#its like asking ‘what would you do if your son came out as gay’

[shadelorde]

experience of opening the polyamory tag on tumblr:

-“ummm my boyfriend actually pressured me to be in a polycule so i can say whatever i want about polyamorous people”

-“erm akshually threatening to kill your partner for suggesting polyamory is normal and good. it’s just a joke guys”

-“OBVIOUSLY I support poly people but they aren’t QUEER…why are polyamorous people so mad at me”

-*hazbin hotel ships*

-“polyamorous people are just like Mormons 🙄”

-“you all are so SENSITIVE I should be able to make jokes about KILLING you you’re just whiny BABIES”

-*harry potter ships*

-“um well I haven’t seen people being polyphobic so maybe you’re all Actually chronically online and need to go touch Grass”

-“just a reminder that monogamy is valid you guys <3”

-*two actual posts about being polyamorous*

[mythica-ithaca]

the fact that I see some of y'all posting more about how important it is to vote for Biden than you ever have about Palestine just shows that you fucking "vote blue no matter who" people genuinely don't give a fuck about anyone but yourselves.

you only choose to speak up when YOUR hypothetical rights are threatened. you love to fear monger about how much hypothetically worse it would be under trump than acknowledge the actual atrocities that Biden is committing and condoning every single day. how exactly is he the "lesser" of two evils for?

do any of you actually look at the images coming out of gaza, or are you too fucking ~triggered~ to fully acknowledge other peoples suffering rather than your own. have you seen the video that came out recently of the little boy whose brain is exposed, about to be laid next to his dead family members, only to twitch and seize in his fathers arms as he screams and runs in horror to find a doctor, because his son is alive. his brain is literally falling out of his skull but he is still alive. that is one brief example of the most horrific shit you've ever seen in your life coming out daily for almost a year. how on this earth can you watch that and possibly claim that Biden is in any way shape or form "less" evil.

instead of demanding that the dnc force a different candidate, you're trying to guilt trip people who have actually seen the mutilated bodies of children on their timelines every single day and watched the press briefings of bidens administration denying genocide and defending Israel at the expense of literally everything else for the last 8 months, into voting for a man who supports it 100% and has not and will not be convinced otherwise.

this is where allowing them to push widely unpopular and centrist candidates has gotten us. it didn't work with Hillary in 2016. it BARELY worked in 2020. and hate to break it to you, but its probably not going to work again. so congrats. your "vote blue no matter who" rhetoric has got them thinking that they can push the most right leaning liberals on us and think that we'll vote for them just because they're in a blue tie instead of a red one.

if you care about democracy like you say you do, then the Democrats should be fucking TERRIFIED that you won't vote for them if they don't deliver. not constantly reassured that they can commit literal fucking genocide and still get your votes if they dangle abortion rights over your heads. you realize they see those posts too right? the ones that say "Yes! protest vote in the primary but make sure to actually vote for the guy in the general!!" like. you are literally telling them how performative your activism is.

if every election at this point is the one where democracy is on the line then we are already fucked. if they don't get it through their heads now that we will not support this shit, then every election to come will be between a fascist and a fascist who cares slightly less about whether gay people get married or not. but that's all you care about right? as long as your domestic policy is in your favor then the rest of the world can suffer at your tax dollars.

this isn't about morality voting. this is about recognizing that there is not actually a "lesser" of two evils in this situation, just because you think that the causes that you personally care about will be less affected one way or the other. because what if it was abortion rights? what catholic Joe Biden was firmly against abortion and was threatening to ban it completely and throw anyone getting or giving one in prison for murder. what if it was videos of lgbt people being slaughtered coming out every single day for a year. genuinely fucking ask yourself if you'd still be saying "vote blue no matter who" and that he's the "lesser" of two evils.

vote for whoever the fuck you want. and I do genuinely urge you to vote for the most progressive candidate you can for the house and senate and your local elections. but for the love of god, stop trying to convince people that there is, in any sense of the word, a "Lesser" evil in this situation. stop trying to absolve yourselves of the fact that you are CHOOSING evil. it's genuinely sick.

[seethestarsalittlecloser]

Uni is over for the year and in just under 2 weeks I'm going into surgery and won't have anything to do while I recover so dc fandom send me a sign on which superbat/batman fic I should work on first:

Exes-to-lovers fic where bruce and clark dated for a few months while Bruce was on his Batman Training Adventure and it kinda fucked both of them up a lot

wlw superwonderbat because I'm Gay, poly and trans ft. fem!bruce's funky relationship with the concept of gender and motherhood, transfem!Diana and lesbian!clark

AU where post superfriends double date (you know. That Comic Issue that rewired my brain), Lois and Selina finally discuss the elephant in the room: their boys are in love and all four of them should maybe date about it. (ft. lois and selina catching feelings - it turns into a whole beautiful mess)

Bruce has a symbiote because I rewatched Venom and got brainworms ft my beloved symbiote oc Vengeance who is Trying Its Best to figure out this whole "no killing" thing Bruce has going on

Fic snippets under the cut:

Exes to lovers superbat:

Bruce looked behind him and watched a wall of frothy brown water hit the main road, rushing towards them at dizzying speeds. ‘Come on,’ he muttered through gritted teeth. The truck wasn't moving fast enough to outrun the wave. ‘Come on!�� ‘Faster!’ someone yelled in Mandarin. In English, someone else started to pray. The water was almost on them. Bruce turned back to face the front and locked eyes with Jia, clutching her sick son to her chest. Her eyes blazed with a desperate kind of defiance, like she was daring the flood to touch them.  If Bruce hadn't been watching her so intently, he would have missed it, the way her face slackened in shock in the split second before impact. Then, a massive force hit the truck and the world turned upside-down. People screamed, the road disappeared. The storming sky wheeled above him and Bruce slammed his eyes shut, his whole body bracing for the second where the truck hit the ground again or was swept up in the tide- -But it never came. A much, much gentler thud than he expected rocked the truck, and the world stopped spinning. The noise of the flash flood was suddenly much farther away than it should be. ‘Holy fuck,’ one of the Americans swore. Bruce opened his eyes. Holy fuck was right. They were fifty metres up the mountainside on one of the shallower slopes that overlooked the village. The rampaging water rushed by below them, sweeping down the road with formidable force, but for now, they were, inexplicably, safe.

wlw superwonderbat (ft. Talia and Dami):

‘Beloved,’ Talia said again. ‘You need to let me explain.’ Bryce sucked in a surprised breath, her expression flattening into a blank mask. The boy watched her with huge green eyes under a pair of strong brows. Talia's eyes. Ra’s eyes. Thomas Wayne’s brows. ‘Talia,’ Bryce said, flat with disguised urgency. ‘Who is the boy?’ Talia took the boy's hand. ‘He's your son.’ A stone was lodged in Bryce's throat, an old grief she had learned to breathe past swelling to choke her once again. ‘My son-’ her voice cracked and distorted through the modulator. She tried again. ‘My son died before he was ever born. I-’ she felt Dick step up to her shoulder and press his arm into hers, a grounding touch. ‘I lost him. You were there.’ ‘We were wrong,’ Talia said, her voice hard, furious. ‘You didn't lose him. My father took him from you.’ ‘Batman,’ Dick said, taking Bryce’s hand. ‘What's she talking about?’ Bryce's eyes landed on the little boy and once there, she couldn't tear them away again. Ra's nose. Martha's chin. ‘Talia,’ she said, still not looking away. ‘If this is a trick, a lie, something other than what you claim it to be, tell me now or I will make you regret we ever met.’ ‘I am telling the truth, my love,’ Talia replied. ‘I swear it.’ It was not a guarantee. Talia was an excellent liar. 

Brulina/Clois ot4 shenanigans:

‘Shall we?’ Bruce asked the Kents with his most charming smile. They settled at the table, Bruce at Selina's side, Lois in front of her. There was a long minute of painfully awkward silence. Selina watched Clark open his mouth to speak several times before clearing his throat and looking down as if he was studying the wood grain of the table through the tablecloth. Bruce was watching his best friend with growing barely disguised panic. Selina met Lois's eyes across the table and they both promptly dissolved into giggles. ‘Oh my god,’ Lois gasped. ‘This is ridiculous.’ Bruce was staring at them with wide eyes. Clark's shoulders were creeping towards his ears. ‘I think your husband is having kittens,’ Selina agreed, ignoring her fiancé, smothering more laughter behind her hands. ‘I'm right here,’ Clark protested, startled out of his staring contest with the table by the sound of their laughter. ‘Clark, sweetie,’ Lois laughed. Selina watched her take her husband's hand, her wedding ring glinting under the fairy lights. ‘You can relax, it's okay.’ Selina met Lois's eyes again and flicked them behind her towards the bar. Lois nodded. ‘Okay, boys,’ Selina said. ‘Lois and I are going to get us something a little stronger than Chardonnay to drink while we wait for our dinner.’ She stood and poured herself over Bruce's broad shoulders, placing a kiss on his cheek, which he returned with a smile, small, barely a flicker, but that's how she knew it was genuine. Selina winked at Clark. ‘If you're stuck for conversation topics, you can always tell darling Bruce here how handsome he is,’ she suggested, then added in a conspiratorial whisper, ‘he picked this outfit just for you, after all.’ Then, she stood, hooked her arm through Lois's and they sauntered towards the bar.

Venom AU:

According to the Gotham Gazette, Bruce Wayne had returned from his travels abroad with an obscure but prestigious business degree, a hundred extra pounds of muscle, and an interest in hunting. To reflect this, the young Wayne heir claimed his place as CEO of his late father's company, immediately made a name for himself among the rich and single socialites up and down the Eastern Seaboard, and acquired all the necessary permits and fencing to host a small herd of deer on his ancestral property for his personal leisure. Technically, those last two things were perfectly true. What the Gotham Gazette didn't know was that Bruce wasn't the one who liked to hunt. Nor did he hunt with a gun. Bruce wasn't a hunter - not of that kind, anyway. He was simply playing host to a rather unusual predator. Silent as the night, the creature stalked through the boughs of the trees. The leaves barely rustled, despite the creature's weight, Bruce's intensive training telling it exactly where to step and how to time its movements to mask any inevitable sounds as a stray gust of wind. They found the herd easily, the creature's enhanced senses unerringly tracking their prey through the dense woodland. Most of the herd was asleep at this hour, a few snuffling sleepily through the undergrowth. The creature crouched on a branch above a sleeping doe and licked its teeth with a long, cylindrical prehensile tongue. A wide smile split the black tar-like face bristling with dagger sized teeth. An oozing black tendril formed from one of the creature's clawed hands and descended upon the sleeping herd below. Quickly, Bruce projected into their shared mindspace. ‘YOU'RE NO FUN,’ the creature grumbled, and lunged.

[wildlife4life]

Seven (+) Sentence Sunday

Tagged by the super lovely @prosperdemeter2 @gayedmundodiaz @lemonzestywrites @rainbow-nerdss @devirnis @cal-daisies-and-briars @buddierights @disasterbuckdiaz @exhuastedpigeon @dangerpronebuddie @daffi-990 @tizniz @try-set-me-on-fire and @rogerzsteven Thank so much! Go check out all their snippets and works!

Well would ya'll look at that... I'm actually participating in a tag day with an actual wip and not a coda. Whoa. And even better... Its an NFL Buck snippet! WOOOOO! Want to see more NFL Buck? Please check it all out here!

