#and basic and boring and it’s just urghhh

[eyeball-freak]

Rosabella beauty sucks there I said it

[chiiyuuvv]

hiii i just saw ur riize cuddling headcanon and i really like it! can u also do xikers ver?

• PAIRING — bf!xikers x gn reader (dont recall using she)

• GENRE — more fluff fluff, same as riize but xikers

• WORD COUNT — 683

• AUTHOR'S NOTE — the way i screamed when i read this request 🤭 ofcccccccccc

MASTERLIST! – JOIN THE TAGLIST!

MINJAE ☆

It just feels so safe and protective in his arms

You have a bad day and hes already engulfing you when you walk through the door

Cups your face and looks you dead in the eyes, telling you that everything is going to be alright and how hes proud of you for making it this far

Maybe even leans you again the wall to kiss you

And theres so much passion in that kiss too.. damn, sign me up ♡

JUNMIN ☆

I know i already said this but ✨ biting ✨

It's not aggressive or anything, just urghhh youre so cute lemme bite you

Even kongee joins in

But after everyones done laughing and barking, you get comfortable in his arms

Junmins leaning against the couch with his arm over you and kongee is on your lap, barking happily as you play with her ♡

SUMIN ☆

Feel like hes the type to need cuddles in the morning

Like you wake up and hes wrapped around you so tightly

His voice is deep and raspy with a sleepy smile on his face and his eyes are still closed

Defo little spoon, he just feels so small in your arms

And will melt if you kiss his forehead ♡

JINSIK ☆

Hes already waiting for your cuddles with a pout because thats his favorite past time

Keeps patting the spot beside him whenever you make eye contact

WILL squeeze the life out of you and ask about your day with a kiss on the cheek

He would tell you about his day and how he misses you so, soo much even though you were gone for an hour

Strokes your hair with heart eyes ♡

HYUNWOO ☆

When he askes for cuddles, you better give him his cuddles >:|

Will annoy you if you dont give him his way, jumping around with his hands on your shoulder as he repeats your name

And although hes annoying you, you cant find it yourself to be mad

Will melt in your arms and his cheeks would be so red

Hearts in his eyes, just like jinsik ♡

JUNGHOON ☆

I feel like i keep saying this but his. Head. On. Your. Lap.

Or stomach or just.. basically his a little spoon

Your hands NEED to be in his hair, understand??

His hands would be caressing your thigh or stomach, whatever hes laying on

And would fall asleep when you start telling him about your day. Not because its boring but your voice is so soothing and he just feels so comfortable ♡

SEEUN ☆

Cuddling time is talking time. He needs to know how you're feeling

Tell him your deepest, darkest secrets, opinions, whatever he wouldnt judge

Your head on his chest with him rubbing your back is all he needs

If you arent feeling so well then he would pepper your face with kisses and reassuring you everything will be okay

If you are feeling so well then he would pepper your face with kisses and tell you everything will remain okay ♡

YUJUN ☆

Would get so red when you ask for cuddles

But always says yes nevertheless

Its so warm in his arms, his chin resting on top of your head

Little tickle fights with the cutest smile

Pushes you on the bed just so he can get on top of you and hug you, his head in the crook of your neck ♡

HUNTER ☆

He'd be propped up on his shoulder while your hands were wrapped around his waist

Brushes some hair back to tell you how beautiful you are

Defo needs his kisses, so please give him his kisses >:|

Would get mad when you pepper his face with kisses because no he wants long, deep kisses. On his lips

And then would be all giggly when you finally do it ♡

YECHAN ☆

Hear me out, matching hoodies

With a movie playing in the background

But you guys arent paying attention, just too busy staring at each other

The sweetest smile when you tuck some hair behind his ear, cupping his cheek as he leans into your hand

Whispers in your ear how much he loves you ♡

[scrumptiousstuffs]

Only Friends, Episode 5 - The Extra Hour

In which we get Sand’s backstory (and proving once and for all he is the best boy ever, even P’Jojo said so!) before petty Boston ruins everything (again 😩)

Sand and Ray

Gosh…these 2 are everything this episode. We start with a montage of how mundane and boring Sand life is - study, working his multiple jobs, exercising, counting his finance and repeat…until Ray comes beaming into his life, and really give some much needed sunshine (heh, see what I did there?) to Sand’s life - and as per Sand, “his 25th hour.”

I love the domestic scenes we get - from Ray pretty much moving in with Sand (I suspect some time has passed by from the previous episode), to their domestic horny stuffs, to Sand catering Ray’s every whim. But as much as Sand spoils Ray, Ray actually does the same - he could have chosen not to go on the bike with Sand (after whining how hot and dusty it will be), he could have chosen not to model and indulge Sand’s desire for him to wear Sand’s style of clothes (after again whining halfheartedly it’s not his style).

I believe Ray is gradually but surely moving on from his unrequited love for Mew. He likes getting to know Sand - from all the above, to following Sand to the makeshift concert (and the song choice!! It’s from one of P’Jojo’s list for Sand’s Spotify!). And the fact that everytime Sand is with him, they are in their own world (I mean, poor Summer - she never stood a chance with Ray 😂…are we sure Ray is a playboy? So far, all I’m getting is him being hyper focus on one person when he likes someone - previously Mew, now Sand).

