#something about her parents wanting a boy so she assumed that role and whatnot.....it was NOT it lmao

[vonlipvig]

i haven't played dual destinies in ages, but i still have such a soft spot for robin newman. she waa done so dirty cause sincerely what was going on with that plot point, why do we have to 'out' her as a cis woman. like, it's not actual 'outting' but it sure as hell feels like that.

to me she's a trans woman, fuck whatever canon says (you'd definitely have to do some reworking to fit that but it would be much better, IF you don't actually out her, of course).

[mobius-prime]

129. Knuckles the Echidna #26

The First Date (Part One of Three): She Loves You… (And You Know That Can't Be Bad!)

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Chris Allan Colors: Frank Gagliardo

So this arc is kind of… eh, awkward and dull. There's really no action, and it's all centered around love and dating and whatnot like we're suddenly watching a bad will-they-won't-they sitcom. Everything is extremely heteronormative - like look, I get this is the 90s, but everything is about "boys and girls" and just ends up sounding really juvenile as a result - and everyone is really out of character, too. I mean, do Knuckles or Julie-Su seem like the types to wander around all lovesick like shallow high schoolers? Not to mention the Chaotix, especially Vector, are… well… ugh, let's just jump into this and get it over with.

The Chaotix are hanging around in their usual burger joint, when Espio mentions that recently he's heard some surprising news about Prince Charmy - namely, that he's gotten engaged!

Now, you remember how a while back when the Chaotix were first introduced I had to clarify that unlike in the games, where he's six years old, in the comics he's sixteen? This is one of those moments that completely threw me when I first read the comics, because I had been operating under the assumption all this time that he was six. Now, obviously sixteen is still pretty damn young to be getting engaged, but I was sitting here with my eyebrows furrowed wondering why Charmy's friends didn't seem more concerned that this six year old child suddenly had a fiancée. I thought that his parents had arranged his marriage to Saffron (for whatever reason her name is misspelled in this issue, with only one F) and that by going back to his role as a prince he'd basically doomed himself to having his love life strictly controlled. But no, I guess somehow in the short time since he left the group and went back home, he got into a serious enough relationship with Saffron that he proposed (or hell, maybe she proposed, who knows). It's possible there was still pressure from his parents considering his heritage, but for now we can only assume that it was a totally voluntary action on his part to get engaged to Saffron, which is just… really, really weird.

Now Vector is very displeased to hear this. Vector is, in fact, something of a gigantic sexist douchebag in this issue, talking big about how no woman could handle him, prompting Espio and Mighty to joke that Julie-Su is more than his match if they were to go head to head in a fight. We then cut to Julie-Su angrily and viciously firing her blaster while shouting about Knuckles "running out on her."

Geez, man. You think her insurance covers blaster burn marks on the walls? She's mostly angry because she wants to talk to Knuckles one on one, but he's not there with her right now. He's with his father, in some kind of apartment-like space within Haven (it's not really clear, but I'm assuming Haven given we're talking about Locke here) as his father makes him breakfast. Out of nowhere, Knuckles asks his father about "why boys and girls get together," prompting Locke to immediately spit out his coffee. Knuckles, unfazed by the sudden brown-colored backwash all over the table, starts going on about how whenever he's around Julie-Su, he feels "weird."

This is maybe my least favorite part of Kenders' worldbuilding in the comic. Apparently, the Soultouch is an instant romantic attraction between two members of the opposite sex amongst echidnas, essentially love at first sight. It's not outright stated, but in case you haven't guessed, this is why Julie-Su so abruptly left the Dark Legion when she first spotted Knuckles many issues ago, feeling like she "had to find him" but didn't know why. Knuckles asks that if the Soultouch is accurate, why Locke and Lara-Le ended up splitting up, to which Locke shrugs and says that he doesn't know, but even the best of relationships require a lot of work, which is maybe the most accurate thing written in this entire arc. Knuckles then utterly hilariously, and completely accidentally, makes his case for homosexuality by saying he thinks things would be easier if guys stuck with guys and girls stuck with girls, noting that he gets along way easier with his male friends and "doesn’t even think about other girls." Kenders clearly wasn't meaning to characterize Knuckles as a closeted gay, but that's how it comes across and it's amazing. Let Knuckles be gay if he wants, man!

Meanwhile, out on the street, Espio and Mighty start challenging Vector's flippant attitude toward women, taunting him that he probably doesn't even have the backbone to ask a girl out on a date right now. Vector, his fragile masculinity sufficiently rattled, stomps away and begins casing out the women in the area in perhaps the most uncomfortably out of character series of panels I've ever seen.

*sigh* Kenders… why in the unholy hell… did you think this was okay? Remember the sweet but clueless Vector in Sonic X who did his utmost to help Vanilla out and give her nice things because he had a crush on her, not caring about how "hot" she was or that she was a single mother with a little kid? Yeah, this isn't him. Ugh.

Julie-Su, meanwhile, has had enough of moping around in her apartment and takes a walk outside, trying to think of ways she can improve herself and become more confident. She happens to pass by a clothing boutique and glance inside, and as she muses to herself that perhaps she needs to stop being so serious all the time and learn to have a little fun - probably a good idea, considering she was part of a technological military group for so long - a passing echidna suggests to her that she go inside and try out the hat she was absentmindedly staring at. She's startled, but allows herself to be led inside by the echidna and an attendant of the store.

I very much disagree that it's "so her" - I feel like Sarah-Connor-style badass tank tops and combat boots are more her aesthetic - but regardless, the echidna encourages her and then invites her out for lunch. Fun to contrast his polite and complimentary approach towards Vector's more misogynistic one, huh? Back in Haven, while Locke is out of the room, Knuckles' musings are interrupted by Archimedes poofing in and immediately noticing his lovesick state. Upon hearing that Locke was rather awkward in trying to explain the source of his feelings, Archimedes offers his own advice for Knuckles' problem which basically boils down to "you'll never know if you don't take the plunge." Knuckles, encouraged, stands up and has Archimedes poof them away, and a second later Locke walks back in, surprised to see the room empty. Back in the streets, Vector is still trying to "score" to prove himself to Espio and Mighty…

That is the most uncomfortably-drawn swan I've ever seen. Like… why in the world does she have boobs? She's a bird! Birds don't need boobs! Argh! Archimedes poofs Knuckles straight into a restaurant, apparently having homed directly in on Julie-Su, because there she is, out to lunch with Raynor the echidna who asked her out, and to Knuckles' shock, she's holding his hand… better make a move fast, man, cause this polite dude is gonna win her over first!

Friend in Need

Writer: Ken Penders Pencils: Manny Galan Colors: Barry Grossman

So I think this is actually the first KtE arc that has a secondary story at the end of each issue - previously, they've all had one story taking up the full span of the pages. This story follows Mighty, in which he is approached by Nicolette the Weasel, who prefers to go by Nic due to her full name "not sounding tough enough for a bounty hunter," and who is Nack's previously-unmentioned sister (and looks exactly like him but with eyelashes and a crop top, because girl). She gives Mighty a red collar, which in shock he realizes used to belong to Ray the Flying Squirrel, whom he used to know. He agrees to come with Nic on her latest treasure hunting venture, providing the brawn she needs in exchange for his chance to look for what happened to Ray. While they're flying to their destination, Mighty becomes lost in memories of how he met Ray, leading to one of the most jarring character revelations next to "Charmy is a prince" - all we've ever known about Mighty up till now is that he has super strength and likes hanging around on the Floating Island, but apparently, six or seven years ago he was captured by Robotnik's forces and taken to a goddamn slave labor camp, where he found himself on a prisoner transport cart along with Ray. Ray had a very bad stutter, most likely due to fear and trauma, but was still kind to those around him, and Mighty began to look after him even though he was shackled due to his strength. But unexpectedly, one of the other prisoners on board this cart was Sonic! Keep in mind, we're talking about a cart full of eight year old children that Robotnik was shipping off. Mighty was skeptical of Sonic's confident attitude, with Sonic claiming that he was there to break everyone out, and that Robotnik didn't suspect him since he was only a child and up until recently adults had been carrying on the fight. However, with recent losses, the Freedom Fighters formed by Sally in the Sonic Kids special started taking up arms against Robotnik as well.

