#i feel like children shouldn't have to be afraid to go to school

[soulrph]

chaotic unhinged lines from 2022-2023 (prompt edition).

basically in 2021 i made a list of prompts inspired by lines in tiktok videos and instagram reels that made me laugh so hard i cried! and now i have returned with another list! these may provide an alarmingly clear image of what my sense of humor is (aka broken) but i figure a little levity is always a good thing! more prompts are forthcoming, but in the mean time: bon appetit!

knowledge has always chased you, but you've always been faster.

no... no, that was mango apathy juice. from the farmer's market.

of all these people, you are the one i understand the least. i want to get to know you better, but like, not that much better.

i-i will CHEW YOUR MEAT!! WHAT are you doing?!

ooooh god, no, you wouldn't be long getting frostbit!

you are evil. like a hobbit.

WHY MUST YOU FAIL ME SO OFTEN?!?!!?

i have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it.

AHEM!! fill my cup.

may god ignore you like you ignored my greetings.

i will avenge you mister van gogh.

call off work bestie, we need you to solve a murder. here's fifteen dollars.

you're not in love. you may think you are, you dumb fuck, but you're not.

go ahead and put the ranch away.

sadly, "hopefully" doth butter no parsnips.

forget school, i want to be an italian sandwich.

you shouldn't skip work, you are a lawyer and he is a hamster.

you can stop roleplaying now. you're free.

her coupon game was so fucking raw.

i'm sorry guys... he's making a salad.

you could get a straight guy here if you learned to make a good pasta. i'll teach you how to make a risotto that'll get you married and out of my basement.

hey, do you want me to get together a plate of roast beef and hide it in our room so we can have night meats?

it's not the most ethical thing in the world, but in a pinch you can hand off a cursed object to basically any baby.

no, children, you're wrong. once upon a time, there was a piece of wood.

and i'm not saying she deserved it, but i am saying that god's timing is always riiiiight.

hydrate or die-drate, ya DICK!

why did the monkey fall out of the tree? because it was DEAD.

new york city is a fictional place written up by someone with a sinister mind and a knack for comedy.

this is grindr my guy.

wait, i didn't finish teaching you the difference between human and wolf anatomy.

it's time to tell your grandmother that she was wrong. do not be afraid.

vanilla vodka... you fucking child.

without ash to rise from, a phoenix would just be a bird getting up.

you are fucking alive. do what you want.

why are you cradling me like a baby, friend? this isn't how guys of my generation hang out.

i hope a hedgehog shits in your cereal, you difficult person.

you know, i am not as mean as i would like to be. and i think people should appreciate that more.

see, i am not a kangaroo.

well, i'd like to help, but... you see... not as much as i'd like not to.

rest in peace you fucking onion fairy.

when god sings with all his creations, will a turtle not be part of the choir?

i fight for a seat in heaven, every. single. day.

map maker? can you find me somewhere on the map where this big man thinks he's the king?

you bald-headed demon...

so... there are 24 million pigs in australia... and 24 million people... so if you ever feel lonely, there's like, a pig out there that's sort of your cosmic twin.

remember, alcohol is god's apology for making us self-aware.

i'm straight!! stop CONFUSING me!!!!!

you guys want something to eat? because... i know we'll die if we don't eat.

he is a BIBLICALLY gorgeous man. i wanna feed him grapes. i wanna fan him with the frond of a date palm from the forests of Lebanon. i wanna find the alabaster vial of perfume oil that one woman broke for jesus and comb it through his hair. like... he's stressing me OUT.

i'm not sad! i'm freaking HUNGRY!

maybe, if we wait a little bit longer, a fuck will fall into my hand, and i can give it to you.

it's not my fault you thought you lived in this IKEA.

let's leave my mother out of this.

jason may kill people but he's not bad enough to kick a dog.

i run for LUMP!

oh no, i'm all out of caring, baby!

you don't think it mcbe that way... but it mcdo.

what is this enticing bowl of white?

serious question, do his nipples sparkle?

what in the reese's peanut butter fuck is going on here?

if your parents don't buy it, stop loving them!

i just hope you know just how much you've decreased productivity today.

that was poetry at its FINEST.

and if you let that motherfucker shenan ONCE, you best believe they're gonna shenanIGAN!

may god bless the dinosaur that died to make the fossil fuel that was treated to become petrol in the car that took her mom to the hospital to give birth to her.

that's modern milk for ya. what a time to be alive.

you have attachment issues. please fix it.

remember when people had secrets? we should bring that back.

the moon landing was an elaborate marriage proposal.

i don't like the cobra chicken.

i didn't know eggs were this expensive? it's time to lay my own, i fear.

so you're saying the reason i don't have a girlfriend is because i'm not a big enough threat yet.

god gave him a top lip, that's why he's so powerful.

it's a common mistake, but frankenstein was actually the author.

i finally got a pocket-sized diary!!! also i don't get the concept of life.

if a beautiful woman disagrees with me, i will immediately change my view. i've no principles.

how did you all end up married to such boiled potatoes?

if so much as one tear drops from their eye... i will slap you back into your mum.

you are ringing a phone that does not like to be rung.

look how Dr. doofenschmirtz had a fucked up childhood but didn't project his trauma onto his teenage daughter. he projected it onto a platypus.

it is mathematically impossible for you to get a wedgie.

i'm breaking up with you. i love you, it's just... i don't think you could protect me from a mummy.

if you can't do fractions....... you will fucking die.

that's right; in the year 1791, all of our bottoms were killed in a Big Bottom Massacre.

people always assume i'm mean. like CAN you BELIEVE THAT CRAP?! like WHAT would make you think i'm MEAN?! I'M THE NICEST PERSON ON THE PLANET!

the chocolate milk is strikingly overpriced and at the same time very easy to steal; another of god's little tests.

someone's gotta tell the waiter that i ordered mashed 'taters and it sure as shit ain't gonna be me.

if i had a week i couldn't list all the reasons that wouldn't work.

[selfaware-bungou-stray-dogs]

Hello!! This is my first time requesting something so I'm sorry if I did it wrong or something, so I was wondering if you could do one with preferably Dazai where the reader is suicidal and mostly copes with humor. Oh and could the reader also be a teen like 13 years old?

Circus Hop

Self-Aware! Platonic! Dazai Osamu x GN! Teen! Suicidal! Reader

Description: You were two years younger then him, when he tried to end his life for the first time. You resemble him in more, then one way.

Warning: Mentions of Suicide, Suicide attempt. Parental Neglect. Emotional abuse. Terrible parents. Self-harm. Breakdown. English is my second language

Inspired by the song Circus Hop by YonKaGor.

List of Suicide hotline numbers can be found here and here.

____

Your father brought you to this small building. Someone from school insisted on that.

The room she asked you to stay was quiet. Her voice and your father's voices were muffled, because of the door.

Few minutes ago you were talking to the woman. She asked you about your life, your plans for the future, your friends.

Your answers were simple.

Nothing interesting. Don't have any plans for future. Don't want to meet my friends... Just don't want to.

Then she asked you about pictures you have drawn. And asking about your parents about death. And when the thoughts appeared.

Another set of answers.

I feel like drawing it. I feel like talking about it. After Granny's death.

You... think, that you feel like it. You still can feel, right?

Then she asked you to do some tests. First, you must answer, if some sentences can describe you¹, than you must finish some sentences², then group other sentences together ³.

After you finished, she asked you to wait here, while she talks to your father.

You were left alone.

You looked around.

There were nothing interesting for you. Yet, you continue sitting on the sofa and dangling your feet.

You didn't flinch, when your father opened the door, shouting at the woman, who was talking to him.

"Don't you have anything, that will fix them? They are creeping out everyone!"

Woman's voice was firm.

"I already told you, that your child need professional help. You should..."

Your father's gaze became colder.

"I will take them home. They aren't suicidal. They just a little brat who want some attention and who are angry at their mother and I for working too much and not playing in their stupid games. Come, [Y/N], we are leaving!"

He took your hand in his and start to drag you behind him. You simply follow after him.

Before completely leaving the small building, your father stopped.

"Where's your jacket?"

You point at the door, that leads to woman's office.

"There. I forgot it there "

Your father grumble something and, after slapping you on the back of the neck, he walked towards the door and enter the office again.

"Idiotic brat."

Nothing new. As usual.

Then you heard, how the secretary and one of the janitors were talking.

"Another one of these parents. At first, they refuse to treat their children, because they don't have time for that..." Janitor said, glaring at the office door.

"And then, they must find time to bury their kid..." The secretary's gaze was full of sympathy, when she looked at you.

Your father returns with your jacket. You put if on and follow your father again.

He was mumbling under his breath.

"The nerve of this woman... [Y/N]! Just stop being sad. Be happy!"

You mindlessly nodded. You didn't pay much attention to your father's words. One thought were circling in your head.

"Is it important... to attend someone's funeral?"

_______

It was important. At least, The Internet said so.

Your parents... Work hard. If you die, they won't be able to go to your funeral.

You shouldn't die. At lest, for now.

But... You were so tired. You were so afraid. Future was scary. Life was scary.

and you were a failure

You remembered, your father's advice.

"Just stop being sad. Be happy."

Maybe... you could...

________

For a year, you followed your father's advice.

For one year, you manage to keep up a happy façade.

You became interested in life again.

probably... you do become interested in your hobbies again... at least...you don't even scratch your legs or pull out your hair that much.

Dad's advice works.

kind of... your jokes freaked people out... but the school therapist insisted on helping you in secret from your parents.

when dad found out, he enrolled you in a different school.

he yelled at you for being a brat

mom yelled at you for being a difficult child

You must stay happy. Just be happy.

Pretend to be happy.

you just want to be truly happy again

________

You liked BSD even before these thoughts appeared in your head. Your Granny bought you BSD Manga as a birthday present. It is special to you.

Dazai was one of your favorite character before. Now, he truly became your most favorite. You two are similar. He laughs and jokes. You laugh and joke.

both of you need help

You shake your head, chasing away the thoughts.

You open BSD Mayoi app, humming that song again.

________

Dazai felt nervous.

Two weeks ago, he and the rest of BSD Cast finally got into your world. And, he didn't like what he saw.

First, your parents left the country for a business trip. Leaving you under the care of a complete stranger. Who checked on you two times a day. For the rest of the day, they were doing their own business. And don't pick up the phone.

Your parents left a thirteen-year-old you on your own!

Thankfully, with a few bucks from Fitzgerald and a death glare from Fukuzawa, your 'babysitter' left. You were under BSD Cast care now.

Second, your jokes are concerning. Dazai isn't a hypocrite, he admits, that he jokes about ending his own life! When he and others heard your jokes, back in their world, Dazai was sure that it was his bad influence. But, it turns out, the truth was much darker.

Dazai stopped joking about suicide. He didn't want to worsen your condition even more.

Third, the scratches on your legs.

You scraped your knee a few days ago, and Yosano bandaged it. And she saw this strange marks on your legs. Scratches. Deep. Dazai had a feeling, that you were the one, who made them.

Dazai was worried about you. He wanted to help you.

_______

With each day, it became harder and harder for you to pretend to be happy.

BSD Cast makes sure of that.

They weren't rude. They didn't yell. They... were there.

Asking if you need help. Telling you, that you are allowed to cry. That they will always be there for you.

You wanted to tell them everything. To tell the truth.

But, the call from your father happened.

_____

"Why your voice shaking, [Y/N]? Are you being a brat again?"

"I...I..."

"You're a little ungrateful... You want to make our lives hard?! Did you like it?! You know what, fine! If you didn't want to be there so badly, then d[|||||||||||||||]! See, if your mother and I will cry."

The call ended.

And you were broken.

______

It was dinner time. And you were uncharacteristically silent. No laughter. No jokes. No questions. No talking about your day. Nothing.

Then in the middle of the dinner, you start humming the song. Song, that they heard you humming all the time.

But your eyes were empty.

Dazai carefully touch your shoulder.

"[Y/N], kiddo? Are you alright?"

You slowly nodded. An empty grin appears on your face.

"I am! I am fine... I am happy! I...I can even sing a song!"

BSD Cast looked at each other. Dazai carefully spoke.

"A song?"

You nodded, taking your phone. You quickly found an instrumental.

"Yes! Want to hear it?"

You didn't wait for his, or anyone's response, you pressed play button. The song started playing from the middle.

A cheerful melody start playing.

Soon you sang.

"I shall now accept the fact that I'm a failure (You're a failure). 'Cause I'm still afraid the future might be scarier (It is scarier). I'll slip while having fun and cut off my own tongue. They'll think I was dumb!"

The grin on your face and empty gaze was frightening. Everyone slowly stand up from the table. Fukuzawa took a step towards you.

