#by a very generous definition of 'tagged'

[since-times-long-forgotten]

(prev's tags)

She definitely does have some brownish orangey parts! However, they look more like the result of rufousing to me.

Somewhat simplified explanation:

Tabbies have two types of hairs, agouti and non-agouti. The non-agouti hairs make up the (mostly) solid-color stripes, and the agouti hairs make up the lighter "background" of the stripes!

The non-agouti hairs are generally one solid color, the "base" color. The agouti hairs have bands of a lighter color crossing that "base" color!

This below image shows a non-agouti hair and an agouti hair of a black-based cat, like Chiyo. The stripes are made up of the non-agouti hairs, the lighter background is made up of the agouti hairs!

Cats can have different levels of rufousing, depending on how wide those pheomelanin bands are. Wider pheomelanin banding (more yellow & less black) = higher levels of rufousing, and vice versa!

Tabbies have more agouti hairs on their belly/throat area, and often those have wider pheomelanin banding, which results in the warm-toned bellies (and ear/cheek/chin/throat/nose areas!) that many tabbies have

This has a more comprehensive explanation as to what rufousing is

picture example from the above linked post:

more examples of rufousing below the cut!

Black mackerel tabby with a higher level of rufousing:

Black tabby with a lower level of rufousing:

Two black mackerel tabbies (brothers) that I fostered a while ago, one with higher rufousing and one with lower!

And a very good example of how it can be selectively breed: two Abyssinians, both black ticked tabbies, one with very high rufousing and one with low rufousing!

[linskywords]

2024 HRPF recs

As has become my wont, I spent the last few weeks trying to catch up on some of the new fics in the hockey RPF tag that I missed over the course of the year. I definitely didn't get to everything, or even all of the most popular ones; there may also be a bias towards shorter fics here, as I was trying to get through a lot. 😅 But I hope you enjoy, and possibly find a gem or two that you missed!

First, some general favorites:

Scoring Effects by @helenish (McDrai, 30K): Ah, Helenish. A goddess among us. I love a good mistaken identity story, and this is a GREAT mistaken identity story.

barons by dilangley (MattDrai, 43K): Future fic in which Houston gets its own expansion team, Matthew coaches it, and Leon and Trevor Zegras play on it. Gorgeously done. The Trevor POV section broke me a bit, but it was worth it.

Living Things by @makeit-takeit (TK/Patty, 115K so far): I am so deeply invested in this series. It's very real and vivid-feeling future fic that does an amazingly thoughtful job exploring the NHL wife-and-kids pipeline and what happens when that doesn't fit you as well as you thought it would. The stories that are written so far feel nicely complete, but if you'd rather hold out for the full HEA, you can check out her Wild Ice for a different highlight from the past year.

put the stars in our eyes by @notthequiettype (McDrai, 17K): the McWedding story that I wish I had written. I thought it was going to destroy me, and instead it left me all warm and fuzzy.

Lost and Found by angry_geno_is_score (MattDrai, 2K): angry_geno_is_score had so much to choose from this year, as always, and I loved this as a microcosm of the hurt/comfort they do so well. If you like it, you know where to find more from them!

Next, we move to the irresistible new Sharks babies. I'm not sure I can oversell how hot these three stories managed to be:

come on (leave me breathless) by countthestars @moondoggiestyle (Will/Mack, 10K): I've already talked about how much I loved this one. There can never be too many stories of one player catching the other getting off in the shower, especially if they're as hot as this.

revising the shoreline by ohyellowbird @teex (Will/Mack, 6K): another super well done exploring-their-sexuality-while-not-talking-about-it story, aka my kryptonite.

teamwork makes the dreamwork by canary @bigdogenergy (Will/Mack and Will/Mack/Ryan Leonard, 19K): I'm sure a lot of you have already read this in the last week or so, but I couldn't not recommend it. Mack goes into heat and Will needs an alpha to help him out. Who to call but the ex?

And then we enter the realm of vaguely devastating but gorgeously written JDTZ trade fics:

home by now by donderwolk @donderwolkenblog (Jamie/Trevor, 6K): The moment they found out about the trade, and a little bit after. Brilliant, impeccable, ruinous.

heat check by jolach @hyggles (Jamie/Trevor and also Carts/Richie, 4K): Outsider perspective on Jamie and especially Trevor as they deal with the aftermath of the trade, through the eyes of Mike Richards, who may have some experience in the area. I don't know how anyone writes this well, honestly.

Finally, one of my favorite things about reading through the past year's fics is finding a prolific new author I love who I had totally missed in my year of mostly reading people I'm already subscribed to. This year it was unsay (@tungpin). They seem to have started writing HRPF this year, and they tend toward the kind of complicated sometimes-ambiguous stories that I never manage to write but love to read. Here are a few of my favorites of theirs from this year:

malt (MattDrai, 4K): Leon meets Sasha Barkov and has feelings about how he wants to be more serious than Matthew does (OR DOES HE).

accessory to the rockstar (McDrai, 5K): once again we have Leon having thoughts about how he feels more than the person he's into, this time about Connor. Bittersweet and lovely.

the care and keeping (Jamie/Trevor, 12K): in which Trevor's friends get on Jamie's case about neglecting him post-trade, and Jamie does something about it.

That's it from me, at least for now! I know there were many excellent stories this year I didn't get to, especially the long ones that I just didn't commit to while reading for this list. Perhaps this is the year I do what I've been telling myself to do for the past two years and keep track of what I read and love throughout the year. We can only dream. 😅

Happy reading!!

[the-teufort-nine]

My TF2 Fic Rec List [ Fanfics I've Read That You Should Too]

*cracks knuckles* right, let's get started! X Reader fics are not included bc I already did a list of them for an ask. Mind the tags and ratings, as always. I'll add to this as I collect more, but its decently long as is

Symbol Key:

** = Incomplete

~~ = Personal favourite

++ = Under 10k

SpeedingBullet:

~~Running Blind by TheTriggeredHappy

(( Scout's eyes are badly damaged in battle and for some reason, Medic's gun can't fix him. Until they figure out how to heal Scout, he needs someone to look after him and keep him safe.

Sniper is given the job.

[3rd person limited, Scout's POV, some character development done on a whim] ))

The SpeedingBullet fanfic. If you like Scout X Sniper, and you haven't read this one yet, I don't know what to tell you. You are severely missing out on not only a great romance story, but also fantastic team dynamics. Also has an available Podfic!

++From a Hospital Bed by SlightlyLessThanAnon

(( Jeremy wakes up in the hospital, his brain struggling the find coherent thoughts as the world churns around him, in and out of consciousness.

He finds the team may care about him a little more than he thought they did. ))

Short but sweet. More whole team fluff than strictly SpeedingBullet. Very cute.

