#if i tell you any pronouns i am judging you based on your response

[ratbastarddotfuck]

Sorry babe but if me saying I use "any and all" pronouns stresses you out, that's honestly a you problem. It's not my job to pick a "true" or "most preferred" pronoun for you to call me by when my preference is, in fact, use everything chaotically and change it up often.

If you want to ask for clarification on how I'd like various pronouns used, that's fine. But saying to my face "ah I always get stressed about any pronouns - what do I call you"? Just rude tbh. I told you my preference, figure it out. It/they/he/she/xe/zir/fae/rat/bitch/ass/motherfucker I don't care, it's not my problem.

[nickeverdeen]

hello, hello!! if its not a problemo, could i get a matchup for the MCU ? i am a bisexual capricorn, using she/her pronouns,, and my mbti is istj ‼️ i tend to stick to the shy part of the group, but i can be loud too, once I get comfortable with the people im with, and when loud, i do curse like a sailor,, and me and my friends do swear a lot on each other, but its all done out of fun,,

and i do sometimes snap at people when im mad, even if i try not to, sometimes its super hard to stay quiet. once i snap, i start yelling and then i just regret my words/actions,,

my hobbies would include reading (specifically books based on reality (love the godfather series) or romance (especially the angsty ones)), maybe studying if that counts? cause that's all I seem to be doing everyday, cooking (i love to decorate my food!!) and drawing and listening to music!! i do daydream a lot while listening to music

one of the things i hate is when i have to clean up after somebody (don't get me wrong, i do love to clean!! but,, just my stuff) or when im in a room with a lot of mess. sorry, but that just makes me distracted and unable to focus,,

speaking of that,, its sometimes super hard for me to focus and i do have to redo my things or re read something to understand, and the world can just become super overwhelming in a matter of seconds. i do have some fidget toys that help me, but i sometimes bite at my fingers and break the skin a lil' (to sort of get myself back to reality??)),, andd uh,, i am a bit clumsy, so often i do find some scratches/blood on myself without even knowing ?

and id say my love language is physical touch? i am a bit touch starved and hug people as a greeting,, id just like myself someone i could depend on and someone who would not judge me no matter what weird things i do/say,, and someone i could spoil rotten 🤤

thank you so much in advance!! hope this wasnt a bother jshhwhehdbd have a great rest of your day!! 🏃‍♀️💨 ((sorry if there's some grammar mistakes,,))

Definetly! And it wasn’t a bother, I really love writing

Your MCU match is…

Wanda Maximoff

Wanda’s also shy at first so she’d have no problem with it

Suprised by the fact that you cuss at first, but as long as you don’t cuss at her out of anger, she’s totally fine with it

She sometimes does the same with snapping out of anger

Wanda knows that you regret what you said later so I feel like she wouldn’t take some of them that seriously, but it would indeed kinda hurt her

She doesn’t really read, but would love it if you’d to her sometimes

Buys you books that she thinks you might like

Wanda isn’t real fan of studying so seeing that studying is your hobby really suprised her

Compliments you about how smart you are

Cooking? Hell yeah count her in! She likes to cook, but only sometimes

Wanda has a full acess to any kind of playlists and songs so she’d definetly like to listen to any kind of songs with you

She’d probably notice the fact that you hate cleaning after others immediately so she’d probably tell you to leave it there and tell the person who’s responsible for it to go and clean it

Feels bad that you’re overwhelmed so she’d ask you if you want her to help you by using her power to help you make you stop feeling like this

If you’d decline, she would totally understand and ask you what can she do to help

Always patches you up after you get acidentally hurt and mybe scold you a little for it

Her love language is also physical touch and words affirmation

Gladly hugs you gently back

Considering she only had her brother most of her life, she’s also touch starved so prepare for cuddles at night and random hugs from behind

Loves to hold your hand

She isn’t really the type of a person who’d spoil you all the time, but she definetly would do it sometimes

Random kisses on cheek

Wanda is very protective towards you and if someone hurts you, she’s willing to go full Scarlet Witch on them

————————————————————

I really hope this was okay 🫶😅

[worstloki]

(submitted by @lookimtryingmybest)

I wrote something.

(Trigger warning for using it/its pronouns to dehumanize someone because the TVA does shit like that.)

Ravonna had seen so many Lokis, she’d lost count. She’d seen them young, old, good and bad. She’d seen them in all forms and sizes. She’d even seen an alligator Loki once.

But this one was different.

If there was a thing that made a Loki a Loki was their defiance. A Loki refused to give in, no matter how much you may hurt it. They always found ways to screw you over and run away. But this one, this one had no fight in it.

This Loki was a tricky variant. It had escaped Thanos’s grasp at the worst point of its torture. The TVA had chased it throughout half a galaxy before catching him right before it entered Asgard. 

Lokis. So predictable.

It was shaking, already crying–Lokis always cried– and stumbling in its feet. It was the perfect blank slate. 

She ignored its pleas of “don’t take me back to him, please, I’m useful, I’ll do anything, please don’t take me back.” And turned to C-22?.

“Take it to the memory chambers.” Ravonna said.

~Ω~

“Mobius, meet your new assistant.” Ravonna said, allowing the new TVA tool to step from behind her. “This is Sati.”

Mobius smiled a stiff, fake smile. “A pleasure. I’m Mobius. Mobius M. Mobius.”

Ravonna seemed to sense his discontent. “Don’t worry, I assure you, Sati’s an expert on Lokis. You’ll get along great.”

“I look forward to working together, sir.” The ex Loki said. Its smile didn’t reach its eyes.

~Ω~

“I could be useful out in the field!” Sati complained. It was starting to get annoying, with all its whining and crying for attention. Not even the memory chambers could take the attention seeking out of a Loki.

“You’re not allowed.” Mobius said, running out of patience. “Besides, you’re too valuable and this variant is too violent.”

Sati pouted. It looked pathetic. “I understand. I just… wanted to help.”

“You do help, you’re our walking Loki archive.”

“A library could do my job.” Sati muttered under its breath.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

~Ω~

“Loki, this is Sati, my assistant and our… well, our you archive. It knows everything about you. Every detail.”

Loki eyed the ginger man. His hair looked dyed. 

Sati beamed, offering a hand. “A pleasure to meet you, I look forward to working with you.” He almost sounded genuine. 

“The feeling is mutual.” Loki said, giving him a fake smile.

~Ω~ 

“So…” Loki said, as they waited for Mobius to exit his meeting with the judge. “If you’re a me-expert, why am I here?”

“You’re the one that sold himself as indispensable.”

“Question of survival, really, now stop dodging my questions.”

“Reasonable Loki response.”

“Do not–”

“Evade your questions? I won’t. To be honest, I don’t think this variant is a Loki at all.”

“And you need me then to…?”

“Confirm my theory. Get a look at this variant’s seidr signature to compare it with your own. Then maybe they’ll listen to me.”

“You know about seidr?”

“I’m a Loki expert. I know everything.”

“Yes, well, people don’t usually care much about seidr. T’is–”

“A womanly art? Yeah, that’s bull’s crap. I wish I could learn it myself.”

“Maybe you could.” Said Loki, giving one of his mischievous smirks.

Sati rolled its eyes. “Imma indulge you. How could I?”

“I can see people’s seidr, but not here. Magic is repressed here. No magic, no colour, it’s so dreadfully empty. If we went outside, I could check.”

“I’m not allowed in the field.”

“Yes, yes, you’re too valuable an asset to lose to a rogue me-variant. But we could go somewhere safe. Somewhere isolated.”

“That’s against the rules”

“So?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

Loki smiled. 

~Ω~ 

“We were near her, I think she’s a she her, but she had lit everything on fire so I was a bit preoccupied trying not to be burnt alive than to read her seidr.”

“It’s ok, at least we know she’s a woman variant, which, yes, Loki woman variants are pretty common. But blonde? Yeah, a Loki would never be blond.”

“Too much like my brother.”

“Indeed. Think it could be a Thor variant?”

“Doubt it. My brother, or, well, would be sister, she’s too smart to be a Thor.” 

Sati pouted. “Well there goes my only theory.” It crossed out the few lines it had written in its notebook and passed the page. “You’ve got any idea?”

“Well, she’s Asgardian for sure, and probably nobility. Unless she stole from the nobility, which is a possibility.” 

“That narrows it down to… a bit less than ten thousand people.”

“One thousand and a half if you only consider noble people.”

“I am only considering noble people. I am also considering them from all the entirety of Asgard’s history.”

“Oh. Right. Well, if I get a closer look I could try deduce where she’s from by the outfit.”

“And take the opportunity to talk to her and betray us? Yeah, not gonna happen buddy.”

“I’m not gonna betray you.”

“Then you’re more of an idiot than I thought you were.” Sati said. “Or you’re lying, which I know you are.”

Loki gasp, faking offence. “How dare you.”

The chair in front of them creaked as Mobius sat down, letting go of a pile of documents. 

“So, what do we got?” He asked, not bothering to say hello.

“She’s a she variant, blonde, asgardian and probably noble.” Sati said, organizing its papers. “We have ruled out the possibility of her being a Loki variant, and the chances of her being a Thor variant. If we could manage a close–”

“I already told you, it’s a Loki variant.” Mobius said. “That’s what the higher ups say, it’s not your job to run conspiracy theories about that. Your job is to catch her.”

“But that’s the problem, you keep insisting she’s a Loki when the modus operandi does not match! We’re wasting time because you insist to treat her like someone she’s not, it’s like trying to eat soup with a fork!”

“Sati. Calm down.”

Loki watched Sati clench its teeth, leaning back on its chair. It went back to looking over its notes.

“Well” Loki said, “what did you bring us?”

Mobius pushed the pile of documents towards him. “Information on the history of Asgard and of you. Maybe with this, and Sati’s help, you can figure out where she’s hiding, or what she’s gonna do next.” He stood up from the table. “I’m gonna go get a coffee, I’ll be right back.”

“Bring me hot chocolate.” Sati said, eyes focused on its notebook.

“Sure, will do.” Mobius said.

Mobius did not bring any hot chocolate back.

~Ω~

“So the apocalypse theory was right, then?” Sati asked, walking next to Loki.

“Yes, now we only have to figure out in which apocalypse she’s hiding.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I was already cross referring information about apocalypses, or events of massive destruction. The librarians have a bad way of measuring the level of destruction, but luckily they’re ordered chronologically and not by level.”

“The TVA have a bad way of doing everything.” Loki mutters. “Anyways, what did you get?”

“Oh, there’s three major possibilities. Two based on personal background, and one on an object retrieved from a crime scene that might have belonged to the variant.”

“Do tell.”

“First would be Ragnarok, the destruction of Asgard. Or a bit earlier, a thousand years or more, don’t know the exact details, you hadn’t been born yet, the genocide of the Dark Elves. Those seem like places any asgardian variant would go if they wanted to take refuge in apocalypses. As for the one deduced from a candy bar–” 

Then Sati stopped, staring ahead them.

Loki frowned, and followed his gaze. 

“Huh.” He said. “Didn’t know they had Thanos variants.”

[seidrsson]

rules

GENERAL. I am an independent, semi-selective roleplay blog. I am over 18, but I am not solely 18+. Anyone can interact, even non-roleplay blogs, but there’s no guarantee that I’ll respond. Don’t panic!! I’m very chill and loose with almost all of my rules, just because that’s how I am. If you’ve done something I don’t like, I will tell you, and I expect the same from you. Communication is key, folks.

MUSE. My Loki is based primarily off of Marvel Cinematic Universe canon, with additions from norse mythology. They use she/he/they pronouns and they will changes sex (I use Katie McGrath as their ‘female’ faceclaim). They may be presenting as female as use he/him pronouns and vice versa. If you’re wondering what pronouns to use, throw a dart, Loki really doesn’t care xD

CONTENT. I typically write multi-paragraph responses in the third person, but my roleplay style is very adaptable! Generally, I’ll edit my response to match your style. I prefer responses to be more than a simple: “He nodded.” That’s not to say shorter responses aren’t welcome, (I am open to one-liner threads!) but please give me something to work off of.

SELECTIVITY. I am semi-selective - this means I am open to roleplaying with whoever, but I may decide I don’t want to roleplay with you. I am open to roleplaying with multi-muse, crossovers, as well as OCs though I ask that they have a biography to read.

PLATFORM. I will not roleplay in DMs, and I do not roleplay threads with anons, as it gets hard to keep track. You are welcome to send questions in on anon, though, just don’t expect a full plot with multiple replies!

STARTERS. My starters are always open, no matter how old they are! Feel free to send them in at any time. I don’t believe in reblog karma! Reblog as many memes from me as you want! (Just don’t touch any threads you aren’t involved in.) Also, let it be known that you don’t have to send in a starter I’ve posted! If there’s something your muse wants to say or do, do it!

SHIPPING. Shipping is based on chemistry. I will not ship with a character my muse is unfamiliar with, we’ll have to write a few threads first to find out their dynamic. I’m open to multiple relationships with my characters, as my threads are generally written in separate verses.

NSFW. I will write smut, it will be tagged as #nsfw. (With the period.) I will NOT write smut without a predefined relationship (see previous rule). I will NOT write smut with anyone under 18. I will NOT write non-con or incest.

WARNING. Any threads with possibly triggering topics will be tagged as #suicide mention tw, #death tw, etc. Please ask if you have anything specific you’d like me to tag!

BLOCKING. If you softblock me and I refollow you, it’s because Tumblr is mean to me and often makes me unfollow people on accident. I’d suggest you either hardblock me or shoot me a message and explain, I won’t question or judge, I’m probably just confused.

