#the whole point of surrogacy

[peonyblossom]

i feel like TBB mc doesn't fully understand how surrogacy is supposed to work...

[someone-will-remember-us]

Elton John and David Furnish have done it, and so have Paris Hilton, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

There’s a bloke from Essex who recently joined the club via an undisclosed overseas location and a 72-year-old Scotsman has just been recognised as the legitimate owner of an American one he bought back in 2020.

What we are talking about here is surrogacy: the incubation and effective purchase of babies after the careful selection of their component parts.

The global market – already worth almost $18 billion (£14 billion) – is projected to rise to $129bn by 2032, according to the research firm Global Market Insights, with anywhere between 5,000 and 20,000 babies incubated to order annually.

This covers the whole caboodle in which you can DIY things with a friend at one extreme, or go for the full Lamborghini treatment where, in some countries, an agent will help you shop around the globe for the finest sperm, eggs and wombs money can buy.

For those opting for the international pick and mix route, there are BOGOF deals (two implants for the price of one), the option of sex selection and a pay-as-you-go plan.

And that’s because you, the customer, are always right. As one agency, New Life Conceptual Limited, based in Lagos, Nigeria puts it: “…it takes four ingredients to make a baby: an egg, a sperm, a womb to grow in, and a family to go home to. You have the last ingredient, but you need a place for your baby to grow, and that’s why you’re here.”

Some companies even offer legal guarantees around defective foetuses that have to be aborted.

If you think I’m making this up, think again.

In the UK, where commercial surrogacy is banned but international imports are not, there are now between 400 and 500 new surrogate-incubated babies registered each year, while globally the business is more than doubling in value every two years.

Some call it a “miracle” and point to the invisible hand of the market creating a profitable multi-billion dollar industry in which everyone wins; a benign system of supply and demand the libertarian economist Leonard Read might have called I, Baby.

And while there is no suggestion that the multi-millionaire celebrities who have used surrogacy, like Elton John and the Kardashians, have exploited the surrogate mothers who bore their children, for others – including feminists like myself – the global surrogacy trade reeks of false entitlement.

It has been sanitised by the liberal “rights” agenda and the same self-serving logic that brands prostitutes “sex workers”. If it brings to mind a book or essay, it is Brave New World, Aldous Huxley’s dystopian novel about social engineering and evil hiding in plain sight.

To what extent, for example, is the lack of regulation around surrogacy driving impoverished women into unsafe and unconsented arrangements, as it once did so extensively with domestic and international adoption?

And what do we really know of all those hundreds of Brits now shopping for children around the world.

Can it really be right that you can effectively buy a baby overseas but raise it in Britain where commercial surrogacy is supposed to be banned?

Just as in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s, when we thought of adoption as a favour to unsuitable mums whether they be “wayward” teens or impoverished Mexicans, surrogacy is being sanitised.

Delve into the subject on the Internet and you will find that almost everywhere you look, it’s celebrated. These babies, magicked into welcoming arms, are seemingly a modern miracle for childless couples of every stripe. TikTok is full of it.

Here in Blighty, we have only “ethical surrogacy”, says Surrogacy UK, a leading non-profit “providing a safe, supportive environment for surrogates, intended parents and families”.

Such organisations emphasise the benefits to infertile couples, and the “great gift” bestowed by women (aged 16 or older) who are happy to “altruistically” lend their womb to another for nine months.

Whilst such arrangements do work for some, there is no reliable data on what is really going on in the UK. This is because the sector is governed by a bizarre mish-mash of statute and common law, and because regulation, where it exists at all, is opaque.

Echoing the words of a Tarantino script, surrogacy is legal in the UK but not a hundred per cent legal.

It’s legal to enter into an agreement with a surrogate, it’s legal to pay her “reasonable expenses”, and, if you’re the owner of a womb, it’s legal to grow a child (made with your eggs or someone else’s) and give it away once it’s born.

But it’s illegal to advertise you are looking for a surrogate in the UK or solicit for business if you want to become a surrogate. It’s also an offence to arrange or negotiate a surrogacy arrangement as a “commercial enterprise”, but that doesn’t really matter because, get this: “reasonable expenses” can stretch beyond the average annual wage.

If money is still an obstacle, you can always rent a womb from a woman in a country like California, Cyprus or Greece where for-profit surrogacy is legal, before bringing the child back home to the UK.

Another oddity of the UK system is that, while it is a criminal offence to advertise surrogacy services, there are “some exemptions for not-for-profit organisations”. It is not clear how these agencies are selected but they are organisations that officials at the Department of Health and Social Care deem trustworthy. It is how agencies like Surrogacy UK and Brilliant Beginnings are able to proactively recruit and advertise a willing pool of surrogates in Britain.

“All our surrogates benefit from being a part of our thriving community and can enjoy a range of events and gifts along the way,” says the Brilliant Beginnings website. “Surrogate retreats” and “milestone gifts” such as chocolates, flowers and even bellybuds - speakers that allow mothers to play music to babies in the womb - are all part of the service.

Brilliant Beginnings says “expenses” payments to surrogate mothers in the UK typically range between £12,000 to £35,000. It is not known how well off the typical UK surrogate is in relation to the intended parents check, but there is potentially a stark economic divide.

“For surrogates who receive means-tested state benefits, it is important to be clear about whether benefits might be affected by any expenses received,” says the Best Beginnings website. “We would always recommend surrogates are upfront with their benefits office”.

Evidence for the benefits and harms of surrogacy in the UK are almost entirely anecdotal.

Disputes do occur but no one really knows their frequency or what they entail because they are heard in the secretive Family Court, which sits mainly in private and from which detailed reporting is banned.

An obvious problem in the UK, is that the flash point for disputes typically arises after the fact - that is, after a child has been born. This is the point at which the intended parents (or parent) must apply to the Court for a “transfer of legal parenthood” and, in most cases, will be the first time the state even becomes cognisant of the surrogacy arrangement.

An application for such a transfer can only be made with the surrogate’s consent but the decision hinges on what the Court considers to be in the best interests of the child, not the surrogate mother.

“The parental order process takes place after birth and involves the family court, and a court-appointed social worker,” says the DHSC website. “This provides a valuable safeguard for the best interests of the child”.

There is a growing recognition that the regulation of surrogacy in the UK is inadequate but the agencies who run it want legislative reforms that favour the would-be parents rather than the surrogate mothers.

They are especially exercised about the fact that written agreements between surrogates and intended parents are ultimately unenforceable in the UK courts.

Others, including myself, want the practice banned – as it is in many countries across the world. Miriam Cates, the former Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, caused a storm in January when she said surrogacy was “just ethically not acceptable”.

“Of course adults have a strong desire to be parents, both men or women. Of course it’s a sadness if that’s unfulfilled for whatever reason – they can’t conceive, don’t have a partner, whatever it is.

“But to deliberately bring a child into the world in order to separate it from its mother at birth I think is just ethically not acceptable,” she said.

Alan White, chairman of Surrogacy UK, told a webinar hosted by the Royal College of Midwives in February that those of us who see the practice as unethical and exploitative were limiting choice and free will because we failed to properly understand the motivations of surrogate mothers.

“Surrogates don’t see themselves as mothers, they see themselves as extreme baby-sitters,” he said. “[They are] doing that wonderful thing of doing the part of having children women or gay men can’t do for themselves”.

To survive the psychological impact of giving away a child, there is little doubt that this sort of thinking helps.

As Helen Gibson, the founder of Surrogacy Concern points out, surrogates are encouraged to see themselves as a bystander – just the “the oven” or “the microwave”, as some describe themselves.

But this sort of psychological dissociation doesn’t always work, and perhaps seldom does.

I spoke to one UK woman who feels deep regret at her decision to enter into a surrogacy arrangement. Sandra, whose name I’ve changed, was 32 with two children of her own. She had escaped a violent husband, and was struggling to make ends meet.

A friend suggested she could make money by carrying a baby for an infertile couple. And, after approaching a UK agency she found via Facebook, she was told that in return for having the baby, she could enjoy “unlimited expenses, within reason”.

She was introduced to a gay male couple who wanted her to carry an implanted embryo, engineered with selected eggs to give them the best chance of a “tall, blonde child”. Sandra, by contrast, is short and dark.

The embryo transfer failed three times, and the IVF process made Sandra extremely sick. Eventually, the couple decided to go to California, but not before admonishing her for wasting “their time, and a lot of money.”

“I felt like a broodmare,” she told me.

If the UK surrogacy market is a classic British muddle, the global market is the wild west.  

And because no UK Court or Home Office official can possibly check the provenance of all the elements that go to make up a child (the sperm, the eggs, the IVF, or, crucially, the free agency of the surrogate mother), anything goes for the unscrupulous.

Although most countries around the world still ban the practice, there are more than enough who don’t.

In Greece and various US states including California, Washington DC and Arkansas, commercial surrogacy is fully legal. In many other countries it is either unregulated or very lightly regulated, enabling the trade to flourish. Countries in this bracket include Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Argentina, Guatemala, Iran, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine.

WFI Surrogacy, one of America’s biggest providers, offers its customers what it calls a “live birth guarantee” – the promise that a birth will occur once the process is underway.

“The high quality of our egg donors and surrogate mothers enables us to make this type of guarantee”, says WFI. “Our live birth guarantee programs are available for either: singleton or twins [or] one specimen source or two specimen sources”.

“All our surrogate mothers are medically and psychologically screened,” it adds.

This is Big Fertility, whose business model relies on the commodification of every aspect of pregnancy.

A healthy overall budget for a Brit using the US surrogacy route sits between £250,000 to £320,000, according to the UK agency Brilliant Beginnings.

Often freelance agents or “fixers” will shop around the world for their clients to increase choice and reduce costs. A surrogate mum in Los Angeles, California costs a whole lot more than one from rural Mexico, for example.

Denmark has long been prized for its sperm, its tall blond donors making the most of their viking heritage.

For eggs, there are also options galore – and all pushed with a good dose of fairy tale genetics.