~~Golden Brown, as well as its sister fic, Take Me Out by Ali_Ker (Alina_Kerrin)

(( After seeing his co-worker in a new light, Scout is faced with unknown feelings and a new, distracting perspective on things. ))

This lovely author can be found here under the handle @alikerao3

Grouped these two together because they are they same story, but told from the perspectives of Scout and Sniper respectively. Definitely a bit of a heavier read, especially for anyone who has dealt with Catholic guilt or internalized homophobia, but my God is it worth it. Don't just read one thinking it isn't worth it to read the other fic. Read both. Also, check out the song that inspired the title.

~~Going Through The Motions by AussieBookworm

(( Working under RED can be repetitive at times - but nothing like this. After a curse is fired his way, Scout is forced to live through the same day over and over and over again. It should be easy for someone as perfect as Scout to break the curse, right? As long as he doesn't have to confront the things he's been feeling towards Sniper it should be a piece of cake! ))

Possibly my absolute favourite TF2 fic right now. Scout gets character development out the ass, Demo has a prominent, important role, and there's a plot twist so good it had me tweaking out. TW for Suicide as a method used to get out of a time loop. Absolutely incredible, and it needs more love.

Gills and Gunpowder by popkeeki

(( Monsters are becoming increasingly rare. Between getting pushed to the periphery of society or being targeted by traffickers, life is hard when you are not (entirely) human. Like many others, Scout tries to keep his true form a secret. It has never really been a problem. That is, until a nosy teammate catches him mid-swim. ))

SpeedingBullet Mermaid AU!! Good luck finding a fic with this premise that also reaches this level of quality.

**~~Pet by Anonymous

(( Sniper's terrified of losing the one person he has in his life. It turns out there's a convenient solution to that: just make sure he has no way out, and the rest will follow.

Scout wakes up in a van he knows all too well, loopy and hungover, and Sniper's waiting for him.

*

Or: Learning to live with claustrophobia in small spaces Or: Making the best of assisted living Or: You can’t outrun a fucking bullet ))

Are you like me? Do you enjoy Scout whump and Yandere!/Possessive Sniper? SpyDad? Do you want more of it in your life? If the answer is yes, than Pet is for you! No NSFW, just pure, delicious kidnapping and one-sided love.

General Fanfic Recommendations:

++Something's Up With Respawn by Camelot_taurus, Old Works (HarveyDangerfield)

(( Respawn starts to glitch, and the Administrator sets Engineer to work fixing it.

It doesn't take long for him to find out exactly what's going ))

Super funny, weird little oneshot. Basically, Respawn starts glitching and producing fucked up, Paperjam Dipper-esque clones of the Mercs.

++Mask Off by MatryoshkaDoll413

(( Scout is sick. Really sick. 'If we can't get this fever under control it's the hospital or the morgue' sick, and Respawn can't help him this time. They'd already tried that. He's gotten so delirious he's fighting Medic every second he's awake, not really lucid enough to remember so much as his own name, much less that of any of the team. Medic is ready to put him under full sedation and try and work things out from there, but Spy has an idea. ))

Wholesome SpyDad fic. Spy actually acts like a dad for once, for his sick little bunny.

~~++Scout, Respond by MatryoshkaDoll413

(( Scout wakes up in a dark, unknown place, with rocks bearing down on him and a spotty recollection as to how he ended up there in the first place. The only thing that keeps him sane is the voice of his team in his ear, telling him to talk, to breath, and, more than anything, to stay awake. ))

Scout gets trapped beneath a collapsed building, and receives comfort from his team over his headset while they race to dig him out. Super cute, definitely a must read, and I've done so more than once.

pick it all up (and start again) by bugbee

(( The clues had always been there, he had just never wanted to see them. Maybe neither of them had, instead content to deny the truth before their eyes for the rest of their days because it was better than confronting the alternative. Except Scout had died, and Spy wasn’t able to keep on pretending for his last moments. A part of Jeremy was glad for it, despite the simmering rage and betrayal and hurt. So when he tried to look God in the eye and tell Him that Tom Jones was his father… He couldn’t. Not really.

(Scout discusses his parentage with God, and stays dead for a little while longer. Well. A lot longer. On the plus side, he gets to attend his own funeral reception.) ))

An alternate take on Scout's death from the comics. Very Scout centric, obviously, and ends happily.

~~A Little Bird Told Me… by the_soup_specter

(( Medic learns a secret— something personal, powerful, big enough to cause a rift in the team of mercenaries that could tear two of them apart. And for once in his life… he’s not sure how to proceed.

With no better ideas, Medic decides to ask his fellow mercenaries for advice. But as dueling viewpoints begin to pile up, will he be able to make a decision before the team is changed forever? ))

Medic learns Spy is Scout's dad, and spills the beans. Everything turns out ok, but man the aftermath initially ain't pretty.

~~seven times he has to explain (and one time he doesn’t have to) by conner_is_alive

(( the trans scout obsession has me in a vice

also if i don’t vent my trans sadness i will literally rip a government building down brick by brick lmao ))

The fic that made me a trans Scout believer. If you're on the fence about that headcanon, maybe give this fic a read.

**~~Kith And Kin by BOREDGrace23

(( Mick never thought much of the BLU team. They were just clones, after all. Designed to be their opponents in a meaningless war.

That's why when he woke up, his vision blurry, his brain blistering from a headache like he'd just woken up from a hangover, and several burning questions about what had happened, he thought it was strange that they hadn't killed him already.

//

Or, BLU are clones and RED are decidedly not. They’re then forced to work together when their teams disappear. ))

If you like Emesis Blue, or horror in general, go read Kith And Kin. And when you finish, go give @boredgrace23 some love for such an incredible fic.

**++Der Junge by UpInFlamesWriting

(( Everyone on the team knows that Scout & Medic do not get along. They're like Sniper & Spy, except less bloodthirsty about it. Medic scares Scout, & Scout doesn't give Medic a reason to like him. When the two of them start being more than friendly all of a sudden, the team starts to worry, especially when it becomes obvious that Medic & Scout are keeping secrets from them. Scout & Medic are not about to tell the rest of the team that they are a pair of transsexual men, especially when Medic agrees to help Scout in his transition. For all the weirdness that goes on in the base, the world is not kind to queer people, & they aim to keep the reason behind their friendship a secret, even if it kills them. ))

Trans Scout and Trans Medic solidarity fic. I need more of this.

Eight Mercenaries and A Toddler by ChaosandMayhem

(( When Respawn malfunctions and their annoying Scout is turned into something far more precocious, it'll take all of the RED team's wits and patience to look after him. At the same time, Engineer must find a way to turn Scout back into an adult before the BLUs-or anyone else-realizes what's happened. No pairings, just a bunch of exhausted trained killers and one hyperactive child. ))

An Ancient Text from 2012 and the only FF.Net fic on this list, EMaAT is a classic for me. Lot's of Spy backstory, if memory serves. Quotes from this live rent free in my mind.

