#asked and answered 275

[away-ward]

okay, i just saw your hc of “what if emmy got pregnant in high school” and now its making me think the same about damon and winter since damon also has a breeding kink (which we see much more of in the bonus au scene) how do you think damon would react? i just started following your account and im really liking a lot of your hot takes

Hey thank you! It's always good to know that at least some out there are enjoying them.

I figured I'd just do the other three to keep them on the same post. We'll start with Damon since that's who you asked about.

Damon, we know from the alternative scene, wants to get Winter pregnant as away to keep her and control her, which is his particular brand of "love" in high school. If he found out that she was pregnant...well, the image that comes to mind is like a cat that ate the canary.

Winter would be furious, I think in either of the timelines but especially in canon. She's too young, she doesn't like Damon extending his control over her like that; she wanted a choice, not to be forever tied to him by accident. Still, if she did keep it, she'd love that baby with everything she had. She'd keep it and protect it from Damon.

The baby would definitely be a source of fighting for them.

If it was a boy (which, looking at Damon's track record...) Gabriel would be interested. Good chance he'll pull a Christiane 2.0 and take him away. If it's a girl, it's the Ashby's problem.

The Ashby's would seriously consider sending Winter away again. I just know her mom would ask if there were still those boarding schools for "girls like her," that took pregnant girls so they didn't disgrace the family. Her father would promptly walI her over to the town doc that performs all the abortions unwanted/accidentally pregnancies for Thunder Bay (but shhhh, that's a secret). If Winter wouldn't go through with an abortion (she'd have to really fight and scream to get her father to relent), she would consider closed adoption. Considering how angry she was, there's a chance she would have gone through with it. But I'm also thinking her love for Damon despite everything would keep her from being a 100% committed, and that small room for doubt would be enough.

Michael

This wouldn't happen to Michael. He wouldn't even touch Rika until she was 18 or close to it. If she did somehow, despite all this plans, become pregnant with his child, that's it. They're getting married and raising that thing together side by side, as faraway from his family as he could get. Her mom too, if she doesn't get sober real quick. Noway is that going to be let around his kid.

For Rika, this is not how she planned it, but she always wanted Michael so maybe this was how it was meant to be. It's just like them to skip past all the nonsense of dating and getting to know each other. They already know they're made for each other, anyway. But she hates the idea that Michael thinks she tricked or "planned" this. She wasn't poking holes in condoms and she resents him for implying it (which he definitely has more than once).

They'd fight, they'd bicker, they'd annoy each other, but overall they'd be content and happy, approaching this new stage of their life with purpose and assurance that the other is going to try and be the best parent they could.

Kai

This also wouldn't happen to Kai, but it's way more likely to happen to him than to Michael. Especially with Banks involved. His brain shut down whenever she appeared in front of him. Honor bound, he would do whatever he could to make it right. He wouldn't love the idea of abortion (hard to tell if he's the type of Catholic that's completely against the idea, or if he's more along the lines of it's not my body though it's my baby, or if he's more like it's not okay for anyone else but this is my emergency so I'll ask for forgiveness (that he doesn't thinks he'll get... kai's weird)). Overall, if the baby is born and he has to tell his parents, he's going to have one giant shadow over his head. Of course he loves the baby. But this is just another way he's disappointed his father. But then Kai will go to college, and get his degree, get the job, get the salary that will provide the very best for his family. No more screwing up for him.

Basically, this would be something he beats himself up over but would not take him down.

There's a really good chance Banks never tells anyone and takes her self to the abortion clinic. Her fear that Gabriel would kick her out because she can't bring another mouth into his house - that was not the deal. Or ended up anything like her mom, chasing after to rich man to take care of a baby neither of them wanted. Not that she would chase after him. It's just the whole situation she'd want to avoid; it hits too close to home. And don't even bring up Damon finding out. I think she'd also be scared to mess the kid up. At seventeen, she doesn't think she's anywhere close to being mother material. Best to save this kid some pain before it understands. The only thing that might stop her is if Kai somehow found out and talked her out of it. But that would have to be one hell of a speech.

Hope you don't mind me highjacking your question! I'll probably come back and edit to include Will's so that all four are on the same page.

I'll be interested in hearing anyone else's hot takes or opinions. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments or post.

[raamitsu]

I feel like michi will die and then get reincarnated

Hmm...... you see, people were speculating that Mikey resetting the whole thing will most likely to happen in the next chapter(s), hence it goes back to your statement above.

I mean it's not possible since we're talking about time leaping here but it's also would be a typical (or should I say generic 🤔) type of twist ??? because in my opinion, it takes away the meaning or sentiments of loss and that — one's dedication and possessing a supernatural power alone doesn't save everyone you love. It's funny how these messages were always be the main focus for the entirety of this series but seeing how the previous chapters were delivered, you can see that nothing fits everyone's logical mind so if there's a sign that every dead characters are resurrected, I would've honestly mad tbh 💀 But each to their own, I guess. I'll respect it either way.

[boydepartment]

ོ༘₊⁺☀︎₊⁺⋆.˚ from the start (trips) - nishimura riki x m! reader (PT 2)

fluff - angst - masterlist - pt 1 - wc- 250-275

the movie was absolutely boring riki out of his mind and he couldn’t help the glances he’d throw at you. it clicked for him now.

he liked you

he REALLY liked you…

riki wasn’t dumb or totally oblivious to his feelings, but it’s something hard to accept. being in love with your best friend is some heavy shit that can tear friendships apart or make a wedge and riki didn’t want that for you guys.

he wanted to be around you whether he was your boyfriend or not.

your boyfriend… man he would kill to have that title. he started zoning out and didn’t even notice you shoving him lightly to get him out of the dazed look.

“you okay..?” your voice broke him out of his distraction.

“oh um. yeah this movie is just ass.” he said blankly, why’d he say that? god that was SO STUPID…. he was panicking and overthinking everything now and-

you laughed, you started laughing.

“the movie is pretty bad.”

okay good he didn’t fuck up he’s fine.

“are you sure you’re okay though..?” you asked, fulling turning to him on the couch. riki watched as his clothes that you wore fit your frame. he wished you could say ‘oh these cool pants? yeah they are my boyfriends’

“riki?” you scooted closer to him and waved a hand in front of his face.

once again he snapped out of it, “huh? no i’m okay. i need to ask something though.”

your brows furrowed but you obliged, “okay shoot, captain america.”

riki chuckled at the nickname and got serious again, “are you for real about this crush? the new one? be honest with me.”

he watched your reaction intensely. everything he could note he would.

you shrugged, “i dunno if i’m being honest… sometimes i think i just distract myself from the real picture.”

riki felt his heart speed up again

real picture?

“what do you mean?” he turned his body fully towards you and leaned his head on the wall next to him.

you got nervous, he could tell, you were picking at the bracelet he got you.

“well i told you i mostly lean towards guys yaknow… she’s not a guy but it’s so hard finding GOOD guys who are comfortable with their sexuality. i mean it’s hard being lgbt sometimes…” you mumbled and looked away, “i can’t help but want a boyfriend who’s good for me and comfortable with being a boyfriend to a g-“

“ME.” riki yelled quickly, your head shot over.

“what? now’s not the time to joke around asshole!” you laughed and threw your head back, when you looked at him again though you stopped.

riki was being dead serious, and you just caught onto it.

“y/n i like you. and i hate all your crushes and want them to di-“

“OKAY CAN WE BACK IT UP A FEW PACES BEFORE YOU WISH DEATH UPON MY PREVIOUS FAKE CRUSHES?” you waved your hands around and riki’s brows furrowed.

fake? what DID YOU MEAN? HAS HE BEEN PACING AROUND FOR NOTHING?

“hold on… what the hell do you mean by fake?” he scooted closer to you and you placed with the bracelet again, riki placed his hands next to you almost caging you in, “answer me please…”

“well i told you i used them to distract myself from the bigger picture….” your eyes flickered down to his lips and he scanned your face, stopping at your lips.

riki focused on them for a good few seconds before looking at you again, “you can tell me to stop before i risk our friendship.” he leaned closer to you.

you shook your head no, “i want to risk it… i’ve wanted to kiss you so bad from the start…”

[my-castles-crumbling]

mess - @rosekillermicrofic - word count: 275

TW: mentioned homophobia

It was early. Regulus was still out and Barty normally spent his evenings relaxing in the Common Room. So Evan was shocked when he entered their shared dorm to see Barty there, crying quietly, clutching at a letter.

"Oh! S-sorry," Evan muttered, eyes wide, as Barty scrambled to wipe at the mess of tears and eyeliner running down his cheeks.

"It's nothing," Barty mumbled, turning away. "Something in my eye, that's all. I-"

But Evan knew him better than that. "Bullshit," he said softly. "Who's the letter from, B?"

Barty turned, looking at him nervously. "It's nothing," he insisted.

"Your dad?" Evan pushed, stepping closer, trying to resist the urge to pull Barty into his arms.

"Turns out he's not fond of the idea of having a queer son," Barty scoffed, clearly trying to put on a brave face even as tears continued to fall. "Said he'd rather I not come home for the holidays now-"

"You're queer?" Evan interrupted, before realizing that was not the point.

But Barty seemed to be willing to answer. "Erm. Yeah. Sorry, I should've told you differently. I-"

"No," Evan whispered, stepping forward to rest a hand on his shoulder. "I just- That's actually- I mean- sorry, I'm buggering this up. Your dad is a piece of shit. A literal asshole. He doesn't deserve the spot on the planet he inhabits, really-"

Barty let out a choked laugh.

"But fuck, B, I can't even pretend to be upset, because I've fancied you for years, you know?"

And, suddenly, Barty looked a lot happier. "Couldn't even wait five minutes to tell me, eh?" he asked, mustering up a flirtatious wink.

[multigenderswag]

Multigender Survey Results Dec 2023: Language (part 1)

Number of pronouns 

Participants were asked “How many sets of pronouns do you use?” (single selection) and participants whose pronouns differed depending on slightly were asked to answer what they used most often. The options provided were: 

No pronouns: 2 (0.3%)

1 set of pronouns: 69 (9.3%) (nice)

2 sets of pronouns: 197 (26.5%)

3 sets of pronouns: 131 (17.6%)

4 sets of pronouns: 58 (7.8%)

5+ sets of pronouns: 98 (13.2%)

All pronouns: 72 (9.7%)

It changes regularly: 78 (10.5%)

Questioning: 38 (5.1%)

Number of pronouns vs number of genders

Participants’ answers to “How many sets of pronouns do you use?” and “How many genders do you identify as?” were compared and sorted into the following categories:

Number of pronouns is the same as the number of genders (for example, two genders and us two sets of pronouns): 109 (14.7%)

Number of pronouns is less than the number of genders (for example, all genders and one set of pronouns): 47 (6.3%)

Number of pronouns is more than the number of genders (for example, three genders and 5+ sets of pronouns): 56 (7.5%)

Number of pronouns and/or number of genders were non-numerical answers (for example, “I don’t know/I choose not to count them” for number of genders and all pronouns): 531 (71.5%)

Multiple pronouns

Participants were asked “If you use multiple pronouns, do you prefer that people use all of your pronouns interchangeably?” (single selection). The options provided were: 

Yes, and it is misgendering if they don’t: 81 (10.9% of participants overall, 11.8% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

Yes, but I don’t mind if they stick to one set: 366 (49.3% of participants overall, 53.2% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

No, I prefer that people stick to one set: 47 (6.3% of participants overall, 6.8% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

I don’t have a preference: 126 (17.0% of participants overall, 18.3% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

I don’t use multiple pronouns: 55 (7.4%)

There was also an “other” option in which participants could write in their answer. Written in answers were divided into the following categories:

It depends on context: 19 (2.6% of participants overall, 2.8% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

It depends on the pronouns (for example, using he/him and she/her interchangeably is preferred, using just he/him is okay, using just she/her is considered misgendering): 18 (2.4% of participants overall, 2.6% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

Preferences change frequently: 13 (1.7% of participants overall, 1.9% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

Yes, and I don’t like it if people stick to one set, but I don’t consider it misgendering: 11 (1.5% of participants overall, 1.6% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

Other: 7 (0.9% of participants overall, 1.0% of participants who use multiple pronouns)

Most common pronouns

Participants were asked “What pronouns do you use?” (multiple selection). For participants who only used a given set of pronouns sometimes, they were asked to select those pronouns for this question. The options provided were: 

He/him: 565 (76.0%)

She/her: 380 (51.1%)

They/them: 422 (56.8%)

It/its: 275 (37.0%)

Xe/xem: 199 (16.0%)

Fae/faer: 66 (8.9%)

Ey/em: 66 (8.9%)

Ze/hir: 52 (7.0%)

Ze/zir: 59 (7.9%)

Ae/aer: 53 (7.1%)

E/em: 53 (7.1%)

Ce/cer: 22 (3.0%)

No pronouns: 69 (9.3%)

Any/all pronouns: 135 (18.2%)

Any/all neos: 124 (16.6%)

Additionally, there was an “other” option in which participants could write in pronouns. With the given and written in pronouns combined, a total of 171 unique subject pronouns were used. 

