#This is for all the Ben girlies (used as gender neutral)

[womp-womp-waa]

Ben missed how he was.

When he had his voice. When people didn't look at him with pity. When he didn't cry himself to sleep every night. When he could smile.

But that was then and this is now. And now he's lying in Bed, not wanting to move not having the energy. He ignored his parents calls from his doorway, he couldn't respond anyway so there was no point in talking to them. There was no point in talking to anyone. Maybe if he stayed in bed for long enough, he'll wake up from this horrible nightmare and he could speak, sing, laugh.

Maybe. Maybe one day he could learn to live without his voice. One day, but not today.

[definitelynotstable]

Vice [Ghost x gn!Reader]

(A Camomile Interlude)

pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4, pt. 5, pt. 6, pt. 7, pt. 8, pt. 9, pt. 10, pt. 11, pt. 12, pt. 13, pt. 14, pt. 15, pt. 16, pt. 17

AN: Hey girlies (gender neutral term), uni is being a bitch right now and I'm at a mental capacity hence the less frequent updates. BUT here’s a wee hurt/comfort interlude that will hopefully tide you over till the next Camomile chapter :)

Synopsis: Set sometime in the early few chapters of Camomile. Ghost catches you at war with a punching bag – the bag is winning. Hurt/comfort. Word Count: 1.3k Warnings: Canon typical violence. Mentions of self-harm, violence, sex, drugs, smoking etc. Ghost x gn!Reader (Callsign: Rags)

✧˚ · .

Everyone who enlisted had some sort of problem. A generalisation that could be easily backed up with evidence if someone bothered to carry out the research. And if one were the outlier who enlisted issue-free there was no doubt they’d be left with an arsenal of them if they survived long enough to retire.

Mental health was something not many talked about. Besides, If one were too open they risked an honourable discharge.

And so when the horrors of the mind became too much, people turned to alternatives. Alcohol, drugs (you’d be surprised what could be snuck onto a military base), sex, smoking, violence, self-harm – the works.

All were acceptable in certain contexts and most soldiers had the rules down-packed.

Violence was only tolerated on the battlefield; alcohol could be discretely added to coffee in the morning; pills before bed; sex in a maintenance closet; cigars instead of cigarettes; unnecessary risks led to injuries in the field – the works.

It was some sort of unwritten code – everyone had their vice.

Ghost was a curveball.

You’d caught him with a pack of Camels within a week of joining the 141. It was dark and you were far more interested in studying how his lighter illuminated his jawline and scarred lips than the burning cigarette between his pale fingers. It was your first time catching him without the mask obscuring all of him from view.

The mask.

That was strike two.

There were plenty of unique characters in the military; though you’d never met one like him.

It almost seemed like satire – the skull.

You were quick to learn it wasn’t. He was as silent as his namesake and as deadly as the reaper he portrayed.

But he was a complete contradiction.

Teabags he kept in a delicate tin which had been labeled in his distinct handwriting – somehow scrawly but swirly at the same time – and he drank camomile from a chipped novelty mug which depicted the London skyline. The Eye had been half rubbed away – probably from the dishwasher – and the top of Big Ben had begun fading but he dutifully used it each time without fail.

✧˚ · .

“Tea time”, as you’d coined it inside your head, began spontaneously and became a regular, though informal, occurrence.

The Lieutenant wasn’t one for conversation and it took a couple of months of tentative small talk before you could comfortably hold a two-sided conversation with him.

Though slowly but surely he unfurled.

His gaze softened, sentences lengthened and touches lingered.

Water would be plonked in front of you before you even knew you needed it, doors opened when your arms were full and jackets draped across your shoulders before your shivers even began.

He was an observer, you realised. There wasn’t a single detail he overlooked.

So it shouldn’t’ve been a surprise when he noticed.

✧˚ · .

You’d never describe yourself as violent before you enlisted. Strong, maybe, or passionate. But put a C8 assault rifle in the hands of a young soldier with unresolved trauma and violence was the only outcome.

Hand-to-hand was addictive, knives too.

It wasn’t something you enjoyed, taking lives, but it was a necessary evil – at least that was what everyone tried to convince themselves when they closed their eyes at night.

Violence came hand in hand with pain, however.

Perhaps that was the real vice.

✧˚ · .

It was regulation to wear wraps when using the bags at the back of the gym.

But after a particularly rough mission wrapping your hands was the last thing on your mind.

Your fists met the bag in rapid succession, knuckles crunching against the sand-filled column.

The bag on the end was firmed than the rest and whenever your mind became too loud, this was where you could be found.

You thought you’d been discrete; believable with your smile and cheery goodnight but the figure in the doorway said otherwise.

You were too focused on the way the pain flared as your split knuckles met the bag to notice.

It wasn’t til he’d rounded the bag and pulled it away from when you recognised you’d had an audience.

You pant, chest screaming as you met him through lashes you hadn’t realised were damp.

“That’s enough.” Though spoken softly you know it’s an order.

You feel disconnected from your body when you met his gaze with a smile that looks more like a grimace and brush away a strand of hair with a shaking hand.

“L.T.” You say, straightening up in an attempt to snap out of what ever dissociative state you’ve fallen into. “How can I help you?”

The man in front of you frowns, stepping forwards. You can barely focus enough to track his movements and jolt as he takes your wrist in his hand.

“Oh!” You force out a laugh when you finally register his interest in your bruised and bloody hand. “Must’ve forgotten to wrap ‘em.”

He doesn’t reply and instead reaches for your other hand, angling both towards the light so he can see better.

You swallow tightly when the mess is illuminated and the distant throb in your knuckles suddenly becomes sharp. You can’t help the gasp that leaves your lips as the Lieutenant wipes some of the blood away with his sleeve.

Finally he looks up, blond brows creased and eyes inquisitive.

“You’ve damn near broken your knuckles.”

You open your mouth to reply but nothing comes out; your bottom lip finds it’s way between your teeth and you settle on chewing it instead. You blink rapidly and break free of his oppressive gaze.

Ghost sighs, sensing he won’t get much out of you now. Ever the observer.

✧˚ · .

He doesn’t release his grip on your wrist, tugging you out of the gym and down the dim halls towards the infirmary.

The section that keeps patients in need of 24/7 care is down a wing to the left, fluorescent lights buzzing. Ghost doesn’t lead you there, however.

Instead he pulls you towards the bases’ clinic and pulls out a key.

Too tired and confused to ask why he has access to the wing, you let him manoeuvre you into sitting on a bed – flicking the light switch along the way.

You watch dazedly as he riffles through a couple of drawers before coming to sit in front of you on a rolling stool.

With a glance up at you, Ghost reaches for a sterile cotton swab, dipping it in antiseptic. He takes your injured hand in his gloved one and with the utmost care, starts to clean the bloody mess, movements delicate and precise.

You wince at the sting but his touch is soothing and his focus on the task unwavering.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper as he pulls out a roll of gauze to wrap the now clean wounds.

Ghost stills his movements, looking up as his brows curl in confusion. “What for?”