Egg Donor number “241222_01” on the World Center of Baby website (motto: every person deserves to be a parent) conforms precisely to the modern notion of female beauty as defined by Instagram.

Weighing in at just 66kg, she’s also “an artistic soul with a flair for creativity”. If you would prefer a sporty one, just go for donor number 241222_02 – “an athletic enthusiast, deeply engaged in fitness and sports”.

Embryos can be made up from the customers chosen eggs and sperm in any number of IVF labs around the world. They are then frozen and shipped to wherever the chosen surrogate may be. Fixers facilitate the entire process, including the negotiation of complex legal agreements and the careful arbitrage of international and domestic laws and regulations.

The wording of commercial surrogacy contracts is telling, the text reflecting the economic disparity between carrier and client.

“If Gestational Carrier suffers a loss of her uterus as a result of the performance of her obligations under this Agreement, she shall receive $5,000.00 from Intended Parents”, stipulates one contract.

It continues: “If Intended Parents jointly request Gestational Carrier to terminate the pregnancy because of the Child’s medical condition(s), she will do so promptly. If Gestational Carrier refuses to terminate, Gestational Carrier will have materially breached this Agreement and Intended Parents’ obligations under this Agreement shall cease immediately”.

Natalia Gamble, a director at Brilliant Beginnings, says the agency made an active decision “to only facilitate people going to places that we felt were ethical, secure, and safe”.

Although Ms Gamble is adamant that her approach is ethical, she helps clients go to Nigeria, Cyprus, and Ukraine, where commercial surrogacy flourishes.

“We made the active decision at Brilliant Beginnings to only facilitate people going to places that we felt were ethical, secure, and safe – we have very much focused on the US, but through our law firm (NGA Law) we have helped people go into places like Nigeria, Cyprus, and Ukraine because our role is much more not to help them do it in the first place but to help them bring their children home and resolve all the legalities afterwards,” she said.

Northern Cyprus even allows sex selection, with several clinics there advertising the service on their websites.

“The cases that are happening in Nigeria or Cyprus where it’s very unregulated and there’s no legal framework are a very, very small percentage of the overall international surrogacy landscape,” she said.

“We do need to be very alert to the risks of exploitation and those risks are greatest in places where there is no legal framework regulating how surrogacy is run [...] but, it’s about not overinflating those risks when the majority of people are going to what you might call ‘good surrogacy destinations’.”

Ms Gamble is pushing for a change to UK law that would grant commissioning parent(s) legal rights to the child (embryo) at the point of conception.

“It’s in the best interest of the child,” she says. “If you speak to any surrogate mother they will say ‘Look, I am not the mother of this child, I’m always very clear that it’s someone else’s child that I’m carrying’ – no one wants the surrogate mother on the birth certificate, including her.”

But is that really true – are surrogate mothers really so detached?

I spoke to Liane, who said her own experience of surrogacy caused “a huge amount of grief and hurt”.

She described the market as being infected with a sort of “toxic positivity”.

She added: “It’s painted as a wonderful thing to do, a beautiful selfless act which can only bring joy when for me, I felt used, manipulated, and devastated”.

Ms Gibson of Surrogacy Concern says cases involving “coercion and regret” are not uncommon, even within the UK’s surrogacy model.

“Surrogacy prioritises the wants of the adults ahead of the needs of the child, and creates a societal sense of entitlement towards women’s bodies,” she said.

The practices of single men buying children abroad, white couples using black surrogate mothers, and the growing trend towards using cut price surrogacy destinations such as Mexico, Colombia, Kenya and Ghana are all on Surrogacy Concern’s radar.

Physical harms to surrogate mothers are real. Carrying a baby always involves serious risk but, for surrogates, those risks are often greatly magnified.

Linda Khan, an epidemiologist based in the departments of Paediatrics and Population Health at NYU, says surrogates run an “increased risks of all kinds of pregnancy complications, which lead to adverse outcomes for women and children”.

One factor, she says, is that the embryo is not biologically related to the woman and implanted via IVF. Another is that “many women are carrying multiples because it’s so expensive. They want two for the price of one”.

“Twinning is not safe, even when it occurs naturally. It is a huge burden on women’s bodies, it gets all the risks of complications sky-rocketing.”

Whilst it would be difficult (though not impossible) to ban or abolish surrogacy entirely – changing laws to ban the ‘womb traffickers’ as many campaigners refer to the brokers, should be a priority.

The marketing of surrogacy should also be made subject to tougher regulation, say some experts, although many others favour a blanket ban.

“Surrogacy is a trade that makes commodities of children, of embryos and of eggs, and reduces women to being seen as machines,” said Ms Gibson. “It should not masquerade as a progressive solution to the problem of infertility.”

Further, any legal protections introduced in the UK should be for the benefit of the surrogate mothers giving birth and the babies, rather than for the commissioning parents or agents, adds Ms Gibson. A commissioning parent should never have a legal right to remove a baby if a woman has changed her mind.

In March last year, experts from 75 countries signed the Casablanca Declaration, which calls for a global ban on all forms of surrogacy. And in April this year, an international conference was held in Rome with an aim to provide all States with a legal instrument banning the practice of surrogate motherhood.

Implicit within it is a rejection of the fanciful and dangerous notion that anyone, anywhere has an inalienable right to a child.

“The regulations of each country are not enough to stop human trafficking globally,” said Bernard Garcia Larrain, the Executive Director of the Casablanca Declaration for the Universal Abolition of Surrogacy.

“We need an international treaty to prohibit surrogacy because this is a global market that moves a lot of money and knows no borders,” he added.

[bonefall]

how do surrogacies for cats in another Clan work, socially? With honor siring you don't have to stick around once the cat you're siring for is pregnant; but with surrogacies you're going through an entire pregnancy and kitting process, which your Clan will probably catch onto at some point. Do you just... go off to give birth and come back and tell your Clan "bad news they didn't make it :( they all got uhhh eaten by a hawk sry all" after dropping them off with the cats you surrogated for

The out of universe reason is simple logistics. Some parents can't give birth but they still need a visit from the stork, with how small Clan sizes are.

In-universe, it's a whole process.

MOST surrogacies are done by family, or are in-Clan. A sibling who is able to get pregnant will do so, with the expectation that their family member will take and raise the kits.

More are done on a sort of "open book" policy. Onestar and Whitetail are an example of this; One wanted kits and asked White, but didn't want to coparent. She agreed, and neither one kept it a secret.

So Whitetail is not Heathertail's MOTHER, but it is known she was the honor-sire.

Likewise though, it's within your rights to keep it secret, even within a Clan. If you asked Onestar where the kit came from, invoking Queen’s Rights would shut it down.

But you could put two and two together that Whitetail was probably pregnant and stopped being so right when Onestar became a Mi.

For the record though. Listen carefully.

not every cat who is expecting will suddenly flash like a neon sign indicating it. The whole Clan will not suddenly get a text saying "DUDEHEART IS PREGNANT." Some people just don't show. Some cats don't smell that different. It's rude to ask unprompted and even worse if you guess wrong. Like real life.

Please understand.

On the Anthro-Scale, from 100% feral cat to 100% fuzzy human, BB cat gestation is closer to the feral cat than most of their other behaviors. So this is not the same "big deal" as a human pregnancy.

In general, I write "medical" topics closer to real cats than the Erins do. I mostly take "liberties" in the portrayal of disabilities so THOSE are closer to the real humans in my audience

intelligent cats are not going to be correcting me on my incorrect portrayal of Feline Diabetes, but I could unwittingly cause harm in spreading diabetic misconceptions that real people try to clear up, y'know?

Anyway. What that means is that warriors giving birth is not the federal issue that it is for humans. It's still not TOTALLY safe, but dying in childbirth is exceptionally rare, plus being much less painful and considerably faster

"The Birthing Stick" means something is wrong.

So there's several factors at play within Clans, but Out-of-Clan surrogacies are much more interesting.

These are usually arranged at Aftergatherings. They were rarer before the move to the Lake, which now sees waaaay more cross-clan friendships.

USUALLY the Clan's Cleric will be involved, which IS technically a waiving of the Queen’s Rights. Leafpool simply doesn't interpret it that way.

A more "traditional" Cleric, like Littlecloud, will NOT be involved for personal safety and comfort reasons. This makes a bad situation but that's the reality of QR (and is a reason why Fire Alone cats think QR doesn't go far enough.)

Kits are always given to the parent before 1 moon. Fading Kits aren't socially questioned if they fade before that 1st moon. So it's pretty easy to hide it.

"All of my litter was faders" is unfortunate in the way that a car accident is unfortunate. "Shit, are you ok?" "Is StarClan trying to keep a close eye on you? Are you going to try again?" Etc.

"Frequent Flyer" surrogates, like Brightheart, often keep a single kitten from each litter to avoid the implication of "bad omens."

If they aren't Brightheart who likes raising kittens with her mate, the kitten is often given to an in-Clan parent who wanted a child.

Most surrogacies aren't "free," but it does depend on who's doing it for you.

Like all other things in BB, this looks very different between generations, and depends heavily on the "attitudes" of the Clans at the tine. But, Queen’s Rights will protect you from revealing too much. STILL, surrogacies ARE harder than sirings. Just not impossible.

[eternal-echoes]

The poll

I don't think it's just that; I think more and more people are realizing that every child deserves a mother and a father and legalizing gay marriage deliberately deprives a kid of one of them. Orphans and children of single parents always long for their missing parents.

While there are unfortunate circumstances like death of a parent or divorcing an abusive spouse that makes it inevitable, ultimately since children are made through the biological union of a man and woman, their spiritual relationship with them should be preserved.

Since we're not just a material being, we're also of both body and soul. Not Cartesian dualism but Hylomorphism where the union of body and soul makes one nature.