Honorifics

Participants were asked “Which of these honorifics would you want to be referred to with?” (multiple selection). The options provided were: 

Ind.: 40 (5.4%)

Lady: 14 (1.9%)

M.: 151 (20.3%)

Masteress: 33 (4.4%)

Miss/Ms./Mrs.: 165 (22.2%)

Mistrum: 47 (6.3%)

Mr.: 339 (45.6%)

Mx.: 108 (14.5%)

Sir: 328 (44.1%)

Sirlady: 62 (8.3%)

No honorific: 311 (41.9%)

[captain-mj]

Changling!Ghost attempting to court Selkie!Soap before ditching google and asking Soap's mom.

Hell yeah, love it! I also have the next part of this story already planned and ready to go so hope you guys are enjoying it

Ghost checked the time. Currently 4 am. The screen he was on now was an article of Selkies in Scottish folklore.

After reading about how selkies were sexually dominated by those that stole their coats for the dozenth time, he gave up. Every article held pretty much the same thing. An explanation of how men would force the female selkies to be their brides through their coat or how male selkies would have human families they’d see for a while before leaving. Several stated that once a selkie went to sea, they wouldn’t be seen for seven years and he needed to make sure that wasn’t true because he thought he’d go mad if Soap disappeared from him. 

Ghost set his head down. He wished he could sleep, but alas, it was evading him tonight. It’s why he decided to get some research done. Originally, it was to help him court Soap, but he had gotten a bit lost in the stories. 

There were clear distinctions he could make out. Everything before a certain painted selkies as malevolent or benevolent, some even implying there evil. Then the weird sexual stuff. Then when the catholics came and they could be healed by baptism. Considering Soap was very much still here, that wasn’t true. 

There was nothing on courting. Nothing. Just take their coat and force them. He didn't want that.

He checked the time and did the math. Because of the timezone difference it would be 8 where Soap's mom lived.

Ghost called her before he could second guess himself.

"Hello?" She sounded so soft spoken. Her accent just as thick as Soap's though.

"Hi. This is... Ghost? Soap may have called me Simon."

"Oh. I was waiting for your call. I have to say, I appreciate how safe you keep my son." Her voice grew to a whisper and it was clear she was moving around.

"Yes, of course. I'd do anything for him." He had been honest with Soap about one thing and that's that he really did want her to like him.

"Good. I will admit, I was worried when he said he planned to not tell you. Selkies are sensitive, especially my son." There was a threat right under the surface. "So why are you calling?"

"I want to know how to court him. Properly."

"..."

Ghost stared at the wall ahead of him and shoved himself through one of the most excruciating sentences of his life. "I've been looking into it, but I'm not good at human romance, let alone this. I want... Soap to be my husband and I want to be a good husband back."

"..."

Ghost gritted his teeth and bore the silence for a few minutes before finally getting an answer.

"Did you feel this way before seeing his coat?"

"I've felt this way a while, ma'am."

He swore for a moment he heard her sniffle. "Good. Good. I'll help you, okay? First, please disregard anything you've seen online."

"Already did. They mostly just suggest taking his coat or chasing him."

"Chasing comes later, doing that so early on is seen as tacky and too forward." She explained while Ghost felt a blush creep up on his face. "Right now, you need to prove yourself to be a good mate. Little difficult considering your jobs, but prove you're useful. If you were a selkie, I'd suggest hunting bu-"

"I hunt." Ghost interrupted. "Mostly deer. Would that... work?"

"Excellent. Yes. Bring him food and shiny objects. Also, wear your arms bare more."

"Why?" That didn't make much sense.

"Because Soap likes your tattoos. And your arms. I love my son very much, but I didn't need to know your measurements or how much you can lift. Congrats on getting to 275 on bench presses by the way. According to Soap, that's very impressive."

Ghost had turned bright red under his mask. "Thank you."

She laughed softly before humming. "Can you do something for me and not ask why?"

"Sure."

"Say you're doing this to control him."

Ghost paused and went to ask why before stopping. "I'm doing this to control Soap."

"Thank you. Good luck." She hung up on him.

He decided to brush it off, sure she asked for a good reason. 

So Ghost took her advice and bought him a handful of pens that glittered. Soap held them to his chest and blushed. “Thank you.”

Ghost nodded, staring at him. The next time he went to eat, he noticed Soap had given him some extra food. He immediately looked for him, seeing him talk to Gaz. Something warm spread through his chest before he fled to his room to eat. 

Soap visited him after a while and sat with him, talking casually. 

“You want to come with me on our next leave?” Ghost asked suddenly. “I have a cabin in Canada I go to occasionally.” 

Soap stared at him for a minute, clearly thinking. “I’m sorry, ask me that again.” 

“I have a cabin in Canada. It’s only an hour by foot from a coast too.” He looked at Soap who was still processing. 

“I thought you had a flat in Manchester?”

“Yeah, I do. But I have a cabin I hunt at. It’s pretty nice.”

“And you’re inviting me. To stay there. For a week. Alone. In the woods.” Soap leaned forward as he talked.

“Yes. You and me.” Ghost nodded. 

“Okay. Yeah. I’ll go.” Soap said softly.

-

“How much further?” Soap groaned at him. They had gotten off the plane maybe thirty minutes ago. The cab had driven them as far as the road went and now they had been trekking for maybe ten minutes.

“Stop being a baby.”

Soap groaned more. “Do we have to do this every time we need anything?”

“Yep.”

“I’m regretting this already. I think my feet are going to fall off.”

“We’ve walked way more than this for a mission!” Ghost didn’t understand, turning to look at him. There was a lot of snow... And he didn’t really prepare Soap as well as he could’ve.. 

He noticed that Soap’s face was completely red from the cold. He assumed he’d be immune to the cold, but he supposed without his coat, he was just human. 

Ghost moved closer. “Sorry.”

Soap blinked and stared up at him. His eyes were so big. Ghost really, really like them. 

He took off his mask and grabbed Soap’s face, very gently holding. If hypothermia had set in, rubbing would cause the ice crystals in his skin to tear. Once he thought Soap was a little more warmed up, he moved closer, gently rubbing now to make sure there was plenty of blood flow. Soap was still really red though which was concerning. 

Soap stared at him, a lot more aware of their proximity than Ghost. “Simon?” His breath made clouds but Ghost’s didn’t. It was an odd thing to notice, but they both did. 

Ghost slipped his ski mask over Soap head, tucking in carefully. “There. I don’t really get cold. I’ll carry your bag.” He took it from him and started trekking again. Soap grabbed his arm and followed. Maybe he leaned in a bit too much, making it hard for Ghost to walk, but Ghost wasn’t going to say anything. 

Finally they got there and Soap collapsed on the couch. Ghost turned the heat on and sat with him. He took off both their gloves and did the process he remembered for warming someone up. Start with the extremities. Ghost hummed softly. 

Soap pulled off the mask and tossed it on the table. “You gave me your mask.”

“Yeah, I was worried. Your face was super red.” He continued rubbing Soap’s hands until they felt warm. Ghost hummed. “I’m not rubbing your feet. You can just lose some toes.” 

Soap laughed. “Alright. Understood.” He moved a little closer. “This place is... To be honest, I was expecting a shack.” 

It really was a nice place. Two stories, big lofty rooms and mostly wood from the looks of it. “I’m a little insulted. But I like space. Plus no one can be hiding anywhere.” 

Soap laughed. “Paranoid as always, huh, Lt?” 

Ghost shrugged. “There’s a spare room. I know we’re married and all but...”

“I’ll be staying in the spare room for now.” Soap said quickly, blushing as he looked away.

Ghost nodded and showed him where it was. “Before you ask, there is a hot water heater and it lasts for hours. Unlike the one on base.”

“You’re making me a very happy man, Simon Riley.” Johnny smiled at him. 

Simon tried not to vibrate out of his skin. “I’m going to bring you so many deer.”

“What?”

[spaceorphan18]

The Rogue and Gambit Project : The Muir Island Saga

The first time we see Rogue and Gambit on the same page together is the cover of Uncanny X-Men #275 - which was one of those VERY SPECIAL ISSUES that put everyone on the cover. No, this is not a part of the Muir Island Saga -- but belongs to the previous arcs (Savage Land and Space Shenanigans). Still, it's pretty cool to see them on the cover together.

So, here's the thing about the Muir Island Saga - the next arc of the comics - despite dealing with the same adversary, and spending time with the same group of people, we never see Rogue and Gambit mix. In fact - (something I'll point out in detail in a minute) - it's almost comical how much they seem to be ships passing in the night. It's almost as if it's done purposely.

I know that years (and years and years and years) later - we'll get a retcon of their first meeting. And I really thought a lot about whether or not I should talk about that here... and, not to disappoint some of you, but I'm not going to (for now). Because I kind of want to tackle this project from a chronological point of view. To experience things as they were happening without the added layers of what we'll get next. And the retcon kind of, gets into a whole lot of issues I don't want to dig into yet. So, I promise, I'll talk about Kelly Thompson's Mini when we get there, we're just... a very long way off from that.

In the meantime, the thing about this arc that's so fascinating is trying to pinpoint how they could meet. And when. And why. And thing I keep coming back to is... comics don't make a whole lot of sense, y'all.

Let's dive in...

Uncanny X-Men #278

The whole premise of The Muir Island Saga is that the Shadow King wants to get out of the Astral Plane and kind of brainwashes the residents of Muir Island (including the X-Men) in order to do it. Don't ask me to make sense of it, I'm just the recapper!

The real purpose of the whole thing is to reshuffle the line, which had been in such flux up until this point. The X-Office was getting ready to launch the new Adjectiveless X-Men book, and Chris Claremont was getting ready to depart after 17 years of being the sole author of X-Men. Things were definitely changing and this saga finally gets all the pieces to where they need to be.

As an aside, I do find it fascinating that the beginning of Rogue and Gambit's relationship coincides with all of these changes. Not only is the decade changing, but X-Men's status quo is about to be really shaken up after being a relatively steady book for a very, very long time. It's just kind of neat that the endings and beginnings happening on an external level are also happening with our characters as well.

Uncanny X-Men #278

For some context, after the destruction of the mansion after the Inferno crossover, and after remaining X-Men all ended up going through the Siege Perilous after the Australian era, Muir Island, home of (brilliant scientist and ex-Xavier lover) Moira MacTaggart became the home of a new (and short lived) group of X-Men. I can only assume that's why Rogue returned here after her little side adventure in the Savage Land.

Though I should point out that Rogue has ZERO idea who is alive and who is dead other than the people who are already on the island. I kind of wonder what her future plans would have been if the other X-Men never showed up. Anyway... though, there really isn't any full explanation as to why Rogue went back to Muir Island other than they had no intention of writing her out of the book, and they needed all the X-Men to be in one place.

How does she feel about the events of the Savage Land? What really happened with her and Magneto? The answer is -- who cares, we're done with that plot now and moving on until another comic book writer decides to tug on that loose plot thread. :P

Uncanny X-Men #278

What is important to know that the Shadow King is mind controlling everyone. And... he does so with Rogue by making out with her after she's been in the shower? What??

Look, I'm not going to claim this stuff makes a whole lot of sense. But I can fanwank it a little...

The Shadow King's whole deal is that he's trying to corrupt everyone and bring them to their most evil (because, you know, that's what evil villains do). And with Rogue - he plays on her sense of touch. Back in the old days, Rogue used kissing as her primary way of stealing people's powers. And on top of that, one of her deepest rooted struggles (as of obvious statement isn't obvious) is the fact that she isn't able to have physical contact. So the Shadow King is tapping into both of those things, and, as the whole 'temptation' quote insinuates - him letting her give into her desires allows him to brainwash her.

