#can you tell I’m having a gender crisis

[beardedmrbean]

Centrist Democrats are slamming their far-left colleagues following Election Day, arguing that their emphasis on "identity politics" and other issues handed huge victories to the GOP.

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., argued that President-elect Trump has "no greater friend than the far left." Like-minded Democrats say racial politics, anti-police rhetoric and gender hysteria are alienating millions of voters.

"There is more to lose than there is to gain politically from pandering to a far left that is more representative of Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok than it is of the real world," Torres wrote on X. "The working class is not buying the ivory-towered nonsense that the far left is selling."

Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville put it more bluntly in a Sunday interview with the New York Times, calling "defund the police" the "three stupidest words in the English language."

"We could never wash off the stench of it," he said.

Torres is one of several Democratic lawmakers in both the House and the Senate who have called out his party's "nonsense." One centrist House Democrat complained to Axios on Monday that the "identity politics stuff is absolutely killing us."

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., argued on Sunday that Democrats are "out of touch with the crisis of meaning/purpose fueling MAGA."

"We don't listen enough; we tell people what's good for them. And when progressives like Bernie aggressively go after the elites that hold people down, they are shunned as dangerous populists. Why? Maybe because true economic populism is bad for our high-income base," Murphy wrote.

Not all Democrats are ready to make a change, however. When Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., broke with his party to condemn biological males playing in women's sports last week, he faced an avalanche of hate.

"Democrats spend way too much time trying not to offend anyone rather than being brutally honest about the challenges many Americans face," Moulton said in a New York Times report. "I have two little girls, I don’t want them getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete, but as a Democrat I’m supposed to be afraid to say that."

The statement resulted in calls for Moulton to resign, and at least one of his staffers quit in protest.

Massachusetts state Rep. Manny Cruz suggested Moulton's stance was "a betrayal" in a post on X.

"Congressman Moulton, your commitment then was protecting the LGBTQ community, standing up for their rights, and compassion. Now, on a political whim, our Congressman has betrayed the words he signed onto just last year by scapegoating transgender youth in sports for the failures of the national Democratic Party and leaders to win the presidential election. You said you 'would stand with Nagly and with all our community … against all forms of bigotry, discrimination, bullying, and harassment,'" Cruz wrote. 

Salem city Councilor Kyle Davis, another Democrat, called for Moulton to resign. 

"I’m not looking for an apology from [Moulton], I’m looking for a resignation," Davis wrote in a post on X.

Moulton refused to apologize and instead doubled down in a statement late last week.

"I will fight, as I always have, for the rights and safety of all citizens. These two ideas are not mutually exclusive, and we can even disagree on them. Yet there are many who, shouting from the extreme left corners of social media, believe I have failed the unspoken Democratic Party purity test," he said.

"We did not lose the 2024 election because of any trans person or issue. We lost, in part, because we shame and belittle too many opinions held by too many voters and that needs to stop. Let’s have these debates now, determine a new strategy for our party since our existing one failed, and then unite to oppose the Trump agenda wherever it imperils American values."

[cowprintsillies]

My fursona is the eldrich horror in the woods that has only ever been photographed in the grainy black and white of old timey hikers cameras before they were never seen again

[danandfuckingjonlmao]

i need to steal charles rowland’s gender like i need air to breathe. not even joking. i need it so bad.

[palaeolithicc]

personal post in tags

[deadandwalking]

and as we all do at this hour i’m questioning if i want to change pronouns again

[beauty-funny-trippy]

Reasons why we know there's something wrong with Grandpa:

• believes immigrants are eating their neighbors pets because he heard someone say it on TV (without any evidence) • thinks injecting disinfectant into our veins might be a good idea. (It's definitely not, don't try it.) • claims America's F35 fighter jet is completely invisible, even if you're right next to it (like Wonder Woman's plane)

• praises white supremacists and KKK members who were chanting antisemitic hate speech, calling them "very fine people" • focuses on imaginary issues like preventing children from changing gender while at school, but ignores real problems like school shootings • thought it was a good idea to give away our desperately needed Covid test machines to our adversary ("Grandpa, what have you done?" — he can't be left alone for a minute) • decided to believe Putin's lies, but dismiss findings from America's intelligence agencies • claims America had airplanes during the Revolutionary War

• believes in the Nazi ideology that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country," and says some migrants are actually subhuman "animals" • insisted that the U.S. would have fewer coronavirus cases if it conducted less testing (yes, a U.S. president in charge of controlling the crisis, actually said something this inept, repeatedly) • due to his incompetence and lies during the Covid crisis, the U.S. had one of the highest rates of Covid deaths in the world • thinks windmills cause cancer and kill whales • speaks endlessly about his concerns re: dying by electrocution from a boat battery or being eaten by a shark

• thinks he's above the law and, as president, should be able to commit as many crimes as he wants • is a billionaire who whines about how badly he's been treated, then he's chauffeured to his private jet • likes to discuss Arnold Palmer's penis • after NINE years of repeatedly promising to unveil his Healthcare Plan "very soon," he admits he still has no real plan —only "concepts of a plan" • has a bizarre attraction to the fictional cannibal and serial killer, Hannibal Lector (why? no one knows —and everyone's afraid to ask)

• advocates dangerous plots, like using the military against Americans who disagree with him, or using the DOJ to arrest them, or just telling people to "beat the crap out of them" and he'll pay their legal fees • thinks having a national day of violence is a good idea (we should never have let Grandpa watch "The Purge") • wants to be the "law and order president," yet this 34 time convicted felon incites people to riot and to commit criminal acts of violence • unable to take the loss of an election like a man, he had a temper tantrum like a toddler, that culminated in a treasonous insurrection

⠀This guy is so delusional, he claims he's a genius because he often speaks incoherently in something he calls "the Weave." Here are two examples: • "How disgusted were all when we see all of us are when we see three days ago when we viewed their parade." Asheboro, NC, 8/21/24 • When asked, "What specific legislation will you commit to, to make child care affordable?" He responded, “Well, I would do that, and we’re sitting down, you know; I was, somebody, we had Senator Marco Rubio and my daughter, Ivanka, who was so impactful on that issue. ...But I think when you talk about the kind of numbers that I’m talking about that because the childcare is childcare, couldn’t, you know, there’s something you have to have it, in this country you have to have it.” New York, NY, 9/5/24 ⠀If this was anybody else's Grandpa, the family would be having discussions about who's going to go with Grandpa to the doctor to find out what's wrong with him, and who's going to be in charge of finding him a nice convalescent home to live in. ⠀My suggestion is that it might be a good idea to elect a president who has no cognitive impairment and can tell the difference between reality and delusions. Personally, I think that's a rather important quality in a president.

[neptunes-sol-angel]

Just a reminder that everyone has both a masculine and a feminine side, so don't hesitate to read the feminine version of this pick a card too.

