#i just think it's so complicated and confusing

[woso-dreamzzz]

Leaving VIII

Alexia Putellas x Teen!Reader

Summary: You win Olympic gold

Alexia will be the first to admit that she doesn't understand tennis.

She gets it from an objective stand point like how she gets football. Two teams (two opponents) meet on the pitch (the court) and kick the ball around (hit the ball over the net) to score a goal (get a point).

The scoring for tennis confuses her as does the terminology.

She doesn't get the words they use like ace and deuce and double fault.

She kind of thinks a double fault is like a foul but she still can't understand how because you're not tackling anyone.

Either way, Alexia doesn't understand tennis but this is a final and even though she's got her own quarter final today, she's still travelled to Paris to watch you.

You're against Zheng.

She knocked out Iga but now she's against you.

You've played her once before in at the United Cup and she'd knocked you out as well.

This was revenge though.

You serve hard and fast or, at least Alexia presumes you do.

You're wearing your Barcelona cap and your gold Nike shoes and you look like an absolutely beast on the pitch (the court). You hit the ball viciously, catching Zheng off guard completely with the force of your shots.

"Has she got somewhere to be today?" Eli says, a little laugh escaping her as you breeze through the first set.

Alexia frowns. "No? I don't think so. I think her only plans are to go back to bed."

Alba laughs. "It was a joke, Ale. Mama thinks Y/n has somewhere else to be which is why she's getting through the set so fast."

"Wait, is she going too quickly?"

Alba sighs. "You've been to countless tennis matches, Alexia. How do you not understand it yet?"

"They're complicated!"

"She literally hits the ball over the net!"

You seem anxious to get the match started up again, wiping off what little sweat you've produced and drinking half of your water. You don't even reach for your energy gel or anything of the like.

You're up on the court as soon as you can be, bouncing around on your feet, kicking up some of the clay dust underfoot.

Zheng serves next but that's all she really ends up doing because, yet again, you dominate.

Alexia can feel the atmosphere swell from the audience and gets the funny feeling that she's missing something again.

Her head ping pongs around trying to keep the ball in sight.

There's an uproar in the crowd as Zheng swings.

And misses.

Alba's on her feet, fist pumped up in the air and a cry of triumph out of her mouth.

Eli's got her hands covering her mouth in shock.

Just lower down, Alexia can see your training partner and coaching team celebrating.

You're grinning. You kiss your racket before turning to face your family.

You bow, the exact same pose and the exact same way Alexia did at Camp Nou and at the Champion's League final.

You come up, grinning before bursting into tears.

You move to your coaching team first, being drawn into a hug by everyone including Iga.

"Should I start getting worried about my space as number one?" She teases but all you can do is let out a wet little laugh.

You make your way up to your family next.

Alexia gets to you first.

She may not understand tennis but she knows a winner when she sees one.

She gets to you before anyone else, tugging you into a hug.

You've always been smaller than Alexia. That was to be expected but you'd shot up around puberty, growing like a weed.

She's glad that you're still smaller than her though, still small enough the she can easily hold your face in her hands and kiss your forehead.

You smile at her, sniffling.

"I won."

"Yes."

Your smile widens. "You didn't even realise."

"What?! Yes I did!"

"Don't lie. I saw you. You thought we were meant to go for another set."

"What's a set?"

Laughter overtakes your tears, bubbling out of your throat at the clueless look on your sister's face.

"No, seriously, what's a set? Is it like the two different halves?"

"Don't worry about it, Ale."

"No, wait, I want to know! Did you already have halftime? The match went kind of quick. Surely you should have had halftime before it finished?"

You're properly laughing now and behind Alexia, you think Alba and Eli are laughing too.

"Does it really matter?" You tease," I just won Olympic gold."

"No, I guess not."

There's silence between the two of you for a moment before you shriek.

Alexia lifts you like you weigh nothing, like you're just that little kid again with a scraped knee and pigtails.

Like you're not the Olympic tennis champion.

[witherby]

What would happen if any if the batfamilys enemies kidnapped baby y/n and ended up hurting them badly?

I'm happy to tell you, but not in any fantastic detail. When you say "baby" I think "infant, no teeth, still in diapers, etc."

Content warning for bruises on an infant

--

The contexts in which you would not be with a family member as an infant are very few and far between. I'm thinking a couple of your brothers have you on an outing, like a soiree or a networking lunch for Wayne Enterprises, where they have to put the masks away and act like civilians. There's lots of people around, their attention spans are divided, and they're also counting down the minutes until it's socially acceptable to leave.

When that time finally hits, Dick politely excuses himself and goes to collect you and Tim so they can head home. But he only finds Tim.

And Tim turns and only sees Dick.

"I thought you were watching them," Tim says, immediately turning sheet white. Dick's complexion is the same.

"I thought you were watching them."

Cue the immediate panic. Tim has his phone out and is trying to pinpoint your location via the tracker they put in all your pacifiers. Dick's eyes are sweeping the area for any signs of you having either crawled away or gotten scooped up by some confused and well-meaning socialite.

You are far away, and getting farther. Someone definitely took you on purpose. They don't hesitate before leaving the gathering and radioing backup. They'll handle all the screaming and scolding from everyone else as long as you get back home safe.

Whoever did take you, be it someone from the usual rogues gallery or a rando that likes kidnapping kids, it doesn't take long for them to catch up to him. It also doesn't take long to do any damage, either, so when they do find you, it's unfortunately with some significant bruising. Your chubby cheeks are red from tears and your arms and waist have handprint bruising from being dragged around, but nothing is broken or bleeding.

Your brothers can't say the same for the one that had the balls kidnap you. He should be thankful Jason was already on another mission.

(Jason comes back and pays him a visit anyway. Nobody gets to lay a fucking finger on you.)

In the aftermath, you're almost overwhelmed by the attention. You don't sleep in your nursery alone again for months; either someone is in there with you, or you're simply relocated to one of their bedrooms for the night. You're handled so, so delicately, like you're made of porcelain. It's all very soft play and quiet voices for a couple days. If you flinch at contact, either due to the trauma of the kidnapping or because someone brushed against a bruise that's still healing, there will be tears shed from that person.

Bruce notices you flinch when he burps you after a feeding and he has to sit on the floor with you in his lap because his hands are shaking so badly.

Damian will not touch you directly at all. If you need to be picked up, he's fashioning a hammock to slowly and gently roll you into and then carry you off.

Alfred maintains the calmest facade when he carries you around, but if you make any kind of whine or pained face, he has to take a moment alone to recollect himself.

Dick and Tim can barely stand to look at you. They're overwhelmed with guilt for assuming the other person was watching you and not simply double-checking themselves.

Jason asks Tim if he can do some tummy time with you, and he just straight up shakes his head.

Dick fucks up his sleep schedule keeping an eye on you in the night, because even though Dr. Thompkins cleared you, what if she missed something and you develop a complication and need help? He doesn't patrol Blüdhaven properly for weeks, instead coming over to Gotham to keep vigil at your window.

Needless to say, the general public does not see you again for months, and when they do, you are with the entire family. They will not let that happen again.