Now, do I really believe she'd be enticed this easily? Can the Shadow King have that deep a hold on anyone? That is for you to decide, fair reader.

It's at least my interpretation. Honestly, I think there's a bigger part of me that wonders if they really just wanted to see Rogue making out with someone because because they can.

Meanwhile, on the opposite page, guess who is landing with the rest of the X-Men who just returning from space? That's right, everyone can relax. Gambit has arrived. ;) They're now in the same place... so if we can only get them to the same panel...

Uncanny X-Men #278

Alright guys, time to play the logistics game... these two panels are on opposite pages. Gambit, fresh off his plane, ends up running into Multiple Man - and they have a little fight. Meanwhile, Rogue runs into Wolverine and Jubilee - and they have a little fight. Are you following me? Good! Cause it's going to get crazier from here.

Also, let's keep track of Rogue's clothes because... ooff, yeah, the continuity is worse than the story line.

Uncanny X-Men #279

Before I get into it - I need to state that Uncanny X-Men 279 is the issue where Chris Claremont just up and quit during the middle. He'll be back to wrap up his run in the new X-Men book (that we'll get to after this) but I'm sure the nonsense going on in the X-Office didn't help the clarity of this story...

Anyway, the next time we see either Gambit or Rogue is here... in the next issue. What happened between Rogue and Wolverine/Jubilee? How did Gambit handle Multiple Man? Who knows! But now Gambit is with Wolverine and Jubilee and Rogue is nowhere to be seen.

Also - that's the third 'bang, you dead joke' in, like, five issues. Good lord, Claremont, if this wasn't your final Uncanny issue (for now) I'd say give it a rest. I will say, though, I almost included the entire three pages of Wolverine/Jubilee/Gambit because they are that delicious, and easily the best thing about this entire arc.

Uncanny X-Men #279

On the next page, we see Rogue again - where she is taking on Forge. Note the wardrobe change? Did she have time to add more clothes after her 'fight' with Wolverine? Is any of this making sense yet? No? Okay... onto the X-Factor issue...

X-Factor #69

This is literally the next time we see Rogue - after Forge shoots her with a ray gun that stops the mind control. Did the ray gun just change her outfit as well? Was the previous outfit too evil?? Or was it just that artists Andy Kubert and Whilce Portacio just have zero communication when getting these issues out? (Honestly, I do not blame the artists - I do blame editorial though.)

X-Factor #69

Meanwhile, where is Gambit you ask??

Alright, guys, this is where we're at -- Forge has un-mind controlled Rogue, Wolverine, and Banshee. Meanwhile, Gambit, Psylocke, Jubilee and the Muir Island peeps are still under the Shadow King. And now X-Factor (the original five X-Men - Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Angel, and Beast) are now involved. All of them are running around the island. Only, it's X-Factor who finds the rest of the mind controlled - not Forge and crew...

Also, in case you'd like me to make it more confusing, Mystique has arrived in disguise (with Nick Fury), while all this mind control is doing wonders for Charles Xavier's son, Legion, who is about to go a little crazy.

Uncanny X-Men #280

Classic cover is classic. Also, Rogue still has more of her clothes! Don't grow too attached to them.

Uncanny X-Men #280

See, I told you not to get too attached to Rogue's clothes. Apparently, when Legion went crazy and caused an explosion, it blew off all her clothes. Miraculously, no one else had this issue. I guess Jean just used her telekinetic powers to keep hers on.

Uncanny X-Men #280

And on the other side of this really not very big island is the B-team. B for brainwashed. Yes - the two teams are going to meet! Yes, a big, huge battle is about to ensue!

Uncanny X-Men #280

Gambit is going to take on Wolverine (for the 100th time it seems) while Rogue will take on Strong Guy. Every non-brainwashed X-Man is going to take on every other brainwashed X-Man. Except for Rogue v Gambit. We don't get to see that. They do not share any panels together. Not even in the big group scenes. None. Nothing. Absolutely zero.

They just knew it'd be too much...

(Honestly, I am a little curious as to why this was. It almost does feel intentional at this point.)

Anyway, the battle ends. The Shadow King is vanquished (for now) -- and has the hilariously villain closing line of "No!!! I WAS SO CLOSE!!" And all that's left is to wrap up this little ditty...

Uncanny X-Men #280

I just need to talk about Rogue's clothes again. Her panties are barely hanging on by a thread, but her gloves are perfectly intact. How convenient.

Anyway, the last line of this comic reads: The End, and The Beginning. How appropriate...

Here we are, guys. The first issue where Rogue and Gambit end up on panel together. Are you ready for this??

Let's talk about X-Factor #70

X-Factor #70

Most of the issue revolves around Xavier trying to get into Legion's head while the rest of the group is either waiting around in the hospital room or tying up loose plot threads around the island.

So... how much time has passed? It's unclear - but enough that Rogue's had enough time to find some clothes that have not been ripped to shreds.

Anyway - one of the loose plot threads is dealing with Mystique's "death" that happened ages ago. Turns out she faked it and had been pretending to be Val Cooper for a while now. Rogue had seen news of the "death" and this is their reunion.

Great, now that that's squared away, we get one of my favorite sequences in comics... the chain letting everyone know that Xavier is okay ;)

X-Factor #70

Idk why, but I love this little sequence. I love the random 'no smoking' sign. I love Gambit freaking Polaris out. I love that Jubilee just does not give a shit. And I love that Rogue doesn't seem to either.

Anyway... now to the moment y'all have been patiently waiting for...

I present to you -- Rogue and Gambit's first on panel moment!

X-Factor #70

It's sort of anticlimactic, isn't it?

While Xavier's - what do we do with fourteen X-Men - is rather iconic, the art here is... meh. I'm so glad Jim Lee is going to redesign a lot of the characters. Gambit just does not look good in the yellow costume (also, he does not have his headsock on here for some reason). Meanwhile, even Rogue looks a little off here (though this is the X-Factor book and not Uncanny).

And... we're left with a bunch of open questions. Just how did Rogue and Gambit meet? What was their first interaction like? What is their dynamic at the very beginning? As I said before -- Kelly Thompson will one day answer these questions -- both brilliantly and unbelievably.

If you were looking for any kind of set up going into the relaunch, I'm sorry to say that what I've laid out for you is what we've got. So, introductions are open to interpretation...

My own version...?

Gambit: *speaking flirtations French to Rogue* Rogue: Wolverine - who is this? Wolverine: Storm brought back some Cajun leftovers from her time as a de-aged thief. Gambit: How about a kiss, chere? Rogue: How about I punch you?

And thus a dynamic was born. ;)

Next up: We're finally going to really get into it with X-Men #1-3!

[oshiawaseni]

So.. I've seen a lot of people that saying Katsuki died while thinking of İzuku. I've even seen some people saying that Katsuki did not care what AFO said about he can never be more than İzuku. But when I read those chapters it seemed like he was thinking about how he can never surpass him like he always wanted to, rather than thinking about İzuku himself. When he realized he will die anyways, he desperately accepted the fact that he can never reach İzuku's level. And he accepted his admiration for him, knowing that he will always be superior than him, by his actions (thinking of how he made his movements and attacks etc.). So it felt like he STİLL puts his desire of 'becoming the best' above everything, it seemed like he died with that thoughts. I couldn't see any confirmation of him realizing some feelings for him.

Soo I would really like to know your oppinion about this. Do you have any counter evidence for this? I really wanna hear your thoughts ASAP. <3

Hello everyone! In this meta, I'll explain why the feelings Katsuki realises are romantic in chapter 362 and how bakudeku's relationship arc is intertwined with Katsuki's character development and provide anon evidence that supports this.

Anon: I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt here, that you genuinely need answers... so yes! I have a lot of points to make which I will now present to you! I think the problem you're struggling with is not identifying that Katsuki's character development has always been tied to his relationship with (and feelings for) Izuku.

My writer friend introduced me to literary concepts like internal and external relationship arcs that develop alongside a character's growth. Internal arcs involve emotions and relationships between the characters, while external arcs are influences on their relationship by outside forces, pushing them together or pulling them apart.

While character development arcs are about personal conflicts, both internal and external. In BNHA, these conflicts shape a character's quirk progress, understanding of heroism, motivations for performing well, and provide external obstacles which hinder them.

Katsuki's character arc is intrinsically tied to his relationship with Izuku. Overcoming his internal conflict of not recognizing "save to win" and addressing the source of this conflict, his lifelong issues with Izuku, were essential in his path to become a top hero. DvK2 served as both an outlet for Katsuki's negative emotions, and as an event that brought bkdk's relationship closer together by having Katsuki join in on their OFA secret. Their conversation with All Might also propels Katsuki's character development in the months after it.

So, anyway, as your ask suggests, Katsuki's "character arc" had always been about becoming the #1 top hero. Not being left in Izuku's, or ANYONE'S dust. Katsuki learning the qualities he was lacking to get to that point. Etc Etc.

However! As he thinks about Izuku's burdens, draws in closer to him, and they spend more time together, we see his character change into a more giving, caring person and he gradually overcomes his personal conflicts, with Izuku acting as his heart's north star.

An example of his change comes in chapter 358. Katsuki is thinking of his teacher and friends doing their part and that he now had to do his. Then he thinks of Izuku saving him from the slime villain and says something to sAFO that proves he is NOT the same character he was at the start of the manga: "Big disparities? Lack of understanding? Dread? I've long since been acquainted with all of this." I feel he is talking about his relationship with Izuku and his fear based emotions he has had (and still has) with him.

It was made clear that Katsuki's need to "stay ahead" is another one of his internal conflicts that's DIRECTLY TIED to his relationship with Izuku in chapter 275, when we see his thoughts about how he can barely keep up with Izuku, and that he won't be left behind.

He says he won't lose and he won't "let himself stay losing." Note that this isn't even about winning anymore. It's about not falling behind Izuku. The reason we know his desires to stay ahead were tied to his feelings for Izuku is because of the scene coupled together with it: his flash back of Izuku trailing behind him when they were kids.

The impression this left on me was that Katsuki had ALREADY swallowed his pride and selfish reasons to be his best self because his feelings towards Izuku had once again changed his priorities as a hero. In chapter 275, we see his ambitions had shifted from being ahead, to just being able to keep up enough to stay by Izuku's side. (and I'll talk more about this later.)

By linking their childhood memory to his feelings of "being left behind," Hori was telling us the only reason Katsuki ever wanted to stay ahead of Izuku to begin with, was so he would never have to see the day Izuku left him behind, leaving Katsuki ALONE. I don't know about you, but this seems like the setup of a romantic plot to me.

My feeling with this is that Katsuki has always loved Izuku and needed him in his life. But he buried those feelings deep inside himself and they hit him like a damn TRUCK after he realised how bad he had messed everything up that day in the river and everything he'd done to Izuku after it. That's why the volume 29 cover is what it is for the Katsuki Rising content. The image is full of love and acceptance, but also... regret.

To someone who doesn't understand that Katsuki's internal relationship with Izuku is interwoven into his character arc, I understand his feelings presented at his death may seem self-centred and platonic to you. But it just isn't true. Katsuki's character development and relationship development with Izuku are ABSOLUTELY linked together and always have been.

//anger//

At first Katsuki is angry at Izuku because of his misunderstandings and Izuku always having been the one person who didn't make him feel like he's the best. To Katsuki, who grew up in a quirk worshipping society, being a hero only meant possessing a strong quirk and the ability to defeat anyone and win. However, from an early age he recognised that Izuku had qualities that he didn't fully understand but knew he lacked. Izuku tries to save him, despite Katsuki being physically stronger than Izuku, and this just causes him to double down on his belief of winning at all costs. (Ironic that the event which made Katsuki feel hate towards Izuku, ultimately caused Izuku to love him even more.)

And as soon as he gets into U.A, his entire world view of himself is shattered as he suffers humiliating defeat after humiliating defeat; Losing his first proper fight against Izuku, not getting the fair battle with Todoroki he wanted so he could have a true victory against Izuku (because to Katsuki, beating the same Todoroki that beat Izuku equates to beating Izuku), being kidnapped, feeling responsible for ending AM's career, failing his provisional license exam... And as Katsuki watches Izuku get stronger and stronger, and further away from him, it makes him hate everything even more until the day he's had enough and grabs Izuku and lets it all explode out of him.

