#we can adopt that one guys!! adopt don’t shop!!! also should mention i was reading an article about what free agents yzerman should sign &

[crossbackpoke-check]

bring a friend home today! adopt, don’t shop 🐶@metroitdetroitanimals 6.28.2022

[pashminalamb]

I don’t wanna be suddenly sad but I just started feeling a little depressed… yk I have this group of friends right and I love them so much don’t get me wrong but every time we are together I am the one getting left out, all of them talking amongst themselves while I just sit in the side and watch… I just kinda listen to them. I even admire them, when we are together I’m like “i love them and their craziness” I’m so thankful to have them as friends I’m the kind that like ‘introvert got adopted by extroverts’. I also have other friends but you know the feeling where you have that one person you always talk to, that one person who has been there for you, that one person who accepted for who you are. Its like soulmates but friends yk. I don’t think I have that… I don’t think I have a person who’s gonna miss me when I’m not there yk, I’m not someone who wants anyone to hangout with, like besides my family… I don’t have a best friend. I don’t have someone who I can share my energy with… I think its because I’m a shy and quiet person but still yk no one wants me for who I am…

I’m sorry for dumping this all of a sudden I just felt like I need to talk about it…

-💙

This used to be me once upon a time... feels really nostalgic reading about all this, not to mention the coincidence with the timing-

I don't talk with my classmates. I have friends yeah but I barely talk to anyone as a matter of fact. All that matters to me is my academics, personal growth, working out, scoring good grades, writing, reading and making a career cause I'm still a young adult, but I also care about my family. Before my winter break started, my professor actually asked me why I didn't talk to other students. And my reason was just the same as yours. For a while I used to stick to friend groups, but over time I realized that I just didn't fit in. I can't relate to what they're talking about cause its always the same - "I went to this club", "there is a party happening at someone's house when their parents are out", "I like this girl/boy", "I have *insert number* of followers", "I'm pretty popular", "i'm gonna go shopping", "Should I go out with this guy/ girl"

It seems exciting at first; but over a period of time you just grow tired of it. I used to hang out in groups and all, but over a period of time, I felt that the group was what restricted me from being able to explore my own individuality. Yes, I used to consider them as my friends, but overtime I realized that the interests they had were not the same as mine. And in the middle of that I got a friend (Art) . And we've been like that for 5 years. I don't consider them as my soulmate, cause we don't have connection in some spots and Art doesn't completely understand me. But you just have to give yourself time yk? There are times when you will go looking for something, only to turn up empty handed. But if you let it come to you naturally and let nature take its course, things will go the right way. And honestly? I don't have a best friend either nor do i have someone to share my energy with - irl; people consider me somewhere between annoying, quiet, intimidating or even make fun of me along with many other things in the list and I used to think that if I disappeared or something, people wouldn't care. No one would. And that's what sets your friends apart from your family. My family and I hang out when i go back home cause the thing in uni is that celebrations and having a "good time" can go overboard and i prefer to mind my own business and stay in my zone cause of it. so the only good time i have is with them and the experiences i have with them and what they taught me is something i blend into my writing too;

so cause of that i'm alone 98% of the time and if I have plans to go out, its with one person cause going in crowds and groups is not my thing. I don't have a best friend either, the only thing I like to keep company of is my books, thoughts and knowing what I have to do for the day and being good at what I do. And most importantly, working on yourself to be a better person and going further than where you were yesterday makes people notice you. So have faith in yourself and be confident. The earth has 8 billion people and there are over 200 (more like 195) countries in the world. There are gonna be people who are like you, similar to you, have the same birthday as you... so safe to say you'll find someone or many people who like you! it's all a matter of time And honestly? I think you're good the way you are. I can't articulate words well because I think very fast. so sometimes i end up saying things that might make me look dumb, but i'm really not. Same case applies to someone who is closed off, quiet and shy. Cause they have the loudest minds.

And no, blue. You're welcome to talk about anything despite the mood. People always think about the other person while they wanna talk about something and there are people out there who have a similar experience or something similar to what you're going through and it's important to talk about stuff like this („• ֊ •„)੭

[geeoharee]

And now in ‘DVDs someone got for Christmas so we watched it while we were round at their house’, ‘Cruella’ is a fucking weird film

Like OK, you think it’s starting out with “she’s a misunderstood misfit child!” and ripping off Wicked, which is justifiable cos Wicked is great. Then there are, I cannot stress this enough, killer CGI dalmatians. There are three of them. They are owned by an evil rich woman and they kill Cruella’s mother. Cruella runs off to be an orphan thief in London (source of ripoff material changes to Oliver Twist, bad child acting abounds) and is taken in by Jasper and Horace (I had to check: yes, these are the henchmen from the movie, guess that reads)

So then there’s like twenty minutes where it’s a fun heist film and they use a trained chihuahua called Wink to steal jewels from rich people and stuff. But Cruella’s dream is to be a fashion designer, so Jasper gets her a job working for the evil rich woman who is the best fashion designer. (Yes, we’re now doing Devil Wears Prada. Just watch Devil Wears Prada instead, it’s fucking great and this film is not even an adequate ripoff of it)

Theeen something ... I forget ... Oh yeah, she finds out the evil rich woman (played by Emma Thompson, incidentally, who is at least having fun) killed her mother with the killer CGI dalmatians and did I mention a little fluffy dog has been Cruella’s only friend this whole time? It’s one dog when she’s a kid and a different one when she’s Emma Stone, obviously.

So she decides to become a rival fashion designer but in secret (apparently this whole sequence with the punk stuff and the vandalism is ripping off Joker, which I’ve not seen, but also had the same plot about ‘...but actually he’s your real dad’. Oh did I not mention? We find out later that Emma Thompson is her mother.)

And there’s this whole thing with an amulet which contains the secret knowledge that Emma Thompson is her mother, and she tries to steal it, but the dalmatian eats it, so then she kidnaps the dalmatians for a bit, here are where the jokes about sifting through dogshit go. And Emma Thompson’s evil sidekick (Mark Strong) defects, for reasons I don’t really understand. And it ends up with a big confrontation where Emma Thompson is tricked into admitting she killed Cruella’s adoptive mother in front of a load of people, so then she goes to prison, and Cruella gets all her stuff (? not sure that’s how that works)

Oh also the killer CGI dalmatians defect at this point and apparently there’s a post-credits scene where one of them has puppies and Cruella sends puppies to Roger and Anita? (Anita is her childhood friend in this one and Roger works for the fashion house) Because Cruella is psychic and knows this will kick off the plot of the animated film? I guess?!

I dunno. I just feel that if you present a film as a prequel which sets up why Cruella de Vil wants to murder a load of puppies, she should, at some point, express the desire to murder a load of puppies. There’s a fake-out where you think she turned the killer dalmatians into a coat, but she didn’t. That’s exclusively to get a picture of her in the coat they could put on the poster. It’s just very unsatisfying.

Did they just have too many people on the team? Did the ‘she’s traumatised by a dalmatian attack’ guy not meet the ‘we’re doing Wicked now’ guy? Had any of them actually SEEN ‘101 Dalmatians’? Will Disney ever stop lying about the queer content of their films? (His name’s Artie, he runs a vintage shop and helps Cruella out a couple of times, he could plausibly be a very androgynous straight man and can be effortlessly cut for the Chinese market.)

We all KNEW what Cruella’s deal was. ‘See My Vest’ is a better explanation of her motives than this film. And now I want to rewatch Devil Wears Prada.

[thewoodbine]

What has been your experience, if any, with new age spirituality. And what is your opinion on it? Do you think it has a strong leg to stand on?

I talked about it in my last ask/answer a little bit actually! But New Age Spiritualism is such a broad category and concept I'm going to try break it down a little bit.

The Good:

By introducing concepts like meditation, mindfulness, and compassion- it has improved the lives of many people in a way traditional religion was just unable to do.

It's overall shifted our culture for the better and opened the door for discussions we would have never been able to previously have without being labeled heretical or crazy.

Largely is responsible for Wicca and the rise of witchcraft in general. Were it not for Wicca being invented during the first rise of the hippie and New Age movement ( drawing heavily from their influence), many of us would have never had the resources now to get into other forms of witchcraft. Including myself probably.

The Meh: It's become an aesthetic to be purchased in stores by people who do not even begin to actually bother with its true teachings or get into the real work of it. Same with a lot of Witchcraft, likely due to its rebirth through the New Age Movement. Those people who tell you "you can use any ingredient for this spell at any time for any reason without any experience and it will work" those are people deeply skewed by New Age Fluffy Bunny ideals. The "witchcraft is entirely positive and nothing bad can or will ever happen it is easy and happy and totally good in every way" yeah that's them too. They're not really damaging, but its not where you are going to grow and learn the most. I have no beef with them, (they definitely have beef with me) but it's just not for me.

Wicca is almost certainly a New Age religion and it's really neither here nor there for me. It has some good and bad aspects of that, but as a whole I just kind of ignore it. It helps guide and improve the lives of a lot of people, while also being problematic for others. Unfortunately though, its founders helped to plant a lot of bad roots in the pagan community that we still grapple with and are listed below.

The Bad: (I will be referring to practitioners of this as 'Crystal Lickers'. A term my mentor taught me that refers to people who buy a ton of crystals or spiritual objects and that's about where their willingness to put effort into spirituality begin and end.)

It's been boiled down. Like in my last story, it has been adopted by people who barely grasp the concepts at all but wave them like a banner. The new age lady I mentioned last time smuged, read tarot, did yoga, got frequent reiki sessions, tried to commune with spirits, and read energies and auras and presented herself as a guru - all on a 2 month retreat in India. Many of the things she practiced require years of training and experience to really truly grasp and embrace and the New Age movement encourages people to pick them up like fun little spirit candy.

It's appropriative. Cultural appropriation is a complex subject and I won't go into it here. But essentially- if you want to do yoga, read pendulums, and hang a dream catcher in your room all at the same time that's totally fine. Just understand you didn't invent yoga, pendulums take time and practice to master, and buy that dream catcher directly from the tribal people to which made them originally. (and some might refuse you depending on their beliefs about dream catchers must be gifted to work- and you have to be ok with that too). Some stuff you can use, some you can admire from afar, and some you just leave alone. New Age doesn't get that.

It's commercialized. Much like witchcraft is becoming, spirituality has become a commodified thing for the rich to buy. And the flip side of that it has been labeled as a fad thing for rich white people, which has discouraged in some cases, minorities from engaging in the actually beneficial and totally free aspects of it. It's the idea that if you buy enough evil eyes, tote bags, and crystals and suddenly you are the real deal. These are Crystal Lickers

It doesn't demand change or work. One of the biggest things that draw people to New Age Spirituality in its many forms is the opportunity to improve their life and become happy worry-free beings of light. But what that often becomes is "How To Manifest Wealth and Romance" and looking to others with a sense of righteous pity and dispensing your unsolicited wisdom now that you have ascended thanks to that podcast you listened to once. Most of the spiritual people I know, have never actually challenged themself through their practice. They're not actually looking in the mirror and going 'how am I maybe the bad guy' 'how do I hurt people' 'what do I need to let go of for OTHER' people. True spirituality will demand you to put others first and remove yourself from ego, watered-down versions say to love yourself exactly as you are and just let those bad vibes go.

It can be toxic positivity. The best example of this I could imagine is my old coffee shop. We had this big mantra painted above the door about love and acceptance. The crystal licker owner was very adamant that this was a place of healing and growth for people to come and be their vulnerable authentic selves. She also once asked a queer kid talking about their traumatic experience with their parents with their friends in a corner to leave because 'their energies were not conducive to the space' .

It can target the vulnerable: In the great case of my most prominent Crystal Licker she actively sought out struggling and vulnerable people to present herself and her divine guidance as the answers to their woes. Talking them into doing things for her for free and taking advantage of people until they became totally dependant on her to feed her ego. This is not uncommon in the slightest among the New Age community. Basically New Age Spirituality at its worst boils down to this: Love yourself and all creatures in perfect unity, encouraging the growth and aspirations of ones authentic self through healing and community. As long as it's my healing, and you're not too annoying about it or call anyone out. There's also a bunch of stuff you have to buy in order to do it. I don't know where any of these objects or traditions come from or why you should do them but I saw it online once. Tl;dr: If your spiritual journey is easy and exclusively positive the entire time, you probably haven't even started yet.

[twilightdruig]

help?

pairing : george weasley x fem!reader

summary : “hi i’m your neighbor and while i know we’ve never spoken but you’re a single parent of two and my sister recently died leaving me to raise her infant and i have no idea what i’m doing, help?” au

warnings : swearing , mentions of character deaths , fluff , au where george lives alone with his two children in a cottage near the burrow , au where fred and cedric live.

words : 2.6k

a/n : this is my first fic so it’s probably gonna be shit (as you can probably tell i’m not good with titles either) but yeah hope you enjoy :> and i might do a little part 2 on this soon

holly l/n was loved by multiple. a sweet hufflepuff student who was favored by all the teachers and students. her sister, y/n was a scary and intimidating gryffindor who hung out in the library.

ever since the battle of hogwarts death eaters have been imprisoned in azkaban. but, that didn’t mean all harm was gone.

now here y/n l/n was, standing in the heat of the summer, her nephew connor l/n mourning the death of a family member.

the service was beautiful. a few hogwarts students came including luna lovegood and neville longbottom and professor sprout and professor flitwick decided to pay their respects. headmistress mcgonagall sent her condolences through a letter as well.

conner wasn’t old enough to go to hogwarts yet. there was no one else for holly to leave connor with. her husband, ronan died during the war, all connor’s grandparents died and the only appointed godparents were holly’s best friend cedric diggory and her sister y/n.

cedric diggory was now teaching first year flying at hogwarts and is married to cho chang.

y/n was currently doing nothing with her life. she wanted to live alone in a cottage, reading, stitching, picking apples and getting drunk on fruity cocktails. but now? she had to take care of her sister’s spoiled son.

y/n hated children more than she hated the people in her own hogwarts house. more so, she didn’t know how to take care of them.

she had to enroll her nephew in hogwarts, teach him basic life skills and other stuff like that. there goes her life goal on being that cool stoner aunt that hates love and children.

—

“shit, connor!” y/n exclaimed as her 3 year old nephew accidentally ate a ton tongue toffee made by the joke shop in diagon alley owned by the weasleys.

“sorry aunty y/n”

she was never close to the weasleys. all of them, stereotypical gryffindors, loud and chaotic and always the main characters.

the only thing she knew about them is that one of the twins live next to her. y/n didn’t know how to shrink his tongue and thought it was quite the convenience that he lives next door. he was a single dad with two daughters, maybe he could help her control her nephew and technically her adopted son, now.

she sighed. “put on your coat, we’re visiting our neighbors, ok con?” the little boy nodded in response

—

went the small cottage came into view, there were two little girls picking flowers on the front yard and a tall red-headed man on the porch watching them.

“hey! weasley!” she yelled with a small smile as she approached the small gate.

“l/n? what are you doing here?” george asked

y/n gestured to her nephew who was holding his now 3 foot long tongue. “he accidentally ate one of your products and i’m not entirely sure how to fix it”

“right, right” he laughed “come on, connor right? i’ll reverse that”

y/n felt a tug at her oversized cardigan. she looked down to see two identical ginger twins.

“hi there!” one smiled.

“hello!” y/n tried to sound as nice as possible. looking back at her teenage years she remembered laughing at kids who fell of their brooms their brooms when she’d watch first year flying. she remembered laughing at seamus finnigan when something blew up in his face. or when she’d laugh at any kid accidentally getting hurt.

“these are for you! they’re pretty just like you” the other twin exclaimed.

“i’m charlotte and she’s billie” charlotte giggled.

“how do u know our daddy?” billie asked

“oh! um, we went to school together and i live just next door” y/n replied

“do you know our uncle freddie?”

“i know all your uncles and your aunt ginny, aunt hermione and uncle harry. they were all famous when we were in school”

“wow!” they both exclaimed

george and connor came back out. “look aunty y/n! my tongue’s normal again!”

“aunty?” george questioned. “holly. she died quite recently.”

“oh! i’m so sorry. i heard about her. yeah. i believe mum sent some flowers for the service”

“yeah we received them”

“i’ll see you around?” george inquired

“yeah, yeah. and i might need some parenting advice? you knew how i was back at hogwarts”

“i am flattered, dear l/n”

“oh hush. and they get along.” she pointed to the three children running around.

“they do. and yes, i would love to help you tame that little rascal” george laughed.

“thank you, george. really.”

“i’m just next door, yeah?”

“yeah” y/n smiled “come on, connor. we’re going home. but we’ll definitely be seeing these lovely ladies soon.”

“bye pretty lady!” y/n heard two young voices call after her

“daddy, who was she?”

“is she gonna be our new mommy?”

—

george and y/n had been hanging out for the past weeks. he had given her advice on taking care of connor and how to deal with children. they also spent time talking about family and their time back at hogwarts. she was told about the attack of death eaters at one of his brothers’ wedding and how his daughters were named after his brothers bill and charlie.

a knock at y/n’s door interrupted her reading.

“oi, l/n!” she heard a familiar voice on the other side of the door.

“weasley” she muttered.

connor recognized george’s voice and the twins’ giggles, he decided he would take matters into his own little hands. connor knew how stubborn his aunt was at the young age of seven.

“hi billie! hi charlotte! hi uncle george!” the little boy squealed.

“hey there, con!” george ruffled his hair while billie and charlotte ran over to y/n.

connor and the twins were two years apart. connor was going to hogwarts the next year. no doubt would he be trouble to professor mcgonagall but everyone knew they were always her favorites.

“aunty y/n! uncle george brought cookies!” connor yelled excitedly. y/n was never the type to bake or cook. she did try to but it always ended in almost burning the house down. she usually fed connor fruits or store bought food.

“you didn’t have to” y/n responded while taking the plastic box.

“oh yes i did” he teased “i heard you’ve been starving this poor little fellow”

“daddy didn’t bake those cookies” charlotte stated “grandma did” billie continued

“oh” she smirked at george then turned to the twins “tell your grandma i say thanks!”

“uncle george! i wanna show you something outside! the twins can come too!”

“connor, what are you gonna show them?” y/n grumbled.

“your paintings! they’re amazing” her nephew jumped.

“paintings, eh?” george smiled “okay, let’s go, champ. see those paintings of your aunt.” the two scurried outside, two redheaded girls following after.

y/n groaned and fell back into the couch, finishing her book.

—

it’s been a few days since george and the twins came with cooking to y/n and connor’s cottage. she wanted to throw connor a little surprise birthday party.

connor has loved the twins and george so much, he thinks of them as blood relatives. y/n decided to call up cedric and cho to look after connor while she’d do some errands.

the two arrived exactly on time as y/n was preparing to go out. she had on a simple cardigan and loose denim pants.

“ced! cho! hi, how are you guys?” y/n greeted as she saw her old friends apparate into the cottage.

“hi y/n!” cho greeted “hey nerd” cedric snickered.

she sent cedric a small glare before connor jumped at the two.

“uncle ceddy! aunty cho! you’re here” he shouted.

“yeah buddy! your aunt’s gonna run some errands and visit your uncle georgie?” cedric winked at y/n. she had been owling cedric about george and how he’s been helping her with connor.

“are you going out with uncle george?” connor asked, eyes twinkling.

“i don’t know, actually. i might check him out next door.”

“george weasley?” cho teased.

“yes, cho,” y/n rolled her eyes “but on that note, i have to go”

“bye, connor! behave okay?” she crouched down and squished his cheeks.

“bye, ced! cho!” her voice faded when she dashed out the door.

—

y/n passed george’s cottage to see if he actually might want to come with her and do errands.

she was standing outside the small gate, hesitating. ‘maybe he was busy’ ‘he wouldn’t want to do errands with me’ ‘maybe he would if i told him it was for connor’s birthday’ she thought. y/n didn’t know why she was overthinking her choices. the first time she was standing right outside the gate she bursted in and demanded george to fix whatever happened to her nephew. now, she was nervous. her palms were sweaty and clammy.

she pushed herself in and walked to the front porch. she knocked a few times and was met with a head of messy brown hair.

“hermione?!” she squealed

“y/n!” hermione jumped to hug her old friend.

there were overlapping voices in the background and when they pulled away she was met with multiple mops of ginger hair, a head of blonde hair and another with black hair behind hermione.

“l/n?” ginny weasley asked, quite shocked what she would be doing outside george’s door.

“oh! did i interrupt something? i am so sorry!” she said feeling a bit nervous.

“oh! you must be the dearest y/n george keeps talking about!” an old woman she thought was mrs. weasley approached her from behind her children.

“hi there!” y/n said feeling a little embarrassed she might’ve barged in on a family reunion.

“ah! l/n? i have heard of your family! muggle-borns right?” arthur weasley joined his wife.

“uh, yeah!” she pursed her lips “i am so so sorry i interrupted! i should go. tell george i’ll swing by next time”

“oh it’s absolutely alright, dear” molly reassured her.

“george! there’s a really pretty girl! get your arse out here!” fred yelled to george who was probably inside the house.

“is she here?” charlotte and billie ran to the door.

“hi girls! tell you dad i was here yeah? say i’ll come by next time” most of the weasleys came back in. she took it as her time to go on with her day.

“oi! y/n! wait up” the voice she recognized as george’s called after her.

“george, hey”

“where’r you off to?” george pointed to the small bag that was swung over her shoulder.

“errands. connor’s birthday is coming up so i thought i’d prepare something for him. first birthday without his mum, you know”

“his birthday’s coming up?” george looked as excited as a child on christmas morning.

“yeah. why?” she smiled

“you’re talking to one of the best party planners there is. you also did talk to another one of them… i think”

“fred?”

“oh yeah”

“i wanted to ask if you wanted to come but seeing as to your family is in your house… i’m gonna take a wild guess and say you aren’t available right now” she giggled.

“maybe if you went another day” he said sympathetically. george really wanted to go and prepare connor’s party with her. he treated him like his own and boy did he remind him of how fun it was to be a kid. he loved his aunt so much it was adorable.

“george. seriously, it’s okay. spend time with your family” she laughed.

“yeah, yeah. i’ll see you when you get back” he waved.

—

connor’s small birthday gathering was in full swing. y/n became acquainted with george’s siblings. bill, charlie, percy (whom she was actually friends with back in hogwarts), fred, ron and ginny. hermione was a very good friend of hers and so was harry. she recognized fleur from that day in the cottage as beauxbatons triwizard champion.

connor had quite a bunch of guests for his birthday. cedric, cho, luna, neville, fred, percy, ron, harry, hermione, bill and fleur and their little victorie. of course, billie and charlotte helped george and y/n fix up the party. mr. and mrs. weasley sent a small cake for connor when they heard about y/n not knowing asingle thing about cooking.

fred offered to take care of the twins and connor while george and y/n ran off somewhere. the two found themselves near a small creek. y/n explained how the cottage was where she’d go off exploring and the only person who knew was holly. she was overjoyed when her sister got the cottage she used as a hideaway.

george was surprised when there were lights and blankets and everything. the soft sounds of running water was calming.

the two were pretty intoxicated when they sat down; stumbled onto the picnic blanket. y/n was sober enough to not spill her deepest darkest secrets. george on the other hand…

“have i ever told you how pretty you are?” george mumbled next to her. y/n only snickered and blushed.

“um, can i hold your hand?” he continued, taking a look at the girl next to him.

“sure” she winked.

