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oleksiak-pettersson · 3 months

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Pick Me - Elias Pettersson

howdy hey everybody! It's been a hot minute... sorry not sorry.

this is the first part of a three part series i've been cooking up in my head for a few years now. I want to emphasize that this is set in a completely fictional world and is complete AU. The Canucks featured in this fic don't play hockey in the story. The timeline is also not accurate to real life.

warnings: angst, a certain celebrity featured as the villain, pregnancy, labour, swearing, this is an AU, only Quinn still plays hockey, almost cheating, emotional cheating in a way (will be expanded on more in the next parts)

word count: 4.5k

Pick Me | Choose Me | Love Me

There’s nothing better than the warmth of a comforter wrapped around your body. You pull it closer around your body, not caring if it leaves your lover without.

Your eyes blink open slowly, arms clutching the pregnancy pillow to your chest, comforter wrapped around the pillow and over your body.

As your eyes blink open, once, twice, a third time, you notice that at some point in your restful slumber, you’d stolen the comforter completely from your husband. Never one to complain, Elias must’ve grabbed the second duvet from the hall closet.

Your husband is lingering in the bathroom, you can hear the sink running as he goes about his morning routine.

He must notice you moving, as he approaches softly. He’s freshly showered and the smile on his face is soft and mellow in the morning light.

“Hi,” you murmur, taking in his beauty as it’s illuminated by the golden sun. His blue eyes twinkle with fondness as they take in your sleepy form.

You stretch a little, turning over to the side of the bed he sits on. His hand comes up and brushes a stray eyelash from your cheek. He holds it up to show you and let you make a wish, a simple gesture you taught him in your early stages of dating. There’s a kind of tenderness to his touch that no one else could quite possess.

“Hi.” Elias smiles back, hand falling from your face to hold yours. “How did you sleep?”

“So good, these two didn’t move a bit.” You prop yourself up against the headboard, free hand coming to rest on your belly.

“Probably too exhausted from kicking you all day yesterday,” Elias jokes, his smile causing his eyes to crinkle. He leans forward and presses his lips against yours. It’s a soft and sweet kiss. His mouth is minty fresh from brushing his teeth and it makes you smile.

He’s slow to pull away and you chase his mouth as he goes. He chuckles softly, hand caressing your cheek.

“I’ve got to go meet Brock and Quinn soon for golf, I made you breakfast, it’s on the counter,” he announces, standing back up and stretching.

“What no in bed delivery? The service here sucks,” you lilt, the teasing evident in your voice. Ever the drama Queen, Elias rolls his eyes leaning down to press a kiss on your forehead.

“I’ll be back this afternoon, call or text if you need anything.” And with that he’s out the door.

You stretch as you get up, your back cracks and your belly feels heavier than normal. You feel like you’re resting lower than yesterday and there’s a weird feeling settling in your gut. You shake it off though, pulling on your lounging outfit. Your doctor had warned you about Braxton hicks contractions and you were sure that this feeling in your belly had to be that.

Your due date was fast approaching and you couldn’t wait. Pregnancy is hard enough but when you’re carrying twins it’s a whole other beast. You’re incredibly lucky to have such a kind partner who has taken such good care of you. Elias’ job as a content creator allows him to control his hours, unlike his good friend Quinn who captains the local Vancouver NHL team and whose schedule is rigid with intense travel.

It’s a slow waddle to the kitchen and you take it slow. One of your cats lounges in the middle of the hallway and you have to gently nudge her from your path with your foot. She mewls in uproar but does nothing to stop her movement. You have to lean against the wall in support to move her and your stomach twists once again. You take a breather against the wall, staring up at the popcorn ceiling.

Upon finally reaching the kitchen, you feel the need to sit down. The kitchen island chairs look incredibly unsupportive and the kitchen table has the worst chairs for relaxing. You let out a huff at the idea of having to move into the living room.

Your breakfast is still warm and you bring it into the living room to relax on the couch. The pain isn’t slowing down but instead seems to be moving up your back.

It’s just Braxton Hicks, you think. There’s no way I’m going into labour.

You find a comfortable position on the couch and rest your plate on your belly. Your feet come up to rest on the coffee table and you flick through the channels.

The scrambled eggs and toast is just what you needed. The pain in your gut quells a little and you find the perfect spot on the couch to rest. There’s a throw blanket hanging on the back of the couch and you pull it over yourself.

Both cats follow your lead and curl up near you on the couch. You hold your hand out trying to call either into your lap, but neither take the bait. You sigh, moving slightly in an attempt to tuck the blanket under yourself but giving up quickly as you tire.

The curtains that cover the living room windows are wide open and the light from the mild spring day is bright but you can’t find it in yourself to get up. The simplest of actions, getting up and getting food, have exhausted you and your eyelids begin to feel heavy.

You wake up with a jolt of pain that causes your whole body to cease. The groan that leaves your mouth causes both cats to jump up from the couch and disappear down the hall.

The pain is intense and you briefly can’t move. It’s over as quick as it came on. You sit up on the couch trying to regulate your breathing. Your heart is racing as you throw the blanket off of your body and stand up.

There’s no more denying it. You’re in labour. You need to find your phone and get a hold of your husband. It’s time.

The waddle down the hallway back to your bedroom feels like an eternity, you know there’s time before your next contraction will ripple through your body but you still feel a bit panicked. You twist your wedding ring around your finger as you go, trying anything to calm the fog of anxiety that’s beginning to descend around you.

Your phone is where you left it the night before, on the nightstand still plugged in to the charger. You’ve got a single notification, a text from Elias’ coworker Natasha Dion, inviting you out for brunch next week.

But there’s no time to respond to her. You need Elias. You perch yourself on the bed, legs holding you up as you focus on your phone.

You quickly unlock the phone, your face ID failing you - forcing a password attempt that you’re not too sure how you even managed to get the numbers correct. You close the instagram app sloppily, a leftover from last night's pre-bed scrolling session, and open your phone app.

Elias’ contact is the most recent number you’ve called and you waste no time clicking on it.

The phone dials up and the line begins to ring. You stifle a sob and try to take a deep breath as the line continues to ring. Your free hand cradles your belly. One of the twins moves beneath your hand, causing a little chuckle to leave your mouth.

“Mama will see you soon,” you murmur, the line continuing to ring in your ear.

Suddenly there’s a beep and Elias’ voice comes through. “Hey, you’ve reached Petey. Can’t get to the phone right now but leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

“Shit,” you curse and then the beep sounds through. “Hi babe, it's me. Um, I think I’m in labour and I need you to get home uh, right away? Call me back please.”

You take another breath, trying to remember what they taught you in Lamaze class. You flick through your brain trying to recall the class you practised breathing. You can see the teacher saying something in your mind but you can’t hear it, you were too focussed on the feeling of your husband's rock hard abs against your back. It certainly hadn’t helped your breathing, to the point that the teacher had come over and corrected your breathing. Again though, Elias’ breath on your shoulder had distracted you.

Goddamn your sexy husband and his too-hot-to-handle existence.

You decide to send him a text too.

To Hubby: Hi babe, can you call when you can? I’m pretty sure I’m in labour…

Another contraction convulses through your body. Your spine feels like it’s on fire and your belly tightens. You cry out vocally, trying to breathe rhythmically. You let yourself fall back against the pillows, just trying to get through the pain. You dig your fingers into the comforter, eyes screwing shut. It’s way worse than any period cramp you’ve ever had and you find yourself cursing your husband under your breath. Of course he can’t fucking be reached right now. Asshat.

Once the pain eases, you force yourself back up and grab your phone. There’s no new notifications and you resist the urge to cry. Then it hits you, Elias is golfing with Brock and Quinn. Brock’s phone is always on, something about never wanting to miss a call from his agent for the next big Hollywood hit or whatever, you don’t care about his reasoning right now but you’re thankful for him.

The phone starts to ring and you click the speaker phone option. It rings once before there's an answer. God bless Brock.

“Hello gorgeous mother of my future godchildren, how are you?” He answers, charming as always.

“Hey Brock,” You chuckle at his greeting, trying to hide the tinge of pain behind your voice. “Can you give the phone to Elias? He’s not picking up and I think I’m in labour.”

There’s a pause on the other end and some shuffling. You think you can hear Bella in the background asking what's going on, that causes you to furrow your eyebrows. Why would Bella be golfing with them? She hates it as much as you do. Then you hear the phone being grabbed from Brock’s grip as he cries out a loud “hey!’.

“Babes, Petey isn’t here with us?” Bella states, sounding equally as confused as you.

“Put it on speaker,” Brock demands in the background, not as loud as Bella. The sound of the phone shifts slightly as she switches it.

“He said he was golfing with you and Quinn today.” You reply, groaning as another shockwave of pain runs over you. You groan loudly into the phone. The pain causes you to drop the phone on the bed and forget the phone call as you try to breathe it out.

“That’s impossible because Quinn is in-” Brock counters, slightly oblivious to your pain. You love him to death but he can be such a blonde sometimes.

“Brock, it doesn’t matter right now,” You can hear the annoyance in his girlfriend’s voice as she interrupts his thoughts. Her focus is quickly back on you. “Y/N, are you in labour?”

The cry of anguish you respond with clues her in immediately. She springs into action on the other side of the phone. “Brock, get the keys. We have to get her to the hospital.”

“No.” You cry out, pain subsiding slightly.

“Y/N, babes, you’re in labour,” Bella levels, her calmest and most rational voice on full display. It’s what you need right not but the irrational part of your brain doesn’t want to leave without your husband. “Brock will keep calling Elias but we need to get you to the hospital.”

