#they're a little similar but the main thing is when you forget to put on do not disturb and the notification slaps your ass

[gothcatgirlfriend]

how are we feeling about the new rhythm game everybody

[in-my-feels-probably]

Home - Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

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Request: Have you considered Benedict falling for a friend of Daphne's? Like if they're as close as Pen and Eloise but maybe with a little less drama? I think it would be funny for Benedict to ask for advice on how to talk to her and Daph being done. Just "you've known her for as long as I have."

Hi! Thank you again for the request, this is such a cute idea. I hope you don’t mind, but I made the reader a Featherington. I went a little off track too, it was easier for me to write that way. If this isn’t what you were looking for, I’m happy to take another request or alter this one. Sorry for the long wait on getting this out, but I hope you enjoy this :)

(Warnings: insecurity, middle child trauma, nothing else i think? idk, let me know if i missed anything)

—

Living in Grosvenor Square certainly had its ups and downs.

On one hand, you were mere steps away from your best friends. The Bridgertons lived right across the street, and you could visit them practically whenever you wanted. On the other hand—the not so nice hand—your family is the Featherington’s. Which isn’t an inherently bad thing. You loved your family, and could ignore most of the negatives. It just certainly has its pitfalls, being a Featherington daughter.

The Featherington’s—while rich and somewhat dignified—aren’t considered to be the most respectable of families. There wasn’t any one main reason why members of the ton didn’t much like your family, they just didn’t.

It wasn’t a personal grudge with you they had. In fact, you were quite liked by the ton.

More often than not, however, they didn’t pay much attention to you. It was easy to forget you were there when the rest of your family was the center of attention.

You were born soon after Phillipa but before Penelope, making you a middle child.

Your Mother seemed to connect with her eldest far more than her youngest, and that put a strain on your relationship. Not only that, you were much more akin to Penelope, having a lot more in common with her than your older sisters and your Mother combined. You were a bit of a wallflower, like Penelope, and it was a hard trait for your Mother to get past.

It wasn’t all negatives, though.

One of the biggest perks of being a Featherington was the fact that you lived directly across from the Bridgertons. You had spent most of your life over at their residence since the day you developed the ability to walk.

And, subsequently, the ability to walk across the street.

Violet Bridgerton’s first girl—Daphne—was born right around the same time as you were, and she decided Daphne was going to need a friend. Being the first girl born to a family of three brothers was a challenge, and Violet thought it best that Daphne should be able to socialize with a girl her age.

By the time you were both able to talk, you became inseparable. Just as your sister Penelope had come to develop a deep friendship with Eloise Bridgerton, you had come to develop your own with Daphne.

And by extension, you became good friends with her eldest brothers.

Anthony was the oldest, quite a bit older than you. He was already a handful of trouble by the time you showed up, and he already had plenty of practice teasing girls with his sisters as victims. In your first few years, he’d make it his mission each time you visited the house to fluster you, and annoy Daphne. It was harmless fun, and it never really bothered you, although he tried his hardest nonetheless. But as you got older, he became quite protective over you. It was like you were another sister to him, and you definitely bantered and squabbled like siblings do. As annoying as he could be, you loved him like a brother.

Colin was a similar story, although you saw something more to him. It was easy to, with the way Penelope talked about him endlessly. She could ramble for hours, making you listen to every painstaking detail. You definitely understood her affection for him, though. He’s charming and kind, much like his other brothers, but he’s also fun and witty. Daphne tended to favor him the most. They were closest in age, after all. Between her and Penelope, you spent quite a lot of time with him, and you certainly enjoyed his company.

But—besides Daphne—you enjoyed no other Bridgerton’s company like you did Benedict’s.

Benedict was different. He was more.

He was just as kind and charming as Anthony, and just as witty as Colin—certainly as annoyingly beautiful as Daphne—but he was more than that, too. He was sensitive and sweet, far more so than the rest of the Lords of the ton. He was passionate about art and love and valuing the little things. He didn’t care about marrying the prettiest girl for advantage, or inheriting her dowry. He cared about pursuing his dreams, and inspiring others to do the same.

Just the way he talked about his passions and values was enough to make any girl swoon, and yet he was still genuine with his words. It wasn’t for flattery or manipulation, he meant every word. Everything he did, he did for himself and the people he loves.

If it weren’t for Daphne currently holding the number one spot, you’d consider him your best friend.

He’d consider you the same.

You spend just as much time with him as you do with Daphne, and over the years, he’d come to cherish your company.

You saw him for him, not for his title. You listened to his endearing ramblings about his passions because you genuinely enjoyed hearing about them, not because you felt obligated to listen. You treated him like a person, not a prize to be won. It was all he could ask for in a best friend.

But that’s just it. That’s all you were to him. A best friend.

He was so sure that was all you’d ever be. Perhaps one day you’d be his sister in law, considering how close Penelope and Colin had gotten. You’d be family, and that was alright with him. It was what he expected. And then the unexpected happened.

He started falling.

—

The first time he noticed his feelings for you had shifted was the evening of a ball the Queen was throwing.

You’d come over early to get dressed with Daphne, wanting to help make sure she was perfect. She had finally revealed to you her ruse she was sharing with the Duke, you being the first person outside of their agreement to know. You were shocked at first, but as you listened to her speak, you gave her a knowing smile.

“You love him.”

Her eyes widened in shock, her cheeks blushing a rosy pink. “What? Why would you say that?”

“You love him,” you said again, smiling gently at her. “I’ve never seen you speak with such passion. With the way you talk about him, there’s no other possibility. One couldn’t possibly think that highly of another without feelings being involved—”

“You speak of my brother like that,” Daphne interrupted, chuckling when you swallowed your words.

You chose to ignore her statement, continuing to advise her on the best course of action for how to get through the remainder of her agreed upon days with the Duke. If the way he looked at her without her knowing was of any consequence, you were sure he felt the same way about her. All she had to do was make him see that.

When it was time to leave for the ball, all the Bridgerton’s piled into carriages. Daphne was hurried out the door, and she left with her Mother and Anthony, leaving you behind. When you tried to head back home to be escorted by your family, Benedict stopped you.

He had opened and closed his mouth a few times before he was able to choke out any words. Normally, he found it pretty easy to talk to you. But for some reason, the sight of you standing by his front door made his knees weak.

“I’m afraid they’ve already left,” he finally said, stopping you at the door. “They must have assumed you’d be accompanied by us.”

You groaned, feeling a pit form in your stomach. “I have no other way to get there. I promised Daphne I’d be there for her. Pen, too. She seemed quite nervous about attending tonight.”

“Not to worry,” he smiled, offering you his arm. “You can ride with me.”

You sighed in relief, thanking him profusely. “Well, aren’t you a lifesaver? Thank you, Benedict.”

“Of course,” he nodded, helping you into the carriage.

As you settled into your seat, a thought occurred to you. “Benedict…why are you still here? Not that I’m not grateful, but I don’t understand. You’ve been talking about going to the palace for days to see the Queen’s gallery. I would have expected you to be the first one out the door. But here you are.”

He was quiet for a moment as he took in your words, his eyes softening on you.

There were many things he could have said to you to easily explain it away. I’ll see the gallery soon anyways, or, I promised my Mother and yours that I’d make sure you got there safely. Numerous excuses he could have come up with to satisfy your curiosity, and yet, all that was coming to mind was, I can see the gallery another time, but I may never get to see you alone and sitting in front of me looking this beautiful with your undivided attention again, and I won’t pass up on the opportunity for anything.

“I don’t know,” he finally said as he shrugged his shoulders, feigning innocence. “But here I am.”

—

He didn’t truly acknowledge his feelings for you until months later, after attempting to ignore it for so long.

The second time he noticed was when he found out that the only reason he got into art school was because Anthony made a sizable donation to the Academy.

You had found him alone during yet another ton gathering, sulking on the edge of the party. Daphne had already gone home to Simon, and wouldn’t return for some time. Besides Penelope—and occasionally Eloise—Benedict was one of the only people you actually liked enough to be around. And seeing as both Penelope and Eloise were nowhere to be found, Benedict was your only hope.

You just hadn’t expected to find him nearly in tears, anxiously tugging at the cufflinks at the bottom of his sleeve.

It didn’t take much to get him to spill, and you found yourself pulling him inside to keep him away from prying eyes while he was in such a state. He told you all about Anthony’s meddling, and you knew it had crushed his heart to find out that he hadn’t actually achieved anything on his own.

“I know he did it out of the good of his heart…but I wish he hadn’t done it at all.”

He brought his hands up to cover his face, groaning into them. You reached for his wrists and tried to pull them away, but he wouldn’t budge. He finally relented when you said his name softly, letting you take his hands in yours.

“Benedict, it doesn’t matter how you got in. You’re an incredible artist, that’s all that matters,” you said softly, squeezing his hand in yours.

He shook his head, sighing in frustration. “I’m not. My work is child’s play compared to the other artists at the Academy. They all knew why I had even been given a spot in the first place. I’m an imposter, Y/N. A fraud. It was humiliating.”

“That’s a bit dramatic, darling,” you lightly chuckled, your smile fading when his defeated look didn’t waver.

“Alright, that’s it. Fess up. This can’t be all that’s bothering you. I know you, and I know you’re not one to give up that easily. You’ve been flustered all week, so what is it? You can tell me. Not that I have anyone to tell, but I won’t tell. I promise.”

His eyes softened on you as you spoke, and you could feel his grip on your hand get tighter. “I just…I’m tired.”

“Of what?”

“Of being second.”

You frowned, swiping your thumb across the back of his hand. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s just something Anthony said,” he murmured, keeping his eyes on your joined hands. “How I may be the second son, but that it doesn’t mean I am any less required to do my duties to the family. It’s rich coming from him. I’ve been second to him literally my entire life, and he’s only recently started taking his role seriously. I’ve played Father’s role since his passing. Isn’t it just my luck that he’s getting the credit for it?”

“You may be second to him in birth, but that is the only way you’re second. You’re every bit as good as him, Benedict,” you said firmly, but you weren’t sure if your words were sinking in.

He was uncharacteristically quiet, though his grip on your hands hadn’t wavered. His eyes were still on the floor, and his shoulders were shaking as he took uneven breaths.

“I know what that feels like, you know,” you finally said, making him glance up at you. “I’m a Featherington. A middle child at that, and it’s no secret my Mother favors my older sisters.”

Benedict let out a small laugh, shaking his head. “She’s wrong to. I don’t mean to be rude, but you and Pen are worlds more interesting and gracious than your sisters. The eldest, at least.”

