#THAT SCENE OF THEM AS KIDS NEARLY MADE ME CRY

[yakool-foolio]

Me when Clay got to see Apollo achieve his dream but Apollo never got to see Clay live out his

[ang3lofdivinity]

Because I’m trying to get back into writing more…

Imagine: Daisuke and you on the Tulpar managing to find time to spend together doing something like.. making food for the crew. No matter what your job is, you’re always willing to help him out with baking whenever needed!

“Dai, can you-“ You immediately freeze, looking over at your boyfriend who has made a rather large mess on the counter. He had dropped the batter out of the mixing bowl somehow, enough for it all to pour out as he holds the messy, metallic bowl and spatula in his hands. His expression? Dumbfounded to say the least

You genuinely cannot contain the giggles that escape your throat upon seeing the scene before you.

“Hey!! This isn’t funny!” He immediately pouts, whipping his head around to face you before looking back down at the bowl, using the spatula to scrap whatever remains are within the bowl and slinging them at you, causing you to laugh even harder - tears falling down your cheeks.

The batter had splattered on your clothes, along with your neck. But hey! At least you got a nice laugh out of it.

Quickly, your hands swiftly grab the nearest thing, which just so happens to be an opened sweetener pack, as you launch it towards him, causing him to squeal like a mouse.

This then, continues. For nearly hours as you laugh and cry about your food fight, throwing ingredients at each other as you can’t find a care in the world for the mess you’re creating. Only caring about your boyfriend’s happiness.

Other food items, utensils (non-harming ones), and bowls were thrown. The bowls and utensils clattered as they fell to the ground, nearly causing you both to fall at certain times as you raced around the dining table in the center, trying to avoid getting hit once more.

There’s honestly nothing that can ruin this-

“What are IDIOTS doing???”

Upon hearing Swansea’s voice, you both instantaneously pause, staring over at the old man standing in the doorway.

Without a second to spare, you quickly rush over to Daisuke, who’s practically trembling under Swansea’s gaze.

“You stupid kids! Why would you waste these products!?” He yells, brows furrowed.

You move in front of Daisuke rather protectively, clearing your throat.

“It was my fault, Mr Swansea. I instigated this, and pressured him to join me in.. what I thought was fun. I’m so sorry. We’ll clean this up right away and salvage all that we can.” You bow your head in respect, lips now pursed.

“Just, don’t do it again..” He huffed as he turned on his heel, now leaving as the door slid shut.

It takes you guys a moment before you start giggling ever so slightly.

Imagine: You are sleeping, and then you suddenly hear your door open in the middle of the night. Surprise, it’s Daisuke! And even when trying to tough it out - he eventually can’t find it within him to go back to sleep without company. So he goes to your room to ask if he can sleep with you because being with you makes him feel better.

You groggily manage to raise yourself enough to sit on your bed, eyes blinking slowly as you try to adjust to your surroundings. Yawning, you finally see who’s opened your door.

Daisuke.

“..Sweetheart, it’s still nighttime. Can whatever you have to say wait until morning?..” Your voice is slightly raspy, but you try your best to sound as kind as you can, giving a small smile to the man in the doorway.

“I um.. sorry- I can go.. I didn’t mean to disturb you..” He fumbles over his words, fidgeting with his fingers as he stumbles backwards a bit. Something.. something seems wrong with his tone, however. Like something’s genuinely going wrong. So, that really gave you a wake-up call.

How could you push away your boyfriend in order to get just a bit more sleep tonight when he seems so distressed??

“Wait!-“ You quickly call out, causing him to stop him from leaving once he showed signs of him beginning to leave. You couldn’t let him leave just like that!

He turns to you, a worried look on his face. As if he’d done something wrong. You’ve seen that look before. He makes the same face whenever Swansea calls out his name all of the sudden, making him stiffen up, worrying that’d done something wrong.

But he hasn’t.

He’s just a young adult, like you.

Just trying to live.

Just. Like. You.

“..Come here.” Your voice is softer, sounding much more normal to how you normally sound - yet it still has that tired tinge to it.

He stares at you for a moment, confused about what’s happening before obliging. He slowly enters, the door sliding closed behind him as he awkwardly stands near the side of the bed where you’re resting. Swiftly, you lift up the covers, moving back a bit before patting the free spot on your bed.

“Come on. We can talk about it in the morning if you’re ready then.”

He almost immediately jumps into your arms upon crawling up into bed with you, wrapping his own around you while burying his face away into your shoulder. One of your hands glides up, finding its way into his hair, tangling with strands of it, stroking his hair, massaging his scalp - doing simple things to try and get him to relax a bit more.

Which works.

He’s out once more, arms wrapped around each other.

Imagine: Giving little gifts to each other with small letters of affirmation written on little post it notes. Even if that small gift is just an article of clothing one of you guys borrowed from the other.

‘You’re doing amazing, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you. Keep the good work up, Dai. :)’

- (_____)

Daisuke reads the note attached to a bag of sweetener with a cheeky grin, clearly pleased with this. I mean, he’s been told he’s useless, that he’s just an idiot - but you see through that. You see the effort, the time it takes. Even if it fails, at least he tried to do it.

Quickly he looks around his room for a moment, trying to find the perfect thing to give you.

When he finds it.

.

Upon arriving back to your room from the medic bay, helping Anya with Curly and a few other errands she needed - you’re greeted with the sight of a hoodie somewhat neatly placed on your bed. You furrow your brows, confused for a moment before you approach your bed, now seeing the post-it-note attached to it.

A small grin slowly graces your lips as you tilt your head at the sight, gently taking it off the hoodie.

‘Know that you matter to me! You’re so incredibly awesome, I don’t know how I got to date with someone so cool >:D’

- Daisuke

As your smile grows larger, you realize 2 essential things:

You’re so thankful to have him.

And

He’s the best boyfriend ever. (Even if a bit silly at times).

You love him.

[rewritingcanon]

i’ve seen relationship therapists and psychologists analyse hermione and ron’s relationship and conclude that they wouldn’t work out in the long run. they’ve argued for hermione to be with harry, krum, even DRACO (don’t understand how a counsellor can vow for canon dramione but alright) as an alternative partner for hermione since ron is “too insecure” to be with her and match her intelligent prowess or what have you.

i seriously don’t understand this sentiment. ron and hermione genuinely seem (almost) perfect to me, maybe not in the movies (a common denominator of people who don’t like romione is that they always cite evidence from the movies, since the films took a lot away from ron’s character and his growth), but definitely in the books.

looking at ron’s insecurities, a lot of people dredge his inferiority complex up to toxic masculinity primarily, when it was more explored how it was an effect of his home life (not gonna argue toxic masculinity wasn’t a factor, they’re teenagers in the 90s written by a pretty misogynistic woman so…). he was the youngest son out of how many children? all of his older brothers were brilliant in some way. bill was an extremely gifted spellcaster, charlie was gifted with magical beasts, percy’s academic score was unmatched, and fred and george (despite their trouble) were entrepreneurial inventor-geniuses. ron, on the other hand, was quite literally born a disappointment to his mother, who conceived him specifically because she wanted a daughter, whilst ginny was born her favourite (though, even then, ginny was gifted at quidditch). ron was mediocre in every sense of the word, and his two best friends were harry (one of the most famous wizards) and hermione (the smartest witch of her age yada yada). and i’ve seen people argue that harry was more welcomed by molly into the weasley household than ron ever was. this isn’t even mentioning the amount of bullshit he copped for being poor (people always downplay the blow to confidence being in poverty can have on a person who is constantly surrounded by people who not only have more, but look down on him for simply being unlucky as to not have what they do).

so yeah, ron was an envious kid, but he was that way not because he was an evil patriarchal conception but because he was lowkey neglected. and even then he was overall an extremely devoted and loyal friend to both harry and hermione, because he did genuinely love them.

there were many moments of ron standing up for hermione that was cut from the films, not as a guy who was romantically interested in her, but as a friend. ron arguing with snape for making hermione cry is one of my fav scenes in the books ru kidding me, and in the movies he AGREED with snape RU KIDDING ME. not to mention how ron was a sobbing violent mess when hermione was getting tortured in the last book, whereas he wasn’t nearly as bothered in the films. and the films cut out harry being a dick to ron about his familial concerns (in dh), so when ron left it seemed like a random dickish move over his jealousy towards harry and hermione’s relationship.

there’s also a million moments where they minimised ron’s usefulness in the books for comedic purposes (forbidden forest with aragog, troll scene, devils snare scene) so ron seems dumber than he is. like, he’s actually smart and a really good spellcaster…. in the books.

so simply by stating this most of the arguments against romione become void. “he’s too stupid/weak for her” simply not true. “he’s a terrible friend who doesn’t stand up for her” also not true. “he’s too insecure to have made a move on her,” yes, but given the context i don’t think people would freak on about ron’s upbringing, i think many would be more understanding, especially considering his growth. even if he wasn’t insecure, hermione is beyond incredible and is bound to make anyone nervous when pursuing her (not an excuse for ron to act like a dick, but it does explain a lot where the movies don’t). “they argue too much” they bump heads, none of the arguments they have are actually super damning, with the exception of ron leaving in deathly hallows.

maybe i’ve covered everything (excluding the abhorrent amount of classism that clouds people’s judgments around how they view ron when harping about how hermione deserves better? hopefully).

now, i know people won’t like me mentioning the cursed child, but i’m going to considering we actually get an insight of their life as a longterm married couple there. a lot of ron stans hated how ron was the only character that wasn’t doing something incredible. harry was head of the aurors, ginny was a famous quidditch player retired to a famous journalist, neville was a hogwarts professor, hermione was quite literally minister on magic. and ron…. ran the joke shop with george.

and i think this was almost the perfect route to go down for ron. because he was average, and was perfectly fine with just being average. hello?? that speaks leagues of growth for his character. he’s supportive of hermione’s work, he grounds her when she gets too caught up in being the literal president of wizarding society, and he still viciously defends her, minister or not. in fact, he’s proud to simply be known as hermione’s husband because he doesn’t feel the need to prove to anyone else his worth. the people he loves most know his worth, hermione never downplays or underestimates him, they are complete equals in the relationship in every single way that matters. they kept ron’s best qualities whilst making him seem more of a healed person. they work so well as a married couple without it seeming like mischaracterisation (not to mention the cursed child literally shows how those two are in love in every reality, so there quite literally can’t be a better partner for hermione or ron according to canon).

so i really don’t understand how professional relationship counsellors can go online and denounce it. probs because they only watched the movies, but it’s 2023 and ron stans should not STILL be fighting for their lives trying to defend him from people who simply don’t consume media with as much depth (which is fine, but one should clarify if they’re talking about the movies because i’ve seen people state they’re talking about the hp BOOKS when it’s simply just…. the films). anyways. romione on top, thanks to coming to my ted talk.

[thisapplepielife]

Written for @steddieholidaydrabbles.