"[Y/N], if something is wrong, please..."

You ignored him.

"Up from the sky, I won't want you to cry. So here's an act for everyone to sneer at"

Suddenly, you stand up and star jumping up and down.

"So sing along, it's such a silly song. The cackling carousel, it spins and never stops. The acrobat who's waiting at the top. Should do a circus hop!"

You let out a hysterical laughter.

Mom and dad won't cry. No one would care. You can't be happy. You didn't feel anything. No one would care.

"I've said goodbye, I don't want you to cry. So have a laugh with everyone but me"

You were now standing in the middle of the room. You didn't pay attention to BSD Cast. To their pleas to talk to them.

The only thing that matters to you was the open window.

Quick.

You made a dash towards the window. For some reason, you still sang.

You forced yourself to sing. Like this song gave you strength.

"So sing along, it's such a silly song. The cackling carousel, it spins and never stops. The acrobat who fell off from the top. They did a little drop!"

Right before you grab the window's handle, something heavy crushed against you.

You fall down on the floor.

Dazai was pinning you to the floor, making sure, that you can't move.

Something wet fall on your face. You looked up.

Dazai was crying. With shaking hands, he hugged you.

BSD Cast surrounded you. You were in a group hug.

"[Y/N]! Never, never do it again! Kiddo..."

"[Y/N]! Are you hurt? Do you need medical help?"

"First thing tomorrow we are going to the therapist... No! I will find the therapist right now! There must be someone working right now!"

Tears. They were worried about you. They were crying for you.

For the first time since Granny's death, you cried.

"I... I am so scared! After Granny died, I was so alone! Mom and Dad weren't home! They didn't answer my questions about Granny! One day... I just stopped to care about the future. I was afraid of future! Live became so hard! I didn't feel anything... I just want it to end! I want to..."

You didn't finish your sentence and sobbed, hiding your face in Dazai's chest.

Dazai's words were warm. His voice was still shaky.

"You are not alone, [Y/N]... We will be there. I will be there."

_____

For the next few days, you were constantly under supervision. BSD Cast make sure, that you don't have any access to sharp things, medicine, windows.

You start attending therapy. What surprised you the most, that Dazai were attending it with you.

"I will be a bad big brother, if I don't act as an example."

Your parents were fired. Fitzgerald pressed charges about neglect and abuse.

You don't know how, but Fitzgerald adopted you almost instantly.

You had a long way ahead of you.

But you know, you will be better.

Because, one time, you finally thought about your future. And you were waiting for this future to come.

____

¹ Modifications of "Eysenck's Personality Test" for Teens is used to diagnose suicidal behavior.

²Modification of "Sacks Sentence Completion Test, SSCT" is used to diagnose suicidal behavior of teens and children.

³ One of the test, that is used by psychologists in Russia.

[koshkamartell]

No One But Me

masterlist

previous

*chapter warnings* - talk of rape, sexual harassment

You didn't reveal what had happened to Oscar, or to anyone else. You kept your word to Joel and did not speak about it. You were still afraid of what he was capable of doing if you did tell someone, if he somehow found out that you told the truth. You felt ashamed and dirty, as if you were deserving of Joel's wrath, that what he did was justified. Maybe you shouldn't have been dancing and drinking so much that night, maybe Joel was right about the men at the bar and their lecherous intentions. After all, you had to defer to Joel's knowledge and extensive life experience when certain subjects were concerned, and this time seemed to be no exception.

Ellie and her happiness were also at the forefront of your mind. You knew that she would be devastated if she discovered how Joel had treated you; the security of her world and a happy family life would be shattered and her heart broken. You couldn't do that to Ellie. Not when you could see so much of yourself reflected in her, that same yearning for a stable and loving family.

Yes, you still loved him, and perhaps a small part of you always will. But he has broken something inside you and you know it can never be repaired or compensated for in any way. Joel had pushed you too far for you to be able to forgive and forget. A bridge has been crossed and there's no returning to how things once were. Where do you go from here? Do you leave him? Joel hadn't accepted that the first time you tried to leave him - would he relent this time?

You tried not to show the inner turmoil you were facing when around others. Working at the school proved to be a good distraction from your thoughts; the young faces of the children, their innocence and wonder at the world, always managed to motivate you to be collected and calm.

However the library shifts proved to be more challenging at times. You were alone more often than not, only the occasional visitor popping in to seek out material on a specialist subject or children wanting to peruse the comics and picture books. Left alone with the whirlwind of introspection inside your head could be tormenting.

Does he really even love me?

What if he does it again?

He's been so sweet and loving lately, maybe he's changed?

Maybe he's realised how much I mean to him?

This fruitless cycle of thoughts was interrupted by the surprise appearance of Oscar at the door, a grin on his face as the bell jingled above him. You felt startled, like you had been caught doing something you weren't supposed to, but you quickly composed yourself.

"Is it weird that I miss that sound?" He chuckled.

"Hey stranger," you greeted him, flashing a smile that didn't quite reach your eyes . "Didn't expect to see you here. How can I help you?"

Oscar smiled at you, his clean shaven face boyish and handsome, and you suddenly felt warmth spread all over your cheeks. Surely you weren't blushing because of Oscar?

He walked to the counter where you stood and plopped his satchel on the counter top. "Mhm. It's lunchtime, so I figured I'd stop by for a visit and we could pretend it's like old times - us eating together, hanging out. What do you say?"

"Oscar, are you sure you wanna spend your work break with me?" You asked dubiously, making a face at him.

"You're kidding me, right?" Oscar arched a thick eyebrow in question. "As far as I'm concerned you're the only person I wanna eat lunch with."

He didn't wait for you to speak any further before he flipped open his satchel and took out some sandwiches wrapped in wax paper and a few pieces of fruit. You looked away from him bashfully and shuffled your feet. You could definitely feel your cheeks glowing now.

"Oh Oscar," you murmur, sighing a little. "I don't deserve this."

"Don't deserve to eat lunch? C'mon," he scoffed.

"No, you know what I mean," you said while smoothing your hands over your skirt, still unable to look at Oscar. "You coming here specially for me."

Oscar proped his elbows ontop of the counter and leaned forward so that his head was craning closer to you, tilting his head in an attempt to catch your gaze.

"Hey, look at me," Oscar implored softly.

You obeyed his request and slowly raised your head up to face him. He was gazing at you with a mixture of confusion and pity on his features.

"Why do you think so little of yourself, when others think so much of you?" Oscar asked quietly.

The question is too raw for you to actually answer. It makes you feel bare, like your insides are being dissected. How can you possibly explain to Oscar that you've carried this low self worth all your life, that it has been rooted into your very core since your parents died, left to pullulate and fester like a disease?

Somehow, you believe Oscar already knows that he isn't actually asking for an answer.

All you can do is shrug awkwardly and look away from him. Oscar sighs and extends his arm over the counter to take hold of your wrist. "Honey, what is it going to take for you to believe just how important you are?" His thumb begins to stroke the fragile spot where your pulse and veins intertwine under the thin layer of skin.

You close your eyes and savour the sensation of his soft hand wrapped around your wrist. "Important to who?" You murmur.

"The children at school. Ellie. Me." Oscar whispers silkily. "Look at me."

You raise your head once more to gaze back at Oscar. He studies your face, his eyes roaming over your features longingly. The tip of his tongue swipes over his bottom lip. "You're a beautiful person, and I'm lucky to have you in my life." 

The the lilt of his voice and the passion in his gaze penetrate your heart and send electric like shivers up and down your limbs. "T-thank you, Oscar." You stammer.

He smiles at you, the corners of his eyes crinkling. He gently releases your wrist and stands back upright. "Now, enough of this nonsense. I'm hungry and I want you to tell me everything that's been going on here since I left. Didja finish Bug Science? What about that paperback that old man stole and refuses to give back?"

You can't help but laugh at Oscar's light hearted way of breaking the tension in the room. When he sees you finally smile genuinely, he smiles back with a mix of relief and adoration.

After you finish eating and Oscar has to go back to work, you both agree to a regular lunch date at the lunch every week.

That night you were pacing around Joel's kitchen preparing dinner for when Ellie arrived. She was making a dedicated effort to spend more time with Joel without making him feel awkward; you had suggested that regular dinners together were an uncomplicated way to achieve this, and so naturally Ellie had invited herself over.

You alternate between stirring the pot of stew on the stove and shuffling to the dining room to set the table. You carefully arrange the bowls and cutlery in their places, mindful to give Joel a slightly bigger bowl than you and Ellie, knowing that his appetite was more voracious than either of you, especially after a patrol shift.

The setting reminded you of a tale you had loved as a child - a papa bear, a mamma bear, and a baby bear, all with porridge bowls and furniture corresponding to their sizes. Three bears, a happy family with food and a comfy house. Until an intruder comes and disrupts their carefree life.

What was it again? Ah, yes. Goldilocks and The Three Bears.

Silly stories and fairytales created to entertain and teach children morals and valuable lessons. You only vaguely remember some of them from your childhood. Just like the innocence and curious wonderment of youth, your happy memories had been destroyed by the end of the world, shattered to smithereens.

You want Ellie to be able to experience the things that had been so brutally ripped away from you. You know she's suffered her own share of trauma and horrors in her life, things she hasn't shared with anyone but Joel. You know their bond is what has given them both reason to endure and survive for so long. But Ellie was still young, and now she was safe from whatever was still left in the wild of the world. She deserved her own fairytale.

You know you will have to try your best to mask your melancholy for the upcoming evening. You are about to turn off the stove when you hear the front door rattle open, then the sound of boots stamping at the door. It seems Joel and Ellie have arrived home at the same time.

"Good evening!" Ellie trills as she floats into the kitchen. "What did you make? It smells fucking amazing!"

Your heart lights up to see her bound over to the stove and lean over the pot to take a big whiff of its aroma. She lets out an exaggerated sigh and rolls her eyes.

"I'm sooooo hungry!" Ellie groans. "Work sucked today."

You chuckle and pull her into a hug, brushing a little snow flake from her head. "The goats giving you trouble again?"

Ellie was assigned as a farmhand for her work duties and tended to the goats, chickens and sheep. "It was the sheep this time, lazy fuckers wouldn't listen."

"Didn't do what they were told, huh?" Joel chimes, walking into the kitchen with a smug smile tugging at his mouth.

"You callin' me a sheep, old man?" Ellie pretends to square up into a boxer's stance and raises her fists. You watch the interaction with your fingertips pressed to your lips, hiding your smile. No matter how low you were feeling, being immersed in the domesticity of Ellie's and Joel's company was always entertaining.

"You know what insolent means?"

"Uh, nope," Ellie says with a crinkle of her nose. "Why, that what you're callin' me?"

"Damn right."

Ellie punches his shoulder playfully and then begins a hasty exposition on just why her job is so taxing and why Joel should shut up. You shake your head at her theatrics and slip on some oven mitts before carrying the pot of stew out to the kitchen table.

"And if you actually let me go on patrol I could show those assholes just how badass I am," she laments as she follows behind you and Joel.

"No." He takes his seat at the table. "Too dangerous outside the gate."

Ellie just scoffs loudly and flops down onto her chair. You ladle the stew into the bowls and hand them to Ellie and Joel before serving yourself.

"You gotta teach me how to make this," Ellie mumbles through a mouthful of stew. "Tastes amazing, dude."

You settle into your seat and dip your spoon into the bowl. "Yeah, I can do that."

"How'd you learn how to cook?" Ellie asks between another slurp.

You occupy yourself with slowly stirring your spoon through the vegetables and chunks of lamb floating in your bowl. "I picked up some things from working in the mess hall but I mostly taught myself, through cook books and experimenting. More so experimenting."

"Cool," Ellie says, sounding sincerely impressed. "What's your favourite thing to make?"

"This kind of stew, I guess," you respond quietly, still not meeting her eye. "It's hearty, so it's good for when you're sick. And it reminds me of a dish my mother used to make when I was a kid, so...I find it comforting..." Your voice trails off at the end of your sentence. You never spoke of your mother or father but the words had come rolling from your tongue without thought, leaving you to feel as though you've said too much, been too vulnerable infront of both Ellie and Joel.

"Oh," Ellie murmers. "Well, that's good that's it's good for when you're sick, right? You've been sick alot lately so--"

"Ellie," Joel says low and warning.

A tense silence falls over the dining table. You are sure Joel can read your mind, the automatic internal response that you dare not utter aloud - "I wasn't sick last time, Ellie, I was just hiding my face."

