#There isn't enough fan content for it despite it being SO EASY to read

[saturnaous]

ohhhh you wanna read tmnt the last ronin soooo badddd you wanna read it's five issues and get so into it soooo badddd that you'll want to make fanart and write fanfiction ohhhh you want to read it and explore everything that hasn't been explored yet soooo badddd so so sooo badd yeah you do you wanna read its five issues and then maybe even the lost years sooo bad yeah

[getsuuna]

I can't stress enough how this Fandom can be fxcking stupid so I'll take advantage of it to make a brief analysis

TikTok is back at it with being extremely gullible

people seriously believe this is Koyoharu Gotōge's official account. a quick glance would debunk it immediately, but if we wanna look into details there are mainly 3 things that are really obvious and they all piss me off SO bad:

1) they posted fanart. literal fanart, without consent, of course, and without any credits, badly cropped and filtered too. I couldn't see signatures in most of them, but I recognized some art styles and overall it's easy to spot non-official art when you also follow Ufotable's official account. from which, by the way, this fake account takes all of the content they post, then they write a silly and pseudo-cool caption and that's literally it. what's the point? one of the captions said something that quite fucking literally made me want to scream, joking about Shinobu possibly being Tengen's 4th wife because there was a pic in which their VAs were standing close....what. Gotōge would never say that???

2) they reply to fans, which isn't bad per se but let's be SO fr...and it's not even the worst part.

3) said replies include misinformation. saw them saying Masachika would be reincarnated as Sanemi's son or stepson (what the fuck) AND that Sanemi and Kanae would've been canon if Kanae didn't die, which, I'm sorry, is the fakest fucking thing I've ever read despite being a common misbelief.

I don't want to digress too much into this but imagine you're an author, you have the power over your characters and you decide to add a couple that will be doomed inevitably...you would make it canon, if it was supposed to be. you would AT LEAST make said crush remotely relevant in AT LEAST one of the two characters' arc...which it isn't. in ANY of the canon universes. the Academy is right there, the Timeskip is right there, both had Kanae alive and both don't make SaneKana canon, not even remotely. HEAVY ON THE TIMESKIP in which ObaMitsu are married, but they're canon in all the verses...Mitsuri had an actual impact on Obanai's character and even when there's silly trivia about him in databooks or even in the manga it always somehow involves Mitsuri, something that we did NOT see with Sanemi and Kanae.

now, as much as I would talk *endlessly* about this, I don't want to sound hateful to shippers, but it pisses me off that a Gotōge-wannabe is reinforcing the toxic shippers' delusions.

I would've lost my shit even if they said the same thing about my fav fanon ships, because it's FAKE.

if the author wanted them canon, they would be. there's no "if" nor "but", there was no excuse.

they clearly and luckily wanted to leave it to open interpretation

as an OC creator if I want a couple canon I simply write them in a way in which would make them canon in at least one AU 😭🙏🏻 tf

this being said please don't fall for such weird ass stuff 💔

[zhxngii]

⌗STARRING; Xiao, Diluc, Kaeya, Zhongli, & Kaveh ft. Kazuha, Thoma, Ayato, Childe, & Alhaitham.

⌗NOTE; This is my camboy post for my 400 followers mark, I hope you all enjoy. This is 18+ content so please mdni! also ps the collabs are threesomes.

                                ✰ MDNI. 18+ content ahead! ✰

𖤣 - XIAO's solo streams;

Despite how long he's been doing this he's still a bit shy to just jump into the action, and often tells his little fantasies or whatever he has planned for future streams. Whenever he's in the mood, which happens more than you think, he just gets so vocal. He doesn't tell you but whenever he reads the chat and see such messages praising him and telling him how good he looks like this it gets to him.

Favorite collab ➜ Kazuha

Xiao enjoys spending his time with you and kazuha, they'll take it pretty slow as they both want to savor this moment. They're both so gentle, almost too gentle with you as if you'd break if they were a bit too rough. They love praising you for doing such things, even reading out praises from the chat whenever they get the chance. You just take them both so well, it's enough to make them crazy.

𖤣 - DILUC's solo streams;

Whenever he's on stream he just jumps quick into what he has planned after giving a short little greeting. Whenever he's in the mood he often has the habit of mumbling to himself. "mmm you're s'good for me" "just like that" just a small bit of what he says. Does indeed like teasing himself, sometimes might even use toys if he's in the mood. sit back and enjoy the show.

Favorite collab ➜ Thoma

Diluc and thoma simply because the two think so much about just pleasing you in front of your viewers they often just forget about themselves only focusing on making you feel good. Even if you want to try so bad to get them both off it won't ever be easy, always expect to be put in a position where they both can make you cum multiple times.

𖤣 - KAEYA's solo streams;

Whenever he's in the moment he often reads the dirty shit anyone dares to type out in the chat, just when you think he might've not seen it, he has. Oh, you're so bold to say just how much you want him. Telling him the things you want him to do to you, don't chicken out now, he's here giving you what you want.

Favorite collab ➜ Ayato

The two being similar with their love for pet play of course they'd collab together, He enjoyed the sight of you completely submitting to the both of them as the good pet you were. Each and every one just happened to top the last, it was never a dull moment in it even you guys' supporters can agree. Whenever you're just on a leash for the two following every order they give it's such a sight to see.

𖤣 - ZHONGLI's solo streams;

He isn't too much of a fan of using toys on himself, whenever he's horny enough he'll rub one out for you. don't expect him to give in so easily though, he needs to know if you'll be good for him first then maybe he'll give you what you want if he's entertained enough.

Favorite collab ➜ Childe

He loves collabing with childe as he is just as needy as you, he enjoys sitting back watching you two go at each other with little to no patience. It wasn't until the first stream that he realized just how much it turns him on, he likes being able to guide both of you, even more when you two beg him for some sort of release as you can't hold it anymore. If anything, the both of you know how weak it gets him.

𖤣 - KAVEH's solo streams;

Whenever he comes to release some tension, he often uses toys but only for certain occasions. He's a sucker for praises so keep that up, he always tells you how much he loves when you do that. Often degrades you, telling you just how perverted you all are sitting there watching him get off, but always ends it with how much he loves how you're watching him.

Favorite collab ➜ Alhaitham

As much as he may fight with the other, he hates to admit (lmao) that he likes collabing with Alhaitham. at first it was just for fun simply because you suggested it but turns out he wants to continue this. Having you between the both of them, trembling from the intense pleasure you're receiving from both men, kaveh loves the fucked out faces you make each time you get close. he even likes watching haitham please you himself.

                         © zhxngii ★ Do not respost or translate.

[the-obiwan-for-me]

Hi! I’ve just read the She Said the Word series again, and I was wondering what domestic life would be like between some of the characters. Bo and Tol’ket, Obitine, Korkie and Aled, for example, but I am also aware both Ursa and Bo-Katan and Korkie and Ahsoka lived together for a while. I’d just love to hear about your idea of what sort of shenanigans they got into, and also basic things like who made caf in the mornings.

I understand this is a lot to ask for and you’re probably much too busy, so there’s no pressure to answer from me.

Thank you so much for writing such a beautiful series!!

Hello there! Thank you for being such a fan! I can't believe this summer will be FOUR YEARS since I began writing this series. (To anyone reading this) please never hesitate to ask me questions about this story and these characters. I may have slowed down a lot in churning out content for them, but they are no less dear to me and I LOVE talking about them.

Yes, Ursa and Bo were all but platonic life partners for a long time, even before Pre died, and definitely in the subsequent years between his death and Bo and Tol'ket getting together. Because Ursa had Sabine on Concordia and was away from Alrich, Bo stepped in and helped care for baby Sabine (which we do see in SSTW). Because of how they lived (in barracks on a base) there wasn't a lot of domestic life to be had, but they spent their downtime together when it corresponded.

Korkie and Ahsoka's years together I think were probably a lot like what you would expect between a rich kid and a self sufficient worldly kid living together. Korkie had minimal real life skills and Ahsoka spent the first few months hating living with him because of it. But he eventually begged her to teach him and it got much better from there. His saving grace was being a neat freak and a good student. She taught him the basics of cooking, and then he became an expert home chef, surpassing her very basic skills. Despite preferring tea to caf, like both of his parents, he learned how to make a mean pot of caf so Ahsoka always had a great caf in the mornings. She could never quite master it, to her annoyance (though her caf did get better than the absolute trash she grew up drinking during the war).

I think Obitine's domestic life is probably not one where either one have to perform any real measure of domestic duties. Which is probably for the best. Satine and Bo were raised in a noble family that held a lot of power and both girls were accustom to being cared for. I think they were taught traditional things, which included camp fire cooking and basic Mandalorian cuisine, but they really never had to learn to cook, clean, etc. Obi-Wan, while more sufficient thanks to a young life in the Order, probably still doesn't know a lot more than Satine (just enough to be extremely grating when they were very young, prior to falling in love, and probably for a long time after that, too). But, as adults, as planetary leaders of a thriving society, they don't need to do much other than make some tea and try not to make the lives of the staff that cares for them miserable (with the exception of Obi-Wan leaving clothes everywhere- that's canon- I think they are probably very neat and very easy to work for). Their sweetest, most domestic thing is that they both know how to make each other's tea perfectly, especially Obi-Wan, who can steep it, fix it, and hand it to Satine at exactly the right point.

Bo and Tol'ket live two very different versions of domestic life from the time they marry until we see them again in MTB. Bo is handier than Satine due to her life in Death Watch, but really isn't to be trusted in the kitchen much beyond the basics. But she also is freakishly tidy and a bit of a clean freak. The problem is that Tol'ket lived a very solitary bachelor life and was rarely at home longer than a night's sleep and shower. He is NOT neat and there were some serious growing pains in that respect. It was never enough to cause strife, but he did drive her slightly insane the first couple of years. His apartment they shared was tiny, which only made his bachelor habits more apparent and, at times, obnoxious. After he becomes prime minister and they move into the grander house that comes with that position, it gets easier. There's a very small staff, and some tensions are relieved. Tol'ket does cook (he learned from his grandfather), and enjoys it. Bo makes the caf, especially since she's the early bird in their relationship.