"So." Karen begins, pulling Hen's attention from the book she's been trying to read for the past week. She quirks an eyebrow at her wife, "So?" "So my boss's son's, partner broke their leg Tuesday after tripping over their 15 year old terrier." Karen explains and Hen can't help but look back towards where Paisley is lounging on the arm chair (Hen's favorite seat that she has lost to that sassy fur ball) with worry. Her wife chuckles reading Hen's internal concern, "Babe, Paisley is as pure bred as they come. We'll be lucky if she makes it to 10." "That pure bred survived an earthquake and a collapsed building. I wouldn't put it past her to make it way past 10 out of spite alone.” Hen remarks, turning back to Karen. Karen rolls her eyes, but gets back on topic, "Anyway. Harris, that's the partner, got their hands on some passes to that super exclusive gay club, The Green Carnation for this Friday." "You mean the place that runs a background check rivaling the FBI, makes every patron sign NDA's, and will blacklist a person from every gay bar from here to Vegas if they break said NDA? The place that is rumored to host not only out celebrities, but also the deeply closeted, tilt the world on it's axis if they ever came out, big names? That gay club?" Hen questions, her excitement starting to rise. Her very sexy and somehow very connected wife smirks, "The very one. And poor Harris just can't fathom trying to hop around on one leg and not drink thanks to their newly acquired pain meds. So they had their partner-" "Your boss's son." Hen remembers, leaning towards Karen, who instinctually gets closer as well. "Karson, with a K, starts to asks around his dads work because you know, we're literal rocket scientist working on very classified information." "Who better to invite to a secret club than those who work on secret projects." "Exactly." Karen's smirk becomes wicked (and very sinful), "And wouldn't you know, the only non-straight and married person around is yours truly." Hen honest to go squeals, loud and bubbling with elation, "You got us passes to The Green Carnation?!" "With a pre-paid drink package. All we have to do is agree to the background check and sign the NDA." Karen replies with a broad grin. Hen can no longer hold herself back and practically tackles her wife with a teeth clattering kiss. Karen, as always, catches her and kisses back 110%. ("So, my 48 off falls on the weekend." Eddie states and he takes notice of Buck's sly grin forming, his boyfriend most likely on the same train of thought, "And since it's still your bye week..." "You want to dance the night away with other secret gays." Evan finishes. Eddie smirks, "And get a private room blow job." The quarterback's smile is almost feral like, "I'll make the reservation." And Eddie watches Buck tap on the contact Florists with the green clover next to it. The phone rings twice before a deep voice comes through the speaker, "State your member id." "Buckley, 201-09-18." "Diaz, 201-09-19." A quick moment of silence, then, "What can The Green Carnation do for you today Mr. Buckley and Mr. Diaz?")

Hmm... Is a certain run in going to happen???? We'll see!!! Hope you all enjoyed!

Tagging (no pressure): @hippolotamus @theotherbuckley @watchyourbuck @perfectlysunny02 @aroeddiediaz @loserdiaz @diazsdimples @jesuisici33 @fortheloveofbuddie @evanbegins @buck-coded @glorious-spoon @thekristen999 @spotsandsocks @sunshinediaz @lover-of-mine @hoodie-buck @elvensorceress @gayedmundodiaz @giddyupbuck @goforkinard @bekkachaos @thewolvesof1998 @eddiebabygirldiaz @spaceprincessem @eddiiediaz @honestlydarkprincess @doublecheekeddiaz @transboybuckley @nmcggg @monsterrae1 @missmagooglie @thebloomingheather @bigfootsmom

[bau-drabbles]

a/n: creds to the prev people that did this! :)

your insta but you're dating aaron hotchner, part 3

okay i promise this is the last time 😭 i made this in such a rush, it's so ooc. pls forgive me and enjoy 🤍

part 1, 2, 4

liked by itslukealvez, reid.gram and 500 others

y/n_xo: aaron and his dimples 😍🫶

view all 240 comments

d.morgan: and then you have reid who's standing behind him like a skin walker

its.emilyp: he looks like a kid who's gone to tell his dad he ate all his food including the veg

itsjj: he looks like henry when he vomited at 2am and came into my room to announce it

penny.garcia: my sweet boy, he looks like he needs a big long hug!! 🥹🥹

d.morgan: he's fine sweetness, he's going to live 😐

its.emilyp: its okay derek, spencer loves you too

d.morgan: i already know, who wouldn't 😏

y/n_xo: this is not tinder pls, i just wanted to appreciate aaron's dimps 🥲

itsjj: aww father and his son 💗

a.hotch: one is enough, thanks

d.morgan: loool you heard the man, reid. no one likes you

a.hotch: you leave him alone right now 🤨

reid.gram: you heard the man, morgan. no one likes you 🥱

liked by its.emilyp, penny.garcia and 490 others

y/n_xo: he's so cute 🤍🥹

view all 301 comments

d.morgan: yknow sometimes i forget hotch is a whole father

reid.gram: same. he's so angry all the time. i can't fathom him showing any other emotions beside it

y/n_xo: he's so nice to jack, i can't remember last time i even got a kiss 🥲

itsjj: this morning when we walked by your office 🤨

penny.garcia: or last night when we were at the dinner 🤥

the.davidrossi: or literally anytime you both are together 😐

a.hotch: i literally kissed you just a minute ago. but okay

its.emilyp: ignore them all, baby. i'll give you all my kisses 👭

its.emilyp: has he been working out? 🤨

a.hotch: it's all natural, i assure you

d.morgan: he's lyin. he asked me to help him work out

a.hotch: have you never heard of privacy before??

itsjj: i was going to say, he's been looking.... a little bigger lately 🤔

y/n_xo: JJ 💀💀

itsjj: is that not what the kids are calling muscular?

penny.garcia: right?? recently he's been coming in sweaty like he's been running for miles

y/n_xo: sometimes he does ;)

itsjj: 👁👄👁

reid.gram: i am so close to blocking you from my phone

d.morgan: i really did not need that vision in my head 🤢

penny.garcia: i also did not need to see our boss in that light please

y/n_xo: shouldn't have asked 😌🫶

the.davidrossi: i think its time to slip into early retirement

y/n_xo: finally❤

liked by a.hotch, itsjj and 578 others

y/n_xo: i love u my grumpy man

view all 309 comments

a.hotch: i love you more, my sweet ❤

its.emilyp: wake up and break up rn

reid.gram: the way i fell into a endless void of nothingness for all of eternity

itsjj: aww you guys are so cute😁🔫

penny.garcia: right, you guys are so adorable!! (i've had enough of living)

d.morgan: highway during rush hour looks mad comfy rn

a.hotch: please every single one of you seek professional help

its.emilyp: two bros holding hands 6 feet apart because they're not gay

y/n_xo: EMILY :(

itsjj: em you know he's just shy

its.emilyp: of what? me personally, i'd be flaunting y/n everywhere 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

y/n_xo: (s)creaming 😻

a.hotch: Y/N! 😠

d.morgan: you do know... we can read these right?? 🤢

reid.gram: i think she likes feeding off our fear and horror

liked by kate.callahan, blake_alex and 503 others

y/n_xo: i'm abt to give strauss a quick call 🤨

view all 234 comments

the.davidrossi: please like erin would go for you 💆‍♂️

y/n_xo: i didn't think she'd go for a mean old pasta man yet here we are

penny.garcia: is that jealousy i smell? 🤔

its.emilyp: he's actually ecstatic that his secret is out #rotch4life😍

reid.gram: you mean *roach

a.hotch: is that how this team refers to me, as the chief supervisor? 🤨

its.emilyp: yep 🫂

d.morgan: she said it^^

its.emilyp: omgg conspiracy theory, hotch dated y/n so he could lust over rossi in private 😹

reid.gram: it's not a conspiracy if it really happened ☝

a.hotch: this most certainly did not happen!

its.emilyp: well you know what they say, guilty until proven innocent

the.davidrossi: nobody says that!

its.emilyp: okay and how do you know?? exactly you don't. case closed 🗣

d.morgan: honestly rossi... it feels like you're trying to cover up your tracks 😏

its.emilyp: the closet is glass, we know and it's okay ❤

itsjj: we all love youu 🥹🫶

the.davidrossi: all of you better sleep tonight with a lock. i'm coming after every single one

penny.garcia: if you kill me, could you try not to ruin my hair? the curls are no joke 😩

[mischivana]

Hiiiiiii love your post they're really nice 👍

Would you want to do 44 with Piper x fem reader? Reader thought they weren't capable of love with never getting a crush on a boy but absolute gay panic when meeting Piper

But also internalize homophobia and fear of love as a whole.

I Love You and It Terrifies Me

Piper x Fem!Reader

Pronouns: She/her

Summary: You’ve always felt like you were incapable of love because you were never able to form a crush on any guys at school. But when yu return to camp that year, there’s a girl that makes you question everything.

TW: Gay panic, internalize homophobia, fear of love

Genre: Angst/Fluff

A/N: Im so sorry that this took forever, Ive been really busy with a lot of things recently. There are absolutely some spelling errors in here, and i sincerely apologize for that. also Beckendorf and Selina are alive because I say so >:)

Masterlist

All my life I’ve been told that I would find the perfect boy for me. My mother would always play dolls with me and in every game, the girl would always love the guy. Whenever I would hang out with my friends, our conversations would always divert to what boys we liked in our class. While my friends would giggle and fawn over the boys, I would sit and wonder why I couldn’t understand. And its not like I didn’t try. Every time I tried to convince myself of having a crush, I just couldn’t do it. But maybe I was just incapable of love. Im supposed to love a boy so if I cant, then I must be incapable. And that’s where I left it. For years.

When I got to camp, I thought maybe things would be different. maybe here would be the place where I couldn’t he boy that I loved. But it still never happened. But I was a kid of Hephaestus. Maybe that was why I couldn’t love. My dad had a hard time loving so maybe I did too. Thanks dad. But then I learned about my brother Beckendorf and his girlfriend Selena. So if it wasn’t my genes, then maybe it was just me. Maybe Iw as incapable of love. And maybe I just needed to be okay with that.

That was until Annabeth returned from the Dam with three new kids. Jason, the son of zeus. Leo, a new brother of mine. then Piper, a daughter of Aphrodite. I don't know what happened when I saw her but, something happened. She was so pretty, so beautiful. I sat next to her at the campfire to try and get to know her and she was great. she was funny and confident and pretty, she was really pretty. but she was dating Jason, which honestly I didn't blame her. he was conventionally attractive after all.

I left the campfire that night not noticing how I was blushing. how my heart fluttered and my stomach filled with butterflies/ maybe it was the adrenaline of making a new friend, someone I felt I really connected with. As time passed, me and Piper spent more and more time together. I considered her my best friend and I'm sure she felt the same. the only thing that set me off, I hadn't felt this way about anyone before, not even my closest friends before Piper. What was this feeling?

The truth hit me when the three left for their quest. When I was saying goodbye to Piper I gave her the biggest hug of my life.

"Please be safe Pipes, I don't want you coming home in shambles" I said worried as I continued to feel her around me.

"I'll try, I can't make any promises" she said playfully as she squeezed me back. I watched them leave and couldn't hide the worry on my face. My brother, Beckendorf, came to my side and rested his hand on my shoulder.

"I know that look, she'll be fine" his deep grumbly voice said to me. I looked at him with a puzzled look. "what look?" I asked him curiously.

He smiled back down at me and laughed before turning me and walking me back to the pavilion. "That look of when someone you love dearly is going off and you don't know if they'll be okay, but you just have to trust them. I know that look-" "He's worn it too many times" he was cutoff by his girlfriend Selina. They were the best relationship in camp. I pondered what he meant.

"Of course I care about Piper, she's my best friend" He looked at me like I was clueless. I kinda was cause I had no idea what he was talking about. I couldn't love Piper as more than a friend right? I was supposed to feel that for boys. Selina took me by the shoulders and walked me with her.