The only two ways a gay couple can have a baby is either through surrogacy and/or adoption. Along with its ethical concerns with buying a baby, a gay couple taking a newly born baby from his/her mother is depriving that child with the much needed bonding time with the mother (i.e. breastfeeding, cuddling, etc). It's illegal to sell a puppy within 8 weeks of birth because it would be too cruel to separate it from its mother,* then how much more devastating would it be when it comes to a human child? And a child's need for a mother doesn't stop when he/she no longer needs to be breastfed, the mother is essential for the child's emotional maturity as well.

Here is a video of Ryan T. Anderson back in 2014. I'll highlight some important points but the whole video is really good.

Marriage exists to unite a man and a woman as husband and wife to then be equipped to be mother and father to any children that that union produces. It's based on the biological fact that men and women are distinct and complementary, it's based on the anthropological truth that reproduction requires a man and a woman, it's based on the social reality that children deserve a mother and a father. ... Marriage is the institution that different cultures and societies, across time and place, developed to maximize the likelihood that that man commits to that woman, and then the two of them take responsibility to raise that child. Part of this is based on the reality: there's no such thing as parenting in the abstract; there's mothering and there's fathering. Men and women bring different gifts to the parenting enterprise. Rutgers sociologist professor David Popenoe writes, "The burden of social science evidence supports the idea that gender differentiating parenting is important for human development and the contribution of fathers to childrearing is unique and irreplaceable." He then concludes, "we should disavow the notion that mommies can make good daddies, just as we should disavow the popular notion that daddies can make good mommies. The two sexes are different to the core and each is necessary, culturally and biologically for the optimal development of a human being." ... The impact of marriage. So why does marriage matter for public policy? Perhaps there's no better way to analyze this than looking to our own president, President Barrack Obama: "We know the statistics that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of schools, and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. They're more likely to have behavioral problems or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundation of our community are weaker because of it." ... President Obama sums it up very well: what we've seen in the past 50 years since the War on Poverty began, is that the family has collapsed. At one point in America virtually every child was given the gift of a married mother and father, those numbers right now: it's more than 50% of Hispanics children are born outside of wedlock, more than 70% of African Americans are born outside of wedlock. And the consequences for those children are really serious. The State's interest in marriage is not that it cares about my love life, or your love life, or anyone's love life just for the sake of romance. The State's interest in marriage is ensuring that those kids have fathers who are involved in their lives. ... If the biggest social problem we face right now in the United States is absentee dads, how will we insist that fathers are essential when the law redefines marriage to make fathers optional? ... Think about the social consequences if that's the direction the slippery slope in which marriage redefinition would go. For every additional sexual partner I have, and for the shorter lived those relationships are, the greater the chances that I create children with multiple women, without commitment with either to those mothers or to those kids. It increases the likelihood of creating fragmented families and then big government will step in to pick up the pieces with a host of welfare programs that truly drain the economic prospects of all of our states. ... So for all those reasons this is why the State and all states have an interest in preserving the definition of marriage as a union, permanent and exclusive of a man and a woman.

Also an article supporting some of Ryan T. Anderson's points:

It’s worse to be raised by a single mother, even if you’re not poor.

The reason for this is that fathers tend to be the disciplinarian in the family. They provide the moral framework in his children's lives.

Reminder that even though the Catholic Church does not support gay marriage, it doesn't mean that she hates gay people. There is a ministry called Courage International where people with same-sex attractions are encourage to live chaste and holy lives.

*Original wording taken from here.

[sassytommykinard]

Family Meeting

@bucktommypositivityweek Day 3-Meeting the friends and family. I kind of twisted it a bit, but I still hope you guys like it. It's another addition to the girl dad's Buck and Tommy and their daughter Alex universe.

bucktommy - Words: 1,055 - Rating: General - Complete

Tommy stares down at the little person in his arms, runs a light finger down her cheek, and marvels at this little person they made with the help of their surrogate.

Evan comes into the room with a bottle and stops, blinking slowly.

“Hey,” Tommy prompts. “You okay?”

Evan shakes his head. “Yeah, I just…you two are so gorgeous,” he says softly. “I had a husband, which wow, okay? And now I have this daughter that I get to raise with said husband. It’s a little…”

“Crazy?” Tommy supplies with a grin and Evan smiles back.

“A little bit,” Evan admits. “But in a good way. If you told 26 year old me that I’d be 35, married and a parent, I would have you committed.”

Tommy laughs just as there’s a knock on the door.

“Oh, they’re here,” Evan says. He hands the bottle to Tommy. “It’s too bad she wouldn’t eat earlier. No one will be able to hold her until she’s finished.”

“It’s okay.” Tommy looks down at her little face sucking on the nipple of the bottle. “They’ll be happy to wait.”

Evan’s grin is soft as he watches them and there’s another knock on the door.

“Right! I’ll go let everyone in,” Evan says. He leans down and kisses Tommy gently, then Alex’s forehead.

They’d decided to wait until they got home with her before introducing her to everyone. The only people who have met her so far are Maddie and Eddie and though they’d felt bad making everyone else wait, they’d wanted to make sure their surrogate, Ashley, was comfortable and Alex was out of the hospital before introducing her to the rest of the 118 family, as well as Lucy Donato, who has been a fixture in helping Tommy feel better about the prospect of raising a girl when his nerves got to be too much.

The first one in the living room is Maddie, who holds her hands to her chest and coos. “Hi little niece,” she says and Tommy grins as she bends down to give the baby a kiss on the cheek. “It’s auntie Maddie. You’re just as gorgeous as you were a few days ago.”

“Isn’t she?” Evan says, trailing behind the rest of the group as they make their way into the living room. Like he always does when the whole group is together, Tommy is glad they bought a bigger house before they got married, if only to fit everyone inside it.

“She’s really beautiful,” Lucy says, coming and wrapping her arm around Tommy’s shoulders, squeezing him in a gentle side hug.

“My goodness,” Bobby says, holding Athena’s hand. “You guys are very lucky. I’m proud of you.”

Tommy looks at Evan, who looks like he might cry.

“Thank you, Bobby,” Evan says and glances at the bottle Alex is still working on. “She’s almost done eating. Does anyone want to burp her?”

“I will!” Hen and Karen both say at the same time. Everyone laughs and Hen and Karen do a quick round of rock, paper, scissors, with Hen winning.

“Yes!” she cheers and Karen nudges her with an elbow good-naturedly.

“Have you guys gotten much sleep?” Chimney asks knowingly and Tommy snorts.

“What do you think?”

Chimney grins. “Sounds right for a Buckley-Kinard baby.”

“I know right?” Evan says. They’d done a mix of both of their sperm for the surrogacy so they don’t know for sure who the biological father is, not that either of them cares. That was the whole point anyway, though Tommy can’t help but think he sees Evan in her, around the eyes. He wonders if Evan thinks the same.

Alex finishes her bottle and Tommy kisses her head and passes her off to Hen, giving her a little burp cloth to put over her shoulder.

“Oh hello, sweet girl,” Hen coos as she begins burping her. Karen runs her fingers over the sparse hair on Alex’s head and smiles when she lets out a little burp.

“Ah, burping should not be so cute,” she says with a laugh.

“Everything about her is cute,” Evan says dreamily.

“Even two am diaper changes?” Eddie asks, amused.

“Yes, even those,” Evan insists and Tommy grins at him. As Alex finishes her burping, she’s gently passed around their family, and Evan settles next to Tommy on the couch, a hand on Tommy’s thigh. They listen to everyone coo over her and Tommy looks at his husband, marvels at this man he’s still building a life with over and over again.

Evan notices him staring and looks at him, eyes glinting with amusement and affection. “What?”

“I just really love you, Evan Kinard. Thank you for doing this with me,” he answers. He cups his face and kisses him softly and no one notices the PDA because everyone is still enamored with Alex, as they should be honestly.

“I love you too,” Evan says. “Thank you. I still can’t believe it’s real.”

“Me neither,” Tommy admits. “Want to spend the rest of our lives staring at how real it is in the face?”

Evan’s grin is incandescent. “Oh yeah. Everything with you, you know that."

Tommy does know that. He's about to kiss his husband again when a familiar cry rings out and Evan gets up to take her from Lucy.

"I didn't do it!" Lucy says, a little panicked, and Tommy can't help but laugh at his normally calm, capable friend being afraid of a tiny baby.

"She's a newborn," Maddie says knowingly. "It happens."

Tommy watches Evan cradle their little girl in his arms, swaying back and forth and cooing at her.

Eddie plops down beside him on the couch. "Your face looks ridiculous right now."

Tommy snorts. "I'm sure it does. Can you blame me?"

"Not at all." Eddie looks toward Evan and Alex, the latter having calmed down to gentle baby noises.

"All right, Buck," Eddie says, standing up again. "My turn. Hand her over."

Evan does, and then he turns to the group. "Hey, Tommy and I want to thank you for everything. You guys have kept us sane during this whole process and we really appreciate it."

"Of course, Buck," Bobby says. "We're all here when you need us."

Evan smiles, walks over, and takes the hand Tommy's holding out for him. "We know."

[gabessquishytum]

Back on my trans bear Hob agenda.

It takes a couple of semesters, but eventually Hob's students* figure out that professor Gadling is absent two days a month. Consistently. On the dot.

They have seen his husband and kids a couple of times, and the students quickly conclude that professor Gadling is staying home those days because his husband has a terrible period.

Their evidence? (which they might have discussed at length)

Professor Gadling will mention his sons, Robin and Orpheus, at least once a week and has pictures of his family everywhere. The kids look like him and Dream, but there is never any mention of an adoption or surrogacy, so they must be theirs biologically right?

Gadling's husband is an emo twink and him being trans would not surprise them

Professor Gadling had, on numerous occasions, derailed his lectures to talk about queer figures and has very strong opinions about gender identity and expression

There was that time he threatened to quit when the board made some not so trans friendly comments in their new policy discussion. Multiple teachers expressed their disdain for it, but Gadling took it to a whole new level.

He asks for pronouns at the start of the year and always introduces himself with his pronouns

He has multiple pins with the trans flag or about supporting trans rights.