Let that sink in, man. This is why the leading members of the resistance against Robotnik were children and young teens. All the adults were dead or roboticized. Anyone who could have fought was gone. These children had no one else to stand up for their freedom; circumstance forced them to step forward and take the lead instead. Remember what I was talking about a while back, about Sonic having trouble settling down after Robotnik's death and how he was so used to war as essentially a child soldier that even in peacetime he found himself unable to relax? This is the true horror of the war against Robotnik. King Acorn's abrupt disbanding of the Freedom Fighters several issues ago may have seemed dismissive and uncaring, but in the end, his point of view does make sense - he doesn't want literal children robbed of their chance to, well, be children. Just think of how many main characters, and hell, even side characters, thought for so long that they were orphans until their family members started turning up after the war. Think about how many are still orphans for all their know - where are Amadeus and Rosemary Prower? Where's Bunnie's parents? Antoine's mother? Amy's parents? That is what the war against Robotnik cost society. It's actually kind of chilling.

Anyway, Nic wakes Mighty up from his train of thought as they land at the site of the now-deserted labor camp. Mighty is a little jumpy, still reluctant to trust Nic fully, but suddenly an unexpected face makes her appearance…

Fiona? As in, the robot that Tails supposedly fell in love with right before his solo adventure? She's a real person? And Mighty somehow knows her? Oh boy, there's a lot to cover here…

[peachtune]

Ramble.02 Various Thoughts / HCs on the Awakening Kids

     This is sort of a  CONTINUATION  of stuff that I wanted to put in my last post but in doing so would detract from the original point of it. So instead let’s just build upon it here !

          So everything said previously is why I write Severa to be so strong because she  IS---- therefore it’s not safe to assume that just anyone can best her. Rather, you should expect the likelihood of getting your ass handed to you. Laslow / Inigo is ‘ kind enough ’ to toy with his opponent, but Luna / Severa is  NOT. And literally the only ‘ equal ’ sparring partners for the Awakening Trio in Fates is each other because they can  EXCLUSIVELY  go all out against one another and it’s a scary sight. It’s even Luna herself who scolds Laslow on how he could / can do better !! I really don’t think many people give her enough credit for her strength. The boys  SURE  know she’s not to be taken lightly !

     And what I said about the strength of the Risen in my last post is why I’ve made her so headstrong when it comes to training even if in game she  HATES  to sweat and whatnot. Her disliking of sweating doesn’t affect the importance and necessity of staying in good form. She knows training is not something to  SHIRK  on because the timeline in which they all came from literally meant death if you slacked the tiniest bit ! I  FIRMLY  believe several if not all of the kids know how to use  MORE  than one weapon-- they might be proficient in one or two primarily but it’s likely they could pick up anything off the ground and fight with it because that’s what had to be done before. Learn and fight or die due to negligence. That’s why no matter what class, I sometimes hint that Severa is capable of wielding  MOST  things. The only thing she’s not so trained with is a bow and magic, but she’s been learning the latter.

          This also feeds into why I hc that in Awakening, the kids were likely allowed to lead squadrons on occasion, because they  CERTAINLY  had the strength for it. And even if they’re not Morgan or Robin level tacticians, they were good enough to last years on their own against the Risen. In Fates, the trio is especially important in the army with high leadership roles. They’re not normal soldiers to be sent on just any escapade and it’s not  JUST  because they’re under direct command of the royals. But in both Awakening and in Fates there’s also my hc that they oversaw the training of new recruits because why wouldn’t you trust them with that ? Contrarily, it might be  FOOLISH  if you didn’t. Not to mention how being pulled into new worlds only makes them stronger. Being exposed to new fighting styles just allows them to  GROW  and develop more of their own and once they’re used to it themselves, their enemy is still left scrambling because their techniques  CAN’T  be found elsewhere to study and learn from.

     And can I just address how used to death these kids are ? They grew up with it. Their entire world was  RUINS  and turned into a hellscape. They saw people die everyday and come right back only to have to kill them themselves this time. There’s so many they probably didn’t even get to give proper burials. They’ve witnessed so many  HORRORS  that likely just can’t compare to what they see anywhere else.

          Another thought is that while Awakening ends happily, it’s really not happy for the kids ? Now they exist in a world where their parents aren’t  REALLY  their parents and will go on to raise different versions of themselves even if under new names. It’ll still be them and that kid will still look like them in structure no matter  HOW  they style themselves or their hair. At the same time, sure, these are past versions of the people that raised them, but I can’t be convinced that they still aren’t different and  DOUBLY  made different after meeting their future kids. They didn’t undergo the changes that led to whatever they did in the future. For example, Cordelia can only  GUESS  that the person she was fighting to protect everyday was Severa and not Chrom. It’s why Tharja can’t comprehend  WHY  she would have ever put Noire through what she did. They’re still strangers despite being their parents.

     Anyway this is a  LONG  enough post already and I could probably go on because I really don’t shut up about these kids. But for the sake of anyone actually reading this. Yeah lmao.

[walviemort]

paternal instincts, part 3

Emma’s fear of pregnancy leads Killian to find—and use—a spell that allows him to carry their child instead. A canon-divergent CS pregnancy fic, just with the roles flipped a bit. (mpreg; rated T for implied sexy times) | AO3

A/N: dedicated to @sherlockianwhovian and @cocohook38 for their inspiration, and to @jennjenn615 for her support! Thank you!

Part 1 | Part 2

Chapter 3: Breaking the News

Summary: With Killian's pregnancy confirmed, it's time to let everyone else know. How will Henry, David, Snow, and the rest of Storybrooke take the news?

The view of the horizon from the deck of the Jolly Roger was typically a calming sight, but today, Killian felt a bit more on the seasick side. It wasn’t because it was particularly choppy or anything—he’d certainly weathered worse without getting green around the gills.

There were two possible reasons for his queasiness: one, it was the start of the bouts of nausea that usually accompanied this stage of pregnancy; or two, it was because he was telling Henry today.

It had been a just over a week since they’d received confirmation they were expecting, so it had been a week of debating how to let the lad know. Emma had wanted to just come right out with it, insisting Henry would take it fine. And Killian knew he would. But he couldn’t shake the need to break the news himself, so a weekend sailing outing seemed the best way.

Henry was 16 now, almost 17—nearly a man—but watching him tie off a line, it didn’t seem so long since he’d first taught him those knots, back after their return to Storybrooke from New York. How did that boy become this lanky teenager, right in front of Killian’s eyes? Would that happen with the next one?

From his place at the helm, Killian tried to blink back tears at the sudden onslaught of emotions—definitely the most obvious evidence of his state so far—as his hand drifted to his still-flat stomach, currently bundled in a parka.

In an attempt to pull it together, he shook his head and sniffled; the fact that it was still sharply cold out didn’t help matters. But the noise caught Henry’s attention anyway.

“You okay, Killian?” he shouted from the lower deck, done with what he was working on and moving towards the quarterdeck. Instinct told Killian to lie, insist he was fine and brush it all off. But it was time be honest.

“I’ve never been better, lad,” he answered truthfully. “Come here,” he added, beckoning. “Give me a hand with the anchor and then let’s chat.”

Henry bounded up the stairs two at a time and gave Killian a curious look. “Good chat or bad chat?”

“Pretty good, I think,” he replied optimistically. Henry accepted it, relaxing a bit as the worked together to cast the anchor. From where they floated, Storybrooke looked small on the gray horizon; it was hard to believe such a seemingly quiet town had changed his life so dramatically.

“Now, are you going to tell me why you brought me out on the ocean in March, when there’s still snow on the ground?” Henry teased as they leaned against the ship’s railing. “I mean, I’m pretty sure I saw an iceberg, and I know you’ve seen Titanic.”

Killian just chuckled; Henry was far too astute for his age. “Aye; I did bring you out here for a reason.” He swallowed, trying to calm his stomach as he began. “Now, you know your mother and I love you very much—”

“Hold on; I gotta stop you right there,” Henry interrupted, to Killian’s surprise. “There are only three things you can be getting at by starting with that, so I’ll spare you the speech, even if you’re good at them.” Killian exhaled, slightly relieved, but wondered what Henry suspected. “I can eliminate the first one, because there’s no way you and my mom are getting divorced with how much you two get it on.” Now Killian was blushing; apparently, they weren’t as discrete as they thought. “And I don’t think either of you are dying, because Mom would be a lot more mopey if that was the case.”

