#we already had one did we REALLY need another??

[muniemimi]

I HAD A VISION OK. ehem excuse my ugly grammar, to anyone who comes across this post, hope you like it:33 (also love the art)

       Huff! And there we go, last sack of orchid seeds to organize. "That was a pretty heavy An, I'm glad you called me over before Ken-san would see you lifting and scold me for letting his precious daughter get tired." The sun continues to direct its blaze at our little flower shop managed by my coworker, and singing partners, dad. Along with the light, the winds blow a warm breeze past us, balancing the temperature. The air smelt of wet soil and the mix of fragrance from different flowers we had just finished arranging just now spread. An hour from now, we're able to go back to the 'Weekend Cottage' where me and An usually practice with the supervision and guidance of Ken-san to take a short break before we go back to watch the shop and tend to our costumers.

      "Akito.. don't inhale the pancakes at our break later.. leave some for Kohane-chan! She promised me shes coming back today! I'm planning to give her some too while I teach her bout' our shop."

     "Aah enough with this lovestruck manners! Alright, alright fine, I won't."

    I was already planning to hide the snacks for myself since earlier.. How'd she know I'd do it again? As expected of my close friend. For now I'll just slouch behind the counter and wait for time to pass by more quickly. Hurriedly, I focused my eyes on the lovely combination of petals infront of me. Chrysanthemums. The symbol of longevity and love. The way those countless petals curl to the middle of flower, focused on the most noticeable feature, the core. It was the way I have learned this flower had different colors too. My favorite. And it also happens that, that same plant represented my birth month. From the moment I had learned to walk, I had run across fields of flowers to which it seemed to be endless, and only one seemed to stop my being. It was as if it had poison, an antidote that could make me behave and listen. Since then I have kept chrysanthemums where I can see them, to watch them grow. Slowly, the clock slowly swings its arm around. While I intently adore the plants I have bloomed, an unfamiliar sound snatched my attention.

SNAP!

      A stem. My stem of sunflowers. I can faintly hear new steps from my side of the counter. An was in the greenhouse, sprinkling the shrubs I assume. I don't need to worry about that right now, I have to focus on who is suspiciously, threading lightly on a completely normal flower shop, if not a shopper. It can't be strays.. I've carefully fended them off and guided them away from the store so the plants wouldn't be disturbed. Or maybe I missed a few pups running around? Damn.. I should've just asked for help from An to drive away the dogs. I still can't seem to get used to getting close to them.. Our windows are tinted with translucent glass so it's pretty hard to see what was it that was rustling outside, so I need to check it out myself.

     I warily walk towards the wood door. It opens with no sound emitted, and I continue to inspect my surroundings, to find any movement, none. When I tilt my head to peek at the side I heard the snap, there was no one, nor no animal. What was visible was a sunflower that seemed to be trampled on the stem, but the flower itself didn't seem to be crushed. I hum to myself proudly to know that it really was a sunflower, glad to know I still know my own buds. Before I took another step to make sure no one was there, I call out a greeting, waiting for somebody to respond,

"..Hello?"

     And then I squat down to pick up the mangled handle of the wide flower. I got up from my knees, hearing the faint tapping of shoes behind me. I had thought it was An running towards here to call me back to watch the counter. It felt so similar to the sandals the star-clipped girl always wore when working.

    "Oh hey An, back from watering the plants so fast? Did you come here to ask me to come to the front desk? Don't worry about it, I just checked if there was someone here, it was probably just a stray dog I missed when I was shooing them away. Hah.. they stepped on my sunflower.. Anyway, do you mind if you take thi--"

CLICK!

!!!

    A..ah.. something clicks.

    I turn around in hopes the sunflower in my hand would be met with the bright, familiar face of my coworker only for it to be met with a.. gun..? Gun? Here? In this quiet, unknown town? Slowly trembling out of nervousness, I thought, I won't be able to defend myself if I attacked suddenly. They have a gun for heavens sake! 

    I can't quite see who was holding the weapon, only the hair of the individual being the first thing I notice. It was the combination of two seperate colors. It was a pale, muted baby blue on the left and a more dark, navy blue on the right. Was it a natural hair color they were born with? I can't help but stare at the odd mix of pigments. It strongly reminded me of orchids gathered with hyacinths and delphiniums in a bouquet, and was getting distracted by the fact a deadly weapon was still being pointed at my temple! I try my best to whisper a sentence without seemingly wanting to provoke the figure infront of me. Still poorly gripping the flower I had in my palm since earlier, visibly shaking and terrified.

   "..Your wound." 

   ".. ..?

   ..What..?"

(english seriously aint my first language, anyways I love akitoya)

mama im in love with a criminallll

[leighsartworks216]

Kiss Me

Sylus x fem!Reader

I need to go back to bed ough

Warnings: fluff, light angst, drunkenness, drinking, crying, cuddling, self-esteem issues, self-worth issues

Word Count: 975

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Sylus holds a wine glass in one hand, holding it to the side as you climb onto his lap. Legs on either side of his, body arched to align with his, face ducked down to stay close to his; you truly are a sight to behold.

"Kiss me," you demand. Your hands trace his jaw, feeling his skin, the warmth underneath it.

He grins softly. It's not quite a smirk, though it holds that same smug amusement. His hand holds your hip respectfully. Fingers tug down the hem of your dress to keep you decent.

"I don't think that's a good idea, sweetie."

You frown. "Why not?"

Oh, you sweet thing. Your eyes keep flickering about his face, lingering on his lips, his eyes, his lips again. He takes his sweet time sipping from his glass. A slight tint of red stains his lips, licked away by his tongue. He can see the way your eyes glaze over as you stare.

"You're drunk," he reminds you. "You almost polished off my nice, expensive wine. Did you forget?"

The wine wasn't important. It was expensive, aged to perfection, sitting on the rack waiting for the best occasion - and you had him refill your glass before he even finished his.

He doesn't envy the headache you'll have come morning.

Your thumbs run along the flat of his cheeks, stroking back to his sideburns, before you slip your hands around his neck and into his hair. You scratch so sweetly at his scalp. He should stop it, stop you from so effortlessly turning him into putty under your attention. But he doesn't.

You brush your nose against his. Your breath carries the subtle notes of the wine with it. "'M not that drunk. And you're pretty... Kiss me, please."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

Something dark flashes across his eyes. A fleeting shadow. If it were not his lap you were in right now, how quickly would anyone else give in to you, with you so demanding and beautiful? "Because you're drunk," he insists again, softly.

You huff in annoyance. "Is that the only reason you're gonna give me? Told you already, I'm not that drunk."

"It's the fact you've been drinking at all, sweetie." You roll your eyes, turning your head away at the rejection. He grabs your chin between his thumb and index finger, drawing your attention back to him. "I want you to be completely sober for our first kiss. Is that such a bad thing?"

You blink at him dumbly for a moment. "First kiss?"

"Mhm."

A beat, and then those gorgeous lips are curling into a wicked little grin. "'First' implies that there'd be more."

He releases your chin to brush loose strands of hair from your face. "And I want you to be sober enough to remember every single one."

"But if we kissed now..." You lean into his touch like a cat, rubbing your cheek against his hand before he can pull it away. "... we could have another first kiss later."

He chuckles. "You really want this, don't you, kitten?"

You whine with a nod. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you draw yourself into him, resting your head on his shoulder and nuzzling into the fabric of his shirt.

"Sometimes it feels hard to love you," you admit in a whisper. "You have everything. And I have nothing. Nothing to give you to- to make it worthwhile. Cuz that's what you deserve."

His heart aches. He sets his glass aside to hug you in return. Your words become slurred as you continue speaking, slow and messy. But genuine. He wishes he had the will to silence you now, to hear it all when you're of sound mind. But he's weak to this truth and the desire to hear it at your most vulnerable.

"But I want to... I want to love you so bad. And I do. So much... But I have nothing. The only thing I can give you is..." You wave a hand limply at your body. "This mess."

You sigh, hiding your face in his warm neck. He leans his head on yours. You sniffle quietly.

"Would kissing me make you happy?"

He squeezes his arms tighter around you. Readjusts so you're sitting more comfortably across his lap instead of straddling him. He even grabs a blanket with his Evol to wrap it around your shoulders, tucking the corners in so you're protected from the cold in your little black dress that drives him wild.

"Being near you makes me happy," he answers. "Seeing you, hearing you, talking with you - everything about you makes me happy. I don't need your body to be happy. You don't need to throw yourself at me to love me."

You sniffle again. Hot droplets of water fall to his skin. Your voice shakes. "But would kissing me make you happy?"

"When you're sober," he begins slowly, carefully, "and I kiss you for the first time, I'll be the happiest man in the universe."

"Really?"

He gently pulls you from his neck. You've got tears already staining your cheeks. Makeup running, lip trembling. You're so beautiful.

He leans in. Your breath hitches in your throat, though he can't tell if it's from excitement or to fight back another sob. His lips brush your cheek. Your eyes flutter shut, squeezing out tears that gather on his lips. They linger there for several seconds, before he finally pulls away. His hand comes up to hold your other cheek, wiping away the evidence of your overwhelming emotions.

"If you can remember that, you can cash it in for the real deal," he says, teasing and light, but with the weight of genuine care and concern. "Alright?"

You nod. "Alright."

He draws you back into him. "Now get some sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

---

Tag List:

@the-golden-jhope @armycaratlover @sylusfluffymeow @cheesemachine44 @nyx2021 @angel-jupiter @thelittlebutton @pikachuzhc @pomegranatepip @cordidy @an-ever-angry-bi @thejysemongko @deusfoundry @that-lost-one @always-just-red @22carolina08 @lunaizhere @sine-nomine0 @beautifulthingsiadore @lalaluch @burningtrashgentleman @nothankyew @terriblesoup @jeleryyy @nezuswritingdesk @anaathxma @ssushi @mina7820 @monophobix @leiakitty @loliesaregreat

[regressionschool]

going full toddler part 8: She really loves her Pampers

Marie found herself sinking deeper into the warmth of the moment, her fingers absentmindedly clutching her bunny as she reached for another block.

She wasn’t thinking anymore.

She wasn’t worried about what she looked like, how thick her diaper felt, or what Mommy thought about her.

She was just… playing.

She placed another block.

Tim did too.

Another.

Then another.

The stack wobbled, the colorful plush cubes swaying slightly under their careful hands.

Marie held her breath.

Tim grinned.

He wiggled his fingers playfully near the tower, pretending to poke at it, making Marie gasp.

“Noooo!” she whined, clutching her bunny tighter.

Tim giggled.

“Boys,” she huffed, scrunching her nose at him.

Tim just laughed again, rolling onto his tummy, lazily kicking his legs behind him. He was still full of energy, still giggling, still bouncing slightly like he could keep playing forever.

But Marie…

Marie was getting tired.

The warmth of the playpen, the soft crinkle of her diaper every time she shifted, the way she had sunk so deeply into little space—it was all catching up to her.

Her limbs felt heavy, her blinks lasting a little longer each time.

She tried to keep playing.

But stacking blocks was starting to feel hard.

Her fingers fumbled as she tried to place the next one, her movements sluggish, her tiny pout forming as the block wobbled and fell instead of staying where she wanted.

Marie whined softly, rubbing her eyes.

Tim blinked at her.

Then—

“You’re sleepy,” he declared.

Marie frowned. “Nuh-uh.”

Tim smirked.

“Uh-huh.”

Marie huffed, trying to sit up straighter, but the second she moved, a huge yawn stretched across her face, her jaw going slack, her body instinctively curling up.

Tim giggled.

“Told ya.”

Marie pouted, crossing her arms over her bunny.

But…

Okay.

Maybe she was sleepy.

Her eyes felt droopy, her limbs felt too warm, and—

And the next time she blinked, she took just a little too long to open them again.

