending and likely would’ve been loved for many years to come if they committed to what they’d built up all this time. How could someone take a series created by a woman who not only added subtext in her original stories but was bi, and use it to build up a romantic story just to bring in money and then toss all that development away. I don’t know what else to say other than this is queerbaiting. And the gay community deserves better. I really did believe that moominvalley would do better by us.

[evilminji]

God you know what would be FUNNY af? More "I already YOLO'd, fuckers. I see no God here but me an my new buddy The Force" SI-OC?

There's... there is the Fuckin FORCE NEXUS. Just? RIGHT THERE? Reality HAS to get unimaginably FUCKY and melty at the seams, around it? Horrific for people would HAVENT been through the Souls Car Wash as it were... but, like?

Eh. Tingly.

Feels a bit like being dead. She can taste the abstract concept of philosophical debate and the first strands of dawn. Air smells a bit purple. This is fiiiine. She and the Force are HANGING! You LITERALLY could not be closer to it outside of shrugging off your meat suit!

Aaaaay, BESTIE! She brought better meditation cushions and a swiffer. It is DUSTY down here! So~ how things? Any dead people wanna chat? Wanna watch a sunrise on a planet that stopped existing eons ago, literal galaxies away? Oh hey! Thanks for the space rock. It blurbles ominously.

Just? Yes. TECHNICALLY. "All things are possible in the Force".

But just because a NUCLEAR REACTION IS POSSIBLE? Doesn't mean it's a great idea to SIT NEXT TO IT. Child! P-Please! Back away from the thing we LITERALLY BUILT A TEMPLE TO CONTAIN.

ALL absolutes are harmful.

Yes. Even "good", even "helpful", even the "light". They as JEDI know this. Unlike SITH, they? Are not so foolish as to believe ANYONE can channel or harness a NEXUS. Absolute GOOD will kill you just as surely as Absolute evil. Do not loose yourself. And for the love of all that's precious?

Don't! Poke! Force! Anomalies!!!

Again... meh. What's the worst that'll happen? She DIES? Is LOST? Oh noooo. Not RETURNING to the Force! AGAIN! Peacefully avoiding the horrors to come! That would be AWFUL! *continues to gossip with the nexus*

Of course, this? This is fucking horrifying.

That is a youngling! Next to the ACTIVE FORCE NUKE.

Dear FUCK every moment the child sits there? It could be SCRAMBLING HER DNA for FUNSIES! But it ALSO feels like hundreds of jet engines in their head! T-they can't?! Get close enough? To grab her? Hold ON small breakable child! Help is COMING!

SOME ONE GET THE COUNCIL. NOW.

No we DO NOT care what they were doing! Baby! IN DANGER! This is clearly a priority! (And I mean? Shit... you right. They'll be there in 5)

Force maybe be "clouded"? But a cloud, dense enough? Is just a body of water suspended. And the NEXUS? Is like SWIMMING. A flood. The Force COULD NOT be clearer there. It's deafening, consuming, one might even say... less then subtle.

Yoda probably does the OPPOSITE of something helpful and just... plops on down next to her. Accepts the offered snack she holds out. Asks casually why she down here. Just two bros, a Grandmaster and Crecheling, two completely equal Jedi in the eyes of the Force, sitting watching the Pretty Colors at the edge of a reverse Black Hole.

Master Yoda, NO!

What? Did they expect him to use force? By the ear, drag this youngling, perhaps? Hmmm? How would that fix anything. The child would simply return. Stopping her ONCE will not address your concerns. There must be a dialog. You must be heard. Your fears laid to rest. The youngling must UNDERSTAND. Teachable moment!

The various knights, masters, CRECHE MASTERS and Council members? Do? NOT AGREE. Ha ha. Oh Force. Baby in a radioactive, currently inactive, meat grinder! Heart palpitations! Can't EVEN RELEASE THEIR FEAR INTO THE FORCE! Because it'll JUST SPIT RIGHT BACK INTO THEIR FACE.

.....OC would like these people to stop crashing her hangout. But is refusing to STOP her hang out, now, mostly out of spite. Well... that, AND? It's actually pretty great that most of the Order? Is getting LITERALLY FORCE BASTED CLEAN?