“you know” he started again “i actually fancied you a bit back in school”

“yeah?” she rolled over to her side “i wonder… what did you like about me?”

“i don’t even know. my heart just felt so full with you. still does, right now, holding your hand, under the stars by a stream.” he had this glint in his eye when he looks at her.

“hey,” she brushed some hair out of his face “these past few months have been great. and you’re a huge help with connor. you know i’ll always be there for you, right?”

“yeah darling,” he yawned “yeah”

“wait, george!” she sat up “no. don’t fall asleep!”

“fuck” she groaned before falling back down on the blanket.

“i think i love you” she whispered.

—

morning rolled around and they were still lying somewhere in the forest behind the cottage. some childish chatter and laughs were heard from where they were still sleeping soundly.

until, a red ant bit y/n and george’s intertwined hands. “ah shit!” y/n woke up from the bite. her yell also woke up the sleeping man next to her “what?! what happened?” he jumped.

“oh. did i wake you up?” she asked.

“no. it’s honestly no worries” he said “but i do have a killer headache”

“an ant bit me” she muttered, wanting to scratch it.

“hey, no don’t scratch! i’ve had a lot if experience with insect bites” he explained “want me to kiss it better?” he teased.

“oh, ha-ha” she rolled her eyes but blushed.

“we should probably head back” he checked his watch while standing up.

—

“ah! there the lovebirds are!” fred exclaimed.

everyone was cleaning up from last night. there were children running around while chasing balloons and each other.

“yeah,” george started “we, um, fell asleep”

“sure ya did” this time ron teased the two.

“i’m gonna clean up here,” y/n offered “you guys should go home. you know, get some rest”

cedric gasped “y/n l/n! are you kicking us out?” he said in mock offense.

“technically, yeah. i doubt connor got any sleep”

“maybe we should,” fleur said with her accent “victorie was very excited for the party she is very worn out”

george snuck behind y/n “i think i love you too” he muttered under his breath. he wasn’t sure if she heard it. she did.

“i’ll see you later, y/n!” he yelled “come on, princesses, we’re going home. we’ll see connor and y/n later”

connor and the twins hugged while y/n said thank you’s to all the guests.

maybe it wasn’t such a bad decision to ask for help.

[reidingandwriting]

"Deja Vu"

Word Count: ~2300 words

Ship: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader (ex/platonic?), Peter Parker x Michelle Jones

Warnings: A curse word or two, slightly OOC moments but it is fan-fiction so :)

A/N: I'm in love with this song and had to write this. Popped this baby out in 3 hours, and I'm pretty happy with it. Side note: I created my own timeline for this lmao. Morgan exists, but they don't live in the cabin. Reader is mentioned to be fem once or twice, but reads neutral besides that! Reader is Tony's kid but it could be read as adopted/his bio kid.

“One strawberry ice cream, just for you.” Peter said as he set the cup down in front of MJ, a single spoon dipped in the light pink dessert. MJ immediately started to eat as Peter took a seat beside her, and you and Ned were seated across from the couple at a local ice cream shop you had discovered. The one where you had taken him, where you had convinced him to try the strawberry ice cream instead of the vanilla he always got. You scooped a spoonful of your rocky road ice cream a little too aggressively, unable to eat your favorite ice cream flavor anymore.

“Thanks, Parker, it’s really good.” MJ said and Peter nudged her shoulder.

“Mind if I steal a bite?’

“Of course I mind.” MJ deadpanned and Peter blanched before MJ smirked at him. “Go ahead, loser. Just one.” MJ gave him a look and Peter saluted.

“Scout’s honor.” Peter took MJ’s spoon before he took a bite, and you barely held back the scowl as you looked over at Ned. He gave you a sympathetic smile and tapped his foot against yours under the safety of the booth. You brushed your shoulder against Ned’s while Peter and MJ were too entranced by each other to notice.

“If you get any ice cream on my jacket, I’m burning yours.” MJ’s words were menacing, but you all knew she was (mostly) kidding. Peter scoffed and held his hand against his chest in mock offense, the sleeves of MJ’s jean jacket comedically too short on Peter’s arms. MJ was dressed in Peter’s Midtown hoodie, the same one you had worn just a few months ago.

You thought it would have been funny to switch jackets, knowing your jacket would look funny on him, while you wore Peter’s oversized hoodie. And now here was MJ, wearing the same sweatshirt, while Peter wore her jacket. Have any original ideas, Parker?

“Earth to Y/N.” MJ waved her hand in your face, and you snapped back to the present. “You okay? You zoned out there for a minute.”

“Yeah, sorry. Morgan decided she wanted a sleepover last night, so we just had to build a pillow fort in my room, and that felt fantastic on my back. Almost as great as her practically laying on top of me all night.” You chuckled. “And you know I couldn’t move her, she’s got me wrapped around her finger.”

“And she knows it.” Peter said and you smiled over at him.

“Speaking of Morgan. She’s been asking me all week about if you want to come over sometime this weekend. She’s in a big Lion King phase, and she wants ‘her Petey’ to come have a pajama party with her and have a sing-along. She’s Nala, of course.” Ned snorted and Peter’s face fell.

“I can’t this weekend. MJ and I are having a Glee watch party this weekend, can you believe she’s never seen Glee?” Peter asked and you felt a pang of jealousy in your stomach.

“Oh, really?” You asked. Much like you hadn’t seen it either, until six months ago. “It’s pretty iconic, but also the worst show ever. Singing along is pretty fun, just being annoying. Really fun.” You thought back to when you and Peter were in your room, doing the same thing.

“Don’t stop believing!” Peter stood on your bed, using the remote as a microphone to serenade you. Peter looked at you expectantly, and you rolled your eyes before singing the next line, just as enthusiastically as he did.

“Hold on to the feeling!” Peter cheered and you couldn’t help but laugh at him. “You’re so annoying, Parker.”

“As annoying as this show?”

“Almost.”

“Then I’m not quite done yet.”

“Raincheck next weekend, maybe?” Peter asked and you shrugged.

“I’ll have to check with Madame Secretary. She’ll likely be over The Lion King by next weekend, it’ll be ‘baby stuff.’” Your phone buzzed and you excused yourself before checking the text.

Iron Dad: Hey, kid. Are you busy?

You: A little. Why?

Iron Dad: Pep and I have an emergency meeting for work, and Happy’s sick so he can’t watch Maguna

You: I’m on my way. Give me five to say goodbye

Iron Dad: Thanks, Y/N/N. We owe you one

You: You owe me several. Love you

Iron Dad: Love you tons

“I’m sorry, guys, duty calls.” You smiled, albeit a little sadly, at your friends. “I’ll see you Monday at school?”

“We better. We have a project in chemistry due on Monday.” Ned said and you flipped him off.

“Science is my best class, you know I’ve had the project done and Dr. Banner approved since the project was announced in class.” You winked at Ned before waving at MJ and Peter. “See you later, lovebirds.” You internally cringed when ‘lovebirds’ came out more bitter than you intended. With goodbyes exchanged, you left the ice cream parlor, and you bit back the tears you felt beginning to build up. Did he feel it, too? Did he remember that you did that, too? Was he ever going to tell her all the ‘unique’ things Peter’s done were reused, that you had found them first? You wiped at your eyes before you hailed a taxi, and you shoved all your feelings down to be at your best for your little sister.

--

“Y/N, Y/N, Y/N!” Morgan barreled down the hall when you stepped out of the elevator, and you barely bent down to catch her in time as she collided with you.

“Morgan, Morgan, Morgan!” You scooped your sister up into your arms and peppered her face with kisses until she was laughing, and your mood immediately lifted at the sound. “Where’s Mom and Dad?”

“Mom’s at work, Dad’s in his room. He’s leaving us.” Morgan pouted and you copied her expression.

“Oh, no. You’re stuck with me tonight. Too bad I’m not tall enough to reach the juice pops in the freezer.” You gasped. “Oh, wait. I am!” Morgan thrusted her fist into the air with a cheer, and you set her down. “I need to go talk to Dad real quick, then we can do almost whatever you want.” You emphasized the almost, knowing she’d ask for something you definitely shouldn’t do, then argue that you said ‘anything.’ You definitely saw a career in law for her when she got older.

“Kay-kay. I’ll go get coloring books, then we get juice pops?”

“Deal.” You offered your pinky out, and she linked pinkies with yours before she ran off to her room. You shook your head fondly before you walked off to your dad’s room, and you knocked on his door before coming in. “Dad?”

“Hey, kiddo. Come on in, I’m just packing a few things for Pep.” You walked over to the bag your dad had packed, and you began to inspect everything. “Have I been approved?”

“I think I need a hug before giving approval.” You opened your arms and your dad happily pulled you into his chest, and he held you close, as if he could sense your feelings.

“Are you okay? Do I need to stay?” Tony rubbed your back and rocked you gently, and you buried your face deeper into his chest, your eyes watering and you gripped his shirt tighter, a habit you developed when Tony first took you in- you always grabbed onto him like he was your security blanket, and Tony quickly learned there was no use in getting you to let go until you were ready.

“No, I’m okay.” Your voice was muffled but you made no effort to move yet. “Mom needs you.” You paused. “You’ll be back soon, right?”

“Luckily we’re just headed to the New York headquarters. I hope we’re home by midnight, but I’ll tell you when we find out for sure.” You nodded and let go of your dad, and he brought his hand up to cup your cheek, and he wiped your tears away with his thumb and the action almost made you cry again. “Ben and Jerry’s and sad movies when I get back, or should I get a few punching bags set up in the gym?”

“Ben and Jerry’s.” Tony nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of your head, and you patted his arm, telling him he could continue packing. “ Don’t forget Mom’s favorite lipstick. She always keeps one on her, but you can never be too safe.”

“Lifesaver.” Tony said before he went back to packing.

“I should go check on Morgan, let you finish getting packed.” You said and Tony smiled at you, a softness in his eyes reserved solely for you, Morgan, and Pepper.

“Have I ever told you that you’re the best big sister?”

“I do my best.” You smile back before leaving. Fingers crossed she hadn’t made a mess already.

--

You laid in bed, scrolling through your camera roll with tears streaming down your cheeks. You pressed play on a video and let out a choked sob as you watched. You and Peter were seated at the piano in the living room, and your fingers moved gracefully across the keys, playing one of your favorite songs that Peter had begged you to play for him. The familiar sounds of Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl’ filled your ears, and you sang along as you played. You turned to Peter, nodded at him, and he began to play the same song after you. You hugged him at the end of the song, grinning since he had finally learned it, and you began to play it again, Peter joining you in singing along. Not even that was reserved for you and him anymore, as you had learned recently.

“I didn’t know you played.” You said as MJ took a seat at the piano, Peter seated beside her.

“Oh, I just learned. Peter taught me the one song he knows how to play.” Your heart sank and now Ned was curious.

“What song?” Don’t say it, don’t say it.

“Uptown Girl.” MJ began to play, and you felt your lip begin to tremble. Your song. The one you had taught him. You looked away as Peter quickly pressed a kiss to her cheek after the first chorus, and he whispered something into her ear. You turned to Ned and dove deep into a conversation, refusing to cry in front of them.

You jumped when you heard a knock on your window, and you grabbed the baseball bat you kept by your bed. You would have called for Bucky or Sam, but the pair were off on their own mission. You got out of bed, wiping away your tears, and you walked to the window, bat at the ready. “FRIDAY, who’s getting knocked to next year with my bat?”

“It appears Peter Parker is the one outside your window.” Peter? Of course it was.

“Lights on dim, FRI.” You set the bat down and opened the window, and Peter popped into view. “Peter? What the hell? You almost gave me a heart attack, dude.”

“I’m sorry, I know, sorry. I didn’t plan on coming out here, but I needed to talk to you.” You gestured for Peter to come in, and you suddenly realized how you had to look to him. You were in a shirt you had stolen from Thor- what? His shirt got mixed up with yours, finders keepers. You were in an old pair of sweatpants that were covered in various stains- paint from Morgan, some grease from Tony’s lab, and a bleach mark from where you and Peter were goofing around in the lab and you spilled some mystery chemical on your pants. And let’s not even talk about your puffy eyes and the tear marks on your cheeks from a night of crying.

“About what?” You sat on your bed, eyes not meeting Peter’s.

“About earlier at the ice cream parlor. You seemed really… spaced out. Not yourself. And I caught you scowling once.”

“I didn’t scowl.” You tried to defend yourself but you sighed, knowing he was right.

“And ever since MJ and I started dating, you’ve just seemed different. You’re not, like, jealous, are you?” And you couldn’t help but laugh. Truly laugh, which caused Peter’s brows to furrow. “What’s so funny?”

“You think I’m jealous! Why should I be jealous?” Peter frowned at how you weren’t taking him seriously, and he was confused.

“You know, we had… a thing. Not that we dated, but I mean, we were really close you know.”

“Oh, I know.” Like a switch, your emotions flipped from sad to frustrated in seconds. “And I’m seeing all these ‘things’ we had all over again.” It was Peter’s turn to start getting irritated, and he crossed his arms.

“Oh, really? Like what?”

“Strawberry ice cream at the parlor, you can’t act like we didn’t do that. Trading jackets, we did that shit too. Teaching her piano when I taught you, how do you not get deja vu?” Peter opened his mouth to talk and you held your hand up. “You’ve got a different girl, but there’s nothing new. I discovered those places you take her, I showed you Glee, I taught you the jokes that you tell to her. When are you gonna tell her? She thinks it’s special, but it’s all reused. I know I get deja vu, don’t you?” You had started to cry again, and Peter started to defend himself until FRIDAY spoke.

“Y/N, your father and mother have returned home. You may want to continue this conversation later.” You looked at Peter who wordlessly nodded. He walked to the window, and he paused before he spoke.

“We’ll talk Monday after patrol. Bye, Y/N/N.” You whispered goodbye before he left and you shut the window before you dropped to your knees, letting out broken sobs.

“I get deja vu when she’s with you…”

[study-coffee-chicago]

Safe (Home Worker Jay, Social Worker Hailey; Part of AU-gust) {Please Re-Read; Made Changes}

A/N: After some confusion, I changed the home to resemble more of Brady (Chicago PD 4x13). So if you guys wouldn't mind rereading and liking/reblogging again, that'd be great!  Thank you for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment! I'm also donating all the proceeds that from my buy me a coffee account to Save The Children to help the children of Afghanistan. Link to buy me a coffee. 

Masterlist

Jay walked down the long, dimly lit hallway and peeked into each girls' room. Because of the dim light in the hallway, there was no need to utilize the flashlight he carried with him and shin it on the floor of each room to make sure that each girl was there. He continued peeked in rooms to make sure that each girl appeared asleep. But then, he got to your room.

You were sitting on your bed, visibly shaking and covering your mouth with your hand so that your sobs wouldn't wake up the girls in the rooms next to you.

Jay quickly went to the last room and checked to make sure that all the other girls appeared asleep and then scribbled down on the piece of paper attached to his clipboard that all the girls appeared asleep...except for you.

He knocked softly on your door and you jumped. He gave a small wave and pointed inside your room, silently asking if he could come in. You didn't have much control in the girls' home you were in, so the staff was always trying to give you as much control as possible...even though you needed staff to wait outside the bathroom for you since there was a time limit, and needed them to unlock doors which were closed, since they automatically locked, hence all of your bedroom doors being propped open because staff needed to do bed checks and make sure you and the other girls were okay and where you were supposed to be.

You nodded, allowing Jay to enter your room.

"Can I turn this on?" he asked, pointing to the small lamp on your desk.

"Sure," you answered as you wiped the tears on your cheeks and drew your knees up to your chest, and then hugged them to your body.

Jay crouched in front of you. "What's wrong?" he asked. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. We can just go out into the common area so you can calm down a bit and go back to sleep. Or the kitchen if you need a snack or water," he offered.

"Can I- Can I get some water?" you asked.

"Of course," Jay answered. "Do you want to come with me?"

You nodded and picked up your water bottle. You also grabbed your blanket. Jay was going to tell you to leave it on your bed, but seeing how distraught you were, he decided against it.

"You want ice?" he asked as the two of you walked to the kitchen. He unlocked the door and you followed him in.

"Yes, please," you told him and then handed him your water bottle.

"Okay, I can do that."

You stood in the kitchen area while Jay unlocked another door to get to the freezer. He propped the door open with the doorstop and then opened the freezer and put ice in your water bottle. Then he closed the freezer, kicked the doorstop away, and then walked out and closed the door behind him. Then, he grabbed you some water, screwed on the lid, handed it back to you, and the two of you left the kitchen.

"Can I stay out here for a while?" you asked quietly after you had taken a few sips of the cold water.

"You can. Just give me a minute to text Kim, okay?" he answered.

"Okay." You pulled out a chair at the table and sat down, tears still coming down your face, but a lot slower than earlier.

Seeing as there was only three staff at the home tonight and Jay had to do bed checks for his hallway, he had to text Kim to let him know that one, he was in the dining area with you because you were upset about something, and two ask her if she could do his section of bed checks until he got you to calm down and got you back in bed.

She answered quickly and said that she could do that and thanks for letting her know.

Jay put his phone away and turned his full attention to you.

"What's got you so upset?" he asked gently after he sat down next to you.

"I have a home visit tomorrow with Hailey. My first overnight one," you answered.

"Hey, that's a good thing! You're getting adopted soon!"

"But they always fall through!" you cried. "And what if I have a nightmare when I'm there?"

"Hey, hey," Jay soothed. "We'll pack your meds and you should be fine."

"But what if she doesn't want me after this home visit?"

"Y/N, I need you to listen to me." You looked at him. "Hailey's nervous too, but it's okay to be nervous because that means you're about to do something really, really brave."

"Really? She's nervous? But it's her house?"

"Mhm, it's not just you who's nervous. The adoptive parents are nervous, too because they want everything to go well just as much as you do."

You looked up at him nervously while pushing the straw of your water bottle back and forth. "Will you be there?" you asked.

He cocked his head to the side. "Will I be where?"

"At Hailey's," you stated simply.

"Why would I be there?"

"Jay, everyone knows you two are dating."

That was one thing about being a man who worked in a unit with a bunch of female coworkers and girls he had to take care of: the gossip was astronomical...even though the staff did try their best to keep it to a minimum.

"I mean, I won't dispute that fact," he began, "but I wasn't planning on being over at Hailey's tomorrow night."

"Please?" you asked. He had a confused look on his face. "Please will you stay at Hailey's tomorrow, too? You- you both make me feel safe and if something happens to either of you..."

"You want there to be another person you trust around?" he finished.

"Yes, please."

"Okay," Jay relented. "I'll talk to Hailey."

"Okay."

"Are you ready to go back to bed?" he asked.

You nodded and you went back to bed, hopeful that Jay would be at Hailey's tomorrow because then there would be two of the people you trusted most in the world. Jay was one of your favorite staff members...mostly because he rarely disciplined you and the other girls and was always approachable when you wanted to talk about anything that was going on in your head.

***

"I need to do a bag check," Kim said. You handed her your bag to check so that she could jot down what you brought with you to make sure you brought all your clothing, toiletries, and comfort items back from your overnight home visit with Hailey (and Jay).

Once she checked your bag, she handed it back to you and then turned to Hailey. "She's good to go once I get you her meds. Some need to be taken in the morning and some in the evening. Don't worry, I wrote evening and morning on the med envelopes so that you don't get them mixed up."

Hailey nodded and then Kim went to get your meds.

"You nervous?" Hailey asked you.

You looked down at your feet. "Did Jay tell you I was?"

"He didn't," Hailey said. "But, you wanna know a secret?" You nodded. "I'm a little nervous, too."

"Jay told me you were," you said.

"He's good at making people feel better, isn't he?"

"He is."

"He also mentioned that you wanted him there tonight? Do you want him to come out to dinner with us, too?" she asked.

"If that's okay with you."

"Totally fine!"

Kim came back and handed Hailey your envelopes of meds and then the two of you were off.

***

Dinner had come and gone. You went to Olive Garden where Jay met you and Hailey there. You had decided to get fettuccine alfredo and Jay and Hailey both said that you could eat as much salad and breadsticks as you wanted. They even let you get dessert!

You went back to Hailey's house and were shocked to see how nice your room was, and it was a lot bigger than the one at the home you lived at and the one Jay worked at. It was simple, but you loved it. It had a full-sized bed with a fluffy white comforter, a desk, a bookshelf  (which Hailey said that you guys could go to a bookstore tomorrow so that the bookshelf didn't look do empty), a dresser, and a closet. Hailey also said when you officially moved in in two weeks, you could go shopping for more decorations so that your room wasn't so undecorated...even though you were totally floored by it the way it was now.

Hailey made sure to give you your meds promptly at 8 pm. Then, you watched a movie, the three of you had decided to watch Tangled because Jay knew it was a good bet since it was PG and not PG-13 and if you had to choose your favorite Disney princess movie, that'd probably be it. And because some things in PG-13 movies could be triggering...for obvious reasons.

When the movie was almost done, your stomach started to hurt, but you just chalked it up to nerves because you knew you'd be sleeping soon...and that was always the worst part.

Luckily for you, Hailey had a boombox that she let you use for music. You didn't have a phone or mp3 player and at the home, everyone was given their own small radio when they came. As a peace offering of sorts from the staff to the girls. But, you forgot it for your home visit with Hailey.

"Goodnight," you said after you filled up your water bottle.

"Goodnight," both Hailey and Jay said. They said that you could wake them up any time if you needed absolutely anything. But, you hoped you wouldn't need to.

You fell into a fitful sleep, tossing and turning in both anxiousness and from the pain in your stomach. God, maybe that pasta, all those breadsticks, and dessert hadn't been as great of an idea as you had previously thought.

***

Okay, so all that food most definitely was not a great idea. Soft groans were coming out of your mouth as you tried to get comfortable and move your body around so that you didn't feel the pain in your stomach anymore.

You needed to go to the bathroom and you needed it now, so you needed to hurry so that Jay could wait outside the bathroom for you since you needed to let him know where you were going and would only get a certain amount of time in the bathroom.

You grabbed your water and slowly walked so that you didn't irritate your stomach even more. There was a lamp on in the living room, which showed you that Jay was asleep on the couch.

You padded over to the couch. "Jay,"  you whispered.

"Hmm?" Jay asked and rubbed his eyes.

"Can you come with me to the bathroom, please?"

He sat up. "Oh, Y/N, you're at home you don't have to ask."

"Oh, sorry," you quickly apologized. "Sorry for waking you up." You were so used to having someone have to accompany you to the bathroom or unlock certain doors for you, that it was going to take you a while to break that habit...especially when you were tired and not feeling so hot while also being in a new place.

"It's no big deal. I slept out here in case you needed anything anyways. It's what I'm here for."

Your stomach made a noise and then you felt bile rise in your throat. You stiffened.

Jay heard your stomach and noticed your drastic change in posture. "Y/N, what's--"

You covered your mouth and took off running toward the bathroom that was across from your bedroom.

"Shit," Jay muttered and followed you, but a lot slower.

Once you got to the bathroom, you threw the lid of the toilet open and threw yourself to your knees, just in time to empty your stomach.

Jay crouched down next to you. "I'm gonna hold your hair back, okay?"

"Uh huh," you croaked. You knew that if you didn't say yes, Jay wouldn't have held your hair back. In his job, he was trained to go along with the girls' boundaries and to not touch them unless he verbally asked them and got verbal confirmation from you girls that that said physical contact was okay.

Jay gently held your hair back while you continued to retch and spill the contents of your stomach.