Tim, still smiling, rolled onto his back, stretching his arms above his head before plopping onto his side lazily. “I think we need a nap,” he announced.

Marie frowned.

“Nuh-uh,” she mumbled again.

But even she didn’t sound convinced.

And then—

“Hmm,” Mommy’s voice hummed from behind them. “I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

Marie’s stomach flipped.

She turned just in time to see Mommy standing beside the playpen, her arms crossed, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Steve was beside her, smirking down at Marie like he already knew she was about to fuss.

“B-but…” Marie fidgeted, shifting in place, the soft crinkle of her diaper making her blush. “I—I don’t need a nap.”

Steve chuckled, kneeling beside the playpen. “Oh, sweetheart,” he murmured, brushing her hair out of her face, his fingers warm and gentle. “Look at you. You can barely keep your eyes open.”

Marie whimpered softly, her bunny squished tightly to her chest.

“I can…” she mumbled sleepily.

Steve tilted his head. “Oh? Then what happens if I do… this?”

And before Marie could react, his fingers gently traced her forehead, his touch so soft as he stroked down her temple, across her cheek, and under her chin.

Marie melted.

She couldn’t help it.

Her whole body sagged, her eyelids fluttering, her muscles going so loose that she didn’t even realize she had started leaning against the playpen wall.

Steve smirked.

Marie whined in protest, but it was weak.

Mommy laughed. “Oh, sweet girl,” she cooed, reaching down to stroke her cheek too. “You need a nap.”

Marie’s whole body burned.

Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

She wanted to argue.

But she was already sinking.

Steve’s hand rubbed her back again, slow and steady, keeping her grounded, keeping her little.

She sucked in a breath.

“…Fine,” she mumbled, her voice small.

Tim grinned.

But before they could be lifted out of the playpen—

Mommy’s gaze flickered to Tim’s diaper.

Her smile twitched.

“Well, almost time for a nap,” she murmured. “But someone needs a change first.”

cotniue with: tim is very soggy, but he is clearly used to being checked and changed whenever Mommy decided. So completely dependent.

Her breath caught as Mommy laid him down, her hands moving effortlessly to undo the tapes of his diaper.

Marie wanted to look away.

She knew she should.

But—

But she couldn’t.

His diaper was completely soaked.

And still—

Still, he wasn’t embarrassed.

Mommy hummed softly as she wiped him down, her movements practiced, careful, loving. “Such a soggy boy,” she teased gently.

Tim just giggled

Even with Mommy’s hand pressing against the front of his diaper, even with the clear squish of his soggy padding being so obvious, he didn’t look the least bit embarrassed.

Marie, on the other hand, felt her entire body heat up.

She knew she shouldn’t be staring. She knew she should look away.

But—

But she couldn’t.

Her breath caught as Mommy laid Tim down right there in the playpen, her hands moving effortlessly to undo the tapes of his diaper.

Marie squeaked, hugging her bunny tight.

She should turn around. She should—

But her eyes stayed locked.

Riiiip.

The sound of the tapes being undone made her jump.

Tim didn’t even flinch.

His pacifier popped back into his mouth, and he suckled lazily, completely at ease as his wet diaper was peeled open.

Marie’s heart pounded.

She had never seen someone else being changed before. Never seen how it looked from the outside.

And Tim…

Tim was so… dependent.

There was no hesitation in Mommy’s movements, no asking if he needed a change, no waiting for him to ask. She had decided he was wet enough, and that was that.

And Tim just… let it happen.

Her fingers twitched against her bunny.

She had never thought of it like this before, never realized how much control she still tried to hold onto.

Even now, she still felt her diaper. She still knew when she needed a change.

But Tim?

Tim didn’t.

He hadn’t even noticed.

His diaper was completely soaked, yet he hadn’t squirmed, hadn’t tugged at it, hadn’t even hesitated before flopping onto his back, letting Mommy handle it.

Would she be like that someday?

Would she stop noticing?

Would she ever just… let it happen without thinking about it at all?

Marie gulped.

Her tummy felt weird.

She shouldn’t be thinking about this.

She should look away.

But—

Squish.

Mommy pressed a wipe against Tim’s skin, humming softly as she cleaned him up, her movements practiced, careful, loving.

“There we go,” she cooed, tilting her head with a warm smile. “Such a soggy boy.”

Tim just giggled.

Marie stared.

She didn’t know why, but something in her expected him to react. To blush, to squirm, to hide his face.

But he didn’t.

His eyes stayed half-lidded, relaxed, as he nursed from his pacifier, his toes wiggling slightly as Mommy finished wiping him down.

Marie’s breath hitched.

This wasn’t just about diapers.

This was something deeper.

Tim didn’t just wear them.

He was completely dependent on them.

On Mommy.

On being cared for.

Marie whimpered softly.

She wasn’t sure if it was out of embarrassment, or if it was… something else.

But then—

Then Mommy reached for a fresh diaper.

“Hmm,” Mommy mused suddenly, a teasing lilt creeping into her tone. “I didn’t bring in your fresh diapers yet, sweetie. Maybe we should just borrow one of Marie’s unicorn Pampers?”

Marie gasped.

Tim’s head snapped up.

His pacifier fell from his lips, his entire expression twisting into pure horror. “Mommy!”

Marie’s face burned hotter.

Her mouth dropped open.

Mommy just grinned.

“Oh?” she cooed, feigning innocence. “What’s wrong with that idea? They’re nice and thick—perfect for my little soggy boy.”

Tim whined, his nose scrunching up in absolute betrayal.

“Nooo!” he squeaked, shaking his head so fast his short hair flopped a little. “Th-they’re for girls!”

Marie’s heart pounded in her chest, her fingers clenched tightly around her bunny.

She could not believe what Mommy had just said.

Her unicorn Pampers? On Tim?!

That was not happening.

And Tim looked just as horrified, his cheeks puffed up in a dramatic pout as he squirmed beneath Mommy’s teasing gaze. “Mommyyy,” he whined, kicking his feet. “That’s not funny!”

Marie huffed, crossing her arms. “They are mine!” she added stubbornly.

Mommy just laughed, clearly delighted by both of their reactions. “Relax, babies,” she teased, ruffling Tim’s hair. “I was only kidding.”

Tim was still dramatically sprawled out on the changing mat, arms stretched over his head like he had barely survived the horror of nearly ending up in a unicorn diaper. His lower lip jutted out in an exaggerated pout, and his cheeks were still pink from Mommy’s teasing.

Marie, on the other hand, was still fuming.

She clutched her bunny tightly, crossing her arms over her chest, her cheeks puffed up in an indignant pout.

Her unicorn Pampers.

Hers.

She wasn’t sure why she was so riled up about it, but the idea of someone else—especially Tim—wearing them made her tummy twist in a way she didn’t quite understand.

Those diapers weren’t just any diapers. They were hers.

They were thick and soft and pastel and had little sparkly unicorns on them, and they belonged to her and her only.

And Steve knew exactly what she was thinking.

His smirk was wicked as he crouched beside her, resting his chin in his palm. “Aww, what’s the matter, princess?” he drawled, his voice full of mock innocence. “You don’t want to share?”

Marie scowled at him, hugging her bunny even tighter. “They’re mine,” she grumbled.

Tim, still flat on his back, giggled.

Mommy laughed softly as she unfolded a fresh white diaper, sliding it under Tim’s bottom as if the whole conversation wasn’t even happening. “Oh, sweetheart,” she cooed, her voice light with amusement. “You sure do love your Pampers, don’t you?”

Marie froze.

Her whole body tensed, her breath catching in her throat.

Steve’s smirk widened.

“Oh, she does,” he mused, shifting even closer to her, his tone teasing. “She loves them.”

Marie’s face flamed.

Her heart pounded.

She shook her head rapidly, her pigtails bouncing with the movement. “N-no, I just—! They’re—they’re mine—!”

Steve chuckled.

Mommy let out a soft hum, fastening the tapes on Tim’s new diaper, her hands moving effortlessly as she patted the fresh padding snugly against his tummy. “Well, of course, sweet girl,” she said sweetly, giving Tim’s newly changed diaper a gentle poke to make sure it was secure. “But you got so protective over them just now… makes me think you must love them a lot.”

Tim grinned, sitting up with a loud crinkle. “She does!” he declared, his pacifier still hanging from the clip on his shirt. “She super duper loves them!”

Marie squeaked.

“I—I do not!” she lied instantly, her face going even redder.

Tim smirked at her, crossing his arms. “Then why’d you get all grumpy when Mommy said I could wear one?”

Marie’s stomach flipped.

Steve let out a low chuckle. “Mmm, that’s a good question,” he mused. “Why did you get so grumpy, sweetheart?”

Marie whined, curling in on herself, her bunny practically squished against her chest now.

She didn’t know!

She just… she didn’t like the idea of someone else wearing her special diapers! They were soft, they were thick, they were cute, and they were hers!

And maybe—just maybe—they made her feel safe.

And maybe—just maybe—she did love them.

But she wasn’t about to say that out loud.

Mommy smirked knowingly as she helped Tim sit up, her fingers smoothing out his dino T-shirt before ruffling his hair.

Steve leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Marie’s head before whispering just loud enough for her to hear:

“It’s okay, princess,” he murmured, his lips brushing her hair. “Daddy loves that you love your Pampers so much.”

Marie let out a tiny whimper, her entire face practically glowing red.

She couldn’t handle this.

This was too much.

She squeezed her eyes shut, hiding her face in her bunny’s soft fur, trying desperately to block out the teasing, the knowing smiles, the awful realization that they were right.

She did love them.

She loved them.

And now, they knew.

Steve chuckled, giving her back a slow, gentle rub before pressing another kiss to her temple. “Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I’ll always make sure you have plenty of your special unicorn Pampers.”

Marie let out another muffled whimper, refusing to lift her head.

Tim giggled beside her, kicking his feet on the playmat. “She really loves ‘em,” he sing-songed, wiggling his toes.

Marie huffed.

She had never been more flustered in her entire life.

But—

But at the same time…

Her tummy felt warm.

And safe.

And, maybe…

Maybe just a tiny bit happy.

[marvelfanfn2187a113]

Baby Preparations

Sam and Dean & pregnant little sister!reader

Requested by Anonymous

Synopsis: you’re pregnant, that’s literally it, that’s the plot

Warnings: short and sweet, pregnancy and tooth-rotting fluff

“Sam!”

Your voice calling out Sam’s name had him doing a 180, heading back from the direction he’d came to find you. You were sitting on the floor of the War Room, and instead of the usual newspaper clippings and lore books, there were dozens of paint sample cards.

“You need something?” He asked.

You held out your hands to him, as if you were 6 years old again and asking to be carried.

“I can’t stand up,” you huffed. At Sam’s light snicker, you scowled. “It’s not funny! I can’t move!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” But Sam couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he helped you to your feet. “How’s my nephew doing?”

“He kicks like he’s a dang Winchester,” you grumbled, rubbing your stomach. “And every time he moves I have to pee, and he—“

“Ok, ok.” Sam stopped you, holding up his hands in surrender. “I get the picture, and I really don’t need to know more.”

“Coward,” you scoffed.

“Hey, when it comes to my baby sister’s pregnancy, you bet I am,” Sam admitted.

“Has anyone seen my pie?” Dean’s question could be heard before he even entered the room, a quizzical and grumpy expression on his face.

“The baby wanted it,” you answered, drawing an eye-roll and a huff from your oldest brother.

“Is that always gonna be your answer?” He demanded.

“Not always,” you admitted. “Just maybe another two months until this guy is eating his own food, not mine.”

Dean face twisted, but he didn’t argue—he never did anymore, and you took full advantage of it. Sam saw right through how you were playing Dean like a kazoo, but he didn’t comment on it; it was too much fun to watch.

“Fine,” Dean grumbled. “I’m gonna go on a run.”

Without a word, you pulled a piece of paper from your pocket and handed it to Dean.

