#to make it so it was on purpose you have to go through so many hoops to rationalize why chara would think this would work.

[bbokicidal]

a few more seconds. | skz + hugs

How the boys hug, what they remind you of, and what I think they smell like.

Warnings: None Genre: Fluff/Comfort ig Notes: I'm aware we know some of their actual perfumes but idgaf.

Masterlists : NSFW | SFW

Chris

How he hugs: Chris gives the BEST hugs hands down, no arguments being made. He's all muscle but he's also such a gentleman that he makes sure to never squeeze you too much during hugs and he always keeps his hands in respectful areas. Though when you're stressed, he does give you a wee little squeeze - just so you know he's there and to keep you grounded. What it reminds you of: Home. Chris feels like home. Safety, comfort, and warmth. The feeling of waking up under soft bedsheets in early morning hours to sun peeking through the curtains and the soft hum of birds outside your window. Scent: Tommy Bahama - Maritime Journey [Green apple, Lavender; Violet, Orchid; Moss, Cedarwood]

Minho

How he hugs: Gently, quickly. The type to give you a hug from the side with one arm wrapped around your waist. He's quick about it but it's because it makes him shy; But in late evening hours he'll be wrapped up around you from behind while you cook, his chin on your shoulder and his body swaying with yours. What it reminds you of: Safety. Minho's hugs feel protective yet gentle, shy and fleeting. His touch is calculated and careful, aiming to please but keeping it brisk; And when he does melt into you during late nights, he wants you to know that he will always be there; And you can feel It from the way he refuses to let you go. Scent: Tom Ford - Oud Wood [Cardamom, Pink Pepper, Patchouli]

Changbin

How he hugs: With all his heart. His arms wrap around you knowing you might need him there in the moment, and even if it's not a moment of need - it's a moment of want. He's aware you adore when he hugs you, and he adores it just as much in return; the feeling of you in his arms. You wanted him as much as he wanted you, and that was all he could ask for. What it reminds you of: Love. Changbin keeps you in his arms as long as he can, swaying, humming, talking about whatever it on his mind. His hugs are soft, warm; He presses kisses to your cheeks and sometimes dotes on you while you're flush against him. He makes sure to make every moment count. Scent: Honeyed Tobacco & Oud [Bergamot, Honey, Tobacco Leaf, Coffee, Oud]

Hyunjin

How he hugs: Lingering. Every touch is never fleeting. His arms wrap over your shoulders so he can keep your head close to his chest, and silently he hopes you can hear his heartbeat, too. He lays his hands on you with purpose; To caress every inch, to make sure you know how much he adores you. All of you. What it reminds you of: Warmth. Hyunjin puts all of his passion into his affectionate touches, whether it be the way his hand squeezes your hip or the way he hugs you in early mornings; the way his lips ghost against yours just to tease before he kisses you and then takes his leave for work while giggling. Scent: Tom Ford - Ombre Leather [Cardamom, Jasmine, Black Leather, White Moss, Amber]

Jisung

How he hugs: With all of his might! Jisung's always squeezing you tight when you hug him, his arms wrapped around you as if they'll crush your ribs right in. He's the type to laugh while hugging because he knows it's too much for you but he does it every time anyway. Very lovey, very sweet. Peppers you in kisses afterwards. What it reminds you of: Childhood. His tight hugs, sweet giggle, and beaming, bright grin bring you back to the days you would play with friends outside - and when it was time to part ways, hug each other as tight as possible to say goodbye. It makes you wonder what it would have been like being Jisung's childhood friend. Scent: Imaginary Authors - Saint Julep [Sweet Mint, Tangerine, Magnolia, Bourbon, Sugarcube]

Felix

How he hugs: Gently. Felix hugs to express many emotions; Gratitude, excitement, sadness even. He wanted to be there to comfort and to feel; Wanted to be there when you needed him most whether it be an upsetting day in or an exciting day out together. His hands slide over your back to keep you as close to him as possible and act as a grounding tactic, keeping you with him at all times. What it reminds you of: Sweetness. Not only because Felix often smells like baked goods and treats - especially when he's at your house and never leaves the kitchen - but also because he wanted to be there for you whenever he possibly could; and he yearned to feel every emotion that coursed through your body be it good or bad. Which, in turn, earned him the title as the sweetest man you've ever met. Scent: Granado - Elixir 1870 [Mandarin, White Tea; Magnolia, Rose; Sandalwood, Musk]

Seungmin

How he hugs: Almost... tenderly. His arms are always hesitant to wrap around you when you initiate the affection, careful where his hands place with fingertips skirting over your sides before he locks down his grip and pulls you in closer. He buries his face down atop your head or into your shoulder every time. What it reminds you of: Tragedy. Yet, not in a bad way. Seungmin always seems to shut down a small amount when you hug him. It's as if he melts into you, into your touch and body. He lets his shoulders slump, lets his hair fall in his eyes. It reminds you of the way he's been misconstrued; under appreciated. But when he's with you, it reminds him that he's understood. So maybe it wasn't tragedy; Maybe it was.. Understanding, or Appreciation. Scent: Juliette Has A Gun - Into The Void [Black Orchid, Liquorice, Papyrus, Cedar]

Jeongin

How he hugs: Tight. Adoringly. His arms are always locked around your waist, his head tucked down so he can either kiss you or kiss over your skin; The type to pepper kisses along your neck as you mumble into his shoulder about your day, or wish him luck on tour. Though if he initiates the hugs, he does so by wrapping both hands around the small of your back and pulling you flush against him. What it reminds you of: Youth. Jeongin is young, still in his early twenties, and he always reminds you of that by the way he's a bit greedy with his affection; But also with the way he yearns for you, needs you, when times are rough. He's playful yet soft with his touches, never demanding and always checking to see if he's too teasing by peeking up at you. Almost... shy. Scent: Heretic - Coeur Noir [Rosewood, Labdanum, Madagascar Vanilla]

[sophsbookstore]

Anniversary Picnic

Quinn Hughes x reader ｡･:*˚:✧｡

Word count: 1500

Hockey Masterlist

A/N: sry for the spam y'all, i'm just trying to clear my drafts, hope your enjoying the hockey content tho!

It was a warm, sunny Saturday afternoon in Vancouver, and you were about to celebrate your three-year anniversary with none other than Quinn Hughes. You couldn’t help but smile at the thought of the last three years—how fast they had gone by, how many incredible memories you’d made, and how much closer you had gotten to Quinn.

You’d spent so many moments laughing, getting lost in conversation, and even tackling the quieter days of just enjoying each other's company. But this year, Quinn had promised something special for your anniversary. And from what he had said about it, you had a feeling it was going to be a memorable one.

Earlier that Morning...

You woke up to the smell of something delicious wafting through the house. You groggily rubbed your eyes and stretched, squinting at the clock. It was barely 9:30 a.m., but it was a Saturday, so you were happy to stay in bed for a little longer.

As you slowly made your way out of the bedroom, you were greeted by the sound of Quinn humming in the kitchen. You smiled to yourself—he had such a soft, carefree vibe in the mornings, and it always put you in a good mood.

When you walked into the kitchen, you saw him standing there in a plain white T-shirt and gray sweatpants, his hair tousled in that charmingly messy way you adored. He was focused on something at the counter, assembling what looked like sandwiches. His hands moved with purpose, and you couldn’t help but lean against the doorframe, watching him.

“What’s all this?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Quinn turned around, a bright grin spreading across his face when he saw you. “Oh, you’re awake! I was just making something special for our anniversary picnic later.”

Your heart fluttered. You had no idea what kind of picnic he had in mind, but the fact that Quinn—always the quiet, laid-back guy—was putting so much effort into it made you feel extra loved. You walked over to him, leaning in to press a kiss on his cheek as you saw the sandwich ingredients on the counter.

“You’re making us lunch?” you teased, taking in the sight of him cutting some veggies and laying out different types of bread. “You’re a man of many talents.”

Quinn looked at you, a playful twinkle in his eye. “I thought I’d surprise you. I know how much you love a good sandwich, so I thought I’d, you know, go all out for today. Plus…” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a flirty tone. “I like making you smile.”

Your heart skipped a beat. You loved how effortlessly he could melt your defenses with just a look.

“I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for me,” you said, feeling a sudden warmth spread through you. “But, you know, it’s going to be hard for you to top what you’ve already got going on here.” You gestured to his messy hair and the flour on his cheek.

Quinn’s smile widened, clearly enjoying the compliment. “Oh, I’ll find a way to top this. Don’t you worry.” He grabbed a cupcake tin from the counter. “And I may have made cupcakes for dessert.”

“Cupcakes too?” you gasped, impressed. “I’m really lucky.”

“Don’t get used to it.” He chuckled, giving you a wink. “You’re only getting this once a year.”

“Well, if this is what you do for our anniversary, I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the next one,” you teased, giving him a gentle nudge before walking toward the living room to grab your jacket.

Later That Day...

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Quinn had everything packed up for the picnic: sandwiches neatly wrapped in foil, a picnic blanket, some drinks, and of course, the cupcakes. You’d been instructed to wear something comfy and cute, and so you had settled on a light sundress, perfect for the warm, sunny day.

You stepped outside onto the balcony to find Quinn waiting by the car. His jaw dropped when he saw you in your dress, and he quickly cleared his throat, trying to hide how flustered he was.

“You look… wow.” He shook his head, his voice coming out a little softer than usual. “Absolutely stunning. As always.”

You smiled warmly, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Quinn gave you a playful smirk. “Well, I do try to look presentable for you.”

He opened the car door for you, and you slid into the passenger seat, both of you chatting easily as he drove to the park. Quinn was in his element, carefree and full of excitement. It was clear how much he was looking forward to the day.

Once you arrived at the park, Quinn led you to a secluded spot under a large oak tree, its branches creating a cool, shaded canopy. He laid out the blanket and set up the food, and you couldn’t help but watch him in awe. He seemed so comfortable in this role, as though planning and preparing for this moment was second nature.

“Okay, the sandwiches are all ready, but there’s one thing I want to do first,” Quinn said, turning to you with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

You raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “What’s that?”

He reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a frisbee. “I’ve been practicing. Want to see if I can impress you?”

You laughed. “You’re on. But I should warn you, I’ve got an amazing frisbee game.”

Quinn’s eyes lit up. “Oh, really? We’ll see about that.”

What followed was a playful hour of frisbee tossing and lots of laughs. Quinn, of course, tried to pull off some fancy throws, showing off his skills, but you kept up, even managing to toss a perfect catch right into his hands at one point. He laughed, raising his hands in mock defeat.

“You’re good, I’ll give you that,” he said, clearly impressed. “But I still think you’re no match for my next move.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?” you asked, panting slightly from running around, your hair wild in the best way.

With a devilish grin, Quinn suddenly dropped to the ground, leaning back against the blanket. “A nap. I’m too tired to compete with you anymore.”

You rolled your eyes, playfully shoving him. “You’re the worst!”

He pulled you down next to him, his arm snaking around your shoulders. “Come on, don’t be mad. I’ll let you win next time.”