"There you go," he soothed. "I'm right here. You're not alone."

When you thought you were done, you reached up and flushed the toilet. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I'm gonna go wake up Hailey just to tell her what's going on. Feel free to get some water or brush your teeth."

You nodded and he left the bathroom. When you picked up your toothbrush, you realized what had just happened: someone had just comforted you when you were sick. That never happened before.

A tear rolled down your cheek just as Jay came back into the bathroom with Hailey.

"Oh, Y/N," she started as she walked up to you. "How bad does it hurt?"

"No, it doesn't hurt now," you said. "I just, I never had anyone comfort me or hold my hair back when I was sick before."

"Oh, honey," Hailey said as her heart broke. Then, she caught herself. "Is that one fine?" she asked, referring to pet names. She didn't want to trigger you.

"Th-That ones fine," you answered.

"Can I give you a hug?"

"Yeah," you whispered and opened your arms so that you could hug her.

"You're feeling a lot better?" Jay asked and you looked up from hugging Hailey and nodded. "So, no doctor?"

You abruptly pulled away from Hailey and backed away from both the adults. "No, no doctor. Please no doctor. Please," you pleaded.

Jay furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but Hailey's eyes widened as she realized what he had just said.

"Honey, no, we are not taking you to the doctor, okay?" Hailey began. "We know you're feeling better, but we're just going to give you some Tums in case your stomach starts to hurt again."

"So no doctor?" you asked.

"No doctor," she confirmed.

"Thank you. I think I'm gonna brush my teeth now. My mouth tastes gross."

"Okay. Come out whenever you're ready."

Hailey reached for Jay's hand and led him out of the bathroom. He still had a look of confusion on his face while she grabbed two Tums and set them next to a cup of water for you.

"What does she mean no doctor?" Jay asked in a hushed voice.

"You know she was trafficked by her own parents, right?" Jay nodded, he had to read all the girls files when they got new girls in, but some information was left out because it could still be in the court process, or because it had something to do with family where a parent still had legal custody of the girl or for other reasons. Hailey's voice got even quieter. "A doctor was one who would you know...pay for services, um, regularly."

"So now she doesn't think she can trust any doctor," Jay finished.

"Yeah. She told me a few weeks ago. I think I'm the only one who knows that her doctor had been one of the people assaulting her."

"Now it makes sense that she had to be restrained when we told her she had to go to the doctor's for a check-up three months ago. We all just thought that she didn't want to go, but she was just really scared."

"She was a danger to herself and others," Hailey said. "You did the right thing by using restraints, even if you didn't know the reason she was acting out."

"Still, I wish I would've known. That way maybe we could've eased into talking about it more instead of just telling her she'd be going. And, she actually might've gone to the check-up if we did it that way."

"There was no way you could've known."

"I know, still makes me feel bad." He took a deep, shaky breath. "God, we take it for granted so much that we'll have at least one parent there for us, to hold our hair back and comfort us when we're sick. But, Y/N didn't have anyone, Hailey."

A few tears ran down Jay's face.

"I know," Hailey said and pulled him into a hug. "I know. But, this is what we do. In our jobs, we help these girls. We do this because we want to make the world a better and safer place for these girls, to help break the cycle. Lord knows we don't do it for the money. And, soon we'll be helping her even more. Together. Here. At home."

"You're excited for when the adoption goes through, aren't you, Hails?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, I never wanted kids because, well you know my  past history with my parents, but working with kids in social work and seeing how many of them go through multiple foster homes and other types of homes and then just age out..."

"I know, I know," Jay sympathized. "We talked about this. And you felt drawn to Y/N. I'll be there through it all with you."

"Thank you. I love you, Jay."

"I love you, too, Hails."

You sighed and then made your way into the kitchen. You didn't want to be in trouble.

"Are these the medicine?" you asked, pointing to the table where the Tums and the cup of water were.

"Yes," Hailey answered. "They're dissolvable, but I didn't know how you would like the taste, so I put the water there just in case."

Jay looked at you closely. "Hey, are you okay? Is your stomach hurting again?"

You shook your head and sat down and then took the two tablets and drank a few sips of water after.

"Just ti- tired," your voice cracked halfway through the word, immediately alerting both Jay and Hailey that something was wrong.

Jay crouched down in front of you and Hailey sat down across from you as you let out a wail.

"You're mad, you're mad, you're mad!" you bawled.

"Neither of us is mad," Hailey told you softly.

"Jay's mad! I woke him up!"

"I'm not mad, Y/N, not one bit. You're allowed to wake me and Hailey up whenever you need us or even if you just want some comfort, okay?" Jay asked as his heart broke.

"Who told you that they were mad when you woke them up?" Hailey asked gently. With her job, she knew she needed to ask some tough questions in general, but, specifically with you, she also needed to get more of your history than she already had so that she knew what your triggers were and how to help you with coping skills and other things that were beneficial to your mental health when you moved in with her.

"My parents and my first foster parents," you whispered.

"Okay," Hailey started, "I'm sorry that happened to you. We're sorry that happened to you. And we can promise you that neither of us will hit you or raise our voices at you."

At the mention of you having been hit in your past, Jay looked up at Hailey and she gave him a subtle nod, silently telling you that that had been a part of your past. He knew your parents were unfit because both their parental rights had been terminated, but he didn't know details...and now he was receiving those heartbreaking details from his girlfriend, who you seemed to open up to more than anyone else. Well, more than anyone besides the in-house therapist.

"You promise?" you asked, finally looking up from where you had your eyes trained on the table.

"I promise," said Hailey.

"You have my word," Jay echoed. He paused a few moments to let those promises sink in. "Now, if Hailey's okay with it, I say we watch another movie until you get tired. What do you say, Hails?"

"I think we can make an exception," she agreed.

"Okay, what movie?" Jay asked.

"Can we watch the Jumanji remake?" you asked. "The one with the Rock. I know it's PG-13, but it doesn't seem that bad."

Jay nodded. "Well, if anything triggers you, you just need to tell either me or Hailey so we can help you process it right away, okay?" You nodded. He looked at Hailey. "You good with Jumanji?" he asked with a humorous glint in his eye because he already knew the answer: his girl loved any movie that The Rock was in.

"Jay, you know I love The Rock. You wanna get it set up while I grab Y/N's pillow from her room?"

Jay said okay and the two of you made your way to the living room. Jay moved his pillow over so that he and Hailey could sit on the couch, while you sat on the smaller couch across from them.

Hailey came back with your pillow and a few blankets and you got all set up.

Not even halfway through the movie, you were asleep once again. But this time, your stomach ache was gone and you felt safer and more comfortable than when you had first walked into Hailey's house earlier that day.

***

"Quiet, Hails, she's still out," Jay whispered to his girlfriend as they walked out of their bedroom the next morning.

You were knocked out on the couch after getting sick and anxious last night. And Jay had decided just to go sleep with Hailey last night after everything that had happened because they were both emotionally drained and needed the other's comfort to go to sleep after Hailey had told Jay a part of your story that he hadn't known.

"What does she normally eat for breakfast?" Hailey whispered.

Jay worked a mix of first, second, and third shifts at the home, so he knew what you'd normally eat for breakfast and that after school you needed some time to recharge in your room after being with other kids all day.

"Normally bagels and cream cheese. Sometimes a banana too," Jay whispered back.

"Perfect. I don't have to cook a ton. Want me to start on coffee and then we can just drink it at the table and wait until she wakes up?"

"Sounds good to me. Don't forget her morning meds."

"I know, Jay."

"Just checking."

***

You woke up to see Jay and Hailey sitting at the table drinking something out of mugs, which you assumed was coffee.

You stretched and then got up off the couch. You remembered watching another movie last night, but don't remember finishing it, so you must've fallen asleep there and Jay and Hailey just decided to let you sleep instead of waking you up.

"Good morning," you said as you got up off the couch. "What time is it?"

Jay craned his neck to look at the clock on the oven. "8:45," he answered. "Time for your morning meds, too."

He started to stand up, but Hailey stopped him. "I got it. I need to make sure I have this down, so do you just want to cut up a bagel and pop it in the toaster? There should be chocolate chip ones in the fridge," Hailey told Jay.

"You have chocolate chip bagels?" You asked as a smile broke out on your face. "We don't have chocolate chip ones at the house."

"And, I have regular cream cheese and strawberry cream cheese, so take your pick." She paused. "Your stomach's feeling better though, right? I don't know if I want you eating this stuff if you're just gonna get sick again."

"It's not hurting anymore. I think I just ate too much," you answered. "But if you want me to eat something else—"

"Oh no," Hailey quickly cut you off. "You can eat whatever you want."

Hailey walked over to get the meds ready and Jay cut a chocolate chip bagel in half and popped it in the toaster.

"Hails, you want one?" Jay asked.

"That'd be great. Thanks, ba- Jay." She almost called him babe but didn't know if that would trigger you, so she immediately cut herself off.

"Are you gonna have one, too, Jay?" you asked.

"No, I think I'm gonna make myself some eggs," he answered you while he cut a chocolate chip bagel in half for Hailey.

"He's such a health nut," Hailey laughed as she rolled her eyes. Then, she made her way to the table and handed you a cup with your meds in it and a cup of water. You quickly took the meds and washed all of them down with the water.

"We know," you laughed as you handed the med cup back to Hailey. "He always brings his own meals to the house. And they're always salads or something else really healthy." You wrinkled your nose.

"I know, he's weird," Hailey agreed.

Then, Jay told you that your bagel was done, so you walked over to the counter and used a plastic knife to spread some strawberry cream cheese on it.

Jay's phone buzzed and he groaned. "My brother wants to meet up for lunch today."

"Well, if Y/N's comfortable with it, maybe he'd like to meet us at the bookstore and then we can all go to lunch or just meet us for lunch?" Hailey suggested.

"You're letting me decide?" You had never had this much control over anything in your life.

"Of course," Hailey began, "we want you to be comfortable with whatever you're doing."

You turned to Jay, whose attention was still on you and Hailey while he scrambled his eggs in a pan over the stove. "Is he nice?"

"Oh yeah," Jay said. "He's super nice. His name's Will and I'll even tell him to be on his very best behavior."

"Okay. Can we just have him meet us for lunch?"

"Of course," Jay agreed. "I'll shoot him a text."

***

"What kind of books do you like?" Hailey asked.

You looked up at Jay. "You didn't tell her that?"

"Nope. Some stuff I can keep a secret," he answered with a wink.

Hailey smacked him on the chest. "Jay Halstead. You are the absolute worst."

"But you love me. And you know it." Jay gave her a kiss on the cheek and you burst out laughing. "What?"

"You two. You're just so cute."

"Hear that, Hails? Y/N thinks we're a cute couple."

"Oh, quit your bragging," Hailey said and rolled her eyes. "Anyway, what's your favorite genre?"

"Uh, I really like historical fiction," you answered.

"Alright," Jay started, "towards the historical fiction we go."

"Oh, and if we go to that section, we pass their little cafe," Hailey told you. "You up for a hot chocolate or pastry?" she asked.

"You don't have to get me anything," you said quietly. "You're already getting me books."

"You know what Hails?" Jay said. "I could go for another cup of coffee and then we could drink it while we're walking around."

"That sounds like a great idea. Two coffees and then whatever drink Y/N wants."

"Okay," you relented. "But you guys don't have to keep spending money on me. I don't need much."

"Y/N, look at me," Hailey began and you looked at her, "when I decided I wanted to adopt a kid, I knew I was going to spoil them. And, it just so happened to be you. I know you're scared because everyone's left you, but me and Jay, we're in it for the long haul. You can trust us. Let us spoil you, okay?"

Tears made their way to your eyes. "Okay. Can I- Can I hug you?"

Hailey nodded. "Of course."

And as you hugged Hailey, Jay smiled because that was the first time you had asked for a hug. Before, most people had to ask you, but this time you were asking them and Jay considered that huge progress from when he first met you months and months ago.

***

You sat down next to Hailey at the little diner you decided on for lunch. Jay texted Will and told them they had gotten a table, and he said he'd be there in a few minutes.

You ordered your drinks and then a tall man with red hair and a navy blue jacket with a hospital logo on it walked towards your table. Your breath hitched.

"Hey, it's okay. That's just Will," Hailey explained.

"But- But his jacket says medical on it," you said and clenched your fists and dug your nails into the palms of your hands.

Will sat down.

"Y/N, this is Will, he's my older brother. And, he's also a doctor. But, he's a good one, I promise!" Jay told you quickly.

You swallowed as tears pricked your eyes.

"Y/N," Hailey began gently, "me and Jay wouldn't let you meet him if we didn't think he was 110% safe to be around. I promise you that Will's a good guy."

You looked up at Will to see that he had a goofy smile on his face. "Hey, kiddo."

"H-Hi," you replied quietly.

"So, Jay told me you like historical fiction and that you got hot chocolate. Did you like the hot chocolate? And what's your favorite time period to read about?"

You started talking to Will and you thought that this doctor wasn't so bad...but there was still no way in hell you'd be going to see a doctor for any kind of medical treatment any time soon.

***

Two weeks later

You grabbed all your bags and made your way out to Hailey's car. Then, you turned around and looked at the place you had called home for the past few months. Even though sometimes it didn't feel like home, you knew you were safe there, and with your past, that was what made this place a home in and of itself. You just hoped that Hailey's (and Jay's) place would be as safe as the first night you were there.

Jay was over for dinner and even though he wasn't on the official adoption papers, he went through the same extensive background checks and trainings as Hailey just because she said that he'd be over a lot.

That night, you were asleep. But, somewhere in your sleep-addled brain, you were dreaming. And it wasn't a good dream. It was a dream about your terrible parents and that terrible doctor.

"I don't give a damn!" Jay yelled. He had gone outside to take a phone call from his dad because he didn't want to wake you. But, seeing as you were a light sleeper, those words entered your nightmare.

You whimpered and tried to dodge the slap that came your way in your dream.

Jay quickly hung up the phone when he heard a thud come from inside the house and ran back inside.

You were laying on the floor and had landed with your arm in an awkward position.

You heard the thundering of footsteps coming towards your room.

Shit, you were going to be in trouble for waking Hailey and Jay up.

You scrambled back into bed and took a sip of your water to calm yourself down. But damn, your arm felt like someone had twisted it and stepped on it...much like it had felt three years ago when your dad yanked you back by the arm and twisted it behind you when you tried to run away from that doctor.

Jay slowly opened the door to see you sitting up in bed drinking some water. "Hey," he greeted. "You okay? I thought I heard a thud."

"Uh, I just dropped my water bottle," you told him, trying to hold back tears at how much your arm hurt. "Sorry if I woke you and Hailey up."

"Oh no, I was talking with my dad on the phone," he told you quickly. "You didn't wake us up. Goodnight."

"'Night, Jay."

The minute he walked out of your room, you turned on your side to face the wall and cried until you finally cried yourself to sleep because of the pain.

***

The next day, you tried your best to eat normally and not make a face at how much your arm hurt. But, best believe that when you went to the bathroom or went to change your clothes alone in your room, you cried silently to yourself.

"Hey, it's pretty nice out," Hailey stated when you walked out of your room dressed in jeans and a t-shirt after you had eaten breakfast, washed your face, and brushed your teeth. "Jay suggested a picnic and some baseball at the park nearby. Do you want to do that?"

"That sounds really nice," you said. But, you weren't looking forward to the baseball because you knew that it'd made your arm hurt. But, you didn't want to go to the doctor's either, and the lesser of two evils would be playing baseball with your arm hurting at a level ten.

"Okay, then it's settled. Ham or turkey on your sandwich for the picnic?" Jay asked.

"Ham please," you answered.

***

You played some baseball and gritted through the pain of pitching, catching, and batting and now it was time for lunch.

The three of you were sitting on a picnic blanket on the grassy area outside the baseball diamond. You took the sandwich out of the baggie and Hailey's eyebrows furrowed as she saw the bruising on the inside part of your forearm.

"Y/N, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" you asked.

"I just see a bruise on your arm. Did you fall earlier when I was running to get a ball and didn't see it?"

"No. I uh, I must've just slept in a weird position last night," you told her. You knew that was a terrible excuse, but that was the only one you had at the moment.

"Okay, well we have ibuprofen at home and we can ice it there, too."

"Okay, thank you." You took another bite of your sandwich.

***

You finished your picnic and then made your way to Jay's truck. You reached up and grabbed the bar to pull yourself up into the truck easier, but cried out when you pulled.

Jay dropped the picnic basket.

"Y/N!" he yelled and ran up to one side of you and Hailey ran up to the other.

You cradled your right arm in your left hand. "It- It's nothing," you said quickly. "I think I just pulled a muscle or something."

"Honey, can I take a look?" Hailey asked.

"I- I don't want to go to the doctor's! Please don't make me go! Please!" you cried.

"Honey, I'm just going to look at it. Then we'll see if we need to go. And, we can always call Jay's brother, Will, and make sure he's the one who treats you. But we don't even know if you need to go to the doctor yet, so please, just let me see your arm."

You reluctantly held your arm out to her. Jay looked, too.

"I think we need to take her in, Hails," Jay said.

You ripped your arm away from Hailey, causing you to scream out in pain. "No! I'm fine!"

"Y/N, you are not fine," Jay said. "Please just let us take you to the doctor's."

"No!" you yelled again.

"Can you tell me why?" Jay asked, employing a tactic he used in the home when girls didn't want to do things. "Maybe make me understand why?"

"He hurt me there!" you yelled. "Every time I went to the doctor, he gave my dad free visits to look at me in exchange for- for--" you wailed and crashed into Hailey's arms.

You gripped her t-shirt tightly with your good hand while you bawled your eyes out.

"Shh, shh, it's okay. It's okay. He's not here. He's in prison. He can't physically hurt you out here, Y/N. And, if we go to the doctor, we'll make sure that it's Will who treats you and we'll be there the whole time," Hailey soothed.

You sniffled and then looked up at her. "You promise you'll be there the entire time?"

"I promise," Hailey confirmed.

You looked at Jay. "You too?"

"You have my word," he agreed.

***

Jay called Will and told him that the three of you would be coming into Chicago Med to look at your arm because he and Hailey thought that you broke it and that they needed Will to treat you because you didn't trust anybody else.

When you walked into the hospital, tears pricked your eyes and you grabbed Hailey's hand with your good one.

"I- I changed my mind," you said quickly. "I don't want to go to the doctor. It'll heal by itself like the other one."

Hailey didn't know what "other one" you were talking about, but she let that part of the sentence go.

"Y/N, honey, we need to make sure you're safe and healthy. And getting you treatment for a broken bone is part of that." She looked at Jay, silently asking him for some help.

"We'll be right there the entire time," Jay promised once again.

"But- But what if you have to leave? I don't wanna be alone in there! I don't!" you cried.

"And you won't. We'll both be there. And if one of us has to leave for whatever reason, then the other will stay. You can trust us. I know it's hard, but I promise you Y/N—me and Hailey both promise you—that you can trust us. We wouldn't have these jobs if you couldn't trust us."

Jay looked up when he heard someone clear their throat. He saw Will standing there.

When you saw Will, this time in hospital scrubs instead of jeans, a t-shirt, and his Chicago Med sweatshirt, you gripped Hailey's hand even tighter.

"Hey, Y/N," Will greeted. "Jay told me you're having problems with your arm? I bet it hurts really bad."

"No, I'm fine," you argued.

"Okay, well..." he paused and moved a hand from behind his back, which was holding a bowl that contained an ice cream sandwich. It was chocolate ice cream squished between two chocolate chip cookies. "I have this ice cream sandwich here for you. Why don't you eat this with your good arm while I take a look at the other one?"

You shyly nodded and let go of Hailey's hand and took the bowl from Will's outstretched hand. "Thank you," you said quietly.

"You're welcome. Now right this way, please."

Will let you into a treatment room and Hailey helped you up on the bed.

"Alright, so Y/N, this is April," Will said as he introduced the nurse who walked in. "She'll be helping me out and taking your vitals."

April would've made a joke about how she'd be doing all the work, but seeing how nervous you were, she didn't."

"But you- you said that Will would be treating me. You promised!" you yelled and looked at Hailey and Jay.

"Y/N, all April's doing is helping Will out. Doctors need help, too," Hailey reassured.

"I'll be really gentle. Okay, sweetie?" April said.

You shoved yourself back into the bed, almost whacking your head on the wall.

"No! No! Don't hurt me! Please, don't!" you yelled.

All four of the adults in the room shared a look.

Hailey cursed. "It was the pet name," she figured out quickly. "One of them must've called her that before."

She knelt down next to the hospital bed, where you were visibly shaking.

"Y/N, I need you to take a few deep breaths with me. In and out," Hailey said.

"I can't! I can't!" you wailed.

"Yes, you can. Just like this." Hailey breathed in and out deeply.

"We can always administer medication if needed," Will suggested.

"Yeah, no," Jay said quickly. "You won't be doing that."

He pulled your emergency inhaler for times like these out of his pocket and pulled it out of the small box. Then he uncapped it and handed it to Hailey.

Once you took two more deep breaths, she held it up to you. "Can you take three puffs for me, Y/N? Just three puffs," she said.

You nodded and put the inhaler to your lips, allowing Hailey to push down on the button, which resulted in you getting some much-needed oxygen into your lungs.

"Better?" Hailey asked when you handed it back to her.

You nodded. "Thanks for having it, Jay."

"You're welcome." He put the inhaler back in the box and then back into his pocket.

Will pulled up a stool and sat on it. Hailey was still right in front of you, but Will was next to her and looking directly at you.

"Y/N, what April's gonna do is just listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope just like I have." He touched the stethoscope that was dangling from around his neck. "And then she's going to take your blood pressure by wrapping that around your good arm and squeezing the red thing." He pointed to the blood pressure cuff that was hanging in the room. "And then, I'll take a look at your arm. While she does that, I'll go grab you another ice cream sandwich because I'm pretty sure the other one is melted. Does that sound okay?"

You nodded, thankful that Will was explaining everything to you.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Will was back with your ice cream sandwich. He apologized for taking so long and said he had to argue with a cafeteria worker to make sure he got chocolate ice cream and not vanilla ice cream on it. But, he got it, so that's all that mattered.

He handed you the bowl and you took the ice cream sandwich out with your good hand and took a bite.

"How is it?" Will asked with a smile.

"It's really, really good. Thank you," you answered and took another bite.

"Good. Now, can you try and hold your arm out me?"

You hissed as you straightened your arm to hold it out to him.

"No, no," Will said quickly. "If it hurts to straighten all the way, don't do it." You nodded. "I'm just going to hold your arm with one of my hands and feel around it. Tell me where the most pain is. Do you want some pain medication?"

"No, no needles," you said. "Last time it made me sleep and then I couldn't feel my body."

If Will wasn't working he would've froze because he knew what you were talking about. Jay did, too, and Hailey squeezed his hand to silently tell him to stay calm.

That doctor who had previously assaulted you had drugged you with Rohypnol.

"We can give it to you in pill form," Will suggested. "Is that okay?" You nodded and Will turned to Jay. "What medications is she on?"

Jay rattled off the list of medications and then Will said something to April and then she handed you three pills and a cup of water. You took them.

"They should start to work in fifteen minutes," April told you.

You nodded and then yelped when Will gently pressed down on the inside of your forearm. "Right there?" he asked.

"Mhm," you gritted out as tears came to your eyes again.

"Well, the good news is, we're gonna get an x-ray and you won't have to have me push on your arm anymore," Will told you. You nodded. "Can you tell me how this happened?"