“Again?” He demanded. “It better not be full of weird snacks again.”

“Last time wasn’t that weird,” you insisted.

“I’ve never bought so many pickles or marshmallows in my life,” Dean scoffed.

“It’s marshmallow fluff, not marshmallows,” you corrected.

“Remind me why I’m doing this again?” Dean asked.

“Because my stomach doesn’t fit behind the steering wheel anymore.” You grinned. “And you never let me drive Baby anyway, so you get to make the runs.”

“Fine,” Dean caved. “But if I see orange-flavored beef jerky on here again, I’m throwing the list away.”

…

“Hey Sam?”

Sam glanced up from his lore book to see you still staring at your paint samples.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“I can’t pick a color. Can you help?”

Sam shrugged, ditching his book and coming to your side.

“You really can’t pick?”

“I just…” you huffed. “I want it to be perfect.”

“I don’t really think the baby’s gonna care,” Sam argued.

You were quiet for a long moment, and Sam watched as you started to pick at your hands.

“Hey.” Sam’s hand over yours stilled you. “What’s got you all worked up?”

“I mean…we-we never got anything like this. You know, the rooms and—and a house. But Charlie will…and I want it to be perfect.”

Sam smiled—he loved hearing his nephew’s name, the one you’d chosen to honor your best friend—and rested his hands on your shoulder.

“Charlie doesn’t need the perfect room paint to have a happy childhood. He already has so much more than we had—he has a home, and he has a wonderful mother. He’s gonna grow up so happy—it’s not gonna be like how it was with us.”

“Ok.” You took a deep breath. “Ok, thanks Sam.”

“Any time. And you should totally choose the green.”

Taglist:

@nyotamalfoy @mrvlxgrl @chocorade @aestheticdaisies @inlovewhithafairytale @that-wannabe-vangoghgurl @casmustdiee @987coley @deadlymistletoe @wayward-impala83 @whump-loverz @johannelis2302nely @studiogrimm810 @tell-elle

[rafescherie]

SALT IN THE SUGAR BOWL — RAFE CAMERON

synopsisᝰ.ᐟ pogue!rafe decides to end things between the both of you, before either of you get too attached — but it's already passed that point, for the both of you.

warningᝰ.ᐟ angst really, sweetheart!kook!reader gets her heart smashed

cherie's note — heavily inspired by letthespiceflow on c.ai c: been using that bot a bit, and wanted to write a fic based off of the intro of the bot! they hv a lot of good bots on c.ai and spicychat as well, pls check them out if u like rafe cameron bots! part one of two!

rafe had never been one for the kook life — fancy boats, and stupid polo shirt outfits. more than one hundred spent on an outfit and it became one for 'special occasions', otherwise it would be covered in the filth of the garage floor, and deep obsidian motor oil. his hands were already stained, not something unusual for his line of work. despite his resentment for the kook life, and everyone on the other side of the island, they paid him a hell of a lot of money for the work he did — and he did it well. it had only been a few years since he had opened his own mechanic garage, months worth of projects to work on since the very first day. he was always kept busy — whether it was with upgrading a vehicle, or fixing somebody else's, he always had his hands full.

that's how he met you. so generously, he had offered to tow your vehicle back to the shop upon discovering it moiling the smoke from under it's hood — like your guardian angel sent from heaven, it was the least he could do for a pretty girl. his mother had taught him better, always trying to be a gentleman where he could be.

until today. this morning was different — the air hung thick with the aftermath of the hurricane in his brain from the night prior. he knew he needed to act on his thoughts, and do what was best. but he absolutely dreaded seeing the look on your face, and watching it completely shatter your heart.

"need the wrench, angel." he requested from beneath the heavy vehicle, grease smothered hand appearing from below to extend an open palm. bounding almost excitedly off of his leather-worn workbench, you placed the cold steel tool in his hand.

"so uh, listen," a grunt escaping his lips, absentmindedly going back to working on the vehicle. his muscles tensed with every torque of the wrench, biceps shining with a mixture of grease and sweat. the unmistakable sound of heavy bolts hitting the cold cement of the locally-owned garage rang through the bay, the hum of rock music playing throughout the shop.

his heart thundered against his chest — he felt like such a dickhead. it had only been a few months since the both of you had started seeing one another, and he was already planning on ending things. it wasn't something he wanted to do: it was something he needed to do. he hated knowing he was the reason you held yourself back from the possibility of college. no matter how much he had stressed to you that your schooling was important, especially given the opportunity of growing up on figure eight, it never seemed to stick with you. all you wanted was to be around him, and as much as he adored having you tag along every day, he didn't want to be the reason you would ruin your future.

"been thinking... maybe we should, cool things off, a bit."

the words stuck in your head for a minute, heart racing over the sentence. had you heard him right? there was certainly the possibility you had misunderstood. "what is that supposed to mean?"

rafe sighs, audible even from beneath the heavy vehicle he had been working on the last few months. the last thing he wanted to do was look at you, speak directly to you — the hurt in your eyes would eat him alive like no other, as if the guilt wasn't already working towards that alone.

"you know.." he starts, voice tame despite the race of his emotions, "you an' me."

you furrow your eyebrows, confused on the sudden shift. he had been so sweet just yesterday — peppering you with so much love you were sure you would have fainted on the spot. but maybe that was his attempt at sweethearting you — trying to help soothe the mental turmoil he was experiencing for ending things so suddenly with you. "what, why?"

he shakes his head, wishing you'd just drop it. but an explanation was what you deserved, after all. it was the least he could do. he drops the wrench onto the cement beneath the car, sliding out from underneath to kneel in front of you. he runs his tainted hand over his buzzed hair, another deep sigh falling from his nostrils.

"you're a smart girl, sweetheart. think about it — you're a kook, and i'm a pogue. you come from the rich side of the island, and i come from the cut. it wouldn't work," he starts, wanting nothing more than to wrap his arms around your fragile body, reassuring you it wasn't your fault, "besides, last thing you need in your life is someone who dropped out of high school, 'specially since you're headed to college in the fall."

ouch.

"rafe..." you trail on, biting the inside of your cheek in any sort of control against the tears that threatened to spill onto your flushed cheeks. "i- i thought you didn't care for all that?"

"i don't," he replies, ocean blue eyes looking around the shop in a desperate attempt to avoid eye contact.

"so where is this coming from?" you ask, heart thundering against your ribcage. desperation was laced within your voice, soft and trembling at the realization of the news you were being hit with.

he let out a sigh, hesitating before he opened his mouth to speak. there was no easy way to say this, so he opted for brutal honesty. his eyes never left yours as he said the words he dreaded most.

“it’s dangerous,” he started, his voice low as he slowly stood up in front of you. “it’s just asking for trouble. people would have my head. not to mention what your parents would say. we just…we can’t do this anymore.”

none of this was fair — neither to you, or to him. but there was no turning back now, the words had already popped out of his mouth, and the inevitable damage was already done. the look on your face was like a gut punch to his stomach, making him feel dizzy and sick all at the same time. he hated himself — really, he did.

one thing you knew for sure about rafe — he either didn’t care at all, or he cared too much. he always told you it didn’t matter what your parents thought or how anyone else would react; he promised he’d always take care of you. but as reality crashed down on you like a ton of bricks, that promise felt like a slap in the face. you hadn’t even realized you were crying until the hot tears streaked down your flushed cheeks, landing on the bare skin of your shoulders, exposed by your tank top.

"it's for the best, baby."

the oil on his hands smudges onto the denim fabric of his wrinkled, disheveled shirt before he lifts them to cup your face in his palms. his blue eyes search yours, the sting of salty tears making it harder to hold his gaze. but you don’t let him linger — you swat his hands away and turn for the exit, your footsteps heavy against the garage floor.

you stupidly wish to hear his footsteps trailing behind you as you walk back to your parked car — but they never come. how foolish, how naive, to think he would follow. even after he fell in love with you. even after he let you fall in love with him.

[aealzx]

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Update Post

Prologue | AO3

Previous

_______________________

Luckily a multitude of text messages to the others was enough for Jason to convince them to refrain from crowding in on them, and Danny was able to have some time to cry without worry. It wasn’t the first time, or even the hundredth time Jason had held a crying child, so it was easy for him to wait and offer a silent companionship with the occasional back rub. And it was easy to tell when Danny’s energy was wearing low, the sobs turning into softer hiccups and his grip on Jason’s jacket not quite as tight. And after a stretch of almost complete silence Jason figured it was time to move. It was no surprise that having a good cry and being able to talk just a bit left Danny quite tired, he was still sporting quite the residual burn wound on his chest. But while rest would do him good, Jason didn’t think it would be the best idea to take him back to the manor just yet. “... Hey… How ‘bout we go get a batburger and go to my place?” he suggested after some time, wondering if Danny had eaten anything good for dinner yet. “We can just chill for tonight. I already let everyone know you’re safe, so don’t worry about them….Okay?”

“Batburger?” Danny repeated, voice betraying his obvious need for a tissue. He just felt more worn out more than anything else now, but didn’t miss the brief strain of amusement he got from hearing about the food. This place really did have everything named after Batman. They must really like their dark and broody superhero. It was something to envy, at least a little. And honestly, going to Jason’s place and having some time without having to deal with the others fussing over him or subtly needing him to direct them sounded amazing too. He needed time to himself to figure out what to do next before he gave them any suggestions. Which led him to looking up to Jason and nodding. “Yeah. That sounds great. Been awhile since I had a burger.”

Jason took the weak smile Danny gave him as a win, the boy’s mask having vanished long ago to make it easier to breathe, and started to move to get them on their feet again. “C’mon then. We’ll take it easy on the way there. Get some air,” he coaxed, leading Danny towards one of his safe places first so he could ditch the helmet and other vigilante attire.

“Don’t people usually say fresh air?” Danny commented, his current state making his brain to mouth distance quite short at the moment.

“Have you smelled Gotham? That’s not just this alleyway, it’s the whole city,” Jason returned easily, giving the poor kid something else to focus on for now.

Danny couldn’t help grimacing as he snorted, putting a hand to his nose and earning Jason’s pity to find some sort of tissue or fabric from his pockets for the boy to clear his nose on. A bottle of gatorade would probably be a good idea for the boy too.

Pulling Danny to his feet, Jason kept him close as they moved. A quick stop at a tiny safeplace allowed them to switch to a more inconspicuous civilian attire, with Jason loaning Danny some shoes for now. He was still in his pajamas, and even though he mentioned he could just slightly float to avoid walking on the disgusting ground Jason didn’t want any prying eyes to notice that. The kid looked pathetic in Jason’s bigger shoes and oversized jacket, but at least he looked more like he fit in with the rest of the crowd in the area. At least enough that the worker at the nearest Bat Burger didn’t think twice about the two of them stopping by. Jason did all the talking, ordering two basic combos, and Danny just lingered behind him. The gaudy colors of the fast food place littered with advertisements to read were another mild distraction that kept him occupied until Jason pushed a takeout bag into his hands. They were quiet as they walked back to Jason’s apartment, and it was only after they had passed the first entrance that the silence was broken.

“...Is there a reason other than you don’t want to that you don’t stay at the manor full time?” Danny asked while they were riding the small elevator to the second from the top floor, starting to run out of ways to keep his brain from wandering where he didn’t want it to.

“Got it before Bruce knew I wasn’t still dead. Then felt like keeping it because it’s nice to be on my own,” Jason answered simply, leading them down the hall to his own doorway and fishing his keys out of his pocket.

“...Right…you did the whole ‘died and came back wrong’ thing too,” Danny hummed, having momentarily forgotten.

It earned a small grunt from Jason while they kicked their shoes off at the entrance, which was closed and locked again behind them. “I wouldn’t say ‘wrong’, just atypical. Considering most people that die come back within a few minutes instead of a few years, like me, and also don’t end up with super powers, like you.” Maybe he would agree to the term ‘wrong’ at some other time than this, but he didn’t want Danny spiraling into any more self hate than he was hovering on already.