Like getting your soul pressure washed.

BEGONE Darksider gunk!

Does it leave you feeling a lil woozy and hyper-aware? Overly sensitive? Headache-y like a motherfucker? Yeah. But that's the crude matter, my gender non specific dudes. The Nexus has always been more of a "oh shit! We're losing um! CLEAR!" Sort of measure, then a "you should take this rigorous round of medicine and then meditate" Sort of measure.

Not that it's WISE. It's just as likely to eat folks. Just... straight skip the suffering their redemption arch might cause others and? Yoink! Straight back to the Force with you. After all? Other people are not here for YOUR life lessons. Their pain is not a gift to YOU. A debt YOU are owed.

Speaking of? Someone should check on Skywalker. He's looking a little shaken back there. (The Void was BRIGHT and it looked BACK. He is... NOT OKAY) (but also? Feels cleaner? Lighter? He thinks he just met his Dad. Spoke to his Mom.)

Obviously? Hella grounded. UNBELIEVABLY grounded. The entire temple is down and out with the worse case of Force Strain anyone can REMEMBER. The senate will have to send someone else.

......what do you MEAN you have "no one else"? They distinctly remember there being other offices. They are a religious organization. Not nearly as large as they once were. You are THE GOVERMENT. When a planet, in need, requests assistance? Why are you handing it to an EXTERNAL RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATION?

Yes, OF COURSE we want to help! But unfortunately we literally CAN NOT right now! There was an INCIDENT! Are you telling us that this whole system was one cold away from COLLAPSE?! (Local eavesdropping reporters go :3c owo? Whats this? Paycheck~☆???)

And, yes. Yes it WAS. Centuries of Sith meddling and common greed. Cut the funds to line my pockets! The Jedi will handle it. They Jedi ALWAYS handle it. If they can't, we'll just blame them. They show up first. Sometimes are the only ones to show up. Are a face for people to latch on too. Someone recognizable to get angry at, in our hurt.

But.... suddenly? Not there! And they're telling us? The NEXT step? In their Very Worried For Us, Full Of Genuine Sympathy And Concern Way? Is the Goverment. Specific offices. Makes sense. They even try to help, while looking like death warmed over. No, no! We get you can't come. Go rest! People need you!

No, they keep insisting. I can HELP! Please let me help! You're suffering. This isn't RIGHT. You don't deserve this! Are you safe? Is your family okay? I can talk to some people I know... maybe?

Then you turn around? And get automated rejection after rejection from the GOVERMENT YOU SERVE. Pay your taxes too. Bleed for. As your people are DYING. Afraid. Begging for help, that? APPARENTLY the senate is too busy throwing GALAS to send!

The Jedi is actually crying on the other line. Arguing with a healer off screen that they don't faint THAT much! They can take a pilot droid! Your people NEED HELP! Please! They have to do SOMETHING! They can't just SIT THERE! Please don't make them sit there!

The healer is telling them if they don't bring their heart rate down, they may pass out again. Breathe. Give them the comm.

You watch the Jedi literally fight to keep it. Lose, too dizzy to win.

The healer looks sympathetic but resolute. Your people's doctors are much the same. Your SISTER-IN-LAW much the same. You ask that he not be allowed to contact you until he is well. You are not incompetent, after all. Your people will survive.

The Force is with you... but the Senate is not.

This? You will REMEMBER.

Discontent grows. But NOT, as Palpatine was trying to cultivate it, towards the Jedi. They? Are in crisis. Still holding strong, yes, but clearly DEALING with something. Some... weird... mystic cult illness. It's literally BAD enough that "Force Sensitive" (you know, the kinda creepy weirdos?) cultures and peoples are offering to send various doctor equivalents!

And the Jedi! The JEDI!!!? Infamously "oh, it's only a gushing flesh wound, I'm fiiiine!" Weirdo Space Monks? Yeah, they're saying YES. Please DO, actually. Admitting to NEEDING HELP.

...........guys?