I also love the serious conversations these 2 have surrounding their births and their respective relationships with their parents - it makes such a good foundation for their blossoming friendship (and hopefully relationship). Gosh, the parallel of both being born from unexpected pregnancies - but Sand’s mom (and her gaggle of go-go women, I LOVE THEM) deciding to embrace him and raise him right (just look at how independent and self-reliance he is! P’Jojo tweeted how Sand is someone you want as a boyfriend in University, and I agree wholeheartedly) while Ray’s mom unfortunately fall into post-partum depression and spiralled into alcoholism (and the way Sand’s hand shook when he poured the alcohol drink for Ray, before the camera zoom to Sand looking at Ray to the bottle while Ray looked somehow bitter and sad - yes, FK again showing their supremacy in acting 👌)

But urgh, their blossoming relationship is now in tatters because of Boston being bitter and petty. I think Boston being informed by Mew that the latter is giving up his virginity to Top put him at edge. (And him yet again using Nick to forget about the fact, hence the reason he asked Nick whether he could stay the night at Nick’s place, when it’s usually the opposite)

And so to see Ray moving on, being happy with Sand - it snapped him. Boston is the type of person who can’t stand not winning, and I also think he has the mentality of “if I’m not happy, nobody can.” 😫

I still do not believe Ray and Mew slept together, so whatever Boston is spouting “are you two timing him?”, what does that even mean? Also, Mew called to say he was giving his virginity to Top…and even if they did slept together, it was TWO years ago. And now Ray knows Boston took pictures of RayMew kissing each other…gawd, Boston just sounded delusional during that whole scene.

In whatever case, the damage is done. And we see Sand guarding his heart again, despite Ray genuinely trying (for the first time) communicating by stating “If there is something you want to know, ask me, I’ll answer them.” Unfortunately, Sand is weary and it didn’t help Ray kept saying they were just friends each time someone asked what their relationship are (cause you know, Ray is a disaster muffin who won’t know he is in a relationship eventhough he basically did couply things with Sand). Urghhh…my heart just breaks for them 😭😩😫…and to end the episode with Sand shedding a tear and feeling alone (despite Ray lying next to him)…I don’t think I can forgive Boston for breaking their newfound happiness.

Nick and Boston

Which brings me to the toxic relationship of these 2. We see Nick trying to become more like Top. He exercising regularly to shape up and dress more smartly to capture Boston’s interest. But urgh…Boston as usual, plays it enough to make Nick happy (and the poor boy, Boston paying attention to the changes and commenting it, Nick thinks these are all positive things).

We also see Boston stating to Nick he wants to stop sleeping around (really?? When hell freezes over) because one of his conquest took video/photos of them together and Boston having to threaten said conquest to delete the incriminating footage (if that is not foreshadowing of what may happen to Boston in the future, I’m not sure what is. Also, Nick still has the recording of TopBoston….)

But what truly devastated me was when Boston spewing all the nonsense to SandRay that led to the massive fight between Ray and Boston; Ray warned Nick about Boston’s callous and selfish nature, and Nick just resignedly acknowledged it, fully aware he is too in love with Boston, and can’t seem to find a way out of it.

I’m sorry, but I can’t see any redeemable qualities in Boston 😭😭😭 (I love you, Neo and your acting in this series, 👌 - but urgh, Boston makes my blood boils)

Top and Mew

I can’t pinpoint it exactly but there is something not quite right with their relationship. On one hand, Top is sweet and attentive to Mew (I can see why Mew fell in love with Top). But twice now in this episode, 2 strange men stared (and smiled almost creepily at Top - with both time Mew clocking it? But not really addressing it). And Top genuinely doesn’t seem to be aware of the staring itself (or are we meant to think it’s all in Mew’s head? And it’s just Mew being insecure? 🧐🤨. I mean Mew did warn Top in the first episode he can become obsessive). I also do not believe one bit Top has given up on his drug habits plus his side eyeing Boston while shading both Boston and Ray in front of Mew (albeit subtly), is he slowly trying to manipulate Mew and isolate Mew from his group of friends?)

Nonetheless, Mew and Top did fall in love (or at least we are led to believe they are in love) and well, Top popped Mew’s cherry. What I cannot fathom is WHY Mew called Boston (of all people) to tell him the news. I can understand why he didn’t call Ray (so that he doesn’t rub on Ray’s unrequited love), but why not Cheum? Who from the get go rooted for TopMew. I’m not sure whether Mew has an ulterior motive or he genuinely thinks Boston will be happy for them as one of his bestie. Either way, Boston is NOT a happy camper (as we are aware) and took it out on SandRay newly found happiness.

Ray, Mew, Namchuem, Boston

Now more than ever, we are seeing cracks in their friendship. Ray and Boston don’t seem to get along without Namchuem and Mew. Ray and Mew (for obvious reasons) are probably talking the bare minimum with each other (and the fact that Top clocked on Mew and Namchuen basically doing the bulk of their hostel project tells you something). I feel the most sorry for Namchuen who has to deal with 3 sorry excuses of boys (cause let’s be honest, all 3 are disastrous in different ways)

Anyway, as usual, each episode makes my head spin and this is just me trying to figure out what’s happening. The preview from episode 6 seems wild with Mew’s birthday and Mew punching Ray? Oh dear…it’s going to be more heartbreak 😩😫😣…but onward and forward, is it Saturday yet?

09/09/2023

[061890]

Asougi and Naruhodou’s speeches and localization

A while back when the Great Ace Attorney was first released, I made a post on my DGS Twitter on some… Not great localization changes made in the first Escapade in the game's DLC. Namely, the topic of Asougi's speech.

In the Dai Gyakuten Saiban subtitles channel's translation of the DLC, Asougi's speech excerpt is this:

"Now's the time to make a stand! All you young and elderly, gentlemen and ladyfolk of the downtrodden classes!"

In Japanese: 「さあ！ 今こそ立ち上がれ！ 低所得者層の老若男女よ!」

While the translation uses the phrase "downtrodden classes", the original text uses  「低所得者層」 specifically, referring to low-income working class people. This is relevant due to the fact that, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, rapid modernization and changes in Japanese labor relations led to the mistreatment of the working class. The emphasis on social harmony, along with censorship and restricting the right to assembly (which would later become criminalized in 1900), made it difficult to organize labor strikes.