You rested your head on his chest, letting out a contented sigh. “Fine, but only because you made me those sandwiches.”

“That’s what I thought,” he teased. He kissed the top of your head and squeezed you closer. “I’m glad you like the food, though. I wasn’t sure about the cupcakes. They might be a little too much.”

You glanced up at him, a smile curling on your lips. “You made cupcakes too? You’re really going all out for this anniversary, huh?”

“Well, it’s been three years, and I wanted to do something special,” he said softly, his fingers tracing gentle patterns on your arm. “I love you, and I want you to feel that in everything I do for you.”

Your heart melted at his words, and you looked up at him with affection. “I already feel that, Quinn. Honestly, this is perfect. You’re perfect.”

He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to your lips, the world around you fading as you got lost in the moment. When he pulled back, he smirked, brushing a few stray strands of hair behind your ear. “Well, I try my best.”

You laughed, feeling more in love with him than ever. The day was everything you could have hoped for—playful, full of love, and just the right amount of flirty banter. As you both sat there in the shade, enjoying the sandwiches Quinn had so carefully made, you realized that this simple moment, with him by your side, was all you really needed.

Later...

As the sun began to set and you finished off the last of the cupcakes, Quinn leaned back on his elbows, looking over at you with a soft, almost wistful look in his eyes.

“Three years, huh?” he said quietly. “Feels like it’s flown by.”

You nodded, feeling a warm glow spread through you. “It really has. But I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Quinn turned to face you fully, his expression serious now, though still soft. “Me neither. I’m really lucky to have you, you know that?”

You smiled, brushing your hand against his. “I’m the lucky one, Quinn. I’m so glad I get to spend these years with you.”

He leaned in, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to your lips. “Me too.”

And as the sun dipped lower in the sky, you both lay on the blanket, the world around you fading into the quiet of the evening. The three years had been amazing, but you both knew this was just the beginning.

[charafansmile]

Trying to do hw but my mind solely wants to think about how charas motivations only make sense if you look at it from the eyes of a child and that ignoring them being a kid is how the fandom got stupid ideas in it's head of them being a mass manipulator who's entirely evil even though the game beats it into our head they made the plan BECAUSE they loved the dreemurrs. Like obviously their plan was never going to work it was a bad fucking plan from the getgo and little kids are 1) stubborn and 2) not known for thinking things through????? People saw asriel call them not the greatest person and a say he wished frisk was his friend (which fair!! Charas plan did get him killed and was the catalyst for things going wrong!) And immediately jumped to making them abusive ignoring all of the evidence that chara did care about and loved monsterkind.

[nemisuki]

Stay By Me

Synopsis || When the crowded trains are the worst part of their date, or so he thought... maybe they aren't so bad after all.

᧔o᧓ || katsuki bakugo x f!reader, she/her pronouns, fluff, no smut or angst, physical touch, protective bkg, clumsy reader, aged up to seniors, dating au, short fluff oneshot, silly moments, he’s just a lil guy, 601 word count

The sound of closing doors echoed throughout the cart, the confined space being filled with its bustling passengers of all ages and sizes.

Perhaps choosing to go on a date on the weekend wasn't the smartest idea for a couple such as themselves, who much prefer a quiet ambience.

"Tch, so many damn extras."

His attitude is visible towards those unfortunate enough to accidentally make eye contact with him, his signature scowl so intimidating that they avert their gazes elsewhere.

"We only have a few stops, don't worry!"

She softly hums at the music vibrating in her headphones as the train slowly begins leaving the station.

He grunts in response to her words, already looking up at the sign for the number of stops left, his patience already thinning out.

The cart sways back and forth as it descends out the tunnel, rays of sunlight creeping through the glass and lighting up the interior of the train.

The soft melody heard through his single earbud — courtesy of their joint playlist the lovebirds are listening too right now — only adds to the serene beauty of the sights outside.

As it shifts to the romantic chorus of the song, her gaze drifts up to his expressionless face, his eyes looking out towards the city below.

He is the epitome of perfection.

Her eyes soften as she studies the intricate facial features that make up that stunning look of a face, no shame whatsoever as she fights the urge to nibble on those puffy cheeks of his.

So it's no shocker when the blonde looks down at her, as if feeling the intense stare from his side.

"What?"

He raises a brow at her — complete confusion dawning upon him — and tilts his head to the side, urging her to explain.

And so she does.

"Nothing, just that you're really handsome Katsuki!"

The blonde gives her a deadpan expression — one that she's grown too familiar with these past couple of years to understand — its purpose to conceal his bashfulness under the stoic mask.

He scoffs with fake distaste at her compliment.

"I love you~" she mouths towards him, knowing he'd hate for anyone to hear her sappy words in public.

She's been around him enough to know — he feels the same, in his own ways of course, despite the way he rolls his eyes, causing her to bite back a knowing smile.

The peaceful scene comes to a halt however, when the cart gets a bit too wobbly for her liking.

She stumbles around like many other unsuspecting victims in the train and quickly tightens her hold on the pole, assuming the small scare was over.

But knowing her clumsy self is bound to fall any second now, he pulls her figure right into his chest, securing the girl by resting his arm over her shoulder and holding her close.

Her eyes slightly widened with shock, the familiar scent of his cologne invading her nostrils, warming her body instantaneously at the affectionate gesture.

He's usually not one for PDA.

At the same time, a cheesy part of the love song plays through her headphones, making her giggle at the cliche look of it all.

Given he's listening to the same song simultaneously beside her, he avoids her cheeky gaze and instead focuses on the view outside the window.

Though she saw it before he put on his aloof expression. A small smile — as he gives her shoulders a gentle squeeze, reminding her just how much he cares.

"If your showing PDA now then... perhaps a kiss-"

"Yeah not happening."

So much for a cliche ending...

✦ ⎯⎯⋆ ˚｡⋆ ୨ masterlist || taglist || intro || socials ୧⋆ ˚｡⋆⎯⎯ ✦

a/n ||| omg a new layout?! if ur a og follower then u probably noticed some changes on my account hehe. i made myself some new banners, headers and borders! i hope u guys like it bc it took lots of days to finish since i did it myself *sobs* also changed to colored dialogue bc that won in the last poll yippieee! btw this fic was inspired by the couple pic i used in the beginning which i found on pinterest! tags ||| @leleyro @zaiban2989 ໒꒰ྀི ´๑  ̫๑`  ꒱ྀིა

[twopoppies]

hi!!! new larry anon again ☺️ idk how big your platform is as i’m still learning who’s who in the fandom but i wanted to drop this here https://youtu.be/OV8Rdn94PjU?si=YpYmCIb0OARX6M7F as i feel this is a very IN YOUR FACE proof for larry that it seems arden missed out in their series at about 4:20 in they’re discussing the fandom made traits given to them where harry is hot & dangerous and louis is funny & adorable, louis agrees harry is hot and then have a cute moment but then when harry comments on louis’ he says he’s funny, handsome, ragged, manly which prompts louis to say thank u DANGEROUS SLAVE and harry was so taken aback but also turned on he said “i’ll get you for that tonight” …. no wonder this got scrubbed off the internet and then in the comment section lesliecaraway5 said that the french harry spoke in the beginning was “i went to the cinema with my boyfriend and family” and now not many people picked up on that so just passing this along. i must say i love larries dedication so much for me to be able to experience their truth so many years later and i’m so glad you didn’t comply to management no matter how much they encouraged other fans to bully/scapegoat you. sorry if this was a bit long ♥️♥️♥️

Hi, darling. I'm pretty sure Louis called him Dangerous Dave (not Slave), but that whole interaction is ridiculously intimate, regardless. As for Harry's famous French sentence that he repeats constantly (LOL!), he's saying "mes copains" and not "mon copain" (the first being "my friends," the second being "my boyfriend").

Given that the sentence very much sounds like something he learned in school, and that he's said it NUMEROUS times, I would lean toward "mes copains." Here's a native French speaker discussing it.

Now, from what I understand, it's mostly children whouse the word copain for "friend", but again, Harry is barely 17 here, and he's using a phrase learned in school. He may be aware that it can be used for "friend" or "boyfriend" depending on the context, intonation, etc., and that's why he likes it, but I don't think he's purposely using the word for boyfriend to indicate Louis is his boyfriend.

Native French speakers, feel free to correct me there, but we've had this discussion through the years, and that's how I remember it. @leah3477sblog @fredficaccount.

Last, I know new fans love Cosmic Leeds, and we're so lucky there is still someone making great videos for this fandom. But if you'd also like to see the OG creator of the average fan to rabid larrie pipeline, check out freddieismyqueen's videos

These are just a few. If you go through my tag you'll find links to all of her videos.

And here's the rest of my FIMQ tag

[lore-ren-theories]

noooooooo the extent of parallels between Cole's personal quest in inquisition and Solas being a spirit—I know many have pointed out how Solas being confirmed to be a spirit recontextualises Cole's personal quest.

Cole's personal quest and the contrast between Varric and Solas's views in it, in turn, also really furthers my appreciation of Solas's arc in Veilguard.

I'm partway through Noah Caldwell-Gervais' A Thorough Look at Dragon Age, a quote from the video:

"I love the idea that spirits have true, immutable natures. That the way they survive such a chaotic flux of improbabilities, is by being inflexibly true to themselves. It is the material world that is full of hypocrisy and contradiction by comparison. By siding with the world of spirits, Solas is admitting, essentially, that the human world is too hard for him. He is weary of everything that makes it so complicated and so disappointing. It would be easier to go back to how things used to be."

To me that last line sounds like one of the 'easy lies' Solas tells himself, but this did get me thinking.

Even before the Veil, Solas saw so many spirits corrupted after taking on a body. Becoming mortal (killable) and unchanging brings with it not only regret, but a very complex and foreign regret for somebody that used to be formless in an unfixed world.

From the DA wiki, a summary as I can't look up the conversation word for word right now:

Nevertheless, it is not unheard of for spirits to evolve and become more "human" by coming to terms with grief, heal from being emotionally hurt, and thus be able to learn from what they endured. By coming to terms with grief, a spirit is able to grow as a person and not "wash clean" like a spirit.

The way Varric continues to believe in Solas's ability to change despite his wrongdoings is something you can take on yourself as Rook, whether that's because you sympathise with Solas or because you want to honour Varric's wishes.

Varric says Cole needs to work through his emotions, Solas replies that a spirit doesn't work through emotions, it embodies them. Then Varric says:

"But he isn't a spirit, is he? He made himself human, and humans change. They get hurt, and they heal."

That's just like how Varric approaches Solas. Varric knows Solas is an immortal ancient elf, but he doesn't know that Solas was a spirit once. Even if he did, this line indicates that it wouldn't change how Varric would have approached him. Solas became 'human' by taking on a body, just like Cole did.

Solas admits to Cole: "I am not a spirit, and sometimes it is hard to remember such simple truths." but when you consider that spirits don't die in the traditional sense, this truth doesn't really sound all that simple.

Solas's biggest fear, dying alone, is something inconceivable to a spirit, and it's such a human fear.