"let a love expert explain sweetie. You and my sister have a very special connection. You care about her, more than anything right?" I nodded at her as she sat us down on a bench. "why do you think that is?" "cause she's my closest friend?" she looked at me again and took a breath, mumbling something along the lines of "this is going to be harder than I thought" before clearing her throat and continuing.

"So y'know how me and your brother are dating?" I nodded again. "well, before that I felt a certain way for him and he did for me. I would always look forward to seeing him, I loved talking to him, he was my closest friend. Every time I though of him my heart felt fluttery and my stomach filled with butterflies. thats when I realized I loved him" I sat there and listened to her. It took me a moment and I realized, thats exactly how I felt for piper. Did I love Piper? could I even love another girl?

"But she's a girl...and I'm a girl...is that- is that allowed?" She looked at me shocked and gave me a reassuring smile. "Oh sweetie, it's more than okay. Why would you think not?" she asked me sincerely "my mom always told me that I could only date a boy... girls liked boys and boys liked girls" I said confused. She spoke up again, "well thats weather closed minded thinking isn't it?" I looked at the ground and pondered for a moment. Did I really love Piper?

After awhile I returned back to my cabin to think about it myself, at least thats how I framed it. I was actually really panicking. What did this even mean? What would my mom say? Is this why I never liked any boys from my school? How does Piper feel? Do I even like her or am I just kidding myself? This went on for almost two days.

I was sitting on my bed still pondering it when I heard the door open. It was my brother and Nico, Hades son. I knew Nico had a boyfriend but he was also from the 1920s so maybe thats why it was okay. Nico sat down on my bed and brought me into a conversation about it. Asking me how I felt for Piper and telling me what this all meant. It was all so scary, everything I've ever been taught by my mom about love was being rewritten before my eyes. By the end of it, I realized. I was in love with my best friend, and she was dating a guy.

When they returned I was the first one to run from the crowd and envelop her in a tight hug. She hugged me back and I looked at her. she was tried, exhausted, she had a few scars but she was still her.

"Oh my gods Im so happy you're safe you had no idea how worried I was about you" I said frantically once we stopped hugging "I'm happy you worry about me" she said with a small laugh.

A few days after they had returned, everyone had discussed everything. I eventually found out that Jason and Piper had broken up after they found out their whole relationship as basically built off a lie. I helped her a lot through this. I helped her find out who she was again and assured her that I would be there no matter who she decided to be with.

"Y'know Im really happy to hear that" Piper said to me as she continued to hold my hand on the bench. "Oh? and why's that?" I said with a small laugh. "Because I realized more about my feelings on that quest other than me and Jason being fake" she said kind of cautiously. I looked at her questioningly. I knew I loved her, but there wasn't a way that she loved me back the same way. But she grabbed my hand that was in hers and brought to her lips, giving my knuckled a soft kiss. I looked at her and knew. "Piper, I don't know what love means, it...it honestly kind of terrifies me.." I said looking from her to the ground with a soft blush across my face to match hers. She brought my gaze back to hers and pressed her forehead to mine "Ill be here when you figure it out" she said to m softly. In that moment, everything Id been told didn't matter. I loved her, and there wasn't a question to that.

A/n: Hi I know this isn't that good, honestly I didn't know how to fish it so this is the best your getting. In any case, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit

[batrogers]

The Chain Protects

Short fiction for @queering-the-chain, prompt Gay and transmale and Zelda.

Approx 800 words, rated G.

Also on AO3

IIII

Link had been home for three days, with no further sign of why the portal led them here, when finally it seemed his Zelda got fed up with being the Princess. Link was at a dinner with his companions, one blissfully free of Lana after she’d had some kind of altercation with Time neither of them would disclose, when he noticed the stranger looking down from the roof.

He had a pretty good guess who it was.

Link excused himself to Twilight and slipped away into the hallways. He knew the castle well; he lived here, after all, his home in the city never rebuilt after it burned. His mother and sister did live in the city now, but they’d gotten a small place – it was faster to build single-room housing, easier. Maybe in a few years there’d be more options, but for now...

Simpler for everyone if he stayed here. It helped with confidence, to have the Hero in sight after all, the same way people expected the Queen.

The roof wasn’t that hard to access; he knew the way out from this hallway, an open window and a few steps onto the tiles before he dropped to sit down at his boyfriend’s side.

Sheik looked over, mouth and nose covered by white cloth, and raised one blond eyebrow.

“Tired of the company?” he asked.

Link shrugged. “They’re not going to worry. About me or you.”

“I’ll return in a little while,” Sheik said, no joy in his eyes. “I just needed a minute.”

“I know.”

Hyrule – especially a broken and devastated Hyrule – needed its Queen, the daughter of Hylia. Not a son, and with no option to stand aside. Queen Zelda was no more free of expectation than the Hero, wielder of the Master Sword, no matter how long ago he’d returned the sword.

It wasn’t even that it was a secret; most of the castle knew who the strange Sheikah man was in the halls, but there was a kind of polite silence about the matter. There were worse habits in a royal, after all.

Worse habits, and, Link realized, nobody present really was likely to care. They’d already had a few surprises from the others. They could handle one more. Link touched Sheik’s hand gently and, when no protest was forthcoming, picked it up and kissed his boyfriend’s knuckles.

“Do you want to meet them again?” he asked. “I don’t think anyone will mind.”

Sheik hesitated, one hand going again to the cloth over his face. “They’ll wonder.”

“I don’t care.”

“You said you were in a relationship with me, before,” he retorted, but after a moment Sheik accepted his hand and stood. Rather than follow him back to the window, however, he jumped straight off the edge and adjusted the drape of the white scarf to look more formal over his tight clothes. Link dropped down next to him and protectively wrapped his arm around Sheik’s waist.

Among the benefits, that everyone knew, came the freedom: he could be affectionate in ways he desired but was never interested in with his Queen. They wandered back to the knot of people in the Chain, including – to little surprise – Wind poking around the alcohol on the table and trying to decide what he wanted. The boy looked up, guilty, and Link politely looked away.

“If you get a hangover, you’re on your own,” he said under his breath, and Wind made a rude sound back.

Legend immediately raised both eyebrows. “Who’s this?”

“My boyfriend,” Link said, fully expecting Legend at least was the last person to have any problem with him being gay. “Sheik.”

Time, not far away, glanced over and also raised both eyebrows. He looked Sheik over and Link could feel his boyfriend’s anxiety under one arm. He pulled him closer and Time simply smiled.

“You remind me of someone I knew,” Time said. “It’s good to meet the Captain’s lover finally.”

“It’s good to meet his companions,” Sheik replied, and the fear slowly began to ebb.

Link could see the others looking, some curiously and some with almost no interest at all. Twilight’s mouth had twitched towards a smile, and Link retorted by flipping the Rancher off, his hand low and almost – almost, but not quite – out of sight.

The Rancher switched to a wide grin. “Boyfriend, eh?”

“Fuck off,” Link said. “Do you want a drink, Sheik?” he asked.

“Please,” Sheik replied, and he turned and pulled down the mask just briefly – just long enough to press a kiss to his lips.

Link nearly forgot what he’d said he’d do. His head spun a little, surprised Sheik dared show affection like this in public... but in their group, he supposed, there was nothing to fear. No one would dare hurt them, not here.

Not with the Chain there to protect them.

[askinkiskarma]

Cruel Summer | Chapter V: This Love (alternate ending)

Pairings: Neteyam x (f)Human!Reader

Word Count: 8k words

Warnings/notes: fluff, smut, all the feels, Neteyam x Reader being the cutest

Synopsis: "Perhaps, after all, romance did not come into one's life with pomp and blare, like a gay knight riding down; perhaps it crept to one's side like an old friend through quiet ways; perhaps it revealed itself in seeming prose, until some sudden shaft of illustration flung athwart its pages betrayed the rhythm and the music, perhaps loveunfolded naturally out of a beautiful friendship, as a golden-hearted rose slipping from its green sheath."

A/N: Please read this before you read the final chapter x

Besties, if you're here, enjoy a much happier alternate ending to Cruel Summer.

I will leave my notes at the end of the chapter. Ily besties, enjoy!

: ̗̀➛ listen to the Cruel Summer playlist here : ̗̀➛ masterlist (x) : ̗̀➛ series masterlist (x)

Clear blue water

High tide came and brought you in

And I could go on and on, on and on, and I will

When Neteyam left the first time, he did so because he thought he was protecting you. That despite the heartbreak he’d have to endure, despite how much his heart and mind were screaming loudly, agonisingly that he should stay, he refused to put your safety at risk. He refused to let who he was and who his parents were be the reason you would ever be in harm’s way. So he didn’t fight it. And he left. The first time he agreed to mate with someone else, was because he didn’t know any better. He didn’t know how he felt, he didn’t know how you felt. Once again, he was willing to do something despite his own wishes and desires, because he thought it would aid in the clan’s peace and prosperity. 

But now… now that he knew, now that he had this last day, now that he knew what it was like to love you, to hold you, to have you, Neteyam knew that for the first time in his life, he had to be selfish, and he had to stand up to his family’s expectations of him, and for him. Because it wasn’t fair. It had never been fair, the way he was treated, but he never complained, because he knew there were sacrifices that had to be made in order to be who he was: the prince of the Omaticaya, the son of the Olo’eyktan and Toruk Makto. But he was no longer a prince, and his dad - no longer the Olo’eyktan or the Toruk Makto. His father forsook his own and Neteyam’s titles and Neteyam was nobody now. Just another person in a sea of people on Pandora, and although not his ideal turn of events, it did come with certain perks. 

“No.”

His dad rose an eyebrow, a expression he reserved purely for very specific circumstances, and it seems Neteyam’s only refusal in this life was important enough to warrant it. 

“Father… I love you. You know this. I love this family more than anything in this world, I have been more than happy and willing to do anything and everything you have ever asked of me, but this I won’t do. Not anymore. Not when Lo’ak is in love with Tsireya and his union wouldn’t hinder his own happiness and purpose for the rest of his life. I can’t do this anymore. I have lived for almost 20 years with of myself hidden behind a facade, with so many sacrifices that kept getting heavier, until one day, I felt I could no longer bear them all without collapsing. There was only one thing in my life, one person, that helped me through it, and I had to leave her once. And it broke me, dad, and I still did it, because I thought it was the right thing to do. But I won't do this, I won't leave her again. Not when I just got her back."

Skies grew darker

Currents swept you out again

And you were just gone and gone, gone and gone

Neteyam found you at the beach, staring into the distance, back turned away from him and he was so happy, to be able to know he did the right thing for once, and he chose right, and he chose you. 

“Vol…” 

Your soft sniffles took Neteyam by surprise, as did your face, littered in tears, eyes, nose and cheeks red and swollen. Neteyam exhaled, a sharp tug of pain gnawing at his insides, and he sat next to you, turning until he faced you, until he tugged gently at your mask so you’d look at him, until he could tell you that there was nothing to cry about, not this time, not anymore.

“You heard.” 

You nodded meekly.

“Yeah… your mother, uhm… she was talking about it when I went to check on Kiri.” 

He smiled at you, and you frowned, not understanding why this was in anyway a smiling matter. 

“Vol… I said no.” Your shocked expression only deepened his sense of euphoria, so excited to be able to tell you this, to be able to watch your expression change as you got to hear everything he had to say. 

“What did you say?” 

