#it can be overcome but it's still like...real

[eatmeandbirthmeagain]

Could I make one where Balwin's wife is pregnant but during childbirth she is surprised and it is not a single baby, if it is not 3 triplets and they are chubby and pink, what will be people's reaction?

♡ Sweet Surprise - King Baldwin x Reader ♡

♡ Fluff ♡

A/N: Hello Anon! Thank you for the request, I think that this was one of the ones that got deleted by the glitch a little while ago so I'm so sorry about that, but I'm glad you sent it back in so I could complete it! As always, this is based on the film Kingdom Of Heaven, not the real historical figures. Enjoy!

TW: Leprosy, Child Birth

It was exactly one month after the union between the king and queen of Jerusalem that y/n fell pregnant.

After many weeks of trying, it had finally happened.

The young couple were overjoyed, having exceeded all doubts about Baldwin’s fertility due to his illness. It was truely a blessing from the lord Himself and needless to say, the entire kingdom was of the same opinion.

As the months went on, the queen fell heavily pregant. More so than what was expected. This worried the physicians greatly, believing that there may be something wrong.

Y/n was confined to the royal chambers to preserve her health until labour.

Baldwin was destraught. Thinking irrationally, he believed that it had something to do with his disease.

His anxiety grew with each passing day, no matter how many times his queen consoled him and assured him that the situation was no fault of his own.

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

And then, the day came.

The king was out overseeing the construction of a new church in the kingdom when a servant on the back of a large stallion sprinted up to the small group of officials.

“MY LORD MY LORD!” he shouted, leaping down from the horse, panting and tripping overhimself.

“Oh my, are you okay? What is going on?” Baldwin replied, his heart quickening at the thought of an emergency.

“My lord, its the queen, she is in labour!” 

The king and the rest of the small party waisted no time in mounting their horses and cantering back to the castle as fast as possible. 

When they arrived, Baldwin payed no attention to the pain that his body was in. He lept down from the horse, ignoring the surge of agony that shot through his lower body when his feet hit the ground.

He was the first into the castle and ascended the stairs to the royal chambers in no time.

Breathing heavely, he pushed open the doors with the last of his strength before falling to his knees.

Two maids immediately rushed to his side, helping their king to his feet.

“Y/n! Is she okay? Is the baby alright?!” he asked urgently, still panting heavily.

“Baldwin!” y/n called from the bed, “I am alright my love, come see!”.

As the kings vision cleared, the bed that held his wife came into view. As did the baby. And another baby? And another? In the queens arms lay three, healthy, chubby, pink babies who were all sleeping peacefully against their mothers body.

Baldwin gasped, a wide grin quickly spreading across his mask covered face.

The maids helped him to the bed, sitting him down carefully beside his wife.

“They are all healthy sweetheart, thats why my belly was so big! There was nothing wrong, I was just holding triplets!” y/n said, an equally wide smile on her face. 

The young king was lost for words and overcome with nothing but pure joy.

“I- I cant believe it! This is the most amazing day of my life! Oh thank you lord!’’ Baldwin praised, his grin hidden by the mask.

He pressed his forehead against the top of his wifes head, squeezing his eyes shut.

“I cant believe this is happening! I have never been happier” he said, feeling tears of joy welling in his eyes.

Y/n chuckled, “neither can I darling. And I thought we were blessed with one, but THREE!”

Baldwin opened his eyes to look down at his children.

Each one was plump and healthy. Their arorable faces melted his heart.

“There are two boys and one girl” the queen said softly.

“Would you like to hold them?” she asked.

Baldwin thought for a moment, “I dont know if that is a good idea, what if they get sick? I couldnt live with myself if-” 

“Darling” y/n cut him off gently.

“It will be okay. You are clothed and you are wearing your mask. Nothing will happen I can assure you. Allow yourself this moment, you deserve it” she told him with a smile.

He took a deep breath before nodding, leaning against the headboard of the bed and holding out his arms.

One by one, y/n carefully placed each tiny bundle of life in his arms.

Two of them stayed in peaceful sleep but ones eyes opened slowly. It was one of the boys. He did not cry like many babies would, he simply yawned and looked up at his father with big blue eyes. Big blue eyes, just like Baldwin’s.

The kings heart swelled with joy and happiness again at the sight of his son. His own son.