12/25/87

Prompt Day 8: Gift | Word Count: 613 | Rating: T | CW: Language | Tags: Post S4, Eddie Munson Lives, Older Steddie, Established Relationship, Reminiscing

It might have looked like it was wrapped by hands that were all thumbs, but at least it was covered, Eddie thinks, looking down at the photo in his hand. That was a long, long time ago. And he likes to think he's gotten at least a little bit better at wrapping gifts since this picture was taken.

He might be fooling himself, though. Steve wraps almost all the gifts they give these days, and there's definitely a reason for that.

He glances at the timestamp in the corner: 12/25/87.

Decades fly by faster than you'd ever expect them to, that's for damn sure. 

Eddie flips to the next one in the stack of photos, and it's just wrapping paper all over the floor from the same Christmas. They were just kids back then. Living in their first apartment, fresh out of Hawkins, probably working four or five jobs between them. They did that a lot in those early years. Passing ships in the night, barely seeing one another.

That usually meant their ends would always meet, though, even if barely at times, and they were together. Even if not exactly in the same room most of the time.

Eddie remembers how happy he was that he could afford to buy gifts for Steve that year, picked out with only a little help from Robin.

"Do you remember this Christmas?" Eddie asks, flashing the photo in Steve's direction. 

Steve pulls his reading glasses up from the chain around his neck. He smiles, "That's the year the heater went out."

Eddie had forgotten about that. Steve banging on the radiators, like he was CC Bloom. A few years later, when they finally watched Beaches at Robin's bequest, which still, fuck her for that, because it made him cry, but as soon as the clanging on the radiators scene happened, Steve looked right at him. A familiar scene thrust right to the forefront of their minds: Steve, wrench in hand, banging with gusto.

He didn't accomplish anything other than annoying the neighbors, but that's okay. It's a good memory, of years gone by. The heat might have never come on, but bundling up was a much more productive endeavor, anyway. 

That Christmas, with no heat to speak of, but presents under the tree, they'd been happy. The two of them, in layers upon layers of clothes, curled up together on that old broke down couch.

They were happy then, and they're happy now. 

They've seen relationships crumble, break, bend, and they've somehow kept on an even keel together. Growing at the same pace, in the same direction. It's luck. A miracle.

Eddie knows that this thing between them could have ended in a million different ways if things had only gone a little differently, here or there. He doesn't think they are destined, or fated. He doesn't think they are soulmates.

But those relationship-ending events never happened, because they worked together to make sure they never would. They wanted to stay together, so here they are.

And Eddie will always be grateful that it all worked out. He nearly died, bitten and bleeding, but he didn't. He was given the gift of more time.

Steve had that wreck ten years later, and the timeline could have diverged again right there. But it didn't. And they were ahead of the curve. They already knew how to recover in each other's presence, how to mend all the broken pieces into something so good that Eddie can hardly stand it at times.

It's been a gift.

The gift of a life together, a full happy existence, with Steve.

And it's the best gift he's ever gotten.

If you want to write your own, or see more entries for this challenge, pop on over to @steddieholidaydrabbles and follow along with the fun! 🎁

Notes: The Beaches soundtrack still slaps. I said what I said. I definitely wore out that cassette as a kid. It's right up there with the Dirty Dancing soundtrack for me.

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

Bring Us Back to the Heroes We Were

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Wife!Reader

Setting: France

Summary: Daryl loses his temper with Laurent and you are having none of it.

Warnings: SPOILERS, Yelling at a child, mild violence against a spouse

A/N: That scene was emotional. I felt it in my soul. morgan556 suggested this and I had to go with it!

*gif is not mine

You had admittedly lagged behind when Daryl and Laurent had walked away to the waiting boat. Azlan had been so kind to both you and Daryl, smiling and welcoming. He had shared his stories and his wisdom. Even so far from home, you felt less alone in his company. 

You knelt and placed a trembling hand on the fresh pile of dirt. “We’ll get him there. I promise.” Sniffling, you wiped at your face. You turned once, thinking you heard Daryl’s voice but he’d have to be yelling for you to hear him from there. When you heard it again, you were on your feet in an instant, bolting toward the river. That was definitely Daryl. 

“You stupid little shit!” Daryl was leaned into Laurent’s space, fury radiating from him in waves so strong, you lost your breath for a moment. “Do ya know what ya’ve done?!”

“Daryl!” You dropped your bag and ran toward them, your own rage bubbling to the surface the minute your husband’s fingers came in contact with the kids’ jacket. 

“Ya think you’re so goddamn smart! Worthless!”

“That is enough!” You grabbed both of his forearms and squeezed, making sure your nails bit into skin. He was bigger and stronger than you, but you had to get him to let go somehow. Placing yourself between him and Laurent, you shoved Daryl back hard, but he stepped into you and leaned around to point a finger in the kid’s face. “I should’a left ya right where I found ya! What do we do with ya now?!”

“Stop it!” You shoved him again and when he came back, your palm met his cheek with enough force to whip his head to the side. “Get yourself under control! No matter what he did, he is a child! A fucking child! Calm the fuck down!”

The slap seemed to have made him take a breath, his voice much lower when he pointed to Laurent again. “I wanna know why. Why would ya do this?”

Barely containing your wrath, you looked over your shoulder. “Laurent, why would you cut loose the boat?” While your head was turned, Daryl shoved past you and grabbed the kid again. 

“Why?! Tell me why?!”

You grabbed the back of Daryl’s jacket and yanked, nearly throwing him off his feet while you placed yourself between him and Laurent. “Try it again, Dixon. I dare you. If you think I will let you—”

“Everyone I care about is gone.” Laurent’s broken voice had you turning, his tear-filled eyes flickering between you and your husband. “When we get to the Nest, you’ll both go, too.”

“Laurent.” You said gently. 

“I don’t wanna be alone.” 

You didn’t hesitate to pull the boy into your arms, burying your face in his hair and letting him cry. When you saw movement in your peripheral, you turned your head to see Daryl reaching for Laurent, his expression softened, those blue eyes shining. You only spared him a warning look before allowing him to pull the kid to him much as you had done. 

“Yeah. C’mere. I didn’t mean it.” He placed his chin on the dark mop of hair, shaking his head. “It’s gonna be alright.” He let Laurent step back, the boy’s eyes searching the both of you for reassurance. 

“It’s alright.” You smiled gently, wiping away a tear from his cheek with your thumb. 

“C’mon.” Daryl picked up your bag with his own and held it out of you. You snatched it from his grasp with a sneer, glancing over your shoulder to see Laurent staring at the empty spot where the boat once sat. 

You pointed back and forth between you and your husband. “You and me. We ain’t done.” You spun on your heel and wrapped an arm around the boy, setting off on foot to follow the river. 

You heard Daryl’s quiet grumble of “yes, ma’am” behind you before you could hear him following. 

[miaroseindreamland]

Reaction to MOM'S DAY

Today is mother's day in my country so I thought about writing reactions about skz and the reader having a family together, and an established relationship.

Maknae Line

This will be the hyung line reaction. ☺️

BANGCHAN

You woke up to the gentle rays of the sun filtering in, accompanied by a delightful scent that filled the room. Glancing at your nightstand, you spotted a jar of your favorite flowers, a sweet gesture from your thoughtful husband. Stretching, you noticed your baby's bed beside yours was empty.

"Channie?" you called out, and your husband appeared at the door, holding your 3-month-old baby in his arms.

"Happy Mother's Day, my love," he greeted you with a kiss on your forehead. You couldn't help but smile at the sight of your baby boy in a onesie that read "Mom's Prince."

"Oh my goodness, he's adorable! Did you dress him?" you asked, amused.

"I did," he replied proudly. "Took me half an hour, but I think I did a decent job."

"It's perfect," you assured him, scooping up your little one. "My little prince."

"I love you," Chan said, gazing at you with affection as you kissed him.

"And I love you more," you teased, making him chuckle.

"Impossible," he countered, but your moment was interrupted by the sound of your baby boy crying.

"Looks like someone's hungry as mama," you remarked, getting ready to feed him. Chan helped you settle back against the bed frame and pillows.

"Hubby's going to whip up a perfect breakfast for you while you feed our little guy," he announced, and you nodded gratefully, focusing on feeding your baby as Chan headed to the kitchen to make you breakfast.

MINHO

You finished getting ready for the day and emerged from the bathroom to find your 6-year-old and 3-year-old, accompanied by cardboard and three cats wearing hats.

"Happy Mother's Day!" they exclaimed in unison, nearly causing you to jump.

"Oh my goodness!" you exclaimed, spotting your husband in the kitchen doorway, wearing an apron and thoroughly enjoying the scene.

"Next!" he commanded in a playful tone, as your 3-year-old daughter, adorned in a princess dress, stepped forward. "You're a queen, Mommy! You're the... the..." she hesitated, glancing back at her father, who silently prompted her.

"The best mommy ever!" she declared with a cute smile that resembled her father's mischievous one.

"And Dad's a king!" your 6-year-old son added enthusiastically. "Lee k-know and y/n are indeed a perfect match." You couldn't help but roll your eyes at your husband, who chuckled in response. "We love you, Mommy," they hugged you.

"Oh, I love you too," you hugged them. "And you too," you said, watching your three cats, not amused by their small cute hats.

"Look, Mommy, it's us!" Your daughter said, showing the collage she made on the cardboard.

"Oh my gosh, so beautiful! You did all of this alone?"

"Yes, Mom!" Your son said proudly.

"I'm impressed! It's beautiful!" You exclaimed.

"Mommy, Daddy brought a present for us to give you," your son said frankly, as Minho chuckled.

"He did?"

"Yes!" The kids went to the room to pick it up as Minho walked to you.

"Happy Mother's Day, kitty," he said, stealing a kiss as you hugged him.

"It couldn't be better," you said, kissing his cheek. "Dori seems to struggle with the hat."

"Trust me, I struggled more to put the hats on," you chuckled, seeing some scratches on his arm.

"I love you," you expressed against his cheek as he pulled you to him with a smirk.

"I love you too, even when you're being a brat."

"Oh, that's true love," you chuckled as he kissed your cheek. You moved apart when the kids appeared in the living room again, excited to show you the present.

"I'm going to finish breakfast," Minho returned to the kitchen as you stayed with your children happily.

CHANGBIN

You were laying in bed, trying to catch a few more moments of sleep, when you heard noises outside your room. You searched for your husband Changbin, but he was nowhere to be found. Sitting up in bed, you glanced at the slowly opening door, and there stood your husband, ushering your daughters into the room with a tray adorned with a flower and breakfast.

"What's all this?" you asked, a smile spreading across your face as one of the twins excitedly exclaimed, "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!" She leaped onto the bed, grinning and hugging you tightly.

"Yeah!" your husband, Changbin, chimed in, laughing at the moment.

"Daddy, I can do it!" the other daughter insisted, attempting to push her father away, but he continued to assist her.

"Dad's got it!" he sighed, smiling at you as he helped the little one hand you the tray. "But Dad wanted to help you, sweetheart," he explained, earning a chuckle from you.

