#especially because my dad doesn't support this idea

[chronicbeans]

Romantic Yandere Lucifer x Reader Headcanons

I've been tossing this idea around in my brain for days lol.

TW: Yandere Behavior, Obsessive and Possessive Thoughts, Panic and Anxiety, Depression, Blood and Injuries, Denial, Overprotective Behavior

• When he first met you, it was when he visited the Hazbin Hotel upon Charlie's request. You were sitting at the table with the rest of the staff and guests, acting the most... Well, normal out of all of them, besides Husk. You smiles and waved his way once Charlie mentioned your name.

• It wasn't like those fairy tales, where it is love at first sight. No, he had to talk to you, of course. After everybody else introduced themselves to him, you walk over to him, shake his hand, and introduce yourself. "Hello, your majesty! My name's (Y/N)! It's nice to meet you!" That's when he falls for you. Throughout the small conversation you both have, you treat him like... well, a normal person. Or, at least, as normal as you can treat the King of Hell, himself.

• The moment he leaves and returns home, he feels extremely guilty for falling for you. Especially since it was so quick, and for such a simple reason. He barely knows you! Why can't he stop thinking about you? He silently vows to never go back to the hotel, not because he doesn't support Charlie, but because he's scared of falling for you even more. However... Calling Charlie and asking about the Hazbin Hotel doesn't sound too bad, yes?

• Soon, asking about the hotel turns to asking about the people there... which, in turn, means asking about you. How have you been doing? Have you shown any interest in the activities and workshops at the hotel? What interests do you have. Of course, Lucifer asks the same questions about everybody else, to not seem suspicious, but he's mostly just interested in you...

• He only falls even more as he hears about you. Lucifer hates himself for it. So, he begins to distance himself, again. He goes back to making his rubber ducks, trying to distract himself from his thoughts about you. However, over time, his ducks slowly began having features that remind him of you. You like drawing? Duckie with a pencil and paper. Singing? Duckie that plays music. His mind can't escape you.

• Once the exterminators show, and the fight with Adam commences, he sees you again. Not in the best condition, either. The dust settles, Niffty absolutely brutalizes Adam, and now everybody is looking for you and Alastor. As Lucifer wanders the area in a frantic search for you, he happens to notice a battered hand sticking out from underneath some rubble. Moving it out of the way, he's now in a panic as he realizes it's you. You're alive, thankfully, albeit heavily injured and hanging on by a thread. That, and passed out.

• The next few minutes are spent with him becoming way too protective over you, holding you in his arms and becoming extremely defensive. His obsessive crush has finally reached more twisted levels, and he's mortified by the thought of letting you out of his sight. Even Charlie is starting to catch on that something is not quite... right about her dad. He's holding you tightly and not letting anybody come near you, despite the fact that you clearly need help. Then again, his angelic powers could probably be used to help you heal, but the point still stands. The only person who's allowed to come close is Charlie, and even then, he's keeping a close eye.

• He's now by your side constantly while you're recovering. He almost lost you! It's a very sudden change in his behavior, considering how he bottled up all of his feelings for you for so long... Nobody even knew he cared about you in specific, much less this much. Whenever you wake up in your bed, staring at the hotel, he's the first person you see. Whenever you fall asleep, he's the last thing you see. He's there throughout the entirety of the day, acting much more like your caregiver than your friend's dad. Bringing you food, getting you water, getting you some blankets and pillows... He's even taking care of changing your bloodied bandages out for new ones.

• At first, you just assumed that he was worried and wanted to help you recover. It'd make sense. You almost died, after all. The behavior doesn't stop after you're fully recovered, though... in fact, it gets worse, somehow. He makes sure that you aren't in danger, be it real or perceived. Somebody who he doesn't know talking to you is just as big of a threat in his eyes as somebody pointing a gun at your face. He's immediately standing by your side, glaring the stranger down.

• He may not be that intimidating, but he's the King of Hell. Many people know how strong he is, even if they don't find him to actually be intimidating to look at. So, they back off, usually. Those who don't get a brief look at his demon form, before getting knocked out. No, no... He doesn't kill them. He can't kill anybody when you are around. He'll wait until later.