“Okay,” you relent, getting up from the bed slowly, you pick your phone up and head for the nursery.

“Do you need me to stay on the phone with you?” She asks, Brock is in the background stomping around the apartment. Anyone unfamiliar with the actor would think he’s mad, but knowing him, you know that’s just simply the way he moves. A lot less elegance than he looks like he may possess.

“Yes please.”

///

In the time it takes Brock and Bella to get to your apartment, you manage to change and grab your go-bag before letting yourself relax on the couch. You achieved all of this between crippling contractions.

Your favourite two people in the world let themselves in with the key they have to your apartment. They have sympathetic looks on their faces as they take in the sight of you on the couch.

You must look like a mess, you’re sweaty and stressed. “Hi,” is all you manage from your spot.

“Hi gorgeous, ready to go become a mama?” Bella coos, squatting down in front of you. There’s a glimmer of excitement in her eyes and you can feel it now too. It’s slowly becoming real. You nod, holding out your arms so she can help you up. You brace against her arms as you get up, smiling gratefully.

Brock stands behind her sheepishly, flitting with his phone. His thumbs are moving a mile a minute and you hope to god that he’s talking to Elias and Elias is on the way.

“Is Elias going to meet us there?” There’s hope in your eyes that slightly breaks Brock’s heart.

In a split second decision, he lies. “Of course, so we should get going.”

Truth is, Brock has no fucking clue where his best friend is. He has no fucking clue why Elias lied about being with him. He sure as hell knows he’s going to chew out Elias’s ass the moment he tracks the Swede down.

The lie does seem to pacify you and Brock is quick to be at your side and help you to the car, Bella follows along behind, having grabbed the go bag. Brock leads you down the hallway as his girlfriend locks the apartment.

///

Brock has never been more stressed in his life. He was once looking forward to having children of his own with his beautiful girlfriend but after driving you to the hospital in the state you were in, he’s not so sure. You cried out in pain nearly every 8 minutes on the way, Vancouver traffic never one to be considerate of a crisis.

The screaming from the back of his car had Brock white-knuckling the steering wheel and peaking sheepishly in the rearview mirror at Bella holding your hand. The pale look on his face nearly caused Bella to laugh, until you gripped her hand harder, head thrown back against the seat headrest.

Between glancing back to make sure you’re okay and glancing at his Apple CarPlay in hopes of a response from your husband, Brock was struggling to pay attention to the road.

Not the best attitude to take when driving a pregnant woman to the hospital. It caused your anxiety to skyrocket and Bella to yell at Brock which certainly did not help the situation.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Brock is quick to let you and Bella out at the emergency entrance, before circling around to go find a parking spot.

Bella has your elbow in her arm, supporting you as she guides you to the entrance. Your go-bag is over her shoulder.

“Thank you,” You murmur between breaths. The gratitude is quickly overtaken by a contraction though and you stop dead in the middle of the entryway, paralyzed with pain. Bella is quick to hold you up.

“Breathe, just like this,” her lips purse and she blows out her breath in a weird pattern. You copy along as a nurse approaches you. You recognize her as the nurse who does your check-ups.

“Hi Mrs. Pettersson, looks like we’re having these babies,” She smiles, coming to your other side and helping Bella guide you to the wheelchair an orderly brought over. You just nod your head, trying to follow along with Bella’s breathing technique.

The orderly begins pushing you along to a room, the nurse lags behind with Bella. The nurse has a look of concern on her face as she turns to Bella.

“Where is Elias?” She inquires, she’d always admired how dedicated your partner was during check-ups. He always had questions and a detailed list of what you’d been experiencing since the last check-up. It had taken her by surprise when he wasn’t there but ever the professional, she’d schooled her shock.

“I don’t know, he should be arriving soon.” Bella supplies, speeding up to keep up with you.

The nurse nods her head and heads back to her station to grab her gear. Brock comes rushing through the door, spotting his girlfriend lingering outside of your room.

The nurse slides between them to get into your room, the door is cracked as she begins to get you ready. Bella brings your go-bag in as you get changed into an IV-compatible gown. She plugs in your phone charger and checks to see if there’s an update from Elias. Your phone only shows a text from your mom.

“Y/N, your mom texted, should I let her know?” She calls out to you.

Your reply comes muffled through the bathroom door. “Yes please.”

Both Bella and the nurse chuckle at your response. Bella is quick to shoot off the text, eyes lingering on where Brock is pacing outside the room. His phone is in one hand and the other is pulling at his gorgeous blonde locks in what can only be described as one of the most stressed actions she’s ever seen.

As you settle in the hospital bed and the nurse begins to fasten different machines to you. You’re oblivious to the stress emanating off of the actor outside of your room as you relax between contractions.

“Is it too late for an epidural?” You inquire sheepishly. Your nurse laughs.

Bella excuses herself and slips outside. She swears she shuts the door as she joins Brock outside. They can still see into your room, you’re chatting politely with your nurse as she fixes the blood pressure cuff around your bicep.

“Do you know when Elias will be here?” She asks softly.

Brock’s face drops as he turns away from the window. He’s seen your lipreading skills before and even though you’re distracted, he’s not taking the risk. “No.”

“Well what did he say when you talked to him?” Bella inquires, eyebrow peaked in interest. She also turns away from the window.

“I didn’t.” Brock says, eyes dropping to the floor. “I don’t know where Elias is.”

“But you said-”

“I needed to keep her calm,” Brock makes eye contact with Bella, the love for you is clear behind his eyes and she softens at the admission. “She can’t know that he’s not coming.”

“He’s not coming,” Bella repeats, trying to wrap her head around the fact.

“What do you mean he’s not coming?” Your voice sounds from behind them; you’re standing in the doorway, gown-clad and attached to a mobile IV unit. The look of shock on your face breaks both Brock and Bella’s hearts. Your voice grows quieter. “You said he was coming”.

Brock reaches out to comfort you but you’re now freaking out like he’s never seen before. The heart rate monitor spikes and the nurse in the room rushes to get you into bed.

There’s so much emotion flowing through your body. You’re hyperventilating and want to scream. No one is prepared for the way you pass out. Brock and your nurse lunge to catch you, struggling to get you into the hospital bed.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Brock is also freaking out now.

The nurse has no time for him though as she reaches for a large red button on the wall. Bella stands idly in the doorway watching the chaos unfold. She’s frozen in shock, unsure what just happened and what she needs to do.

The nurse is quick to spring into action, and she peers over her shoulder at your two companions. “You both need to get out of here. We have to take her to the operating room.”

///

Elias’ phone is on the counter in the other room. He’d placed it on the kitchen counter as soon as he’d entered Vanessa’s luxury penthouse. He’d had to dance around baby toys sprawled around the floor but it made him chuckle thinking about how your apartment would soon look like that.

Elias had met Vanessa Morgan a year and a half ago when he and Natasha had helped with creating some ads for Riverdale’s production team. He kept his friendship with the actress on the lowdown from you. You’d been suspicious of her since you’d met her. She seemed weirdly obsessed with your husband, but Petey thought of her as a friend.

He’d offered to help her set up some of the baby furniture she hadn’t had the chance to before she’d had her baby three months ago.

He’d already finished the changing table and the glider chair. Elias was working on the crib, the instructions almost confusing to him. He’d had no trouble putting the twin’s cribs together. To Elias, it was something a father-to-be should take pride in.

It’s why Elias stepped up for Vanessa. Her baseball player husband had left her early in her pregnancy. He couldn’t comprehend how a man could up and abandon his family with no hesitation.

“How’s it going in here?” The short actress asks from the doorway. She’d just finished putting her little guy down for a nap, thankful she’d been wise enough to buy a bassinet for her bedroom for her baby’s first few months.

“I think you may have bought the most complicated crib in the world,” Elias laughs, looking up at his friend with a playful smile. “Did he go down for his nap easily?”

Vanessa nods, strutting into the room, she admires the other pieces of furniture he’s built in his couple of hours helping her. “I’m surprised you’re not with your wife today.”

Elias hums, his focus back on trying to fit the pieces together. “What do you mean?”

“She’s getting close to her due date, isn’t she?” She inquires, there’s a tone to her voice that Elias can’t quite place. The tone he can't quite place? Smugness. The kind of hubris possessed by a woman with ill-intentions.

“Yeah but all the boys in my family have arrived late,” Elias insists, twisting the screw driver. “She’ll be fine.”

Vanessa could point out that his wife is carrying twins and therefore more likely to have her babies early but why would she force Elias back into his wife’s arms? No, she’d much rather keep him to herself for as long as possible.

While Elias might think of Vanessa as his friend, Vanessa thinks of Elias in a less pg way. She’d been wanting to get into his pants since the first time they met. Of course she was married at the time, but it had never stopped her before.

“You know, that looks like hard work,” She starts, adopting her most sensual voice. She’s determined to reel him in. “Why don’t I make you a snack?”

Elias is quick to agree and they both proceed to the kitchen. He leans against the kitchen counter as she scuttles around the kitchen. Vanessa hands him a glass of water that he accepts happily and sips slowly as he watches her.

“How’s the show going?” He asks, as she gathers condiments from the fridge.

She smiles at him, placing her ingredients down on the counter beside him. “It’s good, they’ve been really good about me staying back with River.”

Elias nods, thinking about how easy it’ll be for him to help out with the twins with his job that he can work from home. “That’s awesome. You’ve got a good support system, hey?”

“Yeah, I’m extremely grateful for everyone in my life,” Vanessa puts her butter knife down on the counter, turning to Elias and moving closer to him. She places a hand on his chest and begins to trail her fingers along the ridges of his body. “Especially you, you’ve been so good to me.”

