#and there’s like. Ceremonies you need to do to get your pronouns changed

[gumy-shark]

they don’t know im thinking about all the different Torment Nexuses (torment nexii?) i can put my ocs into

[gojoidyll]

stubborn heart ch. 2

yan!capitano x wife!reader

summary | or in which capitano is told he needs a wife. and he begrudgingly agrees.

she/her pronouns are used, changed to 2nd pov

forgot the taglist, sorry about that

@nas-ha @simp-simp-no-mi @emmathecouchpotato4583 @sendria @riotakire @lvtuss @kreishin @floffytofu

previous | next

The moment your eyes cracked open you immediately noticed that everything was different. Namely your surroundings. Sitting up slowly, you held the blanket close to your chest, your eyes wide as you took everything in.

The bed that you were laying was big, the mattress way squishier and more comfortable than the one you were used to. Don’t get anything wrong here, Arlecchino always made sure that all of the children in the house of the hearth were taken care of, but servants like you who didn’t take up the fatui mantle were usually given less than stellar rooms, beds, and such. Not that you minded, of course, you knew that the ones who were actual fatui needed things more.

Slowly but surely, you got out of the bed. Your bare feet gently touching the cold ground. You flinched slightly at just how cold the tile was before fully standing up and looking around. There was a closet, a dresser, a second dresser with a mirror on it, you had a nightstand on each side of your bed, and to the far right were the windows. The curtains were a type of blackout cloth to keep any light from filtering in so you couldn’t tell the time of day unless you went to open the curtain which was also how you noticed there wasn’t a clock in the room. And finally, to the far left was the door to leave the room.

Making sure the blanket was tightly wrapped around you as you had noticed that you had been changed into your nightgown, you had made your way to the door. Grabbing onto the doorknob, you slowly twisted it and opened the door. Your head then peaking out into the hallway. Empty. Not a soul in sight.

Taking a deep breath, you fully opened the door and stepped out.

“Might as well explore.”

You had already figured that this was Lord Capitano’s home.

Deciding to go right, you took careful steps as you traversed down the hall, your eyes still wide with curiosity as you looked at everything. And, not looking where you were going, you had made a turn, but the moment you did you had immediately ran into someone.

Stumbling back a bit, you quickly gathered yourself up and bowed to the person, “I’m so sorry, please forgive me!”

“…are you going to faint again?”

You tensed up immensely the moment the voice broke you out of your stupor. Shakily, you lifted your head, your lips pursing into a small pout as you looked up at Capitano. Out of all the people you had to run into and it just had to be him.

“No, Lord Capitano…the first time I fainted, I was merely caught off guard at the news of marrying a harbinger!”

“And the second time?”

“Well, you caught me off guard too…”

When you looked at him, you noticed how he seemed to be studying you. Most likely judging you since you had decided to walk out in your nightgown with a blanket wrapped around you.

“Do you wish for a ceremony?”

Completely disregarding what you had said, he moved onto the next topic. Not that you minded, you were grateful that he didn’t want to discuss your fainting any longer.

“No, a ceremony isn’t needed.”

“Then follow me.”

He turned on his heel and for a moment, you wondered if he was coming to see you before you had run into him. Shaking your head, you chased after him, his long strides were a bit hard to keep up with.

“Don’t trip on the blanket,” he suddenly said as you both cam eto a winding staircase.

“Alright,” your voice was barely above a whisper as you followed him down, but, despite your assurance, your foot got caught on the end of the blanket. Your eyes widened for a split second just as your body started to go forward, but the motion was quickly stopped when you felt an arm wrap around your waist.

“Clumsy.”

The single word made your ears, neck, and face burn with embarrassment as Capitano simply picked you up with ease and carried you bridal style down the rest of the stairs, and when you thought he was going to set you down, he merely kept walking with you secure in his arms.

“Sorry,” you managed to mumble.

Sadly, you were known for your clumsiness back at the hearth along with other misfortunate things.

Capitano, didn’t acknowledge your apology, but did hold you a little closer as he cam eup to the dining room. The table was long, but there were only two chairs. Capitano’s chair which you figured was seated on the end with a second chair (probably yours) that was seated to his right. At these chairs were two documents.

“Marriage papers,” he said simply as he walked over to them and set you down in the chair before he took his own seat.

You looked down at them, a part of you still couldn’t believe that you were marrying the 1st harbinger, Il Capitano.

Untucking one of your arms from the comfort of the blanket, you grabbed one of the two pens.

“Before you sign, I want to make a few things clear.”

You continued to look down at the documents, and he was not going to have it.

“Look at me when I talk to you.”

His voice held a sort of demanding tone to it as he reached for you, his gloved fingers hooking around your chin as he turned your head to look at him, the claws on his gloves lightly dug into your skin, causing you to wince slightly.

“No harm will come to you here unless you try to betray me. Though, Arlecchino has made it clear that she will deal with you herself if that were to happen.”

You nodded despite his tight grip on your face.

“You will not get in my way, or cause trouble. Do not expect anything from me as I will not expect anything from you.”

You nodded as he spoke, and just as he finished you decided to ask your own question, “will I be doing any sort of work?”

“There is no need for that, just do as a wife does and do not annoy me. And if you plan to leave our home, I expect to be notified before you do so.”

Do not annoy him? With how you keep fainting and even tripping a few minutes ago, you highly doubted that you hadn’t annoyed him already. (You had missed the part where he had already referred the big mansion as “our”…)

“Understand?”

“I understand.”

He let go of your face, as you brought yourself to look at the papers again. And with a steady breath, you began to sign them while taking notice that Capitano’s signature was already on all the parts that needed to be signed.

Seems like he was already prepared to marry you- no. He probably had these papers ready way before you were chosen to be his wife. It was just a matter of whose name would be next to his on these documents. It didn’t have to be you.

“Done.”

You set the pen down as Capitano took the papers and sifted through them.

Nodding, he stood up, papers in hand, and you watched him carefully. Though, surprisingly he stopped to look down at you. You both seemingly caught in a silent stare off, you weren’t sure what he was looking for. Though, everything seemed to stop when he lifted his free hand to his helmet. There was a small click sound and his helmet seemed to loosen, and slowly but surely he had pulled his helmet off.

Your eyes were immediately drawn to his face.

“Stay still,” he said as he leant down, and you froze. His free hand cupped your cheek almost tenderly as he tilted your head back. Panicking on the inside, you were quick to shut your eyes tight, and not even a second later did you feel his lips press against your own.

Though, the kiss was merely a peck before he was pulling away from you. Honestly, the kiss itself was so quick you couldn’t register just how it felt as he was already putting his helmet back on.

“At weddings, the bride and groom kiss, and as you won’t be having the typical wedding ceremony, that should suffice.”

You raised a hand to your face, your fingers gently brushing your lips as Capitano left you in the dining room. (He was mostly going to file the marriage with the officials in order to make the “wedding” legitimate.)

“He says not to expect anything from him, and yet…he still kissed me…even though he didn’t have to.”

You never kissed anyone before. Never dated either. So to still be granted a kiss even despite the fact that you will never have the wedding you always dreamed about, well, it still made you incredibly happy that even your heart managed to skip a beat.

[iron-strangers]

Dream a Little Dream of Me

Description: It's all true, Jedi can read minds. You've been trained to keep people's thoughts about you for so long. It went well until the day you caught Din's fantasy involving you.

Pairing: The Mandalorian (Din Djarin) x Female Jedi!Reader

Series: Expanding Clan Mudhorn

Tags: Established Relationships, Mand’alor Din Djarin, A Sprinkle of Family Fluff, Sexual Fantasy, Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex (f receiving), Unprotected p-in-v, Creampie, Breeding Kink, Lactation Kink

CW: Reader has AFAB characterization, uses she/her pronouns, is able-bodied, has depicted body changes related to pregnancy and breastfeeding, and hair that can be pulled during sex. No Use of Y/N. Consent Issues: Reader peaks into Din's fantasy. NSFW MINORS DNI

Length: 2.7k

-

According to urban legends, jedi can read minds. That's true, well, to an extent.

Jedi can read unshielded minds. A Jedi’s mental shield helps to prevent their minds so they’re not easily read, but also to prevent them from accidentally reading a non-force sensitive’s mind. This knowledge helped you survive being chased around the galaxy during the Empire’s reign. Imps are weak-minded and you could easily get any information you needed by reading their mind.

As you grew older, some thoughts people had about you turned sexual. Some got you blushing, like the one from a spacer who fantasized about sweet-talking you into having a quickie in the back of the cantina, some others were just plain disturbing and had you slamming a mental shield as quick as you can before fleeing the parameter with your blaster clutched in your hand.

During the old Jedi-Mandalorian war era, Mando'ade have found a way to keep the jetiise out of their head. Beskar helmets are effective for as long as you can remember, but apparently, there's a loophole. Beskar can't block a jedi who's already soul-bonded to a Mandalorian. There might not be any data about this, but let's be real, there's barely any noted soul bonds between a jedi and Mandalorian throughout history.

This explains the weird sync you and Din have. People have mentioned how you complete each other, that you have almost the same opinions on things, how you two always make the same decisions, both politically and on the battlefield. Some might even suggest that you and him finish each other's sentences. It's a cliché, written in teenager’s holonovels. So you're used to laughing it off, deflecting that you probably just spent too much time together, that between leading and parenting, agreeing on the same thing is just what spouses do. The Armorer called you ‘two halves of one warrior’ at your wedding ceremony. It should’ve ring an alarm in your mind, but in your defense, you were too busy getting swooned off your feet.

It became apparent one day when you met him in a small bakery, just a few minutes away from the Keldabe Palace, when he wasn’t supposed to be done until much later in the day. You’ve been craving Keshian Spice Rolls all day and you figured it was a great day to take the kids out, enjoy the sun and a little sweet treats, then surprise your hard-working riduur with a box of pastries back in the palace. Imagine your surprise when you stepped into a bakery and saw him already queuing.

“Rid’ika!” He called, waving to you from the line. You skipped over the lines, smiling and nodding to everyone as you made your way to your riduur. Din took Grogu from you so you can lift Aranar, who’s busy charming everyone off with his toothy grin, up.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, holding his offered hand. “You have to meet the Prince of Bespin in half an hour.”

“I know, but I heard they are baking Keshian Spice Rolls. So I went to buy you some.” Din shrugged, not once caring about the Prince having to wait for him to get back from spoiling his riduur. “And what about you? I thought you have a bes'kad class for the verd’ike this afternoon.”

“The class won’t start for another two hours and I really want a spice roll.”

You heard people behind you aww-ing and you buried your face into his shoulder, humming when you feel cool beskar against your blushing cheek. Din smiled behind his helmet, paying for three spice rolls to go, never once he let your hand go. You got back to the palace with twenty minutes to spare and herded the ad’ike to the Mand’alor’s office.

“Knock when you need him and don’t come in before I answer.” You rushed into the room when you spotted Kryze marching to stop you.

“You two better not be having se-”

“Young ears, Kryze! Manda, we’re just gonna eat Spice Rolls!” You held the pastry packages up for her to see, holding your laughter when you saw her scowling.

“Spice rolls better not be a code for something else, Djarin! You have a meeting in twenty minutes!”

Din closed the door on her face and you locked it with the force for good measure before dissolving into giggles. Din lifted his helmet up and immediately pressed a longing kiss to your lips. The kiss was uncoordinated since the two of you couldn’t stop grinning. The kiss, and the pastries were heavenly, Grogu and Aranar shared a piece, for your peace of mind. After all, it was you who had to wrangle two sugar-high toddlers in the training yard as you teach advanced sword techniques to a group of heavily armed teenagers who happened to be Mandalore's newly sworn warriors.

