#because it'll probably grow out by next year anyways

[hotgirlmeg]

fighting with myself to decide if i should cut my hair and keep it shorter or grow it out super long again

[bigification]

Step Daddy

"You really need to get over your stepdad man." My friend tells me, concerned.

"Look, I'll try this one last thing and if it doesn't work then I'll give it up." I respond. "Did you bring the sunglasses?"

"Yes, but just remember he's like 25 years older than you. He's probably not going to be into you, even after this." He says as he hands me a pair of old pilot shades.

I told him I could let it go, but I can't. I'm just putting all my eggs into this basket, the sunglasses. Apparently they're supposed to transform someone who wears them mentally and physically to match my type. He already is my type, but I guess I wouldn't mind him bulking up a bit and growing some hair. It would be sexy if he got more charming, but he's already charming as it is. I guess there's only one way to find out.

I wait on the living room couch watching tv. He always gets home from work at the same time, so I know he'll be here any minute. I sit and stare at my reflection in the glasses. Am I really ready to change this man's life so drastically. My friend said no one else would take notice of the change, so it'll be like nothing happened. As I'm thinking over it, I hear the roar of his engine from the driveway. I try to calm down, but I can feel my body vibrate from the nerves. The door flies open.

"Hey buddy, hows it goin?" He asks me with his hot southern accent.

"Not bad. By the way, I found these sunglasses lying around, and assumed they were yours." I try to play it cool as I lie to his face.

"Oh, thanks. But these aren't mine." He responds.

"Well you might as well keep em, they don't fit me anyway." I try to convince him to take them without seeming too pushy.

"Well alright, thanks kid." He swipes the glasses and throws them on.

That was easier than I thought. As soon as he put them on, he stopped moving. His jaw slacked as if there was not a thought running through his mind. It started slow, his button up started to look a little bit tighter. His once flat chest started to push against his shirt and the shape of a belly started to show. Then it started to speed up. His chest started to pulse, growing in size with each one. They grew until the button on his collar popped off, then another button popped, then another and another. His juicy pecs flopped down after being released from his shirt. His stomach was next. His midsection widened and his stomach grew into a respectable beer belly, straining against his shirt. It wasn't long before more buttons began to pop, until his shirt was completely open. His arms also looked like they doubled in size, filling out his sleeves with thick muscles.

Next his legs start to look like they're gonna burst out of his dress pants. I can hear the rips ripple through his pants as his thighs grow inside of them. His ass fills out all the space in his pants and proceeds to rip open his fly and snap his belt in half. I can tell his underwear is barely staying in one piece as a large bulge formed in between his legs.

Finally his face begins to change. His once skinny face fills out with fat, giving him a rounder look. I can see that hair is falling out of his hat until he is left completely bald under there. Though in return his clean shaven face grows a bushy beard. But the hair doesn't stop there. It continues down his chest and to his belly, and presumably the rest of his body. He finally regains control of his body. He sighs as he stretched out his arms and cracks his knuckles before looking right at me.

"Come here, son." He says in a deep buttery voice.

A shock travels through my spine as I think he might know what I've done to him.

"What'd I say boy!" He raises his voice.

I jump a bit before I walk closer to him. I realize how imposing he is up close. He must have gotten taller because he seems well over six feet tall now, and at least 250 pounds.

"Daddy had a stressful day, why don't you help him release some tension." He says as he pushes me to my knees.

I blush, this is everything I wanted from this, it just happened so much faster than I thought.

"Don't be shy, boy. This will be our little secret." He says as he pulls his underwear down.

[sol91]

Alone

LOG ENTRY: SOL 90

It occurred to me today that someday someone from earth might actually listen to these logs, so I figure I should record a needlessly expository one to get everyone up to speed.

My name is Lena Luthor.

It's been 90 martian days since I landed here with the rest of the crew. That's what, 92 earth days? Mars spins just a little on the slow side.

On sol 6 a dust storm was going to knock over the rocket we brought to take us home, so the rest of the crew went home and left me behind to die. Well, they thought I was already dead and left. To be honest, not their fault at all.

So I'm alone here on mars, no way home, no way to communicate, only enough food for a year, and everyone thinks I'm dead. Which sounds miserable but luckily I do have this disco music to listen to, courtesy of Commander Lewis.

And, if I can get these potatoes to grow in martian soil, which I definitely can, then I can survive long enough for the next mission to arrive.

Which should be in about 4 years.

Which does honestly sound like a long time to be alone. But I've been alone before. Most of the time, to be honest, it's how I do my best work.

I don't know, maybe I could have done things differently. Asked out that reporter when I had the chance. Not gone to fucking mars.

On the plus side, if I do make it home, she'll be so impressed she'll have to go out with me. I'm pretty sure the president is basically obligated to deliver a eulogy for every astronaut who kicks the bucket up here so everyone in the country must know my name by now. They'll probably show the satellite images and everything— actually, I wonder if they've figured out I'm alive by now. What else do all those NASA technicians even do all day?

Anyway, that's basically the situation. Feel free to keep watching these if you want to hear about my adventures cleaning solar panels and fixing the water reclaimer. Yeah, that'll sell movie tickets.

LOG ENTRY: SOL 91

Fuck. Oh god. Okay. Something just opened the airlock from the outside. There's no locks on it, because why the fuck would there be? There's not supposed to be anything else on this planet. I have like 30 seconds before that airlock opens and I have no idea what to do. Obviously there's no windows in the airlock for structural reasons, I guess the engineers back at NASA didn't consider the hab might be invaded by space aliens. Alright. If this is my last message I have some things I want to say. Commander Lewis your music is awful. Lex you can rot in hell. Kara I always thought you were hot.

Oh shit here we go—

Kara?

Kara Danvers stepped into the hab. She was wearing a button down shirt and khakis, no space helmet. "I've never held my breath that long, that was crazy." She said, panting slightly.

"Kara, what—" Lena began. But before she could finish forming a sentence, Kara was hugging her.

In the hierarchy of times you wanted to run into your crush, not having showered in 3 months in a room full of manure was pretty much bottom of the list. But right now, Lena didn't care. The hug lasted at least 30 seconds before Lena pulled back.

"Kara, what the fuck is going on? How are you here?"

"Oh! I'm Supergirl" Kara said simply.

"That… actually makes a lot of sense"

"I was at the office when I heard you were still alive and I just—" She shook her head. "NASA had some complicated plan to get you home, but I just thought, how far away can Mars really be?"

Lena laughed.

"You ready to go home?" Kara asked.

"Very." Lena was already crossing the room to don her spacesuit.

"Also, I was wondering" Kara said, more hesitant now. "Do you have plans for dinner tomorrow?"

Lena turned to look at Kara. "Do I have plans for dinner tomorrow?" She repeated, smiling. "Kara, I live on mars."

"I— right. Do you want to have dinner with me tomorrow?"

"I would love that."

"Great!" Said Kara, "It's a date! I promise it'll be—" "Don't you dare say it." interjected Lena. "—out of this world."

[lightfeltmemories]

trouble trio sharing a partner.

characters include: feitan, phinks, shalnark

note: fun fact, this was left as a draft on my main for like over a year and i read over it and thought.... it would be better on here, but anyway, there's a lot of adult trio poly stuff, why not trouble trio? I have plans (just me announcing it, I already know it'll take years for me to actually go through with making said content) on making trouble trio content, fanfics and whatnot. so, here's a headcanon post about how the trouble trio would go with a polygamous relationship with the reader, nsfw themes will have a 🔞 on the side so look out! and when it comes to requesting anything similar to this..... no, i will not do the adult trio.

trigger warnings: yandere tendencies (but there's no actual yandere stuff like obsessiveness and whatever, most of it is just their normal way of showing affection), mentions of kidnapping, possessiveness, reader's eventual death, feitan carves his initials onto you because "you're his."

parts of this contain nsfw material, do not interact if you are a minor.

How It Starts

So, who are you? For them to actually even care about your existence, you would either have to be a part of the troupe or be someone they know way back from Meteor City, I highly doubt they would go heart eyes over some really stunning person they ran into on a mission or so, because looks aren't everything, right? A pretty girl, a handsome boy, or an attractive genderless person isn't gonna phase them in the slightest, unless you're powerful enough to woo them out their boots, other than that, the choices are; being apart of the troupe (which is the most likely case, since they have a chance of them all being with you more often) or you being a friend of theirs in meteor city and their feelings grew overtime.

Who would fall for your first? I'm honestly tied between Phinks and Shalnark, for Feitan it would take like 2 billion years for his crush to kick in since he isn't in tune with his more softer emotions (yet), Shalnark to me is.... odd... he seems like the type to fall for someone oh so easy but dude is like, the personified version of "don't judge a book by its cover," and the only thing Phinks got going for him is..... anger issues, so I'd go with Phinks on this one! of course when people (troupe members) ask him about his affections towards you, he denies them with the most obvious blush on his face, his infatuation isn't exactly that obvious but there are some hints like him wanting to be next to you more or even the two of you hanging out on your off days! next on the list: Shalnark, so how exactly would he fall for you? well, he'd probably get paired up with you more on missions and when he starts to hang out with you more he starts to feel himself grow fond of you more, and it slowly grows into a crush! kind of simple really. And finally after those 2 billion years are up, Feitan is up next! Everyone has this collective idea that if he realizes he has a crush on you, he'd do the opposite of his two counterparts; he'd want to avoid you so that the feelings won't grow stronger as he considers it a distraction, he may even contemplate on killing you, which is something I really hate to say since I feel like the idea is slightly far fetched for his character (i'm guilty of saying this myself but i considering the topic of that specific post i wanted to be dramatic) but I can see why people think this, killing you only goes if you aren't a member of the troupe but since you are, he'd have to deal with you, forcing himself to accept the fact as time goes by that he is in love with you, he's confused with his feelings when it comes to you, he isn't used to crushes, no one to him is that special for him to fall for, love is very sacred to him, it's something he and the others mentioned above haven't really experienced, and as it grows, he starts to form a soft spot for you as he gets to know you well, he starts to find parts of you that made him like you to begin with. (ik Feitan's is kinda longer than the others but I'm biased he's my fav).