Korkie definitely ends up teaching Aled a lot about domestic life because Aled was a street kid then lived in Protector barracks. He had no clue how to be an adult with his own space nor how to prepare food beyond a sandwich. It was a steep learning curve, but thankfully Korkie is a good teacher.

Thanks again for this fun little thought exercise! Maybe it will jumpstart my brain into writing again!

[asterhaze]

Author Ask Tag Game

Thank you @doublegoblin for the tag here! And also @gummybugg for tagging me here!

(1) What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

That we are what we make of ourselves, despite our traumas, despite our gifts, and despite our faults. That there are things that people do that are unforgivable, even if they are forced. Also, that true love is patient, kind, and understanding despite its awesome fragility.

I chose these themes because I think they're realistic, they're lessons that are easy to swallow, and that don't need to be pushed in people's faces to be understood. I don't want to spell things out but I also just want to tell a story, so if this ends up not being the real main lesson then I hope you all still like it.

(2) What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

I studied Romanian and European fashion from the 1850's to the 1870's. Then I studied American (United States) fashion from then on until I was familiar. I studied history, slang, folklore, LGBT history, etc. As far as what my world looks like, its a cross between where I grew up in a state somewhere along the Missipiipii-fuck Mississippi river and living in Florida but make it gloomy.

(3) What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?

Glen is trying to become himself again after visiting the horrific and disgusting Tiletsu Clan. There he is confronted with a question that someone asked him long ago: If vampires are just more powerful humans, aren't they more dangerous? And conversely, if humans are just weak vampires, are they worth keeping safe?

As a writer, I want to tell a good story where all of the characters (except the Tiletsu and friends) are morally grey, make bad decisions that they thought were good ones, and have to grow up despite having plenty of time to do so. While trauma causes many reactions, I read a lot where the reaction is to forget everything. My experience is that I can't forget anything at all and I wanted to explore that in my writing.

(4) How many chapters is your story going to have?

About thirty chapters. The outline of Masterpiece is 70 pages long, granted it is an okay-detailed outline, with 33 parts currently. So please expect 33-40 chapters.

(5) Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Original Content 100%. There isn't anything wrong with fanfiction at all, but I love my original characters and the worlds I build, and I'm not a big enough or cool enough fan of anything to write fanfiction.

I plan to post the first 5 chapters of Masterpiece here on Tumblr, over at Wattpad, and Ao3. Smaller novellas and the entire story will be published with a limited print run at first and the eBook somewhere that I haven't decided yet for purchasing. Starry Skies and Like Minds will follow this same process, but Henrietta and Apocalyptic Cat Lady (Working Title) are web series!

You'll be able to find more information after my website is up and running!

(6) When and why did you start writing?

I started writing when I was 11 and did collaborative writing roleplays with other people my age. Eventually, I became a big enough fan of Star Trek (Kelvin Universe) that I did a massive fanfiction with my friend that lasted years. I made many OCs, had whole stories, had lots of adventures, and then when I went to college it died. One of those OCs will be reborn into Starry Skies and Like Minds whenever I decide to write it and share it here!

(7) Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?

My blog is under a year old and I have less than 100 followers, it's just the name of the game. When I posted my first piece of writing, absolutely no one found it for a while despite ABCDEFG. What helped me the most when it comes to finding mutuals that actually interact with you is to find "Looking for Writeblr" posts and go through the replies. Check every blog. Start interacting, that's why my intro post has a "Please, I promise I'm just an idiot and really like you blog" disclaimer because I do, genuinely, like a lot of stuff on other people's blogs. That is how I found the great and powerful @doublegoblin @mthollowell-writes @pinkchaosstories and @gummybugg who tag me and make my life great.

Thank you all for tagging me in everything, you make my life a joy.

[dearlydesecrated]

Notes about Tags & their organization:

Firstly; this posts is long as I can't seem to use more than one read more. Apologies in advance, but at least its only text!

I advertise my area of tumblr - this blog - as a safe + all-inclusive space; tags function as a sorter / sifter but also as a way to maintain comfortability while you look around. Most aspects of my blog have a general tag (Anything involving my Self-Insert and/or Self-Shipping has a catch-all tag, for example) you can use to seek said content or even keep it hidden or blocked. These in particular are worth noting;

(nightmares): Vents, Triggers, Dark & Upsetting Content

(lewdacris): Suggestive / Mild Sexual Implications

(creation): Original Content (if you only want fanart)

(dreamer): Self-Insert (previously mentioned)

Tags are made with the intent to minimize the amount but maximize the ability to sort and 'filter' what content you see on my blog. If a post lacks a comfort based tag (Maybe a post mentions self-harm but isn't tagged with it despite being the topic) please let me know! I try to be aware but mistakes do happen.

Fandoms won't immediately have tags but will be added as I take interest/hyper-fixate/mass produce fan content enough to warrant its addition. In any case all of them are listed with their full title after the tag so you can use a search page function on your device if you're looking for specific fanbase.

All of the fandom tags start with a prefix (denoting media type) with an easy-to-grasp abbreviation if not the full title and some - if applicable - have a modifier as well. In example, My Hero Academia / Boku no Hero Academia. Commonly shortened to MHA / BNHA; (a; mha) is the anime and (mg; bnha) would be the manga. Because it has two common abbreviations, if referencing the manga I would use both (mg; mha) AND (mg; bnha) as they're interchangeable. However the game, My Hero Academia; One's Justice,has a modifier to signify it as a game with a known / popular / recognized secondary media. A breakdown of how tagging with Prefixes & Modifiers works with games;

Games based on manga / anime / light novels as a secondary media counterpart will always have the 'animan;' modifier. It's a catch-all tag of sorts to cut down if more than one other media prefix is present. Since the game is part of a fandom with more than two medias I add 'm; MHA' AND 'm; BNHA' to note the fandom (or 'a; MHA' 'a; BNHA' but never both 'm;' & 'a;'!) THEN add a second abbreviation for the game title (if needed) with the 'animan;' modifier. They still have a prefix as the fandom hosts a sizeable following and/or is recognized / known in a separate media.

Games with live action or written media counterparts (Movies, tv shows, live action [lol], books, or novels) will get the 'l;' modifier to signify / represent live. As the 'l;' modifier denotes it as such with a stand-alone tag, these games still receive the 'g;' prefix. In this case the modifier is a two-birds deal that tells of a separate media from the game AND identifies the fandom it's part of while the prefix carries the game title.

Games with a singular media, said one being the game (including ones with multiple media but widely 'hidden' or 'obsucred' viewership outside the game for whatever reason) will always have the 'g;' modifier with the game title (with or without abbreviation). Example for each modifier:

⭕️ "My Hero Academia: One's Justice('s)" Tags would be: #a; MHA, #a; BNHA, #animan; ones justice

⭕️ "Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy's)" Tags would be: #l; hp, #g; hog legacy

⭕️ "My Time at Sandrock('s)" Tags would be: #g; mtas

General Tags:

General Rambles, Updates & Text Posts: (chatting)

Information & Guidelines Posts: (notice me)

Answered Asks: (gremlin greets)

Digital Art: (paint)

Writing: (ink)

Commissions: (cashout)

Art Trades: (exchange)

Character/World/Lore Building: (thinking)

Head canons, Theories, Ideas/Prompts/Plots: (whatif)

Story Plotting / Planning: (cooking)

Monthly Challenges: (dared)

Original Content: (creation)

This tag contains all Characters, Stories, etc that don't belong to a fandom / are standalone / belong in a verse -  outside of public media - of my creation. Blocking this tag will remove any original content made by me (art, writing, lore, and design wise) from view!

Self Insert: (dreamer)

This tag is present anytime my S/I and Self Shipping aspects are relevant or discussed about as either the main focus or with significant involvement with or without F/Os. Blocking this tag removes everything self ship from view!

Suggestive / Mild Sexual Implications: (lewdacris)

Any post with something spicy mentioned or with jokes of that nature (always implied or slight) gets this tag. Sometimes it's a joke, an innuendo... others a character appreciation post that becomes a thirst essay. Blocking this tag will removes everything deemed slightly spicy!

Vents, Triggers, Dark, and Upsetting Content: (nightmare)

This general tag is used in all cases of unsettling, triggering, darker posts/art/etc. Blocking this tags removes everything dark, triggering, upsetting/unsettling from view!

(tw; content) - phobias (the official term AND the subject would be included when phobias are involved because not everyone knows those terms), dark topics (self-harm, substance abuse, etc) will take the place of content as specific triggers

⭕️ Tag example if spiders where included and drawn / visually depicted: #nightmare, #tw; spiders, #tw; Arachnophobia, #paint

Fandom Tags:

Modifiers:

(l;) live action / literary counterpart

(animan;) anime, manga, and/or light novel counterpart

Prefixes:

(g;) game ver

(a;) anime ver

(ln;) light novel ver

(la;) live action ver

(m;) movie, tv show ver

(mg;) manga ver

(mw;) manwha ver

(b;) book, novel, literary ver

Fandoms:

TR: Tokyo Revengers

OB: Obey Me

OmN: Obey Me, Nightbringer

MHA / BNHA: My Hero Academia / Boku No Hero Academia

JJK: Jujustu Kaisen

PKMN: Pokémon

GI: Genshin Impact

[eluminium]

I just like Skranchers bc its Silly and Funky and is an overall easy tag since Plateup Trio feels strange since other people play Plateup and its too nonspecific, Chaos Kitchen/Chaos Cooks is related to general other cooking content (at least from what I've seen while trying to search the tag), and unlike ZIT/ZITS or BEST, STJ/JST [?] doesn't have a sound to it so it's so easy to mix up the letters for someone like me that can't even remember basic number sequences

I understand wanting Skizz to have more credit and be treated with more respect instead of as an add-on, especially in content HE INITIATED, but I also don't think fighting about a tag is really something we should be doing? Like,, for example, saying someone dropped a 'dumb take' while making a completely valid point wasn't informative, just needlessly malicious? (Note: I apologize, if you meant that lightheartedly, I was just looking through the reblogs and saw that and it just kinda?? Feels icky??)