"Oh, thank you, beautiful princess!"

"We did all this, didn't we, princesses?" Changbin asked, one of your daughters looking at him in confusion.

"No, a man brought it," you laughed, picking up a grape as Changbin playfully scolded his daughter.

"Yah! Harin!" he chided her.

"Hari, Daddy said not to say that!" the other daughter admonished, and you glanced at him.

"Oh..."

"That's okay, baby. Mommy loves it either way," you reassured them, pulling them into a warm embrace. "I'm so lucky for having Harin and Hajin in my life." You kiss both of them.

"You're the best mommy," Hajin said, making your heart swell with love.

"Oh, babies, I love you so much," you whispered, kissing their cheeks as you hugged them. "Shall we eat?" Changbin joined you, turning on the TV to watch cartoons. The girls were engrossed in the show as they snacked on grapes and strawberries.

"Thank you," you whispered, glancing at your husband, who smiled and tenderly kissed you

"Don't thank me. You deserve so much more, babe," he said, pulling you closer and kissing your temple. "You gave birth to our two beautiful girls. You so good for me. I love you." he whispered against your skin.

"I love you too." you replied, closing your eyes and cherishing the sweet moment.

HYUNJIN

"Appa! Red!" exclaimed a cute baby girl while a man fed her baby food.

"No, sweetie. This is black," he corrected her, pointing to his shirt.

"No, Appa red," she insisted, pointing to his back. The man looked back and jumped.

"No, no! The hotteok!" he yelled, rushing with a kitchen cloth to extinguish the fire.

At the same time, you entered the kitchen, still half awake.

"Hyunjinnie?" you called out sweetly, gasping as you saw him putting out the fire. "What happened?" You picked up your daughter from the baby chair.

"Daddy's clumsy," she said, as you chuckled at seeing him throwing the pan into the sink.

"I was trying to surprise you. I wanted out Hyunae to bring you breakfast in bed," he explained. "I even made your favorite juice."

"Oh, honey," you kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

"I'll order food," he suggested.

"No, why don't we do it together? It's our day off and Mother's Day. Nothing would make me happier than making memories as a family," you suggested, and he smiled cheekily.

"Really?" he asked, and you nodded happily. "We can make cookies!" he suggested, and your daughter jumped with excitement in your arms.

"Hyunjinnie? You called him while he was looking for the ingredients.

"Thank you for taking the day off. I love you," you said, tears starting to appear in your eyes.

"Don't thank me, I will do anything for you and Hyunae." He smiled and picked hyunae to place her in the baby chair.

"Dad is bad." Hyunae said as you both chuckled while hyunjin placed the food in her front.

"Oh, wait!" he exclaimed, remembering something. He dashed inside and returned with roses and a present, and from the looks of it, it was a painting.

"Red roses, your favorites! And a present," he said, handing you the roses as you eagerly opened the big gift. It's indeed a painting. You holding your daughter. You recognized the scene from a vacation you three had taken where you were rocking Hyunae to sleep while memorizing the sea in front of you. It was so peaceful.

Your eyes filled with tears as you looked at him.

"hyunjin..." You hugged him.

"Did you like it?" He asked with a smile while he hugged you back.

"I loved it," you said, your voice filled with emotion. "They are happy tears," you assured him as he placed his hands on your cheeks and stole a kiss. "I love you so much." you said, wiping away your tears.

"I love you too," he said, gently helping to wipe away your tears. "Now, let's cook?" You nodded, feeling grateful for the love and warmth surrounding you. Hyunae called your attention and you picked her to help with cooking.

Too much fluffy? 😅

Anyway, happy mother's day! Specially to my mommy 😍😍

[sparkles-rule-4eva]

Alrighty! @number-one-shadisper-shipper and I binged the Knuckles series today, so time for thoughts! SPOILER ALERT.

I'll admit the show wasn't perfect. I've seen the negative reviews, and I kinda get where they come from. BUT! I did enjoy this show greatly! And I'm not here to complain. Time for some happy thoughts, y'all! 💙🤩

I think you need to have a love, not just tolerance, for the SCU in order to properly enjoy this show. I do have such, so I had a lot of fun with it.

There were definitely scenes from every episode that had me either squealing, laughing, crying, or flipping out. But my favorite was likely the first episode, because come on, we saw the Wachowski family! Most of them, anyway! While I missed Tom's presence, I was grateful for that comment from Maddie about him being "out of town," so he wasn't just gone for no reason.

The SECOND it showed our three space babies hanging out together in their room?! I SCREAMED. THE BOYS!!!!

Tails sitting on his bed tinkering with one of his gizmos, Sonic rocking out to music with an air guitar, and Knuckles exercising from one of the ceiling planks. IT'S THEM!!! They're just hanging out, doing their thing, looking oh so much like brothers. And Sonic's narration at the beginning was GOLD. 🤣💙

Even though we didn't get enough of Maddie being a parent, we definitely got a nice chunk for it only lasting part of an episode. Maddie called Knuckles "one of our kids" (that had me SCREECHING). The angry mama vibes were GOLDEN. 🤣 The way she made breakfast for them, the "Boys, breakfast is ready!" I love the normalcy of it! Can't wait to see more in the future! (Her calling to them with "boys" is somehow just the sweetest thing and I'm melting.)

The poor mailman being like "I just wanna go home, man" 🤣

We were right, fellas, Knuckles had no idea what being grounded meant. 🤣 Although the way Sonic piped up with "Oh, I definitely know what it means," has me suspecting that Sonic himself has gotten grounded a decent amount before. 😂

Knuckles trying to talk back, and Maddie going, "ExCUSE ME?!" then just making those tiny, terrifying noises and Sonic being like "Bro don't mess with Mom when she's mad" (okay, he didn't say "mom" and that made me sad, but the mom vibes were 110% there so I'm here for it). 😂 And since Knuckles snuck out and later Wade said, several times, "Aren't you grounded?" seems to confirm that this entire show is basically what Knuckles does when he's grounded. 🤣 Although ... his comment about not being able to be grounded because he had no home made me very sad. 😭

I did not have an issue with so much Wade screentime! Sure, he isn't my favorite SCU character, but I love what this show did with him! I'd already seen his moments in the movies (like nearly shooting Robotnik in the face with an actual handgun). I like how they gave him actual family issues; a dad who abandoned him and his family, a realistic sister, a mom. Bad family memories. Awkward reunions. They could've made it a joke, but they didn't, and I greatly appreciate that. Especially since I've witnessed firsthand how painful family separations can be. 😔

All the emotional talks Wade and Knuckles had caught me off guard in the best way! The way they talked about their different family issues, the way they talked of betrayal from friends, and being left alone, hit way harder than I was prepared for. Especially that talk they had at the burger place in the middle of the night? Oof. Good talk right there.

Also, even though they took a "show don't tell" take with it, I loved how Knuckles relaxed more and more throughout the show. In the beginning, he couldn't rest, he couldn't sit back and have a genuine good time. But the more he hung out with Wade and his family, the more he learned. He learned about music and found "his jam" (that was literally amazing btw). He watched movies with Mrs. Whipple and ate snacks in the hotel room in Reno and watched more movies. He had his teenager moments of rolling his eyes and rebelling, but he was so well portrayed here, I loved it. I felt for him.

Despite the bizarre nature of the episode "Flames of Disaster," (we were cracking up so hard) I'm trying to glean bits of the truth of Knuckles's story from the crazy musical play that Pachacamac put on in Wade's dream. I mean, "Longclaw" and her tribe were there, and ... what the heck was that giant demon thing?! Iblis?! Does our Knuckles Wachowski have an actual history with freaking Iblis?!?! 😱🔥

I was deeply intrigued by the two main antagonists, especially at the implication that G.U.N. did seem to exist before the events of the first movie?! Did it exist, get disbanded after the Maria incident, then get reformed?! My brain is exploding. 🤯 I was even more shocked that they apparently died? I guess I shouldn't be surprised, the Wachowski kids don't seem to have much qualms about getting rid of the baddies for good as the game versions do. That was a terrifying phenomenon, what happened with the two rings. 🫣

And then the Buyer getting crushed by the giant glass ball 👀

Although in those last two episodes, I admit I was freaking out and legitimately near tears at Wade's seemingly having to "betray" Knuckles. Before the reveal that all was in good communication, all I could think was how relaxed Knuckles finally seemed, chilling in the hotel room, being excited about whatever Wade wanted to "show" him, questioning whether it was a song, him declaring that he was going to bring his favorite hat, 🥹 all I could think was of their previous discussions about betrayal from friends and family, and when Knuckles called Wade "my friend" right before the elevator doors closed, I just about sobbed. I was like "please, don't let him be betrayed, don't let him have come all this way and relaxed so much only to get 'betrayed' once again by someone he's come to consider a friend." 😭 We heaved a HUGE sigh of relief when it revealed he was aware of the trap the whole time. 😪

Maternal instincts went nuts when he got so badly hurt in that final battle 😭 I literally reached for the screen several times and was right back to almost weeping 🥲 And someone tell me I wasn't the only one noticing the parallel in that scene with Wade standing in front of his unconscious body the way Tom did with Sonic in the first movie. That, PLUS Knuckles's epic comeback, and his retrieval of his own power?!?! EPIC!!!!

The ending was abrupt, sure, but the pure joy on Knuckles's face after everything as he jumped up to high five Wade was just too sweet. 🥹

So yes, even though I would have loved just a little more, a return to Green Hills, a reunion with Maddie, Sonic, and Tails, I adored this show. It was a wild ride, full of laughs, tears, excited screeching, etc. 💙💛❤️ I don't care what anyone says, nothing will make me hate it.

[starsfic]

Stupid Ex

Summary: An ex of Qi Xiaotian tries to claim his and Red's new baby is his. The flaming calf. The flaming calf that looks just like Red.

“Look at her…”

“She’s so little!” Long Xiaojiao cooed, snapping a picture with visible tears beading up in her eyes. Pigsy and Tang were close to bursting into tears as well, either gripping each other or the frame of the bed that their son lay in. Qi Xiaotian smiled happily, even with exhaustion glazing over his eyes.

Their smiles and tears surrounded the little bundle Xiaotian held. A small scarlet calf slept in the soft gold blanket, nestled safe and close to the baba she had just come out of screaming barely an hour ago. According to the nurses and the doctor, she was very healthy and very adorable, both of which Xiaotian agreed with. Even better, she had inherited Red’s features, including the bull true form. (Hey, sue him, he was still adjusting to his monkey form.)

“Where’s Red?” Xiaojiao asked, breaking him out of his admiration. “I thought he would be here, all over you two.”

Xiaotian felt a snicker come out at the mention of his spouse. “He burst into happy tears when he saw her,” he said. Red had barely been able to hold his daughter, sobbing threats at the Buddha for making something so defenseless so small. “I honestly thought he would pass out with how hard he was crying, so I sent him to get some air and let his parents know Huiying’s here.”