And yes, while this DLC episode was very much a slice-of-life thing compared to the rest of the Great Ace Attorney, the original topics of both Asougi and Naruhodou's speeches are very informative of their characters and political views; Asougi especially, which makes the changes made in the localization even more confusing.

See, at the time, rapid industrialization was done in order to bolster the military, as the government believed back then that doing so was necessary at the threat of European imperialism; however, as real-life history shows, this directly led to Japan doing irreparable damage in its own imperialist conquest.

So, for Asougi to have given a speech explicitly in support of low-income working class people was not just him being anti-capitalist, it also very much had to do with him being anti-militarist and anti-imperialist as well. 

Him planning to say 「老若男女」 ("men and women of all ages")  —specifically, him mentioning women of low-income in the working class— also references how labor relations for female workers in the textile industry were mostly girls from poor families that worked in wealthy households in preparation for marriage. Similarly, Asougi acknowledging workers of all ages references how at the time, Japanese labor unions were more inclusive than that of the United States', as apprentices could join regardless of age and skill level. 

Kazuma Asougi is, to the surprise of few, an incredibly political person. In fact, his actions here and generally recalcitrant treatment of authority figures, parallel left-wing socialist views at the time:

"One ideological faction [of the early labor leaders] favored discussion and cooperation with management, avoided strikes and political issues, and tried to win higher wages through improved productivity. These were moderates who favored harmony between labor and capital. The other major faction favored confrontation with management, thrived on political issues, and embraced the strike weapon. These were the left-wing socialists." — The Birth of the Japanese Labor Movement by Stephen E. Marsland

Even the year wherein he gave his speech, namely, the summer of 1897 is relevant to Japan's labor movement and how Asougi's character is rooted in exploitation by Western powers. This is because in April of 1897, Takano Fusataro, a Japanese labor activist, wrote "A Summons to the Workers", calling for the workers of Japan to organize at the threat of being exploited by foreign capitalist powers. Asougi's speech even parallels some of it, but notably, advocates for confrontation now while Fusataro discouraged revolution and radicalization, instead advocating for gradual change.

From "A Summons to the Workers":

「立て職工諸君、立つて組合を組織し、以てその重大なる責務とそのの男子たる面目を保つを務めよ。」

"Stand up, you workers! Stand up and organize unions!"

Asougi's speech:

「さあ！ 今こそ立ち上がれ！ 低所得者層の老若男女よ!」

"Now's the time to make a stand! All you young and elderly, gentlemen and ladyfolk of the downtrodden classes!"

Note: Fusataro references men due to "Summons" being directed towards factory workers at the time, but Asougi's speech generally references workers of all ages due to having a different audience.

In sharp contrast, Naruhodou's speech is about filial piety:

"Let's all cherish our mothers and fathers!"

Asougi losing all support for what was considered a very gutsy and controversial speech when he made a single slip-up —that being the infamous tongue twister— where Naruhodou wins for a very simple, even boring, speech tells us a lot about how they're seen by society. 

Asougi in canon is considered arrogant and annoying by multiple authority figures —namely, Auchi— because he's outspoken about current events and politics; and while being 23 years old is very much an adult by our standards, in Meiji era Japan, one couldn't vote unless they were male, over the age of 25, and paid taxes of at least 15 yen per year. This was something that mainly landowners and ex-samurai could do.

Naruhodou, on the other hand, is initially a typical Japanese young man that conforms to the status quo. He dislikes going against his parents' wishes, and as his speech shows, advocates for an idea that's the standard in Japanese society. He's also notably apolitical, as originally, when he claims he and Asougi talked about politics over lunch, Asougi corrects him stating he only ever talked about comedy theatre.

Note: While Naruhodou uses the term 「愛国」 (あいこく, lit. love of one's country, basically patriotism) when talking about he and Asougi's "debates", from literally everything we know about Asougi's political views, I seriously doubt Asougi was being patriotic when he criticizes the government as often as he does. That, and the fact that Naruhodou is already a very unreliable narrator and doesn’t even remember what actually happened.

Similarly, in the Japan-only DLC episode for Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2, he chides Naruhodou for not keeping up with current events:

Asougi: "It sounds like you haven't been reading the papers, Naruhodou." 

Naruhodou: "N-No, not so much lately..."

Asougi: [...] "Defence attorneys didn't exist in our country until only recently. Our reputations are still as low as mud, being called shysters who make underhanded deals. It's stuff like this which makes us have to claw back the people's trust. You should read at least this much, Naruhodou."

Naruhodou: "Urghhh… Newspapers are too complicated…"

Now, to return to the topic of the Great Ace Attorney, Asougi in the localization instead gives this speech:

Asougi: "So arise, ladies and gentlemen, and applaud our forefathers' plight and the fight for filial piety!"

...Thus, making him losing to Naruhodou a matter of skill and verbal articulation rather than that of politics. While again, yes, the DLC episodes are very much just extra content, the fact of the localization changing this not only weakens Asougi's character due to him being a very political person, but goes directly against his character.

After all, his original speech was a call to action for laborers in a time where labor relations were based in a parent-child (oyataka and kokata) dynamic for employers and employees respectively. To have him say that when he originally challenged this authority is just plain wrong, especially when Japanese society expects one to defer to their elders and authority.

Not only that, but Asougi's motivations for traveling to London had to do with how he and his immediate family were killed or harmed because of the Professor ordeal. He makes no mention of being obligated by his family name, even when he tells Naruhodou and Susato about them, nor the idea of clearing Genshin's name of wrongdoing. After all, while Genshin supposedly being the Professor was concealed from the public, it still would have brought him and his family shame in the wider Asougi family as a result.

While the Great Ace Attorney being localized certainly brings many great things —accessibility, directors' commentary, etc.— to the Ace Attorney's audience, it has several flaws in its localization, and this speech thing is just one of them; one particularly egregious example being Megundal being made Irish in a time where they were racially discriminated against, not to mention the antisemitism in DGS1-3, but that's a post for another day. 