I understand not liking the tag or not using it, but is it worth stressing and being hostile towards other fans? If anything it just alienates anyone who might want to get into Skizz's content because of the hostility over using a silly tag

I say all of this nonmaliciously, I just want to better understand, not the intent/frustration since I mean I Get It, but why it's projected so harshly upon other people just trying to have fun with a silly goofy name

Well, the simple answer is while it would be great if we all could just use whatever names we wanted for duos/trios/quartets/what have you, at the end of the day we are a community that will have to decide on a name for ease of communication. That's why we have the names in the first place, yeah? And while the name "Skranchers" isn't objectively problematic (and neither are the people using it) it's a name I subjectively hate with my entire heart. (For the reasons stated in that OG reblog, which wasn't just about Skizz being pushed away. I'm assuming you've read it just so I won't have to repeat myself. If you haven't then I'd highly recommend reading it because y'know, I explain my reasons for why the name is Trash.) It was the name that was catching on with the fandom and was on its way to becoming the "official" tag for them. Which would mean that it wouldn't just be people having fun with a goofy name, it would be what everyone referred to them as, and if I and people like me wanted to interact or make art about them, we'd be forced to use that name. Now our fun is sacrificed, and for a really unneeded reason since I don't think anyone would be offended if we just came up with another name for them. We should all get to have fun together, instead of some of us having fun and the others having to suck it up And while you're entitled to your opinion, personally I don't think that's a strong enough argument considering we have names like Desert Duo despite the fact that Grian and Scar have not been in anything Desert-related for like, 2 years. Same with names like Seablings or Wither Duo or Flower Husbands. They're not bad names at all! But they are extremely removed from their context nowadays, and yet we still use them and recognize which characters are being referred to. Really, Ranchers haven't been Ranchers for a year if not more. The only reason we call them Ranchers is that the fandom knows that it's the name for Jimmy and Tango. Based on that, why would we reuse that name with its own unique dynamic/setting and glue Skizz to it when neither he nor the trio dynamic/setting has ANYTHING to do with Ranches, Ranching or the aesthetics of such? They play Plate-Up together! That's their thing! (for now.) Just like the Ranch was The Thing for Tango and Jimmy during DL! Therefore it would make more sense to make a trio name related to Plate-Up or cooking instead of using anything relating to Ranchers. I can however agree that the letter combos don't really work since there are no vowels. I'll give you that one. Personally, I use "Goodfellas" for them based on that entire bit where they were acting like mobsters, and someone in the mob is referred to as a Goodfella. But names like "Goo Crew", based on the Goo jokes, are excellent as well! Thing is also if you read that OG post and its reblog, outside of that one tag (which was intended to be overly dramatic and not fully serious but I now see that it was a mistake to not mark it as such. Sorry about that.) it's not attacking anyone. It's very focused on the name itself because I don't have a problem with the people using it. It's a dumb name, yeah, but that's no reason to hate someone. That post was not meant as an attack, but more as me showing my own resistance to the name and imploring my fellow fans to perhaps pick another name! Because I think the name is shit, and extremely frustrating as a Skizz fan. Especially with the recent "The S in ZITS stands for Solidarity" nonsense and the fact that Rancher fans have a bad habit of throwing Ranchers into places where people were trying to talk about something else for once while carelessly pushing aside other characters. At the end of the day, everyone's gotta have a weird hill to die on. And this is mine. Does the name of a trio made up of fully grown men playing video games together matter to my life that much? Of course not. But in a fandom space, which this is, it does matter to me.

[yjwhatif]

With the semi/cryptic confirmation of Ed and Barts relationship in the series I have a question:

Do you think everyone knows about them (in world) or do you think they’re keeping it secret from some?

It’s just a thought that’s been in my head recently. It is most likely fuelled by the whole drama of G&B not being able to depict a “specific character” (it’s definitely Bart) as gay. They’ve had to hide the relationship from their audience - because of ridiculous reasons - but there are still moments that bring up the question - Are they? Before the reveals from AskGreg, I kinda thought- well they are clearly not together yet, but perhaps they both have feelings for one another and are just waiting for the other to make the next move because they’re nervous idiots who don’t want to have read the situation wrong — all while their friends are like - seriously guys? just get together already. Kinda like they did in s1 with Wally and Artemis - and I guess early Supermartian as well - which I would have been okay with... though with the likelihood of there being at least another two year time skip you’d probably have missed the getting together moment - which would kinda suck. Anyway. With the information about the chances being they were supposed to clearly be in a relationship throughout S3 — which makes the whole structuring of ILLUSIONS just make sense — it’s got me viewing their moments with a whole new energy. Also, I saw this post by Greg —

And let me just clarify, I have no idea if this is actually referencing the Ed and Bart stuff, it might not be (probably isn't). This is purely me speculating.

My reading of this is they got told they couldn’t depict Bart as gay pretty late on and that specifically affected ILLUSIONS where they likely intended to confirm the relationship with that first shot - the kiss on the cheek moment. Even now that moment is just odd - because it’s there but it’s not - because technically there is no actual kiss… which I think is absolutely the point. It plants the seed without actually breaking any rules - all by keeping the momentum but removing the specific kiss frame. It’s the only moment that I feel is explicit in saying they are in a relationship - everything else you can just read into and imply there’s something - but they technically don’t confirm anything.

The whole thing is actually quite interesting - despite the reasoning for it being totally ridiculous. By keeping/showing what they did... People notice it. People talk about it. People reflect on it. More people talk about it. People writing. Make. Create. Discuss it. An entire audience is formed who want and support it. It’s a whole thing now because people noticed it and generated a positive response to it - and that was before all the AskGreg information. The whole reason YJ got a season 3 is because the fans fought to get it back. Enough people talked about it - and kept talking about it - to convince TPTB that the show should come back. Greg and Brandon know this. They know the power the fans have and maybe they hoped that power would help them again in freeing Bart from these ridiculous restrictions. #letbartoutofthecloset

Obviously, we can't know until S4 is released whether G&B got the permission to confirm Bart's sexuality the way they envisioned - but maybe the responses that came during the release of 3b were enough to convince TPTB that they were fighting a losing battle. But who knows, people in power can be very stubborn at times, so we will just have to see what we get. Fingers crossed they eased up though - and not just because of the Ed/Bart relationship (which I am obviously a fan of -- it's fine if not everyone is) - but because these restrictions on LGBTQ+ content shouldn't be a thing and need to stop -- there is just no validity in them.

Anyhow. despite their not being allowed to officially confirm the relationship, Greg's comment about Ed's having a boyfriend they can't name basically confirms the fact without technically breaking any rules again. Masterfully done Wiesman. With this, it implies the pair are in fact dating during S3 which brings us back to the original question... but who knows??

With the comments of Virgil during ILLUSIONS, it's easy to assume their friends do in fact know. They also seem to have no problem being close and interacting with one another whilst in the presence of others -- that is, except for one moment...

Ever since the first time I saw this episode (ELDER WISDOM) I have always found this moment strange - because Ed seems to get kinda awkward when Barry comes to check on Bart. (Or that's how I see it at least.) He realises Flash is standing there and immediately pulls his head down averting his gaze -- almost like he doesn't want to be seen by the elder. But why? Does Barry not know about the pair -- or maybe he doesn't know about Bart and Ed thinks their current closeness is too revealing -- who's to say Bart's even fully out to the world yet -- who's to say either of them are? We certainly don't since we weren't allowed to be shown. We can't know until we know - so until then we can play the speculation game while we wait.

Bart is certainly a bit of a secret keeper when it comes to being himself. I'm still convinced the Bart we see onscreen is merely his interpretation of what he thinks people expect from a speedster in this time. We saw 'real' Bart, he was snarky and cynical and nothing like the Bart we've had for the past two seasons. He said it himself - he's playing a character - and I don't think he knows how to break out of it - not while the possibility exists that it might hurt those he's grown to care about. Bart wants to be seen a certain way to avoid acknowledging the truth of the past - if people see him as happy and smiley, then no one will question him on things he doesn't want to talk about. The problem with that is you can't hide yourself forever - cracks begin to form and eventually, the truth comes out whether you want it to or not. So who knows how comfortable Bart is revealing any of his true self to those he cares about. Maybe his relationship with Ed will be the thing that finally helps him find comfort in being himself, whilst also trusting others to still accept him as himself... and maybe getting him that bit of therapy he really needs.