[just-a-ghost00]

What they wish to tell you

Decks used : I don't care oracle, White Numen tarot, Spirit Junkie oracle

Group 1 ⭐️

"My productivity stems from inspiration. When I focus on what brings me joy, my tasks become effortless actions." The Moon, 4 of pentacles, 5 of cups, Abuse of power rx, Party in your heart, Surprise rx

They wish to tell you that they're afraid and unhappy. That they feel powerless within this connection. They feel like they've lost all chances of being with you and that scares them. I get a lot of sadness from this spread. Sadness and regret. They feel unsafe. Like all the fun has been taken away from them. They can't seem to rejoice about the things they used to like or to marvel at life. They have a hard time focusing on daily tasks, seeing the glass half full. They feel uninspired, unmotivated, lost because things aren't as they used to be. They feel like you've changed, whether that's the truth or not. They feel disconnected from you, from people in general. They have a hard time thinking positively. I feel like they struggle with mental health issues at the moment. At the back of each deck we have The High Priestess, Dopamine ? Dopa-go ! & My friendships support me, nourish me and inspire me. This person feels like they are not supported by the people around them. They have lost the will to fight for what makes them happy, what they believe in. They're going through a dark night of the soul and they're in a lot of confusion right now. That's also something they try to hide from people around them, including you. They put on a façade but the truth is they wish they could tell you how empty they feel without you. This person wishes they could go back to the times where things weren't as complicated and they could enjoy themselves freely. This person feels like they cannot be themselves freely with their loved ones. For some of you, the person you're thinking of may struggle with their sense of identity. I was picking up on the LGBTQIA2S+ community. For some of you, if your person is a masculine, they may struggle with expressing their feminine side because of societal expectations or pressure from family. I was specifically picking up on Drag Queens and Kings. But more than that I just feel like your person is currently struggling to find their path in life and may be questioning themselves a lot. Which is a very tiring and uncertain time of their life. And they wish they could talk about it with you but for some reason they struggle to do so. Their heart feels very guarded. They are very insecure right now. They have a hard time showing compassion to their own self for what they are experiencing. They may be blaming themselves a lot when they have nothing to be ashamed of. I feel like if this person could change their surroundings maybe they wouldn't be going through such a difficult phase.

Group 2 🍾

"I accept the gifts I've been given as a high service to the world." Death, The Chariot, 3 of swords, Stop doing so much, There's no planet B! , Stand up for yourself rx

The person on your mind wishes to tell you that they feel stuck career wise and they don't know where they stand anymore. This person doesn't feel happy with their professional life as of now and they are afraid to leave whatever situation they're in because they have no idea where they would go or what they would do in such case. This person feels like they don't have what it takes to start over again. They wish they could move on and find something better, get closer to you possibly but they lack the strength and courage to do so. This person feels burnt out by their responsibilities and engagements. They're also afraid of criticism from their peers. On the back of each deck we have knight of swords & Close your eyes, close the curtains and sleep & "Attacking others is an attack on myself. I choose to release this now." They wish to tell you that they do not dare to speak up their mind for fear of rejection. They're afraid of their own light and power, as well as the effects their choices would have on the people around them. They're afraid of the unknown, of "losing" what they're used to. They're afraid of change. They're losing sleep over the fact that no matter how hard they try, no matter how much they think about it, they can't seem to find a way out or a way to change the outcome. On one hand, they know that where they're at right now is detrimental to them. But on the other hand, they feel like if they left whatever situation they're in right now, they would be wasting something beautiful and they could not go back. This person is afraid of taking responsibility and they feel very bad about themselves right now. They're in a dilemma and though they sincerely wish to put an end to this cycle, they can't seem to get themselves out of it. They wish they could tell you how exhausted they are and how hurt they are but they keep it to themselves because they do not wish to burden you with their struggles. Also, for some of you, your person sees you working really hard for your dreams and they're afraid that you're overworking yourself. They wish you would take the time to rest and take care of yourself.

Group 3 🎀

"My friendships support me, nourish me and inspire me." 10 of wands, 2 of wands, The Magician, I dare to declare my love, Please leave a message, Spread the love

I really like the energy of this spread. It's such a stark contrast to the other groups. They wish to tell you that, though they have a lot on their plate, you do not leave their mind and they still have a lot of hope for your connection. You are a source of motivation and inspiration to them. You are the reason why they get up in the morning and do their best every day. They wish to tell you that whatever you are going through, they still appreciate you and care for you. That should you need them, even if they're busy with their own things to deal with, they'll make time and space for you, to comfort you and guide you. They wish to tell you that you are so dear to them and that they're working really hard to be able to be closer to you. That may be true especially for those of you that are in a long distance connection. This person hopes to travel so that they can meet you. They're constantly day dreaming about you. They wish to tell you that you're all they care about and that they only have eyes for you. At the back of each deck we have Ace of pentacles, You are here & "Compassion is my compass. I am willing to hold space for the experience of others." The "You are here" card show an arrow pointing to the Earth from an outer space perspective and the Earth is right at the center of the galaxy from that angle. So they wish to tell you that you're at the center of their Universe. You occupy their thoughts at every moment of their life. I get the same vibe from the compassion card. They are willing to adapt and change things in their life so that you can better fit into their world. With this ace of pentacles, they wish to tell you that they would like to start anew with you or give your connection a new turn by making you an offer. I feel like this person would like to be in a relationship with you, regardless of what people may think and despite the challenges this may rise. It's like, no matter what, they're willing to make it work because you mean so much to them. Honestly this is so sweet.

[myonexox]

Enhypen Jay Oneshot

pairing : boyfriend!jay x female!reader pov : he kisses your forehead during an argument to calm you down the atmosphere in the living room was tense. you stood with your arms crossed and your eyes locked with jay's. his sharp jawline was set as he stared back at you, equally frustrated.

"i just don’t understand why you can’t see my side of things!" you exclaimed, your voice breaking slightly, betraying the hurt underneath your anger. "every time we have a disagreement, you shut me out instead of talking to me!"

he let out a sigh, running a hand through his jet-black hair. "it’s not that i don’t want to talk to you" he said, his voice lower but no less firm. "sometimes i just need time to process things. why can’t you understand that?"

"because it feels like you’re pushing me away!" you shot back, your chest rising and falling as you tried to control your anger. "i’m your girlfriend, jay. i’m supposed to be the one you can talk to, not the one you avoid"

the room seemed to shrink as the weight of your words settled between you. his lips parted as if to respond but he hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor. the silence was deafening and the lump in your throat grew heavier.

finally, he looked up, his eyes softer now. "i’m not good at this" he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "i’m not good at... expressing myself. but it doesn’t mean i don’t care"

you opened your mouth to respond but the words caught in your throat as your emotions surged. frustration, hurt, love, they all tangled together, making it hard to think clearly. "then show me, jay" you said, your voice trembling. "show me that you care instead of shutting me out every time things get hard"

he took a step closer to you. "you think i don’t want to?" he said, his tone more pleading now. "you think it’s easy for me to see you upset and not know how to fix it?"