//guilt//

Then after DvK2, he realises he's deeply misjudged Izuku and he starts to feel guilty for everything he has ever done to him, and for what? Because he couldn't see his own weaknesses. He is told by All Might to recognise Izuku's strengths. So that's what he does and what does he say when he finally learns the importance of saving people, taken straight from the heart of the person closest to him who exemplifies this quality? "Just keep your eyes on me, shitty Deku." But his guilt towards Izuku sets off his atonement arc, and his rising concern for Izuku's cursed fate brings them together.

After witnessing Izuku hurt himself multiple times throughout their first year of high school and long before by his own hands, Katsuki's guilt reaches its peak when they both confront Shigaraki. As he's watching how badly Izuku will hurt himself to win, he recalls Izuku's words about being the 'Deku who always tries his best,' and Katsuki realises that Izuku had been overcompensating for being quirkless his whole life.

He understands that this may have been largely his fault and truly gets the impact of the horrible name he gave Izuku when they were kids. 'Deku' taken from 'deku no bou,' which is a doll without arms and legs and carries the meaning of "a useless person."

He remembers his conversation with All Might, who told him "he would be able to talk about it with Izuku one day" and when he sees his history with Izuku flash before his eyes, he knew that one day was never gonna come unless he did something! So he did something. He had a quirk awakening and saved Izuku's life at a cost to himself, fully embracing what it means to be a true hero. But not just any hero, Izuku's hero.

//acceptance//

Then his character reaches a point of understanding and acceptance of his feelings. He can no longer put up resistance to his relationship with Izuku anymore, and Izuku's absence causes Katsuki to realise he needs Izuku in his life, to be closer, and by his side. He accepts Izuku for all of his weaknesses and embraces him. He's also accepted how important it is to rely on others, and also be there for them in turn and teaches these things again, back to Izuku, quietly asking Izuku to lean on him if he needs help. He wants to be there for him.

So after his character arcs of hate, guilt, acceptance, all of which are tied to his feelings for Izuku, what naturally comes last for them?

//love//

Love, and Katsuki's acceptance of what is in his heart at his very end, in chapter 362. Because those are his feelings for Izuku now. A deep, powerful love that fills his heart completely.

And what I realised after talking about this with my friend, was that people who don't think bkdk will be romantic will only see what they want to see. That depending on their depth of understanding of their relationship, people are going to see Katsuki's actions and words as either part of his character arc to be #1, or as one massive leap in his relationship arc/feelings towards Izuku. Hori probably wrote it to be vague in this way, because the big bkdk reveal is not until the climax. He's a smart writer like this. Once Hori writes the context of these last moments for Katsuki being as intimate as they come, people will be like OH! oh.

In fact, anon, his desire to be good enough to keep up with Izuku is not lying in selfish thoughts/reasonings at all. It's quite the opposite. Katsuki wants to do his best so that he can stay by Izuku's side to help him. His ambitions to be the best hero might be a veil Hori placed here, but it's a very thin one, and we are able to read between the lines based on Katsuki's previous character development. He clearly wants to be stronger FOR Izuku's sake. His essence contains his love and acceptance for Izuku, need to stay by his side and help shoulder his responsibilities. We've long known that Katsuki doesn't want to leave Izuku alone to his burdensome fate.

What started off as a "positive change" relationship turned into a positive steadfast relationship arc. This was used specifically during Katsuki's fight against sAFO. sAFO told Katsuki that Izuku was the reason he was going to die, and what does Katsuki do? He remains loyal to him, and his resolve to love Izuku strengthens further.

The only thing that truly bothered Katsuki of all the things that AFO said to him was that he would never be good enough to stay by Izuku’s side. But we know exactly why that bothers him! Because of his internal arc and need to be by Izuku’s side for reasons that seem to be beyond platonic at this stage. He's been treating Izuku like an equal, a best friend... and a supportive spouse.

Because Katsuki hadn’t actually left Izuku’s side since their embrace in 322. He gravitates to him, to ease his anxieties and let him know he’s there for him multiple times, and Izuku reciprocates this by also walking over to talk to him a few times as well like after his Mei visit. Because by demanding closeness with Izuku in the discarding of his "Deku" name and embracing him, Katsuki had become Izuku's comfort person - someone to share his inner worries with. Izuku needs and trusts Katsuki, as well.

And Katsuki died with Izuku in his thoughts, brought about by things going on in his mind that we don't get to see, but can EASILY guess at: Izuku telling Katsuki he’s himself "because he never gives up until he wins" during their team-up against All Might.

Katsuki's answer to his flash back of this moment with Izuku was: “I gotta win, right Izuku?” and Hori showing him saying this gave us A LOT of information.

We are being told that this memory had always stuck with Katsuki and for him it was an important interaction with Izuku and that he understands he is being loved for this trait by Izuku. And by Katsuki getting back up despite his many devastating injuries and impending death that he knew was coming, he is accepting that love and wanting to receive even more of it by acting in the way Izuku most loves about him. Izuku's love is what comforted him during all of the physical and emotional trauma sAFO put him through.

Katsuki's character arc peaks at becoming a true hero, but it is stated by Hori in a way for people to know it is deeply tied into his feelings for Izuku. Katsuki got back up and told Best Jeanist to look after everyone, with the same amount of care Izuku has for others, and right after, Hori wrote "butsu butsu" (mutter mutter) next to Katsuki here, mimicking a trait of Izuku's he has always complained about. He displays Izuku's self sacrifice and even thinks of Izuku's pain. These things show the extent of which Katsuki's heart accepted and took all of Izuku into himself - thinking about Izuku grounded and comforted Katsuki in his final minutes. (+the All Might nerding at the end... yeah... their hearts are the same alright, thanks chapter 348. thanks Hori.)

And then finally Katsuki reaches out to Izuku and thinks “Hey Izuku, can I still catch up to you?” again a HUGE metaphor written for Bkdk's internal relationship arc. This can and should be read as “Hey Izuku, will my feelings ever reach you some day?” because Katsuki has always had a hard time communicating how he really feels and it’s only by facing certain death that he realised a lot of things about himself and Izuku, like the form his feelings of love take shape in.

pain pain pain pain pain reading this in japanese is painful

And the fact Katsuki is reaching out to Izuku with his hand implies that sometime before he died, he probably thought of Izuku coming to his rescue and trying to help him up like he's always done. The motivating message for Katsuki to fight harder to come back to life that was made on the back of volume 37 by Edgeshot once he was inside Katsuki’s heart and suddenly knew it was filled with his love for Izuku supports this. “Don’t give up, Dynamight!! (the one) you’ve been waiting for, He will… Deku will surely come!!” This quote and Katsuki's delirium tells us that his last wish was just to see Izuku's face once again.

I think that’s why he cried… because Katsuki knew Izuku wasn’t coming, he wouldn't make it in time, and Katsuki would die and then be used to hurt Izuku, just like sAFO said he would.

So in his delirium right before death, he is thinking of Izuku with a calm face and reaches out to take Izuku’s hand. And there is just NO WAY to see any of this as platonic. This is as romantic as it gets!

Woah this got LONG. Are you still with me anon? *sweats* If you are, I hope this could help you! And anyone else who read this <3 Also anon, you should check out my pinned post as it delves into their emotional feelings a bit as well.

----------------------------------------------!

BTW, read this chart I added below - it's freaking EYE OPENING thinking about how BkDK have hit ALL of these romantic beats so far. We are now up to Climax: Internal Relationship Arc. ❤️

I expect that to come at around chapter 398-400ish, when Katsuki appears from inside OFA (Because we theorise that AFO will set Izuku off one last time with what he did to Katsuki. Theories are quite often wrong, but I don't want to believe that those horrifying chapters of Katsuki being toyed with and humiliated until he died had no purpose other than to traumatise us Katsuki stans. Surely we were seeing it in place of Izuku, channelling how it would make him feel. After all, Izuku is the biggest Katsuki stan of all - he's gonna see it.)

[infin1ty-garden]

I DO CARE

✧. ┊ summary: you and sanhua have a chat ✧. ┊ pairing: sanhua x gn! reader ✧. ┊ warnings: none ✧. ┊ word count: 275 ✧. ┊ author note: i have just started playing wuwa so sorry if there are some discrepancies with story. sorry it's late

masterlist. & 100 follower celebration

It had been a while since you saw Sanhua, she was always on missions or doing paperwork. Which you understood as it was her job but you are one of her friends. You hoped she'd make time for you. That's why you're on your way to the city hall. To surprise her and ask her out for a drink, whenever she has the time.

The guards had stopped you from entering. "It's fine. Let them in," her expression was stern. "What's your business?" You looked around the hall for a bit before answering. "I just wanted to see you." Sanhua knows she's been negligent with your friendship. The guilt has been eating her away.

She really cares for you but with everything going on. Rover appeared, the fractsidus, Jué and everything else. She feels as if she'd been stretched thin. "And ask if you want to go out for a drink. I know your break starts in a few minutes. I can wait." You were right. There was no looming threat as of now a break wouldn't hurt.

You choose a nearby café and Sanhua seemed happy with that choice. You had a wonderful time talking and catching up which only made Sanhua realise how careless she'd been. She'd missed this. You and her just being together. She missed you and didn't want to be apart from you anymore.

Although it's inevitable, she still asked. "Would you like to be my girlfriend?" You were shocked. Sanhua's question made you understand that your feelings had been love. "Yes! Very much," then she kissed you. It was gentle, just a peck. You hope many more will follow.

Thanks for reading!

[crippleprophet]

Hey Mac! Do you have any crip books or resource recs for crip sex/sexuality?

Feel free to delete if you're uncomfortable answering :]

do i ever! i actually did an essay for my master’s in disability studies on the topic of disabled people’s access to sex so a lot of these are sources from that (feel free to dm me for my paper!) & others are things i’ve collected for leisure (hah)

i’m bolding my favorites and italicizing ones i haven’t read but have been recommended / have on my list; as with everything, having read a piece + recommending it is not an uncritical endorsement, & i have various contentions with all of these pieces ranging from minor nitpicking to outright disagreement.

feel free to send an ask or dm if you want my thoughts on a particular work or need help obtaining a pdf!

books

Sex and Disability ed. Robert McRuer & Anna Mollow

The Sexual Politics of Disability: Untold Desires by Tom Shakespeare, Kath Gillespie-Sells and Dominic Davies

Unbreaking Our Hearts: Cultures of Un/Desirability and the Transformative Potential of Queercrip Porn by Loree Erickson. York University, dissertation submitted 2015.

McRuer, R. 2006. Crip theory: Cultural signs of queerness and disability. New York: New York University Press.

Kinked and Crippled: Disabled BDSM Practitioners’ Experiences and Embodiments of Pain. Emma Sheppard. Edge Hill University, dissertation submitted 2017.

Love, Sex, and Disability: The Pleasures of Care by Sarah Smith Rainey

intellectually disabled people / people with learning difficulties’ right to sex

Hamilton, C. A. 2009. ‘Now I’d like to sleep with Rachael’ – researching sexuality support in a service agency group home. Disability & Society. 24(3), pp.303-315.

Hollomotz, A. 2008. ‘May we please have sex tonight?’ – people with learning difficulties pursuing privacy in residential group settings. British Journal of Learning Disabilities. 37, pp.91–97.

Vehmas, S. 2019. Persons with profound intellectual disability and their right to sex. Disability & Society. 34(4), pp.519-539.

Significance of the attitudes of police and care staff toward sex and people who have a learning disability by A. Bailey & D. Sines. Journal of Learning Disabilities for Nursing Health and Social Care (1998), 2(3), pp.168-174.

sexual facilitation & making sex accessible

Bahner, J. 2016. Risky business? Organizing sexual facilitation in Swedish personal assistance services. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. 18(2), pp.164-175.

Linda R. Mona (2003) Sexual Options for People with Disabilities, Women & Therapy, 26:3-4, pp.211-221.

No Pity Fucks Please: A critique of Scarlet Road’s campaign to improve disabled people’s access to paid sex services by Tova Rozengarten and Heather Brook. Outskirts vol. 34, 2016, pp.1-21.

Julia Bahner (2013) The power of discretion and the discretion of power: personal assistants and sexual facilitation in disability services, Vulnerable Groups & Inclusion, 4:1, 20673.

BDSM, paraphilias, & alternative sex

Goldberg, C. E. 2018. Fucking with Notions of Disability (In)Justice: Exploring BDSM, Sexuality, Consent, and Canadian Law

Hollomotz, A. 2013. Exploiting the Fifty Shades of Grey craze for the disability and sexual rights agenda. Disability & Society. 28(3), pp.418-422.