• He's a yandere that would never cross any physical boundaries with you. He's spent years isolating himself from people, so as sad as it is to say, he's pretty used to not getting any sort of affection. He doesn't need compliments, hugs, or cuddles ( at least, that's what he tells himself). However, if and when you start showing affection towards him, he's going to need it constantly. He needs reassurance, comfort, a shoulder to cry on, somebody to give affection to... And you are now the only person he feels he's able to do so, with.

• He's going to want to own your soul, so be on the lookout for any tricks he might pull. Well, it's more correct to say he doesn't want to own your soul, but feels like he must. He doesn't like the idea of being in a relationship with such an intense power dynamic, but he's so frightened by the idea that Heaven might take you away, that he feels that he simply must own your soul. He feels that, if he does, it's less likely you'd even be able to go to Heaven, since you're technically owned by him. And he knows he's never going up. Even you just mentioning Heaven throws him into a panic... Don't say that word, alright?

#hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel lucifer #hazbin lucifer #lucifer hazbin hotel #lucifer morningstar #lucifer #lucifer x reader #hazbin hotel yandere #yandere lucifer

[lazyjellyfish300]

Miguel O'Hara parenting head canons

I randomly thought of this and thought it would be fun as a new young mom myself to make this list. These are just things I pulled from my brain of what I imagine he'd be like as a parent. Reader is his s/o.

TW: minors DNI, slightly suggestive, breeding, child free, infertility, parenting, childbirth

----------

Pt 2 as well:

-His kids come first over everything. In the universe where he's a single dad to Gabi he definitely takes a longggg time before introducing anyone he's dating to Gabi. He wouldn't introduce them to her unless he's 10000% committed and sees a future with them.

-One of the best ways to crack through his rough exterior or grumpy moods is to ask him about his kids. Especially if you have kids of your own, start talking about them and he'll slowly forget what he's doing and listen/calm down (proof: when Peter brings Mayday to work) and when it comes to talking about his own kids he'll rattle on and on.

-He goes the extra mile on Christmas for Gabi. He's normally cheap/frugal asf but not on Christmas. Gets her a stocking and buys so much stuff it barely fits in the stocking.

-Gabi loves stuffed animals. Her bed is like piled high with squishables and squashmallows. Miguel knows each one's name.

-If you don't want kids/child free or can't, no problem. As long as you love Gabi as much as he does Miguel doesn't have issues. He still loves you & you two still share a lasting love based around love of travel and adventure and he's extremely sensitive to your feelings. (Aka he nearly fought your aunt at Thanksgiving for asking when you two are going to have kids)

-if you have kids already/want kids ooooh he's trying to get you pregnant yesterday. And he absolutely adores your kids as much as his own. He never uses the word "step," when describing his step kids. He's a little intimidating at pick up but he's civil with your ex, mostly for your sake. He loves the family life with you and is on board for whatever fun craft night/family game night/movie night ideas you have. He supports you if you have a career or if you want to stay home with the kids he is behind you 100%.

-He definitely does not have McDonald's money. (We have food at home)

-He believes in the theory of Gentle parenting but has a hard time applying it. (catches himself being kind of hard on the kids but he's determined to break the cycle and be the father he never had, always apologizes to the kids)

-He thinks Disneyland is way overpriced and over hyped but he loves going purely for yours and Gabi's reaction to the magic. He carries Gabi on his shoulders and carries her in his arms when she naps after a long day at Disney when you head back to the hotel.

-He does tea parties/plays dolls with Gabi 1000% but he forgets to stay in character when playing with dolls and Gabi has to remind him to use his girly voice.

-learned how to do hairstyles for Gabi and always braids her hair/does ponytails for her soccer games. He's a bit of a perfectionist at it and has made them late for games in the past because he wants to get it right.

-If you want kids, you want like 2 or 3 max and he goes along with whatever you want because it's your body your choice, but if it was up to him he'd want like 5 or 6.

