#a.j. brown

[pokemonwearingsportsmerch]

[the-football-chick]

[masoncarr2244]

A. J. Brown - Miami Dolphins at. Philadelphia Eagles 10/22/23/

[ajbrownstoryteller]

Do You Have A Minute to Help a Guy Out?

Good morning everyone. I know I’ve been irregular in posting content over the last handful of years. Today’s post is twofold. One, it’s to say, “Hey, I’m still here.” And, Two, to ask for your help. No. No. No. There is no money involved. Read on. I’m not a fan of Amazon. It has been a necessary evil, but still an evil. The issue has become that I make nothing with my books on Amazon. Literally.…

[talos-stims]

WHAT THEM DOGS DON'T KNOW THEY KNOW

🐅|🐅|🐅

🐅|🐅|🐅

🐅|🐅|🐅

[cheriedelune]

“𝓽eenage angst has paid off well. 𝓷ow I’m bored and old.” - Serve The Servants.

[antiqueanimals]

Montana Outdoors. July/August 1975, Vol. 6, No. 4. Watercolor by A.J. McCoy.

Internet Archive

[nerds-yearbook]

First episode of Challenge of the Gobots aired on October 29, 1984. Renegade Gobots escape to Earth with an experimental weapon with the good Gobots following in pursuit. ("Battle for Gobotron", Challenge of the Gobots, TV, Event)

[purple8cat]

ocs i love

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

♾️ Books for World Autism Month + Neurodiversity Celebration Week

♾️ The last week of March was Neurodiversity Celebration Week. My post is (obviously) late, but April is also World Autism Month (beginning with World Autism Awareness Day on April 2). To generate additional awareness, here are a few books by autistic authors and/or about autistic characters. First slide features books coming out later this year. On the last slide, you'll also find books with additional neurodiversity rep (including characters with ADHD, dyslexia, and OCD).

✨ The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester - Maya MacGregor ✨ Unbroken ed. - Marieke Nijkamp ✨ The Reanimator’s Heart - Kara Jorgensen ✨ An Unkindness of Ghosts - Rivers Solomon ✨ Failure to Communicate - Kaia Sønderby ✨ Hazelthorn - CG Drews ✨ Don’t Forget to Breathe - Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum ✨ Hollow - Taylor Grothe ✨ Compound Fracture - Andrew Joseph White ✨ To a Darker Shore - Leanne Schwartz ✨ The Problem with Gravity - Michelle Mohrweis ✨ Ellen Outside the Lines - A.J. Sass

✨ The Bride Test - Helen Hoang ✨ Daniel, Deconstructed - James Ramos ✨ Tonight We Rule the World - Zack Smedley ✨ Paige Not Found - Jen Wilde ✨ Something More - Jackie Khalilieh ✨ Uncomfortable Labels - Laura Kate Dale ✨ The Luis Ortega Survival Club - Sonora Reyes ✨ Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl - Brianna R. Shrum and Sara Waxelbaum ✨ The Spirit Bares Its Teeth - Andrew Joseph White ✨ The Brightsiders - Jen Wilde ✨ The Boys in the Back Row - Mike Jung ✨ Hating Jesse Harmon - Robin Mimna

✨ Queens of Geek - Jen Wilde ✨ The Maid - Nita Prose ✨ The Heart Principle - Helen Hoang ✨ The Girl Who Played with Fire - Stieg Larsson ✨ Even If We Break - Marieke Nijkamp ✨ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon ✨ Unseelie - Ivelisse Housman ✨ This Could Be Us - Kennedy Ryan ✨ Act Your Age, Eve Brown - Talia Hibbert ✨ The Kiss Quotient - Helen Hoang ✨ On the Edge of Gone - Corinne Duyvis ✨ Against the Stars - Christopher Hartland

