#hey - you fucked up! but i'm saying it in a lighthearted manner because you so rarely let me down!

[cementcornfield]

Joe and Ja'Marr discussing a throw that didn't go well 🥲

[sonder-paradise]

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 — 𝐂𝐡𝐮𝐮𝐲𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚

◊ A/N: Honestly, you could probably interpret this as either platonic or romantic at the end. But I really don't know lmao

◊ Characters: GN!Reader, Chuuya Nakahara

◊ Word Count: 710

"Chuuya! Where'd you put the white wine?!"

"Hah? Where I always put it, you idiot!"

You groaned, slamming the cabinet door shut and fumbling through the next open one.

"Are you sure you put it in here? I see nothing but your lies!"

Chuuya's voice called from the other room, clearly preoccupied with something else. "I'm trying to set up a fucking movie, y/n! The only thing I'm hearing from you is bullshit!"

Regardless of the yelling and the chaos, the mood was lighthearted. It swam in a sweet, lovable manner that it always did when you had movie nights with Chuuya.

A pregnant pause settled in between the two of you before your meek voice called out from the kitchen again.

"Oh... I found it."

Chuuya rolled his eyes, smiling at your idiotic behavior. "And where was it?"

"Where you said it was," you said like a child being reprimanded.

As you reentered the living room—with white wine and two glasses in hand—Chuuya ruffled your hair affectionately, grinning like an arrogant bastard.

"Told ya so."

"Shut up, I swear it wasn't there when I checked before!" you whined, plopping down beside him.

Friends or not, Chuuya was infuriating when he managed to be right in these situations. But, then again, you could never tell him that you actually liked when he was right and when he made these friendly motions like patting your head.

The bothersome redhead sitting beside you was your best friend, your confidante, and in many ways your soulmate.

But he grasped the remote, plopping it in your hand as he busied himself with opening the wine.

"Honestly, I don't know why I put up with your stupidity," he chuckled, eying your reaction from the corner of his eye.

"And I don't know why I'm still here watching a movie with you of all people."

"Because you don't have any other friends than me."

"And does the great Nakahara Chuuya have any other friends than myself? No, I didn't think so."

This time, Chuuya rolled his eyes, pouring a generous amount in his glass.

"I do actually. I just went out drinking with Tachihara yesterday!"

"Co-worker."

"Kaji too."

"Co-worker."

"Fine, Hirotsu?"

"Even worse, he's old and a co-worker, Chuuya!"

He sighed heavily, visibly giving up when he lifted the wine just a bit to take in the scent.

"Alright, fine. You are my own friend it seems."

Finally, you seemed content. And, thankfully, for Chuuya the movie had begun as well.

"Hey, hey, hey..."

"What?" Chuuya's voice melted slightly as he took another sip. He could see the outline of your figure in the dark shade of the evening and city lights.

The movie had long faded to black and now the two of you sat in a silent, intoxicated haze.

"You know... I thought you were an annoying playboy when I first met you. Either that or you were gay or European. You're still on thin ice for both."

"Hah? What made you think that shit?"

You took an elongated drag of your wine glass. "I don't know. Maybe it was the stupid hat."

Chuuya scoffed, shoving the 'stupid hat' into your face. You coughed at the rough impact of fabric into your face.

"Chuuya!"

"Y/n!"

"What?"

"You first."

You rolled your eyes, leaning against his shoulder. "You're intolerable. That's what I was gonna say."

Chuuya hummed, "Well, I was gonna say: I love you."

"I love you?" you repeated, sobering slightly,

"I love you," he said again.

Another pregnant pause and you stared at the empty tv in this authoritative silence.

"In what way?"

Chuuya seemed to think about this one for a while. An estranged question that he appeared incapable of answering and yet knew exactly what he should say.

"In whatever way you want."

"I can pick?"

He murmured a small agreement and rested his cheek against his open palm, staring at your features in the twilight.

"Then I love you in whatever way you want too."

Chuuya groaned at this answer and you could feel your cheeks burn at his reaction. Smacking him on the shoulder, he could only laugh further.

"Now who's the intolerable one?" he grinned, eyes twinkling with a bout of sweet mischief.

Taglist: @todorokichills @alittlesimp @greenshirtimagines @lovesuxs @nameless-shrimp @whorefordazai @requiem626k @missrown @rirk-ke @kiyokoxd @jessbeinme15 @starglow-xx @shadyteacup @colourless-cora @scul-pted @kuraxmasha @yochicoz @pompompurin1028 @trashykawahq @swrdemon @axsuhii-axsuhii @foolishestchildofchilds @fyodorscello @kur0-kawa @shinscig @dazaiaiko @chuuyasboots @ruthdied @allisonlol @questioningmyownexistence @sebtomm @nullified-kiss @finniesblog @cuteflowers-101 @sigmafied @boombboi @scarletta-ruan @skgch @daz8i @seoulnights5 @dazaiscum

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[sugar-sweets-fanfic]

Andrea × Fem!Escort

word count - 1,526

WARNING - (NO MINORS PLS), escorts, sex, no protection, fluff

Prompt - You are an escort that is being followed around by a lost puppy, Andrea. He constantly pays you just to talk and loves your attention. After he really wins you over with his violin skills you decide to win him over with your own skills

     This young man has been bothering you for months. Always following you like a puppy. You assumed he was there for the reason most men were there. But, it was as if he didn't know what your occupation was. Even though he did pay to spend time with you. Being in a place with paper thin walls, you can definitely hear moans from the other rooms. 

      Perhaps he was being a gentleman? Or maybe he was just blindly crushing on you. But, that felt too big headed to think of. You just kept going along with it. Unsure how to stop this weird constant encounter with him. However, before you could even think of a way to stop it. Boom, he was in your motel room again. Though this time he brought along his violin. Which was new to you. Andrea hushed your questioning lips. Soon playing a special little piece he wrote. 

     As you sit there, in the middle of the bed. Wearing a laced up turquoise bra and silk shorts to match. You keep your hands folded in your lap as you listen attentively. Your eyes sort of glisten with emotion from how beautifully he played. Once he finished you quickly make sure you look put together. Not wanting to show how much the piece moved you. 

"You're quite the player."

"Thank you.. I hope you don't mind me writing more songs just for you. I..—You uhhh.. What do you call it…inspirować.." Andrea mumbled in an awkwardly frustrated tone. Unable to find the perfect words to use. 

"I-In..spiro..wac?" You question. 

"Heh.. W-Well you make me want to write more pieces to play."

"ah! So I inspire you?"

"Yes! Inspire.. inspirować!" Andrea smiled brightly. 

     Fuck, why was he so sweet to you? Today especially, it bothered you. You wanted to know what he wanted. So better ask now before this overwhelming feeling of frustration ended. "Why? Why are you so nice? I mean.. You don't wanna fuck me? So why be here?"

     Spontaneously, his face grew flush with nerves. "Because I like you a lot.. And I don't need to— do such things to show you my feelings." He shrugged shyly. Hoping it didn't sound too sappy to you. Since you were so rough around the edges. Still, he couldn't help but adore that about you. 

     Now was your turn to blush. His answer made you fall quiet. You still sit there, not moving an inch. There was a way you wanted to show him appreciation. Which was the thing you were best at. Something you felt pretty proud of. Lifting your hand up slowly. Along with the other, to unclip your bra from the front. Revealing your small yet full breasts. Causing Andrea to nearly drop his violin. He quickly averted his eyes as he put away his instrument. 

"W-What are you doing?" He asked in a flustered manner. 

"You've stopped by here everyday for a month. Paying just to talk and now play me music? I wanna give you something special." You smirk. 

"But.. I, I don't want you for your body…I want you.. For you."

"I know.. That's why I wanna have sex with you. Not for the money.. Because I like you a lot." You say as you crawl over to the edge of the bed. 