-He definitely gets a little too carried away at the kid's sports games and got into an argument with the ref at Gabi's soccer game once, but after you had a stern talking to him now he just mutters under his breath after every call.

- He's at every single doctor's appointment and asks the pediatrician way too many questions.

- He loves taking Gabi and the kids trick or treating on Halloween while you stay warm at home with the younger kids/babies. He definitely dresses up in a scary costume and sits on the porch really still like a statue and scares the kids.

- He completely misses the fact that all the moms at soccer practice and school pick up are flirting with him.

-When the kids are sick he's the first one to offer to call off work to stay home. If you don't work then he'll take a sick day to be with you and the kids.

- he's actually a really good cook, but when it comes to packing the kids lunches he's more of a simple man (pb& j or turkey sandwich with carrot sticks, goldfish, and milk) whereas you go all out with the star shaped fruit, cutting the crust off the sandwiches and handwritten notes.

- he's a workaholic but he'll miss work or a meeting for Gabi's choir performances any day.

-overly excited for the science fair at Gabi's school and is involved with her project/signs up to be one of the judges.

-he's at every single parent teacher conference

- He has a no cell phones at dinner rule, and is big on talking with the kids, asking about their day and school.

- if you want kids, he's at all your prenatal appointments and saves all the ultrasound pics and cried when you told him you're pregnant

-he completely passed out on the guest couch for like 5 hours straight in your hospital room after your delivery because he was awake all night with you tending to you and the new baby, helping you to the bathroom with your postpartum undies and changing the baby's diaper

-blood doesn't bother him at all, being the scientist he is he asks the doctor a lot of questions and is comfortable watching the medical procedures while you're in labor.

-he babies you when you're pregnant and occupies the kids so you can rest/won't let you go anywhere by yourself/carry anything heavier than 5 pounds.

-definitely cries at his daughters wedding but complains about the cost of everything through the whole planning process.

-also gets teary at the kids graduation, brings in noisemakers/giant posters even though the principal said not to.

#miguel ohara #miguel o'hara #miguel x reader #miguel atsv #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel spiderman #across the spiderverse #headcanon #miguel headcanons #Spotify

[yamujiburo]

I think about Deliah/Jessie/James poly so much dude. Hanamusashipping and Rocketshipping are both phenomenal in their own ways, so I think it's a fun concept to combine the two! You have fully convinced me that Deliah is a lesbian, especially with the whole "turned down *hundreds* of men" like my goodness! Wonder what got her into a relationship with Ash's dad... there's potential for angst there but I can't bring myself to put that on her. But let me propose a concept: Queerplatonic James and Deliah. I would love to see more lil comics and stuff of them together running Deliah's restaurant (which... do we know what the name of that is?), just being remarkably on the same wavelength with aesthetics, food prep, all that stuff. They'd be such cuties! I think it'd be sweet for the two of them to have another person to open up towards about their pasts and insecurities and stuff. James has had to let go of pokemon he cared for a lot (so has Jessie of course, but tbh I can only recall Arbok and Dustox, while James let go of at least Weezing, Chimeco, and Cacnea? Does Growlie count too? I'm not sure... Mimikyu and Mareanie are a lil different since they hang out with Bewear and Stufful, and the whole Alola bit of Journeys emphasized that TR visits them). But he can empathize a lot with how Deliah does support Ash's travels, but at the same time feels guilty for not being "enough" for him, y'know? James had to let Chimeco stay with his grandparents because it was just far too sickly, and Gardenia was able to see potential in Cacnea that James knew he couldn't bring out as much as he tried. But he doesn't doubt that his pokemon know he loved them dearly, and they all wish each other the best uwu. There's just a lot of cute fun for the dynamic. Jessie goes from being unlucky in love to getting *two* wonderful partners. Ash gets a second step-dad, and it's the other guy who tried to kidnap his pet mouse lmao. Ash understanding James' bottlecap collection because it's kinda like his collection of gym badges, or the two of them making a whole powerpoint to show Deliah evidence that Jessies' contest and performance personas are still her. Ash, Pikachu, and Meowth seeing James, Jessie, and Deliah all cozy on the couch, and they all just look at each other like "ew" before running in and interrupting the moment™.