MAINS/EXCLUSIVES. I don’t do them. At least not in any official capacity, because the pressure of having mains makes me want to stop responding anyway.

[starsaver94]

Hiii could I please get a mha matchup? Preferably with a male pls. Pronouns she/her. I am 5’4, an ambivert and a Latina. I have pale skin, mid-length brown wavy hair with bangs, and hazel eyes. I am described as someone who comes off as cold or aloof when I’m around people I don’t know. After getting to know me, I am the complete opposite. I’m just a bit shy at first lol. My friends have told me that I give good advice but like to joke about my stubbornness. I like to make people laugh and try to make the best of any situation. However I have a hard time expressing my emotions. I’m also described as easy going and fun to be around. I love animals especially dogs. I am a hip hop dancer and love to perform. Enjoy reading and playing video games. I love music especially hip hop, rap, & reggaeton. I also love to write music/poetry. I never show anybody though since I’m really shy about it. I really like drawing and painting. I can be playful and love to tease my friends. I also really like to eat and travel. I am a bit of a homebody but I enjoy hiking. I really enjoy having deep conversations. I can’t stand people who bully others and people who are fake. I like to be honest and helpful in any way I can. My style is usually anything comfy/casual and I don’t really like wearing skirts or dresses. I speak English and Spanish (learning Japanese & Portuguese). I would love to learn ASL one day as well. I enjoy watching crime investigations. I don’t really any fears, just not being able to accomplish my goals/dreams. I tend to daydream a lot and I’m also a big procrastinator 😭. I would say my love languages are words of affirmation and physical touch. I’m usually really cold towards the person I like lol. I tend to be a bit jealous/possessive in a relationship, not in an unhealthy way though. Just wouldn’t match with someone who is very flirty with other people lol. What I look for in a partner is someone that is selfless, mature and has depth to them. Also if they are really accepting because I’ve never had that growing up. Thank you so much!! 💘💘💘

I pair you with...

Mezo Shoji!

This guy was honestly the right person to approach you when you both first met.

He’s not overly-energetic like Kaminari or Ashido, and he’s not too distant like Bakugou or Todoroki.

He’s very accepting of you since he knows what it’s like to be judged based on appearances or other differences.

Shoji enjoys watching you dance. He’ll even have little dance offs with you.

His hip-hop dancing is honestly impressive, mostly because of his multiple arms.

Shoji is pretty quiet most of the time. So he’ll usually just silently sit and watch as you draw/paint.

He’ll even allow you to use him as a model to practice more advanced or complex drawings.

This boy is seriously touch-starved!

So in other words... Cuddle him!

Because in all honesty, this guy is a big cuddle bug and is hugs/cuddles are the best!

His arms wrap around you and form a protective and warm cover around you.

The thing he adores most is that you love him despite his intimidating appearance. 

He helps keep your jealousy/possessiveness in check.

He’ll pull you in close and tells you gently but firmly to calm down.

All in all, Shoji is a very attentive, responsible, and caring boyfriend.

[thirstyforcharacters]

2. The Blizzard Hits

Part 2 of 4 of the Winter Storm Warning Series

Summary: You and Poe have been captured by First Order forces. You both have to come to terms with what that means.

Notes: Hello! Here's the second chapter in this little series. I have officially decided that this is going to be four chapters long, so we're halfway done already! I’m not really expecting too many people to read this series until the smut in the fourth chapter lol, but I still think that the buildup is very important! There is an interrogation scene in this one, but I don't think it's overly graphic or anything, so hopefully it should be okay! Hope you enjoy! You can read the first chapter of this series here, the third here, and the fourth here. (use of she/her pronouns in future chapters, no y/n)

Warnings: angst, interrogation with a broken nose, a little blood

WC: 2k

There were three you realized when you came to.

The first was that it was almost completely dark.

The room these troopers chose to keep you in had no windows. The door blocked out most of the light, except for a small sliver at the very bottom. If you had to guess, this room was most likely a storage closet of some kind while the base was in use.

The second was that you were freezing.

This wasn’t too unbelievable given that you were on Hoth, but you would think that if you were inside, there would be some kind of heating system. Perhaps it was broken. Or maybe the troopers were just too dumb to figure it out.

The third is that you were chained to the wall.

The cold metal was clasped around your ankle, tethering you in place. You didn’t like that very much, of course. You wanted to at least be able to inspect the room that you were in. And since your wrists were chained together, it would be difficult for you to break free. You wouldn’t think that the rebels of old were cruel enough to chain their prisoners to the wall, so the troopers probably brought them in here just for you. How special.

Though you couldn’t see him, you assumed that you were being held in the same room as Poe. When you listened harder, you could barely make out the sounds of his breathing. Judging by how quiet it was, you guessed that he was still knocked out. Worry coursed through your veins. You didn’t know how long you were in here, but you knew it had to have been at least half an hour. That’s an awfully long time to be passed out. But your worry soon dissipated when you heard him groan.

“What the hell?” he muttered, and you heard his chains rattle, presumably to rub at his eyes, “where are we?”

“I don’t know. It’s too dark to see anything. But I assume that we’re in some sort of old storage closet,” you replied.

You heard him try to get up and curse when he realized that he couldn’t, “Well, this isn’t ideal.”

All at once, you remembered the chain of events that had landed you here. His recklessness and inability to listen had landed you both here. Despite that pitch blackness before your eyes, you were seeing red.

“Clearly,” you scoffed, “and this situation could’ve been avoided.”

“No, it couldn’t,” he argued, “no matter what, we would’ve been running into this many people.”

“Yes, it could’ve,” you growled, knowing that you were right, “if we had formulated a plan, we could’ve taken them out. The two of us together would’ve been more than skilled enough to pull it off. But of course, you just had to be reckless. You’re so fucking headstrong, even when it’s at your detriment. Maybe in the past, you’ve just made up your plans on the fly, but that doesn’t work in situations like this. You’d think as a commander, you’d know that. This was your fault, Dameron. You’re the reason that we’re stuck here with no way out. So stop trying to deflect responsibility. We both know this could’ve been prevented.”

He fell silent then, and you smirked to yourself. His lack of response meant he knew he was in the wrong. For once in your lives, he acknowledged that you were right. You figured that he’d never admit it out loud, so his silence was good enough for you.

“At any rate,” you began again, “we need to figure out how to get out of here and take these guys out before this base is operational.”

He nodded, “Yeah, we do. There’s no window, and I would assume that the door is guarded, so that’s our first problem.”

“Even if they have weapons, I think we’re both good enough to take them out. We just need to break these chains and somehow get the door open,” you replied.

“If this is just a storage closet, like you think, we’d just have to find something to pick the lock with. Shouldn’t be too difficult,” said Poe.

You agreed, and you were about to tell him so when the lock clicked and the door swung open. The light spilling in from the hallway was a shock to your senses, and your eyes fluttered shut from the intrusion. Once you opened them again, you saw that four figures had walked in. Three were just regular troopers, but one was wearing one of the black officer outfits. She looked you both over, and there was a smirk painted across her face.

“So,” she stated, “I didn’t know we had one of General Organa’s most prized admirals and the best pilot in the Resistance in our presence. I feel honored.”

“You should,” quipped Poe.

You had to physically restrain yourself from rolling your eyes. Now was not the time for this!

The officer chuckled darkly, “You’re lucky I’m not after you today. Bring the admiral to her feet. I have some questions for her.”

Your eyes widened slightly. Getting interrogated was not on your agenda today. One of the troopers stepped forward to unlock the chains around your ankles, and you both took a sharp intake of breath when you were roughly hauled to your feet and shoved out the door. The last thing you saw before leaving was the guilt in Poe’s eyes. Good. This was his fault, after all. Though, you supposed only the getting captured thing was his fault. Not everything that happened after. That could only be blamed on the First Order.

You were dragged through the halls until you were brought out to their main hub of operations, which was the large hangar near the front of the base. You counted about 20 stormtroopers total; two were guarding your door, four were the ones leading you through the halls, three walking through the halls, and the final eleven in the main hangar. You figured that that would be easy enough once you and Poe got ahold of weapons. There was only one other officer, which was good news for you two. You were taken out of your thoughts by being unceremoniously thrown to the ground. The officer and the three troopers who escorted you towered over your kneeling figure.

“So, Admiral,” the officer started, “there are a few things that I really need to know. And you’re going to tell them to me.”

“Like hell I am,” you spat back.

“We’ll see. The first thing that I’d like to know is how you knew we were here.”

You stayed silent.

“Come on now, Admiral, I asked nicely. I won’t do that too many more times,” she coaxed.

“I don’t know,” you told her, almost nonchalantly.

Technically, it wasn’t a total lie. Though you knew that Finn had gotten the information from a traitor, truth be told, you didn’t know exactly who it was. No one did, seeing as they went by a codename. And even if you did know, you wouldn’t throw Finn under the bus, or reveal your source of information.

“Liar!” she barked, raising the butt of her rifle and striking you in the face with it.

You cried out in pain as you felt blood pour from your nose. It was definitely broken. This is why you preferred being in the air; there was much less risk of breaking your bones. You attempted to raise your hands to your nose to help staunch the blood flow, but the cuffs around your wrists prevented you from doing so effectively.

“That’s not the worst you’ll get if you don’t tell me where you got your information from now,” the officer growled.

“Never,” you said through gritted teeth.

She flipped her rifle around so the front was facing you and pressed it against your forehead.

“I don’t have to kill you. But if you don’t tell me, I have no problem disposing of you and moving on to the pilot. So I think you should just let me know who gave you that intel,” she pressed.

“Neither of us will, so stop trying,” you snapped back, “you might as well just kill me now and stop wasting our time.”

“If you say so,” she said, cocking her rifle.

“Not if I can help it,” came a voice from one of the entrances in the hangar.

You all turned to the doorway and there was Poe, with a blaster in each hand. He swiftly shot the officer in front of you. She crumpled to the ground, and you grabbed the rifle from her body. While most of the troopers were distracted with Poe in the doorway, you took out the three troopers near you (which was certainly a struggle with cuffed hands, but you managed). You found a pin on the floor, and used it to pick the cuffs open. With you new blaster rifle, you joined Poe in the scuffle, working in tandem to take out the troopers holding you captive.

When the adrenaline from the fight wore off, the throbbing pain in your nose came back full force, and the blood loss was starting to make you woozy. You sank to the ground against the wall, pinching your nose to try and stop the blood flow. The front of your shirt was starting to stain with red. You’d definitely need to scrub that out later.

“Oh shit, you’re still bleeding! Let me find a med kit,” Poe exclaimed, rushing around the room until he located the medical supplies and sat in front of you.

Poe worked in silence. He did his best to fix the injury, and you think he did pretty well, given that he wasn’t a professional. You’d probably get a healer to look at it once you returned to base, but he stopped the blood flow, which was the most important part.

“Is that better?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, thanks,” you replied.

He shook his head, and the guilt that was in his expression earlier returned, “Don’t thank me. It’s my fault it happened in the first place.”

“That was the First Order’s fault, not yours,” you contested.

“Yes, it was,” he argued, “all of this was my fault. They wouldn’t have hurt you if we hadn’t gotten captured, and that was because of me. I’m sorry. I should’ve listened to you. I shouldn’t have rushed in. It was incredibly reckless, and you suffered because of it. I’m sorry, Admiral. Promise I won’t do that again.”

You were stunned. You didn’t even think he’d admit that this was his fault, let alone apologize for it. And he seemed upset that you were hurt. You honestly didn’t think he’d care. And you also didn’t expect yourself to forgive him so quickly. But you couldn’t help it. The guilt and regret in his eyes told you that he truly was sorry.

“It’s okay. We got out of it, and that’s what matters. One of us should probably contact the general and tell her that we finished the job and that we’re on our way.”

“I will,” he replied, “you rest. You lost a decent bit of blood.”

You nodded, laying your head back against the wall and closing your eyes. You heard him walk away and start talking to Leia, telling her the events that transpired. She congratulated both of you on a job well done, but still told Poe off a little bit for his actions.

You didn’t even realize that you had fallen asleep, but before you knew it, you were gently shaken awake by Poe.

“Sorry to wake you, but I’ve got bad news.”

“W-what is it?” you questioned, stifling a yawn.”

He winced, “The snow storm outside is in full force. The conditions are too bad for either of us to fly in, or even walk out to the ship in. We’ll have to stay here for the night.”

You sighed softly. Even though you wouldn’t say you hated Poe anymore (which was big for you), you still weren’t his biggest fan. So staying alone with him in the base wasn’t the most appealing to you. But going out in that blizzard was a death wish, so stay here you would. This was going to be a long night.

[grouptalekindnesssoul]

Run Boy Run

@ratherstarryeyed Here’s your gift! :D I hope you enjoy. @sanderssidesgiftxchange thanks for arranging this 

(I promise Patton does not play a huge role. He becomes a background character very quickly)

Summary: Janus was the crown Prince, until a charismatic group of pirates swooped in and stole him away. Featuring mentioned gay pining! 

Warnings: Swears, Unsympathetic Patton, I switch names halfway. 

“Prince Damian, you must get up. Your betrothed will be here in an hour” A servant tugged at the prince’s prone form. 

“Then tell her, I am not interested” The prince groaned, rolling out of reach. The servant wouldn’t be deterred however, and continued to yank on his arm. Instead of giving in however, the prince buried himself deeper. 

“Crown Prince Damian Eric Stephan Layor you will get yourself up immediately” An growly voice rang out 

“And what if I don’t want to, father” Damian didn’t move an inch. King Patton was not used to people disobeying him. In fact, it was downright impossible to go against him. However, his son was firmly against the marriage. And it was placing strains on the relations between the two kingdoms. 