“Oh my love look!, he has your eyes” y/n cooed, looking at the adorable little boy in her husbands arms.

“Yes, he does!” Baldwin’s own eyes welled with tears at the sight and he fought back a broken sob.

Noticing his tear filled eyes, y/n placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder.

“Are you okay darling? Whats wrong?” she asked, suddenly worried.

“I’m alright my love. I’m just so happy, I never thought this day would come. Theyre so perfect, youre so perfect. Thank you y/n- I love you so much”

He tried his best to prevent tears from running down his cheeks, but when the chubby little boy in his arms smiled up at his fathers masked face, he could not fight it.

Y/n wrapped an arm around Baldwin’s shoulders and pulled him closer to her.

“You deserve this happiness sweetheart. I love you, and our family is, and will be, perfect” she kissed her husband's cheek and layed her head on his shoulder.

The king nodded, a small smile returning to his face.

He felt like the happiest man alive, and he knew that as long as he had these children and y/n in his life, he would stay that way for all eternity.

[seasurfacefullofclouds1]

Sea im so emotional hearing him talk like that, feeling so accomplished 😭 he was really out there playing stadiums wtf 😭

I remember the rough years and I never thought this possible, not because of him (he’s always been a superstar and has had all the talent to be doing what he’s doing) but because I swear everything was against him, the fucking industry, life, his own label and there were times when I felt so discouraged, precisely because I knew he had everything in him to succeed but look AT HIM NOW HE IS THRIVING, idk how he managed to survive through all the bullshit but he did and I’m so happy I could cry

I’m so glad I stuck by him and honestly I think this is a big general feeling within the fandom and I don’t think any other artist could’ve done what Louis did, he really is SO special and he is SO loved 🥹

When I first saw the reel, I watched it from beginning to end and sat there for a second, overcome and speechless. I knew fandom would love all the visuals (Joshua knocked it out of the park as usual), but for me, hearing Louis think his journey through and tell his perspective was incredibly moving.

Sometimes I think Louis might have forgotten certain gigs or fandom moments, then he mentions that he played Scala (in 2020, also for a War Child fundraiser) and compares that relatively humble but heartfelt concert to going onstage in front of a sold out stadium with 69k+ AND VEEPS live-streaming, and you feel the crest of the fairytale and it doesn’t really quite seem real.

You hear the emotion in Louis’ voice, the hint of bittersweetness in “unless the band ever got back together or whatever,” the honesty in giving his actual numbers out loud, not to brag or invite pity but simply to face the incredible what-the-fuckness of it all.

Meanwhile All This Time is playing in the background. For Louis, it is always simultaneously about the moment and the journey. He squats down to absorb the happiness that can last throughout his life, that he’ll remember when he’s 70 or 80. But he can also remember the hard times and the peak times from beginning to end. I’m so glad that Louis said, “I worked hard to get here,” that he can acknowledge it, his work ethic, his grind, his rise.

Louis’ consistency with core principles, the reiteration of the importance of friends and family, his humility and gratitude, his compassion and generosity with sharing credit where credit is due, the theme and metaphor of “home” that runs through his lyrics and ideas are like the comfortable traits of a friend who is reliable, trustworthy throughout the 14 years we have known him.

It all gives the moving impression that a decent, talented man can succeed on his own terms; that there’s still some good and some magic in this world not completely controlled by money or influence. It gives normal people like us some hope. No one is quite like him.

[rivetgoth]

The fact that I’ve seen a few people try to analyze I Saw the TV Glow through a lens of it being about like, fandom and obsession with media and nostalgia being bad ?? is genuinely blowing my mind. Obviously there’s the fact that this movie is as unambiguously about being trans as it can possibly be without just saying outright “this is a movie about being trans” but I also think this is crazy because I would say it actually has one of the most unambiguously positive relationships with concepts like “media consumption” and “nostalgia” that I’ve seen in a movie.