Everything. You want to say.

“Lots of things.”

He doesn’t respond immediately, instead blinking and resuming his ministrations. You follow his movements as he expertly winds the bandage around your hands. You know he’s thinking – he doesn’t like to speak without crafting each word carefully in his head.

“I used to use a lighter.” He starts, voice low and soft. He doesn’t elaborate, he doesn’t need to. You’ve seen the burns on his arms, some covered by tattoos – you’ve got a few smileys on your thighs to match. “But I realised – I realised I was just letting them win.”

He swallows and takes in a deep breath before looking up at you, eyes raw and more expressive than you’ve ever seen them.

“There are people out there who want to hurt us – who have hurt us. When we take it into our own hands we do their job for them.”

He watches you for a moment through his pale lashes before standing, softly patting your now bandaged hands and pulling you to your feet.

“Don’t let them win, Rags.”

✧˚ · .

Taglist

@crosshairs773fp @alanalanalanalanalanna @ghostlythots @hyperfixationwhore @shinebright2000 @sae1kie @hotaruteba @karurururu @rorel1a @http-paprika @thriving-n-jiving @lazybutsmexy @zozosrandomthings @jinxxangel13 @tumblinginoz @kee-0-kee @moonsua1 @freeseeker @kaoyamamegami @01trickster10 @umiexe @josieguts @skelletonscloset @nessaasstuff @umiexe

Reply if you want to be added :)

Masterlist

If I've missed any of your tag request I'm so sorry! I've been swamped and unable to view or reply to comments as much as I would've liked.

[professional-termite]

Oh yes! Yes I eat the termite art like cookie! But no jail! No jail! I squeeze and scadaddle my way out! I am too soft for jail!

I loved the headcannon you shared, totally agree about Kent. He’s using the Preist getup to try and cope with religious trauma. But now I’m curious about your ghost headcannons, care to share?

GET BACK HERE ANON!!! GET IN THE PRISON!!!

alr i dont interact with the fandom outside of the hm 2023 girlies (gender neutral)so this is 100% based on the movie instead of the rides/comics

the hitchhiking ghosts and constance:

they play dnd with kent. kent teaches them how and is usually the dm, but when he's not, ezra is the dm and the villain practices necromancy a lot of the time specifically so he can make all the enemies skeletons.

ezra's character, when he's not dming, is a chaotic neutral human wizard with a background of a haunted one (once again, because he thinks its funny)

gus' character is a chaotic evil dwarf bard with a background as a criminal (get it because hes a prisoner hahaha)

phineas' character is a lawful neutral dragonborn paladin with a background as a wanderer (he doesnt play half the time so they keep having to make up excuses for why hes not there)

constance is a neutral evil elf barbarian with a background as a criminal (her characters backstory was made entirely by ezra and includes killing all her husbands. he thinks its hilarious and she throws an ax at him every time he makes a reference to it)

the mariner:

the reason he wanted to go back to sea so bad is because he lost his crew during the storm in the painting. instead of sailing alone forever in that boat, he goes out to see if any of his crew's spirits still wander the sea.

(i might make a comic/fic about this later so thats all youre getting for now :3)

the groundskeeper and his dog:

died by drowning in mud. they don't play d&d with kent because the groundskeeper can't be bothered to make a character, but he's interested in it and watches them play sometimes.

when gabbie turns the haunted house into a bed & breakfast he's like the receptionist. he stands by the front and lets people in, determining whether or not they deserve to stay. he gets a lot of compliments on his "costume"

hattie:

first off, alistair-hattie is different than the other hatties. i believe he has a secret love for cats, but has never owned one (he thinks theyre evil. which they are not).

if he had met tater tot, he would have tried to recruit her to his side (unsuccessfully)

also, in my au, i make him blow things up a lot. i think alistair would greatly enjoy bombs, but he never got to use them because he had to be discreet about his killings. he's still disappointed about this when he gets banished by ben.

and yeah thats about it. i think the ghosts from hm 2023 are soosososo silly. if you ask about another ghost if theres one i missed, i will be willing to give some more hcs for them :D

[ofsundropsx]

𝚃𝙰𝚂𝙺 𝟸𝟻; 𝙽𝙴𝚇𝚃 𝙶𝙴𝙽.

             juliet fitzherbert.

like her mother before her juliet’s as golden as the hair atop her head but don’t let her sweet demeanor fool you. she’s eugene’s daughter and has ben teague as an older brother which means she can certainly handle her own and isn’t afraid to use a frying pan if need be. juliet often doubts herself when it comes to being a princess. she wants to be great but sometimes she feels her best intentions cause more bad than good. perhaps it’s because compared to her brother’s power ( the future king flynnie ) she feels like a monster. she’s feels she’s more of a danger with a lack of understanding of her powers. there’s this lingering darkness within and she doesn’t know how to deal with it. the moon eventually eclipses the sun and juliet is wondering when that moment will come for her.

INSPIRED  BY  :   juliet capulet ( romeo & juliet ) , amy march (  little women  ) , kimberly hart (  mighty morphin power rangers  )  , fearless by taylor swift ( taylor’s version ) ,  marianne dashwood (  sense & sensibility  )  ,  daphne bridgerton ( bridgerton ) , persephone ( greek mythology ) , betty by taylor swift

𝙶𝙴𝙽𝙴𝚁𝙰𝙻

BIRTH NAME. juliet cassandra fitzherbert NICKNAMES.  jules, julie DATE OF BIRTH.   february 3 AGE.    twenty-two GENDER.   cis female. PRONOUNS.  she/her. SPECIES.   human POWERS.   decay and destruction gifted ( more liked cursed ) from the moonstone SEXUALITY.  pansexual. PLACE OF BIRTH.    corona, germany. CURRENT RESIDENCE.   elias, california. OCCUPATION.    princess of corona, ballerina, college student.

𝙰𝙿𝙿𝙴𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴

HEIGHT. 5'3" BUILD. athletic yet soft HAIR COLOUR/STYLE. blonde //  ( X ) EYE COLOUR. brown. PIERCINGS.  ears. TATTOOS. a minimalist moon tattoo that matches flynn’s NOTABLE MARKINGS.  freckles. GLASSES/CONTACTS ?  she wears glasses when reading FACECLAIM.  olivia holt. VOICECLAIM. olivia holt. ( X )

𝙷𝙴𝙰𝙻𝚃𝙷

PHYSICAL AILMENTS.   none. ALLERGIES.   hazelnuts. SLEEPING HABITS. a little night owl she is i fear BODY TEMPERATURE.  on the cooler side DOMINANT HAND.    right. DRUGS / SMOKE / ALCOHOL ? no / no / no

𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈

TROPES.   dark secret, friend to all living things, girly bruiser, hair of gold heart of gold, plucky girl POSITIVE TRAITS. effervescent, compassionate, creative, NEGATIVE TRAITS.  stubborn, anxious, scared USUAL MOOD.  content. LIKES. FROGS !! picnics in the woods, dancing for hours on end, classic paintings, the feeling of the sun on your skin, moonlit walks, being in the company of her father DISLIKES.  her powers, when her brothers are overprotective of her, being told what to do, being thought of as naive or weak, breaking in new ballet slippers BAD HABITS.  she’s a little snarky sometimes. she is a fitzherbert.