     He glanced over his shoulder at you. As you beckon him with a few curls of your index finger. Sitting up on your knees as he slowly approaches you. He did his best to keep eye contact with you. Which you found rather sweet. But the mischievous part of you wanted to toy with him a bit. 

"Hey, eyes down here." You point to your chest as you giggle. 

Andrea chuckled shyly as he looked away. "I'm n-not used to this.." 

"Wait, are you a virgin, baby? Because I'm happy to pop that cherry of yours."

      Andrea's eyes slightly widen at your words. As his gaze connected to yours and he nodded. He really never had done anything like this before. So you help him start by reaching over and grabbing his hands. Moving them up to her breasts. Making him cup the soft of her chest. Andrea kept his eyes on yours. When you let go of his hands. They stay up against your chest. Gaining a nice firm grip, squeezing them gently. 

"Mmh..That's it baby. Now let me get a good taste of those lips." You mumble in a hushed tone. 

     You reach up and cup his face. Andrea leaned in along with you. Your lips met and the two exchanged soft kisses. Which soon turns to heavy deep smooches. Filling the room with kissing sounds. Andrea starts massaging your breasts. Earning some sweet muffled moans from you. Which excited the young man more. His kisses start to trail down your neck. You smirk to yourself as he grows more frisky. 

"That's it.. Just follow your instincts." You sigh softly against his ear. 

     Andrea paused for a moment. His hands leave your chest as he pulls back. Cocking his head to the side with a faint smile. Biting his bottom lip as he looks you up and down. "Could you lay on your back, for me?" 

Your eyes light up with excitement. "Yes, baby. I sure will, just— only for you, Andrea."

     Those words hit him hard as he did only want you. Having you all to himself would make him very happy. As those happy thoughts flowed through his mind. He began to remove his pants. The sound of his belt becoming unbuckled got you throbbing. Your hips slightly shift as you pull off your silky shorts. So you were fully nude now. Ready for him whenever he was ready. 

     Andrea blushed at the sight of you. His eyes glued to your core. It looked to be soft and had a nice pastel pink tint to it. The way it glistens lets him know how wet you really were. Making his stiffening shaft harden more. As it starts to stand up on its own. Causing his boxers to protrude significantly. 

"Make me yours baby.. Fuck me with that passion you used to make that song for me." You demand in a hushed tone. 

His brow creased as he lightly shook his head. "I want to make love to you my sweetheart..that's the only passion I have for you, Piękno."

     You practically felt your heart skip a beat. You weren't sure what that foreign word meant. Though, you figured it was definitely something sweet. So you didn't dare question it. All you wanted now was for him to be inside of you. Laying there with your arms extended towards him. He leaned down into your embrace. As he pulled his boxers down enough to free his erection. 

     Andrea tried to simply use his hips to guide himself inside of you. However, you assisted him with your hand. Soon you felt his hardened appendage fill you nicely. A deep gasp was released by your lover. He whimpered at how warm and wet you felt around his girth. Shyly hiding his face against the side of your neck. 

"Feels nice, huh? Don't be shy..go on and start fuc—making love t..to me." You murmured. 

     Feeling sort of timid by using such a word. The usual guys you slept with were so rough. They liked using the term 'fuck' and liked to do it straight away. This was all so new to you. However, you really were enjoying it. 

     A moment later, Andrea did as you instructed. He began to pump his hips slowly against you. As your thighs caged his hips. You moan softly at each hump. Your hands grip the back of his shirt tightly. Andrea's arms wrap snug around your torso. You closed your eyes as you listened to his soft cries of pleasure. It was the thing that nearly turned you on the most. They were so adorable to you, you smiled lightly. 

"Mmm f-fuahh..fuck. Harder.. Please.." You purr in pleasure. 

      Almost instantly he moved his hips faster. Making the bed creak with all the movement that was going on. His cries grew louder as he grew closer to cumming. You could feel the way his cock throbbed. So you decided to throw in some nice tight kegels to add some new sensations for him. 

"Oh w-wow! You're g-gonna make me— ah! I-I need to pull ou…"

      You wrap your legs tightly around his waist. Keeping his pelvis connected to your. "Cum in me…"

     You could barely finish your sentence before you felt a warm rush. His breath hitched in your ear. His arms squeeze around you, but soon loosened. As his orgasm fell and he could finally start to pant. Andrea pulled back to look you in the eye. You were caught off guard by his sad expression. 

"What's wrong?" 

"You didn't.. Get off?"

You sigh in a lighthearted manner and give him a warm smile. As you brush your fingers through his hair. "Shh, it's okay baby. You'll have many more chances to make me cum..but for now get some rest, love."

[quackisinnit]

Minecraft Championship

Dream x Reader

Request: okay okay so :D mcc with dream when the reader and dream are on the same team ans it’s very cute and fluffy, also with she/her pronouns pls :] thank you!!

Pronouns: She/Her

Note: the first team i thought of was red rabbits so thats why i used them:) i forgot how the mcc works so forgive me if i wrote anything wrong😭 ALSO I WAS SO SLEEPDEPRIVED WHILE WRITIBG THIS SO SORRY IF ITS BAD

Warnings: mild swearing lol

y/nishere = your twitch name

You were scrolling through twitter, waiting for the announcing of teams. It was your first time ever playing. You played some minecraft but that wasn't all you played, you played other games too. After a few hours of scrolling, you finally got a notification.

Announcing Team Red Rabbits!

@Y/nishere @Dream @FundyLive @Nihachu

Watch them compete in the MC Championship on Saturday 14th November 8pm GMT!

You heard Clay running to your room from the kitchen. He knocks on your door and you let a out a soft 'come in.' "Did you see the announcment for the MCC?" "I did, I'm pretty excited!" you say enthusiastically.

You weren't as skilled as Clay but you were excited nonetheless.

-

It was finally November 8. You were just sitting on your desk staring at your monitor. 'What if I mess up? What if we lose? What if-' All these thoughts were racing your mind. You started bouncing your leg, something you do when you get nervous, and you bit your lip.

Clay was walking past your room when he saw your nervous state. He walked up to you, kneeled beside you, and started rubbing your back. "Are you alright? Do you want some water?"

"I don't want any water" you were still bouncing your leg, but the speed had decreased. "Well, are you alright? You look nervous" "I'm fine, just nervous 'cause this is my first time playing in the MCC and all that" his face softens. "You'll do great! I promise." You look at him and smile.

He kisses your cheek before he gets up and walks to the door and he send you a smile before closing the door behind him.

You boot up Minecraft and sighed, "I hope I do do great."

-

You were on the last game and you were praying that it wasn't Build Mart and it was gonna be Sands of Time. If you get Sands of Time, you might be able to get into top 3, maybe even first place. Red Rabbits was currently on 5th place. You were having fun but you were still stressed about it.

You and your team were about to vote until you got dunked by the team beside you. You look over to the side to see Orange Ocelots, which consisted of Tommy, Smajor, Wisp, and Quackity. They were all crouching and jumping. Tommy joins the call for a few seconds, "Fuck you bitch!" he says in a sing-song voice. You all burst into laughter. But it wasn't long 'till you looked back to your screen and it read 'Sands of Time.'

"Look guys it's Sands of Time! We might still win this." Niki says excitedly.

-

"Dose anyone got any sand? I need it." You were currently watching the timer while the others were getting sand for you.

"Yeah I have some. Here." Fundy hands you 7 sand. "Thanks" "How many do you have now?" he starts running back into one of the tunnels he went into before. "Uhmm I have 9 sand." "Okay great"

-

You were now collecting sand because the one that Fundy gave you earlier ran out. You were running around trying to get sand and heard Niki in the call, "Y/n, help me please I just died." So you ran over to her, freed her from the tomb, and continued getting more sand.

Clay spoke, "Hey how much time we got left?" You glance back at the timer and it read '20.' "Oh shit it's at 20-"

You ran back to the timer to place sand. When you got to the timer, it went down to 10. You placed all the sand you had left and it went back up to 50. "It's at 50 now, we're good."