This brings us to Eduardo… First, can I just say it made me so happy to see Greg’s confirmation of Ed being gay - though it is slightly annoying that he was robbed of his explicit onscreen reveal in S3 thanks to the drama with Bart. His whole relationship to his powers in S2 to S3 fits the representation of coming to terms with your sexuality/identity from a very negative point of view. Feeling like it’s something that needs fixing or needs to be “cured” - to then finding the light and freedom in accepting yourself for you. His growth between seasons is brilliant. He understands the hate and insecurity the teens are feeling because he felt it himself. He does all he can to help them because he never felt he got that help when he needed it - and no one deserves to feel worse for being who they are. Obviously, the things he talks about are framed in the context of dealing with/accepting the meta-gene - yet there are certain moments where it seems he’s saying more than that…

All of which got me wondering - why did Ed originally runaway? It certainly wasn’t because of the meta-abilities he did not yet have. All he’s ever said on the subject was he thought he wanted to be with his father - the man it seems he barely had a relationship with. No, I think Ed has been running from himself for a long time and his dad just happened to be an actual direction for him to aim for. The way he speaks about his wanting to be “cured” and “praying to get rid of his powers” suggests an upbringing around religion and traditional ideas of there being a ‘normal/proper’ way to be — while anything that doesn’t fit that way is treated as other or something that needs to be changed or 'fixed'. Maybe he ran to avoid being found out and run the risk of being ostracised by those he loved. Or maybe he was found out and leaving wasn’t entirely his choice*. If this was the case, I can certainly imagine him not wanting to come out to his dad for fear of his reaction and completely losing all chance of that father-son relationship they’re both trying so hard to keep. It can seem easier to live in secret than risk the reality of loss. So while the meta-gene likely wasn’t the main thing he was angry about in S2, it was able to become a physical thing he could blame and focus his anger on - without having to think about where his issues truly lied… Though with a bit of time it also became the thing he was comfortable conveying his feelings through...

“I’ve learned to accept, even love my meta-abilities”

I love this line so much and it’s all because of the delivery by Freddy Rodrigues. There is the slightest hint of a pause before he says “meta-abilities”, which gives the impression he was about to say something else before then remembering himself and who he was talking to. Then there’s the small inflecion he put on “love”, which makes it sound like it’s the first time he’s heard himself say the words out loud. I don’t hear him talking about the gene - I hear him talking about finally accepting himself - all of himself - for the first time in maybe ever and finally feeling happy because of it. I hear growth... From being the angry 14-year-old skater who just wanted to run away and escape any way he could. To the 16-year-old councillor/Outsider jumping straight into the danger to protect and inspire those who need it. Both he and Bart are such strong characters with so much more to be seen - especially when it comes to the insecurities which lie behind their masks. They both compliment each other pretty perfectly - both powers-wise and personality-wise - meaning while they try to hide themself from others, I don't think it'll take long for them to realise they can't hide from each other.

Anywho, that’s all the speculatary nonsense I’ve got for today. This turned into such a patchwork of vaguely linkable thoughts I’ve had which barely relate to the one I started with - but that is usually how it goes. Take it as you will…

Also, completely unrelated to YJ, but Bi Tim Drake now exists in dc canon which is really cool - seeing all of the joy it’s sparked has really given me something to smile about this week… There is hope after all. 🌈

— LB ⚡️☀️

* OK so here’s a little random snapshot into the chaos of my mind— as I was writing the Ed stuff I had a scene pop into my head of Ed finally -for whatever reason- having to tell his dad that he didn’t leave his abuelo’s home - he got kicked out. His dads confused about this and asks Why? What did you do? And Ed’s like Nothing… I didn’t do anything wrong… he just… found out something. So Seniors like Found out what Eduardo? And Ed’s getting really nervous now because he doesn’t want to say it - That I, um… I’m… Senior step a fraction closer as he picks up on Ed’s anxiety but remains an appropriate distance - Son? Then after a tensening silence he finally says it - sounding the most vulnerable he has ever been - I’m gay… The silence is there again, heavy and unnerving, neither saying a word. Ed can’t move as he’s lock in his elders unreadable glare. Expecting the worse his head drops to take in the floor - anything that isn’t the disappointment ahead - he feels the urge to disappear burning up inside him - consuming him. Then just as he’s about to escape he’s suddenly grounded by a steadying hand rooting itself on his shoulder. Tentatively he lifts his gaze to witness his father, there, with nothing but love and support in his eyes - Mijo. The clamping in his chest dissipates as all the tension escapes at once, along with the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. Ed embraces his dad and the elder embraces his son. Together. A family.

Anyway. That’s probably a load of rubbish but hey my minds full of it… but basically I really want to see a tender moment between Ed and his dad. For whatever reason. Something where Ed’s in a vulnerable state and in need of some emotional support from his father - and without hesitation his father steps up - because that’s what we haven’t seen from them yet. It would perfectly portray the strength of their relationship as father and son - despite their previous struggles - and prove that Senior is willing to support his son no matter the situation as the father - not just the scientist. Its the final step in their healing journey and I wanna see it so bad!!

[seijorhi]

This isn't a request or anything but I had a soulmate AU idea that I think you'd like.... And reminded me of Oikawa. Imagine you find ur soulmate from their name written on your skin on ur 16/18 bday, but.... You're blind. And dating Oikawa. And he /swears/ your name is on his skin... But when your birthday rolls around, he insists you don't show anyone else.... And starts buying you clothes to cover the mark.... And you hear him whispering about his mark to Iwa.... And you begin to worry. 👀

I know it wasn’t specifically meant as a request, but I took the idea and ran with it - I hope it’s okay!! 💕

Oikawa Tooru x Female Reader

TW gaslighting, manipulation, dub con nsfw, blind reader

Part II

Always

“You promise me it’s there?”

Are you sure it’s me?

Rich, warm laughter fills the air around you, and despite the tension gnawing away in your stomach, the corners of your lips twitch into a soft smile.

“You don’t believe me!”

He’s happy. Even gasping in mock indignation Tooru can’t quite manage to keep it from his voice.

He has every reason to be; you’re both home for the first time in a year and a half, settled in the well worn couch at his parents house, your friends sprawled out either side of you. He’s twenty one today and as of five minutes ago the proud owner of his very own soulmate mark.

Or so he tells you. 

“Well it’s not like I can see it,” you tease, nudging yourself closer so that you can rest your head against his shoulder and sighing loudly. “It could be Issei’s name for all I know, and you’re all just too nice to break the news to me.”

The choked snort from your left side makes you giggle, but not as much as the sound of your boyfriend fake gagging. 

“Please, he fucking wishes!”

“Iwa tell her!” Oikawa demands, and you can just imagine the way that Iwaizumi’s eyes must roll before he ultimately gives in.

He always does.

“It’s yours,” he sighs. “Unfortunately you’re stuck with him, Y/N. My condolences.”

Yours. 

It’s hard, even as raucous laughter fills the air around you and Oikawa turns to shout at his best friend, to deny the warm fluttering in your chest. The arm around you eases you closer, a thumb absentmindedly stroking at your side and you allow yourself to relax against him. 

It’s your name on his skin. You’re his soulmate. 

For the first time in weeks, it feels like you can breathe easy. You wonder if Oikawa knew, if he noticed the way you held onto him just that little bit tighter - like you were scared to let go.

You’ve loved Oikawa for as long as you can remember, but you only get one soulmate. Was it really so outlandish to wonder whether his first love would be his last? Whether you could ever be good enough to be his?

The little blind girl, always following at his heels.

For all your faults, you’ve never been naive. You know how amazing he is - Tooru has always been destined for great things and you were just his highschool sweetheart.

A hindrance, one of his very dedicated fans had once taken the time to inform you, clinging desperately to whatever scraps of pity he felt charitable enough to throw your way.

Neither one of you had realised that Oikawa had heard every damn word. 

—

“Can you just…”

Oikawa pauses, the hand he has wrapped around yours squeezes lightly. “Hmm?”

Breathe deep. Just say it. 

Tell him. 

You’re almost at the gate, your flight’s leaving in twenty minutes (and you would have been there sooner if he hadn’t insisted on dragging you through every overpriced store in the damn airport) and in a few hours, you’ll be home again. 

But it isn’t the thought of being back in Japan that worries you. Your bottom lip catches between your teeth, your heart thumping unsteadily in your chest. His birthday is in two days, and that’s when he’ll find out who his soulmate is supposed to be. And you trust him, you love him. Even if the name on his forearm isn't yours, it’s not like he’s just going to suddenly toss you aside like yesterday’s trash, but… things’ll change, you know they will. And you couldn’t even blame him for that, because how much effort can you really be expected to put into a relationship if you know they’re not the one you’re supposed to end up with?

The doubts you have, the ones that fester and play on your every insecurity, keeping you up at night long after Tooru has drifted off -  you’ve tried to shut them out and ignore them as best you can, but you just can’t get on that plane without having some kind of reassurance.

What if it’s not you?

“Just promise me that if…” your breath catches in your throat, and you try to force a smile on your face even though you know that it wobbles. “If it’s not- if I’m not-”

Soft lips press against yours, cutting you off. It’s only for a heartbeat, enough to get you to stop the panicked tumble of words you couldn’t quite get out, but for you it feels like it lasts a lifetime. You could lose yourself in Oikawa’s kisses, you think. Lose yourself and be happy for it.

A warm palm cups your face. “I love you,” he says, and it isn’t the murmured declaration first thing in the morning, his voice still thick with sleep as he rolls over to kiss you good morning, and it isn’t the cheesy, throwaway line he gives whenever you save him the last bite of the milk bread that he specifically bought for you (because god knows his coach would kill him if he found out he ate the entire thing himself).

It’s a promise.

“You are my soulmate,” his thumb strokes along your cheekbone, and you can’t help but lean into the touch. “You’re the only one I’m ever going to want.”

Standing on the outskirts of your gate, moments away from boarding the plane that’ll take you both home, you’re not entirely sure if he’s trying to tell you that he’s certain that the name on his arm is going to be yours, or that he doesn’t care if it isn’t.

Either way, it’s enough.

“You’re mine,” he breathes, and captures your lips in another kiss - this one brimming with ardent devotion, a love too deep for either one of you to speak.  

 —

Hours later, Iwa, Makki and Mattsun are all asleep downstairs and it’s just Tooru and you curled up in his bed. You suppose you shouldn’t be surprised that being back in his childhood bedroom did little in the way of curbing his appetite, but between giggles and breathy moans, Oikawa’s hand clamped over your mouth and his lips at your ear-

‘Shhh, you have to keep it down, cutie. Unless you want the whole house to hear all the pretty sounds you make when you’re about to cum for me?’