The doors slammed open.

“Oh, speak of-” Xiaotian felt the words die down when he saw the look on his spouse’s face. Sun Wukong and Red’s parents trailed behind, exchanging concerned looks, and Xiaotian could see why.

Red looked pissed. The quiet kind, the kind that couldn’t even light his hair. The set to his jaw and the cold fire in his eyes relaxed, just a little, when they met eyes. So Xiaotian was pretty sure he wasn’t pissed at him.

“Oh, look at her!” Sun Wukong was there, forcing Xiaotian to look away from Red. “Mind if I hold her, kid?”

“Sure!” Xiaotian passed Huiying over. His daughter made a little noise, but settled in the king’s arms easily. “Be careful around Red, we don’t him to pass out from all the tears.”

“Nah, DBK’s the guy you wanna be concerned around,” Wukong chuckled, flashing a grin at his former sworn brother. “Right, bud?”

DBK snorted about how he was a mighty demon king, he didn’t cry over a baby, only for him to see Huiying and have tears bead up. The scene of his father-in-law, the mighty Demon Bull King, crying over his daughter should’ve delighted Xiaotian. It did, but Red’s anger burned at the back of his mind. A warm hand wrapped around his, and he looked away from Iron Fan cooing over Huiying’s little hooves up at Red.

His spouse met his eyes.

“I’ll tell you later,” he said, too quietly for anyone else to hear them. “Once we’re home.”

“...Okay.”

-_-

Red didn’t explain when they got home. At least, not immediately.

Three days passed. To be fair, they were an extremely busy three days, with adjusting to having the actual baby home, greeting guests, and planning Huiying’s 100th day celebration. His family were all great help, but it was still an adjustment. Xiaotian had nearly put Red’s weird expression out of his mind until the fourth afternoon, when he was feeding Huiying. His spouse settled across from him.

“Hey, what’s for lunch?” Xiaotian asked, coming to a pause when he looked up. Red had that same cold fury in his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“So, I must ask…do you know of a man named Chen Zixin?”

Xiaotian blinked at the random question. “Zixin? The name sounds familiar, yeah, but…” Something tugged at his mind at it. The name sounded familiar, and Xiaotian’s gut twisted unpleasantly. “I think he’s an ex of mine?”

Red nodded. “I figured.” He took in a deep breath. “Now, I need to let you know, I am not accusing you of doing anything. I am not upset at you.”

Something cold shot down his spine. “What…what happened?”

Red pulled out his phone. “He called me while I was trying to call my parents. He texted me when he couldn’t get in touch with me. I did block his number, but I saved the texts in case.” Xiaotian exchanged Huiying, still contently sucking on her bottle, for Red’s phone. He had already pulled up the screenshots.

Unknown Number: Hey, you're Red, right? Married to Qi Xiaotian?

Me: Do you care to explain why you are trying to communicate with me? I am very busy today.

Unknown Number: Okay, easy, dude. My name is Chen Zixin and I'm an ex of Xiaotian's.

Me: I do not see the point.

Unknown Number: I hate to drop this on you, but Xiaotian and I got back into contact nearly a year ago. I swear, I didn't know he was with someone. But I need to tell you that there's a good chance that his baby's mine.

The moment he read the last line, his stomach dropped.

"Red, I swear, I didn't-"

Warm lips pressed against his forehead. "I know you didn't." Red glanced down at his phone and barely managed a chuckle. "He's so stupid. I asked him what his proof was. Go to my files, I labeled the proof as Idiot."

Xiaotian did, barely resisting a snicker at the file name. What popped up were the screenshots that Red had shown him and more screenshots. He felt a brow raise as he looked the other screenshots over. It looked like a few weeks' worth of talking between Zixin and "him." It was all steamy sex talk, including nudes. At the first one, conveniently cut off under his face, Xiaotian felt himself pause, connecting the dots.

"He doesn't know you changed your number, for one thing," Red chuckled, sounding a bit happier. His tone turned sweet and adoring as he looked down at Huiying. "And he doesn't know Baba got top surgery before we were blessed with you, yes, he doesn't know..."

Xiaotian chuckled. "Plus, I am not that skinny." He paused as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, should we tell whoever's picture this is that he's using their picture?"

Red chuckled a little bit harder, sitting down next to him. "No need. I reverse-Googled it. It's an art model picture, and it’s literally the first image that pops up when you Google “art model”." 

"Oh, great!" Well, that left one other thing. "What should we do about Zixin, though?" The fact that an ex he barely remembered had popped out of the woodwork to try and claim paternity of his daughter was... worrying. “Did you tell him off or something?”

"Don't worry." Red grinned like a cat who had gotten the cream. "I told him that he was an idiot, and since our wonderful daughter has not inherited your lovely features-"

"Stop it."

"That he was an idiot, that his accusation alone showed that he had no knowledge of who you were as a person, and I pray that he never passed down his genes if he ever actually had a child."

"...Wow." Scam callers alone never bothered them again once Red got on the phone, so Xiaotian's concern was washed away by a wave of relief. "So, since that's dealt with, what's for lunch?"

"I have that handled."

-_-

The next week or two were quiet. Qi Xiaotian assumed that Zixin had gotten the hint and had decided to leave his weird quest to claim Huiying as his child behind. Good for him. Xiaotian was more focused on his family.

Like today!

Pigsy had finally gotten the money and permission to extend the noodle shop. It was now bigger and better but still affordable and delicious. People were gathered around, watching as Pigsy pulled out big scissors. Xiaotian, Tang, and Xiaojiao stood on the side, with Tang beaming and Xiaojiao snapping a hundred photos. Xiaotian felt his chest squeeze tight with pride as Pigsy cut the red ribbon.

Or maybe that was Huiying, rubbing her cheek against his chest from where she was nestled in her sling.

It was probably both.

Yeah, it was both.

As people trickled in, Tang calling dibs on getting the first bowl, Xiaotian found himself next to his Dadsy, hugging him tight. "Oh, I am so proud of you!"

Pigsy patted his back. "Couldn't have done it without you, kid," he said into his shoulder. "You've been a massive help with everything."

"I don't feel like I was," Xiaotian grumbled as he pulled away. "I barely got in a week of helping the construction." The moment Pigsy learned he was expecting, Xiaotian was banned from helping. All he could do from there was help Pigsy make sure that everything legal was squared away, do some marketing on social media, and taste-test Pigsy’s new dishes.

Pigsy sighed, reaching up and patting his head. "You were there for me, son. That's more help than I'll ever need. Plus," His tone turned even more adoring as he reached out, stroking Huiying's little cheek. She made a little noise at the affectionate gesture, and Xiaotian felt his heart melt. "I wanted things to be ready so my granddaughter has something to be proud of!"

Xiaotian chuckled at Huiying's little snort. "Oh, yeah. I can't wait for her to be old enough to help out-"

"MONKIE KID!"

"Oh great." The peace couldn't last this long, could it? Red wasn't even here yet to provide commentary. Xiaotian sighed and turned to the twin demons, striking a pose. Was it just him, or did they look pissed? "What do you two want?"

"We finally have a way to defeat you!" Yin bellowed. "Although I expected better of you!"

"Yeah!" Jin said, and yeah, that was a glare. "Who knew the Monkie Kid was a filthy cheater?"

Wait, what. "I'm not a cheater."

"That's not what this fine gent says!" They moved, revealing a guy. "Remember him?"

Xiaotian squinted. The guy looked familiar, he guessed? He looked like a hundred other guys he saw on the street. "Not really?" Yin, Jin, and the guy all blinked. He glanced at Pigsy, who was also squinting. "Pigsy, do you know him?"

"I...think?"

"Oh, come on, enough of this bullshit!" The guy yelled. "You know me! I'm the father-" Wait. Waaaait. “I can’t believe you’re still lying!”

"You're Zixin?"

The guy paused, blinking. Yin and Jin looked a little nervous, jumping when there was a yell of "YES!" The guy moved forward, but one of the twins grabbed his arm. "And I know that baby's mine, you can't deny it."

"My dude," Xiaotian felt a snicker rise up. "My dude, I barely remember you. Why would I fuck some guy I barely remembered?"

"I don't know! You're probably lying." The guy gestured to Yin and Jin. "But these fine blokes are gonna help me take back my baby!"

The demon twins blinked before exchanging looks.

"Oh, yeah."

"Right!"

Xiaotian blinked, and then, instead of standing on the sidewalk, he stood on a stage. Several people, including Pigsy, Tang, and Xiaojiao, sat in the stands. A big, flashing sign lit up, spelling out WHO'S THE BABY DADDY in neon.

Xiaotian sighed, glancing over at his family. Pigsy had pulled out his phone while Xiaojiao was snickering and recording. Tang just looked amused. Good. He wanted to save this. Maybe he could get some videos from the cameras perched everywhere?

"So!" Yin and Jin appeared, both dressed in suits and ignoring Zixin throwing up in the background. "We have a contested custody battle here!"

"This fine gentleman claims that the Monkie Kid's baby is his!"

"And the Monkie Kid's husband..."

"Isn't here," Xiaotian said before the spotlight could move. "And, I would like to make a point before you three humiliate each other even further." Yin and Jin blinked again. Xiaotian didn’t wait for the response. “My baby,” he said. "You mean this baby?"

Xiaotian couldn't help the smirk that rose up when he revealed Huiying's little face, and Yin and Jin's faces dropped. "This baby," he repeated, holding her up for the cameras to see. Several coos and gasps of adoration filled the stadium- before Huiying sneezed. As people screamed in shock at the flames, Xiaotian stared down Yin, Jin, and Zixin. "This baby," he said. "You're claiming that this baby isn't Red Son's?"

Red snorted, looming over them. All three of them jolted, meaning none of them had seen Red stalk through the audience and now loom, Xiaotian's inner sex kitten purring at the beast.

That was his husband.

That was the only possible father of this and any future children.

"Heyyy Red Son!"

"Look, we just wanted to make sure-"

"YOU STOLE MY-"

Yeah, definitely the only father.

[frailgun]

a couple months ago the other head organizer at the local fighting game tournament I started came to me with the idea to host a big all day tekken event, a doubles bracket in the early afternoon and a singles bracket afterwards. she asks me for help coming up with a name for it, and after chewing on it for a little bit I hit her with "Heat Engagement" (there's a type of move in tekken 8 called a "heat engager"). she loves it, it gets the gears in her brain spinning, and she makes this flyer for it

and meanwhile i commission this flyer from local strive and tekken player @antiv3nom

the other TO keeps chewing on the "engagement" angle and comes to me after a few days with "what if we made it black tie?" instantly I'm one million percent in i love an excuse to dress up. and to encourage the attendees to do the same we offer to put $5 in the prize pool for everyone who comes dressed in formal wear

and then it had the highest turnout of any event we've ever done

nearly 60 people in attendance, just under half of them dressed up, 4/5 of them had never been to any of our tournaments before and drove over 90 minutes to get here, and every single piece of feedback we've gotten has been overwhelmingly positive. an unmitigated success. we even finished early

and I've just been in this vortex of gratitude and humility and disbelief at all of this. I started TOing because there used to be no fgc scene anywhere within a two hour drive of me and i desperately wanted to make friends. a year and a half later im in charge of what a lot of people call the best local in new england.

and what really gets me crying is that like, this is THE local that all the queer kids in the scene call home. it's not just open and welcoming to them, it's FOR them, they will inherit it. I've never been prouder of anything I've ever done and i love everyone 🧡❤️

[totowlff]

chapter fourty-nine — a single wish

➝ at his 70th birthday, niki has only one wish. it's up to elisabeth to make it true.