✨ Tell Me How It Ends - Quinton Li ✨ Izzy at the End of the World - K.A. Reynolds ✨ Late Bloomer - Mazey Eddings ✨ Fake It Till You Bake It - Jamie Wesley ✨ Whatever Happens - Micalea Smeltzer ✨ Gimmicks and Glamour - Lauren Melissa Ellzey ✨ Last Call at the Local - Sarah Grunder Ruiz ✨ Reggie and Delilah's Year of Falling - Elise Bryant ✨ The Charm Offensive - Alison Cochrun ✨ A Prayer for Vengeance - Leanne Schwartz ✨ Tilly in Technicolor - Mazey Eddings ✨ If Only You - Chloe Liese

✨ The Unbalancing - R.B. Lemberg ✨ The Outside by Ada Hoffmann ✨ Stars in the Daylight Sky - Maya MacGregor ✨ The Broposal - Sonora Reyes

[trans-axolotl]

this is a shortened works cited from my thesis, pulling out the sources about American intersex history and activism from the past 30 years. i have pdfs for most of the sources there, if there's something that isn't linked send me a message and i can try to find it!

just thought i'd try to put a lot of intersex history sources in one place.

Works Cited: 

Amato, Viola. “The Intersex Movement of the 1990s: Speaking Out Against Medical and Narrative Violence.” In Intersex Narratives: Shifts in the Representation of Intersex Lives in North American Literature and Popular Culture, 55–102. Transcript Verlag, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1xxrsz.6.

Bauer, Markus, Daniela Truffer and Daniela Crocetti. “Intersex Human Rights.” The International Journal of Human Rights. 24, no.6. (2020):724-749.https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2019.1671354 

Brown, Lydia X.Z., Erickson, Loree, da Silva Gorman, Rachel, Lewis, Talila A., McLeod, Lateef, and Mingus, Mia.  “Radical Disability Politics.” In Routledge Handbook of Radical Politics, edited by A.J. Withers and Liat Ben-Moshe, 178-193. Routledge, 2019. 

Cameron, David. “Hermaphrodites With Attitude.” Newsletter. 1994. https://isna.org/library/hwa/ 

Carpenter, Morgan. “Fixing bodies and shaping narratives: Epistemic injustice and the responses of medicine and bioethics to intersex human rights demands.” Clinical Ethics. 2024;19, no. 1. (2024) :3-17. doi:10.1177/14777509231180412

Chase, Cheryl. “Hermaphrodites with Attitude: Mapping the Emergence of Intersex Political Activism.” Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. 4, no.2, (1998): 189-211. 

---, Hermaphrodites Speak! 1997; Rohnert Park: Intersex Society of North America. Video tape. 

Cohen, Julie, dir. Every Body. 2023; United States: Focus Features, DVD.

Denny, Dallas.  "Chrysalis Quarterly, Vol. 2 No. 5 (Fall, 1997 / Winter, 1998)."  Periodical.  1998.  Digital Transgender Archive,  https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/7s75dc39s  (accessed April 08, 2024).

Davis, Georgiann. “Introduction: Normalizing Intersex: The Transformative Power of Stories.”  in Voices: Personal Stories from the Pages of Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics: Normalizing Intersex, edited by James DuBois and Ana Iltis. 1-4. John Hopkins University Press, 2016. 

Dreger, Alice. “Rejecting the Tranquilizing Drug of Gradualism in Intersex Care.” Alice Dreger (blog). November 2015. Accessed April 9, 2024. https://alicedreger.com/dsd_human_rights/ 

Dreger, Alice and April Herndon. “Progress and Politics in the Intersex Rights Movement: Feminist Theory in Action.” Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies. 15, no. 2. (2009): 199-224.

Fausto-Sterling, Ane. Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. New York: Basic Books. 2000. 

“A Framework for Intersex Justice.” Intersex Justice Project. 2021. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.intersexjusticeproject.org/intersex-justice-framework.html 

"FTM Newsletter #37."  Periodical.  1997.  Digital Transgender Archive,  https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/kd17cs89j  (accessed April 08, 2024).

Hegarty, Peter, Marta Prandelli, Trove Lundberg, Lih-Mei Liao, Sarah Creighton, and Katrina Roen.”Drawing the Line Between Essential and Nonessential Interventions on Intersex Characteristics With European Health Care Professionals.” Review of General Psychology. 25, no 1. (2020): 101-114. 