How would they act around you? This was really hard to do for some reason but I already stated above that Phinks would hang out with you more and would be near you a lot, at first his affections towards you wouldn't be too different to how he acts towards others, for someone like him he's pretty good at hiding his infatuation, though over time he's starting to loose the "I have a crush on Y/N" allegations, the others would tease him a little for how he acts around you, he shows to have more sympathy and affection for you, like he's more handsy with you than everyone else, and is most definitely protective over you, he really is a girly girl, ain't he? Shalnark is a bit more happier when he's in your presence, he opens up with you way more than everyone else (when you two are alone ofc) and plays video games with you, he'll never give you a break and let you win though, he's just too good! (And competitive) May not be as protective as Phinks but he damn sure isn't gonna let you getting injured slide. Feitan once again is an interesting case, since he's come to terms with him being infatuated with you, the signs will be waaaay more subtle than Phinks', you would lowkey be left confused, like something tells you he likes you but you can't exactly prove he does, you're seen with him more often, he talks to you more, but in the beginning that's about it really, but overtime he gets more handsy with you like Phinks but not as much, he would most definitely tease you when he's in a good mood, giving you nicknames and such, and of course, very protective over you.

Confessing & Relationship

Finding out they all like you! When they start to see one of the other become more affectionate towards you, shit starts to get real, a scenario where Feitan sees you and Shalnark playing a newly released game, the both of you are so happy, laughing and all, and Feitan is hiding somewhere and just stares at the both of you, the worst scenarios are running through his mind, are they dating? do they like him? he wants to do something about it but can't because for one troupe members can't fight and two, he sees how happy you are, how can he ruin that? Another scenario is the old fashioned switcheroo where you and Feitan are getting a little too handsy with one another, he's got his hand on your thigh and your hand on his shoulder, Shalnark is now in Feitan's shoes, bad scenarios running through his brain thinking the two of you have a thing for each other, a part of him wants to step in but he can't. It's kind of subtle at first until everything starts to build up, they can see each other's jealousy seeping through, let's say Phinks was the one to save you from an attacker and Feitan wasn't quick enough, a glare is shot at Phinks' way as he sees the way he's holding you and reassuring you, and he catches it, he's confused, what the hell is going on? Another scenario where the troupe is having fun or whatnot and you and Shalnark are laughing about something a little too hard, he spots both Phinks and Feitan seething in jealousy, he's also confused! Until it all hits the three of them; they all like you!

Them finding out..... So, when they finally sit and conversate about the rising tensions between them to solve it, they come to the conclusion that you are the reason why, how will they go about this? They all have a goal in mind; a monogamous relationship with you, they are all trying their absolute hardest not to start anything between them, they were all on good terms until this very incident, they had no idea what to do about this, their own friends are crushing on the same person they want, and the tensions can only grow from here, and beyond this point things can go either north (good) or south (bad) really quickly. From here on out, they challenge themselves to impress you so that one of them finally gets you, an unspoken rule, until they realize that you like all three of them, and things grow extra confusing, they're happy because "yay they like me!" but also mad because "grrr they like him back!!" So everyone involved is kinda like.............. "omg??"

Poly? So, because everything came out, they all like you and you like all of them back, they're stuck here wondering how this will work, a polygamous relationship isn't even a thought to them because they just want to have you, and it may be one of your biggest fantasies, you eventually let it out that you want all of them at the same time and because of their confusion you would have to explain to them, they argue that it's not going to work well, since for one, they are all territorial when it comes to you, Feitan is most definitely the worst one since he's never exactly felt this feeling before and it's most likely his first crush and potential relationship, and since you're pretty special to him he doesn't want to lose you to someone else, in all honesty he'd probably kidnap you and hide you away from Phinks and Shalnark if you weren't apart of the troupe, so you can be his forever, yayyy, we love yanderes!!!! Phinks is in the middle, while yes he wants you to himself he doesn't want to admit that he would want to at least give it a chance, Shalnark is pretty chill, the idea of him having you to himself is nice also, but a polygamous relationship would probably solve all this conflict between them.

They Agree, so The Relationship Starts Here! So they decided that just for you, they would all agree to date you, of course at first this doesn't sit right with them since they want you to be with one of them, but they're also like... shit, I mean we all technically got what we wanted so we might as well make the best of it!

Small Miscellaneous Things

When they don't receive enough attention. Despite you all agreeing on a polygamous relationship, they all still get jealous whenever one is getting more attention than the other, when Phinks isn't receiving enough attention he gets more agitated, prone to more outbursts and will even straight up pull you away from the other, when Shalnark isn't receiving more attention, he would tap your shoulder or find ways to annoy you like hugging you or getting in your face, when Feitan isn't receiving more attention he finds ways to get yours by breaking something like a glass cup so that you can at least say a few words to him even if they aren't exactly the most kind, or staring at you for an ungodly amount of time to the point where you can physically feel his eyes on you, or like Phinks, will pull you away from the other so that you can be with him more.

🔞 What sex is like! Sex isn't too different from the usual, you can't really have group sex with them often since shit gets competitive real fast, they will go above and beyond to make you cum the hardest and scream the loudest, but when one or two of them so happens to be away, Feitan will make marks on your body to be territorial, so show the other two or to other people outside that he was the one who made that mark there, and it's even worse because he puts them in places that aren't exactly the easiest to cover, either it be a bite mark or a scar that spells out his initials. Shalnark will mark hickeys on your neck or will have photos of you having his cum dripping on your face or you laying beside him just completely slutted out and send them to the other two just for giggles, Phinks won't do anything outrageous (he can't you'll fucking die) but will have you wear his clothes afterwards to let the other two know when they get back who fucked them out ;).

Things start to get better! Overtime they start to realize that the petty fights over who gets to spend more time with you are meaningless, and that they all love you and you all love them, it takes them a while for them to come to these terms, but in the end, it gets better for the future, and everyone loves each other, movie nights aren't filled with who's chest you get to lay on anymore, sex isn't "who gets to make them cum harder" more, you don't feel as if you're some type of prized possession, you're now treated with actual respect and love and consideration, of course there's fights here and there like any other normal couple, but life is good.... for them anyway.

You were murdered! If they ever come into your house to find it ransacked, their first priority is to see if you're alright, they find your body laying in your room, devoid of all life, shit starts to get real, they never rest to look for the one who did this to you, since Shalnark has cameras hidden away around the house, it doesn't take long to find out who did it from hacking and such, and once they find them, it takes so much to not just rip their head to shreds and feed it to wild animals, Feitan wants to give them the worst of all of his tortures, and afterwards they die by their phinks blowing their head clean off their shoulders or shit maybe shalnark will do it.

[tigergirltail]

TIGER HRT CHAPTER 4 - MONTH 3 - GROWING PAINS

First - Prev - Next

Everything hurts.

I started noticing it about two weeks after my first dose. It felt like a dull headache at first, but over the next month it spread to pretty much my entire body.

I had to start working from home, and eventually it got bad enough that I could only put in a few hours of work each day. My boss is a reasonable enough guy, but he wasn't going to pay a full time salary for part time hours, so I had to take a salary cut.

Luckily, my partner is around to take care of daily errands, not to mention being there to reassure and comfort me when the pain gets bad. They've been thinking about seeing if Lindwurm HRT is a thing, but they don't want to get the process started until I'm in the clear and can take care of myself again.

Gods I love them.

The reason the pain is happening, as best I can tell, is that my skeletal structure is already changing. I've gotten at least an inch taller, and my face has been reshaping into a feline muzzle. My teeth are getting sharper, and I'm developing proper fangs. I also noticed a little while ago that my fingernails and toenails had receded into their respective digits, which sucks for two reasons - I can't paint fingernails I don't have, and they are sore as HELL when I put any amount of pressure on them. I have to be REALLY careful with how I type to not inflict agony on myself. I'm also feeling my tail growing in, and even if it hurts, it's euphoric as HELL. A tail was always the part I wanted most out of this.

It's weird, the skeletal changes weren't supposed to happen this early. I've been trying to reach Dr. Erian about it, but he's constantly busy, probably because of the sudden surge of people looking for Humanity Removal Therapy.

Other than that, I've been getting areas of white and black fur coming in - mostly on my arms and legs, but a little bit on my face and ears - ears that are gradually reshaping and migrating. Nothing to report on hearing sensitivity, but I think my night vision is getting better.

I did a little bit of looking around for anyone with similar pain experiences. I got my hopes up when I found a girl, Antonina, who had a painful experience with Cat HRT, but it turns out it's because she took the rumoured Fifteen Minute version. She described the pain as "like bathing in an active volcano".

It leaves me wondering whether I would have preferred a 15-minute lava bath over a months-long full-body headache.

I ended up reaching out to her anyway, just because I wanted to know what I was in for in the endgame and feline HRT is rarer than I thought it would be. Sounds like the prey drive is the real deal - she keeps feeling the urge to bite this one girl who's on mouse HRT.

We've been spending some time comparing notes and getting to know each other. It's nice to know someone else who's going through this thing, even if our experiences aren't exactly one-to-one.

I also talked to my mother for the first time in nearly a year. I went No Contact with her a while back because she was only getting more obnoxious and combative about me being trans, but I figured changing my species is a big enough deal that I should keep her in the loop.

Besides, my savings had nearly dried up and I needed to ask her for money.

It… did not go well. She hadn't heard of therian HRT before, and once I explained it, she started panicking about how I'm "mutilating my body" with "untested treatments". I think I also heard her cry something about how her "son" is "killing himself", which is just multiple layers of insensitive.

At least she sent me some money. Hopefully it'll be enough to last until my transformation stops being agonizing and I can go back to work, and then I can go right back to pretending my family doesn't exist.