- he manages to wring four orgasms out of you before the two of you collapse back against the mattress, all sweaty and panting.

And you think he’s fallen asleep now, an arm slung around your waist, his face buried against the nape of your neck despite the warmth of the balmy summer night. With his chest flush against your back, you can feel the steady rhythm of his heart, lulling you gently to sleep with every beat. 

Soulmate.

This, here, in Oikawa’s arms, this is where you belong, where you’ve always belonged. And yet even with happiness and relief and an overwhelming love singing through your veins - keeping you wide awake - you can’t deny that it feels… strange almost, knowing that out of seven and a half billion people, you’re the one he’s marked for. 

He’d sounded so sure back at the airport, like there wasn’t even the possibility of doubt in his mind that you were the one for him. And maybe he was just saying it to calm you down and get your ass on the plane, but if the situations were reversed and it was your birthday first… could you really say with one hundred percent certainty that you knew it would be his name that’d show up on your arm?

You love him more than you’ve ever loved anybody else (more than you ever probably will love anybody else), it’s just that you’ve always known that the two of you were on wildly different paths. Tooru’s the starting setter for a pro volleyball team, and there’s already whispers of that national squad, Olympic selection.

He’s talented and driven and sometimes you wonder whether you ever would have left Miyagi let alone Japan at all if it hadn’t been for him dragging you along with him. 

You’ve always been so content in your own little bubble. You cling to what’s comfortable, what you know - all your life, you’ve been told that you’re not defined by your disability, but you’ve never tried to push yourself beyond it. 

With Tooru, you’ve never had to.

That girl, years ago - she wasn’t wrong. You do cling to him, like you’d clung to your friends and your family. And maybe that’s not the worst thing in the world, but when you compare what Oikawa has to offer his soulmate compared to what you bring to the table, and-

“I can hear you thinking from here,” your apparently not-so-asleep-after-all boyfriend murmurs in your ear. “Tell me what’s bothering my pretty girl.”

You sigh, rolling over to face him. It’s pointless to lie to Tooru - he can read you better than anyone else - but admitting the whole truth, even here under this little refuge of soft intimacy between the two of you, feels harder than it should be.

“You’re not… disappointed, are you?” 

The harrumph that escapes his lips sounds almost offended, but the brush of his lips against the tip of your nose is sweet. “How long have I known you?” he asks.

Your forehead wrinkles at the question. “Fifteen or so years, I guess?”

You’d only been six or so when your family had moved in the house next door to his, across the street from Iwaizumi’s, and you can still vividly remember the first time you met him - crying in your front yard with a scraped up knee - always too eager for your own good.

“Hmm,” he acknowledges, “and how long have we been dating?”

“Seven-ish years?”

He chuckles, kissing you again, this time on your cheek. “And how long do you think I’ve been in love with you?”

Your whole face warms, and you fight the urge to bury it in his bare chest, especially when he reaches out to tuck a stray lock of hair that had fallen out of place back behind your ear. “Tooru-”

He sighs again, the sound tinged with just a hint of fond exasperation. “Give me your hand.”

You oblige, and you feel his long fingers curl around yours, tucking all of your fingers but your index away and drawing your hand closer towards him. It’s only when your pointer brushes against skin that you realise what he’s trying to do. Still, you don’t offer a word as Tooru slowly traces your finger along the dark letters on his skin - his soulmate mark.

Your name. 

“I’ve been in love with you since we were kids, Y/N. You’re mine, you’ve always been mine, just as I’m yours,” he vows, and you almost shiver with the intensity that burns in every word. “Any other name would have been nothing more than a filthy lie.”

Any further protests are swallowed up by another kiss, and your boyfriend takes it upon himself to show you exactly how much he adores you, over and over again, until sheer, utter exhaustion drags you to sleep in his arms.

 —

Your own twenty-first birthday is a vastly different kind of affair. For one, the two of you decide to stay in Argentina - Oikawa’s mid season and can’t afford the time off training to traipse back home again.

Which means that it is just the two of you alone in your villa when you feel an odd burning sensation start to creep through your left arm. It doesn’t hurt exactly, more like a warm tingling sensation that flows along your skin as one by one the letters of your soulmate’s name come to light.

The sharp little gasp that slips from your lips must have alerted Tooru - hovering as he had been for the better part of the day - because his hands are on your arm within a moment, flipping it over and eagerly dragging it closer for him to inspect. His own breath hitches in his throat, his fingers tightening on your soft skin and a tentative smile works its way across your face. 

People have told you before that your boyfriend is handsome - stupidly beautiful, you’d once overheard one of your old high school classmates bemoan. His voice certainly is, soft and pretty and lilting, warm like the first rays of the sun on a cool winter’s morning, though not without its sharpness. Oikawa always has had a wicked tongue. In your head, you picture a face to match, delicate, angular features, warm eyes and a grin that’s just a little impish. Trouble, but the irresistible kind. 

You wish you could see it now, watch your soulmate’s eyes widen with delight, or maybe soften with quiet awe. You want to see him happy, deliriously so, you want to look into those lovely eyes of his and see all the love that’s coursing through your veins right now reflected right back at you. 

He still hasn’t spoken a word.

The slow drag of a breath, shaky and too sharp, had your bright smile freezing on your face. His grip hasn’t relented, fingers calloused from years of playing volleyball digging into your arm almost painfully. The air between you two is still, he hasn’t moved, not so much as a twitch.

Unease creeps its way into your stomach.

Why hasn’t he said anything?

He’s never exactly been the strong, silent type, and you love him for that. Iwa often complains that his best friend likes the sound of his own voice too damn much (half heartedly at best), and maybe that’s true, but he never realised that it doesn’t bother you in the slightest. 

It’s different for you, not being able to see. 

You don’t exactly blame them for not understanding - how could they, really? Without your sight to help you, your other senses have to work in overdrive just to make sense of things. Tooru’s voice builds the world around you, imbues it with a spark, guides you like a hand stretching out through the darkness. It’s a gap in the void, a reassurance you cling to - because without it there’s nothing. You’re alone with only your thoughts to keep you company. 

So when he goes quiet like this, it’s never a good sign.

A lump lodges its way in your throat. Without your sight, his silence is almost impossible to read, but you can sense the sudden heaviness in the air, the tension hanging thick between the two of you. 

You expected dramatics. Tears, maybe, or a burst of affectionate cuddles and kisses. Gushing over your mark just as he had when his own had come through. Hell, you thought he’d grab his phone and take a thousand and one pictures just to prove to the world that you were his as much as he was yours - because you loved each other. Because you were soulmates. 

Is there something wrong with your mark?

“Tooru?” you murmur, the edges of your smile starting to slip as your panic rises. “I-is everything-”

“You’re mine.”

The clipped words are little more than a whisper, hoarse and choked. It takes you by surprise, making your heart skip a beat, the knot in your stomach tighten, yet just as that paralysing apprehension starts to take root, he clears his throat, and a laugh bubbles to the surface.

Slowly, like ice thawing, his fingers relax on your forearm, gliding up over your shoulder to curl around your neck. “You love me, right?” 

Your eyebrows knit together, but you nod anyway. “Always.”

There’s another shaky breath, and suddenly his arms are wrapping around you, drawing you into a tight embrace. You don’t fight it, still bewildered by the sudden whiplash of his tone.

His own heart is racing, you can feel it as he holds you against him. The question burns deep inside of your chest, a thought you don’t want to give voice to, but you can’t seem to stop yourself - it slips out before you even realise you’ve opened your mouth.

“It is your name, Tooru, isn’t it? You’re my soulmate?”

There’s a beat of silence, and Oikawa hums, resting his chin against the top of your head. “Of course it is, cutie,” he chuckles. “Who else’s name would it be?”

He takes you out for dinner to celebrate. You’d originally picked one of his favourite dresses to wear, a strapless white number with a pretty, flowing skirt that fell to your mid thigh, but Oikawa stops you before you can leave, passing you over an old denim jacket of yours.

“It’s cool out tonight,” he says as he eases it over your shoulders before you can protest.

You don’t question it.

—

He fucks you that night, hard, fast and unrelenting, holding onto you so tight that you swear you’ll have bruises come morning.

—

Oikawa likes doing little things for you. 

He likes it when you hold onto his arm and let him guide you around when you go out together (you do have a cane - it sits in the back of your closet for ‘emergency uses’ only). He likes to buy you pretty things, jewellery, clothes, little trinkets that remind him of you - spoiling you with every opportunity he can, doubly so now that he has a salary that affords him that luxury.

It’s not uncommon for him to pick out your outfits. For one, you can’t see so you kind of have to rely on somebody else’s help so you don’t end up a mismatched disaster, and Tooru seems to enjoy doing it. He likes seeing you wear the things he buys for you - lacy, soft and demure. 

He also likes it when people know that you’re his.

So it doesn’t strike you as odd when Tooru insists on you wearing his club hoodie over your dress the next time you go to one of his games. You might not be able to see him fly across the court, but you can hear the cheers, the roar of the crowd as they stamp their feet and chant like a battle cry when San Juan scores. You can taste the excitement in the air, and whenever your soulmate steps up to the plate to serve, you feel the rabid excitement of the crowd thrumming in your veins. 

It’s warm in the stadium with so many people crammed close together, you push the sleeves up without even thinking. It’s not an issue - it shouldn’t be - but when your boyfriend slips his arms around you, fresh from the locker room post match, it’s the first thing he notices. He’s tugging them back down before you can so much as offer a hello, tersely muttering something about you getting a cold when you frown.

There’s a tiny flicker of unease at the odd behaviour, but he’s kissing you before you can linger on it for too much longer. 

And if that’s all it was, maybe it would be easier for you to shove that niggling worry aside. 