In silent screams

In wildest dreams

I never dreamed of this

“You heard me, Vol. I told father no. You know, all my life, I used to think the way humans lived was bad. That to ever put your needs on top of the people you loved’s ones is wrong, and immoral. My parents gave me life, my clan gave me a purpose, Eywa gave me a plan - to be Olo’eyktan, to be Toruk Makto’s son and worthy of it, to continue the lineage and the bloodline I was born into, to protect my people. And I intend to keep to that and honour it to the best of my abilities, but Vol, I learnt through it that there’s nothing wrong with being a little selfish sometimes. It doesn’t mean that you don’t love or appreciate these things, or that you’re not grateful. It means you understand that you only have one life, and at the end of it, you need to choose what life you want to flash before your eyes as you go. And I want you. You’re my life, you always have been. I want to love you, and not hide it. I want to see you everyday, I want to wake up in your stuffy, tiny bedroom, which happens to be my favourite place in the world because it has you in it, and your morning face, and your eyes as they stare up at me as soon as you open them. I want to walk through the forest, and watch you grow and teach you how to fight. I want to fight for my people. My people, not the reef people. So I told them no. And we’re going home, Vol. You and me.”

“It’s my turn now. It’s my turn to be selfish, and choose you.”

“Remember, you once told me humans believe in this concept of parallel universes. That in this immense universe we are in, there are actually other ones, parallel to our own, in which reality differs. There are infinite realties out there, they say, each of them slightly different to the other. In a different reality, maybe you and I never met. In a different reality, for some stupid, incomprehensible reason, I say yes. Maybe in another one, you leave me, or I die at the hands of the Sky People well before my time should be up. Maybe things don’t work out for us in every universe, but this one. But we have this one. I have control over this one. Maybe this universe is the only one in which I get to love you fully, and you get to do the same, and I’ll be damned if I let the opportunity pass me by.”

“I just got you back. I just got you back. I’m never letting you go again.” 

You cried, letting it all out. All the hurt of hearing the news being spoken to you, all the relief of hearing it contradicted, the confession which you’ve longed for what felt like all your life. You cried in his chest for how overwhelming these past few months have been, for how much love you had to bury, for the future that you’ll now get, the one that felt like a dream or an out-of-reach fantasy, but it would be real, and finally within your grasp.

This love is good, this love is bad

This love is alive back from the dead

These hands had to let it go free, and

This love came back to me

He consoled you, so infinitely happy to be able to say these words to you, finally, and held you as you cried, removing his own tears that were lazily falling down his face at the relief of it all. He’d never have to let you go again. 

“Neteyam… I can’t ask you to leave your family for me. This is too much, you can’t do this.”

He smiled and gently removed your hair out of the way, so he could look into your eyes, so you could see how serious he was, how intentioned his decision. 

“Vol, you’re not asking me to do anything. It’s my decision. And this isn’t just about you. The Sky People never saw me. They don’t know who I am, I don’t look like my dad at all. I like the reef people, and I like this place, I swear I do, but I love the forest more. I miss home, I miss the Omaticaya. I don’t care if I never get to be Olo’eyktan anymore, I just want to be who I was always meant to be - a warrior of the forest people, and your mate. Ok?” 

“Now, we have a day left before Lo’ak’s ceremony and our departure. You’re finally mine, and I am yours. We have one more day in this place, let’s take advantage of it.”

“Come on, Vol. We can’t leave without another swim.” 

In losing grip

On sinking ships

You showed up just in time

You took a detour back to the village and stopped on a different beach, isolated and reclusive, full of greenery and sandy beaches, that you decided was now your beach, your own little portion of heaven in the reef, that Neteyam promised would be for just the two of you, for the rest of time, even after you were gone. It was a silly fantasy, of course, but in your minds, when you were together, the world was quiet and catered to you, the world was just there to be a witness to a love beyond belief, so good, and pure, so mighty and extraordinary that without a witness, might be considered just a fable, a story to tell kids at night, to keep lovers hopeful in trying times. He was happy to know he’s once more learnt your body like he used to know it back home, and ecstatic at how he would once more get to put his lessons to good use after today, and from tomorrow, every new scar, and new curve, every new freckle or mole, it would all be always be familiar to him again, he’d be there to witness it, to learn it with you, to love it for you.

“We still have a few hours before eclipse is over, what would you like to do?” he says, and you smirk, as you get up from your spot next to him and straddle his hips, running your hands over his toned body, muscular and powerful, so different to most Na’vi men you knew, and you thanked Jake Sully for the whatever human genes made it so this was the man laying beneath you, the man you got to see unravel before you, as you started lazily grinding on his length, matching his moans as the feeling of pleasure and relief built up in you. 

“I might have one or two ideas.” 

“You’re insatiable, you know? You’ve already had one or two ideas.” 

“You have 3 months of ideas you have to make up for, ’teyam. I’m just getting a headstart.” 

Your slick coated his cock as you continued moving, languid, unhurried motions, as you took your time to feel him, for him to feel you, because you had time. You had all the time in the world, and from now on you would make sure to cherish this, every step, every touch, every kiss, every orgasm, because you knew what it was like to be without it, and you now needed to have this etched in your mind, forever. So you would take your time. He growled, his canines on display and you found it so hot you increased your pace.

“You’re such a fucking tease, Vol.” you smirked again, loving the untethered, flurried look he had about him - eyes shut tightly, head pushed back, thin layer of sweat coating his beautiful skin.

“Good things come to those who wait, ‘teyam.” You rose from your spot, just enough to be able to line his cock at your entrance, just enough to be able to slowly sink back down, slowly, carefully, adjusting to his girth, a little easier now that you were stretched slightly from the last few orgasms, that you were still drenched in a mixture of both your cum and slick. 

You lowered yourself as much as you could, stopping when he hit your cervix and curved slightly until a small bulge appeared in your lower abdomen, that he missed no time in caressing, in pressing until you squirmed on him. 

“So beautiful. You’re so beautiful on top of me, Vol. So beautiful with my cock buried in you.” 

His hands wrapped around your waist, fingers overlapping as he lifted you gently and back on him, and you cried out at the exquisite stimulation, at the pace he set, until it was so good it was overwhelming, and until the desire and pressure built up inside you reached a highpoint and exploded inside you, until your third orgasm made your legs buckle and make you fall deeper on him. The extra simulation from his length stretching you beyond what you could stand, and his thumb circling your clit, made you squirt all over him, gushes of liquid dripping down his cock and past his thighs, on the ground. Your throbbing walls squeezed him and he groaned wildly as he came in you, and you felt so full, so satisfied, so spent, so fucking good. 

This love is good, this love is bad

This love is alive back from the dead,

These hands had to let it go free, and

This love came back to me

You fell unceremoniously on his chest, allowing the high to settle down as you listened to his lowering heartbeat and his progressively more relaxed breaths. You were so calm, so content, your life for the past few months felt almost like a bad dream, and you couldn’t imagine it outside of this moment anymore, couldn’t imagine not loving him everyday, not having his arms around your body as they were now, couldn’t imagine how your life would have turned out if you didn’t show up here in the first place. You made a mental note to thank Norm for talking you into the best decision you’ve ever made.

 

“I figured out what I want.” Neteyam says all of a sudden, and you raise your eyebrows, confused at his words. 

“Hmm?” 

“Our little bet in the water? I beat you to it, and I was supposed to tell you what I wanted and you were supposed to do it.” 

“Ah, yes.” You say, almost impossible to perceive that that was just yesterday.

“So what do you want, 'teyam?” 

“I want you to promise that you won’t name our kids some name from some movie or tv show without at least consulting me first. My dad wanted to name Lo’ak Louie and my mother almost had a heart attack. He tried again with Tuk, and my mum raced him out of the tent with a knife when he suggested Rachel, and I don’t want to do that to you, Vol.”

Your eyes widened and the tears pooled in them as you threw your head back and laughed, a real laugh, probably the first real laugh in months, since before he left. 

“But Rachel’s a good name, no?” It was meant to be a joke. Just a teasing, light joke, and you wiggled your eyebrows at him as you stood on his chest and peppered kisses on his neck for as long as your breath allowed you, laughing at his groans and rolling of his eyes.

It was his turn to do the same to you, his feathery attacks tickling you and you were so happy, so so happy, it was hard to not feel tears pool in your eyes at the thought of him, of your past and your present, about how much more different the future could have looked under different circumstances.

“You’re crazy, Vol.”

“Eh, you’re right. It’s just ok. What about Chandler? I think that Chandler Te Suli Neteyam’itan just rolls off the tongue, don’t you?”

You tightened your arms around his torso, and pulled him as close to you as you could. He sighed, and you tried to keep more chuckles from slipping through as he huffed in fake annoyance.

“You’re a menace. You have to promise me!” 

You nodded reluctantly, knowing that you would agree to whatever name he wanted anyway. It was a small price to pay for a lifetime of happiness, one that you’d pay over and over again, every day of your life, as long as you got to keep him.

“I promise, ‘teyam.” 

This love left a permanent mark

This love is glowing in the dark

These hands had to let it go free, and

This love came back to me

You woke up in his arms as eclipse was almost over, and your heart swelled at the sight of him, sleeping peacefully, snoring softly, his chest raising and falling with each breath, and you felt yourself transported through time to all the other times you’ve found yourself in this exact spot, how many times you’ve seen him like this, comfortable and vulnerable and completely yours… except now he was actually yours. He was yours. You couldn’t help the wide grin that followed as the fact slowly sank in, still something so fantastical to you, it was hard to comprehend, hard not to let your mind ruin it by thinking of all the worst-case scenarios, of all the things that could be going wrong, of all the ways this could end badly. You shook your head in an attempt to push the bad thoughts out, and the motion woke him up, slight panic on his face until his eyes found yours, and it immediately melted, replaced by a shining smile and tender kisses on your neck. 

“Good morning, ma Vol.”

“Good morning, sleepy. You know, you’re really pretty when you sleep.” You laughed as a slight blush made his cheeks purple, and he took off your mask to kiss you, and you moaned, deepening the kiss, pushing all the boundaries, and your tongue past his lips, until it hurt, until he had to force the mask back on your face. 

“Why do you always take things too far?” 

“Because one of us has to, ‘teyam.” 

Neteyam chuckled as he buried his face in your hair. You were right about that. You’ve always been the brave one. He always thought you would have been a sight to behold as a Na’vi. You had no fear. You always went after what you wanted, and fought with an iron grip for what you believed in. When you were both 10, you and Lo’ak were fighting over a toy, and even though he was so much bigger than you, you worked so hard to make sure you got that toy, you put all your might into it, your entire body into it, and even went so far as to bite Lo’ak so he could let go. He still got the toy, but it was dented and almost broken when he did, and you said something that Neteyam will never forget: everything I let go of has claw marks on it. That was a complaint at the time, said in huffing and puffing, with puffy red eyes and an adorable pout, but Neteyam thought it was something that defined you as person your whole life. You held on to what you loved, until it bled, until there was nothing left. You were the one that kissed him first, that asked to have sex. You were took the risk, because you knew it was worth it, and he was so grateful. You came here, despite the pain and the hurt, despite not knowing what you’d find, and gave Neteyam a chance to finally be the brave one, at least once. He owed you his whole happiness, and he’d make sure you’d never forget it. 

You rose to your feet, finding it hard to put on your clothes when all you wanted was to stay here with him, with the soundtrack of the waves crashing on the shore and the birds chirping away eagerly. He looked at you, admiring your body that he could never get over or used to, that he’ll continue to worship and cherish, that he’ll forever strive to know better than he knows himself, because what better way in there to live than buried and lost in you?

“I will ask you one last time, Neteyam. Are you sure you want to do this? Because you can’t change your mind after today. You’re stuck with me.” 

Neteyam got up from the ground, and picked you up with ease bridal style, his long braids tickling your neck. 

“Vol, the only thing in the world I want is to be stuck with you forever. That’s all I’ve ever wanted. And I know that now. Confessing to you, hearing you say you felt the same way, for the first time in my life, I felt free. Like I finally know who I am and what I want. I want to go home, and I want to be with you. That’s it. No titles, no tsaheylu, nothing will ever mean anything if it’s not done with you. So let’s just go watch my brother get some, so we can start our life together.”