In the meantime, I can only wonder why this change was made to a character whose story is inherently rooted in questioning authority, and speaking out regarding Japanese politics and current events at the time.

[bunnygirl330]

𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗;

pairings: ander muñoz x omar shana, background guzman nunier osuna x nadia shana

genre: fluff, angst, future au - established relationship

word count: 4.3K

warnings: chronic illness, hospitals summary: Ander and Omar love their daughter more than anything in the world. Their lives have been much harder but also so much more joyful since she came into the world. But what happens when parenting takes it's toll on Ander? Will their relationship be able to survive?

a/n: I loved writing this, I don't think I'll ever get bored of Omander! It's so fun to imagine what they'd be like as parents. The title of this is the title of a U2 song I love that you should totally go listen to. I have at least two more works coming up in this series and I've started writing a one-shot book which I will start posting soon so keep an eye out! And, as always, thank you to my amazing beta, ( @alytavzla​ ) I don't know where I would be without her. AO3

part one - part two

Anyway, enjoy!

Ander was sat on the sofa staring into space when suddenly he was startled by a loud knock on the door. It turned out he’d actually been taking a power nap with his eyes open in one of the very, very few moments of peace he got nowadays. He got up and practically zombie walked across the apartment to get to the front door before swinging it open.

“Hey!” Lu said, far too cheerily, as she wrapped her arms around Ander. “Wow, you look like hell.” She said, taking in his appearance. Ander was dressed in sweats with stains all over his sweater and very large dark circles under his eyes.

“Thanks.” He replied sarcastically. “I’d like to see what you would look like if you had a five month old baby. Not to mention the fact that she’s just started teething.”

“Darling, I always look gorgeous.” Lu stated as she slipped off her coat and went to sit down.

“You do know I have photos of you when you were literally in labour right?”

“Your point?” Lu deadpanned, as if she didn’t understand why Ander thought that was a threat. “Anyway, where is my favourite god-daughter?”

“Omar took her out in the car to try and get her to fall asleep. She basically hasn’t slept in the past three days. And thus neither have we.” Ander flopped down on the couch next to her whilst struggling to keep his eyes open.

Lu laughed and then headed towards the kitchen to make coffee for them. Just as she flicked the switch on the coffee maker she heard the door open and a loud screaming which made Ander curl up and put a cushion over the top of his head in order to try, and fail, to block the noise.

“Urghhh,” Omar groaned, as he slammed the door shut behind him while keeping a tight grip on his daughter. “I’ve tried literally everything but she just won’t sleep.”

Omar then heard Lu laughing from the kitchen and shot her a glare as he walked over to Ander and dumped Carmen in his lap, unable to take it any longer.

“Here,” Lu said, walking over and carrying the coffee. “you two drink this and I’ll take her.”

Ander practically shoved his daughter into Lu’s arms and started nursing the coffee she’d just handed him. He loved his daughter more than anything else in the world but at the same time he hadn’t slept in 72 hours and felt like he was about to collapse.

Within five minutes Carmen was sleeping peacefully in Lu’s arms as she rocked her back and forth. Ander and Omar stared at each other in disbelief.

“She’s a witch.” Omar whispered as Lu giggled.

“How the fuck did you do that?” Ander whisper-yelled, unable to believe that it was finally silent.

“Well clearly she just loves her Aunty Lu.” Lu replied smugly.

Honestly, neither Ander nor Omar cared how she did it they just cared that Carmen was now blissfully quiet. Carmen had always been able to sleep more easily in Lu’s arms. At first it worried the couple as they thought maybe their daughter was in need of a maternal parent but quickly brushed away the worry when it turned out another person could also make her magically fall asleep and that person was Guzman, much to Ander’s annoyance.

Lu spent the next couple of hours cradling and cooing at the baby she’d given birth to a mere five months ago before she decided it was best to get back to her apartment.

———

It was now seven o’clock in the evening and Ander was attempting to put Carmen to sleep for the night as she hadn’t cried again since Lu left and the two of them were hoping that they could keep it that way.

Omar was washing up dishes when he heard screaming coming from Carmen’s nursery once again which made him want to bang his head against the kitchen cabinets.

“Ander!” He screamed, hoping that his husband would be able to get their daughter to calm down again without him having to intervene. “Ander, why is she crying again?” Omar shouted as one last pitiful attempt to try and avoid going to help but unfortunately there was no reply. Omar wasn’t surprised though, with the amount of noise Carmen was making it would have to be a miracle for Ander to hear him.

Omar entered the room and immediately tears sprung to his eyes. The first thing he saw was his baby girl sat in her cot and screaming as she looked down at the ground in front of her. As he followed her gaze he saw something that years ago he’d hoped he would never have to see again. Ander was lying face down on the ground, unconscious. Omar ran to his husband and kneeled by his side, gently trying to shake him awake. He remembered all too well what had happened last time Ander had fainted out of the blue and exactly what had come after it.

Omar now had tears running down his cheeks just like his daughter, but he also knew he needed to take action. He ripped his phone out of his pocket and dialled an ambulance.

“112, what’s your emergency?” Came a voice from down the phone.

“I-I need an a-ambulance.” Omar said, his voice shaking with fear.

“Ok, can you tell me what’s happened?” The operator asked.

“It’s my husband, he-he-” Omar’s voice was cut off by a sob that wracked his entire body. He was panicking and upset and couldn’t get his words out straight.

“Sir, I need you to calm down okay? That’s the only way I’m going to be able to help you. You just need to take deep breaths.”

Omar breathed heavily until the sobs had mostly subsided and then he continued. “I’m sorry, it’s just my husband has just fainted, he’s not coming round and he has a history of leukaemia.”