𝚁𝙴𝙻𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿𝚂

MOTHER.    reagan cymbeline. FATHER.      eugene fitzherbert. SIBLINGS.   benjamin teague & flynn fitzherbert. PETS.   a gecko named venus. BIRTH ORDER.   youngest of three. SIGNIFICANT OTHER.  bryson utonium. CLOSEST FRIENDS. diana hamato, bria utonium, kieran adrastus, rosalie charmont.

𝚃𝙴𝚂𝚃𝚂

ZODIAC SIGN. aquarius. MBTI. infp. TEMPERAMENT.   sanguine. HOGWARTS HOUSE.    hufflepuff. MORAL ALIGNMENT. ��neutral good.

𝚂𝙺𝙸𝙻𝙻𝚂 & 𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚂

LANGUAGES SPOKEN.   english, german & french DRIVE ?       yes. JUMP START A CAR ?       yes, ben taught her. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE ?        yes. RIDE A BICYCLE ?       yes. SWIM ?      yes. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT ?      yes, a few. PLAY CHESS ?      yes. BRAID HAIR ?     yes, have u seen her mother’s hair when she was her age ?? TIE A TIE ?          yes. PICK A LOCK ?          ya .. ben taught her this too. SEW ?       yes.

COMPASSION.          10/10.

EMPATHY.         10/10.

CREATIVITY.          10/10.

MENTAL FLEXIBILITY.          9/10.

PASSION.         10/10.

LUCK.         8/10.

MOTIVATION.  9/10.

EDUCATION.          10/10.

INTELLIGENCE.          9/10.

CHARISMA.       10/10.

REFLEXES.          6/10.

WILLPOWER.          8/10.

STAMINA.          7/10.

PHYSICAL STRENGTH.          6/10.

BATTLE SKILL.          6/10.

INITIATIVE.     8/10.

RESTRAINT.         8/10.

STRATEGY.       9/10.

TEAM WORK.         9/10.

(  PINTEREST, HER TAG, playlist. )

[poisonouswritings]

Thanks to @hesperioae for suggesting this!

GN!Reader, Felix/MC/Rime polycule, shake those hips girlies (gender neutral), it's Salsa Saturday Boyos (also gender neutral)

You are a professional salsa dancer! And you know what that means? Even on Astrea, you have to keep up with your practice. So it isn't at all uncommon to see you at the training grounds, stretching and maybe jogging and definitely running through your routine a couple times. Hell, being in Astraea might have even given you some new moves!

And by 'being in Astraea' I do completely mean 'dating Rime'

While Rime isn't a professional salsa dancer like you are, I do think he has some experience!

I just,, I think that Rime would be a really good dancer okay,,,, and I would also like to consider that because of his ice powers he could,,, he could,,,,,,, he could ice the ground underneath him and create like,, ice skates on his shoes or something and then the dance becomes ice skating and ooooooooh he would be so majestic and elegant and you fucking know that he would dip you solely so he could have an excuse to grab your ass

Dip him. Grab his ass. Tweak his tail.

hehehehe

Anyways!!

Rime likes to help you practice. It's a fun bonding experience and also I think you guys tease/flirt a lot during it and it is not uncommon for you both to get worked up afterwards

But where does that leave Felix?

Sometimes he's in his study, too lost in his research to even notice the two of you have gone outside. Other times he sits off to the side, watching the two of you and cheering you both on.

And yet,, he,,, can't help but feel a little inadequate. The two of you are so elegant when you move, especially when you're in your more impressive outfits. He could never do anything like that. As you might have be aware, he's not exactly,, you know,,,

He's got a feeble body is the short of it

One day you and Rime are going through your workouts when you see Felix kinda moping on the bench. The two of you share a worried look and go over, sitting on either side. Rime puts his arm over Felix's shoulder and you casually pull the book out of his lap and lay your head down so you can look up at him. That successfully startles him out of his thoughts.

'What're you pulling that face for, babe?' 'Though your pout is cute-'

That successfully manages to shake Felix out of his slump.

Now he's blushing and looking between the two of you, but he's still pouting. 'Well, I have absolutely no idea what you two are talking abou-'

You poke his left cheek. Rime pokes his right cheek.

Felix lets out a very long sigh as he looks away from the both of you, mumbling shyly about how 'youguysjustlooksogreatwhenyoudanceandhereallywisheshecouldbehalfaselegantasyoubothbuthejustisn-' why are the both of you looking at him like that

You and Rime have matching evil grins

Five minutes later the three of you are doing your stretches, by which I mean you and Rime are doing your stretches and Felix is trying really hard to mimic them but he's already suffering he just Isn't Used To This Much Physical Activity

You guys try to teach him the six basic steps and he just

Keeps

He (semi-inadvertently) is acting like Ben Stiller in Along Came Polly because he's trying to copy your guys' sexy dancing but he also keeps tripping over his feet or your feet or Rime's feet

The rose in the mouth thing and you and Rime are switching it between you two (look ma no hands!) and you try to pass it to Felix mouth to mouth and he's so flustered he nearly fucking swallows it

You spin Felix into your arms then spin him into Rime's arms and somehow Felix manages to headbutt him in the chin

You try to dip Felix and he somehow manages to kick you in the ankles and send you falling on top of him and now his face is buried in your chest

he might have a little bit of a nosebleed because hehe mc tiddies

The session ends with the three of you in a pile on the floor, bruised and panting. You and Rime are laughing. Felix is pouting and blushing but also snickering a little.

It's an absolute success!

[joannechocolat]

On Children’s Books, Pigs and Trains and Why We’re Still Talking about Kevin

Some time ago I wrote a piece about the damage done by gendering in children’s books. (You can find it here.)

In it, I wrote about the tendency for schools, parents and society in general to guide boys more or less subtly away from books perceived by the adult world to be “for girls” - that is, books featuring girls as the main character, books with pink covers, books featuring code words like “princess,” or “friendship”; books featuring certain animals (horses, cats, unicorns), books with titles in ornate “girly” fonts, and so on. 

Since then the trend has continued to grow. Boys, or so we are led to believe, just will not read about girls, although girls have historically always been quite happy to read about boys. Therefore, in order to reach the widest readership (ie, to sell the greatest number of books), publishing has been investing heavily in the growing trend for increasingly, ridiculously gendered books (Bible Stories for Boys, anyone? Dictionaries for Boys? Colouring books for boys?) with the result that currently, male characters vastly outnumber female ones in children’s fiction - even when those characters are non-human. Add to this the tendency to assign maleness as a default wherever gender is not specified, and that’s a big swing in favour of the boys.