PracticalEspionage:

++Under the Lake by Her_AngelEyes

(( Engineer goes fishing. Hilarity ensues. ))

Don't let the description fool you. This is a non-con/mind break fic. If you like darkfic stuff, than this is for you~

[prettyboykatsuki]

oh gosh i agree so much with u on the intercrural part for isagi, had to search for the meaning as well lol

there are also others like him who are very careful (and they also find it so hot and dirty) : karasu, kunigami, sae, and chigiri who at the same time does not want a child

that was so hot thinking abt it ngl pls indulge more on this even if it's just isagi thank you very much

as much as i want the others like nagi, shidou, rin, aiku, etc. to like this, i fear some of them would just simply prefer p in v after minutes of intercrural, cough, aiku , cough, and nagi who become very impatient (and shidou i think does not mind a child lol)

jfjfdsfsdfkjsd i did not know it was such an unknown word it is in tags a lot on ao3 but yes intercrural = thigh fucking

i think there are probably several bluelock men who find it hot for different reasons. the only people i would switch is oliver and sae on these lists jkfsdkj. disregarding the risk of pregnancy in general tho bc i <3 birth control and contraceptives etc

i think oliver is like. a certifiable, tried-and-true FREAK. like in the traditional sexual way, that guy is really loose with sex and he likes to get into some freaky shit. i always say this but he sluts around for the love of the game, so while he definitely wants to be putting his dick somewhere

he can and does get very into thigh fucking because of the like,, teasing element. him and isagi are kind of the same in the sense they both do it so hard and so long - you end up desperately begging them to just fuck you already because of how frustrating it is and just how much they seem to like it.

isagi fucks your thighs less intentionally. he's just trying to get as much sexual contact as he can after his dick feels like it's going to implode. its usually after foreplay - when he's used his mouth for long enough that your thighs and pussy are embarassingly soaked and it feels especially nice for him to fuck through them. does it while laying behind you, very intimate - but very, very intense because he's basically grinding against your pussy. squishing your thighs together so much that that it feels like he's fucking through them. head against your shoulder, panting - precum covering your legs like he's just into It.

but you really, desperately want him to fuck you and he just. keeps saying to give him a little longer.

oliver does this one purpose but he likes doing it from above so he can see his dick reach through the other side when he does it. and he probably does it after fingering you like he's going to fuck you but then not going quite there. he just kind of... holds you. presses against you like you're going to get fucked and then... doesnt it. and it does feel good because he's using that same brutal, rough pace he does when he fucks you. the longer he does it, the wetter and slicker it gets the better it feels. so then, he keeps doing it because it feels good. he thinks its cute also, watching you go back and forth before finally caving bc you want him to Fuck you.

i think sae in general prefers giving u the most stimulation as much as he can if he's gonna have sex. he can be teasing if he wants to be, but overall - he likes to sitmulate you again and again and again and mess with your head that way. but he does all that so ultimately you'll be so wet it feels like you don't resist his cock at all. doubly bc i think his dick is Big.

this is too long to be talking about thighfucking. but ye dsjsdjk

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Rose Recaps 2024 - Rose-Tinted Glasses

Post your most popular and/or favourite edit/gifset/analysis for each month (it’s okay to skip months!) @troubled-mind made her own year summary, and I wanted to play to. I want to look back and see what I did and kinda give myself a pat on the back. I've been feeling not that inspired about giffing lately so this might help.

January

Most Popular: Myungha is all of us

Favourite: The Glitch

This one took me a long time to make but I had so much fun. It was a request and I immediately knew what I wanted it to look like, adding the red flare, but then I actually had to make it, which is when I get in trouble, because there are only so many hours in the day and I'm never happy. But I'm really happy with this one.

February

Most Popular: Is the magic gone? - Cherry Magic Thailand, EP 11

Favourite: The End

Yes, it's Love for Love's Sake again. I adore this set. I just love how it turned out. I had a good time trying to get the look I wanted. And of course, them. I love them.

March

Most Popular: S01E06 | S02E06 | S03E06 - Young Royals

Favourite: "So, I've been searching all this time…for someone who would polish off that dish with me."

This show changed me and healed me and it all started here. I love this show too much for words, but I did try to explain my love for it in my second favourite post from this month. It's magic.

April

Most Popular: Silent Screaming - Unknown, EP 9

Favourite: Ok this isn't exactly my post or just one but all the answers from #Rose's Day of Asks, April 2nd. It was just so much fun to go on a ask spree, and get to know some people better and get show recs and just generally interact more. It broke my brain a little but it was such a fun day for me. Also it was a fun excuse to just ask questions, because sometimes I feel awkward dropping by someone's inbox to ask some random question. May

Most Popular: Domesticity - Unknown, EP 12

Favourite: "The ocean is for contemplating things bigger than we are..."

This is such a special set to me. I did it as a gift to the always kind @twig-tea and I love it a lot. She loves the sea and so do I, so to work with it in different shows and just look at it while I was making this set was such a treat for me as well. This was the post that started it.

June

Most Popular: Oyei & Cher - Wandee Goodday, EP 6

Favourite: The 25:00 in Akasaka running.

This show got me so bad. This post basically started because of @lurkingshan tags on another post and then because @colourme-feral asked me about who would do the running in the inevitable running to the beloved moment. And it was fun discussion with great additions from @lurkingshan here and @emotionallychargedtowel take here.

July

Most Popular: Ayaka is in Love with Hiroko, EP1

Favourite: Zettai BL is back!!!

I had a blast giffing this show. It was just great seeing my faves again and getting a new fave in Hatano. Many thanks to @ikeoji-subs for making it possible for us to watch it.

August

Most Popular: 'Friendship is nice, isn't it?' - I Hear the Sunspot, EP 8

Favourite: Rose Watches OJBL - The Novelist: Playback (2021)

Never was I happier to have started the ojbl project that when I finished this series. I love it so much. And this project is dying down because I've seen most of the good ones, and will make my way through others more slowly that I had before. But this project was definitely one of my personal highlights from last year.

September

Most Popular: THE Kiss - The Time of Fever, EP 4

Favourite: 'You've grown up well, Go Hotae.'

I am so critical of my work but damn do I love this set so much. The colours just make me so happy. And them of course. No secret that I absolutely lost my mind with them.

October

Most Popular: The amazing Nam Yoon Su - Love In The Big City, EP 1

Favourite: So I've been thinking about time.

The day I was so smart. I was very proud of myself for figuring this out. It seems silly now, but it was driving me crazy and I felt really good when I finally cracked it. This show also occupied so much of my brain.

November

Most Popular: Parallels LITA - Love in the Air Koi, EP 1

Favourite: Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park | PART THREE

This show gave me so much pain, but it got me doing something different. I really loved making these. And this one was the best of one. I am so rusty using photoshop that it was a challenge at first, and it took ages but it was also really fun. I love these edits a lot.

December

Most Popular: Panther Eyes - Caged Again, EP 6

Favourite: Miseinen parallels - Episode 1 | Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

I had been paying attention to the places Jin was visiting in the first episode to spot them when they appeared again, so i was very happy when I was finally able to collect them all.