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Pile One 👢

BEYONCÉ- RIIVERDANCE

Someone could be feeling really entitled to your energy. They could be asking a lot from you, where one demand is contradictory to the other demand, which can be very draining for you. Then on top of that, they could be trying to tell you to change certain aspects of your personality that interfere with their gall to have excessive control over you. They could be naturally intimidated by you and use microaggressive verbiage to get you to submit to them. Like if they’re being passive aggressive with you, your tendency to be direct, would make them label you as aggressive. Or if you’re not even the type to use your voice a lot because of anxiety, they could ask you to communicate instead of being avoidant, and then when you do speak up it’s still a problem. Your masculine side is trying to get you to see that this double-edged sword is not an excuse to continue letting others walk all over you and stagnate your life and comfort. You’re in a situation where boundaries simply aren’t enough for this relationship to be balanced, it’s time to cut ties. You must take that control over your own life back and stop placing so much value on what other people say that they want you to do because the thing about people pleasing, is that whether you’re doing it or trying to recover from it, people will never be satisfied or happy with what you do and how you do it. You're always going to piss someone off or be labeled in some way as “not doing enough” of something, and that’s the other message, which is to learn what’s in your control and what’s not for you to control. If you’re dealing with someone who’s exhausting you that you aren’t biologically responsible for, I’m hearing “do it. It’s ok to do it”. Deprive that person of the resources that you’ve given them to remind them of what they really didn’t deserve in the first place, not as a punishment, but as a way to remind yourself that you are the source of your own power and to stop keeping people around who are pulling you down because they convinced you that you need them.

Pile Two 👢

BEYONCÉ- AMEN

Give your body a break. Give away this idea that you need to be fighting all of the time to get what you want and need or that you have to sacrifice yourself to provide for others. That message is mostly for those in my collective who are the eldest child and have to bear the brunt of responsibility. Something needs to be done differently, but it all starts with putting your foot down. Call out what’s being done that’s unfair to you. If there's a double standard with your gender, say that, because you’re not crazy. It’s not the coconut oil to all of your problems but changing your mindset does allow for some shifts and changes to your situation to happen. Acknowledge that you’d rather invest your hard work into something else, like getting your own place or making moves towards something that harmonizes with your ambition, because no matter how difficult it may be to accomplish those goals, keeping your focus on that target is what will help make getting to that goal or goals a lot faster without you feeling a loss of motivation on the way. For others in this pile, you need to allow others to help you. When you’re going through a mental crisis or an addiction, it is heavily underestimated how healing socializing can be. You don’t need to be ashamed or feel less than because you need assistance, having a community is so important because there can be times where your own mind can be your enemy and the way to combat it, is having a friend or in general someone, who cares, to help pull you out of that. Imposter syndrome and intrusive thoughts could be something that’s being struggled with and just know that you are worthy and able to get help with it, but remember, even on your worst days, that you are enough and you can do whatever your mind is trying to create doubt around.

Pile Three 👢

BEYONCÉ - LEVII'S JEAN

If you feel like your love life is nonexistent because it has to do with the way that you look, the answer is both yes and no. You think it’s because people don’t find you attractive, but people find you to be extremely hot, but you know what’s also hot? Your aura, and people don’t want to be burned whether they deserve it or not. Even if you don’t have big expectations in love, you look like you do, or you’re not aware of how you sound when you talk about the things that you like or want. I even have this feeling that if the majority of people who secretly admire you approached you, you would not be impressed with them and that’s ok. Your standards and expectations, even if you don’t think that they are high, are what protect you. Don’t let your curiosity of stepping outside of what you want, be your temptation for something that you could potentially regret. One day you will find that love that you’re looking for and some of you have actually already found it, but you’re not seeing yourself as someone they could have feelings for. You need to start seeing yourself in a better light and having more confidence over your divinely given features, both physical and internal, because it’s so easy to miss out on opportunities in love and your career because you don’t see how gifted you are.

[xiaq]

Thanks for all the prompts! I combined a few: Outsider POV, getting together with the help of friends, Steve Harrington is an Idiot (affectionate), Rocky Horror, and “did we almost just kiss?”

“Robin,” Steve says, before he’s even fully in the Family Video door. “I’m having a crisis.”

She shoves another VHS tape into the rewinder. “No.”

“What do you mean, no?” He whines, collapsing face-first onto the counter.

“I mean no. I don’t have time for a crisis right now. We just finished a crisis and I require at least fifteen business days between crises. I do not have the bandwidth.”

“It’s not like a crisis, crisis,” he mutters. “It’s…a personal crisis.”

She flicks the side of his head. “What is the nature of this personal crisis?”

He rolls his face so his cheek is pressed to the laminate. He meets her eyes. “How did you know you liked girls?”

“Oh,” Robin says. The tape rewinder clicks but she doesn’t move. “Oh. Yeah, we can handle this crisis now. It’s long overdue.”

“Long over—” Steve straightens, weight on his elbows. “What?”

“Honestly I thought we were going to have this conversation during the whole Rocky Horror Picture Show thing but––”

“Robin”

“Sorry. Right. I knew I liked girls because I liked girls. I knew I liked girls because I wanted to kiss girls.”

“Yeah. But how did you know it was more than the normal amount?”

“…the normal amount,” she repeats.

“Well sure,” he scrubs a hand through his hair. “Everyone wants to kiss everyone a little bit, right? Like. How did you know it was more than the normal heterosexual amount?”

Robin cannot believe she’s going to have to say this out loud. She glances around the empty store just to make sure no one has somehow teleported in during the last two minutes.

“Steve. Steven. There is no normal heterosexual amount of wanting to kiss people of the same gender.”

He crosses his arms. “Well, that can’t be right.”

“Hold on. Wait. What boys have you wanted to kiss?” She can guess, but confirmation would be nice.

“Are you sure that––”

“Yes, I’m sure. But back to the boys you’ve wanted to kiss. Have you…acted on that, ever?

“Yeah but just the––oh. Well. You’re probably going to say there isn’t a normal heterosexual amount of kissing the same gender either.”

“How are you this stupid.”

“I mean, everyone messes around with their friends at some point, right?”

“I desperately wish that was true,” Robin answers. “Because if it was, I would not be standing here at 19 years old finding out that Steve Harrington has kissed a boy before I kissed a girl. Jesus. Wait. How many boys have you kissed?”

“Three?”

“Three? Unbelievable.”

Except now he’s wearing his big-eyed, floppy-haired sad expression and she knows, she knows she’s not handling this the way she should.

Robin sighs. “Ok, I’m sorry. Thank you for trusting me with this. I love you and I’m here for you and it sounds like you’re bisexual. Which is actually pretty cool because that means I know two whole queer people other than myself in Hawkins. Well. Probably three. But that hasn’t been officially confirmed.”

“Bi-sexual.” He rolls the word around in his mouth like he’s tasting it. “Bisexual. Huh. Okay.”

“It means you like both. Or, any, I guess. Which no, is not normal for everyone.”

“Okay. Bisexual. Neat. Who else do you know?”

She raises an eyebrow at him.

“Right. That would be super uncool of you to tell me without their permission. But, um. Are they people I know?”

“They’re people you know.”

“Are they over the age of 16?”

“One of them is.”

The hopeful look on Steve’s face is actually a little gross.

“Are they–”

“Eddie!” Robin says, “hey, what are you doing here so early?”

Steve’s reaction to Eddie pushing open the door provides all the confirmation she needs about which boy Steve currently wants to kiss. Not that there was a lot of uncertainty there anyway. He’d practically kept vigil at Eddie’s bedside while he was in the hospital and in the last month since Eddie was released, they’ve become weirdly inseparable. Half the time when Robin calls in the middle of the night to talk though her nightmares, it’s Eddie answering the Harrington phone. And when no one answers the Harrington phone, a call to the Munson phone will usually do the trick. She’s tempted to think they’re already together except Eddie’s pining has only gotten worse over the last week. If they were banging he’s be less insufferable. Well. He might still be insufferable but in like, a happy, well-fucked way. She doesn’t want to think about that.