Hermaphrodites With Attitude.  "Hey AAP! Get Your Scalpels Off Our Bodies! Flyer."  Ephemera.  1990.  Digital Transgender Archive,  https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/qj72p712h  (accessed April 08, 2024). 

“Hermaphrodites With Attitude,” Intersex Society of North America. 2006. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://isna.org/library/hwa/ 

“How To: Organize an #EndIntersexSurgery Protest in your hometown--a toolkit created by Intersex Justice Project (IJP.” Intersex Justice Project. 2019. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20191111232744/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EgYy2jfSO04HF_FGv-8RXYEgWW422L-RB7oxMOaIiBc/edit 

Hughes, Ieuan, Christopher Houk, Syed Faisal Ahmed, Peter Lee, and LWPES1/ESPE2 Consensus Group. “Consensus Statement on Management of intersex disorders.” Disease in Childhood. 91, no.7. (2006): 554-563. doi: 10.1136/adc.2006.098319

“I Want to Be Like Nature Made Me: Medically Unnecessary Surgeries on Intersex Children in the US.” Human Rights Watch. InterACT. July 2017, accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/lgbtintersex0717_web_0.pdf 

“InterACT Statement on Intersex Terminology.” InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. 2015. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://interactadvocates.org/interact-statement-on-intersex-terminology/#:~:text=interACT's%20use%20of%20terminology%20and,of%20the%20term%20%E2%80%9Cintersex%E2%80%9D. 

Lindhal, Hans. “Is PCOS an Intersex Condition? Here’s 5 Reasons Why Some Say Yes.” HansLindhal.Com (Blog). February 2023, Accessed April 7, 2024. https://hanslindahl.com/blog/is-pcos-an-intersex-condition 

---., “9 Young People on How They Found Out They Are Intersex.” Teen Vogue. October 2019. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.teenvogue.com/gallery/young-people-on-how-they-found-out-they-are-intersex 

“M.C v. Aaronson.” Southern Poverty Law Center. 2017. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.splcenter.org/seeking-justice/case-docket/mc-v-aaronson

Merrick, Ten. “From ‘Intersex’ to ‘DSD’: A Case of Epistemic Injustice.” Synthese 196, no. 11 (2019): 4429–47. http://www.jstor.org/stable/45220035.

Orr, Celeste. Cripping Intersex. University of British Columbia Press, 2022. 

Pagonis, Pidgeon. “#EndIntersexSurgery Protest At Lurie Children’s Hospital Recap + 5 Ways To Get Involved.” Intersex Justice Project. 2018. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.intersexjusticeproject.org/blog/endintersexsurgery-protest-at-lurie-childrens-hospital-recap 

Pagonis, Pidgeon and Sean Saifa Wall. “Open Letter to AIS-DSD Support Group.” EndIntersexSurgery. Intersex Justice Project. February 2018. Accessed April 8, 2024.  http://www.endintersexsurgery.org/ 

Redick, Alison. “What Happened at Hopkins: The Creation of the Intersex Management Protocols.  Cardozo Journal of  Law & Gender. 12 (2005): 289-296 

Reid, Graeme, and Minky Worden. “Caster Semenya Won Her Case, But Not the Right to Compete.” Human Rights Watch. July 2023. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/07/18/caster-semenya-won-her-case-not-right-compete  

Reis, Elizabeth. Bodies in Doubt: An American History of Intersex. John Hopkins Press, 2021.

---, “Did Bioethics Matter? A HIstory of Autonomy, Consent, and Intersex Genital Surgery. Medical Law review. 27, no.4, (2019):658-674. https://doi.org/10.1093/medlaw/fwz007 

Rios-Espinosa, Carlos, Koomah, Syrus Marcus Ware, and Sean Saifa Wall. “Liberating All Bodies: Disability Justice & Intersex Justice In Conversation.” Webinar at the Crip Camp Impact Team and Human Rights Watch Film Festival, United States, October 2020.  