➝ word count: 1,9k

➝ warnings: none

➝ author’s note: back from interlagos and to the keyboard. hope you enjoy this chapter.

FEBRUARY, 2019

Silence finally reigned in the room. After nearly an hour of pacing back and forth, rocking Andi and humming some random tune, he finally fell asleep. A relief for Elisabeth, especially after a night full of different, not to say conflicting, emotions.

Placing the baby carefully in the crib, she held her breath for a few seconds, watching her son stir. “Please, please,” Elisabeth thought, pressing her lips together as the boy let out a sigh, finally seeming comfortable enough.

Mentally thanking the universe, she left the room, walking slowly down the hall toward the master suite of the penthouse. It was in these moments that Elisabeth noticed the aches in her body and how tired she felt. Motherhood had proven to be a constant challenge, especially with Andi.

From the early days, the little boy had shown himself to be demanding and impatient. If he wasn’t in his mother’s arms at the moment he decided he was hungry, he would cry loudly. Burping him was another dilemma, as he only liked it when his father did it. Bath time wasn’t easy either, especially since Elisabeth had trouble with some movements due to her C-section incision, while diaper changes always ended with someone getting peed on.

However, his big, toothless smiles made it all worth it.

Entering the bedroom, Elisabeth found Toto sitting on the bed, reading something on his iPad with his glasses resting on the tip of his nose.

— Is he asleep?

— Yes — she murmured, collapsing onto the mattress heavily.

— Do you want me to take over tonight? — the team principal asked, lowering the tablet onto his lap.

— No need, you have to go back to Barcelona tomorrow, you need to sleep well — Elisabeth replied, rubbing her eyes — Besides, I need time to think…

— Think about what?

She hesitated to answer, staring at the ceiling for long seconds. In theory, it wasn’t something Elisabeth should discuss with Toto, considering his position on the team and the board of investors. However, before all that, he was her partner and confidant, the man she had chosen to share her life and start a family with. There were no secrets between them.

— About my father's offer.

Toto raised an eyebrow.

— Offer? Is that why he called you earlier?

She simply nodded, her mind drifting back to hours before when they had been at her parents’ apartment celebrating Niki’s 70th birthday.

Despite being a significant milestone, the celebration had to be reduced to a dinner with the children, their partners, and the grandchildren due to the ex-driver's still fragile health. The previous month, he had been hospitalized again due to a flu, so caution was necessary.

— But next year, I want to go back to Vegas — Niki said, drawing laughter from the group — I deserve to celebrate in style, preferably with all those dancers.

The dinner went by smoothly, with conversations filling the air while everyone enjoyed the schnitzel prepared by Marlene and Claire. Between Elisabeth and Niki, Andi, in his stroller, seemed to follow the discussions with his attentive blue eyes. After the meal, it was time for the grandfather to spoil his youngest grandchild, joined by Lennon and Ellison, who held his little hands and made funny faces to make him laugh.

The scene was sweet for Elisabeth. If she had once feared her father would never hold her child, now there was only joy in seeing him joke and smile broadly as Andi babbled his responses and tried to grab the oxygen catheter or the cap his grandfather was wearing.

— No, no, opa needs this, little one — he replied good-naturedly, gently moving the curious fingers away from the nasal cannula.

After playing with the kids for a while, Niki handed the baby over to Marlene and stood up, asking Elisabeth to accompany him to his office. It wasn’t uncommon for him to use her visits to get updates on his business affairs.

However, this time the situation took a different turn when, after placing the oxygen concentrator on the desk, he sat down heavily and asked a question.

— Mauslein, do you like your job?

Elisabeth blinked.

— Well, yes, I studied for it…

— I’m talking about working at Mercedes, in Formula 1. Do you like it?

She smiled.

— Oddly enough, I do. It’s wonderful to see the work pay off on the track, the victories, the championship titles — Elisabeth said — Besides, I like working with Toto; we make a good team, especially with you being away…

— That’s good — Niki replied, taking off his red cap. At that moment, she realized how fragile he looked — And that’s why I want to make you an offer.

— An offer?

— You know I won’t be back in the paddock anytime soon, especially after this last hospitalization, right? I need to focus on my recovery before thinking about anything else — her father explained, his hands resting on his belly — This means I won’t be able to be active in my role with Mercedes. Not like you.

Elisabeth crossed her arms, somewhat nervous about the direction of the conversation.

— Dad, I’ll be on leave until May; it’s not like…

— You’ll be back before me, Mauslein. And thinking about that, about the team and everyone in the operation, I wanted to offer you my shares and the position of non-executive director.

A small incredulous laugh escaped her lips.

— You’re kidding, right? — Elisabeth asked, completely thrown off — You’ve got to be joking…

— Do you think I would joke about this? — Niki retorted, serious.

It was in that split second she realized it was a real offer. One so huge and meaningful that Elisabeth paused for long moments, considering how resolute and sincere her father had been in saying those words.

— What did you tell him? — Toto asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. Looking at the team principal’s face, Elisabeth saw the concern mixed with exhaustion.

— I asked him if he was sure about what he was offering, if he understood the magnitude of it because there’s a lot of money involved, especially now with the team having grown so much. And he said yes — she replied, turning to face Toto, one hand between her face and the pillow — He said he sees no reason not to do it since I already do most of the work for him.

— Well, he’s not lying.

— But the thing is, I don’t know anything about cars. I have no idea how to contribute to making the car better. I’ve never driven a race car, I don’t know how to deal with the drivers, I… I can’t replace him, Toto.

The team principal gently placed a hand on her cheek.

— And you won’t have to, because the team doesn’t need a replacement. We need people who add value, and you do that every day.

— How? I just say my father’s opinions in meetings; people only see me as his daughter, not as an executive or anything like that. I’m Niki’s representative, nothing more.

— Liesl, you know you’re more than that. You know you can deliver much more, especially in an important position like shareholder or non-executive director — Toto said softly, his eyes locked on hers — But first, you need to believe you’re capable of taking on that role.

The words left Elisabeth thoughtful. Everyone around her said she was fully capable of being a successful executive, the woman who would continue the work Niki had already done. Yet the fear still lingered, like a ghost haunting her since she was young, whispering in her ear that she would never be successful, that everything she had was because of the right connections, that she didn’t deserve any of it.

— Do you believe it?

— I will always believe in you, Liesl — he murmured, kissing the tip of her nose — But that’s a conversation for tomorrow. Rest now, my love.

Smiling a little, Elisabeth snuggled against the pillow, allowing herself to drift into a light, dreamless sleep, periodically interrupted by Andi’s protests through the baby monitor, announcing he was hungry, had a dirty diaper, or just wanted his mother’s attention.

Elisabeth allowed herself to ponder the offer for a few more days, alternating between reading team reports and taking care of Andreas. The boy slept against her chest as his mother read one of the latest performance reports from Mercedes’ finance department. The numbers were good, but changes in structure would have to be made, especially with the new financial regulations being implemented in 2021.

“We’ll definitely need more people in finance”, she thought, running a hand over her forehead.

It was the following weekend when Elisabeth finally found the courage to go to Lichtental to discuss Niki’s proposal. It was the last day of preseason testing in Barcelona, a good enough excuse for her and Andi to visit her parents’ apartment.

As always, Marlene picked up the grandson as soon as they arrived, chatting and playing with the boy and the dogs, who wagged their tails excitedly. Elisabeth then headed to the living room, where Niki was sitting in front of the television.

— Good morning, Mauslein — he greeted her, receiving a kiss on the cheek in return.

— Good morning, how are we?

— With an oil leak in the car — Niki grumbled as the silver car in the garage was shown on TV — Valtteri’s going to lose the morning session because of it.

— What a mess — Elisabeth muttered, crossing her arms.

— Yeah, a mess — he replied, adjusting the oxygen catheter in his nose.

Silence stretched out in the living room, with the sound of Marlene talking to Andreas and the dogs in the background making her feel more tense.

— Dad, I… I wanted to talk about your offer.

Niki glanced at her.

— Are you going to accept?

She let out a sigh.

— Partially. I accept becoming a shareholder, but I can't take your seat on the board. I don’t want your position on the team to be seen as some sort of inheritance…

— No one’s going to see it that way — he started to grumble, but his daughter interrupted.

— Everyone will see it that way, especially considering that I’m your daughter and I’m engaged to Toto. It's already enough having to hear people in the paddock hoping I'll get Mercedes in case of a divorce…

Niki laughed.

— You shouldn’t listen to those kinds of people.

— How can I not? They're saying what everyone…

— Elisabeth, if I’d cared about everything people said about me, especially after the accident, I’d have never left my house again — her father said, resting his hands on his belly — When I showed up in Monza, I had to face an entire team convinced I shouldn’t have even left home. The old Ferrari had already put Reutemann in my place, sure I’d never race again.

— It's not the same…

— It's exactly the same, Elisabeth. Your confidence has to be bigger than other people’s doubts. And there's no better place to practice that than in an environment like a boardroom.

She pressed her lips into a thin line. Niki was right, she needed to trust herself, her instincts as a businesswoman with years of experience. However, Elisabeth wanted to do things the right way, not hastily or carelessly.

— If you believe I should be the non-executive director, I accept your decision. But first, I want the proposal to be deliberated by the board and accepted by them.

Niki smiled.

— I’m sure they’ll accept, Mauslein.

[angel-of-the-moons]

First off I'm really happy to see someone's still writing for MK11. It feels like everyone's dropped the game for the new one. So thank you. Second I would like to request MK11 Hanzo x fem reader fluff where reader found out she was pregnant and is really worried about telling Hanzo.

MK 11 is near and dear to me because it's what got me back into the franchise back when it first came out. At first I loved D'Vorah but then I got attached to Hanzo and Kuai's dynamics and then when Mileena came back? Ugh! Love!

Blossom

Hanzo x Fem!Reader

TW/CW: A little angst, fluff, pregnancy stuff! (Maybe an implied age gap between Reader and Hanzo but nothing specific, though Reader is definitely over 20)

Divider by @/saradika-graphics

Your nerves were eating themselves alive, feeling frayed at the edges as you plucked the edges of your sleeves in your anxiety.

How were you going to tell him? Ugh!