“There’s no need to apologise, it’s a perfectly normal reaction given the circumstances. An ambulance is on it’s way, it’ll be there in ten minutes, do you need me to stay on the line with you?” The woman asked.

“No, no, that’s okay. Thank you so much.” Omar said before hanging up the phone.

Once he’d calmed down, he rang Azucena who immediately burst into tears and promised to meet them at the hospital and last but not least he rang Lu as she lived only seven minutes down the road and he was in desperate need of someone to come and look after his daughter.

Less than five minutes later Lu burst through the front door of the apartment and ran to the nursery where Ander was still passed out on the ground while Omar had now picked up his daughter and was attempting to sooth her whilst also crouching over Ander.

Lu immediately took Carmen from Omar’s arms and mere seconds later paramedics came rushing into the apartment.

Omar sobbed as Ander was loaded onto a stretcher and Lu did the best she could to comfort both him and the young child in her arms.

———

Omar was now in the ambulance with his head in his hands, unable to look at his husband attached to so many wires once again.

Suddenly a memory flashed through his brain which brought a whole new wave of tears.

It had been late at night and Ander was drained of all life as he’d now been undergoing chemotherapy for six very long weeks. Omar had been watching him as he brushed his teeth, clinging on to the sink in order to stay upright as he refused to let Omar help him. Ander looked better than he had earlier and so Omar decided to quickly run downstairs to get water for the two of them before they went to bed, however when he returned to their room Ander was lying across the bedroom floor clearly having fainted on his way from the bathroom to the bed. That had been the worst night of Omar’s life as ander hadn’t regained consciousness for over twelve hours and Omar had spent the entire time blaming himself.

At least, that had been the worst night of his life, until now. Omar couldn’t help thinking that maybe it was his fault again. Had he missed any warning signs? His love for Ander had grown even stronger over the past twelve years and he couldn’t picture his life without him, especially now that they had a beautiful daughter and what was set to be an incredible life ahead of them.

Omar was snapped out of his thoughts as the ambulance pulled up to the hospital and the paramedics began to move Ander out of the ambulance.

The next three hours went by in a blur. Omar had met an almost hysterical Azucena at the hospital entrance and had to spend twenty minutes trying to calm her down even though, internally, he was just as worried. Ander had regained consciousness half an hour after arriving at the hospital and then the next two hours had been spent with nurses running in and out of the room performing a series of tests on Ander and refusing to explain to any of them exactly what was going on. Half an hour ago a nurse had entered the room saying that a doctor would be with them shortly but that in the mean time Ander could get dressed as he was being discharged.

None of them were sure what to think of him being discharged. On one hand it could mean there was nothing wrong but on the other it could mean the hospital was busy and needed the bed.

Omar was sat next to his husband on the bed, clutching Ander’s hand in his own, as Azucena sat in a chair to the side. Then suddenly a doctor entered whilst looking down at the clipboard he was holding in his hand.

“Hi, I’m Dr Powell.” He said with an obvious American accent. “So I’m sure you’re all probably confused as to what’s happening but I’m afraid that at this time I can’t give you any solid answers. You do have a history of leukaemia so I’d just like to go over a few things with you if that’s okay?”

Ander nodded his head as he squeezed Omar’s hand in an attempt to reassure him.

“I just wondered whether you’d been experiencing any of your old symptoms recently? Nose bleeds, fatigue, etc?” The doctor asked.

“Um, I’m honestly not sure. I’ve been very tired and I’ve had headaches and little dizzy spells but we have a five month old daughter so I’d just put it down to the tolls of parenting. It’s been so long since everything happened that the thought of a relapse honestly hadn’t even crossed my mind.” The more Ander spoke, the more worried Omar began to get. If Ander had been experiencing symptoms of an kind it surely couldn’t be a good sign.

“There is a chance it’s just exhaustion and a lack of sleep, especially if you have a young child. However at the same to time I don’t want to give you false hope. Many people experience a lack of sleep when they’re new parents and but not very many of them end up in hospital. I just want to prepare you for the fact that there is a possibility that your leukaemia has returned. But I’m afraid there’s nothing else I can tell you until we get the test results back and that won’t be for twelve hours so I’ll need you to come back tomorrow afternoon so we can go through them.”

Azucena let out a small sob from where she was sat in the corner as Omar wrapped his arms around Ander who was staring vacantly at the wall, unable to process everything he’d just been told.

———

Once the three of them had left the hospital Ander and Omar hugged Azucena before saying goodbye with the promise that they would meet her back here in the morning.

When they got back to the apartment Omar quietly shut the door behind them as they made their way to the living room. They looked down at the couch to see Lu asleep with Carmen also asleep on her chest.

Carmen started making soft noises indicating that she was waking up so Ander lifted his daughter off of Lu’s chest causing Lu to also stir.

“Hey baby girl.” Ander whispered to Carmen as he rocked her back and forth. “Shhh it’s okay. Daddy’s here, it’s all okay.”

“Hey.” Lu said, looking up at both of them with sleep lacing her voice. “How did it go? Is everything okay?”

“We don’t know.” Omar said as he plopped down on the sofa next to her. “We get the test results in the morning.”

“I’m sorry.” Lu said, beginning to rub Omar’s back. “Look, I’ll stay here tonight so that you two can get a proper nights sleep and I’ll stay with Carmen in the morning when you go back to the hospital.”

“You would do that for us?” Ander asked, looking up from his now sleeping daughter and towards Lu.

“Well I gave birth to your fucking baby for you so I’m pretty sure I can stay the night.” She replied, chuckling lightly.

“Fair enough.” Ander said as he kissed his daughter good night and then handed her back to Lu who made her way to the nursery with Carmen.

Once Lu had disappeared Omar stood from the couch and took Ander’s hands in his. Ander didn’t move away but remained staring down at the ground.

