#gender indulgence is the best phrase

[soaplantro]

Let's play a game called Process of Discrimination. We will eliminate faulty definitions for the word "transfem" one by one, hopefully ending with an idea of how transfemininity is erased in discussions of transfemininity. Someone smarter than me called it denial of epistemic authority.

Transfem does not mean "developed virilizing (masculinizing) traits." It does not mean "having facial hair, a deepened voice, etc."

Transfem does not mean "possessing traits that cause gender dysphoria," nor even "experiencing gender dysphoria." It does not mean "having a Y chromosome" or "having testicles." (This is the closest we will come to seeing earnest engagement with the social nature of transfeminization; one woefully underdeveloped acknowledgement of the significance of sex assignment.)

Transfem does not mean "raised male." (Children may socially transition at very young ages.) Transfem does not mean "not relating with any other identity." I will not repudiate the middle claim about having "all the same struggles and life experiences as AMAB transfems," because it is inherently unfalsifiable. I do find it interesting, however, that (AFAB) intersex experiences must always be distinguished and never erased. It is only "AMAB transfems" who can experience this all-encompassing overlap. The existence of intersex transfems AMAB remains pointedly unacknowledged.

Transfem does not mean "transitioning to have a more feminine body." I find this implication especially infuriating because transition technologies are frequently inaccessible to us. The phrase "masculine unaltered state" reveals much. I wonder, who benefits when masculine is treated as the default? Are we transfems only "altering" our innately "masculine" bodies, or are we engaged in a continuous and in some ways unique political struggle?

In other words, is transfemininity something anyone can "do" with equally (il)legible results, or is it something expressed conditionally through one's very being, inextricable from the totality of one's social circumstances? If it's the former, then "transfem" should remain a word anyone can adopt and redefine however they like. If it's the latter...best not to think about that. Moving on.

Well, if we simply must go there, allow me to indulge in the corollaries so you can marvel along with me at your own dehumanizing rhetoric. Transfem does not mean "biologically male." Transfem experiences are incredible varied and often cannot be neatly categorized the way AFAB people's can be.

So what is a "transfem?" Have I narrowed it down enough for you @status-quo-hater?

[roronoagem]

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐈𝐃.

characters: strawhats + portgas d. ace + trafalgar d. water law

content warning: genderfluid reader (any prns), general fluff + not proofread.

a/n: hello !! this is very self indulgent, as i am genderfluid myself lol. i thought why not sharing as someone else might find comfort in this or anything, so yeah this is why we’re here — not one of my best works ngl, but as i said i mainly wrote this for myself sooo. i hope you’ll enjoy it & that you guys are having a good day <3

𝐋𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐘.

would tilt his head to the side and try to understand.

“you change name?”

“nope, i just use any pronouns.”

“ooh! alright. i’ll try it right now!”

“guys! [y/n] said to use all pronouns, they… look cool,” he tries, frowning a little. “and he’s the best! she’s smart,” he added then, being sure to use all of them.

is actually very attentive about it and reminds the others to use them all if they keep using the same ones.

𝐙𝐎𝐑𝐎.

“okay. like he and she together in a phrase?”

you nod and watch him thinking about something.

“[y/n] is smart and i like his fighting style and… her face is cute?” he tilts his head to the side, waiting for your response.

“you can use they too, like… they are cute,” you suggest, smiling at him for the effort. “right, my bad darling.”

zoro is very good at switching pronouns and seems to do it without thinking >_<

𝐒𝐀𝐍𝐉𝐈.

“whatever my sweet darling desires! i’m gonna make him all their favourite dishes and kiss her lips and–”

you giggle and interrupt him, or else he would just keep going.

reminds the rest of the crew about changing pronouns frequently when talking about you, he wants you to feel comfortable and accepted and most importantly, yourself.

this is your family, after all.

𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈.

she catches on pretty easily.

uses all of your preferred pronouns, even asks you if you prefer he or she or they for the day.

i see nami getting paid by whoever keeps using the same pronouns over and over again as a punishment or sum.

she’s no joke.

𝐔𝐒𝐎𝐏𝐏.

super supportive !!

you know what, i think usopp would genuinely buy a pin with the genderfluid flag on it and put it on his clothes, stating proudly that his darling is genderfluid.

has not trouble using any pronouns in the same sentence.

if he knows you feel like using specific pronouns for the day, he goes on correcting whoever is talking using the wrong pronouns.

𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐑.

would genuinely ask more about the genderfluid stuff.

because he wants to learn, and be as supportive as possible.

“i’ll try my best and use them all!”

he, in fact, did use all the pronouns.

jokes aside, he constantly reminds the crew that you use all pronouns — they’re well aware, but still give chopper the satisfaction, you know?

𝐑𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐍.

“oh, i’ve heard about genderfluid people.”

robin makes sure to ask you what pronouns you prefer to use from time to time.

she wants you to feel accepted and comfortable, that’s the least she can do.

avoids gendered terms if you’re more comfortable this way.

would kindly reminds to use all pronouns.

( alr, this ^ is referred to whoever is not part of the crew )

𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐘.

“my [y/n] is super! they’re super! he’s super! she’s super!!”

yeah he uses them all the time.

but you can say if you prefer one in particular, don’t worry.

he would inform the others, pretty loudly.

i believe franky would be careful to use non-gendered terms, just like robin.

𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊.

is a bit confused, not gonna lie.

but he’s keen to listen and learn !

uses different pronouns easily, and asks if he’s doing alright and if you’re comfortable.

i think he would avoid gendered terms too? idk . .

𝐀𝐂𝐄.

“that’s amazing! . . what does it mean?”

you have to explain better, but ace is smart he catches on quickly and goes on trying to use all the pronouns in one sentence.

reminds the whole crew that you’re genderfluid and that they should use any pronouns with you.

i genuinely think he would stick to non-gendered terms too, but would use boyfriend and girlfriend or whatever too if you want. ( hope that makes sense lol )

𝐋𝐀𝐖.

would listen seriously as you explain and come out.

“do you want me to avoid gendered terms? i can tell the others to do the same if you’re more comfortable.”

genuinely wants to create an accepting and comfortable environment for you to be yourself *cries*.

pss pss . . . law would buy a genderfluid pin too — and he has the audacity to think you wouldn’t notice.

would kindly remind the others to use all pronouns.

( this one ^, in fact, works for the crew too /hj )

[mxmollusca]

for the "get to know your fic writer meme"! 4, 17, 46, 54! and if you have one that you REALLY want to answer but no one's asked it yet, this is your wild card to answer a question of your choosing 😌

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Whatever I'm currently learning about worms its way into my writing. An Arm and a Leg and The Sticking Place are rooted in my love of cephalopods, and my philosophical interest in body neutrality and self-love through self-discovery. In Favor With Their Stars and The Ship of Theseus stem from my interests in AI, space exploration, engineering, humanism, bodies, neurodiversity, and personhood. Wave Hello to the Void is an ode to monstrosity, gender, the interrelationship between hyperfixation and passion, interconnectedness, and physics. A lot of my stories are seeded by poetry I read. I get a lot of inspiration from images, metaphor, and turns of phrase that make me reconsider how I view the world. I love the ways in which Rae Armantrout, Jane Wong, Maggie Nelson, and Robert Wood Lynn have made me reconsider my POV in particular.

17. What do you do when writing becomes difficult?

Body doubling and rubbering ducking with my betas. Most of my problems with writing come from being slow and struggling to initiate the task. With a buddy writing at the same time (Discord sprinties ftw), I am able to at least get something on the page, and having the cheerleader there to give some immediate feedback will usually be enough reinforcement to unstick me. Same works for my original writing, which is why I find having a writing group to be indispensable.

46. How would you describe your style?

Lyrical? Maybe a bit self-indulgent. I'll get a turn of phrase stuck in my head and sometimes I'll write a whole scene just so I can use it. But that's one of the great things about fanfiction---at the end of the day, I'm writing it for myself. I am going to write it in the way that feels best to me, and sometimes that way is floridly.

54. What's your favorite part of the fanfiction writing process?

I love the editing process. I love getting feedback and implementing it. I love seeing something from another perspective, making tweaks, and seeing the quality improve. I also love it when my betas yell at me in the comments. A well-timed 🔥 emoji does so much for my motivation.

get to know your fic writer challenge

[thezachariassmithexperience]

Writing smut for rp

Well someone over on tattler was asking for advice so I guess I'll oblige.

Get over it

This has never been a problem for me but it might be for you. If you feel guilt about sex or feel cringe about writing it, you gotta let that go. You've made the decision so jump right in.

It's nothing special

There's no special secret recipe to writing smut. It's exactly the same as writing any other thread, you're just writing about a different topic. However, just like with any other topic, you can equip yourself.

Know your subject matter

Many of us are writing outside our gender or our sexualities. Get ye to Scarleteen and make sure you know how your character can have sex. And from there, decide how they prefer to have sex, and what their hard limits are.

Likewise, make sure you understand their anatomy. Even if you plan to ignore certain realities, it's best to know they exist.

Know your partner/s

What are their squicks? What are their no-gos? Are they cool with surprises or do you need to run ideas past them first? Make sure you're on the same page.

What kind of relationship is this?

Writing a smut thread involving romance is different from writing a one-night-stand. Writing an established relationship is different from writing a first encounter.

What kind of emotions are involved?

How does your character feel about their partner? AND how do they feel about their partner as compared to themself? What do they want to get out of this thread, or what do they want their partner to get out of it? A lot of smut threads are less about the sex than about the intense emotions involved so indulge yourself.

Pleasure

Sex is for pleasure, guys.

I often read smut threads by people other than myself and they do not touch on this. There is a lot about what is physically happening between two people, and what each character is thinking or wanting but very little about the pleasure they feel as a result of the interaction.

Don't forget the foreplay

I have seen people jump straight into the tab A into slot B part of a smut thread and like, how? When I write smut 95% of my thread is the foreplay.

Foreplay is also the part where you put most of the talking, and your smut threads should have talking. I think smut threads are a really good opportunity for character development, just through what sort of things your character talks about during sex.

Word Choice

In your typical smut thread you're going to be writing about parts of the anatomy that you usually wouldn't. Personally, I like to approach this using the words my character would use. I'm also partial to a nice allusion.

Some people will tell you never to use the phrase "throbbing member" or "flower" but honestly I think these could be effective if they were from the perspective of a particularly repressed character.

Consent

It is actually really sexy to roleplay the consent part of a smut thread.

However, there are some times when it's essential, such as if your characters are kinky, or if one of them is using mobility/accessibility aids. In these situations, if you leave out the consent part, your character will come across as inconsiderate at best and abusive at worst.

[travmalyubvi]

Review on Planes ships

review on planes ships (this time, indulging in some analysis)

Now, this is where some sensitive people might throw up.

"First Dusty got fucked by Skipper and Rip. Then he flew to Piston Peak, and there he got fucked by Blade, Maru, Cabbie and Windleifter. Dipper and her stick joined in. Even Nick came back to life to fuck Dusty." - dream after reading Planes smut.