You could have sworn it was a safe day for you, when you were with him last... week? A few weeks ago? By the Elder Gods, how far were you along? The flimsy pieces of plastic you got at the store when you ventured into town on a "girl's trip" with Sonya couldn't predict that...

Sonya patted your back, the older woman smiling in sympathy, "Hey, I know how you feel. Cassie wasn't planned at all. Trust me, kid."

"I... It's just..." Your voice trembled almost as much as your hands holding the pregnancy test did. "What if he... what if he doesn't want it? After losing his wife and son, I... what if he doesn't want this--want us anymore--because he's afraid?"

"You sound like you already made up your mind about keeping the baby..." Sonya murmured softly.

You nodded, lifting your gaze to meet hers. You were sitting in the bathroom in she and Johnny's hotel suite--they were in Japan for some film shoot--your voices echoed softly off the tile walls and floor.

"I did. Is it... bad that I want this?" You asked her, chewing your bottom lip.

"No, no. no. Listen--" Sonya took the test from your hand carefully and laid it on the counter, before taking your hands in hers. "You're perfectly capable of making a decision like this. And... On the off-chance that Hanzo doesn't want this... Johnny and I will help you out. You deserve that."

"R-Really?" You asked her as your voice began to quiver. "You... You'd do that?"

"Hell yeah I would. You're one of the best operatives we have. A good fighter, great defender of Earthrealm. And... you're going to be a great mom. I'd be a major bitch if I just kicked you out after doing this with you without helping in some way."

"Think you mean General." You sniffled, smiling at her; your eyes misty with emotion. You never expected in your military career that the Sonya Blade would be one of your biggest supporters in this kind of event in your life. But... here you were.

Sonya grinned. "Damn straight. Now... if you need to, think about it before you spring it on him. Rehearse what you have to say before telling him if you gotta, okay?"

"How did... you tell Johnny about..."

"Oh, I threw the pregnancy tests at his big fat head and said "Congrats, you knocked me up, jackass"." She chuckled nostalgically.

"You did?" You gasped.

Sonya turned to you with a grin. "Yep. Shithead started crying right on the spot."

She cuffed you on the shoulder whilst you shared a laugh.

"Go and get a good night's rest, honey. You're gonna need it."

It had been nearly two days since your talk with Sonya. You had rehearsed in your head every night since over and over and over until the wee hours of the morning what Hanzo might say, and what you in turn would say to him.

But imagining the scenarios was enitrely different than putting them into action yourself...

You and Hanzo had been walking through the Fire Gardens, watching the Sakura blossoms shake and fall loose around you in a mix of velvety pink and white. It was beautiful, and a scene you normally would find very relaxing--if it weren't for the heavy iron blanket hanging in the air--the tension was so thick you weren't surprised Hanzo picked up on it.

"Something is bothering you." He said softly, his warm palm squeezing yours as you walked.

"...yeah." You answered truthfully, squeezing back.

Hanzo tugged your hand up to his chest, bringing your slow, leisurely walk to a halt. His deep, thoughtful eyes affixed their gaze to yours, imploring you. "Speak to me, my love. Please."

You felt your heart patter in your ribcage anxiously as his request hung in the air. Long, agonizing minutes stretched on for what felt like hours.

"Hanzo..." You managed to get out, despite your tongue feeling like sandpaper.

"I'm pregnant."

And with those two simple words... it was like the universe around you came to a floundering halt.

"...What?" He whispered, dropping your hand and taking a step back.

The absence of his touch filled you with fear, made you grow cold. Were your fears right? Did Hanzo not want this? You? The baby?

"You're... pregnant?" He whispered, his voice so soft you could just barely hear it over the branches in the trees creaking in the early summer breeze.

You nod, swallowing at the stone lodged in your throat, "Yeah..."

Once more the agonizing silence swallowed you both, the yawning chasm of anxiety etching itself deeper inside of you with every second that ticked by.

As you opened your mouth to speak, Hanzo closed the gap between you, crushing your body against his in a fierce, caging hug. His arms felt like the steel jaws of a bear trap as he held you, nearly squeezing the air from your lungs as he buried his face in your hair.

The silence still stretched on, however this time, you realized, it was not because Hanzo was upset or angry--but because he was crying.

His body trembled only slightly, his muscles straining to hold you without crushing you any more than he already was.

"Hanzo?" You whispered, your hope soaring even just a tiny bit.

"I love you." He croaked, his voice so rough it made you want to cry, "I love you more than life. I lost everything I loved... Quan-Chi turned me into a soulless, undead slave... I never thought I would be so happy again, as long as I lived. And... And then I found you."

He pulled back, one of his hands cupping your cheek; his thumb sweeping away one of the fat tears that tumbled down your cheek. His eyes were glassy and full of his own tears, but he had the warmest smile you'd ever seen on anyone.

"I love you so much, my fire lily. My heart." He rasped, his lips quivering even the slightest bit.

"Have you... decided what you want to--"

"I want to keep the baby, Hanzo." You blurted, your heart pounding and your blood rushing in your ears.

He sighed, his eyes soft and loving as he looked at you. "I... I am not surprised you have already made up your mind. You have always been so sure and confident. It is one of the many reasons why I adore you."

You smiled back, "I... I want this, Hanzo. I want our baby. I want... I want you with us, too." You licked your bottom lip.

"If you want us."

Hanzo responded to you by pulling you close and kissing you until your breath left your body; his tongue twisting and dancing with yours before brushing your lips as he pulled away, leaving you almost dazed and light-headed.

"I would let Kuai Liang freeze me to a block of ice and leave me on a desolate mountain to be eaten by wild animals before I let anything tear the two of you away from me." He said resolutely, his eyes steely and adamant.

Your body sagged with relief--literally--and you found yourself supported by Hanzo's strong embrace, your legs feeling like jelly and nearly giving out beneath you. Hanzo chuckled fondly as he rubbed your back to help soothe you.

Your name left his lips like a reverent prayer--and you lifted your head to look at him, tears now freely falling down your face as you smiled gleefully, "I--I was so scared.... Af-after what happened to you before, I... I was scared..."

"That out of fear for losing the two of you, I would run? Send you away for your safety?" He chuckled, as if the very notion was ridiculously insane.

"Never. It would take armageddon for something as cowardly as that. And maybe not even then."

You sniffed and hiccup, your mind a whirl of emotions as you began to break down once again, letting Hanzo hold you as he soothed you, spoke to you, and said the most romantic things you'd only read about in books.

He was happy. He wanted you and the baby. He was excited about having a family once again.

Hanzo Hasashi would once again get to feel the joy of seeing his child enter the world, getting to hold them; hearing their sweet cries as air filled their lungs.

He would get to be a father--and hopefully husband--once again.

[terapsina]

And those rarest of creatures...

My Top 10 Favorite Canon ENDGAME OTPs

(and I realize some of these will be a surprise because I haven't posted that much about them but... well, when everything is perfect and nothing hurts there's less need for venting... also a bunch of them don't align with my Tumblr heavy periods or precede them entirely, so...)

1. Parker and Hardison - Leverage

The absolute sweetest couple maybe ever. The way Hardison just... loves Parker, without ultimatums or impatience. Just there once she's ready to meet his feelings with her own. And Parker, knowing she's developed feelings for... 'pretzels' and admitting it in the only way she can initially. So good.

---

2. Aneela and Kendry - Killjoys

You give me two amoral queens, have them be evil and immortal, and have them fall in love? I was a goner from the word go. Giving them a sci-fi kid just added fuel to the fire.

---

3. Jo and Zane - Eureka

I shipped the 1.0 version too. But when they accidentally erased the original timeline and had Jo remembering being in love and nearly engaged and having Zane not? Damn. Talk about angsty ship bait.

---

4. Kensi and Deeks - NCIS: Los Angeles

Sunshine and gunpowder. Freaking made for each other and doing a proper piney slow burn. My jam.

---

5. Magnus and Alec - Shadowhunters

I mean. Do you think I could resist a grand wedding crash with a 'if your son wants me gone he's going to have to say it to me himself' with the widely grinning sister of the miserable groom going 'I invited him'? What am I, made of stone? (War of Hearts is tattooed on the inside of my eardrums).

---

6. Nico and Karolina - Runaways

Okay. But like, even beyond the flawless imagery of Gothic Witch Queen and Royal Heir of Sunshine and Rainbows... they were so captivating. So ready to sacrifice anything for each other's happiness. I love them your honor.

---

7. Xiao Lanhua and Dongfang Qingcang - Love Between Fairy and Devil

"Everything in this world is fate. Only love is not fate."

Talk about ripping out my heart. In a story built around two people more trapped by fate than anyone, they save each other by doing the one thing fate has no say over.

(I usually prefer my romances to be the B and C plots, but these two? They are the exception that proves the rule. This whole show is their love story and I was spellbound for 36 episodes straight).

---

8. Shawn and Jules - Psych

So. Much. Pining. And the inclusion of the cruelest 'I love you' known to man, because who doesn't love a good 'I've been shot, and the guy who shot me just let me call my girlfriend but I'm using the call to give out clues about how to find me, so I'm pretending you're Abigail, but he's listening and he wants me to tell you that I love you and I know... think... suspect... that saying it will hurt you, but I don't have a choice and I'm so sorry'.

---

9. Nikita and Michael - Nikita

They both know what it feels like to lose someone you love. Which is why the way them kinda having at least a scene a season where one of them thinks the other just got killed is brutal. But I live for the looks on their faces when they figure out they're wrong.

---

10. Korra and Asami - Legend of Korra

What's more fun than falling in love with the ex boyfriend's ex girlfriend? Nothing. They got me to stand up and pay attention right quick once I realized where this was going (and the finale was how I started watching reaction videos... it made me so happy watching everyone else cry, cheer and squee too)

[lovelynim]

Wishful Thinking

NU: Carnival - Eiden x Olivine

A/N: I have to admit I'm not Olivine's biggest fan, but I'm Val's biggest fan, so... THIS GIFT IS FOR YOU MY DEAR!!! MERRY (now belated) XMAS!!!

*ahem*

So, in case you guys are wondering, me and a couple of mutuals did a little Secret Santa among ourselves and I was the "lucky bastard" to get Valerie, ehehe. Hope you enjoy this little fic that I wrote with my best efforts, dear!

Summary: Eiden notices something is bothering Olivine and decides to confront the priest to find out what it is.

Word count: 2540 words

Taking a step back, Olivine quickly raised the box of supplies above his head and out of the way of the kids that stormed around the temple. “Careful there,” he warned, sighing out of concern when they didn’t seem to care about his scolding at all. However, Olivine couldn’t help but smile. They are just kids after all, he thought, taking a moment to watch one boy chase the other, reminiscing old memories from his own childhood.

“You can’t run away forever,” one of the boys threatened amidst laughter, panting heavily as he continued to chase his friend in circles in and out the temple. His quick footsteps echoed, just like the panicked, but happy, squeals of his friend that put up all his best efforts to escape the incoming demise. “I’m going to catch you!!”