You looked up at Jay. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Jay furrowed his eyebrows. "I fell out of bed because of a- because of a nightmare. I told you it was my water bottle. I'm sorry!"

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Jay soothed quickly. "But can I ask why you didn't want to tell me?"

"I didn't want to see a doctor. And I thought you'd be mad and bring me back to the home."

"Oh, honey," Hailey interjected. "We'd never do that. You're my kid forever now."

"Yours, too?" you asked looking at Jay once more.

"You're not mine on paper, but I promise you that I'll keep you safe," he answered.

"But can I be your kid? Eventually?" You asked.

Hailey put her arm around Jay's waist. "You know what, babe? I think getting you to adopt her, too would be great. What do you say?"

"I'd love nothing more," he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Hate to break up this little moment," Will began, "but we gotta get her down for x-rays. Based on where it is, I think she broke her ulna."

April stepped forward. "If you'd follow me, that'd be great."

You looked at Hailey and Jay. "Will you guys come, too?"

Jay looked at his older brother, who gave him and Hailey a slight nod.

"Of course we will, honey," Hailey said.

"Because you said you'd be with me the entire time and because you said you'd keep me safe?" you asked as Hailey helped you down.

"Precisely, kiddo, precisely," Jay said.

And for the first time in your fifteen years of life, you finally found a home that you felt safe in, all thanks to Hailey and Jay.

A/N: Again, I changed a bit of this because some people were a bit confused and, I figured if I modeled the home after Brady, you guys would have a better time imagining it. Anyway, thank you guys so, so much for reading! Remember to like/reblog and comment if you haven't already! Next up, royalty AU part 2! Again, I am donating all my proceeds on buy me a coffee until the end of AU-gust to Save The Children to help the children in Afghanistan. Buy me a coffee here.

As always, if you want to be added to my taglist, just tell me and I’d be happy to add you!

Taglist: @theambracer88@virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl @dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e @i-like-sparkly-things @herecomesthewriterwitch @liampayne88

[pfreadsandwrites]

九つの命/9 Lives Translation

Hi!! So, @foxy-and-tales asked me to tell her what was going on in the comic mentioned in this post. After skimming through it, I thought it'd be good practice - and it'd be easier to answer her question - if I just went through it and told her what it all meant. I realised by that point I was doing a translation, and since I was going to the trouble anyway, I thought I'd post it publicly.

So, the full comic is here. It's basically a comic that has 7 little stories about Kakashi's ninja hounds and their lives with Kakashi. It's an adorable, heartfelt story and I absolutely love the personalities that the artist gave all the ninja hounds and the depictions of their relationships with Kakashi.

My translation will be this post, follow it as a script. I don't have the skill or knowledge to edit and typeset and change the images myself - and I wouldn't do that anyway, as it would involve reposting the art and changing it without the artist's consent. But I do think that not referring to the pictures as you're reading through the script really harms how sweet this story is, so if you can go through the comic slowly whilst referring to my (amateur) translation of it, I hope you can get a glimpse of that!

WARNINGS: There is a depiction of an already dead dog in part 4 😢, and some (human!) male partial nudity in part 6 (😉)

Tagging: @scaredlittlefoxy @lemony-snickers @backalleykat @whatshernameis @gwedosuns @topsyturvy-dream @ice-icebaby @cosmiclattes

This is also the artist’s note that follows after the comic, that I’m putting here:

(Artist’s note translation)

"This is a story about the daily life of Kakashi and the eight ninken.

The ninja dogs’ personalities etc mightn’t be faithful to the source material.

The dogs live free range in Kakashi’s house.

There is an illustration of a dog dying, though it isn’t any of the ninken. Please take note.

You don’t have to read it, but below this are the dogs’ personalities:

Shiba: Friendly and sensitive

Biscuit: Childish and Selfish

Akino: Calm and cool demeanour

Bull: Timid and Quiet

Urushi: Ladykiller. A little bit dim. (Note: Himbo!)

Guruko: Annoyingly helpful and naggy

Uhei: Pure-hearted and cheerful

Pakkun: Same as in the series"

Some notes and then onwards into the translation under the cut:

Please take heed before continuing:

I’m not a professional translator, in fact I’ve done very little of this, so there’s some guesswork and liberties taken, and I don't claim that that there’ll be no mistakes.

I’ve separated it out by sections and pages, so you should be able to follow the story from following the speech bubbles (right to left) and referencing the lines here by speaker

Each space between a line denotes that it’s the next speech bubble

A new line but no change in speaker will denote that it’s the same character talking, but in the next panel or speech bubble

Italics means the character is thinking or flashbacks. I'll try and make this obvious as I go but the artwork should make that clear too.

Brackets are my additions, or me translating things like signs etc, or brackets will have smaller background dialogue not in speech bubbles. I'll try to make this clear as I go.

Stuff surrounded by * denotes actions or onomatopoeic actions/words in panels

Ask me if there’s any parts that confuse you about the story!! The way I’ve done this isn’t easy to follow but it's the best my dumb brain could come up with

TRANSLATION:

Title page

(p.1)

ここのつのいのち

9 Lives

(p.2)

1. ‘I won’t tell anyone’

(SFX: dogs playing and wagging tails)

Kakashi: Hm? You’re not gonna play, Shiba?

Shiba: …No. …Hey, Kakashi’

Kakashi: Hm? What?’

Shiba: There’s a girl I like’

Kakashi: Ohhh… I won’t tell anybody.

I won’t tell ~ I won’t tell ~

(p. 3)

Shiba: She’s really cute…

Kakashi: That’s great ~

Shiba: But I haven’t even spoken to her once

Kakashi: You should go for it ~

(SFX: *happy dog panting*)

Shiba: I’ll come back as soon as I’ve talked to her!’

Kakashi: Yep!

Shiba: I’ll be right back, definitely!

Kakashi: Ok, ok (lit. Yes yes)

(p.4)

Shiba: She’s already got someone (lit. she’s already in a couple/has a mate)

Kakashi: I see…

Shiba: She said her mate hurt his leg and can’t walk so he's staying at home…

(p.5)

Kakashi: Shiba, you know.. have feet that can walk anywhere…

So maybe you’ll meet an amazing girl again, won’t you?

(*dog cries*)

Kakashi: ...I won’t tell anyone. (*Comforting doggy*)

I won’t say anything. I won’t say anything.

(Kakashi: Aw, Shiba is pretty sweet to me, huh?)

2. Biscuit’s Sausage (note: I know his name is technically Bisuke in Japanese, but Biscuit is his dub name and it’s too adorable so that’s what I’m going with here! Also suits the personality he has in this story. What a biscuithead this boy is)

(p.6)

Biscuit: -You’re so sneaky, Kakashi! I wanted to eat sausages!

*crying dog noises*

(Uhei: Sorry, Kakashi…

Guruko: I told you!!)

Kakashi: You know if you eat sausages, Biscuit, your tummy will get sick, right? I’m boiling cod for you right now

(*tantrum noises, pounding feet and barking*)

Biscuit: *angry puppy noises* I hate fish, you idiot! I said I want to eat sausages! Sausages! Sausages!

Kakashi: *sternly* Biscuit

Biscuit: *whimper*

(p.7)

Biscuit: Kakashi, you IDIOT!

(2. Biscuit’s Sausage)

Biscuit: *sniff*

(Sign says Konoha Pet Food)

Biscuit: This is the store that sells the dog food Kakashi buys! Wow, maybe they have sausages here too!

(p.8)

Biscuit: I wonder if I'll be able to eat as much as I want… *gulp*

But if I did that, Kakashi would get in trouble

No, maybe…

*heart pounding*

Kakashi kept it (this) a secret just from me, because I'll get sick...

(Apron says Konoha Pet Food)

Shop Lady: *shuffles*

Biscuit: I didn't do anything yet!!! * heart pounding*

Shop Lady: Oh my… you really just talked!

Shop lady: You’re Kakashi’s pup, aren’t you?

(p.9)

Shop lady: Kakashi got you to come here, huh?

(Shop lady: you’re a good boy!)

Bisuke: Oh, no-

Shop lady: Though, he shouldn't have made you come pick it up without contacting us, huh? Here, sausages!

Biscuit: Sausages?!

Shop lady: There’s a pup among you guys that can’t have normal sausages, right?

It was a request from Kakashi.

He said he wanted me to make some especially for the puppy who can’t handle meat.

(p.10)

Shop lady: Well, here you go!! You’ll tell Kakashi we’re sorry for making him wait, won’t you?

Biscuit: Oh, um… But I don’t have any money…

Shop lady: It’s fine, because it’s Kakashi!

Whenever he has free time, he comes to pay.

I have a deal with him, you see. And he can't get the food if he's not here...

Next time, come together with Kakashi, okay?

(p. 11)

Kakashi: *casually picks up Bisuke* Thank you! This is for you ~

Shop lady: Thank you, come again!

Biscuit: Kakashi…

Kakashi: Hm?

Biscuit: Sorry…

Kakashi: Yeah…

I’m sorry too. I gave everyone else sausages while keeping it a secret from you.

I thought you’d definitely want some if you saw…

(Kakashi: But I got caught.)

(p. 12)

Kakashi: But…. Everyone’ll want some if they see this, too.

How about stopping by the park and eating it there?

We’ll keep it a secret from everyone 😊

Bisuke: *happy face licking and barking* When we get home, I’ll eat the cod too!!

Kakashi: Uhh… Well, Uhei and Guruko already ate it…

Bisuke: WHAT?!!!

(Flashback, Uhei and Guruko saying ‘Cod! Me too!! Me too! I want to eat some too!’)

3. Kakashi’s smile

(p. 13)

*paws thudding on ground/running away*

Kakashi: …Got you.

Akino: Ack!

It’s always only me that you brush so roughly, Kakashi!

Kakashi: It can’t be helped, can it? You have the thickest fur, Akino

*brushing softly* It’ll be over soon, it’ll be over soon…

Other doggies: That seems nice to me, Akino…

Kakashi: Hey, it’s falling out, it’s falling out ~

Akino: !!!

Kakashi: Look, it’s a mini Akino!! So much fur…

Akino: That’s too much hair off the bottom, Kakashi! Wha…

(p. 14)

*Kakashi continuing to laugh at his mini Akino*

Akino: There are times now where Kakashi summons us, even if he doesn’t have any business for us to take care of…

(Back then) he never ever summoned us outside of missions…

(p. 15)

Akino: He was doing all kinds of things, but he was the kind of person who never had a smile on his face…

Kakashi: If I had more time, I could make an even hairier one, you know

(Other dogs: *laughing* Akino: That’s a lie!)

Akino: Kakashi…. You're having fun?

Kakashi: *genuine smile* Yep, I am!

Akino: *smile* If you feel like it, you can keep going…

Kakashi: Oh?

(Later, Akino notices Kakashi has put sunglasses on the mini Akino)

4. Timid Bull (CW Animal Death)

(p. 16)

Bull: I’m the last ninja hound that came to Kakashi’s home.

Before that, I was living in a training centre for ninja hounds.

(4. Timid Bull)

The dogs I lived together with there… were all adopted when they were puppies.

But I still lived at the training centre, even as I became fully grown.

Ninja Hey, that dog looks tough, doesn’t he?

Centre manager: Yes, but… he’s not all that suited for battling…

Despite how he looks, he’s actually a timid dog.

Bull: I… I’m scared of insects. I’m scared of noises.

I’m scared of blood.

Centre manager: Because he can understand the stories of troubled humans, you see…

Bull: I’m scared of anything other than myself.

(p. 17)

Bull: Nobody would want a dog like me, right?

Kakashi: I found a good boy ~

Bull: *panicking* There’s no manager here!

Kakashi: Hello ~

Bull: …Hello… *heart pounding*

Kakashi: Ah, one that talks, huh…

Would you like to become one of my pups?

(p. 18)

Bull: Me…? Me, really? Quit it… That’s enough joking around.

Kakashi: What do you mean?

Bull: No-one wants me (😢)

Kakashi: No-one?

I want you, though.

Bull: What kind of a strange person would want me, I thought

(p. 19)

Bull: There were lots of dogs at Kakashi’s house

(Happy barking doggy noises)

Uhei: Woah, you’re huge! But among these guys, I have the fastest legs, you know!!!

Guruko: And I have the best nose!!

Biscuit: And I’m whiny!! (Note: lit. ‘I’m selfish!’)

Shiba: I have the sharpest bite!

Pakkun: I am the wisest. (Note: Pakkun I think uses Kansai-dialect Japanese lol so he sounds kinda... distinct. This is hard to convey for me lol)

Urushi: I’m popular with the ladies ;)

(Akino: I’m the fluffiest!)

Bull: I was so confused

You… you’re not scared of me?

I’m huge, and I have a scary face… So no one comes near me.

They all said they weren’t scared.

The reason, they said together, was…

(p. 20)

‘Because Kakashi brought you, Bull!’

Everyone was totally relaxed, as if they had no worries at all.

They all clung to me as if it was completely natural to do so.

I realised that there’d always be someone beside me.

(p. 21)

*sounds of paws scuffling against ground in first two panels*

*jumping to the ground noise in third panel*

Kakashi: …Bull, this way is a dead end.

Bull: …Sorry.

I couldn’t go back to where you were, and I thought so, but -

(p.22)

Bull: *looking at dog* He asked me to stay by his side.

…He was an enemy, but he was already dying.

That’s why, Kakashi….

Kakashi: …Yep.

Let’s give him a send-off together.

(Note: this was a tricky one because Kakashi says 送る, which means send, and is used with mail etc, but can mean to say farewells to the deceased, which is why Bull comments on it on the next page)

(p. 23)

Bull: He wanted to say ‘I want to bury him’

But Kakashi said ‘send-off’.

Lightly, as if his life force was still there

There… there are a lot of things that scare me.

When I was waiting for this dog, I was scared.

But I couldn’t refuse his request.

(p. 24)

Bull: …I’m spineless.

Kakashi: Everyone else has lots of things they’re scared of, you know.

That’s why they all stay by your side, Bull.

If you’re there, everything will be alright. That’s how everyone feels.

If you’re close by, everyone’s able to feel safe.

(p. 25)

Kakashi: ….This puppy, too.

Dying dog: …Please…

Bull: That dog…

Dying dog: Stay with me, until the end…

Kakashi: Because you stayed with him, Bull, he felt at peace, didn’t he?

Bull: I don’t think that dog was happy…

…Kakashi.

He was very thin, and he also smelt like he was sick

To protect themselves, his owner didn’t treasure this [this dog’s] life.

Kakashi, I…

Somehow, I..

I’m very…

(p. 26)

Bull: I wanted to cry out as loud as I could..

Kakashi: Yeah… (I’m not sure who’s saying this line)

Bull: For feeling guilty towards that dog, and for knowing Kakashi…

For my life being here now.

For my life, I wanted to cry it out until the blood came out of my throat.

(p. 27)

Bull: That dog…

I wonder, was that dog ever able to feel like this, even once?

(Flashback) Doggies: Because Kakashi brought you, Bull!

Uhei: Hey!!! Bull!!

Shiba: You’re late!!

I was worried, you know!

Guruko: (to others) Hey, Bull came back!!

Bull: I’m Bull. The dog that Kakashi found.

5. Urushi’s scales

(p.28)

Urushi: I think I’m good looking

(5. Urushi’s scales)

Girl pups: Ahh~ Urushi…~

Urushi: I’m popular with the ladies

(note: he uses メス, which means bitch in the literal sense - a female dog - and all the puppers use it to refer to human women too. So I just left it as ladies, as I don't think the pups mean it to be crass, they just use dog language and apply it to humans as well as themselves)

Sometimes I’m told ‘it’s probably because you’re one of Kakashi’s ninken’, but…

(Background lettering over the other dogs says ‘Unstylish/Uncool/Lame’)

But my other friends aren’t all that popular, really.

Still, I think it’s because I really am good-looking after all.

(Choruses of ‘Urushi~’, ‘Ahh…; and ‘Let’s play together, Urushi)

Urushi: Hehehe…

Being good-looking is a great thing.

Guruko: Hey, Kakashi!

(p. 29)

Guruko: You got hit by a girl again, didn’t you?!

Kakashi: *laughing* No…

Akino: Why were you hit by a girl? Do girls not like you?

Uhei: It looks like it hurts…

Kakashi: Nooo ~

Shiba: You’re so strong, Kakashi, why were you hit?

Biscuit: You couldn’t avoid it?

Guruko: *Steam from nostrils* I’ll fight her for you!

Kakashi: It’s fine, it’s fine ~

What are you saying?

(p. 30.)

Urushi: Kakashi said ‘I took responsibility’.

Sometimes humans say things I don’t understand…

Girl dog: Urushi… pair up with me.

Urushi: If Kakashi’s saying it, it must be important…

Be… Because I’m one of Kakashi’s ninken?

Girl dog: It has nothing to do with that. I like you, Urushi

Urushi: Wow… *heart pounding*

Girl dog: Pair up with me, and…

I want you to leave the ninken. (Lit. Stop being a ninken)

(p. 31)

Girl dog: I love you, Urushi, but what if, on a mission, you…

I can’t stand the thought of that!

Leave the ninken, and… always stay in the village with me?

Urushi: This girl’s a beauty, and has a kind personality…

I think that I might want to be with her…

Should I leave the ninken?

(p. 32)

Urushi: *perplexed*

Kakashi, Bull and Biscuit: *zzz, sleeping sounds*

Urushi: If I said I wanted to leave the ninken…

Kakashi: (in Urushi’s imagination) If that’s what you want, Urushi

It’s fine with me! (Background: It would be a shame, though…)

Urushi: I feel like Kakashi would say something like that…

Do I want to do that…? Not really, but… *sigh*

Hey, Pakkun.

(p. 33)

Pakkun: Something bothering you?

Urushi: Yeah, there is

I have to decide between two things, but it’s difficult…

I want both of them, but I can’t have them.

Pakkun: … Is it a girl problem?

Urushi: Yep ~

Pakkun: That’s just like you, Urushi. (Pakkun’s imagination shows two girl pups arguing:

Urushi!! Which one will you choose, me or her?! *indignant barking*)

When making a decision about something, one needs to think about what’s most.

...important to oneself.

Let’s say you balance both sides on your scales…

Urushi: My scales?

Pakkun: For example….

(p. 34)

It’s not the physical weight, but the weight of what you think is precious and important. It’s the weight of those feelings.

If you think about which is heavier, you’ll find the answer.

Kakashi: You guys are having a kinda complicated conversation, huh…?

Pakkun: Oh, Kakashi, you woke up, did you?

Urushi: *heart pounding*

Kakashi: My scales lean towards sleep, you know..

Let’s eat soon, okay? Please…

Urushi: Kakashi…. Are you happy that I’m here?

(p. 35)

Kakashi: Hm? Yeah, I’m happy!

Urushi, of course I’m happy ~

(Note: the word Kakashi uses is 嬉しい, which is ‘ureshii’ so Kakashi is making a pun with Urushi’s name here.)

Urushi: *blush* Okay!

Pakkun: What we were just talking about… Don’t talk about it in front of Shiba.

Urushi: Huh? Why?

Pakkun: Seems like he recently had his heart broken…

(p. 36)

Urushi: The thing that’s most important and precious to me… isn’t you.

That’s why I can’t be with you.

I can’t be with you, but… you’re a beautiful and amazing lady.

So, let’s meet again one day ~

Biscuit: Kakashi! Kakashiiiii! It’s awful!!

(p. 37)

(*throbbing pain*)

Biscuit: Urushi’s hurt!!

(*dogs barking*)

Guruko: Let’s go fight them!! *steam from nostrils*

Shiba: No way, is it a girl? Kakashi, you better tell him off!!!

Kakashi: Did you get into a fight with a dog from the village?

Urushi: No, it’s not that…

I took responsibility.

I’ve got a manly mark on my face, heh~

Shiba: You better tell him off!! *bark*

Pakkun: That’s it…

6. Kakashi’s Helper Team!

(p. 38)

Kakashi: I’m home~!!!

Guruko: ?!!! Kakashi, you stink!!

Kakashi: *sweetly smiling* Oh, stop it…

I saw Asuma after a long time, and we talked and ended up getting some drinks… It was nice to see him… *flops down on floor*

Guruko: Take a bath!!!

Don’t go to sleep!!

(*soundly sleeping*)

(p. 39.)

Guruko: Uhei! Uheiii!

Uhei: What is it?

Guruko: Let’s clean up Kakashi!

(6. Kakashi’s Helper Team!)

Uhei: Ehh… But if he wakes up, he’ll take a bath himself, won’t he?

(SFX: Heave-ho! Heave-ho!)

Guruko: We can’t leave Kakashi as he is when he’s this stinky! It’s fine, take it off!

Uhei: Uh, this is stuck half way, I can’t take it off

Guruko: Because you haven’t taken off his leg bandages!

(p. 40)

Guruko: Damn, this is stuck half way *pulling*

Uhei: Isn’t that because you haven’t taken off his headband?!

Guruko: This is enough, let’s carry him to the bath like this!

(*dragging noises*)

Uhei: Won’t his clothes get wet?

Guruko: It’s fine, because we’re going to wash them anyway!

Uhei: It’s amazing… Kakashi still hasn’t woken up!

Guruko: Okay, let’s wash him!

Uhei: Isn’t that… the shampoo that we use?

Guruko: It’s totally safe!!

If it’s fine for us to use, it’ll be fine for Kakashi too, right?

Uhei: I guess…

(p. 41)

Uhei: We can wash his body, but what about his clothes?

(SFX: *scrub scrub*)

Guruko: If we wash them together, it’ll be fine! Hey, pour some hot water over here ~

Uhei: Okay!

(SFX: *splash*)

Kakashi: *suddenly yelling* I’m gonna die!!

Guruko: *screaming*

Kakashi: Even with my face covered, if you pour hot water on me, I can’t breathe, you know!! You really can’t do that.

Guruko: You woke up…

(SFX: *heart pounding*)

Uhei: You really scared me…

(p. 42)

Kakashi: You’d started something, and I wondered how far you’d carry on… Ah, I’m drenched.

Guruko: Ah, I’m sorry, Kakashi!!

Kakashi: Well, anyway.. you guys ended up cleaning yourselves pretty good too. You’re all drenched, too.

Guruko: Then I’ll go get some towels!!

Uhei: Kakashi, Kakashi

Guruko acts the way he does, but he really loves looking after you!

Kakashi: I know.

Biscuit: I want to have a bath with Kakashi too ~

Guruko: That’s not it! It’s just all slippery (note: not accurate, but the gist is that Biscuit misunderstands and Guruko puts him straight)

7. I’ll always love you

(p. 43)

(Flashback)

Sakumo: Pakkun…

Pakkun…

I have a favour to ask.

(Present)

Pakkun…

(SFX: Snoring)

Kakashi: Pakkun..

(SFX: Gasp)

Pakkun: Huh?

Kakashi: It’s time to eat.

(p. 44)

Pakkun: Alright.

(Other dogs: Food~ Food ~

Kakashi: Yes ~ Yes ~)

(Flashback)

Sakumo: Pakkun…

Pakkun….

Pakkun..

(p. 45)

Pakkun: Kakashi?

Kakashi: Hm?

Pakkun: For the mission report before… You didn't need me, did you?

Why did you bring me?

Other dogs: We want to come too!!

Kakashi: It’s just Pakkun for today

Kakashi: Hmm…

Hey, let’s relax here for a little while.