“Hey,” Omar said using his index finger to push Ander’s chin upwards so he was looking him in the eyes. “it’ll all be okay. I promise.”

“But you can’t promise that. There’s nothing you can do. What if it is back? What if there’s a chance we could lose each other all over again?” Ander whispered, not wanting to face the reality of what could happen if he was ill again.

“You’re right. I can’t promise that nothing’s wrong. But I know you and you’re a fighter so if it is back then you’re just going to have to fight it even harder than you did last time. After all, you have so much more to fight for this time.”

“But what about Carmen? We’ve only just got her and I can’t bear the thought of leaving her.” By this point Ander had tears streaming down is cheeks as he looked up at Omar who was trying to old back his own tears for the sake of his husband.

“You’re not going to leave her.” Omar replied as he put his forehead against Ander’s. “We fight for the people that we love. So if the leukaemia’s back then you’re going to fight for her, and for me as well. I can’t do this without you. I can’t live without you, and I refuse to even think about it. We can’t let this ruin us. Not again. I love you and Carmen more than anything in the world. We’re a family and I won’t let this tear us apart.”

“I love you too.” Ander whispered as he leaned in to gently kiss Omar, salty tears running down both their cheeks.

———

The next morning Ander woke up and immediately ran into the ensuite attached to his and Omar’s bedroom, throwing up as soon as he got there. Omar quickly appeared behind him, rubbing his back as he crouched down next to him.

“Are you okay?” Omar asked, his voice laced with worry.

“Just nerves I think.” Ander replied, grabbing Omar’s hand to stand up before rinsing his mouth and face in the sink.

The two of them wondered out of their bedroom and were met with the smell of delicious breakfast. In front of them they saw Guzman cooking breakfast while Nadia was feeding Carmen at the kitchen island and chatting to Lu.

“You people are aware that this is our apartment right?” Ander said, taking in the scene in front of him which made Omar laugh.

“Babe, it’s fine. They’re being helpful.” Omar said as he pecked Ander on the lips and made his way to the kitchen to help Guzman.

Ander shook his head in despair but secretly found it quite amusing. After all, he should probably be used to it by now considering all them seemed to just come and go from his apartment as they pleased.

“Uncle Anderrrrrrr!” Ander was snapped out of his thoughts by a scream as Marina ran into his arms and his quickly picked up the five-year-old.

“Hi sweetie.” Ander said as a smile grew on his face as he hugged his niece. He then made his way over to the kitchen where the rest of them were.

“Uncle Ander.” Marina said, poking him to get his attention as a sad look appeared on her face.

“Yes?” Ander replied, placing Marina down on the kitchen island so that she was facing him.

“Are you okay?” The little girl said timidly as if she was afraid of the answer.

“What do you mean? Of course I’m okay.”

“Well I heard Mummy and Daddy talking to Aunty Lu this morning and they said that you might be poorly.” Marina was now on the verge of tears and Ander felt a pang in his chest.

Ander shot the others a glare over the top of Marina’s head as they all looked at the young girl, shocked that she’d heard them, as clearly they’d believed she wasn’t paying attention.

“I’m fine. I promise. I think you must have heard your Mummy and Daddy talking about someone else.” Ander looked down at his niece reassuringly as she wrapped her little arms around him and hugged him tight. There was no need to worry her over this, not yet anyway.

———

Two hours later Ander was sat it the hospital waiting room, with his mother on one side and Omar on the other, having a serious case of deja vu.

All he could think about was the countless times he’d walked into this very room and prayed that the doctor would tell him the cancer was gone, but then again and again he’d been disappointed. What if this time was like those? What if it really was back?

He’d felt a sense of dread ever since he’d left the hospital last night but now the panic was setting in and he didn’t know how to get rid of it.

Suddenly Omar noticed that Ander had begun hyperventilating next to him and was struggling to breathe.

“Ander! Ander!” Omar shouted, crouching down in front of his husband as Azucena sat looking incredibly concerned. “Ander I need you to breathe okay? You need to take a deep breath.” Omar was trying his best calm Ander down but it didn’t seem to be working as Ander’s breathing had only slowed very slightly.

Then Omar got an idea and took Ander’s hand and placed it on his chest. “Ander, look at me and breathe with me.” Gradually Ander’s breathing slowed as he followed the rise and fall of Omar’s chest.

Omar moved back into his seat beside Ander and took his head in his hands. “Are you okay? What was that all about?”

“I think it just actually hit me.” Ander said. “I mean, what if it has come back? I’ll have to do chemo and everything all over again. I’ll lose my hair, I’ll constantly be sick, you remember what it was like last time. I wont be able to help with Carmen and I really don’t want her to see me like that. I don’t want you to see me like that, not again, not after what this did to us last time.”

Omar sighed, trying to take in everything that Ander had said. “Listen, there’s no point in worrying until we know okay? But also, if you can’t help with Carmen it’s not the end of the world. The important thing would be to get better for her, plus we have so many people in our lives who would be more than happy to help look after her. Also, Carmen’s too young to remember what you look like right now so you would just have to focus on getting better faster so she never has to see you like that.” Ander was nodding but Omar knew that there was still something else he needed to say. “And if it’s a repeat of last time that you’re worried about then you don’t need to. The cancer didn’t ruin our relationship, I did. I’m the one who fucked up and I have to spend every single fucking day of my life regretting it and wondering to myself how I could ever have done that to you. I swear to you that that would never happen again. I love you so much that it scares me sometimes and I love our daughter just as much. We’re a family okay? And nothing, not even this, is going to fuck that up.”

Ander grabbed Omar’s face and brought his lips to his own, kissing him passionately and not caring that they were in a waiting room full of people or that his mother was right next to them. Ander pulled back but their foreheads remained touching. “Thank you.” Ander said. “And, just for the record, I love you too.” A smile broke out across both their faces as they pulled apart but kept tight hold of each other’s hand.