“Wait- a few years?”  Danny sputtered, stopping to stare at Jason. “You were dead for years?!”

“Oh yeah. I hear the funeral was nice, but I guess I was too angry about my killer still running loose that I just had to come back and take care of things myself,” Jason shrugged, gaining a slight smirk and carefully guiding his own thoughts along a path that would keep him present and talking. It was still difficult to talk about, but as long as he felt in control he could manage it for the most part. As long as the other side didn’t start asking too detailed of questions.

Something he apparently wouldn’t have to worry about with Danny. The lad was quiet for a moment as absent thoughts ran through his head about what Jason just said. And after a moment he suddenly gave a small gasp in realization. “Oh my gosh. You’re a revenant.”

“A what now?”

“A revenant. I heard about them from… was it Clockwork or someone else?” Danny repeated, trailing off as he couldn’t remember who he’d learned what lesson from. He eventually shook his head and followed Jason further into the apartment. “They’re essentially people that come back from the dead because they’re too angry to stay dead. But they usually pass on again once that anger is satiated, so that’s why I didn’t notice before- woah, that’s a lot of weapons.”

Jason was luckily saved from having a mild existential crisis when Danny noticed his wall of weapons. Was this how the two kids had felt when Raven had given their state of existence a name? Weird. Anyway, “Do they make you uncomfortable?” he asked, ready to hide them if he needed to, and flopping on the couch to dig his burger out of the bag, gesturing for Danny to join him.

“No. I was just surprised to see so many. I actually grew up with a basement full of dangerous stuff. My parents-” His voice cut off as his heart skipped several beats at the mention of his parents. He had half the thought that this was probably what it was going to be like now, just casually dropping an emotional bomb on himself in casual conversation. He probably would have cried again, but at the moment he didn’t have anything left to give yet. Luckily Jason pulled him out of that slump by patting the couch next to him again.

“C’mon, enough chatter. You ever seen Pride and Prejudice?” he prompted, grabbing the remote with the hand that wasn’t holding his burger.

“....Not this realm’s version,” Danny responded quietly after swallowing the lump in his throat back into his chest. If it was even close to the same story he had in his realm it would be a good enough distraction. He could just sit and watch a movie, pretending he was just over at a friend’s house for the night and everything was actually just fine.

Making himself comfortable on the couch, Danny eventually got around to pulling his own bat burger from the bag and unwrapping it. They had gotten it with the idea that he could try it, and if he felt sick Jason would finish it and make him something else. But as Danny bit into it he found in the moment he didn’t care if he ended up sick from it. Technically it had been almost three months since he’d had a good hamburger. And while he’d been unconscious for most of that time he still felt like this was the best thing he’d eaten in a long time. Alfred’s cooking was great, but it had still been rather mild compared to the juicy meal. Jason just chuckled and hummed in agreement when Danny made a noise of delight, reaching for a few fries as the movie started.

It was a good distraction for as long as the food lasted. And even after the meal was finished Danny eventually ended up wedged up against Jason and half buried under a blanket, staring at the tv screen with a half lidded gaze as he tried to keep from thinking about anything in particular. It wasn’t quite as blissfully comfortable as the couch in the manor study, but it still brought a sense of peaceful comfort that made him feel like maybe, just maybe, he would be okay. Maybe he would handle it better this time than the time before that the literal ghost of time had to pop up and make him correct his mistakes so some evil version of himself wouldn’t exist in the future. It was already pretty different this time anyway. He had more friends now. And his sisters and home realm friends were still there. And also Vlad was nowhere to be found, so it wasn’t like he could give himself a corrupted power boost by eating the man’s ghost half. That was a plus. Probably. Danny felt bad for even considering it was a good thing Vlad was gone for good now, but he tried not to dwell on it long. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as he thought. After all, Clockwork and the Observants-

Danny suddenly shot upright with a gasp, thoughts cascading into his mind as he remembered a series of facts he once thought were disjointed suddenly became potentially connected.

“What’s wrong?” Jason asked, immediately concerned and wondering if he needed to grab a bucket.

Danny took a second to respond, the jumble of thoughts in his head needing a moment to settle before he could figure out how to make words with his voice. “Nothing,” he dismissed, but realized that was obviously not the case, so made himself elaborate a little. “I just realized Dani doesn’t have a reliable source of ectoplasm. I’m going to have to figure something out, I don’t want her to be tied down to me,” he rambled, running a hand through his hair and trying to calm himself down. It wasn’t a good idea for two people to be relying on one person’s energy anyway. “Didn’t… Did someone say before that Raven could access the Infinite Realms? To get some? Do you think she could teach us?”

Something felt a little off about Danny’s response, but the words he said made sense and made it hard for Jason to act on his subtle gut feeling of wariness. They would need another source of ectoplasm, for both of the half ghost kids. And Raven was the one that had gotten the last supply…. Perhaps Jason would just go along with what Danny was thinking for now, and just make sure he didn’t get himself into too much trouble. “... Yeah. I can text Damian to contact her,” he offered, grabbing his phone to do just that.

“Could she start it tomorrow?” Danny asked, twisting to look at Jason, and then adding “The sooner the better, right? And it’ll give me something to do other than wallow in despair.”

Another weird comment, but Jason just made note of it and followed along. “Sure. Makes sense. I’ll see if they’re available after school.”

“Thanks…,” Danny bid, flopping back down. That would give him more than enough time to sleep even though it was already well after midnight. And it was true that he would appreciate having something to do other than get lost in his head. He was already starting to feel better now that some ideas on actions were forming in his mind. Tomorrow then. And for tonight he could just enjoy the simple movie about rich people's problems. “...This is a good movie, by the way.”

“You know it,” Jason huffed in agreement.

Tomorrow will be better

_________________

I had Staying by Koda on repeat when writing this one.

I feel like I forgot how to draw because I ended up in a hyperfixation just writing for like a week straight and didn't draw for that time X'D Totally stole Jason's apartment layout and colors from Wayne Family Adventures.

I'm excited for the next part BD

___________

Tag list: @galaxy-sharks-and-bottled-ships, @starscreamlover, @nerdynonnativenarnian, @dragongoblet, @megacharizardx99

@bellathecatastrophe, @cj-ghostemoji-destielpie, @asexual-insomniac, @wolfeyedwitch, @tkiesai, 

@fanaroff, @raven1508, @nebulainajar, @serasvictoria02, @oliocelottafanfics,

@honeysuckletook, @omniithe-deer, @wolf-under-the-stars, @gingernutcalo, @that-random-fangirl,

@op-sys-chaos, @kirasigncomics, @ehobep, @paranoid-ira, @nomaru666

[oopsiedaisydeer]

ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ, ᴍᴀʏʙᴇ ɴᴏᴛ… ᴀ ꜱᴇʀɪᴇꜱ

angst, fluff, social anxiety, one-sided attraction?, unresolved tension, self-doubt, slow burn, texting, fluff, coming-of-age, friends to lovers?

𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚: 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙧ö𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧’𝙨 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙝, 𝘧𝘵. 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨!𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘺!𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

series masterlist here.

word count - 1.2k

Each moment with Matt unfolded in little fragments, stitched together by the soft glow of your phone screen.

Matt finally responds.

It’s late, hours after you’d sent your last message, when your phone vibrates on your nightstand. You’re already half-asleep, but the soft buzz jolts you awake.

Sorry, got distracted Anyway, yk the essay we have to write?

No explanation. No acknowledgment of the silence. Just a smooth continuation, like he never left you waiting.

You stare at the screen for a moment before replying. 

oh, all good!!  yh what did u need ?

Do u mind reading over this and telling me if it makes sense?

He sends you a screenshot.

You rub the sleep from your eyes, blinking at the bright screen as you open the image. His essay fills the screen, paragraphs stacked neatly, but something about it looks rushed.

do u want my honest opinion or the nice version?

A typing bubble appears instantly.

Honesty is the best policy

You grin, looking at the writing again.

ok tbh it's solid but ur conclusion is kinda weak feels like u just gave up halfway through

Wow. Brutal.

im just saying!! u started strong and then dipped

Matt doesn’t reply right away, and for a second, you worry you were too blunt.

Fair. I did kinda bs the ending

told u

The typing bubble appears, then disappears. You wait, your phone screen illuminating your face in the dark.

Does it at least sound smart?

You smile, curling deeper into your blankets.

ehh. smart-ish

I’ll take that as a compliment. especially from u.

A pause, and your chest warms. Then-

Thanks btw For reading it over

You smile again. It’s such a small thing, but he didn’t have to say it.

ofc :)

You yawn again, exhaustion settling into your bones. You should really sleep.

But before you can put your phone down, another message pops up.

U busy tomorrow?

Your stomach flips.

not rlly, why?

Just wondering

A beat.

I need to sleep. goodnight

You bite your lip, smiling at your screen like an idiot.

night matt

You don’t sleep right away.

You see him at school the next day.

He’s with his friends, laughing at something as he leans against the lockers. Your stomach flutters at the sight of him, like the texts from the past weekend were some secret window into a version of him that only you got to see.

For a second, you think he might look over, maybe even acknowledge you. But he doesn’t. His gaze sweeps the hallway, passing right over you without stopping.

You remind yourself that it’s fine. He has his friends. It’s not like you expected anything.

If u had to pick between never reading again or never watching a movie again, which one would you choose?

The question came out of nowhere, right as you were finishing up your homework. You blink at the message before a small smile creeps onto your face.

that's evil!!!! why would u make me choose?

Coz it's important Life-changing, even

You stare at your screen, biting your lip. Books had always been a comfort, but movies... movies made you feel things in a way nothing else did.

i hate u for this, but i think i'd pick movies

TRAITOR.

You laugh, warmth bubbling in your chest.

At school, you walk into one of the classes you happens to share with him. 

You consider sitting beside him, or maybe just near him. But no, that doesn’t feel right. You consider maybe just saying something, just a quick "hey," but Matt doesn’t look up, doesn’t even glance in your direction.

Maybe he doesn’t see you. Maybe he’s just caught up in his own world.

Still, a tiny part of you deflates.

The texts continue.

Not constantly, but enough. Small exchanges after each school day, little inside jokes, assignments, shared thoughts about books, movies, random things that make you think of him.

why is it that every time I think I have things figured out, I realise i'm just guessing?

Is this about the math homework or do u just overthink everything?

stfu matt

Some days, it’s just a text or two. Other days, the conversation stretches late into the evening, messages sent in bursts between homework and distractions. And even though he never says much at school, this part, this hidden part, feels real.

The first time you call.

It starts as a joke. You text, teasing him:

u need me to explain this to you? i thought you were the expert

He replies:

Excuse me. You just dont get it

wow, ok! mansplainer unlocked.

U know what? Call me rn I’ll prove it

You hesitate. Your fingers hover over the screen. Then, before you can second-guess it, you press the button.

The phone rings once. Twice. Then—

"Wow. You actually called."

His voice is softer than you expected, warm with amusement. You roll your eyes, even though he can’t see you. "You told me to."

"I didn’t think you’d actually do it."

You’re smiling now, your nerves fading. The conversation unfolds slowly at first. Then it's natural, playful, easy. It lasts only a few minutes, but by the time you hang up, your heart is racing for reasons you don’t want to name.

Late at night, when you're already curled up under your blankets, your phone buzzes again.

Can I call you? Got something to rant about.

Your heart leaps. He wanted to call? Again?

You hesitate only for a second before typing back,.

sure!

Moments later, his voice filled your ears, soft and a little scratchy.

"I swear my physics teacher has it out for me. I turned in my homework early, and he still said I was missing something."

You smile, adjusting your pillow. "Sounds like a personal vendetta. What did you do to him?"

"Existed."

You giggle in response, the sound unfamiliar even to yourself.