Here’s an article from a few years ago on just this trend, in which the author makes the point that boys are perceived (or encouraged) to value maleness to such an extent that even female-coded non-human characters are perceived to be too girly for them. Thus Peppa Pig is just for girls, while Thomas the Tank Engine, the Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the Wild Things (in Maurice Sendak’s classic picture book) are for everyone. 

And of course, when such ideas are introduced in childhood, they remain with us in adulthood. Even now, there are male academics teaching English literature courses that do not feature a single woman author. Women’s fiction courses are seen as a concession to a niche interest, of less literary significance than the “mainstream”, which is still largely dominated by white men.

And though the market for “women’s fiction” has never been healthier, it too runs on the idea that women are a minority group, and their fiction of no relevance to men. Books by women tend to be jacketed differently, whatever their genre. 

On Twitter I recently compared editions of Toni Morrison’s BELOVED  with editions of Ben Okri’s THE FAMISHED ROAD (also a prize-winning story of race, ghosts, coming-of-age and suffering). The difference in approach was striking. The jackets for BELOVED featured predominantly pink colour schemes, cursive lettering, “soft” imagery (flowers, houses, female figures, romantic imagery), while Okri’s book features predominantly earth colours, landscapes, male figures, trees. I’m pretty sure Freud would have had something to say about that.

So, what does it matter, I hear you say? You don’t judge a book by its cover.

Except that we all do precisely that. It is, after all, what book covers are for. 

I’ve been a judge for numerous literary prizes, and I’ve seen the effect of this first-hand. Books are subconsciously perceived to be more literary, and therefore of more value, if they have male-coded packaging. That means neutral imagery; male figures; a “serious” font. Pink novels, with titles in frivolous, cursive fonts have less of a chance of being taken seriously. Perhaps that is why men still win more big literary prizes than women, though women writers outnumber them. And even when women do win prizes, it often tends to be because their books feature a male protagonist (and therefore, male-coded cover art). Look at Hilary Mantel’s WOLF HALL: Anna Burns’ MILKMAN. Lionel Shriver’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. All this reinforces the idea that stories about men are more worthy, more important, better written and generally more relevant to all of us than stories  about women.

So maybe it’s time for us to admit that we’ve talked enough about Kevin. Now perhaps we need to talk about why we’re giving Kevin and his friends so much of our creative attention. Why does the patronising term “chick-lit” still exist? Why are we still allowing ourselves to be dismissed as “fluffy”, “romantic” or “domestic”, as if those things were somehow irrelevant to the broader human experience? Men fall in love. Men live in houses. Men experience feelings. Men enjoy comfort, and friendship, and food. Why then are books about these things being coded as exclusively female? And though THE HUNGER GAMES is repeatedly cited as “proof” that boys will sometimes read books about girls, why do the heroines of these books so often turn out to be warriors, reflecting a conflict-driven, “masculine” view of the world? Could it be that a conflict-driven narrative is seen as the only way of attracting a male readership? 

If so, it isn’t working. Boys are turning away from reading just as much as they ever did. Perhaps it’s because reading is seen as essentially a quiet, and therefore “girly” pastime. Perhaps it’s because boys are more likely than girls to be encouraged to “get out and play in the open air”. Or perhaps it’s because there just isn’t enough choice in their increasingly gendered reading. 

Reading is for everyone. As such, it should reflect the broadest possible human experience, the widest variety of narratives. Reading helps us understand people of other races, other genders, other ages, other backgrounds, other physical and neurological realities. To refuse that is to refuse to engage with the world around us. And this is what we should teach our kids: that stories are what unite us. They are our way of discovering the world. There are no “boy stories” and “girl stories,” There are only stories, for us to enjoy and to learn from. No-one’s story is irrelevant. No-one’s experience is lesser than ours. And the sooner we teach our children that, the less we’ll need to talk about Kevin. 

[ranidki]

omega!Harry x reader

A request from yourimaginesandmine I really hope you like it ^^

Word count: 5.192

If there was one thing Harry Hook hated…then it was being born an omega. It was one of the reasons his father gave him not the same attention as his alpha-sisters and neglected him even though Harry tried everything to gain his praise. There was nothing worse on the isle than being an omega. Omegas on the isle were considered weak and got oppressed as the weakest gender; forced claims were a daily process. Still…Harry considered himself lucky that he met Uma and Gil so soon. The two betas, through several bloody situations, were even feared by other alphas and Harry could establish himself, also by force, as an omega no one dared to mess with. 

He even allowed himself to be flirty with betas and other omegas and his heats, suppressants were not available on the isle, always worked the same way: when he felt it coming did he tell Uma and Gil, they would hide him somewhere safe and waited it out with him till it passed. At first some alphas tried their luck but when all of them returned bloody and/or half dead did the whole isle soon make a wide berth when just a faint scent of Harry’s heat wafted through the streets. From what Harry knew did the three of the Core Four - the two alphas Jay and Mal plus the beta Carlos – the same for their omega Evie.

But now…

The three pirates sat in the limo on their way to Aurodon Prep. They got a chance from Ben to redeem themselves and they were wary at first…but everything was better than the isle and their parents, so they took the invitation. (The little girl Dizzy was already gone and happily made new friends in Aurodon Preps middle school) However, Harry was nervous. He did not show it on the outside but his companions still knew. They had no idea how the whole thing with genders worked in Aurodon. They knew the system was different. On the isle there were only alpha-omega and beta-beta pairs but they knew that Mal as an alpha was able to be together with Ben, who was a beta and Gil told them that during the fight he got a strong beta smell from Evie, which was usually only that strong with people that were one step away from bonding. Maybe it would really be different…easier. When the school came into view did both Uma and Gil give Harry a little nudge to let him know that they were still the strong trio that no one stood a chance against.

They stopped and Gil was the first to emerge from the limo, then Gil and last Uma. They were greeted by the Core Four and some other people. Ben was smiling brightly, Mal’s hand in his and a freshly healed bite mark slightly peaked out of his collar. Evie stood with a lanky looking beta, they smelled like each other and the three pirates hid their surprise about the unusual pair well. The next surprise was Jay, by his side the other female alpha that Harry dimly remembered from the isle. They too smelled like a not yet bonded couple. The only pair that made sense to them was Carlos who had his arm around a blue-eyed beta. “Welcome!” the trio were pulled out of their musings by Ben’s warm voice. “We are happy that you are here.”, cue some snorting from both sides. “I hope we can start with a clean slate and leave history behind us.” Even though they did not want to admit it…the aura of the beta put them at ease and they relaxed a bit. “Out of experience…” Ben looked lovingly at Mal. “…did we learn that the one thing most difficult to get used to will be our gender-system.” “Man that was hard…”, groaned Carlos and the one party laughed knowingly. “Yeah till (Y/N) helped us we were quite lost.”, grinned Jay. “That brings us to the topic at hand.”, intervened Ben and looked at the new kids. “I’m…we are sure that you maybe would like to learn from someone more neutral than us.” That did not sound too bad to the three pirates. Both parties were not yet comfortable with each other…that would take time.