Elias freezes, this must be what you meant when you said Vanessa had a weird energy to her when it came to him. She leans in close, and he can feel her breath on his face. He’s briefly amazed that such a short person can reach him so easily but then she closes her eyes and leans in.

He’s saved by the bell. Okay, maybe not quite a bell but the loud, shrill ringing of his phone is a close enough substitute. He dodges out of her reach to grasp his phone. Brock’s profile picture is on display and once he’s certain she’s not following him, he clicks the green connect button before retreating into the living room with his phone pressed against his ear.

“Hello?” Elias says into the phone, silently thanking whatever deity he can that Brock saved him.

“Dude where the fuck are you?” Brock starts, he sounds panicked and Elias is instantly worried. “Actually, I don’t fucking care. You need to get down to Vancouver General now.”

“Why? Brock, what’s going on?” Elias demands, pacing around the living room.

“Your wife went into labour. After finding out you weren’t coming, she passed out and had to be rushed into an emergency c-section to save the babies.” Brock recites robotically. Elias has never heard his best friend so angry at him.

Then Brock’s words hit him. His heart stops, and he jolts to. “I’ll be right there.”

///

Elias is quiet as Brock and Bella lead him to your room. Neither of them could truly look at him after he’d told them where he was. He couldn’t blame them.

He was a bit of a wreck. He’d driven over the speed limit to get to you. He hadn’t been there when you needed him and something could’ve happened to you or your babies.

Your room is also quiet. There’s a small whimper coming from one of the bundles in your arms. He stops dead in his tracks, seeing you holding your twins is everything he’s ever wanted. You, the love of his life, with his children. And he missed their arrival.

“Hi,” He says, finally. He’d stood in the doorway somberly long after Brock and Bella had headed home. He’s sure Brock has already informed Quinn of what happened, that’s why his phone is blowing up in his pocket.

“Hello,” you reply coldly, without even looking up at him. Your eyes remain on your sweet boys the entire time. You’d known he was standing there since the moment Brock and Bella led him there.

Your reply is a sharp contrast to the way you’d been with him this morning. It’s shocking to Elias how a single day can change everything in a mere matter of hours.

“So, we’ve got sons.” He starts, dragging his feet on the floor as he walks over to occupy the seat beside your bed.

“Well, we knew that already.” You deadpan, finally looking up at him. There’s pure hurt behind your eyes and Elias wants to reach out and hold you but he knows better.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

You scoff. “Whatever.”

Elias reaches for a baby and you hand him one.

“I’m here now and I’m not leaving.” He says, sure of himself. It’s too bad you don’t believe him.

Next Part

#elias pettersson #hockey imagine #nhl imagine #kylie writes hockey #gimme gimme gimme an elias after midnight #elias pettersson imagine #Kylies miniseries

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walviemort · 1 year

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true love grows

[A/N: just a brief little idea for Captain Charming Friday I had that @sancocnutclub made me run with. enjoy!]

Emma and Killian had always known parenthood would be an adventure. They just hadn’t expected it to go this way once they were, well, expecting. Even several months later, Emma laughed to think of that conversation with her mom that was just the start of their world turning on its head.

They’d met for lunch and been discussing their hopes of adding to their families—though in very little detail, for Emma’s sake.

“I’m a little nervous to be pregnant again,” she’d admitted. “But I know it’ll be worth it.”

“Well, there’s always the chance it’s not you,” Snow offered in a helpful tone, but it just left Emma confused.

“Uh, why wouldn’t it be me?” she asked. “Who else would it be?”

“Oh no—you don’t know,” Snow said, aghast.

“Know what?”

“When you have True Love, it’s pure chance whether the man or woman carries the baby. Literally 50-50 odds. It’s just luck that I had both you and Neal.” Then she tilted her head, confused. “I thought Killian would have told you that?”

“He would have if he knew, so I’m assuming he doesn’t,” Emma replied. “Oh—oh crap. And he’s been fighting a stomach bug lately.”

Snow just raised her eyebrows, curious.

And now, 30-some weeks later, Killian was the one on the cusp of delivering their baby (a girl!) into the world. He’d been just as shocked as she was at the revelation, having been previously ignorant of that bit of lore, but once he’d accepted it, it had been smooth sailing—though he groaned each day at the increasing size of his waistline as their baby grew.

To add to the joy (or chaos), it turned out that David was also expecting; Emma’s new little sister was due just a couple weeks later. He’d had a few more gripes than Killian but was otherwise taking it well.

Killian had confessed to her around the start of the third trimester that he was glad David had ended up pregnant, too; it made him feel less odd, even if their neighbors didn’t find it out of the ordinary, and he appreciated being able to share the experience with his best friend.

The guys were constantly swapping stories and advice, while also not-so-subtly competing with each other—first to see who lasted longer in their regular clothes (David, ever the fan of forgiving cotton knits), then to see who would end up with the biggest bump (Killian, who carried it all out front). They also had each other to commiserate with when the babies wouldn’t stop kicking them at all hours of the night, or when their cravings got weird, or when they got a glance of their stretch marks in the mirror.

Killian was always a step ahead of David, though, which was good for the prince as a preview of what was to come, but meant that Killian was on his own for a few things—most dramatically, being the first to wear maternity jeans and a belly band, but most painfully, Braxton-Hicks and the day his belly finally dropped. (At least they both had their wives for those moments.)

It was odd for both the girls to be on the other side of being an expectant parent, but having been through it previously made them more adept at helping their husbands. However, they also got some giggles out of certain situations—like when Killian insisted his old tshirts still fit, exposing his belly for all the world to see, or when David attempted to milk the cows into his third trimester. The ladies also insisted on weekly pictures of the boys side-by-side; Snow already had a scrapbook going—because what were the odds of them ever being in this situation again?

So here they were—at 38 weeks for Killian and 36 for David—posing for their photos; Killian was feeling tired and over it, though looking forward to the end result, while David was still feeling great (of which Killian was both jealous and incapable of comprehending).

Killian waddled over to their sofa and collapsed on it once they were done, legs spread to let his belly rest between them, letting out a long sigh and resting his hand on the apex of his generous bump as he felt his daughter move within.

“That bad, huh?” David asked as he sat (much more gracefully) next to him; his belly still sait fairly high on his frame, but was beginning to drift lower.

“Aye,” Killian told him. “Give it a couple weeks and you’ll know.”

“I dunno,” David countered. “Even at 40 weeks, I’m not sure I’ll be that big—hey!” He was promptly punched in the arm.

“Boys? Stop it,” Snow scolded from the kitchen.

“Yeah, stop it,” Killian parroted, then stuck out his tongue.

David rolled his eyes. “Must be why that kid is so big—she’s already full of sass.”

He promptly got hit again, but then hissed with a different kind of pain and his hands rushed to his belly.

“I swear, if you go into labor before me…” Killian grumbled.

David relaxed a minute later. “No, it was a practice one,” he waved off. “There’s no way you’ll outlast me, not at that size.”

(Emma was the one to smack him upside the head that time.)

(However, he was right, but only just: it was three more hormonal weeks before Killian finally went into labor—only a few hours before David did, because why wouldn’t that happen in Storybrooke?

Both delivered healthy daughters—Alice Margaret Jones and Ruth Hope Nolan—in the wee early hours of the morning. And they eventually discovered the other perk of being pregnant at the same time: raising their babies together.)

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source: x x

thank you so much for reading! tagging a few: @wyntereyez @jennjenn615 @superadam54 @ashley-knightingale @justsomewhump @teamhook @mathiaskejseren @88infinity88

#captain charming friday #mpreg #killian mpreg #cs f #snowing ff #captain charming ff #my ff #my manip

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afriendlyneighborhoodhufflepuff · 2 years

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Request: Matt x reader : Matt’s wife ending up giving birth prematurely after an accident, he’s at the scene with the rest of 51 and delivers his own baby boy, wrapping him his firefighter jacket 🥺

Anon I literally haven’t stopped thinking about this. It was literally in my dream. Like vividly I kept seeing our favorite Captain Casey, so I hope you enjoy!

Just like any other day, Matt and Y/N woke up to the sound of an alarm clock. Both groaned at the rude awakening from a peaceful sleep. Well peaceful for Matt anyway. Y/N was 35 weeks pregnant and couldn’t sleep well most nights. “Was that my alarm or yours?” You ask as you feel the bed move with Matt’s shifting. “Mine. You go back to sleep, hun.” “Can’t. Mini Matt has said no to that. Dad is up, so I’m up.” You say as you bring his hand to the swell of your belly, where you both feel your son move. He leans over and gives you a peck on the lips before getting out of bed.

“You know he can’t be Mini Matt forever, right? We need to pick out a name soon.” “I know, I know. I was thinking of Dallin for a first name. And maybe Matthew as a middle name.” You reply, slowly getting up and walking to the dresser, wrapping your arms around your husband, your head resting between his shoulder blades. “I like the sound of that. Dallin Matthew Casey.” He replies, turning around to face you. “Dallin Matthew, it is then!” You say, a smile on your face. “As nice as this is, one of us does have to go to work.” Matt laughs as you pout, not wanting to leave his warm embrace. He holds you for another minute before getting ready for the day.

You said goodbye to your husband as he left for 51. You mentioned that you would be over to visit, and Matt couldn't help smiling at you. The house loved you, and you loved them right back. “Whelp, little man. It's you and me for the next 24 hours. How bout we see dad later today and then run some errands?” You say quietly, running a hand over your belly, feeling a sharp kick in response from your son.