YAAAA this is so cute! Delia and James would have a really fun dynamic. I unfortunately have not done as much with them as I'd like to (i haven't done as much with this au as i'd like to in general lol) but whenever I think about potential ideas or situations, I always imagine them being there for one another and being able to tell each other anything~

Oh and the restaurant is canonically called Masara House (or in english Pallet House)

#ask yam

[zegrasdrysdale]

The arrival pic of John holding the little girls hand has me thinking about him as a dad and how great he’d be. Can you do first time dad John? Like his excitement finding out/birth/newborn fluff and the baby is maybe due in the beginning of the off season so he’s happy he can actually be there for his wife towards the end and not be stressed about missing the arrival and can soak up those newborn moments as a little family <3

[ first time forever ] j. marino

paring : John Marino x fem!reader

summary : the events leading up to John and his fiancée welcoming their first baby and becoming first time parents

warning(s) : pregnancy, throwing up. childbirth, light sexual content and language

author's note : had to do math for this one and math is not my strong suit (i very much fit the stereotype of english majors not being able to do math). pls don't yell at me if the math is wrong. i tried

༺═──────────────═༻

【 July 22nd, 2023 】

She falls to the side under the blankets with a sigh. Her breathing is labored and she looks up at the ceiling as she recovers from the strongest orgasm of her life. John is already curled up at her side and presses soft kisses into her shoulder.

"You have no idea how sexy you looked riding me, baby," John mumbles against her skin. He looks through his eyelashes at her. "Might need you to do that again."

With a breathy laugh, she looks over at her new fiancé. "Not tonight," she tells him. "We've already gone three rounds. You might have a lot of stamina from being a hockey player but I don’t. I’m not a hockey player that is constantly working out."

John smiles and trails kisses up to her jaw. She bites her already swollen bottom lip for a second and lets out a soft sigh as he makes his way to her cheek.

"I wouldn't make you go again tonight," he promises her. "We get to do this for the rest of our lives."

She smiles and John lifts his head to look at her. She grabs one of his hands with her left hand, her new ring sparkling in the soft lamp light of their bedroom as she laces their fingers together. John softly kisses the ring on her finger.

"For the rest of our lives," she echoes. He smiles at her before he leans in and kisses her softly.

It doesn't lead to anything. As a matter of fact, she falls asleep about five minutes later because of the amount of orgasms she had in such a short amount of time.

The morning in the other hand is a completely different story, and she doesn’t even mind because she is so in love with him.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

【 September 16th, 2023 】

Something is wrong. Well, not wrong, but her body hasn't felt like her own recently. Every time she's eaten something she usually likes, it ends with her in the bathroom puking it up.

This is not the time to be getting sick. John is about to start playing preseason games and she wants to actually go to them without having to worry about throwing up something she eats. This might be the worst time to get sick.

She was going to go watch John at camp today but she is once again on the bathroom floor and throwing up the food that she ate last night for dinner. John is kneeling beside her and holds her hair back in a ponytail as she throws up.

“You shouldn’t come to watch today if you still aren’t feeling good,” he comments as she flushes the toilet and sits back against it. John grabs a cloth and dabs the sweat off her face. “I wouldn’t want you to push yourself if you’re sick.”

She pouts and looks up at him. “No, baby,” she quickly says. “I want to go and be there to support you. I’m okay enough to go. I promise.”

John shakes his head and pushes her loose hair behind her ears. “I don’t want you to make yourself more sick,” he replies.

“I’ve been sick for almost two weeks,” she says. As soon as the words leave her mouth, she realizes just how long she really has been sick.

Constantly throwing up and feeling nauseous, especially in the morning or after she eats something. Her body has felt foreign to her and she’s been so tired even though she gets enough sleep every night.

The cramps she’s been getting with no period is the last red flag before she realizes what might be happening.

She looks up at John and asks, “Can you grab the box of tampons for me?”

He reaches behind him and grabs the box of Tampax Pearl tampons out from underneath the sink. He hands it to her and she sees that it’s not even open. She covers her mouth with her hand and looks up at John. He’s blurry because of the tears that have formed.