“Eddie,” Steve says, “hi.”

“...hi,” Eddie says, understandably confused by Steve’s strangled greeting. He rocks back and forth on his heels, hands shoved in the pockets of a pair of black jeans that are, for once, not ripped. “So. Big news.” He spreads his arms. “You are now looking at a gainfully, legally, employed, upstanding citizen of Hawkins.”

Robin isn’t really surprised. The owner of the auto shop across the street that Eddie applied to is friends with Wayne and a regular at Hideout. If there’s anyone who’s willing to look past Eddie’s poor reputation, it’s him. And Eddie had gotten some sort of automotive certificate the year before in shop class. One of the few things he’d passed with flying colors.

“Oh my god,” Steve says. He stumbles over to hug him and then twirls him around like they’re in one of the stupid romcom videos on the back wall. “Eddie,” Steve says again, this time so overwhelmingly full of tenderness that Robin feels like she’s intruding despite the fact that she’s, you know, standing behind the counter of her own place of work. 

“Congratuations,” Steve continues. He’s set Eddie down again but they’re still so close, arms tangled together, that he’s practically speaking the words into Eddie’s mouth. “When do you start?”

Eddie doesn’t answer. Eddie seems to have misplaced his self-awareness because he’s swaying forward, through the scant space left between them, and oh my God, Robin is going to have to do something or they’re definitely going to have their first kiss in the Family Video with her watching.

Robin slams the clamshell case on the Aristocats return she’d just rewound. They jump apart, looking dazed. Steve runs a hand through his hair. Eddie plays with his rings. Even though they’re no longer touching, they’re still looking at each other with the kind of naked affection that could get them in trouble if they’re not careful. Well. More trouble. 

“Eddie, that’s awesome,” Robin says brightly. “When do you start?”

“Oh. Monday, actually.”

“That’s great. You and Steve should celebrate tonight.”

“We…should.” Eddie agrees.

“I have plans. Important plans. That I can’t miss. But Steve was just telling me that he wanted to watch Rocky Horror again, right Steve?”

“I–yes?”

“And you like Rocky Horror, right Eddie?”

Eddie narrows his eyes at her. “I do.”

“Great.”

She gives Steve a significant look.

“I’ll come to your place with the movie once I’m off?” Steve suggests to Eddie.

Eddie nods slowly. “Yes. Cool. Cool cool cool. I’ll get pizza. And see you then.” He salutes for some ungodly reason but Steve salutes him back like that’s a normal thing to do and they grin at each other as Eddie walks backward toward the door.

Idiots.

God, she loves them so much.

Steve waits until the van has pulled out of the parking lot to resume his face-down position on the counter.

She goes back to rewinding tapes.

She waits.

“Did we almost just kiss?” he asks finally. “In the Family Video.”

“Sure looked like it,” Robin says. “Which is not advisable. I feel like I shouldn’t have to tell you that.”

“Yeah, obviously, but that means…if I try to kiss him tonight he’d probably go for it, right?”

“Only one way to find out,” Robin sighs.

Except she already knows that tomorrow morning Steve Harrington will have kissed four boys and she still has yet to kiss a single girl. 

Unbelievable.

Steve sits up with sudden purpose. “I am. I’m going to kiss him tonight.”

“Great. Super happy for you. Can you help me rewind some tapes until then?”

Already working on PT. 2 which is Wayne’s POV when he accidentally intrudes on their celebration that night. So. Stay tuned for that.

Pt. 2 is Here.

[calliesmemes]

ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (2001)

SENTENCE STARTERS PULLED FROM THE DIALOGUE FEATURED IN THE ANIMATED FILM ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE, with some quotations slightly modified for roleplay purposes.

CHANGE gendered words and in-universe phrases as needed.

SPECIFY muse for multimuses.

   “   Uh, would you gentlemen please excuse me for a moment?   ”

   “   If I ever hear the word "Atlantis" again, I'll step in front of a bus!   ”

   “   You have a lot of potential.   ”

   “   Who... who are you? How did you get in here?   ”

   “   I'm acting on behalf of my employer, who has a most intriguing proposition for you.   ”

   “   Relax. He doesn’t bite … often.   ”

   “   Did you really know my grandfather?   ”

   “   We stayed close friends ‘till the end of his days.   ”

   “   He spoke of you often.   ”

   “   I've spent my whole life studying dead languages.   ”

   “   I will stake everything I own, everything that I believe in... that this is the genuine Shepherd's Journal.   ”

   “   I'll show them! I will make them believe.   ”

   “   For years your granddad bent my ear with stories about that old book.   ”

   “   Your grandpa was a great man. You probably don't realize how great.   ”

   “   Don't let her age fool you.   ”

   “   Our lives are remembered by the gifts we leave our children.   ”

   “   Atlantis is waiting. What do you say?   ”

   “   Boy, I’m so excited, l-l-l-I can't even hold it in.   ”

   “   Excuse me? I need to, uh, report in?   ”

   “   Blondie, I got a bone to pick with you.   ”

   “   If you're lookin' for the pony rides, they're back there.   ”

   “   You can’t put a price on the pursuit of knowledge.   ”

   “   This should be enriching for all of us.   ”

   “   Now tell me your story, my little friend.   ”

   “   This is an outrage! You must leave at once! Out, out, out, out, out!   ”

   “   Now, what have I told you about playing nice with the other kids?   ”

   “   Back to the pit from which you came!   ”

   “   OK, everybody. I want you to give Mr. Thatch your undivided attention.  ”

   “   Cartographer, linguist, plumber. Hard to believe he's still single.   ”

   “   Captain, you'd better come look at this, sir.   ”

   “   Do you want to do my job? Be my guest.   ”

   “   How much time do we have?   ”

   “   I don't think he's comin' back.   ”

   “   Move it, people! Sometime today would be nice!   ”

   “   I won't sugar-coat it, gentlemen. We have a crisis on our hands.   ”

   “   Looks like all our chances for survival rest with you, Mr. Thatch.   ”

   “   We’re all gonna die.   ”

   “   Looks like we have a little roadblock.   ”

   “   That thing is going to keep me up all night, I know it.   ”

   “   You know, we've been pretty tough on the kid. What do you say we cut him some slack?   ”

   “   Hey, Milo! Why don't you come sit with us?   ”

   “   Hey, Milo, don't you ever close that book?   ”

   “   I know, I know. Sometimes I get a little carried away.   ”

   “   You know, that's what this is all about, right? I mean – discovery, teamwork, adventure. Unless, maybe, you're just in it for the money.   ”

   “   Hey, how’d you learn how to do that?   ”

   “   I never got to meet your grandfather. What was he like?   ”

   “   He was like a father to me, really.   ”

   “   My parents died when I was a little kid, and he took me in.   ”

   “   That is so cute!   ”

   “   Uh, no... no offense.. but how does a teenager become the chief mechanic of a multimillion dollar expedition?   ”

   “   So, what... what happened to your sister?   ”

   “   I just like to blow things up.   ”

   “   All right, who's not dead? Sound off.   ”

   “   Maybe that's our ticket outta here.   ”

   “   I gotta hand it to you. You really came through.   ”

   “   They can smell fear just by looking at ya.   ”

   “   We are explorers from the surface world. We come in peace.   ”

   “   Come. You must speak with my father now.   ”

   “   Someone's having a good time.   ”

   “   Commander, there were not supposed to be people down here. This changes everything.   ”

   “   This changes nothing.   ”