Reynolds, D. 2007. Disability and BDSM: Bob Flanagan and the case for sexual rights. Sexuality Research & Social Policy. 4(1), pp.40-52.

Tellier, S. 2017. Advancing the discourse: Disability and BDSM. Sex & Disability. 35, pp.485-493.

Sheppard, E. 2018. Using pain, living with pain. Feminist Review. 120, pp.54-69.

Tyburczy, J. 2014. Leather anatomy: Cripping homonormativity at International Mr. Leather. Journal of Literary & Cultural Disability Studies. 8(3), pp.275-293.

Sheppard, E 2019, 'Chronic Pain as Fluid, BDSM as Control' Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 2.

other articles

Finger, A. 1992. Forbidden Fruit

Fritsch, K., Heynen, R., Ross, A. N., and van der Meulen, E. 2016. Disability and sex work: developing affinities through decriminalization. Disability & Society. 31(1), pp.84-99.

McKenzie, J. 2012. Disabled people in rural South Africa talk about sexuality. Culture Health & Sexuality. pp.1-15.

Shakespeare, T. 2000. Disabled sexuality: Toward rights and recognition. Sexuality and Disability. 18(3), pp.159-166.

Shildrick, M. 2007. Contested pleasures: The sociopolitical economy of disability and sexuality. Sexuality Research & Social Policy. 4(1), pp.53-66.

Wentzell, E. 2006. Bad bedfellows: Disability sex rights and Viagra. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society. 26(5), pp.370-377.

“‘Like, pissing yourself is not a particularly attractive quality, let’s be honest’: Learning to contain through youth, adulthood, disability and sexuality” by Kirsty Liddiard and Jenny Slater. Sexualities 2018, Vol. 21(3), pp.319–333.

non-academic texts

Andrew Gurza’s blog - andrewgurza dot com / blog

Disability After Dark podcast

A Quick & Easy Guide to Sex & Disability by A. Andrews

Cripping Up Sex with Eva

my cripsex tag, which i’ll add to this post, has other relevant content, & i welcome any additions from folks! all the best to you 💓

[euphoricimagination]

Summary: The final match of the first selection is here, who will win? Team V or Team Z?

Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 -> Masterlist

You are now sitting on your futon watching Bachira, Isagi and Igarashi play a game about guessing what each face means, watching in even more amusement as Iemon scolds them for not being serious enough. Suddenly Raichi goes to where Kuon is, attacking him before Isagi stops him.

"You idiot! I'm not playing! Even if Team Z loses I'll still advance as the top scorer. Doing nothing at all is in my best interest!" Kuon says, making Raichi even more mad

"Then, if I score three more goals to the one I have, I'll become the scoring king with four goals. That makes you still want to do nothing?" Asks him Kunigami

"Ha! That's impossible, there's n-"

"I also can try to do that, whoever scores the first gets to do that, deal?" You interrupt, asking Kunigami who nods at your idea

"That's fair"

"Just go ahead and try, you will just get in the way of each other" Kuon scoffs

"Nah, if Kunigami scores first, I'll help him so he can keep scoring, same if I score first, hell, even Isagi is fine…no offense, Isagi" you say

"None taken"

"At the end of the final match" Bachira starts "if, say, Isagi and Kuon both had three goals…then who would move on to the next round?"

"Probably the one that had fewer yellow cards, right?" Answers Chigiri

"What if all of it is the same?"

"Then whoever has the higher ranking would move on" answers Ego from the screen "Hello everyone, Jinpachi Ego here"

"Not you again" you mumble, slightly annoyed, making Chigiri chuckle

"You really don't like him, huh?"

"He's…he talks too much" you answer, if only he knew how long you've known him he would understand.

"I won't deny that"

"Right now I'll announce the second ranking of the first selection round!" He says, showing the rankings from 265 to 275:

Kuon - Chigiri - Yn - Isagi - Kunigami - Gagamaru - Bachira - Iemon - Raichi - Nahruhaya - Igarashi

"Ha! I'm at the top!" Kuon says, a bunch of complaints arising

"As a striker you're the lowest of the low" Ego explains "actually, all of you are basically garbage"

"Tsk, how dare him" you hear Chigiri say annoyed

"What the world's best striker needs is" Ego continues "A goal that can be duplicated! You need a formula that will reliably produce goals!"

He keeps talking, you slowly start to get bored, so you unconsciously start leaning on Chigiri's back. He gets surprised at first, but doesn't say anything as you keep laying your head there.

"The only one that seems to have some consistency in this team is Yn, he's the one that has shown some consistency in the way on how he plays, but there's still a lot of work to do" Ego finishes his speech "those who can't find a formula can piss off"

Raichi goes to say something to Kuon as you stop leaning on Chigiri's back, receiving a smug yet playful look from him

"I'm a position higher than you" he smirks at you

"Shut up, it was just because of that goal"

"Well, yeah, that's how it works"

"I'll make sure to pass you again" you say as Bachira jumps in your back, almost making you fall if it wasn't for Chigiri's support

"Yn! You got praised!" He says. How could you even stand properly with Bachira on top of you was a mystery even for you

"That bastard never praised anyone and when he does is half assed" you scoff as Bachira laughs

"One day he's gonna hear you and you'll be in trouble" Chigiri chuckles

"As if he doesn't talk about us behind our backs too, he ain't doing nothing to me" at that moment Isagi leaves the dorm running

"Eh? Where's he going?" Bachira asks

"Just let him be, he's probably trying to find some formula"

"Most likely. What about you? Do you have a formula?" Asks you Chigiri

"I don't play with those complicated stuff, I know my strong points already"

"Confidence! That's good Yn!" Bachira adds as he keeps clinging onto you. What was the point of thinking too much about it anyway? There's no physical way you could even become the best striker in the world even if you wanted to.

+++

You are now reviewing the match between Team W and Team Y, the meeting being led by Iemon as he informs you that you were in third place, which means that you have to win no matter what against Team V, against Nagi and Reo.

"...Team V key players are these 3; with five goals, Zantetsu Tsurugi; with six goals, Reo Mikage; and the team top scorer, with seven goals, Nagi Seishiro. If we don't stop them, we have no hope of winning"

"Nagi is kinda cute" you whisper to yourself while looking at the screen

"Eh?" Chigiri asks you

"Eh? I said Nagi must be really good" you say looking at the screen, thank god he didn't actually heard you

"He has to, seven goals is mad crazy" Chigiri says "but we have an amazing player ourselves" he pats your hair

"Stop doing that" you say, trying hard not to blush

"Nah, your hair is fluffy" he smirks as he does it again

"We have had the luck and enough skills to survive, we can do this" Kunigami says as you start to come out of the multimedia room towards the dorm.

Everyone seem to be acting pretty normal despite the circumstances, you thought that by now everyone will start to freak out, after all you were playing against the team that has never lost, a team where the strongest player has made 7 goals without tricky moves like Kuon, who only had 3 goals and was the highest one in our team. Everything just seemed…normal.

You all start opening your futons when everyone becomes quiet, an unusual thing in this team.

"Hey Yn" Chigiri calls you, everyone eyes suddenly on you "aren't you nervous?"

"Ehh" you say to think, what could you possibly say to make them calm down? "Not really, but I get why everyone can be"

"How aren't you nervous? Are you a robot or something?"

"Because tomorrow I'll do everything I can to not lose; of course I want us to win, but if we don't, at least I would be able to leave without regrets"

"Eh? What are you talking about, loser? We will win" Raichi says, turning around to sleep

"I get being nervous" you say to Chigiri, laying down on your futon "But we can't do anything about it now, we practiced as hard as we could, we got as good as we can be for now, and we have a strategy, we just need to do what we have been doing this whole time"

"You're right" Chigiri stretches his hand to pat your head, but you can still feel his hand shaking slightly as he stands up "I'm going to do some self care in my leg, night"

Someone turns off the light, you lay there in an eerie silence. You were a bit nervous, you wanted to win after all, but you also had to make sure they aren't as nervous so they could play at the best of their abilities tomorrow. You heard someone coming into the room, but fell asleep shortly after that.

+++

The last match was already here, you were playing as a center forward, since you were one of the ones that had most possibilities for a goal along with Chigiri, Kunigami and Gagamaru.

"We’ll go with these four, who’ve already gotten us one goal each with their skills" Iemon explains in the lockers "Team V’s offensive power is no small matter! We’ll keep our defense tight on them and keep blocking the enemy’s attacks! Then these four on the front line will make a speedy counterattack to score! Ideally, we’ll be able to win 1-0! Without Kuon, this is the only realistic chance that we have!"

After Raichi warned Kuon again and everyone hyped themselves up as you walked towards the field.

"Hey" Chigiri calls you extending his arm so you can cross it with yours "Let's do everything we can to win"

"Let's" you cross it "Don't chicken out today"

"Ha! Never again"

You walk into the field, Team V already there waiting for you. A small smirk appears on Reo's face once he crosses eyes with you, cockyness written on his face.

Team V is the one who starts the kick off, Nagi passes it to Reo, Bachira and Isagi guards him, making him pass to Zantetsu. So far is like every play you have watched, things are going according to plan. Zantetsu also gets blocked by the team, so he passes to Nagi, however Igaguri is able to intercept the pass and passes it to Isagi, who sends it towards Bachira and ultimately passes it to Gagamaru. Sadly it was very messy, so Gagamaru had to dive in to hit it, missing the goal just slightly.

"Close" you say as you help him stand up

"I'll get it next time"

"Holy crap, that was cool!" You hear Reo "Hey Nagi, let's try that!"

The moment Reo kicks off the ball again, he sends a long, fast pass at top spin, a pass that wouldn't work with anyone except for him. Nagi easily jumps and traps the ball, stopping all the spin and kicking it, making a goal in seconds.

The team is amazed, but you were kind of expecting this, Ego had given you some details of the players at the beginning of the project, even then Nagi was a prodigy.

"Don't start panicking now, we knew this already" you say to the ones around you

"We have to do this" adds Raichi

Now you have the kick off, so Isagi gives it to Kunigami, who runs trying to find his perfect range to score. However, Reo is able to steal it from him and sends it to Nagi, who does a bicycle kick and makes another goal without anyone being able to stop him. Both Kunigami and Raichi start fighting about what they could have done to stop it before you punch them both in the face.

"Stop fighting idiots!" You say, receiving annoyed looks by both of them

"Yeah, we still have a few more weapons" adds Isagi

The match restarted, Isagi passing it to Chigiri, however Zantetsu it's not only able to arrive at the ball first, but also go back in time to score another goal for Team V.

After Team V made another goal your eye starts to twitch, annoyed by the situation; not only you had a 4 point difference, but also it was clear that your team already lost hope of winning, so you go to where Isagi is standing when Nagi passes beside you

"You did that in your last match" he says boredly

"I did"

"Then why aren't you doing it again? You lost already" Nagi adds, his voice doesn't have a hint of malice on it, he clearly wasn't saying it to be mean, but it still annoyed you

"There's still time left, don't let your guard down" you left, arriving next to Isagi and Bachira, who were talking "Give me the next one"

"Eh?" Isagi looks at you incredulous

"Are you also on fire, Yn-chan?" Bachira asks, looking at you with the same desire to win that you had, he was the only one who had hope left "I'll give it to you, but then it's my turn, okay?"

"I got you" you fist bump him, going back to your position

You do some light stretches and focus on evening out your breath. Once you open your eyes even you feel yourself more focused.

The guys start the match again, Bachira wasting no time in sending it to you with that smile of his. You take the ball easily and start running towards the goal, already set on doing a solo run for it.

With a flick of your heel, you nutmegged the first defender, leaving him flabbergasted. Then you sprinted past the second defender with a series of lightning-quick step-overs, as a third defender lunged, but a deft feint sent him sprawling. You saw Reo trying to intercept you, but in a state of full concentration, you easily and quickly changed direction.

As you approached the opponent's penalty box, it was just you against the goalkeeper. With a burst of speed, you sent the goalkeeper the wrong way with an elastico move only to flick the ball into the air and do a volley, sending the ball into the top corner of the net.

Once you make the goal you feel a mix of emotions in the air, some kind of hope from your team and confusion from the opponents. You walk back towards your side, Reo looking at you impressed

"How are you in Team Z?" He asks you

"I don't make the rules" you shrugged

"That was cool, though, you are definitely not boring" he chuckles, you continue going to your team

"That was awesome Yn-chan!" Bachira high fives you alongside Isagi, everyone in your team was kind of amazed by the goal that just had happened.