Look, all the evidence is clearly pointing to Hob himself being trans, but everyone just assumes Dream is the trans man in the relationship.

Hob catches wind of it and talks to Dream about it, who thinks it is hilarious and that Hob should just keep them guessing. Dream has absolutely no issues with people thinking he is trans and he loves that his husband just gets to live his life without people being intrusive about his gender.

The truth comes out a couple of years later when Hob announces he will be going on leave at the end of the semester because he is pregnant with baby nr 3.

* my uni's English department was so small all students at least recognised the students from the other years, if not knew them, as was the history department (arts was not a popular faculty) and the gossip within the faculty of arts was peak.

- 🍃

Trans!!! Bear!!! Agenda!!! I'm literally obsessed with this aiahdhshababdfnfjf.

The thing is. When Hob tells his classes that he's going on leave - he's already pregnant!! He's been pregnant for like. 18 weeks!!! And nobody has noticed a goddamn thing. A little more belly than usual? Eh, bears do be bearing. Running out of class to pee? Well, he's not getting any younger. Better get your prostate check, Professor! Now it makes sense why he laughed so hard about the whole prostate thing, actually...

Hob is ultimately glad that his students know that he's trans. He thinks that it's important for young queer people (or just young people in general) to see queer adults who are happy and thriving. He's not doing a Q&A on his gender identity or anything like that, but he's glad that trans students can now come and talk to him knowing that he's not "Just an ally".

One bold student asks if Hob and Dream are "t4t" and Hob is like, well we've got to keep some secrets, right? So the element of mystery remains to some extent. When asked if he thinks he'll have a boy or a girl this time Hob says "being a boy kind of runs in the family but who knows". And when little Daniel comes along, Hob is proved correct!

And everyone has to admit that Professor Gadling is even sexier than ever when he's carrying the baby in his sling and ranting about Shakespeare and bisexuality <3333

[cosyvelvetorchid]

Prompt: Buck and Tommy asking Maddie to be their surrogate.

I LOVED writing this one so much. I may actually add it to Ao3 as a oneshot.

I genuinely made myself cry at the end!

I hope you enjoy it! ❤️

It's funny how life works. You think you have a handle on things; that you know where things are headed, and then God, or the universe or something throws you a curveball. A big, giant, cruise ship shaped curveball, with enough power to turn your life completely upside down and give you exactly what you needed despite you having no idea you needed it.

Buck thought he would spend his whole life on the hamster wheel. The endless song and dance of dating, thinking he'd found someone he could be happy with, then they leave. And he loses enough couch.

Tommy had spent a lifetime hiding. Years of repressing who he was to protect himself. And when he finally came into his own and accepted who he was, it was too late. He'd resigned himself to the fact that he would be alone.

And then the captain of the 118 needs help and 2 people who - somehow despite having the job, the city they live in and people they know in common - had never actually met, flew into a hurricane together and everything changed.

Six months later they're sharing keys to eachothers homes.

One year and Buck is moving into Tommy's house.

And, 18 months in, when Tommy finally comes home from a month in the hospital - including 6 days in a coma where Buck thought he might actually lose the love of his life - after a helicopter crash, Buck barely makes it 5 minutes before proposing.

Two years and they're standing on Tommy's deck exchanging rings in front of everyone they love. They saw no point in waiting - they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together.

Three years in and they want to take the next big step. This one, however, was the biggest. The most terrifying: a family.

They'd spoken to a couple of surrogacy agencies but something was missing. Somehow they made it all seem so clinical. A business transaction. On top of that, in their research they had come across some horror stories of surrogate parents wanting to keep the baby despite it not being genetically theirs.

They talked and talked and talked about what options they had. And then Buck had remember something Connor had said about the reason they chose him as a sperm doner - they wanted someone they knew.

The answer was quite simple really. It was asking the question that was going to be difficult.

Three years and four months in they're sat in Maddie and Chimneys living room, nerves vibrating through they're entire bodies waiting for Maddie to say something.

"What?"

"We want to know if you would consider being a surrogate for us." Buck repeated.

"I.. Buck... I.. that's..." Maddie couldn't quite process what was being asked.

"Look, you know that we've been talking to agencies and trying to find the right one and sure they seem all above board and I'm sure that we could eventually find someone to help us build our family. But then it hit me - there's nobody on earth I.. we would trust to grow and nurture our baby more than you. Maddie you're a wonderful mother and I know that if you did agree to this that he or she would be loved and cared for and protected so much while their growing." He stopped to take a big breath. "But, we know its a huge ask, and you have as much time as you need to think about-"

"Yes." Maddie interrupted.

"What?"

"What?"

"What?"

Buck, Tommy and Chimney all sat forward to look at her.

"Evan, you are the most amazing little brother anybody could ever have. And you've been through so much in your life; so much pain and trauma and, all I ever wanted for you was to be happy. And then I found out you and my stupid husband were going to fly into a hurricane and I was so scared - and mad-" She added scowling at Chimney "-but you came back and not alone." She looked at Tommy fondly. "You found someone who makes you truly happy, and I have never been more proud or happy for you." She wiped a tear from her eye.

"So, if I can do this one thing for you, to make you even happier, then of course I will do it."

Buck wiped his own tears away that had started falling somewhere around the helicopter part.

"Really?" Buck said, not quite believing it. His chin was shaking and more tears threatened.

"Are you sure?" Tommy added. Maddie leant forward reaching out for each of their hands.

"I love you both. I'm sure."

Buck practically through himself at her, enveloping her into a hug.

"Thank you Maddie. For everything. My whole life."

"Hey I wanna get in on this." Tommy interrupted, gently peeling Buck from his sister so he could hug her.

"I don't know what else to say other than thank you. So so much."

Four years and 2 months in and they get the phone call. The bag has been packed by the door for weeks, the nursery decorated for a month and 2 men, wildly in love with other, who couldn't imagine life without the others existence, were on the way to meet they're baby.

***

They chose not to tell anybody that Maddie was in labour. They knew they would get nothing but an outpouring of love, but they wanted to spend a little while - even if it was only a few hours, thanks to Howard i cant keep a damn secret Han - after the baby was born to enjoy the moment as a family. However, there was one person Buck did call.

Bobby arrived at the hospital and sat in the labor and delivery waiting area. After a few minutes, Buck turns a corner; a tiny bundle in his arms wrapped in a pale yellow blanket. Bobby immediately walked over with a smile.

"Hey cap. I wanted to introduce you to someone.. meet our daughter - Brook Maddie Kinard."

Bobby stared at Buck for a moment, not quite fully comprehending what he had heard.

"Brook that.. that was my daughters name.."

"I know." Buck smiled softly. "We wanted to name her after you, and Bobby is a gender neutral name, but having two of you might get confusing, so we chose Brook instead. Is.. is that okay?"

Bobby's eyes filled with tears as he swallowed back the emotion.

"Yeah, kid. Yeah it's okay."

[oddlylovingaddiction]

SFW YANDERE ALPHABET WITH COVE HOLDEN!

(Yandere) Cove Holden x (Gender neutral) Reader / Cove might be out of character? / Probably some spelling mistakes or confusing sentences sorry!!

A = Affection! (How affectionate are they towards their darling?)

So affectionate! I mean in the game he’s always affectionate so it’s basically the norm for him. He’s a bit shy when being affectionate but he enjoys making you happy nonetheless. He loves surprising you with gifts and if you give him permission, touch. Things like little shells he found at the beach or some food he got from the store that you like are some things he normally gives you. He enjoys standing close to you to the point he feels your skin against his although he tries hard not to break your personal space. Obviously he gets embarrassed by his own damn actions especially if he’s giving you a hug in front of yours or his family.

B = Baggage! (Do they have any trauma that makes them act as a yandere? and How will they handle the other person they love’s trauma?)

I think definitely he’d be a yandere due to the fact you arrived in his life at such a bad time and helped him through it he just naturally developed it.

As for if you have any trauma, we already know he’s incredibly supportive of you and he’s always there if you need him so I definitely feel like he’d just naturally be good with a person who has PTSD or any form of trauma. He knows what it’s like to feel alone and scared so he would do everything he can to make sure you, his darling are as happy as you can be even through hardships.

C = Careful! (How careful are they not to get caught by their darling?)

I don’t think he does anything violent or worthy of getting caught, I just think in general his love towards you is just obvious. So if you know what yanderes are you just instantly know what he is. The only thing I think he’d get caught on is the whole entering through your window, I feel like even if he’s just wanting to make sure you’re safe in bed his ass would get caught immediately. He’d also get caught occasionally glaring at people who made you uncomfortable or he feels like are taking you away from him.

D = Dreams! (What’s their dream life with the person they’re a Yandere for?)

He’s happy with any life he and you have as long as he is in your life and you’re in his. However I think he’d definitely want some sort of commitment, like officially dating or marriage. He likes being your friend don’t get me wrong but I feel like in general he’d just want an ultra special relationship/place in your life. After that, he doesn’t care what happens! He’s fine just living in a nice home with you and being able to snuggle up to you in the mornings.

If you choose to want kids with him (through pregnancy, adoption, surrogacy etc.) I feel like he’d get flustered same as if you choose to bring it up in the wedding DLC. Of course he has thought of it but only in passing no goals or anything. Obviously he’s over the moon happy?! I mean he’s panicked at first cause he has no clue he’s just happy to be the father of your kids.

E = Embarrassment! (Do they ever get embarrassed by the person they’re a Yandere for? and Do they get embarrassed by their yandere actions?)

YES. Doesn’t matter if it’s his actions or yours if he feels like it’s too much he will go red. Basically the same as him in game. Teasing about his love for you is always going to make him embarrassed.

F = Found! (What happens if the person they’re a Yandere for finds out they’re a yandere? and What if someone who isn’t the person they’re a Yandere for caught them?)