You smiled and traced your fingers over his features, caressing his forehead, and nose that scrunched slightly under your touch, and cheeks and lips, and your smile widened as he shuddered beneath your fingertips. The man was whipped, and you were glad. Cause you were, too, so it was only fair. 

The ceremony was beautiful. She was beautiful. Tall and turquoise skinned, with luscious, long, curly hair and a supple, jewellery-adorned body, she was everything Lo’ak could have ever wanted, and based on the few stories that Neteyam’s told you, she was. Jake insisted that you stayed. You were family, this was a happy time, and you should be here to celebrate. And so you stayed. And you watched as the Tsa’hik symbolically bound their destinies together with a piece of woven thread. You watched as she brought their heads together and made them recite words of promise and forever, looking into each other’s eyes, praying to Eywa for a fruitful mateship and for healthy offsprings, and you cried happy tears, excited tears, when you realised that your little brother was getting to spend the rest of his life with someone he loves, someone kind and compassionate, who is a good balance to his flamboyant, irresponsible personality, who can mend his heart and show him what it’s like to be put first, the way he’s always wanted. You look at your own mate, and at the rest of your family surrounding you, and you’re happy it’s all finally out in the open. That they can finally know, that in their midst, the greatest love story they have ever seen was born and thrived, and they got to be privy to it. And you were glad that they didn’t take it nearly as harshly as you thought they might, and that the world won’t get to miss you, and miss him, for it will finally know a love like yours, a love that is beyond this life and the next, a love that stories and songs will be written about, a story others will aspire to. 

After the ceremony, you had to watch as they left, just the two of them, headed towards the Tree of Souls, where you were just a few hours ago, and knowing what they were going to do made you act out in fake nausea, because that was your baby brother and you didn’t want to imagine him doing things that would imply that he’s finally an adult, and he’d one day have his own kids to traumatise. You assumed Neteyam felt the same, as he looked uneasy towards where the pair was headed, and you laughed and tried to distract him, and yourself. You tried to think of anything else, like Tuk, and Kiri, like Jake and Neytiri, like the beautiful beach and the sea and the animals inhabiting it, like how this place truly was a living, breathing paradise, and how you’d love to visit as often as you could, which you assumed you would have to, since Neteyam was coming with you. 

“So…” Norm started, scratching his head awkwardly, as the crowd dispersed after the ceremony. “Anyone want to address the elephant in the room, or…?” 

“Right…” Neteyam said, taking a step in front of you, essentially shielding you from what you assumed was his mum’s deadly gaze. “I broke the news to my family yesterday… that I am coming back home. I will be returning to the forest with you, as that is my place, and my home. I have been in love with one person, my whole life, just one person, and I know it’s strange, and maybe hard or difficult to understand, but mother… if anyone should understand, it’s you. You fell in love with dad, despite the clan’s expectations, and the Tsa’hik’s... with a human. And look what happened, look what it ended up being. It ended up being everything. I know you don’t approve right now, and you’ve always given her a hard time, and I tried to understand, but now I will ask you to understand. Understand that she is the most beautiful, empathetic, intelligent, capable person I know. That she didn’t choose to be human, or to be born here, on this planet her body isn’t made for, but she gave it her all, and her best. And she made the best of her circumstances. And she’s brave, and she has a strong-heart. Like you.” 

You felt yourself tear up at Neteyam’s words. He didn’t have to do this, you said to yourself. It didn’t matter anymore, you liked to believe. All these years of needing, craving a mother’s love, some sort of acceptance, it was childish fantasies, you lied to yourself. You didn’t want it anymore. You wanted nothing more. You saw Neytiri approach and gently move his son out of the way. In a turn of events you never saw coming, she kneeled by your side, so you could be eye to eye. She was smiling. 

“You… you saved my Kiri. And for almost 20 years, I watched you be my kids’ sister, their confidant, their best friend… and now their love. For so long, I let the things that haunt me in the middle of the night guide me, and push me away from what I knew was right, because I was scared. Because it is hard to deal with the losses I have had to overcome when you are a walking, talking reminder of them. But you’re not like them. Just like my husband isn’t… just like Norm and Max aren’t… just like Spider isn’t. Thank you, for taking care of Kiri… and for taking care of Neteyam. And while I still have my reservations and concerns, I also have faith in my son, and in Eywa, and she brought you two together for a reason.” 

Then, out of nowhere, she hugged you. Your skin was getting pricked and scratched from her beaded clothes, but you didn’t care. You just stood there, stunned and awed at the interaction, so much so that you were startled as she reached for your limp arms and wrapped them around herself, chuckling slightly. You couldn’t help tightening your grasp on her, and crying in the crook of her neck. You wanted it, even now. Even after all these years. You wanted nothing more. 

“I am sorry, child. I’m sorry I wasn’t the mother you never had, and always needed. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you because of my own shortcomings. But I am here now.”

“Thank you.” 

The ride home was quiet and peaceful, a sense of solace as you sat in front of Neteyam, flush against his chest on his beautiful ikran, who was cooing affectionally, as you were patting it on the back of the neck, taking in the beauty of Pandora, that you didn’t quite notice on the way here, too preoccupied with seeing him again to care. You held Neteyam’s arm and comforted him, and despite knowing he made the right decision, despite the happiness overflowing around him at getting to go back, getting to go home, getting to keep you, you knew he was sad about leaving his family behind, sad at the sea of growing pains sometimes ebbing, but now definitely flowing in his life that was rapidly changing and evolving, paying little mind to the whiplash it was leaving in its wake. It would be an adjustment for both of you, for the Sullys and for the whole clan, but one that you were excited to brave through with him. 

The days were slow, and dragging, as you continued to train and learn to be one of the people, but they were also incredible satisfying, and exciting, and joyous. Because your new teacher was kind, and patient and loving, and you got to take him home every night. And where he got to teach you the ways of the Na’vi, and how to fight, you got to teach him how to be human, and how to love. Where he took so much out of you during the day, he got to pay for it by giving it to you, over and over, during the night, until you both passed out on top of each other in exhaustion and bliss. Where he spent the days mostly in silence and giving subtle commands, he spent the nights showering you in kisses and confessions, whispering how much he loves you in your ear, how lucky he is to have you, how he’s never thought happiness like this could even exist. 

And the best thing about it was your friendship never changed. You still made fun of each other, and told each other everything. You laughed and cried together, you shouted at each other in anger in annoyance, you bickered and fought and made up, and it was easy, like breathing. Like it always has been. 

Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave

Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees

When you're young, you just run

But you come back to what you need

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

“Happy birthday, Vol.” 

“So, how would rate your 19th birthday compared to your 18th?” 

You thought about it for a while. 

“Well, I can say it’s had a lot less booze, but a lot better sex.” You both laughed while your head was rested on his shoulder, as you watched your favourite season of your favourite show, sprawled in bedsheets, his naked body glimmering in the dark and reflecting in your eyes as you took his beauty in, that you never got accustomed to, no matter how many times you saw it. When the credits rolled in and the music faded, leaving a dark room behind, silent apart from your breaths, that were getting laboured once more as desire built up in your core yet again, you straddled him and watched his face get closer to yours, until your lips met, until his tongue explored your mouth and neck, leaving traces of him on you, until your hands trailed his chest and abdomen, lingering over his abs, until they reached what they were looking for, until he made you scream, over and over, until you let him. 

“You’re a fiend.” 

“I’m a fiend?! What about you?” Neteyam shook his head, and you scoffed and rolled your eyes at what you thought was a preposterous statement. 

“Let’s think about it. Who seduced who the first time? Who was drunk off their ass and asked to fuck, huh?” 

“Who kept getting boners around their best friend until one day she had the guts to do something about it, huh?”

He rolled you off of him with ease and pinned you to the ground, smirking and pushing his hips into your still dripping core. 

“You know why I kept getting boners, Vol? Because I could smell you. I could smell how wet you were around me. Your scent drove me nuts for so long. It still does. You intoxicate me. You drive me fucking crazy, Vol.” 

You said nothing as you looked in his eyes, as your heart fluttered much like the butterflies that were digging their way through your stomach.

“‘teyam…” He shuts you up with kiss, tender and soft, so unlike his words or actions, and you melt into it, and the fear creeps in your chest as you fall for him deeper, as you half-consider just telling him, just coming out with it, because fuck, you loved him and this wasn’t helping. 

“I have something for you. Birthday present.” Suddenly, he got off you, leaving you a breathless mess, and retrieved something from the pile of clothes on the floor. He plopped himself next to you and pulled you close, until you were resting his head on his torso, and you snuggled into him, glancing at the object in his hand curiously.

His words were soft-spoken and quiet, almost bashful, and you noticed his heart picking up speed, thumping loudly in the ear that was pressed tightly against his chest. “I didn’t know what to do for your birthday, considering you’re already blessed with the best gift in the world… my presence in your life, that is…” you snickered sarcastically, and he continued. “…but, every time I go on a mission, I think of you, and your voice that tells me to be safe, and I see your eyes looking back at me as you stitch my wounds afterwards, and I make it a point to grab a pebble at the end of each mission, to give to you. But, for one reason or another, I never did. So here.” He grabbed your hand in his, turning it upwards so your palm was facing the ceiling, and dropped the item in it. 

A necklace. A gorgeous, stunning, impossibly beautiful choker, with tens, if not hundreds of beads and pebbles of different colours and textures woven into it. It looked majestic, fit for a queen, or a Tsa’hik, and you felt tears pool in your eyes at its meaning, at how long he must have been collecting these for, with you in mind, at how long it must have taken to make, at how much it meant to him, and now to you. He took it from you and you held your hair so he could fasten it around your neck. It fit you perfectly, and you smiled up at him, raising an eyebrow. 

“How did you know it was going to fit?” He smiled and your fingers caressed your cheek, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. 

“Let’s just say I’ve had my hand wrapped around your throat enough times to have a pretty good frame of reference.”

You couldn’t help the blush in your cheeks, or the way your reached back for your new gift so you could trace your fingers over it, imprinting the feel of every bead in your mind, thinking of each one and trying to correlate it to a time, or a place, to a hunt or a battle he was part of that you weren’t, but how you were ever-present in his mind. 

“Do you like it?” 

“I love it, ‘teyam. Thank you.” 

“Making this necklace, it was a good reminder that you have been the only constant in my life since I was born. No matter how much my life has changed, how much I changed, you’ve always been there to brave the storm with me. And I love you, Vol. You’re my best friend. Forever.” 

“Forever.” 

•☽────✧˖°˖☆˖°˖✧────☾•

The high of the dream lingered as you woke up, as you had to deal with its remnants that were tattooed in your mind, as you had to once more breathe in the fact that somehow waking up is better than what you just left behind, that despite how amazing these memories were, the reality of the man you love snoring softly next to you was infinitely better. It was, it always was. It was hard to find the will to get out of bed when he was in your bed, naked and comfortable, and all you wanted was to take advantage of the fact that it was your birthday, and he should be submitting to your every whim right now, and the first thing you wanted was him, deep inside of you. You smiled as you realised this day somehow stopped belonging to you two years ago, and you couldn’t find it in you to be upset about it, not when it was a reminder of this formidable love and where it all started. 

After a long, tiring, satisfying morning, you got up from the bed and showered, finding comfort in the water hitting your skin and untying the knots in your tense muscles. When the two of you made your way through the village to join everyone for breakfast, you were greeted with a myriad of screams of happy birthday, from humans, avatars and Na'vi alike, and you felt a surge of joy in your heart, and a swell of gratitude for the unforeseeable change in attitude from the people of the clan. For the first time in your life, you felt welcomed here, and you didn't know whether it was Tarsem's influence, or Neteyam being back, or the Na'vi having another reminder, now that the Sky People were back, that not all humans are inherently evil, or your strenuous effort to be one of them and join in the battles and the training, but regardless of what it was, it was a gratifying change. Neteyam smirked in your direction, and you scoffed at the way he’s been acting weird all morning, a stupid smile plastered on his face. 