Varric (or Rook's memory of Varric) tells Rook: "Because you always chose the hard truth over the easy lie. Solas, on the other hand..." which further drives the point home: Solas exists in a state of utter denial about how human he is.

Solas being in favour of Cole remaining a spirit reflects Solas's own regret of taking on a body, and fear for Cole's life in what's to come if Solas succeeds, it would also harm the world as spirits of compassion are already so few and far between. Yet Solas being in favour of Cole remaining a spirit may serve an additional purpose: one of denial.

If Cole can exist in this world and remain a spirit, then Solas can conveniently forget that he no longer is one himself. If Cole becomes more human, longer lifespan aside, how different is Solas really from others who are 'human', too?

When Rook asks Solas to atone for what he's done, Rook effectively asks him to also come to terms with his grief and take the time to heal from being emotionally hurt so finally he can learn from what he has endured.

Just like that you're extending the same opportunity to Solas, that Varric did to Cole: the opportunity to become more human.

I love Varric's view that yeah sure, Solas has all these extremely complicated reasons for doing what he did, but at the end of the day he can't bear to face the pain he is in. He's just as human as the rest of us, which means he can learn from his mistakes and that maybe some day, he can heal.

There's plenty to say about how Veilguard handled Solas's motivations for tearing down the Veil, how he's characterised, etc. but personally I'm a sucker for this kind of framing of his story.

It really resonates with me. Sometimes, you don't need complicated solutions to your problems. You don't need to deep dive into why you are the way you are, or why you do the things you do. You just need to share why you're hurting so you can get a hug, a comforting hand on your shoulder, and some much needed words of reassurance.

Every Solas deserves a Varric in their life.

[andhumanslovedstories]

If You Don't Have Store-Bought Character Growth, Homemade is Fine (chapter 15)

Luo Binghe knew he had demonic heritage. As he got older, his blood's influence became more and more apparent. He embraced the power it gave him and tried hard to stomp down everything else. His attraction was disgusting, violent, possessive, frightening—nothing Shizun could possibly tolerate. Nothing Shizun deserved. To win Shizun’s love, it was not enough to get older and attain glory, though both were essential parts of Luo Binghe’s elaborate forty-part seduction plan. Luo Binghe needed Shizun to feel safe. Hearing that Luo Binghe dreamed of ripping open his own chest and tucking Shizun within his ribs and viscera  so that no one could ever hurt him again was not what would make Shizun feel safe. 

(“Hey kid,” Meng Mo had said after that dream. “What the fuck.”)

ch 15 of ??? (but my current outline says 22) on AO3

dvd commentary:

This chapter is, astonishingly, exactly how I outlined. Some of the sections are in different places, but I managed to get through without adding another POV, introducing a new subplot, or going into such detail that I had to split the chapter in half. It IS about 8,000 words, but it's still one chapter. That's a win in my book.

With this chapter, I hit a total word count of about 85,000 with the first chapter posted in August. That's about 14,000 words a month. Fourteen thousand words, by the way, was my original word count estimate for the whole thing. My new wordcount goal is to not double my wordcount before the story is over. In theory, that 85,000 represents about 2/3s of the story, but also I know how my long fic tendencies work. The later chapters always get longer and longer and longer.

The first chapter of Homesick (total word count 118,000) is 4k words. The last chapter of Homesick (not counting epilogue) is 16k. Character Growth fic has so many plot and character threads I want to wrap up. That's the thing about doing a canon rewrite (A PARTIAL CANON REWRITE. I'M NOT DOING ALL FOUR BOOKS)--I want to address all the parts of canon that would be affected by this AU. And then there's the stuff I invented for the fanfic, which also need to be resolved.

The increasing length and detail is the result of the stories being an evolving work in progress. I've always known the ending of the story and the very broad strokes of how we're getting there, but the details that texture the story develop as I'm actually writing. That means I'm adding stuff to current chapters because I find them interesting but also because I might need them later. The reason this fic has gotten so long is because I want big moments to feel like they had good buildup, but I'm not always sure what will be most useful for those big moments before I'm actually writing the scenes in context. So I want to have multiple elements I can draw upon, but I don't want those elements to feel unresolved if they never appear again. Like Yao Lijuan, for example. I wasn't sure if I'd need her again in a later chapter, so I tried to write her previous sections in a way where I could either give her more depth or keep her as a fairly simple joke.

This is a chapter that features one of my OCs fairly prominently. This chapter pretty heavily features one of my OCs as a viewpoint character. It's so delightful to me when people comment that they like my OCs. I try to be really diligent about giving them a narrative purpose that I don't think could be filled by a canon character. I'm aware fanfic is for fun and I can do whatever I want, but I find it really fun to deal with the challenge of "justifying" an original character. Yao Lijuan was originally conceived because I wanted to show an outside POV on this timeline's Shen Qingqiu and on Qing Jing Peak in general. I also use Liu Qingge (and to a smaller degree Mu Qingfang) as outside POVs, but they're both Shen Qingqiu's peer. I wanted an outside POV from a younger geneartion disciple talking to other disciples, so I invented a feral ten-year-old girl from a rival peak. In addition to her filling this POV role I wanted, her voice is also SUPER useful to me. She's blunt, shameless, and knows what she wants. It's so easy to keep conversations and action moving with her because she just plows forward as reasonable characters try to keep up. She's the younger generation equivalent of LQG in that way, except with none of the relationship baggage.

That's the main reason I have certain OCs in this story. For the story I have in mind, I want SQQ to have relationships and conversations that don't have the weight of canon attached to them. That's something that will come up more later, which I'm really excited to talk about.

Also, it was important to me that Yao Lijuan both idolizes SQQ and is from Bai Zhan. The relationship between Bai Zhan and Qing Jing has ended up being more prominent than I originally anticipated, because that relationship functions as a representation of both Shen Qingqiu and Liu Qingge's relationship and as Cang Qiong versus Shen Qingqiu in general. The canon presents LQG and SQQ as bitter enemies prior to transmigration at which point LQG gets so down bad. I wanted to parallel that with the peaks themselves.

Similarly, the previous Qing Jing head disciple evolved as I wrote her and in response to what I needed to show about canon characters. In the originally posted version of the chapter in which she appears, she was straight up the peak lord. I snuck back in and retconned that when I realized that I wanted a foil for head disciple Shen Jiu, not Peak Lord Shen Qingqiu. Shen Jiu was originally going to kill her, but I thought that was too evil. So then she was going to die off-screen so he could become head disciple, but then I thought it was too easy. The question I posed myself of how he could replace her as head disciple led me to a chapter I really like where you see Shen Jiu reject the possibility of a different life that would make him happier. He betrays her in a way that relied upon her mother's history as a sex worker because I knew that I'd be writing brothel scenes later, and I thought that this could be an interesting way to complicate his relationship with prostitutes since I usually find that dynamic to be written pretty simply. Writing it, I also realized that I could pull in more of Shen Jiu's sexual trauma. I didn't want to write him as a sexual predator (again, I think that would be a bridge too far) but I wanted to show him inflicting his traumas upon others. He is misunderstood in part because he has this fear of his weakness being revealed. The weakness is his past, his cultivation level, and--in my fic--how he feels he was degraded/degraded himself. He's aware that she did a very brave thing in being open about her past with him, and he cannot accept her doing that because he cannot conceive of doing that himself.

Then when I wanted to flesh out the history of the previous generation in Liu Qingge's, I already had a character that I could use that was connected to Shen Jiu. Since she was already connected to Shen Jiu's physical and sexual abuse, it made sense for that to be a prominent part of the flashback. It also let me show her from Bai Zhan/LQG's POV to compare it with how Shen Jiu thinks of her. SQQ is such an unreliable narrator and I want to constantly draw attention to that, which means multiple narrators dealing with the same or similar events to show nuance that SQQ can't/won't. So we see Dai Qinglai as the only person standing up to a repeat predator in the sect, and that this was neither successful nor popular, which in turn characterizes the sect. Since I'd established her connection to sex work, it made sense to bring in sex workers so I could continue to flesh out SQQ's relationship with them. Then, when it was time to go to the brothel, I had a character with an established history that would complicate the situation without having to introduce a brand new element.

Part of the issue of Original Shen Qingqiu was that he had no checks on his actions. His misconduct and abuse is tolerated. Additionally, Luo Binghe is bullied by basically everyone. Both of those speak to a more systemic problem than just one cruel peak lord. That's why I have such a long section in chapter 13 on this abusive disciple, the failed attempts to check his actions through proper process, the politics of the peak, and the ultimate solution involving circumventing the official process to just beat the shit out of the guy. I could characterize the sect in general and LQG's approach to problem-solving as well.

I hope these are interesting to read, btw. I love hearing how authors think about their stories and find it very useful for my own writing. I'm not trying to like "explain how to read the story" or anything like that, but to show (some of) the reasoning that goes on behind the scenes for people like me who find the mechanics of writing fascinating.

[lets-try-some-writing]

https://www.tumblr.com/lets-try-some-writing/768522286265417728/have-you-seen-the-humans-are-space-cats-tag-i

Just saw this post; how many times do you think a human snuck aboard a cybertronian ship simply because they diddnt have anything to lose on earth or just wanted to start a new life.

How would the cybertronians react to their stowaway?

You know what? I love this prompt so take a lil fic thing to go with it. Partially inspired by @nova--spark's Earth101 writing.

Human Stowaway

Report from: OSCD (Organic Study and Comprehension Division) - Expeditionary crew of The Illuminator.

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━

During out last scientific expedition to the planet Earth, we followed proper procedure and the tests we ran went as they were meant to. However, it was only once we were already en-route to Cybertron that we discovered a little... souvenir from our planetary assessment.

An organic, a human specimen that calls itself Mah-Ark Hah-Rt, snuck aboard our vessel. We were aware of the phenomenon of humans abandoning their world in favor of sneaking onto Cybertronian vessels. But we did not anticipate a human deciding to take up residence on our ship. We are just a science vessel after all, and more often than not, reports of human stowaways come from private ships and small visiting groups of younglings attending tours of Earth for educational purposes. Those humans are usually returned or taken in by the vessels they board. But in both cases, there are certain contingencies already in place for such an event.

We do not have any such contingencies. And so as soon as we discovered Mah-Ark, we opted to take care of it until we arrived on Cybertron and could send it to Captain Bumblebee, the designated liaison to Earth. With all that said, our interactions with Mah-Ark have been interesting to say the least.

Scans and close assessments using our knowledge of humanity have indicated Mah-Ark is a human male. It, (or as Mah-Ark prefers to be addressed) he appears to not be much older than two stellar cycles of age, nineteen by Earth solar standards. Despite our studies of human languages, communication has been difficult. Mah-Ark speaks only a little of Earth's major language of trade and instead primarily speaks the Earth dialect of 'Russian'. We have no idea what he is saying most of the time, but we've learned to largely read him.

So far, we've managed to figure out why he's here based on a few scattered 'memes', various pop culture references, and through having him draw things. He used quite a few English curses along with the name of several planetary leaders on his homeworld, so we assume he has been dissatisfied and tried to escape elsewhere. He also drew a rather devastating scene of several human shaped figures being hit by a vehicle, so we've come to believe he may be without a clan to lean on. With that in mind, his abandonment of his planet makes more sense.