I don’t think he’s aware that he’s a yandere. This whole obsessive love with you just feels natural like, why wouldn’t he love you?! YOURE YOU. However if he does get called out for his deep love for you, he’s just embarrassed LOL. Like imagine his dad, cliff, going “I never expected you to love this passionately but hey, at least I know now to never get between you and your lover, huh buddy?” And he just goes bright red because he can’t really deny it but he also is just so embarrassed.

Now if you catch him in it I don’t think he really minds it just means he can skip the awkwardness and confess to you already!

G = Grieving! (What happens if the person they’re a Yandere for dies?)

Bro is not recovering period. 😭 no matter if it’s years, days, weeks or eternity he’ll always be grieving the loss of you.

H = Happiness! (How happy are they if the reader confesses to them?)

Bro is so fucking happy HE LOVES YOU!! YOU LOVE HIM!! He will celebrate this day every year it will go in a calendar.

I = Intelligence! (How crafty are they around the person they’re a Yandere for?)

Bro is not fucking sneaky. I think if he tries really hard he can be but I feel like in general he’s just easy to catch loving you LOL. Although how deep it goes might be a different story, that would be insanely hard to catch. I feel like he’s the type to wish you both were combined so he could never part with you but he’s also happy you and him aren’t combined cause how else will he hug you??? He mainly keeps thoughts like that though just in his head. He always forgets to write them down…

J = Jail! (Have they ever done something illegal?)

I mean the whole window thing is probably illegal and the fact he has canonically just been outside in just his underwear (although in the dead of night) is probably illegal as well. But he’s not going to jail because he’s too nice the judge would feel bad and instantly let him go.

K = Kindheartedness! (How kind are they towards the person they’re a Yandere for?)

HES SO KIND TO YOU, he wants you to be as happy as you can so if there’s any he can do (within some of the law and his power) he’ll do his best to bring that wish of yours to life.

L = Love! (How much love do they have for the person they’re a Yandere for?)

He loves you A LOT. like im talking the way mentally ill teens (aka me.) talk about their fave character, “ID DIE FOR THEM AHAGDGHSHS” or “I AM NOT WORTHY OF THE AIR THEY BREATHE” type beat but in his own Cove way.

M = Mean! (How mean are they willing to be towards others who express fondness/love towards the person they’re a Yandere for?)

Unless it’s someone he approves of like your family, his family or mutual friends he’s willing to be mean. Although he will feel bad about it afterwards. I think the worst he can do is glare tbh.

N = No’s! (What are some lines they refuse to cross?)

Anything involving hurting you, his and your families and friends. In general I don’t think he’d hurt anyone psychically unless they hurt or threatened you first. He also doesn’t want to make you unhappy so anything that is abusive is just a hard no for him.

O = Obstacles! (What are some challenges they have to face?)

Actually confessing his love to you or proposing to you. I feel like it would take him awhile. Not cause he doesn’t want to but because he’s so nervous even if he knows you’ll say yes lol.

P = Presents! (relaxed are they if their darling receives gifts from someone who isn’t them?)

Depends. Birthday gifts? Fine! Platonic gifts? Also cool. But anything he feels is like romantic he is PISSED. I think he’d snap and just hide it away from you or have you open the gift while you’re in his lap just so you know that you’re his partner and no one else’s.

Q = Quarrels! (What happens in a fight with the person they’re a Yandere for? and How argumentative are they?)

He handles it BADLY. VERY BADLY. He doesn’t want to argue with you. He’d feel so bad he’s apologize first and does everything he can to make it up to you.

He’s also not very argumentative. It’s extremely hard and rare for him to argue with you.

R = Raising! (Are they open to raising a pet or plant with their darling? and Are they open to starting a family with their darling?)

YES. Yes to all of them. He’s happy to have a family of pets, plants or kids with you.

S = Safety! (Do they prioritize the person they’re a Yandere for’s safety?)

Yes! He wants you to be as safe as possible, he doesn’t want to risk you getting hurt. Of course he still allows you to do what you want and doesn’t coddle you but safety is Important.

T = Transform! (Are they likely to stop becoming a Yandere?)

Unlikely but generally he’d never be extreme for you, he’s a ‘you-first-me-second’ guy. So unless you request him to stop being obsessive he won’t.

U = Unfaithful! (Are they a Yandere for more than one person?)

No just you! Of course he loves others platonically but he loves you romantically only.

W = Weakness! (How weak are they towards the person they’re a Yandere for?)

Extremely weak… he loves you so much if you so much as cry because of him he’ll die LOL.

X = X-ray! (What are some things in they keep in their pockets?)

His wallet with pictures of you in it (and in the future if you choose to, pictures of your family of pets/plants/kids too!) he likes to keep his pockets clear from unimportant items in case you need him to put something in his pockets.

Z = Zzz…! (How well do they sleep at night?)

Meh good enough. He sleeps amazing next to you though.

[momotonescreaming]

I've been having Steddie Dads & Surrogate Robin brainworms thanks to this ficlet by @unclewaynemunson so I had to write this quick thing. Hope you like it <3 EDIT - Now on AO3!

Eddie knew that there was a lot involved with surrogacy. As soon as it was on the table, a topic of discussion — Steve had dove head first into research, taking Eddie along with him. They’d be curled up in bed together, Steve flipping through a pile of pamphlets and magazine articles, with Eddie re-reading the hobbit next to him until Steve places a pamphlet between the pages of his book. Lazy afternoons spent in their living room, reading up on agencies, clinics, Eddie with his head on Steve’s shoulder so they can read together.

He knew there was going to be money spent, many many appointments made, trips to doctors and lawyers and other very boring, very adult, very important things.

What Eddie didn’t realise, was how much time was going to be spent standing in hallways, waiting for Robin to piss on a stick.

Each time made his heart clench, his hands shake, knowing that one little plus or minus was going to change the trajectory of his life forever. In a good way of course. Always a good way. Steve squeezed his hand, looking over at him with a nervous smile. Eddie squeezed back — the cool metal of his rings pressing into the warmth of Steve’s hand — and he thunked his head onto the wall behind him.

“Quit it!” Robin hollered, voice muffled through the bathroom door. “You’re making me nervous!”

“I thought you said you peed when you’re nervous?” Steve shouted back, tilting his head towards the door.

“Not when I’m nervous about peeing!” Robin replied, voice still raised and edged with anxiety. “So quit slamming the wall Eddie!”

“How’d you know it was me?” Eddie interrupted, brows furrowing. Robin ignored him and continued shouting through the door.

“It reminds me that you’re there, and you’re listening, and I get all nervous and I can’t pee-“ Robin started to ramble, words merging together as her voice sped up. “-because I know you’re there listening which I know is the point of this whole exercise. But there’s a lot riding on this, riding on me, and then I start thinking about how big this is for you guys — and also for me again — and what if my eggs don’t work? Or I’m a bad surrogate? And then I get even more nervous because I really want to do this for you guys! You two deserve to be dads, and you’re going to be so good at it, which we won’t know unless I can pee Goddamnit.”

Her words ran out, and Eddie could picture her taking a deep breath as she leant on her knees, hunched over her body. He smiled faintly, and thumped his head onto Steve’s shoulder — knowing Robin would shout if she could hear him thump the wall again. A part of him was tempted to — to see what she would shout through the door again — but he couldn’t do that to her now. Not when she was doing so much for them. So Eddie took a deep breath, inhaling the comforting scent of Steve’s cologne and their laundry detergent, letting it calm him as he gently starts rubbing his thumb across the back Steve’s hand.

“Deep breaths, Rob,” Steve said, voice warm and comforting. “You’ve got this.” A pause. “Need me to come in?”

“Maybe?” Robin says quietly, unsure, before quickly correcting herself. “No. Wait- no. I got this. I’ll run the tap and pretend you’re not there.”

“Just yell if you need us,” Eddie added, hoping Robin can hear him over the sound of the now running water. He tries not to think about it too much, make himself too nervous, or too aware that he was just standing in a hallway waiting for Robin to piss on a stick. Of course it wasn’t just any stick.

The three of them have done this a few times now, and it still hasn’t stopped feeling any less nerve wracking. So Eddie takes another deep breath, and lets his eyes glaze over the pictures and paintings Robin’s hung on her walls to distract himself.

There are a lot of photos of her and Steve from throughout the years, and Eddie smiles at the sight. Them in their Family Video vests, back in Hawkins. At a family BBQ in the Buckley’s backyard, hung next to a painting of a horse she got in an estate sale. One from their first apartment in Chicago. The pair of them at Robin’s college graduation.

A photo with Erica and Dustin as well — the infamous Scoops Troop — all of them eating ice cream together. A couple with her and Eddie, smiling and pulling faces at Steve behind the camera, next to a painting that Robin got at a thrift store because the Victorian lady in it looked like ‘a funky old lesbian, but in a haunted sort of way’. Steve had just said it looked sort of like his Grandmother, and Robin had snorted soda up her nose.

They had decided to do the test at Robin’s apartment, in a futile attempt to make her more comfortable. Or at the very least — less nervous than last time, where Robin had locked herself in their hall bathroom and made them go watch TV until she was done. It was negative.

Eddie closed his eyes. The waiting was the worst. The absolute fucking worst. Knowing that one mark on a piece of plastic was going to tell him if he and Steve were one step closer to becoming parents. Becoming dads. And all he could do was wait.

He was both eager for and dreading the answer. He wanted to be a dad, to give Steve his six little nuggets, to raise a family with him. But at the same time he was terrified of turning into his father. A no good piece of shit who was never fit to raise a kid. Steve had talked him down, calmed him, the first time he had a panic attack about it.

It was after their first appointment at the clinic, and he had held Eddie’s hand and had admitted that he was scared too. Scared of turning into his father. To sympathise, not to dismiss Eddie’s fears. It had helped, listening to Steve’s steady breathing and soft voice as he talked about how it was a good thing they were both scared. Means they don’t want to be the sort of men their fathers were. Steve didn’t think his father was worried about neglecting him, he just sort of did it y’know? Eddie had snorted, blinked away his tears, and had admitted that Steve was right. Steve said of course he was, because he knew that Eddie won’t turn into his father. He’s going to turn out like Wayne.