“You don’t even know them,” you said in shock, but you couldn’t stop yourself from laughing, too.

“I don’t need to. You’re the only one I’m interested in knowing. Middle child or not.”

You couldn’t help but smile, although his kind words weren’t enough. The more you thought about just how second to the world you were, the more your smile faded.

“It’s not just being the middle child,” you continued, speaking softly. “I love your sister more than almost anything in this whole world, but I have always been second to her, too. She was the diamond of the season the second she was let out of leading strings, and now she’s my Duchess. I’m so happy for her, but it does put a damper on your confidence. Watching your best friend grow into this person everyone loves, and it’s like she didn’t even try.”

“Y/N—”

“Sometimes I feel awful, thinking this way. I know she tried, I was there for her every time she’d get overwhelmed. But she made it look so easy. I don’t know how she did it,” you rambled, taking a shuddering breath as you stopped yourself from speaking.

Benedict’s eyes softened on you as you spoke, making you want to shrink away from his gaze. He was being kind, and you didn’t know if it was genuine or not. If he was faking it for your sake, that was much worse than his actual pity.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make this about me, let’s get back to you—”

“Y/N,” he said again, this time effectively silencing you. “You can’t possibly feel that way.”

It was your turn to look at the floor. “Why shouldn’t I? It’s true.”

“That is the furthest thing from the truth,” he said gently, taking your hand. “You’re every bit as good as my sister. I know she makes things look easy, but she spoke just as highly of you as you do of her.”

You raised a brow. “Really?”

“Really. She used to tell me how kind you were to her, even after Lady Whistledown printed her supposed scandals. You were never judgemental.”

“I have no right to judge anyone, especially not her. She’s never said a bad thing about anyone, it isn’t right that people just took a scandal sheet as truth. And, if anything, she was kind to me. She, Eloise, Colin, and you are pretty much the only members of the ton that treat me like a normal person and not an outcast because of who my family is.”

Benedict smiled, squeezing your hand. “I would never dream of treating you any other way.”

You fought the flush that crept up to your cheeks, feeling the heat settle in them. You cleared your throat, shaking your head.

“Anyway,” you smiled, meeting his eyes. “I don’t mean to keep you away. Should we go back to the party? Someone may be looking for you. You’re quite popular, you know.”

Benedict couldn’t help but smile. And as he watched you look up at him through gentle eyes and an open heart, he couldn’t bring himself to move. It was like his feet were stuck to the floor, and he didn’t want to do anything to pull them up. He shook his head, keeping his hand in yours.

“No,” he finally answered, taking a seat. “Let them look. I’d much rather spend my evening with you. If you’ll allow me to, that is.”

You shook your head, taking a seat next to him. “I’ve got nowhere I’d rather be.”

—

The third time he noticed was when you, Daphne, and he accompanied Penelope and Colin to promenade throughout the square. She and Simon had come to visit, and she wanted to spend time with you and her family.

This time, he couldn’t ignore his feelings.

You followed behind Colin and Penelope, giving them enough room to speak privately without feeling like their older siblings were on their backs. You smiled as you watched Penelope look up at him, Colin being as gentlemanly as ever.

“It took him long enough,” you said, making Benedict chuckle.

“I thought he’d never figure it out.”

“Me either,” you agreed, grinning as you watched Colin smile down at your sister. “I should bash him over the head. I’ve listened to Pen spend countless hours rambling on about how utterly oblivious Colin can be. He owes me a debt.”

“He isn’t the only oblivious person I know,” Daphne piped in, making your eyes widen.

You had told her countless times about your feelings for Benedict, and how he never seemed to reciprocate them.

What you didn’t know is that he had done the same, on more than one occasion going to his siblings for advice on how to address them. Pushing them down until he couldn’t feel them seemed to be working, at least until now. And as far as he knew, you didn’t reciprocate his feelings either.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you said nervously, silently pleading with her to drop the subject.

“Neither do I,” Benedict added, making Daphne chuckle.

She just grinned, ever so slightly raising a brow. “I mean Anthony, of course. It took him quite a while to realize that what he felt for Kate was much more than rivalry. I practically had to beg it out of him.”

“You’re a little matchmaker, aren’t you?” You asked, smiling at her. “Who’s next? Eloise, perhaps?”

“Perhaps…you?”

You immediately stilled, making them stop, too. “Me?”

“Don’t look so surprised, Y/N. You’ve been my best friend for ages, and I know what’s good for you. You’re lonely. And as awful as it is, the ton will start to talk. If the only people you talk to outside of your own family are Benedict and I, they’ll begin to notice.”

You frowned, nodding. She was right. Harsh, but right. The threat of becoming a spinster was looming over your head every season, and it had only gotten worse after Daphne married in her first season. Your second season came and went, and you were now in your third.

Without any prospects.

And it was looking like your baby sister was going to beat you to the punch as well. You were silent, a small frown on your face.

Thankfully, Benedict broke the silence. Just the thought of you marrying someone—especially someone who didn’t deserve you—made his skin crawl. He felt like he could keel over, and by the look on your face, he could tell you were feeling similarly. He couldn’t keep himself from turning you away from Daphne’s advice.

“Why settle?” He asked cautiously, giving you a sympathetic look. “Don’t let the ton pressure you. You’ll know when it’s the right time.”

You had fully made it around the square, now back in front of your house. Penelope was saying goodbye to Colin, at least for the moment. His Mother invited you and Penelope to dinner to welcome Simon and Daphne home, and so they’d see each other again in mere hours.

You gave Benedict a grateful smile, nodding. “You’re right. Thank you. If you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time to pull our siblings apart before they actually become attached at the hip. Mother wants us home before we join you later.”

Daphne chuckled, taking your hands in hers. “I think you’re right. I’ll see you soon, dearest.”

You squeezed her hands in yours, before going to gather your sister. You gave Colin a knowing smile, turning and heading inside with your sister in tow. The Bridgerton’s did the same, filing into their house one by one.

The second Benedict shut the door behind him, he collapsed against it, groaning. “What was all that for, Daph?”

“What? I was simply giving you both a little nudge. God knows you needed one. You’re even worse than Colin was, brother.”

“I don’t need a nudge. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”

Colin laughed, taking off his coat as he headed up the stairs. “I could hear your stuttering. It was laughable.”

“Oh, piss off,” Benedict pouted, waving away Colin as he chuckled the rest of the way up the stairs.

Daphne offered him a small smile, letting out a sigh. She took his arm, leading them to the sitting room. After promptly sitting down, she gave him an expectant look, and he reluctantly sat next to her.

“Out with it,” she urged. “Why did our conversation with Y/N bother you so?”

“I don’t know,” he huffed, shaking his head.

Daphne narrowed her eyes, speaking gently but firmly. “You do know, Benedict. Admit it. You feel something for her.”

“Does it matter? She doesn’t feel the same way.”

“How could you possibly know that?” Daphne exasperatedly asked, nearly bursting at the seams.

She knew of both your affections for each other, and yet, she couldn’t bring herself to tell either of you about the other. It didn’t feel right, going behind the other’s back. She had decided the moment she knew of each of your feelings to let the matter run its own course. What she hadn’t anticipated was it taking this long.

It was getting near impossible to keep the secret, and she decided a little meddling was excusable.

“She’s never said anything to me that would allude to her feeling anything for me. What would you have me do? Ask her directly?”

“There’s an idea,” Daphne shrugged.

Benedict sighed, trying to shove down the anxiety he felt at the thought of confronting you. “You saw me out there. I wouldn’t even know where to start. How do I talk to her?”

“You’ve known her as long as I have, brother. She’s your best friend! Just talk to her. She’ll understand, I promise. She won’t hurt your feelings if that’s what you’re worried about. You know she won’t.”

“Then why do I feel like I’m going to be sick at the mere thought of talking to her about it?”

Daphne smiled, her eyes softening. “Because you love her.”

Benedict’s shoulders fell, like Daphne just saying it out loud was the first time he was admitting it to himself. Like his feelings hadn’t fully sunk in, and now they were hitting him all at once like a freight train. It was a realization for him, and it both excited and terrified him at the same time. His emotion was clear on his face as his mouth fell open, making Daphne’s smile widen.

“Don’t worry, brother,” she reassured him. “It will all work out. I truly believe that. Take the afternoon to yourself, and keep your mind off of it till dinner. You’ll know the right thing to say when it’s time.”

—

That evening, you returned to the Bridgerton’s residence with Penelope.

The family gathered in the sitting room before dinner was ready, but Daphne pulled you away before you could follow. She took you all the way to the backyard, sitting down on the swing. She motioned for you to follow, and you took a seat on the swing next to her.

“I wanted to apologize about earlier,” she said softly. “I saw your face, I know I upset you. That wasn’t my intention, and I hope you can forgive me.”

You shook your head. “Don’t apologize. I needed to hear it. I might not like it, but I needed to hear it.”

“It hurt, Y/N. You don’t have to minimize that to spare my feelings. It’s alright to admit it. Do you…do you want to talk about it? I think there’s something more to it that’s bothering you, love.”

She was right.

Of course she was, she was always right. You sighed, turning to look back through the window into the house. You could see Penelope standing with the rest of the family, laughing at something Colin was telling her. He was smiling down at her like she had hung every star in the sky, just so he could have the chance to watch them sparkle. It was beautiful.

And it was painful.

“I just,” you started, keeping your eyes on Penelope. “I’m happy for her. I’m so happy for her. But I’m feeling a bit left behind.”

Daphne took your hand, leaning closer. “What do you mean?”

“I feel so selfish saying this, but…it’s what I want. She’s getting all that I want. All my life, I’ve wanted what you and your family have. You’re all so loved, and you love each other so deeply. Pen deserves that, I want her to have that. And I have no doubt that by the end of the season, she’ll have it. She’ll marry Colin, and officially be a Bridgerton. Part of the family. But she won’t be mine anymore. And I won’t be hers.”

Daphne frowned, squeezing your hand in hers. She turned you to meet her eyes, giving you a knowing look.

“I have a feeling this has more to do with a certain brother of mine. And I don’t mean Colin.”

You frowned, and she knew she was right.

“This is about Benedict. With Penelope being with Colin, it’s a reminder that you’re not with him. And you want to be with him.”

You couldn’t deny your feelings any longer. “I do. God, I really do. But it’s more than that. I want to be his family. I want to be your family.”

“And you’ve had to silently watch Penelope get what you’ve been waiting for,” Daphne said in realization, her heart breaking when you nodded.