Pakkun: What’s this…

Kakashi: Come on…

Well…

(p. 46)

Kakashi: I want to talk about Dad.

…No. Maybe it’s a confession?

Talking about Dad…. Felt like something we couldn’t even broach. Ever.

I think you felt this way too, right, Pakkun?

I couldn’t tell you earlier that ‘it’s all right now’. Even though it was.

It was just a matter of timing, I guess…

Pakkun: But I wasn’t waiting for you to say that… Even if you’d have said it earlier, that’d have been good, but..

Why, out of the blue like this?

A change like that… Just like…

Just like…

(p. 47)

(Flashback)

Sakumo: I have a favour.

(Present)

Kakashi: The day Dad died…

Ever since then, for a long time, now… I became strange.

I’ve been nothing but trouble for you.

Pakkun: Kakashi-

Kakashi: Even though… you were hurting over Dad not being here too.

(p. 48)

Kakashi: Dad was your first master, right?

You really were precious to him.

….The other day, when you were having a nap, I woke you up, didn’t I?

It might have been because of the food, but your nose was twitching.

At first, I thought you were growling.

When I woke you up, you had a really startled expression when you looked at me.

I understood right away.

You were thinking about Dad, right?

(p. 49)

Kakashi: You were having a dream about Dad that time, right?

Thank you for always being considerate towards me…

But it’s alright now.

From now on, I want you to tell me…

The things about Dad that only you know.

(p. 50)

Pakkun: Sakumo…

(Sakumo: Pakkun…)

Pakkun: …really was a loving, kind man.

Kind, and…

(Sakumo: Pakkun…)

Pakkun: Kind, and…

…Kakashi.

I’ll tell you about Sakumo.

The things I’ve always wanted to tell you

I’ll tell you now.

Kakashi: Okay.

(p. 51)

Kakashi: Thank you for telling me about Dad, Pakkun.

Pakkun: …Don’t you dare die.

(Pakkun…)

I’ve had enough now.

Yeah. Enough.

(p. 52)

(Sakumo: I’m asking.…)

Pakkun: Sakumo…

The two of you are exactly alike.

Kakashi: Oh, really?

Pakkun: Everything’s alright now.

(p. 53)

“Kakashi!”

(p. 54)

(No text)

(p. 55)

Kakashi!

(p. 56)

Kakashi

(Note: I think the favour Sakumo asked of Pakkun was to take care of and be mindful of Kakashi always. This isn't outright stated)

[ibijau]

40. Pride parade. Wangxian go, Jiang Cheng (and juniors?) go to be supportive, and may or may not enjoy themselves. --HLS (resend to sign it)

Oops, this ended up being pretty much 0% about wangxian, and 100% about Jiang Cheng and his litter of adopted nephews!

Jiang Cheng leans against the kitchen counter, arms crossed on his chest.

“I just don’t get why I have to go. Wei Wuxian and his giant ice cube are already going, can’t they keep an eye on the kids?”

Jiang Yanli gives him A Look from over the snacks she’s preparing, and Jiang Cheng can’t help a small grimace.

“Ok. Point taken. But that was ten years ago, I’m sure he’d be more careful these days.”

“Would he, now?” Jiang Yanli retorts as she starts putting the snacks into individual little fabric bags, alongside small water bottles. “He’s going to his first Pride since coming out, with his brand new boyfriend who he’s been in love with for over ten years… an even that is loud and bright, might I add, and you think he’ll stay focused enough to keep an eye on the kids?”

Jiang Cheng grunts, refusing to acknowledge defeat, and pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Why do the kids have to go anyway? I’ve seen Pride on tv, it’s hardly child friendly. There’s all those…”

He starts miming for breasts, then remembers who he’s talking to and quickly drops his hands. Jiang Yanli, damn her, bursts out laughing at his embarrassment.

“Jin Ling is fourteen, if he can’t see breasts without thinking they’re sexual, I’ve done a poor job of raising him.” She looks at the table, and nods with satisfaction at the little care bags she’s prepared before turning her entire attention to Jiang Cheng. “Listen, they want to support A-Xian, and I think that’s wonderful of them. I also think they’re all at a questioning age, and it’s good for them to see there’s a whole community out there, should they need it.”

Jiang Cheng sighs, but nods. Jin Ling is… Well, Wei Wuxian is probably not the only bisexual in the family, that’s for sure. And then, there’s Jin Ling friend from school, the one who now asks to be called Zizhen but only where her (his? their?) parents can’t hear it.

That whole little group is frequently crashing at Jiang Cheng’s place, because he is, apparently, the cool uncle. What that mostly means is that he’s got a big tv, several consoles, and too much soda in his fridge, which Jin Ling and his friends love. But he’s also the first adult who was brought into the Zizhen situation, and while he doesn’t get that stuff, he knows Zizhen always had that small smile when someone says that name instead of the old one, and Jiang Cheng has come to hold the odd belief that kids should, in fact, be happy.

“It’s just for a few hours,” Jiang Yanli says, handing him one of her little care bags. “And who knows, maybe you’ll have fun?”

-

For the hundredth time this afternoon, Jiang Cheng does a headcount. Jin Ling, Lan Sizhui, Lan Jingyi, Ouyang Zizhen… 

They’ve lost Wei Wuxian and his iceberg boyfriend a little while ago, but that’s not Jiang Cheng’s problem. Those two are grown adults, and Jiang Cheng is sure they can take care of themselves. Knowing them, they’re either making out somewhere or fighting with some homophobic assholes trying to ruin everyone’s good time.

Quite possibly they’re making out in front of homophobes, because Wei Wuxian does love to multitask like that.

But that’s not Jiang Cheng’s problem. Jiang Cheng’s problem is to keep an eye on four excited teenagers who look like they want to run off in different directions, and keep chatting with strangers just so they can get a collection of flyers about different identities, like they’re window shopping for a label.

“Can’t you kids stay put for five seconds?” Jiang Cheng growls, grabbing Jin Ling by the collar when he starts darting to the side.

“But that’s the people from Aven!” Jin Ling retorts, pointing at some weirdos in purple, grey and black. “Sizhui, didn’t you say someone from your club mentioned Ace people a while back?”

Lan Sizhui suddenly gets that very intense look on his face and nods firmly while staring at that group in purple. That actually surprises Jiang Cheng. Lan Sizhui is a good two years older than the other kids, though he’s still in the same class as the rest because of health problems when he was little. He’s a quiet kid, who doesn’t make any waves, and in spite of being Lan Wangji’s son, Jiang Cheng likes him and thinks he’s very reasonable. He wouldn’t have expected Lan Sizhui to be shopping like the others for an identity, but if he is…

“Then we’re all going to go there,” Jiang Cheng barks. “As a group, like you guys promised. Nobody runs off on his own!”

Everyone nods, trying to look guilty but ultimately too excited to mind the scolding. Ouyang Zizhen has a particularly wide grin on his face. But then, he’s been like that since someone gave him a little blue, pink and white sticker with a ‘male’ symbol on it which he stuck on his chest. He looks so proud of himself, and Jiang Cheng kind of sees the point of this whole parade now.

So they all head toward the purple people, and Lan Sizhui gets to ask a few questions while Jiang Cheng browses the flyers for this newest of identities he’d never heard about before.

It says “An asexual person does not experience sexual attraction – they are not drawn to people sexually and do not desire to act upon attraction to others in a sexual way. Unlike celibacy, which is a choice to abstain from sexual activity, asexuality is an intrinsic part of who we are, just like other sexual orientations.” and Jiang Cheng forgets how to breathe for a second because that’s…

He didn’t expect there was a word for that.

He’s always figured he’s just picky, or that he’s weird. He’s dated a few people here and there, women mostly but a few men as well, just to see if that was what didn’t feel right, only to always break off when his partners started asking for more. He’d tried that whole sex thing even, only to find that even if it was nice, he’d rather have been cuddling in front of a movie, or playing a video game. He’d thought there was a problem with him, but…

But there’s a word for that.

There’s a word for it and maybe Jiang Cheng isn’t a weirdo after all, no more than Wei Wuxian who used to feel so guilty about looking at other men as well as women, no more than Lan Wangji who only likes men (though Lan Wangji is definitely a weirdo for other reasons).

There’s a word for how Jiang Cheng is, and there are other people like him, and…

“Jiujiu, are you ok?” Jin Ling suddenly asks.

Jiang Cheng startles, the little purple flyer crumbled in his hand, and finds four pairs of eyes staring at him with open concern.

Good kids, all of them, and Jiang Cheng feels so light all of a sudden that he nearly tries to hug them all.

“I’m fine,” he says instead, before waving the flyers he’s holding. “That stuff, that’s… is there anywhere I could read more about that?” he asks the volunteer handing out the papers.

The young man smiles.

“We’ve got a website for information,” he explains, pointing to the back of the flyer. “And it has a forum attached if you want to ask questions or chat with people. Are these your kids?”

“He’s the communal Jiujiu,” Ouyang Zizhen announces proudly. “Jin Ling shares him with all of us.”

They all laugh at that, even Jiang Cheng, though Jin Ling complains he never agreed to this.

They stay a little longer with those Asexuality people, because Lan Sizhui has a few more questions, then eventually move on because there’s more identity window shopping to be done.

For the rest of the day, Jiang Cheng keeps touching that flyer which he shoved in his pocket.

There’s a word for it, and he’s not alone.

[extremelyblackandwhite]

innocence - 26

PAIRING: bodyguard!bucky barnes x innocent actress!reader

WARNINGS: none

A/N: no smut this time, just bucky meeting the family

NEXT CHAPTER

Her mother pulled Bucky into the house. She lived exactly where he’d expect her to live in, a dark academia sort of environment in shades of green, burgundy and dark browns. The walls were filled with shelves containing seas and seas of books and little memorabilia. There were photos of the family on the walls and Bucky noticed the little one right by the staircase of a young girl in a periwinkle dress sat on the beach with a bright smile whom he was absolutely certain was his Y/N. The woman continued to lead them until what he guessed was the living room where the fireplace was on and two kids were running around.

Bucky stood behind with Y/N as her mother made haste towards the drinks’ trolley where Y/N was almost sure the same watered down bottle her brother Anthony had constantly stolen from as a teenager still stood. They were lucky enough not to still have been noticed, her family having an weirdly tradition of not allowing anyone in the living area until they had a drink in hand. Of course she knew why, her family made so many questions both appropriate and inappropriate you’d have to be positively inebriated to deal with it. 

     - Everyone... - Lucy, Y/N’s mother, handed Bucky a burgundy coloured liquid before pulling him inside the living room. - Don’t be shy, Bucky. Everyone, this is Bucky, he’s Y/N’s boyfriend. 

     - I thought he’d be smaller. - a man got up from the dark burgundy couch, walking up to Bucky with an extended hand towards him. Bucky looked at his hand then at his own, before switching to shake it with his flesh arm rather than the metal aberration he’d covered with a glove. - Had a nice flight? Little bean here said she booked first flight tickets even though I told her it’s ...

    - A waste of money, I know dad. - Y/N interrupted. 

    - It was nicer than I expected, sir. - Bucky said yet Y/N could see that little smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. - Your daughter made it all the better.

    - Hope she didn’t bother you with leitmotifs. - another man who looked just around Y/N’s age piped up.

     - Colin, don’t even say that word, it might get her started. - a girl, blonde hair dressed in a baby blue dress added. - Oh wow, you’re athletic.

     - C’mon El, you promised to help me tease Y/N about her first serious boyfriend. - Colin wrapped his arms around Y/N but she merely playfully slapped his chest. - Look at you, the last Y/L/N sibling to introduce someone to the family. We were gonna buy you a cake but mum said no.

    - Colin Y/L/N, leave your sister be. - Lucy slapped her son’s head. - We are very happy that Y/N and Bucky are here. 

   - She’s happy there’s a chance you might give her grandchildren. - Colin whispered before adopting that grin that as children made Y/N want to throw a pillow at him.

   - Colin, I said to leave your sister be. - Lucy wrapped her arms around her eldest daughter. - That is not the reason I’m happy you’re dating. Me and your father were just afraid that you would be a bit lonely in New York.

   - Because you have no friends. - Eloise added.

   - Eloise, leave your sister be. She has plenty of friends. - their father added, not moving from his chair where he had returned to read the paper. 

   - Where is your sister? She should be here to meet Bucky.

   - Claire is busy with her husband convincing my husband to get me to have a rat-like creature they call a baby. - Eloise sat down on the other couch, legs crossed over each other. - Do you want a baby, Bucky?

   - Eloise! - Y/N yelled out of shame. Now she understood why her mother looked so dead whenever she had to go shopping with 4 children at 10 AM. She was clearly wrong to think her siblings would act like regular human beings in front of a guest, they barely acted like regular human beings on a regular basis. - We should go put the bags in my bedroom.

   - No, wait, beanie. CLAIRE! CLAIRE COME SAY HI TO YOUR SISTER AND BUCKY! - Y/N’s mother rushed to the kitchen, yelling out whom he guessed was the name of Y/N’s last sibling. Out of the kitchen and into the living room came a girl dressed in the same dress as Eloise except it was purple, holding a bundle of blankets against her chest. 

  - Aw, let me hold Sophie. - Y/N dropped her bags to meet her sister who handled her the baby. Bucky inspected the scene, watching as her embarrassed facade quickly changed into one of wonder as she looked at her niece. - Look at you, you’re so cute, Miss Sophie, yes you are. 

  - Claire, say hi to Bucky.

  - Why is he so tall? - she shook his hand. - I thought you’d be smaller with that nickname.

Is this was Steve felt like after the serum? Bucky had never stopped to consider that maybe his nickname sounded like a name you’d give a short guy, to be honest, he doesn’t even remember how it came to be, he just remembered his mum calling it and it sticking. However, he did have to admit that he enjoyed seeing everyone’s confused look once they met him as if he was the tallest man alive when he was barely taller than Y/N’s brother. 

    - Conor, Jack come meet Bucky too. - Y/N’s mum held two men by the arm who looked as lost in the family reunion as Bucky did. - Conor’s Eloise’s husband and Jack’s Claire’s. 

    - Okay. - Y/N interrupted before anyone else told her boyfriend he was too tall. Handing Sophie back to her sister, she held Bucky’s hand. - We are going to put the bags upstairs and take the coats off and we’ll return. 

Y/N knew her family way too well. She had been here when Claire brought Jack home for the first time and her father questioned him about a notorious case followed by Colin asking him if he needed earbuds for Claire’s snoring. She had also been there when Conor and all of Colin’s girlfriends so she knew when it was time to run away with Bucky from her very devoted and very curious family who had already decided to have the baby conversation with him before she had even mention it.

Bucky looked at the photos that were scattered on the staircases’ wall. He could always pinpoint where Y/N was, normally in the front with those beautiful, shining eyes. He noticed one particular photo of Y/N alone against a dark blue background in her graduation gown holding her diploma, posing like a beauty queen. He made a note to sneak a photo of it once she wasn’t looking.

She led him into her bedroom. It was a rather small one in tones of white and beige with a double bed. The walls were clean rather than one with a bookcase of dark wood filled with books, trophies and little frames of photos of her as a kid. Her bed had a small white lamb laying on it with some heart shaped pillows and a knitted beige blanket. 

     - Is that you? - Bucky rushed to the shelf to grab a photo of Y/N as a toddler dressed as a ballerina holding a golden medal.

    - Yeah. My grandmother was a prima ballerina so she made all of us do ballet which came quite in handy when I was in Phantom. - she put her coat on the hook on the door. - Sorry about my mum, and my dad and my siblings. I should already apologise for their husbands and the toddlers you haven’t met yet since they’re out with Grandma Louis who I’m also sorry for. 

     - That’s fine. I think they don’t hate me much.

    - It’s better than when Colin introduced Kate, mum was so upset she didn’t speak to her. I would say they love you. 

     - So which one is the oldest? Is there an hierarchy I should know about?

     - I’m the oldest then Colin, Claire and finally Eloise. Eloise got married first and then Claire and Colin is living la vie boheme. 

     - And you? - he wrapped his arms around her waist

    - I’m the actress. Once Aunt Petunia or Grandma Louis gets here you’ll listen to the “the debate team champion becomes an actress kissing all those men and she’s still single” discussion. I also apologise for that in advance. 

    - Well but you are not single anymore. - Bucky leaned down to kiss her. - And I will allow you to parade me as your boyfriend. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. 

    - Ah yes, my three time three-time boxing champion boyfriend. 

    - You’re not gonna drop that, aren’t you?

    - What? It’s very alluring, gets me going.

    - Is that why you gave me an handjob at the airport, princess? - he leaned down to whisper against her ear. She felt goosebumps raise up her skin, mouth drying up as she tried to find the words. - You better have thick walls, princess. 

   - Beanie ... - her mother knocked on the door, pushing the door slightly open and sticking her head in. - We were wondering if Bucky ate meat. We bought this meat that’s not really meat and it’s vegan. I asked some of my colleagues at work to help me cook it and we made some but we can make more if Bucky wants some.

    - No, Mrs. I’m okay with anything, it’s fine. 

    - Non sense. Y/N tell Bucky he can pick what to eat. You’re American right? I’m making some chicken nuggets for the kids and Colin, I could make you some if you’d like. 

    - Mum, that’s stereotypical. 

   - Nonsense, beanie. What do you want to eat, Bucky?

   - I’ll eat whatever Y/N does, m’am. - he tried to hide the little grin as Y/N stood by his side still processing what Bucky had just said to her. - It’s fine, m’am, really. I don’t want to be a bother, I’m so grateful you and your family are okay with having me for Christmas. 

Lucy merely smiled at him as a way of saying it was no problem. Y/N knew her family, they adored to embarrass their children in front of their partners, lovers, and friends but they would adore whoever their children adored as if they belonged to the family since the dawning of time. The actress rose her head to look at her boyfriend, staring at the door like a fading vision on the desert, relaxed muscles and expression. Her hold on his hand strengthened as her head laid against his shoulder, laying a small kiss on the fabric of his shirt.

     - Do you want to go downstairs? We can stay here for a few minutes before dinner. 

     - Yeah, princess. - he snapped himself out of his state, smiling down at his caring girlfriend before following her down the stairs.

Her family had a lot of photos, some on big frames on the wall and other small ones in coffee tables and other surfaces. He couldn’t help but look at them, watching Y/N through the ages and wondering how she was. She always had that look, that inner shyness and bright eyed appearance. Most photos were school photos with that dark blue background followed by a few backstage photos of her in elaborate stage makeup and costumes. Bucky wanted a photo of her, any photo of her, to have in his wallet. Not that he would forget what she looked like, he could never forget it but he wanted to. He wanted to look at her face whenever he paid for his coffee, show people when they asked about her, he guessed he wanted to have the same pride in showing his girlfriend his father had about showing his mother. He wanted a suburban existence, no more Winter Soldier, no more Avengers, just James Barnes. Yet, he also knew he did not deserve that. No, he had taken that structure from so many people he didn’t deserve it. 

Once in the living room, there were more people, notably two kids running around the Christmas tree and two women sat by the beautifully placed table. He felt shy, not knowing exactly what to say, barely knowing these people. 

    - Ah, let me look at you. - one of the woman from the table got up and walked towards them. Bucky thought none of it, thinking it to be directed towards Y/N until the woman took him by surprise by cupping his face. - You’re just gorgeous. Nice eyes, strong features. 

     - Aunt Petunia! - Y/N took her aunt’s hands away from Bucky’s face. - Please. 

     - You know what they say about men with strong features, great lovers, great breeders.

     - Oh my god. - that’s it, she was no longer going to have a boyfriend once she got back to New York. - Bucky, this is my aunt Petunia. 

     - Nice to meet you m’am. - Bucky extended his hand to her but the woman merely pushed him towards the table.

     - I thought she was kidding when she said she was bringing someone home yet here you are. - she led both of them to side by side seats on the table. - So, Bucky have you meet Grandma Louis?

    - I’m afraid not. 

    - Look ma, Y/N brought a boyfriend home. 

   - Can we please not treat this like a world limited event?

   - Nope. - Colin sat next to Y/N. - I had a bet with Eloise you’d date a 50 year old librarian and I lost which is unfair because 100 year old soldier is almost the same. 

   - It’s not and you know it. - Eloise argued from the other side of the table. - How’s the movie, Y/N? 

   - It’s ... good. - she forced a smile, not wanting to show the same family who always wondered why unlike every of her siblings she, the debate captain and champion, had turned down the option to do Law and instead pursued an acting career. Did acting made her happy? Yes. Did the movie made her happy? No. 

   - She’s the best actress I have ever met and seen. - Bucky drew invisible circles over her palm. - Everyone’s always speechless during her takes. 

   - That’s my beanie, always the best at whatever she does. - Y/N’s father added. - Besides, one of us has to not be a lawyer. We’re starting to be known as the lawyer family. 

   - So Bucky, are you enjoying London? Have you ever been? - Claire asked while putting the bibs on her two toddlers who were still happily playing with toy cars on the table.

   - Long time ago, it’s a bit different now. 

   - Y/N should take you to see the tree in Trafalgar, it’s absolutely stunning. - Lucy added. - It’s where her father purposed. 

   - It’s where everyone purposed in this family. We need a new tradition. - Colin rolled his eyes. 

   - If it were up to you, you’d purpose in a McDonalds after coming from the pub. 

   - Shut up, Eloise. 

Bucky merely kept to himself during the dinner, replying to the questions that were thrown his way and laughing at the jokes. There was the odd questions every once and then which Y/N would normally reply to followed by telling him she was sorry which he found adorable. Normally it was him who was defensive over her, too defensive even and to see her take on the role warmed his heart. The dinner ran smoothly and soon everyone was sat on the couch by the fireplace. She was by his side, head on his shoulder as a It’s a Wonderful Life played on the television. 

The night kept going in and in until everyone decided to climb up to their respective bedrooms. Y/N turned on the heating the moment she came in, stripping onto her own cozy red pyjamas while Bucky kept inspecting her room. She had a bunch of books and programs from various West End musicals as well as a few bits of Star Wars memorabilia scattered on the shelves and a Phantom of the Opera music box on her desk. What caught his attention was the tiny miniature of a white picked fence house on her bedside table. Had she been an avid miniature collector and he didn’t know about it?

    - Hey, what’s this? - he pointed at the little house.

    - Oh ... that.

    - Is it a sore topic? I’m sorry princess, I didn’t mean to ...

    - It’s okay, Bucky. - she smiled. - It’s just a silly thing from when I was a kid. I told my mum I wanted to marry Luke Skywalker and move into a white picket fence home and she bought me it. Then I just wanted the house as I grew up but hey I live in SoHo, the best I can do is get another one of those

   - You want a white picket fence house?

   - It’s silly. - she hide her head as a familiar heat climbed up to her cheeks. Bucky placed the miniature back where it was, walking up to her. 

   - It’s not silly. I like picket white fence houses too, princess.

   - You do?

   - Yeah. One of my cousins had one when I was a kid and I always envisioned one for myself. 

  - Did you? 

  - Yeah and then I met you and I thought screw the home, as long as I get to come home everyday to you we could be living in a cardboard home but if you want a white picked fence house than I’ll give you one.

  - Buck ...

  - I’m not kidding. - he smiled at her. - We’ll live wherever you’d like and every single day we’ll come back home to each other and I will pretend I’m not tired so I can stay up and look at you smiling at those TV show reruns you like so much.

  - You like them too. - she added. 