   “   You presume much to think that you would be welcome here.   ”

   “   I know what you seek and you will not find it here.   ”

   “   Your journey has been in vain.   ”

   “   May I respectfully request that we stay one night, sir?   ”

   “   Your heart has softened, Kida.   ”

   “   A thousand years ago, you would have slain them on sight.   ”

   “   We were once a great people. Now we live in ruins.   ”

   “   The kings of our past would weep if they could see how far we have fallen.   ”

   “   Our way of life is dying.   ”

   “   When you take the throne, you will understand.   ”

   “   Well, the King and his daughter don't exactly see eye to eye.   ”

   “   Well, if he's hiding something, I want to know what it is.   ”

   “   Look, I have some questions for you, and I'm not leaving this city until they're answered!   ”

   “   Oh, there is so much to ask about your world.   ”

   “   You are a scholar, are you not?   ”

   “   I got a few questions for you, too. So let's do this, OK? You ask one, then I'll ask one, then you, then me, then...well, you get it.   ”

   “   how did you get here? Well, I mean, not you personally... but your... your culture. I mean, how did all of this end up down here?   ”

   “   Wh... what... what … are you telling me… that you remember what happened because you were there? No, that... that's impossible...   ”

   “   How was my accent?   ”

   “   You know, you deserve credit for even... even gettin' this far.   ”

   “   By the way, we were never properly introduced. My name's Milo.   ”

   “   Uh, hey, you got a nickname?   ”

   “   You know, my grandpa used to tell me stories about this place as far back as I can remember.   ”

   “   I just wish that he could be standing here with me.   ”

   “   We are not thriving. True, our people live. but our culture is dying.   ”

  “   I wish there was something I could do.   ”

   “   Why don't you lead the way, because I have no idea where we're going.   ”

   “   This is amazing! A complete history of Atlantis!   ”

   “   I am such an idiot.   ”

   “   This is just another treasure hunt for you.   ”

   “   I would've told you sooner, but it was strictly on a need-to-know basis.   ”

   “   Welcome to the club, son.   ”

   “   Mercenary? I prefer the term "adventure capitalist."   ”

   “   You don't know what you're tampering with, Rourke.   ”

   “   Academics. You never want to get your hands dirty.   ”

   “   I got to admit, I'm disappointed.   ”

   “   You're an idealist, just like your grandfather.   ”

   “   For once, do the smart thing.   ”

   “   I really hate it when negotiations go sour.   ”

   “   Well, as usual, diplomacy has failed us.   ”

   “   You've got to listen to me. You don't have the slightest idea what this power is capable of.   ”

   “   Let’s get this over with. I don’t like this place.  

   “   Doesn’t anything surprise you?   ”

   “   Talk to me, Thatch. What's happening?   ”

   “   So I guess this is how it ends, huh?   ”

   “   You've read Darwin. It's called natural selection. We're just helping it along.   ”

   “   Be serious. This is wrong, and you know it.   ”

   “    You pick now of all times to grow a conscience?   ”

   “   She has been chosen... like her mother before her.   ”

   “   I followed you in, and I'll follow you out.   ”

   “   it's been my experience that when you hit bottom, the only place left to go is up.   ”

   “   What do you think that you are doing?   ”

   “   We're going to save Atlantis, or we're going to die trying.   ”

   “   Well, I have to hand it to you. You're a bigger pain in the neck than I would have ever thought possible.   ”

   “   Tired? Aw, that's a darn shame, because I'm just getting warmed up.   ”

   “   There's a hero's welcome waiting for the man who discovered Atlantis.   ”

   “   I don't think the world needs another hero.   ”

   “   I'm going to miss that boy. At least he's in a better place now.   ”

[bad268]

Merda (Joao Felix X Reader)

Fandom: RPF/FC Barcelona

Requested: Yeah (ILY ZEP)

Warnings: Google translate Portuguese, mentions of being called puta

POV: Second Person (You/your but fem accents)

W.C. 1004

Summary: The reader wants to learn Portuguese.

As always, my requests are OPEN

MASTERLIST // HITLIST

~~(^Pinterest)

“I feel left out,” You said one day when Joao came back from practice. Immediately, 101 thoughts ran through his head about what you could be left out of. You were pretty close with his friends, you had the freedom to do whatever you wanted, you had the job of your dreams, and you were still able to travel with him whenever you wanted. He always made sure to make you feel included in anything he did, so he had no clue what you could be left out of. 

“Am I missing something here?” He questioned as he set his bag down by the door and walked over to where you sat at the kitchen island cautiously. He gently leaned down to see what you were looking at on your computer, and it was Google Translate. “What is this?”

“You and your friends always talk in a language I don’t speak!” You exclaimed as you flung your hands up to rest against the sides of your face while you looked over at Joao. “I feel left out of your conversations because there’s a language barrier. I just want to know what you’re all saying. I want to be part of the conversation.”

“I could always not speak Portuguese around you,” Joao chuckled in disbelief of the reason as he draped an arm around your shoulders. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

“But it is!” You almost shouted as you dropped your hands and snapped your head to look at him. “That’s your native language, and I’d never ask you to stop speaking it around me, especially not when most of your friends speak Portuguese or something similar. I don’t, but I want to!”

“Google Translate won't help you,” He chuckled to himself, finding the situation amusing. “I could always teach you.”

“But that would require me asking for help,” You said simply as you eyed him, “And you know that’s something I struggle with. But if you wanted to offer,” You eyed him again, gesturing to the screen, “I wouldn’t say no.”

“Are you busy with Google Translate now or can I take you on a date?” He asked easily as he gestured to the screen.

“Like now? Tonight? Did you not just hear me?” You rushed out as you looked between him and the screen again. “I’m having an existential crisis right now. Can’t you tell?”

“I can see,” Joao replied, moving to close the laptop. “C’mon, go get ready.”

~

The following week you were able to sit down and actually start learning with Joao. It was very laid back for the most part.

“What do you want to learn to say?” Joao started the day by saying. It was a rare day off for both of you, and you were keen to spend the day cuddling away. You were resting against his chest as you just woke, and he decided now was the best time to talk about learning his native language.

“Can we start with cute things? I want nicknames to call you,” You said in a quiet tone as you pulled back a little to look at him. “You always call me different things, so it would be nice to know what they mean. Like amour, querida, amada, meu tudo, and fufinha.”

“Love, darling, beloved, my everything and cutie,” He listed off quickly. “You could call me those as well. Just change the end from a to o. Portuguese is a romance language, and the people who made the language decided to gender every word. It’s complicated, but all you need to know right now is that when you talk about a guy or multiple people, the end is an o. If you're talking about a female or a group of all women, it ends with an a.”

“So I can call you amouro, querido, amado, meu tudo and fofinho?” You asked a little confused.

“Not amouro, just amour,” He chuckled lightly as he left a light kiss on your forehead. “You can also do some funnier names like idiota, meaning idiot, cornel, which sounds bad but means sweetheart, or lindo.”

“What does lindo mean?” You asked skeptically. There’s no way he would have conveniently left that one out.

“Handsome,” Joao whispered into your hair as he moved to place butterfly kisses around your face.

“So, if I started calling you “lindo”, would you answer?” You teased as you moved your head around to try and get him to stop the flutter of kisses. “Meu lindo namorado? Did I do it right?”

“Wait, did you just call me your handsome boyfriend?” He gasped as you let out a laugh as you nodded. “But I didn’t teach you that!”