Rubin, David, Michelle Wolff and Amanda Lock Swarr. “Creating Intersex Justice: Interview with Sean Saifa Wall and Pidgeon Pagonis of the Intersex Justice Project.”  Transgender Studies Quarterly. 9, no. 2. (2022): 187-195. https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-9612823 

Sharman, Zena. “Intersex Justice and the Care We Deserve: ‘I Want People to Feel at Home in Their Bodies Again.’” Ms. Magazine. 2022. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://msmagazine.com/2022/02/03/intersex-justice-the-care-we-dream-of-queer-trans-healthcare/  

Sharpe, Sam. “No one-size-fits all: Myths and Misconceptions about PCOS.” InterACT: Advocates for Intersex Youth. Advocates for Informed Choice. October 2022. Accessed on April 7, 2024. https://interactadvocates.org/no-one-size-fits-all-myths-and-misconceptions-about-pcos/ 

Spurgas, Alyson. “(Un)Queering Identity: The Biosocial Production of Intersex/DSD.” in Critical Intersex edited by Morgan Holmes. 97-122. Ashgate Publishing, 2009. 

Tamar-Matis, Anne. “ Advocates for Informed Choice, Newsletter Fall 2007.” Newsletter. 2007. AIC Legal .https://aiclegal.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/fall-07-newsletter-final.pdf

---. “Advocates for Informed Choice: Newsletter Spring 2008.” Newsletter. 2008. AIC Legal.https://aiclegal.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/spring-08-final.pdf

---. “Advocates for Informed Choice: Newsletter Summer 2009.” Newsletter. 2009. AIC Legal.https://aiclegal.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/aic-2009-summer-newsletter-pdf.pdf

---. “Advocates for Informed Choice: Spring 2010 Newsletter.” Newsletter. 2010. AIC Legal.https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=f8291560ebb2dafc25097480f&id=5803ec8c71

---., “June 2011: Promoting the Civil Rights of Children Born With Variations of Sex Anatomy.” Newsletter. 2011. AIC Legal. https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=f8291560ebb2dafc25097480f&id=cec68ddac 

---.. “June 2012: Promoting the Civil Rights of Children Born With Variations of Sex Anatomy.” Newsletter. 2012. AIC Legal. https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=f8291560ebb2dafc25097480f&id=b4d4dd90cf

---. “ 2012 Annual Report.” Newsletter. 2012. Advocates for Informed Choice. https://interactadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/AIC-2012-Annual-Report.pdf 

---. “2013 Annual Report. “ Newsletter. 2012. Advocates for Informed Choice. https://interactadvocates.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/2013-annual-report-FIN1.pdf  

“US: Anti-Trans Bills Also Harm Intersex Children.” Human Rights Watch. October 22. Accessed April 10, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/26/us-anti-trans-bills-also-harm-intersex-children 

Vecchietti, Valentino. “A Journey to the Intersex-Inclusive Pride Flag.” Global Inclusive Pride Flag. Intersex Equality Rights. 2021. Accessed April 7, 2024. https://www.globalinclusiveprideflag.com/ 

Wilchins, Riki Anne.  "In Your Face No. 5 (Spring 1998)."  Newsletter.  1998.  Digital Transgender Archive,  https://www.digitaltransgenderarchive.net/files/vq27zn45k  (accessed April 08, 2024).

Withers, AJ. Disability Politics and Theory. Fernwood Publishing, 2012. 

Woo, Elaine. “David Reimer, 38; After Botched Surgery, He was Raised as a Girl in Gender Experiment.: Los Angeles Times. May 2004. Accessed April 8, 2024. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-may-13-me-reimer13-story.html 

[lilbirdblu]

Nick Tobias, from Blind Man's Bluff by @ladyred-ms: a web weave

the absolutely true story of a part-time indian, sherman alexie | unknown | the boy who blocked his own shot, brand new | unknown | nothin.last4ever | places i've taken my body: essays, molly mccully brown | abject permanence, larissa pham | unknown | beloved, yves olade | wolf hall, hilary mantel | cop car, mitski | demonevil | bright dead things, ada limon | tongues & teeth, the crane wives | unknown | first love/late spring, mitski | unknown | azra t | nothin.last4ever | unknown | a letter to stanley pennell, martha gellhorn | uknown | everyone i love is a stranger to someone, annelyse gelman | vulnerability, a.j | clockwork princess, c. clare

[virtuallovemoon]

Ranking the Robins and how well they have been adapted.