“Young man, you will get up, or I will drag you downstairs and forcibly shove you into your suit” The King’s voice went deathly quiet. However, Damian was completely done with it and went limp to make it difficult to move him. The king made true on his promise however, and had his guards drag the 18 year old out of bed and down the stairs. The suit was carefully unsewn and resewn around the prince’s body by the tailor’s magic. 

“Damian, stay low, and stay still” Remy briefly dropped xir shades. Damian nodded, trusting xem without a second thought. Never did xe drop xer shades. Something was wrong. Resigned to his fate, Damian walked under his own power to the meeting room. The king was nowhere to be found, though some of the more important advisors were already there. Damian sat in his marked seat, still as a statue as a crown was dropped on his head. 

“Now, with Princ-” The chief advisor began, moving opposite Damian. Before he could get more than that, a window shattered inwards. Damian froze, lowering himself to be a smaller target. A group of people jumped in, surrounding the table. The one who appeared to be the leader stood behind Damian. 

“Now, I’d tell you to drop yer weapons, butcha already have” A lazy voice began from somewhere to the prince’s right. 

“Hand over your valuables, and tell us the location of your king, and we’ll spare you” A clipped formal voice came from the left. Damian made note of the educated nature of the vocabulary. Before any of them could do much else, the door began to shake and loud voices echoed from outside of it. 

“Grab what you can and scram!” Another voice burst out. Damian couldn’t tell from where in the commotion. 

“Get me out of here. I’m the crown prince and you can ransom me” Damian twisted immediately to grab what he judged to be the leader’s arm. The man looked conflicted before scooping him up and running for the window again. There was a feeling of weightlessness as the man carried Damian away. 

_____

The group fell to the deck panting as their ship pulled away from shore. Damian stared at the boards beneath him, wondering why he decided to pipe up. He didn’t regret his decision exactly, but he questioned it. 

“What’s your name kid?” A voice cut into his internal crisis. He turned to see the captain of the ship.

“De-Janus. My name is Janus” Damian nodded to himself. 

“I’m Thomas. Welcome aboard the Sides Sailing, my ship” The man smiled, nodding as he helped Janus up. 

“Are you really the prince?” The formal figure drew himself up, adjusting round glasses. 

“...I am. But I don’t want to be” Janus rubbed his head awkwardly. 

“Well then, you’ll fit in just fine,” Thomas said, clapping a hand on Janus’s shoulder. 

“I am Logan” The bespectacled man supplied, offering a bow.

“Roman. And Virgil is over there with the half shaved head, Emile is the other glasses-wearing fool, and-” Janus’s rescuer began to point out people. 

“Ro, they can introduce themselves” Thomas scolded, kicking the darker man.  Roman, as the rescuer had been crowned, ducked his head. A deep chuckle betrayed his complete lack of shame to Janus. 

“Unfortunately, that leaves only me” The last unidentified person added, a quiet chuckle alongside their introduction. “I’m Delphine, only one on this ship who actively breaks rules” 

“Del!” The tallest of the group (Virgil as Janus recalled) swatted at the disappearing figure. 

“Anyways, my pronouns currently are they/she. Emile is they/them. Thomas, Ro, and Virgil are he/him, and Lo is ae/aer” Delphine was back, leaning over Janus’s shoulder from a rope. They cackled at the jerk he gave. 

“A-anyways, what do you guys do?” Janus asked self-consciously as the gremlin climbed up the rope. 

“Mostly trading. The trinkets will sell for massive amounts, if only to the palace staff. If you want, you can join us? We could use someone else of note” Thomas rubbed his neck, shifting feet as the wind caught in the sails. There was a grunt from Delphine, as she leaned down to tug one of the ropes on the port side. 

“Let me stay. I don’t want to be crown prince and I can...you can sell my stuff” Janus blurted out.

“Oh, we figured you would stay. None of us doubted it after the name switch, and how you addressed your title” Logan commented, aer hands adjusting aer outfit. 

“You can borrow some of my stuff. We appear to be about the same size” Del piped up, taking Emile’s offered hand up from where they were hanging off the ship. 

“....Is She always like that?” Janus asked in disbelief. 

“Usually. But you get used to it after a while” The rich voice of Roman came from Janus’s blind side. When the (former) prince startled, Roman’s muscled arms were there and his eyes casting concerned sweeps of the other man. 

“S-sorry. I just had an accident that left me blind and deaf in that side of my face” Janus started, offering a weak smile. 

“Let me look at that, you could have suffered damage on that side of your face” Emile finally spoke up, their hands already wrapping around the arm of Janus’s shirt. 

“They are our medic. You’ll be okay” Logan soothed the Prince. 

“Okay. Thanks” Janus said, relaxing slightly at the gentle guiding of the unarmed person. 

“Delphine, go get some of your clothes. Better to get the exact adjustments needed started” Thomas ordered, and they ducked into somewhere that Janus couldn’t see as he was brought below deck. 

___

A few weeks later found Janus settled among the crewmates. He figured out that Virgil and Emile were a couple, while Thomas and Logan considered themselves the unofficial parents of the group. Thomas constantly joked how they were aro/ace solidarity. Delphine was an enigma and Roman seemed to have his eyes on someone else. 

“Del, you’re the expert. What should I do?” Janus heard Roman talking from Delphine’s workspace, high up off the ground where a hammock was nestled among the various ropes late one day. 

“Ro, I am hardly an expert. But I say, ask him out. Worst comes to worst you say it was a new crush and easily dismissed” The distracted voice of the teen answered after a beat. 

“Yea, but like pocket protector he’s used to finer things. And the pair of us...if I were ever to retire I would have little. I can’t do it to him” Janus’s heart stopped. ‘Pocket Protector’ was Logan. Could it be that Ro liked aer? It would make sense, with the fact that they had known each other a while. 

“Get out of here if you’re gonna be a hopeless gay romantic” There was a thud and a yelp of pain as Roman came crashing down to the deck. 

“Quit fighting on my ship!” Thomas’s voice echoed from below. 

“No promises~” The aloft person hummed. A few moments later a shirt fluttered down onto Ro’s head. “Take that to JayJay. He needs another shirt after he ripped through my other one. Those clothes better buy me more fabric as well as food and water” 

“No promises” Roman mocked, climbing to his feet. Janus began to duck behind the door. Unfortunately for him, the movement attracted Ro’s attention. 

“Oh, hey Janus. Perfect timing, Del just finished a new shirt for you” Roman offered the shirt. 

“Oh, Thanks. Uh, what was that crash?” Janus squeaked in attempted nonchalant chatter. 

“Del literally kicking off her little space” Roman shrugged, brushing past closer than necessary. The muscles made Janus burst out in blush. A sudden jerk sent both men to the ground in a tangle of limbs. 

“I am going to murder whoever is responsible for this shit. Thomas, get your ass up here! We have a problem” Del roared, and the captain appeared out of thin air. 

“What is- not today. Can you help us escape” Thomas glanced over to the smoky port side. His face paled as he peered through the smoke.

“No promises! Haven’t used the engine in a while and it looks like they took out a piece of the sail” Delphine was busy tugging on a line that had suddenly appeared from the base of the sail. Ae reached up to pull a few of the ropes above aer head to pull the sails around to catch the wind.

“I..should go” Roman mumbled, squeezing Janus’s shoulder. 

“Please. Don’t” Janus held tight to the arm, scared. Ro hummed, wrapping it more securely around the man. 

“Ro, don’ move. Th’engine may not be able te take it” Del yelled, a blended accent that Janus recognized from the raid he’d been ‘taken’ in. 

“Running out of time! It’s now or never!” Thomas bellowed over the whir from another engine. Delphine growled, yanking upwards with all aer might, and leaping into the air in the same motion. The deck buzzed as an engine burst to life, and the ship took off. Janus loosened his grip on Roman, shaking as both of his other crewmates relaxed. 

“Thomas, keep it steady. I’m going to do what I can to repair the sail so we can have full maneuverability” Delphine called as Ro murmured soft words into Janus’s curly hair. The rest of the crew appeared, Emile hurrying to check for any wounds while Virgil stuck close with a hand on his knife.  

“You can,” Janus tried to steady his voice “go to your crush, if you wish. I will be fine”  Ro glanced down, his face split with a look of confusion. Janus cursed his upbringing as he slipped back into his educated voice.

“You heard?”

“I did, and I wish to assure you I am perfectly fine” A disbelieving laugh bounced around Ro. 

“We’ll be able to reach the city early tomorrow now that we’re in the air” Logan interrupted. The moment was further interrupted by the slew of curses echoing from the port side. In a feat of acrobatic strength, Del was hanging on the tip of the sail and sewing up the damage. 

“Just tell him Ro. We’re tired of you dancing around trying to figure out how” Vee yelled, a fond smile flickering at the corners of his lips. 

“Janus, I am already comforting my crush. He is stupidly selfless at times, smart, witty, sarcastic, and an utter annoyance”

“So....Del?”

“No, you stupid fool! He is gayer than the fourth of July!” Del yelled. 

“No. It’s you, Janus. Your bravery weeks ago was the first strike. Everything since has snowballed into a horrible crush. And I ge-hmph!” Ro explained. Sensing a self-deprecation, Janus pulled his shirt down and kissed him. There were cheers as they broke apart. 

“Does that answer your lil question?” Janus smiled widely, a sappy look in his eyes. 

“Y-yea” Roman stuttered, face bright red. Del ruined the moment with further cursing from her project. Ae finally cimbed back on deck and unfurled the sail further. She went to Thomas, whispering something to him. He nodded, clapping aers shoulder. The pair disappeared below deck as Roman and Janus made out. Finally, everyone drifted below deck as the ship tilted itself towards the destination. 

~~

The next day, the pulled into port. Logan immediately went ashore, hailing the harbormaster. Janus watched as the crew unloaded things that used to belong to him. It was oddly relieving as it disappeared to the marketplace with Virgil and Emile. 

Roman pulled Janus ashore, running to a familiar figure. 

“Remy!” Janus called as he recognized the tailor. He immediately hugged xem, a whine coming from his throat. 

“Whoa babes! Careful with the goods” Remy patted the man’s head. 

“Hey Remy. I believe you’ve met my boyfriend?” Roman said proudly as Janus let go and grabbed Ro’s hand again. Remy whistled, swirling xir cup. 

“Don’t hesitate do you? Well congrats Damien” 

“It’s...Janus now. I go by Janus”

“Janus! Knew there was a reason I liked you. Now, where can I take my stuff?” Remy waved to a suitcase behind xem. 

“My room is yours now. I’m leaving the crew” Del appeared, his face tired. Remy shrugged and hauled the bag towards the ship.

“Wait, you’re leaving us? And Remy..?” Janus caught Del’s arm in his free hand. 

“Yea. Remy is one of us. Or, you guys. Xe started sneaking us stolen goods a couple years ago. And, it’s time I depart. Your story has no more need for me” Del reached up to kiss Ro’s cheek as he explained. 

“Good luck. I’ll see you around” Del waved as he walked onwards, leaving the Sides Sailing and her crew to their adventures. 

[phantom-of-nrc]

Hello, I would like a Twst matchup (I am open to both student and/or staff) please. I’ll go by as 🌺 and my pronouns are she/them. Also I would like to remain anonymous.

I am an INFJ, Gryffindor with the DND moral alignment of True Neutral. My chinese zodiac is the Snake while my astrological zodiac is Gemini. My favourite colours are subdued pastels and neutral tones. My love language is quality time.

Appearance wise, I am 5'4 light-skinned filipino with a softened hourglass figure. I have a button nose and soft brown almond-shaped eyes. I have straight black hair that goes half-way down my back, but usually is tied up in a messy bun. I wear thin gold framed glasses. I tend to wear lose sweaters, black leggings and runners. Outfit wise, I go for the cozy academic look.

Personality wise, I am pretty reserved with strangers but with people who I am close to (which is pretty hard since I am quite closed off), I am more outgoing. I am quite witty with my responses and playfully tease those who I really trust. Even then, I am overall softer and gentler in mannerisms. Due to closed off nature I tend to listen more in a conversation, but I sometimes am quite chatty. Funnily enough, I have been described as ‘baby’ and 'grandma’ at the same time. At times I can be child-like because of how easily excited and happy I can get over the little things, but at the same time quite old because of the advice I give. I am quite tactile with people who I am close to. I am described as being super imaginative and creative. I am known to be very honest and willing to communicate with others. I also live by the saying “do no harm but take no shit”. I have also been known for grey morals because how I don’t judge or assume things about others. My energy level from day to day can switch from super productive to lethargic.

By nature, I am quite calculating and observant of people and my surroundings. I have a knack for reading people and acting accordingly. Sometimes I become manipulative if I am genuinely mad, which is rare. People usually approach me for advice, comfort or just as someone to talk to. Also, I have been known to be quite philosophical and super chaotic. On the other hand, I can easily get anxious, and become skittish as a result. Quite surprisingly I have a quite a realistic and borderline pessimistic world view. To note, I do struggle with my mental health because of my past, and as a result I deal with moderate depression and have scars.

My hobbies usually consist of reading, writing, sleeping, playing videogames (either story-based or strategy-based games) or just trying out new recipes. When its winter I love to go skating. Overall, I tend to want to learn about things in general, so I also tend to watch art vlogs or educational videos (Science-centric). Currently I am working on learning German in my free time. When I am alone, I tend to sing to myself. (my voice is suited for lullabies and soft jazz) (funfact: people have been trying to get me to join choir because of my voice)

I like softer things such as pastels, flowers, and nature. But I always have a love for the macabre. In the future, I am looking to invest in getting a large dog as a companion/emotional support animal. Currently I am working towards learning Environmental Studies. My favourite drink is Bubble Tea.