At roughly the three-month mark, I have a check-in video call with Dr. Erian. From the moment his face appears on screen, though, I can tell something is wrong. He seems… older, somehow.

"Hello, Miss Alexis.", he offers. He sounds tired. Sorrowful, even.

"Hey, doc." I have to ask about it. "Everything okay? You seem a bit tired."

"Nothing to worry about Miss Alexis, just the ordinary stresses of daily life."

Liar. I know I'm not entitled to details of your personal life, much less your professional secrets, but I know when something is eating at someone.

"…Does the word 'crossroads' mean anything to you, Miss Alexis?"

Huh? That came a bit out of left field. "I've… heard some other therian HRT patients use the term, but I don't know much of the details. Something about a point of no return?"

"Something of the sort." He lowers his head and seems to go from sorrowful to downright grim. "There will come a time, Miss Alexis, when you will have to make a very important decision in your care, and I ask that you do so with great consideration for the consequences."

I recoil a little in my seat. "Yeah… Of course I will. Any decision I make, even reaching out to you in the first place, I don't take it lightly."

"Good… That's good." His demeanor shifts back to his stoic, clinical self. I don't know what just happened, but he went somewhere for a moment there.

"Now then, I did receive your messages, I apologize for not getting back to you. You mentioned you were experiencing persistent and debilitating whole-body soreness?"

"Yeah. I can't even leave the apartment most days, it hurts so much."

"Odd… You are taking the treatment as directed, yes?"

"Of course. One tablespoon a week, just like it says on the bottle."

I see his eyes twitch behind his glasses. Did I say something wrong?

"…Teaspoon."

I cock my head to the side. "Say again?"

"You mean one TEASPOON a week, yes?"

I feel my heart sink. The dark smear on the dosage information… I could have sworn it said '1 tbsp/week'.

"…Could you hold on a second please?" I mute the mic and call out to my partner to bring the bottle of tiger HRT over. When they do, I unmute and hold it up to the webcam. I hear Dr. Erian take a sharp intake of breath as he notices the obscured instructions.

I set the bottle aside and the two of us share an awkward silence.

"So…", I begin. "…How bad is it?"

"The good news", he offers slowly, "is that you have only been taking three times the prescribed dose. An increased dose imbalances the growth rate of the different parts of your body, hence your pain and persistent weakness, but it could have been much worse."

I think back to the so-called Fifteen Minute version, and Antonina's description of it - like bathing in an active volcano.

Dr. Erian continues. "Assuming you return to a CORRECT dose, your growth rates will gradually level out over the course of the next month or so. It is my medical opinion that you should maintain a low-activity lifestyle until then, but you will eventually be able to return to your typical activity level, and you will also find that the physical effects become more… consistent."

"That's… reassuring. Thank you, doctor." I pause. Something I noticed a little while ago has been weighing on my mind. "There's one thing, though - do the treatments have… I guess you'd call them restorative or regenerative effects? I've noticed some old wounds aren't there anymore."

The doctor clicks his pen and brings up his notepad. "Interesting. Do go on, Miss Alexis."

"Well… I used to get lower back pain from a car crash injury I got a little over a year ago, but I haven't noticed it at all lately. Pretty much the only part that DOESN'T hurt… There also used to be some marks on my arm from a cat biting me when I was little." I give a slight smile. "The cat's name was Tiger, go figure."

Dr. Erian is writing the whole time I'm talking. "Yes, that is to be expected. Minor persistent injuries will fade over time as your body re-forms itself to a new baseline, even severe chronic symptoms may fade. If there are no other concerns…"

"Just one… Most of the other therian HRT patients I've talked to have gotten their meds as pills, so what's with the potion bottle?"

Dr. Erian pauses, and adjusts his glasses nervously, as if he's been caught out on something he doesn't want to admit to. "Well… advances in the field are occurring rapidly, and you are one of the more recent patients, so a more… streamlined option was available to you. I took the liberty of choosing the most compatible option based on your medical records, and that bottle is it."

"Okay… But what's IN it?"

"The active ingredients are antihominidone, which is your humanity-blocker, and a specialized formula of felistrogen, infused with white tiger genetic material. The rest of the fluid is a suspension used to dilute the effects, without which you would be looking at a short, but excruciating and potentially lethal process."

The Fifteen Minute version, I think to myself. I'm taking diluted Fifteen Minute meds. There's no WAY this isn't experimental, and I'M the experiment. I despise saying it, but maybe my mother was right to worry.

"But I'm afraid I really do have to go, Miss Alexis, my next appointment is waiting."

"G-gotcha. See ya, doctor."

---

Special thanks to @paintedbytosia for letting me write her in, and shoutout to @megamoonerjenny for coming up with 'antihominidone'

[oh-no-its-bird]

For the Uchiha Houhua AU, how does he survive the massacre? I'm guessing either he uses his poison skills to fake his death or he does the 'actually I was a prodigy all along' thing in front of Itachi. Itachi spends the next several years being driven a little insane by finding this out about his old friend.

Also does Houhua incarnate as a baby? Because if so he was probably old enough to babysat by Obito. I feel like you could do something interesting with that.

On that note his relationship with kakashi. Like that's his little brother figures sensei, and he was a shizun in his last life, he knows what it is to be a good teacher and kakashi in the early series is not that. If he also knew Obito and knows that that's his eye in kakashi's head? Oof.

How much of the Uchiha eye thing does he get? Does he have his sharingan? Or the mangekyou?

Also, wasn't it cannon that part of the reason why danzo let Itachi let Sasuke live was because he was a moldable child? How does he feel about having a semi adult Uchiha still alive? I feel like Houhua is walking a constant tightrope of protecting himself and Sasuke and not being seen as a threat by the creepy old man.

THIS IS A WONDERFUL QUESTION!! I. Am not too sure, actually

I feel like it'd probably be him trying to fight back maybe? Faking his death absolutely sounds like the shit hed do tho, so hmm might put that in his back pocket too

Either way, Houhua vs Itachi 1v1 where they're surprisingly well matched sounds really fun I cant lie.

Mmmm, maybe he can 1v1 Itachi and hold up surprisingly well? Itachi is doing the what is this, how are you doing this, have you been hiding yourself from me this whole time?! routine as Houhua goes fuck shit oh my god oh my god I cant believe that worked oh fuck--

Then Obito fucking teleports behind Houhua and stabs him. Oopsies!

Houhua somehow survives due to genuine luck, and gets a hint about there having been more than 1 person at the massacre maybe?

Idk if thatd work tho. Mmmm so many thoughts.

I do think that no matter what, Houhua would have to be "defeated" in some way. Play dead for a bit. If he comes out of the fight having visibly won, it'll spell problems and set dominos in motion I dont want dominoing just yet

So no matter what, he's ending the fight face down on the floor

ALSO THATS. SUCH A GOOD POINT ACTUALLY SHIT, DID OBITO HELP BABYSIT HIM?? Houhua did reincarnate as a baby, tho I think there was some soft mental block on him becoming truly conscious till he was at least around 5 years old. So by the time he was conscious at least, Obito was already gone. Rip!

I think that Kakashi wouldnt be immune to looking at Houhua and seeing the reflection of another cry baby ninja, though Houhua wouldn't have any real memory of Obito (tho he might have heard ab him before, with some clan members comparing them quietly when they think he's not listening)

Anyways I need a scene where Houhua and Obito meet once Houhua is older and Houhua straight up says "You know, I never did get why people thought we were anything alike" as a clear insult

Rare Houhua w !!

I think Houhua has an unusually difficult time manifesting anything w his eyes just bc of the emotional walls he has up between him and everyone around him. He does not allow himself to feel deeply for anyone enough for his eyes to be affected, no matter how fond he may grow of them. There is always a wall between him and the world.

I do also however think that no matter how hard he tries to distance himself from the people around him, even having known for years now that they'd all die this way, seeing the people who he was raised around all die to the hands of a boy he might have grown fond of--

Yeah.

Not even he's immune to that.

So when the massacre happens, he'll at least get his sharingan, tho idk how man tomoe (and I cant really remember what is needed to gain each tomoe, so, oops)

I do think he'd have an incredibly difficult time manifesting his mangekyou, for all the reasons above, so if he ever does it'd be way down the line.

I also think it'd be super fucking interesting (especially from an outsiders perspective) if he manifested it somehow due to MBJ's involvement, since his reincarnation is wandering around here somewhere as Jun, and does not remember Houhua

Houhua has no explanation for why he cares about this man deeply enough to manifest the mangekyou. Sorry.

Also, Im ngl, as I write this I can totally see an argument for something along the lines of "well Houhua went through a fuck ton of trauma as SQH, so what if when he regains his memories around 5, he automatically unlocks his sharingan just through that remembered trauma? Then just keeps it secret for years until the massacre"

I think that could be interesting tbh, it would also tell a story all on its own ab his grief for his past life and all the people there. Smthn to think ab, idk

Houhua is a bit too old and way too clever for Danzo's liking. hHis one only saving grace is that, on the surface at least, he's a fuckin worm of a boy and has literally no achievements other than having survived Itachi

He isn't worth getting rid of yet, but Danzo has an eye on him, just waiting for a reason to potentially knock him off.

Good think Houhua decided not to go the child prodigy route!! Putting his own flaws and weaknesses on blast to all of Konoha probably saved his fucking ass with Danzo. At least for now, anyways.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

what was dumbledoes plan if he hadnt gotten cursed by the ring in book 6

Hi!

It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to answer this ask, because, well, I really can't say for certain. The plan he executed throughout books 6 and 7 was due to his imminent death. Everything about what Dumbledore orchestrated for the final two books was built upon the knowledge he wasn't going to see the end of the war.

But, I'll take a stab at this, what do I think Dumbledore's original plan was pre-cursed ring.