"then stop making it so complicated!" you shot back, your voice raising again. "stop making me feel like i’m the only one fighting for this relationship!"

before you could say anything more, he closed the distance between you in one swift movement. his hands gently cupped your face, his thumbs brushing against your cheeks as he leaned in and pressed a kiss to your forehead.

the gesture caught you completely off guard, your breath hitching as you felt the warmth of his lips on your skin. "i’m sorry" he murmured against your forehead, his voice soft and sincere. "i don’t mean to hurt you. i’m trying, i swear"

your arms which had been tensely crossed, slowly dropped to your sides. the fight drained out of you, replaced by a mix of confusion and tenderness. you pulled back slightly just enough to look into his eyes which were now filled with a vulnerability that made your heart ache.

"jay..." you began but the words failed you. instead, you rested your forehead against his, closing your eyes as you let out a shaky breath.

for a moment, neither of you spoke. jay’s hands slid down to rest on your waist, pulling your body closer to him. "i'm so sorry, please forgive me. i know i shouldn't do that to you, i shouldn't shut you out like that. i'm sorry. please, i promise i won't do that again. i don’t want to lose you over my stupid pride"

you looked at him, your heart swelling at the sincerity in his words. he wrapped his arms around you, pulling your head to rest on his chest. "forgive me, hm?" he mumbled. you softly chuckled and just nodded.

[egg-emperor]

me: "hey I don't think you should claim something is canon when it isn't because official ≠ canon. it contributes to how people get confused with what's canon and what's not, who then blame the series for being "inconsistent" and the canon being "bullshit" when it's actually not. it's always been as simple as the games are not the adaptions and vice versa but fans complicate it with statements like these lol"

them: "omg why are you taking it so seriously, why do you care, why are you so mad, it was just a joke"

literally just projecting how it makes them feel onto me when I was just trying to make a simple clarification so we don't create even more confusion in the fandom than there already is. and I care because I'm a fan and love the characters and that creates a desire to present what's right and help others understand my favorite characters and series. really not the own you think it is :P

[graciedollie]

hii hi, could you make one where grayson and reader are wives and work together as council guards until one day reader arrives injured and grayson becomes extremely worried. I would really be happy if you did that! ❤️‍🩹, I love your writing, do it in your own time!!

Complications

Pair: Grayson x FemCouncilGuard!Reader

Summary: It was a pretty normal day while you were doing your normal duties, having to be sent to make an arrest in the grimy streets of Zaun. The arrest wasn’t going to go smooth obviously, but it definitely wasn’t supposed to go this way either.

Warning(s): Description of injuries (stab wound) ,mention of bleeding, swearing (ofc), reader being stubborn, Grayson scolding reader, fluff added too ofc <3, reader is kind of a smartass

A/N: I love writing for my bbg <3 also feel free to leave any requests

The sun was slowly turning in for the late evening, casting a beautiful hue of orange and purple across the hazy skies. You were handling your usual duties before you were requested by the councils, figuring it would be about handling a certain case. It didn’t take you long before you stumbled upon the large room, seeing all the members and your wife, standing attentively.

Grayson looked over at you as you stood next to her, flashing you a small smile before turning her serious focus back to the council members before one of them spoke, who happened to be council Mel Medarda.

“There have been reports of a group—preferably from the Undercity—causing havoc among our city, leading to the people being understandably upset. I trust that you will sort this problem, yes?”

Before Grayson could even speak, you quickly agreed with a swift nod and eager words. “Yes ma’am, of course. I can assure you this little mishap will be sorted.” In return, Mel gave you a soft smile and a firm nod before dismissing the both of you.

As the two of you soon left and walked along the long hallways, you were suddenly stopped by the large hands of your wife on your shoulders. You turned to look at her with a confused expression before she started to speak, “Sweetheart, I think it’s best if you let me take this one with you, yes? I know you’re well on your own, but you haven’t gone much in the Undercity as much as me.”

You couldn’t help, but grunt in slight irritation at her words, knowing she only worried for your safety—you were her wife for God’s sake. “Baby, I can do just as fine on my own. I’ll just take Marcus and backup with me, it’ll be fine.”

She narrowed her eyes at you, obviously not fond of the idea of not being partnered up with you for this case—especially such as these. Her eyes stared in yours intensely before softening, nodding slowly with a sigh.

“Alright…but, if I hear one bad thing goes down there..”

“It’ll be fine, Honey. I can handle it, plus I’ll have hep with me.

How hard could this possibly be? All you were doing is going down to the Lanes and making an arrest, nothing out of the ordinary.

Oh honey, you were wrong.

The night took over the golden sky, leaving the sky blanketed in a dark cover. Venturing into Zaun wasn’t the most extravagant thing, if you’re being honest. It was grimy. People giving you dirty looks. And definitely different from Piltover. Neon lights and signs crowded the dark streets, every angle except the dingy alleys.

The more and more you ventured into the streets, the more you realized how this arrest was going to be anything, but easy. You and your crew walked through the streets, looking around with hardened gaze at the peering standbys—obviously noticing the fiery glares.

Based on the information you and your crew were given, it seem that the group hung around a certain abandoned building—which didn’t take too long to stumble upon. You glared at the group, seeing how their teeth were yellow and how buffed they looked.

“We can make this easy or not so easy. All your choice.”

The group looked around at each other with disbelief before turning back to you with a chuckle, eyeing you as if you were prey—which you definitely seemed so to them. “Would ya look at that? Think you’re gonna take us in? We’re not going down without a damn fight.”

Sometimes you wondered why you even chose this damn job sometimes.

“Let me make this clear.”

That was all you said before you and another of your crew pulled your guns, aiming them directly at the group, earning a grunt of shock and irritation.

“Last chance.”

The group scowled at your crew as the rest of the crew pulled out the restraints, seeing how they dangled dangerously in their grasp. All of sudden, one of the members charged at you before you quickly aimed at the man before..

WHACK.

You don’t know how it happened or what did it come from, but all you knew was that you were on the floor and had blood dribbling down your lips—most likely from being brutally punched. Your eyes glared at the mysterious person, seeing them emerge from the shadow and saw that it was woman. You quickly shuffled onto your feet, looking over at your crew while they were busy handling the others before focusing your attention back to woman.

She had a nasty grin on her chapped lips, slipping a sharp knife from the back of her pants as she eyed you steadily—seeing how you were focused solely on her. “Oh c’mon, can’t handle a little punch?”

You grunted at her taunt before trying to reach for your gun, but saw that it was fucking gone? Fucking great. Luckily, you had close combat experience. You were steady on your feet, keeping eye contact with the woman before she lunged at you with her knife, causing you to lean back and grab her arm to pin it behind her back as she stumbled to the ground and the knife clatter out her hand.

“Made this way harder than it had to be.”

Your eyes narrowed down at the woman as you pinned her wrist behind the small of her back, only moving one hand to reach for the cuffs, but that was your biggest mistake. The woman quickly reached for a knife on her side and sliced you on the side of your stomach, earning a pained yelp as you scrambled back from the woman.

“Wonder how you made it this far..”