Like, to say it’s a shallow interpretation of the film to call it “about media/fandom” (and especially a negative depiction of such things!) is putting it quite kindly because I kind of feel that anyone who utters such sentiments didn’t actually understand the core element of the entire movie: “The Pink Opaque” is not a show. Commentary the film makes about watching “The Pink Opaque” cannot translate to commentary on watching shows broadly because the movie spends half its runtime making it explicitly clear that “The Pink Opaque” may be a show that exists in a literal sense but is not one in a figurative sense. “The Pink Opaque” represents the possibilities of childhood and innocence. Innocence that still is not free from judgment—Owen gets told the show is for girls, Maddy’s friend accuses her of sexual harassment on account of her sexuality while they were watching it together—but it’s the moment in your youth (or any time! it doesn’t have to go away!) when the possibility of queerness and more explicitly queer utopia feels real to you. The external pressures to conform are still there but you can tune them out if just for a moment to envision a future and a life for yourself free of it and living authentically. I think this is an experience all LGBT people can relate to, but in the case of ISTTVG it’s very explicitly primarily focusing on queer femininity, predominantly transfemininity, but in Maddy’s case as well she is a queer woman (I’ve seen some interpretations of her as transmasculine but I disagree personally). Hence the on-the-nose nature of it being PINK.

What feels very genius about Schoenbrun making it about a show though is that it’s so generational, right? For all of us LGBT people who grew up in the age of screens that WAS where a lot of that early imagination going wild resided. The first time you explore a new name is on anonymous forums. The first time you explore your masculinity or femininity is with which character you relate to in a show, or which gender you select in Pokémon. Movies and shows with “queer subtext” or even without give young LGBT people the chance to envision relationships and futures for themselves, what many grow up and call “shipping.” You have your first gay crush while watching your favorite movies. You envy those of your true gender while watching your favorite movies. Amongst many other things when Maddy watches “The Pink Opaque” she’s given access to a world where two women share this intimate connection and overcome obstacles together. When Owen watches “The Pink Opaque” they’re given access to a world where femininity is a real option for their future.

The relationship these characters have to “The Pink Opaque” is a net positive and the movie makes that so incredibly obvious when Owen goes back to rewatch it later and finds that it’s nothing like how they remembered, it feels childish and immature and dumb. That is a bad thing. This is a bad thing. The movie wants you to see this as a bad thing. This is the result of repression, of conversion therapy, of violent coercion into normative lifestyle—That sense of limitless possibility is destroyed and the idea of accessing one’s transness, of imagining this utopia where you CAN be yourself and live as a woman, strong and beautiful on the other side of the screen as said in the film, is lost. Now you tell yourself it feels silly, it feels childish to imagine such things, it’s not nearly as deep and meaningful as you believed it was when you were younger and less inhibited, or it’s at the very least easier to tell yourself that. Owen’s feeling embarrassed is of note here. If it weren’t for these external pressures that have been internalized they very well may have been able to still enjoy the show, even as they’ve aged and grown and matured, even if their perspective has changed a little. But they can’t. Not yet, at least.

I feel kind of out of my mind seeing people try to approach it through a lens of commentating on media consumption because it’s so deeply missing the layers of what’s actually being said… and not even in a wildly obfuscated way. The movie is ABOUT the relationship these characters have to “The Pink Opaque” and how the loss of that is a bad thing. How you can possibly watch it and see it being about some kind of growth from obsessive media consumption is mind boggling to me. Seeing multiple reviews and posts in tags about it is crazy. One thing I really like about this movie is that it so confidently argues for a more positive interpretation of being obsessed with “fantasy” and the childlike wonder of the limitless possibilities of fiction. I think that’s a very very trans narrative, as I mentioned it feels tied deeply into Queer Utopia, and I find it much more bold of a stance to take. In a world where people tell trans individuals (and especially trans women) that their identities are works of fiction or products of the imagination or even caused by excessive media consumption, to embrace these things and turn them over and use them as a symbol of the whimsy and innocence and excitement that first ignites that spark as a positive, thrilling, beautiful thing is very cool.

[billiuspendragon]

Something always bothered me about the Terusai dynamic and I couldn't put my finger on why. I finally figured it out the other day when I was listening to "every breath you take" by The Police and realised that it reminded me of them.

I feel like the whole "watching over your loved one" thing is considered romantic, but I find it really creepy. Now, I get that Saiki stalks basically EVERYONE in this show, but stalking your friends and stalking a potential lover gives me massively different vibes.

Saiki watches Teruhashi to make sure she's safe, and drags those other potential suitors away because they "don't deserve her" - and while those guys he dragged away were dickheads, that still gives me major dodgy vibes! If we do go with the interpretation that he loves Teruhashi romantically at this point, then it goes from making sure guys don't bother her to eliminating competition. I know that probably wasn't his motivation, but that's what it FEELS LIKE.