You are thankful when Ellie fills the silence once again and starts talking about her friends and the different adventures she's had lately. You listen but do not talk much, only sometimes expressing a hum of agreement or a noise to indicate your interest. To your surprise, Joel makes an effort to engage with her to ask questions or make comments; it is unusual but refreshing, and you can't help but think Joel is doing it for your sake.

When Ellie excuses herself to go to the bathroom, Joel outstretches his hand to you and tenderly clasps it over yours. He lightly squeezes your small hand in his large one and leaves it there, his thumb making tiny circles over the knuckle of yours, soothing and supplicating. You glance up at Joel but he's staring down at his lap unmoving, and you wonder if it's because he feels too ashamed of himself to look at you.

When Ellie returns to the table Joel doesn't move his hand from yours.

It feels like forever since you've joined the girls for a meal in the mess hall. A few days after Ellies visit, you were greeted by Kate waiting outside the school to surprise you after your shift. Despite being exhausted from the days work her cheeky grin made you laugh.

Truthfully, you hadn't thought much about your friends since the night you had all celebrated Jackson's birthday at the Tipsy Bison. It seemed like the time between then and now had stretched infinitely, the events of that night like a vivid dream that was not real but of which you still could not shake from your memory. Seeing Kate in person and so excited to you makes you feel guilty for not being more involved in your friendship circle.

You sit side by side with Kate and Cassie at one of the dining tables, Rhi and Jess opposite you. You have little to no appetite and even the delicious dinner menu doesn't inspire any hunger from you; you mostly move your spoon aimlessly around your plate, only occasionally taking small bites of food. Rhi has lowered her voice and is recounting a recent incident between her and the blonde ranger she has been pining for.

"Can you believe it? He actually stuck his hand up my skirt right then and there!" She hisses with disgust. "Without even kissing me!"

The four of instantly you scrunch up your noses in revulsion.

"Gross!" Jess gags.

"Who the hell does he think he is?!" Cassie fumes.

"What did you do? Did you slap him?" Kate grumbles. "God, please tell me you slapped him!"

"Ofcourse I did!" Rhi answers haughtily, primly running her fingers through her hair. "No bastard touches me like that without my say so."

"He's was cute but boy, did he turn out to be an asshole," Cassie tuts, then adds sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Rhi. I know you liked him for a long time."

Rhi shrugs dismissively. "Eh, better I find out now than after six months of dating and wasting my time."

"Very true," Jess chimes in. "You deserve better than that shit."

"Ofcourse I do! I'm staying out of the dating game for a while, men are so not worth it." Rhi concedes, scooping up some potato and carrot with her spoon.

You watch the airy way Rhi speaks, how the words spill so confidently from her mouth. She's so self assured - in her capabilities, in her worth, in her beauty. You are simply in awe of her. You have often found yourself wishing you were more like Rhi; someone more bold, stronger willed.

You're sick of being timid. You're tired of never standing up for yourself. You're exhausted with hating yourself.

It was becoming more and more difficult for Joel to ignore the fact that he was in love with you. Obviously he knew you belonged to him, but he hadn't really examined just how deeply his own attachment to you ran. The concept of romantic love was something so foreign to Joel that during his pursuit to conquer you he hadn't even recognised how much he loved you.

It hit him when he returned to his house after a gruelling double patrol shift while you were still at work. The inside of the house was still and lifeless and seemed so much bigger and colder than usual. Not a  trace of your pretty fragrance or your soft voice to greet him. Joel hated it.

It was you who Joel wanted to see when he ambled through the door after work, aching and weary and hungry. It was your face that he wanted to see when he opened his eyes every morning. And it was your lips that he wanted to kiss goodnight before each time he went to sleep. Joel needed you as close as possible, so it was a natural conclusion that you start the process of living together.

It wasn't part of Joel's plan - he hadn't expected things to have progressed so quickly, but then again he couldn't deny just how much he needed you. So for the first time since living in Jackson he had decided to follow his heart.

One night after his patrol shift, a week and a half after Jackson's birthday celebration,  Joel slipped through your front door and toed off his boots.

"I been thinkin' about somethin'," Joel calls out as he shrugs off his coat and hangs it on the hook by the door. "I want you to come stay at my place. Got plenty of space for your things. Can even turn one of the spare rooms into a library for your books."

When you didn't answer him he turned around and stepped into the living room. You were sitting on the couch with your feet tucked under you, staring down at your hands as they fidgeted with a loose thread on the cuff of your sweater. Joel put his hands of his hips and clears his throat.

"Baby, you hear me? What do you think?" He asks with a tilt of his head.

He was trying to temper the irritation that was pricking at the base of his neck, but when he properly looks at you it quickly disappears. He clocks the despondent slouch of your shoulders and the pensive expression on your features.

You sigh softly and then tilt your head up to meet his gaze. You look tired, and the tears swimming in your eyes alarmed Joel enough for him to stride over to the couch and sit down beside you.

"What's goin' on?' He asks with genuine concern, his soulful brown eyes darting up and down your form.

Joel had seen you cry many times before, and it was he who was the reason for your tears more often than not. It usually did not perturb him or discourage him. He knew from the beginning that you were sensitive and soft hearted, the opposite of himself. But something about this instance was totally different.

You swipe the sleeve of your sweater across your eyes to brush away the tears that have spilled over.

"Nothing," you mumble, downcasting your eyes back to the loose thread on your cuff as your fingers toy with it. "Just lonely...missing my parents alot today."

Joel hums and smooths his hand over the back of your head tenderly. "Come to my place, babydoll, stay at my house. You'll never feel lonely there."

"Like, live there forever?"

"Well, not just yet." Joel smirks as he tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear. "We can move your belongings gradually."

"What do you mean?" You question him with a side eye glance.

Joel leans into you and nuzzles his nose in the crook of your neck. One of his arms snakes around your middle and he effortlessly drags you closer to his body like a scolded kitten tugged by its scruff.

"You can move into my place permanently later, aint no rush. But for now I want you close by, always. In my bed waitin' for me after work. Sittin' pretty on my lap while you read." He inhales your scent and places a soft kiss on your neck. His breath is hot against your skin and his whiskers tickle you. It makes shivers crawl up your spine.

"I don't know Joel," you whisper hesitantly. "I don't think I'm ready for that."

Joel's body immediately tenses at your words. He slowly draws his face away from you and loosens his arm from your waist. Your first instinct is to cower away from Joel and curl into yourself, to distance yourself from any potential outburst of wrath that he might choose to rain down upon you.

"What d'you mean?' Joel asks in a low, dangerous tone.

"I just...want to stay here, I don't want to go anywhere," you mumble, not meeting his gaze but still feeling the heat of his scathing glower nonetheless.

"Don't wanna go?" Joel growls harshly. "Look at me when I'm talkin' to you."

You cannot control the automatic reaction that his sharp tone commands from you; your head whips up to look at him obediantly. You feel small and vulnerable under Joel's glare.

"You don't wanna live with me in my house?" He hisses. "I thought that's what you wanted."

You sigh helplessly as you feel the tears begin to well in your eyes once again.

It is what I wanted. But now I'm not so sure.

"I'm ready to give you everythin' and now you wanna throw it away?" Joel spits bitterly, scowling. There is an inflection of dejection in his words, and the disbelief and hurt reflected in his glistening eyes causes a small stab of guilt in your chest.

"I just...don't think it's the right time," you explain with slow deliberation. "I'm not ready for that."

Joel takes a sharp inhale and scoffs. "So you changed your mind? Just like that, you changed your goddamn mind?"

"Joel," you speak calmly in order to placate him. "I want to keep my place. I don't want to live at your house."

"Why the hell not?"

The pressurised anxiety and woe that has been gradually constricting around your organs finally explodes, rapidly surging through your veins and your limbs and up into your skull.

"Because you raped me!" You snap suddenly, your voice hoarse and choked with emotion. You haul yourself off the couch and storm to the other side of the living room. "Because you hurt me worse than you ever did before!"

The word rape hangs heavily in the air, shocking and weighted in the way it tears from your throat. Joel's mouth falls open and shut, like he's too shocked to form a response.

And truthfully he is. He's speechless at your outburst, at seeing you so impassioned that you have raised your voice at him for the first time in your relationship. He wonders where this argumentative side of you has come from so suddenly. This kind of back chat and disrespect would usually warrant a punishment, but the near hysteria of your demeanour has thrown Joel off completely.

And then it clicks. He really did hurt you. He hurt you so much so that you are expressing anger at him for the first time, aswell as rejecting him. His throat feels dry. Joel swallows thickly, his adams apple bobbing.

There had been times in the QZ when the women Joel fucked had been desperate enough to acquire something he smuggled in that they let Joel use their bodies however he wanted. He had readily accepted the trade conditions but had never taken any woman unwillingly before, had never forced himself upon a woman or abused her. He openly despised the men that did - the FEDRA officers, the perverted assholes that roamed the streets, the raiders on the outside that thought nothing of gang raping a girl and leaving her bloodied and broken for the infected and wild animals to devour.

But when it came to you, Joel seemed to lose his sense of morality and rationality. He was blinded by the intrinsic need to dominate and possess you from the moment he saw you. It was something feral and biological inside his brain, his heart, his loins. You were his, you belonged to him, and he had to assert ownership over you in any way possible in order to never lose you. That included having to punish you at times to remind you of your place beside him.

Joel knows he's been rough at times. But rape?

Rape. A disgusting and violent violation used to assert control and cause one of the worst kinds of pain possible.

And that's what he did to you. He hadn't stopped once to think exactly what he had done, but now you've said it outloud he has to acknowledge it. He raped you.

Joel heaves himself from the couch and steps towards you but you flinch, wrapping your arms tightly around your waist and shrinking into the corner.

"I...I know what I did wasn't right. I just got carried away." Joel confesses. "Got so angry I wasn't thinkin' straight."

"Angry for what?" You sob, glaring directly at him. "For having fun with my friends like every other person in town?"

"I don't want my woman behavin' like that," Joel declares while shaking his head firmly, his mouth downturned in a scowl. "Not when she belongs to me."

"So you call me a whore and rape me?" You cry with exasperation, the tears pouring down your face.

Joel sighs and runs his hands through his hair in frustration. "I told ya I didn't mean to go that far, but you know I got a temper."

"That doesn't give you the right!" You argue back, secretly thrilled by your surge of self confidence in confronting Joel. "Imagine if someone did that to Ellie, what would--"

"Don't." Joel grits fiercely, his nostrils flaring and his jaw clenching. "Don't you dare mention her."

"Why not?" You ball your trembling hands into fists and stare him down. You can see the anger simmering just beneath the surface of Joel's restrained exterior, the mannerisms that signify an imminent danger. Your heart is thrumming in your chest and your stomach feels sick with trepidation but you won't back down. Not now. "So it's okay if you do it to me but if it's El--"

In a flash Joel storms toward you, his boots thundering heavily on the floor boards. He grabs a tight hold of your wrist and yanks you to him. You squeak with fear and collide into his chest. His eyes bore down into yours with steely reproach.

"Better listen to what I say, little girl," Joel warns lowly. "Mind your fuckin' manners."

You stare back up at Joel, tears of outrage and hurt stinging your eyes. Neither of you move during the tense stand off and time seems to stand still. There's a loaded intensity emanating between you two that is intoxicating, like both your souls are being forcefully pulled together despite fighting tooth and nail to resist. Amidst the anger and pain is something primal, a kind of hunger that is magnetic and electrifying. You can see it burning in Joel's orbs as his gaze flits between your lips and your own eyes.

Before you do something you'll regret, like kiss him or slap him, you try to pull away, but Joel effortlessly keeps you pinned to him. You shake your head despairingly and a sob escapes from your lips.

"I l-loved you," you whisper brokenly. "S-so much. And you have d-done nothing but hurt me."

Joel's expression softens and his grip on your wrist looses a tiny bit. The hardness leaves his dark eyes and is replaced by a helpless kind of sorrow. He blinks and clears his throat.

"That ain't true," he whispers back. "I been tryin', you know that, don't you? Been tryin' to show you how I feel and make it up to you."

"You broke my heart, Joel," you confess in a barely audible whisper.

Joel appears almost pained when the words leave your mouth; his brows furrow and his eyes shut tightly for a second. Then he releases his grip around your wrist and instead cradles your hand in his rough palm. The gentle way his paw engulfs yours is beseeching, as though your very being is the elixir that sustains him, something vital to his life yet is also so fragile. It brings you no comfort and instead makes the situation feel even more gut wrenching. Why can't you always be like this? You want to scream at him. Why now, when it's so late?

"I'll fix it," he says definitively. "Lemme fix it."

"I don't know if it can be fixed," you whisper truthfully.

You move to pull away from Joel again but his other arm wraps around your waist and holds you firmly against him. His emotive puppy dog eyes search yours beneath the heavy frown of his brow.