After we pulled Mah-Ark out of the vent he was hiding in, we discovered quite quickly that humans have needs that must be met. After his internals made very concerning sounds and he proceeded to pull out a can of mushed... stuff, we concluded that we needed to get supplies. Mah-Ark needed to fuel first and foremost, and we lacked the necessary resources. Mah-Ark brought enough supplies to fuel himself for roughly an Earth week, but we had to take a detour to try and find alternative fuel for his organic frame. We would have returned to Earth, but by that point the effort would have been wasted due to travel constraints. In the end, we took a path past a techno-organic world where we used some excess funding to purchase an array of fuels.

The techno-organics inhabiting the world were kind enough to offer suggestions, but presenting the fuel to Mah-Ark was informative and annoying in equal measure. Mah-Ark was unable to use his mouth bones to pierce the thick shell of many of the nuts we purchased, and even when broken, he was still incapable of digesting many. The few that we concluded were soft enough to be consumed did not often appeal to him. He purged them from his systems soon after or otherwise was unable to keep them in his frame. We attempted to offer fruits from the techno-organics as well as a few of their other organic crops, but most were rejected by our stowaway. We checked everything and confirmed it to be close enough to Earth plant life to be consumed safely, but Mah-Ark had opinions and flat out refused a great deal of it.

Analysis of human customs, specifically 'Russia' and its surrounding territory revealed a more meat and carbohydrate based diet. Once we discovered this, we made another detour to a similar planet and spoke to the organics there for guidance. With their aid, and after confirming Mah-Ark would be safe to wander, we had our human properly outfitted for long term space travel and gathered supplies suitable for him. He greatly enjoys meats rich in fats along with various baked goods. The organics we took him to found him quite endearing and supplied us with enough to make it to Cybertron and longer, just in case. We considered purchasing H2O, but thankfully, as a science vessel, we have machinery to gather 'water' and produce it for Mah-Ark.

With his fueling and hydration concerns addressed, housing Mah-Ark was a whole other affair. Humans are complicated creatures. The mutterings from other crews with humans make it seem as though their humans are totally comfortable anywhere. While this is partially true, Mah-Ark did not enjoy many of the places we put him. The vents were too dark for his liking and we often found him crying when left alone there for long. The loss of water from his system was concerning, so we moved him to other various alcoves. He was not found of high places for fear of falling while in recharge (we were unaware humans moved so much while recharging). He disliked the space beneath the command console where there was a heater. He muttered something about 'boiling' and we quickly got the picture after assessing his liquid loss.

Even when we found a place in our Captain's quarters for Mah-Ark to reside, the human was not happy being so far from the crew. Humans are also social creatures, and thus we devised a system to keep Mah-Ark from losing too many fluids to stress. Every time Mah-Ark had to recharge, he warned us with a 'yawn' and one of the crew would hold him in their arms. Or if the crew was also set to recharge, one of us (usually decided by a randomizer), would take him to berth with them. Each of us created a small makeshift location near our berths for Mah-Ark. He liked being able to see us.

We also found that soft things were greatly appreciated by our resident human. Mah-Ark hoards things that are soft, and so we ended up shredding one of our emergency thermoplastic sheets for him to use as bedding. He seemed to appreciate it, especially once one of the crew carefully fluffed up the torn substance into a nesting material. Mah-Ark was surprisingly resourceful and wove the provided material into a surprisingly solid berth in each of the crew's quarters. Since his various berths have been created, Mah-Ark has been noted being exceptionally cheerful, at least based on body language and the abundance of 'laughter'. It was a bit difficult to adjust to Mah-Ark's frequent need to recharge, but we have learned to adjust.

By the time we had all of this figured out, Mah-Ark had been with us for almost two Earth weeks. Around the third Earth week, Mah-Ark expressed a severe amount of restlessness. Observation led us to believe he lacked enrichment. And it was through our attempts to handle his needs that we discovered just why other crews enjoy having humans around.

Mah-Ark brought various devices that were rendered useless in deep space, and so we devised a few new things for him to watch media on. Most of it was in Cybertronian, but Mah-Ark began to learn through watching out media. Before we knew it, Mah-Ark was making noises akin to glyphs. It was incredibly slurred and almost indecipherable due to his organic biology, but he learned some of the easiest terms and we soon found ourselves watching him speak like a sparkling. He learned to point out energon, various parts of the frame, and several important parts around the ship. Once we confirmed he was able to comprehend pieces of our language, we began to guide him.

Humans are quick learners.

After almost two Earth months with us, Mah-Ark spoke enough broken base Cybertronian to be understood. We learned that he enjoyed engineering, specifically working with heavy machinery. Our resident medic took the chance to see if it was possible to train a human in a useful Cybertronian skill, and to our surprise, Mah-Ark learned and became a very useful tool to scan to for micro fissures and other small issues in our frames. Mah-Ark, so long as he was properly guarded in armor and body suites, was quickly able to figure out where small errors were located and even begin helping to weld and stitch things into place.

He has made a useful medical aid indeed. Additionally, he learned to help maintain our ship and, after a few close calls with pipes, became proficient in assessing the internal wiring of the command console. His small size has made him beyond useful in many regards.

Aside from his useful application, Mah-Ark has... endeared himself to us. He has interesting insights and takes such joy in things we know to be commonplace. His short life means he had seen next to nothing of what we have. It brightens our cycles to show him all that we have discovered and learned and watch him awe over it. In turn, he tells us of his life on his homeworld, at least as much as he can. His existence is simple, but his descriptions and illustrations of his life have made him more than interesting. He's a companion. He is, despite being so much smaller and far more fragile than us, a thoughtful member of our crew.

Every day he learns more and speaks more of our language, albeit a version we have dumbed down for his benefit. He has even begun trying to create various tools to travel around the ship faster, in order to match the speed of the rest of us of course. He loves to watch and ask question. He enjoys being held in our servos. He is... more than a pet. He is a friend.

In light of all of this, the crew of the Illuminator would like to make a formal request to keep Mah-Ark Hah-Rt as part of our team. We would also like to request permission to correspond with other vessels with human crew members to learn of their ways and possibly get Mah-Ark a few of his own kind to associate with. We lack information on medical care for humans along with various other niche subject matters regarding his care. It would be amazing to have access to further resources, or even a call with Captain Bumblebee or others who are familiar with Earth.

We care for our human. No matter how small he is or how short his time with us will be. No matter how complicated it is to learn of his needs. We want to keep him. The crew of the Illuminator make this request fully acknowledging the difficulties ahead, but this stowaway is ours, and we intend to keep him if possible.

[thesehandsfic]

okay i got three (3), count ‘em, three, asks about this exact same thing so FINE. you've forced my hand (not really, i was always gonna answer). this meta has been peer reviewed (thank you to @neurosses and @parrishwife) and is backed up by certain things in canon that can be interpreted a certain way.

i will preface this with the disclaimer that i’m not trying to say maggie sat down and wrote a D/s dynamic on purpose. i’m not saying everything they do has a sexual undertone. i’m not saying this is the only correct reading of canon. i’m not saying anyone has to agree with me. i’m not saying they engage in a “lifestyle” dynamic involving total power exchange or 24/7 scenarios. if you think i said these things, i didn’t. i'm not even going to run this through the lens of daddy kink, even though i really could and really want to, but we'll stick to the basics: one of them's The Boss.

it’s a general rule of thumb that any relationship between two people has an inherent power dynamic. an intimate sexual relationship involving emotional vulnerability and cohabitation will have a more pronounced power dynamic. it is my opinion that ronan is submissive to adam in their dynamic, and that is they way they both prefer it. ronan is not that way because adam is domineering and he just doesn’t want to argue. adam is not the boss because ronan is lazy and spoiled and won’t take initiative. ronan likes to feel he has someone he can answer to. it stabilizes him to feel as if he is under someone else’s control. adam likes to feel he has someone he can wield control over. it’s gratifying to him to know that he can always go home and boss ronan around. it’s irrefutable this is their dynamic in canon, i just also think it happens to become sexual as their relationship develops.

i don’t want to say “if you’ve never had D/s sex then you just wouldn’t get it”, but if you don’t understand or haven’t experienced a D/s dynamic, then it might be more difficult to see where i’m coming from.

with regard to adamronan, there are some things in canon we can point to in order to support my hypothesis. some highlights:

adam is saved in ronan’s phone as MANAGEMENT

adam behaves possessively towards ronan in public in front of their peers/his friends

ronan lets adam take the lead in many scenarios, including most of their decision making as a couple (even if he doesn’t always like it, re: greenmantle scheme)

adam is described as the instigator/active partner during the laundry room scene in opal

“ronan likes being told what to do, and adam likes to tell him what to do” “adam likes being with ronan because it makes him feel like he’s in charge”

ronan becomes like a henchman to adam (greenmantle plot, the cabeswater team up, sleeping on the floor by his bed, standing between him and the world in a way that won't offend adam's need for independence)

adam is able to set aside some of his more extreme tendencies with ronan, and relax into a dynamic where he is secure in knowing that ronan won't try to usurp or control him

it is additionally noted by several characters in canon that ronan is a follower. he is easily manipulated and turns to men he respects for guidance, even if they are not capable of or have no interest in providing it. they do not have to be good or smart men for him to respect them; they simply must possess a few of the qualities ronan finds appealing.

some specific ronan “tells” regarding his submissive tendencies:

ronan says to gansey “i’ll be waiting right here for you to tell me where to go”

the whole ronsey master/dog dynamic is crazy, actually. ronan responds to simple verbal commands, comes when he is called, acknowledges a snap or a shout as an order, thinks it’s funny when it’s suggested he should be leashed, and it does not bother him (in fact, he is proud of it) that others know he is subservient to gansey. i think ronsey is a nonsexual dynamic, but gansey still fills a stopgap role in ronan’s life when he is in the space between niall’s death and adam’s introduction

declan acknowledges to another character that ronan prefers to be led/guided

he refuses to comply with anyone he hasn't assigned a dominant role in his life, and sometimes pushes back against those he considers "in charge" of him in order to be reminded of his place/the security afforded to him in knowing he doesn't have to be The Boss

there are definitely more but i don’t want to go on about this forever. ronan plays a submissive role in his own life because he was raised to do so. (in the same family, and in stark contrast, declan is the opposite: he plays an overly assertive role in his own life because he was raised to do so.) ronan is submissive to niall, and losing niall so young in such a traumatic way leaves an enormous hole in his life: nobody is telling him what to do anymore, and it becomes a more immediate, pressing need for him to replace that figure. he is also submissive to bryde. in both cases, he is more powerful than the men he allows to control him: niall was afraid of him, and ronan is the reason bryde is alive. bryde's existence as a "dominant" figure for ronan to emotionally roleplay with is undeniable: he was tailor made by ronan’s imagination to fill a gap during a time when he felt alone, absent a domineering male presence (niall still dead, gansey gone, adam on campus, declan in DC).