“Right on both counts so far,” Killian confirmed. “So what’s your next guess?”

“You guys are having a baby and don’t want me to feel left out or that I’m being replaced.”

Killian released a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He really shouldn’t have been surprised that Henry would figure it out. “Yeah, we are.”

“Really?” Henry was grinning.

“Really.”

Killian had to step back to brace himself against Henry’s excited embrace. “I get to be a big brother?” he practically shouted into Killian’s shoulder.

“And a damn fine one you’ll be,” Killian replied, hugging Henry close. “You’re truly alright with this?” he asked, searching for confirmation when they broke apart.

“Of course. I get why you guys would be worried, but I promise, I’m fine. I’m excited for you. Honestly, I’d been wondering when you’d finally get around to it.”

Killian snorted; given how aware the boy apparently was of their nighttime activities, he probably assumed it was inevitable. “It took some time for your mother to warm up to the idea. She doesn’t exactly have the best memories of being pregnant.”

“I know,” he answered. “So, when’s the kid due? How far along is she? I haven’t noticed Mom acting too different yet.”

Killian’s stomach twisted again; now he had to reveal the next part. “Well, um, that���s the other thing; your mother isn’t carrying the babe...I am.”

Henry nodded, less surprised than Killian anticipated. “Oh, so you’re...you have a…” He could tell Henry was trying to be polite, but resorted to just gesturing vaguely at Killian’s abdomen.

“Ah, no.” He could tell what Henry was implying. “I’m...borrowing it, I suppose, from your mother. Magic,” he said with a shrug, offering it as an explanation.

“Say no more,” Henry said, waving him off. “Seriously—the less I know, the better.”

“Agreed,” Killian answered, laughing.

“So...how do you feel? Oh no, I didn’t hug you too tight—did I?” Henry’s ability to adapt to any scenario would never cease to amaze him.

“You’re fine, lad. And so am I; a wee bit nauseous, and I expect that will get worse, but I’ve no complaints of yet.”

“Yet,” Henry threw back, teasing. “Don’t worry; I’ll help out with the yard work and whatnot when you’re too big to move.”

“Hey! I won’t get that big.” (He wouldn’t, right?)

Henry just gave him a sideways glance.

“Well, I appreciate the offer nonetheless.” Suddenly, the image of Henry looking after and helping mentor his future sibling flooded Killian’s mind, reminding him of his own relationship with his brother. In a weepy voice, he told him, “You’re gonna be a fantastic big brother.”

“Are you crying because your emotions are going crazy?”

“That I am, and you better get used to it, mate,” he quipped back, laughing through his tears.

Henry just smiled back. “I think I can handle it. And I can’t wait to meet my new sibling.”

There was nothing left to do but seal it with a hug.

They wanted to wait a bit longer before telling her parents—they weren’t concerned about whether or not they’d approve, but just wanted to make sure everything was okay before Snow inevitably went into baby-prep mode.

At least, that was the plan. Until the day during his tenth week when Killian emerged from the restroom at the station, after going a round with the porcelain basin, to find David standing near the desk looking worried.

“Hook, are you okay?”

Truthfully, the nausea was getting the best of him. It wasn’t to an extreme level, but he couldn’t wait for the day he didn’t find himself hovering over the toilet several times. He was getting by on bland foods and ginger ale—which he proceeded to grab a can of from the mini fridge by the coffee machine—but he was rather tired of this part of pregnancy.

And tired in general. “I’m fine; just ate something that didn’t sit right,” he explained in a weary voice as he plopped down on the sofa and propped his feet up on the coffee table, which had been aching something fierce. “I’ll be ship-shape in no time.”

David clearly didn’t believe him, and was now staring at him curiously. “Nice shoes,” he commented in an investigative tone, nodding at the slip-on sneakers he wore. Emma had bought them for him as a more comfortable alternative to his boots, and given that his ankles had begun to swell, they came in handy. Of course, he couldn’t tell Dave that. “Uh, thanks.”

His stomach gave a lurch then; he pressed his left arm on it to combat the pain and took a sip of the ginger ale, sighing at the almost instantaneous relief.

“What, no rum with your drink?” David was surprised, it seemed.

“Afraid not; adding alcohol to an upset stomach is generally a bad idea.” And, obviously, bad for the babe, but he found he didn’t miss it as much as he thought he would. If anything, that part was going to be better for him in the long run. He just hoped Dave bought the misdirect.

“And you’re sure it’s just a stomach bug?”

“What else could it be, Dave?” What else could the prince suspect? This situation was far from common.

“It’s just...you remind me of...never mind.”

“Of what?” Killian demanded, nearly losing his patience.

“Well, you’re acting like Snow did when she was pregnant.”

Oh. Then perhaps he did have an idea. Killian had no response to that.

David picked up on Killian’s silence. “See, normally this would be where you’d laugh with me and refute it, because there’s no way, right?”

Killian just swallowed.

“Right?” David repeated, sounding nervous.

Killian glanced up at him; David was staring with an almost unreadable expression that fell somewhere between excitement and disbelief. And Killian just didn’t have it in him to lie anymore. “I’m afraid I can’t do that, actually.”

Looking much like his daughter when he proposed the idea in the first place, David’s jaw dropped open, and for a long moment, his eyes just darted back and forth between Killian’s face and stomach, which his hook still rested on. “You...you’re…?” his father-in-law sputtered.

“I’m pregnant, David.” It felt good to say it out loud to someone other than Emma.

“Holy shit,” he blurted out, then practically collapsed on the couch next to Killian. “Seriously?”

“It’s a little far-fetched to make up, don’t you think?” David continued to stare at him with a wide-eyed expression; he obviously had many questions. “Ask away; I can tell you want to.”

Thankfully, no one came into the station while David interrogated Killian on the hows and whys of his gravidity, and seemed relieved to find out that it was definitely his and Emma’s child and that it was planned.

“I’m gonna be a grandfather again,” he finally concluded, a dreamy smile taking over his face.

“Aye, that you are.” Killian couldn’t help his own grin, or the happy tears that sprang forth unbidden—he was still getting used to the intense mood swings.

“Come here, man!” David practically shouted before pulling Killian into a tight hug. “Oh, I’m so happy for you guys. Let us know if you need anything. Anything.”

“Thank you, mate,” he answered in a watery voice. “You have no idea how much that means to us.” They broke apart and Killian wiped the tears from his eyes. “Just...please don’t tell Snow just yet. We’d planned on waiting a few more weeks, just to be sure of everything.”

“I’ll do my best; you know how she is.”

“I know.” Both men chuckled. “We won’t make you hold it for long. I’m assuming this isn’t what you expected when you came to the station, though?”

“Definitely not.” They shared another laugh and got on with business—Dave just needed help with a permit for some work to be done at the farm—and once it was squared away, he made to leave so Killian could get a bit more rest.

“And, uh, Killian?” he started, almost timidly, as he stood by the door.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for doing this,” he said, gesturing toward Killian’s abdomen. “I’m sure it means a lot to Emma and...it means a lot to me, too.”

Again, Killian found himself emotionally overwhelmed. “I-it’s my honor, really,” he stammered, trying to keep his tears at bay this time.

They exchanged a nod, bid each other farewell, and Killian resumed his spot on the couch. He placed his hand low on his stomach, and whispered, “You’re going to have the best grandfather, little one.”

He told Emma of his encounter with her father that night, but they remained in agreement on the decision to wait to tell Snow, or anyone else, until they were out of the first trimester. And David had kept his word, but not even a week later, at family dinner night at the farmhouse, their plans were derailed.

Barely even five minutes after sitting down to eat, Snow blurted it out. “Killian...are you pregnant?”

The bite of salad that was halfway to his mouth stopped in midair. He threw a panicked look at Emma, who wore an equally astonished expression. “I, ah, um…” he stuttered, knowing it was useless to lie but caught off guard nonetheless. “I—” “We—” he and Emma started at the same time, but then stopped at the other’s voice, both chuckling nervously. Then she gave him a half smile and shrugged; her way of saying that they might as well.

He turned back to Snow, smiling nervously. “How could you tell?”