  - Maybe but until then ... - he walked up to his bag removing an worn out big navy blue box. - You can have this. 

taglist: @disasterbii​​ @lookiamtrying​​ @buckysteveloki-me​​ @americasass81​​ @jamesbarnesappreciationclub​​ @lostinthebeans​​ @mariahthelioness29​​ @buckyandsebastian​​ @peaches-roses-sins​​ @theadorasabditory​​ @sipsteacasually​​ @saiyanprincessswanie​​ @booktease21​​ @noiralei​​ @learisa​​ @everythingisoverratedbutgreat​​ @uglipotata72829​​ @naturalthrone22​​ @husherstan​​ @mandiiblanche​​ @vicmc624​​ @newyorkgoddess​​ @itsallyscorner​​ @chipilerendi​​ @emzd34​​ @writerwrites​​ @bluevxnus​​ @that-girl-named-alex​​ @captnrogers​​ @nsfwsebbie​​ @sarge-barnes-sir​​

[daiseukiis]

: ̗̀➛𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆

𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙞 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙘𝙝𝙞 ?

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

─꒱ in which we peak into how jujutsu kaisen characters handle their child on a daily basis。

─꒱ feat. gojo satoru, fushiguro megumi, kugisaki nobara & itadori yuji

─꒱ warnings ; none

─꒱ notes ; suddenly i’m having jjk as parents brain rot after a night of reading megumi smut

─꒱ JJK AS PARENTS PART TWO

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

─── ➴ GOJO SATORU

꒰꒰ he’s a great dad trust me, spoils his child like no one’s business. you want the entire set of the haikyuu manga and crunchyroll premium? give him five minutes to purchase them. want front row tickets to see nct in korea? yeah, he’ll get it for them and thats plane tickets on first class

꒰꒰ but don’t get me wrong,,, he’s a doting father but sometimes it might be just too much.

꒰꒰ for starters, mans gotta know where their kid's heading on a daily basis. gotta shot him a text that heading to shibuya with your friends or taking a flight to okinawa or hokkaido. he just wants them to be safe !!

꒰꒰ expect him to text his kid almost every time he’s out buying anything. he’d be all the way in osaka, they're in class they will randomly get a text from him if they want uncle rikuro cheese cake or kuidaore taro pudding.

꒰꒰ not to mention !!! he will text you it’s an emergency and they have to call him, a matter of life or death situation. knowing he’s a shaman, he could die but there’s like a percentage of a chance that could happen, it's percentage rivals how fast he can activate his expansion domain. which isn’t much. but when they pick up the phone, he’s just gonna ask the. which top would look better or say there’s a hot deal for these sweets across the street and if they wanna go

꒰꒰ his favourite thing to do it probably embarrass his kid in front of their friends. maybe. yeah. baby pictures and all

꒰꒰ if he has a daughter his father radar is SO high. a boy gives even a glance her way, he will probably threathen them. spoils her with so much it even HURTS to look at his bank account but he's rich so ;;; takes her out shopping and half his camera roll is photos of her or selfies of them

꒰꒰ if it's a guy, he will cheer him on every time a girl confesses his love for his son. probably even gives him condoms and tips but you didn't hear that from me. with no doubt gloat to his students how amazing and manly his son is, takes him out on missions when he wants and goes sweet store hopping with him

꒰꒰ if his child returns home crying for whatever reason, a boy broke her heart or someone beat their kid up for doing the right thing;; bitch gojo is gon beat the shit outta them no cap

꒰꒰ he's the dad every teacher flirts with at parent teacher conferences, and the dad every girl in the friend with has a crush on

─── ➴ FUSHIGURO MEGUMI

꒰꒰ amazaing dad, but probably should work more on the expressing it to his kid area

꒰꒰ he won't spoil them rotten like gojo, but if he sees its something that they truly want and sees that it's of use or valuable, he will get it for them because he wants to see his kid smile

꒰꒰ he's not big on affection, probably a hug time to time and an appreciation pat on the head. if his kid falls he would just crouch down and ask if they need a hand, or is their baby girl starts crying he'll pick her up into his arms and pat his head

꒰꒰ if he has a daughter he would be reluctant to go shopping with her, but he does like the fact that his kid is smiling and showing him her outfits. he better have a say as well if there's an attire that shows to much skin, he just wants the best for his girl. if a boy looks her way with a look, he will emit an aura enough for the boy to piss his pants

꒰꒰ if his kid is a boy, you bet hes gonna teach his son to beat up half the delinquents up the area too ‼ he has so much trust in his son, they would spar sometimes and he would take him on to missions. he sucks at giving advice, probably around the words of 'just be yourself?' he won't show it but he's cheering for you

꒰꒰ he's a chill dad, if their kid ever forgets anything at home and he's off to drop it off at school, he would be a bit reluctant cuz why did they forget it to begun with, but he's gonna do it anyways <3 the one parent that everyone calls pretty

꒰꒰ he'll text his kid basic and short messages, a how's your day or do you want anything from here kinda texts when he's out on missions. he wants to be sure that you're given enough space to be yourself within his reach

꒰꒰ fushiguro screams like the type of dad that would have a family photo in his wallet. i just find that cute and UGGH yes <3

꒰꒰ if his kid comes home crying, he's going to immediately comfort them. bad test or shitty day, he's gonna be slightly awkward but he'll take them out for their favourite food or arcade

꒰꒰ he's also the typa dad that will check up on you before he goes to bed or when he comes back from a mission, when you're all asleep just to make sure you're safe

─── ➴ KUGISAKI NOBARA

꒰꒰ listen,,, listen, kugisaki is a bad bitch mother and it radiates that energy

꒰꒰ if she has a kid, she's gonna raise them to be the baddest bitch in all of tokyo, in all of japan if all i care. she gives her kids credit for even trying to beat gojo up, but if they can't she's still gonna be happy if they tell her they kicked a guy's kneecaps in for taking their lunch money

꒰꒰ a little reckless, her parenting methods are a bit questionable but like its kugisaki here, she does whatever the hell she wants. her kid falls to the ground? don't cry pussy, get up you're better than this

꒰꒰ kugisaki's that mother who probably buys take out food every friday, or takes her kids out to a mf buffet only to tell them to pay for her because she gave birth to their ungrateful asses

꒰꒰ she's the most chill mother out there, all her kids' friends probably want to be adopted by her because she's fun and knows how to kick ass

꒰꒰ if she has a daughter, definitely wants them to be famous instead of a shaman. she wants to see her kid rocking those magazines or fuckin it up in movies or j-dramas, so she got rights to stroll through the red carpet as the most beautiful mother

꒰꒰ if she has a son, definitely will end up making him into a loyal, bad boy who knows how to drink his respect women juice on a daily basis. the son who also get absolutely wrecked by his own mother in smash bros. doesn't matter how old kugisaki is, she would still be able to beat her son even if he's a first grade shaman

꒰꒰ if her kids come home crying, i bet you she'll only scold them. she'll ask why the hell you crying over this guy/girl, they're way low of the standards and are not even it. she would convince them that they're so much better (?) to make them feel good about themselves. and then she'll probably head lock the kid to crush on a better person

꒰꒰ she's the type of mother who wouldn't sit down to talk to her kid often, sometimes she also socks at communicate like fushiguro but at least she knows it. she would be the type that would comfort her kid by bring food ( typical asian parent shit tsk iykyk )

꒰꒰ she's also that type of mother when they tell her that someone makes fun of something to the point that their kid is broken by it, she will get out that car and pick at fight with the kids, and then wipe their ass on the floor, and the mop the deck with their parents

─── ➴ ITADORI YUJI

꒰꒰ this man is the personification of a fun, chill and laid-back father

꒰꒰ he would be the dad that would wake their kid up in the morning so they're not late, pack their food or bring food to their school if they forgot to bring any

꒰꒰ he doesn't really spoil his kid, but you bet he'll take them to fun places like arcades, escape rooms and even go street food binging. definitely would have a movie marathon too

꒰꒰ if he's back from a mission early and near the school his kid goes too, you bet he's going to catch them by the end of school just to walk home with them and take about his mission

꒰꒰ he's the kind of dad that wouldn't mind if they're swearing around the house, but they gotta watch their mouth still, he doesn't want them to be as bad as sailor nor does he want them picking up nasty habits

꒰꒰ if his kid is a girl, he will give her space and room for anything, be it needing some time alone after a bad test or constantly wanting to go out with her friends to get her mind off things that he might not be able to fix. he doesn't mind going shopping, definitely would give an opinion to any outfits with a thumbs up. takes pictures with his daughter on any shenanigans they do together and send them to his group chat with kugisaki and fushiguro

꒰꒰ having a boy, he would want to play sports with them and go on missions. sometimes they would go to the arcade to try the punching game to see who has the highest and then bet the lower pays for food after. he likes giving advice, even though it won't be helpful or will be, he's gonna say it either in hopes that it'll be brought up in their head in any moment they're in

꒰꒰ he's the type of dad that has a selfie of him and his kid as a lockscreen i jUST KNOW IT

꒰꒰ if his kid comes home crying he will be so worried. like whats wrong, what happened, who hurt you, does he have to punch someone?! he's going to pull them into his arms and take them out for food, maybe even a walk. he's they type to want to cheer them up no matter the situation, and probably when they're all good and dandy, he will personally talk to solve the root of the problem behind their back

꒰꒰ when there's something to be settled, i bet you that they settle it with a game of rock-paper-scissors out five ‼‼

─── ➴ SUKUNA ( BONUS )

꒰꒰ what makes you think this man wanted a child, if he did have one ; probably either got it killed during the heian era or he killed it for his superiority complex </3

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

DO NOT REPOST 、 MODIFY 、 CLAIM WORK OR LAYOUT AS YOURS.

© MGUQIIS 、 2020

[corvus--rex]

Semi-abandoned soulmate au. I actually started this one before The Sound of Color, although this is vastly different from that one. This particular au also doesn't have the requirement that soulmates are always romantic (ie Pidge and their soulmate). It jumps around a little, and those sections are marked with dividers. Soulmate strangers-to-lovers. . .

~*~*~*~

Soulmarks. Everyone had one. An indelible mark that bound two people together. Age 13 was when it would start. The mark “waking up” as some called it, and reaching out for its companion mark. Most soulmates were within a few years of each other, so the lingering tingle of a mark searching for its mate usually didn’t last long.

Lance was lucky that way. His mark sprang to life on his thirteenth birthday and quieted three months later. There was no way to know who or where his soulmate was at that point, but he knew they were three months younger than him. He had been getting ready for school that day when the constant tingle in his mark faded.

He’d always liked the quarter note-shaped mark on the inside of his left wrist. What confused him were the numbers that circled it. No two marks were the same, and Lance knew that his soulmate would have something different. But those numbers confused him. 1030211933. Trying to figure it out was a favorite pastime throughout middle and high school, but he never could get there. He hadn’t met his soulmate yet, but he hoped that it would make sense when he did.

Once two marks found each other, the secondary connection opened. The marks on the soul allowed for marks on the body. Words, doodles, full-blown artwork. Drawing or writing on skin would appear on a connected soulmate. Once Lance’s mark had connected, the first thing he did was ask his soulmate about the numbers. They didn’t know either. But he did find out that his soulmate’s mark sat on their right hip, it was a feather, and they didn’t have those numbers but they did have a series of roman numerals along the feather’s shaft that read:

X X X X X X I X I X X X X I I I

They continued to talk for years, learning about each other. They had decided not to share identifying information like names or location, but Lance knew that his soulmate had a twin and that their parents had adopted their cousin when their cousin’s parents died in an accident. They didn’t know anything about the accident because they’d been too young at the time and no one had explained it since. Lance told them that he had three siblings, that he was a twin, too, and that his older sister connected with her soulmate the same day he had.

He lay in his bed in the dorm he shared with his best friend Hunk, rereading the last message his soulmate had sent him about how college sucked and how they already had an in-class performance a month into the semester. He’d responded with a note about how trying to balance classes with rehearsals as the lead in his school’s fall musical was kicking his ass. Lance already knew that his soulmate was studying music at a college close to where they grew up. And they knew that he was majoring in theatre at a college a three-hour drive from home.

Hunk trudged into their dorm room and threw himself onto his bed. “Remind me again why I decided this was a good idea?” he groaned.

“Which part?” Lance asked in return.

“The part where I decided to be a pastry chef and subject myself to the hell that is the one professor I can’t get away from?”

“Because you love baking and always have and one asshole can’t make you hate doing what you love.”

“I swear she just likes to terrorize us. There’s that guy I told you about – Sal, the one I had a class with freshman year and he transferred to general culinary and now he’s back – she hates him. And I don’t know why. But then, she hates me, too. Pretty sure it’s that bun. It’s so tight she doesn’t need a face lift. But I’m also convinced that Chef Dayak is just evil.”

“Hey, at least you have Shay there with you. Not everyone gets to have their soulmate in class with them all day,” Lance pointed out.

“How’s it with yours?” Hunk asked.

“We’re working our way up to talking about meeting. I know I wanted to wait until after graduation, but I’m getting impatient, y’know? It’s been eight years and I don’t want to wait anymore. But I get that they do. So…yeah. Anyway,” he said, shaking himself out of that particular spiral, “You going to the Halloween party this year?”

“Dude! It’s a month away!”

Lance sat up, turning to his best friend, one eyebrow arched. “Seriously? You say this like there’s such a thing as too early. And no, it’s only three weeks. We need to start now.”

Hunk groaned again, this time in only partial exasperation, and sat up. “Fine. The fuck are you planning this year?”

Lance just laughed. Hunk threw a pillow at him, collapsing in his own fit of giggling when a startled Lance took the pillow directly to the face. Lance’s alarm sounded, loud and annoying. He groaned, throwing Hunk’s pillow back, and fumbled for his phone to turn the blaring sound off.

“Fuck me. I have to get to rehearsal.”

In an apartment just off campus, Keith stopped playing and pulled the pencil out of his hair, making yet another correction to his scribbled sheet music. He started over, again, ignoring the key in the door and his roommate coming back in. He ignored their slight form dropping their overpacked backpack on the floor and throwing themselves onto the other end of the couch with their laptop and notebook. Keith was too focused on his music to pay much attention to Pidge.

Except that Pidge wanted his attention right then. “Hey. Asshole,” they said, throwing a ball of notebook paper at him.

“Yes, hellspawn?” he asked casually, setting his guitar on its stand by the couch, “What the fuck do you want?”

“I’m on the committee for the party. You’re coming,” they said while typing away on their laptop.

“No. I’m not. I don’t go to parties, and you know it. Why the fuck are you so determined for me to go?”

Pidge looked up, fixing him with their stare. “Because I said so. And because Matt’s going to be there. His girlfriend’s going too. You actually like Neve. So you’re going.”

“Including you, that’s three people I’d be willing to talk to. Why should I bother?” he stopped, a dreaded thought sparking as to why they were so hellbent on his going to the party. “It’s because it’s a week after my birthday, isn’t it?”

“What? You mean that thing you ignore every year except for the proliferation of doodles from your soulmate? Why would that have anything to do with it?”

“I'm still not going,” Keith insisted.

“We’ll see about that,” Pidge answered cryptically. They went back to their laptop, typing furiously. They stayed that way, ignoring Keith’s death glare until he gave up and went back to his music.

Eventually, Keith decided that the music portion of his brain was fried and gave up for the night. Pidge was buried in their laptop, writing a paper for their robotics class at top speed. Ignoring them for the moment, Keith opened his own laptop, going back to the English assignment he still hadn’t finished. It was due by the next class, which was two days away, but he’d been putting it off for longer than that. He typed lazily at it for a while before a horrible thought hit him and he realized that his previous assessment had been wrong. He glared up at Pidge over his screen.

“She’s going, isn’t she?” he asked.

“Who?” Pidge asked back, pretending they didn’t know what he meant.

“You know who.”

“If you’re referring to your sister, then yes, she is.”

Keith sighed. “Just because she knows who her soulmate is now, that doesn’t mean that you’re right. Mine could be literally anyone.”

Pidge closed their laptop. “And you’re in denial. I can not believe that your twin sister happens to have a soulmate who has a younger brother who is also a twin and his soulmate has a twin. The odds of that happening are so small as to be inconceivable! Not to mention the part where Acxa’s soulmate and her brother both connected with theirs on the same day.”

“Ok, I’ll give you that it’s weird. But you don’t know anything about Acxa’s soulmate’s siblings, and neither does she. And not everyone’s met theirs yet. You haven’t! All you know is their handle on Steam!”

“So? I also know that Beezer’s on the other side of the country. I know that we won’t get to meet in person until after graduation. All I'm saying is that this is a little too weird to be a coincidence.”

“And I’m not going to let you harass my sister’s soulmate about her siblings on the day they’re meeting face to face for the first time. Leave it alone, Pidge.”

“Fine,” they said, going back to their paper.

Keith knew full well that Pidge would not leave it alone, but there was only so much he could do to stop them.

A few days later, Lance dragged his twin sister, Hunk, and Shay to the nearest Halloween pop-up costume store. None of them had found anything they liked, and Lance was getting bored. Shay had wandered off to the decoration part of the store, and Hunk was making sure the twins didn’t get into trouble. But Hunk had gotten briefly distracted and lost them.

“Jules no.” Ah, there was Lance.

“Jules yes.” And his sister.

“Are you two still arguing?” Hunk asked as he approached the twins.

“Hunk,” Lance said, putting his hands on Hunk’s shoulders, “She wants us to be the Wonder Twins again. I absolutely refuse. We did that once when we were like nine.” He felt something hit his back and whipped around to find his sister holding a Wonder Twins costume. “Ana Julieta Alameda-McClain, get that fucking thing away from me.”

“Oh, fine. You’re no fun,” Jules pouted. She put it back, then turned around, spotting something else. “Ooh! Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch?”

“What the fuck – no! I’m never going Halloween shopping with you again. You’re on your own,” Lance said, wandering off and taking Hunk with him.

Hunk was laughing. “Why do you keep letting her do this, dude?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, I say we go over to The Costume Company. I think I’m done with mass-produced crap.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll go find Shay and meet up with you two at the car,” Hunk agreed, heading in the direction he’d last seen Shay.

Lance reluctantly went back to his sister. “We’re going to The Costume Company,” he said without getting her attention.

“Hm? Ok,” Jules answered, not paying attention to her twin.

“Bye, then.” He started to leave without her, getting halfway down the aisle of the Halloween pop-up before she realized what he’d said.

“Lance! Get back here, you ass!” she yelled after him.

He ignored her as payback for her insistence on twin costumes and kept going. She chased him all the way to his car, where Hunk and Shay were already waiting. Lance finally lost his composure, cracking up when he reached his waiting friends.

“Leandro. Alejandro. Alameda. McClain. I am going to kill you,” Jules growled while out of breath from chasing him.

“No you won’t,” he said, “Mamá would kill you in return.”

Shay saw her opportunity and took it. “Shotgun!” she announced, hopping into the passenger seat.

“Shay, I love you,” Hunk said, getting in behind Lance, effectively separating the twins.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Acxa, just promise me you won’t give in to Pidge. They’re being totally insufferable with this,” Keith said. He lay on his bed, earbuds connected to the call he was on with his twin.

“You know me better than that. Gremlin won’t get shit out of me. And she’s not getting anywhere near V at the party."

~*~*~*~

Links to the rest of the series:

1 | 2 | 3* | 4 | 5* | 6* | 7 | 8 | 9* | 10 | 11 | 12* | 13 | 14 | 15* | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19*

[the-writing-mill]

assassin au with the "making a deal to save the other" and jangobi?

Okay, this one’s actually even a bit longer than the other one, so it’s going under a read more lol

Jango is a merc/bounty hunter/assassin guy, Obi-Wan is an information broker with an editing cover job and a “rental property” to embezzle money

These two have never met, and have no idea about each other’s identities beyond knowing their underground reputations, until Jango is hired to assassinate Obi-Wan’s little brother, Anakin

Obi-Wan is visiting Anakin for the weekend on the day of the planned assassination, and notices things are a little off, setting off all of his learned criminal world/underground alarms

(Anakin, btw, is a part time mechanic, part time engineering student. Obi-Wan has very carefully kept the boy out of his world since becoming Anakin’s official guardian after their adoptive father, Qui-Gon Jinn, died in an accident)

Obi-Wan gets paranoid enough after spending an evening with Anakin that he fakes a pillow body in the guest room and sets himself up in the living room to guard

This is somewhat fortunate for him when an apparent burglar (who moves much too professionally and dangerously) breaks in through a window near silently

Jango barely has half a second of realizing something’s up before being side tackled

The fight is pretty intense, if odd for being so quiet, since they both coincidentally don’t want Anakin to wake up (at some point Obi-Wan manages to get Jango’s ski mask off)

In the end, Obi-Wan ends up pinned under Jango, hands restrained above his head, knife against his throat, straddled

Jango grumbles sardonically about how Obi-Wan couldn’t make Jango’s job easier and just sleep through the night and call the police in the morning, tipping Obi-Wan off to the man being there for Anakin instead of him

Obi-Wan is, of course, a self-sacrificing idiot and gets Jango’s attention by wondering out loud about what a small-time mechanic going through school could have done to get a high-level assassin sent after him

(Jango’s plan, as Obi-Wan has figured out, was to stage a break in/burglary and wake Anakin up and kill him in the resulting “fight” to make it look like the burglar had killed Anakin in the heat of the moment)

With the man under him clearly having figured out too much, Jango decides he’ll have to kill him too, but first thinks it’s worth learning what gave him away

There’s a bit of back and forth until Obi-Wan is able to piece together who exactly Jango is (should his assassin name be Mythosaur? I think that would be fun and the “myth” bit can refer to his work being so subtle and Jango being such an unknown outside of his assassin rep)

Now, someone figuring out exactly who Jango is an even bigger no-no, so Jango goes right for the kill

Jango doesn’t manage to kill Obi-Wan before Obi-Wan offers a deal (didn’t think I’d take “making a deal to save the other” this way, did you?)

Jango’s pressing a blade into Obi-Wan’s neck enough to draw blood but finds himself intrigued enough to let the man talk for another few seconds (Obi-Wan really is quite the negotiator)

Obi-Wan offers free information for life, basically, and to be support for a set number of missions a year. In exchange, Jango won’t kill Anakin and will let Obi-Wan find Jango’s client and kill the client to nullify the contract (and prevent Jango’s rep from being tarnished)

It’s an utterly absurd proposal but also clearly made with knowledge of the underground, so Jango of course asks who Obi-Wan thinks he is to make that kind of offer

Jango finds himself reluctantly impressed by Obi-Wan’s identity (I have no idea what his underworld identity is, but I don’t it to be “The Negotiator”) and finds himself considering the deal, which Obi-Wan catches onto and he manages to convince Jango

(Part of the final deal includes the fact that Jango technically has two more months per his contract to carry out the hit. If Obi-Wan can’t find the client by then, Jango will kill Anakin anyways. Obi-Wan is desperately confident that he can do it, despite Jango having basically zero info beyond the contract and a clearly shell company in Hong Kong to wire the money to)

Jango gets Obi-Wan to give him a glut of information over the next few weeks, to the point of them spending a few hours in a private booth/room in a very private club so Obi-Wan can safely give it all to him. Obi-Wan is both desperate to meet expectations and tries his best; and is also very annoyed at getting pulled away from hunting down who’s trying to kill Anakin and therefore sasses Jango quite a bit.