A-Are the Jedi DYING? D:>

Suddenly everyone's remembering all those times? Jedi helped THEIR planet. Possibly DIED for them. Statistically? Over the centuries? There is not a SINGLE ONE of them that hasn't needed help at LEAST once. Gotten SOME Jedi's help. Maybe it was centuries back. Maybe decades. Possibly last year. But? The Holonet is FOREVER.

Videos still exsist. Voices long dead. Wry jokes and hoisting younglings up on their shoulders. Attentively listening to elders as they talk about their youth. Protection and respect. A face not so different from their own. Laughter and light, preserved forever.

The Jedi are in family holos.

Here, with grandma. See? He saved her from slavers! And there. Sitting with the family after The Great Collapse. Over here, rocking great-uncle Nox as a baby! On and on. Flooding the net. Private collections no one thought were relevant until now. It's not like anyone ASKED. It was JUST a FAMILY story.

Those little acts of kindness. Those humanizing bits of light. Jedi, throughout our history. Everywhere. Absolutely everwhere... until they weren't.

Until... slowly... they started to fade.

People, making timeliness, making collections? Notice. Huh. Look at that decline. Is that just them? Are they seeing things? Guys! Tell me what you see....

All while OC? Is sitting by the Nexus. Breathing in some NICE tea steam, in her comfy lil meditation nook, smacking the FUCK out of Palpatine's grasping lil claws as it reaches for the Nexus. BEGONE you malicious THOT! This is a benevolent thot only space! That's why Master's Vox and Kenobi can stay. (Ha!/CHILD!?!)

OC works as a legit filter.

The Nexus? Spews, by its nature, the Force in CONCENTRATED amounts, out into the universe. Like a high pressure water spout. Feeding into a lake. There are drains. People use it, move it, muddy the waters. But the NEXUS? Is where the unfiltered stuff comes back through, after it's been recycled.

Part of the endless loop. There are, of course, many Nexus. The Universe is large. One Nexus alone would never be able to cover it all. But Coruscant? The surrounding area? That's THIS Nexus. And Palpatine wants it BAD.

Because EVERYONE is part of the Force. Sensitive or not. ALL LIVING THINGS have midi-chlorians. They're just generally drawn to sentience. Are the universe in symbiosis with itself. Being near a Nexus tend to make them vibrate. Start to multiple. Not great for the body they're IN. Fascinating though.

......wait, where was she.... >.> oh! Right!

Whole ecumenopolis? Already has a LOT of suffering. Lot of stagnant pools of Darksider rot. The senate isn't helping. But? The Nexus IS helping. By blasting clean, fresh, hope and NEW! Through the heart of it all. Anyone who wanders close enough to the Temple? Gets cleaned off.

Feels hope. Sees a brighter future worth fighting for. Gets that much needed nudge from the Force, towards a better path.

Obviously, Palpatine hates that. Wants to flip it. To bad decisions and hopelessness. Bow your head and know your place. Well? FUCK 'IM. She's the guard of the Nexus. SHE'S sitting right in from of it! He may have fucked up rituals? But SHE can literally reach her arm out, INTO IT, and drag the darkness free.

Talk to Master's through time. The Force directly. Be a concept and a bird, right angles and starlight, here and then and The Force.

What are YOU, Sheev Palpatine? But a miserably hateful little creature.

A vile, angry little man.

The Jedi? Have probably already adjusted by now. Master Fae, Master Antilles, Youngling OC. Yeah... it be like that sometimes. You get Weird Jedi every so often. Just look at Yoda and Yaddle. The various wandering Jedi. That one guy they're preeeeeety sure? Might just be? Meditating out in a swamp somewhere? He might be dead. No one's sure. Still a jedi, though!

Look, you get like... 99 put of 100 vaguely normal Jedi to one Weird one, and 1 REALLY weird one out every... no one can actually agree? Inconclusive. Have a fruit bun. Nod and smile. The Force works in mysterious ways....

And SPEAKING of "we are a wrecking ball in a rice paper world" Master Fae/Antilles duo? Very sensitive to the Force. Go where it sends them. Did.... NOT expect to get a holocall? By means of FORCE NEXUS?? From an ACTUAL YOUNGLING?

.....ngl. this one's new.

Kamino it is.