Well that's it for yearly recaps I guess. I feel like I'm getting better at this giffing thing and also writing some thoughts down, even if I still feel intimidated by some people. I had fun here last year and I hope this one continues to be great. I just need to find some inspiration and start giffing again properly. Have a wonderful year everybody! 💜

Also, if anyone wants to do this consider yourself tagged! and you can use this site where you can look for your top posts of each month.

[wheneverfeasible]

For Scoops - Marshmallow

tags: a!eddie munson, o!steve harrington, technically underage, frottage, coming in pants, public sex

~

Wayne had always told him late bloomers ran in the family. That there was nothing wrong with being almost eighteen and still haven’t had his presentation heat yet. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that definitely had a sugary sweet scent according to everyone else, he might have just assumed he’d be a beta all his life like his dad.

But the fact of the matter was that, faint though it was, he did smell sweet—“Like fresh marshmallows,” his uncle had described it one time—and he’d never lost that baby weight which was really only common amongst omegas. Unless you were perfect Steve “the Hair” Harrington, with his near chiseled good looks and butterscotch-peach scent, who might have been an omega but was also so excessively hairy (when he wasn’t waxing for swim) that many mistook him for an alpha at a distance.

Secretly, while he appreciated the way Harrington looked just like 90% of the rest of the school, Eddie liked the softness of his own face, the way his body wasn’t exactly plump, but definitely…squishy in places. Perfect for rearing pups, or so the myth went. Wayne was a wiry older omega who, though he never found an alpha he wanted to settle down with, had assured Eddie that any body type was capable of rearing perfectly healthy pups.

Granted, that only mattered if anyone even wanted to have pups with Eddie to begin with, which…so far didn’t seem quite so likely. Even for an omega, his scent seemed unbearably sweet, and it would only get worse when he finally presented.

“Move it, Freak.”

Eddie’s expression furrowed into a glaring frown as he was roughly knocked into by one of the regular knotheaded jocks who made his and the rest of the freaks’ lives hell. He rubbed at his smarting shoulder where he'd collided with the doorframe leading into the gym, feeling his ire tick up another notch.

Eddie could admit that he could have a bit of a temper at times, though usually he never felt truly angry, more just annoyed when things didn’t go to plan, or when someone went after one of the freaks under his protection. He didn’t have pups yet, but he supposed he had some omegan instincts when it came to his pseudo-brood.

Lately, however, he could feel his temper rising far too easily. Maybe it was just the approaching warmer months. It was still early spring, but Eddie could swear that the days were already getting unbearably hot, which just heightened his general annoyance. Knotheaded alphas throwing their proverbial weight around certainly didn’t help matters.

Knothead 1 laughed with his friends Knothead 2 and Knothead 3, going to high-five Knothead 4 who—wait, that wasn’t a knothead, that was Harrington, who had his hands on his hips and looking almost as annoyed as Eddie felt. He muttered something to his fellow jocks, causing them to look very much like chastised pups for a moment before they slunk off to more of their jeering friends.

Harrington glanced over at him for a moment, his lips a thin thin of disapproval, but he looked away to join his friends without any other acknowledgment. Typical.

Still. It was heartening to see an omega hold that much sway, though Eddie doubted any of the philistines would ever show him that sort of respect, no matter how much he puffed out his chest like Harrington did.

Despite Harrington’s stern words earlier, gym class was still gym class. It was loud, and sweaty, and the popular jocks and the coach both liked to make kids like Eddie suffer the embarrassment of not being athletically gifted. And today’s horror?

Wrestling.

Though the season was freshly over, the coach and players were riding high from winning State Championships, heckling the basketball players who had lost that opportunity yet again. This meant that for the last week everyone had been sent through the fucking wringer, forced to participate in amateur wrestling matches for PE credit.

Credit that Eddie was sorely lacking on, even to the point of not graduating. Which might have been more concerning, if he wasn’t also lacking in necessary credit in English, Science, and Math as well.

Eddie had taken to skipping after the first day it was revealed what they were going to be doing, when he’d been forced into participating and been slammed into the mat by some unpresented freshman called Andy or whatever the fuck who was most assuredly going to be an alpha in two years max. He could still feel the wet spittle of the boy’s acrid breath on his cheeks as he muttered taunts in Eddie’s ear about how sweet he smelled.

‘Like a good little omega bitch,’ had been what Andy-or-whatever had spat at him.

Eddie could only thank his lucky stars that the school board couldn’t let alphas wrestle against anyone except other alphas. There were plenty of aggressive and angry unpresented and betas though, not to mention Harrington himself was omega.

Though…Harrington never had the same sort of aggression that so many others had. He was focused, and exacting, and everything one expected of a Team Captain—which was a feat in and of itself for being an omega—but he wasn’t violent or aggressive in a way that Eddie jocks to be.

He was a douchebag, certainly, with his money and his looks and his popularity, but…he wasn’t a bully. Just kind of…above it all, for the most part.

Except for when Eddie noticed him sticking up for the losers and the geeks and the freaks.

Except when Eddie saw Harrington pull his buddy Hagan off of Gareth when the freshie got a little bold in his tone against the jocks.

Except when Eddie saw Harrington help a small pup with a broken bike chain, despite the pup snarling at Steve the entire time.

None of that mattered, however. Except today. Because Eddie had been escaping this particular torture all week. Except today. When one of the teachers caught him attempting to ditch and all but frog marched him to the gym. When he felt hot, and sticky, and angry, and so fucking done with the day, and he was an unpresented omega so he was set against the omega of the graduating class he wouldn’t be a part of and…and…and…

And fuck, Harrington smelt so good, and he was pinning Eddie to the mat, thigh spread against Eddie’s chest, hand at the back of his neck, taint smelling so good against him, and he smelt so fucking sweet, and Eddie felt so fucking hot, and there was a burning in his skin and his nose and every single fucking molecule in his body and and and—

“Mine,” Eddie growled, and it didn’t matter what position he was in, because red was covering his eyes, and Eddie could only gasp as he arched against the firm hips of the omega he had against him, could only whine for more as his own hips rocked up and thrust and sought to prove that there was more to be had than just sloppy seconds—

Harrington gasped beneath him—when did he get beneath him??—his own neck arched as Eddie nuzzled at it, ignoring the commotion around them after he instinctually flipped the other boy, pressing against him to huff in the intoxicatingly sweet aroma. Fingers grasped at his Hawkins High PE shirt, a small growl leaving Eddie at the thought of the sweet omega pushing him away, except Harrington pulled him forward.

“Eddie,” Harrington whined beneath him, and fuck, that had Eddie’s dick filling out faster than anything, except perhaps the sudden perfume in the air of the omega’s answering arousal.

“Wanna breed you,” Eddie continued to growl, lips dancing over the moles he’d had daydreams about to speak directly into Harrington’s—Steve’s—ear. “Wanna fill you with my pups until you’re round and plump.”

Steve’s sweet scent exploded, and though he couldn’t feel it yet, he could almost taste the way slick filled the other boy’s sinfully short gym shorts.

Hands scrambled over his back, slipping under his own size-too-small shirt to paw at the meat around his middle, another gasp leaving the omega as hard muscle pressed into soft flesh, the weight of him pinning the other boy down.