So, Dumbledore isn't dying after getting the ring, great, it means he can continue to collect memories about Tom Riddle and search for the other Horcruxes on his own. This is what he does in HBP and seems to always have been the plan. For him to destroy all the Horcruxes, leaving Harry for last.

I think Snape would still be the Potions teacher in 6th year and there would be a different DADA teacher. Moving Snape to the DADA position and getting Slughirn back, was a move near his death, I feel he wouldn't do it if he wasn't dying. (He'd probably still take Harry to visit Slughorn to get the memory though, if a bit later and it'll go down differently).

Basically, all the events would be pushed back. Sorta.

So Harry isn't receiving Horcrux lessons in his 6th year because Dumbledore doesn't need to ensure Harry can keep searching for Horcruxes after he's dead. If Dumbledore isn't going to die, he doesn't need to ensure Harry will continue his work after he's dead.

Dumbledore would not plan with Snape to kill him at the end of book 6, because Dumbledore would conclude Harry and the Order would have better chances with him than without him. So, even after retrieving the fake locket, he'd do what he needs to ensure his survival if he isn't already dying.

So Dumbledore's plan, in broad strokes (since I hit a lot of unknown variables when trying to apply it to canon as we know it) was to find and destroy all the Horcruxes himself. While he's doing that, during Harry's final year, he starts showing him the memories of Tom Riddle and teaching him about Horcruxes to prepare him for the knowledge that he is one of the Horcruxes who need to die.

In the beginning of book 6, we get this scene:

“But while I was at the Dursleys’ . . .” interrupted Harry, his voice growing stronger, “I realized I can’t shut myself away or — or crack up. Sirius wouldn’t have wanted that, would he? And anyway, life’s too short. . . . Look at Madam Bones, look at Emmeline Vance. . . . It could be me next, couldn’t it? But if it is,” he said fiercely, now looking straight into Dumbledore’s blue eyes gleaming in the wandlight, “I’ll make sure I take as many Death Eaters with me as I can, and Voldemort too if I can manage it.” “Spoken both like your mother and father’s son and Sirius’s true godson!” said Dumbledore, with an approving pat on Harry’s back.

(HBP, 77)

This scene tells me Dumbledore is glad Harry is prepared to die to take down Voldemort, that he is thinking about it and preparing himself for this eventuality because that's what Dumbledore needs to happen. Dumbledore needs Harry to be a willing martyr to have a chance at killing Voldemort. So Dumbledore will allow Harry to be more involved with the war in these alternate 6th and 7th years and teach him about Voldemort to build up Harry's dedication to the cause of destroying Voldemort and his sense of responsibility. Finally, after Dumbledore destroys all the Horcruxes, he'd tell Harry that he's the final Horcrux and needs to die.

I think Voldemort taking Harry's blood was integral to the next steps in Dumbledore's plan:

“He said my blood would make him stronger than if he’d used someone else’s,” Harry told Dumbledore. “He said the protection my — my mother left in me — he’d have it too. And he was right — he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face.” For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore’s eyes.

(GoF, 696)

Now, what this "gleam of triumph" references is a bit up in the air. I have two possibilities:

Dumbledore knows the prophecy, and if the prophecy is true it states: "one must die at the hand of the other", Voldemort taking Harry's blood ensures he can kill him and destroy the Horcrux. which Dumbledore needs to happen.

Dumbledore suspects this would allow Harry to return from the dead — that Lily's protection in Voldemrot's blood would ensure Harry would survive sacrificing himself, or he at least hopes it will. Theoretically, it would make sense, and Dumbledore is knowledgeable enough to reach this conclusion. Although he can't be certain of it in this uncharted territory of magic. So he'd hope.

It could also (and more likely) be a combination of both.

The next step, for Dumbledore then, would be to ensure Voldemort would kill Harry, and Harry would actually be in on this plan, to a degree. Harry would know he needs to die, not that Dumbledore hopes he won't stay dead. I think Dumbledore would still give Harry the resurrection stone, so his parents could walk him to his death as a last comfort even if he's hoping the blood protection would keep Harry alive.

I don't think Dumbledore really believed in the Master of Death, as in, that it would really make you immortal, at least not by this point in his life. I also don't think the resurrection stone worked for him. He left Harry the legend so he could learn about the wand Voldemort has and figure out he isn't its master, not to master death, but to outsmart Voldemort. Not that it was needed because Harry was always the master of the Elder Wand. This time around, none of this would be necessary since Dumbledore would still have the Elder Wand, so no wand mastership shenanigans. And Harry doesn't try to become the Master of Death (I don't think that was ever really the plan), but Harry would still be the MOD, just, no one would know.

After the final Horcrux dies (with Harry) and Harry returns either Dumbledore or Harry (more likely) kill Voldemort. I think in this version, how that final duel would go is that Voldemort still brings Harry's corpse to the school, to gloat at Dumbledore. Dumbledore speaks to him, calm and collected, and they start to duel like in the Ministry of Magic at the end of book 5. Then, mid-battle, Harry gets up to everyone's shook and joins the fight, so we have a three-way duel, kinda paralleling the three-way duel of Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald. Harry is the one who ends up casting the killing curse that kills Voldemort. Like, I just think it should be Harry to do it, and I think Dumbledore thinks so too. In this battle, Dumbledore would probably not make an attempt to really kill Voldemort:

“No, it isn’t,” said Harry thoughtfully. “He’s a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don’t think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It’s almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could….”

(PS, 217)

As Harry said, I think Dumbledore would give him the final blow if he can. If Harry didn't return, Dumbledore planned to do it himself, but he'd wait a bit, to give Harry the chance. With all of Dumbledore's talk of mercy, he is pretty hellbent on killing Voldemort. Super fixated on it. Voldemort is, like, the only person Dumbledore considers it good to kill. He tells Harry it was good he spared Pettigrew, but Voldemort doesn't deserve the mercy in Dumbledore's eyes. So, he would justify casting a killing curse (either Harry or himself) if it's at Voldemort.

And, if, like in the canon book 7, Harry uses Crucio and Imperio, I think he should get to finish the set. He can survive and throw off all 3 unforgivable curses, he should cast all 3 too. I don't know, something about it feels right to me. "one must die at the hand of the other" along with ending the books with what started them — an Avada Kedavra.

(Sorry, I kinda got ahead of myself about the final battle)

But I think the essentials of the plan was Dumbledore destroying all the Horcruxes himself, getting Voldemort to kill Harry and destroy the final Horcrux and then he or Harry (or even Snape) would kill Voldemort. Overall not that different than what we ended up getting.

[zoeydripdoria]

More than just roommates

MINORS DNI 18+ ONLY !!

Jean...

Your heart starts racing as you reread his application over and over again. You're torn between your desire to spend time with him and the fear that things could get awkward if things don't work out between you. But then again, what's the worst that could happen? You two could become friends, right? It's not like you're planning on falling in love or anything like that.

*ARTWORK BELONGS TO ME*

You never thought your life would turn out this way. One minute, you're minding your own business, cleaning up your room after a long day of classes, and the next, you're thrown into this whirlwind of emotions when you hear a knock on your door. It's the landlord, informing you that your roommate has moved out and that you need a new one since you don't make enough money on your own. You can't help but feel a mixture of annoyance and relief. Annoyance because now you'll have to deal with the extra rent and chores, but relief because you were never really fond of your roommate anyway.

As you're going through the list of potential candidates, one particular name catches your eye: 

Jean.

 It rings a bell, but you can't quite place it. You look through their photo, and suddenly, it all comes rushing back. He's the boy from your high school, the one with the light ash-brown hair that always looked perfect no matter what the style, the deep-set eyes that could stare right through you, and the smile that could light up a room. The same Jean who sat next to you in homeroom every day for four years, the same Jean who you had a crush on since the first day of freshman year.

Your heart starts racing as you reread his application over and over again. You're torn between your desire to spend time with him and the fear that things could get awkward if things don't work out between you. But then again, what's the worst that could happen? You two could become friends, right? It's not like you're planning on falling in love or anything like that.

You decide to take a deep breath and send him a text, telling him you'd like to meet up and discuss the possibility of him moving in. He responds almost instantly, saying he's free later today. Your mind races with anticipation as the hours slowly tick by.

Finally, it's time to meet up. You're standing outside the coffee shop, trying to calm your nerves, when you see him walking towards you. He looks just as good as you remember - if not better. He smiles warmly when he sees you, and it takes all of your self-control not to melt into a puddle on the sidewalk.

"Hey, you must be y/n ," he says, offering you his hand. You take it, feeling a spark of electricity run up your arm. "It's nice to finally see you in person." His voice is smooth and rich, sending shivers down your spine.

"Yeah, likewise," you reply, trying to keep your voice steady. You decide to get right to the point. "So, about moving in..."

He nods, leaning forward slightly. "Oh, absolutely. I'd love to live here with you, Y/n. It'll be great to have someone nice to come home to after a long day." His smile grows wider, and you feel a blush creeping up your cheeks.

You take a sip of your coffee, trying to calm your nerves. "Great. Well, we should probably go over some details then. Like, how much do you make per month?"

"Oh, about the same as you, I think. Maybe a little more," he says easily. "But don't worry about that. I'm more than happy to pitch in for my share of the rent and expenses."

You feel a wave of relief wash over you. At least that part won't be a problem. "Great. Okay, well, here's my number. Let's keep in touch and sort out all the details once we're back home." You hand him a slip of paper with your phone number on it.

He takes it, studying it for a moment before looking up at you again. There's a sparkle in his eye that you haven't seen before. "Yeah, definitely. And listen, Y/n..." He hesitates, biting his bottom lip. "I just want to say that I'm really glad this worked out.

You feel your cheeks flush again, unable to look away from those deep-set eyes. "Me too, Jean. It's going to be great living here with you." Your voice is barely above a whisper, but he seems to hear it just fine.

He smiles, reaching out to brush a strand of hair behind your ear. The touch sends a shiver down your spine. "I can't wait to get started. We're going to have so much fun together."

