#this was in my drafts for over a year lol

[simpingforheros]

Lover Man

Pairing: Roy Harper X Single Mom! Female! Reader

Summary: Roy Harper gave up on love after his relationship with Cheshire never went anywhere other than creating his bundle of joy that was Lian Harper. That was until she came knocking on his door.

Warnings: 18+, Minors Do Not Interact, Female Reader/Female Pronouns/ Female Anatomy, Fluff eventually turning into Smut, Strangers to Lovers, Close Proximity, Mentions of Drug Addiction, Implied Abuse, Heavy Make-Out Session, Dry Humping, Implied Breeding Kink, Roy Harper being our Gentle King ((only this time)).

A/N: Soooo I had another Roy fanfic written completely in the drafts…and I hated it 💀. So I rewrote it and here it is. It’s a wee bit longer than my normal fanfics and I wanted to add more fluff and more descriptive detail instead of just smut. Please leave me some comments if you like this or if you don’t lol. Thank you.

A/N: I got my own ginger so it makes me wanna write about my second favorite ginger since I hardly see writing for him outside of him being a throuple with Jason. Roy Harper is just as hot as Jason because man’s literally got himself out of a bad place just for his daughter 😭🥹. Our responsibility king. Also Lian is aged up to 7 years old in this.

Dividers >>>> @cafekitsune

Roy Harper was a hardworking man. He slaves over his small mercenary missions with the occasional events of saving the city in the mix of raising a 4 foot ball of energy all on his own. He felt exhausted most the time, but that exhaustion keeps him out of trouble. It also gets him out of any venture for a personal life.

Sure, Roy had the Outlaws who would swing by after missions just to hangout and drink, and the Titans make a rare appearance to visit their favorite niece. Even Ollie and Dinah would occasionally come by to visit. But, after Jade came and left him high and dry, his heart was hollow…

Lian was his whole world and stars. He never thought he could love someone as much as he loved his little girl. He dragged himself out of his drug addiction just so he can take care of her, and she should be enough to make the backbreaking labor enough.

However, he notices how the doodled Mother’s Day cards that used to litter the fridge for Jade began to dwindle as her eyes began to look longingly at the other parents who had two parents and a pair or two of siblings. Lian says she’s happy to live with her Dad, who was her bestest friend in the world, but the occasional crayon drawings say otherwise.

The stick figures of Lian and Roy with a faceless woman and another stick figure child making it very clear that Lian wanted a mother figure, or at least a sibling.

Maybe one day Roy can give it to her…but right now he was too tired.

“What do you mean you forgot??” Roy yells into the phone as he speed walks back to his apartment complex.

He should have known better than to ask Garfield to wait at his apartment for Lian to come home and babysit for a couple of hours while he went grocery shopping. This week has been hell on him. He’s been dealing with some of Black Mask’s crew trying to expand to Star City and when he would try to get some sleep, the noise of some new neighbors moving in woke him up constantly. This was really his only chance to go do anything and Beast Boy forgot to come.

“I asked you to do one thing, Gar! Be here and watch Lian until I got back. How can forget to watch a 7 year old girl?�� Roy seethes as he walks into the main lobby and bolting up the stairs.

His heart was pounding with all the possible scenarios. He knows he’s overreacting, that she was just probably sitting by the locked door either entertaining herself or crying. But he also couldn’t help but be paranoid that she strayed off to go find him or someone snatched her up.

His worst fear coming to reality as he walks onto his floor and sees no one. He quickly gets to his door and jiggles the nob, feeling the secured lock.

Just as Roy was about to scream at Garfield again to relieve the unrelenting anxiety, the sound of a door opening behind him catches his attention as a familiar ring fills the static.

“Daddy!” Lian yells as Roy turns around, relief filling his body as he kneels down to greet the girl.

“Oh fuck, you scared me.” He says, as he sighs in relief. His strong arms holding the small girl tight to his chest.

“I’m sorry,” the girl mumbles with sympathy pooling in her dark eyes. “I was walking Wren and she wanted me to see her new room.”

‘Wren? Who’s Wren?’ Roy thought as he quirks his eyebrow just as movement catches his eyes again to the door.

Another little girl was standing in the door way to the apartment. She looked the same age as Lian with colorful ribbons in her hair and the matching Star Academy uniform on as Lian.

‘Another Star Academy student? There isn’t any other student living here…’

Then the realization that this was one of the new neighbors hits him as a taller figure appears behind Wren. Her voice throwing Roy in a trance as she scolds the girl.

“Wren, I told you to not stare. Especially at strangers.” Her voice gently but protective as she kept her eyes on Roy. Her hand already on her daughter’s shoulder as her daughter apologizes.

“I’m sorry, Mama. I wanted to see Lian’s Dad and see if I can come over…”

The woman was the same age as him from what he can tell. Healthy, glowing skin despite the dark bags under her eyes. Her hair glowed like a halo in the fluorescent light of the hallway despite the messy frizz of what he thought used to be a protective hairstyle that her work day destroyed. Her boxy scrubs doing noting to hide her figure as the familiar logo of Star City General Hospital shined brightly.

“Dad.” Lian’s inpatient voice cuts through his daze as he looks to his daughter.

“Huh?” He says as his daughter giggles.

“I said, can I show Wren my room? I wanna show her all my Bluey toys.” She says excitedly.

His eyes briefly flickering over to the other excited little girl before stating gently, “I have no problem with it, but did you ask Wren’s mom if she can.”

“Yea! Miss (L/N) said it was alright.” She says happily.

‘Miss? I guess she’s not married…’ he thought as he handed Lian his keys with a joking quip, “Don’r throw a party while I’m over here talking to Miss (L/N).”

The girls giggle before running over to Roy’s apartment and entering. Roy stands up to his full height as he gives the mother a smile. She returns it with her own as she says,

“Normally Wren is pretty shy, so I was happy to see she made friends with a good kid.” She says as she pushes some stray hair out of her face before offering him her hand. “I’m (Y/N) by the way.”

“Roy. Roy Harper.” He introduces himself as he shakes her hand. He couldn’t help but smile brighter as they pulled their hands away, proud that his daughter helped out a new kid.

“Lian doesn’t have much of a shy side to her. I blame it on her mom’s genetics.” He jokes with a soft chuckle.

“You and your wife must be proud.” She says softly as she props her hip against the doorframe.

“Oh no, I’m not married.” He corrects her as he nervously stuffs his hands in his pocket as he felt a pang of gloom over his heart. “It’s just me and Lian.”

Her eyes dropped as she crosses her arms over her chest as she mumbles, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to assume…”

“No, youre alright.” He assures her with a shrug. “Honestly, I should be apologizing for your first impression of me being my kid locked out of my apartment.”

She giggles as she waves him off as she says, “Lian told me that her normal babysitters weren’t in town and that ‘Uncle Gar’ was suppose to be here.”

“Yeaaa.” He groans as he defends himself. “I promise that i’m normally on top of the babysitting situation since I normally work nights.”

She nods as she says, “I understand. I have to find my own babysitter now that I moved across the country. I work days at the hospital.”

The idea seeming to strike them at the same time as both their little girls scream in delight as they play in the apartment over.

A compromise between two single parents.

The deal was easy and benefited both of them. Since she had to work 12 hour shifts on a 3 on, two off basis, (Y/N) would drop the girls off at school on her way to work, and Roy adjusted his “work” time so he can be home when they come home from school and babysit until Wren’s mom gets off from work.

When (Y/N) was off and Roy is working, She will keep both girls at her apartment and gets them ready for school in the mornings before they tag off.

During the rare occurrence that Roy had to go away on a “business trip”, the girls would just be with (Y/N) full time with Roy’s promise that it will only be a week and he will watch them when the weekend comes so she can rest.

This has been the routine for three months, and Roy enjoyed it more than he should. It felt great knowing that Lian was in capable, non vigilante hands when he was away and she had a female role model to who doesn’t fight crime in spandex.

Roy also adored Wren. She took a minute to break out of her shell, but she reminded him a lot of Jason. A quiet type who surprised him with her temper and mischief. He can see why (Y/N) is the kind of parent she is and how she easily keeps Wren and Lian in line.

Over the weeks, Wren and Lian became the dynamic duo of Star Academy. They did everything together and would cry if they couldn’t. The two even begged their respective parents for matching Bluey backpacks and sparkly shoes so they can match all the time. They even developed a cute habit of leaving colored drawings under the apartment doors for the other to find. The friendship was very heart warming and helped form the bond between their parents.

The two had a lot in common too. More than they expected.

“Wanna beer?” Roy offered as he stood up from the couch.

“No thank you.” She answers as she focuses on wrapping the present infront of her.

Tomorrow was Wren’s birthday, and while the girls are having a sleep over in Lian’s room, Roy and (Y/N) prepped for her birthday party.

“You sure, doll?” He says as he grabs a couple beers. He sits beside her and holds his open bottle near her as he jokes. “You gonna let me drink alone, and make me look depressed?”

Her eyes darken as she scoots away from him. The air turning cold as she snaps on him. “I said No, Roy.”

Roy immediately freezes before frowning in concern. He puts the beer on the coffee table as he whispers to her. “Hey, I’m sorry…”

Her eyes relax as her shoulders slump. She sighs softly as she mumbles. “No, I’m sorry…”

She reaches into her pocket a pulls out a familiar looking token and hands it to him. A 5 year sobriety coin. His brows shoot up as he looks at her in shock.

She giggles somberly as she says, “it’s not mine. It’s my Dad’s.”

She pulls her knees to her chest as she looks to the wall around the muted tv. Pictures lining the wall of Lian and Roy with some of just them or with friends. She smiles softly as she recounts.

“My dad was a bad alcoholic, but a good dad. He would take me with him everywhere he could and it would be like everyday was a good day. I was too young to realize he drank too much or he yelled at my mom a little too harshly.” She says as she picks at the material of her socked covered feet.

“It wasn’t until I got pregnant with Wren that he realized he had to sober up. He managed to stay clean for almost 6 years until a drunk driver hit him.” She chuckles sadly as she sees the irony in her dad’s death. “He even help me leave my ex who was also a bad drinker. I guess seeing my dad doing it my whole life, I thought it was normal…”

Her arms wrapping around herself before finally looking back at Roy. Her eyes meeting his green ones, her gaze watery as she wipes the tears away.

“I’m sorry, that was too much to put on you..” she said as her voice wavers a bit. “You can drink though I don’t-“

Roy gets up and takes his beers to the kitchen. Confused by his abruptness, she follows him, only to see him dumping out his open beer and starting to dump out the other one. She looks at him confused as he finishes dumping the liquid out before he pulls out his wallet and pulls out a coin.

He hands both coins to her as she reads the one he pulled out of his wallet. 7 years sobriety.

“You were…?” She mumbles is disbelief before he answers.

“Yep, former heroine addict…” he says as he leans back against the counter. His arms flexing as he crosses his arms over his chest. His eyes shining with seriousness as he says,

“I understand why your dad got help. I did the same thing when I found out about Lian, and I don’t ever wanna do anything that can jeopardize giving her a better life than I had…”

An emotion crosses his face that makes her nervous but excited as he admits.

“And I don’t want to do anything that would drive you out of mine.”

“Please, (Y/N)!” Lian begs as Wren stands behind her with her puppy dog eyes shining behind her.

Those were the famous last words that were said when Lian and Wren convinced her to allow them to go to a slumber party while Roy was out of town. (Y/N) didn’t see the harm since it was Friday night and the girls had been good. Besides, Roy was supposed to be home late tonight so he can enjoy his Saturday morning resting.

It was a good idea. Or at least that’s what she thought before she got mugged on her way home from dropping off the girls.

The woman didn’t see it coming when she was snatched off the street and pinned to an alley wall as a disgust voice coos at her.

“Easy, Babygirl.” The masked man purrs as his dirty finger nails digged into her arms. “Just give me your purse and we can both walk away happy.”

“Fuck off!” She says as she tries to yank away from him .

“Now don’t be such a-!” His growl interrupted as the swoop of air shoots between them. She looks to where it lands and sees a red arrow buried into the wall behind them. The mugger was the first to look back to where it came from before gasping,

“Arsenal? What’s he doing here?” He curses as he pulls (Y/N) in front of him, making the struggling woman a human shield. “I’m armed, and I’m not afraid to hurt the bitch!” He says as he pulls out a knife and holds it to her neck.

(Y/N) only heard about the vigilante through the news. Apparently he used to be Green Arrow’s sidekick before he went solo for some reason and he was a rough guy. He works with the Red Hood who was known for killing criminals so she understood why the man was scared as a figure dropped down from a rooftop with his bow ready to shoot.

Her panic setting in as the bite of the blade was pressed hard to her neck, the anxious blade knicking her. Her panic eyes were set on the archer as she watches him slowly approach.

He looked…familiar. His height and built was impressive despite him being more on the leaner side and his features not obstructed by his sunglasses and hat reminded her of Roy…

“Let the girl go.” Arsenal warns the burglar. His voice was deep, but it didn’t sound natural. It was like he was trying to make his voice sound different. “You’re just pissing me off more and I’m gonna end up breaking your eye socket in.”

The criminal trembles before deciding the best escape plan. He grabs ahold of her purse before throwing her in Arsenal’s direction. Unprepared to the violent shove, (Y/N) falls to the ground before the vigilante can catch her. Her yelp filling space as the hero kneels down beside her to make sure she wasn’t stabbed.

“Hey, you alright?” He says as he scans her body for any serious injury.

She pushes herself up, cringes as her wrist throbs. His large gloved hands on her back and shoulder as he helps her stand when she notices his exposed arm. A familiar faded green tattoo visible on his bicep as the pieces fall together.