The other squeaked, refusing to look back. “Nohohoh!!”

Olivine, already placing the box with the rest of the supplies gathered for that week, took a moment to appreciate that moment. To think the temple would become a place where kids could have fun like that under his care was truly heart-warming. The fondness of the priest’s gaze, however, only lasted until one of the boys tackled the other into the ground.

Olivine had seen that scene countless times before. Kids running around the temple was “forbidden” for a reason: it was always a matter of moments until someone started to cry, got hurt or broke something - if not the three of them at the same time. Olivine sighed, already looking around for a first aid kit, thinking if it would be a bruised knee or hand this time.

However, just when he was ready to jump into action, a certain sound announced the unexpected - but welcomed - turn of events. Just like seconds ago, one of the boys started laughing again, desperately tugging at his friend’s hands in a fruitless attempt to stop the ticklish attack. “AhAHAHah, n-nohOHo!! No tihihicklihing!”

Olivine stopped- no, froze on the spot as he heard that word. No one was harmed, he thought, so it should be fine. Still, there was something about it that made it hard for him to avert his gaze from that scene. It was just two friends goofing around, playing with each other, so why did he feel like his heart was beating faster?

“Say ‘uncle’ or I’m not stopping,” one of the boys cheered, nearly laughing as much as his friend as he seemed to enjoy having the upper hand on that moment. Olivine felt the back of his throat going dry for a strange reason - he could also feel a bit of heat spreading to his cheeks. By now he should have stepped in because of how loud those two were being and how they probably disturbed the other visitors, but he didn’t. The scene had already been deconstructed inside his mind, the place, the characters playing it, what they were saying - all of that didn’t matter anymore. There was just one word, one concept inside Olivine’s mind: tickling.

But why was he so heartstruck by such a thing?!

“Olivine? Hellooo? ~” Olivine blinked a few times as he saw a hand waving in front of his face, shaking his head as his mind slowly came back to reality. When he turned his attention to the side, he was met with Eiden’s confused eyes. “Are you ok? You seemed a bit lost just now…”

“Mr. Eiden, I-” Olivine stopped himself, letting out a shy sigh, “yes. I just got distracted for a moment and-”

“O-okahAHAY! Uncleheh! I sahahaid unclehehe!”

Olivine looked back to the two boys, remembering what he was supposed to do. With an apologetic smile, he turned to the Grand Sorcerer before resuming to speak again. “Just a moment.” 

Eiden chuckled, nodding and waiting patiently as Olivine walked over the loud duo, trying to look as serious as possible while giving a stern scolding about making a mess and playing inside the temple and how dangerous it could be.

“Sorry, father Olivine…” 

Eiden could hear them mutter, with their heads lowered. They were lucky, Eiden thought, if it was anyone else, they would probably be dragged outside by their ears, but Olivine let them go with a pat on top of their heads.

“Sigh, good thing they didn’t break anything this time,” Olivine chuckled, finally letting go of that serious and concerned facade that didn’t have the least to do with his true self. 

“Still, you always know how to handle this kind of thing. They didn’t seem sad at all when they left, but you still managed to scold them. As expected of our amazing Olivine ~”

“You’re too kind, mr. Eiden.” 

However, just when the priest thought it would be the end of their interaction, the Grand Sorcerer brought a topic back into their attention - this time a little more assertive about it. “Say it, Olivine, are you really ok? You are not overworking yourself again, are you?” 

“H-huh? What do you mean?” Olivine narrowed his eyes slightly, fearing he would have concerned Eiden somehow. “Thank you for worrying about me, but as you can see, I’m fine, mr. Eiden,” he said, as friendly as ever and wearing his usual bright and charming smile.

“Hmmm,” however, Eiden didn’t really seem to be convinced. In fact, it was pretty much like he hadn’t bought it at all. “Are you sure? You had such a distant gaze on your eyes and even seemed to be a little feverish…”

“I’m sorry that was the impression I gave you, mr. Eiden, but I was just distracte-”

“Perhaps,” Eiden interrupted, the concerned look on his face giving place to a smug, teasing grin, “you saw some hot guy wandering around the temple?” Eiden whispered, wiggling his eyebrows before starting to look around. “Where is he now? Does he work here as well?”

“W-what? Of course not, mr. Eiden!” Olivine gasped half offended, turning his head to the Grand Sorcerer with cheeks tainted in bright red from embarrassment. “I wouldn’t-”

“I know, I know, I'm just teasing you, hehe…” Eiden smiled brightly at him, but slowly let that expression fade into a more neutral one. “But if you don’t want to say it, then…”

“H-huh? Mr. Eiden?” Olivine chirped in confusion as Eiden held him by his wrist, pulling him gently before guiding out of the main hall of the temple. “Where are we going?” The priest gasped, trying to keep up with Eiden’s pace. The strange change of mood was somewhat unsettling, but Olivine knew there would be no harm in sticking around Eiden… right?

In a matter of seconds, they were far from others’ eyes. Eiden carefully guided the priest into one of the guests' rooms, making sure they would be by themselves. As soon as he stepped in, Olivine found himself trapped against the door, pinned down against the wooden surface by the very man he just decided to trust. Truth to be told, he couldn’t say something like that was unexpected.

“M-Mr. Eiden-”

“Well, you didn’t want to talk to me, so I thought I could… maybe… make a better offer?” Eiden smiled wickedly, not wasting a single second before pressing his lips on the contour of Olivine’s jaw, gently nuzzling at the side of his neck. “Would you please share it with me, O~li~vi~ne? ~”

“A-ah, Eiden..!” Olivine muttered in a rush, barely having time for the air to leave his lungs before pressing his lips shut, attempting to stop any embarrassing sound to escape so soon. Olivine reached for Eiden’s head with one hand, stroking his hair and gently scratching the back of his neck - mostly to encourage him, signing to go on. “I j-just- ah… I just got distracted-”

“By what?” Eiden interrupted, moving his head back to look at Olivine in the eyes. A piercing, demanding gaze made the priest weak at the knees, made him feel like his heart was being squeezed so hard that it would pop at any second. Oh, God of Klein, he thought, not sure if it was a prayer for mercy or to thank for having someone like Eiden in his life. “What did we talk about keeping secrets? I told you: you can share your desires with me, Olivine, all of them…”

Olivine went silent, turning his look to the side to avoid Eiden’s demanding gaze for a second. He indeed recalled hearing those words, having that conversation and the feeling of freedom, of weight being lifted from his shoulders when they, indeed, shared those ideas…

“W-well,” Olivine coughed, feeling his cheeks turning even hotter when Eiden seemed so focused about it. “You know those two kids I was talking to just now?” Eiden nodded, resting his chin on Olivine’s chest as he looked up to him, paying attention to every detail. Olivine sighed, “they were playing and- ahm, and one of them tickled the other and it made me think of…”

Olivine cringed so hard at what he was saying. The idea of Eiden listening to it didn’t help either, making the priest let out a sigh in embarrassment, taking a few seconds before continuing. “I-I mean, it’s just something fun and I used to play like that when I was younger and it’s been so long that… Well, I thought about it for a moment and, I-I imagine it would be fun?” Olivine stumbled over his own words, barely sure if what he was saying made sense. Yet, Eiden’s expression didn’t seem to change - the Grand Sorcerer kept the same relaxed, comforted smile, listening to him ever so carefully. “That’s just wishful thinking, I- no, we, as adults, have better things to do, no?”

“Olivine-”

“I know, it’s something so silly right, mr. Eiden?”

“Why would I think that?”

“H-huh?” Olivine looked down, seeing as Eiden stood back up with a confident expression. 

“Why would I think that’s silly? I told you I wanted to hear what you were thinking,” Eiden chuckled, kissing the priest’s cheek, holding him by his shoulders. “Don’t ever think I’d judge your interests like that, but since we are talking about it…” Eiden continued, sliding his hands down Olivine’s arms to hold both his hands. The Grand Sorcerer guided him to the middle of the room, closer to the tidied up bed.

“Tickling, hm? So you wanted to tickle me, Olivine?” Eiden suggested happily, sitting down on the bed and leaning back a bit, using his hands to support his body.

“W-well, no exactly…” Olivine giggled shyly, but as composed as ever. “Tickling you sounds intriguing, but I was actually thinking of getting-”

“Tickled?” Eiden hummed, leaning a bit closer to him. His eyes scanned Olivine from head to toe and a mischievous grin took place on his face.

“...yes,” Olivine nodded, already feeling butterflies on his stomach with anticipation. He knew Eiden was versed and familiar with a lot of exquisite things, so of course this wouldn’t be of any trouble to him - but there was something about the way he understood the assignment so rapidly that made Olivine doubt about what kind of ride he just signed in. “If you couhuhuld- ah!” 

With arms wrapped around his body, the priest giggled when he felt fingers wiggling around his stomach, testing out the waters - as if looking for the most ticklish spot. Eiden promptly rested his head on Olivine’s shoulder, which sent a shiver down the latter’s spine. Olivine laughed, holding onto Eiden’s wrists, but not trying to pry them off for a single second.

“Heheh, how does it feel? I don’t know why I didn’t try to tickle you sooner,” Eiden muttered in a monologue of his own, digging his fingers near Olivine’s waist. So far, his middle seemed like a good spot to target, specially close to the gemstone imbued into his body - guess that saying about the sensitivity being increased around them was true, after all. “Should I stop?”

“N-nohohoh ahahAHAhah, mr. Eheheiden, j-just slohohow down!” Olivine giggled, trying to scrunch up his shoulders as the mere fact of having Eiden’s head resting on one of them was making him feel ticklish already. With each stroke of Eiden’s fingers, Olivine felt like electricity ran across his body, making him laugh and squirm - in a good way.

“Hmmm, no, I don’t think I will,” Eiden chuckled, deciding to move one of his hands up and teasingly tickle Olivine just below his chest - which turned out to be more sensitive than he expected. “I didn’t know you had such a pretty laugh, I want to hear more, O~li~vi~ne~”

“AhahAHah, w-wahahait a secohohond!”

He should’ve known. Of course Eiden wouldn’t just play around a little and stop, he would take this “experience” to a whole other level - not that it was something to complain about, after all, it was something Olivine was looking for. Still, the priest couldn’t help but to be surprised in how quick Eiden found the right spots to make him breathless (well, in a different way from the other times when he had his breath taken away).

Eiden’s fingers continued to explore each inch of skin. Scratching Olivine’s sides, poking him in-between his ribs, blowing air against his ear and neck and even caressing his chest in that awfully ticklish manner. Olivine didn’t remember the last time he was tickled like that (nor that he was this ticklish, truth to be told), but, in the end, there was no way to deny how… good it felt.

“E-Eidehehen, plehehease! AhahahAHAha, m-my GohOHohod, wahahait a secohohond,” Olivine gasped between laughter, tiredly dropping his head down. He felt small tears of mirth clinging into his lashes while his heart was beating like it would pop out of his chest at any moment. 