Daphne stood up, pulling you with her. She wrapped you into a tight hug, refusing to relent until you hugged her back. You sighed in frustration, letting her gently rock you back and forth.

“Y/N,” she said softly, pulling away. “You’re already my sister. Regardless of who you end up with, whether it’s my brother or not. Wherever you end up, it doesn’t matter. You will always be my sister. You never have to worry about that. Not ever.”

You smiled softly, squeezing her hands. Just as you opened your mouth to speak, a throat cleared behind you. You quickly turned to see Benedict standing at the door.

“Mother told me to come collect you both. Dinner will be soon. Daph, Simon is asking after you.”

Daphne nodded, turning back to you. “Come along, then.”

“Actually,” Benedict interrupted, his eyes falling on you. “Could I have a moment alone with Y/N, please? If it’s alright with you.”

“Of course,” you said nervously, nodding towards Daphne.

Daphne smiled, nodding back. She patted Benedict on the shoulder as she headed back inside, closing the door behind her.

When she was gone, Benedict gave you a sheepish smile. He motioned for you to sit down, and you took a seat on the swing. He sat on the swing next to you, turning his body so that he was facing you. His knees brushed yours as he settled.

“What is it?” You asked, giving him all your attention.

“I just wanted to make sure you’re alright.”

Your eyes softened on him, and you laid your hand on his arm. “I’m alright, Ben. Better now, since you’ve arrived.”

“Cheesy,” he smiled, but his heart was fluttering in his chest. “You know how to make a man smile, don’t you?”

“I didn’t think I was doing anything in particular,” you shrugged.

Benedict’s smile widened, and he couldn’t help but ponder his feelings for you. From the moment he found you alone on his doorstep, to when you took care of him at his lowest. From the way you treated his family, to the selflessness you never failed to put before your own wishes. From the way you made him feel, to the way he so desperately hoped you felt. He couldn’t stop himself from confessing, hoping his words wouldn’t come back to haunt him.

“I have to tell you something,” he murmured, taking a shuddering breath after he realized what he said, and what he was about to do.

You nodded. “What is it?”

“I think—and in case this is a huge mistake on my part, please forgive me—but, I think…I think I’m in love with you.”

You stiffened, standing up from the swing. “What?”

“I,” he stuttered, standing up as well. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was—”

You cut him off, taking his hands in yours. “Say it again.”

Benedict’s eyes widened, and you had caught him at a loss for words. He felt like you had punched him in the gut, sending him to his knees. But he nodded, squeezing your hands in his.

“I love you,” he said again, softer this time as he looked at you through gentle eyes. “I’ve loved you from the moment you got into that carriage with me, and I’ve loved you every moment since. I love you.”

Your shoulders fell, and you could feel the tears welling in your eyes. You let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding, clinging tightly to his hands. You felt like your knees could give out, and the only thing holding you up was him.

“You’re not lying? You’re serious?”

Benedict almost laughed, nodding. “Yes, Y/N. I’m serious. Do you really think I would jest about this?”

You couldn’t help but laugh as well, bringing a hand up to cover your mouth. “All that time. All that time, and you couldn’t tell me? You certainly waited long enough.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand, darling,” he said, cocking his head in confusion.

You were starting to worry him now, concern written all over his face. It made your heart clench in your chest.

You smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck. You were so happy, you couldn’t help but hold him close, smiling wider when you felt his arms wrap around your waist, despite his confusion. You held him tight, standing up on your toes so he could hear you loud and clear.

“I love you too, Benedict.”

He instantly pulled away, holding you back at arms length. “You what?”

“I love you,” you said again, taking his hands. “And I’ve been waiting ages for the day you’d finally tell me you felt the same. I never thought I’d hear you say the words, but I am so happy that you did.”

It was his turn to ask. “You’re serious? This isn’t a joke?”

You shook your head, and he squeezed your hands. You brought one of your joined hands up to press a kiss to the back of his, smiling up at him.

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my entire life.”

—

A/N - Hi! I’m so sorry this took so long, it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to write. Not sure why this one was so difficult, but I finished it! I hope you enjoyed it :)

[saturnbellfromhell]

WHAT I THINK OF YOUR VENUS SIGN part I.

So after taking a month long break unexpectedly, I'm back with something fresh and fun to get myself back on track. I've already had a post like this, but it got flagged for inappropriate language. So this time, I'm toning it down a little. This is my SUBJECTIVE view on the Venus signs, so don't take it personally. For the record I'm an earth Venus, so if you experience some similarities, comment down below so we can discuss! With that being said, shall we get started?

🟫ARIES VENUS

For some odd reason, Aries Venuses always pop up in my life. As a boyfriend or as a lover, the main thing I love about them is how forward they are with their emotions. They can be love bombers, so watch out. But in my experience, they just want to skip to the good part. No caution what so ever. In love they are so playful, gitty, humorous and down to earth. They are always very fiery and exciting in the bedroom. If you want to have a summer fling, get yourself an Aries Venus, you will never forget it. Not saying they are only for that, when being in a relationship with them, you really have to keep things fresh and new, otherwise they will get bored and move on fast.

🟫TAURUS VENUS

O my, now of course since I am an earth Venus, this one really gets me. They just smother the hell outta me every time I meet them. Very grounded and patient in love. You won't really see a Taurus Venus jump from relationship to relationship. They are so passionate, loving and caring it can sometimes be too good to be true. Until...the jealousy appears. Tauruses in my perspective are very calm, cuddly and cute, until they feel insecure. Than they can become absolute hell. Make sure to reasure your Taurus Venus partner and shower them with affection and romance. Their love language is a mix of cuddling, acts of service and words of affermation. I really can't pin just one. They also love giving and receiving gifts. Such divas, I know.

🟫GEMINI VENUS

This Venus placement is not for the weak. First of all you have to be a very talkative and amusing individual to even grab their attention. Secondly, if your going to try to change their views on romance, love, marriage...think again. Gemini Venus is the sign that lives for an adventurous partner. They love their freedom more than anything. They're also the one's to not be very stuck on their ex, in my experience. They just go on with their life. Not the lovey dovey, die for you placement, but a very different experience if you ask me! This can vary if their is a lot of water in the chart, of course.

🟫CANCER VENUS

Want to stay in bed and kiss/cuddle all day? Well than Cancer Venus people are for you! They are the queens and kings of doing things for other people. So yes, their love language is acts of service and also psychical touch! They love to be hugged and kissed and all the time. They can be quite clingy sometimes and not want to leave the house, since they feel the safest that way. They are very emotional, intuitive and can get easily hurt. When being hurt they back away and look at the bigger picture. They are also a sign that in my perspective only goes good with another Cancer Venus or Pisces/Scorpio Venus.

🟫LEO VENUS

I've written about Leo Venuses in the past in one of my observation posts, but I'll say it again. They are not my cup of tea, but I absolutely adore them. They are the one's who want their significant other to shine all the way. They put their partners on pedestals and shower them in gifts and affection. They are not the one's to shy away from PDA or any semi sexual talk/act with their loved one. They are always risky in the bedroom, but like it their way. Their love language is for sure words of affermation and physical touch!

🟫VIRGO VENUS

I've grown up with two Virgo Venuses my whole life. My mom and dad are both Virgo Venuses and what I've learned from them and others is that this sign takes the crown for acts of service when it comes to love language department. They aren't the one's to be super romantic and clingy, but they show their love in other ways. They can be a little critical of their partner, but it isn't in a mean way. What they want is their partner being/becoming more successful. They love to do something and show to their partner, it puts a smile on their face when they validated threw their actions.

× Keep in mind while the sign in which Venus is is very important, where they act is in the houses. So of course an Aries Venus in the 1st house is nothing like an Aries Venus in the 9th house! Yes they have some similarities, but are nothing alike.

Like for part 2 if you enjoyed this!

xoxo n.k

[maleyanderecafe]

Opinions on Yandere cheaters?

I saw a discussion on reddit about this trope, and I immidiatly went straight to your blog lolol. I dont know if you already have this question answered or if you ban this type of question but I am a bit curious! What specific scenerios would make a yan cheat? If they were somewhat redeemable, what actions would they do to be redeemable?

Straight to my blog? i'm honored, haha. I wouldn't ban a question like that because I generally am pretty open about how yandere can be like and it's always very cool when you think about what kind of things that yanderes can expand into that might be unconventional.

I can see why people don't really like the concept of yandere cheaters. One of the biggest appeals of yanderes is their undying loyalty and persistence, so having a yandere do something completely opposite to that basically turns people off from them. The joke is always, I can accept murder, confinement, amputation and obsession but I draw the line at cheating in the yandere community. Some people will not accept a character as a yandere if they cheat.

However, I personally do think there are some ways that yanderes can cheat and still become a yandere.

One way is to use it as a manipulation tactic. Even if the two are actually married or otherwise together, I can see a yandere cheating with someone else as a way to get them to react a certain way or to pay attention to them more. An example off the top of my head is from the machine translated mobile game Yandere Boyfriend Leo, where while Leo is in love with the main character, ends up dating her friend Grace as a way to get her jealous and eventually to give her so much stress that she loses her memory. I feel like a yandere can do this as a way to get their lover to do something, whether again, it is something relating to them getting attention, or simply a plan to get them to be confined for instance. The main thing is generally that the yandere is basically using them and has no interest in actually being together with them, since they only have eyes for their love. You can also see this in the Lifetime movie, Hush Little Baby, where the yandere, Owen, sleeps with another girl despite being in love with the main character Lauren as a way to make it seem like her husband is cheating and sew chaos in the family. Yes, it's a pretty awful way to get with their love interest, but I think people forget that yanderes are kind of supposed to be awful people a lot of times, and you liking them or disliking them doesn't always disqualify them from being a yandere.

Another way is basically their perception of love and sex and how that's handled. For a lot of people, having sex with another person while in a relationship is considered cheating, but it can differ from person to person. For instance, Kirishima from Raise wa tanin ga ii is kind of an example of this because while he does exhibit a lot of yandere actions like obsessiveness, tracking Yoshino on his phone, stalking her etc, he does spend a lot of beginning simply just sleeping with other women, despite the fact that he confesses his love towards her. This is one of the things that put a lot of people off of him because while the two of them are not dating or engaged, we generally don't see yanderes as someone who will sleep with others when they have someone that they're obsessed with. Still, we do see that Kirishima views sex and love pretty differently, as he mostly uses it for pleasure and doesn't have any romantic interest with any of the other girls he sleeps with, even talking to them about how much he loves and adores Yoshino after sleeping with them. I'm not the best analysist on this topic since I am kind of behind on the manga, but this reddit post does a pretty good job of explaining it.