“Roy?…” She asks as she looks up Arsenal. Despite his eyes being covered, she can tell he was looking at her in a panic that she figured him out.

“Yea…” He confirms before looking behind her as he realizes the motherfucker stole her purse. He pulls his aviators down to the bridge of his nose, his eyes shining in concern as he mumbles to her.

“Go home. I’ll meet you there so we can talk about it.”

The look in his eyes and the pounding adrenaline makes her fear melt away as she nods her head.

“Okay.”

The throbbing pain in her wrist didn’t stop when she finally made it back to her apartment building, acting as her anchor as the revelation that Roy’s secret night job was him being a Robin Hood copycat.

Thinking back on it, she should have figured he wasn’t a normal guy. Constant bruises, noticeable limps, and stolen ibuprofen were a routine in their life.

The thought made her stop for a second in the stair way.

Their life. The one they shared for months basically together. At first it was just two single parents helping each other out while their daughters bonded. Then her and Roy began to get close, close enough to where they were constant in each other’s apartments as the other child was.

Now he saved her life…maybe he already did that the first day in the city and she babysat a kid she didn’t know…

As she reaches the arch way between the two apartments, her hands searches her pockets for her keys when disappointment answers her.

The keys were in her purse.

With a sigh, she decides to sit on the ground besides Roy’s door as she waits. (Y/N) curls herself into a ball with her knees to her chest as she felt the familiar feeling of exhaustion nipping her eyelashes.

(Y/N) was a hard working woman. When she wasn’t working herself like a dog in the Emergency Room, she was handling a 4 foot ball of attitude. She didn’t have time for any ventures outside of that. She loves Wren with all her heart, but that doesn’t help the hollow part of her heart from throbbing…maybe someday she can give Wren a father who’s worth something. But right now, she was too damn tired.

The door opens behind her as she jumps awake. The woman didn’t even realize she almost fell asleep, but a warm hand opens in front of her as she looks up.

Roy was standing in front of her now. A grey zip up was pulled over his shoulders to cover his costume as her purse hanged on his arm. His soft smile made her stomach flutter as he breaks the silence.

“I guess I got some explaining to do…”

She doesn’t respond right away. Instead she gives him her hand and stands up with his help. Her injured wrist cradled to her chest as they enter the apartment. The movement still felt natural despite the circumstances. Roy didn’t even have to ask about her arm to know she needed first aid on her wrist.

He tended to her sprained wrist as he tells her his life story. She already knew about the general events of his childhood and his life with Oliver Queen, but didn’t know he was a sidekick turned mercenary. The whole story made her head spin as she thought about the man tending to her as a boy wearing yellow and red spandex and managing to attract a female assassin who was Lian’s actual mother…

“So…” Roy says as he expects some sort of reaction out of her.

“So… You are a vigilante…Ollie and Dinah are too.” She recounts as she rubs her bandaged wrists. “And your ex is an assassin…”

(Y/N) sighs before looking at the nervous ginger fidgeting in his seat. His nerves were haywire.

‘What if she leaves?’

‘What if she doesn’t want anything to do with me or Lian anymore?”

‘Is she gonna keep Wren from Lian and Me?’

“Okay”

The phrase makes Roy’s neck snap was he blinks wildly at her. His heart pounding as he scans her completely calm face with a soft smile on her face as she giggles at his baffled expression.

“Okay? That’s all you gotta say?”

“I mean sure I’m not a fan of the whole putting yourself in danger shtick, but if that’s the only downside to you, then I’m okay with it.” She says calmly before giving him a serious glare. “Just as long as the girls are never endangered.”

Roy couldn’t help but fall out of his chair and on his knees infront of her as he laughs. His hands pulling her into his lap as he enjoys the chill of relief as his body yearns for the reassurance of her touch. It wasn’t until he cupped her face that he realized just how intimate their position was.

Definitely not something friends should be doing….

But are they just friends?

“Roy…” She mumbles. Her eyes speaking to his soul as the exhaustion and months of connecting and yearning reach the apex. Or maybe it was the reflection of his own feelings bubbling up as he moves her hair away from her face.

“I promise I’ll never let anything happen to you or our girls…I can’t afford to lose them…or us.”

The first move wasn’t clear. The blur of teeth and tongue distracting him as their hands held the pair close. His hands adjusting her to straddle his lap as hers ran through his hair and over his strong shoulders. His mouth trailing down her jawline and caresses her throat as her hips began to grind into his.

“Aw, poor thing…” Roy coos as his hips rolled to meet hers. His eyes shining with adoration as he marks her smooth skin. “How long has it been since anyone took care of you?”

She rolls her eyes at his teasing before pulling his head back by his hair. “When was the last time you got took care of, Red?”

He glares playfully with a smirk as he says, “Don’t call me Red.”

She giggles as she presses a soft kiss to his cheek before trailing along his jawline. Her breath burning his soul as she whispers, “Then how about…baby?”

He rips her back away by her nape before crashing his lips onto hers. The desperation dewing the walls around them as their soft moans and movement of clothes made their company.

His hands hungry as he finally pulls away from her long enough to push off her sweatshirt. A groan of appreciation fills the space as he admires her body. Every visible scar, freckle, mole, stretch mark, and roll made him want to explore every story that lead her to his arms. But that’s for another time.

His mouth watered as he looks back up at her.

“So pretty, Ma…”

His prayer is followed by his mouth devouring her skin as he kisses her collarbone. Her feathery moans filling the space while his hands caresses her exposed torso. He trails down to the valley of her breasts before pushing the offending bra up so they spill out. Roy couldn’t resist kissing around her sensitive skin, teasing her as her hands tangle in the mess of ginger on his head.

“Baby please…” she whines as her hips roll impulsively on his.

Her underwear was impossibly uncomfortable. Her body burning like iron as her intimate parts tried to cool down. The friction of her jean covered core against the rough tackle gear of his suit did not help as his hand began to grope her other breast.

His chuckle vibrates against the globe of fat as his fingers pinch the stiffening nub.

“Can’t wait to get me in bed? My, you certainly are a romantic.”

Before she can shoot back at him, he withdraws completely from her chest and his hands roughly cup her thighs. In a swift motion, Roy picks her up as he stands up from the floor. The pair share a soft laugh as her brief shock and his amusement leads them to his bedroom.

Once he places her on the bed, (Y/N) sheds off her sweatshirt and bra as Roy whistles in appreciation.

“I love when you strip for me.” He jokes as lust clouded his vision. “Can you do that again but slower?”

She glares at him as she leans back onto her hands as she tilts her head. Mischief fills her eyes as she examines him up and down with her lip between her teeth.

“Then how about you put a show on for me since you want one?” She teases.

His smirk widens as he decides to follow her suggestion. Roy rolls his shoulders back before reaching to slowly unzip the jacket covering his suit. Making a show of pulling it off his arms before twirling it over his head and tossing it.

Laughing follows his movements as he slowly strips off his gear as her hungry and amused eyes followed every rolling muscle exposed to her.

“Damn…” She whispers as a nearly nude Roy begins to crawl on the bed towards her. His prominent bones straining against his boxers as she continues. “And I wondered why you didn’t have a girlfriend…”

He laughs as he cages her in his arms. His ginger hair acting as a curtain over his forehead as he shrugs above her. “Maybe I was waiting on the right one.”

Their lips meet again as their hands began to map out each other. Soon all the rest of the clothes joined the floor.

His erection bobbing between them as his eyes remains trained on hers. His fingers trailing down to her exposed sex, groaning as he runs a finger between her folds.

“Already wet? And without foreplay?” He asks as faux sympathy plays on his face. “My darling clearly neglected that she gets wet from a few kisses…”

“I’m not neglected…” She protests before she whimpers as the bite from his finger entering her unused cunt hits her.

“I wasn’t talking body you directly, baby.” He corrects as his finger thrusts softly along her fleshy walls. The lewd sounds of her moans mixed with her wet sex made him melt as she begs,

“Fuck…quit teasing already, you bastard…”

He decides to oblige by adding another finger to speed up his pace. The thumb on the other hand joining the fun as it rubbed patterns into her puffy clit.

“I got get you all nice and ready..” Roy mumbles as he leans down to press soft kisses on her stomach up to her breasts. The mixture of gentle pecks mixed with the harsh stimulation below driving his lover insane as her hips arched to meet his hands.

“You deserve all that I can give for being such a good mom .” He praises her as he feels her walls clench around his knuckles when he finds the spongy mass he was searching for.

He contradicts himself by abusing that with archer like precision as the coil roughly tightens in her gut. (Y/N)’s gasps and cries desperate for the climax as she grips the hard flesh of his back. Just as she was reaching the peak, he stops.

“Asshole!” She curses at him as he pulls out of her. He chuckles before licking the tip of his soiled finger. Her eyes burning onto his mouth as he groans at the taste.

“Sweet as I thought..” he praises as he uses the hand to pump his cock. He climbs on top of her as he continues. “I’m gonna have to have a better taste next time, but I need you too bad right now…”

She calms her raging breaths as she smiles softly. “Next time?”

Roy pulls her legs up to her chest as he hooks her ankles on his shoulders. His red hot tip played with her clit as he rubs it through her soaked folds. He chuckles at her hopeful voice as he leans down to press a soft peck to her lips.

“Of course,” Roy whispers as his tip catches the entrance. “I don’t think I can go back to being friends after this..”

He slowly pushes into her as her hands shoot onto him as best she could. With her legs pinned to her chest, she can only grasp his bicep and his lower back as she is forced to endure the painful stretch of her neglected cunt welcoming him.

A groan ripping in his throat as he finally seats himself fully into her before peppering kisses on her face.

“Was gonna ask you out on a nice date without the kids around…gonna see if we would be a good fit.” He mutters as his mind seems to run on blanks. His hips rolling to gain some friction in the tight confines of her walls.

Her little breathless moans encouraging him as Roy begins to thrust shallowly to work her open before he pulls out almost completely. He slams back into her befor continuing his non coherent comment.

“But fuck…I don’t regret this. God, if I knew you would look so fucking hot in my bed…” He groans as his head dips to bite along her neck. “And your pussy is so tight…It’s driving me crazy. I wonder how a sweet thing like you could like me…”

His cock messaging all the right nerves in her as (Y/N)’s nails clawed into him. Her moans turning to incoherent shrieks as his tip abuses her spot, remembering exactly where it was when he found it earlier. Her guts twisting at both the words and his abusing pace. The denied orgasm from earlier building back up as her desperation grew wilder.

“God, Roy…So full…so good.”

Fuck she looked pretty. Her lips wet with tears and sip as she cries. Her eyes blown out in addictive lust and watery tears. Roy couldn’t help but cup her jaw in his hand and kisses her. The now familiar taste of mint and nicotine making her more addicted as his tongue claimed every inch of hers. He pulls away as his groans start matching her whines as his hand snakes between them to rub her clit.

“Honey, I may have to fuck a baby into you…” He mumbles as he buries his face in her neck. Her walls responding in a vice grip as he roughens his pace to meet their impending climax. “You like that, pretty girl? Want me to knock you up and give Wren and Lian a little sibling? Give you a nice big family with a white picket fence? God, you’re such a sweet thing that I wouldn’t mind keeping you as my pretty little girlfriend…”

“Roy!” She whines as her body shakes. Her walls closing in on him as she finally reaches her peak. Her eyes rolling back as stars cross her vision before Roy slams into her one more time as his hot cum fills her welcoming womb.

The pair remain still for a moment as soft pecks were exchange. Roy gently pulls out before he helps his love stretch back out. His hands massaging her thighs before grabbing his abandoned jacket to wipe her thighs and himself clean.

“You wanna go out tomorrow?” Her cracked voice catching the archer off guard before he smiles.

“With or without children?”

“Without. They are at a sleep over and gonna go to the zoo tomorrow with their friends.”

“Then it’s a date.”

A/N: Okay I didn’t know how to end this because Ngl I was tired on working on this tbh. I hope y’all enjoyed reading this and let me know what you think. Comments and reblogs are encouraged.

@simpingforheros fanfic. I DO NOT CONDONE MY WORKS TO BE STOLEN, PLAGIARIZED, COPIED, REPOSTED, OR TRANSFERRED ONTO OTHER BLOGS, ACCOUNTS, AND WEBSITES.

[uceyliyahh]

UNDER YOUR TOUCH

Summary: After her difficult breakup, Tiana wanted to start anew with her life. That's when she realized her life would be better when she met him.

This fanfic is 18+! NO MINORS ALLOWED

word count: 4776

smut warning; it’ll come in the story randomly so PLEASE PLEASE look out for it I’m not really good at writing ✍🏽 smuts but I’m improving at the moment.

Jey Uso x Tiana

AWFUL GRAMMAR IM GETTING BETTER I SWEAR LOL.

comments, likes, repost are appreciated I would love the constructive feedback in what area I need to approve in. 🤍

ALSO! I don’t not want nobody stealing my fanfics or take it as theirs that will be an issue fasho so keep it cute respectfully.

I only own my OC along with the make up scenarios

But I’ll be writing along the way since this story is in my drafts on Wattpad right now so yuh. 💁🏽‍♀️

TAGS ⬇️ lmk if you wanna be tag 🏷️@pinkwithhearts @420days @jstarr86 @empressdede @angiedawn02 @biancasreign

@punksyeet @bebesobrielo @aikosilo @hunnidmilly @zillasvilla @fearlesschimera @xbriexx @lov3rla03 @bloodlinesbabe93

@charmed-dreamssss @yana3sworld @partypoison00 @magnificentbouquetmusic @mselenalovebug @skyesthebomb

@reignsboy19 @papi-priest @celesteheartsjey

24.