To be honest, my knowledge of fanfiction is so limited. I write it (but no longer publish it), but I don't read it. So I won't be referring to any fanfics in any way

Dusty and Ishani

I adore Ishani and think she deserves more than what the movie makers gave her. Some time ago in 2021, I had a discussion with someone I am not in touch with now. Is Ishani a positive character or a negative one? I probably phrased the question wrong, but the point is roughly this. What makes a person a good person (plane, positive character) is not their actions, but their ability to realize their mistake and change. Ishani sincerely repents and later helps Dusty. That's why I think she is a good character. And yes, I do believe that a person changes. You don't have to rely on that, of course, but yes, it happens. Dusty and Ishani have a lot in common: first, a shared interest in racing, and second, similar stories. Dusty has to face hardship (and I'd even say discrimination from Rip) because he wasn't built for racing. Ishani (must be) having a hard time because of her gender. They get along well enough, there is chemistry and romance between them. I think Ishani is the best match for Dusty, and THIS IS NOT A SECRET. But it's true, Dusty might have a hard time trusting her. But, I think they will be able to overcome that

2. Dusty and Ripslinger

You know why I love this ship? Because you can write something really interesting, epic, driving, emotional, hate, love, tears, joy, roller coaster. Healthy relationships are fine and really cool, but do they provide the same range of emotions? By the way, I'm only talking about fictional relationships, only healthy ones are good in reality. Back to Rip and Dusty. They have so different life experiences, they are actually from different worlds. Different perspectives on many things and different ways of getting things done. I think sharing their experiences would benefit them, especially Rip. But for them to reconcile, much less the relationship and Rip's desire to change, something really meaningful has to happen. And I don't see any victim or Stockholm syndrome here. Dusty's humble, but he can stand up for himself. I don't think he'd allow himself to be disrespected.

3. Dusty and Skipper, Dusty and Blade

Why did I put them in the same paragraph? Because I have the same reason for disliking both of these pairings. No, it's not the age difference. It's about their canon relationship. I really love, adore the friendship, the mentorship, the "brotherhood". And it's insanely valuable to me. I just don't see them as romantic/sexual partners. No way. Dusty would have a hard time trusting Skipper, just like Ishani. Basically, I don't know what to say...with Skipper, the relationship would be more harmonious. Well the parallel with Nick in Blade's case...interesting

4. El Chu and Rochelle

Let's agree, this pairing by the creators failed. To be honest, they've always annoyed me. Their extremely weird interactions and El Chu's dumbass flitr...The song is great (although would it be great without Dusty?), but I don't believe Rochelle could just fall in love like that after one fucking song...

So that was my review for 4 ships that I have something to say about. There was no Blade/Nick, Blade/Maru, and Blade/Nick/Maru because I have nothing new to add. Everything about them has already been said by Pen and others, and I totally agree with them.

There's nothing to say about Dusty/Dipper, who were in the previous post - it's clear enough, I don't see the point in musing about it

All differences of opinion I undertake to solve in a duel on knives, to challenge to a duel is open.

Your opinion is welcome)

[sharkneto]

12, 17, 39!!!

12. what’s some good advice you want to share?

I think the two things that have really shaped me for the better is to Ask and to remember The Time Will Pass Anyway. If you don't know how to do something, if you need a clarification or direction, if you need an accommodation - Ask! I know it's scary, I know they might say no ---- but most of the time people say /yes/ or meet you with a compromise, and many people's jobs is explicitly to help you and answer your questions. Save yourself the time and stress of trying to figure things out on your own and Ask. I'm not always good at remembering this myself, but open communication makes everything in life so, so much easier.

The phrase The Time Will Pass Anyway changed my brain chemistry the first time I read it. I'd been questioning my gender and if I should transition for months, was avoiding doing things in life because I Didn't Know, and then I saw that and looked back at how I'd done nothing but stress and hem and haw for the past months, anxious that I'd be ugly and awkward during the early stages of transition and regret doing it. I started the process to go on hormones the next week. Haven't looked back since. This is not just for transitioning if you're on a gender journey, but anything in life if you've been on the fence and dancing around doing it because it's going to take a long time to get to your goal - learning an instrument, language, art, writing, whatever - The Time Is Going To Pass Anyway. You can be bad at it now and be better in a few months, closer to your goal, or you can be bad at it now and still be in the same spot in a few months because you didn't try for fear of being bad or ugly or whatever. The Time Will Pass Anyway. Try it out - if you like it, you're that much closer to your goal with it, if you didn't like it, now you know and don't have to keep spending time wondering about it.

17. name 3 things that make you happy

1. My siblings <3 Just got to see them again for some fun in NYC, I love them so much.

2. My Bastard Boy, best little kitty guy in the world

3. Orville Peck. His music is everything and he puts on a show like no one else.

39. youtuber you’ve been obsessed with and why?

This feels like it's targeted for Jet Lag propaganda and I willingly indulge it. Jet Lag the Game!! You'd be hard pressed to find a better travel game and the personalities of Sam, Adam, and Ben are delightful. Really well thought-out games, fun challenges, and excellent editing makes the Jet Lag team my current fav YouTubers. I rec starting with one of their Tag Through Europe seasons, and then go through the rest as you want.

[bravernificationbeam]

It's halfway through the year! Got any favorite albums/books/tv shows/whatever to recommend?

BRIANA!!!!! this is such a fun and sweet little 'project' and i'm so flattered you included me!!! thank you so much :D

when i do recs i alwaaayyysss do it based on what i think the person asking wld enjoy BUT i'm also reading this ask as kind of just an invitation to do the *sped up guy talking and writing on a whiteboard* meme SO disclaimer for you specifically i wld actually recommend the games, movies, and (some of the) music i'm gonna talk abt. the rest of the stuff probably not but knock urself out i guess! (also some of this stuff i watched based on your recs anyway lol!)

movies:

Freaks (1932)

I did not expect this movie to be like....as empathetic and timeless as it is. this movie is a masterpiece, highly recommend--the story is great, its treatment of ability is very compelling, and the camerawork is some of the best i've ever seen PERIOD

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

this movie is a lot of fun! the humor in it feels very modern and the characters are enjoyable in a way i don't really expect of movies from this era (yes, even pre-code movies like this one). also there's some jabs in here abt the depression that relate to food that are very funny retroactively ("who eats meat anymore?" and re: them stealing a bottle of cow's milk 'they already stole it from the cow')

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

this movie is SO indulgent of the weird girl fantasy and i LOVE IT FOR THAT!!!!!! i do love a movie that says "you know that thing you cannot and SHOULD NOT have in the real world that other movies make a point of reiterating??? NOT US!!!!" yeah lisa have ur zombie boyfriend and kill everyone. go nuts

Monkey Man (2024)

this movie was just like...overall not my style but i did enjoy it! i think dev patel did a great job with it and picked a really important story to tell. also kid is a great character

Saving Face (2004)

I really liked the interconnection of plots here! I think this movie could have been EITHER abt Wil being gay or Hwei-Lan being pregnant but putting it all together makes something really special. felt like an ode to the messiness of being human and the joy of that messiness

music:

LAUGHINGFISH by Black Dresses (2024)

you know me I love black dresses! not my favorite album of theirs ever but a very chilled out record that i appreciate right abt this point in my life. i love the sounds in cat cup ALSO these sort of sighing panicky sounds accompanied w the mantra "I can't do it/I'm too scared/what if people think I'm weird" said in just this heartbreaking earnestness? LOVE. also i love the story in if you find me gone a lot

LUBE by Adam Lambert (2024)

this fucks adam good on you for branching out into being raunchy!

Slut Pop Miami by Kim Petras (2024)

this album is just so fucking funny above it all. I'm a penis genius I'M A SEMEN JESUS????? like not just hilarious things to say but also hilarious things that are kind of hard to say and subvert your expectations (i.e., the phrase "semen demon") okay kim i see you! get fucked also goes super hard

Super Over by Leah Kate (2023)

fun, exactly what it sets out to be, love super over and space

In My Room by Julia Wolf (2024)

Off With Her Tits by Allie X (2024)

oh my GOD this song is up there w/ i must increase my bust lords of acid crazy fucking robot body snowblood and plastic slayyyter for making me Feel Gender Things

Finger by Scene Queen (2024)

scene queen never stop making gay sex bops PLEASE

Flyana Boss

these two just make bops that's all i can say. shout out to yeaaa and skateboard

Kind of Stuck, Poser, and Feel My Feelings by Girli (2024)

kind of stuck is the soundtrack of me being 25 :P

KILLDOZER by Kim Dracula (2021)

HELLBOUND II by PLVTINUM (2023)

okay look. raised eyebrows @ plvtinum's whole shtick but i do find the hyperpopy sound + brooding straight man (i presume?) premise fascinating. and i do like music and media that excites me. and it sounds good!

Alter Ego by Doechii (2024)

NA NA NA NA NA NA THESE HOS AIN'T PHASING ME, PHASING ME, NA NA NA NA NA NA NA BOO BOO BITCH YOU DEAD TO ME, DEAD TO ME!!!!!

ABRACADABRA by Borgore x CupcaKke x Chase Icon (2023)

KISS THE RING by Riotgrrrldarko (2023)

THERE'S SOMETHING HERE OKAY. definitely rgd's sound TECHNICALLY could be refined a lot but i think if she keeps in on this we're going to get some really awesome music out of her

QUEEN DEGENERATE by SNOW WIFE (2023)

Hazer by Lauren Bousfield feat. Ada Rook (2023)

yes this song fucks but also i just love the "face the hurt that ya carry inside!" goofy sample in the beginning so hard

Jennifer's Body by Nxdia (2024)

i've also generally been enjoying what Ayesha Erotica, ODETARI, and 6arelyhuman are doing (together or otherwise) :)

shows:

Bravern (2024)

BRAVEEEERRRNNNNNN!!!!!!!!! this show is the absolute love of my life. this show surprised me, made me FEEL THINGS in ways that i haven't felt from a piece of media in years. it's audiacious, it loves being audacious, it just makes me fucking smile!!!!! i love u bravern!!!!!!

Sasaki and Miyano (2022-2023)

this is cute :)

games:

My Time at Sandrock

this game is fun AND oh my GOD the story is so intricately constructed? you wouldn't expect it to be but it totally is

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

i don't have too much to say just yet bc i haven't done as many playthroughs as i'd like but like. there are some Choices re: this game's story and also like. polyamory that are. eh. but overall i've been having a lot of fun w this game and i do really appreciate the complexity the game adds into the history and dynamics of the settlers AND the gardners

as for books i'm not actually sure i've read any fiction this year LOLLLLLL i DO love theory at heart and also i read all day for work and love analyzing literature much more than reading it anyway so

[konfeitos]

── ⟢ ・⸝⸝⠀GUIDELINES.

ATTENTION. please spare a moment to review the rules. failure to be respectful or to follow the rules will lead to you being blocked from entering the premises.

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WRITING & REQUESTS .

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❤︎ : male reader ﾉ trans ( ftm ) and amab. gender-neutral reader. fluff. angst. comfort. suggestive. one-shots. multi-series. headcanons. aus. short texts. smaus. polyamorous relationships ﾉ triad and "vee" dynamics. queer platonic relationships.

✘ : female reader. cheating. underage suggestive. taboo topics. minor╱adult. explicit nsfw.

.ᐣ : still have a question ? then please reach out to ask for clarification !

[kyupidos]

Hi there! I was wondering if you could write a birthday drabble for how the one and only Yuu spends their birthday.

Boyfriend Rook and the Pomefiore crew get all dolled up and see theatre performances (Hell maybe they go to one of Vil's). Afterwards Rook and reader have lunch at a fancy restaurant and enthuse about the performance.

Meanwhile everyone else is trying to get a party ready for NRC's favorite (and only) prefect. Riddle has sorted everyone into teams according to what they need to accomplish. Baking crew, Decorations crew etc. Best Friend Idia's tinkering away at their computer forl a surprise.