The impending knock finally came and you shared another sugary sweet kisses with your riduur before you put his helmet back on and sent him away to his duty. The door was barely closed when you were hit with realization.

Fuck, you thought. We’re soul-bonded.

**

Overall, there are worse people to be soul-bonded with. Having one with your own riduur is not a bad thing at all. Having one with your riduur without any source to soul-bond knowledge, however, is another piece of work. Putting a mental shield up against your own riduur feels wrong but you do it anyway, respecting his privacy to his own mind.

Until today.

Today, you feel a gentle nudge at your brick wall of a mental shield, laced with Din's warm force presence. You could've brushed him off and shielded yourself better, but you thought to yourself that a small peak wouldn't be bad.

You're wrong. Oh, you're so wrong because it's bad. Your hand directly flies towards your mouth and you try to stifle a moan as a yawn.

In his fantasy, Din had you bent over the meeting table and he's pounding into you. He has his hand on the small of your back, pressing you down to the table. You're completely naked against the table, pinned beneath the beskar of his armor. You can hear the filthy sound of his cock ramming into your sopping cunt. Din grabs a fistful of your hair, making you cry his name out loud, losing yourself to the stretch and the hard thrusts of Din's cock.

“Oh fuck-” you grit your teeth, clenching your fist on your thigh. You sit there, stunned, breathless, unable to stop watching.

“Can you feel how good this pussy stretches around me, rid’ika?” Din grunts, holding you so close to his hips while his fingers reach down, rubbing your swollen clit. “Such a good girl, do you wanna cum, mesh'la? Wanna soak my cock and make me give you another ik’aad?”

Maker, yes! You thought, trying your damn hardest not to whine while the version of you in his mind is whimpering and begging him to make you cum. Din leans to your ear, telling you to come. You’re shuddering in his arm, moaning his name in a punched out noise with a telltale sign of orgasm, and you snap yourself out of his imagination.

You put your strongest mental shield up and you lean to the plush seat, blinking and looking around the room as you settle yourself back to reality. Din is sitting on the head of the table, looking over his own datapad as he watches a member of his council talk about Mandalore’s quarterly budget report. If you didn’t know better, you’d think your riduur is actively listening to the report instead of daydreaming about fucking you over this very table.

You tread carefully when you're back home. You put Aranar and Grogu to sleep late, making sure they are a little bit more tired than usual so they sleep soundly later tonight. Once the kids are out like lights, you take the baby monitor with you and change into one of Din’s loose shirts.

You find him still seated on the dining table, tapping things into his datapad. You smirk to yourself, walking towards him and leaning over the dining table to take your own datapad that you could easily reach if you make an extra trip to the end of the table. Din can't stop staring, making no move to help you, instead he stands up from the chair and moves to cup the swell of your ass, just like how he imagined before.

“Careful, rid’ika, you don't know what kinda game you're playing here.”

You whine when his hand moves underneath the shirt, trailing up your thigh, sending shivers up your spine. He whispers praises to your ear, biting down your jaw and your neck.

“Fuck, look at you, mesh'la, you're expecting this, huh?” He lifts the shirt up, revealing nothing underneath other than your glistening cunt. “I haven't even done anything, rid'ika, and this pretty pussy's already all wet for me.”

You moan softly when his fingers find your clit, rubbing on it as you shudder in his arms. Din sinks two fingers into your wet heat and he groans when he feels how wet you are. He thumbs on your clit as he keeps pumping in and out of your cunt, spreading your arousal all over his fingers and your inner thighs until you shake beneath him, then he pulls off of you.

“No, cyare please, I'm so close- Ah!” You cry as his fingers leave you, only to moan loudly when he kneels behind you and he slaps your soaked pussy.

“Needy girl,” he teases, slapping your clit again, ignoring your cries. He parts your folds with his tongue until his smart mouth finds your clit and he starts sucking on the sensitive nub. You grip the edge of the table tightly as you grind against his face, smearing your arousal all over his lower face. Din tuts, holding your hips in place, chuckling when he sees your hole clenches around nothing.

“You know what you get for being such a good girl, cyar’ika?” Din asks, his fingers are back on your clit, rubbing the bundle of nerve in a tight circle as you buck violently against his fingers. “Good girl gets to come on my face.”

His lips are back on you, kissing, lapping, and sucking until you're a whimpering mess. You let out a high pitched whine and you come on his mouth, flooding him with your arousal as he keeps on sucking on your lips as you ride your orgasm.

Din grabs your chin towards him and he kisses you hard, his lips are glistening with the mixture of your cum and his spit and you can taste yourself on the tip of his tongue. Din pulls off of you and he turns you around, lifting you up to the edge of the table. He lays you down and he parts your legs with a steady hand on your inner thigh, keeping them apart so he can admire his hard work, your drenched cunt glistening with your sweet come. Din groans then he spits on your cunt, adding to the mess before smearing everything around with the thick head of his cock. He's painfully hard, his foreskin is pulled all the way back, revealing the flared tip, steadily leaking precum all over you. He lines himself up with your entrance and fucks all the way into you in one push. You watch as his thick cock stretches your hole, feeling yourself clinging to his girth, fluttering around him as you struggle to take his size. Both of you moan when he finally buries himself deep inside you, still holding tight to each other.

“Maker, been thinking about this sweet pussy all day.”

Oh, I know. You thought. “Yeah? Did you think about fucking me, ner riduur? Thought about how my pussy clenches around your cock? Did you think about filling me up with your cum until I'm swollen with your adi'ka?” You taunt him, circling your legs on his hips to keep him buried deep inside of you.

“Fuck!” Din swears, hissing while he steadily leaks precum all over your wet heat, leaning his head to yours and rutting deep against your sweet spot. “You're playing with fire, rid'ika. Can't just say things like that.”

“But I want you to,” you beg, moaning wantonly when he starts pumping in and out of you. “Want you to keep fucking me until I'm so full and swollen with your baby.”

Din growls, pounding deep into you with punishing pace. He's watching you, watching your cunt swallowing his cock, watching your face grow slack with pleasure. You slip your hands under the shirt, covering your breast and squeezing them, making your milk leak until there's a wet patch over the shirt.

“Filthy girl,” Din grunts, pawing on the piece of clothing. “Lift it up baby, let me see.”

You lift the shirt up, revealing your breasts for him, shiny from both milk and sweat. Beads of your milk trickling from your nipples, leaking steadily as he fucks into you. He slips one engorged nipple to his mouth, sucking until he can taste you on his tongue while his fingers play with the abandoned one, rubbing and squeezing, spraying him with milk.

“Everything about you is just so sweet, rid'ika, my perfect girl.” He praises. He licks your nipple clean before switching to the other side, pressing open mouthed kisses before bringing the sensitive buds to his mouth and sucking on it, drinking you until he's full while his hand loves on the other one. His cock never stops pounding into you, bringing you closer and closer with each snaps of his hips.

He folds your legs into a mating press, tucking your knees against your chest and his cock is so deep inside you. So deep he reaches your cervix, kissing your womb with his tip. You clench hard around his length, your wall seizes violently around him, milking him irresistibly as he keeps hitting the spot that makes you see stars, begging him to please, never stop. You're wailing as your whole body shakes, tipping your head back and moaning Din's name so loud he has to cover your mouth with his palm, worried the filthy noises of the snap of his balls slapping your ass, your loud moans, and the squelching sound of your wet pussy might wake the sleeping kids up.

With a shaky shudder, you come down from your high, whining as Din keeps fucking you, chasing his own orgasm. After a few brutal thrust, your riduur groans loudly, shouting punched out moans as he peaks. His cock twitches in your soaked, messy cunt, filling you with his hot cum, flooding your insides and claiming you his. He kisses your lips, muffling both your moans, only parting to plant another kiss to your temple while he pumps you full of his cum, murmuring sweet, loving praises and filthy promises to you.

“That's a good girl, rid'ika. Take it, baby, gonna get you all round and pregnant. That's what you want, right? Want to give me another? Want to be bred all over again?”

Din keeps rutting with you until you both shake from overstimulation and he gently pulls out of you. He admires your blissed, fucked out face, trailing soft kisses down your jaw and your neck, sucking his marks all over your body. You tip his jaw up and catch his lips in another kiss, laced with a content smile, before breaking away to whisper sweet I love yous to each other.

Din gathers you in his arms, carrying you to the bedroom and lowering you gently into your shared bed. He leaves for the fresher, fetching a damp rag to clean you up before slipping into his side of bed beside you. He pulls you close, kissing your lips lovingly and rearranges the covers, tucking you into his arms.

“You're my dream girl, you know that right?”

“I tried,” you smile contently, caressing the scruff of his jaw softly.

“You don't have to,” Din mutters, humming when you snuggle closer to him, pressing your heartbeat over his. “You're perfect just the way you are.”

You exchange more kisses, lazily making out in bed until sleep takes over, safely nestled in each other's arms.

About a few weeks later, you start to feel the tiniest flutter in the force.

[idkwhatever580]

Her pt. 2

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x reader

Prompt: after y/n gets rescued what is in store in the next chapter of her life with Natasha?

Warnings: cursing

Pronouns: she/her

A/N: I’m super excited about this one. Make sure you read chapter one first so you have some insight on how nat and y/n met!!! I hope y’all like it :)))

Here’s part one :))) I’m working on a master list I swear -> https://www.tumblr.com/idkwhatever580/749750524015984640/her-pt-1

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Y/n’s pov

I cannot believe it’s been a whole year since I met Natasha.

She and the avengers immediately took me in and I found myself going over to the compound much more than I expected.

I still have my house in Long Island. But I never stay there really anymore. Ever since Natasha and I started dating I haven’t spent too much time there.

It only took three months for me to virtually move in with her. Although I do wish she’d come with me sometimes.

But I don’t really worry about that since one of the floors in the tower is my new soup kitchen. It’s open twenty four hours a day and there are at least 2-6 people working there at all times.

As promised Tony Stark and SHEILD helped me get my business up and running.

I make homes for the homeless. Sometimes they are bigger more communal homes and sometimes they are tiny one or two person homes.

My first two homes are side by side. They were for gran and pops. They were always my biggest supporters and still are.

My program has changed so many lives. There are so many people out there who just need a little bit of love.

Sometimes the homeless people will use the homes as a forever home but most often they get jobs. Become more financially stable and independent and then they will move out. It’s really great. Because I see so many people I’ve helped become something. Someone.

There are so many who have told me they thought they would never amount to anything. And a few of them have become very successful even as far as becoming a CEO.

I am incredibly proud of my work.

And honestly it’s so exciting to see what changes I can make every single day.

For example. Today is the release date of my nationwide program.

All over the country a program is being launched where homeless people can find shelter, rehabilitation centers, and other necessities for free so they can have a second chance at life. I am doing some interviews today.

Unfortunately Natasha isn’t here. She has a mission. I’m a little sad that she won’t be with me tonight as the program launches but the show must go on.

I check my watch and see it is time to leave for the opening ceremony and I go downstairs to find Happy.

I smile and say

“What’s up Happy! Are you ready?”

He smiles sadly and says

“Yes I am ready. But I must inform you that I am only your chauffeur tonight. Unfortunately I cannot be your plus one.”

I frown when he says this because he was supposed to fill in for Natasha and now I have nobody.

“Oh. Well. That’s okay!”

I smile and cover up my disappointment. He drives me to the red carpet and helps me out. I kiss his cheek accidentally leaving a lipstick stain and I say

“Thank you. Have a good night Happy.”