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tianasworld: can't wait for our big day today 🥹 uceyjucey: ik mama can't wait to see you in your dress walking down the aisle. 🫶🏼 tianasworld: @ uceyjucey 🥹🥹 biancabelairwwe: my bestie is getting marrieddddd!! trinity_fatu: @ biancabelairwwe ikrrrr like im so proud of them. jonathanfatu: Uce is getting married finally uceyjucey: @ jonathanfatu gtfo Uce 😭😭 romanreigns: ♥️ zillafatu: I'm so proud of you cuz @ uceyjucey

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TIANA It was the day I was finally getting married to the love of my life. If someone had told the old me years ago that I would leave a toxic relationship with my ex, move to California with my best friend, and fall in love with a Samoan man, I would have laughed in their face.

Jey and I flew out to Maui, Hawaii, together for our wedding day. Instead of booking a hotel room, we opted for an Airbnb, which turned out to be aesthetically pleasing and beautiful. I also rented a car for us to drive around so we wouldn't have to rely on Ubers or Lyfts.

biancabelairwwe replied to your story: WE ARE OTWWW YOU BETTER GIVE ME A TOUR OF THE AIRBNB trinity_fatu replied to your story: brings back memories honestly I can't wait to see you in your dress girl. MontezFordWWE replied to your story: I'm honestly proud of ya'll man. MrsJackson replied to your story: what a disgrace my son could've took you there to get married if you would've gave him a chance. jonathanfatu replied to your story: sister-in-law getting marriedddd

I rolled my eyes at his mom for still defending her worthless son. But I decided to let it go because I had better things to worry about. Gianna was with her grandma since I didn't want her to get sick or anything. This way, Jey and I could have some alone time during our honeymoon.

I finally made it to the house and parked in the driveway, turning off the car's ignition while grabbing my purse and house keys. Meanwhile, Jey was retrieving our luggage from the trunk. As I unlocked the door, I looked around the house. It was just perfect, exactly as I had imagined it would be. They had given us Hawaiian orchids to wear before we arrived, and I was already in love with them.

I put one in my hair and draped others around my neck, admiring the scenery and watching the waves move back and forth. There was a pool out back as well, and I knew the girls were going to love this.

Jey came in with our luggage and placed it next to the closet by the door before putting it inside. He walked up behind me, wrapped his strong arms around my waist, and spun me around as I squealed.

"Oh my—"

"Oh my God, girl, I can't believe we are here right now!" Jey said as he planted kisses all over my face.

"I know, Papa. I'm so excited about this, our moment together," I replied, holding his hands in mine.

He didn't know I had something planned for our honeymoon after the wedding. There's a private island for couples to have their honeymoons, so I booked it for us without him even knowing.

"What time do you think everyone will be here?"

"I would probably say around the afternoon or evening time before the wedding starts because we have to get everything done before then," I said as he nodded his head.

✧.* Everyone showed up as I was in my room getting my makeup done by Bianca, and Trinity was curling my hair with the curling iron that she had brought from home.

While they were doing that, we heard the door knocking. I told them to come in without even knowing who the person was, and that's when I heard the voice. It was my mother and father coming in to see me.

"Papa! Mama! You made it," I said excitedly, giving them both a tight hug without messing up my makeup.

"We couldn't miss out on your big day, Tink. You look so beautiful in your dress," my mother said, tears forming in her eyes.

Not wanting to mess up my makeup I fanned my eyes out so that I wouldn't cry, Trinity gave my mother a tissue as she patted underneath her eyelid getting the wet tears out.

"We are so proud of you Tink, you have overcome many obstacles and challenges throughout your way but you managed to push through," I loved my father so much giving me encouragement and confidence I gave them one last hug before they could held out to their seats.

Bianca and Trinity continued to work their magic on me, telling me that they were so happy for me that I could finally be at peace with the love of my life.

I was so grateful to have them as my bridesmaids, and then I saw the love of my life standing there waiting for me.

After they finished my makeup, the door opened, and I saw my father coming in. He looked inside the mirror while I did the same.

"Are you ready, dear?" He asked me.

I nodded my head as my nerves went away, feeling a sense of peace knowing that I could finally be happy. I bid my goodbyes to the girls as I heard the music playing in the background.

It was my favorite song ever, and I especially hoped that it could be used in my wedding when I walked down the aisle.

'The day we met Frozen I held my breath Right from the start I knew that I'd found a home for my heart'

When I came down the steps, seeing my father and his father waiting on me for this special moment, my nerves started to come back again, and I began to breathe in and out to calm myself down.

I went towards them, intertwining my arms into theirs while they began walking me down the aisle. When I tell you, my mouth dropped at the outside venue; it was so gorgeous and pretty.

'Beats fast Colors and promises How to be brave? How can I love when I'm afraid to fall? But watching you stand alone All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow'

I saw everyone standing up, congratulating me, including his family members and cousins. When I looked at him, he was standing there trying to keep his composure as he used both of his hands against his face.

'One step closer'

He looked so good in his suit, with a fresh haircut, his Cuban silver chain, and a Rolex watch on his wrist. He never fails to look good.

After his father and mine walked me down the aisle, my father came up to Jey, gave him a hug, and whispered in his ear.

"Take care of my daughter Joshua; she's a precious soul," He whispered as Jey nodded his head.

"Don't worry, pops; I will," Jey whispered back as they turned around and stared at me.

We both smiled at each other trying our best to keep our composure together while being like this, ion' think I will be after we say our vows.

'I have died everyday waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more'

Everyone sat down in their seats as the pastor began to speak.

"Dear beloved, we are gathering here today in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and woman in matrimony," Pastor Paul said.

"Today, these two soulmates join together with a declaration of love as they embark on their journey in life together." As he continued to speak, Jey and I couldn't stop stealing glances at each other, smiling at the fact that we were getting married.

"The bond and covenant of this marriage was established by God in creation; during this union, Tiana and Joshua now come joined. If any of you can show or have any reasoning to why they shouldn't be together, speak now or forever hold your peace,"

It was silent I was hoping hearing from a certain person but I guess they didn't show up which that gave me a sense of relief honestly I had enough of her shit anyways including is mother.

The pastor continued to speak as he turned his attention toward my father, who was standing there with his arms in mine.

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Pastor Paul asked.

"I do, Pastor. I am giving him every single blessing to be with my daughter, " my father said, and the pastor nodded his head.

My father gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek before heading back to his seat with my mother while the Pastor continued. After he was done speaking, it was time for Jey and I to take our vows together.

I could see that Jey was losing his composure, tears falling from his cheeks as he held my hands and smiled at me.

"Tiana, ever since I met you, you have brought nothing but pure joy into my life, especially when dealing with a lot of things that came from my past. You were right there, never leaving my side. I always want you to know that I will ride with you, protect you, and love you down with all of my heart forever. I love you so much," he confessed as I wiped his tears from his face, smiling at him.

"Joshua...oh Joshua...you have been the perfect man for me ever since I met you; you showed me how much you loved me and, if I would've told myself years ago that I would be married to someone who loves me unconditionally the old me probably would've laugh honestly, but you've been so caring and loving especially with being a great father to our daughter Gianna you mean the world to me and I'll ride with you until the day I die love and I mean it honestly," I said, feeling tears coming down my cheeks, feeling him wipe them off for me.

Jonathan's son came over with the rings, and he gave them to Jey and me so that we could put them on our fingers.

"Tiana Cole Hayes, will you have this man to be your Husband, to live together with him in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others, be faithful unto him as long as you both live?" Pastor Paul said.

"I do,"

He turned toward Jey's direction, "Joshua Samuel Fatu, will you have this woman to be your Wife, to live together with her in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful unto her as long as you both live?" Jey nodded his head before speaking.

"Yes, I do,"

Jey began to place my ring on the left side of my finger, saying, "I give you this ring as a symbol of my love. With all that I am and all that I have, I honor you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Afterward, I placed his ring on the right side of his finger before speaking my vows.

"I give you this ring as a symbol of my love, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I have honored you, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and in Holy Spirit," I said as the pastor joined our right hands together.

"These two have spoken and confessed their love for each other in the name of Jesus and the Holy Spirit I Pronounced you as Mrs and Mr Fatu!" He said as everyone stood and began to clap their hands for us.

Jey pulled me in for a passionate kiss, swirling his tongue inside of my mouth as I wrapped my arms around him.

'Time stands still Beauty and all she is I will be brave I will not let anything take away What's standing in front of me Every breath, every hour has come to this'

He picked me up bridal-style as we walked down the aisle together. While he carried me down, I heard his family shouting Uso, which I found assuming.

'One step closer'

✧.* We were all outside on the beach enjoying the evening sunset. I saw the wahine ladies dancing, moving their hips back and forth, which I joined in, hearing cheers from everyone.

Jey and I were next to our cake as we cut the first piece together while the photographers took our pictures together. I fed him a piece of the cake, and he did the same with me, kissing me on the lips with a little bit of icing on our lips.

'I have died everyday waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more'

After doing that, I pulled Jey to the side as his eyebrows furrowed a bit before speaking. "What's up, mama?" He asked me.

"I have a surprise for you tonight for our honeymoon, so imma have to blindfold you for it," I said, with a smirk on my face.

"Ight then, baby," He placed a kiss on my cheek before leaving to see the guys.

That's when I heard my father tapping on his glass. It went silent for a moment before he started speaking. "I just wanted to make this announcement to my beautiful daughter Tiana and her husband Joshua, " he continued.

"I want to welcome you to the family, son, and thank you for taking my daughter out of that toxic situation with that nigga Malakai I'm glad she has you in her life right now she deserves the whole world like no other," My father said as he blew me a kiss while I did the same.

When Bianca and Montez came up on the mic, I just knew it was going to be emotional for the three of us.

"Well, I want to say congratulations to the newlywed couple but also to say that I am proud of my bestie. She has been through hell and back, especially dealing with that man she was with. If Montez and I didn't help her escape from him, who knows what could've happened to her? Tiana means a lot to me and Montez. I'm so thankful for Joshua. honestly, if I didn't tell her about your tattoo shop, we wouldn't be here today, honestly, but imma say this I TOLD YOU SO TINK!" Bianca said as I just rolled my eyes at her and threw up the middle finger at her.

As more people came up to the microphone, congratulating us and such, then here came Jonathan and Trinity on the mic.

"Yo! Uce I just wanted to say as yo' big brother I am proud you I'm glad you found your soulmate man it's so glad to see you smile," Jonathan said.

"Also, I wanted to say welcome to the family, Tiana! I can't wait for us to spend more time together and have girls' nights out," Trinity said as I kissed her.

Joshua's mother and father came on the microphone, tapping on it, making sure that it was on.

"I'm proud of you Joshua; as your mother I'm proud of the man that you have become and finding your soulmate that will ride for you forever...I'm not good a speeches but Tiana we welcome you in open arms to our family I promise my son will take good care of you okay? I love yall so much," Mama Talisua said I wiped the tears from my eyes with a napkin blowing a kiss towards her way.

It seemed like everyone was done speaking on the microphone, or so I thought. That's when I heard a familiar voice that I didn't even want to hear.

When I turned around, I saw his mother and Kehlani standing there with their arms crossed around their chests.

"You're such a pick-me-ass bitch! You stole him from me! And ruined Kai's life with your allegations," Kehlani said as I rolled my eyes at her.

'And all along I believed I would find you Time has brought your heart to me I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more'

'This bitch can't be serious right now?'

"Yeah! Now my son is in jail because of you! You ran off to get married to this idiot! He's not better than my son!" Mrs Jackson shouted.

That's when I heard Jey shouting, causing everyone to go silent, "Honestly, imma give y'all five fucking seconds to leave, or imma have both of yall asses dragged the fuck out of here! I'm not going to tolerate both of yall ruining something special for me and Tiana! All because y'all feel bitter about us! Whomp whomp! Now get the fuck outta here will allat bullshit mane!" Everyone didn't say a word. I'm not going to lie. It turned me on seeing him all worked up like this over me.

The security took them away as they screamed and hollered, trying to protest, but it didn't work. I walked up towards Jey, rubbing against his back as he looked up at me.

"Honestly, you look so sexy being all worked up, papa," I said seductively.

"Yeah? I can be more worked up in that pussy when we leave to your "surprise" mamas," He said in a deep and low tone.

It sends vibrations down my spine towards my pussy, hearing him say all of that to me.

✧.* OMNISCIENT Tiana and Jey finally made it to the private island, which was so beautiful even though it was far from where everyone else was.

She had blindfolded Jey so that he wouldn't be able to see. She walked him down from the boat, thanking the driver, and continued to walk him down towards the house.

"Mama, are we even there yet, girl? Got me out here like you kidnapped me and shit," Jey questioned her.

"Yes, Josh, we are here. Boy, relax. I'm finna take the blindfold off of you," she said as she took the blindfold off his eyes.

When she did that, his eyes widened, and he saw the sight of the island—it looked so gorgeous in his eyes—as he stared at her with a smile on his face.

"Tink, this is so beautiful, girl. Did you plan all of this for us?" he asked.

"Of course, love. I wanted us to have alone time together for our honeymoon away from everyone else," Tiana replied as she kissed him on the cheek.

'Ooh-ooh Ooh-ooh I love you for a thousand more Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh-ooh Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh'

Jey scooped her up by the legs, carrying her bridal style towards the house, causing her to squeal. They both finally came inside the house, and Jey put her down while they looked around the house.

While they were looking around, Tiana went upstairs to look for something that Jey didn't know she had bought before coming down here. It was probably something that he wanted to do to her anyway but just never said.

Upon looking for what she was looking for, she smiled and went downstairs, seeing Jey sitting on the couch waiting for her. He looked up at her, tilting his head a bit, trying to make out what she had in her hand, spinning it around.