"Please," he whispers.

You shut your eyes and your breath hitches in your throat. You are so empty that you cannot evoke any words to describe the maelstrom of emotion inside you. Your legs feel weak and you feel like sleeping. Without speaking a word, you feel Joel dip down and lift you up into his arms like a child, and then carries you to bed. 

Joel lays you carefully on the mattress, placing your head delicately on the pillow. You pull your knees up to your chest and curl up into yourself, wanting nothing more than to drift off and dream of alternate realities that you had read of in your favourite books, of imaginary places and people that you longed to visit. Joel climbs over your legs and plonks down behind you with a grunt.

"Baby," he whispers in your ear. Joel slips his thick arm around your waist and presses his front flush against your back. You hate yourself for the way your body has become conditioned to crave the heat of his body, how you still relish the sensation of his skin on yours even after he's defiled you.

"I'm nothing more than a whore for you, aren't I?" You whisper back wetly.

"What?" Joel breathes. "What? N-no, God, no." He props himself up with an elbow and uses his other arm to flip you onto your back. You stare up at the ceiling ans blink away the tears threatening to pool in your eyes.

"You said that," you warble.

"I know," he says with a sigh. "I didn't mean it." Joel splays his large hand over your belly and leans down to press his forehead to yours. "I'm sorry," he whispers. The two simple words stun you -  it is the first time he's ever apologised.

Joel nuzzles his nose against your cheek tenderly, his eyes falling shut.

"I ain't lettin' you go," he whispers against your lips. "I'll prove myself to you. You'll see. You're mine, babydoll. I love you. You only belong to me. No one but me."

taglist - @@sofiparallel @harriedandharassed @kewwrites @romanarose @fan-fiction-floozy @anoverwhelmingdin @unknownsuser101 @shesarealcarpentersdream @sheeeeeppp @uncassettodiricordi @axshadows @puduvallee

[dabiekql]

HQ Kuroo - Fear of Marriage (Angst to Fluff)

-----

I personally think that Kuroo is afraid of marriage since I have this theory that his parents might have argued a lot before their divorce. Most probably the reason why Kuroo developed the habit of squishing his face with his pillows to block the sound of their argument.

However, that doesn't mean that he doesn't like the idea of loving someone. It's really just the thought of marriage since he is scared that he might end up like his parents. From once a stranger to lover and back to strangers, or even worse, an enemy. He probably decided that he probably shouldn't date someone since you never know. You might fall in love with someone to the point of marriage.

But he couldn't help but fall in love with y/n. Although he knew it might be selfish of him, but at the back of his mind he thought: you never know. They were still young, so you never know. He thought no matter how much he loves her, it might be a high school love experience, but in a blink of an eye, they were adults.

At this point of their age and their years together, marriage shouldn't be a surprise anymore. And deep down, he knew. He knew she was the one. She was one the who always supported him with his every decision while simultaneously giving him her insights. He was happy with where he was, but he was unsure if it was the same for y/n. So he began to observe her for the past few days, trying to get a glimpse of her thoughts.

From his observation, he could tell, he was certain that she wanted to get married. She constantly mentioned about having children with him or what their marriage life might be like or where they should live if ever they got married.

This put him in an awkward situation. How was he supposed to tell her that he cannot get married? How was he supposed to admit to her that he let her waste her youth love on him? On someone who didn't even consider the thought of marriage? If y/n was the type who didn't really care about marriage, it might have been okay, but right now, that was certainly not the case.

It doesn't change the fact that he loves her deeply. He was ready to do whatever he can for her, but marriage? He was still very scared of that idea. He knew he was selfish and he doesn't know if he can continue to be selfish. Was he suppose to let her go before it gets even later? He knows that it won't be a problem for y/n since she was a beautiful person, in and out. Any man would love her as their wife, as their lifelong partner. Anyone will be lucky to have her by their side.

But deep in his mind, he wanted to be the one to make her happy. He wanted to be the reason behind her happiness. He clenched his fist tightly at the thought of her going to a different man. However, he loosened his fist as the thought of marriage was a border he haven't overcome yet. What was he supposed to do? What was the right thing?

As Kuroo could not decide on what he was supposed to do, he didn't notice that he always had a pained expression whenever he was with y/n. She initially didn't try to pry as she thought he will tell her when the time is right and if he doesn't want to, that was fine as well. However, since it has been going on for a long while, she couldn't help but ask him of the matter. "What's wrong? Maybe I can help?"

Kuroo hesitated for a while, but took a deep breath as he made up his mind. He has decided to be straightforward with her regarding the idea of marriage. "Princess.... you see...." he gulped before continuing his words. "I don't think... I don't think I can get married..."

At his words, y/n didn't know how to absorb his words. What does he mean by that? Does he mean that he doesn't love me anymore? At her conclusion, she could feel her eyes becoming hot as tears were ready to fall. "Y-You... You don't... love me... a-anymore...?"

At her words and teary eyes, Kuroo panicked as he quickly wiped her tears gently. "That's not what I meant... I... I never told you about it, but... I... I'm scared... scared of getting married..."

At his words, y/n looked at him with confusion. "What...?" That was when he began to explain to her what made him develop the fear of marriage. Between his story, he apologized to her time to time as he knew he was being selfish for going out with her and maybe even leading her on.

Kuroo expected her to maybe break up with him, but when he hesitantly made an eye contact with her, he saw her apologetic face. He couldn't understand why she looked apologetic and as he was about to ask why, she beat him into it. "I'm sorry, Tetsu... I didn't mean to make you pressured about getting married. Honestly, yes I would love to get married with you that I naturally thought about what our marriage life might be like..."

Kuroo bit his lips as he looked down at her words. "But I didn't know about your fear of marriage and I completely understand where it is coming from..." She then looked at him with determination as she held his hands tightly. "We don't have to get married! We can just continue to date! I can give up on the dream of marriage if I can be with you! I'm happy as long as I am with you! As long as I can stay by your side, that's enough for me...."

At her words, Kuroo was lost of words. At his expression, she smiled at him gently and gave a big nod. "I am certain! Marriage isn't the only way for me to be happy with you!"

Tears dropped down from his eyes involuntarily as he hugged her tightly. "I thought... I thought I really had to let you go... I knew I was being selfish..."

"Don't ever let go of me! Don't ever think that way!" Y/n said as she hugged him back.

This was probably the moment when Kuroo really realize what true love was like. It's like as if he could overcome his fear of marriage. Maybe.... Maybe if it's her, he won't end up like his parents. Maybe... Maybe he can be her lifelong partner. At those thought, his arms tightened around her as he made up his mind.

He can't lose her to anyone. He was determined to make her the happiest person in the word. If it was her, he doesn't mind getting married.

[small-sinclair]

Hi I love your Sinclairs Brothers X reader oneshots and I was wondering if I could make a request of poly Sinclair Brothers X reader where the reader wants to have a baby and they ask the Sinclair Brothers if they want a baby as well and I was wondering if it could be fluff with a slight angst it's upto you have a lovely day/night ☺️

Of course!

It'll be a bit angsty but it'll have a happy ending! I'll have this as an a/b/o prompt because I love writing those! I love the Sinclairs as that :3 . Didn't like how this turned out, though, but let me know if you liked it!

a/b/o Sinclairs x fem!reader

Tw: Reader is not a wolf, sexal activities mentioned, infertile reader

Welcomed reader: @sketchy-rosewitch

After getting married to all three, you were trying to create a family.

At first, Bo was so excited that you wanted a child. He lifted you up and spun you around, kissing you all over. He loved the idea of having a family and kids running around the house and yard. Growing a pack was a life long dream!

Then you asked Vincent, and he didn't act like his twin. He was hesitant with the idea of being a father, and it scared him. What if his children couldn't look at him with the same love as he has for them? What if he ended up like Trudy? Then he saw your smile and you telling him about different baby names, and his heart warmed to the idea. Much like his brother, having a little pack of his own and watch them grow... it didn't sound that bad.

Finally, you asked Lester, and he was blushy and gushy. He thought you were joking, but when you told him about your dream of having a lot of kids, he was over the moon. He thought he would be a good father, be something his own parents weren't. He liked the idea of teaching his kids how to hunt and fish, to survive in the forest without needing help.

At the end, the Sinclair Pack was all ready to become a larger family, and you were nothing but excited.

You've been trying for months on end with the brothers. Every month, week, day; whenever they were in heat, when you felt the mood with one of them, when they felt the mood with you; taking pain, pleasure, both, soft, rough, a bit of everything; quick or long-- you tried. Tired and tried and tried, but nothing worked. Every time you thought it was it, nothing happened. But still, you tried. All of you tried.

Then a feeling came over you when you looked back on your family history, and you hoped you were wrong. If you're wrong, then there has to be something more you can do! If your right... how are you going to tell Bo? He always wanted to be a father! How are you going to tell Vincent? He always wanted to rock his child to sleep during thunderstorms! How are you going to tell Lester? He always wanted to teach his kid how to fish and hunt!

The blanket forts, the sleepovers, the school events, the report cards, soccer and baseball games-- all of it was slipping through your fingers like sand in an hour glass.

Please, be wrong, y/n. You have to be wrong, you thought to yourself as you sat in the Gynecologist's office in a blue and white medical dress. You had your hands folded as you looked at the posters of mothers and babies. I want to be wrong.

You told Bo that you'll be in town to get something, and you weren't lying. You came for town for a doctor's appointment and strawberries from the farmer's market. You didn't want to tell them that you'll be here because you were afraid of what they might do, and you don't think they needed to be here for this. If it's nothing, then you shouldn't worry, right? You have to keep trying over and over until... you just want a family, your own little pack.

The sound of the door clicking snapped your thoughts, and you looked up hopeful as the female doctor entered. "Hello, y/n," she said sweetly. "I'm Dr. Haley. How are you doing today?" IN her hands, she had a large paper packet and a clipboard. You knew what was going to be said before her words came, and your words started to crumble.

And so it begins.

***************

Bo's leg never stopped bouncing as he looked at the clock. He saw the truck coming back from town, but you didn't stop. He could smell something off as the truck kicked up dust in the wind, the breeze carrying your scent down hill to the open garage doors. He knew Vincent could smell it because he poked his head up from the basement tunnel, signing at him in questions and wonders.

"I don't know, Vince," Bo answered looking back at the house. "I didn't do anythin' to her... she just came back like this." He looked back at Vincent, who had his arms crossed, nodding up to the house. Bo closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Text Les and tell 'im t'get 'ere. I got a feelin' 'is is an everyone problem."

And he wasn't wrong as he got closer to the house.

He paused in his tracks as he looked at the home, and his stomach started to turn as he started to smell pain mixed with anxiety.

He could hear your muffled cried from upstairs from outside, making him and Vincent freeze in there tracks. They looked at each other then sprinted the last block towards the house, your sobs burning like sharp whiskey in the back of the throat. On the other side of town, they heard Lester's truck speeding up as if he could hear you from the other end. Bo didn't like this smell as he bolted up the porch steps growing stronger, and he nearly ripped the door off its hinges, again.

Vincent looked around the living room, hearing Lester's truck dying in the drive and his boots crunching the gravel. Bo's head snapped up at the steps and started towards your room. Lester's heart hammered in his chest as he listened to your cries, and it tore the Beta apart. He felt lost and confused, but that all changed when fear took over. Did he do something to upset you? Is this his fault? It didn't help that the twins were thinking the same thing, nervous and fear mixing together in an unholy concoction.

The brothers' boots echoed up the steps like an army storming through the house, Lester taking the lead somehow. If you weren't crying, you would yell at them to take their boots off at the door, but you hugged Bo's pillow as you wore Lester's gator shirt and Vincent's sweatpants.

"Darlin'?" Lester asked, not bothering to knock as he entered the room. "Why are you crying? What's wrong? What happened--?"

Bo pipped up from behind. "Who do we gotta kill? Who's gonna die?"

You tied to look up at them but looked back at Bo's pillow. His kids would've loved pillow fights--

You let out a loud sob, causing your Alphas to cringe at the noise, the Beta's eyes falling over you.

This was breaking their hearts as they filed in one by one, each taking their place on the bed: Lester near your stomach on the left, Vincent on your left, and Bo on your right. Bo takes the pillow from you and tossed it behind him. He pulled you up to lay against his chest. Lester sat up and wiped your tears away, his heart breaking with every fat teat that touched his fingers. Vincent smoothed your hair and arm, bringing you hand up to his waxed lips. The urge to protect you from these three grew louder and larger, their desire to keep you from the horrors outside the town.

What happened, sunshine? Vincent signed against your skin. What went wrong?