He usually goes home and I have a different driver drive me home.

I walk to the red carpet by myself and put on my best smile. I make it about halfway through the carpet and an arm snakes around me and this mystery person says

“Am I late?”

“Oh!”

I jump and put my hand to my chest and I look at my beautiful girlfriend with a huge smile on my face and I say

“Jesus! You scared me!”

My brain doesn’t even register that she’s back since I’m in the zone and then I do a double take and say

“Wait! What!?”

She giggles when I realize and I slap her chest and say

“I thought you were at a mission?!”

She chuckles and says.

“I got off early enough to make it. That’s why Happy isn’t here with you. I tried my best. But I couldn’t get the best suit”

She looks down at her suit and I look her up and down and say

“You look amazing baby. Perfect right here with me.”

I smile and give her a kiss. We always wear matching lipstick colors so that we can kiss and not get it messed up.

Then I put my hand on her chest and we keep taking pictures.

The rest of the night goes smoothly and I give a speech. I talk to a few people who have helped my journey and then we head home.

I get changed and wait in bed for Natasha. She takes a while so I complain

“Nattyyy”

She comes out of the bathroom and smiles and says

“Yes baby?”

I hold my arms out for her and pout

“I missed you”

She gets into bed with me and says

“I missed you too.”

Once we’re comfy she looks me in the eyes and says

“Goodnight my love. You have done such amazing things for so many people and I am so lucky to be yours.”

I smile and say

“I love you baby. Goodnight”

We kiss and drift off into a nice comfortable sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: guys this is so bad. It feels rushed and blah. Idk how I feel about it. I became so unmotivated and just wanted to move on to the next thing but I didn’t want to just leave it. 😭🔫

[heliads]

hii! i've been reading a lot of your four fics and i simply need more so here's my requestt, four x dauntless!reader and when she's going into the fear simulation she got scared of the needle so he calm her down. any pronoun is fine and if you don't wanna write it it's also fine lol, so no pressure. tysm i adore you!

y/n is so me for being scared of the needle

masterlist

Most people are scared of what is about to come. This is unusual– not that people would ever feel fear, just that they would show it. This is Dauntless, after all, the place kids born without inhibitions go for cheap thrills and a superiority complex. No one here likes to give off any indication of terror if they could avoid it.

This is different, though. This isn’t another day of Phase One initiation where you’re jumping over the sides of buildings or throwing a few punches. Those are tests, you know how to pass those. The fear landscape, however? Now that’s something no one has any clue how to handle.

The mystery surrounding it all just makes the whole experience worse. Even the few initiates amongst your numbers who’ve managed to win over some older Dauntless can’t glean a single piece of information from their already established compatriots about what you’re going to encounter in the simulations. It’s all in your head, literally. There are no limits to the nightmares your own brain can dream up.

Thus the first afternoon of Phase Two of Dauntless initiation finds a hallway lined with apprehensive trainees all waiting for their turn in the simulation. A couple of rooms are being used for fear landscapes at the moment, so there’s a slow trickle of traumatized initiates coming out of shadowy doors every few minutes or so. Some trainees take longer than others. Some are in there so long you half doubt if they’ll ever come out. All emerge looking like they’ve just had their heart ripped out of their chests.

The screams don’t make the waiting any easier, either. Every now and then, a shrill cry of terror will issue out from one of the locked doors, a clear hallmark of the mental warfare going on inside. In the beginning, everyone would jump the second they heard a muffled yell down the corridor, but hours have passed and fraught tempers have grown weary. Now all you do is sigh to yourselves whenever another victim screams, wondering how much longer you’ll have to put up with all of this before it’s your turn instead.

Waiting is only just that, though, waiting for some grander goal, and at some point, your time of waiting is done. A scared looking boy exits the door on the left, clutching his hands as if searching for wounds that aren’t there, and then your name is called instead. It takes a moment to get up, your body lagging half a second behind your brain, and then you’re out of your chair and down the hall before you even know what’s happening.

There isn’t much time to think between hearing your name and closing the door behind you. You look up and realize the room looks quite similar to the place you did your simulation prior to the Choosing Ceremony. At least there are no new threats. The only change from before is that, instead of some wary looking woman with sleeves pulled low over tattoos, you’re greeted with the sight of one of the initiation leaders. Four.

You can’t help feeling a slight rush of relief. Of anyone here delivering your test, you’d much rather have Four than, say, Eric Coulter. Four is just as intimidating, of course, but Eric’s got this way of making you uneasy. He’s too cruel. At least Four can be counted on to be fair.

Four gestures towards the chair in the center of the room. “Take a seat. Are you ready for this?”

You arch a brow as you settle yourself into an uncomfortable reclined position on the seat. “Was there a chance you’d let me out if I said no?”

Four might chuckle, either that or he was struck by an urgent need to cough. “No, there wasn’t.”

He disappears somewhere behind the range of your peripheral vision and emerges a few moments later holding a needle. It looks highly unpleasant, the metal gleaming in the dim light of the simulation room as if proof of how much this is going to hurt. This is Dauntless, however; this is not a place where you can afford to wince or shrink away from anything lest you see your rankings drop in a second.

You force yourself to stay calm, training your eyes on a bright red light on some machinery across the room instead of the needle puncturing your skin. The moment seems to last forever, and just as you’re certain that the simulation didn’t take, you blink and you’re no longer in Dauntless. In fact, you’re in the middle of nowhere, a broken down city where the wind whistling through shell-shocked skyscrapers sounds more like the howling of people than any tune of quickly moving air.

This is your fear landscape, then. It takes you a few minutes to struggle through that fear, and then you’re successively hit by a few you expected and some you didn’t, too. Hopefully, you’re making good progress, but there is no way to tell for sure. In fact, it’s hard to even remember that you’re in a simulation at all. The programming is too strong, too good at eliciting a fear response from your brain.

You defeat what you thought might be your last fear and find yourself in the simulation room again. Four is still standing over you, needle in hand.

“That didn’t take,” he said, “you’re going to have to go through again.”

He holds out the needle, which seems much sharper than before. This time, blood wells up when he injects you, and every second seems to stretch into hours. There is no light to stare at this time, and your eyes keep finding the needle again and again, no matter how hard you try otherwise. Your fingers clench into fists so long that you can feel your nails slice through your palms. Forcing your breathing to slow and steady, you inhale, exhale, inhale until you look up and Four is nowhere to be seen. The truth about being in a simulation comes crashing back to you, and you realize you must have finally woken up. 

Four walks back to you, brow furrowed. You wince at his expression, taking that to mean that you must not have done too well. It had felt like you weren’t struggling with your fears all that much, but maybe you were wrong.

“How did I do?” You ask tentatively.

Four shakes his head dismissively. “Fine, fine. Solidly above the average, it’ll keep your ranking where it is if not improve it. I just want to ask about your last fear.”

You feel the sudden need to look away. “I faced it, right? No problems there.”

“Yeah, you faced it,” he frowns, “but it made no sense. Are you scared of the fear landscape? Of me?”

You’re not sure if you want to laugh or run from the room. Both feel like solid options at the moment. “No, neither. I’m, uh–” You pause, trying and failing to muster up the energy to finish the sentence, then give up at last and spill your secret. “I’m afraid of needles.”

Four blinks at you in surprise, then laughs for real this time. He does his best to cover it up, of course, but he’s still unable to fight a grin.

You glare pointedly at him. “Thanks for the support. No need to make me feel like any more of an idiot.”

The corners of Four’s lips still stubbornly refuse to tamp themselves down into his typical stony expression. “Sorry, I swear. It’s just– needles? Really? This is Dauntless. You’ve done so many simulations. You’ll probably get tattoos. Needles are everywhere, and you came here?”

You give him a look. “There are other things to Dauntless than just needles, Four. I thought you would know that having, you know, lived here? Go make fun of some other guy’s simulation, mine is perfectly fine.”

“Well, you’re definitely not scared of me,” Four observes, “Still, it’s funny. Anyway, you’re right, I shouldn’t laugh. You’re free to go.”

Despite his solemn expression, his eyes are still twinkling with barely disguised mirth. You fight the urge to roll your eyes and let yourself out. Four’s voice rings out behind you, calling the name of the next victim of the fear landscape.

You don’t think you had that bad of a time of it, though. Sure, the simulation itself wasn’t the best of experiences, but what happened afterwards made all of the terror of it fade away somehow, slipping back into distant memory already. When you think about the fear landscape, you don’t recall the horrors of being inside your worst nightmares, just the way Four tilts his head back when he laughs, how easy it was for his cold demeanor to warm when he smiled at you.

Perhaps that is not why you view the second trial of the fear landscapes with as much dread as anyone else. Your friends are all huddled together with haunted expressions at the mere thought of returning, but you’re actually doing alright. Your spirits are only improved when Four calls your name again instead of Eric, and then you’re back in the simulation room and he’s smiling again.

It’s much easier for Four to revert back to that same state of good spirits. He hardly bothers with an initial glower at the beginning, already looking pleased to see you. It makes you wonder why 

Four holds up the simulation needle with a teasing expression on his face and you give him a sour look. “Don’t even,” you begin, and he holds up his free hand in mock surrender.

“I wouldn’t dare,” he assures you.

This time, Four pauses when he goes to inject you. He takes a seat on the side of the reclined chair, studying your expression for any sign of hesitation.

“Look at me,” he tells you, “not the needle, me. I know you’re going to be fine.”

Something about the way he says it, so confident in your abilities despite only having seen you go through the fear landscape once, erases the last of the worries from your brow. You settle back into the chair, and you swear that this time, the simulation doesn’t take nearly as long to kick up. The needle has hardly pierced your skin before you’re gone from this world and into the one devised by your mind. The last sight you see is Four leaning over you, and that’s the one greeting you when you wake up, too.

The simulations aren’t so bad after that. Part of that is because it’s hard to feel as scared when you know you have Four there on the other side, a calm presence believing in you every time. The two of you start talking more and more during your simulation time slots, and as you progress through the fear landscapes faster, your conversations grow in turn. 

One time, the numbers of initiates were swapped around a little as trainees dropped out and you had to do your fear landscape with Eric proctoring instead. You still got through it just fine, but the experience wasn’t nearly as enjoyable. You were with Four the next time, though. There were rumors that Four had complained and switched the order back to the way it was, but no one knows why. You have a theory, but you don’t dare bring it up to anyone else.

Soon enough, you’ve reached the end of Phase Two of training. After that, graduation from initiation is upon you, and you find yourself walking out of your final simulation with a glowing score. Your ranking is great, high enough that you should have no problem finding the job you want. It’s certainly the best outcome you could have hoped for, but somehow you still find yourself a little bittersweet that certain things will come to an end.

Four finds you later that night, standing at a railing looking over the bustling view of the Dauntless complex below. Everyone is active in some way, throwing parties to welcome in the new initiates or hurrying to tamp down their normal lives before everything is thrown into commotion by a new round of Dauntless jumping into the thick of things.

“You’re not celebrating?” He asks by way of greeting.

You lift a shoulder. “I will. I want to take a moment before all that, though. Just to reflect on it all. Initiation was hard.”

“Didn’t seem that way for you,” Four muses, “you were good the whole way through.”

“Even despite the simulations being my literal greatest fear?” You laugh.

Four smiles, but it’s quieter, more serious. “Even then. This was all you, Y/N. I was there, but it was you.”

You exhale slowly, look back over the city that might be yours more than you ever thought possible. “And now that it’s over? Will you still be there?”