Eddie had cried then, and he could feel his eyes starting to go misty now, standing in Robin’s hallways with Steve’s hand in his. He tries to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall, but Eddie doesn’t think he’s that successful. He knows he’s definitely unsuccessful when he feels Steve gently kiss the top of his head, lips pressing against his curls.

He doesn’t know how much time has passed when they hear the click of the door opening, Robin stepping out into the hall with her hands behind her back. Eddie can feel his throat tighten, and sort of feels like he’s going to puke. Oh God, this is it. Steve tightens his grip on Eddie’s hand, and they both whip their heads around to look at her. Robin’s face is unreadable as she looks down at her feet, and then up to them.

There’s a glint in her eyes now, a certain twist in the corner of her mouth, and Eddie can hear Steve’s breath hitch. She reaches behind her back, and holds the pregnancy test out in front of them. Their eyes are drawn to it like a magnet, desperate, eager, searching.

Eddie looks for the small screen on the side of the test and finds himself staring at a small, red, plus. His gaze snaps to Robin’s, eyes wide, and she’s biting her lips now, holding back the grin that threatens to take over her face.

He looks over at Steve only to find him looking back, his own eyes now glistening with unshed tears. Neither of them say anything as they look back at Robin. Not yet. It feels like as soon as they say anything, verbalise it, make it real, it’s going to hit Eddie like a truck. So he sits in the quiet of the moment, tearing up, Steve’s hand gripped tightly in his.

Robin’s voice is soft and low as she speaks, breaks the silence. “I’m pregnant.”

“You’re pregnant,” Steve repeats in awe, almost reverential. His eyes shine as a stray tear falls. “Holy shit.”

“I’m pregnant!” She repeats, louder this time, no longer holding back a smile but grinning at them widely. Gripping the pregnancy test in her hands, she starts to jump and rock in place. As if her excitement is an itch under her skin she can’t get out. “It worked!”

Eddie hasn’t said anything, he doesn’t know how to. He know’s he’s standing there looking gormless, doe eyed and teary, mouth agape. It doesn’t seem real. It finally worked. Robin is pregnant and it’s theirs. He whispers. “You’re pregnant.” Then again, louder, as if repeating the words would make it more real. “You’re fucking pregnant!”

“We’re having a baby!” Steve says, words dripping with excitement and awe and almost disbelief. He lets go of Eddie’s hand, but before he can miss it’s presence Steve is throwing his arms around both him and Robin, drawing them in close.

Eddie’s really crying now, tears coming out in a flood and he can’t stop them. Above all else, above the fear and the anxiety and the weight of his father — he’s happy. He’s so fucking happy. Steve’s shirt is dampening with Eddie’s tears, and he can hear Robin sniffling herself. If they’re not careful, they’ll spend the whole evening crying in the hall. He leans over to place a wet smacking kiss on Robin’s cheek, and then turns to Steve to give him the same.

Steve turns at the last second, capturing his lips with his own. And then they’re kissing, and they’re crying, smiling through it all with Robin still trapped in a hug. She doesn’t seem to mind, laughing all the while, clutching the test in her hands like it’s made of gold. Steve pulls back from the kiss with a wet pop, and Robin beams through her own tears as Steve buries his face in her neck.

“Thank you,” Steve whispers, loud enough for them all to hear. “For doing this for us.”

“It’s an honour,” Robin replies, words honey sweet and oh so happy. She smiles at them, sniffling. “But if you think I’m not going to milk this for all it’s worth, you’re wrong.”

Eddie throws his head back and cackles.

[leaves-lilies-and-esther]

Why being against trans rights as a feminist is bull

Generally I fall pretty neatly into line with the radfem line of thinking about things (anti surrogacy, anti sex industry, pro choice, anti beauty industry etc). And I don't think that radical feminists who disagree with me on this are evil or anything, but I do believe that it shouldn't be a priority and that this whole effort will be remembered badly.

"But the bathrooms-"

Letting trans women into female bathrooms does not increase sexual assault. According to Media Matters, "...the fear is baseless- completely unsupported by years of evidence from states that already have non-discrimination laws on the books." To give examples:

Rhode Island reported "no increase in sex crimes due to 2001 law"

Karen Richards of the Vermont Human Rights commission said she is "not aware" of any problems from a 2001 law

Jim O'Neill said he was "unaware of any sexual assault as the result of the CT gender identity or expression law" in Connecticut

If you search "Debunking the Big Myth about Transgender Inclusive Bathrooms" from Media Matters you can see the other twelve state level examples

There's also a very well written article from Time called "Transgender Bathroom: Advocates Say 'Predator' is a Myth" . They detail several locations like New York City and California which protect trans rights without seeing a spike in sexual assaults, the fact that school officials and police departments have not seen a spike either, and that several organizations dedicated to stopping violence against women all agree that bathroom rights aren't a threat.

Moreover, according to Vox's article "Anti-transgender bathroom hysteria, explained"- all of the incidences commonly cited of men dressing up as women or posing as a woman in order to commit sexual assault happened before a non-discrimination bathroom law was passed. Meaning that these laws don't cause sh*t.

But to add onto another point, there's a very good reason why we cannot simply say that women's bathrooms must be defined by sex alone. Which is that we end up exposing transgender or nonbinary youth to extremely avoidable violence instead.

According to an article from Harvard entitled "transgender teens with restricted bathroom access at higher risk of sexual assault", quote, "Transgender and non-binary teens face greater sexual assault in schools that prevent them from using bathrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identity." 36% of trans or nonbinary youth with restricted access had been sexually assaulted in the past year. In no world is that an acceptable number. Not only does restricting bathroom access not solve anything for cis women, it actively inflicts male violence on transgender women.

And even in the outlandish world where this wasn't enough of a reason, it also leads to cis women being policed on their appearance and how feminine they present in order to avoid looking trans. In Las Vegas a woman named Jay was kicked out because they mistook her for trans according to Advocate article 'cis woman mistaken as transgender records being berated in bathroom'. Aimee Toms in Danbury was similarly harassed, as was Jessica Rush in Dallas. There's several videos in the Vox article "Women are getting harassed in bathrooms because of anti-transgender hysteria". And guess what? This sort of policing what a cis woman can look like is only going to get worse as people continue to advocate against trans women in bathrooms.

And women's sports-

Any physical advantage that transgender people have in sports goes away several years after medical transition. According to the NBC article "trans women retain athletic edge after a year of hormone therapy"

(1) "For the Olympic, the elite level, I'd say probably two years is more realistic than one year" - namely, trans people have standard hormone levels if they wait two years after medical transition. "After two years, Roberts told NBC News, 'they were fairly equivalent to cisgender women'".

There were some limitations to the Roberts study, but there's also a 2015 Harper study backing this up.

(3) Joanna Harper, a medical physicist in Portland, already ran a study on this. "...found that trans women ran at least 10 percent slower after beginning hormones. And, relatively speaking, they did no better against cisgender female runners than they previously done against cisgender men".

Namely, as long as there's been a medical transition for several years, it's still a totally fair competition.

But laws which ban transgender women from sports have had the incidental effect of allowing for state-sanctioned genital inspections on minors. This sounds fake, right? But in Ohio Republicans have passed a bill which "...has a verification requirement, if someone is 'accused' or 'suspected' of being trans... she must go through evaluations of her external and internal genitalia, testosterone levels and genetic makeup." And believe it or not, they only had one transgender girl who was an athlete in high school. One! This is according to the Ohio Capital Journal's article "GOP passes bill aiming to root out 'suspected' transgender female athletes with genital inspection."

Similarly, Florida has just passed a ban on transgender students in sports in April 2021, with provisions similar to the Ohio law. "A dispute regarding a student's sex shall be resolved by the student's school or institution by requesting that the student provide a health examination... provides for 'routine sports physical examination' of students' reproductive organs, genetic makeup, or testosterone levels." This is according to Changing America, titled "Florida's new ban on transgender students in sports would allow schools to subject minors to genital inspections."

I don't know about you, but as someone who has enjoyed track, swim team, and basketball all through educational institutions- I don't want the government in my pants.

Beyond the creepy implications of the state demanding invasive inspections on literal children, this also goes back to the point I made on bathrooms above- that when we take spaces away trans people, we take spaces away from any woman or girl who society deems as presenting too 'masculine'.

As feminists we can absolutely support trans rights without compromising our integrity. And not only can we, we should.

Edited August 24, 2023: I wanted to add a section about the provisions of these bills for literal genital inspections. I regret that it wasn't in the original, but I remembered these articles earlier and thought that it was important to add here.

The other thing I did later the same day was take out the part referencing women like Caster Semenya competing in the Olympics and being removed because of high testosterone levels. Someone has kindly pointed out that these are intersex women, which the original article I had read referred to as cis. I feel that intersex women in athletics deserve their own discussion, and I haven't (a) read enough on the issue or (b) learned enough about the intersex community as a whole to take part.

[wannabepapa]

I see you’ve been reboggling a lot of old asks from me which has also gotten my brain juice flowin like

Lately I’ve been thinking about roommates who bond over a pregnancy. A one night stand or a surrogacy, doesn’t really matter, all we care about are the roomies who are now stuck in this fun situation of finding a new groove. Bonus points if the pregnant one gets big and uncomfy quick, leading to far far more late night rendezvouses.

The way I picture it, it starts with your typical incredibly awkward “I gotta come clean about something” scenario, with roomie B expecting a broken appliance or a forgetting power bill, but certainly not a pregnancy! Then as roomie A grows, they get needy, which sends roomie B into overdrive. Late night pizza runs become a regular occurrence, waking up way too early to hold their roommates hair, sitting up at night cause roomie A thinks they felt a kick and wants witnesses.