-

You just finished Sands of Time and were waiting for the other teams to finish. You were just talking about the earlier games and random things before all the teams finished.

When the scores were counted again, you ended up in 4th place. Not too bad, but could've done better. You and your team were super proud since it was your first time playing.

-

Green Gaurdians and Purple Pandas were now dueling it out. All the teams were screaming and betting who would win.

You were screaming and cheering but you saw Clay going on mute. You didn't want to be nosy but you were curious on whet he was doing. "Hey guys I just have something real quick." You muted yourself and got up.

Right when you grabbed onto your door knob, Clay opens the door before you. You let out a yelp while he flinches.

"What the hell?" "Sorry, I just wanted to check up on you." he says nonchalantly and giggles.

"So how are you doing? Are you feeling better now than earlier?" "Yeah. I still feel like we couldv'e done better." you said in a lighthearted manner to hide the fact that you were disappointed. But Clay knew you too well.

He smiles and cups your face with both of his hands. "It's okay. Even if you're a little disappointed, you still did good considering it's your first time playing." You remove his hands from your face and hold them. "Thank you, I really needed that." You give him a peck on his cheek then to his lips. "Let's go back, they're probably wondering where we are."

-

When you got back, they were still fighting, but Green Gaurdians was in the lead. After a few minutes, they came out victorious.

Niki ended her stream and left call because she said that she was tired. You, Fundy, Dream, George, and Smajor just stayed in call for a bit longer just chatting.

"Welp, I'm gonna rest now bye everyone!" bye's and goodbye's erupted from the call. You ended the stream and went to Clay's room.

"Are you still streaming?" you whisper. "Nope, just finished." he turns off his computer and looks at you. "Great! Wanna watch a movie with me and Patches?" "Sure, I'll be down in a bit." you kiss his nose and go downstairs to ready a movie.

☆ Taglist ☆

@book-of-anarchy @speedymaximoff @fivxss

-

Masterlist, Rules, Taglist

[i-dont-want-your-hysteria]

Too Daze Gone (Joe x Reader)

(Happy birthday to me! You’re all going to suffer. This is a little something that I wrote over 2 1/2 years ago based on a concept that I thought of three years ago; one of the first ideas I ever had for a Def Leppard fanfic. I made some very minor edits to it ((since I’m not 17 anymore)), and honestly, this is still one of my favorite things that I’ve ever written. But I know you guys are gonna have my head for it later...)

Prompt: It’s December of 1989. You and Joe are recently married, the world has now officially entered the post-Hysteria era, and- well...

-----

December 1989

The soft morning sunlight was seeping through the plane’s window right next to you. Joe’s head was resting on your arm, and you used your opposite hand to stroke his hair soothingly. He had one hand on his stomach, along with his green eyes closed and shut away from the world. The plane was flying steadily now, but your minds were anything but steady at the moment. There was so much to say, but no place or time to say it. It was almost as if you two were having a telepathic conversation; there was so much thinking between you both, yet nothing was being said.

“You alright, Joe?” the voice of a London guitarist broke your attention from the window. He’d strolled over to the seats where you and the man in question were sitting, and let his concern get the better of him.

There was far too much concern going around today, so Phil's question was rather unnecessary.

“Oh, he’s fine,” you answered sweetly, knowing that Joe didn’t want to answer, and also not wanting to give Phil any hint to your invisible nerves, “He’s just feeling rather sick is all.”

Phil sighed, “Ah, yeah, the turbulence wasn't the greatest.”

You decided to go along with Phil’s theory of why Joe wasn’t feeling well. After all, it was believable.

“Yeah, we haven’t been awake that long, either. You know how he can be in the morning. He’s just sick of the day, really,” you lightly joked. Today was not necessarily a good day for jokes. There was a deep, underlying sadness beneath the surface of everybody's tone no matter how much they joked around.

“Oh, so he’s got morning sickness, I see?” Phil joked along, trying to lighten the universally tense mood, “Well, congratulations on the pregnancy, Joe.”

Your heart jumped and you forced a chuckle at the statement. You felt Joe’s heart jump, too.

“Thanks, Phil,” Joe cracked a gentle smile for him as he walked away. You could feel how forced the smile was as Joe slowly reached out and squeezed your hand. He was definitely more worried than you.

“Shh, I know. I’m worried, too,” you whispered to him so quietly that you could barely hear yourself, “But we’ll deal with this later.”

~18 hours earlier~

You weaved your hands together with the utmost anxiety as you waited for Joe to get back from a small trip to the supermarket. As you waited, there was no stopping the racing thoughts in your mind. Once one thought appeared and rooted itself within you, it was impossible to keep it from rolling into a snowball of others. It was driving you absolutely mad on the inside. Keeping calm on the outside, however, came rather easily. It almost felt like second nature at the moment. Of course, you knew that was all going to change the second Joe got back.

Everything was going to change the second Joe got back.

When he did come back, you immediately stood up and went over to him, trying to be casual and lighthearted.

"Hey! How was the store?" came the greeting from you. Your voice was nearly on the verge of breaking from the tension of the whole situation.

"A fucking treat," he grumbled sarcastically, putting four bags down on the table, "The whole bloody place was packed, the service was piss poor, traffic on the way back, you name it."

You kissed him on the cheek for a few seconds in consolation, quickly making his small dimple appear as a result. Normally, it melted your heart to see him smile, but this time, it made it almost vibrate with worry. It hurt to see him happy now, since you knew it wouldn't last long.

He turned and put his hands on your waist, "I suppose it was worth it to get back to you, though."

You wrapped your arms around his neck, quickly pecked him on the lips, telling him, "You're too kind. Now let's see what you've looted up on-"

Desperate to distract both of you from each other, you turned to the grocery bags and started to pull the items out. You did it in a sped-up manner to keep your hands from shaking too visibly. You had no idea when to mention what had to be mentioned.

"I'll tell you what," Joe spoke up, his annoyance still audible in his voice, "The service down there was so fucking slow. Took me a half hour to get four bloody bags worth."

"I'll say you took a while," you impulsively decided to create a segue- any segue- that may get you closer to your fated subject. You blurted out "You’re late."

As he continued pulling out the groceries, he cocked an eyebrow, and asked without looking at you, "What do you mean I’m late?"

"Just, you're late, that's all," you shrugged, the anxiety overwhelming you more. It was getting close to the subject now.

"I'm not late," he chuckled, still not looking up or fully understanding you. You both often liked to joke and tease each other, so this wasn’t anything strange to him.

"No," you stated calmly, going completely motionless with fear, “But I am."

He didn't completely comprehend what you had said. He began to put away the groceries and asked you obliviously, "What do you mean you're late?" Late for what?"

You pressed on, remaining rooted to a motionless state and staring at him, "No, Joe... I’m late."

"You mean that this month you didn't get your-" he started off normally, but then paused as the penny dropped. He froze, and dropped the can he was holding. Your heart sank in your chest at his reaction. Now was the time to talk about it, and you could sense it wasn't going to be pleasant. Part of you began to think that this is how it might end for you two.

He turned around, looking almost mortified and whispered, "Oh my god... are you...?"

"I don't know..." you were shaking now, "I'm just assuming."

For a moment you both stood there, staring at each other, lost for words.

Another impulse suddenly arose within you, and you blurted out again with a wavering and worried voice, "I-I hope I'm not, Joe, and I know you don't want me to be, either, because now is not a good time for this to be happening! You’re at the peak of your career, and we’ve got the new album on the way, then you'll be on tour again- and-"

"Hey, hey, shh," Joe moved forward and put his hands on your arms, "Calm down... it's okay, it's okay. First of all, who ever said I didn't want this? You can't just assume that I wouldn't be okay with it... and I'm not mad- really, I swear! Second of all, this isn't set in stone yet. We'll have to find out if you are first, and if you are, we'll... then we'll make it work out somehow. Don’t think too much just yet; try to relax.”