(Anyways this is pretty self indulgent... It would be really nice if you could release this on September 28th)

09/28/23’s delivery 🏹✉️ twisted wonderland

one and onlyヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(��� `Д´)ノ,ヽ( ･∀･)ﾉ_θ彡☆Σ(ノ `Д´)ノ ;; summary. ‘your lovely friends and your even lovelier lover work to orchestrate the best birthday for you. ’

2.1k~ words ( went a little overboard.. )

characters. all dorms, specifically pomefiore : rook hunt ;; romantic , others ;; platonic . 🖇️ tags. reader is gender neutral ( you/your ), reader is yuu, many characters show up but only rook is romantic ( and only few are mentioned by name ), may or may not have used google translate for rook’s french, romantic fluff

📡 _a/n. oho, hii!! thank goodness i checked my inbox, or else i may not have seen this 😓 thankfully, it’s the 23rd as i start to write this!! i hope this is a well enough birthday gift for you! i’ve been doing quite a few birthday fics recently, but it’s pretty fun, i must say. anyway..HAPPY BIRTHDAYY!!

. there in front of you stood your darling rook, awaiting you alongside epel and vil, who you knew for a fact he coerced into dressing the way they were at the moment ( well, vil wouldn’t be matching for long considering his upcoming stage performance that you’d be watching, but nonetheless ); he had a certain style of his, one that you could never mistake for another. he took you arm in arm, gently bringing you down the steps of ramshackle. “ah, mon lapin chéri ! you look magnificent, but it’s unexpected after all, the day is your’s!”

epel and vil waved to you as you made your ways to the gate, both of whom smiling and greeting you kindly. “happy birthday, prefect! you’re lookin’ stylish today!” vil nodded in agreement to epel’s welcoming, “indeed, as rook said, you look splendid.” just then, rook giggled merrily like a fool in love, taking your arm gently to twirl you a bit. “ah, correct you both are! mon lapin continues to be beautiful!”

you smile warmly as rook takes you arm in arm again, and now you’re continuing your walk to the magic mirror to watch vil’s soon to be theatre performance. “thank you three, seriously! this is honestly a great birthday already.” rook let out a huff of amusement, eyeing you gleefully in a sense you couldn’t exactly place. “ah, yet the day has only just begun.” you didn’t notice it just yet, but as epel ‘stumbled’ behind to fix up his outfit, those words seemed to be the phrase that allowed the boyish teen to call up a certain ace of hearts to get things started.

“heyheyy, ace..have your housewarden get that party started!”

in all honesty, you did struggle to understand twisted wonderland’s media culture and such, but even despite such an issue, you had no troubles digesting the story behind the performance vil put on. a tale of star crossed lovers, a sort of right place wrong time style of story. you might have struggled to get a reference here or there, but with rook sitting right beside you, he fared well at giving whispered commentary whenever you needed it.

truly, it was a wonderful way to celebrate your special day. clearly, there was a reason this specific theatre was rated so highly by audience and critics alike. you’d surely have to thank rook for managing to get you in, otherwise you’d probably be doing something much less entertaining. suddenly, epel tapped on your shoulder and whispered to you, “i think this part was taken inspiration from the fairest queen!”

you leaned in curiously, “is that so?” rook noticed the quiet chatter and was quick to join in to help you better grasp things, “see, as the one who’s slowly turning ill tries to find ways to look healthy once more, it mirrors a piece of history where the fairest queen concocts a potion similar—but instead, to turn into an old woman.” “ah, i think i’ve heard you mention this before.” “indeed, it is a valuable part of history!”

the rest of the performance, meanwhile, went without much commentary. its end wasn’t full of metaphors or hidden meaning, just a valuable moral with wonderfully done visuals for an onstage show, and of course as the end, the actors all gathered together to bow in front of the audience, you, rook, and epel of course clapping significantly loud for vil. there was also a special announcement regarding a certain someone’s, cough cough, your, cough cough, birthday. having the attention on you was a bit nerve wracking, but at the same time it also felt a bit nice; so it evened out in the end.

finally, you and rook waved goodbye to the other two pomefiore students, as the fully blonde was taking you along for a nice birthday restaurant dinner between the two of you. he made sure it was a place that served exclusively your favorites, and you couldn’t be happier. “just wait until you see their menus, chéri ! i’m without a doubt, you will love it all~” you simpered at that, “i’m sure that i will.”

in the end, all your conversation as you ate your first meals respectively drove back to the performance from just before. “i simply must ask, mon amour, what did you think of the story? was it to your tastes?” of course you nodded in confirmation, “nothing less of amazing, as expected of vil,” rook nodded in the background; no doubt he was impressed by his housewarden’s work as well. “though it was a shame, really.” “oh?” your boyfriend questioned curiously, looking at you to see your face and reactions, digging into his lunch in the meantime. “which bit?”

you thought for a moment, “the sick one of the two, y’know. it was such a shame that his drive for looking beautiful just because he believed it would bring him and his would’ve been lover closer led to that fate.” you then took a chunk out of your meal again, “it’s an unfortunate romance, no?” rook hummed for a moment, a bittersweet smile on his face before he took you by the hand and kissed the back of your palm ever so romantically, “well, if it makes you feel any better, mon amour..”

and then as he slowly lifted his head up for you to see his face to prove to you his words were genuine, he continued on, “i will never leave you even in sickness, as the two lovers once faced, and i wouldn’t dare to do so even in worser conditions. i chose you for a reason after all, mon cher~” his hand still having taken yours, gently so to the point you’d barely notice his touch if it wasn’t right in front of you for you to witness, you couldn’t help but fluster, even if for just a moment.

“oh? those words sound similar to wedding vows. maybe you’re planning to gift me another birthday gift, rook?” rook looked at you even more lovingly than you believed he ever could, with a teasing smile and joking tone, “ah, you’ve caught me, mon lapin! le chasseur est devenu le chassé!”

“hey, don’t joke like that now!”

“come on everyone, let’s hurry this up, for the prefect and rook’s sake!”

a groan of disbelief left the throat of an aforementioned ace of hearts, “we get it, house warden! cut us a bit of slack..” while you and rook spent your time at the restaurant, epel and vil hurried back to ramshackle dorm to give an update on where you were. as of current they were finishing up the last touches, but of course riddle couldn’t help but be strict, even so.

of course, he made quick work to organize everyone into groups; trying to be efficient as possible, having been asked personally to do so by rook himself— only the best for you! so in the end, heartslabyul and scarabia, both being dorms with plenty experience partying, shared the tasks of food and invitations, savanaclaw and pomefiore were on decorations ( in charge labor and the type of decor respectively ), diasomnia was busied with cleaning and making sure everything was where it ought to be, and octavinelle and ignihyde were working on the more work related projects of birthday party planning, like food distribution and matters similar.

floyd sighed boringly as riddle scolded ace in the background, “man, i wonder how rook is doing keeping shrimpy at bay. bet they’re having real fun, huh?” jade smiled at his brother’s antics as he continued to aid azul with counting the platters of food served on the dinner table, the octomer sighing meanwhile. “if you intend to goof off, at least spend it helping out the others. ah, perhaps you could help jamil and trey with the food?”

trey, of course passing by to plate his freshly concocted creations, smiled just a tad too nervously at the idea. “there’s no need to worry azul, we’ve made plenty enough, really.” jamil, who came by just to help in plating things nodded to trey’s words, “the kitchen is doing just fine, don’t worry about us.”

while everyone else engaged in lighthearted banter on the first floor, idia was quick as work in your room, tinkering away at your computer; nothing much, but he did hope it would be a suitable gift for you. what was he planning? why, something diabolical of course, something only a master evil mastermind could dare concoct; he planned to give you access to servers and streams that, though you’d usually have to pay some sort of premium to even get a good use out of, would be perfect for everything you’ve been meaning to get into! animes, games, audiobooks, comics and all the like—it would be available to you now! his constant use of illegal manga websites has finally come in clutch!

ortho stood— or rather, hovered— just behind him, watching him excitedly as the older shroud finished up work. “ooh, this is so exciting! i’m 100% positive the prefect will find this a gift treasurable for life!” idia ‘kehehhe’ laughed away, taking a break from the computer to crack his knuckles. “hehe, ‘m glad rook is managing to distract the prefect for this long, would’ve taken me ages to get this gift going behind their back otherwise.”

just then, a booming voice appeared right at the room’s door entrance— “idia!!” sebek spoke aloud, “what’re you doing here?! will the party be taking place here too? i’ll sweep up here as well then, in respects to the friend of me and my young master!” in the distance, idia could swear he heard “sebek, i thought i told you that overcleaning wasn’t necessary.”

originally idia was planning to respond with a sarcastic quip and then lay about ( he was done anyway ), but then a much more intimidating voice entered the room without warning. “idia, ortho, sebek, here you three are!” “holy crap, lilia?! jumpscare warning, please!” lilia smiled teasingly as he let himself down to the floor, having previously jumpscared the three when he hung upside down from the ceiling, sebek looking to idia in offense for the bat fae. “warning?! how dare you expect such a thing from him, you should learn to respect his presence like with the young master!”

“come on boys, stop fighting,” lilia merely smiled gleefully at the two’s arguing, “it’s time to hurry downstairs, the prefect’s almost home!”

those words were more than enough to cease the banter, everyone’s in the room’s eyes widening slightly at the news, other than lilia, of course. and with that, they all hurried down to the main floor now that all was said and done.

similarly to when you left ramshackle to see vil’s performance, on the way to ramshackle rook had took you by the hand to twirl you. though this time, he put more effort into having you two walk and dance than he did before. “isn’t this fun, mon lapin? things like this take up quite the sum of energy, but it’s still exhilarating~” you shook your head playfully at his tone, “this isn’t much exhilarating as it is calming, rook. we’re dancing slowly, after all.” “is that so? well, i don’t mind however you choose to see it, so long as you enjoy it <3”

slowly but surely the dancing ceased and you slowly approached the stairs, rook taking his hands to cover your eyes as you did so. you were a bit confused, but as you have so far, you figure you might as well go with the flow. “don’t look now, mon amour,” rook speaks quietly but teasingly all the same, “a surprise awaits you, i’m sure you don’t want that ruined~?” you playfully replied, “oh, of course not. i’ll keep my eyes closed.”

the atmosphere inside ramshackle was quiet and still, but if you were to focus your hearing as much as possible, you could probably hear the little shuffling every now and then, and ever so light giggling that was followed by a just as light shushing sound. as you further entered, you noticed rook’s hand slowly move from your face, presumably to turn on the light as it seemed to be dark, and once the shuffling got just a wee bit louder and he moved his other hand away as well, you took that as a sign you could open your eyes at this point.

immediately to greet your sights was a beautifully decorated version of your dorm, specifically tailored by, no doubt pomefiore, to suit your personal tastes. but more importantly, the people that greeted you hurrying away from their hiding spots to celebrate you. they all spoke aloud a their own slight variation of the phrase, but you knew full well what they were getting across as the noise hit your senses all at once.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!”

suddenly, you felt the gloved hands of rook gently hold onto your shoulders, and when you turned your head to face him, he looked at you with a smile of pure genuinity, and he spoke with honeyed words,

“happy birthday, for my one and only lapin.”

[filaantrocrowdfunding]

Global Day of Parents: How to Raise Kids in the Digital Age

1st June has been declared as a ‘Global Day of Parents’ by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 2012. The day is celebrated to honor the selfless dedication of parents toward nurturing, caring, and raising children.

Parents are the primary and the most critical exposure to children. Children usually adopt the mannerisms and behaviors of their parents. That is why it is important for parents to set an example for their children. However, the digital age has made it important for children to learn technology, but at the same time using technology at such a tender age can pose harmful risks to children. So, the question arises how can a parent raise a moral citizen during the period of digital media?