You got your breathing back to normal, your hand finding Vincent's once more. You swallowed hard and let out a shaky breath. "I went to town today and got strawberries."

"That's good," Bo said, his fingers brushing through your hair. He tried his best to remain calm, the worse running through his head.

"And I went to the gynecologist's afterwards," you squeezed Vincent's hand.

Lester's eyes blinked, his head going empty. "The what?" he asked, lifting his brow.

Bo answered for you. "It's where a woman doctor looks over the female body."

It didn't hit Lester at first, and he blinked a couple times. He's so cute when his mind has to go over words again. After a while, it hits him. "Oh! Oh, okay, okay." He looks at you. "Go on."

The scent of mixture anxiety and fear circled and hit the three like a freight train. Vincent leaned against your neck and nuzzled against the nook, trying to mask that smell with his. The smile burned his eyes and they started to water. The smell soaked through his mask, making his skin burn, but he didn't move. He wanted you to be comforted as his little human, his little muse.

Bo followed Vincent's lead, kissing your hair then up and down your right arm, taking in the smell as he tried to mask it with his own. "Tell us... what happened? Y/n, sweetheart," Bo kisses your ring finger, the promise ring he gifted you as a mark of his, "tell me."

You take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I can't have kids."

"No one's ready for kids," Bo answered. "Kids just kinda happen."

"No, Bo." You felt yourself chocking up again. "I can't have kids. I physically can't have them." You looked in his eyes as you felt tears falling again. "I'm infertile. Something's-something's wrong with me." You sobbed out the last part as you hugged him tightly, breaking all of their hearts. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that-that I'm use-useless now-!"

Lester hugged your side tightly as the twins covered you in their arms, all three holding you close. "Ya ain't useless," Lester said as he tried not to cry with you. "Who told ya 'at? Who said 'at?" When he heard you cry, he started crying, too. He wished he could take your pain from you.

"Ain't useless," Bo conformed, kissing your hair. "Never been useless. Far from it, y/n--"

"But-but you and Vince and Les want-want a family--"

"You are our family," Bo stopped your words hard. "You've been our family since you got here!" He felt Vincent tighten his arms around his brother and you, burying his face into your shirt. "We don't need kids to be one."

Lester nodded in agreement. "Yeah!" He wipes his tears away. "You are family. We-we don't need a kid to make-make one."

Vincent makes a noise in the back of his throat, his arms running over your other arm to your shoulder. 'You are far from useless, my muse. You are the glue to this little pack.' He leans close to you and kisses your cheek with is real lips, tasting salty tears. 'We love you. I love you!'

Bo kisses your neck then your lips. "It's okay, y/n. It'll be okay."

"But, you wanted--"

"I want you to be happy," he answered for himself. "I want to care fer ya an' love ya an' protect ya. Shit," he gestured around him, "we all want that."

Lester took your hands and kissed over your knuckles. "An' if ya want a family wit' kids an' all, shot," he flashed you a bright, loving smile, "I don' mind adoptin'!"

'Your heart makes this a family, a pack,' Vincent planted another kiss over your skin. 'Not children.'

Bo repeated his words against your skin, "You are our family," he planted a kiss to make the words stick. "Nothin' an' no one will change that. Fertile or not." He placed your hair behind your ear. "You're my home."

"Our home." Lester kissed your knuckles again.

'Our pack,' Vincent signed as he leaned against your neck.

As the sunsets over the dead town, you were safe between your alphas and beta, there arms holding you close as they talked over anything and everything. You don't know what they saw in you or why they wanted you around, but you're thankful for them. They were your family, and they were yours.

[myriadparacosm]

You think Sirius Black would go crazy over James having child? Do you even imagine how he will be for REMUS' CHILD? He will lose his mind.

I personally do not like the original relationship of Remus and Tonks (love you queen but your author is shit) because it felt forced to me - though it gave us one little Edward "Teddy" Remus Lupin.

Anyhow, let's trash canon out of the window because what matters is how Sirius would absolutely go mad for Remus' child - be it from Tonks or anyone else (male wizards would definitely figure out a way to get pregnant through magic but that's another story). He is already over himself for Harry and he wouldn't truly play favourite but it's /Remus/ so Teddy has a very important spot that Sirius probably wouldn't know how to deal with.

Sirius will literally sleep as Padfoot in Teddy's room to be sure nothing happens to him and Remus wouldn't not catch him right away. Teddy would always remember a dog spying on him at school or even when he plays outside.

In the case of Remus being an only father/sharing custody (because come on Remus and Sirius are soulmates and they will end up together)

Sirius would always try to get involved and he naturally becomes the favourite of Teddy - who sometimes calls him papa (because Sirius would definitely teach him french swear words to mess with Remus but Teddy will ask how to say dad in french) and it's an embarrassing surprise to everyone. Teddy will even fuse Pad with Papa because Remus often call Sirius Pad.

Though Sirius would recover pretty fast and use it at his advantage and Teddy is the perfect partner in crime: "You shouldn't speak with that tone to the papa of your child!" "Yeah! Don't speak to Padpa like that!"

Remus is, of course, smitten and desperate over all of this because he already has enough feelings to deal with without adding up his son bonding with Sirius like it was meant to be.

The school, because it's important that Teddy learns from Muggles before going to Hogwarts, is convinced that Sirius is the actual father of Teddy up until Remus showed up to pick him up. (yes Sirius responded to Mister Lupin but no one was there to see him blush and Teddy kept the secret in exchange of candies). He had to fight with Sirius who has taken the habit to drop off/pick up Teddy without /asking/ to finally do it by himself and the first time this happened - Remus thought his child got kidnapped until he called Sirius: "what do you mean he disappeared? Teddy is with me-- bollocks, not the chocolate Teddy!"

Sirius will literally adopt Teddy the moment he sees him. Harry was also smothered with his love but James isn't the love of his life (rude he says) whilst Teddy feels like the future, present and past of Remus all in one and Sirius is a very possessive person, which he is aware of, but he can't stay away.

He isn't perfect at taking care of Teddy at first because he is too much like a friend rather than a parent to Teddy but he learns fast and tries to be better. No one really asked Sirius if he ever felt like having children or even if he felt like he would be any good at it - to which he would have replied with a depecrating laugh and 'are you mad?' because Sirius is afraid at the idea of being a parent.

The question isn't so much important right now, not when he tucked Teddy in, hugging him as Remus read the traditional bed time story to them. Sirius always falls asleep there, definitely after Teddy despite what Remus says after waking him up so they can sleep properly in their bed ever since Sirius moved in indefinitely.

[its-chelisey-stuff]

well, nobody dumps trauma on the younger counterparts of main leads like this writer. In retrospective, I should've known who was the evil mastermind behind it lol

I am conflicted about their specific trauma, but I am enamored with the characters and want to protect them so badly. I find their story so tragic and I'm so sad that the happy ending will belong to the older protagonists and not the young ones, because damn, they didn't have enough laughter and love around them. When will these young actors not deal with such heavy storylines?? So unfair.

Drama portrays so well the fact that trauma works in such different ways for people and how we show it. The first thing we notice about this guy is that he's quiet, reserved, stoic and very dedicated at school. The first thing we know about him is that nothing comes for free, as he uses every opportunity to get money and just before we think he loves money and dreams of getting out this town and this provincial life blah blah, we find out the truth and that all the money is for him to get away from his abusive ass of a father who beats him everyday. Ugh. My jaw dropped to the floor, I swear. I was shocked. I HATE HATE HATE this so much. You have to be an insect of the lowest kind, utterly disgusting, if you hit your children. People like that shouldn't be allowed to procreate.

But then, right after this, literally the next scene, we find out her father also beats her and I swear to God I was screaming and pulling my hair because whyyyy ???poor children. They do not deserve this. Their house is the place where they should feel the safest, not the place where they walk on eggshells and are afraid of even making a noise. Their parents should be the people who make them feel the safest, not the ones who make their nightmares come true. This right here is something I hate seeing represented in media, so watching it was pretty difficult for me. In fact, I'd advise people who are triggered by this to skip scenes or the entire episode, because the domestic abuse scenes were pretty realistic. And so loud.

But trauma for our young female lead it's different. She tries to escape from it and leave it at her house, and so she is bright, happy and over-the-top silly teen at school. She tries to enjoy, even if it's a facade. Because this is her way to cope. And her music.

I loved how he tried to reassure her and calm her down. Even if they haven't been friends for so long, he already knows her and understands her in a way no one else does. He's such a kind and selfless soul, despite everything and no matter if he's the second or main lead (more on that later), I'm rooting for him to live happily.

I really wanted for them to get away together, and live in Seoul, being adopted by her idol and brand new CEO. I wanted them to grow up together and happy, but I knew exactly where this was going, not only because of the premise and the writer, but also because this is dramaland. So when he told her they had to run away, I knew they wouldn't make it.

We are presented with a dilemma of who is the endgame here, but right now I don't care that much. I only want for this girl to live her life and finally achieve her dream of meeting her idol and be a singer. Still, we must acknowledge the elephant in the room and I've seen second male lead has glasses, so that's either the drama telling us the answer OR trying to confuse us. I find that I'm okay if he is the young kid who bravely stood up to her violent father just so he could give her time to escape.

But my money is on my human golden retriever. Aww, it's such a sight for sore eyes to see Chae JongHyeop in a main role again after almost a year and a half. He was amazing in Love All Play.

So yes, this is the writer of Start Up (does anyone else get PTSD from how toxic the fandom was back then? No? just me?) so we know she's gonna make it a point to drag this love triangle for a while. But this is also the writer of Pinocchio, While you were Sleeping and I hear Your Voice (my personal favorite), so *fingers crossed*

[amyintherapy]

Invalidating your own trauma

A "nugget" from a recent therapy session that I keep coming back to...

My therapist said that a good way to look at your own trauma is through the lens of someone who didn't experience it that way. Because our childhood trauma is normal to us, as it's often all we knew as kids as we're often in cultural bubbles. So our friends, cousins, etc often have similar childhoods to our own, so it can feel like that's what almost the whole world is like. But it's not, of course. They said that when someone had a mom that drank everyday, they often will feel like 'everyones' mom drank too often/too much. And they can point to things like how you can walk into retail stores and find baby onesies that say "I'm the reason mommy needs wine." to show that it is "normal" to drink all the time. So they might feel like having a mother with a drinking problem is something they shouldn't have trauma over. But to me, someone who had a mom who almost never drank, and who I have literally never seen drunk even once - it's SO understandable to me that having your mom rely on drinking as a coping method, or worse - be an outright drunk, could be scary and damaging. They are going to lack emotional presence, you may not feel like they are 'in control' in the ways they should be, you might be afraid of them, you might feel like you have to step up to take care of things when they're drinking. You are likely to think its normal/healthy to use alcohol do deal with big feelings rather than learning healthier methods. Of course that's traumatic! And for me..."normal" is having a parent who doesn't ever connect with you on a deep emotional level, who regularly is frustrated with you for needing anything from them, it's feeling emotionally alone your whole childhood, not going to anyone as a child when bad things happened to you because you knew the support wasn't there. It's being desperate to be 'good' and a severe people pleaser yet still routinely getting yelled at and otherwise punished for making age-appropriate, human mistakes despite trying your best. It's having to shut down your feelings regularly as you weren't allowed to be angry, hurt or sad in most cases but especially cases that involved your parents' behavior, and being ignored or rejected on the few instances where you were so desperate as to ask for help. It's walking on eggshells to try to avoid angering the adults in your lives because if they got upset, you couldn't feel safe. I have no idea how common it is. But there are people who grew up with parents who they could go to when they had a problem with a friend at school. Or when they were scared of the dark. Or when they were sexually abused. Or when they started their period for the first time. There are children who grow up being taught how to feel their feelings not shut them down or avoid them. Who don't think twice about taking up space, because they've never had routine experiences that taught them that they needed to be 'small' to be safe. And those people would see my idea of 'normal' childhood and go gosh, of course that is damaging! Maybe even 'I can't imagine having been a child and not feeling like I could turn to my parents when I was scared/hurt/upset! That's wild!" rather than be like me and think 'that's just how it is, I shouldn't be hurt by this.'

[ricihh]

Ayano Aishi Headcanons!! (Not Yandere Au)

The eldest daughter of Ryoba and Togo.

She has a younger brother. They both get along considerably well, despite their different tastes.

Good bonds with her mother and father, just a little afraid to share things that happen in her life with them (and when she does tell, it is to Togo, who is a terrible adviser by nature).

Ace Lesbian.

She has social phobia and autism.

This means that in this Au she feels emotions, but has trouble recognizing other people's and her own.

Very similar to her father (both in manner and taste).