You blew out a shaky exhale and muttered, “Yeah, okay...”

“Have you been sick?"

"No, but something just feels... off."

"How late are you?"

"About a week..."

"Have you been this late in the past, but gotten your period anyway?"

"Yes..."

"Then we don't know for sure," he kissed the top of your head, embracing you and reassuring, “So what if you're late? That doesn't have to mean anything! I'm worried, too, but we can't just jump to conclusions like this. I wouldn't even put the stakes at 50-50 right now. All this worrying is probably over nothing. You could just be overthinking."

You turned your head and attempted to look up at him to say, "But this is a child, Joe... if there's even a small possibility that this child exists, we've got to assume that it does... we can't just ignore it for too long."

"You've got a point, you've got a point, but just for a second, genuinely consider the possibility that you're not-" he didn't dare say the “p” word, "-you know..."

You sighed into his shoulder, fighting back against tears that wanted to fall, "Okay, okay, you could be right, but there's so much that might have to be done- we can't just put this off..."

"We can until we know for sure," he suggested, "If it's worrying you so much right now, then I'll run out to the corner store and pick up a test. We can sort this out once and for all. How long did you wanna wait before taking a test?"

"I don't know, I don't know," came the drawn out reply as a few tears spilled from you, "Maybe a day or two or three, but I'm just getting so worried that it might be true, I can't wait anymore."

"Okay, then you won't have to wait anymore," he tilted your chin up to give you a quick and thoughtful kiss, then wiped away your tears, "I'll run to the store quick and buy us a test. Is that okay?"

"Yes, please just do it. I'm sorry- you just got back from the store and-"

He laughed and squeezed you tighter, swaying with you in his arms, "Ah, don't worry about it; it's a necessary trip now."

"You're taking this a lot better than I thought you would."

"What'd you think I was gonna do? Leave you?" he chuckled lightheartedly, though he guessed exactly what you were thinking.

You faked a chuckle in reply, "Yeah, kinda... I had a lot of time to overthink everything."

"Well, would you leave me? Especially if I were in your shoes?"

It was your turn to squeeze him tighter (and laugh into his chest), "Joe, if you were in my shoes, I think we'd have a real problem."

"Oh, I know, I know- but apart from that- would you leave me?"

"Of course not..."

"Exactly. You wouldn't leave me, so I definitely won't leave you. You know we've always looked after each other, and I still plan on holding up my end of the bargain."

He kissed you again, longer this time, before softly assuring you, “I love you. Don't ever think that I’d abandon you to raise a child on your own, cos' it'll never ever be a possibility. I'll be here no matter what. Positive or negative."

***

Positive or negative, indeed, you told yourself as you wearily gazed out of the plane's window. You still weren't completely sure how to feel about the outcome of the previous day, but- as you told Joe before- you had to deal with it later. There were more pressing matters currently at hand. Your previous issue could wait for an extra day or two. The more serious problem that you all were on your way to currently needed the most attention. This particular problem also seemed to outline a theme for the past 24 hours; accidental life or accidental death.

~17 hours earlier~

You both sat on the bathroom floor in quiet anxiety. Your hands were joined in a world of worry. At the moment, it was impossible to tell who was more worried, since neither of you could bring yourselves to speak.

The longest two minutes of your lives were currently taking place. The test was sitting on the counter of the sink, and neither of you were counting down to when you could look at it again. Every now and then, a reassuring thought would come to mind that you were all worked up over nothing. After all, Joe was right; you barely had any evidence other than the fact that you were late, so you couldn't just assume the worst. On the other hand though, you couldn't help but feel that there was some impending doom about to come, almost like you felt it instinctively.

With you both being scared shitless at the moment (and not even trying to hide it), you sensed that deep down, both of you knew what the result was going to be. Neither of you wanted to admit it, though.

A few rooms away, the phone suddenly sounded off, shattering the tension and making you both jump. It was almost like a form of divine intervention to prevent you from thinking any more. Almost immediately, Joe lifted his hand away and quietly said that he'd answer it. He stood up and left, leaving you alone with a possibly huge revelation sitting on the counter a few feet away. However, that would no longer be your biggest concern, for you could easily overhear Joe talking on the phone.

"'Ello?" he answered before pausing and replying anxiously, "No, I really don't have a minute... I can't say, but I don't have time to chat. You alright, mate?”

There was an unnerving pause before you heard Joe ask, "Why?"

There was an even longer pause before he spoke again. Your heart was pounding more. That gut feeling that your lives were about to change for the worse grew enormously without warning. On top of that, you suddenly realized that it had been well over two minutes at this point. Your future awaited you now.

"Fuck... oh my god..." Joe's voice was a lot more quiet now, "...oh my god, is he...?"

Now, you began weaving your hands together, slowly growing more and more impatient and worried.

"Dammit," Joe said a little louder, "We'll we've gotta go, then. We've gotta go as soon as possible. What about Rick and Sav...? Alright, then. We'll meet you there tomorrow morning- I've really gotta go and tell Y/N right now. I'll call you in a bit. Yeah, alright... just try and calm down, mate- okay? See ya, then."

As soon as he hung up, you heard him rush back to the bathroom.

"Y/N, he huffed before he was even in the room, "Y/N, something's happened and we’ve gotta-“

He froze in the doorway upon seeing you now standing and completely covering the test in your hands.

"No," he moved forward and put a hand on yours, "Please don't look at it yet; something awful's happened and I don't know how much sudden news we can take at this point. Did you look at it?”

You shook you head, not breaking eye contact with him, "No, but now I'm too scared to take my hands off. What's happened?"

He came right out with it, "Steve's been found unconscious at a bar in Minneapolis. They took him to a hospital, he’s in intensive care and... and he’s pretty bad.”

Right then and there, you dropped the test in your hands with a gasp. You were speechless, but part of you couldn't help but ask, "Is- is he gonna make it?”

You suddenly saw tears in Joe's eyes when he answered, "I don't know... he won't die unless we knock some fucking sense into him! That was Phil who just called, and he sounded scared shitless..."

"W-well what are we gonna do? Is anyone going to see Steve?"

"We are. Tomorrow morning we're flying out with Phil, Mutt, Tony, and Peter."

"Wait, what about Rick and Sav?"

"They both can't make it on short notice. We're gonna have to give Steve a beatin’ over the head from them.”

Just like that, you forgot all about the test on the floor. Steve was dying, and that was enough to flood your mind. You wanted to cry, you wanted to hug Joe, you wanted to scream, and most of all, you wanted to see Steve and sob your brains out to him.

"He's never gonna get better, is he?" you quietly asked, not particularly looking for an answer. Joe shrugged and sighed, running his hands through his hair.

He coldly chuckled in a quiet voice, "Not unless we keep drilling it into his head that he's gonna kill himself!"

Hanging your head out of astonishment, you sat on the counter, realizing that this was the biggest blow to your lives since Rick’s accident.

At least, it would be until you saw the result of the test on the floor.

"Joe..." you whispered to him, staring down at your hands, "Should we look at the test? Should we wait until we get back?"

Joe did nothing more than stare at you, frowning nervously. He moved his own hands forward, placed them on top of yours, and took a deep breath.

“We’re only gonna be more worried if we wait... so we might as well settle things now.”

Joe slowly got on his knees, and felt on the floor for the test without looking at it. When he located it, he rose back to his feet, and brought the test forward. He kept it covered with all his fingers wrapped around it to conceal the verdict.

Blowing out a trembling breath, you looked at him as he did at you, and he gently unfolded his fingers from the test. You both simultaneously looked down to see the clearly marked result. In that second, you were fairly certain that life would never be the same.

In fact, you were positive.

***

“Now is literally the worst possible time to talk about this, Joe,” you whispered again so no one else on the plane could hear, “It can wait a day or two. We’ve got to worry about Steve first."

Joe nodded a little, agreeing with you, “Okay, I suppose it can wait.”