"Birthday girl, come on. We've been dying to give you your present." Max had the biggest smile on his face and an item you couldn't place in his hand. 

"Here. Happy birthday, from all of us." 

You raised an eyebrow. 

"From all of you? That's a big present." 

You took the curious contraption in your hands and twirled it around. It was lanky and weird, and it looked old, before your time, and even their time. You noticed as you inspected it that it had an eyepiece that resembled that of a microscope.

"That, kid, is called a stereoscope. Look into it." 

You did, and as you put your eyes in the socket, a big picture of... cells came into view. But they weren't cells you've ever seen before. 

"What is this?" 

"Those, kid... are your cells. Actually, if we are being specific, they are your future Avatar's cells." 

The stereoscope fell from your hands and you were happy Spider had catlike reflexes because it looked precious and unique and you didn't want to break it, but God, in that moment, you really couldn't care less. 

"What did you say?" 

"You know all the things we got from the humans that we didn't know what to do with or what they were? Well, we figured it out, kid. You, Spider and Max are all getting Avatars. And their technology massively improved, too. They're growing like crazy, it shouldn't take more than a year. By next year, you might be able to take it out for a spin."

This love is alive back from the dead

These hands had to let it go free, and

This love came back to me

You turned around and looked at Neteyam, who had tears in his eyes, and you jumped in his arms, and screamed, screamed at the top of your lungs, because what the hell was this and how could you be so lucky to get everything you’ve ever wanted? As if the universe was willing to reward you for 20 years of hurt and inaptitude and incertitude and unfairness, and you had to admit, it was doing a good job at redeeming itself. 

“Vol… I think Eywa has heard my prayers. Vol, I love you so much, and you’re mine, forever. And one day, you’ll take your Iknimaya and your own ikran, and you’ll have your place among the people. And one day, our kids will run through these tents and through these forests, and their laughter will fill these caves and our hearts, and I can’t wait, I can’t wait to keep you, and to love you every day, for the rest of my life, and to thank my lucky star that I found you, and you found me, and you chose me.” 

You raised your hand to your necklace, that you wore every day now, thinking of all it represented, touching every pebble - each one, in your mind, a memory, or a touch, or a kiss, or a laugh, each one an i love you, an I miss you said to each other, each one a second, a minute, an hour, a day, a month spent together, each one a new memory you’d get to make, a touch, or a kiss, or a laugh you’d get to experience every day, each one an I love you or an I miss you you’ll say until you ran out of breath, you embraced it all, and embraced him, too - for good measure.

“Forever.”

This love left a permanent mark

This love is glowing in the dark

These hands had to let it go free, and

This love came back to me

A/N: there it is, besties. the happy ending to cruel summer. honestly, i just wanted to say a massive thank you if you managed to reach this far. when i started this blog, a few months ago, and posted the first chapter of illicit affairs, i did it on a whim, i did because i thought why not? Now, 2000 followers later, I get to write so many stories I never thought I'd ever get to, or even think of, and it's all because of you.

Cruel Summer means a lot to me, as i think it signifies my growth as a writer, my growth on this platform, and as a person learning through deal with my own personal issues through my characters. I loved writing it so much, I cried so much, probably more than with any other story I wrote, and I hope I managed to make you feel something, and maybe think, bc that's all I want, that's all anybody that does any sort of art can want i think.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me, and I hope you stay for what's next, bc I'm not done, as long as there's still people that want to be here. I love you and am very grateful to all 2000 of you.

Taglist: @liluvtojineteyam @pinkpantheris @fanboyluvr@bananafruityawne @zaddyneteyamlovergirl @netemoon @www-interludeshadow-com@jackiehollanderr

[unclewaynemunson]

I was talking about Eddie coming out to Wayne with @letterfromvienna and I couldn’t stop thinking about it so you’ll all have to suffer the brainrot with me:

Eddie had never felt more nauseous. His heart had completely lost its steady rhythm and his eyes were getting dry because apparently, he had even forgotten how to blink.

‘Eddie?’

His uncle was still looking at him, patient as ever, but with a worried frown between his brows.

Eddie had already told Wayne to sit down, that he had something to tell him, but the words died in his throat, his mouth already opened. It were just two small words, but he was paralyzed. He thought about his father, Wayne’s brother, who had beat Eddie black and blue when he found out about his secret. He had called his uncle in tears, and Wayne had been at his door within the hour, reliable as ever, embracing him and patting his shoulder while Eddie couldn’t stop crying in the passenger’s seat on the way to the trailer. He had never asked any questions, and now Eddie was about to give up his secret voluntarily. And for what?

Eddie knew exactly for what, even if he didn’t quite want to admit it to himself. He was scared. He had been scared of his father because the man beat him, but he was just as scared of Wayne because he didn’t. That was unpredictable. Wayne gave him a room with a comfortable bed, made him breakfast, asked him how his day was when he came home... There had to be a catch. And Eddie couldn’t figure out what it was for the life of him. So he’d rather just get it over with, unmask Wayne before he’d get too comfortable in this trailer with this suspiciously kind man.

‘Eddie, you can talk to me, boy. If you want to.’

‘I’m gay.’

Eddie held his breath as he kept looking into his uncle’s eyes. He knew that his anger should be let out of its cage any second now, that he’d get new bruises added to his newly healed face, that he’d be out on the street in no time, nowhere to go...

But nothing happened. If anything, the look in his uncle’s eyes became more soft.

‘Son,’ Wayne said, his voice just as quiet and reassuring as ever, ‘Why do you think your dad doesn’t talk to me anymore? You’re not the first in this family to come out.’

Eddie kept staring at him, stunned, unable to process what his uncle was telling him.

‘C’mere, boy,’ Wayne said, opening his arms. Without really thinking about it, Eddie started moving towards the couch to curl up in Wayne’s arms as if he was still a child. He was fourteen, he should be embarrassed by it, he was too old to be cuddling up to his uncle like a baby - but it was the first time he’d ever been sat on a couch in the arms of a - no, he shouldn’t call Wayne a parent, not even in the privacy of his own mind, he’d jinx it. But Wayne only wrapped him tighter, as if he could read Eddie’s mind, and he ruffled the curls Eddie had been growing out since he moved in with his uncle.

‘I didn’t know, uncle Wayne,’ Eddie said. It sounded muffled, because his head was still buried in the plaid of Wayne’s shoulder.

‘He never told ya, did he?’

‘No.’ Eddie took a shaky breath. ‘If I had known... I would’ve come to you so much sooner.’

Wayne sighed; Eddie could feel his belly move with the release of his breath.

‘If I had known, I woulda come to get ya so much sooner,’ he muttered into Eddie’s hair. ‘I’m sorry. And I’m not lettin’ you leave, Ed. You’ll always have a home here, alright?’

Eddie sniffled softly against Wayne’s shoulder.

They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes. Then, Eddie lifted his head up and looked at his uncle with a grin on his face, a new idea already forming in his head.

‘So when are you gonna go to Pride in Indianapolis with me?’

Wayne burst out into loud laughter. ‘You got some nerve, suggesting that! You know damn well how much I hate the city.’

But Eddie widened his eyes and curled his lower lip, hoping it would have an effect on his uncle that it never had on his dad.

Wayne grumbled and ruffled Eddie’s curls again. ‘You’re still too young for that, boy. How ‘bout I take you next year, when you’re in high school?’

Eddie started smiling from ear to ear. ‘Deal! I’ll set you up with a nice city man.’

‘Don’t you dare, Ed!’

Update: part 2 is here :D

[xenrui]

Dread

Pairings: Larissa Weems x Student!F!Reader

Summary: Homophobic parents coming to visit R just to insult her

Warnings: homophobia, parental issues, Arranged Marriage, Bad Writing

~

Y/n has been dreading this day, seeing her parents was not her favorite activity. And when seeing them standing near the fountain, she knew she was in for a treat

"Oh god, they're here" Y/n's voice was quiet, as if she was trying to hide from someone

"Who?" Enid was quick to ask

The look Y/n had made Enid worried a bit, she looked.. Pale. "Y/n who's here?" Enid asked again, worrying over her friend

Y/n pointed to the people looking around the crowd

"Oh" Enid's facial expression changed to a frown, knowing what her friend has been through. Wednesday has heard some stories about Y/n's parents and decided to not comment on the situation

She tried looking away but before she could, her parents already spotted her

"Y/n" her mother 'joyfully' called her name out. "How have you been?" Plastering a fake smile, probably to look good infront of Enid and Wednesday

While Y/n's dad didn't even try to good infront of them, having a slightly disgusted look on his face while scanning Y/n up and down

"I'm good." Y/n said sharply, her tone different from how she usually talks

"Be more cheerful, would you? We came all the way from the city just to visit you." Her mother gave the exact same tone as she did

Rolling her eyes, Y/n's mother notices and pulls her to the side as her Dad follows

"Listen here. We came here to visit to tell you that we've arranged you a little something when you get back home"

"What did you do?"

"A marriage, with your Father's Friend's son" Y/n's mother said, looking pissed at her

Y/n was shocked. She knew her parents didn't take her coming out well, but she never expected them to go this far

"I'm literally 16. You know I'm gay, and I'm not interested in getting married" Y/n retorted, earning a scoff from her Father

"Stop spitting nonsense Y/n. I didn't raise you to be.. disgusting and gay. You don't have any other choice than to Marry him, he's a smart and handsome young man. And if you don't agree you'll find your stuff at home thrown away" Y/n's father said annoyingly

Principle Weems was inside the Building near the family when she heard the conversation. Feeling her blood boil that one of her students being mistreated by her own Parents. Deciding to do something about it

"Excuse me, Mr and Mrs L/n" The principle erupted their conversation making the 3 of them jump a bit

"Don't you know what Privacy is?" Y/n's father said

He looked pissed as hell.

"I'm quite fond with what that is. But with hearing your conversation, I believe its best if I step in" Larissa said, looking down on both the parents making them both get a bit intimidated

"You have no concern in this. This is a family matter" The mother said

"If I'm correct, you sent your child here to not be mistreated, yes? But fron the looks of it, you're the one mistreating them" Larissa said, her tone slightly getting lower

"If she doesn't do as we say, She'll no longer be a part of my Family"

Y/n looked at The Principle, the broken look in her eyes made The Princple's heart break. She was always fond of Y/n, so making the decision wasn't hard for her

"If thats the case, I'll take her under my care. I think I'm more than capable of protecting and taking care of her better than you" She spat

Kneeling down the Students height and ignoring the Parents deadly glares, she asks

"Y/n, Darling. Would you like to live with me?" She smiled softly, wiping the tear that escaped the Students eyes with her gloved fingers

Nodding, Y/n agreed. "Yes please.. I'd rather be with you..." Y/n said quietly only for the two of them to hear

"Very good. Well, as she says, I will be taking care of her from now on. I'll be her Legal Guardian now so Please sign the papers I'll be sending you soon." Larissa stood up while holding Y/n's shoulders softly

If looks could kill, they'd both be dead by now just with The Principle's glare at them.

Y/n's parents takes their leave with grumbles and curses

Y/n turned to The Principle and hugged her, tears running down her face as she felt relief they finally left

"I'm sorry you had to go through that.." Y/n said between sobs

Kneeling once again to reach her height, Larissa caressed her hair

"Shh, I should be the one sorry. If I'd known earlier, you wouldn't of had to go through that. I child like you should have supportive people around you, and I'll give it to you as best as I can" She smiled at her student

"Even if I'm gay?"