Then break happens, they go home, and when roomie A comes back they’re HUGE, which changes everything. Suddenly they need so much more to be comfy, and roomie B begins to realize just how much they like being there for their pal. They spend all afternoon at school just to come home and both collapse into the same twin bed, using the other bedroom as storage because who needs it? Sharing is caring after all. Roomie B is there to hold roomie A when they’re sobbing at a ghibli film or some advertisement about sad animals, they’re there to help with anything academic or physical, they’re driving their expectant buddy to and from appointments now that they’ve outgrown the drivers seat.

Bajshxjhshxhs it is 5 am and this ask is ridiculously long winded but I am tired and sappy and obsessed with this idea and thought you’d like it okie bye

uh hello???????? you have left this beauty of an ask in my inbox?????? Marin i am kissing your forehead right now.

roommate B has had nothing but terrible experiences with past roommates so when A comes to confess something they brace themselves for a problem. it's expected, especially when A looks anxious and worried before spilling the secret. the last thing that B would have ever expected was to be living with someone who was going to have a baby. they don't hate babies but they never hung out with people who had children of their own. it was going to be a learning curve to say the least.

the roommates were never close in the beginning, keeping to themselves as they had only recently roomed together but now they find themselves in each other's space. A has asked for help in the morning because the nausea makes it tough to function early in the morning so B is on kitchen duty. B tends to do a lot of the clean up now to give their roomie a break in the first trimester. it's only fair that someone does the bulk of the housework when A is creating a whole person over the course of nine months!

B is also in this weird "I'm not the parent of this child but I feel responsible for A and this child" state of mind that is confusing to them. they don't know why their brain has latched onto being the caretaker for a pregnant person but whatever A asks for, they get. A is feeling cold and wants to borrow a blanket? it's put in the dryer so it's extra warm. it's two am and they have an intense craving for pizza, but only the pizza at this shop that is an hour away? yeah just let B get dressed and get coffee in them before they take the drive. they don't want to be sitting alone at their doctor's appointment and want moral support? of course B will be driving them to and from every appointment now so they don't have to be alone. A meekly knocks on the bedroom door and says the baby needs a cuddle? get in under the covers and pick a movie! it's this perfectly platonic relationship that both just don't acknowledge but now all of their family and friends wonder if they're dating.

when they have to go home for their respective holidays there are definitely tears shed by A. it's seventy-five percent hormones and twenty-five percent not wanting to be away from B for weeks on end. they're ending their second trimester right now and terribly needy. the roomies have forgone sticking to each other's rooms to alternating every few days—it's become their routine. A also worries that something catastrophic will happen and B will force them to move out which B shuts down immediately. they're stuck with each other now whether they liked it or not. this comfortable thing the roomies have with each other is too precious to B for it to ever cross their mind to end it. A has become more than a friend, they've become a companion that has made their days more exciting ever since they got close. it isn't long after A is dropped off at the airport (with more tears shed) and B not even out of the parking structure that a text is sent that reads "we already miss you :c"

they talk every day of the break. A leaves no details of the crazy antics sprinkle (the baby has a thing for funfetti cake and B said they were probably a sprinkle now so it stuck) has been up to and complaining how cold it was where their family lives. they've sent many a selfie where they were hidden under piles of blankets or bundled up in multiple layers of warm clothes with a pouty lip and silly quip about how nobody does the dryer trick here like B does. it's too cute for B to handle. the weeks drag on for eternity to their dismay, their mind straying to how their gravid friend was doing.

to make matters worse A was stuck for an extra week due to a surprise blizzard that grounded all planes going in and out of the state. that was nearly a month apart and it drove B mad. too much time has been spent away from A and there was going to be hell to pay if this new flight would be canceled. if they were stuck any longer with their parents A wouldn't be cleared to fly, leaving them with no other choice but driving hours back down. B would have gone up there themselves to bring A back if it was necessary but to their happiness there were no cancelations and A was in route back home. B couldn't pick them up—work had switched schedules without asking—so they sent a friend to go to the airport for pick up. luckily A would already be home by the time B was off work so they wouldn't be alone in the house for long.

B never considered how fast someone grew in their final months of pregnancy. A's clothes still hide the bump before they left. now, walking into the apartment, B could do nothing except stare at their roommate. A hadn't grown, but popped in the last month since they were apart! there was an undeniable swell that tented A's shirt, their stance wider as they waddled to the door to greet B with a watery grin. the bump is pressed between them which makes it impossible to really hug while making it hard for B to not plaster their hands on the belly. the baby takes the opportune moment to shift between them as they were clearly unhappy about being squished. A chuckles at the movement but B is completely losing it.

after that they don't really stay apart for long. they're very, very close to one another at every second of the day just to revel in the fact that the baby will be born soon. A likes to complain about the pains from the movements of the nugget but they will actually miss it. B, however, has made it loud and clear how they'll miss being able to cuddle up with the belly and feel the nugget move. though both are equally excited to meet the little kicker that they've been waiting nearly ten months to hold.

[renamusing]

just watched today's hour long ep and im leaving my thoughts below:

putting aside the fact that the current writers can be complete nonsensical idiots most of the time, there is something pretty suspicious about this whole rebecca plot twist.

first, why kill her if ross says they had split up for a while before she died? if this twist was only to serve ross's comeback story, then they had no need to kill rebecca at all. ross said today that after they split, rebecca had already moved to bristol with seb to stay with her aunt so that would have been that. ross would still have been stupid enough to get into illegal fighting and other criminal activities on his own without the added grief of her death.

second, people are panicking because robert apparently signed the papers so seb could stay with this supposed aunt of rebecca. im sorry, but what else did you expect robert to do? since the moment he went to prison, robert made it a priority to sever himself from aaron. he handed himself in so aaron could have a life of his own, and seb a dad he could one day be proud of, instead of a father on the run for the rest of his life. so i don't believe robert would EVER put seb on aaron if he could avoid it. can you imagine, robert thinking aaron has settled somewhere with a guy living a life of his own just how robert wished, only for robert to saddle him with his kid? yes, for us fans, that wouldn't be selfish because we know aaron would be great with seb, however, the prospect brings up so many questions to me personally, like does robert even know liv died? does he know aaron went to live in italy for a time? does he know aaron came back? we can't even trust victoria to have told robert anything because according to ross victoria hasn't been in contact with robert recently! she hasn't even been in contact with bex and seb, for years! even aaron said they didn't get in touch because they thought rebecca, ross and seb were "happy". which brings me to my third point.

according to today's episode, rebecca died around 3 months ago. who also showed up just around that time? john sugden. im not trying to build a conspiracy theory here—could john's army medic past allow him to perform surgeries in liverpool?? lmao im kidding—what i mean is (and correct me if im wrong), this seems like the time the "new stories" overseen by iain macleod started kicking in. which means they had to cover plot holes from past stories in the least limiting way possible, especially considering the show wouldn't want to spoil robert's return (if ryan does come back) or the fact he isn't coming back at all.

so we don't know if rebecca died before or after victoria called robert to tell him about john like she said she would. we don't know if it was robert who decided not to mention bex's death to vic, or if vic even spoke to robert at all after meeting john.

what im more and more certain of, though, is that seb will play a big part in the story going forward. his predicament as an orphan could:

give vic a plot - because why didn't her brother trust her with his son? could it be because robert thought she already had her hands full with her own kid? or did he think seb would be happier and more comfortable with people he already knew and was familiar with? now that vic's dismal plot with jacob is done, i can see her trying to get some offscreen visiting rights with the bristol auntie, or, in the best case scenario, onscreen seb visits.

give aaron a plot - unfortunately another one that involves john, because being a father is something that aaron always wanted and, depending on who writes this sl, it could have him opening up to john about his and robert's surrogacy attempts. i don't mind it at all, because if robert comes back it will be much juicier if aaron and john are as settled as possible (good luck with that nonexistent chemistry lol), yet i refuse to watch those two bring up seb. period.

an emergency exit to ross - michael parr's interviews have been vague at best. he has talked about doing a short stint and not knowing what the future holds for his character, so if seb doesn't return in the foreseeable, he could well be the reason ross goes away again.

speed up robert's release - yes, robert signed the papers for seb to stay with his aunt in bristol, but i don't doubt he has thought about attempting a new appeal so he could be with his son. legal matters take time and with the lee/luke plot loophole from a few years back, it would only be a case of waiting for ryan to be available.

this seems to be the gist of it to me so far. but i have to mention the one thing that stood out to me today and which i really enjoyed was how calm aaron was through everything except the one moment ross threw the 'slept with his brother' comment in his face. i need 10 more of those, ross. keep them coming!

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

So whatever the squirreliness behind Archie's birth, there's someone at the palace that knows the truth.

If we ever learn the exact sequence of events and motivations, and our speculation proves true, it'll probably look like some insane clock and dagger stuff, unnecessary but also stupid.

And it would have been unnecessary: the children wouldn't have been in LoS, but they would have been loved, cherished, and acknowledged all the same.

Now I'm personally against surrogacy, because I think it's an exploitative practice, but it's widely accepted, there wouldn't have been a scandal.

Again, this is all speculation, of course.

But that was the whole point of the squirrelliness. If it turns there was surrogacy involved, then the cloak and dagger shenanigans were necessary for the kids to be in the Line of Succession and receive prince/princess titles, which was Meghan's whole objective for having kids in the first place.

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Hi!

🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮🦮, 🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞🪞, ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️

Hi :)

30 for 🦮:

---

 She rummages around until she finds what appears to be an old photograph print. Four by six. She slides it across the table to Buck. 

“This is him,” Maddie says. “Daniel.”

Daniel?

Hands shaking, Buck grabs the photo. He lifts it closer to his face. The child in the photo is a dead ringer for Buck at the same age. He’d almost ask her if she’s sure it’s not just him. Except it’s not their house he’s sitting on a bike out front of. And there’s no birthmark, when he looks closer. 

“He was two years younger than me,” Maddie says. “He died before your first birthday. That’s why you don’t remember him.”

Buck shakes his head. “I don’t understand.”

“He got sick,” Maddie says. “The doctors tried everything to save him, but… Well, it didn’t work.”