Practically canon (see her room), but a big fan of otaku culture and anime games.

She has a fixation with magical girls and saves money to buy figures and other otaku stuff.

Heavy user of Discord—oops, Yancord. She has several online friends there and loves to play with them.

Very jealous and does NOT know how to hide it.

She can play guitar (Togo taught her).

She has dark circles under her eyes from sleeping late.

She would like to join the gaming club, but lacks a little courage (she joins eventually with Taeko's help).

She likes occult, but doesn't know if she would join the club or something.

She has difficulty making friends. Often starts conversations by asking for people's Yancord users.

Ayano: Uh... S-so, what is your Yancord user?

Taeko: Wut–

She fell in love at first sight with her senpai and thought she would never be able to talk to her. She tried very hard to befriend Osana and make her understand her feelings.

She confessed to Senpai after that.

She is terrible at showing feelings (just like her father, but nicer about it).

She was the first person to know that Senpai is a trans woman.

Ayano: I have something serious to talk to you about, senpai. I-I think I like girls.

Taeko, in a female wig: And I think I am a girl.

Ayano: Oh. I-I didn't see that coming.

Taeko: Me neither.

Extremely supportive.

She likes cats and gets one eventually.

She loved listening to horror stories told by her parents (mostly Ryoba) before bedtime. This made her a big horror fan.

Ryoba tries to get her as far away from her uncle in the Yakuza as possible at his own request. However, the delinquents and Osoro know about this (and that she has an ex-delinquent father) and are good friends with her.

But she always refuses to join their group, because Ayano wants to look presentable for her senpai and is not good at physical fighting.

Even if she is very fond of martial arts.

Budo is a close friend and thinks she shouldn't hang out with the delinquents so much.

Ayano has contacted her Yakuza uncle a few times. The first time she was just a child, and to fulfill a challenge that some naughty children gave her, she contacted her uncle by seeing his number in a little notebook in her parents' bedroom.

Young Ayano: I need some bang snaps.

Yakuza: sigh. Look, Ayano. We don't work with that kind of thing around here.

Young Ayano: But mom said that uncle works with dangerous things!

The second time, she asked her uncle for illegal things to complete the delinquents tasks. He refused, so she tried to get it at school.

The third time, Ayano contacted him again and begged him to help Taeko get illegal feminizing hormone therapy. She said she would pay him as much as he wanted, but Yakuza just gave in to the request and, saying it was the only deal he would do for her, provided illegal hormones totally for free.

Ryoba finds out about this and starts a way to get HRT legally for Taeko with correct prescription and everything. Ayano is relieved.

Ayano uses the delinquents to protect Taeko from the bullies.

But she keeps running away from them every time they even remotely touch the subject of her joining them.

Taeko: You know, I don't mind if you go blond.

Ayano: but I do......

She has difficulty with some school subjects, and Taeko always helps her study.

Amai, Osana and Osoro are quite friendly to her. She has had some conversations with Oka (mostly because they both like occult) and they feel related to each other from afar. She feels intimidated by Kizana (for her air of superiority) and Hanako (she dislikes Ayano). Ayano is indifferent about the remains of those who would be her rivals, minus Mida Rana, engaging in a plan to denounce her for her criminal acts around the school.

Ayano finds Info-chan and the proposal they made to her quite strange, especially since Info-chan never revealed their intentions and how they knew about Ayano's crush on Taeko. This instigated Ayano, who tried to get more information about Info-chan by contacting them to befriend Osana (the first “rival” as Info-chan likes to call her), asked her own colleagues and visited the clubs near Info Club, but got no results. Ayano still thinks this is an interesting mystery and knows she is being watched from afar for having managed to date Taeko so easily—even though Info-chan has tried to appear harmless to her, Ayano suspects something more involved in this after Info-chan indirectly encourages her to use aggressive methods in their first conversation. However, Info-chan still remains a complete mystery and deleted their contact from Ayano's cell phone after Ayano started dating Taeko.

[writerswho]

I will never stop talking about how Wednesday should not be just another teenager who doesn't get along with her parents because that goes against everything the Addams represent.

When they created the original series back in 1964, the differentiator of the Addams family was a family that actually loved each other. A husband and wife who are completely devoted to each other and are madly in love, and who love their children so much that they are sad because they have to go to school. Things that are the minimum to have a healthy familial relation and that no one can see elsewhere with all the jokes about husbands hating their wives and children and acting like marriage and fatherhood is a death sentence.

The Addams are different not only because they are creepy and kooky, mysterious and spooky, but also because they are a healthy family unit.

When I say that Wednesday's behaviour in the series is unacceptable, it's not because I don't understand that she's a teenager now, but because she has no reason to be the way she is with her parents. Whenever someone comes along to defend their mischaracterization, especially Wednesday's, it's to say that teenagers are just like that or that teenagers need to rebel because they have a disrupted family (which is unfortunately true), but they forget that not every teenager has the need to do so.

Certain children grow up in affectionate homes with loving parents who create connections with their children, with a healthy and safe family environment where there is space for the children to express themselves and to communicate their sorrows without feeling afraid, I know, it sounds like a hoax, but some people are lucky to have the minimum which is not to grow up screwed.

The Addams are the epitome of a healthy family dynamic and Wednesday grew up at the centre of it all, she grew up being encouraged to be creative and curious, to find ways to express herself even if it meant torturing her brother or blowing things up, she always had the unconditional support of those surrounding her.

For the umpteenth time, the Addams are a healthy, caring family that loves and respects each other. Gomez and Morticia would destroy anyone for the happiness of their loved ones, Pugsley and Wednesday likewise. They get along through torture, insults and attempted murders, and nothing is more right and healthy in their case. Wednesday, while a teenager, while someone who has trouble expressing herself in any way other than mayhem and havoc, should not treat Gomez and Morticia the way she does. She shouldn't see her parents as enemies.

And that's my problem, one of them at least.

Teenager or not, having trouble expressing themself or not, a person who grows up in a healthy family environment where there is trust and mutual respect just like there is within the Addams family does not see their parents as enemies.

Even though Wednesday may feel overwhelmed with so much affection, she still shouldn't see her family as the source of her pain because they understand her. They understand that she doesn't like to be touched or hugged nor talking about her feelings and all the other things that are there to understand, and they respect that.

They respect her and her boundaries and live by her rules because her happiness is the most important thing to them, that's why Morticia doesn't touch her when showing her love and Gomez waits to see if she's going to kill him before hugging her and Pugsley accepts the insults as a display of affection because that's what they are.

Wednesday may be a teenager, she may not know how to deal with her feelings, and she may even be somewhat indifferent to those around her in the eyes of the public because she does not know how to handle displays of affection, but she cannot and should not see her family, especially Morticia, as the antagonists of her existence.

That's why, in my humble opinion, Wednesday is a bad adaptation of The Addams Family. It's a nice series, with interesting original characters, and deserves all the love it gets, but it's not a good adaptation.

[netherfeildren]

People might have asked you before, but do you work or have studied in writing? How you write is beautiful and so engaging! I love it! Just a few sentences are enough to hook me up. I've just read ''Greener Memories of Better Men'', and you wrecked me. I'm not prone to cry, but with just over 10k words, you did it. I felt Joel's pain and mourning. How you describe it was painfully beautiful and heartbreaking.

The way you introduced Ellie was masterful. I liked that she still aids Joel in his healing journey with her sweet speech and puns. And the reader! I'm on the small size, and how you describe the size difference between the reader and Joel really gets me. She seems sweet and younger. Around what age did you think when you wrote her? The connection they share, be it by previous attraction or the pain (on different levels) of losing Sarah, feels strong and unstoppable. They do the deed in the car, lol! I don't know if you plan to write more about them, but may I ask, do you have a picture of their future? If they marry and have more kids?

Don't start me on ''Pink''. There's only one chapter left! This story is a treasure. I love a good forbidden/taboo relationship story, and this is mind-blowing! The way you describe the feelings and thoughts is captivating. Their first kiss in the bathroom gave me goosebumps. Their obsession with each other might not be healthy, but it's so good to read it. Joel's words about not being allowed to fall in love sound like a failed attempt to convince himself of what to do as if he knows he has already lost the battle, but he's not yet ready to accept it. Or it's what I'm hoping for. And she's bound to the same thing. All her life, she's been hiding who she really is from everyone (even her husband), but she cannot hide anything from Joel. He sees her. I wonder if Joel's son will appear in the last chapter.

Thanks for sharing these stories!♥️♥️♥️

Hi! thank you so much for such a kind message! one of my degrees is in literature so I did quite a bit of writing during school, but no, my current job doesn't have me writing in a professional capacity at all. Ellie is probably hands down my favorite tlou character to write and I don't do it enough. which if I think about it is probably because I'm always so worried about getting her voice right / having her remain in character. and you're so right her part in greener memories was entirely meant to help Joel on his journey to self healing just like she serves in canon. they're a team those two, no matter what universe we stick them in, I think. I didn't have a specific age in mind for the MC in that one, only that she was younger than him, something like a fresh set of eyes taking in the world in comparison to Joel's older more jaded ones. I've not given much thought to what their future would have been like honestly, but like it said at the end of the story, she saved his life in all the ways that counted, and I can't believe I'm saying this because it's SO unlike me in terms of the way my stories usually go, but even though I do think they stayed together for sure, I'm not sure if they had children. I'm not sure it really matters, or better said, I don't think the important thing, in my mind, in terms of that specific Joel, is like moving on, as much as being okay with himself at the end of it all. he was so afraid of turning into someone Sarah wouldn't be able to recognize that I think the real lesson is having something like that happen and being able to hold on to yourself, the rest is ancillary for me, and I'll leave it up to the readers discretion and interpretation :)

and pink... yeah, Joel's warning at the end is definitely falling on two sets of deaf ears. There was already too much of a build up of something that shouldn't have been between them, even before they'd gotten involved with each other, to be able to control it now. will sam appear in the last chapter? who knows, not I! we'll just have to wait and see what happens, I suppose! thank you so much for reading and again, for such a kind message 💗

[koifishart]

I want to be Your Koi Fish - Nine Tails

Warning: +18 content, criminal underworld, intercourse, strong language - and so on

Fanfiction based on: "Baki" by Itagaki Keisuke

>7<

~ TAIL NO.3 - Teenager

"NOTHING" ?! She knew from the beginning that this was no joke, but ... to be so ?! After some thought, she realized that this was human life and that it wasn't allowed to play with it. This is not a video game where you can click restart after the "game over" message and we'll start over. She was frustrated by that. Strangers usually didn't really interest her, most often they were a potential target, to end a life, not save! So she had to double up her sleeves, which she didn't have - to take out the tails not only quickly, but also so as not to kill the Host. She didn't have much time to think, because after a while a fox appeared with a ball in its mouth. She took it gently, settled herself comfortably and smashed it in her hand, feeling a pleasant warmth again.

- Hey Kouji, get up, the teacher will be here soon!

She felt a strange nudge on her arm, but the Wearer didn't seem very eager to get up. She felt strangely soft, warm, clothes a bit squeezed. They had a pleasant dream about a little boy playing with blocks, assembling houses and cars. Eventually, someone hit them on the top of their head, and the school bell rang unpleasantly in their ears, adding to the pain. They rubbed the sore spot with their hand, yawning mightily.

- Man, middle of the day, and you fall asleep again! - said the laughing boy from the next bench. - You shouldn't be up late to play games!

Games? She caught the mind of the Host, they weren't too hasty: he wasn't playing at night at all. He went to sleep quite normally after dinner, after doing his homework. Earlier, he also helped his older sister, who had recently broken her leg and was barely moving. The parents were overworked, they didn't have much time for their children, cooked homemade food only on weekends, as a result, children usually ate something that could be prepared quickly. He didn't know where this fatigue was coming from. He lay down as heavy as after working in a mine, woke no more refreshed. Wandered through the corridors all day, unable to concentrate. He knew perfectly well that the teacher had already informed his parents about the drop in marks. It was going to be pretty good, and here's something like that. He wanted to change this situation, but was unable to find the strength in himself. Hanabi left the boy to himself for a moment, wondering what the cause might be and what ability she would acquire with such a phlegmatic Carrier. Judging by the uniform, he studied in one of the Japanese schools ... the end of elementary school or the beginning of middle school. The bell rang again, Kouji opened the Bento, and Hanabi froze at its contents. A few bars, processed muss that wouldn't be so bad if it hadn't been sprinkled with sugar, one sweet mochi, a thin piece of meat sandwich. Her heart, devoted to nutrition, taught the advanced principles of sports nutrition and diet therapy, was bleeding as the boy slowly nibbled on spoonfuls of sugar. It made her sick at the sight, wondering if he too felt the same. Zero valuable protein, apart from a thin piece of dubious quality ham, zero good fats, a mass of simple carbohydrates, a box based on products that are undoubtedly easily available, but also heavily processed. She didn't consider sweets to be the final evil, she loved sweets herself, especially since they helped her meet her energy needs very easily, but she was afraid that this boy didn't need such amounts. Her fears were confirmed by the reflection in the mirror as soon as Kouji went to the bathroom - chubby, with dark circles under eyes, visibly tired, with dull brown hair and sleepy eyes without the flare like children his age. For a moment he seemed almost puffed up, shaky, very restless, he wrote in class very quickly, almost catching up with the teacher's words, but with another pause, everything dropped, as his eyelids drooped again. She had no doubts - the boy was seriously ill.