You sneered at the woman, panting heavily as you applied pressure to the bleeding wound before slowly standing up as did she. It started to feel that maybe—just maybe—you should’ve listen to your wife.

The woman chuckled lowly before quickly charging at you, but was quickly clocked in the back of her head by Marcus with a gun—specifically, your gun that was scattered to the side—successfully cuffing her. The rest of the crew cuffed the rest of the group, herding them back. He added the woman in with the her group as they were escorted away, shouting out streams of profanities and whatnot.

His eyes immediately snapped back to you as you huffed heavily, seeing the blood seep through the clothes onto your hand gradually. He quickly helped you, throwing your arm over his shoulder as he helped you walk.

“Shit—you ok? What the hell happened back there?” He grunted lowly as you both shuffled back through the grimy streets and onto the bridge, crossing over to piltover.

“Some fuckin’—shit—girl came from nowhere and just punched me…and stabbed me..” Your voice was strained and heavy, trying not to wince too much as the slash only continued to bleed heavily.

“God…do you have any idea how stupid it was to take this case? You know Grayson is already going to be on mine and your ass.”

“Mhm, I know…let’s just focus on me not dying, yeah?”

and brother, was he right.

You laid in the infirmary, laying slightly uncomfortably as the slash on your side was still recovering. The blood loss wasn’t too bad, but scary and a blessing that you survived. The infirmary was nice and quiet, despite having doctors check in on you and here and there, but that didn’t last long until..

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Your eyes shot up quickly at the familiar voice, seeing your absolutely enraged wife rushing over to your side, quickly embracing you before caressing your face with a firm grasp and stern glare.

“Baby, listen—“

“Don’t give me that! I told you that I didn’t feel right about you going there. I trusted that you could handle it. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I was informed to hear that my wife was in the infirmary—being treated for a stab wound? Do you really?”

Her voice was stern, but held a edge of obvious concern and worry—though she was pissed. You frowned slightly as she scolded you, which was definitely expected from her, but you knew she was only concerned and worried for you.

“Honey, I know you’re upset, but I handled a good bit on my own…” Your voice was raspy and low, due to being sleep for a good while or so. She let out a heavy sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose, looking at you with a gradually softening before her hand caressed her cheek.

“I know and I’m proud that you did, but still, it was a risky idea to even take that case in a first place…you could’ve let me handled it.”

Though she was pissed, she still was worried and highly concerned for her dear wife, who happened to look like an angel despite being injured. Her thumb brushed over your cheek, gazing at you with obvious fret in her eyes as she murmured softly, “I swear I have to keep my patience in check with you…”

“Aww, I know you still love me.”

She couldn’t help, but chuckle at your cocky little remark, looking at you with a raised brow and an amused smile etched on her lips before brushing her hand over your thighs.

“Of course, I do, love. Though sometimes you make me want to strangle you..”

“Like how that woman wanted to before she stabbed me?”

Her eyes widened in surprise at your worst-timing joke, glaring at you with a tight pursed frown on her lips as she pointed a finger at you, “That is not funny.”

“What, you brought it up!?”

It would definitely be a wild before you ever got a case to go back to Zaun…it was definitely for the best to avoid complications.

hope you enjoyed and hoped this was to your liking, anon <3

[grubbyposting]

Taking my (foot taller than me) pet puppytwink cissoid’s anal virginity cause he begged me, only for him to say “god im such a FAGGOT slut, what would my father think…?” as I’m fucking his ass (so good that he shot cum on his own mouth) (twice), seeing the fear in his eyes as I threaten to rip his pretty deer throat out and suck out his blood, followed by him worshipping my hairy thighs with his tongue as he thanks me for fucking him til he went dumb and drooly was actually the cure to my dysphoria all along

(after this he immediately comes out to his whole family as a faggot and gives me his fucking Xbox 🤭) #winning

(Sappy shit under the cut.)

ok but I’m gonna get a little sincere on the horny blog…

He also just, loves me. And just so happens to have *also* loved me as my weird girl self in middle school. To make a long, beautiful, complicated story short… we met as kids in school, and bonded because we both liked furries and FNAF. He got me chocolates for Christmas in sixth grade, and after some hmming and hawing, I found myself helplessly adoring his quirky, dainty, gentlemanly self, too. He thought I was cool and loved me best he could with his young little heart. He showed me his Undertale game on one of our dates to his house and we played and laughed and had so much fun. But I was trapped in a shitty home full of surveillance (cameras, monitoring, sexual shame, control, and the standard queerphobia). A culture that made me feel ashamed to be myself. It hurt me bad and twisted me into someone I’m not proud of being.

When he asked to kiss me… I said no.

I felt so ashamed of myself and disgusted at my desires.

I broke his heart shortly after, I couldn’t take the shame. Both of us went on to go through relationship hell for eight years.

I was terribly cruel to him in high school because of telephone game drama. I believed I was doing the “right thing” by spreading the rumors. I thought I was being so righteous and good, but sometimes that hurts people way worse than you can even fathom. Autistic people and those raised into white womanhood, heed my warning…

Both at our lowest, both off the tail ends of messy, messy shit, both desperate scared and longing, horny, sad and… after playing secret horny tag in DMs for years… (my friends hated him because of the drama)

I say fuck it, wyd?

I tell him outright. “I’m not here to love you. But I’m here to show you a good time tonight.”

After. he thanked me, said he felt like he could actually touch the world and impact it.

I have him come back the next night…

We watch fight club… we talk about masculinity, philosophy, spirituality, existential fear, what it means to us… he cuddles me and we dig deep.

I tell him I’m not here to love him but… I think I need him in my life right now.

I started to feel understood by another man… who desired me…? A cis one? Even if he does have chest scars from his ribcage surgery that closely resemble top surgery scars… what a coincidence…

He shows me Berserk. He spends the night. We talk, and laugh, and fuck, and stay up til the wee hours of morning cuddling and chatting and both start to notice what the hell is going on. Someone, save us now… it’s happening… it’s happening and neither of us are wanting to stop it… fuck!

I told him. I give up. I love you! I am delighted at the person that you are! I missed you so badly! Eight years collapsed into nothing the moment we could melt into each other’s arms.

“I love you too.”

He asked me to fight on that fourth day. My blood went cold, because I was so desperate to ask myself, but he was the only one with the courage. We threw fists and I gave him the prettiest black eye. He marked my face and bruised my body. That was 11/11/24.

I was never the same.

I had to confess to my friends that I fell in love. I shook and cried and was so scared. This had to happen. I’m fighting for what I need. Some got mad, some got confused, all of them not pleased with me. But… they turned around. I turned on the charm and said, fuck it, I’m gonna be happy. I told them all about the person he was. I walked back the rumor and gave it context. I wanted to clear this beautiful man’s name, because it’s a name I only feel love for.

I left my toxic girlfriend of three years who didn’t know how to love me. I forgive her. But that needed a wake up call. He saved me, not by fixing it, not by asking me to leave her, but by showing me a world I deserved that I didn’t think was even real. I left to pursue a happy life. He showed me conflict is a tool, passion doesn’t have to come at a cost, and difference is a strength. He showed me stillness and peace and exuberance and freedom. He showed me how to accept my whole self. I showed him how to love his.