"Mamas, what's that in yo' hand?"

"What has something been on your mind ever since we've been together?" She questioned him.

He shrugged his shoulders before saying something, and then it clicked in his mind, and a smirk appeared on his face.

"Hm, how about I put those handcuffs on you and fuck you senselessly, yo' ass better not run from me either,"

SMUT WARNING Jey was beating her guts in along with having the fluffy handcuffs around her back, giving her left ass cheek a smack causing her to whine.

He pulled on the handcuffs digging his dick deep inside of her as she was moaning his name loudly it was music to his ears.

'One step closer'

"Fuckkkk Josh...fuckkk I-I C-can't," Tiana moaned breathlessly she couldn't escape without falling over the bed.

"Uh-Huh, mama you can take it, take all of this dick," He rasped as he continued to beat her shit in.

'I have died everyday waiting for you Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more'

She had her face smashed into the pillow hearing nothing but muffled moans and whines throughout all of this as he was beating the drums out of her gushy insides he grabbed a whole load of her hair pulling her closer to his warm body.

Tiana had her eyes rolling in the back of her head as her lips parted while Jey wrapped his hand around her throat firmly bringing his lips onto hers as they roughly kissed each other.

'And all along I believed I would find you Time has brought your heart to me I have loved you for a thousand years I'll love you for a thousand more'

Skins were slapping against each other, making a sticky sound as Jey continued to thrust his hips deeper inside of her, placing wet kisses on her neck.

"This my pussy mama? Hm? Looking so sexy with these handcuffs around yo' wrist," Tiana couldn't even comprehend what he just said as her mind went foggy from his deep strokes that she was getting from him.

Earning a slap on the ass causing Tiana to wince at the stinging sensation, "e tatau ona ou toe fai a'u pepe? ta'u mai o le pusi lea a tama," his Samoan language rolled of his tongue like fine wine.

"Yesss daddy this is all yours...you fuck me so good..." Tiana mewled weakly, gripping onto his mullet.

His dick stuffed her up so good it just made her go stupid as she began throwing it back onto him, which caught him off guard as he pounded into her matching her movements.

"Ouuu fuck mama...fai a'u ua nuti," He demanded, throwing his head back in pleasure.

"C'mon baby keep goin' fo' me, keep goin'" The way he was talking to her with his low and deep voice made her even more wetter than she was before.

Tiana didn't know how much she could take at the moment, feeling her toes curling as a pit went down her stomach, knowing that she was going to cream all over this man.

She wanted to break free from the handcuffs but couldn't as she continued to throw her ass back onto him.

Jey looked down at his perfect view of his wife's ass seeing her arch being aligned so perfectly, tucking the bottom of his lip in.

"Fuckkk Daddy...pleaseee," Tianna begged him as he slapped her on the ass.

"Please what baby? You finna cum?"

"Yesss! Please let me cum daddy I'm begging you," He loved the way she was begging for him so that she can cum all over him.

Her legs started to shake and become fragile while her whole body was laid out on the bed but did he care? No, he didn't care.

She felt his dick twitching inside of her, knowing that he was going cum, but she didn't want him to nut in her since they just had their baby girl, Gianna.

His movements kept getting sloppier and sloppier by each thrust he had given her driving her insane, that's when he put up the one leg up and one leg down combo on her ass hearing her moan his name loudly.

He had a satisfying smile on his face hearing her screaming his name for dear life, she felt tears coming down her face along with some of her drool that was coming from her mouth moving towards their pillow.

She was begging him to slow down, but he didn't listen, having that determination to get his nut. Grabbing her by the throat, drilling her gushy insides while gripping onto her hips tightly.

He put his lips on her ear before whispering, "Do you think you deserve daddy's nut, baby? Hm?" Tiana nodded her head, gripping her throat a little bit more tightly.

"Yes Daddy I deserve it I want it!" Tiana whined desperately as her body ache.

"Yeah? Lemme' put one in you then princess," at this point she didn't care they'll buy a plan b in the morning she just wanted this to be over.

Tiana let out a loud moan as she came all over Jey's dick, shaking uncontrollably and almost collapsing, but Jey caught her before she could.

After a few more deep strokes, he gave her. Jey filled her up with his warm seeds like a Twinkie while having a satisfying groan escape his lips before pulling out of her.

SMUT OVER.

Jey pulled out of her, seeing her collapsed on the bed trembling as he went to get the keys to the handcuffs. As he unlocked the handcuffs, she couldn't move an inch, so he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist and planting nothing but kisses all over her body.

Her body felt at ease, feeling his kisses and him rubbing her thighs. Jey gazed up at her, kissing her on the lips.

"You good baby?" He asked as she gazed down at him giving him a faint smile.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay probably can't walk for the next few days," she said as he chuckled at her before placing a soft kiss on her temple.

Her and Jey snuggled up in the blankets together admiring each other's features watching the sun seat.

"I love you so much Tink let's began our new chapter together," Jey pulled his pinkie out.

"I love you too bubba forever," Tiana said as she interlocked her pinkie with his.

Under Your Touch.

uceyjucey, trinity_fatu, biancabelairwwe, and others liked your post.

tianasworld: Mr and Mrs Fatu 09/20/2023 🥹🤍 uceyjucey: can't wait to be on this journey together mama I love you so much🫶🏼 tianasworld: @ uceyjucey I love you too bubba🫶🏼 biancabelairwwe: yall stop, yall is finna make me cry again bro trinity_fatu: I love you guys so much 🫶🏽 tianasworld: @ trinity_fatu We love you too rikishi: Love yall so much ♥️ jonathanfatu: I'm rooting for yall fr fr shelovesemma: I'm so happy for you guys honestly 🥹🥹

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tianasworld, jonathanfatu, MontezFordWWE, and others liked your post.

uceyjucey: Officially Married to my lover 09/20/2023😩🤍 tianasworld: we are in this together baby let's began exploring and learning new things together. 🫶🏼🩷 uceyjucey: @ tianasworld yes baby 🩷 jonathanfatu: I'm proud of you little bro you're now a married man 😀 uceyjucey: @ jonathanfatu don't start 🙄 MontezFordWWE: nigga is married nowwww thank you for coming into Tiana's life Uce. Bless Yall. 🤍 rikishi: ♥️ zillafatu: Maneee I'm so proud of you Cuzzo like fasho romanreigns: proud of you. ♥️ helovelani: this is fucking disgraceful this should have been me. uceyjucey: @ helovelani GTFO like respectfully it smells like you're bitter asf right now. 🙄 americannightmarecody: Proud of you Uce YEET! samizayn: I love to see it ♥️

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A/n: I'm not crying I swear like honestly 😭😭 but I want to thank every single one of yall for tuning into this story I wasn't expecting everyone to like it or enjoy it but I'm glad yall did honestly.

Now it's time for focus on my two new fanfics  will be updating but I hope yall enjoy the final chapter of Under Your Touch.

Stay Ucey.

[lillified]

can i ask the main inspo for your decepticons designs? mainly starscream and megatron…

hi! honestly it’s been so long that I don’t remember exactly what I was thinking—I believe I made my first drafts for their designs when I was 17 and it was kind of a mashup of a lot of robots I liked. my main reason for making them was to separate my robot art from canon and make it clear that what I was doing was part of my own personal, more “mature” little continuity, lol. also, before them I’d drawn mostly transformers prime art and I’ve always liked drawing noses so this gave me an excuse

Megatron and Starscream in particular are definitely the ones most people consider iconic, but they’re also some of the biggest pains—you’ll probably notice that a lot of the details of their designs have changed over time, and that’s because I wasn’t very good at drawing robots or armor when I first made them and I’ve had to adjust a lot of stuff about them to work in 3D. they’re still probably the easiest and quickest to draw just from a familiarity standpoint (another side effect of them being older is that they’re pretty straightforward and plain compared to my modern design sensibilities), but I’ve had to make a lot of fixes over the years to improve the designs without getting rid of what people like about them. They’re major pains!

anyway, sorry for the tangential ramble, I hope that at least somewhat answers your question! thank you!

[fountainpenguin]

Mind Over Magic

Crocker stuffing the cafeteria ceiling full of Fs...

So funny that A.J.'s reaction to Timmy getting answers right on a quiz is that he's lucky and Chester just assumes Timmy cheated somehow.

Wanda really has no filter... She'll just call her godchild a jerk with no hesitation. lmao.

I love Veronica's crush on Timmy.

Elmer has life so freakin' rough. There's just one kid in this class who's inexplicably possessed... incredible. <- Has a sudden urge to binge "Never Had a Friend Like Me" again.

I totally forgot Crocker knows about Elmer's mind control situation (or at least, we know Elmer asked him about it and Crocker promised to help him).

Wanda holding an entire armful of candy while Timmy gets only one piece... lol.

Hard Copy

Remembering how afraid Cosmo is of the doctor... Me glancing awkwardly at my 'fics like "Yeah, that tracks."

Cracks me up that Wanda and Juandissimo have an ongoing relationship of her using him "as bait." That's just what they are and he will play along every time... They are so funny.

This is such a good episode for Wanda... All the magical mistakes and poor choices in this episode are hers. I like when she pulls a jar of jam from the copier and starts eating it, completely forgetting what Timmy asked for... or when she and Timmy eat cake instead of solving the magical mishap affecting them. Very Season 7-esque when they have a tea party while Cosmo's gone ("Super Zero").

RIP Flipsie's indoctrination into a life of crime.

Parenthoods

Still so funny that Cosmo loves Canada in this episode and then in Season 7, you learn he's convinced his brother invented Canada.

I want Hazel to meet Schnozmo so bad...

Every time Mr. Turner calls his wife nicknames like Snugglebutt I lose my mind. Man just loves fawning over his wife.

Lol, there's a scene in Frayed Knots I wrote years ago that we're almost upon, and it draws directly from this episode (Anti-Wanda convinced the Anti-Fairy legal system will see her through).

Timmy has some really cute body language in this episode.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite episodes- it's just so silly and cute. Good use of magic and shapeshifting, lots of fun jokes like magic bending the fabric of the world like a map (or Timmy trying to assist with a theft).

-> I have a draft somewhere where I note down odd things that aren't against Da Rules, and I think "Assisting with crime" is one I need to add.

THERE THEY ARE! Cosmo and Wanda turn into rats at the end of this episode, and I think that's the shape of the rat I saw during my first watch of "1500 Minutes of Fame" and wondered if I'd seen it before. I'll have to compare these sometime.

The Big Superhero Wish

I have a soft spot for "Big Superhero Wish" because it's one of the first episodes I ever saw (during a visit to a pizza place when the sound was muted).

-> I think it's a fun one in the way it looks at relationships between random schoolkids (Especially Veronica). I also enjoy how Chester gets to chew through matter in this episode and then when you get to Season 5, he's trying to chew his way out of the F.U.N. Academy with the same "Munch munch munch" dialogue he does here.

Apparently Nega-Chin can tell Timmy and Remy apart even though regular Crimson Chin can't.

Timmy drowning in papers marked F followed by "Cool, there's a D in here!"

I like watching Timmy's average problems like getting picked on and wanting a glass of milk to cheer him up, but not even getting that.

Minotaur Francis is everything to me...

I like how Crocker knows a lot about comics, but specifically because he's confiscated them from kids during class. Playing that against his miserable child upbringing is kind of funny... I wonder if he read many comics as a kid, or if that's not something he ever really wished for.

Actually, Timmy being cut off before finishing a wish is something I would've liked to see more often. It's just silly. The tension balance in this episode once the heroes are wished away and villains stay is pretty good.

ksdlkfj, "I used my regular kid window-opening powers!" Elmer...

Totally forgot Chester ran up to Vicky and bit her on the leg, oh geez.

"My nega-vision will cut through your bodies like nega-vision!"

I would've loved an episode where Timmy goes into the real world to rescue the writer of the Crimson Chin comics since this episode ends with the Nega-Chin taking him captive. Alas. I guess I could write a 'fic about that, but I think it defeats the point a little when the visuals aren't going to change, haha.

I really want to watch "Masked Magician" again now, but I think that's later in Season 5 so it'll come up later in my binge.

Vicky Loses Her Icky

Ooh, Sanderson head gag means "Pixies Inc." is coming up after this!

This episode is so goofy. Timmy's parents hire Vicky to babysit Timmy while they sit in the car in the driveway, waiting to be hungry enough to leave to the restaurant.

I wonder why I always see people complain this episode is annoying for "giving Vicky the backstory of being evil due to being bitten by a bug," because it's clearly stated that the bug came about because she was mean and Cosmo and Wanda had to give it physical form to remove it [Wanda claiming "All that evil has to go somewhere"]. /shrug

Here it is! I've been trying to remember what the "corn on Pluto" episode was.

I don't... I don't love Vicky saying she's leaving to donate organs. Are they HER organs?

Alarm bells instantly ringing when Vicky offers to dig people basements. I don't think Dale would like that.

Shout-out to Timmy's dad being rescued from the evil bug and immediately saying, "Hey, we're at the Cake 'N Bacon... Are we at least being nice?"

President dressing up like George Washington was such a funny way to avoid depicting a specific president.

Pixies Inc.

My boys are in the house!!

How have I literally never noticed Timmy's in the Future Business Leaders of America club...

Y'know, I always thought H.P. was just blatantly losing the golf game despite cheating, but watching again, the reason he has more strokes than Timmy in golf is because he went first.

Never not funny how many emotions the Pixies show when they're actually spooked or sad. They talk in monotone, but still make expressions... and that's not even counting their silly dialogue. I love them.