“Maybe, maybe not,” You shrugged lightheartedly as you turned to get up from the bed. You start walking to your closet to pick out your outfit of the day and head for the ensuite. “Now, come on, minha vida. Last I checked, we had plans with seus companheiros de time. I think Pedri, Fermin, and Ferran will throw a fit if we’re late for lunch.”

“Where did you learn that? My life, your teammates?” Joao got up in shock as he followed you to the bathroom, practically caging you against the sink. “When did you learn all of that? I’m proud of you, but I want to know when you learned that.”

“Let’s just say I listen,” You teased as you pulled his face down to leave a kiss firmly on his lips. You pulled back with a teasing smirk on your lips when he tried to chase your mouth. Not so fast, Mr.” You put a finger to his lips to gently push him back. “Does your mother know you call me “puta”?

“Merda,” Joao said under his breath as he looked to the side. He knew this was teasing but that didn’t stop him from playing into your antics.

“Fuck me is right,” You teased back. “I don’t know everything but let’s just say I have an idea now.”

~~~~~

© BAD268 2024. DO NOT REPOST WITHOUT PERMISSION.

[queer-advice-hotline]

Calling All Queers!

This is a blog for all your queer questions, advice, vents, and more! I know it isn’t the typical “our _ experience” blog, but @our-queer-experience and @our-transmasculine-experience and others like that have been super inspiring! I’m here to take your calls and help in any way I can!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional in anything, and any advice I can offer is based off personal experience or knowledge, take everything I say at your own discretion. Please do not come to me in place of professionals should you need serious help.

If it isn’t clear: hate and exclusion are not tolerated here. If you have anything bad to say about anyone's identity or life, don’t.

My name is Synn, and my pronouns are zy/zyr/zyrs

Edit: tagging system explained under the cut, as I realise it can be confusing

1-800-queer- Tagged on ask posts

queer advice hotliine- Tagged on everything

for i have synned- Original posts, personal information, unrelated things

advice calls- Asks where I give advice

question calls- For when I'm asked a question

vent calls- When I'm not giving advice, just for vents

gender calls, mspec calls, aspec calls, romantic orientation calls, sexuality calls, name calls, etc- Tells the specific nature of the advice I'm giving or question I'm answering

you've reached the operator- When a post contains links to outside resources

long distance calls- Long posts

voice mail- Reblogs

the phone number post- the one post with phone numbers to suicide/crisis hotline and other immediate resources. added under its own tag for ease of location, should you need it

[pansy-picnics]

A vat7k related question.

What do you think is Hugo's gender identity? Cus I want to hear what you think Hugo's gender is and the story behind it.

EHEHEHE personally i think she’s genderfluid and uses he/she/they pronouns…….I think he was kind of an uncracked egg up until the trials though. like, he’s been in survival mode for so long that he’s never had the time or luxury to really think about himself or his identity….i think he’s had a lot of different disguises over his career though, and those personas are either male or female depending on what the situation calls for so he’s not a stranger to dressing femininely either.

but yeah…i think for a long time hugo just identified as male by default cuz like…what else would he be LOL. if he had any doubts at all they weren’t significantly hindering him or anything so he just buried them with all the other of the emotions he doesn’t want to feel. but like the closet is made of GLASS and this becomes especially obvious when she teams up with 3 other teenagers who are also transgender so sometimes she’ll just Say Shit and they all turn around and look at her like “…….🤨”

i have this very vivid scene in my head where varian comes out to the gang as trans and hes clearly really uneasy abt it. and hugo doesn’t know what to say so he just tries to relate by saying the first thing that comes to mind and goes “oh yeah i get it i mean. sometimes i wish i was a girl but like not all the time yk” and nuru and varian both just stop and stare at him

hugo, getting nervous: …Sorry that’s probably not the same thing forget i said anything

nuru: No i think we should talk about this?

anyways yeah….other than her traveling party giving her some weird looks nothing actually really came of these conversations bc hugo would refuse to think about herself even if you put a gun to her head

fast forward to post-trials though, and hugo’s been living in the castle with varian for about six months…it was REALLY messy for both of them while she was adjusting, but at this point shes finally started to let her guard down a little, and all of a sudden she has SO much free time and she has no idea what to do with any of it. she’s stealing collecting things, tinkering with all kinds of useless little gadgets, rapunzel is teaching her tons of little arts and crafts projects. overall shes pretty content despite everything. So anyways then the gender crisis hits them like a fucking freight train

honestly i’m like half joking when i say i think it started bc they just kept forgetting to cut their hair. like one day they looked in the mirror and they’re like “wow my hairs getting so long i kinda look like a girl lol. Wait”

AND AS FUNNY AS IT IS ITS SO. WILDLY UNFAMILIAR TO THEM. like all of a sudden theyre SO insecure for as far as they can tell, NO reason and it drives them CRAZY. i dont even think that hugo dislikes their masculine features after coming out, i think they embrace them if anything but its just like…going from 0 to 100 so fast and suddenly being so hyper aware of themselves in a way that they NEVER were before…having to realize that they’re definitely Not cis. it’s fucking TERRIFYING!!!

not to mention it hits him all at once during a time when he’s still frankly really paranoid about him and varian’s relationship, and he’s kinda walking on eggshells bc deep down he’s convinced that var’s just gonna get tired of him eventually and kick him out. its like he’s just waiting for the final nail in the coffin despite the fact that there is literally no coffin.

All that being said i think it takes him a while to work up the courage to talk to varian about it. and he knows he won’t like. hate him for being trans or anything (I sure hope he wouldn’t, at least, seeing as he is literally also trans) but varian’s already done SO much for him and helped him through literally everything already….he doesn’t want to burden him any more than he already has. he also cant comprehend that someone can just Like him, like, as a person, so he’s convinced himself that varian must see something specific in him right now and he’s afraid that if he changes himself drastically in any way then whatever varian saw in him just. won’t be there anymore. If that makes sense

as for who he actually goes to first- honestly i think it’d have to be lance. at least in my head lance was the first person hugo really started to bond with aside from varian….he didn’t start letting his guard down with rapunzel until quite a while after that. also i think he’s worried that if he tells rapunzel she’d end up accidentally spilling something to varian (which is like. Valid bc she’s a horrible liar) he’d definitely write a letter to nuru, too, but nuru is also in another kingdom, and that message takes a while to get to her, so it’s more something they talk about after the fact

when he finally does get a letter back after dumping this revelation on her it’s just like

“dearest hugo. upon reading your letter i desperately wanted to tell you that i told you so, but i realize that would be in poor taste, seeing as you are clearly struggling right now. Moreover,-“ /j

regardless of who she tells first, they obviously all support her and encourage her to talk to varian as well…And ofc varian hypes her up to no end when she finally does. i wanna say it’s a sweet emotional scene but i feel like varian was also under the assumption that she figured out the gender thing like a year ago /j

hugo: ,,,,so like. i don’t think i’m a guy

varian: . yeah?

hugo:

hugo: TFYM “YEAH”?????!!!!???

varian: D. DID WE NOT ALREADY KNOW THIS?

hugo: ,???? NO???!!???!