Distantly, he could hear concerned voices shouting, could smell distress, but not from the sweet omega beneath him. No, the only thing he could smell from Steve was complete and utter desire.

Buzzing filled his ears as he lowered his mouth to Steve’s neck once more, grazing it with his teeth, tongue laving over the sweaty skin. He could feel Steve’s chest rumbling beneath him, could hear a muffled sound over the buzzing, though it took Eddie a moment to realize it was Steve talking to someone. Someone who wasn’t him.

“—ine, I’m fine,” Steve was gasping out, even as he writhed under Eddie, pulling him down tighter as he arched up against him. “Get everyone out. I’ll handle this, don’t worry.”

“Harrington, it would be irresponsible—”

“Trust me, Coach Jacobs. We need to—hn—to break his fever and this is—ah—the quickest and safest way. Fuck.”

Eddie licked Steve’s neck again, his thick fingers skating over the over where he’d shoved his hand down the other boy’s gym shorts. He could feel the dampness sticking to the toned body beneath him, could feel the hard line of Steve’s answering erection twitching against his palm.

When the sour scent of other got nearer, footsteps coming closer, a deep growl rumbled out of him, his teeth possessively clamping over flesh, causing the steps to falter.

“Coach, please, I’ve got this. Just get everyone out,” Steve panted, audibly cutting off a whine at the press of Eddie’s teeth. Not enough to break skin, but it was a near thing.

There was more of a commotion, but Eddie didn’t care, because then the heavy gym doors were slamming shut and they were finally, blissfully alone.

“Eddie,” Steve breathed, all of his attention back where it belonged. “Fuck, alpha, you smell so good.”

Alpha.

Him?

Shit.

He’d be anything Steve wanted him to be if it meant he got to have this, have Steve, who was wrapping a leg over Eddie’s wide hip, his hand moving to slip under the waistband of Eddie’s shorts.

“Like fucking s’mores. I bet you’re just as gooey. C’mon, Eddie. Gotta come for me, alpha,” Steve breathed into his ear, squirming his hand past Eddie’s boxers to slip inside and grasp Eddie’s cock with sure fingers.

A punched out sound left Eddie’s lips at that, hips jerking into the touch, causing Steve to grin.

“Fuck, you’re big. I bet you’d fill me so good. Bet I’d still feel you for ages afterwards.” Steve’s free hand moved to cup Eddie’s jaw, forcing him back enough to get a proper look at his face, even as his hand used the readily supplied precome dripping from Eddie’s tip to begin stroking over his turgid flesh.

Eddie let out a deep moan for that, hips continuing to jerk with the touch, but Steve caught his eyes with his own, compelling him to stare into them with wonder.

“That’s it, baby. I’ve got you. Do you understand me? Talk to me, Eddie. Do you understand what’s happening?”

What’s happening was Steve Harrington was jerking him off in the school gymnasium. Shit.

“Ome—,” Eddie broke off with a deep groan, before swallowing thickly. “Steve.”

“That’s right, Eddie. You’re going into rut.”

“I—t-that’s impossible,” he gasped, finding it much harder than normal to form thoughts, and not just because Steve’s hand never paused its movements.

“This would suggest otherwise,” Steve smirked, his hand sliding lower on Eddie’s cock and grasping something that had Eddie shouting out another moan. “That’s your knot, baby. It wants to fill me up, wants to plug me with your seed to make a bunch of little mini Munson-Harringtons.”

Steve bit his lip then, the sweet scent of him enveloping Eddie, telling him the boy beneath him had just produced a fresh wave of slick. At the thought of Eddie’s…knot?

“Su-s-suppos’d t’be omega,” Eddie weakly protested, feeling the foreign sensation of his knot growing for the first time.

“Sorry, baby. But you’re an alpha. And you’re going into your presentation rut, so we need to bring your fever down. Do you remember health class? What we need to do?”

“Skipped,” Eddie whined, wanting to tell Steve that if he wanted Eddie to have coherent thoughts that he needed to stop touching him, yet never wanting Steve to stop at the same time.

Steve snorted, looking oddly fond, even as his cheeks were stained with the flush of arousal, pupils blown. “Course you did,” he muttered. He shook his head then against the mat, drawing Eddie forward to ghost his lips over Eddie’s own. “We need you to have an orgasm, to come. Need you to clear your head. Then we need to get you home.”

A small growl left Eddie at that. “Stay?”

That almost-fond smile again. “I shouldn’t, not until after your rut. But…I will.” He then licked Eddie’s lips with a mischievous smirk. “Not the first alpha I’ve helped out.”

The thought of Steve doing this with anyone else sent a roar of possessive jealousy through him. If he had his way, Steve would never do this with anyone else ever again.

Eddie all but ripped himself out of Steve’s grasp, pulling away and causing Steve to let out a whine of protest, though that whine quickly turned into a yelp when Eddie grabbed the omega by his hips and flipped him over. Steve groaned spreading his legs automatically as Eddie pressed in, rubbing his erection over Steve’s ass.

“Fuck, Eddie,” Steve whined, winded as Eddie’s weight settled along his back, pressing him further into the mat beneath him. “Alpha, please. Just like that. Wanna feel you. Want you.”

Eddie nosed at the back of Steve’s hairline as he rocked his hips against Steve’s, pressing the length of his erection against the covered cleft of Steve’s ass. His shorts were noticeably wet by now, though Eddie’s weren’t much better.

“Mine,” Eddie growled, low and deep, thrusting against Steve’s ass as his large hand pinned him to the ground.

“Yours, fuck, Eddie, I’m yours,” Steve gasped, tears springing to his eyes as every rocking motion pressed his own erection between the mat and his body. “Wanted you for so long,” he groaned. “Didn’t care if you were another omega, or a beta, or whatever else. Just wanted this.”

Steve’s words were like their own aphrodisiac, shooting sparks of pleasure throughout his synapses. Grunting, growling, panting, Eddie fucked against Steve’s ass at an almost punishing pace, feeling his new knot inflate more and more until he was painfully hard and ready to blow.

“Gonna make you mine forever,” Eddie snarled in promise, and then he snapped his hips so roughly against Steve’s that the boy jerked forward against the mat with a sharp cry. At the same time, the pressure at the base of Eddie shattered, and he felt thick, hot ropes of his seed release into his shorts.

Steve shuddered beneath him, his butterscotch-peach scent blooming and the wetness of his shorts expanding as his own release broke.

Together, they lay panting against each other, their rapid heartbeats seeming to thrum in rhythm. Slowly, awareness slithered back into Eddie’s brain, the overwhelming heat he’d been experiencing lately giving way to cooling sweat. The front of his shorts were sticky with spend, while Steve’s slick drench them both despite the layers of clothing between them.

Oh shit. Steve.

“Ste—” Eddie broke off with a grimace, uncertain if he was allowed that familiarity any longer. He’d be lucky to make it off campus today without getting his ass kicked, he was certain.