Similar to above, sometimes the situation or time they are in forces them to be with someone else instead of the person they love. This is more of "this is for the sake of someone I love or care about " and less of the fact that they want to have more than one person by their side. One example of this is Dekiai Yakuza ni wa Amayakasarenai!, a manga about a body guard who is obsessed with the person that he's protecting. Despite this, we do see in the manga that he does sleep with another woman, though we also see that he does so reluctantly. This can be considered "cheating" in a sense like I stated before, but considering he's likely doing this for the sake of the person he loves, and doesn't enjoy it at all in the slightest. There is also The Little Princess and Her Monster Prince, specifically in the backstory of their reincarnation with Liontel and Phillip. Phillip was originally engaged to another girl named Ser but used her power so that he could be the emperor. He ends up not only causing Ser's husband to die, but also cages her and keep her locked up for the sake of protecting her. To maintain the idea that she's dead and to keep his status, he does actually marry another woman and had a child with her, but ultimately does so out of obligation as the king, as well as the fact that he very clearly doesn't love her. In these cases, the yandere is more or less forced into consequences where they don't really have control over what they want, and thus have to either sleep with or be married to someone else despite having someone that they love. This is another way I feel like a yandere can technically cheat without actually losing their status as a yandere. In a similar vein, if the yandere believes they can never be with their lover, they might try to get with others, but only has their lover at heart. Kylar for instance from DOL is considered a yandere, but based on the players actions, can sleep around and even date other players. This doesn't necessarily disqualify Kylar as a yandere, but rather the circumstances of the game (aka, not allowing murder) don't allow him to go all out, probably to make sure the player themselves is not locked in a choice when it comes to this kind of game.

I think that certain developments that lead to a yandere becoming a yandere can also be something that's explored. The easiest one of course is that they originally were cheating with other people but slowly develops feelings and obsessions for one person and gives up on his life of being a player, or even just using it more as a way to try to forget, or even maintain status, but their heart is always with the person that they love. There is also the fact that the yandere can be the one that the lover is cheating on with, like in Casual Flowers, if for some reason they can't get rid of their spouse or lover, sometimes that's the only way they can experience being with the other person. If they were possibly a redeemed yandere, where they go from yandere back to another person, they might end up with someone else entirely.

Personally, I think that it would be really funny if the yandere lost the person they loved and then forcibly projected them onto another person. Then they realized that their original love was actually alive. That would be both really funny and a hilarious situation with the yandere. If they're really delusional, they might not even recognize their original love or they could just abandon the other person that they loved instead.

It also depends on what you consider cheating. Are threesomes considered cheating? Is it cheating if their love is split into a bunch of different people and the person has to gather them all? Is it cheating if the yandere is immortal and keeps losing his memory so he keeps falling in love with different people? Is having a reverse harem considered cheating?

I'm sure there are other ways to have a yandere cheater in the story, but I can't really think of them. I'm not sure if you would consider this cheating since in most of these scenarios, the yandere and the lover aren't actually dating, so they still can be more fluid with their actions. Still, I think its a very fun thing to consider when writing yanderes.

[4rainynite]

EAH Dorm Rooms Headcanon pt 1

Apple & Raven's Dorm.

One's a princess who's loyal to her destiny, while the other princess is rebellious and fighting for a cause.

Throughout the series we've seen Apple & Raven's room the most since they're the main characters. but let's dive in a little more.

It's obvious that Raven and Apple have different styles as Raven's style would be associated with the gothic subculture and Apple would be associated with the preppy subculture. Apple's main colors are red, white, and gold (and sometimes pink) and her motifs are apples, bows, and pearls. Raven's main colors are purple, black, and grey/silver (and sometimes turquoises) and her motifs are birds/feathers, chains, and scales. Also, their main colors are Ever After High school's color and their alliances purple for the Rebels and red for the Royals.

Mirrors seem to be one of the things that unites the two girls. Think about it, in the Snow White story it was a magic mirror that told the Evil Queen who was the fairest. Throughout the dorm mirrors are shown on both sides (heck, there're tiny mirrors on Raven's slippers). Throughout history mirrors have been used to reflect what we see and who we want to see. And during the book and web series mirrors have been used during important story lines for example: Headmaster Grimm hearing the Evil Queen laugh, Apple using the mirror net to spy on Raven (consent much?), how the Evil Queen spies on others (Ugh, privacy!), mirrorpads, mirrorphones, mirror prison, the booking glass in Dragon Games, etc. Mirrors are important in the EAH world.

From what is stated on Apple's card (under Apple's side) the room she and Raven share is the largest dorm room (in the girls' dorm) reserved for epic tales. Seeing how the Headmaster plays favorites I'm surprise he didn't give this room to Apple first. But maybe he doesn't assign the rooms and as long as the character is from an epic tale: evil, good, or neutral they can have it!

Apple's side: Apple is a Royal both in alliance and birthright. Apple aspires to be the perfect queen and her dorm room reflects it. Honestly, don't tell me this wasn't the bedroom you wanted when you were five-years-old and in your princess phase.

From what I read in the books Apple's furniture consists of: redwood furniture, canopy, gilded chairs and wardrobe. Only the best for a future queen!

Apple lives and breathes the princess lifestyle and not just because she is one, she works hard for it. She's also very studious as she is one of the few students with the top grades so whenever she's not checking herself in the mirror she is studying, reading, or preparing for future school events.

Apple cares deeply about her looks and her magic talking mirror helps her both in fashion and in confidence. I love the irony that Apple spends more time consulting a magic mirror than Raven.

Though it was never seen in the show Apple did receive a jewelry box similar to Raven's. The jewelry Apple may keep in there are probably pearls, rubies, mini crowns, and apple barrettes since that is what she usually wears.

In the Getting Fairiest line Apple has a nightstand where she places her crown while getting ready for an event or sleeping. It was never shown in the webseries, but we did see Briar's nightstand where she keeps her sunglasses (will show when it's Briar's turn) and them seem to be larger than the toy version.

Apple's Fainting Couch has been seen in a few episodes, sadly we never saw her use it. Which is a bummer because, picture this:

Apple laying on her fainting couch writing in her diary WITH HER GLASSES ON! Suddenly, the door knocks and Apple scrambles to put her glasses in the secret compartment and looking very awkward hiding them. That could've been a running gag, we were robbed of that and seeing Apple in her glasses! Plus, the embroidered apple pillow is so cute!

It wasn't seen during Dragon Games, I'll let it pass since the animators were probably busy and we're human we forget stuff. I also believe that Apple keeps her diary in the storage of the fainting couch.

Seeing how she and Raven have the biggest dorm (in the girls' dorm) of course Apple would have a closet and a dresser to fit all her luxurious clothes. But, sometimes the closet isn't there in some scene. My theory is that since Ever After High School is magical maybe the furniture appears when it is needed, or for example when the student is in the room the windows will appear to bring in some like. Like I said above during the Fainting Couch the animators are busy and the layouts change with each animator.

The vanity was originally Apple's desk which had a bulletin board above it. Again, layout change and the furniture appears when it is needed. I kinda like that Apple has fairy lights seeing how traditional her style is, but see does have a poster of guitar, so she may have a spark to her.

Raven Side: Even before the Rebel movement Raven had a rebellious streak in her. She questioned how her world worked, her story, and herself. Despite Raven's fashion sense matching a traditional fairy tale villain it was her choice to dress that way.

Raven's didn't originally look the way we see it now; Apple (along with Briar) redecorated her side of the dorm to resemble more of an evil queens lair. In the webseries Apple gave Raven an evil throne, an evil crown, and an evil haunted mirror (she may have added the extra mirrors), while in the book Apple put spikes on most of Raven's furniture and gave her a goblin bed sheet set. As nice as Apple was trying to make Raven feel at home, it wasn't right of her to change roommates and go through Raven's things without consent.

One thing that stands out in Raven's room is a white guitar, which gives us the idea that Raven is a music lover. One of my many headcanons is Raven's dad got her into music as a bonding activity between the two and the guitar used to be his before he passed it down to his daughter.

Personally, Raven's is my favorite room design (that we got to see) and if I had the budget, I would remodel my room like hers.

As stated above the room Briar (and Ashlynn) are currently living in the same dorm as Raven's mother (and Cerise's mom). I believe Raven lived in her mother's dorm during freedom year (freshmen year) or will live there her final year, and like many boarding schools/ colleges students don't live in the same room every year.

In the color palette it says imperial gold, but I see black in the color scheme, sure there's 'gold' in the flooring and candlelight, but maybe this was an early idea that the creators had to unite Raven and Apple in a way.

Despite being the future Evil Queen, Raven spends the least amount of time looking at herself in the mirror, gotta love irony. It was also mentioned in the book that Raven tries not to compare herself to Apple since that's what lead to her mother going off-book and vain, so she avoids them.

I believe the wide-eye girl was Brooke, which means besides Maddie and Kitty, she's the only non-Wondelander to see a narrator (lore).

We were able to see the jewelry box when Raven was getting ready for her date in 'Date Night' and an actual was available like Apple's. The jewelry we saw Raven take out of the jewelry box were mainly a silver ring and a chain necklace; so, her jewelry is mainly chains, spikes, and amythest. On the bracelet one of the charms is a potion bottle and Raven does have a potion/ bookcase (can be seen in one of the above images) that I wish we saw in use.

In the getting fairest line Raven has a nightstand where she places her high collars during the night. It wasn't seen in the show, but it's somewhere in her dorm.

We only saw glimpses of Raven's destiny vanity in the webseries. In 'Unfairest of Them All' Raven was heartbroken when Baba Yaga Hut's baby destroyed it., luckily it was rebuilt. The vanity has a built-in keyboard and a brush that looks like or doubles as a microphone. Raven is usually seen with her headphones on, listening to Taylor Quick, playing her guitar, or playing on her keyboard at her vanity. She probably spends more time making music than looking at herself.

Like Apple's diary in her fainting couch I think Raven keeps the books in the vanity's cabinets and reads them when she's alone.

The closet and evil throne (not shown) are only seen in glimpses since furniture appears when it is needed. At first I thought Raven was the only student with a fireplace in her dorm, before we saw 'Epic Winter' on Briar's side of the dorm has a fireplace as well, so I guess each dorm has a fireplace on one side of the room. To keep warm during the cold months and having two fireplaces is a bit much and a fire hazard.