His words make your heart flutter, and you can't help but wonder where this newfound attraction is coming from. It's been years since you've seen him, and yet the way he looks at you, the way he touches you...it's like you're the only person in the world. You feel a rush of heat to your cheeks, and you're suddenly aware of the fact that you're standing close enough to him that you can feel his breath on your skin.

The rest of the conversation passes in a blur. You discuss the logistics of moving in together, agreeing on who will take care of which bills and chores. But it's the moments when you look into his eyes that seem to stretch on forever, when his touch sends shivers down your spine, that you realize this is so much more than just two roommates.

Finally, you say your goodbyes and head back home, feeling a strange mixture of anticipation and nervousness swirling in your stomach. The entire way there, you can't help but think about how things will change once he moves in. You wonder if he feels the same way you do, or if this is all just some weird coincidence.

When you finally open the door to your apartment, you're greeted by the familiar scent of your favorite candle and the sight of your cat, Milo, curled up on the couch. The reality of the situation begins to sink in, and you're left with a sense of both excitement and trepidation. But as you climb into bed that night, the memory of Jean's touch lingers on your skin, and you can't help but wonder what the future holds for the two of you.

Months later

As the months  go by, the tension between you only seems to grow stronger. You find yourselves constantly seeking each other out, whether it's through lingering glances across the room or casual touches that seem to happen by accident. The air around you feels charged with an electricity that you can practically taste, and it's becoming harder and harder to ignore the attraction that you feel for one another.

One night, while you're both sitting on the couch, watching TV, you feel Jean’s  hand brush against yours. The contact sends a jolt of electricity through your body, and you can't help but squeeze his fingers gently in response. He looks over at you, your eyes meeting, and for a moment, you're lost in the depths of his gaze. You can feel the heat radiating off his body, and you want nothing more than to close the distance between you. Slowly, carefully, you reach out and trace your fingers along the line of his jaw, feeling the rough stubble beneath your fingertips. His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows heavily, and you can see the desire written all over his face.

  His eyes flutter closed at the touch, and he leans into you, letting out a soft moan. The moment feels eternal, suspended in time. You can feel the desire building inside of you, the need to feel his skin against yours. You lean in closer, your lips mere inches from his, then he lets out a shaky breath and stands up, stepping away from you. The sudden movement breaks the spell that had been cast between you, and you're left feeling a mixture of confusion and longing. He apologizes, saying that he's not sure if this is a good idea, but you can tell that he wants it just as much as you do.

The rest of the evening is awkward and strained, with both of you seemingly at a loss for what to do or say. You try to convince yourself that it's better this way, that you shouldn't rush into anything, but the ache in your chest tells you otherwise. You wonder if he feels the same way if he's as confused and torn as you are.

As you both head off to bed, you can't help but feel a sense of loss, as if something precious has been taken away from you. You crawl into bed, tossing and turning restlessly, the memory of his touch burning itself into your skin. You close your eyes, trying to will yourself to sleep, but all you can think about is the way he looked at you, the way he felt against you. It's becoming clear that there's no going back now, no undoing what's been done between you. The question now is, what will happen next?

You wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside your window, and for a moment, you forget about everything that's been going on. You stretch luxuriously, enjoying the warmth of the sun streaming through the curtains. As you sit up, you spot a note propped up against your alarm clock. It's from Jean, apologizing for the way he acted last night, admitting that he's just as confused and torn as you are. He says he needs some time to sort things out, but that he doesn't want to lose you.

The words bring a mix of relief and anxiety. You're glad that he feels the same way you do, but you can't help but worry about what this means for your relationship. Do you give him the space he needs, or do you push for more? You decide to give him some time, but you also make it clear that you're here for him whenever he's ready to talk.

Days turn into weeks, and you find yourself constantly seeking out excuses to be near him. The tension between you is palpable, and every time you catch his eye, you're transported back to that night on the couch. You can feel the attraction growing stronger with each passing moment, and it's becoming harder and harder to ignore.

One afternoon, while you're both in the kitchen, you lean against the counter opposite him, feeling the warmth of his body just a few inches away. He looks up from what he's doing and meets your gaze, and for a moment, neither of you says anything. The air is thick with desire, and it feels as if the room could explode from the tension. Finally, he sets down what he's holding and slowly walks over to you. His hands find their way to your hips, pulling you close, and for the first time, you let yourself fully surrender to the feelings that have been building up inside of you.

His lips find yours in a desperate, hungry kiss, and you respond with equal passion. You feel the heat of his body against yours, and as he presses you against the counter, you realize that you want this just as much as he does. He slips a hand beneath your shirt, trailing his fingers over your bare skin, and you arch into the touch, moaning softly. The taste of him fills your mouth as he deepens the kiss, and you can feel your heart racing in your chest.

When he finally pulls away, you're gasping for air, your head spinning. He looks at you with a mixture of desire and tenderness, his eyes dark and heavy-lidded.

 "I don't want to lose you," he whispers, and you can hear the raw emotion in his voice. "I don't want to fuck this up!" You reach up, tracing your fingers along his jawline, feeling the stubble there. 

"I don't want to lose you either," you admit, your voice barely audible.

He leans down, capturing your lips in a gentle kiss, and you can feel the tension between you begin to ease. As he pulls away, he looks into your eyes, and you see a resolve there that you haven't seen before. 

"Then let's not," he says simply, and you know in that moment that you're in this together. You reach up, threading your fingers through his hair, and pull him down for another kiss, longer and deeper than the last.

The world around you fades away, leaving only the two of you and the heat of the moment. You feel the roughness of his skin against your fingertips, the strength in his arms as he holds you close. You know that there will be obstacles ahead, but for now, you're content to lose yourself in the feeling of being loved by him.

He kisses a trail down your neck, and you arch your back, pressing your breasts against his chest. He groans softly into your ear, and you feel the hard length of his arousal against your thigh. You want him inside of you, but for now, you revel in the feeling of his lips and hands exploring every inch of your skin.

As he works at unbuttoning your shirt, you reach down and help him unfasten his pants. You're eager to feel him against you, but when he steps back, you're momentarily disappointed. He looks at you with a mixture of desire and tenderness, and you realize that he's waiting for you to make the first move.

With shaking hands, you unbutton his shirt, revealing the smooth skin of his chest. He's muscular and tan from hours spent working in the sun, and you can't help but marvel at the beauty of his body. You reach out, tracing your finger over the defined ridges of his abs, feeling the heat radiating off of him.

His hands find their way back to your hips, and he urges you closer, guiding your lips to his. The kiss deepens, and you can feel the passion building between you once again. You wrap your arms around his neck, pulling him down on top of you, and he groans into the kiss as their bodies finally connect.

He's hard and hot against you, and you welcome the feeling of him filling you up. He moves with a slow, steady rhythm, their hips meeting in perfect synchrony. The room spins around you, but you don't care. All that matters is this moment, this connection between you.

As you come together, your bodies moving in perfect harmony, you realize that this isn't just about the sex. It's about so much more. It's about finding someone who understands you, who sees the real you and who loves you anyway. It's about trust connection and intimacy.

He looks into your eyes, and you see a mix of tenderness and desire that takes your breath away. He leans down, capturing your lips in a gentle kiss, his fingers digging into your hips as he thrusts deeper. You arch your back, meeting his movements with equal fervor, the sensations building inside of you, making it harder and harder to focus on anything but the feeling of him inside of you.

His skin is hot and smooth against yours, and you can feel every ridge and muscle in his body as he moves. He groans deep in his chest, and you moan in response, your body moving in time with his. You feel the familiar tension building within you, and with a sudden surge, your body shudders in release. He follows seconds later, his eyes closing tightly as he throws his head back, his breath ragged and uneven.

As the intensity of the moment begins to fade, he collapses onto you, their sweaty bodies sticking together. You can feel his heart racing against your chest, and you know that this wasn't just sex for him either. It was something more. He rolls to the side, pulling you into his embrace, and you feel the warmth of his breath on your neck as he whispers, "I love you." And for the first time, you know you mean it too.

You lie there together, catching your breath and savoring the closeness.

[blackbat05]

A Christmas Miracle

Jason Todd x Reader

Plot: After being dealt with a bad hand, you wonder if you could finish the year peacefully. Or would there be a Christmas Miracle?

Genre: PG-13 (Mentions of death), comfort fic

A/N: Decided to participate in @the-slumberparty EOY event and get back into writing here! This piece does act as an outlet for me and this is me praying for a better year. Anyways, hope you enjoyed my piece after a long while!❤️

Nice Prompts in Bold☺️

***

If it was any other day, I probably would have stayed far away from the bar and the music that would make any normal human being deaf with all that blasting.

But not today.

Because today was a shitty day.

No. Scratch that. This was a shitty year. I could even go out on a whim and say that it could give 2020 a run for their money. I was on my second bottle of soju, not giving a damn at the concerned look the bartender was giving me. Some creep tried to get close but I just weren't having it - I swore I saw a stain on his pants as he scurried away from my murderous glare.

"Tough day?"

I rolled your eyes, preparing to give the unsuspecting stranger a piece of my mind. "Jason?"

Jason Todd, my childhood friend and partner-in-crime takes a seat across me. He signals to the bartender over the Christmas music for another tiny glass and soju. "It's been a while."

"You're not going to stop me?"

"And miss out on a drink? No way." Jason scoffs. "Now, why are you drinking like there's no tomorrow?"

I want to tell him. How I left my perfectly stable job because I was being ostracized. How my family supported me but insinuated that I should have done more - be more approachable, more likable, more friendly. How a few days after my graduation, my grandmother who was the only living grandparent to watch me grow up since I was a toddler passed away suddenly.

How I was so ridden with guilt that I couldn't do anything more.

But as I opened my mouth, I hear a small voice in my head.

You'll just be burdening others, like how you always do.