“Ander Muñoz-Shanaa.” Came a voice ten minutes later and the three of them stood and made their way into the doctors office. They sat in the chairs facing Dr Powell’s desk with Omar holding on of Ander’s hands and Azucena holding the other, Ander having given up the ‘tough guy’ act quite a while ago.

They all sat nervously, waiting for Dr Powell to enter the room. “Hi, sorry for the wait.” He said when he finally did. The doctor took a seat behind his desk and picked up a rather large looking file with Ander’s name printed onto the front. Ander remembered seeing that file many times before, only it seemed to get bigger every time he saw it.

The next ten seconds that the doctor inspected the file felt more like ten years. Finally he put the file down and looked at them.

“Your white blood cell levels are normal, congratulations, your still cancer free.” A smile grew on Dr Powell’s face as tears filled the eyes of the three people sat in front of him.

Ander gasped, not quite able to believe it, when he heard the words come out of the doctor’s mouth. He was cancer free. It must have just been exhaustion. Omar seemed speechless and Azucena had happy tears running down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms tightly round her son.

After thanking the doctor the three of them made their way out of the hospital and Azucena waved them goodbye, promising to visit her granddaughter the next day.

The ride home was silent, but not an uncomfortable silence, just one of disbelief.

They arrived home and made their way up to the apartment, Ander closing the door behind them once they’d entered.

Omar turned around to gaze at his husband and immediately they were kissing as if there was some magnetic force pulling them together.

“You’re cancer free.” Omar whispered, breathless, as he pulled back.

“Yep, there’s no chance you’re getting rid of me now.” Ander said before moving his mouth down to Omar’s neck.

“Good.” Omar said between moans. “You know, Guzman, Nadia and Lu took the kids out and they won’t be back for another hour. What do you say we use this time to celebrate?”

“I’d say that sounds like a very good idea.” Ander whispered before reattaching his lips to Omar’s and dragging him towards their bedroom.

———

One hour later Ander and Omar were lying in bed when they heard the front door swing open and voices enter the apartment.

“Shit! We lost track of time, they’re back already.” Omar said, looking sideways at Ander.

They were about to jump up and get dressed when their bedroom door swung open to reveal Guzman looking round the door.

“Hey are you guys in h-” Guzman started before noticing them in the bed and beginning to laugh. “Guess we know your cancer’s not back then.” He said, struggling contain his laughter. “I’ll let you two get dressed. But please, don’t carry on, there are children in this house.”

Guzman left the room whilst laughing at his own joke and Ander and Omar looked at each other, only slightly mortified.

Five minutes later the couple emerged from their bedroom to see Lu, Nadia and Guzman all looking at them with smirks on their faces as Marina was watching cartoons and Carmen was in Nadia’s arms.

“So, it’s good news then?” Lu asked, giggling, as the two of them approached. Ander took his daughter from Nadia and then gave Lu the finger after checking that Marina was still looking at the TV.

“Well at least I’m not the one who found you.” Nadia said, sipping the coffee in her hands. “You are still my brother, I don’t want to see that.”

“What, you mean you’ve never walked in on them before?” Lu asked her best friend, looking slightly shocked.

“No, have you?” Nadia said, looking equally shocked.

“Yeah, like five times. I did live here for nine months remember?” Lu replied.

“Five times?” Guzman snorted. “Huh, that’s nothing. I’ve walked in on them more times than I care to count.”

“Okay.” Ander said, his tone firm. “Can we stop talking now? As Guzman previously pointed out there are children in this house so could everyone please choose a topic other than mine and Omar’s sex life.” He hissed the last part of his sentence whilst covering his daughter’s ears in order to try and prevent either child from hearing them.

“Yes, can we?” Omar said, walking over to Ander and taking his daughter’s tiny hand in his.

“Fine, whatever.” Lu said, rolling her eyes as they all started chatting about what the three of them had taken the kids to do.

Ander looked down at his daughter and then at his husband. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if the results had been different. He couldn’t possibly imagine leaving either of them. He just loved them too much.

[theraen]

Character Creation Tag (Charlie)

Okay so I wasn’t tagged in this but I saw it on @slytherin-bookworm-guy tumblr and it was so interesting to read (I lowkey want to read your story in one sit Kyle) that I thought maybe you’ll be interested in reading my version too? 

Also being completely honest I am a bit shy and I don’t think endless talks about my wip and ocs would be interesting, so maybe in this way I can talk about it but without being annoying/boring? I don’t know it’s probably all in my head but nevermind.

So let’s get into it!

1) What was the first element of your OC that you remember considering (name, appearance, backstory, etc.?)

Her name and her love for Doctor Who (am I projecting)

2) Did you design them with any other characters/OCs from their universe in mind?

Yes! I designed her with Alice; at first they were supposed to be best friends that later on the story would turn into something more, I even wrote a piece of that story that was completely different from my current wip. But I ended up changing the whole universe and the dynamics between the two of them.

3) How did you choose their name?

It just came to my mind to be honest. I thought it was pretty cool and I immediately  thought about all the ways her soon-to-be-friends-but-not-friends-yet could call her to make fun of her (yes, I know, it’s stupid, but they are so)

4) In developing their backstory, what elements of the world they live in played the most influential parts?

Well, she is a Necromancer coming from one of the most powerful Necromancer family in the world (the Necromancers are the bad guys, mostly, but sometimes it’s hard to draw the line) and she betrayed her family to be with the good guys - she basically helped them destroy her family, they all died in an epic battle that ended bloody and in fire. 

Most of her knowledge about the world she lives in comes from the Necromancers’ version of history, but growing up she becomes able to see the lies in it. The Necromancers’ world is a tough world where you either master your powers or you die, and that has been quite an important part of her backstory. Death has always followed her and it certainly won’t stop now, since the final battle between Necromancers and Elementals is drawing closer and closer.