At the beginning of 'Croquet Tastrophe' Apple was first seen in Raven's side of the room for some odd reason. But, wait, Apple has a mug in her hand for some reason. Which made me think Raven owns a coffee machine that she lets Apple use sometimes.

The girls do have a balcony (pretty sure everyone at the school has one) that the girls like to go out to get fresh air during times of stress and peace. In 'Apple's Princess Practice' they have a zipline which I'm pretty sure Briar set up.

Well, that's the first of the dorms, now to the next.

Images can be found here: EAH wiki, Royal&Rebelpedia, and @teatimewithmaddie .

[zodiactalks]

EXPLOSIVE Zodiac COMBINATIONS who Rarely See Eye to Eye

Some people just can't get along, no matter how hard they try. While you can't choose your family or your coworkers, you certainly can choose your friends and romantic partners.

Looking at a person's Zodiac sign can tell you all you need to know about a person before you get too invested in your relationship with them.

If you want to live free from drama, you better steer clear from these Zodiac signs, as you'll just end up fighting pointlessly and endlessly.

Sagittarius and Taurus

Sagittarius can't wrap their heads around Taurus's fixed mindset. They can't understand how someone as reasonable and logical as Taurus can have so little desire to expand their mind.

They also can't comprehend why it takes so much and so long for Taurus to change their mind, even if all evidence is against them. Taurus, on the other hand, thinks Sagittarius is too irresponsible because they avoid settling down at all costs.

They think they are rather childish because they avoid various commitments. They see their insatiable thirst for adventure as a sign of emotional immaturity. They'll rarely see eye to eye, except perhaps for a shared appreciation of exotic cuisine.

Aquarius and Cancer

Aquarius and Cancer can't be more opposite from each other. Aquarius hates people depending on them, whereas Cancer loves for people to depend on them and need them.

Aquarius needs endless freedom, while Cancer understands the things that truly fulfill them require a commitment. Aquarius is often too logical and forgets that it's important to be kind, while Cancer is mostly emotional and kind at all times.

They just don't understand where the other is coming from. Aquarius doesn't understand why Cancer doesn't feel trapped by their choices, and Cancer doesn't understand how Aquarius can be okay without committing themselves to the people, jobs and places that are good for them. It's very rare that they agree on anything.

Gemini and Capricorn

Both of these signs are very intelligent. And that's where the similarities end. Capricorn is not the best multitasker, and Gemini can't handle the hours of concentration that Capricorn can put in when they think something is worth their attention.

Capricorn has an old soul, and Gemini seems to remain twenty years old even when they're well into their sixties. Gemini is an eternal student, whereas Capricorn loves working way more than they love studying.

I'll give them this: they can be great coworkers because of their complementary approaches, but that's pretty much it. As friends or lovers, their interactions are like a comedy of errors where two people speak two different languages and keep misunderstanding each other.

Leo and Virgo

Virgo can be a pretty judgmental sign, and Leo is so easy to judge. One of the main values of Virgo is humility. They will think that Leo is too self-centered, self-indulgent, selfish and other not-so-nice words starting with self.

On the other hand, Leo will poke fun at Virgo because of how uptight and neurotic they are. It's easy to see how that will end up in a heated argument that will make everyone else around them very uncomfortable.

Virgo will think that Leo is annoying and loud, and what's even worse, they'll criticize them, thinking they are doing it in a constructive manner, but Leo's ego has to be handled with care. They'll find Virgo's bluntness as the exact opposite of caring. Leo can learn a lesson on humility from Virgo, and Virgo can learn a thing or two on how to set boundaries from Leo.

Libra and Taurus

They both have impeccable taste. But things will start to get complicated pretty soon. Taurus is very decisive, and will find Libra's indecisiveness simply… confusing. How can someone with such good taste not know what they want? Libra, in turn, will resent Taurus's stubbornness.

How can someone have such a hard time letting go when changing your mind is the easiest thing in the world? Taurus will think Libra is wasting valuable time with their indirect style of communication, and Libra will think Taurus is too brusque in their approach to conversation.

Taurus will disapprove of Libra's inconsistency, and Libra will think poorly of Taurus's inability to think on their feet. While they both have a great sense of style, they can't see eye to eye.

Aries and Scorpio

It never goes well when two people with anger issues try to form any kind of meaningful relationship, be it platonic or romantic. The moment one of them triggers the other, it's suddenly the outbreak of World War Three, and the one who throws the biggest tantrum wins (apparently).

They both have a quick temper and, when they are mad, they like to throw salt in the other's wounds. Once they are blinded by their emotions, these two signs will have no mercy on their opponent.

Not only will interacting with each other stress them, it will also make their friends and onlookers very anxious indeed. Neither know when to stop, when to agree to disagree, or when to apologize. These two together are just a recipe for disaster.

Pisces and Gemini

Pisces is the most emotional sign of the Zodiac, and Gemini is the most rational. Talk about opposing points of view! Gemini cares about being right, not about making others feel good. Pisces, on the other hand, will utter the most false of phrases if it makes their interlocutor feel good.

The last thing they need is a Gemini behind them interjecting with “Well, actually...” An interaction between these two can easily end up in Gemini losing their very limited patience and Pisces crying in a corner and accusing Gemini of being mean. They just bring out the worst in each other.

Scorpio and Libra

Scorpio's favorite hobby is sparking up controversy, whereas Libra is an expert at being well-liked by everyone. What can't go wrong between these two? Scorpio will think Libra is weak for not sticking up to their beliefs, and Libra will think that Scorpio likes conflict a little bit too much.

If there's a sign that can anger unflappable Libra, that sign is definitely Scorpio. They will show Libra their much-feared Shadow Self, and they'll get angry at this toxic person that dares to insinuate they might be unlikable. The one thing they can find common ground in is in their tendency to play Devil's advocate.

Pisces and Aries

Pisces is all about compassion and keeping things flowing smoothly. They love it when there is a sense of peace in their interpersonal relationships. Aries, on the other hand, is not afraid of healthy confrontation when it's necessary.

They may even need to be constantly arguing and debating things to avoid boredom. They often resort to rather aggressive approaches that would make Pisces cry. Aries can also be a bit brusque and forget all about compassion and empathy, both a must in Pisces's book.

Not everything is love and light and sometimes a confrontation is necessary, so Pisces isn't always objectively right, and Aries will end up frustrated. These two signs will just inevitably keep butting heads.

Have you ever had such a turbulent relationship? What's your sign? What was the other person's sign? What signs do you usually get along with? What signs do you disagree with on everything? Tell us in the comments!

[cemeterything]

so sorry if this is way personal but as someone with parents who are slowly going through something similar as you described yours to be ... you got any advice? I guess they arent that extreme yet but it is a step up from when i was young. Sharing some of my disagreements kinda just antagonizes them :/ theyd go crazy if i came out.

my main advice is to always put yourself first in these situations. as bad as it can feel to not stand up to them, it's not your responsibility to try to guide them to make the right decisions and develop as people - that's the role they're supposed to fulfil for you as part of being your parents. your own safety always comes first. the best thing you can do is develop your own critical thinking and reasoning skills and, if any opportunities are available to you in your local community to contribute to progress and helping others, try to participate in those to help put a little more kindness in the world and connect with people who'll hopefully be there to support you when you need it return. there's still a lot you can do without risking yourself.

if, once you're independent enough that you're no longer in a position where they can leverage their power over you in retaliation to you disagreeing with them, you feel like you want to try to address their behavior and principles and try to convince them to step back from the conspiracy rabbithole, then go ahead. but don't forget to value and protect yourself too. you can't fight for anyone if you don't look after yourself.

[brutaliakent]

// Not Tim Drake friendly

Like idk how to start this but I'll just profess by saying that majority of what I talk about is about his fanon characterisation and if you get offended then in the nicest way possible idgaf

Like why is Tim so fucking infantalized in fanon like some of his fans so obsessed with making him oppressed and a victim when he's not. Its like him in comics canon and him potrayed by fandom by 90% of fics I've read are two totally different person.

He's like a mediocre person in comics at best, I dont like him but I dont mind him either. Also he is written as a misogynist and his treatment of his gfs is abominable but I let it slide cuz maybe it was the writers fault idk

But the way fans potray him to be this holier than thou- never doing anything wrong and smartest robin (cue eyeroll) is wild and wholey inaccurate cuz like he's not. Canonically they're all similar iq and they're all trained by a detective so they're quite good at it, Dick was a mathelete and Jason had solid GPA of 94.8 and Tim dropped out of school to search for Bruce. He is tech savvy and good at computers but he's not the only one from the batfamily to be that is he, I'd say Barbara is the best at that but don't forget Dick used to be a hacker too like I've seen some of yall treat him as this one dimensional sunshine person who has eldest daughter syndrome but like he also has temper and he's clever and sharp and if I'm not wrong he even as degree in Business in main dc universe but that's besides the point

Also headcanoning him as asian feels weird and very playing into stereotype of asians being this super smart people (when there's no proof he's anything but white in canon)

Fanon also for some strange reasons hold on to Jason and Damian trying to kill him and saying how much it would have caused him trauma while completely removing him from the scene except for that scenario. Let me explain for example Damian trying to kill him where they forget the instigator of some are Tim too like he was legit 17 yr old beefing with 10 yr old bffr, did we also collectively ignore him putting the same 10 yr old on a hitlist like... yall act like this was a buffet and you can pick and choose but the thing is that you can pick and choose what to accept from canon but if you're picking Tim being attacked by Dami then maybe mention what he did too instead of victimizing him

Just kinda throwing it in here cuz we're talking about it, Dick didnt fire Tim from Robin because of bad faith, I'm pretty sure it was Alfred who gave Damian the Robin suit first but Dick didnt want Tim to be Robin because Dick saw Tim as an equal rather than a sidekick.