But once you start noticing things - little, inconsequential things you would have just shrugged off before - you can’t seem to stop, and that tiny seed of doubt starts to take root, to sprout and grow.

Your friends stop calling by. Back home your social circle was pretty much limited to Tooru, Iwa and their friends - not that you minded at all, you love them all dearly, it’s just that you didn’t really have any friends of your own outside of that little group. When you moved across to Argentina and Oikawa started training for longer hours, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to his new team, you got lonely, sitting in your new home just waiting around for him to come back to you.

And it took a while, but eventually you started to venture outside of your comfort zone and lo and behold - even with your stumbling Spanish, you managed to make a few friends! Though you can tell that your beloved boyfriend wasn’t exactly thrilled by the burgeoning new friendships you gushed to him about, he’s never begrudged you them. If it made you happy, then he was happy. 

Lately though, they’ve been kind of distant. And by distant, you mean… well, nonexistent. They don’t come visit you anymore, when you call their numbers, it just rings out. 

You can’t even leave voicemails - there’s just an automated voice telling you their message banks are full. Regardless, not one of them has made the effort to call you back, and it’s not like you can text them to ask why they’re avoiding you. Life gets in the way, you know that, and sometimes people just drift apart but it’s like all of a sudden they’ve just dropped off the face of the planet. 

But when you mention venturing out into town one day without them while Tooru’s at practice, he seems strangely resistant to the idea. 

“I just don’t like the idea of you wandering around by yourself. It’s not safe out there for you, cutie,” he tells you.

The words are saccharine, as sweet as the kisses he presses against your lips when he coaxes your chin upwards. You love him, you do. And you understand that he worries - even away from the hustle and bustle of the big cities, San Juan isn’t exactly a crime free neighbourhood, but for the first time the strong, muscular arms that wrap around your waist don’t bring comfort. 

It’s like they’re a cage, locked around you and dragging you slowly down to the depths, and it’s driving you mad because you can’t figure out why it feels like that.

Biting back your annoyance, you sigh, forcing yourself to relax against him. You love him - this is normal, couples disagree all the time. “I’m not an invalid, babe. I’ve done it before - I can’t just sit around the villa all day moping all alone or I’ll go crazy.”

He hums noncommittally, his fingers trailing idly across your skin as he draws you closer still, and the conversation is dropped. 

Two days later, you find your cane snapped in two in the back of the closet. Oikawa has some weights stuffed in an old gym bag for when he can’t be bothered leaving home to work out - the bag must have fallen on your cane and cracked it when he put it back after his session yesterday afternoon.

An accident, it has to be. He’d never deliberately do something so petty, right?

And there are moments where you can forget the doubts that gnaw away at your insides. Tooru has always been a caring, attentive lover - the perfect boyfriend. He seems more determined that ever to shower you in love, whether that’s by waking you up with his tongue eagerly lapping at your cunt, bringing you home bouquets of fragrant flowers and cooking the two of you dinner, or just with the tiny gestures of affection - tucking your hair back away from your face, linking his hands with yours, the little kisses and compliments he lavishes you with on a daily basis.

When it’s just the two of you, lounging around on the couch, his head resting on your lap and your fingers carding through his hair, it’s easy to pretend that everything’s fine. The two of you love each other. You’ve been his rock, his biggest supporter right from the early days, and Tooru’s the one who drew you out of your shell, who makes you feel like you’re actually worth something.

That you’re beautiful, and loved.

It’s not until you come home one afternoon from an impromptu trip to the local bakery just down the road that all the little pieces fall into place, and you realise why.

The craving for something sweet was what drew you out. Truthfully, you hadn’t really thought twice about it. It was a short trip, one you’d made a thousand times before, and it wasn’t like the locals didn’t know you, wouldn’t watch out for you if they saw you about to unknowingly hurt yourself or trip over something. 

The alfajores in your hand were supposed to be a surprise, Tooru had been wound up from practice lately, more stressed than he usually was this late in the season, and you knew you weren’t the only one with a wicked sweet tooth. You’d just wanted to cheer him up. 

You hadn’t expected to come home to find Tooru pacing in your bedroom, muttering to himself, and you certainly hadn’t expected him to whirl around at the sound of your approach, snatching at your wrist and all but hauling you inside. 

You certainly aren’t prepared for the snarling, bitter words he hurls at you. 

And yet even as tears fill your eyes, a choked sob bursting free as he berates you for leaving the villa without telling him, Tooru clutches at you so tightly it feels like your arm’s going to snap. 

“You can’t leave me! You can’t - you’re mine!”

He doesn’t stop, barely pauses for breath, but those eight words hit you like a freight train, and everything else fades out into white noise. You can’t for the life of you explain how or why, but in that moment, you know with absolute certainty that the name on your arm can’t be his. 

Tooru lied to you. 

He’s not your soulmate. 

It’s all you can do to stand there numbly while your boyfriend falls to pieces in front of you. The angry yells and screams turn into wretched sobs, and suddenly it’s Tooru collapsing in your arms, clinging to your neck like it’s a lifeline as he sniffles against your chest, and when desperate apologies turn into desperate kisses and he starts to lead you backwards towards the bed, you don’t fight him.

He treats you like you’re made of glass, worshipping every inch of your skin, fervent declarations of love spilling out between kisses like prayers of the devout at an altar. He fucks you slowly, lovingly, moaning your name so sweetly as he searches for absolution within the plush walls of your sex.

And with his fingers coaxing at your clit, his lips dancing against yours you fall off that precipice with him.

You have no idea long the two of you lie there in silence, limbs entangled with one other, but eventually you register the warmth of his hand on your cheek, caressing it with a gentle kind of tenderness that makes something deep inside of you ache.

“You still love me, don’t you?” Tooru’s voice is quiet. Hesitant. It reminds you of the little boy you knew, the one who confided all his fears of never being good enough to you, desperately seeking the validation you always gave so freely. 

Your eyes flutter shut, another stray tear spilling down your cheek, and your heart breaks anew.

“Always.”

[wakraya]

people getting soooo up in arms about transmasc rox is just like (that guy from the office slapping his forehead) if people really wanna go all the way fighting over which trans rep is more oppressed isn't transmasc rox the only confirmed transmasc at least in the human cast ? [insert line break here] it kinds reminds me of the joke rolling situation when people rightfully pointed out that trans men were casted out of conversations of support entirely even though her nonsense hurt them as well

it's like. shit is confusing so i really try not to get mad at people for being ignorant on some terms but hoooooly shit to actually attack actual lgbt people over things that could easily be talked over or interpreted differently it's just so. it's infuriating but at the same time i'm sad that so many people are so bound to their echo chamber that they just exist to oppose anything that isn't completely aligned to their liking, dangerously close to actual bigotry

Don’t be fooled, “dangerously close to actual bigotry”, this kind of thinking is often sneakily stoked by actual bigots trying to pit the community against each other to watch us cannibalize each other like this, so if any talking points seem similar, I assure you it’s not just an uncanny coincidence. And don’t be fooled either, this is not just a Homestuck Fandom Problem, and you WILL find similar discourse with similar roots for practically any large Fandom with a large LGBT+ community, and/or canon rep in the actual series.

I think I’m gonna stop with the discourse here for today, at least for now since this is the last ask I’ve gotten about this stuff, but like. Sigh. I get it? I REALLY do get it. Queer Creators often cannot express themselves fully in Mainstream Media, so since a lot of this stuff has to be in smaller projects, they can also take bigger risks than the usual, and often since their takes come from very personal places, they can touch really sensitive topics. People consuming what they make are more primed to negativity because they’re used to rep falling short in other places and being tarnished, so anything other than Good And Perfectly Handled Rep suddenly is seen suspiciously. Pair with that the climate of hate-consumption, reactionary stuff without digging further into it, unsourced claims or short posts, specially on Twitter, and a decentralization of Fandom away from dedicated Spaces, and into Social Media, and you have a cocktail for this kinda stuff to happen, and it just saddens me. It saddens me to see creators hurt because of this, it saddens me to see the community so willing to break apart for what ultimately is minor and fictitious, and often not even true. As a pansexual trans woman who’s a part of the community AND who wants to be a creator myself, I’ve seen this behavior cast away other queer fans who actually relate to the content produced, and having them be afraid to even voice their opinion, and I’ve seen other people interested in creating their own works concerned about Fandom Reaction, despite them also being part of the community and wanting to share their own experiences and likes to people like them.

I’m not going to say “Just be friends, dammit!” because I know it’s not just that, and it’d be disingenuous to think you can just, forget this stuff in a day and “ignore it, lol”, at best, or dismissive and harmful at worst, but this is REALLY something that we all as a community have to work towards changing. It’s SO easy to be critical and come up with the worst possible reads of canon content and authorial intention, and to fall into the bandwagon of hate. You can twist practically anything into being negative and bad. Let’s try to also be critical of the unchecked hate and not let it fester until racists and transphobes feel comfortable enough to join these cries of ‘it is bad’ and use the Fandom Climate to attack people. I think everyone would agree about Harassment and Death Threats being bad, and Transphobes and Racists and Misogynists having no fucking place in any Fandom, right.

[patternsintraffic]

My 100 Favorite Albums of the 2000s: #100-#91

Hi all. As you can tell from the title of this blog post, I am about to take you off on quite a tangent. Music is in the works (both the completion of Lights & Reflections and the first full-length Harsh Lights album), but currently I find myself sitting up into the early morning hours with a newborn while my wife tries to get some uninterrupted sleep. So I am taking the opportunity to finally post this ridiculously long-winded writing project that I embarked on last year. The actual list-making and blurb-penning has been done for many months now, but I never took the time to format and post it. So here I am with some free time, getting around to finishing this undertaking!