I will be include all the characters who have been Robin who have been adapted but only from the comics so no Matt McGinnis. Also this isn't on how accurate they are just how well there treated. An other my opinion (but not my opinion on the characters).

#7. Stephanie Brown:

Started with off the robin who I think has the worst adaptions our girl Stephanie. The problem is that shows that make a glorified background character with a speaking role (or she was in Gotham knights tv show but that doesn't help at all). it she feels less because want to adapted but more "hey comic readers the character you like is in our show" (so a glorified cameo). Maybe one day we'll get a good Stephanie adaptation.

#6. Tim Drake:

Now Tim here was originally at the bottom of the list until I decided to and all the Robins who have apparencies outside of comics. Now Tim is the robin with the second adaptations but writers can't seem to get him right. and he does have good ones but most of time never spend to much time with so barley get to fully enjoy him. Not to mention he never consistent personality. And just to add he's the only one out main 4 robins to not have his origin adapted. Tim just never fully feels like Tim in any adaption so that's why he's so low.

#5. Duke Thomas

So ignoring the if Duke's a Robin or not debate, He is Robin in the Bat wheels show that's why he's here. There's not much to say it's not bad but I don't think having Dukes first appearance outside but pre-school show but I do love how A.J Hudson voice work so there's that. He feels like (well as much you can do in pre-school show).

#4. Jason Todd

Now Jason is the Robin on this list, who benefited form having adaptations. Having said that Jason adaptations are always a mixed bag. The goods are just flawed in their writing or just plain bad (and totally misunderstands character) that's all have to say.

#3. Dick Grayson

Would figure one Dc popular characters and the Robin with the most adaptions would be number one but no there a mixed bag. He did start off good that was Golden Dick not modern day and that's big difference. When he shine he's great but when not he's just glorified punching bag or butt of joke (yes pun initiated).

#2. Carrie Kelly.

I don't have a lot to say but they get right at least like she is Carrie Kelly in every adaption.

#1. Damian Wayne

Not only do I think he has best adaptions he is best adapted Robin in my opinion. Like if have make a tier-list on the robins based on their adaptions Damian would be S tier and the rest would be C or D tier. The writers do him justice in the movie he appears sure he takes the spotlight but hey at least one of the Robin's they got right in all there adaptions.

but ya this all my opinion.

[happygirl2oo2]

Some More Queer Sports Romance Books For Pride Month 🌈 (all are books I've read/currently have on my own tbr list)

[another year another one of these lists 'cause I wanted to see how many new queer sports romance books I've added to my tbr list since I posted part 1 last year]

Hockey

Zero Pucks - E.M. Lindsey [mlm]

Power Forward (Chicago Thunder Book 4) - Jodi Oliver [mlm]

Like a Power Play - Elle Sprinkle [wlw]

Final Breakaway (For Puck's Sake #11) by Crea Reitan [mlm]

Skating to Him - Christie Gordon [mlm]

Puck Love - Lane Hayes [mlm]

Gross Misconduct - A.J. Truman [mlm]

Rule Breaker - Ava Olsen [mlm]

On the Edge (SCU Hockey Book 3) - J.J. Mulder [mlm]

Crossed Sticks (Buffalo Warriors Hockey #1) and Net Bet (Buffalo Warriors Hockey #2) - Ryan Taylor, Joshua Harwood [mlm]

The Shots You Take - Rachel Reid [mlm]

Pucking Strong (Jacksonville Rays #4) - Emily Rath [mlm]

Breaking Through the Doubt (Espen Jetties #4) - Haven Hadley [mlm]

Love Pucked - Emily Silver [wlw]

Voices - Joey Parker [mlm]