“Don't stress yourself out so much; it's literally making you sick. Besides, I’m the one who’s supposed to be sick,” you chuckled, “That’s not your job.”

“Oh shut up,” he laughed a little, “It really is the turbulence… and the fact that Steve’s… and you’re… and I’m surprised you’re not this overwhelmed.”

You sighed and turned your head towards the window, “Yeah... I’m really surprised, too. This is gonna be one hell of a story to tell this kid when they’ve grown up...”

“I feel sorry that their story had to start out like this,” Joe put another hand on top of your already joined hands with a guilty exhale, “With such bad timing...”

As you watched the illuminated clouds move on by the window of the plane, you couldn’t help but think that things truly would be okay at one point: like that maybe this wouldn’t be such bad timing after all. Things would all work out eventually. How far away that merciful checkpoint was, you’d never be able to guess.

***

Later that day, you found yourself sitting in a circle of people in a rather pleasant-looking and sunlit room. For such a nice day that it was, nothing about the day seemed to fit the mood the weather provided; the universe simply wouldn’t allow it. Now was the time for the serious matter you came for; you were desperately trying to help Steve.

“Steve, you’re scaring the shit out of us,” Phil read bluntly from his letter to his best friend, trying not to let soft emotion seep into his tone. He knew he needed to be stern, but caring towards him.

The whole time he spoke, you wanted to devote all of your attention to him and Steve, but soon found that you couldn't. The constant thought of your unborn child was first on your mind, and although you didn’t want that taking over your thoughts, it was beginning to eat you alive. You almost felt like you couldn't hold the secret back any longer, despite only knowing for a day. In any other circumstances, it would have been so much easier to keep it secret. Today, however, was the worst possible day, with the worst possible scenario.

Every now and then, Joe would look over at you to see how you were doing, and turn back to not be conspicuous to everyone else. You could practically sense his growing worry. Going on in this manner for so long was starting to make your own unstoppable thoughts bubble to the surface. You couldn't hold out for much longer, and was even starting to think outside the box about your while situation. Was being with child really a problem? Did it have to be a bad thing right now? Could you actually find a way to rip some positivity from it all and shed some light on this situation?

That's when it hit you.

When Phil was done his speech, some silent tears were shed by everyone in the circle (including Steve). Near silence commenced afterwards (which only reminded you that there was no distraction from your thoughts now). You reached out to Joe slowly, and took his hand in a tight grip without looking at him. While you felt his eyes on you, you didn't dare look at him.

"Has anyone else got something to say to add onto that?" Peter softly asked, looking around the circle. Your heart began to pound; an opening for you was coming.

Phil slowly began to comment, looking at his feet, "Well, there's nothing I can say to get the point across any more. We can beg and plead all we want but the point still stands, Steve. I know you're not a fan of us guilt tripping you to hell- but we don't want to beat you up; that’s not what we came here to do. We love you, mate... so it doesn't matter whether or not we guilt trip you by saying we're worried sick, or- or..."

"I'm pregnant," you stated simply, closing your eyes and squeezing Joe's hand. While you didn't see it, you felt Joe inhale and look at you instinctively. For the single day that you were aware of your condition, you and Joe had feared the "p" word, and avoided using it at all costs.

Phil didn't entirely comprehend what you said, and kept talking on, "Exactly, even if we said that-"

"No-" you sat up in your seat and opened your eyes, now shaking again, "I mean... I'm pregnant."

You looked over at Joe, who seemed tired, yet understanding. Your eyes went down to his hand as you corrected yourself, "We're pregnant."

All eyes were on you now, but no one had any inclination to speak for a moment.

“Are you serious?” Mutt broke the silence in astonishment, “You're fucking with us right now, aren't you?"

“She’s not,” Joe shook his head, still fixing his loving eyes on you.

Steve looked at Phil and stated coldly, "I thought you said you guys weren't gonna make stuff up to guilt trip me."

"Does it look like I'm making this up?!" you snapped at him, anxious and shameful tears brimming your eyes. You looked around at everyone, landing your eyes on Steve.

"So you're serious?” he asked softly, frowning as he flicked off ashes from his cigarette, “You really are pregnant?”

You nodded, trying to hold yourself together.

“When did you find out?” Peter inquired gently, coming off as the most calm member of the group.

Your voice began to break as you told him with a sad chuckle, “Yesterday... we were waiting for the result of the test right when you called, Phil...”

Phil's eyes lit up at your statement, and he apologized, "Oh- fucking hell... Joe... you even said you didn't have time to talk... and what I said on the plane this morning- must've only made things worse... guys, I'm so sor-"

"That wasn't your fault, mate," Joe smiled sadly, "There's no way you could've known."

"It was just bad timing," you stared at Joe's hand in yours, feeling him shaking as well.

No one spoke for a while after that; no one could think of the right thing to say. It seems you both had scared them all into silence (even more than Steve had). Everyone in the circle couldn't speak because they no longer saw you and Joe the same way. A minute ago, you were still Y/N and Joe. Now, you were mum and dad. The others didn't know how to speak to those strange new people just yet.

“Well, congratulations, for one thing,” Tony broke the silence with a soft smile. A few muffled chuckles and agreements went around the circle, but it wasn’t what you or Joe wanted to hear.

“No, no, that’s not the point,” you threw your hands out in frustration, “We never even planned on telling anyone today! Don’t you guys see how suddenly life can come and go? Twenty-four hours ago Joe and I didn’t even have a child, and now we do. Twenty-four hours ago, we didn’t even think that there was a possibility of you dying-“ you pointed at Steve, giving him your own furious input, “-and now there is. It’s just all so surreal, but no matter how bad the timing of your life is, there’s always time to fight for survival. And that's exactly what we need to get a grip on right now.”

Steve put out his cigarette at this point, looking as if he were genuinely listening to you now more than ever.

“And I guess timing was a real bitch to us today,” you put a hand on your abdomen for the first time since you found out, addressing Steve directly, “But I’d say now you’ve got a little bit more to fight for. Just think about this whole situation; it’s not exactly a tale to be proud of. If this story keeps getting worse, and this is how it ends for you- I don’t want that to be the story of Uncle Steve. I want our child to be born into a world where you're thriving- where they... where they actually have an Uncle Steve."

You had hit a nerve (or a soft spot, to say the least). Before you even realized exactly what you had said, everyone in the circle was crying, including you and Steve. Joe looked at you with his face smothered in tears, but smiling, no less.

The seven of you remained like that for a minute or two, absorbing what had really hit everyone hard, and quietly crying your brains out.

Steve didn’t raise his head to ask you with heartfelt astonishment, “...Uncle Steve, really?”

“C’mere, you fucking idiot,” you sprang to your feet at one point and rushed over to him, taking him in your arms as he stood to take you in his without the slightest bit of hesitation.

“I love you so much, Steve,” you sobbed into his chest, “And I will always care about you. You mean so much to me, and I know you’ll mean so much to the baby, too.”

One by one, everyone else in the circle joined in the hug, each of them murmuring their love to Steve in their own affectionate way. Once you were all broken up, Joe embraced you himself and kissed you over and over again.

“Hey, back off from her,” Mutt teased, “Haven’t you done enough?”

“I still can’t believe you knocked her up,” Phil sighed with happy disbelief, “That’s something we only ever joked about!”

“Yeah well, it doesn’t have to be seen as a joke anymore,” Joe put his hands on your hips and smiled, tearing up all over again, “I’m gonna be a dad...!”

Peter chimed in, “Now that’s a bit scary.”

“It’s not scary,” you chuckled, stroking the back of Joe’s head, “It’s exciting! Timing is a bitch... but I think I’m ready for anything time can throw at me, now.”

Reaching that point of acceptance was a day-long journey that you thought would never have a final destination. All was nearly well in that moment where you and Joe hugged with a seemingly-changed Steve standing by. Right then and there, the future seemed bright for everyone; including your unborn child. An eternity went by in those two days you were gone for, and even though the next day you found out that your test result was a false positive, and Steve only lived for about another year, that false positive seemed to be just what you all needed to keep the world at bay.