Dale Dimmadome & H.P. dynamic is so silly to me... Dale grew up around Dimmadome Farms [implied] and runs a burger chain, and the soy- & rice-loving Pixies aren't exactly known for eating meat. I just want them to try getting on the same page and continually hit roadblocks that make it weird.

Baby Face

I had no memory of "Baby Face" coming immediately after "Pixies Inc.," but oh my gosh does that make the "Gary and Betty seemingly knew about Pixies the whole time" theory funnier.

There they are! My other sillies are in the house!

Wait.......... hold up. Were Gary and Betty in the room when Timmy made his baby wish? -> There... there's no door behind them when the camera pans over.

They are so dang sus. Why were these babies unsupervised. Why did they not hesitate for a split-second before cramming Francis in a teeny tiny cage..... They are my everything.

crying at the huge crash sound effect that hits as Gary and Betty open the door off-screen. Why are they like that...

I say this every time I watch this episode, but Gary and Betty opting not to help a crying child and instead lock him in a soundproof dome is so dang funny. These two should not be left with kids. If they show up in New Wish with the Pixies, I will die actually... I still can't believe we got a Flappy Bob cameo. My son.

I feel like Vicky knowing Gary's and Betty's fun box song by heart is such a neat detail. Why is she hanging out with them. Why would they ever hang out with her. Fascinating...

Mr. Right

Another of the episodes I watched muted at a pizza place once upon a time...

Timmy and Melvin shoved into the same locker is giving me Leonard/Tammy flashbacks.

Elmer really doesn't keep his problems secret, huh? ("The boil doesn't like to be touched!")

Shout-out to the running gag of Francis scheduling his beatings.

I wonder why Vicky didn't go to school. The elementary school got out early. Maybe "recording Timmy's pain for future generations as a short film" was her homework.

...... Okay, actually.... I can TOTALLY see why A.J. goes on to found the Galax Institute in A New Wish based on his sudden uptick of interest in Timmy after noticing he's right all the time. I guess he really will chase the unexplained!

I love Francis... "Guess what I have behind my back. And don't say scorpion, because I checked." <- Guy who's really itching to finish my "Francis with a fairy godparent" 'fic...

lol, is Wanda's signature in her poof cloud the same as her signature when she signed papers in "Pixies Inc."? I think it might be.

That's all for now.

[tremendouskoalachild]

Wookiee Jedi: A History

Wookiees. Jedi. Wookiee Jedi. How could you not love them? I’ve decided to compile a hopefully exhaustive little list of all Wookiee Jedi in Star Wars, canon or not. They are ordered chronologically by their introduction and sorted by decade.

The 90s or: Lowbacca, a category of his own

The first Wookiee Jedi in Star Wars was Lowbacca, nicknamed Lowie, introduced in 1995. He was Chewbacca’s nephew and one of the principal characters in the Young Jedi Knights book series, where he trained as one of the students at Luke’s Jedi academy alongside Han and Leia’s kids. He remained a quite frequent side character in later books, especially the New Jedi Order series.

Lowbacca was literally and figuratively exiled in the Dark Nest trilogy (2005) after Lucas banned Wookiee Jedi (we’ll get to that). He did appear in books since then until the cancellation of the now-Legends timeline, although less frequently than before. His appearances in late-stage Legends content are usually related to Wookiees and Kashyyyk specifically, rather than as just another Jedi knight, and mostly reserved for Troy Denning’s novels. Important fact to know about Lowie: I love him.

The 2000s and The Ban

The early 2000s saw the introduction of several Wookiee Jedi, although always as very minor characters. The first one we need to discuss for completeness’ sake is, no joke, Unidentified Wookiee Jedi. We know next to nothing about them: they appear briefly in the background of a 2000 book as a student of the new Jedi Order. This is contemporary with Lowbacca’s time but due to other storylines we can rule out that this Jedi is him. I suppose you can decide for yourself whether this is a simple continuity error, or a random background character used to characterize the setting of Luke’s Order as a harmonious multispecies organization (while utilizing a well-known Star Wars alien species).

For more senior – and named – Jedi we have Master Tyvokka, member of the Council, introduced in 2001. He appears in the flashbacks of a single issue of the Republic comic line by John Ostrander, though he is mentioned in several following issues. He is technically canon despite only appearing in the old continuity due to a mention in reference to Plo Koon, who was his student in both continuities. I think he’s cool for the simple fact that he used a yellow lightsaber. We know Lucas was familiar with the Republic comics (he famously incorporated Aayla into the prequels) but it isn’t entirely clear how much of them he read.

Next we have RPG Wookiees. Master Kirlocca was a prequel-era Jedi in the campaign Living Force, which started in 2001 and concluded in 2007. He has appeared in many installments and supplementary materials of the campaign but never outside it. Living Force also “introduced” Wookiee Jedi Knight Vorlocca as a corpse players find in one of its adventures. Whatever, he counts. (the RPG also introduced Force-sensitive non-Jedi Wookiees named Kuce and Furellas, who is notable for being a lady.)

At some point in the early 2000s Lucas banned the introduction of more Force-sensitive Wookiees. Apart from Lowie this affected Hanharr, a member of your party and playable character in KOTOR II. The devs were supposedly not allowed to include the option of making him a Dark Jedi for this reason. When working on ROTS, concept artist Derek Thompson "wanted to try at least one Wookiee Jedi on the off chance that George would go for it. He didn't go for it."

The 2010s or: maybe we can get Wookiee Jedi again?

Quite possibly the most widely known on this list is Gungi, the first Wookiee Jedi we’ve seen on screen. He made his first appearance in a 2012 episode of The Clone Wars’ fifth season as one of the Jedi younglings gathering crystals for their lightsabers, in an arc that was at one point considered for its own spinoff. He has since also appeared in The Bad Batch season 2. His nature as a Wookiee Jedi is specifically referred to as rare by Huyang and since Lucas was still involved in making the show at that time we can assume he either went back on his distaste for furry Jedi by then, or wanted Gungi to be all the more unique.

Also in 2012 – suggesting Gungi’s introduction might have loosened the ban – we have another comic Jedi, Ruhr. More accurately, he was a Je’daii, a predecessor organization to the Order we know. He was part of the Dawn of the Jedi series, also by Ostrander for Dark Horse. That series ended 15 issues in because the comic rights were transferred to Marvel after the Disney sale, so no more Ruhr.

We also absolutely have to mention Kitmum. She (!) is not canon and never was – unlike the other books and comics discussed here her 2013 book was explicitly non-canonical even before the impending canon reboot of 2014. We love her for her outfit, teaching children how to exercise, and being the only girl Jedi on this list.

The 2020s and the High Republic, golden age for Wookiee Jedi fans

Star Wars publishing over the last several years was largely focused on the High Republic initiative, which is so far a great time for Jedi Wookiees (or, more accurately, for their fans – the Jedi are not doing so good), with more to come soon in The Acolyte, set in the same era.

The first and most prominent is Burryaga Agaburry, one of the principal characters in the adult novel trilogy in Phase I, introduced in Light of the Jedi (2021). He is both a POV character in his own right and the best friend of the main teenage Jedi in the adult novels, Bell Zettifar. Apart from the novels he appears in the audio drama Tempest Runner and is often mentioned or shown in the background of many other High Republic projects. He is also one of the characters most often depicted in children’s media of the era, probably due to his adorable cuddly appearance. His fate in the wake of Phase I’s ending was a major cliffhanger leading into Phase III, leaving the readers hanging for over a year and a half. You love Burry.

The other major Wookiee Jedi in the High Republic multimedia project is Arkoff, technically first introduced in the same book as Burry due to a single mention of his name in a list of notable Jedi. He is the teacher of Lily, herself the protagonist of the Edge of Balance manga, and appears more notably in the manga’s prequel volume set 150 years earlier during Phase II. Ah, the advantages of Wookiee life expectancy.

2023 saw the introduction of Krrsish, an initiate in the flashback sections of the Yoda comic. He has a hard time.

The first Wookiee Jedi in live action is set to be Kelnacca in The Acolyte. He is played by Joonas Suotamo, the actor who took over the role of Chewie for Solo and TROS. He’s also getting a comic one-shot by Cavan Scott later this year!

I can't wait to meet him.

[justwannabecat]

“Yeah, see, the Anti-Ecto Acts are even more troubling than ‘inciting war with the Realm of the Dead and all its gods’ level.” Phantom began. “It affects the living, even outside of that.”

Constantine huffed, but didn’t disagree. Bruce could only guess what he was thinking.

“At least, from what Clockwork taught me,” Phantom continued, and that made Constantine snap to attention, “ectoplasm is just kind of… There. Floating around in the background, but at such a low level that it doesn’t usually manifest. But it’s still there, and it functions kind of like radiation: just being around it might cause you to develop liminality.”

“Liminality?” Bruce asked. Phantom shrugged.

“Any side effects you would notice are only caused by high levels of exposure, nothing like this low-level radiation. But, well… Ectoplasm is both attracted to emotions and attracted by emotions. And ectoplasm heightens emotions, too. The fact that the human race has been alive so long, evolved to feel more complex emotions, it’s because the ectoplasm bonded enough with humanity to allow that. Humans achieved sentience because they could feel enough to determine they existed. Without ectoplasm, slowly those emotions will fade. And…” Phantom hesitated.

“…I can’t say that humanity will become nonsentient once again, not for sure. But I can say that you will slowly, generation by generation, lose the feelings you have now.”

[okartichoke]

ace avian. that’s what we’re calling this 🗣️🗣️🗣️

please let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions or input or anything! i’m happy to bounce ideas around (i'll post DL-6 someday soon i swear)

link to masterpost || explations below cut

shoutout to the anon who sent in that ask bc i seriously fell in love with blue jay phoenix. SHOUTOUT TO TAKAHE PHOENIX TOO THO takahe phoenix, you will forever be in my heart and im glad you existed <3333,, (maybe in this au he’s got some loving adoptive takahe parents :3) (YKNOW WHAT YEAH that’s canon now)

but yeah, flight-avoidant jay phoenix still lends itself well to the common-man hardworking underdog vibe i want from him. speaking of flight-avoidant...

Phoenix's relationship with flying:

It's a bit complicated. Basically, Phoenix can fly, but he historically chooses not to. From the lack of any practice, he's an INCREDIBLY weak flier. (That hovering is really all he can manage)

For one, he's still afraid of heights. Can't help that. This fear means he was less inclined to practice flying, which made him a weaker flier. And being a weaker flier, in turn, made his fear of heights worse. And so on, in a loop. With flightless parents too (it's canon now it's canon), there's even less of a reason to learn to fly. At some point, not flying might've even become something he stuck with out of stubbornness lol, knowing Phoenix.

(I will soon be making a couple small world building posts, but) flying isn't necessary to get around in their society. Convenient, sure, but Phoenix realized he could make do without, and so he did. Phoenix, you icon. Slay. 💅💅

i know this probably isn't the popular take with wing AUs??, but Phoenix being flightless (or at least semi-flightless) sounded like a really fun take on the idea to me. His name is irony at its peak. I also look forward to exploring how other characters react to him not flying. The prosecutors are going to have so many cheap insult opportunities.

As I mentioned though, he still uses his wings a LOT, though. He's much more emotive with them than most people. His sarcastic inner-dialogue remarks are also betrayed by his wings lmao

I also imagine bird-folk never really invented bikes (riding would just be annoying with their wings, plus bikes aren't fast/efficient enough to outweigh just flying), so instead, Phoenix gets around on a little wing-powered scooter device (like scootaloo lol) (they're usually made for children who can't fly yet, but Phoenix still uses one)

finally, wow, stellar jay’s are quite literally just phoenix wright as a bird lmao? color scheme, hair, it’s uncanny. give it a pink tie and it just is Phoenix Wright, i used a blue jay since they’ve got a bit more striking wings but wow.

(ty again for the support and for reading my essay ! :3)

one more thing, but @kora-kat YES YES YES this. ^^^^ omg THIS. this is still true even though he's a jay now.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Little bright colored outfit with a fun vest ~

(shoes from ebay like 10 years ago. everything else is thrifted)

[coldasyou]

Audrey Tautou as Amélie Poulain

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet 

[suchine-toki]

Top 10 Gintaka moments

(Arranged chronologically because it was too difficult to choose. Spoilers ahead.)

1. Takasugi's laugh

After many encounters challenging the dojo, Gintoki sees Takasugi laugh for the first time, which becomes a core memory of his, a symbol of how things used to be and what he wants to preserve (ch. 517).

2. The promise

Surrounded by enemies, Takasugi asks Gintoki why he decided to join the war, to which Gintoki replies that, like him, it was not for a noble cause. At this, Takasugi recognizes that the two are good-for-nothing warriors, but asks Gintoki to take care of their sensei in case he dies. Likewise, Gintoki asks Takasugi to stay alive (ch. 516).

3. Gintoki's tears

Right after their sensei's death, Takasugi furiously runs towards Gintoki until, for a split second, he sees him crying. This becomes the last thing he saw with his left eye, a core memory that reminds him of the pain and grief they experienced (ch. 520).

4. Reunion at the festival

After 10 years of not seeing each other, Takasugi sneaks up behind Gintoki and threatens him with his sword, commenting on how easy it was and that he has become weak. He also tells him about his plan to kill the Shogun, claiming that within him there is a black beast that seeks revenge. At the same time, he confronts Gintoki for looking away from the past, making him unable to understand his feelings. To this, Gintoki responds that it's a shame that he underestimated him, which can be read in both a physical and emotional sense. It's assumed that they separate without another word (chs. 30-31).