At the firehouse, it's business as usual. Calls, drills, reports. Matt heard a commotion from his office in the common area and investigated. The sight he saw warmed his heart. You, Mouch, and Hermann were sitting on the couch going over some last-minute adjustments to the nursery that they said they would come over and do after shift. “Hi, love!” you exclaim, seeing him walk over to you. “Hi. Why don't you come to my office.” He whispers into your ear, helping you up from the couch. You wave goodbye to Mouch and Hermann, linking hands with Matt as he leads you to his quarters.

You reach the door to his quarters when a sharp pain runs down your body, making you gasp. “Y/N everything alright?” Matt asks, concern lacing his features. “Yeah, I’m good. We’re good. Just Braxton-Hicks like last week.” “Ok, well, I don’t want you standing more than you have to, so come on and sit down. We don’t have to talk or anything. I want to make sure everything is good.” Matt replies as you sit on the edge of the bed in the small room.

After spending some time at the firehouse catching up with your friends, you decided to head to the store to pick up some groceries and stuff for the baby. You were making a left-hand turn, and the next thing you know, you felt something hit you. It took you a moment to realize what happened, but then it came to you that you were in a crash. You were hit on the driver's side, and you couldn’t move. You felt pain in your abdomen, more intense than what you felt earlier, and you knew something was wrong.

The bells rang out in the firehouse, and everyone jumped into action, not knowing what the damage was. “Captain, are you ok?” “Yeah yeah, I’m fine.” Matt lied as he knew this was the route you took from the firehouse to home, and the store was in between. He didn’t want it to be you. He couldn’t lose you and Dallin. It would kill him.

They arrive on the scene, and everyone’s hearts sink. They see your car, driver's side crumbled. Matt jumps out of the truck and sprints to the vehicle assessing the situation, trying to keep calm and not freak out. “Gallo! Get the jaws! It’s Y/N. She’s not moving!” He yells as the young truck member grabs the equipment and the rest of the team helps to get everyone out. “Y/N, sweetheart. Can you hear me?” “Yeah, I can hear you. Somethings wrong. I think the baby’s coming.” You reply, tears in your eyes, as pain rolls through you again, as Matt watches helplessly. “Alright, we’re gonna get you out as quick as we can.” “Hurry. Please. I’m scared.” “I know. We’re doing what we can as fast as we can.” He replies, his hand on the window, trying to mask the fear on his face.

Gallo arrived with the Jaws and got to work. “Casey, do we need the saw?” Cruz asks, running forward. “Not sure. But grab it just in case.” He says as he watches the team try to get you out. “Y/N, we’ll need to get the saw to get you out the rest of the way. I will put my jacket over you, and Sylvie will be here, ensuring you don’t have any serious injuries.” Stella says as you grab her hand and Sylvie’s as the jacket is draped over you, so debris doesn’t fall on you. Matt watches as Severide and Cruz remove the car's roof and as Stella and Hermann extract you from the car and onto the stretcher.

“Matt! We need you!” Foster yells as she helps you sit up. He runs over and wants to cry when he sees the pain you’re in. “Hey, hey, baby. You’re ok. Dallin is ok. I’m here. You’re safe.” He whispers as you hold onto him, shaking from fear and pain. “My water broke after I got hit before you guys came. Dallin is for real coming.” You say, pulling away as you search Matt’s face. You see shock and fear, and you grip his hand as a contraction takes over. You both scan Sylvie and Foster's faces and realize you aren’t going to make it to Med in time.

“Kelly, get over here! And bring Stella!” He yells to his friends as you squeeze his hand harder than he thought you could. “What’s going on?” “Baby’s on the way, and there’s no way we can make it to Med,” Sylvie says, watching you and Matt. “What do you need us to do?” “Be with them. Be their support. That’s what you can do.” She says as the three walk over. “Hey, so Brett gave us the rundown. We’re here for you and only you. Foster is letting Boden know.” Severide says as you reach for his hand. “Son of a bitch, this hurts.” You say as you feel your son move down. “Ok, he moved down. Shit.” You groan in pain, and Stella gets onto the stretcher with you, helping you sit up a little more.

“Y/N, how you doing, sweetie?” Sylvie asks, walking over. “Well, everything hurts like a bitch, and I feel like I need to push,” you reply, fear lacing your voice, gripping your husband's hand and Severide’s for dear life, your contractions getting more intense each time.

“Hey, babe, look at me. Look only at me.” Matt says as Sylvie lifts your dress, covering you with a blanket, checking you quickly. “Matt. I can’t do this.” You cry, tears running down your cheeks. You feel Kelly press a kiss to your temple, and Stella rubs your arm, trying to comfort you. “Y/N, Matt. I can feel the head. It’s go time.” Sylvie says, giving you and your husband a soft smile. “Next contraction, I need you to push, ok?” “Ok. I think I can do that.” You reply with a laugh, reality sets in, locking eyes with Matt as he smiles at you.

You feel a wave of pain roll over, bring your chin to your chest and start pushing. You gasp at the intensity of everything and feel Matt’s hand rest on your knee, helping to ground you. “You’re doing great. There you go!” “God, this hurts. I’m not doing this again anytime soon.” You pant, taking a break, as you grab Matt’s free hand with yours. “That’s ok. I don’t mind. Let’s just focus on you bringing our son into the world.” He says as he tightens the grip on your hand as you start pushing again. You can feel your baby move forward and back for several minutes, and you hate it.

You lay your head back onto Stella in exhaustion. “I can’t do this anymore.” “Yes, you can, Y/N. Look at me.” Kelly says, gently turning your head towards him. “You deal with Matt Casey and the rest of the house daily. You can birth a baby.” He says with a grin, making you snort. “Excuse me! I’m right here.” “We know.” You and Kelly laugh while Matt shakes his head. “Y/N. I can see hair. This next contraction, I want you to give me the biggest push you can, ok?” Sylvie asks as she moves your legs apart some more. You give her a nod and wait for the pain again.

You feel the most intense pain and push as hard as possible, and you feel burning. You moan as you feel his head come out. “His heads out!” Matt exclaims, rubbing your knees. “I thought it was a foot.” You quip back, panting, and Matt guides your hand to your baby's head, and you feel the fuzzy hair and start crying. “Ok, now we have to do little pushes. This part will suck, but once we get his shoulders out, it’s smooth sailing.” Foster says as she takes over for Sylvie, who runs to the back of the ambo for supplies to clean the baby once he is out.

“Little pushes? Oh, hell.” You reply, giving her a look. She just nods and prompts you to push little by little. Stella lifts you, and Kelly rubs a thumb over the top of your hand, whispering encouragements in your ear. You can feel his shoulders come out, and he starts to turn. You feel as Matt’s hand leaves yours and your knee and can’t help but watch as he takes his turnout coat off, his white polo clean as can be. “Matt. What’re you doing?” You ask, voice quivering, wondering what the hell had gotten into your husband's brain. “Grabbing our son. I can see he’s almost here.” He replies as he places the coat on the stretcher.

You groan as you give a final push and feel your baby finally slide out. You lay your head down in exhaustion and feel tears run down your cheeks as you hear him cry. Kelly kisses you on the top of your head, and Stella does the same before they head to the ambo giving you guys a moment together. You look at Matt, who’s wrapped him in his turnout coat, walking to you, tears in his eyes. “You did it, baby. He’s here. Dallin is here.” He says softly, placing the bundle in your arms. “Yeah, he is. Our Dallin Matthew Casey is finally here.” You say, running a finger down the newborn's nose, lifting your head to kiss your husband.

You stay like that for a while until Sylvie and Foster come over with a clean blanket for you and a smaller one for your newborn. They gently lift him out of Matt’s coat and wipe him off and swaddle him. Sylvie gently makes sure you’re clean and ok and makes sure the blanket covers you. You don’t realize Boden had walked over until he speaks. “Congratulations, you two. I’ve gone ahead and called Med to let them know of the situation and that you were on the way. And before you ask, the other driver has been arrested for drunk driving. Not a scratch on him.” He says, voice gruff. Matt gives his chief a look having a conversation with their eyes. He receives a nod of confirmation and helps to make sure you and your son are in the ambo safely.

You arrive at Med and are taken to a recovery room while Dallin is taken to the NICU to be assessed. You can’t help but worry that your baby is ok. You know he’s early but wasn’t sure how it would affect him. “He’s going to be ok. I know he is.” Matt says, holding your hand, moving his thumb across the top of your hand. “Matt, he was early. Five weeks early. What if something isn’t developed all the way?” “Y/N. Brett and Foster would’ve noticed and mentioned it in the field. Trust me. I overheard the nurses, and they’ll be bringing him back in about 30 minutes.” He replies, giving your hand a light squeeze. You squeeze his hand back, letting him know you trust him.

After a while, the nurses return with the newborn, letting you and Matt know that everything looked normal and that he was the cutest patient. The two of you look at him fondly, his little body bundled up in a blanket from the hospital and a little hat on his head.

“Do you have a name for him? So we can write it on his bassinet card?” “Dallin Matthew Casey.” You respond to the nurse as a second nurse places him in your arms. “Just so we know, how are you wanting to feed him?” “Bottle. Definitely bottle. I can pump, but the thought of trying to get him to latch doesn’t feel right for me.” “Alright, we can work with that. I’ll get one ready for him with what we have, and we can go over the next steps in a while.” The nurse replied cheerfully before the pair left the room.

The small family is left alone until a knock on the door removes them from their thoughts. They see their family from the station and beckon them in. They quietly enter, and Y/N notices that Hermann and Mouch have paint on their clothes and tears in their eyes. “We made something for him. Last minute at the station after we got back.” Hermann says, voice breaking, as Mouch opens a small package and brings out a miniature wooden horse painted in a soft blue with everyone’s names written on it. You try to speak but burst into tears as Matt carefully takes your son from your arms, rocking him gently.