Call It Home - Catherine Cloud [mlm]

One-Time Shot (Smithton Bears #1) - Lane Hayes [mlm]

Zone Entry (Camrose U book 1) and Off the Boards (Camrose U book 2) - Maia Kinley [mlm]

Speed (Railers Legacy book 1) - R.J. Scott, V.L. Locey [mlm]

Bar Down - Stef C.R. [mlm]

Marriage of Ice-venience (The Crawford Family Playbook #6) - Kendall Hale [mlm]

Crossed Lines - Sierra Bennett [mlm]

Slew Foot (Scoring Chances #3) - Brigham Vaughn [mlm]

Spinning to the Goal - Christie Gordon [mlm]

The Puck Contract - M.M. Phoenix [mlm]

Cold Front (Michigan U Hockey #1) - Denver Shaw [mlm]

Figure Skating

Kiss and Cry - Keira Andrews [mlm]

Soccer

Playing The Field - KC Leonard [wlw]

Hits Different - Joel Rustin [mlm]

Futbolista - Jonny Garza Villa [mlm]

Always on My Mind - Kelsey Painter [wlw]

Volley - Crea Reitan [mlm]

The Other Team - Felix Fowler [mlm]

Two Left Feet - Kallie Emblidge [mlm]

Lacrosse 

A Bit of You (Farewell Fairwood #3) - Hannah Ellie [wlw]

Football

The Brotherly Shove - Emily Shacklette [mlm]

Changing the Play - Morgan Sloan [mlm]

Trick Play (Playing the Field book 4) - Ajay Daniel [mlm]

Most Valuable Player - A.M. Woody [mlm]

The Kings of Beacon - Mike Jakubowski [mlm]

Cross-country

Out of Step, Into You - Ciera Burch [wlw]

Rowing

See you at the Finish Line - Zac Hammett [mlm]

Swimming

Poolside (Southeastern Alumni #2) - Taylor E. Weston [mlm]

Field Hockey

All's Fair in Love and Field Hockey - Kit Rosewater [wlw]

Baseball

Switch Pitching (Off the Bench Book 1) - S.J. Crawford [mlm]

Honeysuckle (The Hornets Nest #3) - Aubrey Taylor [mlm]

Totally Opposed (Love In Play #3) - Becca Jackson [mlm]

Rounding for Home - Fallon Brown [mlm, trans MC]

Crew (Comeback Duet #1) - Kimberly Knight, Rachel Lyn Adams [mlm]

Wrestling

Dropkicks and Dandelions (Titan Wrestling #2) - Val Simons [mlm]

Sucker Punch (Wrestling Girls #1) - Kayla Faber [wlw]

MMA

Hits Different - Joel Rustin [mlm]

Roller Derby

Learning to Fall - Peach Morris [wlw]

Rink Rash - Santana Knox [wlw]

Leave It on the Track - Margot Fisher [wlw]

Car Racing

Crash Test - Amy James [mlm]

Speed (Railers Legacy book 1) - R.J. Scott , V.L. Locey [mlm]*

Rugby

Every Move You Make - Sloan Spencer [mmf]

Summer Breakdown (Training Seasons Book 2) - J.S. Jasper [wlw]

The Fly-Half (Lincoln Knights #2) and The Scrum-Half (Lincoln Knights #3) - Charlie Novak [mlm]

Volleyball 

Double Hit - Katie Steele [mlm]

Smash or Pass - Birdie Schae [wlw]

Karate 

The Silver Dragon - Ellis Colton [mlm]

Tennis

Backhanded Compliments - Katie Chandler [wlw]

From the Courtroom to the Court - Eva Gonzay, Julia C. Brown [wlw]

Basketball

Tip In - Josie Mae [wlw]

Scoring the Player (Chasing Rings book 2) - Kit Grey [mlm]

Play You For It - Samantha Saldivar [wlw]

Deeply Loved Bayou (The Baton Rouge Bayou #2) - Aricka Alexander [wlw]

[amorhedera6]

i have so many thoughts about paulkins kids. there are many options, and lucky for us, we know that paulkins exist in every universe.