"Thanks, now it's your turn, show them what you got, Bachira"

Suddenly you feel a hand on your head, ruffling your hair with a light laugh from Kunigami, and an arm wrapping around your shoulders

"I knew you would go berserk again, your eyes were scary" Chigiri says to you with a smile on his face

"Ynnn! That was amazing!!!" Igaguri screams, as Gagamaru high fives you too

"Well done…i guess" Raichi says

"I don't understand how can you play like nothing in a moment like this"

"Do you still want to be the best striker in the world?" You ask instead

"Eh? Well, yeah"

"Well, to do that we need to beat Team V first, otherwise you're not worthy of having that title" you say, Chigiri looking at you like a switch turn on

"Ha! Well, that's true"

The other team kicks the ball to resume the game. As Reo dribbled closer, you anticipated the moment and positioned yourself to intercept the pass towards Nagi. With quick reflexes, you extended your leg, making a perfectly timed interception that sent the ball towards Bachira looks at you slightly annoyed, but it doesn't matter because Bachira quickly starts his counterattack.

He starts running towards the goal as well, his eyes shining with excitement as he encounters Reo, starting to dribble his way past him before Zantetsu appears in front of him. With that he does an outside trap leading to a mid-air elastico, passing him and leaving only three defenders left. All of them start attacking Bachira under Reo's guidance, but Bachira is able to easily pass them leaving him in front of the goalie. Since the goalie was expecting Bachira to go full onwards, he came forwards, making Bachira kick the ball with his leg crossing behind the standing one. Team Z is closing the gap 2 - 4.

Everyone runs towards Bachira too, as you finally are closing the gap faster than anyone could imagine.

"In a situation where nothing is working, all you can do is find a new formula, we just need to try new versions of ourselves" says Kunigami to the team

"We can't win if we don't figure out how to evolve ourselves, can't we?" You add

After resuming again the game, Raichi gets told to guard Reo from passing freely to Nagi, and although he didn't want to do it, he was probably the one with the right physique to stop him. Since Reo didn't have a proper open space, he's forced to pass it to Zantetsu, who enters into a battle with Chigiri for speed. Zantetsu tries to pass it to Nagi, who you and Igaguri were guarding, but Chigiri is able to touch the pass, deviating the ball a little; but of course, it was enough for Nagi to trap it and prepare to shoot. You pushed Igaguri in the direction the ball was going to go, helping him stop the ball as it hit his face. This startled Nagi, giving you enough time to grab the ball and start the counterattack alongside Bachira.

"Do you think you two can do those moves again?" Asks Reo, putting himself in front of us

"I can" you say

"I don't think so…but this time it's different, us two aren't the only ones fighting anymore"

With that you two do a zig zag to pass Reo, Bachira sending it to Kunigami. He was still far away from his ideal range, however he shot anyway with a no spin ball, marking the third goal for Team Z, leaving you 3 - 4 and sending us to the end of the first half.

You're now in the lockers while the half time passes, Kunigami explaining how his new goal happened. A bottle of energy drink appears in front of you, Chigiri sitting beside you while you take it

"I told you already, but you were awesome" he says as he drinks too "You were the one that helped us wake up and realize we still have a chance"

"Thanks, but where is this coming from?"

"Just making sure you know, once you made that goal everyone was shocked so we didn't celebrate as much as we did with Bachira or Kunigami"

"It's fine, I don't need that" you keep drinking, passing the towel around your neck to get rid of the sweat.

"I know" he says "But also, it's to prevent you from going too berserk again, so don't overexert yourself" he pats your head

"...TEAM Z IS GONNA WIN THIS!"

The match resumes, Team V guarding Kunigami a bit closer than before due to his last minute goal. Since he couldn't shoot, he decided to pass it to Bachira, who instantly passed it to Gagamaru. Since Gagamaru had run too far from the ball, he did something that only he could do, a scorpion kick, and he could have made it in if it wasn't for Zantetsu, who blocked the ball from entering.

The game continues, you keep guarding Nagi as the other team had the ball in their possession, since Zantetsu couldn't do anything in his end, he ends up sending it back to Reo, but he's heavily guarded by Raichi, who hasn't let him do anything. You're not sure what happens in between, but it ends up with Reo elbowing Raichi in the face, gaining a yellow card.

As this goes on, you go to Chigiri quickly

"Oi" you called him "That Zantetsu guy is only faster than you in the beginning of the run"

"Eh?" He says confused

"You can win against him, just not like this, think" you say leaving again. You technically shouldn't have, but nothing's gonna happen if you push them a little to the answer.

Raichi starts the game again quickly, sending it to Chigiri just like you thought. You can see him trying to figure it out until something clicked, sending the ball into a longer trajectory and reaching it faster than him, making your fourth goal and finally being leveled once again.

You go to high five Chigiri as soon as he makes the goal, him passing his arm through your shoulder while ruffling your hair

"Thanks for that"

"You made the goal, well done"

The match restarted, however Reo didn't have any options to pass it since Raichi was guarding him, when suddenly out of nowhere Nagi started to move forwards, initiating a move himself for the first time as he ran towards the goal again. You tried to stop him as fast as you could, but since he took you by surprise by his sudden movements and you had a whopping 30 cm of height difference between you two, it was impossible for you to reach him before he passed it to Zantetsu. Zantetsu pretends to kick it, luring Chigiri in before actually kicking it almost by the end of the goal post; but this is Nagi Seishiro you're playing against, so he traps it, lifting it just enough to through it in the air, turn around and hit it, making a goal by the other side of the net.

It was always a possibility, if your own team was waking up to reach a new potential, then it could also happen to Team V. In particular that was the case with Nagi, after all, maybe he thought that soccer was a pain because there was no one before that was strong enough for him to actually try, and now that your team was in control of the game, he probably also had his own awakening.

"Gotta say, that was awesome" you say to him as he passes beside you

"Thanks, soccer ended up being pretty interesting"

You reunited with your team once again, Chigiri and Kunigami talking about switching things to defense, a comment that made you raise your eyebrow in confusion. You prepare yourself to say something, but apparently, you weren't the only one thinking of doing that.

"ARE YOU STUPID! WE NEED TO ATTACK!! ATTACK, ATTACK, ATTACK!" Raichi screams "OUR ATTACKS ARE WORKING!! WE MANAGED TO SCORE FOUR POINTS ON TEAM V BECAUSE I'VE BEEN PLAYING DEFENSE, WHICH I HATE!! I'LL KILL YOU IF ALL MY HARD WORK IS FOR NOTHING!!! ATTACK UNTIL YOU DIE!! GIVE 'EM ALL YOU'VE GOT, DUMBASS!!! YOU'RE STRIKERS, RIGHT?!!!?"

You chuckle, you probably would have said something similar, less aggressive for sure, but the message would have been the same; though considering the situation this approach was probably the best, since the match ends in 13 minutes.

Isagi sends the ball to Bachira, he manages to move a little, however, ends up passing it to Chigiri, who plans to reuse the same move from before. But this time, Nagi appears in front to steal the ball. You move towards it to intercept, but from the corner of your eye you can see Isagi running towards it, his aura completely different from before, probably finally starting to understand his metavision. You want to intercept it yourself, you want to play and do as much as you can to win, but you knew that you had to hold back if it meant that these boys started to shine, so you slowed down to let Isagi take it and start running towards the goal just in case.

Isagi reaches it just on time and passes it to Chigiri again, who shoots it just slightly too hard, hitting the pole; Gagamaru is right on that side, so he shoots it too, but Reo is able to block him. The ball was coming right where you were, slightly too far back, and since everyone was still on the floor from previous moves, you needed to kick it fast; you waited just enough to time it properly, jumping and doing a Side Volley Bicycle Kick, with enough force to pass over everyone and making a goal. You're tied once again.

"Nice cover" Gagamaru says as the team runs to you, Raichi screaming excitedly, Bachira shaking you by the shoulders, the rest congratulating you one way or another

"I'm going to run out of things to say to you for these goals" Chigiri high fives you "Nice one"

The last minutes of the game are obvious, everyone slightly more on edge the closer to zero they get. Zantetsu sends a long pass towards Nagi, you and Isagi following close behind. But sadly, you knew that you wouldn't be able to reach him; not only you barely reach his shoulders, meaning that his legs were longer and therefore cover a lot more ground that you quickly, but also the pain in your chest started to appear, making it much harder to breath. Luckily, since you been training a lot more, the pain has prolonged it's time, now appearing on the last minutes of the match.

You both get into a good position to reduce his movements, but Nagi traps it with his back and avoids both of you, going straight to Iemon. He was about to shoot, he could probably score a goal easily and make his team win…if Kuon hasn't tackle him right on that moment. With one minute left, Kuon gains a red card and hope for Team Z.

"Kuon, you'd have advance if you hadn't done anything, so what was the idea?" Kunigami asks, everyone gathering around

"... it's just…. something I did for myself"

"Wait, hold up, you and Yn both have three goals, and thanks to that red card now Yn is in front of you now"

"If we tie or lose that means you won't pass" you add

"You guys, of course I knew that, so you better win…cause I'm gonna be the world best striker" Kuon says

"Give me a break, of course Team Z is gonna win. Theres no way we'll let this end here" adds Isagi

2 more minutes were given because of overtime. You had to make one more goal to win in 3 minutes.

You're preparing for the penal kick by Reo, waiting behind as you let Iemon deal with the situation. Reo shoots the ball with a slight curve, but Iemon is able to see through it and hit it away for a rebound, which Zantetsu ends up getting and almost making a goal if it wasn't for Raichi that blocked it. Unluckyly for you, the ball ends up in Nagi's, who justs tips it over the three blockers making the ball go to the goal. Nobody is able to reach it in time except for Gagamaru and his insane athleticism, that barely saves it by hitting the top pole, landing on Isagi's feet as you, Chigiri, Kunigami and Bachira start running to counterattack.

Isagi first passes it to Bachira, who dribbles his way through the opponents before passing it to you. You had two players in front of you, so you did a Rainbow flick, lifting the ball over their heads while using the soles of your feet before passing it to Chigiri; he's able to pass a few more players, but gets used as a decoy by Isagi as he passes to him. Isagi sends it to Kunigami, but the ball is hit by Zantetsu who barely manages to touch it, sending it outside of everyone's range, however, Raichi is able to save it miraculously, sending it to Bachira.

You once again start running towards the goal along with Chigiri, Kunigami and Isagi, Bachira ultimately choosing Isagi as he was in the freest position posible.

But Nagi was running right behind him.

Chigiri and Kunigami screams at Isagi for him to pass the ball to one of them, but there wasn't enough time for that, besides the obvious fact that Isagi had to rebuilt himself as well

"ISAGI!" you scream "YOU'RE NOT NAGI"

You don't know if he heard you, and if he did, you don't know if he had enough time to process it properly to realize, but the result you wanted was there. Instead of trapping the ball, Isagi was about to shoot it right away. Making the winning goal at the last second. You all run towards him to celebrate, Bachira was on Isagi's back happy, Kunigami was ruffling his head, and Chigiri had his arm around your shoulders as you both laugh at the scene.

Team Z had won.

You officially passed to the second selection.

[raamitsu]

All Mikey needed was a hug 💀

Honestly dissatisfied with how things are going :(

Unfortunately that could be the only way to erase the curse [according to Wakui] 💀 but in all seriousness imma need to see what the rest of chapters will give us, and ofc i will definitely not putting any expectation to it.

Yeah it’s understandable, not to mention the lack of hype from people who usually passionate to talk about it when the chapter’s out- i would say- DRY is the only word that fits into this situation tbh.

There are people who are still positive about it while there are others who criticize it but what’s good about that is the balance, so I honestly don’t mind any opinions that come out from “consuming” this series.

[novafire-is-thinking]

I just wanted to thank you for writing that ABSOULTLY amazing pharma Analysis IT WAS SO AMAZING!!!!!LIKE THER STRUKTURE WAS SO GOOD I LOVE HOW YOU PROVIDED PICTURES AND ALSO LINKS AND QUOTES , i was just recently complaining to a friend how there arent any pharma Analysis AND BOOM i get a Gift from the heavens that is your Analysis IT IS SO GOOD!!!! (sadly i coukdnt read it all the way sonce im not done with mtmt jet)

BUT OMG YOUR ANALYSIS WAS JUST SO AMAZING!!!!! LIKE THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT ,i think i legit cried cus i realised so much about pharma charekter that i hadnt realised and that made me love him even more .