My angriest friend eventually asked me how to open in her first DM to him (“I can’t believe you did it, but you made me a fan. I’d love to be his friend”).

We had dinner together (she practically chased us down!) and it was a beautiful full circle moment. We were all in the same class together years ago.

We shared family Christmas this year, I clicked with his parents completely (“hey, remember me…?”) and finally, I felt like I didn’t need to doubt anymore. It’s the real deal, and I pinch myself every single day. I’m blessed, truly.

I showed him Rocky Horror recently. He got it. He loved it. He said he felt it gently take a piece of his negativity, dissolve it, and inspire him to live a freer life. Just like it did for me all those years ago, when my repressed little self found it and fixated on it, not even knowing why. Not understanding I could claim my desires. Not understanding I could choose to be a happy gay man who fucks nasty.

I cried, helplessly. I finally made it, to my gay love and my hopeful queer future full of art and life. I just know little us are so proud. They set us up, after all.

And yeah, I kissed him.

But I didn’t ask.

I love my gay life.

It got better. Hold on, lonely transfags and sad bi boys alike. True love (and fucking til you bleed) awaits you!

[grimmcheems]

More Future Chichi👊🏽💥

This has been in my drafts for so long🗿💀👩🏽‍🦯anywayssss, just future timeline shenanigans. I’ve made a couple of arts about this future chichi timeline but I don’t think I’ve ever rly provided much context or story for those. Don’t mind her she just hates Goku Black and he terrorizes her unnecessarily bc yeah…….

she has muscles but the jacket hides it (I hate drawing clothes on buff characters bc it ends up hiding most of it😩)

I also thought of Zamasu developing a thing for Chichi bc Goku’s body literally doesn’t allow him to hurt her or their direct family (in this au he had to kill their sons indirectly bc Goku’s muscle memory? just wouldn’t allow it) but like, not rly??!? It’s complicated🙏🏽🗿 he hates humans but his interactions with her confuse him for the most part and since it will never fully be his body there’s always a lingering unknown feeling at the back of his head. Chichi hates his ASS tho. She ain’t holding back fr. I’ve tried to make arts of Chichi and trunks and mai but they never come out good so that’s why I haven’t had any yet.

I will try to get to drawing parts of this au though, at some point…..👩🏽‍🦯Chichi basically raises Trunks and Mai in this btw.

Also the world ends but dw bc a lot of background characters left her things to use and she helps save what’s left of humanity and maybe becomes a goddess for centuries to come but who knows(every time I revisit this au in my head I go insane)🤭

[not-poignant]

Hi Pia

Sorry is this ask is bothersome but I need some advice.

I while ago I was going through a really bad time mentally but found solace in a fandom. I became friends with a person that I met in a particular fandom and they encouraged me to get into fanfiction and it really helped my mental health as a form of escapism.

After about a year I took the plunge into writing my own fanfics for the fandom and at first they were well received. But then a gender swapped the characters.

For context- in this fandom most of the characters are male and almost all the fanfics available are canon compliant in this regard and I so I wanted to explore an au where all the characters were women instead. I posted a few chapters and was excited for feedback but then my friend from the fandom saw my new fic and messaged me telling me to take it down because it was problematic.

I asked them to explain why and they said that changing canon like that just for the "fun" of it wasn't ok and that if I'm going to "mess around with the characters identities" then I should make them trans instead.

I told her I wasn't comfortable making the characters trans because I myself am not trans and don't feel like I am educated enough to write about gender identities/experiences that I haven't gone through and I don't want to accidentally write something disrespectful.

My friend got back to me and said that take was even more problematic. I asked her to explain further because I was really confused by this point but she didn't get back to me.

A few days later I found out she had told all the people in the discord we were in together that I was being problematic regarding canon and I'm guessing she also went to my bookmarks and sent screenshots to everyone of the "problematic" ships and fics I like??

And now I'm getting hateful messages from people who used to be my friends in the fandom and I don't know what to do.

Should I make the characters male again like they are in canon? Or take the fic down altogether?

Hi anon,

So the short answer is:

You can write genderbending. Every fic is problematic somehow to different people and audiences. Trans people don't all agree on genderbending so you're not going to get a single "correct" answer. Don't take down the fic unless you want to. Don't change the fic unless you want to. Get some better friends. It's worth educating yourself further about this subject.

The longer answer is behind the Read More:

Genderbending is complicated and nuanced and there's a ton of discussion about it. I highly recommend you go somewhere like FanLore to check that out. Especially the further reading section, to see multiple sides of the discussion to then decide how you feel.

There are trans people who love cis genderbends. There are trans people who hate them. There are trans people who don't think they should exist. There are trans people who don't give a shit. There are trans people who want more to exist. There are trans people who think only trans people should be allowed to write any kind of genderbend. There are trans people who think no trans person should ever want to write cis genderbend.

My perspective (as a trans person) is closest to this archived Tumblr post linked here.

With this quote from mercurialmalcontent:

Changing a character to the ‘opposite’ cis gender is a very different thing than making them trans or nonbinary. Insisting that people only change characters to trans is also really damn invalidating, because it implies that being trans is interchangable with being cis. Whoopsie doodle!

And then the entire response from roachpatrol, especially:

so like. people now reducing the issue to ‘cis people are gross and hate trans people’ is pretty ridiculous. it ignores basically twenty years of women questioning, confronting and then dismantling the de-facto heteronormative, exploitative male gaze in order to create the radically progressive fandom atmosphere as we know it today on tumblr. 

And then also this from curriebelle:

there’s nothing inherently transphobic about art that explores gender - quite the opposite, I think - and that’s what genderbends are about. It can be hugelybeneficial to imagine male characters as female in order to explore roles that aren’t traditionally given to women

~

I think the main thing is that in fandom, many trans people have been forced to confront how they feel about genderbends (or cis swaps), whereas many cis people never have to think about it due to cis privilege. That doesn't mean writing it is bad by default, it doesn't mean fics that feature it shouldn't exist, and it doesn't mean problematic fanfiction is bad either. Like I said, everything is problematic to someone.

What actually bothers me the most is that people who you think of as "friends" are trying to police you in this way. Obviously I don't know the full story or the content of the fic, so maybe there's greater context going on that I'm missing. But on the surface, genderbends aren't inherently transphobic, even if some trans people don't like them, or feel dysphoria over them existing.

Ultimately genderbends aren't also often about the trans experience. It's really weird for your friends to assume that writing a story about a bunch of cis women, and a bunch of trans women is going to be exactly the same, or that one is inherently "better" than the other. Trans women experience some different issues (depending on the world), and the stories are likely to have different elements to them. And you're right, not feeling comfortable telling a trans story when you're a cis person wanting to write about cis women does actually make a lot of sense. That doesn't mean you can't do it, but it does make it clear why you didn't do it.