“Sorry I’m late!” Everyone looked back and saw a girl walking up to them. She had (Y/H-C) hair and a friendly and easy going smile. When she reached them did the trio get just a weak smell…so she must be a beta. However the trio somehow could not help but relax from the rather nice smell. “May I introduce you to (Y/N). She will be your guide as long as you need her.”, smiled Ben and the new girl stretched out her hand for a handshake. “Nice to meet you. I will show you around and don’t hesitate to ask questions.”

The group split up and the four teens started the tour around campus. “Maybe we start with the most important thing. Here…is no gender combination impossible. Omega-beta, beta-alpha…you name it. Also here is no gender considered less or more. Respect is the key. Of course are there some instinct driven idiots that sometimes need a good slap in the face but otherwise…” shrugged the girl and the trio made wide eyes. Some nervousness left Harry. “Well now that we got that behind us…Welcome to Aurodon Prep!” They followed the smiling (Y/N) and they started with the sport-fields. Many students stopped what they were doing and stared but it seemed that a friendly smile and wave or a stern look from (Y/N) did the trick and they returned to their original doings. “I know it will not be easy at the beginning but I’m more than sure that you can handle it…if not just talk to me.” offered the girl and all three started to let their guard down just a little bit more.

They took a good two hours to see most of the school and finally arrived at the dorms. “We always have rooms for two. Gil and Harry will share one…” Uma opened her mouth to protest “ and Uma you will room with me.” and closed it again, then smirked. “What? No one else brave enough?” (Y/N) laughed. “Actually yes! But I volunteered because I hoped you would be comfortable with me.”, she stopped suddenly concerned. “You don’t have a problem with that do you? I could maybe arrange something else.” The female pirate shook her head. “I think you are the best option… for now.” The other girl beamed at these words. “Be prepared to see lots of us then love.” Harry smirked and Gil nodded with enthusiasm destroying the flirty atmosphere before it could even start and (Y/N) giggled. After bringing the boys to their room and promising to get them later did Uma follow the other. “Here it is.” The doors opened and Uma resisted the urge to gape. The room was huge and she was prepared for frilly and pink….more princessy. But she was wrong. One side of the room was held in (f/c) colors and was inviting. The other side was plain except some different shades of blue and silver. “I guessed you would like something less girly. Feel free to decorate to your hearts content.” The female nodded. She did not say it but she appreciated the girl’s effort to make her feel welcome. “I think I can work with that.”

Two weeks later and the three pirates began to get used to their new environment. Gil joined the tourney team and, after some convincing on (Y/N) side, began Uma and Harry modeling for Evie.  They still mostly kept to themselves and (Y/N), who started to form a friendship with the trio. Gil warmed up nearly instantly to the new female in the group and that made things easier for the other two. Gil may seem pretty dumb to most but his instincts were unrivaled so when he could trust (Y/N) then the other two could too.  Uma started to enjoy having another female to talk to and surprisingly banter good-naturedly with. Harry was Harry…flirting shamelessly after finding out that he could, with enough effort, make the girl blush heavily. They currently ate lunch together when a buff boy walked up to them. Harry wrinkled his nose at the strong alpha scent…it was unpleasant. The alpha grinned oblivious and loomed over Harry. “Hey there little omega…why don’t you join me?” Before he snapped at the brute Harry felt under the table as soft hand and held himself back. He pressed out a “Not interested.” between clenched teeth. The guy was not the first jock who thought he could “tame” him but this one made him especially uncomfortable. The alpha frowned and got even closer. “Listen up omega. You get your ass up and come with me or I will…” but the boy flinched back a bit when (Y/N) suddenly raised her hands and said “I take it back.” The omega grinned feral and suddenly punched the annoying guy in the face. 

Letting out a roar of pain the boy stumbled back, holding his cheek. “You little…!” before he could finish was a hook at his throat and he gulped. “Listen here “mate” if ye think that ye ever can touch or control me than think again…” another maniacal grin “or prepare to bleed…out.” With the tail between his legs turned the alpha around and fled. The till now silent hall filled with chatter again and Harry turned back to his group who were all sharing the same face-splitting grin. “Good job.” praised Uma and (Y/N).

After this incident did not one other alpha dare to approach Harry again. Which suited the omega just fine. He started spending more and more time with (Y/N) who started to timidly flirt back…much to his delight. Also did he and his fellow, now ex-, pirates spend more and more time with the other VK’s and their partners. Another month came and went and the big group sat in one of the many green places of the campus, lazing around in the sun and enjoying each other’s company like many other students as well. However the peaceful atmosphere started to crumble when they heard something. “I said let me be!” The attention of the whole place shifted to a couple not far away from them. There stood a frightened looking omega girl. Her shoulders were hunched and she pressed her books against her chest like a protective shield. The boy who started to tower over her more and more was clearly very angry. “You are mine! You can’t just leave me!” “No I’m not! It was over the moment you thought you could hit me.” That made the group perk up in alarm and everyone tensed. Normally would a well-mannered alpha respectfully back off and leave the omega be if they so requested. What nobody expected was the strong pheromones the alpha suddenly ejected. All omegas near, the girl included, froze. That were not the usual pheromones alphas naturally send out but something that was considered barbaric and wrong in this modern times. These pheromones were used to force omegas into submission. Today they were only used if an omega was in the process of endangering their health and even then it was the last straw. The alpha grinned and extended his hand to grab the omega.

The group blinked when (Y/N) suddenly stood between the terrified omega and surprised alpha. “Out of the way!” he snarled but the girl stood firm. Uma, Gil and Harry were in the process of standing up and helping their friend when Ben held up his hand. “Don’t worry she got it under control. If we intervene now it could lead to people getting hurt.” “What are you talking about!?” asked Uma enraged “A beta has no chance of beating…!” Harry started but stopped when he looked back at the scene. The alpha hesitated. His body was tense like a pulled taut bowstring. The three ex-pirates remembered that is was not the first time an alpha knuckled under the female but after a few stories of Carlos that she already socked some alphas, did they assume that they simply had too much respect to go against the girl. But this was a much more dangerous situation. An alpha in this stadium of rage would not bow down to a beta. “Just wait.” assured Mal and before one of the three could answer did suddenly a smell pervade the air…a scent that came from (Y/N)…the scent of an alpha….a strong alpha. While the pheromones of the male alpha made the omegas of the vicinity want to shrink back and hide, did the waves from the female make all kind of genders want to bare their neck in submission at the powerful display. Harry shuddered in shock and delight. Because the girl normally had such a weak scent he could never pinpoint what exactly (Y/N) smelled like. 

Now he knew. A fresh ocean breeze, clean just like after a storm. He barely repressed a moan. Itching to rub himself all over her her and inhale directly from the neck. He snapped out of his daze when the alpha dropped on his knees. He had no chance against the superior alpha but still glared menacingly at the two girls. The till now calm face of the female alpha contorted, she bared her teeth and snarled loudly. Whimpering and looking at the ground, the other alpha bared his neck, his tremors no longer ones of rage but of fear.  Now Harry was not the only omega who had happy shivers. The sight of an alpha putting another in his place was something that their instincts just could not resist to take pleasure in.