They ended up talking for an hour, about school, music, the book he promised to lend you but still hadn’t. You barely notice the time passing until your eyelids grew heavy. But even as your body begged for rest, you didn’t want to end the call. Not yet. It was ridiculous. He was just ranting about physics, and yet, something about his voice in the quiet of your room made you feel lighter.

"I should probably sleep," you murmur, voice thick with drowsiness.

"Yeah," he said, but neither of them hung up. The silence stretched, comfortable.

You wonder if he could hear you breathing. If he was waiting for you to say something else, or if he was just as unwilling to let go.

Somehow he finds something else to yap about, even as your eyes drifted shut.

When you wake up, the call is over, but he's texted you.

Goodnight ? Sorry lol i didn't want to be creepy and listen to u breathe so i hung up Hope u sleep well

You ever think about how weird it is that we weren’t really friends before?

You read his message over three times before replying.

yeah, sometimes why?

I dunno. Just feel like we should’ve been.

Something about that message stuck with you for the rest of the day, an ache in your chest that wasn’t unpleasant.

You had been happier lately. And you knew why. You just weren't sure if you were allowed to admit it to yourself yet.

thank u rose for the dividers!!! @bernardsbendystraws

a/n: ahhhhh making these texts will be the bane of my existence.

taglist: @backwardshatnick @sturnslutz @applecidersturniolo @kier-with-a-k @evansturn @bluestriips @55sturn @snoopychris @y3sterdaysproblem @cowboylikenat @throatgoat4u @mattswifeyy @marysongohmy @idefinitelyhateu @sweetshuga @st7rnioioss comment to be added/removed from this series taglist !

till next time <3

[accio-victuuri]

February 2025 CPNs Round-Up ❤️💚

• LHK showing support to LOCH. this may not be directly cpn but it’s nice to see a common friend show this kind of love for them. and out of all the “close friends” XZ had in CQL it’s interesting that LHK is the one that showed public support. no shade to the others cause we understand that oftentimes, showing support will be twisted into something bad.

but this is coming from someone who bxgs are closely watching, tho sometimes, a little bit too much. there are things and interactions behind the scenes that we will never know and i’m happy to think that their circle of friends is intact.

• XZ said in the Wuhan roadshow that what’s important is you are still you. A similar caption was used for a photo posted by Hui ge of WYB + an updated post about this mysterious fansite.

• Stone island pants

• The mole (.) added in writing

• This scene from LOCH where he “defends” the heroine is something similar to what he did with WYB. i think we all know what i’m talking about, when he spreads out his hand trying to shield his LWJ in between takes. i’m not sure if this is improvised but it’s nice if the source was the moment with yibo.

• xzs and ybo similarity for lantern festival 🏮

• another coincidence on xz’s side for lantern festival and then the next day, wyb flies back to beijing just in time to be at home for valentines day. tho we already knew he was gonna be back on the 14th, but they both probably planned that lol. bless beijing!

• Valentines day was lowkey chaotic because WYB was on hs for his official fanclub refuting the rumor of him being a part of a certain movie project. XZ was sadly on hs being paired with an irrelevant 🍆. lol. But then the two of them were so quiet on their personal social media. I really hope they enjoyed valentines day together in peace! no need to look at weibo — just be with each other.

what’s funny tho is their former groupmates being high up HS because of two completely different things. Lei Lei ( x9 ) announced his marriage. Wenhan ( UNIQ ) a cheating scandal. which led to this hs the next day,

and the posts are hilarious cause cpfs are saying maybe the other two members of these teams can make their own announcement 😂😂😂

• the fact that eversince wyb came back to beijing 2/14 , he and xz was not seen out and about anywhere up until XZ showed up at the airport to fly to Milan. Good for them. i’d love to think that they have quiet time together and have a bit of a mini vacation before they go back to the grind 🙌🏼

also, look at them being twins lol 👀👀👀

i swear. they can totally fool people sometimes!

• in one of the videos at the airport, people are clowning about them being in the same frame. you can see wyb’s photo for the yoose ad!

also in one of the xzs photos with lots of numbers you can see 8 and 16. two very yibo coded numbers!

• not to be that cpf but during gucci mfw xz was at seat number 18 👀👀👀

• and this saga continues lol. i personally believe p2 is bobo — look at that bone necklace. but who knows!

<<< previous post

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hello, I love your blog

Do you think that a lot of people at hogwarts had a crush on Harry? Do you consider him a dreamboat? I like to think that Parvati, Dean and even Neville had a crush on him at some point

Hi 👋

Thank you so much 💕

Honestly, yes. We know Harry was considered a catch at Hogwarts.

In 4th year before the Yule Ball, multiple girls ask him out (even older ones that didn't need a date to go to the ball):

“Why do they have to move in packs?” Harry asked Ron as a dozen or so girls walked past them, sniggering and staring at Harry. “How’re you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?”

(GoF)

A curly-haired third-year Hufflepuff girl to whom Harry had never spoken in his life asked him to go to the ball with her the very next day. Harry was so taken aback he said no before he’d even stopped to consider the matter. The girl walked off looking rather hurt, and Harry had to endure Dean’s, Seamus’s, and Ron’s taunts about her all through History of Magic. The following day, two more girls asked him, a second year and (to his horror) a fifth year who looked as though she might knock him out if he refused.

(GoF)

Cho Chang seems to have been open to it when he asked her out she declined becouse she already agreed to Cedric:

“D’you — d’you want to go to the ball with me?” said Harry. Why did he have to go red now? Why ? “Oh!” said Cho, and she went red too. “Oh Harry, I’m really sorry,” and she truly looked it. “I’ve already said I’ll go with someone else.”

(GoF)

And in OotP, Cho clearly was interested in Harry (not in his personality, but in who she thought he was):

“Yes, it’s on Valentine’s Day. . . .” “Right,” said Harry, wondering why she was telling him this. “Well, I suppose you want to — ?” “Only if you do,” she said eagerly.

(OotP)

Parvati was all for going with Harry Potter to the ball. So much so she dragged her sister to be Ron’s date so she could bag the Boy Who Lived:

“Parvati? Will you go to the ball with me?” Parvati went into a fit of giggles. Harry waited for them to subside, his fingers crossed in the pocket of his robes. “Yes, all right then,” she said finally, blushing furiously. “Thanks,” said Harry, in relief. “Lavender — will you go with Ron?” “She’s going with Seamus,” said Parvati, and the pair of them giggled harder than ever. Harry sighed. “Can’t you think of anyone who’d go with Ron?” he said, lowering his voice so that Ron wouldn’t hear. [...] “Well . . .” said Parvati slowly, “I suppose my sister might . . . Padma, you know . . . in Ravenclaw. I’ll ask her if you like.”

(GoF)

Who ended up being a disappointing date. Harry being a lousy date didn't stop Parvati and Lavender from thinking Harry is hot though:

Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, the last two of whom gave Harry airy, overly friendly greetings that made him quite sure they had stopped talking about him a split second before.

(OotP)

And in HBP we see many girls trying to get Harry's attention:

Then he blinked and looked around: He was surrounded by mesmerized girls. “Hi, Harry!” said a familiar voice from behind him. “Neville!” said Harry in relief, turning to see a round-faced boy struggling toward him.

(HBP)

The second group was comprised of ten of the silliest girls Harry had ever encountered, who, when he blew his whistle, merely fell about giggling and clutching one another. Romilda Vane was amongst them. When he told them to leave the pitch, they did so quite cheerfully and went to sit in the stands to heckle everyone else. The third group had a pileup halfway around the pitch. Most of the fourth group had come without broomsticks. The fifth group were Hufflepuffs. “If there’s anyone else here who’s not from Gryffindor,” roared Harry, who was starting to get seriously annoyed, “leave now, please!” There was a pause, then a couple of little Ravenclaws went sprinting off the pitch, snorting with laughter.

(HBP)

While I don't think Harry is Hermione's ideal romantic partner, she thinks he is a catch too:

“Oh, come on, Harry,” said Hermione, suddenly impatient. “It’s not Quidditch that’s popular, it’s you! You’ve never been more interesting, and frankly, you’ve never been more fanciable.” Ron gagged on a large piece of kipper. Hermione spared him one look of disdain before turning back to Harry. [...] “And it doesn’t hurt that you’ve grown about a foot over the summer either,” Hermione finished, ignoring Ron. “I’m tall,” said Ron inconsequentially.

(HBP)

And I don't really ship Drarry, as in, I don't really like the dynamic, but I have eyes and I can see Draco can very much be read as having a crush on Harry. I mean, he seeks out Harry on the train literally every year except 6th (& 7th), he seeks Harry out whenever he can in general, and his wand (with a super loyal unicorn core that tends to wilt rather than work for another owner) works for Harry perfectly — which says something about Draco's feelings for Harry. (His behaviour towards Harry kinda reads as pulling pigtails — he just, really wants Harry's attention and goes out of his way to seek it out way too often).

Not sure if Neville had a crush on Harry (I see him as straight), but he definitely looks up to him:

Neville Longbottom, who gave a roar of delight, leapt down from the mantelpiece and yelled. “I knew you’d come! I knew it, Harry!”

(DH)

Harry is who all the DA look to lead them, though, to know what to do:

“Look who it is! Didn’t I tell you?” As Harry emerged into the room beyond the passage, there were several screams and yells: “HARRY!” “It’s Potter, it’s POTTER!” “Ron!” “Hermione!”

(DH)

The DA are happy to see Ron and Hermione, but Harry is first, Harry is their figure-head and source of hope, so it's not just Neville and I wouldn't really call it a crush. You can headcanon it, but, it didn't read that way to me.

Dean is a possibility, honestly, but I don't really have any evidence for it, so you could headcanon that too if you want. (It could be funny that Dean and Ginny are dating each other to make Harry jealous because both of them like Harry. They spend their dates talking about Harry).

And obviously, Ginny thinks Harry is a catch.

The point of all of this, is yes, Harry is good-looking by the later books and is considered a catch to various students at Hogwarts since his 4th year. The majority of them, though, don't really know Harry as a person. They see the Boy Who Lived, not Harry, and that's who the majority are attracted to.

[julieverne]

Cailin watches Jane.

Cailin is no detective; she's not even a doctor. But the situation at home--a babysitter for a full adult.

What happened with Maura really did a number on Hope, Cailin knows that intellectually, but she still resents Hope for the ever-tightening grip Hope had on her. She's so afraid to lose another daughter, even though she got the last one back. Has both of them now, because of Maura's kidney. Cailin touches her stomach, over the scar. Maura is part of her now, but they've never been further apart.

Maura hadn't exactly offered. Cailin had ignored the social cues that Maura exhibited; anxiety, nervousness. She hadn't ignored the way Jane's hand had touched Maura's lower back to steady her, to offer support.

She's not here because of the babysitter--well, not just because of the babysitter. She's nineteen, she can take care of herself. She rolls her eyes, even though she's alone. She's here because she wants to know for sure whether Jane is her sister in law or just a really hot woman obsessed with her sister.

Cailin gets it. Maura has the Martin genes; she's gorgeous. Cailin isn't sure she wouldn't be obsessed with Maura if she didn't know they were related. Well, she is, but not the way Jane is obsessed with her. Cailin wants to know more about her sister; Jane wants to eat Maura with her eyes.

She settles back on the bed, tucking one arm under her head. Jane had been here when she got home from the library. Maura hadn't called the police when she hadn't checked in this time. Cailin feels kind of bad about that; she probably should have texted last time too. She knows Maura's job is to pick apart the last moments of women who stayed late at libraries or even stayed home. It's kind of sweet to see that Maura worries about her. Something familial. Cailin hadn't expected how anxious Maura was. Jane had explained it was because Maura wanted Cailin to like her, but that seemed silly because Cailin already did. She'd grown up all over most continents in the kind of places that documentaries got made; she'd learned pretty early to judge people for their intentions. The only vibe she got off Maura was uptight anxiety, and as Jane had said, a deep and abiding need to be liked.