Anon, a friend who is quick to tell a whole bunch of people on a Discord server that you're writing a fic with content they don't like is not a friend, let alone a good friend. They might have once been very caring, but their response here indicates they're putting up a chance to seem righteous and 'moral' above actually caring about you or what you have to say. Especially in a situation where honestly a lot of trans people don't agree with each other, but we all mostly agree not to be dicks to people who write this stuff and to just live and let live.

(Also, trans people can write trans fic that other trans folk feel is transphobic! Something that heals and helps one person, hurts another, that's why the rule in fiction for things like this is very much: "don't like, don't read" and also: learn about it, do some research into it, but you don't have to morally justify what you like in fiction and fiction is the place to write this stuff - it is literally pure fantasy. Heck, some trans people love cis swaps precisely because it's a cis swap instead of a specifically trans narrative, the same reason some trans people hate them. We're not all a monolith with one opinion. Thank god).

Going into your bookmarks to reveal the 'problematic' things you like to a bunch of randos screams of anti-nonsense, people who judge other people's morals based off the fiction they enjoy. Folks like this think it's okay to humiliate, degrade and abuse people over what they enjoy in fiction.

Honestly, if it were me, I'd block these people. Trans people aren't magically free from being abusive shitheads, just like everyone else.

Your friend may have been a friend once, but what they're doing now is just shitty. Ironically, it's also pretty transphobic to the trans people who love and write cis swap and also the trans people who love and read it.

[ziekaramaik]

Before You Jump, Tell Me What You Find

(Word count: about 1700)

(Sorry for the wait. Wasn't sure I'd continue it at all, but @shadybisexualpirate and @psychicsolanum asked for it. Also, @maro0on and @ssherbet-shares )

It had been a week since I was at William's house. Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan seemed happy to see me again. I guess the no-visitors-while-grounded rule was less strict after the first week.

Or maybe it was never a rule and William was just using it as an excuse to avoid me. But I didn't ask or start an argument. We were already past that.

We left the door to his bedroom open a crack, as usual. William pulled out his desk chair for me, and he took the bed. We sat down facing each other.

I'm no mind reader, but I knew exactly how he was feeling. The awkwardness was written all over his face. "I guess I should start with--"

"Can I say something first?" I interrupted.

"Of course."

"I was kind of being a hypocrite earlier," I admitted. "You know, about how boyfriends shouldn't keep secrets. There are things I don't talk to you about. And that should be okay -- everyone deserves a little privacy."

"I totally agree," he said eagerly. "And I've tried to respect your privacy as much as I can, I promise--"

"Let me finish… I'm not trying to be the possessive type of boyfriend that makes you tell me everything you do. I was only upset earlier because it felt like you were ghosting me. Now something obviously happened to you that day. And it's still bothering you. But I'm not forcing you to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm only asking 'cause I'm worried. And… I can't shake the feeling that you're getting involved in something dangerous."

He listened to me, and he nodded. "You're not wrong. I wanna tell you, it's just hard. A big reason I haven't told anyone is because it's all so unbelievable. Like, seriously, Eddie. It is literally crazy. But then again… We live in a world after The Snap, and with the Avengers, and Norse gods, and all that. So…"

He looked at the tiny opening at his door, double-checking that his parents weren't listening outside. And then he softly said, "The first thing I should tell you is, I have special powers."

My eyebrows shot up. "Really?" It was a surprise. But for me, maybe not as unbelievable as he expected.

William reached out towards his bookshelf. In front of his palm, in the air, a blue circle appeared, like a hologram. A second later, a book shot out from the shelf, passed through the circle, and landed in his hand. The glow faded away.

"Whoa." I blinked. "That is… not where I expected this conversation to go. Was that, like, magic? Is THAT why you're into," I waved my hand around, gesturing vaguely to all the posters and notes taped to his walls, "all this witchy stuff?"

He nodded. "Kinda." He shook his head. "I mean, no. This is new. I mean--" He winced. "It's complicated. There's stuff that happened three years ago. And stuff that happened last week. And it's all connected. I didn't know where to start, but I think I can explain to you without using words."

He leaned forward. "I learned a new spell for this. It's kinda like the spell Agatha used to see Wanda's past, but in the opposite direction. I can send my memories directly into your mind. That way you'll immediately understand where I went last week and everything that happened to me. Will you give me permission to do that? Will you allow me to put those memories into your mind?"

I stared at him with a little confusion. "I dunno. Will it hurt?"

He stared back at me. "It's not… supposed to?"

In other words, he never tried it before.

I stared a bit longer. Then I nodded. "Okay."

William got off the bed and kneeled down directly in front of me. He placed his hand on the side of my head and closed his eyes. It was very "Vulcan mind meld".

Williams whispered, "Non quarere, non dico mendacium."

A second after that, memories of the day of the car accident, meeting Agatha Harkness, gathering the coven, and the Witches' Road appeared in my mind. It was like my brain was an internet browser and a dozen different tabs opened up all at once. It was overwhelming.

A second after that, I got up, ran to the bathroom and puked into the toilet.

A little later, after a concerned Mrs. Kaplan heard me and checked in, and I told her I just ate something earlier that disagreed with me, and William backed up my story and told her not to worry, I got a glass of water to rinse my mouth out and returned to William's room.

"Are you okay?" William asked gently.

I was rubbing my head. "First time magically downloading memories. It feels like a headache, a hangover, and staying up all night to cram for a big test all at once. Next time, we're doing it the slow way."

"Sorry."

I slowly sifted through the info-dump. "Okay… So… Your soul was created by Wanda Maximoff."

"And the Vision. Technically."

"Yes. Okay. And Vision. And when the original William Kaplan died, your soul took over his body."

"That's the theory, at least. It's a little ambiguous."

"You have a twin brother--"

"Tommy."

"--Who's been reincarnated somewhere in someone else's body."

"Uh-huh."

"You met up with a bunch of witches -- real witches -- and your magic powers created the Witches' Road -- by accident -- and most of those witches died there."

"…Yes."

"And speaking of died, Death is a person. And a lesbian."

"Now do you understand why it was so difficult for me to talk about this?"

Yeah, if he simply said all this, I probably wouldn't have believed it. But it was hard to argue with the memories in my own head.

The magic-hangover was mostly gone by now. The info-dump had settled.

I looked up at Wil -- No, at Billy. He called himself Billy now.

He's a mind-reader, I thought. I knew he couldn't help it, but now that I knew, I couldn't help but feel exposed in front of him.

"It's not like I hear every thought," he said defensively. "Only the loud stuff in the front of your mind. I don't go snooping, I promise."

No wonder he always seemed to understand me so well. And now, I understood him in a way no one else did.

I sat right next to him on the mattress. I grabbed his hand, and entwined my fingers with his. "It's not your fault they died, you know," I said.

"What?"

"Mrs. Davis and the others. You made that place. But what they did there -- that's not on you."

He calmly replied, "Thanks for saying so. But if an architect builds a house, and people die because it collapses, it's absolutely the architect's fault."

"Hey, listen." I looked him right in the eyes. "It was awful. But it was an accident, Billy. Nothing more."

I really thought that. So I knew he knew I meant it.