Eiden leaned a bit forward, admiring the bright red tones on the priest’s cheeks. “What is wrong? I thought you wanted it, Olivine,” he chuckled, reducing the tickling to a couple of well aimed pokes around Olivine’s stomach and sides, keeping the other on the edge, not wanting him to completely recover from the previous onslaught.

“I d-dohoho, but I n-neehed to breheheath,” he whined light heartedly, using the last bits of strength to hold onto Eiden’s wrists.

The Grand Sorcerer smiled, moving his hands to bring Olivine into a tight, warm hug. Eiden pressed his cheek against Olivine’s, smiling while he sighed happily. “Fine, fine, we don’t want to overdo it, right? We can continue later if you want…”

“T-that, hahah… w-would be nice, indeed,” Olivine gasped, feeling like each of his limbs weighed a thousand pounds. His body was tired, but, at the same time, he felt an inexplicable warmth - a fuzzy and somewhat funny feeling. 

“So, while we wait…” Eiden muttered, pulling the priest down and pinning him against the mattress underneath them in the blink of an eye. Straddling his waist, the Grand Sorcerer looked down at him, one palm pressing against his chest while a malicious glow took place inside his eyes. “Why don’t we do something else?”

Olivine took a few seconds to process the whole thing, eyes wide open in shock completed his confused expression, but he soon understood Eiden’s intentions - and smiled. “Yes… Let’s do… something else, Eiden.”

[gooselycharm]

hi there! i'd just like to say that your kris and noelle "something else" comic has been driving me insane /pos and i'd love to hear more of your thoughts on those two!! their relationship is one of my favorite things in deltarune and your comic just got everything about them so right 🙏

thank you for reading "something else"! oh man, [more of] my thoughts on kris+noelle.... i sure got some of those.

this was one of the first tweets i made after finishing chapter 2 nearly... freaking 2 years ago. and basically i've just been saying that over and over again in different ways because i'm still not tired of the concept yet and probably wont ever be LOL. i'm obsessed with how badly the narrative wants to force them into an easily categorizable dynamic, especially the romantic one in snowgrave. the literal THORN RING, the more possessive dialogue options, spamton calling noelle a side chick LOL... it all creates this unnerving visual novel bad end atmosphere that feels manufactured by someone who's only ever learned about romance through secondhand sources. they're two queer teens trying to navigate their changing relationship with the only role models they know being their parents' own failed heterosexual marriages. they're so divorced² (divorced children of divorce).

i also like that for being so tragically doomed coded they can be funny! both in a dark humor way and also like, genuinely funny, like the stories of them as kids with kris covering themselves in ketchup and hiding under noelle's bed lmao. i mean there's even something funny about the romantic trappings of the snowgrave route, like trying to put wedding cake embellishments on a crime scene... you know, funny like kids trying on their parents clothes but they're too big and for some reason they're also crying and covered in blood? um.

i'm also SOOOO interested to see how snowgrave will continue in chapter 3! i really liked the hopeful note chapter 2 ended on (well. i took it as hopeful anyway). there's that bit where noelle is talking to herself and she says something like "recently kris has been acting so strange and no one else has noticed... i have to figure out why" and then kris jumpscares her LOL but i think i took that one line and really ran with it. noelle really is the one who knows kris best and despite how scared she is, she's still determined to help them... i like the little subversion of victim/hero going on, the implication that kris might be the one who needs rescuing.

the additional story/lore that came with the spamton sweepstakes made me CRAAAZYYYYY like my GOD... it's cute that noelle likes glitches/creepypasta when kris is kinda a walking creepypasta <3 also, god, noelle falling asleep listening to kris playing piano in the other room... there's so much like. wistfulness and nostalgia and this like... distant/detached intimacy packed into how noelle narrates that scene. it's kind of funny how much there is to dig into when like on a surface level they're just fairly regular childhood friends who grew apart LMAO they're extremely deep to me okay...

on another note i guess i do ship them? i like their dynamic whether it's platonic or romantic (the best is a weird mix of both 👍). it just can't be boring LOL like... this is one ship where trying to apply cookie cutter tropes to them really falls flat and the game is ahead of you on that anyway. in terms of romantically shipping them, i honestly don't think they're doomed to repeat patterns forever... i think they could actually be good for each other! but that's not really the aspect of their relationship that interests me akldjf;alk;sdg maybe i will make 60 page comic of kriselle going to couples counseling some other time

ANYWAY i'm going to cut myself off here, because i really could go on forever lol. i'll give you some links for further reading though

hellspawnmotel's deltarune art

lula pillowbug99's deltarune art

this art by raspbearis which features prominently in my internal kriselle bible

my own unfinished kriselle playlist

my own essay on gender & allegory in deltarune if for some reason u are not tired of hearing me talk yet

okay bye now & thanks again for reading my comic!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[louisaland]

Even more Season 17 SVU thoughts

I like Dodds a lot, as he doesn’t want to take advantage of his father’s position to get a better job, is empathetic and good at his job, a real team player. Fin’s remark about moving to the Counter-Terrorism Unit and potentially getting blown up/dying is some good foreshadowing as I know what happens at the end of the season, sob. 

I snorted at Tucker saying « Who watches this junk? » to Olivia in the trashy dating show ep and the scene cutting to Amanda and Carisi thoroughly invested in it! I love seeing their relationship developing, even as friends, and like Luv and Tucker together, though I thought he was married? Yet she clasps his hands with hers and kissed them, which felt very intimate to me! 

The arc with the Catholic Church made me cry, namely that scene at the very end of Carisi going to church and praying with his rosary. He would have made an excellent priest, but I think what stopped him is the idea of not being able to marry or have kids. He is extremely non-judgemental and very empathetic, especially when he is posing as a homeless rapist and shows real understanding towards the mostly reformed criminals. 

I love how versatile he is, as he is just as comfortable ( and as hot) whether he is in a homeless shelter and scruffy, just chilling in sweatpants and a hoodie or in a suit. He was particularly hot when wearing glasses in the strip club! Stabler also had to pose as a business man and rocked the expensive suit and glasses too, back in the day! 

Yay to Amanda hugging Carisi when he passed the bar exam, that was so sweet!

And OMG, Fin’s son was in an episode that didn’t feature homophobic hate crimes or someone in the closet! Excited to see Grandpa Fin, I am sure he’ll be great!

Munch came back, yay! He seems happy and relaxed, but is still funny and seemed to be so good with Noah. I always thought he’d make an excellent dad, but understand why he didn’t with his family history of depression/bad mental health and Alzheimer’s ( his dad killed himself and his uncle had memory impairment issues-both those eps made me cry). 

I have nearly finished Season 17, 2 more episodes to go and looking forward to Season 18 and beyond very much. 

[mcx7demonbros]

Unexpected Sight

Ft. The Demon Brothers, especially Lucifer, Lucius (MC's kid) (Lucius is some months old in this fic), Klein (my MC)

Warning: none except that I'm not a parenting expert

Summary: the brothers went to the kitchen at night for different reasons, and they were greeted by an unexpected sight

The sound of footsteps could be heard in the corridor of the House of Lamentation at the time that is equivalent to midnight in human world. A certain orange-haired demon was walking towards the kitchen, where the fridge was.

However, upon coming close to the kitchen, Beelzebub realized the light was on and he could hear small crying sounds.

(Is someone in the kitchen?) Beel thought before peeking inside.

"Lucius, your food is nearly done." Lucifer said as he was patting the baby Lucius in his arms.

"Waah waah" Lucius seemed to take no heed of his father's words and kept crying.

Lucifer was tired but he looked at his son with soft and caring gaze before grabbing the kettle and poured the hot water into the bottle.

"Let me hold Lucius." Beel came over and offered his help.

"Thank you, Beel." Lucifer nodded at his younger brother and handed the baby to him.

"Stay with your uncle a little bit while I finish making the food for you." Lucifer said softly again to Lucius.

"Waaaaaaaaah" Lucius didn't seem to care and kept crying.

While Beel was tending to the baby, Lucifer put the powdered formula into the bottle, put the teat and the cap on before shaking it.

Just as Lucifer was shaking the bottle to get the powder to dissolve into the water, the two members of Anti-Lucifer League stepped inside the kitchen while discussing among themselves.

"Lucifer wouldn't expect it." Satan said with an evil grin on his face.

"I could imagine his grumpy face right now." Belphie replied with a laugh.

"Then-"

Both Satan and Belphie stopped when they saw Lucifer's grumpy face, it seemed the eldest had heard everything they were discussing. However, the fact that Lucifer was shaking a milk bottle in his hand made him look less scary, hilarious even, to the point Satan and Belphie almost burst out laughing, and they would have if they hadn't known for whom Lucifer was doing this.

Ignoring them, Lucifer checked the bottle again to make sure all the powder had dissolved. Then he checked the temperature of the formula with his wrist. The eldest then put the bottle under cold water to cool down the hot temperature.

"Waaa-" Lucius's cry stopped immediately after Lucifer got him back into his arm and put the bottle into his mouth. The baby opened his deep pink eyes to look at his father, as if he was innocent and didn't cause his father any headache or fatigue just a moment before.

Lucifer didn't say anything but smiled at Lucius.

Suddenly, the secret door to the kitchen opened and Asmodeus emerged from it.

"Why are you guys he-... Awww, what a wholesome sight!" Asmodeus immediately took his phone out and prepared to take a picture.

However, Lucifer turned away, blocking Lucius from Asmo's phone's camera.

"C'mon, Lucifer, just one pic, I won't post it on Devilgram. I'll share that pic only to Klein."

Only with the conditions Asmo promised that Lucifer turned around, letting the fifth-born take a picture of him feeding Lucius.

Right after Lucius finished the formula bottle, Lucifer pat on his back to help him digest his meal.

BURP

"Now that you are full, let Dada put you back to sleep." Lucifer said after his son let out a large burp, with Asmo and Beel smiled to the wholesome scene, while Satan and Belphie rolled their eyes.

"Why is everyone here?" Mammon said loudly, almost like shouting, when he entered the kitchen.

"Are we having a midnight snack scene like in the anime?" Levi said with a laugh.

Hearing the loud noise, Lucius's eyes that were preparing to close for sleep opened wide again.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

"Dada's here, Dada's here..." Lucifer tried to pacify his crying son as he glared at his two loud brothers.

"You guys are done for." Belphie whispered to Mammon's and Levi's ears.

"N-no way" Mammon and Levi wanted to cry like Lucius.

Meanwhile, at the human realm...

It was already past midnight when Klein finished his Overlord works, which required for him to be present himself. As the Overlord returned to his room inside his Fortress, he took out his DDD and saw a message from Asmodeus in the group chat of the House of Lamentation members.

It was a picture of the Avatar of Pride feeding his son, who is like a copy version of himself. Klein reacted with a heart emoji before messaging "I'll be home first thing tomorrow" before getting to bed, exhausted but looking forward to tomorrow.

This is my self-indulgent fic, I hope you guys like it :3