i also think ronan is a masochist (the tattoo, the constant thrill seeking behavior that results in pain, when ronan was hit he was more alive, etc etc). pain = sensation = pleasure. but that is not what you asked. i just think it's neat.

on the flip side, adam is manipulative, and actively seeks control in most of his dynamics. he constantly butts heads with gansey, and detests declan (initially, specifically for declan's casual shows of power/status). he is sexually attracted to power and assertiveness (blue, greenmantle, ronan). adam is not looking for a doe-eyed pushover to drag around on a leash. he is looking for an equal that he can keep under his thumb. he wants to take someone in a position of power and put himself above them. some specific adam “tells” regarding his sadistic and dominant tendencies:

“i want to take off all your clothes”

“they were both hungry animals, but adam had been starving for longer”

his internal monologue is often about physical desire, though we see it mostly with blue: he wants to make out with blue, he wants to touch blue, he likes blue’s legs and other features. he thinks about them constantly and entertains fantasies in which he gets what he wants from a person he finds attractive.

greenmantle refers to him as a teenage sociopath, TGM refers to the gangsey as “adam parrish and his merry men”

he scries into a dog bowl, he is tied up, ronan basically says “next time choke me in a sexy way” (which could be read as him simply trying to make adam laugh; it works)

he mentions a few times that he knows ronan is attracted to him, and while he isn’t sure at first how he feels about ronan, he knows how he feels about the attention, and he likes it. he holds a power over ronan because of ronan’s feelings, and adam is drawn to that

he daydreams about ronan being a teacher (authority figure) as a means of projecting an inverted power dynamic onto their relationship

i think adam’s a horny little freak, basically. a lot of his narrative is about power and control. adam has virtually no power or control over anything beyond his grades, and even that sometimes escapes him: the abuse causes him to miss class, and ronan is better than him at latin. he can’t change these things. he spends a lot of time coping with his helplessness by daydreaming about when he will be powerful and successful and in charge. i think it gets him off that ronan is basically a cosmic entity who could dream up an atomic bomb big enough to level the eastern seaboard. that is power, and adam is technically the one who controls it: ronan would do whatever adam asked him to do. it’s mentioned in the series that ronan is a weapon/tool, and in the wrong hands he's dangerous, etc. with regard to adam and ronan’s dynamic, ronan is able to fully submit to adam because he is secure in the knowledge that adam wouldn't abuse this: he rarely asks ronan to dream things for him, he is aware of ronan's power and never tries to harness it for himself, he thinks it's impressive and he likes it. i’ve said this before, but imagine what an ego stroke it must be for adam to know he’s literally having sex with some sort of god. adam is in awe of ronan because of what he is capable of, he doesn't seek to use ronan for personal gain.

just because ronan is aggressive does not mean he is dominant. he is textually passive when it comes to things that really matter. all bark, no bite. he is waiting by the door for his master to get home. adam is textually flirtatious, manipulative, and power-seeking. he will hold something in his teeth and shake it until it stops fighting back.

also not for nothing: submitting feels so good. like the relief a submissive person gets from it is crazy. i find it hard to believe that’s not something ronan really enjoys. i think adam also likes that he can’t genuinely hurt ronan. ronan’s a little bit taller and a lot stronger. there’s nothing adam could really do, and even if he did, ronan could and would stop him. with blue we saw adam holding back and hating himself for his outbursts and his temper and his instincts, and with ronan he doesn't have to do that. they are both aggressive people who find aggression cathartic and sexy. i think ronan likes to be told he’s a good boy and i think adam likes to make him cry and then tell him he’s a good boy. put yourself in adam’s shoes and live that for a second: you have total physical control over someone, you hurt them or push them to their limit and make them cry (or otherwise overwhelm them) and then you reward them and tell them that you love them and they were perfect for you and you’re so proud of them. i find it really hard to believe that’s not something adam’s weird little brain would want.

i think the power/control distribution in their relationship is pretty interesting. ronan is wealthy, a bit taller/stronger, placed more highly in society because of his class, has living family that love him, etc, but he doesn't want control. adam has drive and initiative and not a penny to his name, and he wants, more than anything, to belong somewhere. the open space in ronan's life is where adam fits. again, i don't think they have a master/slave dynamic or a 24/7 TPE lifestyle, but i think they both find comfort in knowing that they can give each other what they both need.

kink is theatre; kink is roleplay; kink is wish fulfillment. kink is something people engage in because they get something out of it that they can't necessarily get anywhere else.

tl;dr ronan likes to get ordered around and adam's into ordering him around. and also sometimes he probably ties him up and makes him cry. both of these things are because neither of their fathers loved them in the right way, which left them both unfulfilled and psychosexually stunted, and now they've got complexes so vast and far reaching it's really too bad freud is dead 'cus he'd have a blast with these two freaks. thank god there's gay people and sadomasochism

genuinely am sorry this is so long. if you want the essay about daddy kink, then you know where to find me.

[distracted-milkshake]

Backseats - Tony Stark x reader

Warnings: sex sex sexxx but not smut, mentions of injuries, typical pregnancy talk

Words: 3.7k

Rating: M

Summary: Tony grapples with the fact that, after finally getting you pregnant, you’re a bit more pregnant than either of you expected.

or

In which almost every important thing since you met Tony seems to happen in the backseat of a car.

Had an exact idea for this, and it just came out for once, ending me with a sweet little one-shot I’m happy to say came out exactly how I wanted. Hope you enjoy!

Little unfun fact, I may have broken my foot halfway through finishing this. Won’t know till tomorrow, but I am quite pissed

Also want to note that I didn’t notice till I was about half done, but there’s not actual reference to Tony being Iron Man or having the arc reactor anywhere in this. I didn’t exactly do this on purpose but it felt worth pointing out

Ao3 link

“No. No, that’s entirely too many.” 

Tony was sat beside you at your ultrasound appointment, squinting to get a better look at the image being displayed. 

“Tony…” you started, though you weren’t sure how to continue. 

He pulled his hands out of his pockets, standing up. 

“Did I hit my head?” He tapped the monitor, and the doctor gave you a disapproving look you could do nothing but shake your head at, shrugging. 

“Are you seeing this?” He looked at you, head at a tilt. 

“Yes. I told you.” 

“You’re kidding me. Tell me you’re kidding me, this has got to be some sort of prank.” 

He tapped his foot in relative silence for a moment, chewing his lip. 

“We’ve got to downsize.” You gave him an unamused frown, to which he put his hands up defensively. 

“Only joking.” He said. 

“Don’t even.” You said. Any way you interpreted that wasn’t funny. 

“What’s the odds on that, by the way?” He inquired. 

“IVF brings a much higher chance of multiples, so not that unlikely, actually.” 

You’d only gone for artificial methods after banging for almost a year with no results. 

Despite supplements and tracking and Tony stepping it up, something just wasn’t working. 

You’d brought it up when he made it home late one night. 

“You look lively after fourteen hours.” You said from the couch as Tony walked in, dumping his briefcase by the stairs for later. 

“Private plane’ll do that. I’m not even tired, I think I’ve grown immune to jet lag.” 

“How’d it go?” 

“It was wild. They asked about you. I said you’d gotten into beekeeping.” 

“That’s what we’re saying now?” You teased. 

“Hey, whatever they’ll print.” 

“Appreciate it.” 

You could only manage flying once or twice a year, otherwise? You could handle not seeing Tony for a few days. In fact, more times than not you could use it. 

“Aside that, it has been a hell of a day. Meet you in bed?” 

“Sure thing.” 

With that and a kiss on the cheek, he went off to the bathroom. 

You headed to the bedroom, and a few minutes later Tony joined you, already stripped to his slacks. 

“God you look sexy when you do that.” He murmured, pulling off his socks and getting on the bed next to you. 

“I’m not doing anything,” 

“Exactly. You don’t need to.” 

He tugged off what little you were wearing, situating himself between your legs. 

“You gotta shave if I’m gonna do this.” He blew a tuft of hair off his forehead. 

“You offered.” 

“As if I’m going to pass it up, please. Waiter? There’s a hair in my meal.” He spat, picking at his tongue, making you giggle. 

He smiled. finished undressing and crawled up to kiss you, pulling you down by the waist off the headboard to on your back in the pillows. 

You stared ahead, brow drawn as he pulled your leg up over his shoulder. 

“Jesus that feels like coming home.” He huffed. 

“Tony?” 

“Yeah?”  

“Why haven’t I gotten pregnant yet?” He slowed, giving you a look. 

“Well I wouldn’t know. Hormones, cycles, the whole thing‘s finicky, never really made sense of it myself.” 

”Tony.” You voiced with a groan, scrunching your nose. 

“You want me to stop right now and answer?” 

“No, I just– I’m serious.” 

“So am I. I don’t know.” 

You sat up on your elbows, and Tony sighed, dropping your leg and sitting back. “Think maybe we should try something different?” You said. 

“Like what?” 

“You know.” 

He sucked in a breath through his teeth. “Not to be possessive, or whatever it’s called now, but I really don’t like to share.” 

“Oh Jesus, Tony, no! I mean like artificial insemination, IVF, you know, that kind of thing.” 

“Thank god. Though I was afraid you meant that.” He sighed, resting on his haunches. “Frick.” 

“You don’t want to?” 

“It’s not that I don’t want to…” he scratched his chin. “Actually, yes it is. I don’t want to. Scoot.” 

You moved over so he could pull his legs out from under him and climb up next to you, pushing the covers out of the way, gesturing for you. 

You laid back into his arms.

“No, we’ll keep trying. It’ll sort itself out, I’m sure.” 

“Any particular reason?” 

“Do we have to get into it? I just don’t want to.” 

“All right then.” You leaned up and kissed him, pulling him against you. 

You liked Tony because you hadn’t known who he was when you met him. He was stranded from some failed scheduling, and in the backseat of a ride share he’d asked to borrow your phone like any other person would.  

“Really, just one call and I’ll give it right back.” 

You'd rolled your eyes, but handed it over. “You should put your seatbelt on.” You had said. 

“I’m like ten minutes from where I’m going, this guy doesn’t care.” 

And then when he gave it back to you, you had found his number in it. 

You’d called him the next day, of course, with full intent to tell him to buzz off, only to be stunned into intrigue. 

“Great. Now I have yours.” Had been all he said before hanging up. 

After that, you texted near daily. He wasn’t always the greatest at responding, so you preferred video calls. It was like that for months before you finally went out. You played hard to get, right up until he got you. 

You had told him it was on one condition, that he wouldn’t chew you up and spit you out like he did to supermodels and reporters, or say, his secretary. 

That if you were going to date him, and really date him, that he’d have to be all in, it was you or bust; you weren’t going to let him play you into something just for it to fall through. 

Not when you knew he was the only one for you. 

He’d only said one thing to that: “Done.” 

And two weeks later he proposed to you on live television. 

The media still didn’t believe, no matter how many times Tony said you were special, that you were going to last. 

Stuff spread fast as soon as you were seen in public together, journalists certain you were his latest in a long line of heartless flings. 

So you agreed to help him change that. 