5) Is there any significance behind their hair colour?

Nope.

6) Is there any significance behind their eye colour?

Nope but there will be, but it’s a huge spoiler and I don’t want to ruin the fun.

7) Is there any significance behind their height?

She’s small, but that’s it.

8) What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story?

She’s strong but has her fragilities, like most of us have. She will lose friends along the way and gain new ones, which is something that has happened to me many many times. Also, later on in the story, there will be a part based off my experience with depression and mental health issues, so yeah, I would say that.

9) Are they based off of you, in some way?

In some way, yes. Her hair is short like mine, but that’s it physically speaking. For what concerns her inner self, see above (also like I said before she loves Doctor Who hehehehehe)

10) Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation?

Yes. I always wanted to create a bisexual character because when I started thinking about Charlie that was what I was identifying with

11) What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: Writing, drawing, edits, etc.)?

First of all, I can’t seem to be able to draw her. Every time I try I end up drawing terrible faces, hair, all of it. I hate it and I don’t know why it is like that.

Second of all, some pieces of writing are... let’s just say challenging. I can’t flirt for shit and that’s a problem cause she’s very open about it and flirts with anybody, so I always write it like Insert flirting here and then move on with the story :D

The action scenes come out pretty easily, and that’s a surprise. I’m kinda proud of it!

12) How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all?

I have covered a lot of her life in my mind, canon and beyond. I have written some parts of it too, but they’re in Italian and I’m not in the mood for translating right now cause I’m kinda busy later so I don’t have much time, I’m sorry :(

13) If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be?

She’s kinda cursed so she can’t use her powers (and that’s a thing I have to always keep in mind cause she’s super powerful and I want to do great things with her but at this point of the story I can’t yet). 

Also her past haunts her, she often dreams about her dead brother (I’m sorry bro) and the things she’s been through in the past have shaped her into the person she is right now. 

And she cares a lot about people. Her best friend Linn ends up in a magical coma in the second chapter because of a tragedy that happens (she barely makes it alive but ends up in a coma) and that touches Charlie very deeply. They’re like sisters, wherever there’s one there also is the other, or at least it should be like that. But now it’s not, and that’s killing Charlie from the inside.

Sorry, these are three things. Whoopsie!

14) What is something about your OC that can make you laugh?

Her crush on Mary Reed (a side character); she’s the cutest bean ever and every time they interact I just can’t stop laughing cause they are silly and cute.

15) What is something about your OC can make you cry?

Like I said before, she cares a lot about the people around her, especially a child, Aaron. He had a tragic incident in the past where his parents died so he ends up in the community where Charlie and the others live. Aaron is a shapeshifter and he turns into a kitty (of course it’s a kitty I love kitties) and always snuggles against Charlie when it’s night and he is afraid of the dark. Charlie loves him as if she was his older sister, she always takes care of him and I love her for that. I don’t deserve these characters I’m an evil piece of shit.

16) Is there some element you regret adding to your OC or their story?

Yes. Her parents gave her a dagger when she was born (a family tradition) but I can’t remember where I put it last. It should be somewhere in my notes but I just can’t find it and it frustrates me to no ends. Urghhh.

17) What is the most recent thing you’ve discovered about your OC?

She doesn’t like bergamot in her tea. Am I projecting part 183901883

18) What is your favourite fact about your OC?

Have I mentioned she loves Doctor Who?

Feel free to do this tag game yourself! I’m not gonna tag anybody but feel yourself tagged (if you don’t want to you don’t have to do it of course, it’s just for fun!) It was really inspiring and interesting, it helped me thinking about my character and reminded me of some stuff I forgot about, hehehehe

[if-i-ever-was]

He is the absolute cutest idiot!! I love those two so much, they really can't resist each other and I am BEYOND buzzing for the smut that is to come, I can't!! I love the way you write their inner monologues and how they match without them knowing, they are just so dumb and perfect for eachother, I can't handle it!! I'm soooo glad she's admitting she wants that sexy bastard and urghhh, every time they think about each other in a "dirteh" way it's sooo fucking good, I can't wait for the real

thing, because this slow burn is so fucking perfect and well-done, it'll make it all so much better! Thank you for writing them in such a realistic and vivid way and making this story an absolute masterpiece, I can never get enough of their interactions and him teasing her with his words and touches like I want him??? And like everything she's thinking about him like babe same urgh, you are teasing us out of our minds and I'm so here for it because you do it so well. Broken record but you write him so realistically that I am sure that he woud literally say, do and think all those things you write, it's so authentic and makes so much sense because he really is this soft and playful and smug and I just cannot, their exchanges are never boring or generic and I love that, once again in this chapter you outdid yourself with it all! I could go on forever but basically, I just love this story and my OTP so much and I love you, my absolute darling! Keep up the work! 💛💕💜💖💗😚🌙✨😍☀💝💞🌻💓

Hi babeeeee! How lovely of you to grace my inbox! He is such an idiot. I love them sooooo much too so I’m so glad you do! God I am BEYOND stressed and 5% excited about writing it. We’re so close. Thank you for noticing that their monologues always match haha, it is intentional of course. So dumb. I know because like the first step is her admitting it to herself you know? Then she can have himmmmm. He’s deffo ready for her. They are so in deep for each other lol and they both just want Al to be deep in her hahahahha. (stop me). Honestly I’m just so glad you don’t get bored of the slow burn. Thank you so much! Thank you for always being complimentary about the way I write him. Thank you for taking the time to write me nice asks and keep me motivated and help shape my writing and listen to me moan about it all. I love you so much, your OTP???? wow. I’m so honoured. Flo and Al are mine with Jade and Al being a super close second, so ugh, my heart is so full of love for ya as always. 💕💜💗