As soon as they returned to his house, Hanabi made it a point of honor to alert his parents. She focused as much as she could to take maximum control over him and talk to the adults. Fortunately, they showed up for dinner that day. They weren't very talkative, and neither was the meal varied, which again struck Hanabi deeply ... but she restrained her tongue and put the plan into practice.

- Mom ... Dad ... - she muttered sadly through the boy's mouth. - I'm not feeling well ... I still feel like sleeping, my stomach hurts ...

- Son, are you not faking not to go to school? - Father replied, not even looking from the newspaper. - We don't have time for simulations.

"Damn you ... what the fuck do you have time for ?!" Hana hissed inwardly, but continued on. She had to save her Host.

- No, Dad. I feel really bad. - they sighed, holding back the hurried wave of nausea. - Sorry.

They ran to the bathroom to return all dinner. Not very willingly, but she took notice of what he was throwing out. Undigested, not thoroughly chewed leftovers, it was as if some of it was still from the lunch box. The boy's stomach was doing very poorly. A frightened mother burst into the room. Although she managed to move, even though she had no intention of such a turn of events.

- We're going to the doctor tomorrow.

Hanabi's assumptions turned out to be very accurate. She looked over the boy's mother over the shoulder at the file of blood tests as they waited in line to the office. Advanced insulin resistance, severe pre-diabetes, in addition, inflammation probably in the whole body, which even horse doses of cholesterol couldn't cope with, and iron deficiencies, and this was only the part that she was able to catch. It was hard to guess where the source of the problem was, one thing was for sure - eating only processed products and sugar, the boy was just hammering a nail into his coffin. The medical diagnosis was practically the same. The boy's mother cringed to herself, listening that he should eat better, first of all, start to NUTRITION at all, and not clog. They didn't complain about the lack of money, time was the problem here. Parents have sunk in a lot of responsibilities, relegating their children to the background, also because in their opinion they should start to deal with themselves. She felt it. The problem is, they apparently didn't give them basic, good role models. She thanked the heavens for such a stubborn doctor who pressed the woman a file of information about where to start and how the boy and the whole family should eat to save the kid.

She was proud of herself. It took only a few days for Kouji to feel a shot of healthy energy after implementing healthier habits, the kind that would make him feel awake in a moment. Buoyed by his success, he sat with nose in a book, wanting to know more on his own. Worse, the parents, especially the father, who didn't feel guilty at all from the beginning, withdrew again, believing that everything was fine, the boy would be fine. Perhaps they were right, but it was still the beginning, they should stick to it!

Hanabi wondered what else she could do to get her tail back. Kouji was straightforward, so what more could you want? It was Saturday, the boy was still sleeping soundly, parents left in the morning to run errands and meet clients. She sharpened her senses feeling something strange. Woke the boy up immediately. He clearly sensed the same. Burning stench and strange warmth. He jumped out of bed wanting to see what happened. Opened the door to the room and was about to run down the stairs when huge tongues of hot flames protruding from the kitchen stopped him. Kouji got scared, turned on his heel and rushed to his room, to quite awkwardly go out the window and go down the tree. In the last step, he slipped and fell, painfully hitting his back. Out of fear, he didn't think rationally enough to take the phone and notify his parents! But there was something else.

- Sue? - he shouted, looking around the lawn behind the house. - Sue!

In the blink of an eye it dawned on him that ... his older sister was barely moving! Terror chilled his bloodstream, and so did Hanabi. So the girl was still there. Somewhere in the flames. Perhaps it was she, even accidentally, who started the fire. There was no time to waste. She lifted the boy's heavy, overwhelmed body upright, sending the message "Kouji, you can do it! You have to save her!" He was trembling all over, feeling sick at the risk, but he ran towards the front door. It was locked, he found a window ajar not far away. Before he jumped in, she had him tear out a pajama sleeve and tie it around his nose and mouth. It probably won't be enough, she had to take care of his safety at least a little. They were inside, everything was on fire and the atmosphere was getting heavier. Trying to avoid the biggest fires, they made their way to the kitchen as quickly as possible. She was there. A girl of medium build with a thick plaster on the leg, from the middle of the thigh to the toes. She was lying on the ground, and somewhere nearby the flames licked the crutches, slowly melting the plastic and metal. "Sue" flashed through the boy's mind and after a while he appeared next to her. Fortunately she woke up, but was visibly weakened. Even while lifting on him, she will not be able to get out. "Kouji, it's time to use the energy you've extracted. Fight!" Hanabi said to him, directing him to carry his sister on his back. He grabbed her under knees so that she could embrace his neck with the last of her strength. He swayed on his feet for a moment, but the stressful situation and the slowly returning body strength did their job. Mrs. Hanayama felt a refreshing, strong rush of adrenaline in his young body, which caused the boy to jump out of the back kitchen door, prying it open with his own body, then ran outside, where he was sure it was safe. He laid his sister down on the green grass, leaning her against the fence of their property.

- Sue? - he prodded with her.

- Ko ... Kouji ... brother ... - She said tearfully. - I'm sorry it's my fault! I wanted to help you, I saw you trying! I slipped on my crutches and fell ...

He hugged his sister tightly. No matter how it happened. They were safe.

- I have a cell phone in my pocket, we have to call the fire department. - she said. - And parents.

Hanabi woke suddenly as if struck by a very bad dream. She was lying on white mats again, covered with thin silk. Beside her, as before, sat Inari, this time sipping something from an earless mug.

- Tea, my child? - he asked bluntly, handing her the pot. - Green, it will calm your nerves.

Confused, she sat down and took drink hurriedly, gulping down her gulp. Shuddered. She hadn't been in the center of a situation like this for a long time. Or maybe she was? As a yakuza wife, she led a rather ... interesting life. And dangerous. Every now and then their peace of mind was disturbed by fights, attacks, and gang quarrels, though she suspected it was not much, considering how many feared Kaoru. Tea probably did help, because she slowly calmed down. Hana took a deep breath, exhaled almost silently, then looked at her companion. He was sitting completely still, even stoic, which made him very much like Hanayama. He took another sip, then turned to her.

- Didn't you think it would all revolve around idyllic things like working on skills?

[marshmallowgoop]

one last call

Part of the DCMK Fanworks Server April Fools Exchange! For koscheib.

————

It's the first of April when Mary Sera receives a phone call that's every bit an unfunny joke before she even picks up. She lets it ring once, two times, three, the sound a fake, generic replication of the past, reminiscent of spinning fingers through numbers, twirling twisted cords. The bustle of the cafe is almost enough to drown it out—forks hitting porcelain, boring, unobjectionable music played quietly on speakers surrounding white-clothed tables, gasps of chatter from other patrons. It's not like Mary ever keeps the ringer volume loud.

But it feels loud, that afternoon, in the early spring sun, the wind carrying with it the reek of freshly cut grass and fertilizer. It feels like her oldest crying in the night, only days old. Like a gunshot that doesn't belong.

She shouldn't pick up.

It rings a fourth time, and she does.

“What?” she asks. There's a screech of her metal chair against concrete as she leans back. Her hat should shield her from the heat, but it still feels too warm. “You need money? Your husband run out on you? Kid leave home and tell you that they're joining the circus?”

The voice that answers is brimming with a weariness that should make Mary pause.

(She does not.)

“Nee-chan,” it sighs, exhaustion lined with melancholy. “It's nothing like that.”

“Someone's dead, then?”

“No.” Another sigh. “I just wanted to talk to you.”

Mary could laugh. She doesn't. “You didn't want to talk when my second son was born. Or after Tsutomu got so sick that he couldn't stand. But you want to talk now?”

“Yes.”

Mary waits a moment, two, three. But there are no apologies this time, no excuses melting under the weight of too many tears. There's only an ordinary phrase, something said to casual acquaintances when you unexpectedly cross paths at a grocery store. There's only a sharp intake of breath, a pause, a, I hope you've been doing well.

For a moment (two, three), Mary says nothing. She looks to the clock situated by one of the many speakers (still softly blaring the blandest, most unobtrusive music that feels suddenly mocking now in its syrupy inoffensiveness). The structure strikes her as falsely old-fashioned as her ringtone—curled golden numbers and a just-audible click as the seconds tick by. It's six and a half minutes past the time when he was supposed to be here.

She should hang up. Say that she has company now—the kind who doesn't call her once in a blue moon and act as though no time has passed.

There's nothing stopping her. Nothing, except a tired voice that continues, “It's been too long since we last talked.”

It's said like she's on the brink of tears. Like they're children again, attending school in Japan, and classmates had called her scary, monstrous, mocked her golden hair.

But Elena would never admit to it. Not her own pain. Even now, Elena will never admit to it.

Mary despises the memory.

“But something happened today, in Japan,” her sister continues. “I work with such... serious individuals, but today there was a case on the news, and—oh, you might have heard of it all the way over there in England, actually, because he first appeared in France, but today, it was a whole event, a big spectacle right here in Japan. He put out this notice—this thief, I mean, there's this thief in a flashy white costume that they're calling Phantom Thief 1412, or Kaitou Kid—there's an author who coined that name, I think—but anyway, he said he was going to steal this jewel today, and I think maybe my coworkers actually cracked a smile about it.”

“It sounds like you did, too.”

“Maybe,” answers Elena quickly, as though afraid that Mary would hang up. (She should hang up.) “It reminded me of a school play we did. Do you remember? Memoirs of Itaro, the Detective, it was called, I think. It focused on a similar character, the Edo Kid.” Something like laughter rings in Mary's ear. “Kaitou Kid's gimmick is magic, though, not acrobatics. But there's that same charisma, cocky attitude...”

Elena trails off, and for a moment, there's nothing. Only the repetitive music, the ticking of the clock, the heat of the afternoon beating down on Mary's skin.

Classmates used to always find Elena frightening. She spoke so little that people wondered if she even understood Japanese. Mary always found it a ridiculous notion. Once you got Elena talking, she would never stop.

It was just a matter of getting her to start.

Mary shouldn't have picked up.

“The detective's name was in the title of the play,” Elena says now, and there's still that hint of laughter to her tone, the kind that says she's crying-laughing, but the tears aren't ones of mirth. “So you're supposed to think he's the good guy, right? But...”

Elena can't compose herself. She erupts into giggles, guffaws, big, loud howls that drown out her words. There are several moments of wheezing, struggling for air, and Mary removes the phone from her ear, finger hovering over the end call button, only for Elena to regain herself and say, “But when you played the role, you were so scary that everyone was rooting for the thief! No one even felt bad when you made the wrong deduction.”

The laughter dies away, and Elena's voice takes on a note of seriousness as she adds, “Good thing they got me to play the Edo Kid when my class did the play a few years later. Everyone thought the detective was so cool then. Who played the role...? I can't remember anymore, but—“

“I know you didn't call me to talk about a stupid school play from over two decades ago.” Mary crosses her legs, thinks better on it and uncrosses them, leans forward and leans back. No one approaches her table, not even a server pitying the empty seat. The seconds tick on and on.

Elena falters. "N-no," she says. "I guess not, but..."

But what? Mary wants to say. She almost does. It's on the tip of her tongue—impassioned, angry monologues about how Elena has no right to call her now, after everything, but she hesitates, and looks to the white umbrella that may as well be absent for how little shade it casts on her, and Elena takes advantage of the silence, continuing, very quietly, "It just... reminded me of simpler times, you know? That Kaitou Kid. A criminal who doesn't seem dangerous, who steals but gives people smiles, or... I don't know."

There's a rustling from the other side. Mary imagines her sister brushing her hair out of her face, wiping cheeks still stained with wet tears.

"Real life isn't like some primary school play," Mary tells her, commanding, matter-of-fact, like she always is, like she has to be. "I haven't concerned myself with this phantom thief of yours, but a criminal is a criminal, no matter how 'fun' they might seem."

She keeps herself from adding, And that was exactly the purpose of Itaro's story. Loathe as she might be to admit it, she too had never forgotten the tale.