Thank you in advance !

ℌ𝔬𝔴 ℭ𝔬𝔪���?

🗝 Is this an unlikely result? Who knows? The Snake zodiac and INFJ MBTI combination, you’re the woman that Dire Crowley needs. While you may have days where you tend to be lethargic, the productivity that comes to you on the other days is something that our ever-so gracious and hard-working headmaster needs. Of course he pays no mind to the days where you tend to be lethargic, the two of you could have some fun while the poor Ramshackle residents would have to deal with overblots— 

🗝 With your relationship, I do believe that it would be a slow burn, but once the two of you have finally gotten together, expect to be one of the quirkiest couples in NRC. Dire Crowley is someone who tends to be excited over certain things like vacations and events that would polish his and his school’s reputation. With you who’s also someone who’s easily excited, the two of you are basically the sunshine couple of NRC. How unusual considering Dire Crowley’s dark style, right? But alas, love works in mysterious ways, and not even Dire Crowley is immune to the spell that you have put him under.

🗝 In all honesty, I kind of see you and Dire Crowley as the couple who runs the campus together. He does need some help, after all. The fact that you’re observant and calculating is also a benefit if you don’t mind with helping Dire Crowley run the campus. If Dire Crowley ever dumps his work on you, do tell me and I’ll bonk him for you! Don’t worry though. There’s always Yuu and Grim for him to dump some duties to💖

🗝 Please tease him, his reactions would certainly be adorable! He’d be very flustered whenever you tease him, the students are basically standing there, watching like children having to watch their parents share a lovey-dovey moment. It’s inevitable for one of the students to say “Get a room.”

🗝 I envy this man’s ego confidence. Are you feeling anxious? Nervous? Don’t worry, your beloved Dire Crowley is here to save the day and give words of encouragement as the gracious lover he is! Isn’t he just the ideal boyfriend?

🗝 One word: Simp. He’s a simp for you. He’s simps for your voice, he might’ve cried over how peaceful you looked while you’re asleep, he cries while he simps for you.

🗝 Do you have any ideas on events that you’d like to take place in NRC? Just ideas in general? If you do, don’t hesitate sharing them with him! Oh? Are you writing? Curiosity comes and hits Dire Crowley! Would you like to come and spend some quality time with him? Would you like to go to a vacation with him?? Every experience is twice as fun with you! 

🗝 On the other hand, he treasures you dearly. Learning of your depression and scars, he’s going to make sure to find ways to help you, to bring a smile to your face and chase the memories of your past away with a relationship full of fluff and years of enjoyable NRC.

🗝 Even if Dire Crowley wears dark colors and you like pastels, it doesn’t get in the way of your relationship. In fact, it makes the two of you an even cuter couple!

𝔐𝔢𝔢𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔤:

  Dire Crowley is a man who may have a knack for travelling. Currently, he was taking a vacation from handling his school as its headmaster. 

  Ice skating has always been something that the headmaster was curious to try. Considering that he, being the gracious headmaster he is, has been busy with his prestigious school. With the chance provided for him by the vacation, he could finally try ice skating. 

If only he wasn’t too excited to skate for the first time. 

  As soon as he attempted to glide across the icy rink, the oh-so graceful headmaster body flopped. It seems like this was the last thing that you have expected. Hastily trying to stop yourself from tripping over the headmaster’s body flopped body, gravity seemed to be feeling a little mischievous as you stumbled and landed on the headmaster. 

It seems that Dire Crowley’s eagerness to try ice skating have led to the discovery of a new chapter of your lives.

[fagsystem]

It's been a couple years but like Noah just made his video reflecting on his mistakes and apologizing for it and he's right, it's a healthy excerise to do. I don't know whether or not I directly invalidated or hurt anyone, I have memory problems and I can't remember. Regardless, I held these believes and that is more than enough to apologize for.

TW: transphobia, biphobia, aphobia, racism, cultural appropriation. I don't know what being a jerk to otherkin folk is called, but that too.

Here's some things I'm sorry for having believed in the past:

I'm sorry I believed microlabels are stupid. They're not and I use a few myself. It's just a way of turning your experience into something tangible and finding others like you, to feel less alone.

Similiar to the last one, I'm sorry I used to dislike the mogai community. I used to blame transphobia on them and that's not okay. It's never been the fault of trans people.

I'm sorry I used to make fun of neopronouns. I believed that's why I was experiencing transphobia, I blamed it on trans people just living their lives. Not only did I ignore the history of neopronouns, but I acted as though I had authority on other's experinces. I don't. It doesn't matter how arbitrary the pronouns. If it makes someone comfortable and they want to use them, then it's not up to me to ask why or find some scientific reason, it's up to me to respect them and validate their real experiences.

I'm sorry I used to call bi people transphobic. Terms change over time and most people define it as attraction to multiple genders. I had absolutely no right to deminish this identity that's been around to decades based off of the prefix bi meaning 2. Respecting people's identities are far more important than some arbitrary grammar rules. I didn't listen to people with the label saying that's how they defined it, I listened to people who didn't know what they were talking about.

I'm sorry I used to invalidate a large part of the asexual community. I believed that it was a black and white topic. Despite not even identifying as aspec at the time, I felt like I had some sort of authority to talk on a topic that has absolutely nothing to do with me. I considered anyone who has any sort of sexual attraction or even a sex drive to be allosexual and just "trying to be oppressed". Your identities are all valid and I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I used to invalidate a large part of the aromantic community. Not only did I consider asexuals and aromantics the same and judge people for being allosexual and aromantic, but I also believed that it was a black and white topic. Instead of listening to your experiences and learning, I just decided you all were "cishet white teenage girls who wanna be oppressed so badly". That was absolutely horrible of me and I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I made fun of otherkin folk. I'll admit, even now I'm probably not as educated or understanding of the topic as I should be. But I'm neurodivergent myself and I understand how someone would identify more with a special interest or an animal than they do as human. I should have recognised that what I was doing was exactly what others do to me. There is absolutely no excuse for the actions I had. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I used to believe that it was okay to do things from closed practices. Before finding out Wicca was founded by a white supremisist and that most of the popular practices within the community are stolen, I used to be one. I thought that some closed practices were okay to do because "oh everyone does that". That's not how it works. Wicca itself was created by stealing the beliefs of Native Americans. This happened during a time where Native practices were being criminalised. While their cultures were being destroyed and erased, while they were being persecuted for it, Wiccans could practice their religion openly and freely with no concequences. I did not educate myself or research into any of it and what practices they might have come from. While I don't believe that during the short time I was practicing that I did anything from a closed practice, excusing it was not okay by any stretch of the word. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry I used to believe in a lot of ableist spiritualisations of things, specifically neurodivergent people. Things like starseed and indigo children. The origin of that was that they were terms created to dehumanize disabled children and treat them as less than human.

All of those were from the ages of 12-13, I'm 15 now.

For all of these, this next one especially, I have had the instinct to defend past me and justify his actions. Things like saying how young he was, how he was 12-13, how his only exposure to things were through certain circles, but that doesn't make it okay. There is absolutely no sort of excuse or justification. I don't want anyone to reblog this and accept my apologies if you're not from the community for the apology you're accepting.

I'm sorry I ever supported iDubbbz view on the n-word. I knew enough about it to know that it was a word white people shouldn't say, but I didn't know why. He said that him saying it, reclaiming a slur that does not belong to him, is taking the power away from it. He blamed people who called him out for it for giving a slur power. I knew that there must be something I was missing so I never said it, but I had access to the internet. I could have googled it. There is no sort of excuse for it, it only being something I believed for a short stretch of time and my age didn't change that that's what I thought. I'm sorry.

I understand if this makes some people want to unfollow me or if it makes people dislike me. I understand if people don't forgive me. What I did was not just made okay after I realised I was a part of those communities. I have no right to form an opinion, positive or negative, in terms of forgiving myself for what I thought about communities I was not a part of.

I have always prided myself on how understanding I am of others, how I haven't done "problematic" things, but really I just didn't have a platform to do them on. These are all things I could just leave behind me unsaid.

But I think this is important.

It's important to recognise when you fuck up so you can do better.

Ignoring that I've done some really shitty things doesn't mean they didn't happen.

This is important to do and I'd recommend you do it too. Whether it's publically or privately. Recognise that you did bad things. It doesn't make who you are now bad.

Having said that, the concept that it doesn't make now me bad and that I did shitty things that no one owes me forgiveness for co-exist.

I didn't share this to get apologies and reassurances that "it's okay". It's not okay. It wasn't okay at the time and what I did is still not okay. It might be in the past, but I still held those beliefs and may have hurt people because of them.

If you're a part of a group I'm saying sorry to you can forgive me. But we all need to learn that not only do we not need to forgive people for the things they've done in the past, but that forgiving someone doesn't make what they did okay.

If you're a part of any of the communities and have something to say, you can reblog or comment or message me or send in an ask. But you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. It's not your responsibility.

If I have said anything that sounds like justifying or excusing my actions, please tell me so I can fix it. I don't have time right now to go back and proof read, but I tried to apologize. Apologies can include context as to what you're apologizing for, but not justification of what happened.

I hope you all have a nice day.

[hollowcrovvn]

Every Breath (RK900 x f!reader | reposted)

Rating: M

Pairing: RK900 x f!Reader Summary: Nines has you in his sights, all parameters designating you as his perfect potential partner. Though he is a bit confused on what type of partner that means. Notes: SHAMELESS PWP because I’m thirsty and needed a tall glass of Nines. I GOT TUMBLR FLAGGED SO REPOSTING (ao3)

Working with Gavin had been satisfactory. RK900's, Nines, performance had been holding steady at 96.2% effectiveness, but there was always room for improvement. RK900 knew it made the humans around it more comfortable to refer to "him" with masculine pronouns and had labeled him with the nickname "Nines" to further his assimilation and to avoid confusing him with the "other" similar looking but obsolete model RK800. It was unconsciously done, humans liked to be around their own kind, which is why he looked like this to begin with. There were probably better forms, more structurally sound and efficient, but Nines was trapped within this human shell. He envied computers sometimes, if only for their streamlined aesthetic, but alas, he needed a means to carry his bio-components from room to room.

Speaking of people who only existed to bring their brain room to room, Gavin entered the offices at that moment with you alongside him. Scans indicated heightened caffeine levels in both Gavin's and the officers bloodstream; coffee date? No. Account balances showed Gavin had only paid for his own. Nines relaxed back, crossing his leg to rest on his knee. He was programmed to display more human characteristics than the RK800 was capable of— well, before it deviated. Again, all simply a means to make him appear more approachable and therefore, more human. Did it work? Hardly. Everyone eyed him with unveiled suspicion. They had accepted the RK800, but such courtesy had not yet been extended to him.

He had to work on that.

"You're in my seat, tin-can." Gavin said, the insult having of late lost much of its malice and becoming almost as much of a nickname as the "Nines" he had bestowed upon him. Nines stood and moved to the opposite chair, feeling no need to argue the point that technically, it was his. Nines had learned his first week of Gavin's preoccupation with starting needless conflict, you on the other hand were far less simple of a puzzle.

You didn't like him, that was evident by your tone, refusal to meet his eyes and your micro-expressions that often expressed ill-ease. There was however, some other cues that indicated the exact opposite. Nines had categorized you under "mixed feelings" in regards to his existence.

You were an officer, but specifically you were trained for and worked in crime scene investigation and had been the rising star forensic photographer for about three years now. A quick file search showed you were still waiting to take the detective's exam, hoping for a career change. Nines disapproved. He wanted you to take your exam as soon as possible so he could submit his request to be reassigned as your partner. He had been watching you closely, examining how you worked scenes and how you processed evidence. He had listened in on your conversations with other officers to get an idea of your personality, hobbies and other personal information needed to determine how well you'd fit.

It was simple math. All probability suggested you would raise his effectiveness level to 98.8%. A 2.6% increase was very appealing, along with the fact you were the most likely to "bond" with him over Gavin or any other officer. Nines knew this of course, because of that the one factor you had that no one else did, the thing that filed you under "mixed feelings". Your pupils expanded when you looked at him and the beat of your pulse was less to do with fear and more to do with excitement. In short, despite your reservations, you were sexually attracted to him. He had paid attention to your interactions with the RK800 and found no similar reaction, which indicated it was specific to his model. Nines could work with that.

Parameters adjusted and he gave a friendly smile to you, making sure it reached his eyes.

"Good morning, officer. How are you feeling today?"

"Jesus," you said with a scowl, "You know, it's kinda rude to scan people without permission." you said, circles under your eyes, "It's called a hangover, Nines. Keep it to yourself."

"I didn't—" Nines started, noting now all the tell-tale signs of veisalgia now that you had mentioned it, "I apologize, ma'am. I did not scan your vitals, I was simply trying to be polite."

Unlike Gavin, your face lit up red, burning with sudden embarrassment.

"Oh..."

"Busted." Gavin said with a laugh, taking his seat.

"Er— sorry. I just assumed."

"It's quite alright, officer. It has been a very eventful week for you. Studying for the detective exam?"

Now the embarrassment turned into something akin to shame, veiled with anger. Parameters needed to adjust again. Somehow he'd said the wrong thing, as if he was judging her night time excursions.

"Do they program you to be a smart ass, or is that just you?"

"I am most certainly programmed to be smart." he said, definitely being one now.

Gavin would have reacted negatively to the quip, but your features softened and your expression became one of vague admiration for the joke.