You eventually stop crying and wipe your tears away. “That’s so sweet. You didn’t have to do that.” “Yeah, he’s family, and family’s there for each other,” Hermann replies. “Plus, we’re going to head over to the house and get that ready for the three of you.” Ritter pipes up, earning the stink eye from Mouch. “Ritter. That was supposed to be a surprise!” Mouch says in exasperation. You and Matt both laugh, feeling the love from your friends.

Eventually, Foster asks his name since she realizes it’s never been mentioned, and Matt says it with pride. Dallin is held by his honorary aunts and uncles and only makes a sound when he needs to be fed. Y/N gives him his bottle and holds him for a moment.

“Hi, sweet boy. I’m your mom. You sure gave us a surprise today. But your dad and I are so glad you’re here. So are all those crazy people who just held you. Those are your aunts and uncles, and they might love you more than they love dad and me. Based on your surprise today, I feel we’re in for more over the years, but not anytime soon, ok? Mama needs to breathe from the first one.” You whisper to him as he stares at you with his dad's bright blue eyes.

You feel your husband staring and call him out on it. “Quit being a creep staring at a woman and her baby.” You grin at him as he sits on the bed next to you. “Mmm, I wouldn’t say I’m being a creep. Just falling in love with you more and more.” He replies, kissing you and placing a hand on Dallin’s head. “And seeing you today made me fall in love even more. I’m grateful for you, and I know Dallin is too.” You reply, leaning into him as he wraps an arm around you. You stayed like this for hours, not a care in the world. It’s just you, and your family, and that’s all that matters.

#friendly neighborhood hufflepuff speaks #friendly neighborhood hufflepuff writes #ask #anon ask #matt casey x reader #matt casey imagine

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lonely-night · 1 year

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picard era j7 *SCREAMS*

wild geese by problematick

I am perfectly normal about this fic (narrator voice: no she is not)

Make all your amends and tell me when it's over by se7ensecrets

established j7 but so SO GOOD

Janeway Beta by linguisticallycunning

I kinda like the idea of janeway being a lil (or a lot) fucked up in picard era and hurts so good and yes please read every linguisticallycunning’s fics there are so good

some other awesome fics that I love under cut

Fly Me to the Moon by Adm_Hawthorne

light hearted slow burn which makes me squeals from the beginning till the end

A Variety of Nothing by AnonymusBosch

all the chapter titles amused me to no end I love it

The Rod and the Staff by trekintandem

set post 6.20 ‘good shepherd’ AND ITS SO GOOD and yes please read all of trekintandem’s fics

Past Tense by DAxilla

braxton has gone mad and tries to go back in time to kill gretchen janeway who’s pregnant. seven and some other crew form a team to protect gretchen

this fic is 💯 all of their fics are 💯

Flattery Will Get You... by Queerdinary & RedPandaPrincess

when seven learns new thing such as flattery and uses it to get what she wants

Rituals by Queerdinary

sneaky borg I love her so much and yes please go read all of Queendinary’s fics

do borg dream of individuality? by tunemyart

the breakfast scene mentioned in voyager conspiracy, love love love ;-;

Drunken Confessions by Laura81

seven is jealous and she is also drunk, ah I do love a jealous trope

THE CAPTAIN HAS A COLD by JanewayorNoWay

janeway is sick and seven is determined to take care of her

I Think Your Crewmen Are Eavesdropping, Dear. by WickedHeadache

the crew mistaken janeway and seven as a couple, and I love this trope so much

I Dream of You by KathyBoPeep

whenever seven speaks so formally like she’s from a jane austen book and I just *squeals*

When Is A Kiss Not A Kiss? by Wendy

janeway and seven made a bet and it accelerates toward something, it’s awfully funny I love it

Beside Herself by Auriel Stone

set during endgame, admiral janeway tries to help captain janeway and seven to avoid her fate, the admiral’s timeline makes me ;-;

In This Moment by Aunt Kathy

author’s summary: Unimatrix Zero A/U. Complications arise when the away team are beamed back from the cube; leaving Janeway with more Borg technology in her than had been predicted. The tables are turned as she must learn to rely on Seven for support in the wake of her assimilation. But can she pull through such a dramatic change? Or will she buckle under the stress?

I admit I can’t remember the plot but I know it’s good because I did finish it lol

The Borg Have Never Looked So Good In Sciences Blue by WickedHeadache

idiots in love my cheeks hurt cuz I grin too much when reading this fic

Water's Edge by se7ensecrets

perfect autumn vibe fic

JUST THIS ONCE by Susan Thompson

Future’s Past by Hellsbabies (Chp 01, 02, 03, 04)

set during endgame but not only admiral janeway abroad voyager from the future, there’s also someone 👀

#rambling tag #j7 #janeway x seven #fanfic #fic rec #ok i am done for now

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scintillyyy · 10 months

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the firefighter show. i was going to do more than through episode 7 but i got caught up on that episode <3

okay, they have a possible heart attack and they didn't immediately start a 12-lead???? like. anything even potentially cardiac gets that. that's how you know whether or not the person had a heart attack, not dispatch calling the doctor. (would never happen. also. the doctor that released that medication info of their patient to dispatch is getting a lovely hipaa violation <3)

oh good the buck choking bit. did they hang up on dispatch with the first call? bad move. and the emergency tracheotomy....this is the story of how buck got his vocal chords cut apparently. and why does this other random dispatcher know how to perform an emergency tracheotomy well enough to bring abby through it. also, a surgical cricothyroidotomy is what's actually done in an emergency by paramedics as a tracheotomy is more intense and should be done in an OR by a surgeon. also, abby, your compressions also suck that's why he's not getting better.

okay. like. i am curious about what the lafd's shift hours are. on a normal 24-48 schedule i feel like most shifts start and end in the morning (ie/7am-7am or 8am-8am). so why is buck going out to dinner from the firehouse aside from so bobby can do his tie? like. did he go home from his shift and come back at 5pm so that he could get dressed at the firehouse? in this world does the 24 hour shift run from 6pm-6pm? inquiring minds.

listen hen and her wife are very cute, but can i please be judgmental of that small ass full size bed they have? listen, since these people go home ~maybe once a month and seem to live at the firehouse the rest of the time they should be making mad overtime and making bank. when i think of bobby, i think of the fire captain who made a base pay of 161k and overtime pay of 430k back in 2021 according to the city's public records. anyways public records indicate that firefighter/paramedics make at least around 100k base salary (and that's probably closer to starting because i saw others that were closer to 130k) so please buy a bigger bed hen. you deserve it.

okay. bobby. i need to talk to you. because i would like for you to never talk to or diagnose or mansplain to a pregnant woman ever again.

okay, let me make this clear. and i am speaking as someone who had had braxton-hicks contractions. we have a woman who is *38* weeks pregnant. she is technically term at this point, albeit early term. she has a painful contraction. now, can braxton-hicks be painful? unfortunately yes. but they're usually not--they're just more an uncomfortable (? not necessarily pain) tightening of the abdominal and uterine muscles. they usually last 30 seconds at most...maybe 1-2 minutes if you're unlucky. it's just the uterus tightens and relaxes. it's very quick and very sporadic. most importantly it is not, by any means, labor. not even a """"soft labor"""" (what the fuck does that even mean). they can be the body's way of practicing contractions ahead of actual labor but braxton-hicks mean absolutely nothing for whether labor is actually coming or not. you can get them at any time during pregnancy but they're most likely to happen and be felt after you hit the third trimester/32 weeks. they start early lol.

and i'm going to go out on a limb and say this woman in the special fancy prenatal yoga class who is 38 weeks pregnant is well aware of what a braxton-hicks contraction is and what braxton-hicks vs concerns for real labor look like. because according to context clues, she's in a prenatal yoga class with a bunch of other women who are also pregnant.

do you want to know what pregnant women talk about with each other? i'll give you a hint: they talk about their pregnancies and all of their symptoms and ask each other questions. that woman doesn't need bobby to explain pregnancy to her, because (this is important) she has likely already discussed all of these things with her yoga classmates and she has a very important doctor called an ob-gyn who had made it very clear to her what she needs to look out for and such. seriously, she knows what a fuckin braxton-hicks contraction is. this is not someone who seems like they've done 0 research on pregnancy.

like. this woman who is taking a fancy prenatal yoga class and is likely getting prenatal care is not going to be at 38 (!!!!) weeks, have one contraction, and be like "am i in labor =o?"

because let's talk about third trimester prenatal care. starting in the third trimester, you're generally told if anything seems out of the ordinary, don't even bother to call--go straight to labor and delivery to get checked out. they even give you a nice list of exactly what they mean as far as out of the ordinary. labor/contractions is one of those things. and they do tell you what to look out for and what they mean like that. and what they mean is a couple of things: 1) contractions are painful, not just uncomfortable. 2) intervals between contractions are getting progressively shorter and contractions are getting more intense/lasting longer. 3) they're not stopping. so you don't have just one contraction and go in/worry you're in labor. once you're term (ideally 39-40 weeks, but 37-38 weeks is early term) usually you're waiting for what's called the 5-1-1 rule: the contractions are coming every 5 minutes, contractions last 1 minute each, for at least 1 hour. they do tell you this in your prenatal appointments lol. also, by 38 weeks you might be starting your weekly prenatal appointments to check on how you're progressing/how close you are to labor. (generally in prengancy you go every 4 weeks for the first 32ish weeks, then you might switch to every 2 weeks until 38 weeks, and then you're in weekly until the baby comes). you are in constant communication with your provider about your symptoms and any questions/concerns. starting at 38 weeks too, you might start getting cervical checks as well to see how dilated/effaced you are (this is optional), which, if you have started to dilate you do have at least an idea if the baby might be on it's way (or you could be unlucky and chill at 3 cm for 3 weeks. it's a roll of the die.)

and shocker. bobby and his mansplaining was wrong, the single emergency contraction at 38 weeks was a real contraction. we sure went to 1 minute long contractions fast, i was having contractions off and on for about 24 hours before i finally hit the 5-1-1.

oh good we went from "braxton hicks" to "hey it's not safe to transport you, you went from 0-60 in two minutes and suddenly you're having this baby right now" (said no one ever). seriously. you always transport!! also!!! she is not 10cm dilated after, like 2 contractions total, fuuuuck you. i had a fairly fast pushing experience and it was still like. 30 minutes from start of pushing to baby. like she didn't have any early labor? her active labor where she got to fully dilated was about 3 seconds and not 4-8 hours at least? i am skeptical.