“What’s wrong?” John questions as the tears roll down her cheeks. “Why are you crying?”

“I don’t think I’m sick,” she confesses. “I’ll need to take a test for confirmation but I might be pregnant, baby.”

John’s eyes widen before a smile forms on his face. “You think so?” he asks.

She nods and reaches up to pull him into a hug. John falls into her arms because he’s off balance and they both laugh on the bathroom floor. She runs her fingers through his curls and she presses kisses to his cheek.

“Will you be okay while I go to camp?” he asks when he pulls back. “Or do you want to come with me and we can go to a CVS or something to get some tests after I’m done? I really want to be here when you take them.”

“I’ll come with you,” she replies. “I wanted to be there anyway. Give me a second to get off the floor.”

John gets up to go get ready.

She can’t stop smiling since she realized that she might be pregnant. She most likely is pregnant and she has been ignoring the signs for weeks. She takes a few minutes before she gets off the floor and walks into the bedroom.

Her fiancé is buttoning up his shirt and tucking it into his pants. He looks over and asks, “Are you wearing one of my jerseys or a t-shirt?”

“Probably a jersey,” she replies as she walks to the closet to grab something. “Alternate or home?”

“Alternate,” John answers. “I like the black jerseys.”

She smiles and nods. “We’ll have to get our baby one,” she comments.

When she looks at John, he has the biggest smile on his face. The smile alone is enough to get her excited for the birth of their baby.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

【 December 2023 】

yourusername & john.marino97

liked by njdevils, nicohischier and 72,981 others

yourusername baby marino coming april 2024 🤍🍼

view all 4,136 comments

nicohischier congratulations !

dawson1417 boy or girl ?

yourusername come to the baby shower next week to find out

dawson1417 booo

njdevils We have a mini Marino jersey ready for you! ❤️

jackhughes so proud that i was able to keep this secret

john.marino97 my loves 🤍 can’t wait to start our family in a few months

yourusername 🥺🫶🏼 love you

penguins Congratulations John and (Y/N)! We can’t wait to meet the little one (and put them in the right jersey)

john.marino97 💛🖤

lhughes_06 gonna be the best uncle

pally_18 congrats

nhl ❤️🖤

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

【 December 14th, 2023 】

Her sisters have done so much leading up to the baby shower. The decorations are a beautiful pastel blue or pink. The cake that she and John are going to cut into to find out the sex of their baby is stunning.

She wears a short flowy pink dress with spaghetti straps and John wears a blue golf shirt with white shorts. Their friends and family are wearing either blue or pink. She could cry at how amazing everything looks but she put on mascara. Hopefully waterproof because she’s going to cry either way today.

The cake is sitting on the kitchen island. Everyone has surrounded it. John holds a knife in his hand and she looks up at him. She bites her bottom lip, ruining her lipstick in the process.

Since the start of her second trimester, all she’s wanted to do is jump him. He could come back from a game all sweaty and she’d still want to pin him to a mattress. The only thing that’s really stopped her is the fact that her belly is the size of a balloon and John probably doesn’t find that really hot.

“… llo?” someone is saying to her while she is zoned out and thinking about sex. “You in there?” It’s her younger sister. “Welcome back.”

“What’s up?” she asks as she looks around the room at everyone. “Is it time?”

Her sister nods. “It’s time, and you went into her head while looking up at John. I don’t want to know what you were thinking about because I could see the look on your face but we needed you to come back to the present day so you can cut your cake.”

She feels her cheeks flush as her sister laughs and goes to join the crowd around them. She looks up at John and asks, “Was I really that zoned out?”

John nods and leans into her ear. “I also saw the look on your face and it’s about time,” he whispers in her ear. “I have been patiently waiting for this moment to come for weeks since you wouldn’t let me touch you.”

“Even with my belly?” she softly asks.

“Especially with your belly,” he replies, voice still soft. Their eyes meet and she smiles up at him. “Ready to cut the cake?”