The end

[lizzieart]

Hey!! As much as I'd enjoy the idea I doubt I'm worth that much to you, but I'd love to hear about the characters you've created and if they are based upon anyone you know or knew for the ideals behind them. Hope you get this soon I'm interested in your stories.

Well first of all bless you, and second you are already worth that much to me because you took the time out of your day to send me a message!  Seriously, thank you.  I am a lonely garbage can.  And third, yes, some of my characters are loosely based on people, but most are just based on traits I relate to and/or admire.

I’m going to put the rest of this answer under a read more; if you choose to read it, buckle up, ‘cause there’s a huge fucking wall of text below.

It all started with a homebrew one shot my friend Cait was running in the winter of 2013.  I had never played a tabletop RPG before (I’ll still say tabletop even though she was running it online), but I had always been interested in her worldbuilding and characters; it was a frequent topic of discussion for us.  Plus, I trusted her pretty much explicitly with my sensitivities, so even though I was anxious, I agreed to join up.  The campaign didn't start for a few months after, so I spent plenty of time asking Cait as much as I could (without spoilers) about her world.  After all, I was (and still am) a person who completely overthinks every little detail of something I’m into (yay special interest fixation).

Just some background on the setting; there are two groups of people in this world, magi and non magi.  Magi were heavily persecuted (like at the threat of death) for hundreds of years, but not so openly in present time (although this can depend on region).  The Havens is a city built almost exclusively by mages, for mages.  It was a fortress that provided sanctuary to mages during wars long passed, and in more peaceful times turned into one of the largest universities of the arcane in the Uplands.  There are other countries/continents other than the Uplands, but those have not been planned out at this time (to my knowledge).  Anything else world related I should be able to answer as we go along in the rest of this text (or if you send me another ask; though we’ll see if you want to after this lmao).

Saoirse was a real diamond in the rough for a while.  I knew my babe was in that mess of ideas somewhere, but it took a bit to figure it out.  I decided on a name first (I had been aching to use the name Saoirse), and I drew quite a few pictures of her before I settled on a design, but even that changed over time as I grew accustomed to drawing literally anyone else besides other white people.  I had educated myself and knew what nasty tropes to stay away from and made her a person.  She's a confident, powerful, mentor figure, and her exuberance for life and love of her family has gained the adoration of colleagues and friends alike.  She has her faults; she tends to overextend herself trying to help people or gets caught up in her work; but it all stems from a place of great compassion; she is dedicated to making the world a sweeter place.  To be honest, somewhere along the way Saoirse turned into everything I want and hope to be.  She has a family and friends who she is close to and love her dearly.  She never has to hide her feelings or work to earn their love.  She just has it.  Saoirse is a child of love in its purest form.  And she brightens up my life every day.

Brennya started out as one of Cait's NPCs, but a relationship grew between her and Saoirse after the events of the one shot.  Cait and I aren't always in contact due to life issues and school and work, but she let me keep writing interactions between Brennya and my other characters regardless (thank you).  Also, while it is a side note, have I ever mentioned that Cait’s absolutely brilliant?  She double majored in English and Geology and then got accepted into grad school right after that.  I love her.  So even though I can't (and wouldn't out of respect) claim Brennya is purely my character, I was allowed to continue writing for her.  And the way I write Brennya is honestly pretty personal.  Brennya is closer to the person I am currently... and have been in the past.  Brennya is loved now too, but Brennya was not born into love.  Love was conditional, a commodity contingent on success; personal worth built on actions and achievements, not being.  She grew to be a successful scholar nonetheless, but success rings hollow when you have no one to share it with.  She can be deeply cynical of the intentions of other people and readily manipulative of others (getting what she can from them before they have the chance to do the same to her).  She expects deceit and is truly thrown off guard when confronted with an honest person (like Saoirse).  She wants things like family and connection and truth, but has a hard time believing they exist for a person like her.  So she pretends that she is impervious to those feelings; that wanting those things is trivial in the span of existence; until she can no longer deny it.  When she meets Saoirse, it's not easy at first.  Being truly cherished at no expense of your own is difficult to understand for someone like Brennya (and for someone like me), but it is a truly beautiful thing if you can accept it.  Meeting Saoirse’s family is overwhelming for her at first too; they are an intense bunch; but they accept her almost immediately, simply because she makes their daughter happy.  Brennya acclimates eventually.  

Personally, though I’m still not in a great situation, I have healed from of a lot of bitterness I used to hold.  Seeing them happy inspires me to do better in my own life; realizing that while it may take time, it will ultimately be worth it.  And that someday I will be able to love and trust fully.

Anyways, the rest of them are a little more lighthearted in nature, I swear!!

Aoife is Saoirse’s sister and the middle child of the Keir siblings.  She’s the fun, flamboyant sibling; always jovial, super pretty, and damn good at making others feel welcome.  Aoife sees everybody as a potential friend.  Gods help you if you mistake her good nature for weakness though; she’s a powerful force to be reckoned with.  She’s a vital part of the Bluewater Town Guard, and she loves her work, preferring busy places like the town square or the docks, where her nature as both a protector and people person can flourish.  She also adores the town’s children and always makes time for them.  She lives in a house on the Keir property with her wife Mazneen.

Mazneen is my newest character, so forgive me for not having a lot on her yet (I’m trying to do something new while being culturally sensitive).  I also think it’s important for me as her creator to state explicitly somewhere down the line that she is a trans woman (representation is a high priority for me), but with the really angry and reactionary culture of tumblr these days, it’s really hard to create trans characters without someone getting upset (watch, someone will write a really angry callout for me not ‘performing her gender right’ or something…  well guess what buds, there’s no one right way for a trans woman to be trans!  BEGONE TERF!).  What else I can tell you is that she is outgoing and so incredibly sweet, and loves helping people see the beauty inside themselves like she sees in herself.  Mazneen is also a savvy businesswoman and trader originally from the Havens, and has family, friends, and business contacts there (I just haven’t gotten that far in her writing).  She currently lives and works in Bluewater with Aoife’s mother, Meirna, in her tailoring business (accounting and supply are her specialties).  They mostly make clothing suitable for cold climates like Bluewater, but occasionally produce some finer pieces on commission.  Their regular clothing is really popular amongst the whalers and even gets shipped to other parts of the Uplands.  They’re basically running something like a fantasy L.L. Bean if that makes any lick of sense.

Meirna, who I mentioned earlier, is the Keir siblings’ mother and the wife of Roarke.  She is a woman of great intelligence, tact, and grace; people used to tell her that had she not married a whaler she could have been a favorite of the Havens elite.  But she chooses to completely disregard this, and to this day she is more than happy with her life; she is still in love with her husband Roarke, runs her own well-known business, and has three very successful children.  I also have the inclination to make her deeply spiritual in some way; the Uplands actually has a few religions with a decent pantheon of gods, but I haven’t quite figured out the details of that yet.   Regardless of spirituality (or lack thereof), people look to her for comfort and guidance.

Roarke is the father of the Keir siblings and Meirna’s husband.  He’s a retired whaler but still an active part of Bluewater’s whaling guild.  Being retired certainly doesn’t keep him from being out on the water though; he just fishes for a lot smaller catch these days.  He loves the outdoors and has a fire for life that just can’t be tempered.  But he’s also a MEGA DAD.  Like the best Dad I imagine one could hope for.  He loves his family so much and he’s so proud of his kids and all their achievements.  Intense honestly just isn’t strong enough to describe the way he lives his life.  Roarke is the epitome of ALL THE TIME ALL THE TIME.  Just a huge dude with an absolute heart of gold.  Where else could Aoife have gotten it from?