You don’t dare to so much as glance at him lest you see yourself disappointed, but out of the corner of your eye, you can detect movement, Four turning to survey Dauntless as well. “I will be,” he decides at last, “I think I will.”

divergent tag list: @rogueanschel, @with-inked-solace, @gods-fools-heroes, @23victoria, @manyfandomsfanvergent, @ilovexavierthrope, @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed

[foxholewriting]

Long Days

Ren/Male Reader - Fluff/Comfort - Words/ 765

Pronouns - He/Him ; Pet name(s) - Angel/Good Boy

Mention - Anxiety Attacks/Not taking care of yourself

This is how I see Ren, it maybe ooc of character but that's okay

-----------------------------

Your phone beeped a few times before the soulless alarm started blaring, earning a hard smack from your head, it was hard to get up in the morning, especially on days like today. It was cold and the weather forecast said it would be in a constant downpour for the next few days and the warm clothes you had bought got lost in shipment so everything you had that could keep you warm on a normal cold day didn’t stand a chance on days like this.  

As if your day couldn’t get any worse Violet was out on vacation and so was Elanor, taking on extra jobs to help them both. Mostly keeping Violet’s plants alive and taking over Elanor’s tasks at work which made zero room for Ren who was desperately trying to get some of your attention. Two more days then you’d be free, you get a week paid time off which would be used ceremoniously for binging anime and eating take out. Just needs to last a few more days, things were only made worse since you don’t remember the last time you’ve eaten. 

A quick shower and changing into your uniform filled you with dread, but nothing that was unfamiliar at this point. A water bottle covered with anime stickers crossed your path for a quick second before your attention switch over to putting your shoes on, maybe when you got home you’d take the time to care for yourself. 

The day started off as rough as you could have imagined, boxes of books were left by the back exit being well past ruined by the time you had gotten to work, people yelling at you for not having books that had just been released which would have been physically impossible to have by now, and a child spilled juice on one of the books making it the fourth time this week you’ve had to point to the sigh saying no food or drink in the library. The father didn’t want to pay but after a talk with your boss he reluctantly paid, giving you a death glare. 

Lunch break couldn’t happen fast enough as you slumped down on the cool tile floor of the bathroom, before you knew it tears streamed down your face. Started off slowly but soon became uncontrollable, snot mixed with the hot tears as the stress of the last two weeks flowed out. Completely missing the sound of someone coming in and their shoes thumping on the tile, they only got your attention when they touched you. 

“WHAT!” You jumped and blurted out, Ren stood there concerned but also an underlying anger seemed to emanate from him it was hard to pin point where it was directed. You wiped away some of the tears as Ren sat next to you and gently pulled you to his chest, it was a bit messy as his sweater started to get stained with the snotty tear mixture on your face. 

“It’s okay Angel, it’s going to be okay.” His voice was soft and his firm grip on you truly made it feel like everything would be okay, that the world didn’t exist outside the two of you. 

“I’ve just had so much to do- never ending running around I just can’t- why can’t I-” You tried to start a sentence but it was cut off by another thought or another anxiety that was bubbling up inside, Ren was getting more worried knowing that situations like this caused unbearable anxiety attacks that could potentially end you up in the hospital. 

“You’ve been such a good Angel, a good boy that you’ve haven’t been taking care of yourself. Why don’t I take you home and stay with you tonight?” Their voice was so soft and gentle it was hard to deny the request, you reluctantly nodded. The next few minutes were a blur but you ended up at home in bed with Ren lecturing you as he made you drink water, it was hard to focus on what he was saying but you nodded. You didn’t realize you absentmindedly agreed to him living with you for 75% of the time for health reasons, but that was future yous issue. After the lecture was over and you emptied several bottles of water then some take out he finally cuddled with you in the bed so close together it was like you fused into one. 

The rain outside hitting the window was long forgotten as you tucked away into Ren’s body, silent words of praise and comfort came from the lovable pink man. 

-----------------------------

@14dayswithyou

[ho-oh-memes]

sentence meme — as said by looker.

dialogue taken from pokemon platinum, black and white, x and y, sun and moon, and masters. change pronouns and details as necessary.

"Taking what belongs to others is wrong."

"You even gave me information about it beforehand! What's your motive?"

"My job is the type that's always skirting the line of danger. To be honest, I've found it tough to deal with from time to time..."

"What they are up to, I do not know, but I have bad feelings about it."

"If I have nothing to do, it means the world, it is at peace."

"Evil works at night, when it's dark out. Stay alert and watch out for suspicious characters!"

"We have to keep our guard up at all times."

"Hmm, a nighttime mystery at the museum..."

"To be honest with you, I'm actually not the best at pokémon battles."

"But remember–at the time, they didn't think what they were doing was evil."

"The more wonderful the meeting, the sadder the parting."

"All I can do is give you this. It is a little something I obtained in an investigation long ago."

"You tried to ruin the peace ceremony's commemorative play, of all things?"

"Following the path of justice means I sometimes have to force others to say their own good-byes."

"The thoughts they are contemplating, the hopes they are anticipating, these--these are what I want to know!"

"I need a partner like you in order to protect the peace of this city."

"When you're ready to learn the meaning of "hard-boiled," just come and talk to me again."

"Let us put our partnership to the test!"

"There's definitely something off about them. Are they the traitors she was talking about?"

"Pardon, pardon. It took a while to find you!"

"You live in an alley?"

"What I don't know is if enough work will appear to keep food on our table."

"I am so terribly sorry, but could you speak a bit less quickly?"

"Hold on. Don't rush to conclusions."

"You may live here as long as you choose!"

"I am not here to pick a fight."

"When people behave with evil intentions, I cannot turn away and lightly forgive such."

"People and Pokémon are both capable of evolving."

"I find it worrying, not knowing where she goes."

"Is this perhaps how a father feels?"

"I'm sorry! It is just a habit of mine!"

"C'est une catastrophe!"

"What's this?! A date?!"

"She is rather odd, isn't she? A real individual spirit..."

"W-well...yes, I suppose I could do with a nice little break..."

"And your information... It is all true?"

"I made an error of judgment."

"Don't be too quick to assume everything they do is evil."

"As long as you take responsibility and reflect on what you did, I don't plan on giving any lectures."

"I'd like him to make use of what he's learned to help us protect the weak and face evil."

"That's why our job is to watch out for those who might use those things to hurt others."

"I can't believe I don't get to be the detective. It would have been perfect for me..."

"I've found something peculiar on my end, too."

"It's not easy for me to believe you..."

[sleeping-in-the-sky]

what're your favorite headcanons about the infinite blue boys

asdfghjkl thank you for the ask! Apologies this took so long, I love wanting to do multiple hobbies and subsequently not making progress on any of them

Anyway I'm a sucker for domestic mundane things, like the list of random facts VelvetFox posted in this ask, so here are some headcanons for the boys with that same vibe:

(I had some scraps of IB dad headcanons so those are mixed in here too)

Infinite Blue LIs x Reader. No mentions of reader pronouns or gender. Also posted on Ao3 here.

——

Alexei:

Has journals full of thoughts and observations about anything and everything. Some of his writing is illegible and other parts make no sense to anybody but him because it's literally his runaway train of thoughts dumped onto paper. He sticks post-it notes with diagrams between the pages, jots down excerpts from Wikipedia pages, and overall it's not an aesthetic read... But flipping through can give you an idea of how this super genius's brain works.

He also writes about you in these notebooks, albeit they're written in between stuff like the thirty-seven fun facts of siphonophores and his favorite part of last night's dinner. Many of them are things you’ve never even noticed about yourself like the way you hold the steering wheel while driving. This is also where he'll stick date memorabilia, like movie tickets. (this hc was inspired by this fic by @sailxrmxrs <3)

If you two own a saucer chair or some other small round comfy seat, he'll probably fall asleep in it at least once. He curls up, all 5'10" of him tucked in that tiny space. Naturally, his body hurts when he wakes up and therefore he gets a bit grumpy. So next time if you see him dozing off maybe lead him to the couch or the bed so he can stretch comfortably.

Brooklyn:

I want to imagine that he has a closet only for his clothing irons and ironing boards. Like a fucking broom closet and you open it to see that there's those four boards and a dozen irons. These include vintage clothing irons, restored and repurposed. He knows how to use them and take care of them too. Why does this make me laugh so hard.

Clothes shopping. Take this man clothes shopping. Yes, he'll buy you anything but honestly? Even disregarding that it’s a fun time because he would enjoy discussing outfits, and if your taste isn't the same as his business-academia-formal style he could be convinced into trying an outfit you styled, or vice versa. Also he's a total simp every time you step out of the changing room. Need fit pics? He's got you covered.

Something tells me Brooklyn would enjoy snacks and desserts from around the world. He'd love to make them himself (and with you!), but you could just come home with some mitarashi-dango because your local Asian supermarket was having a sale and he's already cracking open the container for the ceremonial-grade green tea leaves.

Leo:

Leo's our favorite gamer guy, but I think he also enjoys jigsaw puzzles whether they be with his friends or you or both. These are the quiet nights where everyone is focusing, intently staring at the puzzle sitting on the coffee table while aimlessly chatting. It's super peaceful, though sometimes time slips by unnoticed and by the time you all finish it's two in the morning.

Does that thing where you put someone in a shopping car, sprint across the parking lot while pushing said cart, then jump on it while it's moving. He does it with his friends, you, and his future kid (albeit with a lot more caution). He really wants to kiss you while he’s doing it too, but maybe not because what happens if he hits a car, or worse, someone else?

While we're on the topic of transportation and kisses, every time you're sitting shotgun and he pulls the car in reverse he'll put his hand on your seat and lean in to kiss you. Every. Single. Time.

Kiss him first. It'll get him flustered. Do it.

Milo:

I want to believe he really likes having his hair brushed. If you ask him about it he'll never admit it beyond a quick affirmative, but anytime you sit behind him and start to gently run the bristles through his tangles, he could feel himself relaxing. It's soothing. He might fall asleep like that.

Milo would own a 3d printer. I have no definitive reasons why. Vibe check says he owns a 3d printer and will print out cool little knickknacks and give them to you without a word because they either help you in a mundane way (like a toothbrush holder), or he'll print out something cute like a tiny frog with a mushroom hat because he likes seeing your face light up.

Or he'll print out something cursed, like that Thomas the Tank Engine bottlecap where the liquid streams out of the eyes. It's a coin toss every time.

Rory:

Was that one kid reading with a flashlight under the covers. Even now that he's older, he likes to get a bed light and read before bed. Sometimes he gets super engrossed in it and you gotta peel that book off him. He’ll complain. Stand your ground. Otherwise he'll be super sleep-deprived and cranky the next morning.

If his future child also turns out to be an avid reader, he'll secretly change out their flashlight batteries. Or get them a night light with some half-baked excuse of, "so you don't turn on all the lights when you get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and wake the entire house up." Sure, Rory.

Speaking of sleep-related things, he really likes it when you fall asleep next to him/on him. His expression melts into the softest smile and he'll pull you in tightly. If he falls asleep on you, he's the kind to unconsciously hold onto you/must be touching you at all times. He gets really embarrassed about it if you mention this to him. I recommend taking a picture and making it his contact photo.

Tobias:

Has terrible handwriting but an impeccable signature. Don't ever ask him to write the grocery list because it takes forever to decipher his chicken scratch, but he'll sign stuff for fans in one fluid stroke, and that shit looks clean. And yes, he'll offer to sign something for you too.

Loves it when he's chilling on the couch after a long day and you flop on top of him. He'll happily be your teddy bear and let you lay there for hours, the two of you chatting and watching TV while he rubs soft circles on your back. Feel free to fall asleep like that too.