He stared at me. His eyes started watering. Then he looked away, smiled, and rubbed his nose. "I don't deserve a boyfriend like you."

"Yeah, well, you're stuck with me."

"Am I though?" he asked, his smile faltering.

"What?"

He spoke nervously. "Today at school, you didn't want to break up. But… You thought I was a normal boyfriend. You never signed up for all this craziness."

"Bill--"

"A-And it's not just the witchcraft and the mind-reading and looking for Tommy. I have to warn you: the Personification of Death doesn't like me very much. She agreed to let me go for now. But if you stick too close to me, you might get into trouble."

"That… is a scary thought…"

"Like I said, you didn't sign up for this, Eddie. If you want to ghost me this time… I'll understand."

I confess, I did think about it. The death thing aside, I spent a long time wishing for a normal life.

I loved this boy. But when I said that, there was a lot I didn't know about him. Just like he said: He was like a different person now.

But now that I did know who he was… I didn't not still love him.

I came to a decision. Holding his hand a little tighter, I told him, "I try not to think about this too often -- which is, apparently, why you never knew it -- but even if I left you, my life still wouldn't exactly be normal."

Billy's face looked into mine. I fought down the urge to kiss him and continued, "You know how I'm adopted? My mom found me and raised me on her own?"

"Yeah."

"Well, she adopted me from… a lot farther away than I led you to believe."

I held up my hand, the one that was still holding his. I concentrated, and my hand turned green. The skin became thicker and harder, like leather, or scales. We stared at my green fingers intertwined with his pale pink fingers. And then I made my hand and forearm look human again.

I nervously looked back at Billy's face. He stared at our hands in shock for several long moments.

"Well, say something," I blurted.

Finally, he grinned and said, "That is so cool."

I giggled from relief. I leaned in and was just about to kiss him when--

"Huh, a shapeshifting alien," said the ghost that appeared RIGHT BEHIND ME.

"YAH!" I fell off the mattress.

"Yeah, she does that sometimes," said an unamused Billy.

"I knew an alien once," the ghost said. "We almost made a movie together. Long story."

I got to my feet and stared at the translucent woman. I recognized her from Billy's memory.

"Agatha, this is Theodore Altman," Billy said. "He used to go by Teddy, but people kept making Grey's Anatomy jokes, so now it's just Eddie. Eddie, this is Agatha Harkness. My semi-evil, semi-dead, witchcraft mentor."

"Uh… Hi?"

"Good choice for a boyfriend, Billy," Agatha said with a smirk. "Shapeshifting will keep things fresh."

"So you're his… familiar?" I looked from Agatha to Billy. "That's the term, right? You're a witch now, and she's your familiar."

Billy smiled at that. Agatha did not.

"I take it back. You have horrible, horrible taste in boyfriends."

"Glass houses and stones, Agatha," Billy replied.

Can You Read My Mind?

(Spoilers for Agatha All Along)

(Word count: about 1500)

William was missing all night. Then all day. And then all night again.

At first he declined my calls. Then the phone just kept ringing. My texts were left unread.

I was totally prepared for something bad to happen to him while we were in a parking garage to meet a stranger from the internet. Except that turned out to be nothing. The guy was a paranoid nut, but harmless. It was after William dropped me off at home and drove away safely that he went missing. I didn't know what to think.

After a full day of worrying, he finally called me back early next morning.

"Are you okay?!" I asked.

"I'm fine," he said, sounding completely exhausted. "Well -- Yeah, I'm -- I'm fine."

"Where have you been? I've been trying to call."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's been a crazy day. And night." He mumbled to himself, "Did all of that happen in just one night? Oh man, what day is it?"

"You've been missing for over twenty-four hours," I explained. "Your parents are probably ten seconds away from calling the police."

"Yes, I'm sorry for scaring them. I'm driving home right now. And… Look, Eddie. Can you do me like a really, really, really huge favor? …Can you please tell my mom and dad that I was with you the whole time?"

"Actually, no. Because they already called me, and I told them I had no idea where you were."

"Oh… Right…"

There was a pause.

"Are we just skipping the part of the conversation where you tell me what happened?" I asked. "You didn't meet that Ralph guy again, did you?"

"No, it wasn't Ralph."

"Then where--"

"Eddie, I do not even know where to begin. I promise I'm okay, but I'm tired. And I really shouldn't be on the phone while driving in the first place. All I wanna do right now is get home, shower, and maybe take a nap. Can we please talk about it later?"

I didn't want to, but I said, "Okay. Later." Then I said, "I love you."

"Me too. Bye." And he hung up.

Only we didn't talk later.

William was grounded. He couldn't use his phone and I couldn't visit him. Or at least, that's the excuse he gave me when I saw him at school. I couldn't shake off the feeling he was lying.

He wouldn't talk to me at school either. Any time I tried, he made some excuse and took off. "Later. Promise." He stopped coming to the GSA too. Not because of his parents, he said he was too busy for it.

Once I caught him on a computer in the school library. Looking over his shoulder, I saw that he was searching news websites. But it wasn't about the Westview incident this time. He was looking up articles from all over the country about people who drowned, or nearly drowned.

When I asked him about it, all he would say was, "I'm trying to find someone." He was frustrated. "They're all dead ends. It probably didn't make the news."

I tried to get him to talk more, but it was about time for next period. He had to go. Again.

Whenever I saw him in the hallways, he gradually looked worse. He had stopped putting effort into his hair and make-up. His black nail polish was old and chipped. Instead of eyeliner he had dark bags under his eyes. I could tell he hadn't been sleeping well.

This went on for a week.

"You're avoiding me," I said. It wasn't a question.

I cornered him at his locker. He looked back at me and said, "I'm not avoiding you, Eddie," in a calm tone that completely contradicted his deer-in-the-headlights expression.

"You really sort of are."

He sighed. Struggled to say something. "I -- I'm sorry. I've just been really distracted lately. I'll explain everything later. I promise."

"You've been promising that all week. Frankly, it's not good enough anymore."

That's when the school bell rang. Everyone around us headed for class.

William looked at me guiltily and said, "I'm really sorry."

He tried to walk away, but I grabbed his sleeve. "Eddie, we're gonna be late for cla--"

"Then we'll be late!" I snapped. "This is important."

He stopped protesting after that. I let go, and even as the hallway nearly emptied, he didn't run off.

"William, be honest with me," I pleaded. "Is this because I told you I love you?"

"What?"

"Because I can't help but notice this radio silence started right after that. I came along with you to meet Crazy Ralph. But then as soon as you don't need me any more, you suddenly want more space." I meant to sound angry. I hated how pathetic and desperate I sounded instead. But I kept going with, "Don't say you love me back just 'cause you don't want to hurt my feelings. If I scared you off, just say so."

Is it wrong that I felt a little bit relieved when I saw how heartbroken William looked?

"No. No, Eddie. It's not like that. I promise." He held both my hands. "I love you too. Seriously, if I could, I would be with you all the time. It's just that I really am busy now."

"Where did you go missing that day?" I asked point-blank.

He looked guilty again. Hesitated. Then he answered point-blank, "I can't tell you."