Raising children differs from culture to culture, and there is no foolproof way to raise children. Therefore, it is necessary to critically think before picking up advice. Because what might be best for a child living in Mumbai, would not be ideal for a child living in Lucknow.

However, we would try our best to offer five pieces of parenting advice for the new generation of parents.

Parenting without Gender Roles

The world is slowly becoming more egalitarian by the day. The rising feminist movement has empowered women, while discussions about toxic masculinity have led many men to open up about their mental health struggles and feelings. However, the rise of new-age hyper-masculine influencers threatens to undo years of progress. These influencers encourage men to be violent while at the same time telling women to be submissive. So, it is extremely necessary to introduce gender-neutral parenting at the earliest stage. Allow your boys to play with dolls or your girls to play with robots. Throw away phrases like ‘Boys don’t cry’ or ‘Girls don’t behave this way’. Breaking such roles will allow your children to look beyond the scope of gender when discussing a crucial topic.

Netflix and other streaming platforms have made it easy for children to access pornographic, sexual, or violent content. With a click of a button, children can get exposed to a wide range of media, which is inappropriate for their young minds. The best way to monitor your child’s content consumption is to test the content yourself first. Test the movies and shows that your child wants to watch. Platforms like IMDb have a section for parental guidance, which can also be helpful to decide what content is appropriate for kids to consume. Alternatively, you can also choose to watch movies or shows together. This will allow you to spend quality time with children and monitor them at the same time.

3. Keep a Check on their Social Media Activity

We would not suggest keeping your children away from social media, as it is going to play a pivotal role in the new age to come. It is extremely important for children to learn how to use social media, as it would allow them to grow in the future. At the same time, it is important to keep a check on their social media activity. Social Media Accounts generally only allow users above the age of thirteen, but social media also has a plethora of hateful content, which could hamper the perception of children. Instagram, the leading social media platform for teenagers has introduced a family center, which will help to keep a tab on their activity.

4. Make Sure that a Child Has a Non-Screen Hobby

Screens are everywhere around us and there is no escaping it. But, continuous use of screens can have harmful effects on a child. Therefore, it is necessary for a child to indulge in non-screen hobbies. Keep a bookshelf in your household or persuade your child to get into cooking. These hobbies will distract a child from their phones, and will also help them to acquire a new skill.

5. Instil Empathy in Your Child

Empathy is lacking in many adults, let alone children. So many adults find it difficult to relate to others or understand where the other person is coming from. One of the first steps to instill empathy in your child is to empathize with them, don’t discourage them from experiencing emotions like fear or sadness. For Example, “I know that dog can be scary, but it is a nice barking dog. You can hold my hand and walk.” The next step is to talk to them about others’ feelings. For Example “Priyanka is unhappy because you took her toy car. Please give Priyanka back her car, and you can pick another car.” These kinds of interactions will allow your child to develop empathy for others around them.

We hope that this article was helpful and useful for you. Please share this article with all the parents around you. Leave a comment if you have any other advice. Parents can also use Filaantro to crowdfund educational or other endeavors for their children.

[kristsune]

The first week of Valheim was a bunch of fun, filled with much silliness. Some of that includes: CW for Rachel trundling around in the background, local branch of the world tree, keeel, dontberidiculous, Grim Grundle, ITS A PAPIST PLOT, is a lean-to a house?, oh you love it!, Ben’s crying cupboard, gender indulgence, Tim “pronounces” Naruto, Tim Deer ASMR, 8foot vertical neeps... and tatties, Not A Benjamin, Tim is Very Much a Nice Person (So is Ben), Old Man Ben Yells at Streamers. 

art by erebusodora 

[glazelilyy]

i "like like" you

request from anon - "Single dad headcannons for Zhongli. Reader could be his kids teacher maybe"

a/n - *dies from how cute this is* AAAAAAAAAA YES YES AND YES single dad!zhongli is everything <3 (also i'm not sure if everyone heard of the childhood phrase "like like" but it's a way that we'd say we had a romantic interest in someone as children. i'm not sure if this is exclusive to NA which is why i'm explaining it, but i thought it was a cute title hehe)

pairing - zhongli x gender neutral reader (modern au!)

word count - 8246

genre - fluff

format - headcanons + blurbs

warnings - alcohol consumption

summary - between raising his two beloved children on his own and running his own business, zhongli can't quite find the time for romance—that is until he meets you

to most, zhongli is a professional businessman and ceo of his own company

though polite and mild-mannered, he's known for his sharp intellect and quick thinking

through his hard work and dedication, his tea company which manages several popular teashops in the city, has seen immense growth and success

though he dons the face of a hardened ceo while walking through the halls of his workplace, behind closed doors zhongli is known as "papa" to his two beloved children: ganyu (5) and xiao (2)

there's absolutely nothing zhongli loves more in this world than his children

he's quite the doting father: the wealth he amasses from his successful company is poured into ravishing his children with the comfiest beds, finest toys, the best education, and college funds to last them years to let them pursue whatever they want

ganyu is more of the quiet book worm of the two: she spends time with her papa snuggled in his lap with a picture book or two eager for him to read to her

though zhongli isn't a goofy character, he'll oblige his little girl's request to "do the voices" of the various characters in the story book and relish in her giggles

she loves to draw and write stories that she often gives to zhongli; his office at work and at home are both littered with framed pictures of ganyu's best handiwork and he's proud to show them off if anyone asks

much to his surprise, ganyu is quite adept at higher level thinking and as such, he's begun to teach her how to play chess and checkers

he's let her win far too many times though, but it's the thought that counts!

xiao, on the other hand, is always on the move: crawling and stumbling on stubby hands and feet from one room of their penthouse to the next, it's hard to get him to settle down unless his papa is there to lull him to sleep

he's not one to throw tantrums, but he is known to crawl into a corner and sulk until his papa comes to get him

though zhongli wouldn't exactly describe xiao as a terrible two year old, xiao certainly was quite fussy and picky with just about everything

from xiao's toys to his food to who held him, all three categories had to be managed either by zhongli himself or his personal assistant, childe, who often babysat for him while he worked overtime or had business meetings overseas

xiao has a preference for sweet things: specifically very soft almond tofu, and though zhongli does his best to manage the diet of each of his children to be healthy and nutritious, he can't help but indulge xiao when he tugs on the fabric of his dress pants and asks for "ah-mond to-hu"

zhongli has had difficulty in getting him to start talking, but he does have a few common phrases: "papa", "ah-mond to-hu", and "go" are the ones he uses most commonly

he often attempts to pronounce ganyu's name but has difficulty and just ends up calling her "yuyu"

xiao does love when his papa manages to sit down with him and play dolls or roll cars

zhongli finds that xiao is most at peace late at night when he's rocking him to sleep in front of the large, glass window pane under a blanket of stars

both of his children are his entire world, but some days he can't help but feel a pulsing emptiness

he's had lovers in the past, but they've never worked out either because some weren't interested in becoming a parent, and some couldn't deal with his hectic and evasive schedule

apart from external reasons, zhongli himself felt like there was simply no time for romance

but that all seemed to change the day he met you

you are ganyu's first grade teacher and a very patient one at that

the first time he lays eyes upon you is on ganyu's very first day of grade school

more content utc!

zhongli wasn't an emotional man, but the manner in which ganyu clung to the leg of his charcoal dress pants, gripped his hand with all her little might, and tried to hide her sniffles in his waist had his heart crumbling in his chest. up until now, ganyu had been home schooled by private tutors and wasn't used to being in such an unfamiliar environment.

"come now, little one, no need to cry." he cooed, stooping down to cup her ruddy face within his large hands and dry her tears with his thumbs.

"papa or mister childe will be back to pick you up as soon as you're done, okay?"

to no avail, ganyu's muffled wails would refuse to cease and drew looks from other kids and parents in the schoolyard that zhongli did his best to shield her from by pulling her close and rubbing his hand soothingly up and down her back. though xiao had been left in childe's capable hands with only the slightest bit of fuss, ganyu was quite attached to zhongli and it broke his heart to see her so sad. his gentle shushing and loving kisses to her head did little to calm her down.

he'd always been quite helpless in situations were his children required some sort of softness for them to absorb their tears into. no matter how hard zhongli tried, he never quite felt like he fit into that role and the way ganyu wailed ceaselessly into his shoulder solidified that great worry in his mind.

a gentle tap twice on his shoulder brought him out of his own head and had him looking upwards.

if you had told him you were an angel, he would've believed it. calm, gentle (e/c) eyes peered back at him, matched with a reassuring smile. to top it off, a pale yellow apron hugged your body and laid overtop of your regular clothes. pinned near your breastpocket was a little name tag that read "teacher (y/n)" with stickers of flowers and hearts decorated around the border.

"if i may, sir?" you asked, whispering only to him.

zhongli struggled to maintain his composure and merely swallowed down his own awe in one gulp, before gently prying ganyu's face away from his shoulder.

"hi there!" you cooed quietly, crouching down so your palms rested on your knees and you balanced on the balls of your heels, "i'm teacher (y/n)! may i know your name?"

ganyu sniffled once, wide eyes wandering to the name tag on your apron, then to your kind smile. she looked up once to zhongli, who gave a reassuring smile and nod before replying, "ganyu," in a quiet voice, still half muffled into her papa's shirt.

"hi ganyu! that's a very pretty name for a very pretty girl," ganyu whines embarrassingly and burrows further into her papa's arms.

zhongli shot you an apologetic smile while running a soothing hand up and down ganyu's back, to which you meet him in the middle with your own equally radiant grin that needed no words to dismiss his apologies.

"do you like to play any games, ganyu? i have lots of toys in my class that you'd like: dolls, cars, robots, and there's lots of picture books too!"

at the mention of picture books, ganyu's head shot up and her glimmering eyes met yours with piqued interest. "books?" she asked, voice hoarse from wailing.

"yep! lots and lots of picture books. we can read them together until your dad comes to pick you back up, is that okay?"

gingerly, you stretch your hand outwards, palm up, in an invitation to the little girl. ganyu hesitantly looked back at zhongli as if awaiting his approval.

"go on, little deer." he gently ushered with the flat of his palm pressed against the back of her periwinkle dress.

ganyu timidly placed her tiny hand in yours and nodded once to accept your offer. you beamed brighter than the sun itself and quickly produced a napkin from a small pocket in your apron.

"come here, sunshine," you coo, bringing the soft fabric to dab at her eyes and wipe away the tracks of tears from her face with gentle motions.

ganyu was always his easier child, but she never took so kindly to strangers so quickly. zhongli watched in awe as her cries ceased and she so pliantly gripped your hand. he beamed with pride at the courage of his daughter, but also felt a part of him deflate knowing he'd have to leave her here all day.

"don't tell me i need to get a tissue for you as well, sir."

hand on your hip, there was no denying the teasing lilt to your voice as you met his eyes. upon his silence you fear that you may have overstepped your boundaries.

"a-ah forgive me it's just, you looked so sad." you hesitantly chuckled and rubbed the back of your neck.

"no, no, do not apologize. it was a humorous joke, i'll admit." he tailed off with a breathy laugh, still fixated on the way your eyes glimmered under the shimmering rays of golden, morning light.

"i must thank you, for being so kind to her. i'm grateful for that."

his heart trembled in his chest when you simply stood up with a small giggle and waved your hand dismissively.

"nonsense! it's my job to look after the little ones, besides," you paused to look down at ganyu, who still held onto your hand yet had her eyes trained diligently on her papa, "something tells me this is her first time being away from you for long."

your perceptiveness was a warm welcome to him, and he began to feel less hesitant about leaving ganyu in your care. with a pleased hum and rosy cheeks, he tried to dismiss the trembling of his fingers as the result of the beginnings of the bitter, nipping frost of autumn.