He's the type to enjoy flashy, expensive dates. He takes you out in his sports car to get dinner at a fancy restaurant, followed by spectating sports games from the VIP seats. But I also think incredibly mundane things, like the two of you going out just to grab ice cream in sweatpants and hoodies give him a special kind of happiness.

Seeing you sleepily rubbing your eyes as you come to pick him up from the airport is enough to make him giddy.

[merrybrides]

7 Rules You Can Break on Your Wedding Day

Each year, 2.5 million weddings take place in the United States alone. Many of these ceremonies share certain elements, thanks to wedding “rules” we’ve come to accept over the years. The bride wears a white gown. The couple stands at the altar with a group of their closest friends. Inevitably, the DJ will play Uptown Funk or the Chicken Dance. But here’s the thing: there are no hard and fast rules for putting on a wedding (except for signing the marriage license, of course). If you want to make your wedding a truly unique affair, here are a few traditions you can happily put aside.

1. Wearing White

The white wedding dress was first popularized in 1840 when Queen Victoria wed Prince Albert. The young queen wore white because the color highlighted the lace details on her gown. However, the decision was a peculiar one at the time, as most brides wore brightly colored dresses for their weddings.

After Victoria, white wedding gowns became synonymous with purity—and more importantly, became the standard in bridal fashion. But it’s important to remember why Victoria selected the color: because she liked it! If you’d rather wear a red, blue, or black dress on your wedding day, you absolutely should.

2. Wedding Favors

Bring me 100 people who’ve been to a wedding, and I’ll show you 100 people who don’t care about the favors they received. Wedding favors are often cheap, meaningless gifts that sit in your guests’ purses until they eventually throw them out. Worst of all, buying these little trinkets can be quite expensive! There are plenty of better ways to spend the money in your wedding budget—and better ways to thank your guests for celebrating with you. Trust me, your guests will appreciate better food or more champagne rather than a customized Koozie.

3. Not Seeing Your Spouse Until the Ceremony

On the morning of a wedding, there’s always much to-do over keeping the couple separate. After all, if they see each other before the ceremony starts, theirs will be a doomed marriage…right? Everyone knows how silly this idea is, but it’s a tradition we stick to all the same. While it can be lovely for guests to see that romantic “first look,” there’s nothing wrong with a couple spending every moment of their big day together. If you and your sweetheart want to do a first look photo shoot—or even get ready together in the morning—go for it!

4. Single-Sex Bridal Parties

Getting married is a major milestone in a person’s life, so it’s no wonder that most people want their friends to accompany them on the journey. Bridal parties can be a source of comfort and support, but for too long, they’ve stuck to one rule: brides can only choose women for their bridal party, and grooms can only choose men. Whatever pronouns your best friends may use, they have every right to be part of your bridal party. Don’t be afraid to have male “bridesmaids” or female “groomsmen”! As long as your best friends are at your side when you say, “I do,” tradition can take a hike.

5. The Bride’s and Groom’s “Sides”

When a bride and groom stand at the altar, the bride is always on the groom’s left side. As a result, it’s become custom for the bride’s family to sit on the left side of the venue, while the groom’s family sits on the right. However, once the newlyweds tie the knot, their families become connected by marriage. Everyone at the wedding is one big, happy family, so why not sit like it? Foregoing the traditional family “sides” makes it easier for your guests to mingle with your new in-laws.

6. The Home Goods Registry

For many decades, it was considered a rule to only list home goods on your wedding gift registry, like dinnerware or small appliances. This rule was primarily practical; the newlyweds were often starting adulthood on their wedding day, so they rarely had any household items between them. But these days, couples get married much later in life (and often co-habitate beforehand), so their registry needs have changed. Don’t be afraid to register for the items you and your spouse need. After all, the whole point of a registry is to advise your guests of the gifts that will be most useful!

7. The Cocktail Hour Photo Session

The cocktail hour between the wedding ceremony and reception serves two purposes: it gives the guests a chance to mingle (and get warmed up for the party later), and it gives the bridal party a chance to have their photos taken. But if you ask me, this is another rule that needs to be broken.

Newlyweds used to take their photos after the ceremony to avoid seeing each other before the wedding—another rule we’ve already pooh-poohed. And besides, what couple would want to miss out on cocktails with their nearest and dearest? By moving around the photo schedule, a couple can spend much more time with their guests.

Of course, if you want to stick with these traditional wedding rules, that’s your prerogative. But if these rules don’t sit right with your sensibilities, feel free to push them aside! It’s one way to make your wedding feel a little more like you and your spouse.

[ask-sienna]

Look upon the skies and seas And there among the wind and breeze The dazzled specks of sparkling stars Will sing to you of tales afar

Brief Background Summary:

Sienna is an orphan that showed up on the foot steps of a church one day. The church took her in and raised her as their own, with hopes that she will become a nun. All Sienna knew in life was the Lord, the church and that strange sensation that pulls her every time she looked up at the stars. For eleven years of her life she dedicated herself to the services of the church with all her heart, helping those in need. Everyone loved her for she was a joyful spirit always willing to help, always willing to share. It wasn’t until her eleventh birthday that it all changed. 

Let’s just say the church was less than ecstatic about her new found magical abilities. She might have died if it weren’t for Professor Fig, who had saved her before the chaos. 

She arrived in Hogwarts days before the ceremony, with nothing but the cloths on her back. Much of her school material is either second-hand or donations, but Professor Fig was nice enough to buy her her wand. When she was old enough, she picked up a side gig at the Three Broomsticks and would do odd jobs here and there to earn extra galleons.

Now lay her final year at Hogwarts, how will this unfold? You tell me…

(Full background story in the making – Read it here when it’s ready)

Pronouns: She/Her

Appearance: Asian female with navy blue eyes and white hair and if you stare into her eyes long enough, it looks like the galaxy is swirling within. She’s on the petite side, but don’t mess with her cause she packs a punch (from all the laundry and heavy lifting done back at the church).

Personality: Sienna is a gigantic cinnamon roll— sweet, bubbly little thing that’s quite clueless of a lot of social cues and what not. She’s quick to learn and has an undying thirst for knowledge, it’s a wonder she wasn’t put into Ravenclaw. But alas, she is a Hufflepuff through and through. Mostly a goodie two shoe that gets dragged into trouble by her friends hehe.

Interesting facts: Sienna is my DnD character (a twilight cleric star caller) that I imported into the HL universe. She has an affinity for the stars and a special ability that allows her clairvoyance, much like a Seer. The only difference is that it requires a lot of prep work and is not as spontaneous and unstable as seering abilities. Notably, her favourite subjects are Astronomy and Divination, though she does love Herbology, Potions and Magical Creatures. She's definitely good friends with Amit.

Rules of Engagement:

I do not condone violence and bullying in any way, shape or form. If you have a problem with it, do not engage.

This is strictly a Minors Do Not Interact Zone. However, should you need someone to just chat with, l'm more than happy to do so.

There are some content such as rape, child abuse, domestic violence, etc. that will not fly with me. If you are into such things, this is not your turf. Ask if you're unsure.

With that note, there ARE a lot of things I can fly with, but please let me know in advance. Please don’t throw me into the deep end without notice :)

If I'm uncomfortable with anything, I will let you know, I only wish to expect the same, respectfully. Let’s communicate :)

We're here to have fun, so please don't cause real drama or strife. I'm not here for it and neither should you.

I'll add more should I deem necessary, in the mean time, I can't wait to create memories with you :)

[stay-frosty-royal-meme-tea]

Goncharov (1973) Sentence Starters

(Note:  Goncharov is a fake movie created on Tumblr and the joke went wild, as Tumblr jokes are apt to do.) Feel free to change pronouns and the like as needed! Quotes have been gathered from a few corners of the internet!  I’ve only been able to mark @/girlcaligula as the creator of many of these quotes, so if you’re the creator, just shoot me an ask and I’ll add you to these credits! If you want your quotes removed, also shoot me an ask and say which quotes are yours and i’ll remove them!

When I first married you, [name], I was nobody.

When I walked towards you at the altar, I felt that was the moment I would finally become someone real enough to have flesh and blood to call mine.

You needed for me to love you.

My inability to be loyal to you, [name], is what saved me.

I started being [name], at being myself, not upon falling in my role, but at the discovery of an unwillingness, of an inability.

And all I became was your wife.

Of course we’re in love.  That’s why I had to shoot you.

If we really were in love, you wouldn’t have missed.

You need the fear of God put back into you, [name].  I will come back when you find it.

You will have to tell them I am sorry, for I have no sorrow left.

People like us?  We don’t get happy endings.  We just get to keep going.

From now on I am already dead, my heart left there beside him.

Can you hear it?  Can you hear the ticking of the clocks, [name]?  I always thought... no, nevermind.

And so I come to the end of my life.

Make sure they don’t serve tortellini at my ceremony.

Oh, now that is a meatball that knows how to treat you right!

I would say it was time well spent if the last I ever saw was you.

There are many men and many guns in this world, but yours is the only one I care to be at the end of.

With you, things are warmer.  Stay by my side, [name].

Have you ever thought about all the blood?

This world is nothing.

We discover a cause, fight for a cause, we die for a cause and then? Then what? We rot for a cause? We are eaten by the worms for a cause? We are forgotten for a cause?

I have tried so hard to be the person I was supposed to be, just to discover I don't have in me to be anything at all.

The blood that we shed, the blood that is spilled from us, the blood we eat in public and the blood we throw up in the indecent privacy of our shame.

The party needed for me to believe in the cause, so I did.

[elvhenprince]

dalish headcanons: gender, sexuality, etc

topics I touch on in this post:

gender roles (or the lackthereof) and transitioning sexuality, marriage, baby-making

No Gender Roles

Gender doesn't seem to impact anything a person can do amongst the Dalish. If you're good at fighting, you be a hunter, if youre a mage, you be a keeper, etc. The Dalish need everyone who is able to do things to just do them, regardless of whatevers in their pants.

As time goes on past Arlathan, as the Dalish become their own people, gender at some point simply became less and less important in their society. Social norms change.

Terms like lethallin/lethallan become interchangeable, when once both terms are gendered. Either can work just fine. pronouns also become less and less tied to gender. ofc which part of the process any clan is at varies!

Transitioning

With no gender roles, there's also no need for a social transition. so I think of the Dalish of not having words for trans men / women, but having a word of the act of modifying one's body to suit their spirit. I'm thinking of something along the lines of 'shapechange', 'morphing', 'molding' - to shape the body like clay into what you wish to be.

This can be achieved through multiple ways: attire, cosmetics, and of course, transitioning as we know it.

The Dalish can very easily have multiple methods:

herbs, prepared as a poultice or a potion

surgery

magic, of course. usually by the Keeper

the most recommended is a combination of all three! but people are free to choose what suits their needs.

Sexuality, marriage

People are allowed to explore their sexuality freely! There's no judgement, especially since there's little emphasis on gender roles and expectations. Monogamy and polyamory both happen, and marriage ceremonies are largely symbolistic. Having a party over a wedding, or not having a big party - either works! so long as the people getting married want that. (and if the clan can spare the resources and time)

Baby making and the raising of

Dalish children are primarily community-raised. If a person wants a child but doesn't really want to have a partner, that is allowed - a willing donor can be selected with the Keeper's guidance. Similarly, if a couple is unable to make a baby amongst themselves, a willing donor can also be found!

A lot of the baby-making happens during Arlathvhen, where it's much easier to arrange these, though. So significant amounts of Dalish are noticeably 10 years apart. There's probably a Dalish joke about Arlathvhen babies vs wild babies.