"You're right," says Elena. "You're right. But the way the exact same lines can be read so differently depending on how they're said... how a thief can seem to be a hero..." She trails off again, and Mary imagines her shaking her head as she makes out a familiar figure in the crowd.

"Look," Mary starts to say, eyes fixated on the man coming ever closer, "I have to—“

"I know you're busy," Elena interrupts. "And-and-and I don't want to take any more of your time, but..."

"Then don't," answers Mary.

She hangs up. She stands. She doesn't smile at Tsutomu, and he doesn't smile back.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Ruggie Bucchi New Year's Attire Personal Story: Part 2

"You can only try it here!"

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[Main Street]

Vil: I'll have to teach this insolent potato a lesson, it seems.

Cater: Ack! Vil-kun, control yourself!!

Ruggie: Cater-san, why're you trying to stop them? Now's our chance!

Ruggie: While Sebek-kun and Vil-san are havin' a falling out, let's keep on shovelin' the snow and get ahead of them!!

Cater: Th-That'd be great if we could! But escaping from these two lobbing snowballs at each other is practically impossible!!

Cater/Ruggie: Ouch!/Ow!

Ruggie: Ack, a stray ball came flying...!

Cater: Was that really just a snowball just now!? I swear it just curved and came right at me!?

Ruggie: I don't wanna just get all beaten down like this. Maybe we should also strike back...

Ruggie: ―Oh.

Cater: Hm? Why'd you pick up your shovel all of a sudden? Weren't you going to attack...?

???: Nheeheehee... How young and full of vigor you all are so early in the morning.

Cater: Eh?

Vil/Sebek: That voice... Sam!/Sam-san!

Ruggie: Hey c'mon, you guys know you shouldn't slack off and have a snowball fight when you shoulda been shoveling, right? You gotta be like me and work properly.

Cater: Wait, you were totally about to jump into the fray! Ruggie-kun, you changed your tune so fast!!

Sebek: I had no intention of abandoning this task set to me, I swear... I'm afraid I acted shamelessly.

Vil: I also let my anger go to my head... I shouldn't have done so here. This is something for me to reflect on.

Sam: It's all right! As long as the shoveling is done before the shop opens, everything will be fine.

Sam: That being said, I'm going to need you guys at your best to sell our merchandise and engage in ＨＡＧＯＩＴＡ battles, so it'd be great if you guys could reserve your strength for that.

Sam: I'll be at the store, then.

Ruggie: Whew... I'm glad he didn't say anything like, "I'm gonna dock your pay!"

Ruggie: 'Kay, everyone, let's get back to shoveling this snow.

Cater: Yeah! Shoveling the snow～ Shoveling the snow～

Sebek: I cannot believe that I would lose my composure over something so minor as snow falling on me...

Sebek: How careless... The only way to vent this frustrating feeling is to shovel it all away.

Sebek: RRRAAAAARGH!!! MOVE IT, SNOW!!!

Ruggie: Sebek-kun's shoveling has gotten so intense he's more like a snow plow than anything.

Vil: ...

Ruggie: Vil-san, you've been quite for a little while now... Didja get all tired from that fight with Sebek-kun?

Vil: As if. I wouldn't even consider that level of movement a warm-up.

Vil: A thought cross my mind when Sam said "ＨＡＧＯＩＴＡ battle."

Vil: You recall how our sales took a dip temporarily due to our non-stop winning streak?

Vil: Our customers all returned, thankfully, after we switched up how we would win against them. However...

Ruggie: Yeah, I guess he'd have a few thoughts about that as the owner of the store, even though it was only a short period of time.

Ruggie: Ah! You're not thinking...

Ruggie: If I can make up for the sales we lost, I'd be more than sure to definitely get my special bonus...!?

Vil: Yours? I'll be the one to win it. ...Although, speaking as someone currently employed here, I don't think it wouldn't be too terrible to think about how to help the shop.

Ruggie: True... What about if we give some other perk if they spend more than 5,000 Madol, rather than just challenging us to a battle?

Vil: That's not a bad idea. However, is there even anything that we'd be able to prepare at a moment's notice?

Ruggie: If it's gotta be something that's not gonna cost any money... What if we folded up some warthogs out of leftover wrapping paper?

Vil: I can't imagine the students at this school would be interested in that, let alone small children.

Ruggie: You're right, I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Ruggie: Hmm, isn't there anything that won't take too much time or money to set up...?

Ruggie: Ah! What about the chance to take a selfie with you, Vil-san?

Vil: Are you seriously trying to insinuate that taking a selfie with me would only be worth 5,000 Madol?

Ruggie: Nah, of course not, but maybe it could be more like a friend discount!

Vil: Rejected.

Ruggie: Tch. Then...

???: ―Aaaaaahh!!

Ruggie: !! What was the scream just now!? Hey, Cater-san's missing!

Cater: S-Someone help me～

Vil: There's a voice coming from that snowbank beside the tree...

Ruggie: That's probably definitely Cater-san under all that snow, isn't it.

Ruggie: Doesn't look like he can get out of there on his own, we should help him.

Vil: You're just causing more work for us, seriously.

Ruggie: You okay, Cater-san?

Cater: Thanks, you two, for getting me out from under all that snow～

Cater: Right when I was shoveling the snow by the tree, a huge pile of snow fell on top of me, I thought I was a goner.

Cater: Even though I saw the same thing happening to Sebek-kun just a little bit ago... I guess I wasn't being careful enough.

Ruggie: That was way more snow than what fell earlier. Took forever to dig you out of there...

Ruggie: AH!!!

Vil: What is it, Ruggie?

Ruggie: I had a great idea that'll help boost the New Year's Sale, and make our job easier.

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[startanewdream]

Time After Time: The song remains the same. Around 1967?

Time After Time: Send me a timestamp sometime in the future or sometime in the past before the story started, and I’ll tell you what happened then

Ooooh, I cannot answer a Time After Time for 1991 until the The song remains the same is finished (heavy spoilers!), but you get an unedited version of James and Severus' first meeting around 1967 🤭

*****

The boy goes to the playground every day. Severus doesn't understand what attracts him to that Muggle playground – if he lived in a wizarding house he would never mix with any Muggle –, but the boy seems to enjoy himself, always going with his mother and staying there in the morning and late afternoon. When the other Muggle children leave school, he joins them, although, as far as Severus has noticed, the boy never seems to settle down with the same group of kids, moving from the youngest groups to the eleven, twelve-year-olds who sometimes still hang around that playground. The boy is always welcomed in any group, always with that cheerful smile that seems to invite people to live the better side of life with him.

Severus was never welcomed at anything, no one ever seemed happy when he showed up. His parents certainly never did. But looking at that boy his age, with his black hair that never seems to be combed, the hazel eyes that shine as if the world had been created for his joy, Severus suddenly wishes he was accepted for once.

The boy seems to be nice to everyone, so a week after seeing him casting that magic, Severus arrives early at the playground and sits on the swing, waiting.

The boy comes running – he's always energetic – and then he stops when he reaches the swings. Severus knows what the boy is seeing, knows what the other children always see: a pale, thin boy, with that hooked nose he inherited from his father, the black overcoat he should have thrown away last winter (it's old and the sleeves run too short for him but it's his best outfit), the lank hair he can never do anything about; he doesn't look friendly. If the boy takes an even closer look, he will see how Severus is not from that neighbourhood, how nobody takes care of him, how he is nervous and afraid of that meeting, already foreseeing rejection.

But the boy can't see well or doesn't want to, because the smile he has on his face as he approaches Severus is the same as always – that easy smile that never seems to fade from his face.

'Hello,' he says excitedly.

Severus had been practicing this conversation in his head all week, rehearsing different scenarios on how to break the initial barrier, how to prove that he is a wizard and that they should hang out together, being the only magical children around, but he never expected the boy to just treat him normally.

Then he forgets everything he practiced.

'Are you a wizard?' He asks, his voice urgent and low.

'I am,' the boy replies automatically, and then he blinks in surprise. 'How did you—'

'I'm a wizard too,' Severus says, brighter and realizing this is the first time he's actually admitted it out loud. 'I saw you doing magic last week!'

'I shouldn't have done it,' the boy observes, though from his tone it's more like a speech he's memorized than something he takes very seriously.

'It was nice,' Severus assures him. 'And pretty powerful too.'

'Oh, I have something with stones. The first magic I did was turning the whole beach green. My parents laughed so much—' The boy is lost in memory for a moment, a mischievous expression taking control of his features, and Severus tries not to think that the first time he performed magic, his father had yelled at his mother, blaming her for their freaky son. 'I'm James.'

The boy is offering his hand excitedly and Severus hesitates a single second before shaking it, wishing he had a normal name to introduce himself to.

'Severus.'

There's no change on James' face when Severus introduces himself, no reaction to his strange name, and Severus feels oddly grateful for it.

James is staring at him, and Severus expects questions about his life, about why he has never seen him before, about who his parents are, and where he lives. Something that will reveal he is just a freak—

'Do you want to go to the seesaw?', is all James asks, and there is an undeniable pleading tone in his voice. Severus looks at the seesaw and realises that this must be one of the few places that James can't go alone, that he needs company.

He nods and the two exchange a smile for the first time – a happy smile, shared between two children who can understand each other – and accepts.

[windows-in-the-night]

young girls in makeup stores

tbh i can see both sides of this argument so....

the side that everybody is taking:

i agree with the fact that it's okay to take some time to figure out how to be a kid and have an awkward. like when i was 10, i didn't have a phone or social media. i was reading all day and playing with my sister outside. i also had a really weird obsession with triangles. it was a pretty sweet reality now that i'm looking back on it.

i also think that these kids in stores need to learn how to take responsibility for money. i've seen a lot of tiktoks with older siblings and babysitters showing off the makeup collection of a young girl, and it definitely looks like it costed a lot of money. i understand that there is inflation nowadays and everything costs so much more, but the value of a dollar still goes a very long way.

another thing i've heard is that the kids in these stores aren't being very nice to employees, and that's another thing that they need to learn. a little bit of kindness goes a very long way. retail also isn't a kind field to work in to begin with, so just always being nice to the employee asking you what you need in the store or the employee behind the register is one of the best things that you can do for them.

finally, kids need to learn how to do research about products or ask employees nicely. CHILDREN DO NOT NEED RETINOL DROPS! if these girls want to learn skincare from a young age, you need to start with a very gentle cleanser, a face lotion without harsh ingredients, and occasionally a fun fruity exfoliant or a cheap face mask.

now i'd like to play devil's advocate here:

what if this is the new way to have an awkward phase? kids have been evolving all throughout history, and that's perfectly natural. i'm sure that if you showed someone from the 40s what kids in the early aughts were like, they would be horrified at how bad they were. i'm sure that a lot of these kids are going to look back and be like "what was i doing omg??!!" personally i feel like my awkward phase is now coming to an end, so I've definitely looked back on a lot of the stuff i did and said when i was younger with the exact same reaction. having an awkward phase is literally just a part of growing up, and these little girls getting bullied on the internet for it aren't going to feel any better about themselves. i feel like other adults and people online need to approach this whole thing with a lot more sympathy than what they're saying about these girls rn.

kids do need to learn how to take responsibility for money, yes, but it is also the parents' faults. do these parents even know where their money is going?? i feel like it's super important for parents to know a bit about the lives of their children, such as their kids' friends, what their kid likes to spend money on, kids' opinions about school, etc...

it's also the PARENTS who need to teach these kids manners. lots of teachers on tiktok nowadays are complaining about this in addition to the employees in makeup stores, so we can definitely see that manners are an issue. i feel like gentle parenting is good in seeing what your kid wants and needs, but at the end of the day, this millennial gentle parenting bullshit needs to have some sort of discipline that goes along with it. if these parents are afraid to see their kids get upset or cry, then they're cowards. obviously you shouldn't be parenting with this intention, but you have to realize as a parent that your child needs to hear the word NO, even if they get upset about it.

finally, parents need to give their kids a little bit of guidance!! if you see your 10 yo child obsessing over retinol drops or foundation shades because "all of my friends are doing it," sit down with your kid and have a talk. what you'll discover besides the enormous amount of online influence and peer pressure that comes with this is that your child is growing up!! especially for girls, many of whom are starting to get very insecure about this age, it would be helpful to give your daughter some skincare pointers and show her what are age appropriate products that she could be using.

a separate thing but kind of related to this argument

there is no need to be a misogynist about this. there's actually never a need to be sexist. you don't need to be like "girls these days are awful" or "my girl needs to learn how to have fun like a boy" because it isn't these girls' faults!! remember that a little kind guidance goes a very long way <3