Cailin hadn't done herself any favours there. She'd believed she was dying, and this woman Maura had come in. The daughter Hope had wanted, the daughter Hope had grieved for. She was waiting to take Cailin's place when she passed.

But she hadn't been. She'd offered her kidney; anonymously, of course, but Cailin had known. God, how selfless. Cailin had been a right bitch to get back then, and Maura had offered anyway. Maura really was lovely.

But when Maura was mad, Cailin was reminded that Maura had Doyle blood in her veins too. That their mother loved a mobster and Maura was an unknown quantity.

There was a soft knock on the door.

"it's your house," Cailin says. "Come in."

It wasn't Maura after all. It was Jane. She looks tired and is still in her detective pants with the gun and badge and phone on the belt. They're chunky and make her look even slighter than she already was. It does something to Cailin, Jane being a detective. She wonders if it is genetic.

Jane's also wearing a tank top. It's white and clings to her in a way that makes Cailin bite her lip and look away quickly.

"Thanks for having the talk with Maura."

"I know where babies come from, Jane."

Jane looks startled, then chuckles. She sits on the edge of Cailin's bed and yawns. Cailin sits up beside her.

"I mean the talk about houseguest behaviour. You might not have noticed but she likes certain things a certain way."

"And me being here is upsetting her. I can go home. I just wanted to..." Cailin looks down at her hands. She never fidgeted but Maura did. Must be a Doyle thing. Cailin had seen the way Jane had looked completely devastated in the papers. They had to be lovers. "I just wanted to get to know her. Have a sleepover, I guess, but she's working and I'm studying and we're both adults, even if Hope doesn't think I am."

"Maura says the something vortex doesn't develop until twenty six."

"Cortex," Cailin corrects her. "She's right, but legally I can sign a lease or go to war."

"I would have thought you'd seen enough wars." Jane's voice was low and gentle. She only used that voice for Maura and TJ, who adored her, and sometimes Cailin. Once for Hope. Cailin looks up at Jane. Her smile is so soft, her eyes kind and empathetic. Cailin remembers Jane had dated a soldier and seen another one blown up in front of her.

"Do you ever really feel like the world is an okay place to live in? I know you see the worst of what people do to each other."

Jane sighs and rubs her face. She yawns again.

"You're a good thing in this world. Maura is a good thing in this world. If what I do can protect either one of you, I'll bare-knuckle fight any gangster or deadbeat in Boston."

"Not the Doyles though."

Jane swallows and looks away. "Not the Doyles. They...it's complicated. You and Hope are being watched."

Cailin inhales sharply; she somehow hadn't expected that.

"Look, it's not my place to tell you...but Maura autopsied her half brother. Before she knew who he was, of course. And she had to recuse herself--it was a whole thing. But if you think she's anxious or overbearing or overreacting, I think you should know that she very much doesn't want to have to cut you up too."

Christ. No wonder she'd been so worried. Cailin feels bad now, about making Maura worry. No wonder she'd given up a kidney. Christ. Her own brother. What would that have made him to Cailin? A quarter brother? Like a quarter horse?

Jane watches silently. "That's just scratching the surface of what Maura has in her brain when she looks at you. She's never felt wanted, and when you and Hope didn't want her, I think it broke everything she'd been hoping for. She'd been so scared to even reach out. She's a bad liar, I don't know if you noticed. She just didn't spell out the connection. She wants..." Jane trails off and closes her eyes. "She wants so badly to be loved that she doesn't know how to be loved. She doesn't believe she deserves it."

That's surprisingly deep from casual Detective Jane Rizzoli.

"She was scared of being rejected, that Hope wouldn't want her. She'd met Paddy already by then."

Jane says the name of Boston's biggest crime boss like she likes him, like she hasn't shot him at least once. She'd said Cailin was being watched but she didn't sound concerned. Maybe Cailin shouldn't be either. Jane has a moral compass and she's been a good judge of character so far.

"She was adopted. I mean, of course you know that. But I think she was always scared her parents didn't love her, that they'd made the wrong choice. She was always scared that they'd want to return her. Of course, there was no way they could have returned her, and they love her in their own weird little ways. Constance saved her life. Usually she's not very demonstrative, but she showed Maura how much she has always cared for her. But before then her love for Maura was stiff and formal--she's British. You know what they're like. So seeing you with Hope was something she'd always wanted, something she knew she could never have and she gave you a kidney anyway. So if she says to text her, can you just text her, please?"

"That's a long story for a short message. I'll text her, okay? I didn't know..."

"That's why I told you." Jane's smile is small but she's so pretty that Cailin looks away, suddenly aware that Jane and her are on a bed. She blushes, and Jane chuckles.

"She's not trying to take Hope from you," Jane says gently. Cailin rolls her eyes.

"Somedays I wish she would. She's too much. If Maura can take half, she'd be doing me a favour."

"You've met my Ma, your concept of too much is underwhelming."

"Angela's nice," Cailin protests but not too harshly; she knows what Jane means. The humiliation of having a mother who cares too much. Cailin has always taken it for granted and resented it, but she sees now that Maura can take some of the slack. Hope is too much for one daughter and if Maura can share her house then the least Cailin can do is share her overbearing, anxious mother. They can anxiety at each other. Leave Cailin out of it.

"Ma needs someone to mother, and Maura never got much mothering. They'd both drive me crazy if they didn't have each other." It's so close to Cailin's own thoughts that she laughs. She looks over at Jane. God, those cheekbones, those deep, soulful eyes, the shape of her in that tank top.

"Are you dating?"

Jane looks at her in shock.

"You're, like, half my age."

Cailin groans and buries her head in her hands. She hadn't been asking like that but with the way she was looking at Jane she can't blame her for misinterpreting her.

"I mean, are you guys dating? Each other."

"Ma and me? Not my type." Jane's grin is cheeky.

Cailin knows Jane is being deliberately obtuse. There had been many nights Cailin and Hope had wondered aloud about their relationship. Jane was always there. She was here now.

Cailin meets Jane's eyes with a glare. Jane slumps.

"You'd better ask her," Jane says so quietly that it almost breaks Cailin's heart. It's not a no, but it's as close to an answer as she'll get.

"I'd better go. Sorry to lay all of that on you, I just want to explain. She likes you--she doesn't want to lose you. Not now she's found you."

Poor Jane. Knowing she's single should lift Cailin's heart but she's not wrong; Jane is twice her age, and even though she's gorgeous and funny and kind, dating her would feel wrong because she knows Jane is Maura's. Maura is Hope's, but she's Angela's too, and Paddy's and this Constance's--but most of all Maura is Jane's.

"I like her too. I wish she wouldn't worry so much about that. I wouldn't have come here if I didn't want to spend time with her. She's smart and successful and she's so kind. She's nice, too, if a little uptight at times."

"When you go missing." Jane chides her with no ire. She puts her hands on her knees and yawns again. "I'm going to bed."

"About that. Where do you sleep?"

"The green room," Jane says smoothly, but Cailin has heard Jane's door creep open late at night, Jane's uneven footfalls head down the hall and not come back. Jane gets to her feet and stretches and god there's so much of her, she's so tall, her shirt rides up over her flat stomach and toned abs and Cailin can feel the blush staining her cheeks. Jane tucks her shirt back in.

"Goodnight," Jane says, and then she's gone. Not to the green room, but down the hall towards Maura's bedroom.

Cailin's no detective, but she knows love when she sees it.

+++

In the morning Cailin wakes early to make the coffee. An apology, of sorts. She makes sure the counter is wiped down and the coffee machine is clean when she's finished and packs the dishwasher as Maura and Jane blearily come into the kitchen.

"Keep her," Jane mumbles at Maura, tilting her head at Cailin. Maura nods and yawns and takes the coffee thankfully.

"I just might," Maura says once she's sipped her coffee. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise how much of your routine I was throwing off."

Maura nods. "And I'm sorry if I've made you feel unwelcome. It's these long hours--I have so little time at home. I've wanted to spend time with you."

Cailin's heart warms her.

"I want to spend time with you too," Cailin says softly, and Maura's eyes crinkle as she smiles--not uncertainly, the way she smiles at Hope and Cailin, but relaxed and honestly, the way she smiles at Angela and Frankie.

Jane's hand is on Maura's hip, squeezing softly, then sliding up Maura's back. Maura leans into Jane like it's breathing, like it's easy and natural and something they do every day. Jane welcomes her, bracing her weight and pulling her closer, hand running over Maura's side, then resting on her hip again. Jane sips her coffee and sighs.

Whatever they are, Cailin doesn't know but she won't ask again, because they're comfortable enough to be themselves with each other around her and Cailin had never been gifted anything so precious.

Jane presses a gentle kiss to Maura's temple and Maura's eyes close. Cailin's not jealous; she's glad. From what Jane said last night, Maura had a tough start. Jane had said Maura didn't know how to be loved, but it sure looked like she did when Jane held her like that.

[nachiah]

Spoilers for Chapter 14 of Tokyo Debunker under the cut

Chapter 14 only made me love the Mortkranken duo even more!! I'm just gonna kinda ramble as opposed to my usual, more organized stuff with screenshots and whatnot: I really like that it focused mostly on Yuri's backstory - namely the things he would refuse to tell us otherwise. It goes to show that his bravado and somewhat self-centered nature is mostly for show. He's hiding just how bad he's been hurt by others, and keeping his guard up. As for Jiro, we get a little more of an idea of the sort of sheltered upbringing he had. It's becoming clearer and clearer that he didn't spend much time in the outside world. There are places he wanted to go, but couldn't for whatever reason. And now, it's not like he can just go anywhere. Yuri needs to be there with him - and we learn why: It's his stigma. The injection he received in the immortal patient chapter was probably something to further damage the anomaly without damaging Jiro too, too much. He has no control over his stigma, so *anything* that happens to him - including the effects of poisons and injections - happens to the one that inflicted it. My hopes for his stigma being something like that were realized. Perhaps at the point of making the pact, he wanted retribution. He wanted those that inflicted pain onto him to suffer the same fate. That, however was a bit of a double-edged sword, because now he can *only* be treated by Yuri - but we have no idea why he's unaffected. I personally think it has something to do with a certain level of trust, but that doesn't account for the coma... unless he already knew Yuri back then. Now for the ship-related stuff, and boy did we eat good this time: Yuri rips Nicholas a new one after letting the Frostheim thing slip, and gets mad when people mention that house in general... But when Jiro asks about the funding he could've had, he's met with a calm and direct answer. The way he stepped between Yuri and the Frostheim students when they tore into Yuri (and when he probably noticed Yuri couldn't handle it himself). That man was absolutely ready to throw hands. When Yuri was crying in the infirmary, Jiro said something interesting... to "wait until *we're* alone." Not "you." "We." This means, of course, that Yuri has let his guard down in front of Jiro before. More than once, I would assume with that kind of response. Then the tenderness when he asks MC to "keep him from losing his way..." I also have to note the proud smile he had when Yuri was revealing the truth of the matter to everyone. I love their dynamic so much. They clearly depend on each other, but they are independent enough to not give in to each other when there's a difference in opinion. Just a match of wits with a touch of snark. But when something does happen, they do whatever they can to help one another. Even having just struggled to awake from a small coma, Jiro uses everything he's got to relay that important tidbit of information to Yuri. Jiro *needed* to tell him about the discrepancy. I loved it all - start to finish. While MC took a bit of a back seat in this one, I feel like it was necessary to really show both Jiro and Yuri's overall dynamic and to keep the spotlight on Yuri this time.

[squidsquidsquidsquidsquidgame]

The Art of a perfect selfie (NOT)

character: Thanos/Choi su-bong X Fem!reader

Summary: Su-Bong decides that you both need a couple’s selfie that “truly captures your essence.