Snow replied with a shriek of joy, making Neal jump in his high chair, and leaping out of her own seat to bring Killian into her embrace. “Oh, I’m so thrilled for you!” Just as fast as she’d hugged Killian, she dashed over to Emma to do the same, and then collapsed back at her spot at the table. “How far along? Are you going to find out the gender? Have you picked nursery colors yet? Oh, wait til I tell Granny!”

“Slow down, Snow,” David interjected, chuckling and placing his hand over hers.

They quickly filled her in on the details—eleven weeks, yes, and not yet—before Emma had to wonder, “Mom, why aren’t you asking why it’s him and not me?”

Snow brushed it off. “After all the crazy magic I’ve seen in my life, it was a pretty easy answer to come to. Plus, it was so obvious.”

“How so?” Killian asked; he’d been trying hard to hide the symptoms.

“For starters, there was an awful lot of ginger tea in your cart when I saw you at the grocery store a couple weeks ago. Killian, you stopped wearing your boots, I’m assuming because your ankles started swelling. I woke you up from a nap at lunchtime the other day. And tonight, you’ve got water and Emma has wine and not a lick of protest was made—which I’m assuming means you already knew, David, which is a conversation for another time.”

It probably shouldn’t have been so surprising that Snow was that observant, but still, he was blown away by her keen eye.

“Dang, Mom—why haven’t we hired you as a detective yet?” Emma joked, also impressed.

“You couldn’t afford me,” she teased back. They continued to chat about the pregnancy over the rest of the meal, and Snow attempted to push seconds on him, but his stomach was uneasy even with the amount he’d eaten. “Oh, I’ve got just the thing, then,” she exclaimed and dashed off to the kitchen, only to return a couple minutes later with a tea-like concoction. “Here—this helped me a lot with both pregnancies. I know they say ‘the sicker you are, the healthier the baby,’ but it gets to a point when there’s no way the baby can be anything but immune to everything.”

“Definitely.” The mixture wasn’t the most appetizing, but it worked wonders—for the first time in weeks, he was able to hold down a savory meal. He didn’t dare test it with dessert, but it was nice to spend an evening at peace without dashing to the lavatory. “Thank you again for that, Snow,” he effused as they got ready to leave. “You’ve no idea the relief this is.”

“Oh, I do,” she quipped, and pressed a piece of paper in his hand that he could only presume carried the recipe. “But seriously—anything you need, let us know. And I promise to keep this a secret until you say it’s okay.”

Emma threw a nervous glance at Killian—they both knew her mom’s track record with secrets.

They posted it on Facebook, with a brief explanation, that night.

Storybrooke being Storybrooke, it didn’t take long for word to spread that they were expecting. And for the most part, everyone was receptive and supportive. Belle handed over her pregnancy books, Gepetto had already offered to build a crib and rocking chair, and Aurora stopped him the other day to offer tips on how to get through the aches and pains; considering their history, she in particular surprised him.

Having the knowledge out there made everything seem a bit more real. Obviously, he was aware of the changes going on in his body, minimal as they were so far (but still a difference from the past couple centuries). Being able to share their excitement with others, though, added a level of reality he hadn’t expected. Yes, the child was his and Emma’s, but the bean would also become a member of this tight-knit community and already had so many people looking out for it; it was almost overwhelming.

Also overwhelming was the fact that at thirteen weeks, he was still getting morning sickness. It was at least living up to its name and generally only occured in the early part of the day, and Snow’s home remedy was a godsend, but he was rather tired of it. At least now, he didn’t have to explain the reason he dashed to use the lavatory before taking a seat at the counter at Granny’s.

Today, a hot mug of ginger tea with honey was waiting for him after his daily trip. It was exactly what he needed, and the hot tea soothed his upset stomach. “Thank you, milady,” he said, sighing.

“Make sure you drink all of it, son,” Granny commanded from farther down the counter, where she was refilling Grumpy’s coffee cup. She’d been quick to revoke Killian’s caffeine once she got the news, but still had her way of looking out for him. “The usual today?”

“Actually…” The odd thing was that even if the nausea lingered, the weird cravings had started to trickle in. “You wouldn’t happen to have any anchovies, would you?”

Granny just shook her head and chuckled, but shortly after, he had an anchovy and swiss omelet in front of him with hash browns and hot sauce.

“Oh, Lady Lucas, this looks perfect. However did you know?”

“Been there, done that. Eat up, hon,” she directed with a loving pat on his cheek. Being mothered was certainly an unfamiliar sensation, but not an unwelcome one. And oh, but this meal was perfect; he let out an involuntary groan of pleasure after the first bite.

Back at the other end of counter, Killian heard a scoff followed by some unintelligible grumbling. He took another bite and then glanced down, only to see that Grumpy was giving him a sidelong stare and muttering to himself.

“If you’ve something to say, dwarf, I suggest you speak up,” he called out in his most menacing tone.

Grumpy slammed his mug down on the counter, sloshing some over the edge. “Am I the only one that thinks it weird and unnatural? Can’t we just have one normal thing around here? Why’s it all gotta be magical bullshit?”

That was the reaction Killian had been expecting, honestly. At one point, he’d braced himself for it, but when every else was so receptive, he’d let his guard down. So this—this was an unexpected punch to the gut emotionally, only made worse by the fact that his were already all over the place.

He stared down into his plate, vision going blurry with tears. What had they been thinking, going through with this? What had he been thinking? Just because something was possible didn’t mean it had to be done. They could have found another way. They could have—

His spiraling thoughts were interrupted by an odd thunk, the shatter of glass, and a collective gasp. He immediately looked up, only to see Grumpy’s broken mug lying in a puddle on the counter and an arrow stuck into the opposite wall.

Granny stood in the doorway from the kitchen, now-empty crossbow leveled at the dwarf. “Seriously, Leroy? This entire town only exists because of a curse, a werewolf makes your bacon, and you hatched out of a goddamned egg. You’ve got no room to call out anything for being unnatural.” She lowered the weapon and took a few steps forward. “And you can’t even try to tell me that pregnancy isn’t hard, so you’ve got some options here: apologize, leave, or both.”

Killian sniffed and wiped his eyes, unsure of what he was seeing; had Granny actually come to his defense? Support was one thing, but this…

Grumpy suddenly turned sheepish, barked out a quick “sorry” in Killian’s direction, then threw some cash on the counter and ran out of the diner with his proverbial tail between his legs. The hush that had settled over the diner dissipated with the clanging of the door bell and everyone returned to business as usual, as though Granny firing off a round inside and berating a customer was a typical occurrence (which, surprisingly, it was not).

“Don’t you dare listen to a word he said.” Granny was suddenly in front of him, with a comforting squeeze of his hand even though she still held her crossbow in her other arm. “Unconventional does not mean it’s wrong, and I can guarantee that every woman in this town has your back, and most of the men, too. Grumpy is just...grumpy.”

He sniffed again and nodded. “I know, and thank you, milady. It just was a bit of a shock.”

“And your already-crazy emotions don’t help, right?”

“Aye,” he agreed with a watery chuckle.

“You’ll get through it; don’t worry. And for the record, I think it’s terribly sweet of you to take this on.”

He could feel tears welling again, but happy ones this time. “That means more than you know, Lady Lucas,” he thanked her, trying not to cry.

She just squeezed his hand again and then told him, “Now eat up. You’re growing a person; gotta keep up your energy!”

“Will do, ma’am,” he answered, obeying her command. Suddenly starving, as if his rapid emotional shifts had taken that much out of him, he scarfed the rest down and finished his tea before heading to the register to pay.

But she waved him off. “My treat today. And here,” she said, handing him a small bag. “This is for later.”

He could smell the blueberry muffin and bear claw through the packaging and his mouth watered. “I truly can’t thank you enough, Granny. For everything.”

“You can thank me by letting me take care of you; think you can do that?”

“I think I can manage,” he answered, smiling.

“Good.”

As he headed out and down to the station, his hand wandered down to his stomach, as he’d found himself doing more and more often lately. Just knowing how many people were going to look out for their child filled him with joy, and he couldn’t wait to introduce the bean to the world.