jokes aside though as soon as hugo does decide he wants to explore his presentation more varian immediately consults rapunzel who gets WAY too excited about it and it kind of scares hugo a little bit. /j like Do you want to cut your hair? Dye it? Do you want new piercings? TATTOOS????

they eventually just settle on getting her a few new pieces to add to her wardrobe and that works out fine. varian sees his girlfriend in a dress and loses his mind etc etc. All is right in the world

[tubadorashifts]

Hello! I’m November and I am a reality shifter!

I first started shifting in early 2020, although i’ve known about it for a lot longer, as I have been listening to subliminals since 2018. I haven’t shifted yet but I can tell i’m really close!!

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

˗ˏˋ ABOUT ME ´ˎ˗

You can call me November, Novi or Nova!

I’m an 05 liner

My pronouns are she/her but I am open to others (I have a lot of drs where I am either male, female or gender fluid because I’ve been ignoring a gender identity crisis for a couple of years now lol)

I’m bisexual and demisexual!

I’m really bad at remembering to post so I’ll probably be inactive a lot 😓

Also I have had a tumblr for years but I’ve only started posting so i’m still getting used to everything 😭

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

˗ˏˋ DR LIST ´ˎ˗

(this isn’t all of my drs but the ones I focus on the most)

MARAUDERS DR

TXT DR

ITZY DR

SPIDER-MAN DR

КРОР X SPIDER-MAN DR

MHA DR

PJO/HOO DR

DC DR

DC X MCU DR

MCU DR

MLB DR

[gonzo-rella]

Not A Girl, Or Anything, Really | Phoebe Spengler

MASTERLIST | AO3 | KO-FI

Pride Month 2024 #3

Relationship(s): nonbinary!Phoebe Spengler x nonbinary!reader (platonic)

Summary: In the midst of a gender crisis, Phoebe confides in you.

Warnings: Coming out scene. (Let me know if I need to add any)

Word count: 0.4k

(A/N: I love the idea of Phoebe being nonbinary, and I love the idea of being an older sibling figure to her, so I thought I'd combine those two things in a short fic. I want to write some more Ghostbusters fics with a nonbinary reader (I can see myself writing a Ray Stantz x enby!reader fic at some point), so let me know if you'd be interested in that. If you're reading this during June, I'm taking Pride Month requests, where I'll be writing for queer readers. I'm trying to post every day, or on most days, but I don't have enough ideas to fill up the whole month, so give me some ideas, pretty please. I've written and plan to write a lot of nonbinary!reader stuff because I'm self-indulgent like that and there's not enough fics out there for enby!readers, but I'll happily write for readers with other queer identities! (By the way, I write for the queers year-round, but I'm focusing on specifically queer!reader fics this month).)

You could tell that whatever Phoebe wanted, or needed, to say wouldn’t leave her lips easily. She looked at you uncertainly, her gaze flickering between your eyes and the floor.

“You’re nonbinary,” she began hesitantly.

Nodding, you smiled at her to ease her visible anxiety.

“Correct. Go on.”

She rubbed her arms in an effort to ease her nerves. Then, she managed to look you dead in the eye.

“Do you think I could be nonbinary, too?”

You chuckled.

“That’s not for me to decide, Pheebs,” you said, voice warm. “Do you think you could be nonbinary?”

She shrugged.

“Maybe. I don’t know,” she replied. Though, to you, it came out like she had at least an inkling but lacked the confidence to admit it. “How… how did you know?”

“I thought about how I felt. What made me uncomfortable, what made me comfortable, how did I see myself, how did I want other people to see me,” you explained. “So, how do you feel?”

Phoebe glanced away as she contemplated your question. She looked self-conscious, in the kind of way that anyone exposing their most vulnerable thoughts and feelings naturally would.

“Well, I’ve never really cared about what people saw me as,” she said. “Being a girl, or being seen as one, doesn’t matter much to me. It’s never really bothered me that that’s how people see me, either. I don’t mind being called ‘she’, or my mom’s ‘daughter’, or Trevor’s ‘sister’. But, when I think about it, I don’t see myself as a girl, or anything, really. I guess it’d be nice if other people saw me that way, too. But, I don’t see the point in telling anyone if it doesn’t make me uncomfortable when people see me as a girl.”

She stared at you, as if waiting for an answer.

“I still can’t tell you what you are,” you insisted, with a gentle laugh. “You need to trust yourself to figure this out. And, it’s okay if you don’t figure it out, too.”

She seemed dissatisfied with what you had to say, so you felt obliged to offer her something. With a huff, you continued.

“But- and I’m still not telling you what you are- you don’t have to feel uncomfortable with being a girl to be nonbinary. And, I know how easy it is to convince yourself that asking people to respect who you are means you’re being difficult or something. But, anyone who’s worth being in your life will respect who you are, without treating it like an inconvenience.”

You watched as she took in your words. She locked eyes with you once again.

“I’m nonbinary.”

You grinned.

“Welcome to the club, Pheebs.”

Phoebe smiled. She paused before speaking again.

“Can you say that you’re nonbinary?” 

You knitted your brows.

“Uh, I’m nonbinary?”

“Hi, nonbinary. I’m Phoebe.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose.

“I should’ve seen that one coming.”

[maxdibert]

i want to know what do you think about Remus since you already talk about James and Sirius i really need to know :3

When someone puts a big topic on the table, in Spain we say: sujétame la cerveza lol So yeah, Lupin is one of THAT topics. Here we go:

Look, I can deal with Remus Lupin having literally zero self-esteem and a massive inferiority complex, and for that reason using Sirius and James as his safety net at Hogwarts, not stopping them when they were complete jerks because he was afraid they'd reject him and he’d end up alone. I can deal with that, I can excuse being an accomplice to bullying just like I can excuse Severus for getting involved with the Death Eaters because he saw himself as vulnerable. I forgive him, seriously. I can even forgive him for being an absolutely irresponsible adult and not taking his potion—Merlin knows why. I can let that slide too. But there are two things I can’t let slide.

The first, and less important one, is that he justified James’ actions to Harry. I mean, it's the least important because I can understand not wanting to tarnish the kid’s image of his father, but when the same kid is telling you that his father and his friends (including you) were assholes, maybe you should admit that you were a total jerk. Or that at least your friends were, and you did nothing. I get why Sirius denied his guilt because, well, Sirius Black. Like, what are you going to expect from him? To him, there was nothing wrong with it. But Remus was aware that it was wrong, and as an adult, he can admit it. You don’t have to make up some story about Snape envying James over Quidditch (lolololol like Severus Snape would remotely care about that gym-bro crap). But anyway, I see this as almost the least serious thing.

What I will never, ever forgive him for in my entire fucking life is that at 36/37 years old, with gray hair already down there, HE WAS ALMOST FORTY YEARS OLD, PEOPLE, he got a woman in her twenties pregnant, had an existential crisis, and was considering leaving her WHILE SHE WAS PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD. WHAT IS HE DOING?? Like, I don’t even know how to express this in English because my language is Spanish, and I swear I have a ton of adjectives in that language to insult this man, but in English, it’s harder—but hello?? He was ALMOST FORTY YEARS OLD, HIS WIFE WAS TWENTY-FIVE, HE SLEPT WITH HER, GOT HER PREGNANT, AND LEFT??? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE, REMUS LUPIN?? WHAT’S IN YOUR HEAD?? Like, if he was so terrified of passing on lycanthropy to the child, why didn’t he use a condom?? Or, I don’t know, the magical equivalent—HAVE YOU HEARD OF A VASECTOMY?? And if he really, truly felt so bad about impregnating A WOMAN IN HER TWENTIES—LIKE SERIOUSLY, LET'S PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE: SOMEONE THIRTEEN YEARS YOUNGER THAN HIM. THIRTEEN. DAMN. YEARS. Why didn’t he just NOT DO IT? Like, as the adult in the relationship, he could’ve genuinely said no. No, this is unacceptable. No. No, sorry. So many years of gender studies and feminist readings for this. SCREW THE NICE GUYS. Like, his whole “woe is me, I’m poor, I’m old, I’m ugly, I’m dangerous” schtick? Well, you should have gone off to Timbuktu then, but don’t get her pregnant only to then abandon her. A TEENAGER HAD TO GO. A TEEN-AGER had to tell him he was being a piece of shit. This is why I say Rowling doesn’t respect her female characters because if she really did, she would have had Tonks dump him and raise the child on her own because, seriously, what was she thinking?