And i am just obsessed at how beutifully you structuerd the anylasis like RAAAAH!!!ITS SO AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Like legit how did you go about making the analsis cus it was so goood!!!!!

Anyways thank you for your time and thank you for gracing my life with this amazing pharma analyis

(Yes, I’ve been coming back to your ask and rereading it for four days)

You are VERY welcome.

This is now one of my favorite responses to any of my analysis posts ✨

When writing the post, one of my main goals was to shine light on some of the more subtle aspects of Pharma’s character that are often overlooked, dismissed, or misinterpreted. To know you discovered new things about him confirms I accomplished that goal. Also, it makes me happy to know you think of the post as a gift from the heavens. Perfect timing :D

As for how I managed to structure everything so well, I actually have an answer for that: there’s something called Sequential Thinking/Reasoning. I once scored high in this area on an in-depth aptitude test. It basically means I do well seeing how information, plans, events etc. should fit together logically (sequentially), and not just knowing how to structure them as such, but also how to convey them to other people. It helps that I’ve trained myself to better recognize and refine the logical flow of ideas and concepts; it’s important to me that I pay attention to that if I have the time. In fact, I spent much of the final week of writing the Pharma post rearranging sections and paragraphs so that the ideas flowed better. For me, it’s an art as much as a science.

To be honest, because of how long the post is, I wasn’t expecting more than fifty people to take the time to read it, so seeing around 275 readers (plus the lurkers I don’t know about) is awesome. I’m tempted to respond to each person who commented something interesting, but a meta post is not a fanfic. lol

So thank YOU for taking the time to share your thoughts in my ask box so I could respond to you personally.

[doodlebugreturns]

The Tickle Monster

Media: Lilo & Stitch: The Series

For @fluffy-lovely-clouds

It was a beautiful morning on the island of Kauai. Jumba was in the kitchen working on his newest invention. With all his attention devoted to it, he didn’t notice Pleakley walking up to the doorway. “Jumba!” “Ow!” He exclaimed, hitting his head on a low-hanging part of his invention from being startled. “What?” “How do I look?” Pleakley asked. He was dressed as Marilyn Monroe. He was wearing a blonde, curly wig, crystal earrings, a white dress, sassy heels, and a ridiculous amount of makeup. “Like a moron.” Jumba went back to working on his invention. Pleakley sultrily walked towards his roommate, with his hands on his swaying hips. “I’ve been researching humankind’s history. Did you know that the group known as ‘females’ have been treated as property for the majority of the species’ existence? Why, this didn’t change until about only one century ago! It’s messed up, but so fascinating…” “Interesting.” Jumba remarked. “But I don’t care.” “So, what are you making?” Pleakley asked. “It is evil food dispenser. Humans are to be attracted to it by the bright colors and delicious smell. But food being offered is highly processed, genetically modified mystery meat that causes health problems to whoever consumes it. And the best part…” Jumba chuckled, “it irritates human digestive system and makes it produce foul odor!” The evil genius couldn’t help but laugh at his mischievous idea. “So… a hot dog cart?” “What?” “Yeah.” Pleakley said. “Humans have already invented those.” “Bah!” Jumba waved his hand dismissively. “I may not know all that much about humans, but I know they do not eat dogs.” “They do in other parts of the planet.” Pleakley then noticed an alluring red button. “Hey, what does this button do?” “Wait wait wait wait-“ Before waiting for an answer, Pleakley pressed the button, and the machine shot thirty hot dogs into Jumba’s mouth. “Sorry…” He spit the tasty projectiles onto the floor. The two of them looked at each other in silence for a solid six seconds. Pleakley looking sheepish and Jumba looking irritated. “Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?” Jumba was unamused, but then, he had an idea. “I need you to locate and capture experiment 275.” Jumba pulled out an alien tablet and retrieved a picture of said experiment. “But be warned,” Jumba stuck up his finger at him. “275 has a… passion for mischief.” “Consider it done.” Pleakley saluted him and made his way out of the kitchen, still wearing his ridiculous costume. Jumba smirked behind him, knowing that his vague warning was not enough to prepare him for what experiment 275 had in store for him.

Once Pleakley was out in the wilderness and out of his silly costume, he searched for the mischievous experiment. 275 didn’t leave behind any traces of itself, so he had to get lucky. And lucky he got after finding the experiment after about 30 minutes of searching. He found the pink experiment playing with a chameleon, which had also turned pink. Upon closer inspection, the experiment seemed to be tickling it. “A chameleon being tickled pink…” Pleakley thought to himself. “That’s not something you see every day.” While experiment 275 was distracted, Pleakley slowly snuck up behind and pointed a net canon at her. He fired, capturing the little tickle monster, and also her chameleon friend by accident. “Gotcha!” Experiment 275 was confused as to what just happened to itself, and slightly distressed. Pleakley leaned towards his capture to get a better look. “Say, you’re a cute one.” With him in close range, the experiment tickled him through the net and felt better already. “Hey- haha- that tickles!” Pleakley squirmed and put his hand on the experiment’s head. “You’re silly.” 275 smiled like a happy dog. “Now, behave yourself, while I bring you back home to Jumba. You can play with your little friend.” Pleakley wagged his finger at the little tickle monster. Upon successful capture, he dragged the net behind him at a safe distance, as to not be tickled continuously on the way back. 275’s chameleon friend made it even easier. Trekking back home, Pleakley held his head up high for a job well done.

“I got it!” Pleakley proudly announced. He walked into the house, dragging experiment 275 and her little chameleon buddy behind him. “Now what?” “I don’t know, I didn’t think you would get that far.” Jumba answered. “W- what do you mean?” He asked. Jumba didn’t answer this time. It didn’t take long for Pleakley to put the pieces together. “Oh, you sent me on a wild tickle monster hunt to get back at me for annoying you earlier, didn’t you?” “Okay, you got me.” Said Jumba. “Now hand it over.” “With pleasure.” Pleakley replied. However, Jumba noticed him untying the knot on the net. “What are you doing?” Experiment 275 was now free, and jumped up and down excitedly. “275, go get Jumba!” Pleakley commanded, pointing at the target. The experiment just looked at him. The two exchanged glances before 275 smiled and pounced on him instead. “Wait, no!” Pleakley protested, before turning into a laughing, writhing mass on the floor. “No! Stop! Not there!” He laughed harder. Jumba also laughed, pointing. This caught 275’s attention. She slowed down her tickling drastically and looked at Jumba. “…Don’t look at me like that.” He started backing up. The experiment stopped tickling Pleakley, who let out a sigh of relief. She then smiled and bounced towards her creator with her spindly fingers wiggling. “Don’t you dare! I created you and I can just as easily- HAHAHAHA!” His creation tickled him indiscriminately. “NO! HAVE MERCY!” Jumba laughed loudly, knowing all too well that he programmed this thing to be a ruthless tickler. All the attention had attracted Lilo and Stitch, who were in the house. The two of them came in just to see the experiment hop off of Jumba and out of an open window, thankfully not noticing them. “It’s gettin’ away!” Pleakley exclaimed. But experiment 275 had already hopped out the window to find its next victim. Jumba groaned. “…What just happened?” Lilo asked. Stitch answered her in his gibberish-sounding language, and then told Jumba something. “I did not think it would turn on me.” Jumba answered, still lying on the floor, defeated. “Come on, we have to go find it before it tickles someone to death!” Said Lilo. “Eh.” Stitch agreed. The two of them set off to find the mischievous little tickle monster. “Now hold on a minute, you two!” Pleakley said. They stopped in their tracks. “Now how exactly do you plan on catching this thing without equipment?” He gave Lilo the net canon he used to capture the experiment earlier. “Thanks, Pleakley.” Said Lilo. Stitch then noticed the chameleon that had crawled out of the net during the chaos. He went up to the creature and picked it up, and it turned blue like him. “Good thinking, Stitch.” Said Pleakley. “You can use its lizard friend to lure it back into captivity.” Stitch watched the chameleon, clearly interested. “Ooohh…” “Now,” announced Lilo, “let’s go catch us a tickle monster.”

Experiment 625 was on patrol on the beach, wearing sunglasses and swim shorts, lounging on a beach chair, chowing down on a hoagie, and generally not doing his job. “This is the life…” he said to himself. He put his hands behind his head. A moment later, his phone rang. He opened it and held it up to his ear. “Yellow?” “625, have you found any experiments yet? It’s been thirty minutes.” Gantu said. “Nah, these things are extra elusive today.” He stretched and yawned. “Just give me a while longer and I’ll definitely have one ready for ya.” “625, no! You are wasting my time.” “Aw, just ten more minutes, pretty please?” He asked. Gantu groaned. “Fine. I don’t enjoy your company anyway.” “Don’t be so salty, ya big sardine. I’ll make you a sandwich.” There was a moment of silence. In that moment, experiment 625 noticed a bright pink creature that was definitely not part of the local fauna. “Ooh, there’s one right there!” “Don’t lie to me.” “No, I’m serious. It’s pink and bouncy and it has big ears.” He took another bite of his hoagie. With his mouth full, he said, “See you soon, buh bye.” Not paying attention, he pressed the mute button instead of hang up button before stuffing the device into his body like a pocket. “625. Experiment 625, are you there?” Gantu asked on his end. He was met with silence. Instead of hanging up, Gantu continued to listen in case he needed backup. Experiment 625 made his way towards the bouncing creature and pulled out a net canon of his own. It didn’t take long for experiment 275 to notice the newfound company. She turned toward him and he widened his eyes, before his expression turning almost grim. “You…” Experiment 275 smiled at him. Gantu, not knowing what was going on, listened in, fearing that his acquaintance was in trouble. The little tickle monster wiggled its fingers and slowly started hopping towards 625. “No… don’t you dare…” But before he knew it, the chase was on. He screamed and ran away from his impending ticklish doom. “625!” Gantu exclaimed, not being heard. He instantly made his way towards his location.

“Do you hear that?” Lilo asked. “Someone is in trouble! We have to rescue them!” Stitch replied in his alien language. “This is more important.” She told him. “Okay…” The two of them ventured towards the screaming. “We’re almost there, come on!” She pushed some big leaves out of the way. In that very moment, the screaming turned into hysterical laughter. “No! Please!” He cackled under his merciless attack. “I can’t breathe!” Lilo and Stitch looked at each other. Gantu showed up at that exact moment. He just watched in disbelief. “Hey!” Lilo shouted. Experiment 275 turned and looked, stopping mid-tickle. 625 sighed loudly. Stitch held up the chameleon and said something. The tickle monster curiously hopped towards it. She took it from Stitch’s hands and began playing with it. Lilo, watching this, had an idea. “Here,” she said. “try it slower.” She rubbed the chameleon with a perfect amount of pressure. Not too much to hurt and not too little to tickle. “Like this.” 275 took the advice, and the chameleon loved it. “Good. Now try it with him.” She pointed at 625. She hopped over to him. “Please, no more…” he weakly croaked. As 275’s hands closed in on him, he prepared for the worst. Instead, he found his shoulders being therapeutically rubbed. “Hey… this feels good.” He relaxed. “I think I’m gonna take a nap right here…” he laid down on the sand. “Good night…” Once he was snoring, Lilo congratulated her. “Good job, Tickle-tummy.” Stitch gave a thumbs up. The newly named experiment smiled. “Now follow me. I know a place where you can be of good use.” Lilo lead the way while the other two trailed behind her. She briefly looked over her shoulder. “Hi, Gantu!” He said nothing and scooped his acquaintance out of the sand and brought him back to the ship as he sleepily mumbled something about a giant sandwich.

The three of them later arrived at a spa. Tickle-tummy looked at it like a curious kitten. They went inside. “Welcome to Paradise Spa.” Said an employee. “How may we refresh you today?” “This is Tickle-tummy.” Said Lilo. “She wants to learn how to be a massager.” Stitch sat down on the floor and let Tickle-tummy do her newly acquired magic. She rolled her fingers into Stitch’s shoulders until he purred like a happy cat. “Oh my, she looks like a natural.” “But you can make her even better.” Lilo said. “I have a feeling this is where she truly belongs.” She was now rubbing Stitch’s belly and he was shaking his leg like a dog. “You’re hired, Tickle-tummy.” Said the employee. She jumped up and down excitedly. “I think you’re going to fit right in.”