[robinofgothamcity]

♡ "under the lights tonight, you turned around, and you stole my heart with just one look, when I saw your face, I fell in love, it took a minute girl to steal my heart tonight."

♡ character: roy harper / arsenal

♡ pronouns used: she / her

♡ note: not checked for grammar or spelling mistakes / roy harper content <333 i could make a part two if interested but idk, it's all up to yall if you guys wanted to read it.

"there goes the diva herself!" jason said as he saw you coming into view. you smiled, giving your adopted siblings a smug look as you held up your college diploma. you waved it around, making sure they all saw it, "god, she's acting like one too," damian said with annoyance.

you went to your siblings who were all waiting for you after your commencement ceremony with your dad and the friends you invited. dick was the first one who went in for the hug as he told you words of encouragement. dick pushed damian to at least give you the gift everyone had pitched in to give you.

"we know how much you wanted this so we all pitched in, mostly bruce's doing, and got it for you," they dropped a tiny box in your hands as bruce pushed you to the private parking lot of Gotham University. you gave your siblings a half confused look but as soon as you opened the box your mouth dropped, "you didn't!" you yelled looking at them in surprise.

you clicked on the clicker and heard a beep from a few rows down. you instantly kicked your heels off and saw your car. the car you had been dreaming of since you were a kid. you opened the door seeing the interior the way you always wanted it. red and black lining everywhere as your name was engraved on the steering wheel.

"oh i'm so driving this to the party," you yelled as damian immediately yelled dibs on the passenger seat making dick groan. you opened the passenger for damian as duke and steph called the backseats, "see you in a few, we need to make a few stops before we get to the venue. stop at the house if you need to change into anything. i know you and steph were shopping for evening attire," bruce said. you nodded as you immediately started the engine and squealing at the sound of it.

"if this was her reaction of the car imagine her reaction for the trip you planned," dick murmured to bruce.

you and damian immediately looked to steph and duke who could feel the menacing attitudes you got all of sudden. damian immediately turned up the music as you got onto the highway, speeding way past the legal limit for gotham highways.

+

bruce had invited most of the league as well as a few of your friends and others to a very 'private' party to celebrate your commencement. it had been the talk of the city for weeks now as everyone said it wasn't always that a Wayne graduated from the most prestige university in all of new jersey.

your evening wear consisted of a sparking champagne-gold dress. the dress cutting off on the top of your thighs as the top showed a bit of your breasts. you knew bruce wasn't going to be very fond of it but considering that you were now a graduated woman, you weren't exactly looking for his approval; however, you did know that you were going to see some league members and considering you were the only Wayne who did not go into the vigilante business for bruce, you barely knew any of them.

as soon as you stepped out of the car, damian earlier in the day getting a lecture to 'escort' you inside for good press, hooked his arm around yours. you knew that bruce must've offered him a good deal for him to be this nice to you. you smiled at the camera's, even going as far as talking to a few reporters before heading inside of the venue. the ushers stopped you at the front of the door, whispering into their walkie-talkies that you had arrives. you heard music coming from inside as the doors opened to reveal one of the most elegant venues you had ever been to. everything matched the champagne-gold of your dress with black being the second dominant color.

"you guys are ridiculous," you said over teary eyes. bruce immediately took over damian's side and escorted you to the end of the room where your table was. it felt like your wedding and this had only been your college graduation, "everyone, ( your name )," bruce introduced to the sea of guests.

you waved at everyone knowing that you'd have to make your rounds to formally introduce yourself to bruce's colleagues, both in the league and at wayne enterprises. the main hostess offered you a glass of wine as you thanked bruce once again and you got down to start saying hello to everyone.

going to clark and lois who you were most familiar with, they immediately brought you in for a hug as they congratulated you on your accomplishment. "i suggest you head over and get your introductions done with oliver so your father can stop looking like he has a stick up his ass," clark whispered into your ear. you giggled knowing that clark was referencing this undying competition that bruce and oliver queen constantly had going with each other.

a part of you wanted to listen to clark but you greeted a few others before finally going over to the table where oliver and his family were seated at. you chugged down the rest of the wine and stood in front of the now larger oliver queen and tapped his shoulder.

"well, well, well, if it isn't the diva of the wayne family," oliver joked as he brought you in for a handshake as dinah brought you in for the millionth hug of the night. you really needed to get rid of that nickname everyone had for you, "good evening oliver, it's nice to see you again, you as well dinah," you said as she finally let you go.

you turned over expecting to greet who you assume was connor before meeting eyes with a bright red haired man, "( your name ), this is my son roy harper," oliver said as you immediately went stiff at the eye contact you had with him. he gave you a small smirk, giving you his hand, "it's a pleasure to finally meet the only girl jason can tolerate," he finally said, his face not hiding the fact that he was trying to contain his blush.

"thanks for coming and please, feel free to get anything you guys want," you said trying to shake off the overwhelming and flustered feeling you had, "oh i will," oliver murmured in sarcasm as he gained a smack from dinah. you made contact with roy once more as he gave you a wink and turning to speak to connor once more.

after you made most of your rounds, you finally sat down to eat. you had no idea what was on your plate considering you inhaled most of it before you could see. you hadn't gotten a meal in since in the morning and it was tim's idea of stopping at a dunkin before your commencement to get a donut and coffee.

the party had been going mostly according to plan. damian had gotten into a verbal argument with one of bruce's employee's which was none the surprising but you knew that once all of the uppity guests were to leave, the real party was set to begin. you had noticed throughout the night some of dick's friends had arrived.

"donna!" you screamed running to her as you tried to not trip in your heels. she immediately caught you as she brought you in for a bone crushing hug, "you look great, holy shit," she complimented as she turned you around to get a look at your outfit. you thanked her bashfully as she went over to sit next to you and dick.

donna had been your favorite and one of the few of dick's friends that you met. she was only a few years older than you and you saw her as an older sister figure whenever she was around, "you should've came to commencement, it was amazing," you said. she laughed, "i was doing stuff with wally and only just got back," she informed as she noticed a pair of eyes on the two of you.

she turned around as saw roy practically drooling over you. she immediately snapped her fingers at him, giving him a menacing look that practically read 'do not try it'. roy was the last person to listen to anything anyone said but in this case, he knew he had to tread lightly with you. there was a reason why you were given the nickname you had.

ever since bruce adopted you, shortly around the same time he did with tim, you got the reputation of being very 'high maintenance'. you hated getting dirty in the way your siblings did, you only wore designer much to bruce's unfortunate luck, and you had a particular set of friends you hung out with. the friends from the orphanage you still kept in contact with and your siblings. other than that, you hardly gave anyone the time of day.

"you keep eyeing wayne's daughter, why don't you go say hello?" dinah asked roy. he chuckled, shaking his head, "you heard oliver, she's not into guys like me," he said. oliver agreed, "she's the diva of bruce's kids. not much a difference between her and damian plus i think jason would have a huge issue with that," oliver said making dinah sigh, "you won't know if you don't try," she stated.

you were talking with donna, cass, and dick for most of the night as damian, bruce, and a few others excused themselves for night patrol. given that most of the league was at your event, there wasn't many heroes on standby for the night and bruce wasn't particularly excited to see you getting drunk as the night continued.

roy was at the bar ordering himself another drink as you made your way over to the back and opening another bottle for yourself. the action making roy laugh, "what do you drink?" you asked as you leaned over the counter, "i can make it. i spent a bit of my time in college as a bartender." roy ordered himself a whiskey on the rocks.

you opened the bottle of jack daniels and poured it into the glass making sure to pour more than enough for him, "bruce wayne's daughter a bartender? never expected that," he said. you shrugged, putting your lips on your wine glass, "i never said it was some shitty dive bar. i did it for the summer because i was bored and needed some excitement so what better way to cure that boredness than to work a bar for high end golf players," you confessed hoping he got the hint as you shot him a wink.

"ah, so you were giving them a run for their money, huh?" he asked. you smiled evilly, "usually made six grand at the end of the week, eight if i worked on the weekends," you confessed. roy's eyes widened at the amount you had said, "men will do anything if you flirt with them for the night, right?" you said jokingly.

before roy could respond, he felt someones hand hit his shoulder, "any reason why you're talking to my sister?" jason asked giving him a deadly glare. "what? is it illegal to speak to the guest of honor jaybird? i thought you'd have more trust in your best friend," he asked. you laughed as you sipped on your wine slowly, "come on jay, we're just talking! plus, i didn't know he was your friend. if i had known that, i would have made friends with him a long time ago," you said shooting roy another wink.

roy shook his head in disbelief. he had no idea jason had such a menacing little sister but he was glad he had met you.

"we were just talking about the summer i became a bartender. remember when dad thought i was stealing from customers because i was coming home with so much cash at the end of the week?" jason shook his head knowing exactly what you were talking about now, "don't remind me. he made tim investigate that you weren't actually doing that," he confessed before looking at roy in the eyes, "if i see one hand one hand of yours on hers, you're dead. understand?" jason said before leaving.

"protective," roy inquired. you rolled your eyes annoyingly, "tell me about it. jason has always been the most protective over me. he ran off three potential boyfriends in the span of a year and a half. i never fully understand how either," you explained. roy was taken back, "really? i never really took him as the protective sibling."

as you were about to sit down next to roy, you heard one of your favorite songs blasting through the speaker. beyonce's '7/11' came through the speaks as you put your drink down on the bar top and ran to grab donna to dance with. you knew with the alcohol running through your system, you were dancing a bit more sensually than usual.

roy bit his lip at the way you were dancing against donna as she was laughing at dick's disgusted reaction. you stared at roy, giving him a smirk as he rolled his eyes. he knew the game you were playing and he was all for it as long as dick took his leave for him to slip in donna's place. the way you were dancing against her made him a little flustered to say the least.

"how many drinks have you had?" she asked as she noticed the semi-drunk look on your face, "two bottles of wine? going on three considering i opened one up and left it with roy. say, do you know if he's single?" you asked. donna's eyes widened hearing what you were saying, "why do you ask?" she said a bit hesitant.

"roy's cute and i'm kinda pissed jason never brought him around," donna sighed as she looked at you dead in the eye, "listen, i never want to be the person to tell you what to do but roy's different. that's jason's best friend and he's had a complicated life to say the least. dick is also really close with him so i'd be careful if i were you." you waved her off, "if anything, he should be careful with me," you said with a sly smirk on your face.

donna knew the right thing to do was to keep you away from roy but you were a grown woman who could make her own decision. secondly, in some odd way, you and roy did look great together. her main issue was the fact that jason would kill roy if he saw you and him together. dick might give him a punch in the face but jason could potentially put roy in the hospital for even looking at you the wrong way.

you pulled yourself away from donna and met roy back at the bar. he handed you back your glass as you sat across from him, "not a dancer?" you asked. roy shook his head no, "usually not but for you i'd make the exception," he replied. you smiled as you grabbed his hand and played with it for a second, "the downstairs bathroom is empty," you whispered into his ear.

roy tightened the grasp on your hand and let you lead him to the secluded bathrooms of the venue. you instantly wrapped your arms around his neck as you smashed your lips against his. he was surprised that you were so willing to make out with him at your own party but he as not going to stop it. a part of him getting excited at the fact that you were as into him as he was with you.