He started to lift himself off the other boy, knowing he had to be crushing him, but before he could move far, Steve’s sure grip shot out and grabbed him by the wrist. Given enough space now, Steve slowly rolled over, making Eddie brace for—

Purring?

Eddie blinked down at Steve, who was staring up at him with the blissful, dopey smile of the well-satisfied. The unmistakable sound of purring vibrated through Steve before he consciously shook himself.

“Well. I think it’s safe to say you won that match for sure,” Steve teased, releasing Eddie’s wrist to wrap his arms around Eddie’s neck and pull him back down on top of him. He squirmed with a small hum, tucking Eddie’s hair behind his ear. “But I think I’m due a rematch.”

Steve grinned as he pulled Eddie down into a kiss, which Eddie could only return with baffled surprise. Surprise quickly gave way to pleasure, however, as Steve licked into his mouth with a happy groan. They only broke apart when warmth started settling over Eddie’s skin again, his cock beginning to twitch and fill with interest once more.

Pulling away, Steve gave a chirping laugh. “C’mon, baby. I said we needed to get you home, but my parents aren’t home and my nest is so very lonely. Let’s take care of the rest of your rut, shall we?”

Eddie had always been told that alphas in rut were aggressive beasts, which he could acknowledge that he had been just a little bit. He’d also been told that all alphas wanted to do was take and claim.

Except, as Steve reached out to take his hand with a coy smile as they made their (slightly uncomfortable, thanks to the mess in their shorts) way to the locker rooms to clean up and escape school for the day, Eddie couldn’t help but think that he had been claimed instead.

And he was just fine with that. Maybe this was his year after all.

~

ao3

Hostage Hotties (open):

@derythcorvinus @katyawriteswhump @honeii-puff @scoops-aboy86 (that’s you!) @dotdot-wierdlife @everywherenothere @bumblebeecuttlefishes @hiei-harringtonmunson

Fic tag: @mugloversonly

I have never written omegaverse in my life, but since I’ve recently-ish started reading more of it:

Unpresented Eddie who never quite lost his baby fat and everyone at school always teases him because his scent, faint as it is while still young, carries definite hints of marshmallow. Just pure, sugary sweet. Everyone, including Eddie himself, is 100% sure he’ll present as an omega.

Then one day, with the additional horrifying level of happening during gym class, his scent suddenly blooms into campfire and earthiness and toasted marshmallow as he enters the preliminary stage of his presentation rut.

[seadeepy]

saw that WIP ask game going around again, wanted to participate, then remembered I have an outstanding tag by @jamscandraw from back in April... I have been something of a ghost online recently... but now's my chance!

RULES: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

This is the ones marked as active, but truthfully I haven't written much of anything since starting grad school almost a year ago, and I would really love if ppl sent in an ask or something so I could get back into some of these ;w;

let the walls crack (Haven)

W&L Convo (DM, Whist)

disintegrate (Haven)

leaving (Basil)

watch you take the fall (DM, Basil)

a little different now (Basil)

ozification (RWBY)

as for tags, idk who's still around and likes this kinda thing, lmk if you want to be tagged for writer/fic tag games in the future and I promise I'll add you going forward!!

[front-facing-pokemon]

[viperwhispered]

Too Hard

Woop part 2 of the trip inside Jamil's head. Part 1 here.

The next time Jamil caught sight of you on campus, his first instinct was to turn around on his heel.

What a stupid thought to have because of you.

Besides, that would only make him more conspicuous, not less.

So, when your eyes met his, Jamil gave you a short nod in greeting. He would’ve left it at that and kept on his way, had you not walked up to him.

“Hi Jamil! How’s it going?” you said with that impossibly disarming smile of yours.

Why was it so difficult to look at you like he normally would? You had no right to make him feel so stiff, so unnatural.

On autopilot, Jamil exchanged a few pleasantries with you - those lessons from his parents had been instilled too deep in him for him to falter too badly in a simple exchange such as this. Still, Jamil quickly excused himself by telling you he still had to find Kalim before his next class.

Jamil didn’t miss the way your smile faltered. Had you hoped to get something out of him?

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you two later, then.”

Something about that irked him, though Jamil did not allow himself to dwell on it further.

His heart really had no business still racing as it did when he walked away, unaware of the frown on his face.

Just act normal. That’s all he needed to do.

After all, he had no time for dwelling in silly fancies.

If Jamil had been acutely aware of you before, it only seemed to worsen now that he was making a conscious effort to not act any differently with you. In fact, the harder he tried to keep you out, the more you invaded his thoughts, unsettling him.

The most innocuous words from you looped in his mind, and even the simplest actions caught his eye. For goodness's sake, he’d found himself staring at you while you were queueing up in the cafeteria the other day, not even doing anything other than standing around and looking bored!

For once, Jamil found himself grateful for all his duties. At least they provided him with something else to occupy himself with.

After all, if he was busy enough, it was difficult to think about those bright eyes of yours, your sweet laugh, or the way you bit your lip while thinking.

Still, sometimes it felt like no matter which way he turned, you were there, ready to throw him off-kilter. Not like it was his fault that often the most convenient route to class intersected with your daily routines. Or that your face seemed to jump out from any crowd, catching his attention.

Which certainly did not help his basketball performance. Jamil certainly did not recall you having such an interest in sports before, yet suddenly you were always there, distracting him. What had changed?

Could you possibly-

Jamil scoffed to himself, forcing his thoughts back on track for the nth time that day.

He picked up the tray of food and started taking it to Kalim. After dinner, he’d need to help Kalim with his homework, there were some housewarden tasks that would need dealing with, not to mention the preparations for the next-

Jamil froze in his tracks.

The voice he heard was quiet, but it was unmistakably you.

Really, it should not have come as such a surprise to him. You had become a rather frequent visitor to Scarabia, and Kalim often invited you to stay for meals. In fact, Jamil had started planning the dorm’s meal prep with your tastes and dietary restrictions in mind, just in case.

Jamil rounded the corner with strange exhilaration, his heart fluttering needlessly.

Yet, his mood evaporated when he saw you.

Why did you stop talking and look so guilty as soon as you caught sight of Jamil?

Jamil knew that look you gave to Kalim, had used it himself a thousand times. The one telling Kalim to keep quiet about something.

What could there possibly be that you would be comfortable sharing with Kalim, but not with him? That would give Kalim reason to sit so close to you, a comforting hand on your shoulder?

Jamil's mind raced with possibilities, yet could not settle for any single explanation.

He’d have to ask Kalim about it later.

Jamil gave you a short, polite greeting, his eyes lingering on you in an attempt to read what you were hiding.

“If I’d known you were coming over, I would’ve prepared something for you to eat as well,” Jamil said, already thinking about which parts of the dorm’s dinner to spruce up for you.

“Oh, no need, just figured I’d pop by. I’ll get out of your hair soon enough,” you said, something sheepish about your expression.

As expected, Kalim asked you to stay and dine with them, and with just a bit more persuasion you agreed - though not before telling Jamil that he should join you too and have himself a breather.