[myaekingheart]

INCREDIBLES 2 SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Okay but listen, one of the coolest things about sitting down for The Incredibles 2 was how much female power and not only power but this balance between that and family that I felt from the entire experience? Like not just the movie but the Pixar short beforehand, too.

Bao focuses on a woman coping with her empty nest and shows her being this great mother to a little dumpling she made that is symbolic of her son. It was the first Pixar short directed by a woman and I feel like you can tell the difference between this and ones directed by men just because there’s this particular delicacy, specificity, and raw emotion to it that I think set it apart from other Pixar shorts. You can see the tender care they put into making this both universally and culturally relatable and that’s just great.

And then The Incredibles 2 is so female focused it’s great. Like at the end of the day it’s about teamwork like the first one but it’s so nice to see the women in this film really branch out and get more screen time. Helen’s arc is awesome and so relatable to all working moms, truthfully. She gets so excited about her work and you can see how happy she is but she’s also 110% ready to drop everything for the sake of her family. She’s also got this agency, though, too, and I feel like she’s a more well-rounded character in this one whereas in the first she was predominantly a wife and mother. In this one, she’s still both of those things of course but we get to see her as an actual person outside of that, as well. We learn she used to have a motorcycle and a mohawk and we really get to see even more of her intelligence as she works to figure out the Screenslaver debacle. And then there’s Violet was honestly absolute perfection in this movie. She really blossomed as a character (no pun intended) and we get to see so much personality from her now. Not that she didn’t have personality in the first one because she did but she was very closed off and trying to find herself and her confidence and whatnot. In the sequel, it’s very clear she’s found her voice and her confidence and she’s this strong-willed yet socially awkward character with a short fuse and such intelligence (especially mechanical intelligence? Like first with programming the rocket in the first one, and now in this one it’s about manually turning a large boat). Her subplot with Tony is honestly so incredible, like it’s a little heartbreaking but I love how we see Violet express this wide range of emotion and experience these things everyone who is or has been a teenage girl can relate to. Like coming downstairs invisible to grab the entire tub of ice cream and a giant spoon while crying because your boyfriend stood you up? And having your parents and siblings embarrass you in front of him? Classic teenage stuff. The way all of this tied into the superhero element, though, I think really drove her arc home for me. It connects so nicely to her arc in the first movie, and something Helen says about “Their kids, they haven’t made that choice yet” in regards to Bob encouraging Helen to go through with the superhero advocacy so their kids can have the choice to be supers legally. But in the first movie, you know, she’s this cynical, closed off, emo teenager who resents what makes her different and just wants to be normal, but through the course of the film discovers that what makes her different is her biggest strength and that that is what she’s meant to be, a superhero. In the beginning of the sequel, it starts off with her seemingly having shit together like she gets the date with the boy she likes and her and her family get a chance to fight crime but not without a price. Now she has to try and find a balance between her superhero self and her personal life all while her mother fights to make superheroism legal in the first place. It’s a really tricky situation only further complicated by the fact that Dicker erased Tony’s memory like he did Kari’s but to the point where Tony doesn’t even remember Violet at all. It’s heartbreaking seeing her approach this boy she really likes and thought she finally had won a chance with only for him to be like “Do I know you...?” And then when she finds out it’s all Dicker’s fault, and she decides that superheroes suck and she renounces them completely, trying to destroy her own supersuit. It’s only when her family is in grave trouble that she steps up, puts the supersuit back on, and says “I’m renouncing my renunciation.” And even the family aspect of Vi’s arc is great, too, because not only is she trying to deal with her boy troubles but she’s basically the second in command of the house with Helen gone. When Bob snaps, she gracefully steps in and calls Lucius for backup. She empathizes with her father and there’s this really cute scene with them where he opens up to her about how sorry he is about what happened with Tony, that he didn’t consider how she’d suffer the consequences when he told Dicker to take care of things, and how he just wants to be a good dad to his kids. Violet lets him sleep in (17 hours, mind you-- which reminds me, 17 seems to be a recurring number here since they also mentioned Jack Jack had 17 powers. I wonder what’s up with that?) and makes him breakfast and when her parents are incapacitated, so to speak, she steps up and takes charge of Dash and Jack Jack (though obviously they’ve got some agency and leadership here, too, but Violet was the main source of leadership here). It was so great seeing Violet fight, as well, because she definitely stepped up her game. She wants to fight. She wants to be a superhero and when Helen expresses at the beginning of the movie how she didn’t think that was a good idea because supers are still illegal, she’s kind of bothered by this because “I just thought it was cool fighting crime with you guys.” She’s sharp as a tack and picks up on her parents leaving the motel in their supersuits, what Helen’s new job entails, and when Bob leaves in his own supersuit for the boat at DevTech. She’s a great superhero, a great sister, and just overall a great character and I loved how things ended with her: she both gets the guy and gets to be a hero, this time legally. And then there’s Edna who quite frankly shined in this film. She is as great as she was in the first one but this time, she’s got an amazing character interaction with Jack Jack. The bond those two create in the film is honestly incredible, Jack Jack is such a sassy little nugget and Edna LOVES HIM for it, and because he is probably the most intriguing superhero case she’s even seen. I mean, the kid’s got 17 powers. He is literally a jack of all trades. Can you imagine how hard it must be to design a supersuit that withstands the effects of 17 different super powers??? Also she called herself Aunty Edna and her door is shaped like an E and I think both of those are freaking wonderful. Perhaps one of the most intriguing aspects of this movie, though, is the villain. I think the idea of DevTech being behind Screenslaver was, quite frankly, a little too predictable but it was the way DevTech was behind Screenslaver that made the reveal so much better. I’m not going to lie, I went into this incredibly nervous because of speculation I had seen and read online about Screenslaver and people being highly convinced it was Winston Deavor under that mask. And to be honest, I think they wanted you to think that. The way they present Winston in the trailers and with how little information Bob Odenkirk gave on his character at the Q+A made you think it had to be him. I even saw a video where someone took a full-body image of Screenslaver and matched it up with a full-body image of Winston to try and prove that their bodies were exactly the same and therefore it had to be Winston underneath that mask. However, when Helen unmasks Screenslaver only to find it’s some random pizza delivery kid??? I was shook, to be honest. The reveal that Evelyn was behind everything on her own was truthfully mind-blowing to me. I got a strange feeling from Evelyn right from the start, right when her and Winston almost started an argument about whether their parents should’ve called on the superheros or hide in the safe room. Honestly, though, I didn’t think much of it except for assuming after that that Winston could potentially have a short fuse/violent tendencies that could allude to him being the villain. Evelyn was such a complex character, though, and I was so happy she ended up being the villain. In the midst of all the “Winston is Screenslaver” talk, in the back of my mind all I could think was “Screw you, I hope Evelyn is Screenslaver” even though my logical side knew that that probably wasn’t possible because, like in that video, Evelyn and Screenslaver did not have the same body type/shape. The thought of Evelyn being behind Screenslaver, however, and using technology and hypnosis and whatnot was incredibly interesting to me. She’s clearly a highly intelligent woman and it’s clear she holds some resentment towards her brother, as well, and even men in general which I thought was an interesting twist (since she and Helen definitely have a 100% feminist conversation at one point in the film about men overshadowing women and women getting the spotlight). I kind of liked how they matched Elastigirl with a female villain, though, because if Winston had been behind the whole thing and it was woman against man it would probably feel a little too political in today’s climate (not that the movie doesn’t have political undertones in the first place because it does, ie the legality of superheroes, gender roles [though Brad Bird said this was not an intentional social commentary, he literally just thought about Bob as a stay-at-home dad with a superpowered baby and thought “God, that’ll mess Bob up”], technology, and even body cameras). I think it was interesting to see, though, because it felt equally matched. Like a way of saying “Women are just as capable of being super heroic as they are capable of being super villainous.” Like we had these two highly intelligent women with a lot of agency and their own moral compasses (and based around family, no less) fighting against each other for what they believed was right and it was honestly great. And I liked how Evelyn kept all of this to herself, too. She played this charade and her brother had absolutely no idea. He literally jumped out of a plane because of his sister and what she had done against his cause. I went through the entire movie thinking his incredible admiration for superheroes had to be some kind of ploy, some kind of facade to cover up what he was really doing, only to find out that he really was just as innocently fanatic and naive as he came off to be. He truly loves superheroes and truly wants them to be legalized. And the new superheroes we meet are great, too. Voyd is wonderful, though I kind of wanted a little more on her and the others even if she was just a side character. I felt like she was marketed like she was going to play a bigger role in the movie but then didn’t get as much screen time as I expected her to. I still thought she was great, though, and I loved how radical she was about Elastigirl, too. It really hits the point home of how there are absolutely other superheroes out there who have been forced underground, as well, and how big Elastigirl was in the golden days to really have so much influence over Voyd, to be this role model for her in a world where people like her are not totally accepted. I don’t know, I’m rambling but damn, it was just so refreshing and exciting to see so many female characters with such a wide range of characterization and personality and agency. It was just wonderful and I loved every second of it.