Obi-Wan is really having trouble figuring out who wants to kill Anakin, finally giving in and starting from the other end, Anakin himself. Why would someone want to kill Anakin? Specifically why would the sort of person who can find and hire Jango want to kill Anakin? This is in some ways even harder to figure out, but Obi-Wan has many more leads and information to access

After a few weeks of this dynamic, the first change is when Jango and Obi-Wan end up complaining about a mutual acquaintance during an info drop off, which leads to more mutual bitching

Then Jango drags Obi-Wan across the country (we’re just going to assume we were in like… NYC or Chicago before) to assist him in another assassination in LA

Obi-Wan is somewhat tempted to get Jango caught, since that would be an easy way to save Anakin, but decides against it for multiple reasons (including a few that he will not yet acknowledge, including developing fondness for Jango and, even worse, the first few seeds of trust)

So instead of going to prison, Jango returns from a smooth assassination to an already half-drunk Obi-Wan, shirt very scandalously unbuttoned halfway down

The have a nice night of just drinking and relaxing and then wake up the next morning curled around each other in bed (they didn’t have sex, as the lack of certain types of soreness and their clean, still on, pants from the night before prove. But they still have the knowledge and a few sensations of sleeping together with their guards down)

When they get back, things are a little awkward, but it’s fine, they’re professionals, so they’ll keep meeting to keep up their deal. Obi-Wan keeps giving Jango any info he wants, and they keep accidentally falling back into their habits of doing things like complaining about mutual acquaintances who annoy them

Obi-Wan is also making some headway with investigating who wants to kill Anakin, finding many questionable decisions on Anakin’s part, especially regarding friends/social circle, but not anyone who would be able to hire Jango that would dislike Anakin

With about a week and a half left, and leads running out, Obi-Wan starts to freak out a little, which Jango notices, which in turn makes Jango realize that he doesn’t like Obi-Wan being stressed out and afraid and tense and looking at Jango like he’s a cat about to pounce on a wounded canary

But Jango also puts work before all else so when he has another job (coincidentally in the same city), Jango drags Obi-Wan with him, unfortunately making the mistake to literally bring Obi-Wan with him

When Jango starts cursing about the job going to hell part way through a shoot-out, Obi-Wan casually comments that it’s not even that bad, prompting a sass battle between the two of them while they’re still fighting their actual opponents where Jango realizes that Obi-Wan, as brilliant as he is, has the worst on-the-ground luck ever

In the end, they win, with a very damaged, limping vehicle that they, for handwavey reasons, need to get to some spot that the car won’t make it to as is. Thus, they have to go slide into the mechanic shop Anakin’s working the graveyard shift for

Obi-Wan really does hate, in many ways, finally having his two worlds collide, bringing Jango and the shot-out car directly to Anakin, and is almost distracted from how bad he feels about it when Jango tries to comfort him

Jango is, thankfully, a very good actor, and Anakin is a bit oblivious. He very easily starts clumsily probing Jango about what Obi-Wan and Jango quickly figure out Anakin thinks is a romantic relationship between them (and, to be fair, Obi-Wan has been acting strange, and spending much more time “with a friend” in the past two months or so)

At some point, Obi-Wan gets so uncomfortable with the idea that he and Jango are in a romantic relationship that he makes what is, to him and Jango, a mistake, and draws attention to the bullet holes again

Jango vaguely looks like he wants to kill Obi-Wan while Anakin casually explains it’s not that big of a deal, although he might have to find a better patch if this sort of thing keeps happening

This stops any murder plans Jango was making, and any counter plans Obi-Wan was making in favor of carefully probing Anakin to figure out when else he had fixed a bullet ridden car

Anakin reveals pretty easily that his engineering school’s dean, Sidney Palpatine (Sidney=Sid-=Sidious lol) had dropped in about two and a half months ago with a car in similar condition. As well as a few other people that Anakin describes well enough for Jango and Obi-Wan to identify as members of a local crime organization and a private army (like Blackwater/Academi), as well as mention a weird package in the trunk

This is clearly the who and why for Jango getting hired to assassinate Anakin, but they both play it cool until Anakin’s done and they can go on their way to drop off the vehicle

Cue Obi-Wan having a panic attack, which freaks Jango out quite a bit, since he’s so used to Obi-Wan being very calm and controlled and not showing vulnerability. Obi-Wan even gets outwardly angry

Cue Jango’s “oh. Oh.” moment

Jango basically drags a near catatonic Obi-Wan back to the apartment he’s been staying in and drugs him to sleep (in Jango’s mind, if Obi-Wan was too out of it to notice a drugged drink, then he clearly had no more business staying awake)

By the time Obi-Wan wakes up and starts panicking, less than yesterday (thanks to a good night’s sleep), Jango has some basic information on the legal and illegal lives of Palpatine, and a few half-formed assassination plans

Jango also has toast. Which he makes Obi-Wan eat. Obi-Wan grumps about not having been forced to eat breakfast since he was a teen. Cue a small sassy back and forth that further calms Obi-Wan down

Jango offers to kill Palpatine for free, which startles Obi-Wan because that is not how the criminal underworld works. Jango half-heartedly puts forth some logic about how Obi-Wan succeeding with their deal means that Jango gets to keep the best information broker on his side. Obi-Wan can tell that that isn’t all, and recognizes that Jango is probably being kind, but won’t outright admit it

They eventually decide on a plan where Anakin will bring Obi-Wan with him to go visit dean Palpatine who he’s friends with, and that Obi-Wan will bring some poisoned tea in a travel to mug to share. Anakin will refuse the tea, being Anakin, and Obi-Wan and Palpatine will both drink the poison. Obi-Wan will have the antidote (either disguised as something innocuous or to be taken during a bathroom break) and cure himself before there are any symptoms, leaving Palpatine to die of what will look like a natural heart attack

The plan goes awry, due to Kenobi luck, when Anakin accidentally has them barge in while Palpatine is meeting with another criminal. Cue a fight in the office, a secret passage, and more criminals to fight while Jango scrambles to get to the new location to help

Obi-Wan manages to actually word his way into delaying their defeats and deaths until Jango gets there. Jango manages to take out about half of the enemies before he gets defeated/captured as well

At this point Obi-Wan tries to make a deal again, to save Anakin and Jango. It seems to work/Palpatine seems interested, only for him to pull the rug out and basically say he’ll be either killing all three or making them wish they were dead, including some conjecture about Obi-Wan’s looks (aka sexual slavery)

Cue Jango getting incensed enough to break free again and start fighting again. He gets to Obi-Wan, frees him, and thus ensues a battle couple take down from the cheesiest of action flicks

In the end, Palpatine is the last one standing. Before either of them (or Anakin, who is beginning to get over his shock) can kill Palpatine, he runs away. Jango, Obi-Wan, and a confused Anakin give chase, stopping at the end of an alley as they realize that Palpatine has been hit by a bus

Jango and Obi-Wan drag Anakin through a convoluted path back to Obi-Wan’s apartment and confirm that, yes, Palpatine died. Jango and Obi-Wan quickly confirm that there’s nothing linking them to the crime scene (Palpatine had told his secretary that Anakin and Obi-Wan had left out the back when he realized he was going to have to kill them, giving them an alibi)

Obi-Wan and Jango tell Anakin a mostly true story and prod Anakin to decide to go back to [insert some place here] and live with some half-distant bio relatives (the Lars family), maybe finish his degree online

Cut to a few months later, Obi-Wan is reading an update text from Anakin before Jango comes into the room. Obi-Wan gives him a good luck kiss before sending Jango out to his job, reminding him that “I’ve always got your back”, Jango responds in kind, Obi-Wan accepts this/informs Jango that he knows before letting Jango drag him into another kiss

[mayisani]

Timmy & Y/N podcast

A/N: Thank you so much for all the love on California Sun. Hope you enjoy this new imagine. I was inspired by listening to podcasts so I decided to write one about if timmy had a podcast with y/n. I’m also thinking about making this a series which will basically will just be them talking about different topics. Send in requests if you like. Anyways hope you’ve had a lovely day and enjoy reading. 💕

Warning: Mentions of sex, fluff, cuss words

Word Count: 1692

Update Part 2 OUT NOW!

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

During quarantine you had been quarantining with Timothée your Manhattan apartment. Which you were very grateful that had already been living together. You both laid in bed cuddling each other and your two bunnies that you had recently adopted right before lockdown.

“What if we did start a podcast I mean we have more than enough time on our hands. Plus, we can donate the money to Charities. And it will let us be more connected to everyone. I’ve already talked to my team and they think it’s a great idea. So, I’m a go.”

You looked over completely at him having the biggest smile on your face. “Wait you’re being serious right now?! I mean you know this is what I’ve been wanting and talking about for some time now.”

A couple of days later

Timmy had just finish setting up all the podcast equipment.

“Okay so I’ll post about this podcast on my twitter and Instagram and you can post on your socials.”

“Sounds perfect.”

You walked out to the balcony and started posting on Twitter and Instagram saying that you’ll be starting a podcast with Timmy soon to be able to raise more money apart from what you’re already able to donate. You walked back into the room and saw Timmy sitting down ready to record. You sat down next to him and put on headphones. Timmy started recording.

“Hey guys it’s Timothée.”

“And Y/N, and welcome to the podcast.”

“We’re live from New York. So, I know many of you are probably very confused right now on why we’re starting a podcast out of nowhere. Mainly because we’re both pretty private people. But we know we’re going through hard times so we wanted to raise money for charity so we are able to donate more.”

“Yes, this is all for a very good cause plus we thought it’d be a good time to connect with you guys since that’s what you’ve all been asking for so we’re now finally going to deliver. Also thank you for getting us trending on twitter.”

“Well this mainly going to just be a co-existing podcast so don’t expect much from us. But I do want to thank you all for being overall pretty respectful about my relationship with Y/N.”

“A lot of you have been wondering how Timmy and I meet. That was about 5 years ago we meet out in Seattle which was basically destiny because as you know neither of us live or have lived in Seattle. We were there randomly traveling I was with my best friend and Timmy was there with his sister Pauline.”

“Yea I was there with Pauline since she was out there doing a film she was working on at the time. I was basically dragged there because I didn’t want to go not because I didn’t want to be with Pauline but because I had some stupid party. And honestly, I don’t even know why I wanted to go I mean I didn’t even know the people who were hosting it I just heard about it through Ansel. But anyways getting back on track Pauline convinced me and I ended up going with her to Seattle.”

“So, if you’re listening thank you Pauline thank you for dragging your stubborn brother along.”

“Hey I’m not stubborn…” You let out a chuckle “Okay okay maybe I am a little stubborn.”

“We basically met through Pauline because she saw me at some restaurant and I guess loved my look for her film which I don’t know why. But she took me over to the hotel she was staying at to talk about the film and then Timmy comes into the room and he basically was just staring at me the entire time.”

“I mean what do you expect I was just coming back from eating at some small shop in Pike Place Market and I walk into my hotel room and see a stunning woman.”

“Honestly Timmy was not scared to talk to me at all. He was very upfront well we both were.”

“I mean I don’t really believe in playing hard to get I mean what’s the point in that if you like each other go for it you’re not going to win anything for it.”

“So, after that we became friends pretty quickly we got into a serious relationship.”

“I mean I knew I wanted to be with you since the moment I walked into the hotel and I didn’t want to waste precious time or risk losing you to some dude.” You were blushing bright red being touched by his sweet words.

“Okay so now that you basically know how we met I’m going to look at some questions that I screenshotted and ask to Timmy.” You turned on your phone and looked at the questions.

Username1: Why was your relationship so private for quite some time.

“Well at the time I was starting off as an actor we were already very serious. But at the time I honestly thought it wasn’t that important. Our relationship was an if you know you know situation. And we could have stayed like that for a longer time but about a year ago or two I really started to blow up everyone was seeing my work which I will forever be grateful for don’t get me wrong. But the reason I decided to confirm it publicly was because Y/N was getting a lot of hate and death threats. And I of course didn’t want to cause any more pain to her. I mean I’m madly in love with this girl, I don’t want to be the reason for her unsafety and pain. But I’m grateful that once I confirmed everything, things started to calm down. Y/N was no longer seen in a bad light or some random girl.”

“Those were very tough times but I always had Timmy with me so it made things bearable. And once people starting seeing me for me I gained a lot of love, support, and respect which is more than I expected that I’d get but I’m grateful that I did.”

Timmy grabbed your phone and read out the next question

Username2: What relationship advice do you give?

“Well firstly I think it’s very important to have trust. Don’t build your relationship on lies that’s a horrible foundation. I mean Timmy knows basically everything about me and likewise. I’ll be peeing and he’ll be shaving there’s no boundaries in our relationship really. We tell everything to each other we’re very close.”

“Definitely trust is important in a relationship but I know what I’m going to say isn’t going to be the best advice but personally for me I knew Y/N was who I’d wanted to be with. I mean within a month into our relationship I knew I wanted to move on with her, marry her, and start a family. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that if you can see all that with the person you’re seeing then you have a good relationship.”

“Here’s another one”

Username3: How often should you have sex in relationships?

You quickly became very quiet so Timothée took over the question.

“I’ll probably only be answering this question since Y/N is over here blushing. But it has a simple answer whenever you both feel like having sex. If you both want it, then you’re good and one if you don’t then you’re not good why because consent is everything.”

“I mean if you want to fuck then fuck there’s not much stopping you.”

“Look at y/n finally joining the conversation but yup in conclusion have sex whenever you both want to.”

Username4: Do you guys want any kids?

“Funny thing so we recently got bunnies two to be exact we named them clouds and moon. So, he’s seen my motherly side and this has caused him to constantly be like Y/N let’s have a baby. And of course, I want to have kids but right now is not the best time to have kids.”

“Well I know it’s not the best times but I really do want kids and I always have and always will want kids. I know kids isn’t for everyone but it is something we both want so no worries it’s just we need to get timing right.”

“I think that this will be the end for this episode we will have more episodes coming out soon of course. So, thank you to everyone who stuck around and put up with this. We promise we’ll get better at this so don’t worry.”

Timmy turned off the recording equipment and put it all away.

You walked over and sat on your bed your back resting on the headboard. You got onto Instagram and went live.

“Hey guys Timmy and I just finished recording the first episode to our podcast which we’ll be naming Timmy & Y/N I know pretty original of us. But we’re excited for this new journey. So, for the next couple of hours we’ll be editing and then our podcast will be posted onto all the places where you can listen to podcasts.” Timmy was laying his head on your shoulder being silent reading all the comments.

Username5: Hi loves hope you’re both staying safe

Username6: Timothée what do you think about tik tik

Username7: Are you guys going to join tik tok

Username8: You know I’m going to watch all these episodes

Username9: Finally you show your face Timmy. Thank you Y/N

“Hey everyone thanks for all the support I promise I’ll be more active don’t worry.”

“But that’s all we’ll say for now it’s starting to get late we’re getting take out from a local restaurant tonight. Don’t forget support all your local businesses in these crazy times. Much love to everyone stay safe.”

“Bye everyone I’ll maybe go live later I’ll think about it.”

Username10: You better go live Timmy we’re starving over here

Username11: Timmy & Y/N content is the only thing that’s keeping me going

You ended the live and put your phone on your nightstand.

[rainydayhogwartsimagines]

hi do u wrote for luna lovegood ? if so can u write something fluffy 🥺? i don’t mind what it’s about i just don’t see enough for her

I feel like I need to advertise this more: I write for ANY harry potter character. Any of them. Minus Dobby... Don't be that guy.

Warnings: Gay? uh... Mostly fluff. Kind of sad at times but seriously fluffy. Set in non voldy au

You met this girl in your second year

And oh boy

Luna Lovegood.

Oh how that name alone seemed mystical to you.

She was this little thing that you just... Could never seem to get out of your head.

So much so you literally just ran into her

"I am so sorry!" You gasped.

She blinked a few times.

"Your eyes are e/c?" She asked curiously.

You blinked a few times.

"...Uhm..... Yeah?" You nodded.

"Pretty." She said in that soft voice of hers that only made you fall harder.

From that moment forth she actually sat closer to you in classes.

You thanked your lucky stars you were in the same class as her much less in the same dorm

She was always so kind and so thoughtful i general

But right now many other Ravenclaws noticed her fixation on you

This week was finals week and you were stressed.

You were slumped over your desk with your wand holding a bun in your hair

So she went down to the kitchens and brought back brownies.

You looked over and she was sitting on your bed with the plate

"You should eat." She said softly.

You blinked a couple of times.

"Where... Did you get brownies at three in the morning?" You asked

"The kitchens... The house elves were more than willing to help me" she said handing you one.

You bit into it and smiled. "They're good." You nodded.

Her heart nearly beat out of her chest looking at your smile.

"hey Luna... Thank you for helping me" you told her.

"Your smile is very pretty tonight Y/n." She said.

You chuckled and she smiled

"How come I've never... Seen you hanging out with anyone? I mean I would figure someone so kind would have a lot of friends?" You asked.

"I don't really have friends. Not many people want to know the girl who talks to herself." She shrugged

"I want to." You said

"You want to be friends?" She asked

"Yep." You nodded.

So from then on you were friends

She was shorter than you and you found this to be adorable.

But sometimes you'd be talking in the hall and you'd feel her jump on your back

First time she did that you fell over but you were laughing

But from then on you usually came to expect it.

You and her didn't really like to eat in the great hall so you sat in the astronomy tower.

She loved hanging out with you but she also loved those days where you'd get sleepy and fall asleep on her lap

She'd play with your hair and hum little songs or tunes to get you to sleep

Some times it'd be vice versa and she'd fall asleep on you

You would put your cardigan over her and read or something to pass the time

You two didn't go to quidditch games because it was just meh to you

You liked to sit near the lake and skip rocks

The summer that year was fun, the two of you hanging out

You were mesmerized by her house

"It's not much--" "This is literally the coolest thing I've ever seen"

Luna, her father and you would all sit outside sometimes and have small camp fires

Fun fact: Luna plays guitar

She has a gorgeous voice and she'll make songs up off the top of her head

You loved listening to her sing while watching the flames dance

Her father could recognize the young love in front of him

And no. He did not care that both of you were girls

Your third year started and the triwizard tournament happened

"A competition that's dangerous... Think that Harry kid will compete?" You asked

"Mmm. Probably" she nodded

You noticed sometimes she'd wave to things you couldn't see and it confused you but you never said anything

Finally one day you asked her "Luna, what are you greeting?"

"It's called a thestral... You can see them unless you've witnessed death." She said softly.

Oh... OH.

You blinked a couple of times "Uhm... L... Luna when did... When did you--"

"my mother died when I was nine. Creating spells." She said softly

You nodded. "I see."

"I'm okay though... I've got you and dad." She said with a smile

You and her were inseparable

You were in herbology and noticed a boy who just could not catch a break

So you two helped him out after he passed out in class

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Neville..." He groaned as he leaned up.

"Does this kind of thing happen frequently?" Luna asked.

"All the time." He said with a sigh.

"Well with this attitude it's not going to be fun. Think of it as a surprise power nap." You said making Luna laugh.

"...Who are you guys?" He asked.

"Y/n L/n. Luna Lovegood." You introduced.

"Right... Loony." He nodded slightly dazed.

"What?" You asked, eye slightly twitching at the nickname for Luna.

"Something Draco mentioned." He muttered.

"I'll be right back."

So you convinced the twins to give extra love to their favorite Slytherin that week

Ohhh how you enjoyed watching Draco scream like a little bitch down the halls

Neville began to hang out with you two

You loved seeing Luna make friends and be all adorable and bubbly

"So you two are a year below me?" He asked.

"Yep. We've got a hogsmeade trip coming up too." You nodded.

"excited?" Neville asked.

"Yep." Luna said with a smile

Hogsmeade was so much fun

dancing in the snow to music you two were making up on the spot

The twins meeting Luna and thinking "This girl is crazy... But I'd literally die for this girl"

She'd say something off the wall and random but you would just consider that normal while the boys would just be confused

After a while they did get used to it

The yule ball came up and you were nervous about that dance class

Mcgonagall wanted you to be in boy/girl couples but there weren't an even amount of boys to girls so you danced with Luna (thank god for what ever the twins put in Draco's food that morning)

You were trying so hard to focus but Luna was so pretty

"Hey Y/n. Wanna go to the Yule?" She asked

"With you?" You asked.

"Preferably." She nodded.

"Absolutely." You nodded

You went to the Gryffindor common room after class and screamed into a pillow for two hours

"Y/n what's up with you?" Neville asked.

"Luna asked me to the yule ball and I am FREAKING OUT."

"Oh... I'm going with Ginny do you guys want to hang out there to calm your nerves?"

You leaned up. "God. You are a God."

He laughed and so you waited for Luna at the stairs

She came down and you were mesmerized

"...Luna you're..." You gaped.

"I know it's not much" she said straightening it as she walked up to you

"Beautiful." You finally said.

You met Ginny that night and she actually thought you and Luna were adorable together

You two were smiling and blushing the whole night

But it was particularly awesome when you and her went for a walk.

She shivered and since you didn't have a jacket you just wrapped your arm around her

She smiled and you two exchanged this look that can only be described as pure beautiful love

You kissed her and she smiled even bigger

"Does this mean we're... Together?"

"I really hope so." You chuckled.

So then you two started dating

Her dad was so excited for you two, he was so happy to see Luna in love

Ginny started hanging out with you guys more and loved seeing you two together

You and Luna usually sat on the floor when you hung out

She'd sit in your lap and you'd rest your head on hers, while you listened to Neville or the twins

She loved to put flowers in your hair

She loves when she reads against a tree and your head is in her lap just smiling at her

She'll lean down and kiss you with a smile

When the twins opened their business you were excited for them

You guys met Harry during his last year and he just knew you two as "the crazy lesbian witches"

He didn't hate you two or anything, it was just something you two were known as?

He met you when you two were hanging out with the twins and Ginny

He didn't recognize you two and asked who you were

You answered him while Luna was sticking flowers in your hair and you were giggling

Harry for some reason was like "...I must know these two" and started hanging out with you guys

When Harry graduated Luns gifted him handmade origami roses.

She said they were more heartfelt that way

He actually keeps those in a vase in his room

Lily loves them

During your last year you had this one moment where you were helping Hagrid with Luna, feeding a creature

You looked over and she had this smile on her face and you just knew she was the one

"Luna after graduation... Do you want to get married?" You asked

"To you?" She asked

"... Preferably." You quoted her words to you when she asked you to the yule and she smiled

"Yes!"

And so you two got married after graduation.

I am convinced you two defined the whole cottagecore aesthetic

She went on to work with magical creatures and you worked with Fred and George

She would get off work earlier than you and stop by the shop, always showing up with that beautiful smile

Nights where either of you couldn't sleep so you went stargazing

Waking up in the middle of a random field you decided to stargaze in

Midnight picnics are a thing with you two

A transportable record player and a random field? Uhm yes please

Luna bringing home a random creature like once a week and being like "Can we keep it?"

You saying yes because you can't say no to that face.

Adopting a little girl

Persephone Iris Lovegood

She always feels loved, especially by all of her uncles and aunts

Molly finally met you when you guys had a party to celebrate the adoption

She loves you and Luna to pieces

There is not one day where your daughter feels unloved or excluded

You made damn sure she'd never have to feel that.

Fred and George call her "their little minion"

She is a little bit of a prankster

Family picnics in the woods

Feeding deer like a Disney princess

Looking at your wife and thinking "This is the best life I can possibly be living."