"Darling, the reason this school exists is for people to not feel alone and judged. I don't care what you are, as long as you're happy. It's my job to protect my students and make sure they are happy and treated well. Now come, help me with some stuff now will you" She smiled

Smiling a bit with her, Y/n wiped her tears and nodded. Feeling happy that her feelings wasn't discarded this time

~

A/n: I'm sorry if This was bad. I wasn't feeling it either but I couldn't let it go to scraps. I hope you still enjoyed, Even if its just a little :)

[startledstoat]

Right Person Wrong Time

I definitely don't ship Sirius and Mary but I kinda like the idea of the two of them dating as teens and then having this mutual realization of like "omg I'm gay" "omg wait me too" "omg I'm in love with my best friend" "omfg dude. me too." and having an amusing amicable breakup and becoming each other's wingman/woman so here's this that I just wrote except its less amusing and more sad.

14-year-old Sirius black not knowing was being gay even was because merlin forbid such a topic was spoken about within the halls of the noble and most ancient house of black.

14-year-old Mary choosing random guys to pretend to have crushes on because she didn't know why she never had a real crush like all the other girls her age. She didn't have the knowledge she needed to recognize her feelings for her best friend yet.

15-year-old Sirius asking Mary out because she was a pretty girl and he thought he was supposed to date pretty girls.

15-year-old Mary saying yes because Sirius was a cute boy and she thought maybe if she dated him long enough, she would actually start to like him.

15-year-old Sirius not understanding why the room felt like it lit up whenever Remus walked in but that didn't happen with any of his other friends.

15-year-old Mary being afraid of why she got butterflies when Lily hugged her but not when Sirius kissed her.

16-year-old Sirius hating himself for hurting Remus and not being able to find the words for why his guilt was so immense and why it ached so bad that Remus would likely never speak to him again.

16-year-old Mary suddenly making sense of everything when Marlene came out to her and Lily. Realizing that she'd never grow to like Sirius romantically because she's only ever had eyes for the girl sitting next to her.

16-year-old Mary breaking up with Sirius and being honest with him about why. Not telling him about Marlene or even about Lily but telling him that she had feelings for a girl. Mary being relieved when Sirius took it well and wished her the best of luck with the girl.

16-year-old Sirius having an honest to god crisis when Mary came out to him, realizing that if girls could like girls, then boys could probably like boys too.

16-year-old Mary seeking Marlene out and asking anything and everything about how she knew and what it felt like to be gay. Marlene answering all of her questions and helping her become comfortable with her identity.

17-year-old Sirius keeping these feelings bottled up, even after Remus has forgiven him, because despite being wholly supportive of Mary, he just can't accept himself the same way. Not when his mother's voice is always at the back of his mind, telling him to be a good son, a respectable man, and pure heir. Not when Remus' words to him a year prior "Looks like you really do wear your last name well" rattle his bones every time he looks at the boy.

17-year-old Mary being crushed when Lily and James start dating. She admits her feelings to Marlene, who only gives her some sad words of comfort, unable to do anything else. Mary staying by Lily because she values their friendship above all else and if she can't have the girl she loves, she's at least going to make damn sure that that girl is happy.

18-year-old Sirius not going to James about this, because he needs someone to give him something other than blind faith and optimism. Sirius going to Peter, and for the first time admitting out loud ever, let alone to someone else, tells Peter that he's gay. That he's in love with Remus. And that he hates himself for fucking it up before he ever had a real chance. Peter telling Sirius that he knows. Because Sirius Black has never known subtlety. Peter telling Sirius that, while he has certainly made himself a considerable large obstacle to get around, he doesn't think that Sirius has completely fucked up his chances.

19-year-old Mary being Lily's maid of honor, heartbroken but somehow genuinely happy for her best friend. Mary admitting to Lily just after the wedding that she had feelings for her, not with the intention of ruining her marriage, just with the intention of finally getting the weight off her shoulders. Lily telling Mary that she loves James and wouldn't give him up for anything, but that she wishes Mary would have confessed years earlier. Because Lily had once loved her too. The two of them laughing at themselves and hugging and making a childish pinkie promise. Lily promises that Mary's feelings will never change how she acts around her. Mary silently promises to always have Lily's back and make sure she's happy.

19-year-old Sirius seeing his best friend get married and finally working up the courage to confess to Remus. He doesn't expect Remus to return his feelings, or even still be his friend afterwards. He doesn't expect Remus to cut him off mid-rant to kiss him full on the mouth. Except that's what Remus does. They're in the middle of a war, and they're young, and they're fucking terrified, but none of that seems to matter when now they're all of that together.

21-year-old Mary has failed. Her promise has been broken. The butterflies are gone, withered alongside the Lily that gave them life with each of her hugs.

21-year-old Sirius is so, so cold. There is no light in dark Azkaban cell, the one room Remus will never walk into. The war is over, and he will not be young forever, nor will they ever be together here. Sirius is left to be terrified alone.

[jennyboom21]

It was small, minor even. In all of the pageantry, hoopla, stunts and shows that come with the annual Met Gala — celebrities decked in haute couture, multiple costume changes, group chats and social media timelines rushing to outdo one another for jokes. But in the middle of all that, Queen Latifah walked the 2024 Met Gala Carpet with her longtime partner Eboni Nichols.

When I first saw it, well, I screamed a little. Ok, maybe I screamed more than a little. But you have to understand, it’s not that we haven’t seen Queen and Eboni walk a red carpet together before, they walked the Oscars carpet together in 2022 and more recently they walked a different red carpet together for an AmFAR benefit in 2023. She first publicly acknowledged Eboni, and their son Rebel, from a BET Awards stage by thanking them both as her “love” while accepting her Lifetime Achievement. But if you’re a queer person and especially a Black queer person, who has been a part of this community at any point in the last 30 years, I also know that you get it. This is the queen. After rooting for her journey for so long, after she was a queer awakening for so many of us across so many years, every forward step still feels lucky somehow for us to witness. Each one feels like a breath of fresh air.

I posted my all caps emotions to Twitter because for better or for worse, I am chronically online. I thought it would do maybe a few hundred likes. Some love from a few other fans. Again on some level I intellectually know… we have been here before. But somehow still, the Met felt different. Walking the world’s most famous carpet, with every camera trained on you and your partner in your matching black & white gowns felt different. Anyway, it ended up with over 45 thousand likes in a day. And that’s when I knew — I wasn’t alone.

To be very clear here, I do not believe that Queen Latifah owes us Dana Owens. In 2008, after being arguably the most famous woman rapper for nearly two decades and an Oscar-nominated actress, she told The New York Times that when it came to her romantic life, “You don’t get that part of me. Sorry. We’re not discussing it… Nobody gets that. I don’t feel like I need to share my personal life.” And she’s absolutely correct. We are not owed hers (or anyone’s) coming out. We are not owed beyond what she has left for us on stage and screen.

But it’s also hard not to feel this as a homecoming, deep in your bones. And I hope that if Queen sees this joy spreading across the internet as pictures of her and Eboni go viral, that she knows its meant with pride in her and gratitude for all that she already gave us. Everything else is a bonus.

I have loved Queen Latifah since I was eight years old. I loved her longer than I’ve known I was gay. In so many ways, she taught me a lot about strength, and independence, and loving other Black women and not taking any shit and womanhood. So it’s impossible, now, not to gush when Emma Chamberlin interviewed Queen and Eboni together on the carpet and asked, “Is this a date night?”

Queen takes a deep breath and smiles before teasingly calling Eboni “Eb.” Eboni fills in their banter and says that she playfully threatened Queen that this was the year they were doing the Met, and she better make it happen. Like an old married couple who’s been here a thousand times before, Queen Latifah picks up the story there, saying that she wanted to be “the hero of my household.” And so now, here they are.

I’m saying… this is Queen Latifah… being flirtatious and chivalrous to her partner, live and in front of cameras? I am on my knees. We used to dream for days like this!!

(No, literally. Do you know many times I have wished I could be silly and thirsty and overdramatic on the internet for their love story??? To even be able make a joke like “I’m on my knees” in same that’s usually reserved for an umpteenth number of white skinny lesbians in their 20s and 30s. To borrow even more internet speak: I cry 😭)

I think a lot about what it means to be Black and a lesbian or bisexual or queer and a woman over a certain age. In part, I think about it because of this job (writing about gay people on the internet), but also it’s because of this job that I know so many of the queer icons I grew up loving — for whatever reason, they’ve never felt like they could come out. Not fully. Not in such a way that we can openly write about them.

And there are a lot of days where, to be honest, that doesn’t matter. Everyone, even celebrities, is entitled to their own life story. It’s truly probably none of our business. But Queen Latifah did an interview with her longtime partner and after loving her for what feels like my entire life now I get to all caps yell SHUT UP YALL, THEY ARE SO CUTE and they are and it’s perfect. Sometimes, that matters too.

[eusuntgratie]

Director's cut for love your cares away 🥹💚

I LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH! okay okay okay

so this was not this first tknp i WROTE but it was the first i finished and published so it will always have a special place in my heart. this is one of those universes thats fun to play in so who knows i could always come back to it and add more.

love your cares away is a good one for directors commentary bc i do actually remember the inspo and why i wrote it.

i'd been DRAGGED (patiently awaiting my gold star) into tknp earlier that year by @eliooliver83 putting insanity-inducing gifsets on my dash until i finally caved and asked about them and she gave me a primer and a few fics to start with and well. what can i say. here we are.

i was driving and listening to why not me by the judds (incredible song forever fave) and the image of pat outside the bar just came to me with the idea that he and tk weren't in touch anymore but he was drunk enough to call him. terri is really at the heart of this fic and the idea that tk would be torn up he couldn't come get pat himself but would know that he could call him mama in the middle of the night and that she would go get pat because she loved him too was early early. just like terri cookin' for pat, making him stay in tk's room, and just generally taking care of him.

i have a fair amount of backstory for pat and his family in this one. pat's dad is a preacher who ultimately moves away in the aftermath of tk & pat being outed/discovered so that they can start fresh in a new church without the specter of a gay son shadowing his work. his parents expect aimee to go with them when they move, but she digs her heels in and stays. pat tries really really hard not to care how his parents treat him, but he's so angry that they largely abandon aimee for not going with them.

like any good southern mama, terri takes it upon herself to make sure that the patrick kids eat and are safe and okay. she does as much to help them as pat lets her.

you didnt ask but one of the reasons why not me was so fun to write is because its a similar universe - a small town southern au where the boys grew up together, but pat's family situation is so different in that fic that they end up in a totally different place. tk's family loves pat like he's their own in both universes, but in love your cares away, pat doesn't have that love from his own parents.

directors cut (but you can also ama about my wips, or just yell at me to write 😘)

[alarrytale]

By 'fake baby' are you saying that his son is a hired child actor? I came across larry recently and I can see why its so believed in. It does seem like harry and louis were close in the band and potentially in a relationship but I don't get the insistence that louis's child is not real. What if larry just broke up in the early days and then later on louis got that girl pregnant? He could be bi instead of gay and larry could have just been a casual thing that got blown out of proportion by the fans into this forever soulmates idea? It just feels odd to declare that his kid was hired from birth and is still working (which is against some child labour laws at the least) as his fake child. At what point will this poor kid be let go from his job? Never?

I don't want this to seem like an attack, I just want to wrap my brain around the concept of a fake baby. Would you stop supporting Louis if you knew that his child was real? Do you think larries in general would still support Louis if they had the evidence they needed that that child is really his?

Hi, anon!