[j2littleshits-blog]

Kourtney’s submission

I love the latest meditating picture(1) she shared, the caption was perfect as well. I’m all for promoting what you love and whatnot but she comes off as a phony, ya know? I don’t care if celebrities share their gym experiences or like when Le@ Michele shares 900 green juice photos (gross!) because it’s just them sharing what they love. But with G it always seems like she’s sharing the picture to show off how much better she is than anyone else but in a subtle way. I’m always thankful, meditating keeps me sane, I use a 600$ blender because it gets my kids to eat their vegetables. It’s never just a simple “I mediate because I like too” or “We put vegetables in smoothies so the kids will actually eat right”. There’s always some underlining meaning to her captions and it’s mind boggling that people can’t see that. Or they see it and they’re choosing to ignore it for the sake of a peaceful Tumblr experience.(2)

Her need to share Girl Power and Girls Run The World is getting old. I’m all for unity and bringing each other up rather than tearing each other down but she’s going about it the wrong way. Your daughter needs to know the sky is the limit and she shouldn’t be held back just because she’s female but she doesn’t need to know that she’s better than another person because she’s female. Her two boys don’t need to grow up thinking they need to step aside so there sister can shine and she doesn’t need to grow up thinking they should step aside for her because she’s female. G is teaching her that she’s entitled all because she was born with a vagina. Again, I’m all for being a feminist and teaching girls AND boys that we’re all equal but I’m not about to get behind someone that wants her daughter to feel better than her own siblings just because she’s a girl. It’s wrong.(3)

Not even going to lie but when I saw the picture she shared of her and T with the caption “This was snapped right before a 🐝 headed right in our direction…. 🙃 thanks to ___ and ___ we have an apiary. Who wants some P@dalecki honey? 🍯” (4) my knee jerk response was to roll my eyes. I’m all for doing our part to bring back the bees but getting an apiary in your backyard seems a tad extreme. I just imagine these kids going to school and being asked what they did over the weekend and them talking about the pictures being taken.(5) Kids don’t have a filter so I can’t imagine what T has to tell his teacher after a weekend at home or whatever. The funniest part of the photos is that she couldn’t even be bothered to change her top or anything. It’s obvious that certain pictures were taken on the same day and others on another.(6) But generally speaking they were taken all around the same time because the bump is pretty much the same size. I will say that with T she gained weight throughout her body. She wasn’t fat by any stretch of the imagination! But her cheeks were fuller, she looked a little more tired and honestly pulled off the being pregnant look better with him than she did with the other two.(7) If you look at the pictures of her doing yoga you can see the outline of the photographer being reflected in the window. And then if you look at the picture of them in bed with S being held over her head you can again see the photographers shadow!(8) We all knew the photos were done by a professional but that just made my a little nauseous because it just seems so wrong to put your kids in their pajamas and create a wonderful family moment like that just for a blog or whatever. Jessica @lba owns her own company, has a website and an Instagram for said company but never once has she used her kids to promote her things. Yeah over Halloween she did her daughters makeup using her product but that was it. Promote your project and perfect life all you want but why add your kids in it like they’re props? It’s just wrong.(9)

Speaking of websites, I’m not sure if you know this but G actually had a website before!(10) It was a fan dedicated website that this one girl ran and G approached her about it. They met up a few times and the girl made sure that all content on the website was completely true and even got G to do a Q and A video. G ended up co-running the website with her until it was taken down because the girl just didn’t want to run it anymore and I’m assuming G realized how odd it would be for her to run her own fan dedicated website. But yeah one day the girl asked G if she could do a meetup and maybe meets some fans, G agreed and they went to lunch. Wanna know who made a surprise visit during lunch? J did!(11) It was such a surprise too, I mean it’s not like G asked him to come or anything. Yeah, I don’t believe that either. That’s why I was surprised that she was creating another website because I didn’t think she had enough of a life outside of J to actually have one just as her own. That sounds really harsh and I apologize for that but if you look at her life she has nothing that’s just her own. It always comes back to J.(12) I did see her new website before it became password protected and I truly hope people take what she posts with a grain of salt. There were sections for parenting, recipes, fashion, lifestyle and a couple others. I’m all for giving advice but I don’t want a first time mom going into her blog and taking everything she says for fact. She talks a lot about things (home birthing, organic living) like she’s an expert and that’s not good.(13) G does have people that look to her for advice and take her word as gospel so I hope she keeps that in mind and puts somewhere in her blog how she’s not an expert on these topics.

I forgot last post but I wanted to say I agree whole heartedly about J and D sharing photos of the kids lately! What is up with that? J actually told the paparazzi in Vancouver he did not want little J photographed.(14) They could photos of him and D all they wanted but his daughter was off limits. They very rarely shared pictures of her and when they did it always came from them, not a family member or friend because they didn’t want it to be stolen. Fine, I get it, you want her to be shielded from the media and the crazy side of the fandom. But now it’s like here’s a picture of the twins, here’s a picture of J, here’s a picture of us being happy together, here’s a video where you can actually hear little J’s voice. Which, again, wouldn’t be weird had they not been so protective of her. That situation has honestly thrown me for a loop and I can’t think of a reason for the sudden love of sharing pictures of their kids.(15)

I’ll tell you about my theory as to why she remained silent on the A_F campaign in another submission so you don’t have to read an essay because I didn’t realize how long this was until I started writing this! Hahaha, sorry!

I hope you have a nice weekend!

Yo Kourtney, happy to see you again! Sorry for the wait, I should’ve post this earlier. Always with something bumped in when I was going through your “essay” ;) And I don’t quite follow G so it took me some time to run through her things *ouch*

Here’s my little side notes (according to the numbers I added above) :

Yoga class?

Peaceful internet platform behaviour. I agree with “phony” but it’s like a basic foundation for business accounts, so I won’t be easily brainwashed by… WAIT. THIS IS THE POINT. I don’t care how fake her IG is because I never consider myself looking at a real life journal wtf! Holy shit! How should I tell her fans about this, Kourtney?! My mixed feelings all the time is explainable? Her business heavy IG with heavy charity promoting? Is she taking my money or is she helping me to donate my money? How about Jay’s part? Why is he there?

I’ve talked about this with my professor IRL on ppl’s misunderstanding and media’s misleading portraying to feminism. Tricky topic.

Cute muffin T is scared of bees aww

Only when kids involved I’m a little mad

Stocked photoshoots I’ve no problem with that *proud*

Asking for science, any mamas out there gained weight with some babies and none with others?

Wait! Some fans say the photos are taken by Jay! ;)

Imagine if these was done by non-celebrities. Normalizing everything is THE TREND in 21st century, sadly

I know! Now we have a similar /dress-like-g______/ *insert eyeroll here*

Oh wow this is new to me omg

Who would pay attention to her if she’s not his “wife” honestly sorry

Life-related reminder alert. Although I’m not a mom, I can sense how ridiculous her advices are

LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!!!

Can someone write a meta for this? jk lol

Thanks for this informative submission again, sweetie! It’s really long, I survived lol. Please don’t hold back to talk why she isn’t supportive in A/_/F, and please don’t hold back to write it long! You become an important role here you know? I can’t make quality posts on my own! Have a nice day and hope to see you soon, XXOO

[naruto-oc-critiques]

Murasaki Fujiwara Review

Name: Fujiwara no Murasaki/ Murasaki Fujiwara

Age: 23 26/27 in Shippuden

Gender: Female

Personality: Fairly calm, intellegent, relatively cheerful, can be a bit mopey/morose depending on the mood

Chakra: Sensor-type

Physical traits; Blue Grey eyes, medium skin (not super pale, about Jiraiya’s color), square-ish jaw, long brown hair generally pulled into a ponytail, blue-green eyes with red lines beneath them, fairly average build if not a bit on the athletic side

She wears either the hakama/sode-kukuri of a miko or a standard flak jacket uniform.