"I'm fine." I dismissed Jason's worries away. Maybe I could have done a better job about it as he does not look the least convinced. I cut him off before he can ask anything else.

"You're here to drink with me. So drink." I uncap the new bottle, pouring him a glass.

I can feel Jason's gaze bearing into my forehead.

***

The next thing I feel is the soft fabric of my sofa. Jason lays me down gently before heading to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I hear the sound of my air fryer being switched on.

"I made you some fries. Oily food always helped with hangovers back when we were in college." He chuckles, passing me the glass. I drink the water in one go, gasping for air once I was finished. The smell of fried food and being hydrated helped me to become sober again.

Jason's shuffling around the kitchen, getting the necessary utensils. But I know he's giving me space. That's what I always loved about him. He never pushed unless you decided to tell him yourself. Even when I had a big fight with my parents, he kept silent, providing a much needed listening ear.

"Hey, Jay?"

"Mm?"

"I left my job." I know this wasn't the best way to start a conversation but it had to be out in the open sooner than later. "Gran died." My lips wobble and my vision starts to become blurry simply just uttering those few words.

"I feel like crap."

Jason sits beside you and his sea green eyes provide a source of comfort in the mess that I'm drowning in.

"And you can feel sad about it."

I burst into tears. The thread that I've conjured in mid air to sew my heart back together snaps and I can't hold back. My sobs are raw and primal till the point that I wished that the soju wiped me out unconscious instead.

The only difference from all the other times I wallowed in my grief and self-pity was the man in front of me who has his arms tightly wrapped around me, gently rubbing my back.

"It'll be okay. I'm here." He repeats softly.

And what a difference it was.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be stupid."

"No." Jason carefully pries me away and looks me in the eye. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone with Dick on that stupid mission."

I frown. The mission that he was referring to was a Black Ops mission, infiltrating what Dick and him suspected to be a child trafficking ring ran by the Court of Owls. I knew how much this mission meant to Jason on a personal level.

"Don't say that. As much as it pains me to say, but no one knew that Gran was going to go so suddenly."

"You don't get it," Jason says with a certain hardness that takes you aback. "She was family to me too. I had so many things I wanted to tell her." He sighs, hands clasped tightly.

"Like how I wanna be more than friends with you."

"What? I don't-"

Jason smiles sadly. "When you left your job, Gran was sad to see that you lost your spark. Back then, I did ask her for advice and she told me that either way, I should have told you how I felt. She said that you would have said yes. But I felt that I would have been a jerk to lay that on you while you were struggling." Jason sighs. "I guess Gran could see it better than the both of us."

Even in the afterlife, Gran was still looking out for me.

"She would have smacked you upside on the head if she was here."

Jason lets out a bark of laughter and you join him with your tear stained face. "She definitely would."

"So, does your feelings still stand?"

It's Jason's turn to blink in confusion before breaking out into a big smile. "That is if you'll have me."

I lean in to kiss him. "Of course you big goof. Now that you told me all of this, you're never going to get rid of me." I tackle him to the sofa and we end up in a giggling mess.

Jason reaches up to give a kiss of his own and deepens it till I'm left breathless and spinning with ecstasy. I snuggle into Jason, his warm and comforting presence enough to make me forget about my woes.

"That's good. Because I plan to be with you in both good and bad days."

[tattlestarbeepbop]

I'm tired of this fandom being so small that everyone that makes content for it basically knows each other, sooo...

A la Randy Feltface's skit about Hemmingway, I bring you...

THE BACKSTORY OF: JANE WHITMAN

(In the span of however fast or slow you may read this.)

[Just a heads up, spoilers for Date Time ahead.]

GO!

Born in the year of, or at the very least some year before 1974, (Inferred by the newspaper we find in one of the first rooms of what we can only assume is her headspace and the fact that she has a teacher named Mrs. Afee in this year) Jane had an eventful childhood, such as her father basically abandoning her and her mother, leading to a childhood that Randy would call uneventful, but I know led to a majority of Jane's life being the way it is.

Mrs. Afee was concerned for her health because she usually just drew all day, never interacting with the other kids (Oh, hey, it's me!) She was also not that cooperative with her mother, which... granted, most kids aren't. There's also a cat plush that you can squish, but I can either say "This must've been Jane's comfort plush!" or I can just admit I don't know why it's there and move on.

In 1975 (Inferred by another newspaper) Jane was asked to draw something else by her teacher... and the result wasn't very pretty. Either way, it was in this year that Jane caught wind of Silicon Valley, a place in California known for it's technological whimsy!... which her mom thought was a financial fad. I want to see the look on her face when she finds out she was DEAD WRONG!

Jane liked watching TV, and one show she watched had a little sock puppet man named Klippy. He told her that she was loved and cared for and that somebody else out there in the world was the same way, which is true! Klippy also told Jane to never give up! And ya know what her momma said?!

"Don't listen to the TV, Jane. It'll rot your brain."

Everybody say it with me: FUCK YOU, JANE'S MOM!

...okay, I shouldn't give her too much shit, she was struggling with rent because her husband fucked off to Valhalla. (probably)

Anyway, next room/part of Jane's life! No year this time, but we can assume she's older. Now she's some quiet gal trying to get a job for the summer at a restaurant, but those guys rejected her. She got shoved into a locker by some bitchass named Jackie, some Mrs. Sophie woman (probably another teacher) tells her to give up on art and focus on getting her life together (and gave her only two options: Work force or housewife), and Jane's mother forces Jane to get into a prom dress that even Anna thinks is dreadful AND DATE SOME A-HOLE!

Literally. If my theory about the next room is right, her date is literally just called 'A-hole.'

Anyway, we have another year on a magazine! 1980! Woo-hoo! Anyway, this guy takes the time to share weird facts like "Did you know we only use 10% of our brains?" WHICH IS FUCKIN' BULLSHIT. He also claims to be a lawyer and that a limousine can still turn if tilted at a certain angle- actually, wait- no he didn't He told her it's not true after saying it! WHAT THE FU-

He says he's a fan of 'Art of War,' an ancient Chinese military treatise by Sun Tzu and that he'll pay for the meal if Jane gives him another date, to which she rightfully declines. Good on you, Jane. You deserve better. Anyway, she's scratched out her drawings because nobody supported her art career and her mom, despite being the partial cause of Jane's dismay was like "You used to draw all the time! What happened?"

Again, say it with me: FUCK YOU, JANE'S MOM!

Jane also tried to get a job working for a "John Avast," who, like basically everyone else in her life, rejected her. And then, finally, after so many years of heartbreak and depression... Jane met Melissa, a character from a dating game that's been there since the start of the series. She's also self-aware and will someday grow tired of the fruitless cycle of dates and smooches and cafes with only three choices on the player's side, including a SCRUMPTIOUS PANINI.

Anna's tired of Melissa in general and slices that memory to bits right in front of Jane. Yikes.

Anyway, Jane loved Melissa so much that upon actually getting her arm held by Melissa's pixelated figure as she begged to be with her, that she couldn't help but say yes and immediately start to gather the supplies for a break-in to the library, which her mother catches her in the act and SENDS HER TO A MENTAL INSTITUTION CALLED ST. PALO AFTER GETTING A NEW ROOMMATE.

ONE MORE TIME: FUCK YOU, JANE'S MOM!

In the next room, we meet the biggest bastard to ever bastard in Jane's life (other than Anna,) and his name is Dr.Kaperski. Real piece of work this one. Jane's restricted while she sits down and is basically forced to tell Dr.Kaperski what happened at the library, and when she's done, she rightfully tries to attack him, but a nurse forces her to take the medicine prescribed to her and possibly gain a fear of needles as a result if she didn't have one already.

And that's where the flashbacks end... but wait. There's more.

At the age of 24, Jane is let go, courtesy of the Data Time company, because SHE GOT HIRED AFTER SO FUCKIN' LONG, LET'S GOOOOO! She gets a copy of Anna and as we check her emails, we see an email from her mom. Again, I'd love to see the look on that woman's face when she thought semi-conductors were a financial fad! Sorry isn't going to cut it for scarring your kid for life!

Anyway, Anna takes Jane's wheel after taking her down memory lane, they shuffle on over to the library and confuse the fuck out of Melissa, but then when she's about to make her move and give the Anna-possessed Jane a big ol' smooch, she whips out a device that sends Melissa right back into the computer with one last moment of clarity that this ain't Jane, and with that, the (probably first ever) copy-protected Melissa diskette is born.

Jane ain't having it.

She fights with all of her might against big bad Anna and manages to tuck the diskette away in it's character's favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. Speaking of which, HOW, pray-tell, has nobody found that thing yet?! There's a demand in romantic books, so surely someone would've found it by now! (Not a knock against the game, just a joke.)

Anyway, Jane rushes out of the library before Martha (the librarian) or Anna (the bitch) can get her to show the diskette to them, and ends up running out of breath in the middle of the street before a fuckin' semi shows up AND SPLATTERS HER BODY ALL OVER THE STREET!

WHAT A GAL!

How I knew her age?

I found it on a funeral thing that I couldn't tell you about until you knew she died.

[popculturebuffet]

Did you hear the recent news on how the Cartoon Cartoons shorts program announced in 2021 has now been dismantled and the shorts won't ever get released or even be picked up for a TV show? To make it worse, Cartoon Network threatened to blacklist the creators of these unreleased pilot shorts if they try to pitch them to other networks so we can't even get a scenario of a different network picking up these shows (ironic given Cartoon Network picked up Adventure Time when Nickelodeon refused to make it into a TV show). Thoughts seeing how bad it's escalating for Cartoon Network?

The fact they won't even try with that program does speak volumes at how they haven't really been gaining originals of their own anymore (Craig of the Creek, We Baby Bears, and Prince Ivandoe are on their last legs and Iyanu is the only CN original coming up, assuming it doesn't get sent to Adult Swim) and won't even use the program to help save themselves with more originals.