Just talking about this makes me genuinely angry. It's just that Lupin is THAT KIND OF GUY, you know? The one who acts all nice and soft and like he’s never broken a plate in his life, and he’s all poor me, and I’m super nice and super sweet, but then he turns out to be a huge jerk, like a giant piece of work. He’s the textbook nice guy, and one of the worst, the kind who goes after young women. Look, I’m just saying that if Harry Potter were written today and the topic of Lupin came up, and Rowling didn’t condemn him to the stake in her books, she would have been canceled a long time ago. Seriously. There’s no way that in today’s fiction a man nearly 40 years old gets a twenty-something pregnant and threatens to leave her, and that this guy is seen positively by the narrative. Simply no. Canceled. I’m canceling you, Remus Lupin, not for myself, but for feminism. Thanks.

[weeeeeekly]

quarter life crisis – ot5 tomorrow x together x afab!reader

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

blurb !!! Reincarnation can bring soulmates together despite their time apart. Being a huge fan of TOMORROW X TOGETHER helped you get through the struggles of entering early adulthood. You would thank them personally if you ever could but when you possibly get the chance it’s more than what you could ever hope for.

info !!! txt are still idols, reincarnation au, soulmates au, polyamory, throuple²… they’ll all eventually date each other, mc has mental health struggles, universe assigned lactose intolerance, team no kids, glasses wearer, lives in the middle of fuck nowhere but still a city (just go with it), pet names used are “our love” and princess, & not edited.

wc: 2.6k

WARNINGS !!! NSFW, MDNI, 18+, extremely self-indulgent, soft yandere!txt, mentions of mental health & self-harm (nothing graphic) for entire series

author’s note !!! This is fiction!!! this is made up!!! I do not condone breaking in, stalking, and other ulterior motives to get close to someone you are romantically interested in.

why are there not more ot5!txt x fem/afab or gender-neutral reader… mandatory note that i do not think txt act like this in real life. I also cannot come up with a blurb for the life of me, so please peep the info tags.

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

CHAPTER SEVEN

(extra warning for fear of open water)

The rest of your week consisted of getting to know each of the members on an individual level.

The next day after your heart-to-heart with Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Kai, you had to head back to work the next day.

“Don’t go.” Kai complains, stretching the “o” out and hugging you tighter to his body.

“I have to. I don’t want to be unemployed.”

Yeonjun takes a sip of water from the doorframe, “Kai, let our love go. I’ll walk you to your car.”

After bargaining with Kai that you’ll hangout with just him tomorrow – and a quick use of the nickname “Hyuka” – you change for work in the bathroom, drink your usual iced matcha latte made by Taehyun, and say your goodbyes with your arm intertwined with Yeonjun’s.

“Thanks for walking me to my car.”

“It’s an excuse to spend alone time with you.”

Both of you get into elevator, Yeonjun tries to push the button, but it’s not working. Yeonjun gives you a forced chuckle as he hits the button again. Nothing. And then the open button for the doors that won’t open.

“You’re joking.” You deadpan as the lights go out in the elevator.

“I’m going to be so late to work.” You shoot a quick text to your boss as Yeonjun presses the emergency call button.

“Should I text the guys that we’re stuck?”

Just as you finish your sentence you hear Beomgyu call out, “I’LL SAVE YOU, OUR LOVE!”

The next 20 minutes is spent with Yeonjun telling you a story from their trainee days as Beomgyu and Kai take turns trying to open the elevator doors like they’re Spider-Man. Once you two are saved by the fire department, Yeonjun still walks you to your car via the apartment’s staircase. You get into your car but before you can close the door, Yeonjun bends down to kiss you on the cheek.

“Have a good day at work.”

Miraculously, you’re only 5 minutes late to work and your boss didn’t even notice.

 ˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

Wednesday, your favorite day of the week, and your promised day with Kai.

You even make sure to finish our work early so you can leave early to surprise him. You need to get groceries since your fridge and snack corner were getting bare. You hope that Kai won’t think it’s boring and a waste of solo time.

“Any time with you is good!”

The look on Kai’s face makes you want to cry – the look of “As-long-as-we’re-together-I’ll-be-happy” on his angel face makes your knees weak.

“How do you feel about going shopping with me?”

“Let’s go.”

You drive yourself and Kai to the family-owned supermarket that was the greatest thing within the city for the next couple of miles. The next best thing being the airport and the downtown city. You could honestly walk to the store, but you’re not too sure how much you both might buy.

The parking lot isn’t empty, but it’s also not full, so a good amount of people were also grocery shopping. You grab a cart as you open your phone’s notes for your list.

“Grab whatever you need.”

Kai nods as he heads down the aisle as you stop to look for your favorite brand of chips.

Kai can’t believe that he’s doing a mundane task with you again. It takes him back to when you two used to sail to the neighboring island to watch the nurse sharks migrate.

When he looks over to observe you, it’s like you never left. Sure, you don’t look the exact same as you once did, but you’ve kept the same mannerisms and facial expressions. Your manner of speech is almost identical except updated for the current times. Not even the language barrier can bother him or his other soulmates – as long as you stay together with them.

If he puts aside the fact that he’s a member of TXT, and pretends he’s just Huening Kai, it’s like you two are buying groceries as newlyweds for your shared home. The thought of him standing at the altar with his soulmates and looking down the aisle to see you walking towards them.

He needs to sit down.

“Are you okay?” You ask as you look down on him sitting in the middle of the chip aisle.

“Uh, looking for Yeonjun.” He comes up with the excuse as he reaches for a bag of hot fries.

“Good idea. We should surprise them with their favorite snacks.”

The smile on your face as you reach for the bag makes him need to sit down again.

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

You power through your tasks at work so you can get home early again to hangout with Beomgyu. As you’re packing up your bag to leave your boss stops you.

“Someone’s in a hurry to leave.”

“Yeah, I’ve got plans with a friend.”

“Oh, a friend.” She winks at you continue packing. “Hopefully this friend can take your mind off ETC.”

“TXT.”

“Right, TXT. See you tomorrow!”

When you arrive at the parking garage, Beomgyu is waiting for you next to your parking spot. When you pull into the spot, you roll down the window to talk to him.

“Um, hey?”

“I want to walk you back.”

“That’s kind of you.”

As you two walk back, hands swinging in almost perfect synchronicity that your hands could touch, Beomgyu holds your hand as he holds the door open for you. Laid out on the table are the snacks purchased yesterday, extra pillows on the couch, and two controllers with the video game’s menu screen ready.

“You played this before?”

“No, I usually play farming games where I can do whatever I want and decorate my character and house.”

“The game is just fighting. Easy to learn.”

The two of you played the video game with Beomgyu winning 4 rounds in a row. You didn’t mind. You got to chill out, eat some snacks, and spend more time with him.

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

After heading back to your apartment to sleep, you wake up to Taehyun calling you.

You groggily accept the call, “Hello?”