To start, me likey. I love when japanese myths and history are used as inspiration for characters! YES. Also she’s a super cutie and I LOVE THIS PHOTO. I love the concept of Jiraiya having bastard kids, as I have 2 OC’s who are in that role, and she fits the role perfectly appearance wise. She’s not a clone of Jiraiya but still bears resemblance. Realistic gene pool using. :D

                -Murasaki was the result of a one night stand between Jiraiya and a b-list actress whose clan name was Fujiwara. The running joke is that Murasaki got more of her father’s looks (not a compliment). (She is still a cutie patootie. May I suggest that, running with your history things, that her mothers first name be Takako? :D Or something related that is.)

                - As a baby, Murasaki was dropped off at a Shinto shrine complex near Konoha (since the only thing her mother knew about Jiraiya was that he was a shinobi from Konoha). (Shinto shrines yes. Although, I would wonder why the mother didn’t bring her straight to Konoha and ask of the father’s whereabouts? Like a description and matching and whatnot? But hey, I still definitely see why she would be dropped off at a shrine. Lots of people drop unwanted babies off at places of religion.)

                -Murasaki was taken in by the priest and his family, who were generally okay to Murasaki, but the births of their own children made Murasaki feel like an outsider. (Tiny bit cliche but hey it’s realistic.)

                -While working as a miko at the shrine Murasaki met and befriended Obito (three years her elder), and developed a crush on him. (D’aw. How did they meet? Please tell me that the priest requested a D-rank mission for something and Minato’s team was sent out! :D) 

                -His stories made her fall in love with the idea of being a kunoichi (of course she didn’t see anything but the rosy outlook of what Obito told her). (Dang it, Obito. The naive idiot knucklehead ninja isn’t the best person to ask about being a ninja! Fudge nuggets.)

                - She became friends with Rin and an acquaintance of Kakashi’s (Kakashi developing a reluctant crush on her, but constantly belittling her/pushing her away emotionally). (Oooooooooooooooooo I want to know how Kakashi developed a crush on her? And ah yes, the old trope of “if a boy is being mean to you, that means he likes you” whatnot. Still realistic. Especially for Kakashi.)

                -Murasaki was invited to go to the memorial ceremony for Obito, this is where Jiraiya met her and immediately started asking where her parents were etc. (Considering her facial markings, as I would think they would be prominent by then, would he assume she were an Inuzuka possibly? :D)

                -A few weeks passed and Jiraiya came to remove Murasaki from the shrine and enroll her in the Ninja Academy. She went to class with Iruka and they became good friends. They used to harass Gai, and Murasaki became friends with him as well. (Iruka, you little devil. Also, I’d love to know more about how Jiraiya coped with the idea of having a bastard kid like Murasaki. She certainly didn’t inherit his personality, so he must be thrown for a loop whenever she opens her mouth.)

                -She kept bumping into Kakashi and the interactions were extremely awkward and unpleasant, giving her the impression he hated her. (Mucho cliche but again, seeing as they are teenagers, it’s super expected because that’s just human nature. Although, I think the word “hate” would be far too dramatic for a girl like Murasaki to use in the situation. You say she is calm, collected, and pretty intelligent. I don’t see her as a girl who would be overly… feminine. Especially in the boys department.)

Murasaki’s career consisted of:

                -Fighting against a small workers rebellion in the land of rice (under contract of daimyo). It was a complete blood bath. (Wowza. Me likey.)

                -Worked as an assistant/bodyguard for the emissary to the Daimyo (she began writing her memoirs in the Daimyo’s court (she gets her name from Murasaki Shikibu)) (+1)

                -Was captured on a mission by Orrochimaru, who took her dna, after which she was assaulted by one of his henchmen and was left very badly injured. (Why was Orochimaru interested in her DNA?)

                -Achieved the rank of Chunnin by age 16, but did a ‘soft retirement’ at age 20 (became too much of an anxious, emotional wreck to feel she could do her job, dealing with severe PTSD) (Considering the rebellion in the land of rice that you mentioned beforehand, I would say PTSD would be expected. Although, considering the timeframe you are working with, how did the villagers and her friends react to a retirement? Shun her? Understand?)

                -Had worked a little with the toads, earning her the moniker ‘The Priestess of Myoboku Mountain’. She mostly works with Shima, who is very maternal towards her.

                -Has a major fight with Kakashi, in which he lets it slip that he has feelings for her, which doesn’t go over well. Murasaki tells him to get more or less bent, but realizes she’s angry because she likes him, too. (Super rom-com-esque. What were they fighting about? :/)

                -Became an Aruki Miko/Spy for Konoha doing light peacekeeping work around the Land of Fire

                -After the death of the 3rd Hokage, Jiraiya met up with her at a shrine (the one which Naruto yanked the bell down from in the anime) and filled her in. She agreed to return to the village at that point. (Aw. She was probably super sad about Hiruzen’s death. I’d only assume this was after the Tsunade Retrieval Arc as Murasaki coming back to Konoha sort of feels less important in the overall picture.)

                -She tries to help with the seal Kakashi had put on Sasuke, but Orochimaru’s mark was too ‘infected’ at this point for her to do much. (Must purify the thing.)

                -Sometime around the time Sasuke leaves, she and Kakashi begin healing their friendship/seeing each other. (Cute but how did that happen? I need details on how they reconciled!)

                -between the first series and Shippuuden, they get married (Murasaki’s request, since I figure with her being strongly Shinto, she would probably want at least some ceremonial aspect to it). (MUCH RELIGIOUS BELIEF. Totally a plausible way to get around the whole “Kakashi isn’t the marriage type” idea. Thanks, religion!)

                -Has a son with Kakashi (still need to name him (I thought about Genji, since I’m going with a 'Lady Murasaki’ theme). (FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, YOU HAVE TO NAME THAT CHILD GENJI. DO IT. YOU HAVE TO.)

                -Thinking about having her die during the great Shinobi war, but I’d also like to see Kakashi happy and not losing another person he cares about. If she does survive, I was going to maybe put her on the Konoha Council during Naruto’s reign as Hokage or make her the emissary to the Daimyo. I definitely want to have her carry on the tradition of writing like her father, and publishing her memoirs as a kunoichi (as a work of fiction, but it’s entirely true).

(Don’t do that to Kakashi. That’s just too tragic. It’s realistic sure but at what cost? I’d say go along with the emissary idea as she has history WITH the emissary *being a bodyguard and whatnot.* And yes, she must write books. Not smut, but fiction please. Although, it would be super cute of her to be able to write a conclusion to the Icha Icha series just for Jiraiya’s fans (and Kakashi) closure. I can totally see Murasaki saying “I don’t know how he wrote such…. SMUT. without a care in the world.” And Kakashi comes in saying “Let’s do some research together.”) 

Well. Murasaki is definitely a likable character with a thought out story. But, there are several things missing that I’d love to see more info on.

For instance, not once did you mention the main character of the series, and his relationship to Murasaki. Where’s the love for Naruto? He is Jiraiya’s godson, so he is technically Murasaki’s god-brother.

Also, the most obvious question I have…. WHAT ABOUT JIRAIYA’S DEATH ? HOW DID IT AFFECT HER? HECK.

also ye I’d love to know her reaction to Kakashi “dying” during Pein’s invasion.

pls.

Overall, I love Murasaki. And I really want to read her story. SO GET TO IT.

Love, Dom.