Arlen is the youngest of the Keir siblings, and takes after his mother more.  His intelligence and patience are unrivaled; and his charismatic and comforting presence gives him the perfect bedside manner as a physician.  He studied at the Havens like Saoirse and Brennya, but with a focus on medicine instead of arcane arts and archaeology (Saoirse and Brennya's concentrations, respectively).  He’s an accomplished healer and has been instrumental in improvements made to Bluewater’s current health awareness and services.  He spends time every year to make trips to Snowshower, the large city northeast of Bluewater, and sets up a free clinic in the impoverished areas of the city.  He eventually ends up in a relationship with Rory after some time (still working on those details).

Rory also started out as an NPC.  He was originally the character that was Saoirse's call to action; a former student in a spot of trouble, and Saoirse just didn't have the heart to turn him down.  Except that the trouble he was in was, in fact, much more trouble than originally stated; a large debt with a notorious Poppyport (a city on the southernmost coast of the Uplands) crime syndicate, Redbloom (also can you guess their specialty lmao).  After the events of the job, Saoirse finds out that she's only thirded his debts.  Turns out he's got some serious impulse control issues and formed a gambling habit that, as you can probably imagine, got way out of hand.  He has an intense need to impress people with flashy displays, always trying to one up himself and others, but quite often these gestures fall flat.  Rory was chasing that dream of being famous and left Bluewater a few years back, only to become known as a fool.  And even though it was free publicity, bad publicity is only just publicity until you owe a crime lord his debts.  So Saoirse takes a risk and flees Poppyport, making her way back to Bluewater with Rory in tow.  Redbloom has no ties to a whaling town like Bluewater, it isn’t profitable enough.  So now he’s stuck in Bluewater for his own safety, and it would have driven him nuts if it weren’t for befriending the Keir family.  He still isn’t a huge fan of life in Bluewater, but his work and friendships keep him well grounded.  He eventually starts dating Arlen sometime into the timeline, but I haven’t written any of that yet; it’s only a series of ideas right now.  I do also want to look into writing a resolution with the whole Redbloom debt, but we’ll see where the story goes.  He’s always been…  A little all over the place.  He was a mandatory character and I really had to think about a way to work him into the story, and even now I’m still not completely satisfied.

I guess my main point is that I’m not nearly finished yet; I’ve only just begun getting bits of my story down, but I’m dedicated to expanding this family and their world and I just really love them all to bits.  And apart from their main story I’ve got some alternate universes I like to work on too, like their Dragon Age AU.  I’ve actually written quite a bit of meta and dialogue, and even drawn some for that one.  I haven’t really shared it with anyone yet though; haven’t figured out a delivery method that feels quite right yet.  I tried starting a blog for it, but it got stuck in the development phase a few months back.  Maybe I’ll try and figure that out soon.  I’ve just got so many ideas!  Anyways sorry for the wall of text and thanks for hanging in here with me with I figure shit out!  If you have any more questions I’d love to answer them! 

[thatblondeperson]

So another reason I see people degrading Steph for or hating on her for comes from the way that fans seem to hypersexualize her or slut shame her which is so great to see in the glorious year of 2020...thought we were past this, y'all. It's a very bizzare thing too because it's so out of touch with reality.

For starters I've seen a lot of people shame Steph for getting pregnant in the first place. As if it's solely her fault. (Another trend, just blame everything bad on Steph regardless of how many other people are involved... 😒) As if Steph wasn't in an incredibly unhealthy relationship with a guy who was clearly in his early 20s. I don't think they ever explicitly mention Dean's age, but he does not look like a teen. And given the way we see he treats Steph, I'd wager that the pregnancy was more his fault.

He just seems like the...irresponsible type.

But sliding pat the fact that it's totally never ok to shame a young girl for getting pregnant, I'm gonna discuss the more frequent negativity which seems to be even more out of touch with what's even happening in the comics.

A lot of people rag on Steph for her excessive flirting, and her tendency to try and pressure or push Tim past his comfort zone. In all honesty this is just completely rooted from a self-projection perspective. While Steph does flirt pretty heavily in the beginning, it's done still in a lighthearted manner. She's 15 after all, and doesn't know how to get this boy's attention properly. The relation she's been in and the ones she's seen growing up weren't healthy, and definitely showcased leaning in favor of the men. Stephanie was probably taught that the best way to get a boy's attention was to act flirty and persistent. Men like that right??

And as OP mentioned, Steph wasn't even INTERESTED until Tim kissed HER!! Teasing aside, she knew he had a gf, but that changed when Tim kissed her. She figured that meant he liked her and she developed a crush.

How Steph gets blamed for coming on too strong when TIM FUCKING STARTED IT is beyond me. Hey look, Steph getting blamed for everything again trend.

I had a few friend who went so far as to say that Steph's actions were on par with sexual harassment and this is another common trend. Which, ok, I at least see mildly where people are coming from, but this also comes into that self-projection I was mentioning.

A lot of fans like to project this image of naivety and a babyish nature to Tim. Since he's so tiny, and just the goodest of boys, he couldn't possibly ever want anything to do with sex! Ew, icky! Can't damage the boy virgin, he must remain pure and perfect!!

There's talk that Tim was absolutely mortified when Ari tried to seduce him, but in all reality he was very respectful and even told her he WANTED to take that step, but just wasn't ready. So this idea that Tim is terrified of sex and boobies and hates anything to do with it, is just incorrect. Was Tim surprised/shocked? Yes, but he handled it maturely and respectfully because he loved Ari.

So when people bring up this panel about how naive Tim is cuz he thought holding hands was how you made a baby...like seriously?

He makes no mention of that. It's clearly just Steph trying to lighten the mood a bit. Tim's not this innocent baby who thinks he knocked his gf up, he knows how babies are made.

This is a common thing from Steph, that type of lighthearted teasing that she does and part of me thinks it comes from a place of her just constantly trying to cushion all the blows that she keeps receiving in life. Much like other depressed or pessimistic characters in media, Steph is sarcastic and snarky. Joking and teasing her way through a lot of things which I think is more a reflection tactic than anything. It's not inherently mean either. I don't know who needs to hear this but lighthearted teasing between friends, and poking fun at each other is normal. Those are typically your best friends as they are likely the most honest and straightforward with you when you need them to be. The most I see Tim protest this is with a mildly annoyed "Steph...". I don't know where fans started perpetuating this idea that Tim despised being teased or that he hated how mean Steph was to him...I think it's still that self-projection, MUST PROTECT BABY mentality with Tim...

I'm not gonna lie and say that Tim adored it every second, but he teased Steph a fair amount back. The one that always comes to mind is where he tricks Steph into thinking he fell and then ends up holding her upside down off a building...now I know she was safe but I would consider that alone as a lot meaner than any of Steph's teasing.

As far as the assumption that Steph only wants to fuck Robin...jeezus...I mean she genuinely cared for him and aside from maybe a couple vague advances, at no point does she ever excessively try to pressure Tim into having sex. Steph imo is just as hesitant as Tim is in that area. Initially in the beginning she seems more open, but she simmers down quickly because she realizes she doesn't need to do anything like that to convince Tim to stay around. Her mother was likely sexually abused by her father, Steph experienced sexual harassment, and Dean clearly took advantage of her in some way or another and dropped her once she became undesirable...Tim stuck around, he saw Steph's worth as a person which was new for her.

Early instances like this to me are a fluke thing as things like this did not come up again. This is really the most forceful Steph ever was with Tim. She made a move that he clearly wasn't reciprocating. Given any of their other encounters together, I don't think anything serious would have happened had this scene not been interrupted. Tim would have stated that he wasn't interested, maybe gotten mildly condescending, and Steph would have snapped at him and they would have moved on.

There are of course the other mild instances where Steph makes a barely even mild sexual comment, or issues where she doesn't seem to have a lot of shyness around Tim...but I would call neither of these anything to lose sleep over.

I mean at best the panel above shows the vaguest innuendo I've ever seen in my life, and it's not even an innuendo. It is before they were official though, and Steph might have been a bit forward, but in a very flirtatious, teasy way. Not in an "I MUST ENTRAP AND CORRUPT THIS BOY" way.