[hopevalley]

Season 8, Episode 8: A Parade and a Charade

A lot happened in this last episode so there’s plenty to discuss! I’ll try to keep my thoughts...a manageable length. :)

Plotlines:

The Christopher Report

Triangle Tribulations

Bill’s Wounded Pride

Miscellaneous Stuff (FloYo, The Canfields, Dress Shop, Jesse, Infirmary)

This episode has been a little different from the others this season in that we had two pretty big plotlines going on, one medium-sized one, and a bunch of small flickers of plots. Things still managed to flow together pretty well over all, though, I think, but it was a shift I felt was noticeable.

For what it’s worth I mostly enjoyed this episode. There were a few little nitpicks (as usual) but I’ve really been feeling this season that we have a good batch of actors that work really well together and that’s been nice to see.

--

The Christopher Report

Mr. Christopher Hughes, resident Bad Boy™ and the object of Rachel’s immense and expansive Thirst™... 

I’m sure his character arc is going to match that of the average Adopted Child. That is to say, I feel that his arc will follow the same patterns that characters of his archetype usually do. He hates his biological parent who abandons him but becomes curious against his better judgment. He meets his biological father and feels anger/resentment at first, but there’s something there that feels Human and he can’t ignore it. Over time he starts to care, again against his better judgment. In Christopher’s case, it seems likely that the original reason for striking up a relationship will present itself later in the story (perhaps not this season, but next); it won’t be a wholesome attempt to connect, but rather an intent to bamboozle.

Remember Rosemary’s words from earlier: she knows a performance when she sees one. But we’ll get to that.

It’s a good idea for a storyline, and I have some faith in the payoff being worth it if we keep the same head writer for next season. This is the kind of thing best explored over a period of time and they’re doing well with the pacing. 

This episode, we first see Christopher when he surprises Rachel at the dress shop.

He mentions they haven’t taken in the sights in town yet, and Rosemary overhears from the back room. She asks him what sights and he switches his story to saying that he was thinking that Rosemary and Lee could take both he and Rachel around town and show them everything. Rosemary says it’s a great idea and of cOURSE they can do that! As soon as Christopher is gone, Rosemary starts lecturing Rachel on the type of freedom she’s trying to experience in Hope Valley. She pretty much says she and Lee don’t approve of Christopher while Rachel ignores her and sneaks out the back door.

The very next scene Christopher surprises Rachel again, but this time with a, uh...hands on approach.

He tells her he’s not afraid of her aunt or uncle, and she says she knows he’s not afraid of Lee because she saw him steal his pocketwatch when he arrived in town. He’s surprised that she didn’t say anything and he calls her “a little sneak.” She starts throwing things at him playfully and he asks, “You’re not afraid of me?” She says she isn’t and he tells her he’s as gentle as a lamb.

She says she doubts that, and he walks through the fire of her throwing hats (or whatever they are) at him and grabs her wrists. She takes the opportunity to kiss him and he laughs. They’re broken up by the sound of people coming closer so he tells her he’ll come to her house tonight and to listen for a sound at her window.

In the next scene, Henry walks into Nathan’s office where Bill seems to be...assisting Nathan? That’s my best guess as to what’s going on. Bill strikes up a conversation with Henry and Henry says they could have gotten drinks to chat if that’s what Bill wanted (it seems very Small Talky but Bill ain’t that kind of man). In fact, Bill destroys the peaceful atmosphere instantly and makes it clear that this is a business discussion, and his questions were business-related.

If I was a bettin’ man I’d wager that Bill will piece together some problems in Hamilton with Christopher, but eh, let’s not overextend my brain just yet.

Bill’s first and only real question is to ask when Christopher arrived in town but Henry gets upset and says Bill just wants to blame someone. I’m surprised Henry didn’t mention the bad blood between him and Bill leading to this, but I’m pretty sure that’ll be coming in the future. Nathan comes in and says nobody’s accusing anyone, they just turned up at the same time so they have to check everything. 

Later, Christopher runs out of Henry’s office and to the infirmary yelling for help. Henry was having trouble breathing and he got dizzy. There’s a big commotion about it and Faith tells Christopher that his father has very high blood pressure and they’ve been struggling to get it under control.

Christopher hones in on Lucas and goes after him for hiring Henry back even though he knew he shouldn’t be working. Bill intervenes and stops Christopher from getting too close to Lucas.

(Aside: I haven’t lost hope that they’ll do something with Bill and Christopher, at least from the angle of Bill having raised Christopher’s (dead) half-brother (which means Henry abandoned two women and two children straight-up), but I am starting to think it won’t happen this season.)

Around dinnertime, Henry talks with Carson and is in a good mood. When Carson asks why he’s had a sudden change of heart with wanting to get better (health-wise), he says Christopher called him “Dad” when he was worried about him, and it makes him want to do better because it means Christopher cares about him.

Y’all...that scene was so good. But. BUT. I feel like Henry has a big storm comin’ as it relates to Christopher. I just hope Henry’s self-improvements don’t backslide when he inevitably ends up disappointed in Christopher for one reason or another.

Outside, Christopher is sitting on the steps of Dottie’s Apparel across the way from the café and Rachel approaches him. She asks why he didn’t come to see her and he gets sassy about it, but she actually seems to understand exactly what he’s going through and calls him out excessively gently about it. I don’t like her instant attachment to Christopher but they’re young and dumb and at least she seems to Get Him.

She tells him that he’s not having dinner with his dad because he’s scared—scared of getting close to him, scared of feeling an attachment to him. The only way to protect himself from that attachment, and from the inevitable loss that you will one day experience in regards to them, is to not let it form in the first place.

He asks her what the solution is and she says he needs to take a chance. And then she ruins it by saying “Like when you stole Uncle Lee’s watch.” ?????? This is definitely some Into Bad Boys Teenage Girl Logic right there. There is literally no connection.

She gives him his handkerchief back and when he mentions it still has her lipstick on it, she says, “I know.” THIS GIRL IS TRYING TO GET HER A MAN AND SHE IS TRYING VERY HARD. I wouldn’t be surprised if these were things she read about in her tame bodice ripper novels though LMAO.

They then share a kiss and he promises to come and see her the next day at the store.

Rosemary and Lee mention to Elizabeth that Rachel’s mom wants her to come back home right away, and the next morning Rachel confides in Rosemary that she’s afraid that once she’s back in Bellingham she won’t ever be allowed to return to Hope Valley. Rosemary explains to her that she shouldn’t worry about that; leave it all up to her instead.

Christopher is busy working, digging a trench. He’s getting out some of his frustration and anger by doing this and Lucas seems a bit annoyed by him but otherwise accepting of his, uh, issues. At least...for now. Lucas seems to have come up to the worksite to suggest Christopher spend more time with Henry, as he feels bad that he didn’t realize Henry’s health was actually as bad as it was. 

But Christopher won’t go and just keeps angrily digging his ditch, and in fact he’s so consumed by this he doesn’t notice when Rachel leaves town. When he’s on break, he comes back into town only to find that the store is locked up for the day.

Seeing as how Rachel just found out the night before that she was leaving town, I think it’s plausible to imagine that...he doesn’t know she’s actually Gone. I almost feel bad for him.

Honestly, this young man is a whiz of an actor. He’s likable in that Fun Character kind of way where you never know if you should root for him or not. I’m not the type of person who generally likes characters like this, but color me intrigued. This show rarely has interesting characters in it that get to remain interesting. I hope Christopher gets to develop for the next couple of seasons if indeed they choose to keep him around. The guy can act! He plays funny, slimy, rude, arrogant, emotional, and even twitterpated really well, and he ain’t afraid to get dirty to sell the part. I respect that.

Can I just say how sorry for Henry I feel though, knowing—or at least feeling—that he will be blindsided in the near future with Christopher’s uh...faults? Woof.

--

Triangle Tribulations

There’s a huge part of me that doesn’t even want to discuss this. I just want to say, “That’s a yikes from me, Chief” and move on to the next point. It seems easier. And less awkward. And also...let’s be honest: I have no horse in this race.

I don’t care that much about Elizabeth as a character, and I care even less about what gentleman she might choose to set her sights on in the long run. 

But it’s become the central talking point of the show, so let’s discuss it!

Three years is a perfectly acceptable mourning period, but I think the show’s inability to hold its horses these last couple of years is just now catching up to it in the worst way. It puts Elizabeth in this awkward position where she has men interested in her and the show has framed her as being ready ish to move on, but then a new writer stepped in and was told to make sure the triangle lasted through most of the 8th season. How can he make it last when things have been set up for her to move on? Uhh, quick! Come up with something!

Oh, realism! She’s not actually ready to move on!

I mean, I don’t blame John Tinker for this. I blame the writer for S6 and S7 that rushed through the storytelling and gave us...whatever that was, where two men showed up out of nowhere and both set eyes on Elizabeth. I blame the marketing that made sure to sell S6 and S7 for the love triangle instead of the family-friendly or heartwarming elements of the story. It’s really sad that the triangle has come to...this. It didn’t have to. If they hadn’t tried making it a central point in S6 (literally months after Jack died when nobody was ready to really move on and nobody felt that Elizabeth would be ready, either) I don’t think things would be so awful, but it’s too late to go back, now.

Don’t get me wrong, the triangle feels pretty good this season. It’s tense. It’s interesting. Lucas really has shone in this season thus far (instead of coming across as creepy as he sometimes did for the first two seasons he was in), and Nathan is learning to be a little more...forthcoming with his feelings. I guess.

But it should have been S7. S7 should have had this level of care put into it for the triangle so that S8 was a chance for the choice to get some air.

Anyway, I’m not happy with it. I’m glad it’s almost over. I just want it to end. I do not care who the choice is, I just want her to choose.

In this episode, she confronted Nathan right out of the gate, and he wasn’t exactly pleased about it. She acts like he went into the adoption ceremony knowing damn well what Allie had done, but he insists he didn’t know and seems a bit hurt that Elizabeth would accuse him of being mean to her when he tells her that Allie’s list didn’t even have her on it.

Elizabeth later mentions this as a truth (the list, her name not being on it), so I don’t know what we’re supposed to think here. I’m gonna go with: her feelings were hurt and she lashed out.

Nathan’s temper is apparently done with Lucas, as he tells him to Save It at the end of the scene. I want to say I’m living for it but Lucas hasn’t really...done anything wrong, so...it feels misplaced.

(I want to say something about the fans being divided and this feeling more like fanservice/an attempt to stir the pot than anything that makes any sense.)

Elizabeth goes on to spend a little time with Lucas and it was very cool to see his office for the first time ever! Also, “pardon my French” was actually pretty funny here.

Nathan wants to talk to Allie about the adoption ceremony catastrophe but is called away before they can sit down and talk, which Allie is...sad about...for some reason? I guess even if it’s negative attention it’s better than no attention? That seems in line with her age. Elizabeth comments to Lucas about feeling sorry for Allie and wanting to comfort her, but in my opinion this is kind of misplaced and Lucas points out that he doesn’t mind her sharing a friendship with Nathan, but that...he doesn’t think Nathan will settle for it.

I’d probably be against Lucas on this matter but I already know that Lucas is right. Elizabeth seems to not to want to believe that but...I dunno. Part of the problem is that in a town this size, it’s really hard to have space. She wants to forget Nathan and focus on Lucas, but she’s constantly seeing both Allie and Nathan, and that makes it hard.

Around dinnertime she goes to Lucas’s office and he begs off dinner because he’s just not in a good state of mind after the whole thing with Henry, and he also seems like he’s had a few drinks. She offers to let him sit with her and it’s...uh...very cozy (probably the closest two bodies have ever been to one another on this show, hahaha).

He says he doesn’t want to be impatient and that she should leave. Which she does.

Fanning herself.

The next morning, Nathan approaches Lucas at the oil derricks to tell him that he hasn’t given up on Elizabeth just yet, to which...Lucas says he can do whatever he wants, but he needs to make sure he has the best interests of Allie and Elizabeth in mind, not his own. Nathan tries to say something else to him and Lucas says, “Save it.”

Which is fair and valid. I’d respect it more if Nathan’s “save it” had felt more believable earlier, though.

Either way, I’m at a point in this series where I’m starting to think Nathan’s just being selfish. His writing took an absolute beating in this episode and this isn’t even the worst part!

Allie invites Elizabeth to dinner. I hated this scene mostly because I think it will only make the hatred for Allie worse. Team Lucas fans tend to hate her because she acts so unreasonably and this scene was the worst example of it so far. She’s a young teenage girl (13/14 years old I’d guess) but this childish illustration card? Is something a 9 year old might pull (circumstances considered).

I’d find it more plausible if we just had more time with Allie, but we get so little and everything we’ve been getting hasn’t felt...quite right to me lately. I could understand the whole “inviting only Elizabeth and Nathan” because that’s actually quite clever of her, and even funny. She’s young and doesn’t understand the...bigger picture, or the Adult Feelings involved. I’m fine with it. But this? Oh please. They’re not doing Allie any favors.

I think she could have done something else that was more in line with her age. It could still be cringey, but not...like this. I’m certain it was meant to be a sassy response to being scolded because neither of them were aware they were the only ones invited (and Allie’s hand-drawn invitation makes it clear they’re the only two invited lol), but...eh.

The very next scene is Elizabeth confronting Nathan, though, which I do appreciate. This thing with Allie is so far out of hand by this point that he needs to absolutely sit her down and have a VERY serious heart-to-heart. She’s hurting and it feels like nobody is telling her the right thing.

Just before the adoption ceremony Nathan told her that Elizabeth was seeing Mr. Bouchard and Allie complained but Nathan did a great job of telling her that they should be happy that Elizabeth is happy and I LOVED THAT. So why does it feel like he didn’t mean any of it? Why didn’t he confront any of the other things Allie is probably feeling? 

Like, you know...that Elizabeth can still be her friend even if she’s seeing Mr. Bouchard?

Elizabeth asks Nathan for a word, and when she tells him that she wants to speak with Allie he tells her that Allie is home and is afraid to talk to Elizabeth without him being there. 

She asks why Allie is afraid but the fanfare starts for Bill, and Nathan doesn’t want to be rude but Elizabeth insists on continuing their conversation. 

Elizabeth tells him she was afraid it would happen if things didn’t work out between them.

Nathan says he doesn’t know what to tell her. He’s tried talking to Allie but nothing he says has convinced her that Elizabeth isn’t to blame. Elizabeth tells him that she thinks Allie should blame her because it’s Nathan she’s attached to/loves.

Their conversation is paused for a moment by Bill’s appearance but they pick right back up after Bill rides away on his horse. She says she tried to tell him at the parent/teacher conference that he is everything to Allie and he says he knows that, and that’s why he’s trying really hard not to show Elizabeth how he feels about her, and it’s why he turned down the promotion to inspector.

He wanted to leave but he couldn’t do it because Allie was so happy in Hope Valley. Elizabeth says that’s why they have to figure out how to make things okay again, because he said it himself, he stayed because Allie was happy!

He said, no, I said that was part of the reason.

And he looks away like he didn’t mean to say that, like in saying that, he’s said Too Much. And this isn’t about his feelings. This is...something else.

Elizabeth has suspected all along that he was hiding something and not telling her the whole truth about Fort Clay, but this behavior isn’t like him and she calls him out on it. She says she knows he’s hiding something and she wants to know what it is.

He tells her that at Fort Clay he was in charge of the training mission, not Jack. But he was disciplined for an earlier incident and they sent Jack instead. He says he’s sorry but there was never the right time to tell her.

The episode ends there.

I am...disappointed. I was hoping it would be something small that might have still weighed on his mind, like finding Jack’s body—having never met the man, having never known him, it would be so odd to know his wife and the home he loved but to have never known him. And to never really have a right to...ask about it either because it’s not your place.

But no, they really had to go there. They really had to make it like that. We’ve been guessing this since Nathan arrived in town as a possibility and I wish it had never happened.

I agree with all the people who think that there would be no point in the love triangle without Nathan being end-game, but ugh.

I’m fine with forgiveness and moving on, but back in S5 and S6 I made it very clear how I felt about the direction they were taking Abigail and Henry. For the purpose of clarification, Henry was actively awful (he was cruel to Abigail many times over and was part of the VERY DIRECT reason her husband and son died) and that was the biggest reason I opposed it. I think comparatively Nathan is harmless. But... I dunno.

It feels to me like they really want to tell that Type of story and...I’m not a fan. You can forgive someone without hooking up with them. In fact, that’s a way better moral to be dropping on this specific audience anyway.

I’m mostly disgusted at Nathan and have to now worry how they will write Lucas next to make sure he’s on equal ground. :(

Maybe Nathan’s posting in Hope Valley wasn’t out of guilt but the way he reacted to Elizabeth sure makes it seem like it was. Like he chose to come to Hope Valley to keep an eye on Jack’s family. And if it stayed at a friendship level I could respect it. I might even like it.

But... ugh. I mean, Nathan feels guilty. He knows his actions indirectly killed Jack. No, he is not to blame for it and I don’t think he blames himself—at least not in a traditional way. But the knowledge is there. He should have kept his feelings to himself. He should have NEVER decided he wasn’t going to give up on Elizabeth after she walked away from him. She didn’t say no but she shouldn’t have to. 

So he knew he was indirectly responsible for Jack’s death and he still let himself tell Lucas he wasn’t giving up on her. What the hell? 

I guess you can consider me #teamstaysingle now.

--

Bill’s Wounded Pride

This wasn’t a long or deep storyline but I wanted to dig into it a little bit since Bill’s my favorite character and all.

I really appreciate that they are giving Lee a chance to be a good listener. He got kind of overshadowed by Rosemary’s personality a bit in the past so it’s good to see a consistent show of it now. He’s so nice to Bill. I don’t feel like they’re great buds, but there’s a kind of...mutual respect there that has definitely been earned on both sides. Lee’s offer to listen to Bill vent was really nice.

After Bill goes off on Henry (sorta? barely?) Nathan calls Bill out for placing blame on Christopher by association of Henry, since he knows he and Henry have some bad blood between them.

But then Nathan kind of gets this self-righteous ramble about how maybe he’ll feel differently when he’s asked to hand in his serge, but it’s not helping Bill to prolong the process/put it off.

Which...while Nathan has a point, he’s just written throughout this entire episode like a selfish jerk. I get that he’s not that attached to his uniform (he’s younger, he’s willing to quit to settle down and marry), but you’d think he’d have a little sympathy for someone whose entire career was the Mounties and who is struggling to give up the last connection he has to that part of his life.

If Nathan was 18 or 19 I’d feel his reaction would be fully believable, but he’s probably in his 30s and should have a little more emotional maturity than this. 

Again, yes, Bill should just get rid of the uniform and be done with it. But it’s not as if Bill doesn’t know that. He’s struggling! A word of encouragement might help more than telling him to rip the bandaid off. If he talked this way to Allie it’s no wonder she’s so messed up.

Later that morning, Molly greets Lee about the lumber shipment Carson ordered for the infirmary and Jesse is grumpy. She jokes that she’s dealing with that, too, but with Carson and Faith. Lee adds that Bill is also in a bad mood, because he has to turn in his uniform. They briefly discuss that nobody has ever seen him in uniform.

Lee tells Molly that she’s in charge of fixing everyone else’s problems and leaves.

The next day, Bill walks into Nathan’s office to see Molly spying on his stuff...

She claims she’s there to wish him a good trip and he says he’s not looking forward to riding all the way to Hamiliton. She mentions his uniform and he’s surprised she knows about it, but says only that “word gets around.”

Bill says yeah, well, he should have told them that if they want it so bad they should come and get it. Molly tells him that “rules and regulations can strip a man of his pride.” Which is. A weird line of dialogue but okay. 

Bill tells her that it was a proud day when he put the uniform on—even though back then it didn’t have any of the decorations on it, of course. She says he must have felt ten feet tall he and replies with, “Ten years and three months.”

You know it meant a lot to him if he remembers the exact amount of years he wore the damn thing. Molly encourages him to try it on and he tries to excuse it by saying it doesn’t fit. She tells him he’s hard to read (probably because she thought he wanted the excuse to try it) but he’s “worth it, cover to cover.”

She goes on to say that “WE” know that turning it in means a great deal to him, so it means a great deal to his friends, too, and as he should know, the uniform doesn’t make the man.

She goes to leave and tells him it will definitely fit (HAHA maybe she was checking that while he was gone) and to do everyone a favor and put on a good show.

A short time later, Mike and a couple of others from town start playing some fanfare music outside the Mountie HQ and Bill emerges.

He’s touched by it, but also maybe a little confused lol, and asks them if they know that he’ll be right back.

And then...it’s off and away with Bill.

I’d have liked this storyline so much more if it felt...deeper? A little extra fanfare for him is nice, but it doesn’t really...deal with any of the emotions he feels. That said, I’m almost certain this is to get him to Hamilton where he might run into Christopher’s parents and/or hear more information about potential misdeeds of Christopher to move that plot along. 

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Miscellaneous Short Plots

FloYo: Florence and Ned were cute but I wish they hadn’t tried to do anything with it in this episode. We didn’t really need to see Ned being grumpy about things as a like...Moment. It just didn’t feel very meaningful even though they had that cutesy “nobody can replace you” resolution. This episode was a bit of a miss for them for me because of that. And hey, don’t get me wrong; I generally like them, but trying to make everything wholesome all the time gets draining and there was so much other stuff that felt more rewarding to me comparatively.

The Canfields: Very cute, good. I need to know what Joseph’s plans are. And Angela learning braille and being so sweet... AHHHHHH I LOVED HER.

Dress Shop: I’m disappointed they had this plotline drag out for episode after episode and then die out. I guess it could be interesting if they blew it wide open by Dottie selling it at the end of the season to someone unexpected, but what bored me about this was that nobody was that stressed out about the situation and nobody seemed relieved that Dottie wasn’t selling. I’ll hold out hope that something comes of it anyway.

Jesse: FINALLY. I appreciated that he and Mike got to talk. It explains where Jesse was all that time...and Mike is a good friend. I love him. I hope he gets more screentime next season because he honestly deserves it. Also, I’m glad Jesse went to talk to Clara and asked if they could sit and talk. SIT AND TALK. YES PLEASE. Thank you. It was a simple step forward but I really appreciate it. Also, the Canfields and Bill hightailing it out of there as soon as Jesse shows up...haha.

Infirmary: GOODBYE HAM SANDWICH CARSON. I mean... I’m of two minds. Expanding the infirmary would be a good idea. It wouldn’t hurt to have a little more room for patients that might need to recover for longer, and to have a little bit more privacy for them. On the other hand, Carson’s sudden lashing out against the Hope Valley infirmary is...odd. I loved how he and Faith both got so excited but for different reasons that culminated in a completely different mindset. You can tell Carson really wants to go to Boston but feels weird about it. I love Faith’s dedication to the town.

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My brain feels dry and crusty after typing all this up, and I didn’t proofread it at all, so sorry in advance if there are any errors in it. As always, I’m looking forward to the drama next episode, particularly with Carson and Faith (BREAK UP BREAK UP BREAK UP).

I’m still kind of stunned they went the route they did. I find it hard to imagine that Elizabeth is capable of a choice within the next four episodes, but I guess we’ll have to see what’s in store for us.

Also, for a little laugh, my husband watched the full episode with me for the first time in a few seasons. He was pleasantly surprised by Angela Canfield and said that he liked “the property brother.” I think he’s #TeamLucas but he told me later last night that actually they’re both fine and he’d take either one for himself if the opportunity arose LMAO.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Opinions?