“Go easy on her, yeah? She’s not used to television, but it's cool, because she agreed to be here with me, and honestly that’s enough work in a relationship on its own, I think she’s clear for the year.” Watching Tony beam on camera, every ounce of charm working, was worth it on its own. 

“Well we’ve got some great stuff planned for tonight, so don’t you worry.” 

You smiled, seated on that couch next to him in front of a whole studio audience and probably millions of viewers, because although you felt out of place, and a little in over your head, Tony kept his hand on yours damn near the entire time. 

Despite being asked a few questions, Tony answered most of them for you, dismissing any negative rhetoric coming your way, which you appreciated, because you could hardly believe the audacity of some of the things they were saying. 

You wouldn’t have agreed to do it if Tony hadn’t let you pick your own outfit, a loose, patterned jumpsuit, and made sure you didn’t have to wear any makeup that you didn’t usually. 

You got to show off when they asked about it, giving a spin Tony stayed holding your hand through, to lots of claps and applause, which would’ve been your highlight of the night if not for what came right after. 

“Well might I just say I think I speak for everyone when I say you look amazing tonight,” the interviewer complimented a little too gushingly, eyeing you. 

“Hey, easy. I am taken.” You spoke up, smiling thinly. 

“Fiery; I like it. Where’s he been keeping you!” 

“Wherever she pleases,” Tony said. “As it turns out, because I don’t keep her.”

“So, last question, have you thought about settling down?” The interviewer pivoted, letting you breathe easier, not wanting but more than willing to make a scene over anything more.

“Thought about? Oh yeah.” Tony said. “We’re pretty inseparable as it is. I don’t go a day without talking to her.” He glanced at you, brown eyes shining. “We’ve discussed it a little. Playfully, mostly. I don’t doubt why she doesn’t always take me seriously.” 

“Does marriage scare you?” The interviewer asked. 

“Terrifies, if I’m honest. But actually, it’s more the asking, you know, the hardest part is deciding when is a good time.” 

You straightened your back, alert as Tony leaned back to dig around in the pocket of his suit before standing, giving you a nod as you stared at him with wide eyes, getting down on one knee. 

You could feel how red your face must’ve been with all the cameras on you. 

“You’d make me the happiest man on Earth if you said yes.” 

The interview had been to announce you were together, among other things, after months of tabloids and speculation, to clear things up. Though the way Tony had phrased it beforehand made it all make a lot more sense. 

“I just wanna let the world know I’ve met someone really special, and I’ve changed. I want to show them.” He adjusted your mic backstages behind the tech’s back, placing his hands on your upper arms. 

“Because things are gonna change.” 

The interview blew up, and pictures of your red, tear stained, smiling face as Tony hugged you, engagement ring held up, displayed proudly on your hand, were in articles and magazines the world over. 

All the attention was a little overwhelming, but you were the most thrilled you had ever been in your life to be engaged to Tony Stark. 

He’d asked you after, on the way home, if it was too much, but you assured him it was perfect. 

“I thought about it immediately when I was asked to do the interview, and I knew if I didn’t do it then I was going to put it off. So I’m, how you say…”

“Sorry?”

“That.” You gave him an expectant eyebrow raise. 

“I’m… sorry if I made you uncomfortable, but you don’t deserve that, being strung out.” 

“It was very you. I still can’t believe I didn’t see it coming, I was so nervous.” 

“I saw that, I was afraid you’d faint.” 

“Oh lord, don’t even say that!” You laughed, giving him a shove. 

“It’s fine, I would’ve caught you.” He kissed your ear, giving it a tug with his teeth before you threw your arms over his shoulders and pushed him into a heated kiss. 

You first started trying for a baby four months after the wedding. 

“Hey, be here when we’re done, yeah? It’s gonna be a long night. You get in there, get yourself a drink, enjoy.” Tony dismissed the cab driver with a tip. 

“I cannot stand when they talk. Tell me again why we couldn’t get a limo?” You were fidgeting, not because of nerves, but excitement. 

“Whatcha smilin’ about? It’s just an action flick, probably not even good.” You would forever commend Tony on his ability to read a room, mood, or vibe without seeming to even look. Especially when it came to you. 

“I was going to tell you when we got home tonight.” 

“Tell me…?” He tilted his head at you, doing that thing with his lips that never failed to make your chest tight. “We’re not getting back till late, come on.” He urged. 

“You know we were talking last month, and I– I took it to heart.” 

“Oh?” 

You took a deep breath. “I stopped taking my birth control yesterday.” 

His eyes lit up. “You serious?” 

“I think I’m ready.” You nodded. 

He all but tackled you in the backseat of that cab, littering your jaw in kisses before moving down to your cleavage, making you yelp. 

“It’s not going to work yet!” You laughed. 

“Doesn’t mean I can’t try. Celebratory sex, you, me, now.” 

“Tony…! We’ve got a premiere!” 

He brought up his watch, squinting. 

“I’ve got ten minutes and a hard-on, seriously, they’re still playing ads, we won’t miss a thing. And ‘sides, I gotta practice dropping my pullout game.” 

“You are unbelievable.” 

“Won’t make a mess, swear it.” 

“God I love you.” You gripped his lapel, pulling him into a kiss. 

Having straightened out your two-piece and fixed Tony’s hair, grinning when he gave your ass a more than friendly pat, you started the couple blocks to the theater. 

“Right, let’s hurry.” You crossed the street, close by his side. 

“You really cut it close.” You shook your head at him, double checking your clothes. 

“Completely worth it. Do it again in a heartbeat.” 

You swore you always felt like a teenager with their first crush around him, the way he looked at you, always excited you were in the room. 

He took your hand, letting his fingers thread with yours. 

“hey so, I promise I’m gonna be a better dad than mine was. I know I’m not great, but… I promise I’m gonna be decent.” 

“You’re already half there.” You squeezed his hand, giving him a nudge. 

“You think so?” 

“I wouldn’t have married you otherwise.” 

He kissed the crown of your head, before lights and cameras surrounded you both on the carpet. 

But not everything had been roses. 

A few months after that, you’d both been in an accident. 

Tony had been driving, when a tire blew along a turn, sending the car over the side of the highway into the bushes. 

He'd gone through the windshield, hitting the hood and landing a few feet in front of the car in the dirt. 

You scrambled to unfasten your seatbelt, stumbling dazedly out the passenger door onto your hands, shaking it off and rushing to Tony.

“Oh my god, Tony!” Relief washed over you as he groaned when you turned him over. 

“Ow .” 

“Are you hurt?” 

“Jesus, duh.” He felt his face and chest, blinking through the bleary vision. 

“Just my head, I think, but holy shit.” 

You helped him up into the backseat, pulling out your phone and dialing 911. 

“I’m calling an ambulance.” 

You grabbed Tony’s handkerchief for the bleeding from his head, telling the operator where you were and what happened, as well as your husband’s condition. 

“Right, they’re on their way. Don’t lean back, sit up.” 

”We should try IVF.” 

“What?” 

“You mentioned it, and I know I said I was against it, but I think we need to look into it.” 

“Tony we were just in a car crash–”

“Yeah and I really put something into perspective for me. I really don’t want to die before we manage to conceive.” 

“That’s what you were thinking about?” You couldn’t help but laugh under your breath. 

“Deadass, sweetie. Imagine how ridiculous it would be if we ended up childless at like fifty because I was too worried about being seen as inadequate.” 

“You’re kidding me. That’s why you didn’t want to?” 

“Come on. It should be obvious. I spent years sleeping around, making my name synonymous with sex, and I can’t even get my wife pregnant? I would never live that down.” 

“Hey, it was not for lack of trying.” 

“Don’t I know it.” He huffed, wincing as you checked where you’d been staunching his head. 

“I want kids with you.” He said. “And I mean that.” 

“Yeah, okay.” You nodded. 

“Okay? Okay.”  

A half hour or so later the ambulance showed up, and you spent the rest of the evening getting Tony stitches. 

He’d been lucky a concussion and a couple fractured ribs was all he got off with, and he wouldn’t have even gotten that if he’d been wearing a seatbelt. 

“I guess there’s something to be said for getting it over with.” Back in the present, Tony was still talking himself into the news. 

“What do I know, maybe it’s incredibly efficient.” He sighed. “How many did you want again?” 

“Like, two?” You threw out. 

“Surprise, bonus for ya.” He gestured like he was pulling a slot machine. “You struck a three for one, cash-in is in eight months. Hope you know this is your early birthday gift. Christmas too.” 

“That’s a relief.” You shook your head, remembering the last time Tony tried to get you something, and just how much of a disaster it was. 

“Don’t make fun of me, I’m in a very vulnerable place right now.” He teased, but you could tell there was some seriousness behind it. 

“Three kids…” he exhaled a drawn out breath. 

“You’re gonna do great.” You said. 

“I am? I should be the one telling you. It is safe, correct?” He addressed the doctor. 

“We’ll have to see how the pregnancy develops, twins and triplets are almost always born premature, which adds risk to any delivery.” 

“And they are?” The doctor gave him a confused look. 

“Boys? Girls? Other? All of the above?” 

“It’s too early to tell.” 

“Of course. What was I thinking. Right, well, thanks for the news.” 

He was quiet as you wrapped up, getting cleaned up, and printed off your pictures—three little fuzzy black and white shapes. 

“You good?” You asked out in the hall, on your way to the rear exit, noticing how out of it Tony looked. 

“I’m gonna need to think about it. I’m kinda tingly in the fingers, my heart’s racing, I think I’m still in denial.” 

As you approached the glass door, Tony stopped you with an arm, biting his lip. 

“Shit.” 

You followed his gaze to the moderately sized crowd outside, feeling your heart sink. 

“Oh goddamnit.” 

“Don’t people have anything better to do with their lives?” Tony muttered. 

“How. We took surface roads and parked behind the hospital!” You groaned. 

“Where there's a me there’s a camera hoping to catch something. Car’s close, yeah?” He asked. 

“Yeah.” 

“Right. Deep breath.” 

He tugged off his jacket, covering you as you made your way to the car, ducking you inside while camera flashes snapped from every direction. 

“Mister Stark! Mister Stark! Are you currently going through IVF treatment?” 

“Is your wife expecting?” 

“Sir, is it true you’re going to be a father soon?” 

“Fine, you might as well know now.” He caught your eye through the gap of the tinted car window, and you furrowed your brow. 

“My wife and I are expecting. We’re having triplets.” He said. 

“And that’s a you get.”  

You moved over as he opened the door and got in the seat beside you, quickly shutting it behind him. 

“I can’t believe you just did that.” 

“Yeah, believe it, before I change my mind.” 

“You can’t take it back now!” 

“Well yeah, but if I could, you would have to accept that I wouldn’t, unless I changed my mind, or you really wanted me to, in which case I’d figure it out.” 

“What?” 

“Nevermind.” He rolled up his window the rest of the way, drowning out the paparazzi still clamoring for his attention outside. 

“Hey,” you put your hand on his thigh. “Thank you, Tony.” 