"didn't think i was your type," roy whispered against your mouth as you wrapped your legs on his waist, "i assumed you were into the uppity lawyers and doctors." you rolled your eyes, "please, like they could ever fulfill what i'm looking for. i'm more into the rough and tough guys," you responded as you squeezed his bicep, "guys like you."

roy chuckled as he responded to your bicep squeeze with his hands roaming around your thighs, "jason is gonna kill us," he replied, "what he doesn't know won't kill him plus i think you can take him. my dad is who you should be worried about." roy nodded, slightly nervous at the idea of bruce kicking his ass for getting with his poster perfect daughter.

you continued your heated makeout session for a while longer before your phone went off. you looked down to the screen to see it was dick calling you to probably ask where you ran off. you shot him a quick text telling him you were in the bathroom trying to fix your dress.

"i don't want this to end," you whispered to roy as you placed your forehead against his. he sighed in agreement as he grabbed your phone and put his number in, "text me and i'll take you out," he replied as he set your down. you placed your head against his chest as you let out a whine, "all of gotham will know that you took me out if we stay in town and i want to enjoy you before jason kills you," you say.

roy shook his head as he noticed your phone going off with another one of dick's phone calls. you finally let roy go as he took you in. your lips were a plump red with all the kissing you were doing and your dress was a bit messed up from the back. he quickly zipped up the dress again and kissed your shoulder.

"you're gorgeous baby, you know that?" he asked as he continued to press kisses on your shoulder. you smiled, pulling on his red hair in response, "but you're right, i do want to enjoy you before your family rightfully takes me out for it. how about i find us a place out of gotham and we can meet there?" you instantly agreed as you gave him one final kiss on the lips before leaving before dick started a manhunt to find you.

roy watched as you walked away from him. he knew he was playing a very dangerous game by dating one of the most eligible bachelorettes in all of gotham but that's what made everything so fun. you were the one who wanted him first and he didn't mind playing along until someone inevitably cut it off. he knew it would either be jason or dick to want to stop the two of you from dating but until that happened, he didn't mind playing the little game you had going.

[taleofharrison]

‘86 baby

A/N: Third and final part of the small accidental series I started. I think this one can also be read as a stan alone. This is also a fix it fic so volume one is canon and episode 9 never happened.

Part 1 | Part 2

Warnings: fluffy you might cry. Gender neutral (no pronouns used jus you and Y/N) Also I changed the format so we can give it closure.

Summer 1986, after two failed attempts of graduating and leaving Hawkins High for good, Eddie Munson had finally made it out of high school and was more than ready to leave Hawkins as well, live with you in Indianapolis while you finish college.

True to his word Eddie snatched that diploma and flipped Higgins. His eyes were bright, Eddie felt at the top of the world. After the ceremony everyone had gone to your house to celebrate Eddie. Your new friends Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Max and even Steve Harrington were invited. What could you say? Near death experiences and solving supernatural mysteries cand really bring people together.

Wayne had to hold back some tears during the whole day. He was so proud of Eddie, and he was so happy for him, but he didn’t want to cry in public.

“I found an apartment” you told Eddie after everyone had left “it is small but cheap and it’s close to my school. I think we both can afford it if we get part time jobs.”

“Sounds good” Eddie hummed.

“We can start moving our stuff this summer” you told him. Finally, distance wouldn’t be an issue for you both.

“Yeah, I’d like that” Eddie replied, “just one thing.”

“What?”

“Want to make sure this is forever” Eddie said pulling away from you.

“What are you talking about?” you asked. You’ve been friends for more than half your life by now, dating for 2 years now, and went through hell and back, what other confirmation did he need?

It all made sense though when you saw him pulling out a ring from his pocket. It was like the one he wore, like the one you had a necklace but this one looked a little bit different. This one was smaller.

“I know this isn’t an engagement ring” he began “but you know I don’t like to be conventional, I just after everything we’ve been through…I want to make sure this is actually forever.”

“Yes!” you knew what he was trying to ask. There was no other answer for you.

Eddie smiled putting the ring on your hand. “Fits perfectly” he mumbled before kissing you. This was it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By the end of the summer, you were ready to move out with Eddie and say goodbye to Hawkins for good. The hardest part was saying goodbye to everyone. The town might not have been the kindest to your boyfriend but still you managed to find some good friendships.

They had all come to the trailer park to say goodbye to you.

“Promise you’ll visit” Dustin warned you. He was making it hard not to leave.

“I promise” you laughed.

“I have to make sure you keep on with my legacy Henderson” Eddie teased.

“And the wedding will be here” you added “during winter break. You all must be there.”

You and Eddie had agreed that big white wedding wasn’t something you wanted but still both of you wanted your friends there, so you’d figured it’d be easier to get married in Hawkins rather than bring them all to Indianapolis with you.

“Eddie!” Wayne called him out from the trailer’s door “I need to talk to you”.

Eddie excused himself for a second as you said your goodbyes.

“What’s wrong?”

Wayne didn’t reply, he just gave Eddie an envelope.

“Wayne…this is a lot of money” Eddie said once he realized what was inside “I can’t accept this.”

“Take it as your graduation present.” Wayne insisted.

“But you need the money” Eddie argued back. After all his uncle had to do for him, he just couldn't bring himself to just take it.

“Son” Wayne sighed “I’ve seen you and Y/N grow up, and I’m so proud of you both. The least I can do is give you both a head start in your new life.”

“I-I…” to stunned to speak Eddie hugged his uncle “thank you.”

Both men had tears in their eyes. They both loved each other so much but of course they didn’t say it often. Eddie, who lived most of his childhood with his dad who wasn’t exactly dad of the year, and Wayne, who didn’t have know how to raise until Eddie showed up, weren’t the best ones at expressing their affection but they knew, and it was all that mattered.

“Eddie” you called out “we have to go if we want to make it before dark.”

“Yes…uhm I have to go”

It was definitely harder to leave Hawkins than you thought it would be, but it was something you had to do. Both of you had big plans and dreams and now it was your time to make them happen, it was almost as if it was meant to be, you were meant to be together and Wayne Munson was the first one to know that.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tags: @natashaashleymarvelromanoff 

[skywalkerresources]

                          LEGO STAR WARS: SUMMER VACATION  sentence starters taken/adapted/inspired from the special. change pronouns as necessary!

“ we’re here... to have some fun! ”

“ isn’t it great? no stormtroopers, no TIE fighters, no threat of galactic annihilation ”

“ do heroes even take vacations? ”

“ [name], you love your activities, buddy. ”

“ it’s a vacation. when do we, you know, relax? ”

“ i can schedule five minutes of relaxing time in between shuffleboard and the engineering room experience. ”

“ here, to catch some rays. ”

“ you relax your way, i relax mine. ”

“ they even have a spa. ”

“ it’s not that kind of holiday. ”

“ see? it’s gonna be great. we need this. ”

“ it’s the last time we’ll all be together. ”

“ time’s wasting. let’s get a move on. ”

“ i’d try to talk you out of it, but we’re already behind schedule. ”

“ strap in, baby! ”

“ what do you recommend for someone whose friend ditched him? ”

“ this trip sure isn’t going like i’d hoped. ”

 “ whoa, what is in this? ”

“ i’m kind of a clone wars expert. ”

“ no need to stand on ceremony. ”

“ [name] once told me that past jedi may appear to help guide us in times of need. ”

“ is it another death star? a second order? is the emperor coming back again... again?! ”

“ i sensed a jedi in need of counsel. ”

“ [name]’s somewhere on the ship. i’m not sure where. ”

“ i’m talking about you. ”

“ my friends are gone, but i’m hanging out in an empty lounge with a jedi ghost. ”

“ you must learn to enjoy yourself. ”

“ what do you know about vacations? ”

“ you look like you came out on the losing end of a bantha-milking contest. ”

“ if anyone asks, i’ve been here all day. ”

“ i’m no spy. ”

“ vacation? in mos eisley? ”

“ did i leave our identification at the great pit of carkoon? ”

“ i’d stay out of it. ”

“ she’d forget her own head if it weren’t already snapped on. ”

“ you don’t need to see her identification. ”

“ sorry i can’t stay and chat. i’m kind of in a rush. ”

“ perhaps you could use some assistance on your spy mission. ”

“ your secret is safe with me, jedi. ”

“ doing the deal in plain sight eliminates the fear of a double-cross by either side. ”

“ they won’t feel so clever after we steal it back. ”

“ what’s your plan? ”

“ you keep watch and try to blend in. ”

“ haven’t you ever been to a party? or relaxed? ”

“ well, that sounds rather difficult. ”

“ turns out i’ve had run-ins with some of these folks in the past. ”

“ use the force... of your personality. ”

“ shall we proceed with the exchange? ”

“ the empire is willing to compensate you. ”

“ it appears we’ll need a new form of transport. ”

“ you sure you won’t come with me? ”

 “ the rebellion needs all the help we can get. ”

“ i’m getting too old for that sort of thing. ”

“ even on your time off, you just ended up doing jedi stuff? ”

“ i hate to break it to you, but that was not a vacation. ”

“ in my experience, one never knows how long a moment will last. ”

“ does that mean i’m now an official jedi? ”

“ he’s been running us ragged with his nonstop activities. ”

“ you bailed on the ‘taste of the galaxy’ dining experience! ”

“ you’re gonna love these galactic cream puffs. ”

“ this day just gets weirder and weirder. ”

“ i lose them, then i find them, then i lose them again. ”

“ sand, right? it gets everywhere. ”

“ heroes don’t take vacation. evil sure doesn’t. ”

“ right now, i’m not sure about anything, okay? ”

“ we gotta put those emotions in carbonite and chill. ”

“ oh, look. the senate is squabbling over taxation of outlying trade routes. ”

“ sometimes, i wish i could just leave all of this behind. ”

“ we’re going to get you away from it all. ”

“ look, nothing but empty beach. no one to bother you, no demands on your time. ”

“ good thing we got away from crowded coruscant. ”

“ we traveled halfway across the galaxy for this? ”

“ you think i’d learn not to put you in charge of anything. ”

“ your friend looks awfully familiar. ”

“ what is this abomination? ”

“ when you do what you love, every day is a vacation. ”

“ you gotta find your bliss. ”

“ you seem a little lost. ”

“ i’ve spent more time today with ghosts than my friends. ”

“ i’m starting to regret even taking this trip. ”

“ sometimes a vacation is more than just having fun. a lot more. ”

“ what do you think, pal? pretty cool, huh? ”

“ i never had family vacations growing up... or a family. ”

“ it’ll be fun family bonding. what do you say? ”

“ you know what would be really fun? if i flew us there. ”

“ you never let me do anything. ”

“ not quite what i had in mind, but we’ll make the best of it. ”

“ this place is seriously rundown. ”

“ you look like you’ve been staring into a twin sun solar eclipse. ”

“ have you flown the millennium falcon? ”

“ i have to say, when i saw your name(s) on the guest list, i was intrigued. ”

“ we haven’t seen one ewok since we got here. ”

“ they may seem cute and cuddly, but they’re actually vicious little monsters. ”

“ i may have had an ulterior motive bringing you out here. ”

“ i thought someone of your stature talked to them, maybe they would back off. ”

“ real estate disputes aren’t exactly our area of expertise. ”

“ i hate to be pushy, but could we move this along? ”

“ this isn’t wizard at all, i wanna go home! ”

“ our son is in trouble. ”

“ why did you fly us into an asteroid field?! ”

“ you’re going to love lightsaber training. ”

“ i’m starting to realize that i don’t know if i can do it. ”

“ is it possible that none of you are ready to say goodbye? ”

“ a trip isn’t about the destination, it’s about the the journey. enjoying the moments for as long as they last. ”

“ oh, no. don’t you do it. don’t get mushy on me. ”

“ remember how we first met? ”

“ you gave me purpose. ”

“ i’ve loved fighting alongside all of you. i’m gonna miss that. ”

“ i didn’t wanna admit it to myself, but i never wanted those feelings to end. ”

“ with the memories we’ve shared, no one’s ever really gone. ”

“ i know what we should do now. ”

[daloy-politsey]

On my first date with Yehoram, I offered him a sip of my prosecco at the hip Tel Aviv bar I had brought him to. He tensed, paused and quietly replied, “I’m not sure if I can. I don’t know if it’s kosher.” I immediately recognized his confession for what it was: a coming-out. I told him that it’s fine, that we can ask the waitress if the wine has a certification, that I grew up in an observant family too. He finally breathed.