5. They were the same

During a conversation with Nobume, Oboro asks her if Gintoki and Takasugi look like their sensei, to which she answers no, that the true resemblance was between them, since both had eyes full of sadness. As she says that, Gintoki and Takasugi can be seen passing each other, but only the former turns around to check that the latter is gone. It's worth mentioning that Gintoki warned Takasugi to be careful if he saw him walking down the street in chapter 97, but in the end he decided to not do anything (ch. 398).

6. Confession and realization

After their fight, with both of them on the floor, tired and full of injuries, Takasugi opens up to Gintoki about his suffering. He confesses to him that his face was the last thing he saw before losing his left eye, how devastating it was to see him cry, and the enormous survivor's guilt he feels, because he understands how much Gintoki loved Shouyo. To this, Gintoki responds that he didn't choose him, but simply knew what was important to theirsensei, thus lifting the burden from Takasugi's shoulders. Not only that, but Gintoki also confesses that, despite everything, he continues to see him as a fellow disciple of the Shouka Sonjuku and a comrade, whose soul he will protect (ch. 520).

7. Sword exchange

After a long coma, Takasugi awakens in Rakuyo and throws his sword to save Bansai. Likewise, Gintoki launches his bokuto to save Shinpachi, leaving them both unarmed. This is when they decide to take each other's sword and protect what is important to the other, reinforcing the message that a sword is made to protect the soul, and on other occasions that it even embodies it. Afterwards, they pass through hordes of enemies in order to see each other again, defending the other from an imminent attack and retrieving their weapon while locking eyes and making snarky remarks (ch. 573).

8. Pep talk

While everyone on Earth seems defeated, Gintoki hears a familiar voice over the radio. Hundreds of kilometers, far up in space, Takasugi tells him that they have everything under control and encourages him to continue fighting. Likewise, Gintoki assures him that on his side they haven't lost yet, and playfully encourages him, asking if he has already been reduced to junk. Despite being injured, Takasugi tells him to be ready when he comes for him, to which Gintoki smiles (ch. 650).

9. Let's rescue sensei

The greatest tragedy in Takasugi's life is not only the death of his teacher, but also that Gintoki had to be the one to kill him. Aware that he has little left to live, he admits that now he can be a little more honest with what he really wants to do. After fighting Gintoki as a way to punish himself, he's now able to recognize that he wishes to fight alongside him, while also wanting to alleviate his suffering by sharing the burden of his actions that day. Upon hearing this, the serious expression on Gintoki's face turns to astonishment at being able to achieve mutual understanding and once again have a common goal that is deeply personal to both of them (ch. 682).

10. Born under the same star

While Gintoki's eyes reflect the despair he feels at having to strike Takasugi's body, he remembers their childhood together. Gintoki fought very hard to protect everyone, but Takasugi fought even harder to protect him, and although Gintoki was definitely not ready to lose him, Takasugi was content with the idea that he had prevented him from killing their sensei once more. Knowing that he has little time left, it's Gintoki's turn to be more sincere. He embraces Takasugi and reassures him, acknowledging that he did indeed manage to protect him and that he wished they could have drunk together more often. But Takasugi tells Gintoki he doesn't want to hear him like this and he asks him not to send him off with a sad face. Mustering willpower, Gintoki smiles and tells him to wait for him in hell, which becomes the last sight from Takasugi's right eye as he smiles back before dying. No longer able to restrain his emotions, Gintoki weeps as he watches the sunset (ch. 703).

Part (1) (2) (3) (4)

[fierrochase-falafel]

Making a case for Xie Lian's complex morality in TGCF

Finally getting over myself and getting this one out of the drafts...

Disclaimer: Any MXTX book has a very divided fandom on whether practically all the characters are "good" or not- Hua Cheng, Xie Lian, Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, Pei Ming, Luo Binghe. I feel the way MXTX writes is such that our own interpretation of the book can grow to be the very thing we love about it. So naturally I am going to start off by saying this is my interpretation of her work- you can disagree with me, sure, and I'd love to hear other people's thoughts, but I don't think it is something worth calling me wrong over. I'm not claiming to preach the 1 true reading or even claiming to be 'correct'- this is just my interpretation. This doesn't mean I don't find value in alternate interpretations, contradictory or otherwise. Please be nice to me!! :,)

Part I: Smart, but not smart

So anyways...there's this quote in book 3, when Xie Lian reveals Ling Wen as the creator of the Brocade Immortal, where this happens:

Ling Wen crossed her arms and shook her head. “Your Highness, someone like you…sometimes you’re smart, but sometimes you’re also not very smart; sometimes you’re soft-hearted, but sometimes you’re cold-hearted, too.”

And I've always loved this quote, it's arguably one of my favourites, because it emphasises what I think is the core of the story- to ascend is human, to fall is also human. What matters is appreciating that humanity, and nobody embodies this like Xie Lian. MXTX always pits together contradictions like this throughout the story: ascension with falling, soft-hearted with cold-hearted, laughing with crying. Humanity is a series of contradictions, and Xie Lian is the epitome of that. We see him saving a child with regal presence/grace and also drunkenly yelling swear words in a ditch; we see him calmly ascend to godhood at 17 and also almost violently kill a guy for insulting his street performance. Xie Lian is a man who can be kind, calm, endearing and spirited but also vengeful, bitter, jaded and broken. He has been naive and impulsive as well as strategic and controlled.

These differences often seem to happen at the same time in him, even. Xie Lian as a prince was still relatively calm and controlled, but it didn't stop him from being naive and desperate at various points too- sometimes at the same time. His decision in the Land of the Tender (T/W- to stab himself) was arguably a sign of him losing control of his senses yet remaining just on the cusp of controlling his actions. He is holding on to his no-sex cultivation by saying the Ethics Sutra and making the impulsive decision to turn his sword on himself voluntarily but also reacting sexually to the flower demons involuntarily. He is placed in situations where he is distinctly both in and out of control at the same time! Later when he's lying in a ditch (T/W- having stabbed himself AGAIN), there's a lens to it that he's waiting for someone to be kind to him, just once. He's optimistic in giving people a chance- hopeful and altruistic on some level while also being angry and bitter at nobody having helping him yet. In present day he's still impulsive at times but also level-headed, jaded and also optimistic. Hua Cheng fully recognises this in him, and his recognition of Xie Lian's utter humanity is what makes him the one person who truly understands Xie Lian.

"Your Highness, I understand your everything. Your courage, your despair; your kindness, your pain; your resentment, your hate; your intelligence, your foolishness."- Hua Cheng

Part II: Mass murder is...a big deal

Xie Lian is nowhere near perfect, like Feng Xin tends to see him, but neither is he just pretending to be altruistic to make people like him, as Mu Qing tends to believe. Both of them have these ideas in their heads of Xie Lian being amazing or awful, when really Xie Lian has the potential to be both, and that's what makes him, ultimately, just a human above all else. And Hua Cheng gets that about him, more than anyone else, which is important. Hua Cheng loves him and believes in him not because he is inherently, fundamentally good but because of who he is entirely. Part of that 'being' for Xie Lian is trying not to indulge his worst emotions, trying to be good as much as he can, but part of that 'being' includes parts of him that can't be perceived as 'good'. See, no matter how traumatised you are, and even though I'm not judging Xie Lian for his mental state, choking some man on the street almost to death is a no-go, okay.

Xie Lian's will to keep to his principles of what is right and wrong is one thing, but TGCF stretches these boundaries over and over as we watch Xie Lian's view evolve from being a child. I don't think Xie Lian is a 'good person' because he never strays from his values, because he does. Save the common people? The people of Yong'an he intended to mass massacre were the 'common people'. And yes he tried to save them before, and yes it took very little to make him not massacre the people of Yong'an, but the fact that this was something he started at all? He himself used Fangxin to collect the souls from the battlefield- no matter how much he subconsciously wanted to believe in the worth of humanity with his self-stabbing social experiment, he created the conditions necessary to commit mass murder and that in itself is a sign that a part of him meant to go through with it. This isn't just a byproduct of his rage, a response befitting of an uncaring society, no, this is a big deal, and I don't think we can still argue Xie Lian is / has always been a beacon of virtue. Xie Lian isn't just flawed in ways that are easy to forgive, it's not just that he's inherently 'good' with flaws such as impulsivity or naivety that do not really reflect on his moral character. He is also morally flawed, in a way all humans can be but may find it hard to recognise within themselves.

To be fair to the guy, most humans don't have their kingdoms destroyed, their bodily autonomy violated and all their loved ones gone from their lives. Particularly not the first one. For trauma of such epic proportions and disasters of such epic proportions, this intense of a response to commit mass murder isn't shocking. Given his exposure to all this power through his godhood and descent, the power to commit mass murder is less massive-seeming than needing the power to save his own people from it. Given the deaths of so many Xianle inhabitants, this is almost an eye-for-an-eye response: something which some people or cultures may see as morally righteous (the Locrians in Ancient Greece were huge on this, for instance) and some see as morally wrong. However, the way I see it that does not make potential mass murder easily ethically justifiable. MXTX doesn't shy away from giving us insight into Xie Lian's vulnerable and broken mental state and reasons for attempting this, but his actions are still consequential in a huge way. Had he committed the murder; had he not been pulled up by the farmer or had he not found it in him to stop, would we view him as morally good? Could we? What if he did murder the Yong'an citizens but then realised how awful that was then, and spent the rest of his life trying to be good? It feels a bit like a cop-out to say, "well, he didn't do it so that's that", because even the idea, the intention of him doing it and the fact it almost happened raises so many questions about how much blame would be attribute to him if the people of Yong'an really were killed. Even if Xie Lian hadn't done it himself: if he failed to stop Bai Wuxiang from killing them all, for instance. If he were stabbed over and over again but his body couldn't take it, if the rest of the people of Yong'an weren't willing to stab him, and Wu Ming didn't take the bullet then what? It's not like Bai Wuxiang had any reason to go out of his way to call the spirits of Yong'an to Fangxin, for to him the biggest matter was getting Xie Lian to do it and solidify the latter's allegiance to resentment and apathy (just like himself). That would have been done by Xie Lian's hand, and how much the consequences would lay on Xie Lian's head is really difficult to think about. Even if he'd have done his utmost to stop it, but it would've happened atleast partially because of him.

Part III: Morality measured

It's interesting to consider how we measure morality as individuals- somewhere in-between intentions and consequences we diverge, and this tension is what fuels MXTX's conflicts. This is why it's so hard to assign blame in TGCF. Shi Wudu's intentions with the fate-swap were not malicious at all but the consequences for He Xuan were utterly disastrous, and that's on Shi Wudu. Quan Yizhen's intentions were never to make Yin Yu feel bad, but his obliviousness and shining talent hurt Yin Yu anyways. Of course, Yin Yu was the one who kept silent until he couldn't take it anymore, and said the worst possible thing at the worst possible time even if all he wanted was to be nice to Quan Yizhen and not project his feelings onto him. Book 3 contains an increase in these dynamics where the intentions and consequences are SO vastly incongruent that it plays with what morality means, encouraging you to ask: "Who do you believe was in the right?" "Do you think anyone here is or isn't entitled to what they want?" "Is there any way to objectively assign blame here, or are some scenarios too complicated for there to be a direct conflict of right and wrong?" So when it comes to Xie Lian, all that he could have been and all that he is, book 4 naturally stretches the limits of his heart being in paradise.

In conversations I have had or opinions I've seen on this platform and others, people's opinions on how much Xie Lian caused aspects of his own downfall range from "he did absolutely nothing wrong ever" to "he was the epitome of hubris and ignorance", the latter usually accompanied by a favourable analysis towards another character such as Mu Qing. When getting into MDZS, I was reminded of this when seeing Wei Wuxian-Jiang Cheng discourse actually, people talking about Wei Wuxian as a model of goodness who never hurt anyone unless his hand was forced (as if the Wen Chao toruture scene didn't happen) or as an irresponsible and disloyal rascal (as if he wasn't protecting defenseless people including JC's rescuers in the Burial Mounds). This sort of range can be seen with many characters in TGCF: particularly with Xie Lian, Hua Cheng and Mu Qing but you also get many for Jun Wu, He Xuan, Shi Wudu and the like. Xie Lian, as the main character, is possibly the most complicated of them all. The series is in his perspective, he recognises and regrets both his glory days and his fall from grace- the former due to his naivety and the latter due to his resentment. Since then all of the plots he has involved himself in have involved him taking on as much of the pain as physically possible for himself because his desire to help other people flourished again alongside and mingled with his shame and lasting trauma. He is ashamed of both his highest and lowest moments for not being able to offset the consequences, but while you're reading the story it feels very often like there's nothing else he could have done. Partially because (although this is debatable imo) this is somewhat from his perspective despite the 3rd person narrative, so we know what he's like before anyone else. Plus, with how book 2 plays out like a classic tragedy where his greatest strength (will to help his people despite tradition) becomes his greatest weakness, it's the age-old question of how much he can be held accountable for his kingdom's downfall or how much was completely out of his control or in the hands of fate.

One take I remember very strongly that was quite popular was about MXTX's characters being ultimately morally good characters, in which Xie Lian's character was said to not change or develop. Rather, Xie Lian has always been inherently morally good and TGCF is about the world around him not rewarding that goodness yet Xie Lian remaining good and pure-hearted all the way through no matter what, even in his darkest times. While this may be an interpretation some people have, I think it's more complicated than that. Xie Lian's morality was seemingly very clear-cut in book 2 because he had no huge reason not to be 'good'. Yeah sure, he was chastised for saving a child during the lantern festival parade, but nothing was genuinely going to happen to him. He was the crown prince! The stakes for him were never as high, and he had no reason to believe he could fail at all. When put to the test, given the fact he did set up the conditions for the immediate slaughter of Yong'an, I don't think any goodness automatically present in his character was being channelled in his decision. Morality can be as easy as "I want to always do what's right" when you have money and security, but becomes more difficult when you're consumed by grief and rage, or when you've lost everything you once had. Morality is more than an inherent aspect to one's character, and how we perceive someone's moral nature depends on their intentions, their choices, the consequences of those choices and whether they accept responsibility and accountability for the other 3 things.