"i am zhongli."

and when you shook his hand and spoke your name, he felt the cobwebs around the rusted gears of his heart begin to rip and disintegrate. for the first time in a while, zhongli felt the faint beat of amour underneath his dress shirt.

he heads to work that day, a bit frazzled by this morning's encounter

there's no denying that he hasn't felt such a warmth in a long, long time

and he can't seen to get his mind off of how sweet you were with ganyu

childe was still preoccupied with xiao and other paperwork for the company, so zhongli is the one that picks ganyu up from school that day

he's a bit late and arrives when all the other students had already gone home

upon entering the vicinity of your classroom, he finds you sitting on a colorful beanbag chair with ganyu in your lap and a picture book in front of both of you

you read with such a soothing voice; not only that, but you did "the voices" of each character just as he does when he reads to ganyu

speaking of his daughter, her eyes are trained solely on where your pointer finger scans through the lines, and he can't help but be enamored at how easily you gained her trust

reluctantly though, he has things to do and takes her from your arms

you place your palm on his forearm—a friendly gesture—while you bid him goodbye and it's hard for him to deny how electric the area you touched made him feel

on the ride home, ganyu is more talkative than usual and the topic of her chattiness is all about you

apparently: you're the "bestest" teacher in the whole world (though zhongli has to remind her that "bestest" isn't a word) who loves to read and sing

the singing part intrigued him; with how lovely your voice had been just speaking to him, he couldn't imagine just how lovely the saccharine cadence of your singing voice must be

and so he begins to fall into a steady routine: drops ganyu off early in the morning at school in your care, then returns sheepishly around an hour late after school ends to collect her from your arms

it isn't until one day, when childe had important company matters to attend to and all his trusted babysitters were busy, that zhongli runs to pick ganyu up from school with xiao in his arms

and he discovers that you're most taken with his son

"mister zhongli, you never told me you had a son!"

intrigue lit your eyes up like a glowing lantern as you cautious peeked past the soft folds of the blue puffer jacket zhongli had carefully dressed xiao in to shield him from the bitter autumn air. his glimmering amber eyes peered up at you with bated curiosity just as your finger gently connected with his little fist.

"ah yes, apologies, teacher (y/n), it appears to have slipped my mind." he bashfully coughed into his fist and shifted xiao in his arms.

he couldn't help but let a rare smile creep onto his face as he watched you interact with xiao: the excitement laced on your face as xiao's little hand clasped around your finger, the sheer awe that had practically branded itself into your eyes as you locked gazes with xiao, it was all quite amusing to him.

"would you care to hold him?" he offered, shifting xiao's weight in his arms to extend him forward.

wordlessly, you took the toddler into your arms and giggled in tandem to the few words that did manage to slip from xiao's mouth.

"well hello to you too, little mister." your finger waggled over xiao's face as his little hands stretched up to reach it.

ganyu had been awfully quiet, watching from your side as you held her brother so fondly. zhongli had never seen her make such a face before: little lips turned downwards and brows furrowed to crease in the middle of her forehead. her fist clutched the soft fabric of your apron and it seemed that she'd tug every now and then. a particularly harsh tug got your attention...and zhongli's as well as you jolted with xiao in your arms.

"little deer!" he hissed, swooping in to scoop her up into his arms. "i apologize dearly, ganyu doesn't usually act like this." the last part seemed directed moreso towards the little girl in his arms, who shamefully buried her face into the crook of her father's neck.

you, however, seemed to realize exactly the intentions behind her actions immediately. "care to switch, mister zhongli?" you asked, extending out his son to him.

"please you need not address me so formally, just zhongli is fine." he countered, wordlessly shifting ganyu so her little hands stretched out towards your body.

"you as well, (y/n) is just fine." you smiled at him after exchanging the two children in your arms.

ganyu immediately melted in your embrace and slung her around around your neck, whereas xiao began to wriggle in zhongli's broad arms and babbled nonsense.

"i think she was just a little jealous." you giggled and whispered discreetly for only zhongli's ears.

"my, that's quite unlike her. i do apologize for her behavior though."

zhongli was quite sure he would've said more if not for how tender you looked with ganyu in your arms. your deft fingers gently tucked a stray lock of her hair from her head behind her ear and a pleasant smile had painted itself upon your lips. your very, very, soft looking lips.

but he was getting sidetracked, far too sidetracked.

"i-i do believe we must be going now." he cursed himself for his unusually unkept manner and hoisted xiao once more in his arms.

"oh yes! ahaha sorry about that. come on, ganyu, your papa's waiting." you stooped down and usher the girl away from your arms into her papa's hands.

ganyu reluctantly let go of your clothes and clung to zhongli's leg with each of her little fists full of the silk, charcoal material of his dress pants. zhongli relished in how warmly and fondly you looked upon his children, but not before realizing how dark it had gotten outside.

before he said his goodbyes and turned to walk through your classroom door, zhongli chose to make an offer that fell perfectly in tandem to the unnatural thump of his heart: "would you care for a ride home?"

zhongli ends up giving you a ride home that day (and bites back his amusement when you eagerly gawk in awe at his fancy, sleek, black car equipped with a touchscreen gps and heated seats

with your address in his gps, zhongli ensures that you're home within thirty minutes, no more no less

his routine continues, though you did shyly ask to see xiao a few more times and he would happily oblige your request by letting xiao tag along when he'd pick up ganyu

you've also grown on him quite considerably:

your quick wit, tender kindness, and complete and utter patience is a stark contrast to the world of stoic business that zhongli is deeply familiar with

not to mention you make conversation flow so easily, to the point where zhongli felt that he could sit and listen to your voice forever, even if his conversations with you only lasted briefly and were about his kids and your jobs, before he'd leave with ganyu in tow

he finds himself staying a bit longer with every pickup, and you're more than happy to indulge him just a little longer each time

zhongli often brings you samples of tea that his company had not yet put into wide distribution; majority of the time your feedback is very positive with the occasional wonky blends or two

there's something pulling him to you and for once, zhongli doesn't feel himself pushing against the tide

even his children have noticed how fondly their papa looks at you

ganyu once asked him during a game of chess if he "like liked" you, and after asking her for a brief explanation of what that meant, he nearly choked on the cup of oolong tea he'd been sipping

though his daughter's words are childish, they haunt him while he lays awake at night and wonders: does he really have a romantic interest in you?

his thoughts are answered oddly enough the very next day, when he goes to pick ganyu up from school and a very irate looking person who isn't you, is pushing ganyu into his arms and scolds him for his lack of punctuality

ganyu explains on the drive home that the "subtute" (she can't quite pronounces "substitute" yet, as zhongli corrects her and helps her sound it out while peeping through the rearview window at traffic stops) teacher had replaced you for the day, and you were sick and home

sick, and all alone

and something tugs at his heart once he's fed and lulled his children to sleep and leans against his counter with only his thoughts to keep him company

he's not one to give into impulse easily, but with only a quick phone call to childe, he's tugging on his jacket and slipping into his car with your home in mind

zhongli felt a bit...guilty, about forgetting to delete your address from his gps. he'd be sure to apologize properly with some extra tea and goods from his shop. a shopping bag filled with tissues and ingredients for rice congee jostled in the passenger seat when his tire hit a pot hole. he wasn't quite sure what you'd like, but rice congee had always helped ganyu feel better when she'd fallen ill.

his car pulled up to your modest, warm-looking home; flower beds decorate the front yard, along with little gnomes and garden decorations. if he were to look up "welcoming" in a dictionary, he'd find a picture of your house as an example. zhongli stopped the engine and exited the car with the bag in tow, heart in his throat and palms clammy and sweaty. he's a grown man who can strike a business deal with anyone and dominates bargaining offers, but still sheepishly hesitates to knock on the wood of your door, illuminated only by the nearby streetlamps and a little metal lantern that hung to the side.

against his better judgement, his knuckles find their way onto the wood of your door and knock thrice.

his breath caught itself in his throat the minute the door creaked open and your familiar face greets him.

you're bundled up in warm looking pajamas, snowy bunny slippers on each of your feet, and a thick, pale blue blanket draped over you body like a hooded cloak. all in all, you looked quite adorable if not for the redness in your eyes and obvious struggle to breath right.

"z-zhongli! what a p-pleasant surprise!" there was obvious enthusiasm behind your voice and yet its gravelly nature couldn't lie about how awfully sick you seemed.

"i apologize for coming so late, would you be opposed to me coming inside?"

you open your mouth to respond but are immediately engulfed by a fit of coughs, to which you motion for zhongli to come no closer when his arms automatically go to catch you should you fall.

"i-i'm quite sick...i'd hate for you to catch it."

with a sheepish, boyish smile that he admittedly hadn't worn in years, zhongli held up the plastic bag with his index finger and shrugged. "i do have a strong immune system."

that seemed to be enough for you, who gestured inwards with a giggle and shut the door behind him.

your living room is relatively clean except for the occasional scatter of books and sky-high pile of kiddy drawings on a nearby table.

"excuse the mess, i-i haven't really had time to clean up, heh..." you whisper meekly, tugging the soft fleece of the blanket to conceal your face.

zhongli can't help but find the action adorable and tugged the fabric back from your face to revel in your gleaming (e/c) eyes.

"please, i insist that your home is quite lovely, (y/n)."

you emerged from your blanket burrito, embarrassment written all over your face. you eyed him curiously with a warbled smile on your lips. "are you here to discuss ganyu's progress? i'm not feeling the best right now but i am still thankfully s-sound of mind."

"no not at all, i simply...ganyu informed me that you weren't at school today and i thought i would come by and prepare some tea and rice congee for you. they are things that have helped my daughter and myself in the past so-"

"zhongli, a-are you sure? i know i appear to be a mess, but i-i'll be fine! i really would hate to keep you from your kids."

you truly were so considerate, and he knew now that he'd absolutely hate to leave you on your own to bear the brunt of your illness.

"i promise, they are fast asleep and well taken care of. i'd like to help you out as well, if you'd indulge me." much like a business deal, his hand automatically stuck itself out forwards. but when you slipped your warm hand into his, the "business" element faded away and left something much more tender and supple than he could ever recognize.

a mumbled "thank you" is all you can muster before a fit of coughs took hold of you once more.

"come now, you should be resting in bed. i shall prepare the tea and congee," he paused and pressed his forehead against yours despite the lurch of his heart upon contact with your hot skin, "hmm, you are far too warm. your fever must break and then you shall be alright."

your sleepy mumbled did far too much to his hammering heart as you trailed off into your bedroom, zhongli's hand still in yours as if you hadn't realized. your room was quite modest with a bookshelf or two lining the walls, but you ignored the pile of texts on the ground beside your bed and clambered up onto the mattress under the sheets.

"i'll be in the kitchen should you need anything." he warned just as your warmth disappeared from his hand.

a muffled "okay" from the pile of blankets underneath your body let him set off to prepare the tea and congee for your consumption, all while his hand burned pleasantly with the remnants of your touch.

with muffle thoughts and flushed cheeks, he got to work. as the tea water began to boil and his large hands stirred a pot of congee, his mind began to slip under into his deep depth of thoughts. here he was, a grown man, who still treated love like a lovesick teenaged boy. it was most shameful to him to be acting in such a manner, but it seemed to be almost out of his control. there was no use fighting the vivid blush or panting of his heart when you'd connect eyes and talk about anything.

so lost in his thoughts, zhongli had nearly forgotten about the kettle on the stove and scrambled to turn the heat off just as the congee had finished boiling.