(Y/N) bowed down to the boys neck, took a sniff and let out a dismissive growl. “If you ever come near her again will I personally castrate you.” With that the alpha stumbled to his feet and fled as fast as he could. The omega on the other hand was still paralyzed with fear and flinched when the other girl turned around to her. Suddenly the pheromones got sweeter and many omegas whined happily, Harry now nearly at his limit. His body yearning for the alpha. He never felt like this before. There had been other alphas with a pleasant scent but this was…irresistible. It made him want to submit, to please the girl, to get her to praise him…reward him. Another shiver.

The little omega girl began to relax instantly at the calming and protective scent. Not flinching back when the friendly alpha lifted a hand and rubbed the right wrist, in combination with a low purr, against her cheek in a platonic scentmark meant to comfort an omega. Crooning the omega nuzzled into the touch and the tension left her completely. The students around them relaxed as well and like it never happened in the first place did everything return to normal.

Meanwhile Harry gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. It was over. Why does this skank still hang onto (Y/N)? Get away from her! For his taste did the other omega take much too long getting away from (his) the alpha. He listened to the conversation that happened in the group but his eyes never left the two girls. “She is an alpha? How is that possible? She always smelled weak like a beta!” interrogated Uma. “(Y/N) is one of the rare alphas who can suppress their natural smell whenever they want, she likes it this way because her natural smell is pretty strong and she does not want to intimidate anyone.” started Ben and Evie continued “We were pretty shocked as well when we found out. She thought that you would be wary if she came out as an alpha right away and wanted to tell you soon but now…oh my.” The trio took some time to take everything in but they kind of understood her reasoning. They would have distrusted an alpha right away. Still the betrayal kind of stung.

It took some time, presents and extensive groveling from (Y/N) to earn the trios forgiveness but in the end they relented and the exposed alpha joined their side again. But something changed for Harry. He already begrudgingly admitted to himself that he liked (Y/N) more than just a friend before he knew that she was an alpha.

It was torture. Before, only his heart slowly slipped out of his grasp towards (Y/N)…now it was also his body that reacted without his consent. She masked her scent again but he was so much more aware of it now. Just the slightest waft made him swallow and hunger for more. He wanted to be closer. He wanted to submit and offer his throat for licking and biting. He wanted to be dominated for Hades sake! He never felt the urge to submit before. Dreading it, seeing it as a weakness. Now just the thought made the omega in him yip. Every touch resulted in barely concealed goosebumps, every smile in a pounding heart. He just could not take it! Uma soon understood what was wrong with her first mate and felt sympathy. But there was nothing she could do to actually help. A worried Gil was informed soon after. The male beta was, in contrast to his companions, ecstatic and tried to convince Harry to show is interest. Harry was slowly inclined to comply. Suddenly he was much more aware of how other students, male and female, tried to get attention from (Y/N). She was a powerful alpha…of course people would like to mate with her. Every day was worse. Seething with jealousy and longing Harry endured the following week. Then everything went down:

When Harry woke up he felt warmer. He frowned. It could not be his heat, it was still one month away. Maybe he was getting sick. Sighing Harry woke up a snoring Gil and readied himself for another day. The first two periods went normal but when he, Gil and Carlos were on their way to their sports class it happened. The two betas gasped when the tantalizing scent of an omega in heat exploded around them. They stared at an equally shocked Harry who started trembling at the sudden assault of need and he whined.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Carlos looked around checking if there was someone near them while Gil supported Harry whose knees began buckling. “Why are you in heat?! Don’t you take suppressants?” urged the smaller beta and the omega shook his head, groaning. He remembered that Fairy Godmother mentioned something like this but neither he nor Uma or Gil paid her much attention back then. He groaned again, at his own stupidity and in pain. He wanted to mate. He wanted an alpha. I want her! My alpha!

The two betas just thanked every deity in existence that no one seemed to be near, they took a rather unknown shortcut. But their hopes to bring Harry somewhere safe were shattered when they heard a deep growl. Harry lifted his heavy head and let out a pathetic noise (if he were in his right mind he would have slapped himself for it) at the sight of the alpha he punched last time they met. The boy grinned, eyes dilated with lust and stalked to them with sure steps. Carlos and Gil instantly put Harry behind them and faced the alpha. They were ready to defend him but both did not know if they could stop a violent alpha who showed not any inclination in resisting the call of Harry’s pheromones.

Harry was afraid. He was afraid! Afraid of the two betas getting hurt, afraid of what the alpha could do to him when he reaches his destination. Smells wrong! Not this alpha! All wrong!

But all of a sudden washed a familiar smell over the boys. Gil and Carlos sagged in relieve while Harry wailed and writhed on the floor for the second alpha. “Get. Away. From. Him.” The voice of (Y/N) was pure cold steel and the male alpha turned to her. He tensed and sprinted at the female accompanied by the betas shocked outcries. His more and more clouded mind only registered that the bigger alpha ended up unmoving on the floor. “Get him out of here. I will look after Harry. My smell should cover his well enough. And find Uma!” ordered the girl and her friends moved to do so.

Harry perked up when (Y/N) kneeled beside him. “Harry, can you move?” His body responded  instantly. Eager to obey the alphas every word. He pressed his body against hers gasping at the contact and scent. “Harry…” his name strangely strained on her lips but he didn’t care and nuzzled her neck which turned tense in response. “We…we need to get you out of here. Some…somewhere safe. Harry come on!” The words were urgent and the omega smiled at this. Being alone with alpha…being safe with alpha. Yes! 

“Yes!” They got up from the floor and (Y/N) led Harry away from the open space. The school provided rooms if there ever was this kind of emergency. They were marked bright green and the alpha let out a sigh of relief. Opening the door she put Harry and turned to leave and wait outside for Uma when she was pulled on the bed by a frantic omega. “Don’t leave! Please stay! Stay!” he cried and began licking the girls throat, nibbling on it, moaning at the taste. The female alpha let out gasp and at the same time stormed Uma in. She had followed the scents of her friends after Gil told her what happened. He was behind her also out of breath. “Uma! You have to help me!” (Y/N) pulled herself away from the omega and Uma took her place. But something happened what the betas have anticipated. The omega screamed painfully and tried to get out of the betas grip, reaching for the alpha.

It has never been this bad. Uma and Gil were familiar with their friend’s heat and he never had reacted like this. Uma understood that Harry did not simply call out for an alpha to satisfy him…he called out for his mate…the one he has fallen in love with. “Please help him!” The girl reared back in shock at her friends request. “Uma you cannot mean!” “I do! He needs you!” “He is controlled by his heat. You cannot expect me to take advantage of him like this!!” “You would not take advantage of him.” Stated Gil from behind her. “He wants you! “ The girls eyes widened but before she could do something did Gil grab her hand. He pulled her to the distraught Harry and put her hand on his neck. The omega stretched in the attempt to intensify the contact and his screams grew silent.