(OC wants to make Palpatine CRY. Fight me, you FUCK, says the actual child. No one knows why this Jedi child hates the Naboolian senator specifically, but it... is REALLY effecting his Affable Grandfatherly Vibes.)

(Fucking GOOD.)

[osleeplessflowero]

Tired

fluff, gender neutral reader, reverse comfort ♡

Oneshot Masterpost ♡

Some alone time with Nightmare.

A calming melody plays from a radio that Killer had placed in one of the various castle windows. You stand outside, watering can in your hand as you open the gates to Nightmare's rose garden. Magic floats in the air, keeping the flowers of various colors thriving with energy despite the winter weather outside of the garden. You find yourself humming along to the tune, relaxing as you make your way through each row to give the roses their daily refreshments.

As you continue your stroll, you find yourself growing a bit lost in thought.

It sure has been an eventful year, hasn't it?

It's had its ups and downs, but in the end..everyone is still together. You're with those you love most, and you're the happiest you've ever been. Even if it takes fighting off the multiverse itself to stay with them..you'd do it over and over again.

A fond smile crosses your face as you make your way towards the middle of the garden, briefly glancing up at the fountain before turning back to yet another group of magic-infused roses. Seems he's planted some new ones recently..they're the color of your soul. A lovely touch. He's even put up a sign warning Killer not to touch them.

You chuckle at that, shaking your head amusedly as you continue to water them. He'd never show it around the others, but in truth..he may call himself the King of Negativity, but with you..he has a softened heart. At the end of the day..he goes to you, when he needs you.

You shiver due to the cold weather, rubbing one of your covered arms with your free hand. You did wear warm clothes, but it seems the jacket you chose wasn't fully warm enough to your liking..Too late to go back now, though. You're already halfway through.

Your thoughts are interrupted when something heavy is draped over your shoulders. As you freeze in place, an arm reaches past yours to place a larger, green gloved hand over your own. Gently lifting it up so you won't pour too much water in. Seems you were a bit more distracted than you thought..

"You're back!" You turn your head to face him with a welcoming smile. He jolts a bit at the sudden movement, before patting down the cloak he'd placed over you to keep you warm. "If I'd known earlier, I would've said Hi."

"You shouldn't be out here in such thin clothes. You'll catch a cold, and then I'll have to take care of you." He huffs, a faint green blush crossing his cheekbones as he averts his eyelight away. You smile sheepishly in response.

"Yeah..my bad. I thought it would be warm enough, but it's pretty chilly out today..you guys are lucky you don't have to feel the cold. Sometimes it can be a bit much.." You find yourself absentmindedly nuzzling your face into the fur of his cloak, embracing the warmth it gives you as much as you can. "Thanks for this. I'm glad I can count on you, Night."

"..Of course you can." His eyelight softens as he watches you shift your attention back to tending to the roses in his garden. His pride and joy.. you may even treat it with as much care as he does. Definitely a big contrast to when the others are left with it.

There's a peaceful silence for a moment as you both simply stand with one another, watching the water pour down before switching to another. You open your mouth to say something, but before the words come out..his arms wrap around you. He leans against you from behind, letting out a sigh as he does. His body's so warm..whether it's the magic or something natural, you wouldn't know. But you don't mind the feeling.

"..Nightmare? Are..you okay?" You slightly shift your head to face him. He closes his eyesocket, losing the tension in his shoulders.

"I need a moment." He mutters, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please let me have this."

Your eyes soften. Seems he's had a long day today..

You remain still, letting him hold you for a while and resting a comforting hand over one of his own. It's a rare occasion for him to (quite literally) lean on you like this, you wouldn't want to ruin it. And, selfish as it may be, you want to take advantage of his warmth a little, too.

"..Has it been a bit stressful today?" You ask, voice soft so as not to startle him. He gives a small nod in reply, holding you a little tighter. "I'm sorry. Maybe I could help cheer you up? ..How about we go make some tea and spend time together in your study? It's a lot more quiet in there, and I can keep Killer out until you feel a little better."

"Dearest, you always know just the thing to do.." He speaks softly. "..Sometimes I wonder if we're truly soulmates."

You smile at that. "I like to think we are, even if it isn't "official". Something similar to that.."