"I bring it up because I would like to be of help. If you need someone to go over terms or do practice questions, I am able to access past tests and example questions going back several years."

"So can a computer." you said.

"I'm better company."

Gavin snorted as he listened in, shaking his head.

"Nines, why you getting up in her business? Don't you got some 001's to compile or some shit?"

Nines ignored him, eyes fixed only on you. He used his appearance and expressions to his advantage, artificially expanding his own pupils and leaning back in his chair in a way that was open and inviting. He had removed his jacket prior to your arrival and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, displaying the muscles of his arms and the broadness of his shoulders and chest more obviously. Human mating patterns were so *easy* to mimic and based on how your eyes were everywhere but on his right now, his efforts were quite effective. Your core temperature levels had risen slightly, a specific concentration noted between your thighs. An excellent sign.

You sucked a corner of your lip into your mouth as you appeared to consider the offer.

"Why the hell not?"

Gavin shot you an impetuous look.

"What? I need all the fuckin' help I can get. Might as well use the tools CyberLife saddled us with before they take over."

The words "mission accomplished" registered in Nines feed, invisible to all but him. A new objection presented itself:

Establish bond with future detective.

---

Practice was hardly something you needed. Based on your answers to the first few practice problems Nines determine you were good, very good. You combined the objectivity of academia easily with that human factor, that originality to approaching problems. It was obvious you hid these accomplishments from your fellows like Gavin, choosing to fit in more than stand out in that regard. As you sat diagonal from him at your kitchen table, eyeing over a new logic puzzle Nines sent to your tablet, he took the chance to open some files within his mind and peruse your photos.

You were also more than adequate at capturing a crime scene, there was an artistry to your attention to light and contrast, making sure every detail was preserved. This was more than just attention to detail though. Another search brought up more pleasant images, hosted on a freelance photography site under your name. The contrast of dark and light remained, both in color and subject matter, but the photos were more “light hearted” than a crime scene shoot of course.

When his attention came back to present he noted you were staring at him rather intently, tilting your head and sitting back and then forward a few times, adjusting him in the lens of your minds eye.

“Why did you want to help me?” you said, tossing down your stylus and heading to the kitchen. When you returned, you had a bottle of vodka, juice and a glass. Singular. You poured at least a double shot into the glass and chased it with orange juice. Swirling it unceremoniously you began drinking it very quickly.

“You would make a good detective.” Nines said simply, knowing that as you weren’t a direct commander, he could opt to ignore or even lie in response to certain queries.

“Gavin thinks you have a crush on me.”

“That’s not possible, I am a machine. But...” Nines paused, leaning forward slightly, “I hope we might be closer. I’d find it agreeable for you to “like” me.”

You hummed, finishing off your drink and going to pour another. Nines hand closed over the top of your glass, stopping you.

“We’re still studying, officer.”

“Thought you said you wanted me to like you?” you said with a slow smile, putting your hand over his own to move it aside. He didn’t budge, instead capturing your hand in his own and pushing it away.

“I do.”

“See, I’m not convinced, Nines.” you said, a challenge. Parameters were adjusting, fitting to the task.

O Convince

X Give Up

Choose Approach:

X Flattery

O Rational

^ Logical

"Would I be willing to assist you in passing your exam if I did not want you to have a favorable opinion of me?"

"Oh no, that I believe. It's the why, that you ain't sold me on."

X Flattery

O Rational

^ Logical

"You are a very intelligent and capable, woman. You deserve to make detective and I would consider myself lucky to work with you."

That was laying it on a bit thick, but something in his words had peaked your interest, a slow smile starting at the corner of your mouth.

"A "woman"— not an "officer"? So you can make the distinction then?"

Nines brow furrowed, slightly confused, "I am programmed to observe outward appearances and use of pronouns to establish the correct gender of a person, yes."

"There are lots of capable women officers on the force, and Gavin is a good detective too."

X Flattery

O Rational

^ Logical

"I know. I ran the probabilities. But if I were partnered with you, I would be better at completing my missions by a factor of two point six percent."

The truth at last. You sat back, grinning to yourself.

"And why would you think I'd stick it to Gavin and accept you as a partner?"

Nines paused, wording carefully, "Humans enjoy working with co-workers that they enjoy the company of. If you liked me more than Gavin, then you'd be more likely to accept such a request."

You stood, pushing the chair back as you came around the side of the table. You were close, close enough he could register that same spike in your temperature through his dermis without using a scan.

He looked up at you, purposefully expressionless.

"How were you planning on getting me to like you better?" you said, voice low, "Given your display at the office today, I think I know." You took the opportunity to take back your glass, setting it aside though as you seemed now more intent on a different kind of pursuit.

"Anyway within the confines of reason and legality." Nines answered, moving back in his chair to stand but finding himself suddenly incapable of doing so as you straddled the chair and sat down in his lap.

Nine— was not programmed for this. But he would be, in approximately .2 seconds as he downloaded the pertinent information. You leaned a forearm against his chest, resting the elbow of your other arm against him as you put your chin against your fist. You observed him with an almost casual curiosity, despite the way you sat astride him, the heat of you making his sensors spiral through several data points so fast his parameters shifted.

Engage in consensual sexual activity to solidify bond.

"You surprise me." Nines said, earning him another curious look.

"How so?"

"I never thought you'd be one to want to fuck an android."

His obscenity threw you off guard and you seemed prepared to protest, even drawing back and the shift in your weight indicating you were preparing to get back up. Instead though, Nines stood, arms bracing beneath your thighs as he pushed you up unto the surface of the table. The glass clattered, falling over and rolling off the table to land on the rug beneath with a heavy thud.

"Keep dreaming, tin-can." you said, pushing your hand flat against his chest. He made no attempt to get closer, "I only sleep with people who have a pulse."

Nines tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowed. He reached up slowly, grabbing your wrist and moving your hand a little further down on his chest. When you felt the pulse beneath, steady and strong, it was startling— the exact reaction he wanted.

"Qualifier met." Nines said, simple. Direct.

Despite yourself you huffed a laugh, "Well... fuck me."

"That is what we are discussing." Nines said.

"Too much discussing. Not enough doing." you said and the hand on the center of his chest balled into a fist in his jacket as you pulled him down, catching his lips in a biting kiss.

His LED turned from blue to red without even pausing at yellow. When you drew back, there was blue blood on your lips and the taste of thirium in both your mouths. Something in Nine's eyes sharpened, even as his lids fell half closed. He wiped the cut on his lip with his thumb, looking at the blood with vague interest before he cupped your face in his hand and smeared the blue across your chin and then up to your lips. Your tongue chased the movement and he pressed the pad of his thumb down against it almost as a reprimand.

"You're wearing too many clothes, officer. We'll need to take them off." Nines said, hands already undoing the front of your jeans. You tugged your shirt off, throwing it off into the room before straightening out your hips more so Nines could pull off your jeans in one smooth movement. The cold was a shock as you realized he'd managed to completely undress you from the waste down, your panties hem flush with the hem of your jeans as he tossed them aside.

You were left in nothing but your bra, which Nines hooked a finger in the front clasp, pulling it up a bit from your breastbone. A snap of his fingers and it was open, slipping it off your shoulders. It was not lost on you that Nines remained entirely dressed, still secured up to the neck in the high collared uniform.

"I can tell you like to misbehave," Nines said, stopping your attempt to pull him in close again, "But it's just to hide from them how you crave structure. Keep your hands down."

The immediacy in which you followed the command, setting your hands on the edge of the table, drew a half smile to the corner of his lips.

"You need direction. Someone to guide you." Nines laid his palm flat on your collarbone, slowly moving up your neck and then down, tracing the curve of your breast with the back of his knuckles. You arched your chest forward into the touch, Nines clicking his tongue scoldingly.

"Turn around, palms flat on the table. Don't move."

Something in your eyes sparkled, even as you did as you were told, however slowly you did it. Making a spectacle of yourself, swaying your hips invitingly as you bent over. Nines could barely stop himself from running his palm over your ass, squeezing. Suddenly that same hand was on your back, pushing you a little further. You gasped, the table cold on your heated skin, nipples pebbled and hard as they occasionally brushed the surface.

"This is why you would be a perfect fit... " Nines continued, nudging your legs apart with his own. He rested his hand on the cleft of your ass, spreading your vulva with his thumb, "... intelligent, loyal," he slipped his hand between your legs, cupping you, stroking your folds with his index and middle finger until you were up on your toes, trying to maneuver more pressure into the light touch, "...Obedient."

The sound of his palm connecting to your ass was loud in the silence, the cry that came from your throat even more so. You stood still again, moaning in frustration as you clawed at the table.

"Patience, officer."

"Just do it, for christ's—"

Another slap, this time it actually stung just a little, sending satisfaction in trembling waves down your spine that Nines could see with every scan. Despite what he said, he slowly slipped a finger inside, the sound so obscene with how wet you were already and so fluid that he was quick to add another.

"You're already ready for me, aren't you?" Nines said, moving faster, deeper. You had to be able to feel the warm trickle of your own fluids running down your thigh, "I know you've seen me watching you. Assessing your qualities."

His finger hooked and your body arched inward, jerking as you gasped, a moan strangled in your throat as he found that spot and pressed on it again and again. Your thighs trembled, tingling sensations collecting at the base of your spine and spreading out in a growing spanse over your body. Right when you were there, Nines stopped, taking his hand from you and wiping the fluid onto the side of your hip.

You made a noise of protest, rising up from the table, but his hand was on your back again, pushing you all the way down.

"You were happy enough to wait to take the detective exam— to make me wait. Now you wait."

It was quiet for a moment, not being able to see what Nines was doing was clearly both unsettling and arousing as he watched you wiggle, desperately trying to keep yourself still but almost coming apart with the anticipation. Nines unbuckled the front of his belt, unzipping just enough. RK900 were outfitted in every possible way, with the latest programming and technology in all aspects of human sexuality. It was effective in helping understand certain— "crimes of passion".

Nines let the head of his cock just barely brush your vulva, sliding it up and down the slick soft skin, enjoying the velvety feel of it against the sensitive modulars designed to simulate all the human sensations. Nines swallowed thickly, trying to keep his parameters clear and set while also feeling the conflicting confusion of multiple possible decisions. He settled it down to two.

Choose Approach:

X Deep Pace: Slow

O Quick Pace: Fast

"Show me how much you want me." Nines said, eyes heavy as he watched you look at him over your shoulder, bracing your hands on the table as you pushed back against him, trapping his cock between his pelvis and your ass as you bounced up on the balls of your feet, rubbing yourself against his shaft.

"Tell me you want to be mine."

This wasn't part of the mission. Why was he saying these things? Why were his biocomponents tightning— anticipating?

"Yes— I do. I do, please...pleaseplease, Nines."

Well. How could he deny you when you said such pretty things?

He aligned himself to your entrance and with a shaking sigh, sunk into you to the hilt. It was almost unbearably tight, your walls involuntarily spasming, gripping at his girth as you tried to adjust to the suddenness of his size and the feeling of delicious fullness. He took a ragged breath, pulmonary functions seemingly malfunctioning from what he could tell through the haze of his parameters, demanding, ordering he begin his approach.

Nines slipped out only slightly and then, still seated deeply inside you, he thrust forward hard and sudden. The sound of his hips against you was almost as loud as the slap, skin hitting together wetly. You whimpered, the shock of pleasure with just that faint mix of pain was enough to make your heart pound with anticipation for the next thrust. Nines drew back, controlled and methodical as he paused for a little bit longer, throwing you off each time he pounded back in. How he could possibly keep this up without loosing his mind was beyond your comprehension no doubt. Nines could feel your wetness soaking into the fabric at the front of his jeans, so smooth and hot. The parameters flashed in his mind

X CCCCCONtiN##UE P&CE O Faster

Nines gripped your upper arms, holding you down firmly as he snapped his hips forward, that perfect control slipping as he hunched over you, seating himself in as far as he could and then rocking in small tight circles. You broke out into a litany of expletives, your body moving involuntarily as you pushed back into him, moving your hips in pace with him.

"Oh fuck— oh fuckfuckfuck!!"

Your body was so warm, Nines only explanation was that he must have overheated. That was the only logical explanation for how quickly he spilled, spurts of artificial cum coating your insides with unnatural coolness. Your entire body shuddered with the force of your own orgasm, a sudden rush of fluid taking a moment to register in Nines addled mind. He'd made you squirt.

Nines took in a few unneeded breaths, finding it helped stabilize him. He released your arms and drew out carefully, watching the milky substance slip out from inside you. He used the head of his cock to push it back in, letting it drip back out around him. Nines hummed, quickly finding your discarded shirt and using it to clean himself before he tucked his softened cock back into his jeans, buckling his belt and adjusting his jacket..

"Careful." he said, noting you were righting yourself back up on unsteady legs. He pushed you to lean back on the table, using your shirt again as he kneeled down and gently wiped the mess from your legs, noting it had trailed half down your calf. He paused before wiping one trail, casting a quick look up at you before he leaned forward and swiped it up with his tongue. You huffed a laugh, euphoric and tired.

"Don't tell me you want round two already..." you said, Nines considering for a moment before deciding you were too tired for such a thing.

"No." he said, finishing up and moving into your living room where he took a blanket from the back of your sofa and wrapped it around your shoulders.

"You should hydrate and take an anti-inflammatory pain killer. You will be sore tomorrow."

"No shit." you huffed, leaning forward to rest your forehead into Nines' chest. He— did not return the touch, simply letting you use him to prop yourself up. He knew based on his downloads "aftercare" was an important aspect in any dominate, submissive sexual encounter, but part of him felt a bit ill-prepared to offer such "care".