I already knew that Yehoram is female-to-male transgender. In fact, it was the only thing written on his dating profile. Over the course of our year-long relationship, and then our seamless transition into friendship late last year, he explained to me that the queer community will often accept that he is trans but not that he is religious. But the same is not always necessarily true of the religious community – and particularly of his family.

There are many preconceptions about his family. The matriarch Mazal, 74, and patriarch Yehiel, 78, were both born in Sana’a, Yemen, and immigrated to the newly-declared State of Israel in early childhood. (Haaretz is honoring their request not to publish the family name.) They are visibly Haredi: Mazal wears long skirts and tucks her hair into modest black caps; Yehiel trims his salt-and-pepper beard, and wears a uniform of crisp dress shirts, black pants and a black velvet kippa.

They speak with heavy Yemenite accents – which have been at least partially adopted by their seven children – and their speech is seasoned with religious aphorisms and allusions. People are surprised to learn that Yehoram, 32, is accepted and supported by his parents, to a degree that is rare even in the secular homes of Tel Aviv.

At their kitchen table in a town near Rehovot, central Israel, Mazal has set out water, juice and a homemade cake. Yehiel has set down a voice recorder of his own, to make sure he isn’t misrepresented. They have a story to tell about being the parents of a trans son, and they have decided that I am allowed to tell it.

Before we begin the interview, both are apprehensive. After much deliberation, they decide that I can publish their names but not their images. Yehiel is a respected figure in religious circles: he serves as his synagogue’s main cantor on the High Holy Days, is a mezuzah scribe and kashrut supervisor for the Chief Rabbinate. He spends his free time poring over religious texts, with Yehoram often alongside him. His son no longer attends the local synagogue in which his father plays so large a role; the congregation knew him before his transition, and it could hurt his family’s reputation.

If someone goes to the rabbi with this article in hand and tells Yehiel that he’s out of the fold, “at our age, there’s no fight left. There’s nothing you can do,” he says. “It would destroy me.” When he thinks I cannot hear him, he says that he suspects that one of his contracts as a kashrut supervisor was not renewed for this exact reason – because of his unconventional family.

But if getting his story out shows religious parents that they can embrace their own LGBTQ children, he wants it published. “I want to help,” he says.

Mazal chimes in. “Both of us do. You hear these stories about parents throwing their children out ... I don’t understand it. I don’t understand how you throw out your child.”

She recounts going to the shivah of a friend of Yehoram’s – the transgender queer activist DanVeg, who took her own life in 2016.  “I saw them all in the living room, with their heads on each other’s shoulders. I started to cry. I wanted to hug them all, to go one by one. And they came to me; they saw the look in my eye. There was a man who had become a woman, who came to hug me. And a young girl, and more. I couldn’t take it,” she says, wiping away tears that are coming faster and faster. “More and more of them told us that they’re alone, abandoned by their parents. How can you throw out your child? The child of a human being!”

I get up to hug her, and she cries into my back: “Why? Why would you throw your child out of your house? Why?”

They say they never suspected that Yehoram was different before he came out to them, if not unconventionally, as queer at the age of 18, some 14 years ago.

He did not employ the usual lexicon: “I told them, this is how I am – I’m wearing pants from now on and I’m not interested in men,” he recounts. In Yehoram’s absence, Yehiel recalls it as well. Yehoram sat his parents down in the living room and said his piece, and then asked his parents for a response.

“We got up immediately, as if it were coordinated,” Yehiel says. “We hugged [him] from both directions … and we told [him], ‘You have nothing to be afraid of, no need to worry. You’re our daughter, it doesn’t matter what you do.’” Yehoram then opened his backpack to show a couple days’ clothes inside. “If you didn’t accept me, I would have killed myself,” he told his parents.

From there, they worked to make sure that their son wouldn’t, for one moment, forget that he is loved and cared for. They also made sure that he could live a normal life. “It was important that he be self-sufficient, have a respectable career, be able to build a life without us,” Yehiel explains. “Every day, I’m afraid that he won’t be here. I think about how he can build his life so he’s not dependent on anyone else.”

Mazal and Yehiel tend to refer to Yehoram with female pronouns when he isn’t in the room, and occasionally slip into them when he is. To her, Mazal says, he will always be their daughter. “It’s hard for me,” Yehiel concurs. “[He] should be patient.”

Mazal calls him by his chosen name – an anagram of his birth name – to make him happy. “And to connect with [him] – what can you do? We love [him] either way. [He’s] our daughter.”

There have been difficulties in accepting him along the way, she concedes. But like many parents of LGBTQ children, they are mainly rooted in concerns that he will be able to live a safe, fulfilling life.

No one should mistake their acceptance for liberalism – they repeatedly note that the Pride Parades, with their scanty clothes and glitter, are unsightly. “The left brings it in,” Mazal says. “Non-Jews from abroad, with all their tattoos and whatnot.” However, their embrace of their transgender son and the many queer people who have passed through their doors does not come in spite of their firm religious beliefs, but is the direct result of them.

Yehiel, a lifelong religious scholar, has poured over sources biblical, talmudic, rabbinic and kabbalistic. The kabbalistic concept of the soul provides a simple explanation for the transgender phenomenon, he believes.

“We have the knowledge that Jewish souls can be reincarnated into anything – into non-Jewish families, into animals, even into food,” Yehiel explains. “We were taught that the soul of a man can be reincarnated into a woman, in order to remedy something he had done in a past life.”

When Mazal was pregnant with Yehoram, she had already given birth to five daughters and was hoping for a son. The couple went to a respected rabbi, who told them to buy a bottle of wine for the circumcision ceremony and to come see him 40 days into the pregnancy. Yehiel says that when the time came, it was hard to get hold of the rabbi to schedule an appointment, and they were only able to see him eight months in. The rabbi gave them the blessing regardless.

“The body was already formed female,” Yehiel says, but the prayers had worked: “The soul was male.”

And there is scripture to back up the existence of LGBTQ people within Judaism. “You’re not different, you’re not strange,” Yehiel says. “This [phenomenon] has always existed. It’s in the Torah, and it’s in the mystical sources.” Mazal adds: “It’s a shame that we don’t lay this out these days, to have everything written up and organized to say that it’s all there in scripture.”

At 26, Yehoram told his parents he was transitioning. He underwent top surgery – a double mastectomy – without informing them. “On the one hand, it hurt us,” Yehiel admits. “For us, it meant that’s it – it’s sealed. If he’d told us in advance, we would have told him to wait. Maybe the situation would change.”

But what’s done is done, Mazal says. “What hurt me is that [he] underwent the surgery and I wasn’t there. That ate at me.”

Both loudly agree that the important thing is that he is happy and healthy. “We hope just for success – and thank God there are many successes, so everything is alright,” she says. “I’m just waiting for children,” she laughs.

Yehoram, who has taken a seat next to her, smirks. Mazal jokes about him coming home pregnant one day. He’s slightly irked, but jokes along. A couple of years ago, he froze his eggs through Ichilov Hospital’s fertility clinic for transgender men, and hopes to one day become a father, no matter how he has to do it. His parents strongly supported the move. They have 31 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Yehoram asks a question of his own: Whether his parents want to talk about the time they took him to an esteemed rabbi in Tel Aviv, after he came out at 18.

“After he told us everything, we consulted with a rabbi,” Yehiel relays. “I remember that he got angry and yelled at him. I didn’t like that. He hurt him, and I couldn’t stay any longer, so we left.”

“The rabbi told me that I had lapsed, deteriorated in my spirituality,” Yehoram explains. It’s clear that he remembers it vividly. “That I had fallen.”

After that, the rabbi told him to leave the room, and for his parents to stay. “I heard shouting, and then you left the room,” he says to his parents. “You didn’t say anything, I didn’t say anything. We were quiet all the way home.”

No one discussed the incident for days after, and they barely spoke at all. After three days, Yehoram says, he asked his mother what had happened after the rabbi told him to leave the room.

“I didn’t know what happened, I assumed the worst. You told me that [Dad] got very angry and told [the rabbi], ‘How dare you hurt and belittle a Jewish soul?’ You said you had to give him however much money, and that you just threw a small bill onto the table and left the room,” Yehoram tells his mother. “It really surprised me. I thought you were on his side, and then I suddenly heard that you were on mine.”

When he is with us in the room, Yehoram sometimes seems agitated by his parents’ insistence that their acceptance has always been complete. He tries to direct them toward other instances, other rabbis they don’t or won’t recall. It is often difficult for parents to acknowledge the pain or discomfort that their actions caused their children, even if they were accidental. Mazal brings out a picture from Yehoram’s bat mitzvah, of them embracing the young girl he was. They look almost exactly the same, 20 years later, beaming. Young Yehoram, in a long-sleeved, high-necked dress, is smiling, but the smile does not reach his eyes.

Elisha Alexander, co-CEO and founder of the transgender advocacy and information organization Ma’avarim, says that even though Yehiel and Mazal’s acceptance of their son may seem unique, he would like to think it’s more common than we assume.

“There are religious and even ultra-Orthodox people who accept their trans family members, but it’s usually in secret. The main problem in these communities is the leadership,” he says.

But if more of them realized that embracing their children was a matter of pikuach nefesh – the Jewish concept that saving a life supersedes most religious commandments and norms – they would be more inclined to find a halakhic solution to integrating transgender people into these communities.

There is also a misconception that acceptance is a binary choice: That any parent who does not kick their transgender child out of the house or disown them has, by default, accepted them. “This could not be further from the truth,” Alexander says. “Accepting your child means accepting every aspect inherent to them, including their gender identity, pronouns and so on.”

When parents refuse to do so, their child may seek acceptance elsewhere. He adds that studies show that acceptance within the family drastically reduces the suicide rate among transgender people.

Knowing this, Yehiel says that any parent in his position must continue loving and supporting their child. “This child can fall,” he says. He does not mention it, but he is aware of the stories and statistics: trans youth who find themselves on the street face high rates of abuse and exploitation. Thirty to 50 percent of transgender teens report suicidal thoughts and behaviors – a rate three times higher than for teens overall. But that figure falls to 4 percent when families accept and embrace them, says Sarit Ben Shimol, manager of the Lioness Alliance for families and transgender children and teenagers.

Yehiel adds that it is the duty of parents to give children the support they need to thrive. “As a parent, it is your responsibility to tell your child: You are my child and you are my life. My life depends on you. Watch over me so that I can watch over you,” he says.

As we get up from our seats, Yehiel looks at me for a moment and asks, “If it’s not too personal – since we already opened up the topic – what is your relationship like with your parents?”

I tell them that I talk to my parents, and especially my mother, almost every day. That it was difficult for them to come to terms with my sexual orientation as well, and that sometimes I have an inkling that it still is, even if they won’t say it outright. But I try to be patient.

“Good,” Mazal says. “It’s important to be patient – they’re learning too.” She embraces me again, and Yehiel rests a hand on my shoulder. They invite me to come again, whenever I like. “After all, you’re like our daughter, too.”