"archons above..." he mumbled and dragged a hand over his face.

just what were you doing to him?

he'd long since discarded his work blazer on the coat rack near your front door and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt to better accommodate the cooking space. this, however, revealed the slightly embarrassing dragon-style sleeve tattoo on his right arm he had gotten so many years ago.

much to his chagrin, it seemed to be the first thing you noticed upon his entry with the congee and tea into your room.

bundled up under layers of blankets, you immediately locked onto the intricate lines of gold and charcoal ink that layered his arm.

"such a pretty tattoo..." you mumbled and tentatively stuck your hand out to trace over the detailing.

"a mistake of my youth, but i'm glad you find beauty in it." he hummed in an attempt to ignore your electrifying touch and set the tray of congee in front of you along with the tea by your bedside.

"i really can't thank you enough, this was all very sweet of you to do for me."

your body shifted to sit upwards only to wobble and collapse back downwards onto the soft sheets with a hissed "oof". zhongli's quick reflexes ensured that the tray holding the bowl of congee wouldn't have spilled all over your sheets.

"please, i insist that i help you. do not overexert yourself further." he gently chided and pressed one of his large hands to your shoulders, leaning you back against a fortress of pillows.

"spoon feeding me now, are we? i feel like a little kid." you wriggled under the sheets and lolled your head to the side just as zhongli pulled up a chair to your bedside from your desk.

"well you must remember: i am a father of two, so i'm quite accustomed to this."

your lips parted to greet the ceramic spoonful of congee, eagerly swallowing the warm food. zhongli's keen eyes picked up on a smidge that had caught on your bottom lip and instinctively went to swipe away at it with his thumb, palm cupping your cheek, only to feel the moment your breath caught in your throat and locked gazes with you. he's sure his cheeks are flushed a rosy red and judging by the pounding of his heart in his ears, he's quite sure you heard it too.

"i- um-, apologies that was invasive-"

"no, no! y-you're alright, don't worry i just got a little flustered...it's been a while since someone has treated me so kindly, i suppose is all." you quickly reassured and placed a palm over his knuckles.

his mind wandered back to ganyu's question, and though he's not quite sure of a solid answer, as you babble on about how sweet ganyu is while he spoonfeeds you congee and helps you sip tea, he does begin to think that what he feels around you can be described as "like liking".

zhongli commits himself to staying by your side until you feel better

which means he does end up falling asleep at your bedside in the chair with his arms folded on your bed

as soon as he's awake, he's immediately on the phone with childe, apologizing profusely and reassuring him that he'll add on extra pay and more vacation days for the poor ginger

you're also an apologizing mess, but zhongli quickly shuts you down and reassures you that he'd rather have kept you company than you be all by your lonesome

he leaves that day with awakened butterflies swimming around in his stomach, but not without stopping at home first to greet his children and get them ready for the day

ganyu's questions about where her papa went are relentless and much unlike her usual quiet and shy self

whereas xiao clings to his pants leg for most of the time it takes zhongli to get ganyu ready for school

since his first visit, you often invite zhongli over

the invites are masked under "discussing ganyu's education" but in reality, you two sit and discuss so many things over a pot of freshly brewed tea

he finds himself coming to you a lot with new proposals and ideas for his company and your input almost always results in success! (except for the one time you mistakenly thought tea from pine trees would be a good idea, yikes)

his visits to your classroom are also a running ordeal, and he's begun driving you home as well even if you insist on not being a burden

"it's hardly a burden if i'm offering, now come, i wouldn't want you walking alone during nightfall."

even his children had begun to notice how close their papa and you were

ganyu would always ask to accompany him if she knew he was heading out to see you, and some times he'd have to indulge her because how can he say no to his little girl? (you're more than happy to have ganyu over at your house either way)

and xiao has surprisingly taken quite a liking to you after you showed up with your own homemade almond tofu and asked him to be your first taste tester (your almond tofu is now xiao approved)

you grow to become close friends with zhongli, and he finds that time seems to slip from his hands whenever he's engaged in a conversation with you

everything you touch, all the topics you speak of, they feel so incredibly warm in his chest

the more you talk, the closer you get

and one day, zhongli finally gets the courage to invite you over for dinner at his penthouse

"papa has a date?" ganyu asked with an innocent tilt of her head to complete the look. her little feet dangled over the end of the bathroom counter she sat on, and brushed the edge of her pretty pink dress as childe fixed a matching pink bow into her periwinkle locks.

"you bet he do-"

"no, little deer, papa does not have a date." zhongli scolded and eyed childe with a sharp look in his eye as he fixed his charcoal tie in the ceiling high mirror beside the bathroom counter.

"oh come now, mister zhongli, what part of this isn't a date? i haven't seen you so nervous since xiao's birth." childe poked and hoisted ganyu from the counter into the air. "isn't that right wittle ganyu wanyu? aww look how pretty you look!" childe cooed in his baby voice and spun her around in the air, making sure to rile up a good amount of giggles from her before he set her down. ganyu scurried quickly out of the bathroom lest she be subject to any more of childe's antics.

"this isn't a date, merely a dinner with a friend and my children." zhongli replied once ganyu was out of earshot

childe snorted and leaned against the bathroom counter with his arms crossed. "yeah, a friend that you run straight to for advice on tea flavors rather than the actual advisors that work for you."

"it's nothing more than a dinner, i can assure you that."

"oh? really? what's with the fancy getup then?"

it was rare for zhongli to feel such a buildup of irritation, cringing as it manifested into a nervous, weighted pit in his stomach. he owed a lot to childe, but as of right now he was being little more than a fly hovering in front of his face.

"alright, alright, i know when to call it quits, boss," childe raised his hands in surrender, metaphoric white flag waving pathetically, and strolled past zhongli on his way out of the bathroom, "i'm a phone call away if you need anything." he clamped a hand down on zhongli's shoulder with an encouraging smile and headed out to the front door.

zhongli would be damned if he said he didn't need the extra encouragement—his previous dates had gone running for the hills once they spotted xiao's toys or ganyu's coloring books, and yet you willingly chose to come over and tread the grounds of the unknown despite knowing he had kids. it thawed his heart ever so slightly.

"papa, is mister childe not eating with us?" zhongli broke from his thoughts upon feeling the slight tug of his dress pants via ganyu's little hand.

"not today, little deer," his knees stooped to collect ganyu into his arms and hold up her against his chest, "but we do have another important guest, so i must ask that you be on your best behavior. could you do that for papa?"

ganyu nodded feverishly, periwinkle locks that had been styled up into a pretty ponytail bounced with each motion of her head.

"very good." he hummed and smoothed down her frazzled locks.

as if on cue, xiao stumbled in past the bathroom door on shaky legs with his arms outstretched and eyes wide, watery, and wandering. how was it possible that zhongli had contributed to the birth of something so adorable? it was a question he often asked himself at moments like this when his children managed to wriggle their way into his heart.

"alright, little one, i know, i know." his back groaned as he shifted ganyu to one arm and stooped down to hoist xiao with his other arm.

xiao instantly went limp against the heat of his father, little dress shirt and clip-on-tie scrunched up against his coiled body as he pressed himself inwards to zhongli's chest. zhongli's amber eyes roamed the peaceful visages of his children, comfortable and safe in his arms. and for a moment, he recalled the many times you had held his children in such a similar manner—as if they were your own, with such tender, supple love and adoration in your eyes.

the gentle pound of three knocks against the door of his penthouse broke him from his thoughts.

"is that the important guest, papa?" ganyu asked, stretching her neck to peer at the door from around the hallway.

a hummed laugh bubbled up from the depths of his throat as he nodded and began hurriedly pacing towards the door. "it is indeed, and i'm sure you'll be quite excited to see who it is, little deer."

despite the outward courage and nonchalance he displayed, his insides were a gooey mess of nervousness that he hadn't felt in years. he managed to thickly swallow down a dry patch of air that had been caught in his throat and shuffled his children around in his arms so that his clammy hand could grasp the cool metal of the door lock.

the wood pulled open and zhongli felt his breath hitch once more in his throat.

elegant cloths draped over your skin and hugged and pooled around your body like an antique fountain. your hair had been styled so uniquely, and on your face lay your usual tender smile, and he couldn't help but bite back the thought that you were dangerously attractive.

"papa close mouf!" xiao's stubby little hand moved to zhongli's jaw and unceremoniously pushed upwards; he hasn't even realized that his jaw had gone slack.

"he's right you know, you'll swallow flies if you keep your mouth open like that." you quipped and smoothed over the top of xiao's fluffy hair, allowing your nails to scratch gently over zhongli's skin for just a brief moment (he'd have buckled at the knees if not for his children in his arms).

"need a hand?" you giggled and held your hands out in an invitation to him.

ganyu immediately clambered forwards, joy illuminated in her eyes as you scooped her into your arms.

"teacher (y/n)! are you here for dinner with us?" ganyu asked, fisting the fabric of your clothes.

you meet zhongli's stunned gaze with a slightly amused glimmer in your eyes and speak unspoken words to him in the brief moment your eyes connect, before you turn to look at ganyu.

"i sure am!" you reply and fix her bow into place. "my you look so pretty! your brother looks dashing too." you cooed and gently pinched the soft chubbiness of xiao's cheek.

"and your father..." your eyes meet his once again and zhongli's insides become a mess, "...looks quite handsome." you packaged a coy smile for him and fixed the silky fabric of his tie back down into the center from its crooked position.

zhongli managed to snap out of his stupor and moved to pick up your hand. your mouth opened to intervene and ask what he was doing, but the soft, tender flesh of his lips against your knuckles halted all and any questions you might have had.

"thank you, for coming this evening. you look beyond stunning." his voice vibrates against the skin of your hand, and you know you're a goner when flashes of his smile hit your heart like a beacon.

zhongli's not exactly known for being a mess but he can't help but want to impress you

he's pulled out all the stops for making this dinner go as wonderfully as possible

all the dishes are hand-made himself, and the desserts were made with the help of ganyu and the slight help of xiao (it was a challenge to not let him near the almond tofu though)

despite the aggravated pounding of his heart, he does his best to be a gentleman: leads you to the dining room by the hand, pulls out your chair for you, and pours you sparkling water all with xiao in one arm

the dinner overall goes quite well!

just like before, conversation is quite easy between you and zhongli despite the lingering alluring tension in the air between the two of you

but in addition to that, zhongli admires how you communicate with his children

ganyu has a tendency to ramble about things she really likes, and so you patiently nodded along as she recounted the story of a novel her papa had read to her the other night in between bites of crystal shrimp and adeptus' temptation

and upon discovering xiao's love for sweets, you were more than happy to slide him an extra portion of your almond tofu just to see the elated glimmer in his golden eyes (and though the action didn't go unnoticed by zhongli, he let it slide just this one since he found it adorable)

but there were a few hiccups here and there

xiao accidentally managed to spill his juice over his bib and the sensation is enough to have him sniffling

but before zhongli can react, you're already scooping him into your arms and rocking him back and forth until his tears had settled

ganyu had accidentally dropped a plate while helping her papa carry the dishes to the sink, and like before, you swoop in and immediately comfort her while zhongli hurries to grab a cutesy bandage and a dustpan for the broken porcelain

your skin connects briefly with his over the course of the meal as you reached for salt or swooped in to wipe food away from xiao's chubby little face

the tension between zhongli and you is so palpable that he was sure if he breathed in too much he'd be consumed by you

xiao had immediately fallen asleep at the table, and ganyu had been tiredly rubbing her eyes

but you'd taken the liberty of bringing each child to their bedroom and let zhongli redress them in their night clothes

and as he watched from their bedroom doors, how you tucked ganyu in and kissed her forehead goodnight, and made sure xiao had his stuffed bird and fleece blanket, he knew that his mind had come up with an answer to the question that had been haunting him for months

there was no denying that the question ganyu had asked him a while ago was one he could answer now

zhongli finished pouring a second glass of wine just as you emerged from the hallway to the kid's rooms.