Even this panel ^ which was always described to me as Steph asking Tim to watch her change...which she doesn't. She simply invites him in and he declines. It's not this big deal it seems to frequently be described as.

Steph definitely has her flaws, and coming on as strong as she did with Tim is a vague flaw. She's 15, I'm not gonna chastise her for not knowing how to properly handle a crush, especially since she mellowed out fairly quickly once she and Tim were dating, and she realized she didn't have to flaunt herself in the way she thought she had to to get his attention.

The closest she ever gets to asking him to bang is the above panel where she's on top of him, and it's such a halfassed attempt if it IS a legit one. Past that, they never really talk about sex. At no point do that have any moment similar to Tim's with Ari. Steph doesn't pressure him, and he doesn't pressure her. She never complains that she can't "bang" him, and neither of their self worth of each other is rooted in whether or not they can "bang". The idea that Steph is only interested in Tim if she can fuck him is just such a blatantly wrong and out of touch perspective of their relationship that it's almost laughable.

The next closest they get is maybe 1 horny inner thought from Tim in RR, and then in convergence when they actually make plans to sleep together at the end of the world, but end up happily cuddling instead.

Steph is not this hypersexual slut that antis try to make her out to be, and anyone who wants to slutshame her can go through me.

I'm sure this wasn't very eloquent, and @incoherentbabblings helped to find many of these panels, and a lot of her opinions are in here as well, and I'm sure I repeated myself a lot, but eh. I'm just 5000% done with antis reaching and making up shit about Steph to turn her not only into an abuser but a sexual harasser as well.

(Commentary and thoughts on the problem with certain anti tags and frankly anti tags in general, be warned)

I'm going to be honest, there is nothing that infuriates me more than those who attack a ship, or a character as abusive for the reason of banter, poor writing verging on character assassination or astonishing reasons as one character being created to be a beard for the other.

To give an example, the TimSteph ship has attracted a lot of hate recently because apparently one of the two is abusive towards the other (mostly Steph).

Now, I'm not against preferring another ship to that one, such as StephCass or TimKon, or feeling that Steph has basically had a lot of her agency taken away recently, reducing her to just Tim's girlfriend and that causing people to distance themselves from the relationship, those are all fair enough reasons to not really like the ship. Even feeling like there is no chemistry is a reason, that I disagree with, but can respect.

What I can't respect are some of the reasons given for hating the ship.

To give an example, one tumblr outright stated that part of the reason (though not all of it) they hated Steph was because she was created by a homophobe (Chuck Dixon who IS conservative at the very least) to serve as beard for Tim.

Ignoring for a second that Tim is explicity sexually attracted to women (though considering the run that made that clearest was FabNic's version of Red Robin, I can understand not knowing about it), Steph was originally created to be a one-off character, it was fan popularity that caused her to return AND become a love interest for Tim. Even ignoring that, Tim was dating another girl named Arriana, which didn't work out for various reasons, the least of which was his constant absences to perform his duties as Robin.

Speaking of FabNic, it was his run as writer for Robin that is most often brought up when giving reasons to hate Steph and call her abusive. A run that was basically a rush job, when Dixon left DC again for unrelated reasons, where FabNic proceeded to write Steph hire Scarab of all people to fight Tim non-lethally after promising Batman to make him better. I'm going to be honest, I hated the idea of this to begin with, but someone pointed out how stupidly out of character Steph hiring Scarab was given that A) she would definitely not have the contacts to pull it off, and B) Scarab was the entire reason Steph got fired as Robin, resulting in a lot of trauma for her and I have to agree.

Combined with Steph being portrayed as unusually incompetent and her motivations being glossed over and it really reads like either A) FabNic had a vendetta against her character, meaning her character was hurt again almost immediately after being finally getting a break and having her incredibly spiteful death retconned or B) he was in such a rush due to being brought in to write the final arc of Robin in a hurry when Dixon left, that he didn't think his ideas through, and just wanted to get rid of Tim's supporting cast quickly and finish things up for the next writer to have a clean slate, causing him to write that mess of an arc.

To anyone unfamiliar with FabNic's work, the exact same thing happened in Red Robin when the Nu52 was about to happen, so he ended up butchering an entire arc he had planned, Tim's character suffering from an abrupt shift in coldness again when he was getting better and left the series on a frankly unsatisfying cliffhanger. So, I can completely see that as being what happened.

Now as for those who say that Steph's banter with Tim is cruel and abusive. This is something he canonically said very shortly before their relationship started.

So Tim definitely gave as good as he got.

Though this is nothing to what he once said to his first girlfriend, Arianna.

Not that I believe for a second Tim is actually sexist, but his banter can be unusually and unintentionally aggressive at times.

Now I'm not going to say a word about most of Yost's Red Robin run, but what helps is that Tim is not being portrayed as being in the right with many of his actions and gets called out as such, plus he was written pretty clearly to be in a mentally bad place.

Otherwise I and probably a lot of Tim's fans, hate the Batman jr. Character arc every writer (but Dixon ironically) seemed to have fixated on him having, making him become positively humourless for quite a while (especially in Teen Titans, but to be honest there are many fans of the YJ team who hated that run.) Which basically started with Steph and his dad's deaths by the way.

I'm not going to deny Tim and Steph had their fair share of drama before War Games, most notably the power imbalance caused by Tim knowing Steph's name, but being unable (yes, unable) to give her his. Tim had a reason for not telling Steph, Bruce making him promise not to, and he kept that promise even with the YJ team, and even made it clear that Steph couldn't know if they entered a relationship. That's all fair enough, even if Tim had a nasty habit of reminding Steph he knew her name while they were out in the open, putting her identity at risk and knew she hated it.

The stalking was caused when Tim implied he personally knew a girl they rescued, causing Steph to realise just how unbalanced their relationship was, since Tim could be cheating on her without her knowing due to the double life (and had in fact done so to his previous girlfriend Arianna, with Steph).

Which lets be honest, is also completely understandable as their relationship couldn't work long-term without it being equal knowledgewise.

Think about it, you're in a relationship with someone who refuses to tell you his real name, you may be able to recognise him without his mask on, but have no idea he goes to the same school as you since he makes sure to avoid you while simultaneously keeping an eye on you.

Tim himself realised this, since when Batman leaked his secret without his permission, he eventually made it clear he didn't blame Steph and that he should have been open with her when it began to trouble her.

As for Steph coming on to him when he had a girlfriend and wasn't interested, well this is what caused her to crush on him...

He had just been traumatised by being trapped underground with Cluemaster (brrr.) So kissing her in relief when he had a girlfriend was understandable, but it's also understandable that Steph thought he was interested in her especially since he never mentioned a girlfriend.

Amd Tim clearly cared for her in some way regardless judging from this page when Steph was kidnapped a few issues later.

As for Steph only being in love with Robin... the problem is that Steph made it clear once that she didn't care if Tim quit and she'd love him all the same.

So, no, I don't think Tim and Steph was an abusive ship, it might not be your cup of tea, but it's certainly not abusive, especially when written by a writer who isn't being rushed or got a lot on his plate.

As a side-note, it's worth noting that due to how the Tumblr Search Engine works, people not looking for Anti Tags, and instead quite the opposite, still end up finding them on occassion, so yes, they have a right to be annoyed and complain in private conversations.

I'm sorry if this devolved into a rant, but many anti threads have a nasty habit of focusing only on the bad, even when that bad isn't consistent characterisation. Whether we like the Character or not, we need to remember that having so many writers means that the Character will be screwed up occasionally. How many times has Batman learn not to be a jerk only to return to be a jerk almost immediately? How many times has Green Arrow gotten his act together only for another writer to have him return to cheating on Black Canary again?

We have to concede that any character can be screwed up by the wrong writer and we shouldn't hold that against them, especially when the stuff we don't like doesn't consistently happen.