(mr. incredible i can't i'm not strong enough meme)

(i can't even touch on the other two women rn i have to focus on this clusterfuck)

okay. let's talk birthing positions. bobby, never deliver a baby again because WTF is that birthing position. there's no way that baby came out in two pushes so easily in that angle. that pelvis is not in a prime position for the baby to make it past the pubic bone sitting like that. even if you give birth on your back (vs squatting vs all fours) (which she's not even doing that, she's sitting in what looks to be the worst possible position ever?? seriously.) the legs and hips are adjusted to ensure a good pelvic angle for greatest ease of baby coming out. and frankly since they're positing this woman as someone who wants to save the placenta/freeze it she's clearly shown as someone super crunchy who would in fact have intensely studied which position she wants to give birth in and would need so little mansplaining from bobby.

speaking of placentas, you have to deliver that too, you know, right? most of the time people get a shot of pitocin to ensure that the placenta fully delivers, or if they want something more natural they'll do cord traction and/or uterine pushing. and it can take 30-60 minutes after the birth of the baby to fully deliver the placenta. that's a thing.

so again i know they can't use actual babies, but that baby's head is too round and that baby is too clean.

okay i have to talk about the other two woman now that we're done with the first one. while the water breaking on the one woman was dumb, and also your water breaking doesn't mean you're immediately having the baby (most contractions will start before the water breaks. if the water breaks first it can still take up to 24 hours for labor to start--and if it's been over 24 hours since your water broke you should go in to get antibiotics), but she is on her fourth and knows what's she's doing which is fair enough so that's fine.

let's talk about woman #3. okay first off, third trimester ultrasounds are notoriously extremely unreliable for size of baby/baby's head so you never really know if that's truly going to be an issue. and if there was actually a question of whether the baby would be too big she probably would have been scheduled for an early induction or scheduled a c-section already. and bobby. let's not pretend you are at all qualified to give a woman that diagnosis of CPD based on her telling you she's 4'11" and supposedly has a baby with a big head. bitch, have you even checked her cervix? that diagnosis comes after failure to progress through labor. which, according to the cleveland clinic is usually first considered when a woman's been in labor for 20 hours as a first time mom or 14 hours if she's previously given birth with no signs that labor is progressing appropriately. you also have to have a skilled and trained birthing professional who checks to see if the head is descending and whether the cervix is thinning and opening appropriately. this woman has been in labor for about 5 seconds. bobby has absolutely no right to be making that call. bobby has had no right to make any of the calls he's made tonight. and he called the hospital to tell them to prepare an emergency c-section because he looked at a woman in labor for 30 seconds???? fuuuuck you. labor & deliver would rightly tell him to go fuck himself for thinking he had the authority or right to tell them anything about anything. also, is bobby a paramedic or just an emt fire captain? if the latter, he deserves to be fired more than anyone else lmao lmao lmao. he's the cause of the lafd getting sued so much. i just cannot with anything i just saw. (insert mr incredible i'm not strong enough meme again)

that's all i have. that part exhausted me. i have no thoughts on anything else, i'm still swirling at....all that.

#some firefighter bullshit

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best-star-trek-character · 1 year

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Official VOY Character Bracket

And here’s the final bracket! Round One will go live tomorrow, 4/17 at 10 am EST!

Full List:

Round One:

Left Side:

Seven of Nine vs. Lon Suder: poll here

Tom Paris vs. Annorax: poll here

Neelix vs. Mezoti, Azan & Rebi: poll here

Braxton vs. Tuvok: poll here

Q Junior vs. Chakotay: poll here

Quinn (Q) vs. Kes: poll here

Naomi Wildman vs. Dexa & Brax: poll here

Vorik vs. Tuvix: poll here

Right Side:

Barclay vs. Icheb: poll here

T’Pel vs. B’Elanna Torres: poll here

The EMH vs. Doctor Chaotica: poll here

Samantha Wildman vs. The Lizard Babies: poll here

Captain Kathryn Janeway vs. Dr. Crell Moset: poll here

Seska vs. Lewis Zimmerman: poll here

Harry Kim vs. Kashyk: poll here

The Borg Queen vs. Q: poll here

Round Two:

Left Side:

Seven of Nine vs. Tom Paris: poll here

Neelix vs. Tuvok: poll here

Chakotay vs. Kes: poll here

Naomi Wildman vs. Vorik: poll here

Right Side:

Barclay vs. B’Elanna Torres: poll here

The EMH vs. The Lizard Babies: poll here

Captain Kathryn Janeway vs. Seska: poll here

Harry Kim vs. Q: poll here

Quarter-Finals:

Left Side:

Seven of Nine vs. Tuvok: poll here

Chakotay vs. Naomi Wildman: poll here

Right Side:

B’Elanna Torres vs. The EMH: poll here

Captain Kathryn Janeway vs. Harry Kim: poll here

Semi-Finals:

Seven of Nine vs. Naomi Wildman: poll here

B’Elanna Torres vs. Captain Kathryn Janeway: poll here

Finals:

Seven of Nine vs. Captain Kathryn Janeway: poll here

#best voy character competition #st #voy #voyager #star trek voyager #Star Trek arena #best star trek character competition

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shesquaredpodcast · 9 months

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Rewatching Relativity and it may be my favorite episode.

A Federation time ship recruits Seven of Nine to stop the destruction of Voyager because her ocular implant can see temporal and space time distortions.

She runs into Janeway on her initial tour of Voyager (we later learn Janeway remembers her from a brief, brief encounter two years earlier and uh, why, Katy?)

She is pulled 3 times from her timeline (a fourth will mean she could develop psychosis) only to keep failing.

Finally as she is about to leave for the 3rd time to go back to Voyager’s dry dock time, she is told by a Captain Braxton to NOT engage with Janeway. because Janeway has no regard for the timeline and she’s caused so many issues that he has had to fix including getting him stuck in the late 20th century (see what you did there, Picard). He was there for 30 years and had to undergo serious rehabilitation from it.

Of course, when Seven encounters Janeway this time cause Janeway captured her - Seven CONVINCES her, even after Janeway is told by Tuvok that his readings indicate she’s Borg, to trust her.

And Janeway DOES so and they work together to, you guessed it, stop a future Braxton from sabotaging the ship because Janeway causes such a horrific issue in the timeline that he will have to clean up in the future and he can’t go through that again.

His future self tries to tell himself that it’s the three incursions he’s already talked about in his “present” time with Seven that’s caused him to come back and attempt to stop Seven and Janeway but those are things he already knows about so it’s not them.

It’s what Janeway does to save Seven. The act that saves Starfleet and ripples into Picard.

The ending of Voyager.

Referenced in season 5 of Voyager.

And he tried to stop Seven and Janeway talking because they can stop anything together. He pulled Seven multiple times because his future self kept thwarting her to intentionally give her psychosis and be able to kill Janeway.

Of course, Seven jumps two more times than is safe to stop him because she has to save Janeway and Voyager. Then tasks her younger self to catch him for good when she strands him and then recommends they nab Janeway to stop him in the future before it ever even starts.

Seven refuses to not engage with Janeway. Janeway trusts her implicitly for no reason. Seven made such an impression on Janeway in a brief meeting that she remembered her two years later.

It showcased the extent they trusted each other, leaned on each other and were willing to go to protect the other.

This episode is so damn good.

#n lance rewatches things #n lance rewatches voyager #j/7 #we ship j/7 here #janeway x seven

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chiefpregqueen · 2 months

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I've always, always wanted to see mechpreg of Lockdown from AOE.

Like picture this okay. The bounty hunter grumpy as he has to waddle throughout his ship, having cravings he'll have to travel to different planets for. His belly huge in his captain's chair as he pilots his ship, the sparkling(s) fussing about in there. Him having braxton hicks during his hunts, painfully just barely completing said hunts and needing a lot of help. And then he has the most exhausting, long labor of any mech.

This would be my revenge for him killing Ratchet (who is the love of my life in case you didn't know) if I was Quintessa.

#mechpreg

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isagrimorie · 5 months

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Wait, the Captain Braxton in Future's End is the same Captain Braxton in Relativity??

It's been so long since I've watched season 3 of Voyager. But I'm watching Future's End now and I didn't realize or forgot that Braxton already appeared in the show before.

Causing the very thing he attempts to stop.