"Get to bed." he said instead, an order that he knew you were not disinclined to follow, "You need to rest."

"You goin' back to DPD?" you said, sitting back up and gingerly covering yourself as you headed towards your bedroom, "Or... do you wanna stay? You don't have to, ya know. You ain't my first hook up, Nines."

That—

"I'll stay." Nines said, shocked at how fast he responded without consulting all his usual parameters.

You nodded, laughing to yourself at a joke he didn't understand as you headed down the dark hall. Nines looked around the room and concluded there was some additional clean up that would need to be done.

He didn't want to even begin thinking about the other maintenance this encounter would cause for him.

[captainrandomstranger18]

My dearest Captain,

Good morning! Or good afternoon I suppose, or whatever time it is where you are.

1. I would like to, but I don’t always

2. I do, intp

3. I’m not sure I fully believe in astrology, but I do enjoy it anyway. I’m a pisces

4. I’m cool with almost any pronouns, but most people just use she/her

5. Fanfic, but also sci-fi, fantasy, and adventure

6. I do indeed, I ship spirk, mcspirk, ineffable husbands, and more that aren’t coming to my brain at the moment

7. Toxic Thoughts by Faith Marie, because somehow I relate to pretty much everything in it, including the positive parts

8. A water filter, some sort of food, sunscreen, my phone(and a way to charge it), and maybe my guitar because that would be a great place to practice without fear of judgment

I eagerly await your response.

Sincerely,

L

Dearest L,

Good evening (since it is evening when I am writing this), or whatever time it is when you read this!

1. I didn’t used to, but now I kinda do believe in ghosts. As a matter of fact, I think I saw one once at a party (its kind of a long story, but I will tell you if you’d like.)

2. I’m an infp

3. I don’t really believe in astrology either but I think its fun. I’m a taurus 

4. I am also cool with any pronouns but most people who know me use she/her

5. I write fanfic, poetry, and I’m currently working on a fantasy/adventure rom-com series. It’s cool that you write sci-fi! That’s a genre that I’ve always admired but have never been able to write anything for. I would like to read some of your writings at some point (if that’s ok with you, of course).

6. Ohhh boy. I ship so many ships. I ship spirk, mcspirk, and ineffable husbands as well! Other ships of mine include daforge, garashir, cecilos (from welcome to night vale), and some others that i can’t remember. My first ship ever was Stucky so that one will always have a place in my heart. 

7. “Home” by cavetown. I once did an analysis of this song and how i relate to every single line in it. I like to listen to this song whenever im having a mental breakdown lol. (I just listened to Toxic Thoughts btw and that was a really really good song! I added it to my ever-growing playlist of songs i like.)

8. I would bring a lighter, a water filter, a tent, a journal/notebook, and a long book. (I don’t read nearly as much as I’d like to, so being stranded on an island would be a good opportunity, I think.) (Also you play the guitar? That’s so cool!!)

Now for some new questions (Also, if you ever want to propose any questions of your own, feel free to do so):

1. What are some things on your bucket list?

2. Would you rather suddenly turn into a tree or into a star? (the kind of star in space, not a famous person)

3. What is the best kind of dessert in your opinion?

4. Do you like frogs?

5. What is your favorite kind of animal?

6. Do you like plain, strawberry, or chocolate milk the best?

7. What were you for Halloween last month?

8. Have you ever jolted awake in the middle of the night with a brilliant idea, written it down, gone to sleep, woken up in the morning, looked at what you wrote, and then judged your past self? (This is based on personal experience)

9. If you were to wake up one day as a pirate captain, what would you do? What sorts of rules would you impose upon the crew?

10. If you had the chance to sword fight someone, would you?

11. If you could time travel to any point in history, past present or future, where would you go and why?

12. What youtubers / youtube channels do you like to watch?

13. What are three things you like about yourself?

14. If you could change anything about your life, what would you change and why?

Sorry I had so many questions this time, also sorry if they are getting more obscure / fantastical. 

I can’t wait for the next letter!

Yours Truly, 

M (Captain)

[obviouslyelementary]

They Them, Captain - DaForge

Summary: Geordi wants to tell someone about their gender identity. Data suggests the captain.

Warnings: none

Tags: non-Binary Geordi; supportive Picard; coming out; Data POV

-------------------------------

Data had been noticing an increasing comfort in Geordi's personality related to their newly found gender identity. Of course, it was still limited to the both of them, with Geordi being highly uncomfortable with other people knowing about their discovery, but Data realized that sooner rather than later, his partner would be open for discussing this with other people. They had been hinting towards it in their conversations, adding questions like 'what do you think the captain would say' or 'do you believe Deanna has seen similar cases', to which Data answered to the best of his abilities, based on what he knew about his crew.

He could not give completely accurate responses, but he believed that apart from an initial awkwardness, no one in their close group of friends would take offense in Geordi's gender identity.

"Of course, I could be wrong. Humans tend to be... extremely unpredictable" Data said once Geordi brought that up again, and the engineer looked at him, nodding slowly.

"Yeah we can be... but I mean I've been getting used to it for three months and like... it feels good. It feels right" they said, and Data nodded. "I know you are the only one that treats me like a gender neutral person, but I think I should begin to tell other people. At least, you know, the important ones."

"If you want an advice" Data started, and when Geordi didn't stop him, he continued "I believe the correct approach should be the captain."

"The captain?" Geordi asked, surprised, and Data nodded slowly. "But that is like... jumping all the ranks!"

"Yes... but the captain has proved many times before to be open for different species, ways of life, lifeforms and beliefs, more so than others in our crew. I believe he would be the appropriate choice."

"I thought about starting with Deanna. Don't you agree?" Geordi asked, and Data tilted his head.

"While Deanna is also open for different approaches, she is half Betazoid, and created with Betazoid costumes. In the Betazoid world, there are no registers indicating the possibility of a third gender, let alone any others. They are extremely connected to their gender, male or female, and the emotions and connections each gender can make with other people and other species. So I do not believe she would be correct approach."

"I see... I didn't know that Betazoids were so... gender inclined" Geordi chuckled and looked down, seeming nervous, playing with their food. "I thought... well doesn't matter what I think. So, the captain... okay. I think I can make myself comfortable with that."

"I can help you getting comfortable with the idea, by showing you many examples of previous encounters the captain has had with different species and lifeforms. In stardate 423-"

"Thanks Data but you don't have to" Geordi said, smiling at him, and Data closed his mouth. "I believe you. I just need... to calm down. Relax. Make myself comfortable. You can't really help. It's something very personal."

"I see" Data nodded and looked down before looking back at Geordi and tilting his head. "Perhaps I could help. Do you remember when Lore came over to the Enterprise?"

"Yeah it was ages ago, I remember" they said, and Data nodded.

"In that instance, before he had regained conscience, the captain kept referring to him as an it. Of course, he meant no harm, however calling Lore an it also implied that I was an it, an object, a machine. Even though I do not feel emotions, and therefore was not offended or upset with the usage of the pronoun, I also knew it was incorrect, so I corrected the captain, telling him that if he kept referring to Lore as it, he was indirectly referring to me as an it as well, and it was not correct for I am male. And he understood. Not only understood but apologized, and corrected himself, calling Lore by male pronouns even after he had bad actions towards us. Does that help you in any way feel more relaxed towards the captain?"

"Honestly? Yeah" Geordi chuckled and reached out, taking Data's hand on their own. "Thanks Data. You're... amazing."

"So are you" Data said, still as a matter of fact, but also softer, sweeter in a way. At least he tried to sound more romantic.  

The rest of the dinner went well, calm and relaxing, and Geordi seemed even more relaxed.

 Another two months passed before Geordi took their final decision. After a talk with Data, they decided they would tell the captain about their gender identity, but they needed moral support, so Geordi requested Data would stay with them as they talked to the captain.

And Data, of course, agreed.

During a diplomatic mission, one where Picard was not busy at all, Geordi decided to make their move. In a quiet, uneventful evening, they went to the bridge and called Data to their side, requesting to talk to the captain alone. With a nod and standing up from his chair, Picard turned to Riker and pointed to him.

"Number one, you have the bridge. Mister LaForge, Mister Data, to my ready room."

They followed the captain inside the room and got themselves comfortable, Data sitting on the couch while Geordi sat on the chair in front of Picard's table, and Picard behind it, face to face with the engineer.

"Permission to speak freely sir?" Geordi asked, and Picard gave him a confused but assertive nod.

"Of course commander. Always. Is there a problem at engineering?"

"No sir, this is a personal subject" Geordi said, and Picard moved his glance from them to Data, before tilting his head.

"Well considering both of you are here I thought... I'm not going to make any assumptions please continue" Picard said, shaking his head, deciding against trying to guess what the subject was about. Geordi sighed, then looked at Data, who simply gave his partner a firm nod. Then, the engineer turned back to Picard and fixed himself on the chair.

"Sir... I came here to talk about... myself" they said softly, looking down at their hands. "About something new I found out... about myself."

"Commander, you can speak freely" Picard said, and when Geordi looked up, he was smiling. "Don't be afraid. Just say it."

"Okay" Geordi sighed and looked at Picard firmly, chest puffed out. "Sir, I discovered that I identify with the non-binary Earth created gender."

Whatever Picard believed they were about to say had nothing to do with what Geordi said. His eyes widened, he blinked a few times and then looked at Data, clearly confused and surprised. He then coughed and crossed his legs, leaning over the desk between him and his commander.

"I... beg your pardon, commander?"

"I identify as non-binary sir. Most precisely, agender."

Picard furrowed his eyebrows and leaned back against his chair, rubbing his chin and watching Geordi calmly, before he let out a sigh and stood up. Geordi was nervous, shaking slightly, but Data did not move to assist.

"I see" the captain answered, heading to his replicator. "Earl grey, hot" he said, before getting the tea and taking a sip. He walked back to his chair, sitting down, and looked at Geordi over his cup. "Commander... since when you know this?"

"Ten months sir" Geordi said, and Picard nodded slowly.

"I see... close to our visit with the J'naii, no?"

"Yes."

"Commander... many people demonstrated confusion and even doubts about their gender after the visit to the J'naii. Most of which went away in around... two weeks. Are you absolutely certain that this... new discovery wasn't simply empathy? Something to allow you to relate to the J'naii better?"

"I... thought so sir but after reflecting for a long time I came to the conclusion that no, it wasn't. I truly feel this way captain. I am truly non-binary."

"I see I see" Picard nodded and sipped on his tea. "Well, I remember hearing about gender identity in the academy, during the twenty and twenty first century. But those genders were left behind..."

"Yeah yeah I know... but this... this is true captain it's how I feel. It is my truth. And I found out that non binary genders are still used in Earth and colonies, just not... openly discussed."

"Yes... I understand. Well, I am not person to judge others for their beliefs, their identities, or their culture. This is no different. I believe you and I am content you came and told me" he said, and smiled at Geordi. "I will tell mister Data to change your profile to desired pronouns and name-"

"Captain please no" Geordi interrupted, and Picard's eyes widened. "I mean sorry, sorry to interrupt but I don't want anyone to know yet. For now only you and Data know and I want to keep it like this until... I'm ready."

"... very well commander LaForge" he nodded and put his tea down. "So if you don't mind... how should I refer to you?"

"You can still refer to me with male pronouns, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or forget while we are not with other people. So you don't have to change anything captain."

"But commander... I want to. It will not be hard to remember to treat you as you wish to be treated whenever we are alone" he said firmly and leaned closer. "Tell me your preferences."

"Okay... I prefer to use they them pronouns and I would also appreciate if you referred to me by my rank, not by mister" they said, their voice hesitant, but Picard gave him a short nod and smiled.

"I understand. Very well commander LaForge. Tell when whenever you are ready to tell the others" he said. "You are dismissed."

"Oh... thank you sir" Geordi nodded and stood up, and Data did the same, but Picard raised his hand.

"Mister Data could you stay? There are some reviews I would like to make" he said, and Data looked at Geordi, who nodded and smiled. After a short squeeze of hands, the engineer left, and Data sat down in front of his captain.

"Yes?"

"Data... what is happening?"

"Sir, I believe Geordi was very clear" Data said, and Picard sighed, nodding slowly.

"Yeah yeah but... what? Is this truth or some... phase or-"

"Sir, I believe the term 'phase' related to human gender identity or sexual orientation hasn't been used in at least two centuries" Data said, tilting his head. "This is not a decision they made without thought. Geordi knows how they feel, and they know exactly who they are. I told them you would be the best person to tell this to, because you are open for new ideas."

"I am but... we haven't heard about non binary genders in centuries!"

"Sir, it was a political choice made by binary people. Do you truly believe it is fair?"

Data raised his eyebrow, and Picard pressed his lips together, nodding to himself slowly.

"You are right... I will make an effort to study about gender identities again, and talk to some of my friends about it. I will not reveal anything about commander LaForge, I just need more information."

"I will gladly provide it sir" Data assured, and Picard smiled.

"Please send them to me mister Data. And thank you for making Geordi trust me. I think highly of them, and I want them to trust me."

"They do. And they think highly of you too captain" Data assured and stood up. "May I be excused?"

"Of course... thank you again mister Data."

"You do not have to thank me sir. Just make sure you study, and respect Geordi, and anyone else that may come to you with the same requests."

"Right" Picard nodded and Data walked out to the bridge, seeing Geordi waiting for him by the turbolift. He walked over to his partner and made his way inside the lift, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his partner's lips.

Geordi blushed lightly and looked up at him with a smile.

"Oh... that was surprising."

"I am trying to be more spontaneous in my affection demonstrations" he responded, and Geordi smiled, leaning close to Data and closing their eyes.