“I’m not the one who’s going to have three human beings inside her, and not in a fun way. Jesus, you’re going to get huge.” He looked down at your stomach, then back up into your eyes. 

“You’re having triplets?” Happy exclaimed from the front seat. 

“Christ, Happy, you are not a part of this conversation.” Tony gave a dramatic slump against his headrest, throwing his hand up. “Is privacy dead!” 

“Yes, we’re having triplets.” You confirmed with a smile. 

Tony turned back to you. “But you are welcome. My sperm and all. Sorry I couldn’t get it the old fashioned way.” 

“I am not complaining.” 

Happy started the car. 

“Seatbelt,” you gave Tony's arm a tap with the back of your hand, and he quickly buckled himself in, kissing his fingers as you drove off. 

“What’s that for?” You asked. 

“I’m kissing my free time goodbye.” He exhaled heavily. 

“Half the house is going to be kids’ stuff, isn’t it?” 

“Half the house is going to be kids’ stuff.” You chuckled. 

“Not the basement.” 

“Basement can stay.” You assured him. 

“I’m gonna have to uninstall the fountain, aren’t I? It’s just not safe.” 

“I wasn’t gonna say it.” 

“Holy shit, what are we gonna name them!” He interjected,, his expression somewhere between panicked and elated. 

“‘Cause all I’ve only got Maria. That’s it. Does first to pop out get priority, or…?” He showed his teeth, gesturing. “There’s gotta be at least one girl out of three, right?” 

“Actually, I was thinking Virginia for a girl.” 

“That’s funny.“ He deadpanned. 

“She’s been a big help.” You shrugged. 

“You got me laughing.” He shook his head. 

“But seriously. I’m typically great at naming things, but, people who can get mad at me later– not to mention something I’m gonna have to call out across the house only about three million times, I’m not so sure if I want that to be my mom’s name.”

“We’ll figure it out.” You ran a hand through where his hair had shuck loose to hang in his eyes, kissing his cheek. 

It was wild to think less than a two years ago you’d met him for the very first time, and now you were closer to him than anyone, married and having kids. 

“Hey Happy, closest drive through with ice cream?” Tony leaned forward to ask. 

“You know this woman had ice cream every day while she was pregnant, and apparently, full fat ice cream has like fourteen grams of protein per cup? It’s nuts. More if you add nuts now I think about it. That’s not a bad idea. Butter pecan?” 

“Ice cream sounds great right now.” 

“I’m not suggesting you do that, but as far as becoming a picky eater goes… not the worst idea.” 

You pulled through a Dairy Queen, getting two butter pecan ice creams. 

Tony pulled out his phone and held up his spoon, clinking it with yours. 

“To becoming parents.” He toasted, kissing a bit of pecan off your upper lip, snapping a picture of you both as you laughed. 

[random-blurbs]

༻Every Morning༺

Short Imagine - Zayne x mc

The quiet whirring of the coffee machine filled the air. Looking out the window the sun hasn’t even peeked out yet seeing the time on the microwave.

4:30

Letting out a tired yawn the bed was calling you to the soft blankets you have accumulated over the years waiting for you. Your body was practically craving it as you tried rubbing out the tiredness from your eyes. Taking out the coffee you grabbed the creamer from the fridge pouring it in getting such a light color for the coffee.

“Is this even coffee anymore?” You mumbled confused who can enjoy the taste of it.

“Of course it is.” A deep rumbling voice was behind you as you quickly turned around with a tired smile. He shared the same one as he placed an affectionate kiss on your temple. “Thank you.” Grabbing it from behind you he took a sip confident you already know how he enjoys his ‘coffee’.

Shaking your head you pinched his cheek as a small smile spread on his lips at your actions. “All the sweetness you take is bound to make you sick.” You worryingly say tired of telling a doctor this. “Good thing you’re not my doctor.” He replied sitting on the chair with his breakfast ready for him.

“You know I’m only concerned for you.” You pouted taking a sit next to him. With a smaller portion you sat next to him picking at your fruits just trying to keep him company. “Well you don’t have to be. I’m quite literally your doctor.” He pointed out making you huff in annoyance. “Even tho it breaks how many rules…” With a sharp glare your meekly look away taking a bite out of your strawberry.

He knows the relationship you two hold breaks so many rules that can have his license revoked. But he can’t trust your well-being with anybody else. He rationalizes it as keeping your grandma’s promise to keeping you safe. It’s only right.

Taking a bite out of his toast he chew quietly looking beside him. He noticed already how you’re nodding off even while sitting up. He’s used to it. It’s been your routine for months. Smiling fondly he smoothed out your hair as you smiled at him gratefully. He doesn’t know why he deserves someone like you in his life.

Relishing in your time together he let you lean against him immediately going to sleep. He shook his head letting out a chuckle. He knows you probably stayed up on your phone watching those videos he doesn’t see the appeal in. He’s used to this cycle. Every morning this is what you guys do. He enjoys hearing your quiet breathing as he take sips of the coffee you always make him. This routine you two created has become his safe haven after the exhausting day he always goes through.

He never wants this to end.

Looking at his watch it’s time. He always dreads when it is. He barely puts an effort into even trying to wake you up. Placing a kiss on top of your head he twirled your hair slightly as he saw you stir. Your body knowing it needs to wake up.Both of your bodies not really wanting to pull away from one another, wanting to be together, unmoving.

“You suck…” You mumbled as you tiredly looked up at him.

“I know I’m sorry.” Taking the blame he helped you from your chair as he grabbed his necessities as you waited by the door. Huffing and puffing you still waited for him with a water bottle in your hand by the door. “You forget these on purpose.”

“No I don’t.”

“How are you a doctor.” You asked in disbelief as he begrudgingly took the water sad it wasn’t a warm cup of sweet coffee. “Years of studying.”

“Ha ha.” Rolling your eyes he brought you in for a tight hug as you basked in his warmth.

You love your mornings.

“I’ll see you later.” It was an innocent kiss as you savor the few seconds you have left with him. “Actually I might not be home.” You finally confessed.

His eyebrows were in furrow as he flicked your forehead. “Somehow find sleep then during your shift.” Whining as you rubbed your forehead you couldn’t help but smile as he mirrored yours.

Even knowing we can’t see each other at the end of the day we’ll always share the mornings.

The mornings we adore.

Every morning where we can remind one another of our love.

[zahri-melitor]

inspired by your recent ask about the birds of prey - i like how you said it's basically bbs and her harem - er, i mean, teammates and contacts - instead of a team where the "center" is less rigidly defined like 90s young justice or early teen titans (i know dick was the leader but it always seemed like they were all pretty equally close even with early stuff like the roy+garth rivalry). but also i'd like to know more of your thoughts on bop as a whole! personally i loved babs in amanda waller's suicide squad and her on the jla but i can't stand her in bop because all her batty traits come out, my fav is helena so i always feel so sad on her behalf and i thought babs's "apology" was so flimsy and inadequate (maybe i'm biased though because i loved rucka's godfather-esque take on helena so i was disappointed by the sex and the city-esque writing for her prevalent throughout bop)... but babs doesn't treat outsiders like powergirl well either... and that's not even getting how various asian female characters like lady shiva were characterized but to be fair i think that was a DC-wide problem in the early 00s and not just a gail simone thing, though it doesn't make me dislike simone's writing choices any less.... but sorry, sorry, enough of my whining!! please share your thoughts on bop, i'm listenin and learnin over here!!!!!

…I think if you find Barbara as having too many ‘batty traits’ in Simone’s BOP you’re just generally going to have a hard time with Birds of Prey runs. The basic concept of Birds of Prey is Barbara being paranoid, over-controlling and running private ops for her own purposes. It’s essentially an outgrowth of the position she held in Suicide Squad 1987, only Babs is doing it independently without oversight now, rather than working as control for Waller.

Dinah does not see Barbara’s face or find out her name until BOP #21, 29 issues + 2 crossover issues into Birds of Prey as a concept. BLACK CANARY.

I actually personally am very fond of the work Simone did on Helena and Barbara’s relationship together, because she had to sit there and carefully untangle a decade’s worth of drama between them, where they were both extremely justified in being mad at the other. Sticking points that had to be worked through on both sides included: both of their relationships with Dick; Helena’s use of the Bat costume during No Man’s Land and the argument over whether or not that counted as being ‘Batgirl’; the costume going to Cass and Barbara being supportive of Cass as Batgirl; Helena breaking into the Clock Tower in No Man’s Land; Helena’s willingness to use violence and kill. There was lore there and years of encroaching on the other’s territory. So yes, it was rocky to start and they had to learn to trust each other, because they both went in with justifiable hurts, and had done things the other considered completely unacceptable.

Barbara is very much able to work with people she doesn’t like, but she is also a notorious grudge-holder, which means if she’s pissed at a character, she will go out of her way to snub them and avoid them all together. (Your most obvious examples of this are the Babs v Power Girl problems – the origin of which is actually a Dixon story and an example of Babs’ control tendencies meaning her emotional intelligence did not kick in; and Babs’ grudge against Kory). The fact she was willing to get over her problems with Helena was in many ways a reflection of the fact that despite all the conflicts, they both had fundamental base respect for each other, and understood they had to work with or around each other in Gotham.

BOP 1999 is Barbara and Dinah together against the world’s problems, and from Simone and Bedard’s runs it picks up a bunch of extra characters to widen the team and use various people for various specific needs, and to also explore female friendship. You know how Roy promises Dick at the start of Outsiders 2003 that it can just be a team, it doesn’t have to be a family? Babs tries to pull that on HERSELF in Bedard’s run while she’s grappling with the fact that Dinah’s not on the team (and fails. Miserably). What I think one of the upsides of Simone’s run (that I think may be part of what you’re categorising as the ‘Sex and the City’ vibes) is that Simone, being a woman, is actually aware that most women have more than a single female friend, and actually portrays those networks of friendships and different vibes together.

BOP 2010 is Barbara getting the team back together in the wake of Dinah and Ollie’s divorce to give Dinah something to distract herself with and lure her back.

BOP 2011 is technically Dinah’s strike force team, not Babs’, and is missing some of the vibe because they’ve lost a control figure by Barbara being present as Batgirl, not being Oracle. It’s not awful but it is pretty formulaic with occasional bright spots.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey 2016 is an attempt to get the team back to basics in the Simone team model, by re-establishing the baselines of the Barbara-Dinah-Helena friendships. It is successful at that, but it could have dealt with the fact that Babs was Batgirl not Oracle in a less aggravating manner.

There’s an assortment of short Harley Quinn-based stories next that I’m skipping over as they’re mostly slight and dreadful.

The villains and antiheroes BOP that exists for a hot second in Urban Legends for a story really should have been a Ravens team.

BOP 2023 is still having a few issues with figuring out the balance of tension between this being Barbara’s Team and the fact that Dinah stood the team up specifically trying to work around Barbara for Plot Reasons, but a lot of the knots have been worked out by now. It’s very much moving towards having the core of Barbara-Dinah-Cass-Barda-Sin as solid.

[sunkissedliterarylightofchrist]

You're right to some extent. God is not willing for anyone that He created in His image to perish and WANTS us all to come to Him.