Also the big deal of Jason's attack on Titans Tower irks me a little but like pls remember that Jason made a last minute decision to go there and just beat the shit out of Tim and that's it and it wasnt nice of him to do that but I support his wrongs too

Since we're talking about Titans Tower fics anyways I also find it incredibly peculiar that writers (fanfic) potray him much younger than he was like Tim was 17 during UTRH and around 19 during Teen Titans #29

(Also pretty sure like 99.9% sure that Jason calling Tim 'Replacement' also came from fanon and it was from j*yt*m shippers so like 😵‍💫,, although Jason did call him 'Pretender' in Batman Hush a few times)

(Also highjacking this to talk about Pit madness cuz for some reason there are too many fics about it so like please remember that pit madness and the extent of it is just a fanon thing there is no proof of it happening for more than 5 mintues in canon and Jason was not the only one besides Ra's to use it but Cassandra has also been in the pit... So like yeah Jason did some fucked up shit post resurrection and he did it willingly no supernatural green pool was involved and its ok ❤️, like let him be his own person)

That went majorly off tangent,,, anyways also Tim was never abused physically or otherwise by his parents, they neglected him and child abandonment too for sure (ALSOOOO He spent more thanhalf of his school life in boarding school so it probably won't count as child abandonment but I dont know if its canon to main universe so I'm just putting it out there)

Adding to that is a fanfic issue that is around the potrayal of him in fics where Jason didnt die or wouldn't die and Tim joined the family early, most of those are pretty harmless and wholesome and this is not the critique of those writers so don't take personally but idk how it got so polarising and popular that Tim was a tiny kid and when he and Jason met younger (most fics I've read were from 3rd pov or Jason's pov) and in most of them it is stated that Tim is smaller for his age and Jason mistakes him for a younger age which just doesnt make sense. Like it would be one thing for someone else like Dick or Bruce to make that assumption and entirely different for Jason cuz CANONICALLY Jason was shorter at 15 than Tim was at 13 and it makes sense cuz Jason was malnourished which resulted in stunted growth rate, so like you're telling me that Jason at 15 saw 13 year old Tim and assumed he was 9 like it just doesnt make sense to me

And look this may be seen as nitpicks (and it probably is) but if it was in smaller quantity it could be ignorable but its everywhere and my patience is not endless and I'm fucking tired of him.

Also just to throw that in that all the bulleted points while in themselves alone may seem annoying but harmless, arent all of them together as fanon perception of him just infantalising him overall like its not they're true or anything...

Like lets be real Tim was just a blatant robin self insert, he was 13 when he went to a grieving father whos son was recently murdered and basically blackmailed him into making him robin cuz he thought "Batman needs a Robin" like dude you're 13... also can you imagine how Bruce must have felt in situation like but I dont think blaming Tim for this is right cuz he was a child and he didn't know better

Glorifying a white, rich (because yes he was rich enough to be neighbours with Wayne) character and demeaning and villanising a person of color and a dead poor person (cant keep track of how many times there's implied or outright said that Jason's death is his fault and how Tim's much smarter than Jason and better than him despite having no street smarts on him and being a trust fund baby)

Howevere, it'll be incredibly in poor taste to say that those weren't rooted in racism and classism [because they were] and its not Tim's fault his writers were disgusting but it is furthered and accepted and preached in fanon so like that's no excuse imo

Also if we include him with Robins he is not that special like he dont stick out ... and he terribly lacks any creativity and imagination like he took the mantle of robin and then red robin which like he didnt think through.

And like I'm not dismissing his trauma from attempts on his death but he was robin for 3-4 years before Jason tried to kill him I'm plenty sure he's used to his life being in danger comes with job description and if he didnt want that.. well nobody asked him he served himself on silver platter to be traumatised so yeah

So yeah fanon tim is my number one enemy and idc about him in canon and if you disagree with this please make your own post

This was a long vent of a short(lmao) list of just things that bother me

[pineappleciders]

Can you do sp main 4 with a reader who is trans mtf?? I really like your ftm one and since my sister is trans mtf she would love to read this x

sp main 4 finding out reader is trans mtf

A/N: i am so glad you liked it and i hope your sister likes this too!!!! i know this is really similar to the ftm one mainly because i dont think they'd react too differently! link to ftm vers here

also i wanted to add that i usually write with a fem reader differently than a g/n or masc reader!! mostly because they're like 4th graders and the whole girls vs boys thing. so i'm sorry if they're... colder??? idk how to describe it😭

stan marsh

he's just like "oh" in a surprised voice

doesn't really care but might ask a few,,, personal questions. he's genuinely curious and he doesn't mean harm. asks about what it means and why you transitioned

"how did you find out? like what does it feel like?"

he might encourage you to talk to wendy and the girls if you haven't become friends with them already! he says this because he knows it'd probably be nice for you to hang out with other girls so they can dress you up and help you feel like you fit in

also puts in a good word to wendy for you and u two become friends :)

again you coming out might make him question his own gender. he just gets really confused because he's never had the chance to explore himself and having a trans friend makes him more comfortable to do so!!

might ask you questions at first about how you found out, but other than that he just treats you like how he normally does; probably forgets that you're trans if anything

kyle broflovski

kyle never really hangs out with girls in the first place, the closest girl friends he has being you and sometimes wendy. he is very awkward around girls .

so you don't have to worry about him treating you like more of a bro after you come out, because he doesn't. if he were to treat you any differently he would treat you like more of a girl if anything if that makes sense

like he doesn't mean to exclude you but he figures it'd make you feel better to not be grouped with the boys??

"yeah, i get that. sometimes i feel like i was made to be a tall black man. it's really hard to play basketball as a 4'3" jewish white boy."

mostly, he doesn't really care, and he probably actually would prefer not to hear you talk about it. like i mean he prefers to not hear about 'assigned genders' because it makes him think of genitalia and honestly he does not like to think about that

so yeah, he's a little confused but he tries his best to understand, and he might be appreciative that you opened up about it, but for the most part he's just like "good for you" and moves on

eric cartman

similar to the ftm one, since he's known you as a girl all this time that no matter how hard he wants to misgender you he never truly sees you as anything other than a girl

he'll call you names and tease you for it but at the end of the day he still sees you as a cootie-ridden girl

he kicks you out of games because 'girls can't play games' and the others say you can play and he gets all pissy

he shoos you away at lunch not because you're trans but because you're a girl. he would rather be caught dead than hanging out with a chick. so in a way he's kind of accidentally an ally LOL

he gets uncomfortable when the topic gets brought up and would prefer not to think about it. he genuinely wants to stay out of it because he does NOT want to know what people have down under. absolutely hates thinking about it

"dude, i already live in a hot dog. i don't need to have any more wieners in my face."

kenny mccormick

he looks at you funny all confused.

"mph, nmph? mphph? (wait, what? really?)"

"mmphmph, mph mphph mmf mmphh.. (jesus, dude, i never would've guessed.)"

he's genuinely really confused because all the stereotypes of trans girls he's seen on tv and they all depict them looking super masculine and stuff. he's never really met a trans person so he's confused when you're just some normal kid

he's supportive, but he doesn't really care. he pats you on the back and says cool and then goes back to like. playing mario kart or whatever you guys were doing

he doesn't know anything about what it means so he might ask some questions about what dysphoria is and transitioning and all that. he will listen genuinely but he might fall asleep. he actually does care though!!!

thinks it's interesting but never brings it up again or talks about it and treats you like normal. honestly he would be very happy to play princesses with you as princess kenny

you have sleepovers and he acts all girly. like you do his hair and nails and dress him up and he kicks his feet having the time of his life

[battleangelaelita]

Yet another post-canon Azula plot bunny

This time, with 100% more trans fem energy.

I've actually had this one for a while, and discussed it at length with @jusendork on discord. But due to an unfortunate run-in with malware, and discord support being useless as ever, my account and all the dm convos are lost forever now, so I figured I'd put it up on here so the idea itself does not fall down the memory hole.

So this came as a result of my unfortunate tendency to write right up to the line about trans adjacent characters, but never really go all the way despite being trans fem myself (see every Ranma 1/2 fanfic I have ever written). So this ones for all my sisters out there.

We begin the fic ten years after the ending of ATLA, and we're just going to sidestep the comics. The inciting incident is an attempt on the life of Fire Lord Zuko; the plot fails, but with as of yet no heir, the Fire Lord is in a politically difficult situation.

Wanting to settle this matter discretely, Zuko turns to his old friends to find the whereabouts of his sister, to determine whether she had any part in the plot, and if not, to return her safely to the capital so that there will be a line of succession. Unfortunately for him, he's a bit hard up for people able and willing to help. Ultimately, only Katara, ambassador from the Southern Water Tribe, and Mai are able and willing, no matter how reluctantly.

I've decided to borrow one note from the comics and have Zuko have split with Mai. Whether he is married to someone else for political reasons, I have not decided. The first leg will be told primarily from Katara's point of view as the outsider to the family dynamics. In the search, she's trying to peel back the layers of resentment and secrets. Mai knows more than she let's on.

Azula herself has been living under an assumed name in Ba Sing Se, disappearing into the anonymous mass with the help of a few of the former Dai Li who remained loyal. I've mulled various different trades she may have plied to survive, from organized crime to more reputable trades, but ultimately they are not important. The key is that she's basically been disassociating the past ten years, and the sudden arrival of people from her past dredges up everything she's been trying to forget.

The keystone of all this is that Azula is a trans girl, and it always was a sordid little secret of the royal family. Her father's (selective) affirmation of this was just another part of controlling her. From the moment his 'son' made 'his' first flames when 'his' mother humored 'his' protestations, Ozai saw an opportunity. 'Azulon' the Younger can play at being a girl, but only if she's the best. And she certainly can't go back on filial piety.

The main theme of it will be transmisogyny in all its forms. And I'd hope to do it in such a way that conserves the scenes in the original; events occur as they did in the show proper, but flashbacks are of course in full unreliable narrator. So the changes would be things that recontextualize events, not change them.

This is of course one of those ideas I may not actually get around to, so please don't stop if you're thinking along similar lines or if you got inspiration from this. But I really just had a good hard think about how Azula in fanon gets this sort of degendering; a character commonly perceived as a cis lesbian, and the commonalities lesbians have with trans women in how they're treated for existing outside the bounds of patriarchal norms, treated as violent, predatory, emotionally unstable, and masculinized. So i thought I'd just steer into this skid, and write her as a trans lesbian, because I can. There's few things as subversive as treating a character as having been trans and passing the entire time.

[faketokufan]

Man... I'ma just be real with y'all. I don't give a shit about Palworld. It's all Ive funken heard about the past week or so and I just... I just don't care! On one side of the Halo 1 ass team death match y'all are in the trenches of you have the overly zealous Pokemon fans who will needle the game to death over the slightest shortcomings and similarities. Buddy, pal, friend... GameFreak will be fine. They're gunna be ok ...

But equally bad are the ones who will take any criticism of their new personality defining game as an attack on the sanctity of their marriage or something. I'm sorry guys, the game looks painfully boring, if it didn't look like pokemon with guns you wouldn't be playing it.

But this isn't why I'm tired... If that was all I had to say about this issue I wouldn't have made a post about it on what is supposed to be a tokusatsu blog... Shit this is supposed to be a toku blog... What episode of Kingohger are we on?... We're in the 40s!?...... Man I let that one get away from me... okay!!! Not the point, not the point, we'll deal with that later. The point is! We already HAD Pokemon with guns and murder and even more obvious furry bait.