"What have you been so busy with all week long?"

"I can't explain that either."

The hallway was empty by now, except for us.

"I'm sorry, but that's not good enough," I said. "You go missing for almost two days, scaring the hell out of me and your parents. You're meeting strangers from the internet. You look like you haven't slept through the night in ages. Something is obviously wrong, William. Tell me."

He rubbed his face, exhausted. "Listen. A lot of different things happened. There's a lot that's still going on right now, and every part of it is really difficult to talk about. I know I'm not being fair, but can I please keep this to myself for a while longer?"

"If we love each other, we shouldn't keep secrets. I don't keep any secrets from you."

I shouldn't have said that, I thought guiltily. It's a lie. I'm keeping a huge secret from him.

William furrowed his eyebrows. "That's a lie?!"

I froze. Clearly, my poker face wasn't nearly as good as I thought.

"I'm -- I'm not lying," I said lamely.

He was both angry and confused. "How are you keeping a secret from me? I've never heard any--"

"We're not talking about me," I said defensively. "I get that you're going through an identity crisis. I get that it's complicated, and you think researching all this conspiracy stuff will help. I've been extremely supportive and patient with you -- And a lot of boyfriends wouldn't have."

"Do you think I enjoy keeping this all bottled up?! I don't! It's giving me nightmares, Eddie. I keep seeing their faces and thinking it's my fault--" He caught himself and stopped abruptly. "I want to tell you. I just can't."

"Why? What could possibly be so bad that you can't tell me? Did you kill someone?!"

I said it sarcastically, but William froze.

A second later he pressed his eyes shut and put his hands on his head. "I can't have this conversation right now…"

"Willia--"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The lights flickered a bit as he yelled that, but I didn't pay attention.

Once the lights returned to normal, I turned on the spot and walked away from him.

"Eddie? Where are you…?"

I didn't answer him. I just walked away.

I didn't know where I was walking to. I was thinking… Actually, I don't remember what I was thinking in that moment… I wasn't thinking much of anything. Except leaving him alone.

"Oh my god," William said. "No, no, no! Snap out of it!"

He ran behind me and grabbed my hand. The moment he touched me, I stopped and blinked. I hadn't even realized how badly I was spacing out, but suddenly I was alert again.

William ran around to face me and grabbed my head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Eddie," he said quickly. "I'm so, so, so, so, so, so, sorry. I didn't mean to do that, I swear." His eyes were watering.

It seemed like a pretty extreme reaction for shouting at me. "I-It's okay," I mumbled.

I grabbed his hands and gently pulled them away from my head. "Are you ready to talk now?" I asked.

He stared at me, still on the verge of tears. His mouth trembled. But after a second, he nodded.

"Yes… You're right, I can't keep this bottled up… Just, can we please not get into it right this second, in the middle of school? Come over to my place this afternoon. I'll tell you everything then."

"All right. When I come over, are you actually gonna be there this time?"

He looked guilty at that, and nodded again. "Yes."

"Okay."

"I'll explain everything today, Eddie. All of it. I promise. For real this time."

[book-lover85]

realizing that because our society is so deeply ingrained in amatonormativity even more than heteronormativity that most if not all people make many assumptions about interactions and relationships assuming things "must" be romantic or sexual

even as an aroace person I fall into this hole of wondering if I'm reading into characters or people too much or not enough

I have a tendency to just not understand most ships

even the one's I ship because I can't always understand the implied romantic tension that comes with the assumption that all their interactions are romantic and so I sometimes don't see the ship coming or don't understand why it's such a big deal when there wasn't any "obvious" build up (even when there is build up in their relationship it could absolutely be platonic how do I know?)

I can't understand when someone says that my friend has a crush on me without any proof

a friend can be nice to me and not have a crush

but I also sometimes assume an interaction between two people is romantic

and it's so strange

wtf is the world

[egophiliac]

Hi it's just to let you know that the official romanization of Revaan's name is Raverne ! Also they have romanized Baul's name to Baur !

Twst coming back at us again with the least expected romanization! thank you everybody (oh god my inbox) (no it's great, I literally asked for this and the reactions have been INCREDIBLE, thank you all!)

I do like Raverne though, I think it's got a nice fancy sound to it! (I had kinda suspected it was going to be an R instead of an L, so the fact that it's SO close to Laverne except for that is hilarious to me personally.) and Dragoneye Duke is honestly probably the best translation for his title, I wasn't envying the localizers that one. :') Baur instead of Baul I was NOT expecting, but in retrospect I think his name's supposed to be a reference to the Bauru crocodile, so that actually makes way more sense!

someone else also said Meleanor has become Maleanor, which is the REALLY weird one to me, because I was so surprised it was written as Mel instead of Mal in the first place?! oh god no I can't decide which one I like better. 😭 (I wonder if they might change it to Mal...they have made romanization changes before) (like I remember House of Distraction being corrected to House of Destruction in Playful Land) (I did check and she's still Mel for now, but I dunno, they might Mal her up and some point and save me from having to make a decision about which one to use) (HECK I CAN'T DECIDE)

uhhhh thank you for letting me ramble about anime names, let's just say MONOGRAMMED SWEATERS FOR EVERYONE

[answermywearyquery]

the theerapanyakul kids: how close are you with each other?

loan’s kinnporsche 2nd anniversary: favourite familial relationship: the theerapanyakul kids (insp: ½+½)

[dirtytransmasc]

the Sully kids' reaction to Jake saying Spider "knew everything" breaks my heart.

they knew him better than anyone else, better than their parents. they knew his love for Eywa, for Pandora, for The People, for the clan, for their family. they knew he would never tell the RDA anything... not willingly at least.

they knew they were leaving because Spider would be tortured for information, he'd be forced to reveal their home, their plans, their numbers, their weaknesses. their brother would be tortured and they were being forced to leave him behind.

they knew they were being forced to find a new home, without their brother, because their dad knew he would be tortured.

[nordickies]

Baby icey made me think....in your idea of the nations, do you think they start out as babies? In canon they seem to show up as small children, but I love the idea of them starting as widdle babies. Being passed around the village, always in the arms and care of their people...

(This also makes me think of micronations, and if sweden had sealand and/or ladonia while they were still babies...too cute for me to handle)

I do think so, yeah. But that's because I have a hard time deciding what other age they should appear at. The logic of a newborn appearing and surviving in the wild by themselves aside, even a 3-year-old would be pretty hopeless. So why wouldn't they appear as babies? I think (young) Nations have to always rely on other people to take care of them to some degree.

Plus the idea of them being cared for by ordinary people is the cutest! I like to think baby Nations are being taken care of by regular people before some other Nation comes their way and decides to take care of them instead. Whenever rumors about "weird" babies start spreading around, you can just imagine Nations getting curious and checking it out themselves. They have small circles, they probably take raising other Nations as some sort of duty or virtue, idk.

I do like depicting Sealand and Ladonia a bit younger than they're in the canon. Sealand makes sense to be of school age, but Ladonia has existed since the 1990s - that's practically nothing in immortal years (thus I can justify making him a preschooler hehe).

[disposal-blueeee]