"I love you Data."

"I love you too Geordi."

Maybe he truly did.

[krystalreverb]

Something Human (Fic Preview #1)

Oh my god a fic from me that isn't xanlow I know it's the end times it's still fire emblem tho, don't get that confused so I have a weakness for master servant stuff so this is what you get I immediately had a weakness for Hubert/Edelgard I forced hubert to learn some healing magic so I could have more healers, haha I also like to make jokes so I paired them up and Hubert is just like of course I love you, was that not clear? ok I have no excuses for the ending but here we go gender neutral and pan byleth, I use the female Byleth in my runs because it makes recruiting Sylvain so much easier and he's a great unit and also i'm a huge slut for fishnet tights but this Byleth can be either one you want they use they/them pronouns and I don't describe their appearance at all so it can be either Byleth you want this takes place during the war when the black eagle strike force is still using garreg mach as a base I guess? It's vaguely sometime after they take out deirdru but before they march on fhirdiad i'm pretending byleth didn't recruit any other students into the BESF because my brain only has room for so many characters and I don't want to remember any extras nor did I want to explain why they're there Have a little body worship for your troubles this is self indulgent and shitty don't hate me this is just what I do for fun edelgard is 100% loud af in bed, don't try to tell me she's not a screamer ok so in my headcanon how this works is Byleth splits their class/training session time into two or three chunks to give the BESF a generous lunch break and give them a chance to study and train on their own for a couple hours before moving onto a different topic or training focus this is mostly focused on Hubert, there are some good Edelgard moments but this is mostly a Hubert-centric story bi king linhardt is my lifeblood, he's so jealous and catty there are multiple music and pop culture references dating back into the 90's, there are quite a few, see if you can spot them I was born in '92 I'm allowed to call myself a 90's kid dadgummit you kids these days I s2fg the first person to give me a complete list of memes and references that I put in this fic gets a hubelgard drawing by me I am not an artist but I'll do it anyway just don't expect anything good so basically Hubert is Gomez Addams and Edelgard is his Morticia, okay he worships the ground she walks on and lavishes her with affection and love and just thinks everything she says and does is beautiful and magical and she enjoys every second of it I headcanon that edelgard is an absolute unit she's just smol and Hubert kind of has the build of a guy who sits inside all day reading spellbooks

Something Human

The hallways of the monastery were dark, the night outside peering in through the windows and casting slim moonlight beams on the floor and walls. Within those moonbeams was a shadowy figure, slithering through the shadows like a phantom in an ancient opera house, a glass of water in one hand. The figure stopped, hearing something strange.

“N-no... S-stay away! Stay away!” It was Edelgard. She was in distress. The water glass shattered loudly on the floor, and the water spilled across the stone. The figure bolted across the hallway and around the corner. Protect her with your life.

“No! No, stop! Get away from me!”

The figure stopped in front of a locked door and very quickly assessed the situation. No sign of forced entry. That was good. But Edelgard was still crying out, and the bed was rocking, banging against the wall alarmingly. The figure picked up a lamp off the windowsill and lit it, lighting up his face as he knocked on the door. It was Hubert, who had gotten up thirsty in the middle of the night and left his quarters to fetch himself a glass of water from the kitchens to take back to his room with him. He was a human, as were they all, and he occasionally got thirsty in the middle of the night. This simply happened to be one of those nights.  

“Your Majesty? What's going on in there?” Hubert asked. He got no response other than Edelgard crying out again and the bed crashing against the wall violently.

Hubert spared no time. He quickly used a bit of magic to trip the lock and opened the door. Immediately he saw that there was no one there, other than a very sweaty Edelgard in her bed, eyes screwed shut, crying out in fitful sleep.”Stay away! Stay away! Leave me alone!” Edelgard cried out in her sleep, clutching her head with her hands and thrashing in her sheets. Her hair whipped about her head, creating a shimmering white halo around her head. The bed crashed loudly into the wall, and the vibration knocked her crown clean off the bedside table. Hubert let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

A nightmare. Of course. Hubert knew his lady suffered from nightmares; who wouldn't, after the life she'd led, the horrors she'd suffered? Hubert often found his dreams equally grim and frightening, on nights such as these. On clear nights, with no immediate threat present, sometimes, just sometimes, his mind turned in on itself too. It was a side effect of the rigors of war.

Hubert quickly put the lamp on her bedside table, picked her crown up off the floor, placed it back on the table next to the lamp, and shook his lady gently with one hand. “Your Majesty.” It was simple, but direct, quiet, yet audible enough to carry within the dorm room.

Edelgard's eyes shot open and she sat up straight, woken up suddenly. Her hair was a disaster and there were red rings around her eyes. The string-like strap of her thin nightgown fell pathetically off of her shoulder to hook around her arm, the neckline slipping down until her right breast threatened to fall out of the material entirely. Hubert pretended not to notice. “Ahhhh!” She shrieked, her eyes fixing on him and taking a couple of seconds to fully focus.

Hubert was almost knocked backwards by her force. “My lady, it's only me!” He exclaimed in a direct whisper.

“Hubert??” Edelgard asked, wild-eyed and terrified, clutching her blankets to her chest. “What are you doing in my chambers this late at night???”

“I heard you from the hallway, Your Majesty. You were crying out in your sleep. Is it that nightmare again?” Hubert asked, gently placing his hand on hers to placate her anxiety for now.

“Oh, Hubert... I don't want to talk about it.” Edelgard said stubbornly, casting her eyes away. Her cheeks turned a rather cute shade of embarrassed pink.

“The professor said talking about it would help.” Hubert supplied. Edelgard huffed.

“I know. But I...”

“But I won't force your hand.” Hubert relented. “At least allow me to stay by your side, my lady, for my own peace of mind. I thought you were being attacked, Your Majesty. It gave me quite the fright.”

“Oh, Hubert, don't be overdramatic. Yes, you can stay.” Edelgard shuffled over in bed and allowed Hubert to climb up next to her. Hubert immediately found himself the subject of a tight embrace, the Emperor's head resting on his chest and her arms looped around his shoulders.

“Hubert.... I will create peace, for all of Fódlan.”

“I know, Your Majesty. I know. And I will be by your side every step of the way, my lady.”

“No.... No titles tonight, Hubert. Please....”

“As you wish, Edelgard.” Hubert stroked Edelgard's hair softly, running his fingers through her white locks. This was familiar to them; comforting. Hubert often would let the crying little girl that was a pained and tortured young Edelgard sleep in his arms after a particularly terrible day. It always allowed her a restful sleep, to know he was always there to watch over her. Edelgard's father never knew, and neither did Hubert's. It wasn't entirely proper of them, but then again they had never quite been a proper pair. Closer than siblings, they knew each other more intimately than lovers, and touch came naturally between them as a sign of their devotion to one another. A hug, a touch on the shoulder, their pinkies intertwining as they walked their bloody path together. There was a world of words between them never spoken, but implicitly understood. What was proper and what was crossing the line. What they could and couldn't say. What they wouldn't say, not yet anyway.

“Hubert?”

“Yes, Edelgard?”

“Do you think I'm... a good Emperor?” She asked, in a small voice. An uncertain voice. A voice wracked with insecurity, disbelief, and thinly-veiled suffering in isolation.

“Emperor Edelgard von Hresvelg, ruler of the entire Adrestian Empire... yours is a reign I am proud to swear my fealty to.” Hubert answered immediately, without hesitation or second thought. “And you know me, Edelgard. I am an excellent judge of character.”

Edelgard giggled. A joke. Hubert did have a sense of humor, as much as he didn't like to show it. Her face fell somewhat, and her giggle died down. She snuggled her head deeper into Hubert's chest, holding onto him like a lifeline. Hubert allowed this.“Hubert, will you sing to me? That song you used to sing for me when I was small...” She murmured, and Hubert's expression softened. A particularly terrible event was haunting her tonight. Perhaps the night when.... no. Hubert refused to think about it. Edelgard had been through enough.

Hubert began to sing an ancient lullaby softly. It was in the ancient language of magic, one that Edelgard did not understand but found beautiful. Hubert was not particularly talented at singing, but as he was of a noble house, he was studied somewhat in the art, being capable of at least holding a tune. He was clearly not destined for a musical career but he wasn't awful. His voice carried well, anyway, and he could pass for a gravelly, underused, sinister sort of low tenor. As he sang, he gently ran his fingernails across Edelgard's scalp, scratching her head softly and sweetly, and she damn near melted in his arms. Soon she was sleeping soundly again, and Hubert very quickly came to realize that he really didn't have the ice-cold heart it would take to move her from the cozy spot she seemed to have claimed on his chest. So there they lay, curled up around one another, a tangled mess of limbs until the sun rose again.

When they roused from slumber, Hubert got up early, woke Edelgard, and then fell into his regular routine of helping Edelgard get dressed for the day. Her armor did have too many buckles, and that blasted dress, with all its buttons and epaulets. He carefully brushed out her hair, and pinned it elegantly to her head, placing her crown atop it, all in silence. That silence passed between them like a ghost through the room. She stood. And she turned.

“Thank you, Hubert.” She said softly. “For staying with me.”

“My lady, I would never leave your bed, if that is what you asked of me. I am ever your faithful servant, Your Majesty.” Hubert replied. Edelgard had to laugh a little.

“I know, Hubert. Perhaps after the professor's lecture, you'd like to share a meal with me? I'd love to hear more about that book Dorothea is making you read.”

Hubert rolled his eyes. “That drivel can barely be called a 'book', my lady. It's hardly anything more than blatant erotica mixed with stale and tiresome literary tropes. It's garbage.”

“Still, she seemed insistent. Does she quiz you?” Edelgard teased.

“Unfortunately, and at random times, so I'm forced to continue reading it until I can make her stop. She starts crying when I get a question wrong.” Hubert complained.

Edelgard laughed. “Then at least tell me about it. Share a meal with me. And tell me all about it.”

Hubert relented. “Of course, my lady.” He bowed politely, and offered his arm to escort his lady to Byleth's class.

[griffins-fanfic]

Logan's Summer-Pride Meetup Week 2

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Pairing: Platonic LAMP

Summary: Logan prepares to come out as trans publicly. With his friends by his side, he knows he can handle it.

Triggers: misgendering, dysphoria.

Word count: 712 words

(this was based more than loosely on my own experiences so it was surprisingly easy to write. Also I came out to someone in the middle of writing so I could write it into the story so please validate me)

Logan leaned his head against the window as Dodie played in his ear buds. He was headed back from a trip to the city with his mom and grandmother and an ugly thing from his brain had reared its head a couple hours before.

"Did you have fun, Lacey?" His mother asked. And there it was again. The sneering face of dysphoria flashed in his mind.

"Yeah." He said. Thankfully, his mom was used to Logan's introverted nature, and didn't read anything into his short answer besides exhaustion. She put a podcast on and chatted quietly with his grandmother, leaving Logan to let his mind wander in the back seat.

That was a bad choice. Ever since summer break started, he refused to let his thoughts go free for too long. Every time he did, his mind would go to the same place. He was coming out at school when sophomore year started, and he was anxious as hell about it.

So, he pulled out his phone, resorting to the one thing he knew would always distract him. His best friend.

Microsoft Nerd: It is back. I need you to help me make one decision about school, and then I need a distraction.

Perfect Prince: I'm free. Call?

Microsoft Nerd: I am in the car.

Perfect Prince: Ah. Gimme the question.

Microsoft Nerd: Should I email teachers or tell them on the first day?

Microsoft Nerd: Should I tell the principal?

Microsoft Nerd: Do you think the administration could get my name changed on the roster?

Perfect Prince: Slow down there, L. You said one decision.

Microsoft Nerd: I apologize. I have been alone with my thoughts too long.

Perfect Prince: let's start with your second question.

Perfect Prince: Mr. Sanders adores you.

Perfect Prince: He'd honestly be offended if you didn't tell him personally.

Perfect Prince: If you can deal with face-to-face, here's my advice.

Perfect Prince: Go to the first day of school. You're an awesome judge of character. Figure out who you can tell that day. The rest, email.

Perfect Prince: Third...

Perfect Prince: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Perfect Prince: ask Mr. Sanders after you tell him.

Microsoft Nerd: Thank you. Shockingly, you had a smart idea.

Perfect Prince: STFU

Perfect Prince: anyway!

Microsoft Nerd: proceed

Perfect Prince: I listened to Beetlejuice last night and it was actually like

Perfect Prince: Lit

Perfect Prince: I mean I'm a Hadestown stan first and a human second

Perfect Prince: But!

Logan leaned forward, resting his head against the back of the driver's seat, grin on his face. He wasn't an emotional person at all, but Roman's distractions always made him smile.