And since Kalim agreed with you, Jamil soon found himself sharing a meal with you and Kalim. Yet, even as he sat down with the food, his mind raced.

Had you been getting particularly close to Kalim lately? But surely Jamil would’ve noticed such a thing. Maybe someone from the dorm had been giving you trouble? But if that was the case, then surely you could let Jamil know about it, too. Unless for some reason you did not want to? But if it was something that concerned Kalim, then sooner or later it was bound to concern Jamil, too.

All the while, Kalim was talking to you about this and that, the latest topic being the animals kept on the Asim estate.

“I’ve got some pictures, let me show you!” Kalim said with an excited grin.

Only, a thorough patting of his pockets and a look around confirmed that Kalim’s phone was nowhere to be seen.

Jamil pinched the bridge of his nose. Where had Kalim left it this time?

Before Jamil even had the chance to say that he would handle it, Kalim sprinted off. Jamil hesitated for a moment, automatically halfway up from his seat, before he decided that leaving a guest unattended would be a worse offense than not helping out his master.

Jamil slumped back down with a sigh, mentally tracing the path Kalim took today, trying to recall the last time he saw Kalim handle his phone.

“Breathe. He’ll manage,” you said. There was the faintest of smiles on your lips, and Jamil could not decide if it was knowing or amused. Perhaps both.

Somehow, despite his frustration, Jamil’s own lips wanted to curl up too.

“Hmm. Maybe he will.”

Sure, Jamil could’ve called Kalim’s phone, to make it easier to find, but it was not that urgent, was it?

Jamil took another bite of his food, keeping an eye on you from the corner of his eye.

How was his mind so empty and so buzzing at the same time?

“You know-”

“So-”

You looked at each other, both just as surprised that the other had spoken up at the same time.

Even your surprised look was so-

“You first,” Jamil said. The way you bit your lip... Jamil had to raise a cup to his lips, slowly sipping his drink.

“Just… Feels like it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you be still, you know. Or exchanged more than two words with you,” you said. You were attempting a light, joking tone, yet it was quite clear there was more to it.

“You say that like it would be unusual for me to be busy.”

He was not prepared for the way your soft sigh tugged at his heartstrings.

“No. It is not.”

You were both quiet after, poking at your meals. Normally, Jamil would’ve cherished such a moment of peace, yet this particular silence between you two was decidedly awkward.

Where was your usual chatter? Why weren’t you looking at him like you usually did?

“If you’re worried about me, don’t. I’m fine,” Jamil said, some softness creeping into his tone despite his best intentions.

“That's what Kalim said too,” you said. Yet the way you looked at Jamil made it clear you were still skeptical.

Wait.

Had you clammed up earlier because it had been Jamil you had been talking about with Kalim? That Kalim had comforted you about?

The thought twisted his stomach into knots.

Eta: you can find part 3 here, part 4 here, and finally part 5 here. Hasdhfsdf the way I fought with that last scene I swear. I don't even want to know how many versions I went through, trying to figure out how to say what I wanted without rubbing it into your face or making it too veiled. The joys of trying to convey things through a limited pov. Hopefully it came out reasonably balanced in the end. Rip to all those sentences that were lovely on their own but didn’t work for the whole. Hopefully I can rehome y’all one day. I do have thoughts for part 3 and part x (might be some chapters between those two as well, who knows at this point), so maybe we'll see those at some point, too. Tag list: @colliope @crystallizsch @diodellet @jamilsimpno69 @jamilvapologist @twstgo If you'd like to be tagged for future works, let me know! (Just be aware that sometimes I do also write nsfw, though you can certainly ask to be tagged only for particular kinds of works.)

[cervinae-canine]

is it fair to call people like this "hack writers" if the only way they find a relationship interesting is when it involves pedophilia, incest, cannibalism or necrophilia?

[ghostoffuturespast]

Honestly, getting real tired carrying and supporting other folks around here when most of them aren't returning the favor...

[gemini-queen42]

Batb: Other Than Human - Themes stuff (& why I Called It That)

That's right folks, the self-indulgent "throwing any concept I like at the wall and haphazardly mixing together what sticks" au rewrite Thing has Actual Themes! That kind of happened accidentally but they are so real for that so let's get into it.

The Main Narratives Themes Trio of the story now all also embody expanded themes about being an "Other", when being a person is not enough to be properly considered human- more specifically of a neurodivergent/queer girlhood type flavor.

Summary is that it's called "Other Than Human" because the prominent theming is about being considered something other than human due to not fitting the mold of the 'norm'.

[This is a long one so details & specific character stuff are under the cut<3]

Amalure has the greatest departure from her original counterparts thematic placing, so we'll start with her. Amalure retains Gaston's social standing, reputation, etc. But it's of course not quite the same- because she is a woman, and she is not revered for being the picture of ideal womanhood/femininity. Instead, she excels in masculinity, but remains firm that she is and always will be a woman. So, to justify the desire & awe people have for her, they dehumanize her: She doesn't need to follow the Rules because she is outside of them. Amalure is not a person: she is a symbol, a figure, an object. A legend, a folksong, a modern myth. Her skills are not skills they are blessings, inherent, a mundane magic or supernatural. Despite having grown up in Villeneuve for her entire life, she is considered exotic, and is practically, if not actually, fetishized. And through all of this, the status quo and social order gets to be retained without question, and she gets to exist as the exception that proves the rule, rather than the Undesirable that she'd be marked as otherwise.

Amalure is fine with this, because this dehumanization is her status quo: She doesn't really view herself as a person either, she is defined by her relationship to other people, by who she is to them. Amalure has never been a person to anybody: Growing up she was never just a girl, never just Amalure: She was a girl with a mans brain, an embodiment of her fathers greatest achievements, an embodiment of her mothers worst mistakes, she is her fathers daughter or her mothers daughter, but not her own. (and she never both, it is either or, mother or father, never both, never parents.)

Princess Eve/The Beast is the other end of this, of operating through her dehumanization. Upon being cursed, she adheres to what societies have oft wanted to happen to their Undesirables: Hide away and never be seen by the public again. It is entirely self-inflicted, as most of her suffering truly is. She operates not through others dehumanizing view of her, but her dehumanizing view of herself and its warping of how she believes others view her. Because, well, the servants still view her as a person. I mean, they're still human- under the new object forms. And the separation of humanity that is easy to slip into on matters of royalty is awfully minimal as well; they watched her grow up, and she grew up among them.