On Gantu’s ship, experiment 625 had woken up from his nap. “How come you didn’t capture the experiment?” He asked. “Its antics seemed unworthy of Hämsterviel.” Gantu responded. But he had tried to capture every experiment he could in the past, even if all they did was cause minor inconveniences. 625 smirked. “Any… par’tickler’ reason?” he asked. Gantu didn’t respond. “Well, are ya ticklish? Are ya? Are ya?” He climbed on the captain’s body and started poking around. He had to stifle a laugh. “No, that’s ridiculous!” He yelled, despite squirming around. “Is that so?” 625 asked in a teasing voice. “Then why are you so wiggly?” “Shut up!” He was smiling against his will. 625 laughed. “Tickle tickle, who wants a pic-AAH!” He was launched off of the captain’s body and into a wall. “Ow… ooh, a pickle!” He noticed the tasty treat lying there, and he picked it up and ate it. When he was done, he blissfully sucked the tasty vinegar off his fingers and burped.

The end.

[bratshaws]

through the hourglass 313.brb x oc

a/n: another shorty but hope yall like it!(comments and reblogs are super welcome and encouraged!)

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: none uwu

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/

/267/268/269/270/271/272/273/274/275/276/277/278/279/280/281/282/283/284/285/286/287/288/289/290/291/292/293/294/295/296/297/298/299/300/301

/302/303/304/305/306/307/308/309/310/311

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @novastories @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix @lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @louisahale @leobabbyyy @booklover2sblog @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @fanboyswhore9 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu @teacupsandtopgun @insominac23 @gh0stsgoodgirl @mygyn @chavivaelisheva @kmc1989 @enchantingharmonyalpaca @callsign-magnolia

-

She knows she should wait when he’s free,she knows it, but she couldn’t wait especially after what happened??? After Miranda? She chews her lower lip as she looks down at his contact number on her phone, gardening gloves have been tossed aside as she walks back inside.

She was surprised her fuming hadn’t woken Shells or the kids up.

After a moment of internal debate, Beatrice made a decision. She couldn't wait. She needed to hear Rooster's voice, to share the strange occurrences that had unfolded in his absence. Pulling her phone closer, she took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

The phone rang a few times before Rooster answered, his voice groggy from the late hour. "Bea? Everything okay?"

“Hey…I know it’s late out there,sorry for waking you…”

“No,hey,” he grunts and the bed creaks as he sits up, “Don’t apologize gorgeous. You know I love hearing your voice especially when I’m deployed.”

Beatrice smiled, the warmth in Rooster's voice providing a comforting embrace, even across the miles that separated them. "I just... I needed to talk to you. Something happened, and I couldn't wait."

Rooster's tone shifted to alertness. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Beatrice hesitated for a moment, contemplating how to relay the events without causing unnecessary worry. "Miranda came over today. It was... strange, Rooster. She was saying things, trying to create tension or something again. I don't know what her game is…"

“ What did she say?"

Beatrice recounted the encounter, detailing Miranda's cryptic comments with detail, and Rooster listened attentively, remaining silent so his wife could let everything out without being interrupted.

When Beatrice finished, Rooster let out a heavy sigh. "Damn. I wish I was there, Bea. I don't like the sound of this. What did she want?"

"I have no idea," Beatrice admitted, frustration creeping into her voice. "It felt like she was trying to get under my skin, questioning your abilities as a pilot. It was bizarre, Rooster."

Rooster's tone shifted, a mix of annoyance and concern. "Questioning my abilities? What does she have to do with that?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. It's like she's trying to stir up trouble again… I don’t know, is…well,is Mark bothering you guys too?”

A pause.

“You…could say that,gorgeous.”

"What's happening with Mark, Rooster?" Beatrice asked, her voice laced with worry.

"...I can’t say over a call baby" Rooster explained. "Too risky.”

“Are you all safe? Right now?”

"Yeah, we're safe for now. Just dealing with some internal issues. I'll fill you I can,I promise.”

Beatrice exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Okay. Just...be careful, Rooster. I don't like the sound of all this."

"Me neither,gorgeous…we’ll be okay," Rooster reassured her “I promise. We can handle…whatever this is.”

Beatrice nodded, even though Rooster couldn't see her. "I know. But it doesn't make it any easier when you're so far away."

"I know,gorgeous…did Miranda…said anything else?”

"Nothing else."

Rooster's voice softened. "I see… Shells is there with you, right?"

"Yeah, Shells has spending some time," Beatrice acknowledged, a small smile touching her lips. "But it's just... I don't want anything jeopardizing the peace we have at home, especially with you away on a mission."

"I know baby. I wish I could do more. Just remember, we're a team, no matter the distance. If anything feels off, trust your instincts, okay?"

"I will, Rooster. Always." she sighs, “I should probably let you go back to sleep.”

Rooster's voice held a comforting note. "I'm not going back to sleep until I know you're okay. Talk to me, Bea. What else is on your mind?"

Beatrice hesitated for a moment, debating whether to share the weight that had settled on her heart. "I just miss you, Rooster. And with all this happening, it feels like the world is a bit shaky."

"I miss you too, Bea. More than you can imagine. But we need to weather this storm, and then I promise I'll come back to you."

Tears welled up in Beatrice's eyes, the longing for Rooster magnified by the distance between them. "I know, Rooster. I just... I worry. About you, about us, about everything."

Rooster's voice softened, "We'll get through this, baby. I'll make it back to you. Just keep our home fires burning, okay?"

"I will," Beatrice whispered, a sniffle escaping her. "I love you, Rooster."

"I love you too, gorgeous. Now, get some rest. We'll talk soon."

After exchanging a few more words, Beatrice reluctantly ended the call. The weight of the conversation lingered in the air, a mix of concern, love, and the underlying uncertainty of the situation. She wiped away a tear, took a deep breath, and dropped her head on top of her folded arms as she rested on the kitchen table.

Jolene whined under her, her huge head plopping on Bea’s thigh as her paw landed on the human’s knee.

Beatrice absentmindedly ran her fingers through Jolene's fur, finding solace in the comforting presence of her loyal companion. As she sat there, Beatrice's mind danced between the happenings of the day.The encounter with Miranda left a lingering unease, like when you swallow bitter medicine. She couldn't shake the feeling that something ominous lurked beneath the surface, something she couldn't quite grasp.

But why?

Why?

Why were Miranda and Mark so obsessed with them? This has been happening for so long she couldn’t even figure out a fair reason to.

"You doing okay, Bea?" Shells finally broke the quietude.

“Ah!’ Bea jumped, turning around to see Shells standing by the kitchen door, holding the twins to her chest while Nicole wobbled over to her mother. Bea sighed, picking Nicole up and standing to check on the other two, “Sorry,I…didn’t hear you.”

Shells grinned, gently rocking the twins in her arms. "No worries, Bea. You looked lost in thought. Everything okay?"

Beatrice sighed, her gaze drifting towards the window as if seeking answers in the starlit sky. "I just had a chat with Rooster. Miranda's visit today... it's been lingering on my mind. I can't shake this feeling of unease."

“...Miranda was here?”

“Oh,oh yeah you…were all asleep on the couch…you didn’t hear me by the door?”

Shells shook her head, a perplexed expression on her face. "No, I must've been out like a light. What happened with Miranda?"

Beatrice recounted the encounter with Miranda,  and Shells listened attentively, her brow furrowing as she processed the information.

"That's weird," Shells commented, her eyes narrowing in thought. "But…considering everything,I’m not surprised.”

Beatrice shrugged, her eyes reflecting the weariness that had settled into her bones. "I wish I knew what she wanted, Shells. Rooster mentioned some internal issues in the squadron, and now this with Miranda"

Shells gently rocked the twins, a thoughtful look on her face. "Maybe we should beat her up."

“Shells!”

“Beat er up!” Nicole giggled, throwing her little fists up.

“No-Shells,please don’t mention violence in front of my kids.”

Shells chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Alright, alright. No violence in front of the kids. We'll just have to outsmart her. Maybe throw her off with kindness or confuse her with some gardening trivia."

Beatrice rolled her eyes, but a small smile played on her lips. "I appreciate the sentiment, Shells, but I just want things to settle down. Between Rooster being away, the breach, and now Miranda's mysterious antics, its a lot."

Shells nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's a lot to handle. But if Miranda wants to play games, she'll soon find out she picked the wrong opponents."

The twins, sensing the shift in energy, began to squirm in Shells' arms. Aurora reached out towards Beatrice, her tiny fingers trying to grasp onto her mother's hair.

"Looks like they want you, Bea," Shells chuckled, carefully passing the twins back to their mother as Bea but Nicole down. "I'll make some coffee. We might need it for our plotting against Miranda."

Beatrice cradled the twins in her arms, planting a soft kiss on each of their foreheads. "Thanks, Shells. I’d like that."

"Any word from Rooster?" Shells asked, as she marched over to the coffee maker, letting Bea handle the babies for a little while.

“I called him a few minutes ago."

“Yeah?”

“What did he say?”

“That I should listen to my gut if something feels off,” Bea smiles softly as she places the twins down on their bouncers a bit before preparing herself to feed them while Nicole walked over to her high chair, waiting to be settled.

Shells looked at her from the coffee maker,smirking a bit, “Well he doesn’t have to worry about that,does he? Gut feeling is our specialty.”

“It is?”

“I mean,I had a gut feeling you and Rooster would end up together, and surprise to no one, I was right!”

"Yeah, well, your gut feeling about Rooster and me was probably the only one that worked out."

Shells returned to the living room with two steaming mugs of coffee, handing one to Beatrice before taking a seat across from her. "True, I might not be the best fortune teller, but I make a killer cup of coffee. So spill, what's the plan, Bea?"

Beatrice puts Nicole on her high chair and then tilts her head ‘Plan?”

Shells took a thoughtful sip of her coffee, her eyes locking onto Beatrice's. "You know, for dealing with Miranda. What's our strategy? Besides not beating her up, of course."

"I'm not sure, Shells. If she wants drama, let's not give it to her."

Shells leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "Ignoring her works for so long. Then what?"

Beatrice sighed, the weight of the situation settling back onto her shoulders. "I don't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she's getting to us. Let's focus on our own circle.But for now, let's not let Miranda's games distract us."

“Hmmm…”

“I know you hate that idea.”

“You are absolutely right.” Shells says, “I hate it.“I’m just sayin’ we need to be proactive.” 

“I know…”

“Yeah..” Shells pulls out her phone, “Good thing I called Aunt Penny then! She can give us some advice,” if she noticed Bea’s wide eyed look she ignored it and kept on talking “You know she can help us out.’

“Shells.”

“And Mav.” oh God. “He can help us too!”

“Shells….”

“Yeah,we have this in the bag!” Shells laughs, “Anyway,coffee,right?”

[lulublack90]

Prompt 14 - Drinking Games

@wolfstarmicrofic Prompt 14, word count 275

“Remus?” Sirius whispered eagerly in his ear as he sat down next to him on Remus’s bed. 

“Yes, Padfoot.” He answered, keeping his voice low. 

“Wanna play a drinking game?” He pulled an entire bottle of firewhisky from inside his robes. Remus felt the corners of his mouth pulling up into a smile. 

“Rules?” He asked, already game. He loved drinking games. Especially with Sirius. 

“One rule. Every time Prongs says Evans’s name, we drink.”

“Godric, we’re gonna be paralytic. We’ll get through the whole bottle in five minutes!” He had to bite his bottom lip to stop himself laughing too loud.

“What are you two conspiring about?” James’s voice cut into their little bubble. 

“Oh, you know just how nice Evans was looking this morning, with that little gold pin in her hair,” Sirius said completely deadpan, somehow giving nothing away. 

“It was a beautiful contrast with her hair, wasn’t it? Very Gryffindor colours. You know Evans said to me the other day…” Remus and Sirius looked at each other and surreptitiously passed the bottle between themselves. 

Remus hadn’t been quite right. It took 20 minutes for them to empty the bottle.

“I think you made a mistake setting him off, Sirius.” He said patting Sirius on the thigh. 

“Yup, should have paced ourselves. Good drinking game though. We’ll have to try it again with the others maybe?” 

Sirius flopped his head into Remus’s lap and pulled Remus’s hand up into his hair as he always did when he was drunk.

Remus happily stroked Sirius’s curls as they listened to James still recounting a conversation he’d had about Lily with Marlene earlier that week.