“Leave…return in a few hours and put something to drink and eat in front of the door okay?” Both betas nodded. Uma let her friend go and he fell readily into the alphas arms. When they were gone it was like a switch was turned. (Y/N) pushed the more than willing Harry into the mattress and laid her body over his. The boy moaned and grinded his hips against hers in seek of friction. She returned his movements and rolled her hips sensually. Harry moaned louder. “Please! Alpha!” “Shhh…show me your neck.” Baring his neck the omega cried out in pleasure when she began biting gently on the scent glands of his neck. Distracting him enough to slowly get him out of his clothes the alpha inhaled deeply and rumbled approvingly. “You smell so nice Harry, so eager…” he moaned and preened at the praise. “I will be a good omega please….Please!” he did not know what exactly he begged for but his back arched from the mattress when a soft hand closed around his shaft, quickly drenched in the precum that began dripping out. “Can you come for me Harry? You will feel so much better.” The boy wanted so answer, he was almost there but something was missing. Letting out a low confused noise when the girl’s mouth left his neck Harry’s world turned to white when a wet warm mouth closed around the tip of his cock. He came with a hoarse scream.

When his blurry sight cleared did he became aware of the gentle hands that stroked his oversensitive body into a relaxed buzz. “How do you feel Harry?” her voice soft but strained. His mind was not clear yet but he still understood that the alpha was restraining herself. He wanted to help…to give pleasure but every time he moved his body constricted in need for more. He whimpered and (Y/N) shushed him with a warm smile. “There, there everything’s fine.” His body heated up for the next round and the alpha lifted a brow knowingly putting his head between her hands. “Can I kiss you?” Instantly Harry surged up and the first taste of her lips went through him like a breath of fresh air after drowning. He opened his mouth and the tip of his tongue was greeted by hers. Both groaned at the taste of each other and the boy hugged her tightly enjoying the warm smooth skin and her hands in his hair scratching his scalp.

He whined when the alpha ended the kiss and made herself room in his arms to close her mouth around his nipple, scratching a nail over the other making him writhe and pressing his pelvis against hers. “So sensitive.” she giggled continuing the road down till she could lick up the thick vein on the underside of his shaft. Harry’s hand went for her hair but a warning growl made him twitch in apology and grab the sheets again. The alpha hummed approvingly around him eliciting another gasp. Her hand continued to stimulate his nipples, she took a deep breath and tried to swallow him, gagging a little when not everything could fit but the boy did not seem to care in the slightest babbling incoherent words and shaking his head from side to side. But every time he neared the edge did she stop and grab the base to stop him from coming, making him beg to finally let him cum! At some point did she take mercy on him. Gotten used to his size she tried swallowing him again and with a choked out moan did he come a second time and promptly lost consciousness.

Harry woke up confused. He felt the usual need of the heat in his blood but something was not right. Normally he would go into heat for the next three to four days and be so crazed with unfulfilled lust that he were barely able to think, at the end waking up famished and weak because he did not eat or drink. Still not able to grab the whole situation did he feel a hand at the back of his neck and a glass with fresh water at his lips. His eyes widened when he looked up in the eyes of (Y/N). The memories returned, his sudden heat, the fear, the pleasure. She called him Harry…not simply omega…she cared for him and protected him when he needed help the most. He tensed in shock pushing the glass away and scrambling to the other side of the bed. “It’s already evening. You need to drink something Harry… and maybe eat?” His eyes were fixated on her legs that peaked out of the short robe she wore and the memory of her body and his still active heat made him hard at once. 

The room smelled like them and it was so tantalizing that the boy had difficulties to think straight. His pheromones were going crazy, he wanted to feel like last time. He was pulled out of his musings when he heard a pained groan. His gaze snapped to her. She was tense all over, clearly resisting the sudden burst of heat-scent. The omega remembered how she only was focused on him this morning. Guilt flooded him. She did everything to spare him the pain of the heat and he had done nothing for her. Opening his mouth he was interrupted. “Harry…please drink.” He listened to her and hurriedly took the glass she offered him, draining it in a few gulps. “Food?” he shook his head. “Okay…how do you feel? The worst of the heat should be over. I’m already suppressing my smell again to not aggravate you further. Now that I know that you are okay I’m going to dress and stand guard at the door so no other alpha tries anything.”Wait what?

“What? Why!?” Harry grew panicked. She must be disgusted, she only did her duty as a good alpha and wanted to be as far away as possible. Under any other circumstances would he have been able to swallow the pain of such a rejection but now his walls were down because of the heat and tears rushed into his eyes, his breathing getting ragged. “Harry? Harry!!” she cried out and went to his side. “What is going on? Harry?!”

He is a bad omega. The alpha does not want him because he is useless, cannot satisfy her. In his panic did the boy the only thing that sounded logical to him. He pushed the girl down and ripped open her robe kissing her stomach. “I will be good. Please don’t leave I…I…!” his heavily accented rambling stopped with a hand against his mouth. “Harry that is just your heat talking. If you are sane again you will hate yourself and me for what we did when we continue now.” Harry whined in frustration shaking his head. He wanted to do this differently but he was desperate. “Love ye…” A kiss over her navel. “I love ye…” a kiss over her erratic beating heart. “PLEASE!” shocked eyes met his. Wonder filled the beautiful orbs and she put a hand on his cheek. He nuzzled her wrist and looked at her adoringly. This was it, he bared his heart to her and he was terrified.

The female alpha swallowed and shuddered. “Harry…will you be mine? My omega? This alpha offers her heart.” Now it was his turn to stare shocked his mind taking some time to process but when he did it was like his heart would beat out of his chest. “YES! Yes of course alpha!” He snuggled against her and cooed in pure happiness saying again and again how much he loved her. “That’s good. I love you too Harry Hook. Will you let me share this heat with you?” he nodded his head feverently. (Y/N) looked like an enormous weight was lifted from her and then the room filled with her scent. Harry inhaled deeply letting the scent wash over him and his senses making him relaxed and needy at the same time, without taking away his ability to think. “Continue what you started…my omega.”

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Here it is! My first imagine *throws confetti*                                                     Maybe I will even do a sequel....we will see.

If you have any ideas please send them to me!

[thisurlplease]

GH V. 8 Translation Update #4

I finished translations of chapter 2 and I’m moving on to chapter 3. I actually started translating a conversation from section 4 of chapter 3 because the current translation made absolutely no sense and I wanted to see what was up with it. It makes more sense now, but it’s still a difficult section. You can’t really tell who’s talking. It’s not even that clear to me in the Japanese version. Of course, I can tell when Mai is talking because she uses あたし (atashi) to refer to herself (I/Me/My). About that... it’s a little off-track, but I’ve been meaning to post about this, so here’s what everyone uses to refer to themselves:

Mai: あたし (atashi - casual, very feminine )

Ayako: アタシ (atashi - same as Mai, but always written in katakana)

Masako: あたくし (atakushi - feminine, yet very formal, I think? Comes from watakushi which is apparently very formal)

Naru: 僕 (boku - polite, masculine)

John: ボク (boku - same as Naru, but always written in katakana. A lot of John’s words are in katakana. Plus, he uses Kansai-ben.)