[ayyoitsalex]

Chapter 3 - Mama Bear

The entire car ride home Cole didn't say anything as much as I tried  to make any sort of conversation. I'm sure the whole thing just left him a little rattled, so after a while I just let him be. My mom had AJ and Charly, so I went over to get them. Sam was texting me about the whole thing, and she was just as mad as I was. Usually the cooler of the two of us, but Sam was out for this lady's head along with her kid. I parked the car by the curb, but left it running so Cole could just wait for me. Mom met us outside, leading AJ while carrying Charly. "So what happened with Cole today?" Mom asked with obvious concern on her face. I took a breath. "Lemme just get them in the car first." I took Charly from my mom and buckled her in while AJ sat himself behind Cole. "Cole got into a fight at school, and the souvenier he got from one of the wrestlers we saw over the weekend got ruined. He won't tell me much more." "Oh my poor guy...He's not too banged up is he?" "Well not physically, but he's still pretty upset about the whole thing. I mean it sucks I can't just be there so he doesn't get bullied." "It's the struggle hon. You just hope your kids make it through their day without being harrassed. Lucky for you guys none of that happened. Even if it did I know you'd be cracking heads." "Yeah..Cole's just different. He's more mellow and even tempered." "Mm well I'll let you guys get going." "Okay bye mom, l-o-v-e you." Mom chuckled. "L-o-v-e you too smarty pants." Even to this day it's my favorite way of telling my mom I love her. When I got back in the car, Cole was still not talking. As soon as we got home he made his way right to his room, and closing the door behind him in the process. I got AJ and Charly situated at home before another attempt at asking Cole what happened. I knocked slowly. "Cole? It's mom can I come in?" The doorknob slowly turned and he stood before my the door cracked open slightly. He looked up at me. "Can you open the door sweetie?" He nodded and opened the door. We walked over to his bed and sat down. He laid his head against me. "You wanna talk about it?" I asked stroking his hair. "We were all at recess..and I was showing my friends what Adam gave me and they were saying it was so cool." "Then what happened?" "This kid came over..started telling me how wrestling is stupid and fake..I told him it's something special I share with my mom..and that it wasn't stupid. He just kept going and going..so I started walking away. Then he pulled on my armband and it ripped.." Cole started sniffling. "I just..got so mad cause it was from Adam!" I pulled him in closer to settle him down. "And I just..pushed him down and started punching. Then the playground duty got us.." He let out a big sigh and wiped his eyes before looking at me. "Am I in trouble?" "No Cole..So I know I've told you not to fight and to y'know keep your hands to yourself. But in this case it seems like he didn't really give you much choice. Sometimes it's right to fight when you're standing up for yourself and things you believe in. You felt like wrestling was something special with us and you thought it was wrong this boy was calling it stupid. So with that said I'm not saying pick fights whenever you disagree with someone okay?" "Okay mom.." "Good now c'mere. Love you." I hugged him tight, kissing the top of his head. "Haha l-o-v-e you mom." "So okay wash up dinners soon." I got up and saw Sam standing there waiting for me. She smiled before putting her arm around me as we walked downstairs. I wiped the small tears out of the corner of my eye. "Some good parenting there love." Sam said kissing my cheek. "Thanks..I'm sure you would've been just as good.." "Well AJ and Charly are already downstairs waiting for dinner, and I finished up what you had in the oven." "What would I do without you?" I smirked giving Sam a kiss. "Mm good thing you'll never have to find out." We sat down to dinner and everything seemed to be back to normal. I sewed up Cole's arm band and he was as ecstatic as the day he got it. He placed it up on his dresser next to his other prized posessions like action figures and whatnot. I walked back to the bedroom and Sam was there with Charly cradling her in bed while she watched tv. I crept in slowly next to them and snuggled up against Sam but leaving her enough room so if she wanted to get up she could. "Hey so I was thinking I'd walk with Cole to school tomorrow. Make sure nothing happens to him." Sam suggested. "Yeah okay sounds good." I yawned. "If you're gonna take the boys then I'll drop Charly at my mom's before work." "So did you get a look at this kid at all?" "Who?" "The one that got in the fight with Cole." "No I didn't see him..I only saw the mom." "What'd she look like?" Sam tried to ask non-chalantly. "Aha Sam you're not gonna try and look for this lady tomorrow are you?" "No..of course not." "Okay good." "So..white..?" I rolled my eyes before turning myself over to go to sleep. -The next morning- I drove the kids to school while maintaining an eye as to what Cole was looking at on the way there. As much as I tried to keep my calm about the whole thing, if there was anything I could do you're damn sure I was going to. I walked them to the gate, dropping AJ off first at his playground. "Okay sweets have a good day." I knelt down to hug him. "Bye mama love you." He hugged me tight before running over to meet his friends. I continued walking with Cole, and for the most part he was okay. When we got to the second grade part of the campus I knelt down again so I could say bye to him. "You go have a good day Cole." I hugged him extra tight to hopefully make him feel good about his day.   "Thanks mama." He pecked my cheek quickly and turned around looking at something. There was another parent with their kid walking nearby. "Everything alright baby?" I asked concerned. "Yeah.." He continued to look over. "Is..that the boy you got in a fight with?" He nodded his head. "Well if he starts bothering you again, you walk away and just tell a teacher. Don't care if anyone calls you names." He nodded again. "That's my boy." I hugged him one last time before letting him meet with his friends. The father of the boy walked by me. I raced up a bit to catch up to him. "Excuse me!" I said tapping on his shoulder. "Yeah?" He asked with a confused look. "Hi my names Sam Ryan, I think our boys got into a bit of an incident earlier this week." "Wait..I thought my wife said his mother had dark brown hair." "Mm..I'm also his mother. That was my wife." "Wait this is the kid thats into wrestling?" "I don't see why that's an issue." "Well maybe if he had positive male role models in his life he wouldn't need to find interest in something like that is what I'm saying." He attempted to walk away, but I grabbed his arm. "He has positive role models and their gender has nothing to do with it. From the way you just said that your kid probably needs some better role models. What my son watches and bonds with his mother over is none of your guys' business. He's doesn't need to be worrying about whether or not some punk is gonna mess with him about it." "Don't you think it's a little naive to think he's gonna go his whole life without being bullied?" "It might, but he's eight. So I'm not asking for anything difficult here." "Yeah sure I'll get right on that." He shoved his way past me. I shoved him back and stood my ground. He looked back astounded at me. "What do you expect me to do?!" He yelled at me shoving back. "Be a parent! How about teach your kid not to be such a piece of shit!" A full on shoving and screaming match between us broke out. Teachers rushed out to separate us before the principal arrived to bring us into the office. "I just had your spouses in here not too long ago.." The principal said sternly. "What exactly are we doing?" "Just..a little parental disagreement." I said. "We are here to set an example for the children. This is not one of those examples." We both left separately, and this time I didn't pursue. -After school- I picked up the kids at the gate and this time no signs of my current arch-enemy. Cole seemed to be in a good mood so that made everything better. He hugged me tight. "Good day at school bud?" He nodded and smiled. "Mm well that's awesome. Let's get AJ and then we can go get your sister." Before I knew it I felt a shove in my back. This time it was a woman, and I could only assume this was the one Selena had met. I just looked at her stone faced. "That's from my husband for this morning." She said proudly like she did something spectacular. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "I'm gonna walk away before you do something you  regret." I was trying to set an example for Cole as much as I knew I could absolutely kill this lady. "C'mon sweetie." Cole looked up at me as if asking if I was okay. I winked at him to give him a little sense of relief that everything was okay. "Yeah walk away! Like your bitch wife too!" I clenched my fist hard. "Cole, go get AJ. Let me take care of this." He nodded and proceeded to walk towards the kindergarten gate. I walked back towards this woman. "You don't say anything about my wife ever. You hear me?" She scoffed at my threat. "What exactly are you gonna do little gi-" I shot my knee right into her stomach. I felt the air rush out of her as I made contact. As she began to keel over I whispered. If I did learn anything from watching wrestling with Selena it was a good knee lift haha. "That's from my wife. Now you leave me and my family alone. Tell the same to  your punk kid." She nodded slowly while she tried to catch her breath. Luckily that time there was no one there to catch what I did. I caught up with the boys and started to drive over to pick up Charly. To my own surprise Selena was already there. She met us at the door with Charly. "So eventful pickup?" Selena asked. I gulped hard. She knew something. "Mhmm yeah one of my teacher friends saw what happened, but don't worry he's not saying anything. Apparently a lot of families don't like this one." I breathed a sigh of relief. "But so much for trying to keep calm haha." "Babe you didn't see her. It just had to be done." I threw my arms up. "Trust me I know. I bet I'd do the same. How's Cole?" "Better. Hopefully it stays that way now."