“Hey, can you get ready in 15 minutes to work out?”

You bolt up from bed, “Yes. See you soon. Bye!”

Hanging up, you rush to your closet to grab the comfiest clothes, the quickest shower ever, change, fill your favorite reuseable water bottle, and greet Taehyun in under 15.

“12… minutes.” You huff out as you try to catch your breath.

“Woah, we haven’t even started working out yet.”

Yeah, because not all of us can be athletically blessed and still look like the reincarnation of a Greek god while doing so.

You force a smile to Taehyun as you stand up. “Let’s just get this workout over with. Please go easy on me.”

“It’ll be an easy workout!”

Easy workout your ass. He made you want to die during stretching, tried to torture you with boxing against him, and made you cuss him out while on the stairmaster.

“I hate this stupid fucking machine.” You glare at Taehyun as he works out.

“It’s not that hard.”

You purse your lips to not make a sexual joke. Honestly, it’s been difficult to not make a multitude of jokes, especially with the fan edits you’ve seen. Many “I bet you are”, “You’re what”, and “I can show you what’s hard” were trapped in your mind.

The rest of the workout wasn’t as terrible since you begged Taehyun to use the remaining time on the treadmill so you could watch videos. You snuck your favorite To Do episode before you two went back to your apartments so you could get ready for work.

You hate to admit it but despite the fire you felt in your legs – you did feel better after working out in the morning. Just slightly.

˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ *˚˚₊ ˚ ‧₊ .:･˚₊ ˚ ‧₊

You immediately crashed after getting back home from work. You were excited to stay up late and catch up on some tv shows, but the second your head hit the pillow after showering and getting into some cozy pjs, you knocked the fuck out.

You did wake up refreshed the following morning though.

A text notification caught your attention as you were scrolling through your emails.

gc with 6 cuties

            soob 숩 hi do you want to bake with me

            hyuka egg tarts ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و

            you i’ll be over in 10

All of these social outings have made you feel like the most popular person on earth. You don’t want to dwell on the thought too much, but this is exactly what you wished for in high school – a group of friends you regularly hung out with. TXT was a friend group you’ve always wished for, but whatever you have with them is more than that. You still can’t wrap your head around how you were reincarnated soulmates, especially since only they held memories of it. It would’ve been a different story if it was vice versa, you wouldn’t have been believed.

Shutting your eyes and breathing out, that doesn’t matter right now. You should be getting ready to bake with Choi Soobin, your friend. Someone that you can confide your thoughts to and feel no judgement. Someone that apologized for not baking cookies for you when he moved in next door.

More than half an hour went by before you knocked on their door. You spent too much time trying to get your hair just right that you gave up before you started crying in frustration. Your outfit was fine, nothing exciting since you couldn’t find the clothes you wanted to wear.

Soobin just smiles at you when he opens the door, dimples on full display. You could write a master’s thesis on how much you love his dimples. Soobin’s whole face in general. When he does the silly one-sided smile to the head tilt with a wink and tongue out.

“Sorry for being late.”

“It’s okay.”

When you walk in, the rest of the guys are out of the apartment. The kitchen counter is full of baking supplies. Soobin ties a pink apron around himself before holding up a matching apron for you.

“Can I?”

You nod as you turn around so he can put the apron on for you. Once he’s done you turn around, “How do I look?”

“Pretty.”

You widen your eyes at him before fixing your glasses, “Thanks.”

“We can bake cookies and egg tarts.”

Soobin baked most of the desserts as you barely served as an assistant. You weren’t complaining as you were too excited to eat the food. You did help measuring the dry ingredients, putting on icing, using the oven, and giving Soobin space in general.

The rest of the guys came home while you two were still baking with Taehyun coming home last when you were letting the desserts cool down. The 6 of you lounge around the living room, eating the desserts when you say the first thought that comes to mind. “I want to be in a pool right now.”

“It’s 10 PM. The pool is closed.”

You sent a smirk to Yeonjun, “So? We can sneak in. We can go after you guys finish eating.”

The next few minutes are spent with everyone quickly scarfing down more desserts before leaving. Kai makes sure to grab some towels. Your little group takes the stairs down to the first floor and take the side door to the apartment complex pool.

Taehyun stops walking, “Wait, we don’t have swim clothes.”

You turn your head over your shoulder, “It’s okay, we don’t need any.”

Taehyun turns to Yeonjun who has his mouth open in shock. Soobin’s ears turn red as Kai stops in his tracks. Beomgyu pushes Kai to keep walking. They don’t want to voice it out loud, but they’re all thinking the same thing.

Are you going to swim naked like they used to in the past.

Once you climb the fence, they hear a splash a few minutes later which causes them to quickly scale the fence.

You’re standing in the shallow end as you wave at them to get in. As they approach the pool ledge, you swim over to them and push yourself up to sit on the ledge. They notice that your clothes are sticking to your figure causing inappropriate thoughts to flood their mind yet again.

You look at Yeonjun as his ears turn red.

“Are you blushing?”

“Am not.”

“Are too!”

You giggle as you tease him and the way your nose scrunches up causes his heart to flip like before. If he squints his eyes – it’s almost like you never left on that damn ship.

Beomgyu goes to pretend to push Yeonjun in, but Yeonjun moves at the last minute and makes him accidentally push you in.

You let out a surprised gasp as you go underwater. When you resurface, your glasses are missing.

“Oh no, my glasses!”

Beomgyu face drops, confusion written on your face as you look around the dimly lit pool.

“I’m so sorry, love. Soobin will help you find them.”

“W-what?” Soobin steps backwards away from the group, shaking his head in protest.

“Just shine your phone flashlight.”

Soobin carefully walks toward the ledge, death gripping his phone. You dive under the water again and resurface with a frown.

In a fraction of a second, Kai rips Soobin’s phone out of his hand as you pull Soobin’s ankle toward you, making him fall in.

Once underwater, you open your eyes to look at Soobin, but even with your shitty vision and the blurriness from the water, you know something is wrong. You reach your hands out to pull Soobin above water.

Even with both of your feet touching the floor, Soobin starts freaking out. He clings to you as you look over to the guys with confusion clearly written on your face.

Soobin keeps muttering something as you try to make sense of what he’s saying.

“It’s my fault.”

“Hey, it’s okay. Soobin, look at me. You’re okay.”

You hold Soobin’s face as he finally makes eye contact with you and regulates his breathing.

“You’re okay. Whatever it is, it’s not your fault.”

“You.”

“Yeah, it’s me. Let’s get you out of the pool.”

Taehyun gets into the pool and helps you walk Soobin out to sit him down in a lounge chair. You sit down next to him as Yeonjun drapes a towel over his shoulders.

“Do you want to talk about it?” You ask as he shakes his head.

“It’s okay. We should head back to our apartment before we get in trouble.”

“HEY!”

All of your heads comically whip in the direction of the stranger’s shout only to see one of the complex’s security guards waving a flashlight from across the pool, on the other side of the fence.

“Oh shit.”

The 6 of you start running to the door and run up the flight of stairs not stopping until Yeonjun locks the door of their apartment behind you.

“Dammit. I left my glasses in the pool.”

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author's note i drove myself to panera to write this chapter out in an effort to be productive. i'm posting this from panera!! yeah, i definitely cannot keep up a consistent schedule for updating. my bad y'all. i should have just waited until i wrote out the entire story before posting.