I do think these two love each other by the end of the series in canon, but no matter how much I try to logic myself into liking them as a couple it still gives me the ick. At least people like Akechi or Aiura stalk him just as much as he stalks them, so they're on a more equal footing lol.

I absolutely love when fics have Teruhashi and Saiki connect as real friends, but I just can't do the romance thing with those two. I almost consider their romantic feelings for each other as something they must overcome, if that makes sense.

Of course if you do ship these two, mad respect! I'm just writing out my own thoughts because, well, it's Tumblr. Please don't think I'm hating on you if you do ship them - I can respect the ship from a distance even if I don't like to engage with it.

[f1ghtsoftly]

I actually really, really dislike that radfems tend to focus on judging women for individual life choices like they’re made in a vacuum and not actually making it easier for women to make more life affirming decisions. It's easy now, when so many things are technically legal but socially and financially difficult to blind ourselves to the very real hurdles that can keep women trapped in patriarchal social structures and communities.

While it is true that choices, like partnering with a man, reinforce patriarchy we also live in a system that does everything it can to reward behavior that sets women back. As feminists, it should be our job to make it easier for women to separate and when women refuse to ask ourselves "what more could we do to make this less harrowing?" Underneath, for example, many women's refusal to stop wearing makeup, is really a refusal to forgo the social status conferred by being gender conforming and that social status isn't useless. It can help women advance in their careers, help them gain sympathy, make them more attractive to their desired partners etc etc.. While compliance with patriarchal dictates separates a woman from herself and other women, it also helps her succeed in a woman hating system.

Making feminist decisions in a patriarchy is like swimming backwards against a current. Sometimes that current is weaker or stronger and sometimes, despite a woman' best efforts she might start going backwards. As politically engaged and awakened women, we are supposed to give women tools to help make swimming against that current easier. Not forming cliques or shaming women who are struggling (if you're frustrated with a brainwashed woman, that's your sign to log off and vent to a feminist friend). Even "privileged" patriarchal aligned women are committing self harm on some level, patriarchy hurts all women. Even the ones prolonging its life with their actions.

This is also why class is such a critical feminist issue. When escape from deep poverty is reliant on a women selling her body through an advantageous marriage to a man, it's not in her self interest to forgo that option for political reasons. When childcare is so expensive in the US women are forced to rely on a partner to help them raise children. Not only are male partners more likely to make more money, they also can't get pregnant, and thus can devote themselves to their own children (this is why older women and childfree women should involve themselves in childcare). When women know living single means having to fend off disgusting and violent men, they're less likely to do it.

And yes, I know women can learn a trade and be reasonably financially sufficient but it's also better for women to diversify and organize within their chosen fields. Not only will it make women more comfortable, but it's better for female consumers. Evidence also shows that pay lowers when women enter an industry en masse so the relatively lucrative careers in the trades are only like that because women *aren't there*. Furthermore, when women decide to become mothers, they take a massive financial hit, both in the amount of time they can put into a job and the financial burden of raising children. I'm not an anti-natalist, I think women having children when they want them is a good thing and patriarchy takes a beautiful experience and makes it a way to trap women with horrible men.

When we place the entire burden of feminist actions on individual women "choosing" to not partner with men or cater to them rather then using our energy to unite to make systemic changes we ensure that our movement centers young, childless women, rather then what is demographically common. Not only do we do that, but we also exclude mothers from this movement, when mom's need to be centered.

Here is what I am not suggesting:

We confuse compassion for women unable or unwilling to risk patriarchal backlash for some feminist actions for excusing them. Trying to understand women still aligned with patriarchy won't turn you into a liberal. Makeup is still patriarchal. Dating men is still not great for you mentally, emotionally and physically. Lying about pronouns or refusing to challenge the rollback of women’s rights publicly will still create the illusion women consent to the destruction of their legal protections. That is all real. But patriarchy comes down hard on women who stand against it alone. And an online community, especially one not exactly flush with cash, can only take us so far.

Here is what I am suggesting:

We begin to reprioritize party building and policy goals. How can we make it easier to make feminist choices? What structures can we make to support separatism?

How can we organize women across varying industries against unfair wages, misogynistic standards and the political repression of feminists and feminism?