As you may have seen, I decided to join in the fun at the turn of the decade and make a list of my favorite albums from 2010-2019. I wrote about my top 20 albums of the decade, and had a blast revisiting those records and sharing a little bit about why they are special to me. However, the most surprising part of the process for me was that choosing 20 albums to represent that ten-year period was...pretty easy? I started my career in late 2009, so the entire past decade I've been working full-time, pursuing my own music in my spare time, and more or less adulting. I've definitely listened to a ton of great albums, but it's hard to find music that truly excites you as an adult the way that it did in your formative years. The whole time I was crafting my list, I was thinking about how much more difficult (and rewarding) a task it would have been to compile a list for the previous decade, spanning 2000-2009.

So of course, not long after posting my 2010-2019 list I got to work compiling my favorite albums of the aughts. That 10-year period starts when I was 12 years old and wraps up as I was starting my post-college career. Pretty much my entire journey of musical discovery and growth occurred during those years. I had little in the way of responsibilities, and for most of the decade I ravenously consumed an absolutely enormous amount of music. Multiple hours worth on an average day. I was still buying physical CDs all throughout those years, so I really focused on each album I purchased, giving them many repeat listens and learning them intimately. And so much of what I heard was new and fresh to my ears. At 12 years old, there were so many sounds and styles of music that I had yet to encounter, and all of those first experiences and coming of age moments left lasting impressions.

Suffice to say, putting together a top 20 list of albums to represent that 10-year period was nearly impossible. I knew I would have to make a larger list to feel like I was doing justice to even a fraction of the albums that impacted me in that decade. What I eventually arrived upon after making an initial list of albums and then cutting it down quite a bit...was 100. Yes, I'm going to write about my favorite 100 albums from 2000-2009. And I'm going to have a damn good time doing it. Most of my favorite albums ever will be contained in this list, and most of them are wildly underappreciated, in my opinion. For the sake of keeping each post to a manageable length, I will be posting 10 albums at a time, starting with numbers 100-91 below. Walk with me down memory lane in countdown form, and I hope you can enjoy me waxing poetic about 100 albums that were staples of my young life. Let's get nostalgic.

100. Paris Texas - Like You Like an Arsonist (2004)

There are hundreds of albums that I could have picked to round out my list here in the final spot, but I wanted to shine a light on this poppy punk rock record from 2004. It doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking, but it's a really fun take on the genre and it didn't get the recognition that it deserved. "Bombs Away" and the title track are absolute barnburners. What a shame that the band broke up shortly after this album was released. I remember reading a review of Like You Like an Arsonist around the time of its release that criticized it for sounding like a collection of songs that could blend seamlessly into the soundtrack of a blockbuster action movie. Looking back, I agree with the reviewer's assessment, but I see it as high praise.

99. Greenwheel - Soma Holiday (2002)

In 2002, you could throw a shoe and hit a band that sounded much like Greenwheel, a radio-ready alternative rock outfit with some heavy riffs and a throaty lead singer. But these guys stood above many of their contemporaries on Soma Holiday, their only major label release. (Their independent EP Bridges for Burning and never-released second full-length Electric Blanket both hinted at a sustainable career that didn't come to fruition.) This album had enough muscle for the rock kids ("Shelter" and "Strong") and enough sweetness for the emo kids ("Dim Halo" and "Breathe," which was later recorded and popularized by Melissa Etheridge). What could have been.

98. Sleeping at Last - Ghosts (2003)

It's been almost 10 years since Sleeping at Last became a solo project for Ryan O'Neal, releasing themed singles that make up overarching concept albums and EPs. Though the output from the current incarnation of the band is beautiful and soothing, the minimalist and orchestral style is a far cry from Ghosts, Sleeping at Last's one major label album. At the time they were a three-piece featuring guitars, bass, and drums alongside O'Neal's piano and distinct vocals. Ghosts features an uncommon blend of cinematic, ethereal, and earnest indie rock that just seemed to go deeper than its peers in 2003.

97. Taking Back Sunday - Where You Want to Be (2004)

I've never been a huge fan of Taking Back Sunday, though of course I rocked the singles from Tell All Your Friends like any self-respecting high-schooler in 2002. It was the follow-up, 2004's Where You Want to Be, that really got its claws in me after I picked it up on release week. With a killer opening trio of "Set Phasers to Stun," "Bonus Mosh Pt. II," and "A Decade Under the Influence" giving way to ballads like "New American Classic" and "...Slowdance on the Inside," this is just a great rock record.

96. Sherwood - A Different Light (2007)

A Different Light is a bright, summery, buoyant pop album full of smooth vocal harmonies, glistening guitars, and shimmering synths. Sure, the lyrical content isn't all rainbows and butterflies, but if you could capture the sound of pure positivity and optimism, it would sound a lot like this record. Between the singalong melodies, handclaps, and "whoa-oh"s, if you don't have a good time listening to A Different Light then music might not be the right medium for you.

95. Young Love - Too Young to Fight It (2007)

I'm fairly certain that Young Love, the dance-rock side project of beloved post-hardcore band Recover's frontman Dan Keyes, was not at all well-received. But for someone with no preconceived notions or attachments to Keyes' previous work, I thought this album was a hell of a lot of fun. In a world where Young Love made a mainstream impact, alternate-universe Kyle can be seen storming the dancefloor to the title track or "Discotech." Too Young to Fight It also gives us the smooth R&B of "Tell Me," the indie rock of "Take It or Leave It," and the experimental and apocalyptic "Tragedy." This is so much more than a dance album, and if it hadn't been released by a musician with strong ties to the hardcore scene it would have had a fighting chance of being recognized as such.

94. Vendetta Red - Sisters of the Red Death (2005)

Vendetta Red frontman Zach Davidson has one of the most dynamic hard rock voices I've ever heard, and Sisters of the Red Death is one of the catchiest rock records I've ever heard. Despite those facts, I have a complicated relationship with this album because of its often-horrifying lyrical content, which details acts of sexual violence and gore. That's usually a dealbreaker for me, but I won't completely write off this record since it is a concept album set in a post-apocalyptic fantasy world. Apparently female empowerment is at the core of the message, so it's not like Vendetta Red are condoning the acts that they're singing about. It's still a bit unnerving when you get the urge to sing along to one of the plethora of earworm melodies throughout this album and then realize exactly what you're singing. While I may not have the stomach for Sisters of the Red Death in 2021, I can still wholeheartedly recommend "Silhouette Serenade," which contains all of the awesomeness with none of the gross-out lyrics.

93. Ours - Distorted Lullabies (2001)

Now 20 years into his career, Ours frontman Jimmy Gnecco is surely tired of being compared to Jeff Buckley. But damn, he really does sound like Jeff Buckley. And when you're being compared to one of the all-time great voices in rock music, that's not such a bad thing. Distorted Lullabies is the first proper Ours album, and it's filled with melodic rock songs that highlight Gnecco's incredible range. As the saying goes, I could listen to Gnecco sing the phonebook (those were still around in 2001!), but put his powerful and emotive voice on dynamic rock songs like "Sometimes" and "Meet Me in the Tower"? Yes, please.

92. Armor for Sleep - What to Do When You Are Dead (2005)

This here is an emo concept album about a boy who commits suicide and his experience in the afterlife. Despite the overwrought subject matter, the songs on What to Do When You Are Dead are carefully crafted and interesting. "Car Underwater" is a scene classic, and my favorite track might be the keyboard-centric interlude "A Quick Little Flight." Armor for Sleep seemed a bit more thoughtful in their songwriting and arrangements than many of their contemporaries.

91. Cauterize - Paper Wings (2005)

The single "Something Beautiful" led me to Cauterize's 2003 major label debut So Far from Real, but upon purchasing the album I found that the rest of the tracks didn't live up to that song's high bar. Not so with the independently-released follow-up Paper Wings, which was just full of emo rock songs that I absolutely devoured in 2005. This was actually the first album that I had to order online because it wasn't sold in stores. I remember the surreal feeling of the CD showing up in the mailbox, and that first experience attached some additional meaning to Paper Wings. It doesn't hurt that it features propulsive songs like "Wake to the Sun," "Closer," and "Tremble." Cauterize later signed to another label and re-recorded most of these songs for Disguises, which rejiggered the tracklist and added a few new tunes. Even though the production might be a little better on Disguises, I always preferred the Paper Wings versions and the flow of the original tracklist. There's nothing like the first time.

[lrambling]

Only someone who isn't aware of the harm larries cause would be so dismissive in their answers about larry like that big bang mod was. It's not a joke, and they treated it like it was. That mentality is just as disgusting as the harassment itself. Larries treat other fans like we're stupid, it's so easy to read inbetween the lines of their faux niceness

They’re just such a large community. This is why @back-to-louis and @biglarrieboycott go so hard on not encouraging the more harmless-seeming tinhats. Someone who follows saracha33 or lesbianslovelouis but only reblogs their less offensive content but then makes fun “neutral” posts that circulate in the fandom can make it seem like they’re safe to follow - like there are tinhatters who are “just shippers.” They can ignore all the things I bring up here, things which mostly come from the most popular bloggers and often get hundreds of notes.

But the people who know enough not to reblog the blatantly offensive posts so they don’t alienate their non-Larrie followers? They’re still seeing stuff like this:

And they don’t reblog it, but they certainly don’t care enough to unfollow these people, much less speak out against them.

And then the people who follow these “harmless” larries say “oh it’s just a ship, they’re not doing anything wrong, why should we as a fandom take a stand against their behavior? it’s just a few bad apples.”

But it’s not. The ideas are inherently harmful - insisting that someone is lying about their own life, their own sexuality, and their own family is HARMFUL. It is disrespectful and dehumanizing. Creating expectations that Harry and Louis will one day come out of the closet and should be role models to young closeted LGBTQ+ fans is harmful to those fans, even if the ideas are being spread without the misogyny and hatred that we see from so many of these blogs. Asserting that you have a right to publicly debate these personal issues about strangers that they believe are closeted, despite so much of their evidence and justification being debunked over and over again, that’s inherently disrespectful.