"wine?" he offers, stretching out a glass to you from across the immaculate amber marble counter.

your brows furrow in thought before easing with a shrug of acceptance. "sounds lovely, what kind?" you ask between sugary inhales of the sweet liquid.

"osthmanthus. a fine brew i save for exemplary occasions such as this one." he smiled and scooped your hand into his to once again press his lips to the back of your knuckles. "have i told you how lovely you looked tonight?" he hummed with a coy brush of his nose against your hand.

"you have, but i wouldn't mind hearing it again from you." you smile against the rim of your glass and take a modest sip.

"come, the view from the veranda will be far more to your liking." his elbow jutted outwards in true gentlemanly fashion.

"i feel like royalty, you're quite the gentleman, zhongli." you teased and looped your arm through his.

"ah, that pleases me to hear. you deserve nothing less than the best treatment." he hummed and slid open the glass door for you to step out onto the balcony.

his forearms found their way pressed against the metal railing of the balcony overlooking the many twinkling lights of the bustling city below, wine glass still in hand. cars screeched and lights flared vivaciously and yet nothing could draw his attention away from the manner in which the world reflected like a kaleidoscope in your glimmering eyes.

despite the easy smile on his face, his heart nearly jolted out of his chest when you melted into his side and leaned your warmth onto his body. his arm unconsciously moved to shelter your body from the slight chilly evening breeze and it's when your eyes lock that he realizes just how close the two of you are.

zhongli set his wine glass down with trembling hands, not trusting himself to hold a proper grip on the glass without it slipping from his hands. much to his surprise, you downed the entire contents and placed the glass on a nearby table.

"the wine tasted really good...everything tasted really good tonight." you mumbled, more fixated on the structure of his face than the lingering droplets of wine in your mouth. "thank you for inviting me." with a smile warmer than a summer's day, your lips curled upwards and met his heart in the middle.

he was sure you could hear the aggressive pounding of his heart with how your ear had pressed itself against his chest.

"the pleasure was all mine, i insist. you were lovely to host for dinner." his fingers daringly moved upwards to swipe a bead of wine that had clung to your lips. the spur of confidence he'd been looking for all night had finally dropped into his lap when your hand overlapped his and allowed him to cup your cheek.

"ganyu had informed me of quite a peculiar term a while ago." he murmured, not breaking eye contact or removing his hand from your cheek.

"what would that be?" there's an inquisitive, invisible dance of tension beneath your layered words; unmistakable in his eyes no less.

"she inquired as to whether or not i...'like liked' you," your adorable giggles muffled by his palm interrupt him and he finds himself smiling along.

"ah yes, i'm aware that the manner by which i address this is a bit...childish but-"

"but nothing, zhongli," you murmured and pressed your palm against his lips to silence him, "keep going, it's sweet."

"very well," he chuckled and maneuvered your body so your chest molded against his and his hands settled at your hips.

"i've given much thought to her question, and i think that now i must admit..." his voiced mused in tandem to the gentle rising of his hands to cup your cheeks and lock gazes with you; deep enough to where his heart began to pound at the swell in your pupils,

"you occupy all crevices and cracks of my mind every hour of every day, and it's beyond any shadow of a doubt that i do indeed 'like like' you."

the thick bands of tension had finally come undone and what was left were the tender pulsations of both of your synchronous hearts. your lips parted and fell agape at his honesty and tender words masked beyond a childish shield.

"i-i recognize the implications of my words and by no means do i wish to force-"

"i do too."

his ramble is immediately halted with your gentle touch on his cheek to mimic his tender hold on your face. peering at your face reveals an endless treasure trove of piled on affections ravished by the illuminations of the city lights. your free hand gently wraps around his tie and tugs him impossibly closer before you whisper just under your breath,

"i like like you too."

his breathed hitched rigidly in his throat, the familiar jumpy nervousness coming back to bite him as his lips part to ask, "may i kiss you?"

he only needed a single nod of your head to dive inwards and slot his lips against yours. the immediate connection of skin sent a tingling feeling of electricity through his veins; a feeling that he thought he'd long forgotten. his eyes slipped shut and he let himself drown in your ocean. he'd lost count of how many times he'd laid awake at night imagining this exact scenario; how tender and supple your lips would feel against his or the reverent warmth emanating from your body.

your hands entangled themselves in his chocolatey locks just as his large hand moved downwards to splay against the small of your back. his lips hugged yours with such gentle intimacy, you'd swear you'd come undone in his arms if your embrace continued any longer.

a sudden clutter of noise drew your faces back from each other, breathy and flustered in the face. you longingly stare at each other for what felt like an eternity before you remembered the noise. both of your heads whipped towards the sliding door only to see a flustered ganyu whose tiny hands covered over xiao's eyes, still in their night clothes. a vivid blush covered the span of her nose and cheeks, and a single glance to the left would point to a tipped-over vase as the source of noise. she most likely knocked it over trying to back away from the sliding door.

"she must have seen us..." you gasp apologetically, but zhongli is quick to quell your worries with nothing but a gentle smile.

"i-i'm sorry p-papa..." ganyu stuttered and folded in on herself, clutching the hand of her brother tightly as zhongli slid the door open.

"it's alright, little deer. but you and your brother should really be asleep right now. it's quite late." he cooed, stooping down to be at eye level with her.

xiao shrugged ganyu's hands away from his eyes and stumbled towards you with outstretched hands out onto the balcony.

"aww, i think they missed you, zhongli." you mused and scooped the toddler into your arms, who melted into the crook of your neck.

"perhaps you mean that they missed you, (y/n)." he chuckled and gathered his daughter into his arms.

his hand guided you by the small of your back to the railing once more, a child in each of your arms. zhongli's arm maneuvered itself to wrap around your shoulders with ganyu nestled comfortably in his other arm. you gratefully leaned into his side and pressed a chaste kiss to his jaw as a sign of thanks. in that moment, something in zhongli finally clicked perfectly into place when he realized just how much of a family member you'd become.

"teacher (y/n)?" ganyu called, cheek smushed against her papa's shoulder.

"yes?" you hummed, hoisting the now sleeping xiao in your arms.

"do you and my papa...like like each other?"

zhongli can't help but fall into your depths when you look at him so lovingly with his child in your arms, and there's no hesitation in his reply nor does he break his gaze from you when he replies, "yes, we do."

he really like likes you.

date published: october 21st, 2021

[whaleofatjme1920]

hello!! this is my first time asking for headcanons from anybody really so i apologize if i do something wrong. can i get some headcanons for support class + scout and engineer x a trans ftm merc SO? i know this is very specific and jumbled so do you what you like ;-; but thanks!!

Support Class, Scout and Engineer with a Trans FTM SO

[M!Reader]

[Warnings: Like, none? Actually, I mention dysphoria a few times but it's largely very male/masc reaffirming.]

[AN: Sure can, and you did nothing wrong! But a head's up, I'm cis, so feel free to vibe check me whenever you want!]

Medic

I mean, are you considering bottom surgery?? Top surgery?? Whatever you want this man can provide it easily along with testosterone. Really, whatever you want he can probably do.

He's pretty affirming in his language after he,,,, gets what's going on? Like, it takes him a second but he's pretty gender fluid with presentation but he gets it and wants to love and support you. May or may not want to work out with you just because he finds muscles hot on both himself and his boyfriend.

Sometimes it's almost comical with how he reaffirms you. Lots of "my handsome, handsome man" or other stereotypical masc phrases just to make you smile. If you're looking for a name, he'll suggest some and help you choose one that makes you the happiest.

Sniper

Might need to explain it to him but he wants to love and support you too. Depending on if Ludwig is helping or not, he reminds you to not push too far even though he knows it hurts you to not feel like you're in the right place.

Yeah, that includes not wearing your binder for longer than what's safe. Helps you get on testosterone. Wants to reaffirm who you are and just,,, calls you his boyfriend. This is the only time this would ever happen as he thinks he's too old for titles like that. Also, I think the way he interacts with men is different than women, it's not a bad different but you DO feel the difference.

Does a lot of stereotypically masculine things with you because he thinks that might help lol. Don't blame him he's trying his best. He also likes to absolutely destroy anyone who could deadname you, or misgender you, because he knows you deserve respect.

Spy

One of the first things he wants to do with you is go get a brand new suit! He actually LOVES to call you his boyfriend. He's quite romantic so of course that plays into this part of you. But the suit? oh yeah the suit. He wants to tell you all about men's fashion and looking classy, and then comes in the more "manly" aspects of espionage which he will indulge with you.

He's also a lot like Mundy in ensuring that you're not pushing your body too far. He finds other ways for you to feel affirmed when the binder needs to come off or your cycle comes in.

He probably asks Ludwig about the other things if you really want that. He's going by your words and comfort, that's what matters the most. Probably sways you to the classy gentleman type because he thinks that's cute and likes to see you dress like that. Thinks you look hot.

Scout

Yeah he doesn't get gender identity at all. I will admit I think his ideas of gender are way more binary than they are a spectrum but you could easily get him to understand it's a spectrum. So, when you say you're a man he believes you! But also starts to push you HEAVILY towards stereotypically masc things. Because isn't that what men are?? cars and guns and baseball and oo rah-

Depending on who you are, this could work really well or not,,, vibe with you that much? Men are allowed to be soft, y'know? He doesn't get that. Anyways, tell Jeremy to slow down and he'll listen to you. It's not that hard with him.

I feel a lot of this is his dad stepping in to help just because Jeremy's type of affirmation isn't the most grown up response but it IS good. He pretty much makes your clothes his, and calls you his boyfriend with pride. He's trying.

Engineer

He doesn't really question it at all, just smiles and says he's got a very handsome boyfriend. The most supportive guy here even if he's not sure how to handle it because he's just,,, never read up on it! But he learns fast and has an open mind throughout it all.

He wants to affirm you every step of the way, but generally treats you the same? Like, he loves you regardless of who you are, and you being a man makes that no different. He's super empathetic when you're goin' through it and tries to lift your spirits by also bringing in more masc things.

But generally, Dell functions the same. He just wants to make sure no one says anything awful about you. He wouldn't stand for that, isn't afraid to check someone.

[aro-culture-is]

This isn't an ask but l am writing a book where l am including an allo aro character so thought this might be the best place to ask-

Like...no offense to allo aros but do you guys indulge in a friends with benefits relationship? If you are allo aro then pls give me tips on how to write the character and their s/xual relationships-

hi,

this ask is pretty old at this point, but a few things:

I do prefer to NOT receive writing advice questions on this blog. While I'm uncertain of specific blogs, I recall some blogs being created explicitly to provide writing advice for allo aro folks. I also think asking a group of individuals "how to write" their identity requires some basic levels of research first, and this question doesn't inspire confidence that this was performed. I would strongly advice that before attempting to write a character with a particular identity, you should first follow, listen to, and read from creators with that identity.

Out of an abundance of caution, if "no offense" is being used due to the assumption that it is shameful to have fwb relationships, please know that that attitude originates in sex negativity, and we don't support that here. If it's a linguistic "english isn't my first language" type of thing, though, that's okay, I just want to state this in case.