WHERE WERE YALL WHEN MY MAIN MAN AGUMON WAS FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE HUH?

Look at em...

Y'all wanted a more mature Pokemon? Man we've had that since the 90s! We already have Palworld at home! We are not stopping and spending more money on edgy monsters when you barely play with the ones I got you last week! You want guns? You want your cute scrunkle squinkle toodle pops to have guns?

Do Gargomon and his funny little pants mean nothing to you?! Fucken ... This one is just a gun!

Gundramon is just 30 guns in a trench coat...

Death?... Ya want death and mature themes? Some real stakes and some real consequences for our sins and transgressions? Ya want to Nuzlocke and pop your way though a story where Fido can die if you forget to give him his ear medication?

Eat my ENTIRE ass.

Slavery? You want... Wait y'all want actually want that?... Like the whole putting y'all's dog on the assembly line to build Mitsubishi Outlanders thing has been in a LOT of the back and forth... I'm not sure what y'all are talking about.... Yeah...

Anyway yeah Digimon... Digital monsters. Digimon are the champions here. Play Palworld if you want, I haven't seen anything that indicates it's actually funding anything uncouth... And hate pal world if you want! I always advocate for more hate in the world. Hating things is fun!... Just... I don't care. I just don't care about monsuno for men. Bakugan for big boys. Telefang for taxpayers... Uh... Monster rancher for retirees....

...

...are we really in the 40s with Kingohger?...

[sailorsplatoon]

what does the rest of the splatoon think of 4 and acht dating

Before I start, here's a quick summary of the pronouns I'll be using for each of the agents:

Agent 8: He/him

Captain 3: She/her

Neo 3: It/It's

Agent 4: They/Them

Eight supports them 100%. He's an absolute sucker for romance and he got to see it blossom first hand since he was in the elevator when Four climbed the spire and whitnessed the two slowly fall in love. (If anyone reading this has no idea what I'm talking about, you can check out my post on it here.) Eight and Marina act as Acht's wingmen, trying to encourage them to confess their feelings for Four. (Pearl does the same for Four.)

Captain 3 is on edge around Acht. She remembers being controlled by Tartar vividly and is worried that Marina's Memverse plan might not have worked as well as she thought it did. When Captain was sanitized she couldn't do anything to fight it, so how could some code made it go away entirely? What if Acht is just trying to take advantage of Four having been greyscaled? What if they're plotting something malicious? Her suspicion never really goes away, but it does fade over time. Her main goal is just to protect those she cares about.

Neo 3 had never met Four before Side Order, so it didn't have any connection to Four. It and Four sort of become playful rivals and will often purposefully be on opposite teams in turf war and ranked matches. It likes Acht, but is a little bit afraid of them. It thinks Acht is really intimidating. Regardless, Neo 3 supports their relationship and likes to joke about how it's friend is dating a zombie.

Callie is just happy that Four found a partner. She'd been trying to set them up with someone for a while and is excited to see that they've finally found someone who makes them happy. She thinks it's cool that Acht is a musician and wants to collab sometime. She organizes a monthly game night amongst her friends and was very excited to invite Acht (against Captain's wishes).

Marie feels similar to Captain in that she's suspicious of Acht. Both her and Captain exchange paranoid theories about Acht's true intentions that gradually become more and more convoluted. As the two get to know Acht better and let their guards down, their theories turn into a running inside joke rather than real suspicion.

Cuttlefish is... trying his best. He can be insensitive at times by saying things like "You know I was almost put in the sludge that telephone used to control your partner." He doesn't realize that he's just bringing back traumatic memories for Acht and making it awkward for everyone else (especially since only Eight was supposed to be in the sludge, he was just sort of there). Four is trying to teach him not to say that kind of stuff.

Deep Cut, while not a part of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, would likely end up meeing Four and Acht since Marie is their boss. They're really competitive, especially Shiver and Frye. Frye will often say things like "You two may be big shots in Inkopolis but in Splatsville we're the kings. Don't forget that." in hopes of indimidating Four and Acht. Shiver will just give them mean looks. Four thinks it's super cool and Acht just finds it funny. Really Shiver and Frye feel thretened by the fact that Acht is a musician and they don't want Big Man working with a different artist again. Big Man is embarrassed by how they act and often aplogizes for them, despite the fact that Acht and Four don't mind.

I probably went into more detail for this than I had to, but it was fun! Thank you for the ask!!!

[bonesandthebees]

still thinking about the qsmp lighting strike one shot...

learning sign language makes you realise just how isolating it is to cant hear properly and its just so nice to see phil signing even when hes not speaking directly to tallulah and even tho she has a hearing aid and could hear him this close

richas having a prosthetic leg and being carried a lot and the other kids understanding that and not complaining about not being carried too which is something youd except to see with kids

and the kids choosing to speak mostly with sign too and richas having to learn with his leg and finding little bonuses like hiding lock picks, its so interesting and cool to see, just representation man, yk

and just the way such a short story is packed with happy little language things in general is sweet, hearing your own language after some time is always such a good feeling, cant imagine not hearing it for so long

or while the parents are communicating in english they still talk to the kids in their languages so they nurture their native languages and dont forget

and you nailed character voices and personalities so well, like you clearly worked on every character to figure them out and its so cool to see basically literally the qsmp characters in this story

the bagi and cellbit moment was a cherry on top, made me so emotional I love them

the possible/implied parallel to crimeboys/wil and tallulah was so hopeful

all in all such a sweet little story, 10/10 I cried

aaaa thank you so much this makes me so happy to hear how much you enjoyed it

yes exactly, a lot of hearing people, even well meaning ones, don't seem to realize how much hoh/deaf people have to struggle with feeling isolated. even if a hoh/deaf person can read lips, can hear a bit, has hearing aids, or even has a cochlear implant that doesn't mean they talking to people is easy. there's issues with background noise or not having people facing you when they speak or sometimes you just don't have the energy that day to put your everything into focusing on what other people are saying. I'm a hearing person but this was a common thing I heard about my Deaf teachers in my ASL classes when we learned about Deaf culture and audism. also, while of course I'm in no way trying to say my experiences are similar to that of a hoh/deaf person, I have an audio processing disorder so hearing is something I struggle with a LOT, specifically when it comes to communicating with others. if there's a lot of background noise, even if I'm standing right next to someone I might only catch ~60% of what they say and I have to use context to guess the rest. it's unbelievably frustrating at times.

so I figured that since q!phil is already so accommodating and aware of tallulah's 'asthma' in canon, I thought it just made sense that in an au where she's hoh he would be very attentive and would make sure to sign to her regularly so she won't miss out on what's going on.

richas babyyyy <33 when they're walking for long periods of time like that I figured it just made sense for the adults to want to take the strain off of richarlyson's leg by carrying him, but also I just thought the mental image of richas sitting on cellbit's shoulders was too cute not to include. benefits of having six parents is there's always someone around to carry you lol. also I thought of the lockpick thing and it was too funny not to mention. richas would 100% hide random things in his prosthetic if it had a compartment for that.

I had the rest of the kid prefer signing to talking for two main reasons: one, I thought it would be the way to interpret all of them using signs in canon to talk while tallulah is the only one who has hearing aids. and two, when you grow up in a world where being too loud means death, wouldn't you learn not talking is better? it's sad but I thought it made sense :(

the language stuff in general was so fun to play with. although it's definitely nervewracking to try and write in languages I don't know, I think it just feels more natural for the parents to speak to their kids in their first languages even when they're around english speakers. idk I just went off vibes for those bits and really enjoyed it. and then cellbit and bagi's entire Big convo I felt had to be in portuguese given how serious the subject matter was so of course they'd both have it in their first language, and I'm so grateful for the help I got with the portuguese there.

i've had several people tell me I nailed the character voices in lightning strike and that makes me SO happy because I was trying so hard. some of the members are easier for me to write (phil I'm used to obviously, cellbit idk why I just kind of get how he talks and don't have to think too hard) but then for others I put a lot of effort into making sure they sounded right (etoiles was the one I had to focus on the most because he has such a distinct way of talking but he's also so fun to write, bagi I've watched a lot of clips of recently so I had her voice but I still wanted to make sure I nailed her, and tina like etoiles has a fairly distinctive way of speaking so I thought over her lines a lot too)

I came up with the idea to parallel wilbur trying to find tommy and then wilbur coming back to tallulah with cellbit and bagi finding each other again after all these years while I was writing it and I was very happy with how that whole bit turned out :)

i'm so glad you enjoyed ty for this it made me smile a lot <33

[highly-important]

I think a big criticism I have of Heartstopper is how it makes a sexual minority (Ben) the face of homophobic oppression.

We know that one of the things that affected Charlie the most was the bullying he went through earlier. That it was so bad no one can really put it to words.

Charlie describes his bullying in a very abstract and intangible way, and never directly points the finger at anyone specific.

In general, there is this collective amnesia about who actually bullied Charlie and who let it happen. No one is really held accountable for it.

This is also very similar to whatever happened with Elle at Truham. Elle was extensively bullied, but she brushes off her problems and we never see the extent of her trauma. We honestly don't even know how this actually affected her, apart from the ways that she minimizes herself. But its all abstracted - no one is really ever identified as responsible or complicit.

Ben is the only person who is identified from that time in Charlie's life, and it means its easier to blame Ben for it than anyone else.

I understand why Nick and Charlie don't want to forgive Ben, and I don't think he is owed that forgiveness. But I also think Ben is a stupid 15 year old in an awful, traumatizing situation. There is reason to believe he would have behaved differently if he wasn't also in a homophobic environment. Do you think Ben could hear other people call Charlie disgusting and not internalize it himself? And the responsibility for their relationship going badly isn't squarely on Ben's shoulders, either.

There is also no reason why someone else, like Araji or Farouk couldn't have given him an empathetic moment or helped him a little. Ben is equally deserving of support and compassion.

Ben becomes the face of Charlie's trauma, and Ben seems to bare the responsibility for it. The straight people around him slip under the radar, despite arguably being the ones bearing the most responsibility for Charlie's issues. Charlie's self hatred, his ED, and the cutting are all caused by the bullying. The straight bullies are allowed some grace and empathy that isn't given to Ben.