The girl's bratty, spoiled, temperamental, and is a ball of horrid consequences of the shallow views and ideals learned from surrounding nobility. But she's also the girl that fell asleep listening to Cogsworth explain the many technicalities to managing servants; because she was stubborn in asserting her authority as the mistress of the castle, and thus she Must have say over its goings ons. But the majordomo's voice can be awfully soothing when he's not high-strung on anxiety, and it's hard to pay attention when you don't understand what's being discussed, so its all going in one ear and out the other. And She's Lumiere's 'Evie', who was so amused when Lumiere would draw on a little mustache when dancing the male roles so the princess could learn some duo dances, or because she didn't look very "waiter-like" (because Eve wasn't entirely sure what a maître d' did, but it seemed to have something to do with waiters), and who got annoyed every time the dance teacher/maître d' would warn her not to hurt her body in her pursuits, because it seemed so silly, why would anyone do that? And she's the girl who dragged Mrs. Potts to have tea with her, because she made the best tea and as princess she would have only the best; and if you're going to have tea you may as well have a tea party, and you can't really have a party of one, but two isn't much of a party either so she's going to drag Babette away from her duties too, since the maid was so elegant and thus would be perfect.

Honestly, the girl probably would've turned out fine if she was raised by just the servants. But they weren't the only forces in her life: she's a princess, so she's got to host and interact with important people and learn how to Be noble which isn't something any of the servants can teach her. And it is under the pressures and eyes of nobility, is in mixing and learning their social rules, that learns the lessons that will lead to her curse: That to be considered human and treated as such, one must look human. And to be such as a woman meant to look beautiful, like the ideal. As a woman, to be worthy is to be beautiful and vice versa. And even if she does not, she must have some way to serve men. Otherwise, she is nothing. Eve met these requirements well, and where she did not yet her authority as princess covered. So when a beggar woman is at her doorstep, the princess turns her away: because she is old, ugly, so long past her 'prime'- there is no worth to her anymore. There is no point caring for her future.

Helene stands as both the middle ground and inverse to the other two. She is an Other by virtue of her mind, she is Objectifiable by virtue of her beauty. She sits on the precipice between Undesirable and Desired, seeming nearly apathetic to where she lands despite popular encouragement to embrace or smother aspects of herself. Helene is quite sure she's a person like anyone else, thank you, and is frankly frustrated and a bit weirded out that others seem to have a hard time getting the memo- she doesn't like or want to assume the worst, though, so maybe she just missed another confusing untold social rule or something. I mean, the local triplets really do seem to be advising in good faith- they really do think of her as one of them to an extent (for reasons Helene is yet to know); they just don't understand her.

When Amalure pursues her, there's an unspoken aspect to the deal of marriage she proposes: Helene will get a secured place on the in of the community, a secure standing the promises people no longer questioning or trying to encourage her to no longer be herself. But Helene just isn't interested in Amalure like that, and she also sees what the real trade-off of that security is; that uncomfortable dehumanization that is exactly what Helene doesn't want to deal with anymore. If Amalure is fine living with it than she is free to do as she pleases, but the huntress doesn't seem to understand what Helene could possibly have a problem with- and it's not like they can discuss it, because it's unspoken, and you're not supposed to speak the unspoken things, because they're unspoken for a reason- even if you don't know what that reason is. Helene knows that rule, at least.

When Helene meets the Beast, she regards her as she does any other. It's plain as day that the Beast has a humanity to her, whether she's really "human" or not- she thinks and she feels, and that's enough for Helene.

Because Helene grew up raised by a single dad who she got most of her brain workings from, and he is a man of compassion and science. Off he'd send his beloved daughter to go and question and figure out the world for herself, to experiment and learn and become whatever she desires. Off to bed he'd send her to tell her fairy tales and have their lessons of love and compassion and humanity understood as she drifted off to sleep. Helene was never Odd with her father, never Other, in fact they were so easily two of a kind. It was so jarring, hearing people imply Tyndare less than sane; his logic paths were so easy to follow- but apparently his voice gruffs enough that others have a hard time understanding what he's saying sometimes, so that's where things seem to get lost in translation she guesses. People became jarring in other ways as she grew up too, because suddenly there seemed to be lots of social things she was supposed to know or be but didn't and wasn't, and it became very apparent very quickly that she was an Other among her village.

Overall: Eve & Helene get to go through these themes through the main plot, and post curse-breaking is when Eve gets to properly deal with the internalized issues and whatnot. Like she's learned beauty doesn't matter when it comes to love, and shouldn't decide whether or not someone should be cared about, and Helene loves her despite her having been beastly and despite her being a failure of a woman- (because she no longer fits the feminine ideal after the curse is broken, and frankly she never will again.) But she's still a Failure Of A Woman and Helene deserves Better Than That! So there's still work to do.

Amalure remains static on this aspect of the narrative until after the battle at the castle, where she does survive! .. barely. and it's later, in an argument with her mother that same night, bleeding out on the kitchen floor, when she asserts that she's her daughter too, not just her fathers. she has always been her daughter, always will be, she is the daughter of both of them, because that's not something that just switches or turns on and off- and it's an entire rant that I will not recite here, but the important part is the assertion that she is, always has been, always will be, the daughter of both her parents at once- that's the first little step for her arc of recognizing her own individual personhood and whatnot.

[stevieharringtonwifeguy]

i love the rise of intersex male omegas for a/b/o aus now bc although i've always loved the genre i'll be honest the anal birth has squicked me out in the past

but i feel like this version of the au tends to gloss over Presentation as a thing or otherwise make it so that the pussy just like. Appears. which is fine. but i think kind of an untapped potential of a/b/o in general is in the gender fuckery of it, and like the fact that male omegas and female alphas have more or less the same deal down there

so i propose that until puberty, it could be that female alphas and male omegas are entirely the same- treated as their own neutral gender bc no one can tell if they'll end up alpha or omega until puberty hits and the hormones make the relevant changes

like you could do so much there?? like the usual 'well OBVIOUSLY im going to be an alpha wait what im an omega?' but also the potential 'people were so sure i was gonna be an alpha that they used feminine pronouns for me even before i presented and the change to masculine has me feeling Some Sort Of Way (positive or negative)' or 'people aren't treating me neutrally anymore and i don't care for it' or 'yeah im glad im an omega but i was hoping i'd get to be a woman' or 'i've hit puberty but people still can't tell if im an alpha or an omega. What Do'

like a/b/o has so much gender you could be doing with it (literally as a trans guy who wants to be pregnant some day i think it's genuinely helped me to come to terms with that) but i feel like people still end up with a dichotomy of gender when you could be doing So Much More

[sejarcus-archive]

Sejanus is like Chappell Roan in the sense that he was only ever meant to be loved by queer people, but it got out of hand, and now there’s way too many cishets who don’t get him, expressing opinions about him.

Sejanus I’m sorry that your character keeps getting absolutely murdered and turned into everything you’re not, just cause a bunch of straight girls wanna fuck the actor who played you in that horrible adaptation, and keep projecting their fantasies onto you, and aside from how bad that is, they won’t even admit the objective truth that the actor was actually a terrible pick for you and he doesn’t fit you at all

[several-ravens]

thank you tim for telling jonathan what i've been saying for a week

"shut up" and "fuck you" and that a bit of sympathy would have been nice and that he should have been fired weeks ago

but somehow it didn't feel right

[mrmeepsmadmind]

he drew the abs on with sharpie, don't fall for the gremlin's tricks