I also prefer that the phrase "you guys" isn't used for the comfort of followers, particularly transfemme folks. Instead, I encourage y'all to use gender neutral language.

allo aro people may have friends with benefits relationships, but that isn't the only type of relationship that can involve sex. sex can be had with strangers, friends, queerplatonic partners, romantic partners (action =/= attraction and aro people can decide to be in romantic relationships just like asexual individuals can have sexual relationships), strictly sexual partners, probably more niche partner labels i can't think of.

Lastly, please do not censor words with symbols. This tactic, while popular on other services, prevents Tumblr's native blocking/filtering systems from catching words and thus makes it much harder for people with triggers/sensitivities to avoid them. In addition, it makes these posts inaccessible for individuals who use screen readers, such as blind individuals, those who use screen readers due to light sensitivity, and more.

[randoimago]

Stay With Me

FANDOM: Arcane

Character(s): Viktor

Type of Request: Oneshot, Self Indulgent, Fluff

Word Count: 880

Note(s): I have had Viktor brain rot since I watched Arcane and I had to write something for him. I did my best to keep this gender neutral. 

“I’m not leaving until you do,” I stated with my arms crossed to show how serious I was with my statement. 

It was late and the academy was empty. Well almost empty. A certain someone ended up not leaving and stayed to continue working on some new thing that would help ease the burden of daily tasks. Viktor just gave me a look at my statement.

“You should go home and rest,” Viktor told me and I couldn’t help laughing at that.

“Like you’re one to talk.”

“Well pull up a chair then,” he had given a shrug  at my words but didn’t disagree. At least he knows that he’s a workaholic. I did as he said, grabbing the comfy chair that Jayce rarely used anymore now that he’s stuck doing counsel stuff instead of science stuff.

I moved the chair to where Viktor was hunched over a workbench. I sat down as he was taking notes while working on something.

“What are you doing?” I asked as I sat down in the chair.

“Finding more ways to help with mining. While the gauntlets help, they won’t be able to keep many safe if the wrong spot is hit in the mines and a tunnel collapses. I’m trying to come up with a device that will tell how structurally sound the walls are,” he explained.

“That way they don’t hit a place that’s too weak and cause a cave in?” Viktor gave a nod as I kept up. 

“The issue is doing this without testing. And the last thing we need is to risk lives while trying to develop this so it’s just one more thing on the backburner.” Viktor sighed at that as he massaged his scalp before looking at me. “Are you really going to stay with me?” He questioned. 

“Interesting phrasing.” He rolled his eyes at my statement and I couldn’t help but smile as I saw a small blush cross his face. “But yeah I am. Hopefully it will guilt you into going home because I’m tired.” Viktor scoffed at that.

“I’m used to Jayce guilt tripping me into stupid situations to not fall for yours.” I gave a shrug at that. I did feel better about my words when I saw the amused expression on Viktor’s face.

I continued to stay in that chair while Viktor worked, occasionally asking questions and listening to his answers. He was explaining something to me when I started to nod off. Viktor chuckling is what led me to sleep.

////

“Morning sleepy head!” I groaned as light poured into the lab. My eyes opened to see Jayce looking too happy as he opened the curtains in the lab.

“I told him you were sleeping in hopes he’d leave you alone. It had the opposite effect, unfortunately.” I glanced over as Viktor set a mug in front of me. I leaned forward to grab it, stopping as I noticed a vest starting to fall.

“Did you give me–”

“Aw you gave them your vest so they wouldn’t be cold? Didn’t know you had a romantic side.” Viktor scoffed at Jayce’s words but a blush went onto his face.

“Ignore him.”

“I usually do.”

“Watch it, I’m a counselor now.” Jayce fake threatened us and we all chuckled at that. I sat up, grabbing the vest to hand it over to Viktor. He gave a nod as he took it, starting to put it back on.

“Thank you for that.” I had thanked Viktor but then I thought of what had happened and glared at him instead. “Did you stay here all night?” I hissed, ignoring the chuckling that came from Jayce’s direction at my annoyance.

“No, I went home and left you to sleep in a chair,” Viktor replied in a deadpan before shaking his head. “What happened to being thankful?” He teased me.

“Viktor!”

“I’m going to go before you start fist fighting.” Jayce gave a wave as amusement stayed on his face and he left the two of us alone. We both ignored him as Viktor continued giving me a teasing look while I tried and failed to keep up my annoyance.

“I did take a break while you slept. I think I fell asleep too but only for an hour or so,” Viktor told me as a way to make me feel better. I sighed at that.

“I should’ve made you go home.”

“But then I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of seeing your face when I woke up.” I now felt myself growing flustered at his teasing. His amusement did change to a softer look as I pouted at him. “I promise that I won’t stay too late tonight.”

“Define too late.”

“I suppose you’ll have to stay up with me again to find out.” I wanted to roll my eyes at him but I stopped myself when I saw a look in his eyes. As if he was asking me to join him tonight as well.

“I suppose I will. But I will walk you to your room to make sure you don’t attempt to go back to the lab instead.” Viktor looked like he was ready to make a counter to my statement but I shot him a look so he just chuckled.

“Very well.”

[chocolate-parfait]

Hey✌️ I was wondering if you could do cuddles and kisses with Leviathan, Beel and Mammon? Headcanons if you would? Thank you! Have a nice day!

I WANNA SMOOCH MAMON SO BAD PLS

also!! ty for requesting this!! I had sm fun writing it and it's been a long time ever since I wrote for obey me🥺

Kissing and cuddling - Obey me! headcanons (Mammon, Levi & Beel)

Mammon

He’s one of the clingiest brothers, if not THE clingiest one. He’s a man that has been starved of proper affections for far too long, so the moment he has you within arm's reach, you can bet that he’ll always be touching you in some sort of way. Arm around your waist, fingers gripping your sleeve, hand reaching for yours, whatever is fine as long as there’s some sort of contact. This habit of his comes out in particular whenever your attention isn't on him. If you’re talking to someone, he’ll just come behind you and give you a back hug, resting his chin on your shoulder as you go on with the conversation.

The first few attempts at intimacy make him blush like crazy, but he gets better over time (not that much but at least he’s not on the verge of passing out each time). Still, his cravings for affections make him naturally drawn to you, so he can’t help you but trail after you most of the time (whenever he’s not out gambling or causing mischief yk). This said, his happy place is definitely between your arms. In fact, a daily part of his routine consists of laying on your bed, snuggled close against your chest. Cuddle sessions mostly take place in your room because the moment you get close to Mammon that will automatically become his room too. It’s like living in a shared apartment, since he strolls in without much care, showers in your bathroom (he has his toothbrush, cologne and everything else there) and keeps his shirts in your closet. He does all this because he believes you’re okay with it, but if you tell him to stop he’d remove all his traces from your bedroom and distance himself with a slightly broken heart. It’s part of his love language, and denying it can kinda damage your relationship.

Back to the fluff though! He’s the smallest spoon ever and no, I do not accept criticism. Go argue with the wall or fight me. The only time he’ll be a big spoon will be when you need comfort. Any other time he just wants to be held.

His kisses can start off slow and be sometimes shy, but they all soon turn into eager, sloppy kisses. He enjoys it so much he drowns in the moment, unable to think of anything but you and your lips. It’s not like he’s an inexperienced kisser (quite the contrary actually) but anything that involves you makes his head spin and stomach flutter with feelings he has never felt before.

This man accepts any and all types of kisses you wish to give him, but if he had to choose a favorite one then that’d be the flurry of smooches you fire at his face as you squish his cheeks in a burst of love. Not even his skin tone can hide the massive blush that blooms across his profile with every peck; but no matter what he tells you, don’t stop. Never. If you do he’ll catch your wrists and pout like a kid deprived of his favorite candy until you continue with your cascade of pecks.

Levi

This man wishes he could be as smooth as all those otome protagonists, but no matter how much time passes and how comfortable he gets with you, his blushy cheeks will follow him everywhere, anytime. What changes though is that despite the embarrassment, as time goes by he indulges and initiates intimacy more and more. Moreover, he’ll never deny you; even in public, he might squirm and protest but in the end you can always get away with whatever you want (as long as it’s not too “hardcore”).

One of his favorite cuddling poses that he fantasizes about for days, consists of you sitting on his lap, encaged between his arms as he plays with his videogames. When he finally finds the courage to pull you close, he’s trembling so much he absolutely cannot concentrate on the screen in front of him, failing every mission/level of his current game; he won't move though! He's kind of like petrified.. It took him so long to get into this position in the first place, so he's not letting go now, that's for sure. The position in itself isn't anything too particular or scandalous, but that's why he likes it. It's something so ordinary that it's a special thing for someone like him.

Sleeping is a good countermeasure to his shyness, because his unconscious body will chase after yours no matter how far apart in bed you are (in BED because you aint sleeping in a damned bathtub??). He’ll hug you to his body and entangle his legs with yours, basking in the shared warmth of your bodies. (please please PLEASE sneak under his oversized hoodie and snuggle in there while the two of you sleep!!! He’ll have five consecutive heart attacks once he wakes up but he’ll find it the cutest thing ever).

Kind of a big spoon but he’s too shy to initiate anything. Lean into his touch like a cat (maybe purr too) and he’ll be putty in your hands, letting you hug and kiss whatever part of him you want.

Just like any other display of intimacy, kisses aren't his forte, but still, he tries. He's a bit clumsy and might throw in some signature phrases worthy of any tsundere afterwards, but he can get serious too! There are times when he wants to demonstrate you his "manly" side (why would it have to do with gender levi?) and that he too can be a proper lover! During those sudden spurs of confidence turn his kisses into really pleasurable experiences, and truthfully, they are his best ones.

Beel

You guys know those gigantic teddy bears right? 2 meters tall of pure fluff?? That’s Beel.

This man is,,, where do I even start. It’s as if God made him with the sole purpose of creating a professional cuddler. Beel gives the best hugs and cuddles in all three realms. His hugs are warm and soft, and they have the power of making even the most obstinate of insomniacs fall asleep within mere minutes under the right circumstances. Of course the duration of your sleep is not guaranteed, as you’ll probably awaken at the sound of munching or his stomach’s roars. Still, he won’t move unless he’s literally on the verge of unleashing his demon form out of hunger, as he doesn’t want to interrupt your sleep.

His kisses are as soft as feathers but full of love, always accompanied with a toothy smile or a fond giggle. He doesn’t mind going for deeper kisses (particularly after you’ve eaten something so he can directly taste it from you), but Beel generally remains a big softie most of the time. Smooch him all you want, cradle his face with your hands, pinch his cheeks and tickle his sides, he’ll let you do anything you want as long as you’re enjoying it!

He’s kind of scared of hurting you seen the size and strength difference, so he’s usually very gentle when touching you, although he really really likes enveloping you in a bone-crushing embrace every now and then. Sometimes, as a playful manner to show his affection towards you, he’ll bite whatever spot of skin he finds nearest. You’re sitting next to him? He’ll target your shoulder. You’re chomp. They don’t really hurt, it’s just a genuine gesture for him! He’s munching on food all the time and he loves food, and since he loves you too… *chomp*

All cuddle sessions with him must involve three things, and they are fundamental: you, him and food. The more food you have, the longer you’ll cuddle. When the inevitable happens and the mountain of snacks you prepared is nowhere to be seen anymore, he'll gently wrap your arms and legs around his torso and walk you both to the kitchen, carrying you around like a big baby that doesn't want to leave its parent's embrace. He'll keep you there for as long as your muscles let you, supporting you with an arm as he ravages the fridge with the other.