Part IV: Complexity is the key

Having said all this, I hope it's clear I am NOT saying Xie Lian is an immoral character. In fact, I WOULD argue that he is a 'good' person, that is, a person who embodies what goodness would look like despite all the complications involved. What I'm saying here is that he is a good person not because he always sticks to his standards/beliefs, or even that he always believes in his own standards, but because he chooses to try to believe. In humanity, in the power of his own actions, in the kindness of strangers after he was shown kindness once himself. And this is something earned and learned, not something he had in the beginning. In the beginning it came natural to him because he had the privilege of that as Crown prince. "If something goes wrong, I'll fix it, and everyone around me will always be looking out for my best interests even if I disagree with them. Murder is wrong, following the path to ascension is the ultimate good." etc. etc. When he has to face the world as someone with nothing, those are the experiences that mould his current day understanding of why people do the things they do even if they seem completely morally wrong. Why people would stab someone knowing they would feel the pain, why people would murder someone, why they might steal or rage or drink. And in most cases, it can be hard to judge someone as completely morally wrong for doing actions deemed morally wrong if you believe intention has any bearing on morality.

Xie Lian to me is not inherently good, but someone who chooses to try to be a good person, thus arguably being a good person. And I would defend him as such on that premise, not because his righteous morals have remained static and intact throughout the novels. It isn't that he didn't choose to be good as a child, but he didn't really have to TRY because he hadn't faced the sort of crisis that shook his foundations and forced him to grow, understanding and adapting to the complexity of living in the real world. Where you fail, where falling upon hard times can force you to resort to things you once thought beneath you. Where your actions have power over your circumstances, but your circumstances also hold power over you whether you like it or not. The root of Xie Lian's compelling character, for me, is in his growth from a man with a static morality to a man with moral complexity. A belief in one's principles that accounts for its limits and recognises its flaws in the face of circumstance, and adapts accordingly. It's not like Xie Lian wanted to betray and murder the Yong'an king who was so kind to him, and to actively do that seems pretty horrible until you remember he did it to save a whole group of people, Xianle descendants. Xie Lian still blames himself for this in book 1 even though in this act he saved numerous civilians, but Hua Cheng reminds him that he made that choice for a good reason, and has faith in Xie Lian's choices.

Speaking of the devil...Hua Cheng, even though he loves all of Xie Lian, does not love him blindly or without consideration of the worst parts of himself. He would follow Xie Lian into the abyss of his mental state but still try to help Xie Lian out of the sort of guilt, back from the point of no return. One interpretation of his refusal to let Xie Lian kill Lang Ying is that he wanted Xie Lian to not have Lang Ying's blood on his hands as well. If this would affect any future cultivation or make him feel any more guilty in the future. He also tried to gently tell Xie Lian that he still has believers to calm him down when he sees the white flower. However, to Hua Cheng, whatever Xie Lian would've chosen in the end would still be a decision taken by the same Xie Lian, and Hua Cheng would follow Xie Lian no matter whether he's engaged in the worst parts of himself or not. I think it's very easy for us to assign a specified amount of goodness to a character based on just 1 thing- be it just their intentions or just their choices or just the consequences of their actions. A few sample assumptions I've seen (that do not reflect wider society or anything, these are just opinions I've seen around online): To want to save people is good, therefore Xie Lian is good. Hua Cheng has no qualms about killing 33 gods for Xie Lian, so he must be amoral. But the nature of what is good is variable- under the light of different interpretations, Xie Lian is more morally grey and Hua Cheng is more morally inclined than those assumptions would give them credit for. My point essentially is that many characters, but Xie Lian in particular, are more complicated than we sometimes give them credit for. It's also why he's so easily put up against Jun Wu- someone who is the antagonist and committed several heinous crime, but also parallels what Xie Lian at his worst could have been. If Jun Wu really did repent on everyone he damaged at the end of the novels, you can't call him a good person just based on newfound intent and he can't be so easily forgiven, but to imply alternatively that after all he's done he will always be a bad man and that's that...doesn't sit right with me either. Of course, the question of Jun Wu seems even more complicated somehow, funnily enough.

I think when I first read TGCF years back, Xie Lian is the character who showed me not to judge multidimensional characters or people on a consistent metric of goodness but rather on numerous aspects of how they live that can change over time and leaves room for circumstantial flexibility. I also think that acknowledging complexity in how we view morality in each other can allow us to gain a better understanding of what it is to be a human. And in my view, what makes Xie Lian such a well-written character is that he's nothing if not a human.

[rhea-ripley]

SmackDown || November 26 - 2021

[oppalus]

♡ WARDROBE TEMPLATE  —  watermelon sugar (revamped).

free template made from scratch and fully customizable. even when text, colors, and images can be changed easily, you’ll need to know how to use the clipping mask and how to change the bending option of each layer.

credits: arial and poppins as the fonts used, icons from flaticons.

as usual, don’t claim this as your own and reblog if you find it useful.

download (payhip).

[wundrousarts]

Mini Silverborn Countdown

If you’ve been around for a few years, you’ve seen me vaguely mention a “Silverborn Countdown Challenge” several times. It’s been delayed and changed as many times as the book itself, lol.

If anyone wants sort of a low-stakes, very chill and spaced out version of this ye olde never tackled challenge to complete in the next year before Silverborn, I propose what I’m doing:

Every 3 months leading up to the initial release, I am creating one thing based on each of the books.

January — Nevermoor

April — Wundersmith

July — Hollowpox

[yaminerua]

A CLAMP School Timeline

I want to preface this by saying that I know the CLAMP School timeline isn’t following real world rules for the school year (much like those gags in the Ouran manga where they acknowledge that there have been many Springs but no graduations lol). We would expect grade changes to happen if it was following those rules but for the sake of convenience they have been kept in the same grades. Lately, I’ve been plotting the rough timeline of events across 20 Mensou, Duklyon and CLAMP School Detectives and noticed that the school year seemed to be too long so clearly CLAMP share the same sentiment of ignoring all otherwise anticipated graduations.

BUT for the sake of plotting a realistic timeline that DOES take the school year into account I decided to rework some ages to allow for the movement up into the next grade that would otherwise happen in the middle of 20 Mensou and Detectives.

For the purposes of this I have aged down everyone in the Kindergarten and Elementary School divisions by One Year (this is to allow for characters like Nokoru and Utako to remain in their respective divisions because otherwise they would have moved up into the next division in the middle of their respective manga series). However, because of Duklyon’s position in the timeline taking place BEFORE the grade change would occur I have NOT altered the High Schoolers’ ages.

This means that to begin with Akira is now 8 years old and in 3rd Grade, Suoh is now 9 years old and in 4th Grade and Nokoru is now 10 years old and in 5th Grade and they will then move into 4th, 5th and 6th Grade in the April which occurs sometime in the middle of Detectives and 20 Mensou.

I also believe that the events of the CLAMP School series are taking place during the same time as Tokyo Babylon so this timeline also includes Tokyo Babylon events. I’m basing this on what looks like kindergartener Utako in the background of a page in early Tokyo Babylon, plus the mention of Duklyon and the Imonoyama Shoutengai in Shoten, which is not strictly 100% canon to manga Tokyo Babylon but several things that ARE canon to the manga were also originally present in Shoten so I choose to believe the time setting to be carried over as well).

I’ve also included known birthdays in this timeline as well (with amended ages marked with *). Any additional notes or explanations I want to make will be included at the end bc this is already long.

I’ve used stated dates where they are known, and assumptions for others based on where they fall between stated dates and whether the summer or winter uniforms are used etc…

So without further ado, here is the TB/CLAMP school timeline as I see it:

—————————————————————

1990:

January 21 1990 - Erii Chusonji’s 16th Birthday

February 11 1990 - Kentaro Higashikunimaru’s 15th Birthday

February 19 1990 - Subaru and Hokuto Sumeragi’s 16th Birthday

March 31 1990 - Suoh Takamura’s 9th* Birthday

———————————

APRIL 1st 1990 - School Year for 1990/91 Commences with everyone entering the following classes:

1st Year High School: Kentaro, Takeshi, Sukiyabashi, Ryusuke, Subaru, Hokuto

2nd Year High School: Erii Chusonji

Kindergarten: Mako** [see Notes], Utako, Nagisa

3rd Grade Elementary School: Akira Ijyuin

4th Grade Elementary School: Suoh Takamura

5th Grade Elementary School: Nokoru Imonoyama

——————————

Unspecified date in presumably April 1990 - Seishirou and Subaru meet again. Unbeknownst to Subaru, the One Year of The Bet begins

April 15 1990 - Ryusuke Kobayashi’s 16th Birthday

Unspecified date in May 1990 - High School Sports Event after which Kentaro and Takeshi are invited to form Duklyon

Unspecified date in Summer 1990 but definitely placed before late August - 20 Masks steals the curtain from Gamera Hall

Unspecified date in Summer 1990 but definitely placed before late August - Utako confesses to her kindergarten teacher and later meets 20 Masks when he hides from police

June 16 1990 - Nokoru Imonoyama’s 11th* Birthday

July 10 1990 - Kotobuki Sukiyabashi’s 16th Birthday

August 24 1990 - Utako Ohkawa’s 5th* Birthday. 20 Masks steals the ice sculpture at her party but gifts her a hair bow in apology

September 28 1990 - Nagisa Azuya’s 5th* Birthday

Unspecified date in presumably October 1990 (5 months after May high school sports event) - Utako kidnapped by Imonoyama Shopping District Association and rescued by Duklyon

Unspecified date in presumably October 1990 (5 months after May high school sports event) - Imonoyama Shopping District Association attacks the CLAMP School cafeteria

Unspecified date in Autumn 1990 - Sukiyabashi meets Erii and is enamoured. He later attacks a classroom she happens to be in

Unspecified date in Autumn 1990 - Erii gets a cold but arrives to help Duklyon battle Wooltar

Unspecified date in Autumn 1990 - High School Taste of Autumn trip to the greenhouse. Sukiyabashi nervously gifts Erii the pears he has collected. Erii develops a crush on him

Unspecified date in presumably Autumn 1990 - Subaru exorcises the Chanel suit

Unspecified date in November 1990, a few days before the 11th - Subaru and Seishirou help the spirit haunting Tokyo Tower to pass on

Unspecified date in November 1990, the day after the Tokyo Tower exorcism - CLAMP School Kindergarten class seen on a trip to Tokyo Tower

November 11 1990 - Subaru returns to Kyoto to visit his grandmother

November 12 1990 - Subaru helps Mitsuki awaken from her coma

Unspecified date in presumably November 1990 (3 months after Utako’s birthday) - Utako makes a fake declaration that 20 Masks will target her in order to have an excuse to see him again

Unspecified date in presumably November 1990 (3 months after Utako’s birthday) - Utako and 20 Masks begin to see each other every Friday

November 22 1990 - Seishirou Sakurazuka’s 25th Birthday

November 28 1990 - Mako Ohkawa’s 6th** Birthday

Unspecified date in Autumn or Winter 1990 - 20 Masks steals a rose but misses a date with Utako

Unspecified date in Autumn or Winter 1990 - 20 Masks steals the royal chef

Unspecified date in Autumn or Winter 1990 - 20 Masks steals glass bowl

Unspecified date in December 1990 - List of next year’s faculty compiled by the Chairwoman

Unspecified date in December 1990 (shortly before the 23rd) - Nokoru, Suoh and Akira consider Tokyo Tower as the location for the Christmas party. They meet and help a lady who is being pressured by her brother-in-law to give up her house

December 23 1990 - Nokoru, Suoh and Akira join the Tokyo Tower lady on the anniversary of her wedding to her missing husband

December 24 1990 - Akira Ijyuin’s 9th* Birthday. Akira meets his father disguised as Santa Claus

December 31 1990 - Takeshi Shukaido’s 16th Birthday

1991:

Unspecified date in presumably early January 1991 - A bird accidentally steals the microdisk containing the faculty list

Unspecified date in presumably early January 1991 - Nokoru & co investigate the missing faculty list. Nokoru momentarily misplaces the creative plans for Duklyon vs 20 Masks theatre performance. CLAMP School Detectives officially founded

Unspecified date in January 1991 - Subaru and Seishirou get an affinity test done. Subaru calls the Dial Q2 line to confront the 1999 girls

Unspecified date in January 1991 - Duklyon vs 20 Masks theatre performance. 20 Masks kidnaps Duklyon

Unspecified date in January 1991 - Detectives help find a missing pet peacock

January 21 1991 - Erii Chusonji’s 17th Birthday

Unspecified date in presumably January 1991 - Subaru stops a grieving mother from creating an Inugami and is distressed at having to lie to her about her daughter’s pain

Unspecified date in presumably late January/early February 1991 - Sukiyabashi invited to join Erii at the cafe terrace. The Imonoyama Shopping District Association attacks without Sukiyabashi leading it

Unspecified date in presumably February 1991 - Imonoyama Shopping District Association attacks home economics class. The female leader is first seen

February 9 1991 - Subaru’s grandmother does a reading on the twins and is concerned by what she sees

February 11 1991 - Kentaro Higashikunimaru’s 16th Birthday. Subaru is given the job to investigate the MS Institute and warned by his grandmother not to be seduced by the sakura

Unspecified date in February 1991 - Subaru joins the MS Institute to investigate. Subaru witnesses Hashimoto being bullied and gives her a handkerchief