2nd Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

BUT, He also CHOOSES who does- no one comes to Him unless He draws them first.

Ephesians 1:4-5 - Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Romans 8:28-30 -And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. John 15:16 - You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 6:44 - No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. 2nd Timothy 1:9 - Who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began. Ephesians 1:11 - In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. Proverbs 16:4 - The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

That last verse there is key and proves your one point there wrong. He did in fact decide to abandon some people to their own sinful desires and leave them for the devil.

I'm not sure what 'wisdom' you are referring to, I assume something in the Apocrypha, which indeed can be useful in some cases to read alongside Scripture, but should not be placed on the same authority as such. And Augustine was a great guy, but he is also one man. The canon of the Bible was set by many inspired by the Holy Spirit, and books in the Apocrypha do not match up with the standard of the books that DID make it into the Bible's canon, and for good reason. Those books failed the test. The actual Biblical canon passed.

And yes, we are 'active participants' in our salvation to the extent that we turned away from our rebellion to accept His call to us, but we DID NOT do that, God did. We only accepted it because He tugged on our hearts first. It's not that we are able to do it by God's grace, its that because of His grace capturing us from the grave that our hearts and minds are turned in His favor.

I know it sounds similar but it is two very different things. In one of them the glory unrightly goes to us. In the other, it goes where it belongs, Him.

And yeah, we are called to do good works. James 2:17, 'So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.', and that entire chapter is all about that subject. But there is a HUGE difference between saying that WE do the good works OF OUR OWN ACCORD, and saying that we are ONLY able to do ANY good work because of Him. Every good thing is done in, around, through, or in spite of us. Period. We are broken, fallen creatures and if we get anything right ever, its only because He gives us the ability to do so. Not us. Him.

Its not us cooperating with grace, its grace that has captured every part of our being and saved us from the darkness. That's what total depravity is. And yes, our reward in Heaven will be determined somewhat by what we do, but that's more so what God calls someone to do and if they follow through with it, or if they stay on the sidelines and are still SAVED, but didn't fufill the wishes and works that God had planned for them. There is a difference.

Most importantly, Christianity is not a works-based religion. And for good reason. We cannot earn our way into heaven. That's impossible. Because God's standard is perfection. And we can never attain that. Our only hope is if someone took the thing that kept us from perfection, our sin, upon themselves so that we COULD attain it through His grace- and that's why Jesus died on the cross.

Good works are a by-product of our salvation that come naturally when we surrender ourselves to Him and His will, not what saves us.

I'm curious— what are your thoughts on calvinism versus arminianism?

In the Calvinism vs Arminianism debate, Calvinism is correct and Arminianism is utterly wrong send post.

(Okay jk I will slightly elaborate on this)

But actually, I'm not the best person to. My pal John Piper is.

Here's an exerpt from that article:

1. Depravity Calvinism says people are so depraved and rebellious that they are unable to trust God without his special work of grace to change their hearts so that they necessarily and willingly — freely — believe. Arminians say, with regard to depravity, that people are depraved and corrupt, but they are able to provide the decisive impulse to trust God with the general divine assistance that God gives to everybody. 2. Election Calvinism says that we are chosen. God chooses unconditionally whom he will mercifully bring to faith and whom he will justly leave in their rebellion. Arminians say God has chosen us — elected to bring to salvation — all those whom he foresaw would believe by bringing about their own faith and providing the decisive impetus themselves. In those, God doesn’t decisively produce the faith that he foresees. 3. Atonement Calvinism says that in the death of Christ, God provided sufficient atonement for all but designed that it be effective for the elect — meaning that Christ’s death purchased for them the new-covenant promise that God would bring about in his people faith and perseverance. Arminians say that in the death of Christ, God provided sufficient atonement for all and designed that it would become effective by virtue of faith for which we — not Christ — provide the decisive impetus. Meaning, faith itself is not purchased by the cross, but that it is the human means of obtaining what the cross purchased — namely, forgiveness of sins. 4. New Birth Calvinists say that the new birth is God’s work of renewal in our hearts that necessarily brings about the act of willing, hearty, saving faith. Arminians say the new birth is God’s work of renewal in our hearts in response to our act of saving faith. 5. Perseverance Calvinists say God works infallibly to preserve us in faith — all of us who are truly born again — and that no one is ever lost who was truly born of God. Arminians say God works to preserve his people, but he does not always prevent some who were born again from falling away to destruction. [LATER] And the key difference is this: Calvinists believe that God has to produce in us the decisive desire for Christ. Arminians believe we must produce in ourselves the decisive desire for Christ. The Arminians say that God helps us. He helps all people, but we provide the last, decisive impetus and desire for that belief.

Boom shakalaka. The reason I agree with Calvin on all of this is because every single one of these things specifically have their exact basis in Scripture, especially in Paul's letters, while the Ariminian belief goes directly against it.

[rambles-about-minecraft-ocs]

one of my favorite things about zedaph is that on a server full of people that find strange and oft-overlooked minecraft mechanics or rare events and then see just how far they can push them in the name of spectacle or efficiency or world-breaking, zed is over here finding these mechanics in order to do the weirdest things he can think of in as entertaining a manner as possible

like i 100% have faith in zedaph's theoretical ability to be just as efficient or spectacular or world-breaking. if he wanted to do that stuff, i trust that he absolutely could. but thats so far from being his priority. instead, hes going to spend around a week of irl time focused entirely on eventually having the good luck to spawn in something insanely rare so that he can convert it into something even rarer, the result of which being something that 99% of the server reacts with complete and utter shock that it even exists in the first place, just because its zany and funny and he wanted to. and i love that

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Ohhhh.

I massively hate myself for putting this out into the universe, but what if Tim talking about a tree falling in relation to Eddie is actually a reference to Abuela dying? 😭😭😭

That this pillar of his life - someone who has supported him and loved him - the matriarch of the family - is going to die and leave him feeling uprooted and lost.

Narratively it would make sense as it can help Eddie and Chris reconnect and also play into the Shannon of it all at the same time - as well as helping build into queer Eddie and buddie!

[sympathytea]

Fun fic related stuff about the diamond sword goobers below CW for: References to body horror, paranoia and a bit of unreality? hopefully using that word right

So keen eyed viewers might notice that this image has..some things in it that are a bit off. Most obvious one being Ferre, so we'll start with him. (And how convenient! He's first in line!) Ferre in my fic's universe has respawned more than a few times. Less than Evbo overall but did it over a longer period of time. Respawning in my fic has some consequences if you do it too many times. Kinda like Emesis Blue's respawn machine but not as heavy into the body horror. We're still getting into body horror territory, but nothing super extreme. Think of say, zombification. Or perhaps vampirism. A little bit of both. Its a bit hard to tell (mostly my fault for overshading him whoops.) but Ferre's skin has started to turn grey-ish in some places. Its blotchy. Scars and sewn parts of his clothes are typical of respawning, but the skin turning grey is not. We're gonna simplify this and call this process Respawn Degradation. Respawn Degradation is not fully understood, mainly because Ferre is the only lad who is actively experimenting with it (until Evbo comes around, who is also, undergoing said degradation) He documents his work in a language that only he and MinuteTech can read. Wemmbu and Julie cannot read their work, and probably shouldn't for their own sake. The way Ferre figures this stuff out is disconcerting to put it lightly. Ferre is handling this about as well as one can handle something like this happening against their will, and still has an active support group now that he is on the diamond sword level, its still not great. Just because he's stopped respawning as often doesn't make the process stop happening.

Ferre's ears look similar to MinuteTech's, and that's on purpose. MinuteTech's species is a shade, rather than a human. They come in a few varieties, and are locked to the grayscale in terms of skin color. Shades always have white eyes, and while MinuteTech resembles smoke, they can be fluffy, smooth or scaled. I'm probably gonna make them their own post. The final form of full Respawn Degradation, according to Ferre is highly suspected to be a shade. Shades naturally spawn into various civilizations, but Ferre notes that this probably isn't the only way they can occur. He's dreading the day he loses his humanity fully, but his friends that he considers his family loves him regardless, even if he thinks otherwise. MinuteTech reminds him that he isn't alone, even if he doesn't fully understand what he's actually going through. Speaking of not fully understanding..

Wemmbu is an interesting case. I have partially made them out of character, mainly because when I was characterizing him, I was going off of the finale and the gold sword level interaction. But he's still a supportive friend and sociable, but quieter and less likely to suggest bad ideas. Being the defacto therapist friend of the group, he talks with their friends and offers up advice where he can, although their knowledge is pretty thoroughly limited and also, not as reliable as it may appear. Wemmbu is also, notorious for not taking their own advice. He tends to keep to themself. And also never tells anyone anything about whats going on with him and handles himself by taking sips of slowfall potions every now and then as a form of self medicating. They've all murdered to get to paradise, but Wemmbu took the rules of the sword civilization horribly. Someone with as much compassion and empathy for others simply should not be able to handle doing the things he did. But he did them anyway. Occasionally hearing whispers, and seeing things out of the corner of his eye, feeling hands where there aren't. For awhile Wemmbu rationalized this as "being haunted". It wasn't. Despite being in a place that is safe, he sees danger where there isn't any. And when they first met Ferre, Wemmbu wasn't in as good of a spot as he is now. Occasionally hallucinations will get worse, sometimes they go away for awhile. Its generally not easy to tell what is actually there and what isn't. How do they cope with this? Writing everything. Anything. Small things, details, anything to make it easier to differentiate between reality and fabrications created by the mind. This isn't foolproof, but its been working for them so far. Wemmbu takes notes on his friends, too. This in turn also helps stave off things that don't seem to align with how they are established within their interactions. "Julie is clearly planning to poison me one day!!!" Why would she do that? She cares about him. There was nothing that would indicate this before. Disregarded. "I think Mint is planning to kill us all and run away for another civilization." Definitely not. He's insecure about that even becoming a possibility. Ignored. "Ferre is going to jump off of something. I just know it. I feel it." While he does relapse once in awhile, they know the signs of that coming when they see it. Put on hold. In the background of the image there's a faint shadow, isn't there? Its not actually there. Julie would've most certainly noticed since its pretty close to her. Its still worth documenting the appearance of it, or lack thereof. To make it less scary if it comes back later. Disclaimer btw: My writing isn't perfect. Nobody is, really. So hopefully how I characterize Wemmbu is. Okay at worst? I've personally had occasional tactile hallucinations and paranoid thoughts, but I'm not a medical expert and thus not. particularly diagnosing him with anything specific. Mainly because I too, am not diagnosed with anything specific for this. Funny, isn't it. There are things planned for Julie and MinuteTech (who goes by many nicknames in the group, for fun) but this reblog is already kinda dragging? So perhaps they'll be a future post. Preferrably not a meme one.

To explain the crime i've just committed: Drew the diamond swords in a row because I thought it would be cute. Added the color band that appeared in the diamond sword level. Realized I accidentally made Weezer's blue album cover. Went through all 5 stages of grief. Decided to double down and add the font in there for good measure because there was no way I could unsee this. You have to live with this now.