#star trek voyager #voyager s3

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historyhermann · 6 months

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Young Love Spoiler-Filled Review

Young Love is a mature animated comedy spun off from the short film, Hair Love, by Matthew A. Cherry, Everett Downing Jr., and Bruce W. Smith. Cherry, who created this series, began working in the entertainment industry in 2007. Downing created the Afrofuturist series My Dad the Bounty Hunter. Smith created The Proud Family and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. Sony Pictures Animation, Blue Key Entertainment, and Lion Forge Animation produced this series. This article was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of actors currently on strike, Young Love, being reviewed here, wouldn't exist.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the fifty-third article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on October 18, 2023.

This series comes at a time that there are growing number of Black-centered animated series on streaming services, including My Dad the Bounty Hunter, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, Craig of the Creek, Supa Team 4, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Central Park, and Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. There are also ongoing indie animations, like Guardian Instance, Diver: The Animated Series, and Silver Lin, by Black animator Brandon Wright. In addition, indie animations such as Defenders of Alodia, LimeLight, and Captain Zero are in development. Iwájú, Dantai, Cookies & Milk, Tiana, and Iyanu: Child of Wonder are five animated series set to premiere on streaming platforms in the future.

Young Love follows a tight-knit Black family trying to pursue their dreams. It goes beyond what is depicted in Hair Love. Only Angela Young (voiced by Issa Rae), spoke in that film. In this series, Rae reprises her role. Kid Cudi and Brooke Monroe Conaway join her. Cudi voices her partner, Stephen Love. Conaway voices her daughter, Zuri Michaela Young-Love. The first episode pulls you into their world, as does the animation style. Stephen is an aspiring music producer. Angela is a hair stylist. She enters her workplace, the salon, Sister Locs, two months after she left the hospital, but is out of practice.

The episode goes on from there, with Stephen and Angela showing support for their daughter at a school auction. Star (voiced by Tamar Braxton) and Angela's parents, Russell Young (voiced by Henry Lennix) and Gigi Young (voiced by Loretta Devine), are introduced. Stephen and Angela rent their apartment from Russell, who is often hounding Stephen to pay the rent. Stephen, Angela, and Zuri often have fun together, despite their challenges. However, there are tensions. Angela wants to complete her bucket list, which she put together before her chemotherapy. Zuri has dug tunnels through the apartment, so she moves through undetected. At other times, Stephen and Angela help Zuri with her school projects.

Through it all, comedy is part and parcel of this series, mixed with occasional coarse language, suggestive dialogue, and violence. Young Love doesn't sugarcoat life in Chicago or tense family dynamics, but shows them realistically instead. At the same time, the series highlights the role of the sharing economy, sexist beliefs from men (claims of women's incapability), and gangs. The latter is manifested in Lil Ankh (voiced by Idrys). He is a rap/hip hop star and Stephen works for him. When it comes to the sharing economy, Angela convinces her fellow co-worker, Cheri, to use a digital app for booking appointments.

The series has a strong slice-of-life vibe, from the fight between Russell and a 1970s washing machine (he finally wins when he puts it at the curb), Zuri and Gigi going to apartments managed by Russell to collect rent (to prove women aren't incapable). At the same time, it provides commentary on social media influencers. In the fourth episode, for instance, Zuri becomes friends with Stacy, after she objects to the book selection by the school librarian, Ms. Green and feels guilt for her homelessness, resulting in her inviting Stacey and her family to stay in the Young's apartment.

This quickly goes wrong when Angela becomes a social media influencer and exploits the new residents, using them to gain followers. They strike back by mooching off her. Angela and Zuri get their new occupants (Stacey and her family) to leave by getting them a hotel room. In the end, they do very well for themselves. Supporters gift them an entire house, while Zuri, Stephen, and Angela don't even have a whole house. In some ways, Angela and Zuri get what they deserve. Overall, the episode is critical of social media influencers and their negative influence. Crowdfunding's positives are hinted. This episode has a similar message to that communicated about such individuals in Karma's World and The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

The value of art and the creative process is key theme in Young Love. For instance, in the fourth episode, Stephen connects with his nephew, Amir (voiced by Noah Cottrell), who likes to spray paint. He brings him to a modern art exhibit, exciting him. This goes further in the next episode, when Stephen puts aside his contract with Lil Ankh, after the latter rejects his beats, and tries to ink a deal with a White male advertising executive. He hopes that this will help him break free of Ankh.

The firm is steeped in White bro culture. It is racist but hidden behind niceties. The executive he met previously is joined by a few others. They all dress like Black people, claim they "get" them, and are "allies." While he cringes, he goes along with it because of the compensation. This episode criticizes "inclusive" corporate culture. In reality, the culture of this corporation is the "same old race shit." This gets worse when Stephen uncovers that he's making a racially tinged laundry detergent jingle.

What follows is a funny sequence: a Twitter bird chases Stephen and Star. They are confronted by historical Black figures who warn them against making the jingle. They ignore this, and make a subversive jingle, with Black power themes. The White ad execs don't know better. This is squashed when Lil Ankh releases a similar song, and they have to return the money. Even worse, Lil Ankh calls out Stephen as "trash" and a "traitor." It is no accident that in the same episode, Angela bonds with a new client, a Black woman named Jade, one of the only Black women who leads a PR firm. Zuri tries to sell cookies to "get back" at the Girl Scouts.

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This series is more than a mix of slice-of-life and drama. The episodes often come with warnings for strong or coarse language, and occasional violence. Unlike other series, aimed at all ages, Young Love is aimed at mature adults. It doesn't whitewash anything. Take for example, the sixth episode, when Stephen tries to figure out who he is without Lil Ankh, who stole his beats without credit, and ends up in a bad funk. After he brings Zuri to school, his beat-up car breaks down. He gets four flat tires. It is almost a manifestation of 1998 hit by The Coup, "Cars & Shoes."

If that isn't bad enough, Ankh refuses to give him credit. Star continues working with Ankh despite him being a scumbag. With this defeat, he imagines everyone criticizing his work, and even fills out employment applications that Russell gave him. There is then a twist: Russell once was drummer for a funk band! He declares that he sees potential in Stephen, saying he believes in him and says music is Stephen's identity. This is just the inspiration he needs. It is not mistake that everyone learns a lesson by the end of the episode: Angela learns that she should stop meddling in people's lives as a life coach and Zuri stops trying to tell people's fortunes with a demonic cootie-catcher. The episode ends with Stephen teaching Zuri piano chords. Angela welcomes further bonding between Zuri and Stephen.

The next episode of Young Love is one of my favorites since it contains social commentary on pyramid schemes, video game addiction, and comedy (known as throwing shade in this series). For the first of these topics, Angela tries to extract her mom from a pyramid scheme called Ruminate, to sell reported "holy water." This changes when the devious speaker declares that a benefit is an "all-exclusive" trip to Paris. She then accepts it since a vacation to Paris is on her bucket list.

They end up hawking this to more people until they realize the obvious: it is a swindle. They get a ticket, but to Paris, Illinois, not Paris, France, infuriating them. Angela says that Chicago's broken educational system was a cause for her poor choice. She thanks her mom for teaching her to believe in herself again. While Angela and her mom round up "the crew" (those they roped into the scheme) to take down Ruminate, no one believes their tall tale, which appears partially fabricated.

The commentary on video game addiction and comedy is more straightforward. Stephen becomes resolute and determined to beat Hustle Quest, a video game that his nephew Amir made. After several days, he is victorious. However, Zuri easily beats the game in a few minutes, surprising Stephen. The latter makes clear that becoming obsessed with something short-lived is a waste of time. It implies that people have different forms of obsession. Video game addiction is listed in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). However, there isn't a consensus on whether it is separate disorder or manifestation of other disorders.

When it comes to comedy, Zuri learns from Amir how to show "shade" on people. She stands up to Twan (voiced by Debra Wilson), who is calling people names. Both end up in the principal's office. He chastises them for their behavior. The principal says that if they continue, they will become comedians who charge pennies for jokes. Zuri and Twan decide to team up and tell jokes together, and charge people for it.

The principal's line may be a dig at comedians and how some will do anything to be funny, even if it takes others down. On the other hand, it might be more tongue-and-cheek, considering the comedy of Young Love itself. Consider the next episode. Zuri believes that her parents are having sex. Instead, they are trying to coordinate a schedule. Zuri's initiation is somewhat right: after she leaves, they try to have sex. However, Stephen's desire for chicken wins out, annoying Angela.

Of all the episodes, the eighth episode touches on the value of artwork, drug use in the Black community, the value of artwork, and "spicing up" romance. For the first of these topics, Amir bonds with Zuri. Amir honors his father by spray painting on a wall. Zuri unknowingly helps him, as does a young Black man wearing a face mask. This empowering message about art fits with other episodes. In comparison, series such as The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder do not have similar messages.

On the second of the topics, Stephen and Angela try to find a place where they went early on in their relationship. However, the restaurant has disappeared, and they feel out of place in a now-gentrified neighborhood. Focusing on gentrification in Young Love is not unique. Kizazi Moto, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, City of Ghosts, and Birdie Wing did the same. Stephen and Angela are skeptical about going into a shop, sitting where the restaurant they loved was located. They only enter to charge their phones. A White woman runs the store. She welcomes them, bowing, and welcomes them with "namaste." In some ways, she represents spiritualist White people.

This soon changes. Angela and Stephen drink their tea. It's infused with THC, otherwise known as tetrahydrocannabinol. It's the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. They remain high for the rest of the episode. This doesn't stop them from giving zingers to White people. Angela calls gentrification "domestic imperialism" and describes a nearby White shop owner as a "colonizer." They find the food truck run by the chef who once ran their beloved restaurant. They are so high that Angela doesn't discipline Zuri for leaving the house (she was supposed to stay put). Stephen just vibes while this happens.