Warning: none🦑🦑

You should have known this wouldn’t be simple. When Su-Bong declared, with the utmost confidence, that you both needed a couple’s selfie that “truly captures your essence,” you naively thought that meant one or two normal pictures. Maybe something sweet, something cute. But no. No, that was never going to happen.

“Okay, stand right here,” he says, dragging you into position with the excitement of a man about to uncover some deep artistic truth. He holds his phone up, squinting at the screen. “Hmm. This angle makes my chin look weird. Let’s move.”

“You look fine.”

“I look weird,” he insists, already shifting positions. You sigh, but let him do his thing.

The next attempt lasts exactly five seconds before he yells, “Wait! I just got an idea!” He drags you toward a decorative lamp post, tries to prop his phone against a bench for a timed shot, and in the process, knocks over a nearby planter. The crash echoes through the park.

You freeze. He freezes.

Slowly, he turns to you with the guiltiest grin you’ve ever seen. “I don’t think that was my fault.”

“Oh really?” You gesture at the evidence of his crime: a poor, innocent flower pot now lying in ruins.

“Gravity,” he says sagely. “Tragic.” Eventually, you settle on a new spot, this time with Su-Bong holding the phone himself—because clearly, trusting him with props was a mistake. He grins as he throws an arm around you. “Okay, smile—wait, no! Let’s do a cool pose. Something that says, ‘power couple, but also a little bit dangerous.’”

“You want us to look dangerous?” “I mean, don’t we already?” He strikes a dramatic pose, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows like some kind of action movie hero.

“You look constipated.”

“Okay, rude.”

It takes at least a dozen more attempts—some ruined by his dramatic poses, others by sudden laughter, and one truly baffling shot where he somehow managed to photobomb himself.

“How did you even do that?” you ask, staring at the screen. In the foreground, the two of you are smiling (miraculously, a normal photo). But in the background, slightly out of focus, is another blurry Su-Bong, mid-sprint.

He blinks. “Oh. Yeah. I was running to get into position for the next one. Guess I was too fast.”

You bury your face in your hands. “We are never going to get this picture.”

“One more! No, wait—this angle makes my chin look weird. Okay, okay, last one. I swear.”

You level him with a look. “If you say ‘last one’ one more time—”

“Last one,” he whispers dramatically.

You nearly strangle him.

But finally, somehow, by some miracle, you manage to take one decent photo. In it, Su-Bong is grinning with his usual chaotic energy, one arm slung around you as he leans in close. And maybe it’s not the picture-perfect couple’s selfie he had envisioned, but looking at it, you can’t help but think—

Yeah. It really does capture your essence.

🦑🦑🦑

[wirewitchviolet]

Let's talk about how Ranma is trans in the 2024 anime, part 1

Way the hell back in 2018, after a random exchange with a friend, I sat down and wrote a series of four blog posts where I looked at the manga Ranma ½, which ran from 1988 to 1996, explicitly through a lens where I assumed the protagonist is in fact a trans girl. A major component of the series being that Ranma and several other characters fell into various pools in a cursed set of natural springs causing them to magically change into whatever tragically drowned in one when hit with cold water, then back to their original body with hot, and Ranma fell in the girl one, so it was bound to be a series that would crack a lot of eggs regardless, but my memory of reading it years before transitioning was that it worked on a mundane level too, particularly later. I did somehow forget a bit towards the end where Ranma honestly just kinda straight up comes out of the closet, but I'm not going to link to that panel yet again for the sake of preview links not blending together. Anyway, those posts were already the most popular things I ever put on this blog and have never stopped circulating, despite it being a pretty old and largely forgotten series at the time.

I had always had the idea that I really should go back and also watch the anime adaptation(s) of Ranma, which deviates a good bit from the manga, but that is 161 episodes, 3 movies, and 11 OAVs which are terribly terribly paced, and I don't actually get paid for this. But then lo and behold, here's a brand new anime adaptation coming out decades later, looking really nice, and surely that will deviate even more from the source material, so here I am diving in to find all new bits of gender stuff to talk about, under the fold here and-

Oh. Turns out the new anime series is actually an EXTREMELY faithful adaptation of the original manga and the only deviations I've actually noticed are that there's a little bit less nudity and the one scene with Ranma's breasts fully on display goes the route of not drawing nipples. And really that's only significant because the original anime adaptation somehow got away with that one. Speaking of the original anime run, this adaptation brings back the entire surviving voice cast, and continues the tradition of coloring Ranma's hair red in cold-water form as an extra tell for the audience. And speaking of color, one thing this adaptation does now and then that I really appreciate is punctuating certain scenes with the sort of cool pastel palettes (see above) that were used for the cover illustrations of the original manga.

Another thing the 2024 anime does is throw in a quick little vignette before the opening credits of each episode to restate that Ranma and Akane are engaged, and the feminizing water thing, which mostly feels like it's there as just a little extra emphasis that regardless of all the other shenanigans going on, those two are the one actual couple and making it clear that the rest of the tangled web of crushes and obsessions don't really matter. Something I feel like this adapatation is keen to emphasize in general. In fact, being as nearly 1 to 1 an adaptation as it is, the title of every episode is directly lifted from the chapter names of the manga, so we can just slap together a little infographic and see what's getting compressed a bit and what's getting the time it needs to breathe!

We're chewing through the extended fight scenes pretty quick and slowing down any time Akane's having an emotional moment or some time in the spotlight basically. Which makes sense since the action scenes in the manga are like all full page splash images with a word of text and need to be flowing quickly, and because we have the benefit of hindsight knowing that the Kunos become irrelevant real quick. We're also squeezing out a little early identity crisis stuff for Ranma in the process (there's an early dream sequence after first meeting Kuno, coming to grips with the whole "since I'm a girl, dudes want to sleep with me" realization that barely makes it in and a few early moments of internalized misogyny that get dropped), and we really give Shampoo's debut some space (not QUITE as much as the above suggests, most of episode 10 is wrapping up a three parter on the ice skating with her just punching through the wall as a cliffhanger at the end).

The whole thing is also paced out to nicely cover the first four volumes of the manga, out of 38. They might up the compression rate a little, but as it stands, it's going to take another 8 or 9 seasons to get through everything at this rate. In comparison, my first blog post got through three times this much of it, but the original anime covered only the first half of this in the same episode count (and then for some reason introduced Shampoo and Mousse early and didn't get through the ice skating until episode 27).

Anyway, like I said, this doesn't really change things up enough to have a lot to say about how clearly Ranma is trans. Jumping back to the start though yet again, it really cannot be emphasized enough though just how clearly, even from the very first episode, she is SO much more comfortable presenting as a girl, not at all nervous meeting Akane's family like that, then suddenly super tense and awkward and closed off when interacting with... really anyone while boy-moding. So I guess it's time to bust out some of these other lenses to look at this...

Let's talk about how Akane is gay, part 1

I mean, we've established she's into Ranma, with extra emphasis in this adaptation, and we've established that Ranma is in fact a girl, but that's just the one data point. What else do we have? Well, she's quite explicitly not a fan of guys, particularly guys who are attracted to her, and we're keeping plenty of a focus on that while not wasting time trying to pretend Kuno matters at all in the grand scheme of things. The closest she ever comes to showing interest in a guy is Dr. Kuno, and the anime here is strongly emphasizing how that's less of a real crush and more just emulating her oldest sister (Nabiki of course is also some flavor of queer, and I don't think anyone has ever questioned that) since that's kinda what you do, right? She also gets intensely jealous of the idea of Shampoo kissing Ranma while assuming Ranma is a girl, talks about how hot she is, and hell, at the start of things when everyone's assuming they've somehow gotten into a situation where one of the three sisters has to marry a cis girl, Nabiki points out how that works out perfectly for her. Because she is extremely gay.

Let's talk about how Ryoga is trans, part 1

OK so this isn't the same absolute slam dunk as Ranma turned out to be, but there is a surprisingly strong case to argue that Ryoga is also a trans girl. What do we know about Ryoga after all? Real real socially awkward. Only has one sorta-friend from childhood, who turned out to be trans later. Can we call Ryoga a furry? I'm not even talking about the pig curse, but there's this whole feral wolf vibe before that's even established. In a series where basically every guy who is ever introduced is a horny creep obsessed with rigid gender roles, Ryoga does not bat an eye at seeing women naked (which comes up oddly often), spends a lot of these early arcs hanging out with the gal pals to help practice gymnastics and skating, deals well enough with the pink heart collar and being called Charlotte, and like so many of us, Ryoga is introduced to the series indignantly sputtering about how Ranma's situation shouldn't really be called a curse and is a situation we'd be happy to be in. You could argue that Ryoga's saying this just relative to the pig curse, I guess, but I do at least get the vibe that Ryoga wouldn't be too super worried about finding hot water with that one.

Speaking of the pig curse, I feel like every time I revisit Ranma I have a different perspective on the whole "P-Chan" situation. With this adaptation, it does feel significantly closer to "it's really just this super awkward situation where I've been looking for a good moment to explain and at this point it's been so long she'll probably kill me" than "I am a loathsome sex offender using a disguise to snuggle up with this girl who thinks I am a small animal" and Ranma is doing an appropriate amount of "I'm not going to blurt it out, but you should seriously come clean already" so, glad to know we're downplaying that.

Also, the emphasis on Ranma and Akane as The Couple in this adaptation really makes it clear that Ryoga isn't so much into Akane as just kinda... incapable of conceiving of any sort of existence that doesn't involve being Ranma's rival/friend/polycule member.

Anyway, I guess that's where I have to leave this until the second season drops? Have a patreon link?

[yey56]

Hey I just wanted to say I really love your Harley and believe you're the only one who got his character so far.I am also in love with your y/n and how you didn't make her perfect or useless.Not to be a bother but can you show or tell us Harley and y/n's relationship after their first kiss or just any of their general interactions?Whatever suits you,thank you.

It doesn't bother me at all, thank you for asking and I so happy I got Harley right. 💖💖

HARLEY SAWYER X PSYCOLOGIST READER

AFTER KISS HEADCANNONS

The first thing you noticed was Harley's hand on your face, caressing your cheek. He was only going to quickly clean near your lip but after feeling your jaw, your face, brushing his fingers against your neck he couldn't resist to cup your cheek.

The other hand fell down to loosely grab your waist. He was getting closer and you could feel his breath on your lips. You slowly put your hands on his shoulder, testing how he would react.

"Harley" you mumbled, you lips brushing his. That was enough for him to close the gap between the two of you. Your lips moving together, not in perfectly or coordinately way, but in your own way.

You tightened your grasp in the fabric of his shoulder as he fully envolved your waist with his hand while the one that was on you face fell down to your neck where he started caressing.

Finally you both separated from the kiss, both of you agitated but still close. His hand was still on your cheek and yours still on his shoulders

You looked at him again and got close to give him another short kiss. "Do you have any appointments left for today?" Harley asked you. "Yes I do, I still have to supervise Kissy Missy, she hasn't been responding lately"

"Good, come to my office after that, we have to discuss this in depth." He let you go and while you went to the enclosure of said toy, he remained still in the corridor looking at you intensely.

HEADCANNONS After the kiss:

At first sigh, there wasn't much change, maybe the staff of the company noticed you being closer than usual.

Now, Doctor Sawyer and you were seen together very often. Maybe not all lovey dovey but together nonetheless. The caretakers saw often Dr Sawyer accompanying you when you needed to go to Home sweet Home to talk with the children.

Once Ludwig joked to Sawyer that you two seemed glued together and Harley only shrugged not denying anything.

Now that you two had already acknowledged your feelings, little things he did for you sometimes became the norm and started becoming part of your routine.

For example: When you were finishing a design late at night in his office (you often spend time together in each others offices) and he was finishing surgery reports, he would offer you the sofa to sleep in.