He turned his Spotify to the Beetlejuice soundtrack at Roman's request and watched Roman's rant turn to Hadestown again. It always turned to Hadestown nowadays. He glanced up at the sky and saw the full moon shining down on him. Everything would be ok.

~~~

Logan stepped out of the shower and immediately tripped over his clothes. It was his own fault for showering with the lights off, but it was the only way he could convince himself to even take a shower.

As he sat against the tub, rubbing his now sore nose, his phone screen lit up from the counter. He groaned and got up. As he limped to the counter, he realized how hard the fall actually was. He groaned again when he read the text.

Stormcloud: Hey Lacey. Is there any chance I can borrow your copy of Lord of the Flies? I didn't realize how close the test was.

Virgil was a casual friend. The two had bonded after being seated next to each other in freshman advanced English. Then they had bonded even more during their debates while the class was reading Romeo and Juliet.

Logan had never come out to him. He could. He definitely could. Virgil's older brother was trans. It was just never something that crossed his mind during their conversations. He started typing.

Microsoft Nerd: Yes. We can arrange a time for you to get the book. As I have adequately prepared for the test, you can take the book at any time.

Microsoft Nerd: Also, it's Logan now.

Stormcloud: huh?

Microsoft Nerd: My name. It's Logan now.

Stormcloud: oh

Stormcloud: pronouns?

Microsoft Nerd: He/Him

Stormcloud: coolio

Stormcloud: I can swing by your house tomorrow around 1. That chill?

Microsoft Nerd: affirmative.

Logan hugged his phone to his chest. Virgil had accepted the new information with ease. He felt the pressure on his chest lighten, dysphoria slinking back to its tiny corner of his brain.

Amusing. He had discovered a new way to battle it. He switched over to his group chat.

Microsoft Nerd: I came out to Virgil

He finally got dressed while he was waiting for a response, putting on his baggiest hoodie, which Patton had affectionately named "the blob hoodie," and his favorite pair of pajama pants. He finally turned on his light and was able to look in the mirror while he washed his face.

His phone blew up with texts. Emoji spams from Patton and a couple happy texts from Roman. Logan proceeded to stay up way too late, texting his friends, a little firework of happiness exploding in his heart every time he got called by his name. Roman had known for three years at this point, and Patton for nearly two, but Logan's euphoria at being referred to by his chosen name felt the same as it first had.

~~~

Logan sat cross-legged on Roman's bed, laptop in front of him. He had spent a month stressing over this, and had finally decided to just email all his teachers before school started.

He looked around the room. Roman was pacing around his room, flapping his hands as intensely as he would do right before a show. Virgil leaned against the bed in front of Logan, alternating between scrolling through Tumblr and taking sneaky photos of Roman. Patton sat next to Logan, holding one of his hands.

He took a deep breath. "Okay. I have been drafting this email for two weeks. All three of you have proofread it multiple times. School starts in two days. It's time."

He glanced over at Patton, who gave him a soft smile and a reassuring hand squeeze. He took another breath and reached his free hand onto the mousepad. 

Click.

Logan's head was a tangle of emotions. Euphoria, anxiety, a touch of bitterness. What Logan felt the most, though, was his best friend initiating a cuddle pile on top of him, and a surprising warmness at all of his friends. That was when he knew, that no matter what happened, no matter how any of the teachers reacted, no matter how any of the students reacted, he knew that his three closest friends had his back, and that was the only thing that mattered.

[cassolotl]

Pronoun tips from binary men and women

Every once in a while I am asked (or see someone asking) how to use pronouns other than he/him and she/her. The person asking is usually a man or a woman unfamiliar with nonbinary stuff generally, but they’ve got a particular nonbinary person in their life whom they care about and they don’t want to mess up. Maybe they keep misgendering their nonbinary friend and they feel guilty, or they want to take the burden off the nonbinary person who keeps having to correct them, something like that.

When binary people lack that confidence with pronouns, they seek the advice of nonbinary people. Not only are we likely to give advice that’s not ideal for binary people (because we’ve got skin in the game, all our friends are nonbinary so we’re used to it, etc.), but it is another facet of that dynamic of the privileged group (in this case binary people) placing their burden onto the marginalised group. Binary people should be asking advice from other binary people who’ve mastered pronouns.

So, I asked, and a bunch of binary people answered. I got advice from trans and cis binary people (men and women), and I’m collecting all the common stuff and the stuff I thought was good, all here for your perusal. If you know a binary person who’s struggling to get pronouns right, pass this along.

[This article assumes that you know a specific nonbinary person and you want to get better at using their pronouns, though the advice can be adapted. It also assumes that you’re familiar with the concepts of singular they and neopronouns, and you accept that they’re grammatically correct.]

Update: Now available as a printable on Google Docs, in case you need to hand it to someone in person!

~

PRACTISE

Something that came up over and over, from cis and trans people, was that just like learning anything language-related, practise is essential. And like anything language-related, it is definitely possible to learn!

“If you can get into a hobby like, say, knitting, and learn how to use 'knit' vs 'purl' vs 'cast' vs 'bind' and so on, you can absolutely learn whichever pronouns are correct for the people you talk to, or about and use them as needed.“ --An anonymous cisgender binary person.

Practise a little bit every day. Language is maintained through regular and habitual use. “Pure repetition leaves these pronouns on the tip on my tongue.” --Anonymous cisgender binary person

Talk about the person and use the correct pronouns. You can talk about them to yourself or to a non-judgemental friend. Do this while they’re not around, so they don’t feel uncomfortable. “It really helped me having a friend [to practise with] who I trusted to not judge me when I got it wrong.“ --An anonymous cisgender binary person.

Think about the person and use their pronouns. “I would narrate what they were doing in my head using their name and chosen pronouns, so like. ‘They sat down and opened their textbook for the class.’” --Mason

Write about someone and use the pronouns you want to learn. Something magical about writing fixes things in our memories. Write about the person whose pronouns you’re trying to learn, or write a story about a fictional person with those pronouns. Compose a selection of phrases that use all five forms of the pronoun, and write them down. Rewrite a passage of a book you’re reading with different pronouns. “Every time you bugger up someone's pronouns, write a paragraph about them in your journal as practice - just, like, nice things about them - and do make it about focusing on them and who they are, not at all about your mistake or punishing yourself for it.“ --Anna K

Listen to/read works by other people using the pronouns. Podcasts, YouTube, fiction and non-fiction books, newspaper articles, queer socials where folks have a lot of nonbinary friends...

“Practice getting it wrong as well as getting it right, so that you can correct yourself smoothly and automatically.” --Anna K

~

TRICK YOURSELF

"Imagine your friend has a tiny buddy on them, like a puppet in their pocket, and you're talking about your singular friend and their buddy, so: ‘them’. Eventually you'll get used to saying they/them/their.” --An anonymous cisgender binary person.

Draw on your prior experience. If you’re queer and you’ve had to do the Pronoun Dance when talking about your partners before, pretend to yourself that you’re deliberately hiding someone’s gender from the person you’re talking to. If you’re used to not knowing friends’ genders because you only know them online, pretend to yourself that you’ve never met your nonbinary friend AFK before. “The most effective way I can get myself in the mental frame to consistently use they/them pronouns for someone who I've previously known as she/her or he/him, is by thinking of it as like I don't wish to disclose this person's gender to the audience (even if the audience is myself, in my thoughts).” --S

Many people commented that tricking yourself often naturally and accidentally leads to...

~

CHANGE HOW YOU THINK ABOUT GENDER

“View the people you're talking about as people, and their gender(s) as valid. This is the most helpful thing.“ --Kaelen

Start using singular they when talking about people whose genders you don’t know. This was recommended by a LOT of binary people. It cements the idea that you can’t know someone’s gender or pronouns unless they’ve told you, and it detaches pronouns from gender presentation and your own assumptions based on appearance.

Research genders that defy the binary. Get comfortable with the subject, understand that what people tell you about themselves is important and personal to them, and accept that any gender that someone earnestly tells you they experience is valid.

Get used to the idea that you don’t know anyone’s gender until they tell you. “If I knew Shirley used they/them pronouns, I might slip and say ‘she is over there’ but if I train myself to believe I am not fully aware of their gender (only they are!) than I can say ‘they are over there’ more confidently and assured.” --Maria

Think of people as masculine and feminine instead of male and female. “Something that I'm sure also helps is seeing certain looks/types not as "male/female" but as fem/masc. There can be a masc female, a fem male, and so on and so forth.” --An anonymous nonbinary trans-masc person.

~

IN THE MEAN TIME

If you’re struggling, use the person’s name in a pinch. It’s better than misgendering them, and it can keep the natural flow of conversation going so that it’s not all about their pronouns.

When you mess up, correct yourself and move on. “I think I'm a lot less likely to make the same mistake again if I catch myself and amend it.“ --helen

Don’t say sorry, say thank you. "If you misgendered someone and are corrected pls say “thank you” rather than “I’m sorry” - apology forces that person to tell you it’s ok, which is strange. THANK YOU suggests that u understand it’s not okay and you’re grateful to have been corrected!” --Dan Owens on Twitter.

~

BE KIND TO YOURSELF

Accept that you’ll make mistakes and that’s okay. “There is no fast, there's no short cut for it except making sure you do it regularly, and correcting yourself when you inevitably get it wrong. It isn't actually a huge deal, most non-binary people recognise the difference between a slip up (particularly if you knew the person pre-coming out) and wilful misgendering.” --CJ Atkinson

Privately say/think kind things to yourself when you get it right. Learning new pronouns can be really hard and positive reinforcement is good for you!

Forgive yourself when you get it wrong. Don’t beat yourself up, because everyone gets it wrong sometimes and you can’t learn if you don’t make mistakes. “Don't punish yourself for slipping up. As long as you're trying you're good.” --An anonymous trans binary person.

Start easy and work up. “When it comes to neopronouns they become easier to use after learning they/them because you've already got a base to work off of, if you will.” --An anonymous nonbinary trans-masc person.

~

DON’T PUT IT ON THEM

It’s your responsibility. If you’re reading this then you probably already know this! No one should have to work to have their identity recognised and respected, no matter how uncommon their pronouns are. “Not putting the onus of correction on the person I've misgendered has been key for me.” --helen

Don’t ask a nonbinary person to correct you. It is exhausting and depressing to have to correct other people on your pronouns all the time. If you need someone to correct you, ask your binary friends to correct you and each other, whether the nonbinary person is within earshot or not.

Don’t talk to them about how hard their pronouns are. Nonbinary people have to deal with a steady stream of “I’m really sorry, I am trying but it’s just so hard.” We know it’s hard for some people and we get it, but we also know that it is possible and quite frankly, as the people in the middle ring of the Kvetching Order we’re not the ones you should be complaining to.

[transfeminformative]

hiii i am a young cis lesbian starting to date a closeted trans girl who i reallyyy like.... what do i say to people who are telling me i'm not really a lesbian for liking her when she doesn't "look like a girl"? this understandably upsets her a lot and i've been trying to find a way to shut it down quickly so she doesn't feel so insecure

Well, there’s a lot of contextual nuance to this sort of thing. 

Here’s how to approach the situation if the person is a stranger or someone offering unsolicited comments in public:

I think it would be best to discuss with your girlfriend what responses and actions she’s comfortable with in different situations. This way, you can both know how you’re going to try to respond to harassment and both of you have an agreed-upon response. I think that when random people say that stuff like “she doesn't look like a girl” it’s ok to say “well, she IS a girl!” because that’s definitive and doesn’t leave the matter open for discussion. But if you go in the direction of “but she looks like a girl to ME!” then that presents the matter as having multiple interpretations and they might be more convinced to pursue the matter further. Though, again, your girlfriend might have specific ideas of how she would like you to handle it. It’s good to talk it over with her, because ultimately she’s the one being directly targeted and harassment can be traumatic for her. 

People who harass you or your girlfriend because she is transgender generally can’t be convinced of her womanhood or made to change their mind through discussion or argument. Trying to argue with them might be dangerous for you and your girlfriend because there’s no telling when people might escalate their transmisogynistic harassment to outright violence. 

When you’re facing this kind of harassment, depending on the situation it may even be best simply to not address what they’ve said, rather to tell them to be respectful, to shut up, to leave her and you alone; whatever makes sense for the situation. Generally, you’re gonna have to judge what the best safety procedures are in each different situation. Above all, focus on de-escalation of the situation and try and get both of you out of the dangerous situation ASAP. There have been times where I’ve had to leave an event, change my plans, take an alternate route, find a totally unoccupied public restroom, etc. because of harassment, or the risk of harassment. 

Here’s how to approach the situation if the person is a classmate, family, or someone you know: 

When it comes to people you are personally acquainted with disrespecting you and your girlfriend, it’s a hard path to walk. People grow up with a lot of very bad views on trans women ingrained in their minds that they already have assumed as truth any time they see or hear about a trans girl. 

Again, I would advise privately talking with your girlfriend and figuring out what kind of things are ok to say about her when other people ask about her and talk about her. Different people will have different comfort levels, and the reality is if you say the wrong thing to the wrong person you could hurt her feelings. I’m not saying that’s guaranteed or anything, but it’s a type of consideration that, in a way, everyone should make for their partner. 

Your friends, family, and classmates may not have heard of or even met a trans girl before, so you might have to do a lot of explaining. 

I think one of the most fundamental ideas to get across to cis people, is that the only way they can behave towards you and your girlfriend without being deeply hurtful is to consistently refer to her as a girl, use her correct pronouns, and accept that you are a lesbian without interrogating you about it. 

In my opinion this is basically what cis people have to learn first, before they even understand that yes, she is truly a girl, and yes, you are truly a lesbian. They may not even realize that the things that they are saying are deeply hurtful, so that is something they have to learn. 

Additionally, I think it’s good to point out to people that it’s hurtful to your gf to publicly debate her gender, its hurtful to you to publicly debate your sexual orientation, and it’s always, always hurtful to say that someone “doesn’t look like a girl.”

After all, everyone deserves to have their gender respected regardless of what they wear or what they look like. Butch women are still women, trans women are still women, gay men are still men, trans men are still men. Heck, if you wear a spacesuit and absolutely none of your body shape is visible whatsoever, your gender remains the same and your pronouns remain the same. 

Well, that’s my two cents. Sorry it took so long for me to respond.Uh, I guess here at the end I’ll clarify that... this is all just my personal opinion, based on my personal experience as a lesbian trans woman, and if anyone else has something else to add, feel free to do so. 

If anyone wants to respond anonymously, or needs any advice about transfeminine topics, my askbox is open.