I just.. it's fucking depressing. Cartoon Network was my childhood, was my world growing up and while I thought at first people saying it's dying were just exagerating as tv networks are a dying breed anyway, mostly kept afloat by older folks. I still use my xfinity on occasion, but even I primiarly stream. (or watch hours and hours of behind the bastards on youtube as is my standard these days, but I digress).

But no.. it's very clear the network's day is done, a shell of what it once was. Craig of the Creek is over, the shows you mentioned are wrapping up and any future use of their properties is earmarked for hbo max. WBD Has no use for it's future and i'm 100% sure looking at Iyanu it'll get ported to adult swim, which isn't a bad thing at this point. It's clear Adult Swim has solid renewal power. I also shudder knowing Tiny Tunes Looniversity is probably dead and they'll burn off the rest next month or year, and Jellystone isn't far behind

As for this itself, it's a mixed blessing. On teh one hand burning it to the ground and refusing to use it is scummy if standard warner and the threat to blacklist is just fucking awful. On the other... that threat is hollow as shit. Yes it would keep you from working on adult swim shows and hbo max shows.. but at this point it's clear WBD itself is NOT a safe place for animation, having scuttled two whole films (Both scooby doo), ruined an adaptation of an acclaimed manga, and in general trying to wind down for the most part, with only adult swim and now the DC divsions being stable and tha'ts only for now sadly. There is less risk in getting blackballed from warner than there is trying to work with them and most creators still doing it simply don't have a choice: either their ip is owned by them, or like invincible fight girl, they've simply put all this work in and survivied this far, might as well keep goin so their hard work gets released seen and stored somewhere on the internet. This blacklist threat is so laughably hollow it's hilarious. They COULD call other networks to get mad at them.. but if the creators still clearly have the legal right to pitch it to another network and Cartoon Network dosen't actually own anything but the pilot, and can't actually sue any of the other companies even in a SLAPP sense, then it's empty. What warner has always failed to get since this merger is the creative soul of a project: if someone poured their heart and soul into something, it's more worth taking a chance to get it made elsewhere. Olan Rogers has worked his ass off to make sure Final Space got concluded despite the fucking weird and self desctuvie hoops WBD has put up for him (Seriously if they actually helped publish the final chapter it'd not only be way more avaliable, but they'd get the money), and has seemingly found a partner for Godspeed because he's that passionate. Because the work MATTERS to him. And if the work matters, your going to take a gamble on seeing your dream come out rather than a vauge threat from a company who probably won't give you a job anyway and if they do it's certainly not stable.

[aceofbooks-creative-anthologies]

Here is the beginning of the end for Ace x Chigiri (can you have an end without a start?)

It's been three years since the tear.

Three years of developing an actual friendship. I might even call him my best friend at this point. Lord knows that the girls on my team have started to resent me, which bleeds into my friendships in the classroom. So even if I don't call him my best friend, he's the closest thing I have.

Three years of carefully measuring myself against the Japanese Olympians. Three years of mediocre training that I have to compensate for elsewhere. Three years of biting my tongue about my potential because I don't want to remind him of what he's lost.

Three years of hiding my growing feelings for him. Childhood cooties turned into a pre-teen crush over a boy I knew next to nothing about. Well, besides his shoe size, his height, his stride length, his speed range, his favorite color of shoelaces, his preferred electrolyte mix, the faces he makes when he's breathing hard, the way his heart beats in the jugular vein when I out pace him..... Those childish fancies blossomed into real romantic yearnings and aspirations. But I'd never act on them.

And now we tell each other everything. Well not everything. I don't tell him about the doodles of our names in a heart. Or that the girls at school make fun of me for my "girlfriend" whenever they happen to catch a glimpse of my camera roll. I don't tell him that I don't tell them the truth because I want to keep him all to myself. If he met any of the girls on my team or in my class, he'd want to—

The news comes over text message:

Red: i've been invited to trial for an exclusive soccer program Red: can i call you? Red: actually can we meet up? Red: i want Red: no i NEED Red: to talk with you about this in person

He's never asked to meet up outside of our time at the park before.

Blue: yeah sure Blue: when?

My phone pings, an alert to a high priority email. I clear it from the activity log.

Red: now? Red: i know it's before dinner Red: so i'll see you in a couple hours Red: but

The blinking ellipses taunt me as he types and erases his message over and over again. They settle as his message finally comes through.

Red: please? Red: *GIF of Puss in Boots pleading*

Blue: fine Blue: omw

Down the stairs and into the front hall. "Hey mum?" I call over my shoulder as I lace up my running shoes. They're looking pretty beat up, will probably only get a couple more meets out of them at this rate—if I'm okay with running without any soles. Maybe I should ask for an advance for my New Year's money from Gramma.

"Yes dear?" Comes my mother's call from inside the kitchen.

"I'm going out to meet up with Red for a bit. I should be back in time for dinner."

"That's odd. You'll just see him after dinner." I can almost hear the furrow in her brow.

"He got some important news earlier. Wants someone to talk to about it."

"He can't talk to his parents?"

I'm halfway out the door as I call back, "I don't know, mum. But this will probably be the first and last time, yeah? Love you." Her response is muffled by the door as it latches into place behind me, but there's a ninety-five percent chance it was about my homework, which is finished anyway.

After a few static stretches in the yard, I take off down the street at a (relatively) slower pace of eight min/km. I don't need to run at my training or race pace when I know he's going to take longer, even though he lives considerably closer.

Unless he's already there and was just hoping that I would agree to show up.

With each stride, I can feel the pavement pounding its way through my shoes. Thump, thump, thump. Doesn't quite match my heart rate yet, but it'll get there. There's a trill from my watch, noting the sudden spike in my heart rate and decrease in my oxygen levels. But no threshold alerts, so I'm all set to keep going.

The high priority email vibrates in my pocket four times before I reach the park.

Deep breaths. In through the nose. Count to five. Out through the mouth. Count to seven. In. Count to five. Out. Count to....

Hands over head. Keep the chest open.

It's like my trainer is in my head. I can almost see his mustache ruffle as he breathes, muttering about how I'm training too hard.

Dynamic stretches to keep the blood from pooling.

Five minutes into my cool down, and he still hasn't arrived. I check my phone, hoping that I don't see a text from him saying that he fell twenty minutes ago.

Nothing from Red, but there is that pesky high priority email. Might as well check it while I wait for him.

From: The Japanese Olympic Athletics Team

To: kyori.ace@joshi-kou.edu

Dear Miss Ace Kyori,

We are pleased to notify you of our interest in your performance at your recent meets and at our informal training camp last month.

Pending the status of your next few meets, we'd like to extend an invitation for you to compete at our —

"Hey Blue!" I almost drop my phone at the sound of his voice behind me. And then I do drop my phone as I turn around, because I've never seen him not wearing athletic gear. I mean, we've sent a couple of silly selfies at like school or whatever, but this is genuine casual clothing in person. It's just a navy sweater and jeans, but it's still so out of the normal that my heart and brain stutter for a second.

I can feel my face heating up as he reaches down and grabs my phone for me because I haven't moved. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long." The smile on his face seems somber, like something has made him upset in the almost hour since we last spoke.

"Only an eternity." I sigh dramatically, using an old joke to try and lift his mood. He had good news earlier, and I have some now too! We should be celebrating.

"Right, sorry that me and my handicap—" I wait quietly for him to finish his line in this exchange, a script that we've used hundreds, if not thousands, of times at this point. He lets out a breath after a moment and then, "Sorry. I'm not really in the headspace to joke about it right now."

"Oh. That's fine! Do you want to go for a walk or—"

"No, this shouldn't take long. We can just stay out here."

"Right."

Minutes start to tick by as he wrings his hands and stares at his feet.

"Look, Red. I told my mom that—"

"Right, sorry." He's running a hand through his hair now, trying to pin it back so it's out of his face. I silently offer him my spare hair elastic, but he waves me off with his other hand before letting the first hand, and by extension his hair, fall. It shrouds his face in a way that I know he despises, but I resist the urge to step in closer and brush it away. He takes one, two, three deep breaths......

[itsmyfandomandilikeit]

A Minor-to-Medium Prediction for Prodigy Season 2

All right so I'll admit, I haven't gotten to the TOS episodes about Organians yet, so I'm kinda making a lot of assumptions.

(season one spoilers under the cut)

So I've been thinking about Dal's Augment abilities, and I think it's really important to the story that they remain fairly minor. The series is about Dal's growth as a person, and him getting a bunch of random superpowers does not help that. I find the story of someone who starts from nothing and fights to become somebody very inspiring, so I do truly hope his character remains more important than his DNA, and I also think it would be a mess if we had to sit through an episode about each of the minor traits he gets from each of his component species. He's his own person, that's like the point of the series.

But I do think he'll still have some variation in ability. He's got his neck-tail thing, he seems to be pretty acrobatic, and telepathic abilities seem to be a recurring motif.

I think he might not be able to really rely on his ability to swap bodies, at least not to the degree that he can cheese it like a Quirk or anything, but I do think he'll be able to use it and skills like it again. I think it will be interesting to see how the minor telepathic abilities of his component species can interact, especially since the way they work seems to be so... undefined. He can swap bodies with a person he knows, so long as there's SOME form of physical contact, like a phaser beam across starships. It's transitive. But we don't know what all this can interact with, and how else it can be used.

Next season will take place, it seems, largely on Solum. A planet that exists in two separate timelines, one in which it is almost entirely devoid of life and one in which its future remains uncertain. It sort of reminds me of Dal, whose past is pretty dark and empty but whose future could be better, we'll have to wait and see.

Anyway I'm kinda rambling but I think next season he's going to swap bodies with Gwyn. I don't know when and how this will impact things, but I think it's where the story is going. Honestly he'll probably go to a place where she is in the other timeline and think about how he misses her, and they'll swap places and have to deal with each other's situations. That's my theory. I don't think this will be the ending to the season or anything but I think it'll happen in the middle somewhere so they can provide some insight to the other's situation that helps but doesn't entirely solve some problem. It also, as in Mindwalk, really doesn't allow them to talk.