Once you were asleep he would raise his gaze from the papers and look at you. Some nights, he would even approach you and touch your face very lightly, not wanting to wake you up.

Quiet moments like this made him calm and let him forget, just a little, about all of the chaos and restriction that your jobs were.

In the nights that he was in your office, he would be just behind you with his hand on your shoulder, looking at you writing and archiving some documents. Caressing your shoulder, then the back of your neck and sometimes, if he was feeling kind enough, he would massage the back of your scalp with his long, cold fingers.

Another thing that became more regular between you both was physical contact. He wasn't a touchy person. Hell he even felt repelled to it sometimes, but one thing he loved was the back massages you gave him.

He had a very tensed back and it felt like heaven whenever you would untangle all of the knots.

So he payed you back giving you head massages. He was probably the only person allowed to tangle and touch your hair. You two just melt into each others arms when you had contact.

Another thing that was common now was that you would do little task for each other. Like for example, Harley reminding you that you needed to drink water. You were so concentrated into your work that you just forgot how much time it had been since your last glass of water.

You sometimes shave the little stubble he had on the sides of his face, styling his facial hair so he would look all put together. This also applied with the hair. You cut his hair and mantain it in the way he liked.

One night that you miraculously ended your work sooner than expected he invited you for dinner.

The restaurant was a fancy one, both your salaries permitted you to be there.

The night went by very calmly, you talked about work and what projects you had in mind. At some point you started talking about your experiences in collage...

The night continued to go on until you both finally went to your apartment. You lived in a good neighborhood and your place was nicely decorated. The first thing Harley though when entering your apartment was you. Everything in there screamed you.

You invited him to a few drinks and gave him some reports and books about investigations on child psychology so he could study his experiments on a deeper level.

The drinks were forgotten on the table after a few sips.

He barely talked while you ranted for minutes about techniques to manage anxiety crisis or stress attacks that sometimes overcame the toys on the prison.

He looked at you, talking and talking. It was always like this. You talked nonstop and he would listen, but lately he also started admiring you. Your hand gestures, you movements, your words slipping due to talking to fast...

You stopped talking when he started to gently stroke your neck with a precision only a surgeon could manage to have. He started naming the muscles, nerves, veins and arteries that were in your neck

With each name he said, he got closer to you to the point of feeling his lips touching your neck.

He repeated the list of names but now kissing each place he named while laying you on the sofa of your living room.

There's no need to say that the night didn't end quickly.

————————————————————————

Another thing you both got used to do was taking books from your offices. Harley had anatomy books and autobiographies in his office and you had sociological, historic and anthropological ones.

Often you would spend your breaks in each others offices reading in the sofa, just enjoying each others presence.

The staff already suspected that you two were either together or at the verge to be. Hell even one of the children had drew you and Harley sit together in a chair while interviewing him.

Stella went to tease you about the drawing, and insisted on you keeping it.

At some point some guards started to joke about the two of you being together.

"Where is Dr (Y/L/N) right now, we have matter to discuss with them?" Leith asked to one of the guards accompanied by Stella

We need to discuss with her some changes on the home sweet home caretakers" Stella added.

She is in the observation room 007, accompanied by Dr Sawyer, sir" He responded cordially.

Both executives went to said room while the guard looked sideways to his coworker who was chuckling to himself.

"What are you laughing about" He asked, questioning what had his companion found that it was so funny

"Nothing, just wondering how Dr Sawyer would react when 'Mrs Sawyer' gets taken by these two for a reunion. I bet five dollar he will accompany them when they get out." He was now laughing a little bit louder but covering his mouth.

"You shouldn't be talking about that kind of stuff. If either of them hear you you might be the next dinner of Boxy Boo." He couldn't believe his coworkers audacity. He wasn't being discreet at all and that might cost them their jobs and life's.

Just as the guard predicted, the four executives went to the upper levels. Apparently Harley insisted on supervising the changes on the environment of the potential experiments children

-Unedited-

[townofsin]

PROMPT: “Please stop! I don’t think my body can take another orgasm!!” “You said that last time and we reached a record of 7 before! Just hold out a little longer for me, rosebud. You said you wanted to try and get to 10.” “Yeah, but I didn’t think it’d be this overwhelming!” CW: overstimulation, pussy-slapping

John "Soap" MacTavish is one competetive motherfucker.

Always up for a challenge.

Never backs down from anything. Never.

So when you had jokingly told him you were interested to see if he could break the current "orgasm high score" you should've known the game was on and Johnny had accepted your challenge.

Oh - you really were in for something.

“Johnny, please!” You sobbed.

You were sat on the bed between his legs with his arms wrapped around you tightly. One across your chest to keep you in place and one to tease your clit and finger fuck you.

No matter how much you thrashed around and shook, his grip would only get stronger.

As if you’d ever have any chance against your MILITARY TRAINED boyfriend who hung around the likes of Ghost on an almost daily basis. And you could tell, he wasn’t even putting any sort of effort into keeping you in place.

By now you had lost count of your orgasms. It was something above five. That much you still were aware of but you could be anywhere well over ten or still just at six and you wouldn’t even be able to say if that was the truth or not.

“Johnny!” You whined out again.

Your clit was throbbing and pulsating against his thumb and your fingers squeezed around his walls tightly.

“It’s alright, love.” Soap whispered against your skin as he pressed soft kisses against your temple. “You’re doin’ great, baby, eight already. Just two more to go.”

If you weren’t so overstimulated with your brain pretty much fucked out of order you’d huff and laugh at him. ‘Just two more.’

That prick talked about it like it was that easy, like he wasn’t close to sexually torturing your poor body. You’d love to see him after getting orgasm after orgasm forced out of his body. Bet he wouldn’t have such a big mouth anymore after that.

You pushed your head more into his chest and whimpered loudly. God, your pussy hurt and you were sure that your body physically wouldn’t be able to endure another orgasm anymore, let alone two.

“Johnny, I need a break!” You sobbed. Once more an attempt to fight yourself free failed. “This ‘s overwhelming, please, my body can’t take more��!”

“Shhh…” Soap cooed calming while rubbing your clit in an almost soothing manner. “Two more, then I’ll run you a nice warm bath and get dinner started while you relax, hm? Just a lil longer, love.”

Johnny couldn’t cook for shit, so his idea of dinner probably was throwing a pizza into the oven or ordering something.

But still…it was sweet.

You nodded with another sob breaking loose from your throat. Johnny was a dickhead, but a very sweet one at that. Always making sure you were okay. “‘s just…so much…” You repeated between moans.

“Well, YOU wanted to break our record of seven and get to ten.” Johnny reminded you teasingly. If you had any strength left in your wobbly body you’d have smacked him. What an asshole.

“That was before I knew how overwhelming it would be!” You cried out, trying to argue with your boyfriend while he has two fingers buried in your pussy knuckles-deep.

The wet sounds your cunt was making were disgustingly wet and sloppy, you were sure there was a wet spot underneath your ass from how stick your thighs and cunt felt. A loud whimper came from you when Johnny suddenly slapped your cunt. “Nuh-uh, no thinkin’ sweetheart.” He chuckled as his fingers pushed right back into you with ease. Did he seriously just ‘Nuh-uh’ you?!

“All I need you to do right now is take it like a good girl, got it?”

You nodded weakly. You barely even noticed the ninth orgasm washing over you. One more. You could do that. Just one more and you’d be able to relax again.

Suddenly Soap picked up the pace and his assault on your clit became a little more violent. “Soap!” You cried out loudly, your body acting on its own as it tried to fight the hold he had on you.

“You’re doing great, baby.” He praised. You could hear his cocky grin, another thing you’d punch him in the gut for later, when you had the strength again. “Such a good girl for me, almost there. Let it out.”

Your eyes shut tightly and you bit down on your bottom lip as your walls clamped down around him again. Finally. Your body shook was the wave of the final orgasm washed over you.

Johnny chuckled as he pulled his fingers out of you, softly rubbing your poor cunt in a soothing manner. “Did so great for me, baby.” He praised. “Such a good little girl.”

A whine of protest left you. Your cunt hurt and you felt like any more touching and he could get you to come again.

“You made such a mess, baby.”

[authoratmidnight]

So I was looking through the OptiRatch tag, as you do, when I saw @energon-depo's post about 'Smokescreen is an OptiRatch kid'

And unfortunately it takes very little to get my brain worms going and that one did and I kinda wanna write this. Or at least, a re-imagining of episode 18 where that's the case.

Like. Sometime waaaaaay before canon, before the war, Orion and Ratchet had a little sparkling (Smokescreen). But then (perhaps near the beginning of the war? just after he became a Prime?) he went missing/was kidnapped. He was just gone (I'm sort of thinking maybe Ratchet and Smokescreen were caught in an attack and separated and when the smoke and dust settled he looked everywhere for the little one to no avail).

Eventually they had to conclude he'd died in the attack, because what else can they do? So they grieve and mourn (esp grieving the fact that, now with everything going on, they'll probably never have another one-not only is it far to dangerous to bring a life like that into the world, but if anyone were to find out that Optimus had family like that, it would be painting a target on their backs. he already has to keep his relationship w/ Ratchet on the down low now, a child would be far to risky).

Then we fast forward ahead however many tens of thousands-millions of years have passed and it's the present day on Earth. Team Prime is investigating that escape pod, gets jumped by the 'Cons and then BAM. Smokescreen appears.

And to Ratchet and Optimus, the moment they see his face, it's like they've just seen a ghost. Because he may be grown up now, but that face, those colours/markings, those features, it's the same, it's their sparkling. Of course they mask this well enough under a guise of just. Surprise at seeing another young Autobot. Meanwhile they're looking at each other like 'you're seeing this right??'

So they bring him back to base and ofc ask him about himself, how her got there, his name (b/c it can't possibly be him. it just can't). He gives the spiel we know. But also further prodding on Ratchet's part (while giving him a physical to make sure he's in good condition, don't need another wounded warrior on their hands) reveals that (as far as he knows) any family he had died in the war. His memories as a sparkling are hazy at best, he doesn't remember his parents.

He grew up alone and basically went from alone to the Elite Guard, to his station w/ Alpha Trion and then on Earth.

Meanwhile, Ratchet and Optimus are just 'oh sweet Solus Prime it IS him' esp when a test that Ratchet ran while doing his physical confirms relations.

So on one hand, they're ecstatic that their missing sparkling is alive and well. On the other, do they tell him??? They want to, Primus knows they want to, but at the same time it would be so dangerous, cause it would and could get back to the Cons and that would be painting the biggest ever 'take me hostage' sign on him. So maybe not yet but, perhaps one day.

Smokescreen is woefully oblivious to any favouritism going his way (getting to call Ratchet 'doc' w/o issue, being allowed to just. use the Phase Shifter whenever. god they try not to show favouritism but they slip up sometimes)

And then the s2 ending/s3 staring events happen and Ratchet is just gripped with grief at the thought he's lost not just his partner, but his child for the second time in his life. He is beyond relieved when they turn up alive.

Smokescreen isn't quite sure why Ratchet hugs him so tightly once they're reunited. Like, he's glad to see him too but uh, Ratchet you ok? He's also a bit surprised that Optimus isn't mad at him for disobeying orders (going back to save him when the base blew up, using the forge on him to save him), but he's not gonna complain cause it did work out.

Now Ratchet really wants to tell Smokescreen. After all that he deserves to know. Optimus still isn't sure (even though he does want to as well).

Maybe one day, when the war is over, when it's safer.

Also. Alpha Trion 100% knew who Smokescreen was (b/c he knows like everything) and orchestrated getting him guard duty there, with him, to keep an eye on Smokescreen/keep him safe. He also told him stories about Optimus Prime as a way for him to know about his dad (Smokescreen always had a fascination about him that Alpha Trion was happy to feed). He also orchestrated getting Smokescreen to Earth so he'd one day meet Optimus again.