Unspecified date in February 1991 - Subaru is informed that Hashimoto has been stabbed. He confronts the MS Institute lady but Seishirou interrupts them and kills her for a job

Unspecified date in presumably February 1991 - Duklyon cast watch the X movie. Imonoyama Shopping District Association attacks. Sukiyabashi gets injured protecting Erii

Unspecified date in presumably February 1991 - Erii issued a challenge by Sukiyabashi’s fiancée. Later that day the fiancée tells her of Sukiyabashi’s identity as the leader of the Imonoyama Shopping District Association

Unspecified date in presumably February 1991 (3 or so days after finding out Sukiyabashi’s identity) - Erii reveals that she knows the truth and also reveals her own identity as an alien. Inuko gets turned gigantic and Duklyon are made gigantic to handle her. Erii and Sukiyabashi decide to elope together

February 14 - 18 1991 - Nokoru challenged to find a buried item or else he must resign

February 19 1991 - Subaru and Hokuto Sumeragi’s 17th Birthday

Unspecified date in presumably late February/early March 1991 - Subaru meets an old man and begins to meet up with him regularly

Unspecified date in presumably late February/early March 1991 - The old man is hit by a vehicle on the way to bring his daughter some bananas. Subaru delivers them to her instead

Unspecified date in presumably March 1991 - Subaru helps a ghost pass on at karaoke

Unspecified date in March 1991 - Subaru meets a boy receiving dialysis treatment and begins to come visit him regularly

Unspecified date in March 1991 - It has been 1 month since Erii and Sukiyabashi eloped. They return and rejoin Duklyon

Unspecified date in presumably late March/early April 1991 - Seishirou loses his eye getting in the way of Yuya’s mother trying to attack Subaru

March 31 1991 - Suoh Takamura’s 10th* Birthday

——————————

APRIL 1st 1991 - School Year for 1991/92 Commences with everyone entering the following classes:

2nd Year High School: Kentaro, Takeshi, Sukiyabashi, Ryusuke, Subaru, Hokuto

3rd Year High School: Erii Chusonji

Kindergarten: Utako, Nagisa

1st Grade Elementary School: Mako Ohkawa**

4th Grade Elementary School: Akira Ijyuin

5th Grade Elementary School: Suoh Takamura

6th Grade Elementary School: Nokoru Imonoyama

——————————

Unspecified date in presumably April 1991 - Subaru meets a blind man and his seeing-eye dog and realises that he is in love with Seishirou. The One Year of The Bet ends. Seishirou breaks Subaru’s arm and heart but does not kill him

Unspecified date in presumably April 1991 - Hokuto can’t bear to see Subaru in the unresponsive state Seishirou left him in. She takes Subaru’s robes and leaves

April 15 1991 - Ryusuke Kobayashi’s 17th Birthday

Unspecified date in presumably May 1991 - One month after Hokuto disappears, Subaru sees her death in his dream and wakes up

June 16 1991 - Nokoru Imonoyama’s 12th* Birthday

July 10 1991 - Kotobuki Sukiyabashi’s 17th Birthday

Unspecified date in mid July or August 1991, around the Obon festival - Obon dance preparations are being made. The detectives investigate reports of a ghost during the art department’s preparations for an Autumn exhibition

Unspecified date in August 1991, before Utako’s birthday - Akira angers Utako by saying he would love to be invited to her future wedding

August 24 1991 - Utako Ohkawa’s 6th* Birthday. Akira tells Utako he loves her

Unspecified date in Autumn 1991 - The dance party being planned by Nokoru and co receives numerous threats. Suoh is injured saving Nokoru when he is pushed over a railing

September 28 1991 - Nagisa Azuya’s 6th* Birthday

Unspecified date in Autumn 1991 - Suoh first catches a glimpse of Nagisa playing the flute amongst the wisteria. Preparations for the Autumn Cultural Fair are being made

Unspecified date in Autumn 1991, presumably early November - Suoh rescues Nagisa from being injured at the cultural fair

Unspecified date in Autumn 1991 - Akira helps a university student confess to her crush

Unspecified date in Autumn 1991 - Mako’s missing stocking that she uses for a citrus bath is found by Nokoru

November 22 1991 - Seishirou Sakurazuka’s 26th Birthday

November 28 1991 - Mako Ohkawa’s 7th** Birthday

Unspecified date in presumably Autumn 1991 - Nokoru leaves a decoy at his desk which causes Akira and Suoh to search the campus to try to find him

December 24 1991 - Akira Ijyuin’s 10th* Birthday

December 31 1991 - Takeshi Shukaido’s 17th Birthday

——————————————————————

Notes:

TB running alongside CLAMP School

When trying to confirm whether TB and the CLAMP School stories take place around the same time I used the TB panel of what looks like Utako and her kindergarten class on a trip to Tokyo Tower in the background as a starting point.

The girl in front of who we assume to be Utako could easily be Nagisa, and the teacher with the light hair behind Utako could be Shiva, the teacher she initially has the crush on. So TB absolutely takes place during the time Utako is in kindergarten.

But there can be multiple years of kindergarten, as many as 3, so this shot of Utako could be from anywhere during that time so there was a possibility that the CLAMP School stories don’t even take place in the 1990/91 school year at all. Knowing Seishirou and Subaru’s birth years and ages we do know that Tokyo Babylon starts in 1990 and that assuming 3 years of kindergarten, Utako could be in her first, second or third year of kindergarten when we see her cameo.

Taking the CLAMP School stories into account, it looks like 2 school years elapse and although it’s not shown in any of the stories, the characters ought to move up a grade for the next school year. This is why I assume these stories start with Utako in second year of kindergarten and move into her third year where she would turn 6 (the English release I’ve seen of 20 Mensou accidentally has her turn 6 twice but I must assume only the second instance of it is correct).

I’m also assuming that CLAMP School’s school year begins on April 1st and that Japan’s system of starting 1st grade the April after your 6th birthday applies too.

Considering the old Shoten versions of what became Tokyo Babylon, in which Subaru mentions Duklyon interrupting class to fight the Imonoyama Shopping District Association, this would also place those events firmly in Utako’s 2nd kindergarten year because by her 3rd the Imonoyama Shopping District Association has ceased attacking and a new enemy has appeared and it can be no earlier than that because Duklyon is only formed in May of her second kindergarten year (we know this because of the placement of events matching up, notably the Duklyon vs 20 Masks theatre show mentioned in both Duklyon and CLAMP School Detectives, shown here (the Japanese on the paper in the first picture reads the same as the translated banner from Duklyon):

as well as the discussion of the location of the Christmas party in CLAMP School Detectives and 20 Masks and recalling the previous year’s event shown here:

as well as the flashback in Duklyon that shows Kentaro and Takeshi being invited to form Duklyon in May of the same year).

I know Shoten is not canon to the Tokyo Babylon that was eventually released but if we take at the very least that time setting to be accurate then we can assume Tokyo Babylon is also happening during Utako’s second kindergarten year. This places the events of 20 Masks, Duklyon and CLAMP School Detectives in 1990-1991, therefore happening alongside Tokyo Babylon.

The Bet

I’m also assuming the timeline for The Bet to start some time around April or late March at the earliest, basically not long after the twins move to Tokyo ahead of starting at CLAMP School. The old Shoten stories have the same setting for Seishirou seeing Subaru falling in Ikebukuro station as the manga release, and the available translations for those stories say he’s “just been accepted” into his first year around this time. Assuming the time setting was kept roughly the same for this meeting as well, that’s why I place the commencement of The Bet’s year to be around this time.

Ages and Grades

For this timeline, as mentioned, I chose to change the ages of Nokoru, Suoh, Akira, Utako, Nagisa and Mako* so that they are a year younger because the stories encompass summer 1990 through to presumably autumn/winter 1991 which would have resulted in everyone moving up a grade midway through the stories.

The overall CLAMP School series timeline starts in Summer (in 20 Mensou and the Duklyon flashback), moves into winter which is where CLAMP School Detectives begins, and then continues on through Summer again (where 20 Mensou ends) and on to Autumn of the next year where Detectives ends. It is clear that more than a year passes and there should realistically be a point where the characters move up a grade at the start of the school year.

Because of the grades they are spread across, this would have moved Nokoru out of the Elementary Division and Utako out of Kindergarten in the middle of the stories. To keep them in their stated divisions, aging them down a year at the start allows them to age up into the grades we are familiar with for them.

As mentioned before, Utako has her 6th birthday twice by mistake and there are even inconsistencies in what grade Akira is in at first, with it starting with him in 3rd grade and mysteriously switching to 4th around Christmas, before the grade change would naturally happen.

This adjustment of ages I’ve made effectively returns to the setting of him starting in 3rd grade and moving up into 4th over the course of the stories’ timeline. This would also change the birthday Akira celebrates in the manga to be his 9th instead of 10th.

There was an omake CLAMP made once where the Detectives discussed their future appearances in X and they state they would be adults (大人) by then. With my adjustment of ages, Akira would now technically be in his final high school year instead while Nokoru and Suoh are university age instead of them all being out of high school, but ah well.

I would like to note that I did NOT age any of the high schoolers down along with the younger characters because it would have moved the 1st years down into middle school for the 1990/91 school year which wouldn’t work with Duklyon. I’m reasonably certain Duklyon takes place entirely BEFORE April 1st of the 1991/92 school year so their story wraps up before the grade change and therefore their ages didn’t need altering. This does now mean that there’s an extra year age difference between the elementary schoolers and the high schoolers.

*One note about Mako, however, since changing her age is the only thing that doesn’t quite line up clearly. In the original stories she is in 1st grade during Christmas 1990 in 20 Masks but also still 1st grade by autumn 1991 in CLAMP School Detectives. To keep her age difference with Utako the same, aging her down with everyone resulted in Mako now starting in her final kindergarten year before moving into 1st grade, when she has always been shown in Elementary uniform in her manga appearances. But it could also be reworked to have her start in 1st grade and move into 2nd, although that would of course change her to being an extra year older than Utako.

Also, regarding Subaru and Hokuto’s ages, in Tokyo Babylon we see a document which states Subaru to be a high school 1st year at CLAMP School, despite the fact that his official birthday 19 February 1974 makes him 16 before April 1st and would therefore mean at first glance that he ought to be a 2nd year like Erii Chusonji. He’s also stated to be 16 and in first year in Shoten too.

For Subaru to be able to enter 1st year in 1990 (which he would ordinarily need to be 15 to do), I am assuming the year of training Subaru spent honing his onmyouji skills interrupted his education by a year which therefore explains how he would be a 1st year despite turning 16 before April 1st. Being in homeroom Z also means he would be in the same class as the Duklyon boys.

Also a final note on possible inconsistencies in translations, the English release of 20 Masks says that Ryusuke is a sophomore, so in his 2nd year of high school (which would make sense at a glance since he’s stated to be 16) but online on Japanese sources I’ve seen him stated to be in first year.

I checked which date CLAMP gave him for his birthday and it is apparently April 15th so it actually does make sense for him to be a first year if he entered first year still 15 and then turned 16 after April 1st. There are also bits of old fan scanlations of 20 Mensou floating about that I’ve seen that translated the Ryusuke profile to say he was in ‘tenth grade’ which aligns with 1st Year high school. So I assume the original Japanese says he’s in 1st Year and the English version got it wrong. Also being in first year he would be in the same class as Subaru and the Duklyon boys. What a chaotic class.

[thistledropkick]

Here's a translation of the time Taichi tried to trade sushi to Desperado in exchange for photos of Desperado in panties.

The backstory: This all happened during May of 2020, while NJPW shows were shut down. Taichi did a livestream with Tam, which he only convinced her to do by promising to treat her to sushi.

The conversation starts with Taichi saying that in the video, there's a moment where you can see Tam's panties. (Also he censors the word "panties")

Despe:

What’s the timestamp?

Taichi:

Don’t just skip to that part!

If you want to know the timestamp then pay me.

Despe:

I have zero interest in the rest of this video!

Why should I have to watch a long video of you flirting with a girl!

And buy me sushi too!

Taichi:

If you want sushi too, then show me your p*nties too!

If you send me a magnificent pan*y photo, I’ll consider it

Despe:

A panty photo!?

Aren’t you being generous today!

Are you sure you didn’t mean to say an assh*le photo!?

OHHHKAY!

What’re we waiting for, let’s do this!

Taichi:

*sshole photos huh… I’ve seen too many of those, I’m completely bored of them. 

Hey, you said you’ll do it right? Don’t agree to this lightly okay?

Will you do it? Will you really do it?

Once you’ve said you’ll do this, you can’t go back on it. You understand?

So say it.

Will you show me a magnificent panty photo, the likes of which I’ve never seen before?

Well then, I can’t wait!

Despe:

I’ll take the photo tomorrow afternoon!

Prepare the sushi!

Tam (who they have been @ ing this entire time):

Please stop having this vulgar conversation in my mentions , ,

Taichi:

wtf is vulgar about it

Anyway you’re the one who started this by flashing your panti*s on the livestream!

So go buy Pe some sushi

Despe:

If I'm getting treated to sushi I don't care who's buying

but

who are you talking to?

-

Ohh sorry, I didn’t see your name there!

Panty-flashing girl

Tam:

Please don’t call me panty-flashing girl 😡

It’s Tam.

And why do I have to treat you to anything? I haven’t even eaten mine yet!

I was in line before you, Pe-san!

_

The next day:

Despe:

Why is a simple panty photo

And a selfie no less

So incredibly stressful to take…

Hey you in the next apartment, don’t look at me!

You may not know this but my panties have value (sushi)!

Do not report me! DO NOT!