He lets you go so you can turn towards you, a soft admiration in his gaze. He gently takes the hand he'd briefly touched before, lifting it to his teeth to press a kiss against it. You feel your cheeks darken, breath hitching as you watch him before he moves your arms back down. He doesn't let go of your hand, but he does gently urge you away from the garden with a light tug. Good thing you've finished watering them..

Walking through the castle hallways, you briefly give Killer a wave before shaking your head once he starts to follow you both. He raises a browbone in curiosity before looking over Nightmare, seeming to come to a realization before giving you a thumbs up and walking away, presumably to go bother Dust.

You open the doors to Nightmare's study, letting him enter.

"I'll be back in a moment, I'll make us some golden flower tea. I've heard it's pretty good for relaxing." At his nod, you gently close the door behind yourself and make your way to the kitchen to make the tea; humming a tune to yourself as you do before heading back with matching cups. He uses his magic once you reach the door to open it since you have your hands full, and you give him an appreciative nod before sitting beside him on the single couch in the room.

He sinks into it, letting out a heavy sigh as he looks up at the ceiling. You sit your cups down on some small coasters, gently sitting his cloak off to the side since you'd gotten warmer the moment you entered the castle.

"Having to deal with so many imbeciles across the multiverse every day is unbearably draining. Not to mention putting up with my idiotic brother. It's one thing after another.." He pinches the bridge of his nose. You give a hum of acknowledgement, taking a sip of your tea.

"I understand how you feel. You've got a lot going on. ..Why not take a break?" You look up at him.

"I couldn't possibly. I'm a King, I have to carry out my responsibilities each day. And keep tabs on my brother so he doesn't gain an advantage over me." He narrows his eyelight at that part, earning a huff of amusement from you.

"Well..Kings take breaks, too. You work yourself too hard, and it's making you stressed. Plus, I'm sure you want one in the end..why else would you seek me out?" You raise a brow, giving him a grin. His cheekbones lightly flush a pretty shade of green as he turns his skull away, embarrassed. You're reading him like a book..

"That.. isn't the only reason, you know." He mutters, earning a chuckle from you in reply before he leans his head against your shoulder. "..You're one of the very few people I can feel..calm with. Everyone else drives me insane."

"Because you love me?" You smile. He huffs amusedly in response.

"Of course it's because I love you. That, and something about you..seems to soothe me. I can't quite explain it.."

"I'm glad I can bring you some peace. You always seem to be in some sort of..turmoil." You shift your hand a little bit, beginning to trace small patterns against his skull. "It makes me happy to know I can bring you some sort of relief. Plus, it gives me an excuse to have some alone time with you."

He leans up a bit, eyelight staring into your eyes. You pause a moment, slightly tilting your head in curiosity.

"Dearest.. you can have alone time with me whenever you'd like. You don't need an excuse." He takes your hands in his own. "If you want to spend time with me..then do it. Whenever you'd like."

"I wouldn't want to bother you when you're busy, is all. You have a lot going on, and.." You trail off, averting your eyes from him. He rests a hand against your cheek, silently urging you to look back.

"Dearest. You could never bother me. The others, sure. They do all the time. But you..you could never. Always remember that."

The adoration in his eye makes your heart flutter as he smiles, a warmth to him present that only you are able to see. Something special, only for you.. just as he only has eyes for you.

"..Do you understand?" He speaks softly, resting his forehead against your own. You hum in acknowledgement. "Words, love."

"..Yes, I understand. I'll visit more often, in that case." You give him a warm smile to match his own. His eyesocket seems to go half lidded, before he leans down a little more. You find yourself leaning up, sharing a soft kiss with him as your eyes close. Your surroundings blur out of view, the only thing you can focus on being each other.

After a short bit of time, you both let go..and he returns to lying against your shoulder.

"Never tell them I act like this, or I may have to kill you."

"No, you won't. You love me too much. Not to worry, though..I wouldn't tell them."

He huffs amusedly in response, watching as you grab a book from off of the table.

"..Want to read together?" You ask him, already knowing the answer as you turn to the page you'd both left off at. Minutes turn into hours as you continue relaxing in one another's company..and Nightmare finds himself relieved. Maybe a break was a good idea after all.