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Apart from The Freak Brothers, an indie animated series which is absolute dreck, and an allusion in an episode of Steven Universe Future, I can't think of any other series which gives a positive portrayal of getting high. None of the other Black animated series I mentioned earlier even approach the topic of drug use at all. Executives would consider it "too mature" for all-ages series. Perhaps they think it could increase drug use since one study suggested popular music about cannabis could do. More likely, they have certain perceptions of children's wants, which don't always align with reality.

Otherwise, the final plot thread, of spicing up romance, takes place between Russell and Gigi. They give each other presents, but Gigi remains annoyed that each year repeats itself. Rain continues to stop Russell's plans to go out for their romantic anniversary. She demands they change things up and Russell ends up delivering. He returns in the uniform of a letter carrier (his former job). The message this communicates is that love is possible between anyone, no matter their age. It fits with the rest of the series, in which Russell, Gigi, Angela, Stephen, and Zuri live in the same building. In fact, Stephen, Zuri, and Angela live above Gigi and Russell, and have a cat named Rocky, who is a character in some ways, but never speaks.

Later episodes involve Stephen and Angela either helping their daughter, Zuri, or trying to bond with others. The latter is on display when Amir goes with Stephen to buy expensive sneakers, which cost $300.00. Angela begins to come into her own, as she runs the salon, known as Sister Locs, and realizes that she can't be the "cool" boss, but needs firm instead. Stephen tries to compose some beats and realizes he shouldn't be like Lil Ankh, but should chart his own path. When it comes to helping Zuri, her parents get her out of a situation where she caused students to riot over coffee cake, after she thought she was Angela Davis.

These episodes set the stage for the final two episodes of Young Love. In the first of these episodes, Angela's parents (and Zuri's grandparents by extension) demand that Zuri come to church after she complains that God is ignoring her prayers. They are horrified after Stephen calls out religion as corrupt and Angela says spirituality is what is best for Zuri. Going to church is uncomfortable for Stephen and Angela. In the process, Angela lies. She claims she's married to Stephen. At the same time, the episode shows how certain people can be charlatans. Zuri poses as the "chosen one" so she can one-up her friend, Sky. She even tries to take away the Star student idea when Sky begins questioning her.

In this series, God is a Black man. He is remarkably busy and claims to not have time to involve himself in people's affairs. He is similar to the God, with a light bulb as a head, in Disenchantment, voiced by Phil LaMarr, a well-known Black male voice actor. The episode has an interesting twist. It turns out that the financial advisor who helped Angela and Stephen get their finances in order, and deal with their overdue payments, was God himself. In addition, the Principal's worry about lawsuits (when Zuri claims she is the chosen one) and separation of church and state is timely, since some sneer at legal prohibition of religious involvement in public schools, in the U.S., and desire the re-introduction of (Christian) prayer.

This nuanced approach to religion in Young Love, ending with Angela's parents remaining religious, while Angela, Zuri, and Stephen are spiritualists, is unique. It differs from lip service the Simpsons family shows to churchgoing in The Simpsons, or lack of religious worship in The Proud Family, and its reboot. This nuance reflects the fact that only 16% of Americans committed to attending religious services in person. A 2021 survey is even more pertinent. One-in-five Black Americans told survey takers they are religiously unaffiliated. Instead, they identify as agnostic, atheist, or “nothing in particular.” This is especially the case among Gen Z and Millennials. In addition, a recent survey attested that over 10% of Asian Americans are non-religious.

The Young Love series finale builds upon the penultimate episode. It begins with Zuri's declaration that she will marry her classmate, BJ. This goes awry when he swallows a strawberry with a ring inside. Following this, Zuri, and Angela's parents, pressure Stephen and Angela to get married. At first, neither wants this. They laud their freedom from "binding chains of matrimony." Both describe themselves, to the school principal, as loving parents committed to providing Zuri with a stable home. Non-marriage between Angela and Stephen remained in part because of Stephen's repeated failures to propose marriage.

Russell's claim that no weddings or marriages will cause an apocalypse impacts this decision. A recent poll is relevant: Americans expressed worries about declining marriages. Even so, Catholics and historically Black Protestants, especially, had less concern about those with fewer children. That poll also noted that larger groups took a neutral view. They believed that the declining number of marriages is neither positive nor negative for society. At the same time, many women said, in a related poll, of Americans that they took the traditional, and patriarchal route, by taking their husband's surname in opposite-sex marriages.

As such, Russell's view is unhinged. Society has existed, and will continue to exist, without marriage. There is public support among Americans for a nuclear family, even though few see parenthood or marriage as "central to living a fulfilling life." Russell's response is akin to the "No on Infinity" ad in the Futurama "Proposition Infinity" episode. That ad satirizes people against same-sex marriage. Russell's fear combines with Angela's fear that she will become a 1950s-style housewife, a path she thinks Zuri will follow. At the same time, Stephen fears Angela will leave him, causing him to live alone in a house in 1980s-style situation.

The episode ends with both eschewing the idea of marriage, after Angela says they are going too fast, Stephen remains unsure, and Angela's therapist says she should not put everyone else's needs before her own. Gigi stops Zuri's brainless child bride marriage proposal to BJ. Stephen and Angela agree to have a very long romantic engagement instead of marriage, saying that love is holding their little family together. Even so, there is a marriage between Gigi and Russell. It is a re-marriage, a re-stating of commitment between them. The wedding goes on its head, after they play a song Stephen produced and begin throwing cake at each other. Overall, this episode is a clever way to end Young Love. It makes clear that love isn't only possible through marriage.

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In this way, it makes a different point that Spy x Family, with Loid and Yor's marriage of convenience, made without either being in love with one another, at first. The views of Angela and Stephen on marriage align with criticism of the marriage institution, even of same-sex marriage. Critics argue that marriage perpetuates a system which makes married people "more worthy of...health care and economic rights" than others. Such critics include Michael Warner (in his book The Trouble with Normal), Kate Millett, Shulamith Firestone, Simone de Beauvoir, Eleanor Leacock, Clare Chambers, and Dean Spade.

Obviously, Young Love is not some political manifesto extolling how marriage is not the be-all, end-all for love. But it is a breath of fresh air from the many series out there, either directly (Tangled) or indirectly stating that marriage is the only way to ensure that love can be long-lasting. There can still be romantic friendships and romances without any legally binding life-long commitments. Unfortunately, popular culture depictions of those friendships or romances are rare. Instead, shows fit with the societal expectation of marriage and the idea that unmarried/single people are abhorrent, bizarre, or "suspicious." This mentality has seeped into online communities of fans who enjoy yuri or yaoi. Such fans believe that two or more characters in love need to marry.

The fact that Young Love grew from a short film named Hair Love, which is less than seven minutes long, is phenomenal. Hair Love features a young Black girl awoken by a cat, trying out a new hair style, and following a video of her mother, who has an easy-to-use hair tutorial. In Hair Love, neither she, nor her dad, who tries to help her with her hair, which he fights, akin to what Moon Girl/Lunella in Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur did, speaks. Her mother has the only speaking role.

Young Love wasn't crowdfunded like Hair Love. However, the same company produced it: Lion Forge Animation, along with other companies. That animation studio, a division of Lion Forge Entertainment, is known for Drawn In, Rhymes Through the Times, The Park Bench; and Rise Up, Sing Out. In addition, the studio announced work on a film (Heiress) and TV series (Iyanu: Child of Wonder and Hero's Journey the Series).

As I mentioned in my last review, Max screwed over this series by posting four episodes a week. This made the series almost impossible to keep up with. It ensured that not even one Wikipedian would create a page for the series. Instead, the series is only a redirect on the Hair Love page. This is unfortunate, since social media chatter on X/Twitter is generally positive, except for a few people using clips out of context to bash the show. Users call it cute, slick, cool, hilarious, hip, perfect, and heartwarming. On other social media platforms, and among critics, the reception appears to be positive.

Issa Rae, Kid Cudi, Brooke Monroe Conaway, Tamar Braxton, Henry Lennix, Loretta Devine, Idrys, Debra Wilson, and Noah Cottrell, voice actors for this series, bring their talent to the table. Mara Junot (as Cynthia Love), Mike Smith (as Dwayne), and many others, join them. Their experience allows the series to tackle topics like bullying, masculinity, gender roles, marketing, racial justice, exploitation of Black culture with ease. Even so, not everything gets equal emotional weight.

Rae is new to voice acting, apart from voicing the mother in Hair Love and Jessica Drew in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Similarly, Cudi voiced Jabari in Entergalactic and Clay in Trolls Band Together. Junot recently voiced Beta in My Dad the Bounty Hunter. Devine has voiced many characters, as have Lennix and Smith. Wilson recently voiced Amanda Waller in My Adventures with Superman, Terra Snapdragon in The Owl House, Quinn's mother in Final Space, and Z'oto in Star Trek: Lower Decks. In contrast, this series is the first voice role for Conaway, Cottrell, and Braxton.

I hope that this series gets a second season. It would give new/newish screenwriters like Brian Ashburn, Breannah Gibson, R. Malcolm Jones, Kelsey Barry, Jackson DeLoach, Juston Gordon-Montgomery, Guillermo Martinez, story writer Jeanine Daniels, executive story editor Keisha Zollar, and seasoned writers such as Willie Hunter, Carl Jones, Randa Sheppard, and Dayna Lynne North, a chance to shine again. Knowing how turbulent the animation industry, in the U.S., is right now, and how the executives are stonewalling SAG-AFTRA (resulting in a continued actor's strike), I am doubting it will happen.

Young Love is currently streaming on Max.

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