in one, when paul and emma aren’t yet dating but are “intimate” emma misses her period. she goes to a doctor and gets confirmation. she panics because she and paul aren’t serious yet, but she realizes how happy the idea of having a family with him makes her. they have a daughter, addison jane perkins-matthews, that everyone calls a.j. she has emma’s hair and paul’s blue eyes, and she loves to swim.

in another universe, they don’t have a kid until they’ve been married for a few years. it took them a while to get there, with emma wanting to take things slowly and paul waiting for her no matter what, but he takes her name and they become the perkins’. when they have their son, they name him matthew after paul’s family. he’s got paul’s lighter brown hair and his blue eyes, but he still manages to look more like emma. he was made for the kitchen, and loves loves loves cooking and baking.

there’s another universe where emma and paul have twins girls, elizabeth and olivia. the two could not be more polar opposites, with lizzie being less feminine, loving soccer and sports, and livvy being so extremely femining, wanting to be a fashion designer, but they are always there for each other. the two love each other and always manage to support each other’s passions.

in another universe, they have a family of five, brianna, christopher, and freddie. bri is an artist, always painting and drawing. christopher loves to dance, and to paul’s horror joins theatre in high school. paul learns to love performances when it’s his son, seeing the joy and determination in his face. freddie loves to read, will devour a book so quickly it’s actually a little frightening. paul and emma watch their kids fight across the dining table and smile fondly.

sometimes, they don’t have kids at all. emma’s commitment issues making her hesitate, or her issues with her own parents (which i am headcannoning). maybe paul, who only ever says “kids, someday, maybe” decides he only ever felt pressured into wanting kids. sometimes only one doesn’t want kids, sometimes both, but either way they always respect it.

sometimes they take too long. paul pines for years, emma doesn’t want to label it, and by the time they’re ready, they’re told emma can’t have kids.

there’s a universe where they keep a foster home, their house a revolving door for kids who need a place to stay. they look out for each and every one of them, giving them a place to feel safe and good people to look up to.

there’s a universe where they adopt a pair of siblings who lost their parents too young, the older maddison always having to look out for her little brother michael. maddie never had time to have a hobby, or a passion, but in their safe space she can admit to herself that she wants to be a filmmaker. mike adores his older sister, and loves to play the guitar.

in one universe, they adopt a toddler who was mistreated by his guardians. harry took a while to warm up to them because of this, but they helped him adjust and recuperate and grow from it all. he grew up to be a botanist, loving learning about biology from his figurative grandpa hidgens.

basically, i just want and need happy ending paulkins who have a happy domestic little life and shit.

[meliskindachildishlol]

Good enough (A BATMM: Real-World! AU one-shot)

This is the first one-shot I've done after a while, pls go easy on me, I'm trying to get the hang of writing again. 🥲

~1600 words

QUICK NOTE FOR THE CHARACTERS FOR THIS AU!

Eric → Blaze

Cedric → Crusher

Dion → Pickle (was only mentioned)

A.J. → …XD (only mentioned ×2)

He woke up with a choked yelp, sitting up on the bed on pure instinct. Feeling his heart slamming against his chest and with drops of sweat running down his face, he tried to catch his breath in sharp, quick pants. He looked around everywhere, as if to check if he was actually in the bedroom, and sighed, his head hanging low.

It was just a nightmare… again. The third one from that week, actually.

It always started and ended the same. A dark hallway he had to wander until he found a red door, entering the room and seeing masks on the walls that looked like his friends, the door shutting locked behind him inexplicably, a bunch of echoey voices shaming him for not being enough for anyone over and over again… He was growing tired of it.

With a groan, he slowly got up and directed himself to the bathroom in slow, almost tentative steps, as if walking through the darkness of the house was something he wasn’t used to. As soon as he opened the door and got in, his hands fell to the edges of the sink and gripped them tight enough for his knuckles to begin to turn white.

“Santo Dios,” he muttered, staring at his reflection in the mirror with tired, droopy eyes. “I look worse than last time.”