Bou-san: 俺 (ore - very casual and masculine. Kind of rough.) 

Lin-san: 私 (watashi - polite, gender-neutral)

Yasuhara-san: 僕 (Same as Naru. He once used atashi to mess around with Bou-san)

Anyway, I’m going to share the passage. Like I said, it was confusing. A lot of that was because Mai started out saying things she didn’t mean. She was trying to be all tsundere because her boys are leaving her and she doesn’t think they’ll miss her. But then she’s like even if I act tsundere, they won’t care. Also, she’s talking about giving her girly note cards with contact details to Lin and Naru in the beginning. Okay, I’ll probably end up doing some editing, but here it is:

In the end, everyone told me their contact information and I felt very happy. Now, after the office closes, there’s no reason we can’t see each other again.

—Excluding a certain two people.

“If I gave these to Naru and Lin-san, it’d be hilarious.”

When I said this to no one in particular, a small silence descended.

I can imagine their reactions. One: Look astonished. Two: Say, ‘What are you thinking?’ Three: Dismiss it then and there.

“It’s because those two are insensitive.”

Ayako was the one who said this with a mingled sigh.

“We’re probably outside their consideration. Not that it matters, but I don’t think they’d miss us enough to keep in touch.”

“Really?”

“If you can’t be honest, won’t you regret it?”

“You say that, but won’t you really miss them?”

“Yeah. I like both Naru and Lin-san to the extent that I’d want to contact them even if we cut ties.”

—Even though I say this, it’s not my honest opinion.

Though I thought so, Ayako stared at me in amazement.

“...what’s wrong? You’re not being honest.”

“Yeah. I like them enough to be worried about them being sick and I like them enough to get annoyed when they have secrets.”

...I’m not being honest at all.

“Since we’re outside their consideration, they won’t remember us anymore, but for this reason, because I like the pair tremendously, my feelings will go unrequited.”

“That’s an extremely futile unrequited love.”

“Yeah. Still, unrequited love is sad and even if I say, ‘I don’t like you two,’ it’s completely pointless. Even if I say such a thing, because I’m outside their consideration, they probably won’t be hurt. After all, the moment they go off somewhere, they’ll forget about it.”

-Ghost Hunt Vol 8 Ch 10

[mirberry-blog1]

This Mom Is Raising a Gender-Neutral Child for One Really Good Reason

U.K. singer and first-time mom Paloma Faith is making headlines this week, after telling the Mirror at the Q magazine music awards, “I’m loving being a Mum. I want two or three kids in all, and they will all be gender neutral.” Faith’s reasoning sounds simple enough: “I just want them to be who they want to be,” she told the mag. And yet, in the days that followed, her comments drew praise from some, and raised eyebrows from others who are apparently still uncomfortable with the words “gender neutral.” Faith has yet to publicly announce the name or sex of her child, who was born last December. That fact, coupled with her recent quotes, was enough to throw the press into a frenzy, as headlines wondered aloud whether the singer was specifically trying to raise her child as neither a girl or a boy. To clarify her statements, Faith soon took to Twitter, writing, “For the record @DailyMailUK gender neutral means equal amount of so called ‘boys toys and girls toys’ it doesn’t mean anything sensational.” The fact that such an innocent statement can set off such a flurry of reactive articles and blogs — especially when they come from a giddy new mom, who’s simply sharing how she hopes to raise her child — is disheartening, to say the least. But it also made me realize that gender-neutral parenting is still a relatively new concept that’s met with its fair share of skepticism. I first heard the term “gender-neutral” back in 2010 — the year my own daughter was born. At the time, a Swedish couple was making headlines for calling their child “Pop” and refusing the reveal his/her sex to anyone. Sweden had opened a gender-neutral preschool, where its goal was to free children from social expectations based on their sex. Teachers there didn’t refer to a child with the pronoun “him” or “her”, but instead used “hen” — a genderless noun. That story may have surprised me then, but the truth is, now that I have seven more more years of parenting under my belt, I understand it a bit more. I can appreciate not wanting to dress your daughter in head-to-toe pink or put your boy in nothing but blues and greens. I also see the strong argument for why we need to be aware of the kinds of toys we hand them, and cognizant of not slipping into other gender-based stereotypes. As I read through the many headlines Faith’s simple comment had spawned, I couldn’t help but feel like everyone was missing a crucial point in the gender-neutral debate: Children will make decisions for themselves, no matter how much we try to steer them in one direction or another. No matter how much a mom puts her child in fairy costumes and paints her nails, filling her hair with bows — if the child doesn’t like them, they will sure let her know. So calling out a mom for simply letting her child choose what they like, right from the get-go? That helps no one. Trust me, I know a thing or two about letting your kid find their own way. My own daughter has known her own mind since she was practically out of the womb — and has denounced all things “girly” ever since — so I’ve had plenty experience with standing back and letting your child define themselves. I’ll never forget her second birthday, when I bought her a tutu I thought was adorable. She wore it for precisely 10 seconds before promptly tearing it off. She has since refused to wear dresses and has never worn her hair in anything other than a low ponytail. At day care, I watched as she was invited to various birthday parties: for Milo, Nathan, Orsen and Ben. She finally was invited to a girl’s party — the theme was inevitably Frozen. My daughter went, but dressed as Batman. To this day, her closest buddies are all boys. She still won’t wear dresses (even her school uniform is trousers or shorts) and she hates dolls or anything pink. I have never tried to encourage her in any gender direction, nor have I had felt it necessary to raise her in a specifically gender-neutral way. Just like Paloma Faith, I have just let my daughter her be herself, and that’s all. In my experience, children will gravitate to what inspires them and gives them joy — so aren’t we limiting them if we simply conform to social stereotypes? Thankfully, the toy and clothing industry is finally helping us do that. In recent years, toys have become more and more gender neutral, and Amazon has even removed the labels “boys” and “girls” from it’s search list, categorizing toys in the child’s age group instead. Target’s popular line Cat & Jack has been known to smash gender norms itself with empowering messages like “Strong Like Mom,” and it even debuted a gender-neutral kids’ home line that does away with all the stereotypical girls’ and boys’ bedding. I can’t support these strides enough. Allowing our kids to develop naturally, without the artificially-created limitations that society has placed around gender, can only be a good thing … right? Two nights ago, when I read my daughter Sleeping Beauty, I realized that Paloma Faith and I aren’t so different when it comes to parenting philosophies. I was at pains to explain to my daughter that she didn’t need a handsome prince to rescue her in life — that she could rescue herself. So together, we re-wrote the story. Beauty – now called “Brain Box” — gets to wake the prince from his hundred year slumber. Not with a kiss, but by squirting a water from a water pistol all over him. I think I like that story better … what about you? 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