How can we develop women only networks to support mothers in childrearing?

In general, how can we make forgoing personal safety to be around men a less and less desirable option for more and more women?

In general, let's please, please start thinking in terms of systems instead of individualistically. It doesn't serve anyone but men to pick judgement over solidarity with women who aren't there yet. Stop judging women you only know through a screen and start organizing to make it easier and easier for women to live feminist lives. Put that desire into action, stop using it to make us stagnate when we need to grow aggressively.

[sysig]

Pivotal bright spot (Patreon)

[astrxealis]

dear gods i adore horror tbh but i am way too sensitive to it

[toytulini]

i started w the scarves like youre supposed to and they definitely are slower....but the mechanics involved in throwing and catching them feels completely different, and also worse for my terrible shoulders?

[gideonisms]

I think the thing about ntn is, it's like making a friend who you broadly agree with on the most important things but who you HARD disagree with on some of the details

[south-sea]

(a drabble where i cry about the tragedy of mephiles)

~400 words

-

Solaris loved them.

At first, there were few. They would dance and sing and smile in the company of a small fire they had built, and Solaris would watch from behind the embers. These humans looked so big from down here. They were fascinating, endearing, inspiring, and Solaris found comfort in them.

Few became many. They cheered and told stories and passed down those stories to even tinier humans, and Solaris would watch from the fireplaces warming their dens. These humans looked so happy from back here. They knew each and every one of their names, and Solaris would greet each new name with a sunny day.

Many became incomprehensible. They built their towers and their altars and had their festivals, and Solaris would watch from behind a burning sun. These humans looked so small from up here. They were precious, fleeting things, and Solaris loved them.

These tiny, precious, fleeting things did not need to be told they were there. They knew. They knew. And they loved them for it.

When Solaris sang, the people knew. They felt it in the tender cradle of a sunset whose warmth would linger just a few minutes longer than it would anywhere else. When Solaris sang, the cold seas would warm and calm. When Solaris sang, the shadows and terrors of night would shrink back away from scared children in their beds, and gentle mornings would greet sleepless widowers with honeyed rays and dove song.

When the humans grew greedy for power and paper, Solaris still loved them. When the humans reached for more and still more and were never satiated, Solaris took pity on them. They provided, and provided, and the humans decided this was not enough. When the humans entitled themselves to their generosity and their mercy and their love, Solaris loved them still and wept.

It rained for three days and three nights when the humans took one thing too much.

When Solaris could love them no longer, the humans knew not what they had lost. The seas could not be quelled, the shadows were not without their nightmares, the mornings were not tranquil.

Still they had their festivals for a god they had slain, still they sang and danced and drank and ate and shivered at relentlessly cold nights.

Solaris had loved them. They had loved them. They had loved them.

Mephiles did not know the meaning of love.

[veganmabelpines]

Something I don't understand is people who say things like "I would go vegan except I can't give up feta cheese" or "I can't live without bacon" is that if you really can't give up feta or bacon or scrambled eggs, why not give up everything else?

Addiction is a health problem, not a character flaw. Just like people with allergies, if you struggle with addiction, it does not mean you can't be vegan. Sure, it'd be ideal if you could cut all animal products out, but if you have to keep eating one specific thing while you overcome addiction to it, that's nothing to be ashamed of. A veggie burger with cheese is progress from a beef burger with cheese.

You do your best, and that's just fine.

[goldiipond]

that fandom misogyny trend where people will create an extensive list of headcanons and relationships for a minor male character while deliberately ignoring or even actively demonizing a complex, well-written female character is the exact same shit white people do with minor white characters vs complex characters of color and well some of the people calling out the first one are not as progressive as they think

[genderqueer-karma]

what the fuck i didn’t expect to cry just now. it’s so amazing how you can connect to people you’ll never meet.

[athenaholmesartistsguild]

I love how Kiryu is SO BAD at changing his identity.

Like. This man has had to pretend that he’s not who he is at least TWO TIMES (three if he changes his hair in 8 to go undercover) and his first attempt was naming himself the equivalent to John Smith. Then he tries AGAIN and he changes his name to JORYU.

Kiryu is so beautifully autistic and I love it. He just saw a rule and he followed it.

[quadrantbreaker]

local guy sees jun sazanami and thinks i can make him worse. i am local guy. three months later i am a jun p

[tenok]

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