An even deeper sigh escaped him as he turned on the water, spraying it on his face with his hands. He didn’t even bother drying his face right away and go back to sleep just like he usually would. He just stared down at the sink with blank eyes, already stuck deep in thought.

Ever since he arrived in Axle City with A.J., things had been going pretty smoothly. He had his life resolved, he had people who cared for him, he had the recognition of the people of the city… he had everything.

And yet, he still felt like he didn’t deserve it.

People like him for being the city’s “most skilled racer”, but would they still like him if he wasn’t? What if he fails and lets everyone down one day?

Is he really that great like others say, or is he just lucky? Does he really deserve all the cheers… the praise… his title?

Does he deserve to be the leader? What if someone else would do a better job?

He's done a lot… but almost none of it feels good enough. He doesn’t feel good enough.

A sudden touch on his shoulder interrupted his thoughts, flinching hard with a choked sound that was a strange mix between a gasp and a yelp.

“Jesus Christ, chill out!” Cedric's voice came out louder than intended, recoiling his hand back as Eric whips his head back. “It’s just me, not a… a thief or something like that.”

Eric stared at Cedric with wide eyes for three solid seconds before he let out a shuddering breath, a small chuckle escaping him right after. “Sorry, sorry, it’s just… I didn’t expect anyone else to be up.”

“Well you’re lucky no one else is up,” Cedric muttered, crossing his arms.

The tan, brown-haired man tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“You literally screamed out of nowhere,” he made a gesture with his hands, as if to simulate how sudden it had been. “Dion almost woke up too, but I think he was way too tired to even sit up. Anyway, what’s up with that?”

“Oh, that…” Eric scratched the back of his neck nervously, his gaze drifting away from Cedric's as he thought of something to say. At this point, it was expected that his excuses would come naturally... but for some reason, his mind went blank under the other man's gaze. “It's… it’s nothin’, don't worry."

“Nothin’?” The other asked in a dead-pan tone. “Eric, you looked like you saw a murder. Hell, I didn’t know I would be the one asking this but… you okay?”

Silence.

Silence and a small, hesitant sound from Eric is the only thing that followed after that question. He would answer with something like “Of course I am”, or “Yeah, don't worry about it”... but, once more, he could not bring himself to brush it off. Words failed him, and it seemed to make Crusher's curiosity and concern grow.

“Dude? You're not gonna say anything?”

Eric lowered his gaze, his hand gripping his arm tightly as if frustrated over the fact that he's letting himself be vulnerable in front of, mind you, his rival. With a defeated sigh, his shoulders slumped over, releasing some tension he hadn't realized he had, and shook his head softly.

“...I don't know.”

Cedric's brows furrowed. “What do you mean you don't know?” his voice came out softer this time, almost tentative.

“I don't-” Eric cut himself off once a small tremor in his voice appeared. When he spoke again, his voice was now softer, choked up. “I don't know...”

Eric's arms slightly wrapped around himself, his fingers gripping his arms way too tight. Cedric found himself freezing in place, opening his mouth to say something but holding himself back immediately. The “mask” Eric wore was slipping down right in front of him, he wasn't naïve enough to not notice it, but he didn't know if he should help him put it back on or help him take it off.

After seconds that felt like an eternity, he finally made his choice. He stepped closer and, much to Eric's surprise, wrapped his arms around his shoulders and pulled him to a hug. An awkward, stiff hug, but it was with all the good intention Cedric could show.

“You don't have to talk about it if you can't... I-I don't know what's going on and I'm not that good with emotional shit, but, uhm…” He then sighed, his hold on Eric becoming less rigid and becoming more natural. “Take a breath, dude. Don't say you’re fine when you're not.”

That's all it took.

Eric let out a shuddery breath and hugged back tighter. Cedric made a small surprised noise at the sudden movement, but didn’t step back or push him away. They just… stayed there, under the gentle light of the bathroom and with the silence of the night; a silence that would normally be deafening for Eric… but, right now, it didn’t feel as overwhelming.

The mask had fallen off, but it felt much better than keeping it on.