I'm happy to answer all your questions, but i hope you understand that to a larrie who's been here for 12 years and seen everything in real time, you sound like a first grader asking a uni student if they've considered that 2+2 might be 5 and not 4...

When you come in late to a fandom like this, you are missing a huge chunk of context. You are seeing every incident as isolated incidences, instead of creating a timeline, understanding the context it happened in, and seeing the full picture. When you do that it leaves you with no doubt.

Louis is not the biological father of F, but F exists. It's not illegal to believe you're the biological father to a kid, when there is no DNA proving otherwise, and you provide for that kid. It's just incredibly naive. There are no laws against being naive. There are also no law against making a deal between a label and a opportunistic family where payments for hiring the family and the kid is paid through child support money. Is it ethical? No. Illegal? No. If you can’t prove that harm has come to the kid through this deal (he's gotten rich as fuck and works two days a year) then you don’t have a case. I assume the deal is going to last until F is 18 years old (if Louis can’t get out of it until then), but F might want to continue to benefit from this deal after he's 18 years old, and extend the contract. So it will probably last until Louis can get out of it.

If Louis said he did a DNA test and that the result shows he's the biological father of F, then i'd assume that he either wants to be closeted for life, or that he really is the father. Either way, i would not be a fan of Louis anymore, no. Either he's willingly taking advantage of a kid without agency of their own to closet himself or he's a deadbeat dad. Neither is very appealing to me. I don't think it's very appealing to other larries either. Good thing he isn't a father and wants bg to end.

I know bg is hard to understand and wrap your head around. It seems so unneccessary and cruel. There is a reason why 1D hate Simo* Cowel* with the passion of a thousand suns.

To quickly answer your other questions;

Louis is gay (afraid of girl cooties kind of gay). He struggles to pretend to be into women, hence bg and no relationship with women for well over a year now. Larry is not in a casual relationship and they've never broken up. Check the timelines and ask yourself if you'd get half a sleeve of complimentary tattoos with a "casual" partner, or talk about your struggles together in the closet through rainbow bondage bears.

[gaymergal]

:3 happy pride 🌈 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

I unintentionally came out to my older sister (again) by wearing a piece of clothing.

💚💜🤍 😂 she remains the best

(Story followed by small spiraling below the cut 😃👍🏾✨)

Forever ago when I was in high school, I was only out as gay at school with friends. And didn’t come out to family until later (Highschool for me was 2004-2008 Bush era. And though my family is and has been very liberal leaning, we were also raised catholic which definitely fueled my personal hesitation to come out at home. Spoilers alert when I told my mom it went hilariously well)

One day after school myself and a pair of friends were at the mall, and the three of us bought a three piece matching friendship necklace at Claire’s on clearance that said roughly Best (star charm), Friends(heart charm), Forever(rainbow charm)

(90% sure that was the breakdown important thing is my section of the necklace had a rainbow charm)

It was like the only rainbow thing I owned, and I would wear it sparingly cause wasn’t 100% out. I had left the necklace on at home and my sister immediately clocked it and pulled me aside and asked if I was gay.

It was a very brief side bar conversation, I was in the kitchen and she literally pulled me into another room and was like “u gay? Your wearing a rainbow necklace”

“Uh yeah”

“Ok cool”

I never did a big announcement to family. Starting with my sister (actually, one of my brothers might have been the first family to know followed then by my sister🤔)

I just told family in one on one conversations as it came up, and eventually even extended family just knew I was gay.

(When I told my mom, because of the way I nervously started the conversation, on the verge of tears saying “i have something important to tell you” she thought I was teen pregnant and when I said I was gay she was like that’s it? That’s fine!)

Anyway! In 2020 with the support of my wife I experimented with pronouns and found that in addition to she/her I really do vibe with he/him pronouns (🥰 I am both her wife and boyfriend and absolutely love being called either)

I really only use he/him privately online and at limited irl queer gatherings and haven’t explicitly told my family (There is a hesitation that family might not fully “get” use of he/him pronouns and for now I’d rather keep it away from them for the time being. At this point its less of a fear of rejection and more of a…I don’t know how that conversation is going to go, and that gives me anxiety to bring it up and start a conversation about it.)

We just had our local pride weekend and I was wearing a pair of black socks that had stripes of green purple white at the top of them 💚💜🤍 for genderqueer and did post a family picture of me my wife and our son at pride to FB (socks visible) not thinking anyone in my fam would clock it.

Got a text from my sister yesterday: “Random question. What are your pronouns?”

Which prompted a phone call (that went super well :3 🥰)

At first she thought they were non binary colors and googled to confirm, but saw that the colors didn’t match but “knew it meant something” and then asked my niece (gen z theater kiddo) what the those specific colors represented. (Lol like straight up queer pop quiz style “hey green white purple, what’s that flag? 🤣)

When the dreaded “what do you want me to use for you” came up (idk why so much anxious, it is very much use one or the other or a mix, i genuinely like and respond to both. the only strong feeling i have is please don’t directly ask me which to use, or why he/him in addition to she/her)

It was a very quick, “so i can still use she/her”

“Yep”

“You sure?”

“Yep”

“well if that changes, I’ll just keep an eye out for new colors”

“🥲💖” (which I found to be very sweet!)

On the one hand, part of me is like, ah history repeating itself, just tell family as it comes up.

But with Pride and (:3 my first!) Father’s day coming up I am tempted to make a FB post just to set the record straight on my pronouns but, (anxiety)

Its weird, like I don’t necessarily feel like I’m in the closet as much as I did with being gay in high school. I’m not afraid of someone finding out. I don’t think my pronouns are something that needs to be kept secret. If asked I am comfortable enough to respond to the question, but the thought of anoucing them publicly is just a big no-no. 🙃

😅 Anyway!

🥳 happy pride! ❤️🧡💛💚💜💙💖

💚🤍💜 treating myself to an early father’s day hair cut tomorrow ✌🏾 :3

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Ritchie Herron

Published: May 23, 2024

Today is a day I can't really ignore, because whether I want to mark it or not, my body reminds me regardless.

Six years ago, conflicted, but optimistic, i thought I was doing the right thing getting 'Sex Reassignment surgery'.

A Long Story 🧵

I transitioned as an adult, I was 26. Me and my fully developed big brain thought this would be a good idea.

I had severe OCD and a myriad of mental health problems. I mean even then I be head tiltin'...This was me at age 25, pure giga chad

Soon as i found out transition was an option, I went in full force, like a bat out of hell!

I had become obsessed with the idea that my body was being poisoned by testosterone, that every masculine trait needed to be annihilated, for i was a true and honest woman after all. 

As a child, I was soft, loving, quite literal and I loved to sing, dance and dress up, but i also loved my diggers!

Me at age 10 before I went to sing karaoke with my friends family. You cant see it but my friends shoulder is on the right, he was a year younger too! I was tiny!

When I came out to my family, in isolation they all asked the same question when I told them I had something to tell them: "You're gay, aren't you?"

"No! I'm a real transsexual!" I said. Convinced I was the truest of the true. Genuinely born in the wrong body and all that noise. 

It was 2013 and I had found a supportive online community that helped me get on the right path to transition.

Facing a 15 month wait for the gender clinic. I found out I could start the blocker (And stop the 'poison'!) if i had two private diagnosis of transsexualism. 

So off I fucked to Scotland for a private diagnosis, as i waited to be enrolled for the gender clinic.

I was on a low income so I did the only thing i could, and got a payday loan. "Fuck debt, its this or death!" I reasoned.

Two days later I got the full diagnosis for £500. 

It took until April 2014 for the Gender Clinic to agree to give me the Goserelin Zoladex implant (testosterone blocker).

When I got it, I was so happy the poison was about to stop. At first, I looked a right state. I did the opposite of blend in. 

By January 2015, I was finally enrolled into the gender clinic and after a while, the blockers were showing some effect. Though, I wasn't committing to it at all.

I found myself desisting from the idea of estrogen/transition all together and just thought I'd live as just some androgynous looking guy.

It all changed when i went to the gender clinic. The very first question I got asked by the psychiatrist was: "have you given any thought to gender reassignment surgery?"

I said honestly, I wasn't sure, I dont think i ever had that type of dysphoria, besides i really want to see the therapist. 

They agreed to refer me to a gender therapist in March 2015. In total I would end up have 97 gender therapy sessions with them.

Gender therapy is not like normal therapy. It helped defeat my doubt, and also helped me defeat others who were doubtful. 

In July 2015, the Psychiatrist asked if i had given any further thought to the surgery.

I said I wasn't sure, and i'd like to find out more. Thats when i realised NONE of them had any technical knowledge about the surgery, what it does, etc. It suprised me. 

I got refered back to the place in Scotland, since I already went there for the pre-diagnosis.

I took my mother, she wasnt convinced.

The therapist told her, infront of her grown ass 28 year old son, if she didnt affirm, he'd kms. 

She told me the surgery would make myself feel better, and that regret was extremely low (I was worried about regretted it) and bleeding.

I have a huge fear of bleeding, I'm a wuss! yes... 

Once the surgery referal came through in late 2015, i panicked! Too quick i said!

"It'll be there for when your ready." The psychatrist said.

But all I really wanted was therapy. 

I said no several more times, I forgot exactly how many times they asked, but it was constant.

By 2016 early 2017, life was still chaos, but blending in felt easier, I wasn't getting noticed really and most people gendered me as a woman.

I was happy enough as I was, but back at the gender clinic in 2017 I was delivered an ultimatum. Accept surgery referral or get discharged.

That would also mean an end to the therapy, and it was keeping me stable.

I bit the bullet and said no once more. 

My gender therapist, also somewhat co-dependant on me as a client for now 60 odd sessions, didnt want to let me go either. He reasoned that i did have dysphoria and surgery was probably the best option.

So i called the psychiatrist back and asked to be refered back for surgery. 

I've went over it in my head 1000's of times.

Why did I go along with it? Why didn't just stop it?

It just felt like a ride i couldnt get off, and it got faster and faster.

Everyone was routing for me. 

Day of surgery, may 23rd 2018.

After staying an extra 3 hours in theatre, i finally woke up around this time. 4:00pm ish.

I was still bleeding and had lost nearly 2000ml from the surgery and drains.

A friend helped snap this.

I apologise for the haram photo, but this is what the area looked like a few weeks after.

I had Lichen Scoloris, which was ignored and is now inside the hole and around the entrance. I had a constricted urethra and both my scar lines on both sides split open, which would get infected.

I won't share anymore, but i have a lot of photos that are far more grim.

It's what happened I really can't show you.

The depression, the pain, the insane pain oh my god. Not being able to pee, to feel anything.

Feeling betrayed 

SO I GO BACK TO MY GENDER THERAPIST THREE MONTHS LATER....and i say "Hey, I think i made a mistake, i think i regret this."

"No you dont." He said.

I went back every other week and told him, i regret it. He said no. 

One year of this back and forth. I was refered to a psychiatric team, that said i didnt have regret, I had Unstable Personality Disorder and severe Obsessive compulsive Disorder.

And then I was discharged in January 2020.

It was the worst time in my life, those years. I was very angry at myself, and everyone I talked to reassured me that I didnt have regret and if i did, it was my fault anyway.

But I resisted...And in 2022 I spoke out after desisting 

I'm 37 as of Saturday... and I'm facing life ahead of me as a castrated male. It's not easy territory, but if i want one thing to come out of this, it's to give others a chance, a warning about surgery.

But i wont stop anyone. Just don't try and stop me.

If you would like to support my work, please consider liking/retweeting. I do it for free but will happily accept tips for sausage rolls.

Also consider checking out my substack where i write a lot of shit and youtube where i talk even more shit t.co/tQSunLfhVk tullipr.substack.com

I really needed to get that off my chest so thanks for reading. It's appreciated