But as bad as Larrie is even without the misogyny and hatred, those aspects are an inherent part of the Larrie community these days. There is no alternative community. When there was backlash against lesbianslovelouis, they didn’t take the opportunity to cut her toxicity out of fandom - she was defended by every part of Larrie fandom, as far as I know. The people who speak out against these behaviors are the antis. The larries who objected to how girlfriends and family members were treated seem to have left or been silenced. The bloggers who create and reblog posts like these are the popular, influential bloggers. They claim to distance themselves from the social media harassers, but they spread the ideas that empower and inspire the harassers, and they always prefer to blame the victims rather than taking responsibility for the actions of their community.

There is a Larrie community, and it is inherently toxic and harmful. Some larries might find certain bloggers distasteful, some may not like the social media harassment, but they all believe Louis and Harry are lying about their lives. Even the ones who have decided Harry and Louis have broken up or who hate one of them think Louis has been lying about being Freddie’s father. They all think he was busy faking a baby while his mother was sick. And even the ones who try to avoid the nastiest blogs have no problem following people who will pass their “safe” content on to them. They don’t distance themselves from the community, they don’t try to fact check the lies, or discourage public debate about the sexuality and relationships of two strangers.

So it’s up to the rest of the 1D community to distance ourselves from Larries. To distance ourselves from the entire community, because there is no respectful way to be a tinhat. The rest of the fandom needs to demonstrate that we find this behavior unacceptable, that it doesn’t reflect us. Even if it means lower participation. Even if it means losing followers.

[dontreadthistrashgarbage]

G O T 7 PT.12

Guerin trotted up to JB's studio door with Eneoji and entered the code he had sent her. JB looked up as she came in, "Jagi, I wasn't expecting you so soon."

"I found a taxi that would take Eneoji, so I didn't need to drop her at home first." She gave him a kiss in greeting and detached the leash. JB grinned as Eneoji wiggled up to him and gave her an affectionate face squish and kiss on the nose before petting her. Guerin's heart swelled as she watched their interaction, settling into the chair next to JB at his desk. Once their greeting was finished Eneoji occupied herself by sniffing around the unfamiliar room and JB swiveled around back to the computer, with a glance at Guerin.

"Are you nervous?" He asked raising his brows over a crooked smile.

Guerin rubbed her knees and laughed almost shyly at his callout, "Yeah I think a little, but I'm also excited."

"Let's watch it then." He pulled up the email that showed two private links, one labeled as the music video and the other just said "watch after".

"What's that?" Guerin asked, pointing at the mysterious message.

"I don't know yet. I guess we'll find out after." JB shrugged and clicked the first link. Maximizing the video he sat back and took Guerin's hand to watch. It followed the storyline they had filmed; meeting, dating, the jealousy and the makeup, all interspersed with Mihi flying or the two of them playing with her. Once it was over Guerin clapped.

"Wow, BamBam did really amazing! Isn't he in the restaurant business? How is he so good?" She gushed.

"He pretty much hired people to run stuff for him, he does video editing as a part time hobby." JB grinned at her reaction, "That turned out better than I thought. His changes were good. You did great too, you looked amazing."

"I mean yeah compared to now." She joked about her post-workout appearance.

"I like you like this too." He took her hand again and met her gaze.

It was too intense for Guerin and she gave a crooked smile before changing the subject, "Let's check out that second link." She suggested suddenly.

JB stares at her for a moment with knowing smile before allowing himself to be distracted. Clicking on the mysterious link brought up another video.

"Behind the scenes?" Guerin read outloud curiously, exchanging a glance with JB before they refocused on the screen. The first few seconds were of Guerin talking, explaining to BamBam the concept of Free Flight. Her words continued as the screen flashed through different scenes of them filming, making mistakes and laughing, JB teasing Guerin and making goofy expressions.

"I had no idea he was recording." Guerin covered her mouth, embarrassed.

Back on the screen was a goofy dance off Guerin had started with Yugyeom before she tagged in JB as she was clearly in over her head. The scenes of Guerin laughing at her phone while JB teased her. The mood subtly changed. The smiles they shared with each other became softer, the reactions as they separated filming scenes they physically touched became shy, sweet even. JB's voice replaced Guerins.

"We're always learning. If we aren't open for improvement we become stagnant. People in our loves either feed that growth or they starve it." The scene changed to the actual moment JB was talking. He wasn't looking at the camera, but behind it, most likely at BamBam. Guerin glanced at JB who looked surprised and a bit anxious.

In the video Guerin was in the background playing with Mihi and JB glanced back at her with a small smile. He didn't say anything for a moment and the scene changed to an outtake from them goofing off when JB's voice cut in again, "I feel like every time we're together we learn something. So it's pretty easy to pretend I'm falling in love with someone I'm actually falling in love with." The scene changed back to a shyly smiling JB before he looked seriously at BamBam, "Don't tell her I said that."

The video wrapped up with a few more outtakes but the two sat someone shocked in silence as the video wrapped up. Guerin was positive she could hear BamBam cackling as he put together this extra content. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest, it was such a cheesy line but it was so cute and delivered in such a heartfelt way she could feel herself weakening.

"You didn't want me to hear that?"

"No..." JB said, covering his face, "I'm gonna kill him."

"Technically he didn't tell me." Guerin said unhelpfully trying not to smile. JB leaned back sucking in air through his teeth.

"Hey come on. It's not that bad. It's a teensy bit tacky but actually really sweet and moving." Guerin reached for him, patting his shoulder reassuringly as JB groaned.

"He already sent this to JYPE. We can stop it from getting approved and posted since it hasn't dropped yet." JB said, dropping his head to the side to look at Guerin.

"I dunno. It's actually kinda cute. Maybe people will find it endearing." Guerin shrugged, "If you think it's a problem then stop it, but if I was a fan this kind of stuff would get me super excited."

JB looked nonplussed, so Guerin stood and moved his beanie to kiss his forehead, "Babe you do what you want with it. I'll leave you to your work. I've got a meeting with Jisoo and training with HEET this afternoon so I've got to head out."

As she moved away JB took her wrist and tugged gently. She looked down at his pout and he tapped his lips. Failing to hold in a smile she bent down and kissed him sweetly.

"I got you, Jinri!" JB scooped up the toddler and spun her around as she squealed in joy. He playfully tossed her up, making her scream happily.

"Careful, sweetie." Guerin couldn't help but feel cautious, even if she could see the little girl loved the game.

"She likes it!" JB said, but he obliged her and instead sat on the floor with Jinri and made silly faces with her.

"He is so amazing with her." Charlie sat down cross legged next to Guerin, "It must make you feel all soft." She knew her friend well.

Guerin looked down and smiled. Seeing JB with animals and with children was an extreme soft spot of hers. It had been over a year since the tour with HEET and they were already preparing for another one.

"It definitely makes it harder to go." Guerin admitted, "But work is work. And I do like working with HEET. They're like my sons, I'm so proud of all of them."

"Seungbin has gotten so big! I remember when he was just a baby. He's turning into quite the handsome man." Charlie gushed fondly.

"Why are you talking about another man like that?" Jinyoung fake pouted, joining the two women on the floor. He had just returned from his trip to the store to join the conversation.

"Are you actually pretending to be jealous of a seventeen year old?" Guerin teased.

"I don't want Charlie to see anyone but me." Jinyoung made no effort to hide his smile as he pulled his wife toward him and kissed her head.

Jinri pulled away from JB and headed toward the trio. He called after her and collapsed on the floor from her rejection as Jinri left him. Guerin couldn't help but laugh at the exaggerated expression of hurt on his face. Jinri climbed into Jinyoung's lap and gazed at him lovingly, "Appa." She seemed excited to see her dad. Jinyoung's face hid none of his joy as he immediately cuddled his daughter close, he didn't need words to express his obvious adoration as he cooed at her lovingly while she giggled when he smothered her face with kisses.

"This is so cute I might vomit." Guerin gushed.

"Imagine how I feel." Charlie might as well have actual heart eyes as she watched the two of the interact.

JB sat down next to Guerin, putting his arm around her shoulder and watching his dongsaeng with a jealous expression, "When do we get one of those?" He asked with a pout.

Guerin's eyes widened as she swung to look at him, "Excuse me?" She was surprised into english. Fortunately his biligunal abilities had expanded enough that he understood her shock.

"She's so cute." He pulled Guerin close, staring at Jingyoung's now smug expression with a covetous look of his own, "Let's get one."

"Yeah let's just adopt one right now." Guerin rolled her eyes, trying to cover the palpitations of her heart.

"If you think adoption is faster, let's do it." He responded.

"Don't you think you're missing a step?" Charlie raised an eyebrow at the petulant man and the flabbergasted woman in his arms.

"Well we obviously are going to get married." JB shrugged, "And I'll buy a house for us."

"Okay wait hold up. This is a whole conversation I'd like to be a part of? There's a lot of decisions being made without me despite me being a key player." Guerin said, flustered.

"You don't want kids with me?" JB asked, looking surprised.

"I didn't say that I just... timing and... ability and space... and... JB THIS IS NOT THE PLACE." She protested finally, covering her face.

JB laughed, "Okay, we'll work out the details later." He said as he kissed her temple.

Jinyoung looked at Charlie with a raised brow, "What just happened?"

"Pretty sure they just got engaged and pregnant." Charlie said, holding her arms open for her daughter, who eagerly jumped to her mom.

"Shut up." Guerin said in a muffled voice from behind her hands, a rare blush reddening what little of her face was visible. She peaked up at JB who shrugged.

"It sounds like a plan to me." He said.

"This is the weirdest engagement ever." Jinyoung said.

"It suits them." Charlie said matter of factly about her two friends.

END