This isn’t real. This can’t be real. There are too many questions bouncing around his head. Like bullets ricocheting off the walls of his skull. There is so much noise, even though they’ve both fallen completely silent. 

“Uh…” He trails off. “I guess, first… I’m sorry, Maddie.”

Maddie looks at the surface of the table, avoiding his gaze. 

---

30 for 🪞:

---

Dove is quiet. 

That’s probably okay. It’s probably okay for her to be quiet and process. But Buck is too anxious and heartbroken to let the moment just sit. 

“It’s not your fault no one has said it before,” Buck tells her. “You are so special and loveable. And I’m going to tell you every single day, so you don’t forget it, okay?”

At this, Dove starts to cry. Buck worries he’s said the exact wrong thing. This is hard. 

“Sweetie, it’s okay,” he says, rubbing her shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“So you won’t send me back?” She blubbers.

“What?” Buck gapes. “Oh god. No, Dove. No, I am not going to send you back. This is your home now.”

She takes deep, gulping breaths like she can’t get enough air. Buck thinks he may need to get her puffer. But is this an asthma attack or a panic attack? And if it’s the latter, what the hell does he do?

“Can you breathe?” He asks her. “In through the nose, okay?”

He models breathing, and she follows along. She manages to regulate herself, much to Buck’s relief. 

“You’re okay,” he promises. “You’re gonna be okay.”

---

30 for ⚡️:

---

 Maybe that’s confirmation bias. Whatever. Eddie has given up trying to be more rational than his husband. When he became his husband. Easier to lean into it, it turns out. 

The point is, things keep lining out. Moving them in the right direction. And Eddie has to wonder… If there is a destiny or a fate or whatever, is life just easier when you surrender to it? Because things used to feel so hard. When he was fighting himself all the time. 

Take, for example, the whole baby thing. Which Eddie maybe could be stressing about a whole lot right now, considering how much extra work it will take for them to accomplish versus the last time he did. In which his initial work was very minimal. He could be panicking, but he’s not. Because things are just kind of… Going the way they’re meant to go? It’s novel, really. 

Buck had come to him with an idea. Name the baby after Bobby, assuming it’s a boy. Which Eddie thinks they will be - he will be - because that’s just what Eddie thinks. So Eddie had said yes, as long as Buck actually talked to Bobby. Which Buck did, and it went great for them. And just like that, the universe - if it’s a thing - seems to be taking care of them. Because not even a full month later, the LAFD changes its benefits policy. They are now covering a wide range of costs related to family planning and fertility. Including a decent chunk of the costs of IVF for surrogacy. 

Eddie doesn’t think this was meant to be a win for queer men, as much as it is one. Likely, a much more selfish motive passed that change. More female firefighters opting to go the surrogate route, and therefore not getting pregnant themselves. Better for business, in the eyes of the LAFD. 

[modern-harrypotter]

Young Adult Chronicles - 3

Part 3 of the Young Adult Chronicles! Meet the married kids - a whole bunch of “high school” sweethearts! Timeline is a little wobbly but it’s okay 👍

✨👇 Further Details Below 👇✨

Seamus and Dean got engaged a few months after the War finished with the Battle at Hogwarts, and got married on the one year. Harry had officiated, with plenty of press considering Harry shoved off the Ministry Gala to be there. Dean is an artist and taking commissions for muggle or magical services. Seamus is a house husband. They have three Irish Wolfhounds named Dionysus, Aphrodite and Hera.

Millicent and Daphne married in the same year, but they followed a more pure blood courtship, so their engagement and wedding was more of a private affair at the Ministry. They had a baby via surrogacy, with a male from the Bulstrode line and Daphne’s egg. Similar to In-Vitro Fertilization but with more wizard shit. Their daughter is Gabriella Jane Bulstrode-Greengrass, and she is only a few months old. Millicent and Daphne don’t work as they are busy with their baby. Millie is in the works of getting her Transfiguration mastery and Daphne works away at managing the estates they have. Both are heirs and are considered Lady Bulstrode-Greengrass. They often can be found attending various garden parties or outings with other ladies amongst the notable Purebloods who are more progressive.

Draco and Harry had a similar situation, with a small marriage at the Burrow, surrounded by their friends and family. Hermione officiated with Blaise and Ron as their best men (respectively). There was no press, no notice and no announcements. Harry was going to have a quiet wedding if it killed him. They never have announced it since then. Draco wants to announce it, if only so the letters flooding their mailbox would cease. The warding on it to deter the shameless witches and wizards begging for the more uncouth aspects of a relationship can only do so much. Draco would gladly take the Howlers over the sexual fantasies people kept sending his husband… A man can only take so much…

On a side note - Harry and Draco have considered adopting a child as well, but are in the mindset of waiting until Draco is home more instead of being elbows deep into his barrister work. Especially since Harry is teaching DADA at Hogwarts, they don’t have enough time to raise a child. They do have a cat named Lily (Orange Maine Coone) after Harry’s mother. They also help raise Teddy with Remus and Tonks as well!

Hermione and Pansy were recently married, and they had a very big wedding, celebrating the success of Hermione taking over the Ministry. Her political reforms have shaken the wizarding world of Britain but it’s been peaceful. They have no children and no plans on having children, but Hermione’s cat Crookshanks is still kicking!

Ginny and Luna aren’t married or engaged. They are solely just dating. They don’t have plans to marry, but they are young and there is no war forcing them to grow up any faster than they already have and are taking it slow and enjoying life.

Neville, Blaise and Ron are not married on paper, but they have taken each other’s last names which is the same for them. Neville and Blaise had a fight over who’s last name Ron would get, but eventually Ron pointed out that if Neville took Blaise’s and Blaise took his, then it was only fair that Ron would take Neville’s too make it even. He didn’t care for the Pureblooded aspect of what being a “Longbottom” or a “Zabini” would bring him, but rather he cared that each of them took another last name to tie them all together more seamlessly. No children but Ron took over for Madame Hooch as the flying instructor and he loves it! Neville is apprenticing under Professor Sprout for his Herbogy major and Blaise is happy being a kept man and maintaining their ever growing forest of plants and animals. They have two dogs, and a cat! (Named Felix (Yorkshire Terrier) Leigh (Teacup Poodle) and Harold (American Shorthaired Tabby (brindle coloring), in honor of the dearly departed Trevor. Neville insisted on the more human names because it’s a little funny.) Harold stats at Hogwarts with Neville and Ron in their shared office and room, while Felix and Leigh are at home with Blaise.

Lavender and Parvati are married! They live in France actually, but keep in touch with their Hogwarts alumni. Parvati is the Divination teacher now, after Trelawney retired after the War. Lavender keeps up their house and is neighbors with Fleur and Bill and their children! Lavender and Parvati have two children of their own - Twins named Nicholas and Calista. (Nick(ie) and Callie for short. They have a few aunts and uncles, like Uncle Ron, Blaise and Neville, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur, Auntie Daphne and Millie, Aunt Hermione and Pansy, Uncle Harry and Draco, Uncle Theo and Mausi Padma. They were adopted into a magical family after their muggle parents gave them up after an incident of accidental magic almost set their house on fire. The French Ministry of Magic located and regimes the two magical children. The twins are 4 years old as of the “modern day”. Lavender and Parvati raise them to be bilingual in English and Hindi, but they are also learning French in primary school. They do know they are adopted but they love their mothers dearly!

Padma is living her best life learning Wandlore and getting her certifications in wand making. Ever since Ollivander told her that she had a knack for intuitions and the wand that chose her would be best suited for divinations- she spent most of her spare time studying Wands and how to make cores throughout her time at Hogwarts. She hated arithmancy as the tiring subject often caused her to derail from homework into the applications of her profession. She is set to open her own shop by the end of the year and allow Ollivander to retire from wands. He is insistent on helping her run her own shop though, primarily clerk and stockings.

Theodore has taken over the History of Magic classes. He has revitalized the curriculum to be more modern than 800 year old battles. When the First and Second Blood Wars arise, Headmistress McGonagall has school wide assembly with former students speaking about their experiences. Harry doesn’t speak much at these, instead has a class dedicated to answering questions from his students when Theodore covers the topic.

- Lots of headcanons but that’s the beauty of an AU.

[mckie113]

The GH writers suck so bad. I hate this whole surrogate storyline for my favorite Mob Princess Kristina. The writers have Kristina acting like she doesn't know Sonny's a violent mob boss! Her whole teenage years were spent rebelling against Sonny because he was a mob boss. Kristina literally plotted against Sonny with Johnny Zacchara to piss him off when she was like sixteen. Sonny accidentally blew her up with a car bomb once, she's also been kidnapped multiple times, held at gun point, both of her brothers have been shot by or because of Sonny!! It's like the GH writers forgot all this! This new Kristina doesn't have the same spice to her. The old Kristina had a more fuck around and find out vibe, like when she threatened Julian, or when she covered for Mike. Plus she was never afraid to call out Sonny, Jason or Carly. The writers could have gone in so many directions with this character, but they chose a boring surrogacy storyline. It's a waste of Kate Mansi's talent. Kristina would have been the perfect replacement to take over for Sonny's business or start her own and create a feud with Sonny. The old kristina was just as messy, unpredictable and quick to anger as Sonny. Even though we've barely seen it Kristina knows how to run a business it wouldn't be a stretch to have her start doing some illegal business on the side. The only good thing about her storyline is Blaze, but it's overshadowed by GH's baby obsession. It's like Young and the Restless Teriah again 🙄. I guarantee if Kristina doesn't have a miscarriage because of Sonny; GH will either make her have a close call and that will make her decide to keep the baby or she'll have a miscarriage and become baby obsessed like Mariah did on Y&R after she was kidnapped. Either way her relationship with Molly is going to be ruined with Sam stuck in the middle ending the Davis sisters as we know it. No wonder Lexi Ainsworth left GH; she saw the writing on the wall and was like bye bitch 😭.