We forget that Nick has been a part of Harry's friend group for years. Nick isn't really doesn't stick up for what's right on his own, and doesn't help much when they hit Tao with the ball. Obviously his feelings for Charlie cause him to reexamine these things. But its not something Nick ever has to come to terms with. (Its similar with Imogene, she hangs out with and enables some of Charlie's tormentors, but never really has to come to terms with that.) And in S2, the actions of Nicks' friend group are largely forgotten, and the emphasis is put on how supportive they are when Nick comes out.

It is very realistic that kids would react differently to an unpopular kid coming out than they would a popular kid coming out. But they're still the same people. Charlie doesn't even feel resentment that the same people who called him disgusting are now voicing support of Nick.

It is the bullying that made Charlie feel disgusting, its the bullying that gave Charlie an ED and made him self-harm. And its the bullying that made Ben want to keep his relationship with Charlie a secret.

If Nick was friends with Harry for a while, and Nick doesn't really remember the bullying Charlie went through, it also means that Harry maybe wasn't a main antagonist when Charlie's bullying was "really bad." So even though Harry is the face of homophobic bullying, even he is disconnected from the "really bad" that happened the year before. Harry is just an asshole, and somehow not responsible for causing serious trauma.

We get more of an indication that Harry can grow and do better than we do Ben. And yes, even though Harry is never forgiven or forgotten, he's also never confronted with it either.

All the straight people at school are easily redeemable because weirdly, none of them seem to actually be complicit in the "really bad" bullying that fucked Charlie up.

(And even making these distinctions between when the bullying was really bad and not so bad missed how any kind of daily micro aggressions, no matter how small, can build up to have toxic effects. Hearing your sexuality degraded pretty consistently can have huge negative affects on your health, even if to an outsider it doesn’t look like that much.)

I am seeing more and more media do this - make a minority the face of that minority's oppression. Its this gentle way of exploring oppression, while avoiding making people outside that minority group feel uncomfortable or ask difficult questions about their own complicity.

It perpetuates this idea that homophobia is actually over, despite the fact that somehow, mysteriously, the affects of homophobia are still felt. Harry is written as someone who can improve, Ben is written as someone who is incapable of change. I think there is just something deeply unsettling about who is given compassion and empathy.

Not only does HS really avoid the hard work of showing how Ben gets better, but it avoids the hard work of having the straight characters confront the harm they caused.

And I'm not saying this to "cancel" Heartstopper or tell you you're a bad person for liking it. I've written extensively about the things I think this show gets right. But I think that making a minority the face of minority oppression is a damaging trope that we should be as critical of as we are of tropes like "Bury your Gays"

[anfie-in-the-box]

Dreamtale_Not_Found & Aftermare Week

Notes

The main story here! This piece contains minor spoilers, so if you want to read it in chronological order please skip this one, please and thank you!

。。。

Blackout

For barely a second, Nightmare is floating in utter darkness, and then there's solid ground of the familiar room under his feet, bursts of colours and sounds. Geno's laboratory. It's somehow easier to dream-walk into this room. There's no one but Geno himself, it's his space, their space — where he can be alone, but also where he can talk with Nightmare without caution. The roof of the skeleton brothers' house could be the second spot like that, but Sans loves stargazing as much as Geno does, keeping most of their shared soul, uneven parts of the whole, so similar yet so different. 

Nightmare sits right on the floor quietly, waiting for Geno to notice him. He's working on something, muttering under his breath, and Nightmare has no intention to interrupt him. He's patient, and besides, it's always lovely to see one of his most important beings so invested, so passionate. It's almost like he's getting used to living on the Surface, with not one but two brothers, humans who are not murderers, and even Nightmare, although not tangible anymore, somehow has fit into this new life. 

It's more than Geno ever expected, yet Nightmare knows, feels the negativity coming from Geno. His trauma feels bigger than the entire world. Nightmare, although he's been through a hell of his own, barely can relate. He still tries. 

Geno sighs, putting his instruments away, and turns around. There's a small smile on his face, though. It grows when he notices Nightmare, sitting beside him on the floor. "night!" he shout-whispers, "been a few days! what were you up to?" 

Nightmare leans closer, if not for touch — they apparently could only do that in the void of the screen, — then for smell. Geno still smells like determination extract, from his own dose and from all the experiments he's performed. It's become somewhat comforting. 

"I was checking some AUs and keeping the journals in order. Also hiding them. One already got destroyed, I don't want that to repeat." Nightmare sighs. Geno clenches his palms, "jerks, all of them. you're brilliant, and kind, and you're an excellent listener, but all they see is your role. it's not like you're abusing your power!" 

Nightmare grins softly. He knows Geno's rants to a word, and it's always a treat. So much resentment towards the villagers, but also so much love for him. Both make things to his poor heart. 

"I love you," Nightmare says, suddenly even for himself. There's just so much he can't hold it inside. 

Geno responds immediately, "love you too, night." 

Right then, everything shuts down, from a lamp to Geno's devices. 

Geno warns, "no panic, that happens. at least i'm finished for today." He then chuckles, "a blackout. how romantic. if it's happened to the entire town, we might see the stars. care to join?" Nightmare nods, then realises he can't be seen in the darkness and agrees verbally, "I don't see why not. Stars are always beautiful. They're always seen in Dreamtale; there's no Underground and no big cities, as far as I know, so no light pollution for us guardians of the Tree." 

"quit boasting, we both know i'm jealous," Geno laughs like he always does with Nightmare, oh so very fondly. It's a shame Nightmare can't see his face. 

They go up in comfortable silence. Nightmare would like to hold hands, but since it's not possible anymore, he can listen to Geno's measured, confident even in this darkness steps, the rustling of his lab coat that he once again forgets to take off… About that. 

"Your coat," Nightmare reminds him, stifling giggles. It's wonderful to support each other even with these little things.

Nightmare still wants to hold hands. But it's either touch or Geno's freedom, and Nightmare would never make him choose. 

Geno locks his lab and leads Nightmare to the main house with a short, playfully sweet "Follow me." Nightmare would blush if he could.

They go to the roof, the house dark and silent — "sans and papyrus are on a sleepover at undyne and alphys'," Geno explains. He unlocks and opens the door. They go outside, chasing soft, cool breeze, so pleasant for the body, chasing the stars and the moon, so lovely for the souls trapped in their own inner darkness. 

It's beautiful. They're beautiful, although hurt and abused awfully. 

"Looks like the blackout did indeed affect the whole town. We've got the sky all for ourselves," Nightmare says, a little smile on his face. Geno grins in return, "looks like it." 

"Show me your constellations! I had to learn ours to show them to Dream, back when there were no villagers, and I'm curious if yours are different." 

"sure thing!" 

They sit until the morning comes, or, well, Nightmare sits; Geno falls asleep just a bit earlier, and although his back — or, honestly, everything — will likely ache terribly after that, it's not like Nightmare can bring him to the room. He's not tangible in Aftertale.

And a little after the dawn, he's back again in utter darkness, and then he wakes up in Dreamtale, smiling brightly. 

What was supposed to be a routine visit has become a date.

How lucky they are to find each other. 

。。。

Credits

Undertale © Toby Fox

Nightmare!Sans © jokublog

Aftertale © loverofpiggies

Aftermare Week © bluepallilworld

。。。

Notes

Special thanks to @bluepallilworld for the challenge!

Take care 🌻

[phantommn1969]

Plsss tell us about ur oc Hoshiko!

AGH!!! AAA!

Alr alr lemme copy the info I just edited into the previous post and then I can add extra !!!

This is a dice insert oc so main part IA about her and ouma ♡♡

Tgey met when they were both 8, hoshiko was making a mad dash away from her old orphanage and she jumped a wall and her dress got caught on a point part of the fence and when she ran she fell face first into his back and knocked him over onto the floor and almost got trampled by the other dice members She literally looks up from the ground and sees herself surrounded by a bunch of 7-12 year Olds in creepy clown masks and basically clutches her purse thinking she's gonna be robbed amd starts freaking the fuck out like "DONT TELL THEM I RAN AWAY PLEAXE DONT TAKE ME BACK I DONT WANNA GO!" ans starts spiraling into oblivion while ouma (8) is like stomping his feet throwing a hissy fit over her knocking her over and knocking his mask offMeanwhile some of the older (12 yr old) members are helping separate them hoshiko looks at him and is like oh my GOD he's so cool!?!??! (He isnt) she makes an attempt to ask who they are and gets a response of like "were a SECRET EVIL CRIME GROUP and were SUUUPER BAD so you CANT JOIN US 😡😡" and he makes them all run away, but forgets his silly little mask. Which she grabs and stashes in her bag, then runs after them Once she catches up she basically has been yelling after them for like 10 minutes so her voice is honestly kinda shot and she like whisper screams "you forgot ur scary mask thing!!!!" To which she gets a like begrudging "ugh... thanks :///" because In my opinion ouma is very picky when it comes to friends, it's either love or hate and she hasn't made it on the good list yet so all she was is a stranger who PUSHED HIM!! (Faceplanted)She she looks around at this group of people and suddenly tye urge to join them.hits her like a brick and she immediately asks if she can be their friend (which earns her a few smiles) and ouma kinda just... glares at her like :/// what do you add to the group ://///Little does anyone rlly know she's a very talented little pickpocket and she does a little rudimentary trick and steals something outta his pocket and that's her ticket in :>

Ok now onto more

Her first true friends in dice were 2 of the girls from the dice portrait in v3 (brown hair girl and blonde twintail girl. I named them Mika and Yui.)

She rlly wanted to get along with ouma but he made an effort t9 avoid her for a few days after she joined bc he was still annoyed that she made him trip and look stupid

He kinda started seeing her as a talented liar and a good person to be around when she started showing admiration for him

Like when she was designing her little uniform she decided to wear her scarf like he does because "it's suuuuper cool :]"

she proved herself to be a good thief and a pretty good liar so she ended up being the go to for schemes when her and ouma became friends

She has a very codependent personality so she puts like all her trust in him (mistake)

Other members warn her about it but she's already too deep in and starts mirroring his personality until it sets in and they're super similar to each other

Some silly little details I think about with her and ouma specifically

After they get close and hoshi becomes more of his like. Right hand man / second in command they end up talking a lot

Ik it's cliche as hell but they don't rlly lie that much to each other bc they can see through eachothwts bullshiy there's no point

As more group members join they try and split responsibility over like. Group chores.

They both have a commanding presence so whenever they like. Sneak into an abandoned apartment complex for shelter they kinda split responsibility with how to organize it

Theyre kinda sibling like but they aren't rlly related they just look similar

She has an insane amount of shit on him it's not even funny

Id love to write more silly hcs or stuff about her in her respective KG at a later point ♡♡