I think it's going to turn out that the reason Solum was so conflicted about joining the Federation is that they would have to give up genetic engineering. We've seen they have advanced technology in other fields, but I think we saw in Kobayashi that Gwyn was genetically engineered. I think the reason the word "progeny" was emphasized so much is because it has to do with how Vau Nakat reproduce. Gwyn isn't an exact clone of her dad- they don't have the same facial markings.

Overall I've almost convinced myself that Dal will learn and grow under Janeway, but ultimately leave Starfleet to forge his own path. It's unfair but I think neither he nor Gwyn can join Starfleet and for the same reason- and we're less than a year out from the events of Picard S1. But I think, if things are going the way I think they are, it'll be a powerful story nonetheless. I think Dal as an independent actor who attains far more success and influence than the likes of Okona could be a very satisfying ending. Not to mention the fact that I don't think I'd like watching him be treated like garbage by Starfleet and still decide to dedicate his life to it.

At the very end of season 1, Janeway walks off and asks the children if they're coming with her on their new ship. They all chase after her, except for Dal, who stops and watches Gwyn’s shuttle leave. I think that was foreshadowing. I think he'll grow under Janeway's guidance but ultimately become his own person.

[sillywillybillywilly]

Micheal doesn't care for humans. Hell, he's not sure he even likes them. It's been that way since humans were created and nothing will ever change it. Micheals use to a lonely life. Never seeing his father, his own brothers being afraid of him, and never being allowed to interact with the other angels unless completely necessary. That was fine, he could live like that.

Honestly for the longest time he thought he enjoyed being so alone. When battle came he was somewhat upset but it's what God wanted and what his home needed. Or at least....he thought that's what they needed. He hated the thought of being in a human vessel. He didn't disire to have to deal with a human body especially because he didn't even like the hairless apes.

But he did anyway, for his people. They were his people now since his father clearly wanted nothing to do with them. Dean Winchester was a stubborn brat. At some point Micheal just wanted to let hell take over earth. But he couldn't. He felt bad that his little brother kept going for Sam Winchester. Micheal simply couldn't take it anymore.

After a while he had heard from an angel that there was another child who shared the same blood as John Winchester. Adam Milligan. Micheal wasn't sure how jolly he felt about being in the human body of a nine-teen year old but, it'll have to make do. He sent Zachariah to raise Adam since the boy was dead. He would've done it himself if he didn't have to call heaven down and prepare everyone for battle.

When he finally got to Adam, he sensed something from the boy. Not fear or anger. He couldn't put a wing on what it was. Oh and Zachariah was dead, that's fine. He never really liked the bastard anyway. When he took Adam, the boy wouldn't speak. Probably shock. Micheal groaned and sighed trying to get Adam to just say 'yes'. He was so close to going insane! Finally, the cursed thing said yes. As long as Micheal swore he'd let him see his mother.

When an angel threw a Holy Molotov at him it hurt. Bad. It was like...ok. Imagine someone taking your sk!n off with a cheese grater. That kind of hurt. Luckily it didn't hurt Adam but the human was still startled. Micheal had to reform and calm Adam down. When he finally did, he went back out. His brother was going down but something in him didn't want Lucifer to fall into hell. So he pulled him. He wanted to believe it was because of father grand plan but. It wasn't.

When he did, Sam dragged him in. Gosh..what was he gonna tell Adam??? Adam wouldn't stop banging on the mind walls and eventually Micheal couldn't take it anymore. After a short and violent arguement in the mind scapes, Micheal said he'd be back. When he did come back they spoke more. A lot of the times Adam would be alone. He didn't like Micheal but would prefer to be with a douche than alone.

Finally, they were able to come to an agreement. Micheal stay around and make Adam comfortable and Micheal would get peace and quiet out of it. Sounded good so that's exactly what they did for the next 1000 years together. At some point in those 1000 years Sam was pulled out. Adam felt betrayed. Why would his brothers pull Sam out but not him?

Micheal began to feel himself grow fond of this hairless ape. He didn't know why but this one was different. Adam felt himself grow fond of the archangel too. Except he could understand why he felt that way. Micheal supposes that not all humans are too bad. Rare ones like Adam pop up every once a decade. He'd protect Adam and care for him. Because Adam was his hai-Human.

[papakhan]

Hello hello, some asks for Fleabag and Sun~

3. How did your oc discover themself? Did something cause them to question, or did they always know?

9. Are there cultural or lore specific aspects to their identity? If applicable, does their species affect it?

Yesssssss so excited to talk about Fleabag in this

3. How did your oc discover themself? Did something cause them to question, or did they always know?

Fleabag Fleabag's WHOLE story is about this, they were raised by their father who was opposed Papa Khan and what he was doing to the Khans. Fleabag's dad was wildly homophobic and transphobic which was the basis for a lot of his hatred of Papa (who in my world is gay and trans) and Fleabag unfortunately internalised a lot of that. He was very hard on Flea growing up, policing all of their actions to make sure they were acting like a good masculine man and not anything that could be mistaken for one of Papa's Khans. However when Fleabag passed through the Khans initiation rites and (as part of my hc for the Khans) was taught all the steps of making a leather jacket by the community, Fleabag saw all these Khans they'd been taught were their enemy being-- happy as themselves-- which Fleabag was not. And that ate at them for a long time. Fleabag kind of had to explore their own identity on their own, or in secret, and it wasn't until after their dad died did they truly start living as themself.

Sun ON THE OTHER HAND. Sun has basically always known. I think I've explained enough already but Sun's very lucky to have always had a big accepting family and the ig awareness of what he can be? He probably just thought he was gay for a little while at first when dating Manny but then realised he was bi later.

9. Are there cultural or lore specific aspects to their identity? If applicable, does their species affect it?

I'll just answer them together because they're from the same group just different subsets of it but it'll make more sense if I do it this way. So I've mentioned this already a little bit but I think the Khans especially have a weird kinda relationship with gender/sexuality that's born from them being raiders. In general, I think relationships in raider groups are very 'fast and loose', you never know who will die next or stab you in the back so it's better not to have commitments unless you're certain. People obvs are yknow trucking n fucking but things are just a lil different, and it was like that in the New Khan days but things have changed by the time of the Great Khans. The New Khans were a long time ago for a lot of Khans but for some its still within their lifetime (it's 40 years between the two) so some of this stuff is kinda new to them, within a generation or so! And the same goes for queer acceptance, in my hc, Papa being gay and trans and taking over the Khans flipped the New Khans on their head. The underground queer scene in the New Khans was suddenly the only community left to rally the survivors into the Great Khans. Papa Khan's Khans who evacuated California became the most powerful splinter of the New Khan remnants because the other splinters either tore each other apart OR got ripped apart by the NCR. most Khans were just grateful Papa was a fair and just leader and if they had any homophobic feelings about it they either had to suck it up or die out in the wastes. All this is to say that in my hc, by the time of the Great Khans acceptance is very high and the small groups of homophobes who want things to "go back to the good old Darion days" are very small, and also can't do shit about it except occasionally rock the boat i.e Bitter Roots parents and Fleabag's dad. It really just depends on what part of the Khans someone was raised in, and there is some underlying toxic masculinity that hasn't been scrubbed out yet which affects some people like Fleabag or Jerry. ANYWAY. in general I think raiders tend to be a little more loose unless they've got something going on like Garl Death-Hands whole shit with his dad. They kind of don't care what you are as long as you can fight and you're cool and badass. The Great Khans specifically have been carving their own path in terms of queerness and tbh NOBODY is doing it like them and I cant fully explain without making this post even longer but like. you understand.

[sunflowersareonfire]

I don't usually share personal bits of info on here, but I'm gonna today. I'm a mid-level/senior manager for a national non-profit. I've been in the social work field for now going on a decade and a half, and for about a third of that I've been in some kind of management role across three states. Last year I was promoted.

The thing about the position that I am in now is that I am the highest possible position in my state (until/unless we grow more), so effectively I have no peers and I report to executive level staff.

Middle management sucks in so many ways. I'm not sure what it is like to be in such a position at a for-profit corporation, but what I do know is that non-profit world is hard.

Either way, it means trying to achieve whatever - often - unrealistic (and often not at all reasonable OR valid) goals the executive team wants while also trying to meet the - often - unrealistic (but almost always entirely reasonable AND valid) wants of direct reports.

It's like playing tug-o-war with both arms a lot of the time, when really it should be an entirely difference scenario. But that's middle management. I currently have more than 60 staff that I'm responsible for, and likely by this time next year it'll be over 100. This makes me a Size 5 class (out of 9) from a BLS perspective, even though I manage one of 25 states that my company is in now (or a middle-sized business).

When I moved into my role I made some pretty fundamental changes to how we trained people (not just the onboarding process, but continually). I shifted the attitude retained by previous leadership from "I report to the executive team (which, on paper and functionally I do) to "I report to you, what do you need to be successful?"

It's hard as fuck to get most people to agree on any single item, and this becomes even more profound when you open the gates for all and any kind of feedback. We still don't agree on probably 50% of things.

But the thing is, is that we increased retention by almost 70% in a single fiscal year, grew by 15%, and had the highest engagement among my staff who - on any given week - probably work 60+ hours a week.

Anyway, all of this is probably not necessary for the good part. Which is, all of my current staff, some former staff, and some other people in the agency that I work with closely put together a 30-page book of comments, notes, and letters expressing their appreciation for my leadership.

I don't often brag, and that is in part because I often have overwhelming imposter syndrome. Non-profit work is hard. Social work is hard. Being a manager is hard. Being a leader is hard. And in all of these things sometimes it is difficult to see the fruits of your labor. It's one thing to see the measurable outcomes, but it's another thing entirely to receive the other end. So, here I am bragging about one of the neatest things I've ever received.