With a short nod, she grabs hold of the knife over John’s hand. She’s shaking slightly as the knife cuts through it.

Seconds later, with careful hands, they pull out the slice they just cut. Under the white icing is pink cake.

They’re having a baby girl.

The group of friends, family, and teammates around them celebrates. Everyone offers congratulations to the two of them.

Just to mess with John a little bit, she puts icing on her finger and puts it on his cheek. Surprised, he looks over at her. “You did not,” he says.

“You got a little something,” she laughs and points to her own cheek.

John tries to wipe it off but keeps missing the blob of icing on his cheek. She smiles and wipes it off for him. Then she sucks the icing off her finger and makes eye contact with her fiancé.

There’s a flicker in John’s eyes when their eyes meet. She smiles and John lightly grabs her wrist. “Let’s go,” he says.

“But-”

“Are you turning down seeing me naked?” he questions. Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. “Then come on.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

【 April 17th, 2024 】

The day starts out great.

Well, as great as it can with the Devils not in the playoffs this season and nine months pregnant. She feels heavy and she can’t see her feet anymore. John is cleaning out his locker and doing exit interviews with the team. She stays in bed and eats some of the Tru Fru that has been in the freezer for weeks.

Criminal Minds is playing on the TV when she gets what feels like a very strong cramp in her lower back and the bottom of her abdomen. She doesn’t think anything of it because she’s been getting light cramps for two days.

Then she gets another one about ten minutes later. It’s a little stronger than the last and she gasps from the pain.

This cannot be happening right now. She isn’t allowed to go into labor because John is at work. She has no way of getting to the hospital.

There’s a third concraction and sudden between her legs feels very wet. She lifts up the blanket and sees a big puddle of water between her legs on the mattress. Her water just broke.

After the contraction subsides, she grabs her phone to call someone. Anyone that will take her to the hospital.

She starts with John because maybe he’s done. It rings and rings until she gets his voicemail. “John Marino,” she begins to say as she rolls out of bed. “You better be done soon because I’m about to leave for the hospital to give birth to your daughter. I’m going to kill you if you aren’t in that room and holding my hand in an hour. I might kill you anyway because this hurts.”

Her next call is to her sister who lives about five minutes away. She picks up within three rings.

“You okay?”

“My water just broke and John is at work,” she says. She feels another contraction come on and she groans. Not that it relieves any pain. “Please take me to the hospital because I need an epidural.”

“On my way,” her sister immediately tells her. “Do not try to climb down three fights of steps by yourself, or even take the elevator. God forbid something happens. I will come get you.”

She groans into the phone again and bends over, hoping that it’ll elevate some pain. It doesn’t.

Five minutes later, she’s being hauled out the door and down the elevator. She has the baby bag over her shoulder as she gets into her sister’s car. She tries John again but isn’t able to reach him.

A YouTube notification comes over and sees that it’s the first round of exit interviews. Lazar, Haula, Bastian, and Holtzy. No John so they may not have even interviewed him yet. Maybe they’re in the middle of interviewing him and that’s why he’s not picking up his damn phone.

In a desperate effort to get a hold of her fiancé, she calls Nico. The captain gave her his number just in case. This is that just in case.

Nico picks up after the first two rings. “Good morning,” he cheerfully says. “How are you?”

“Where’s John?” she asks. “He isn’t picking up his phone and it’s important.”

“He’s talking with Amanda right now,” he tells her. “Are you okay? Do you need him?”

Another contraction. “My water broke,” she says through gritted teeth. “My sister is taking me to the hospital. Tell him to get his ass to the hospital right now or I am going to murder him.”

Her sister pulls into the parking lot. “Yeah, I’ll get him,” he replies. “I’ll drive him there myself if he needs me to.”

“Thank you, Nico,” she sighs as her sister parks.

The line goes dead and she slowly gets out of the car with her sister’s help. “Is he on the way?”

“I hope so,” she replies. “Nico is going to bring him here.”

“Good.”

They walk into the hospital and up to the maternity ward without any contractions despite them getting closer and stronger. She leans against the nurse’s counter as she checks in.

Once in the room, she puts on a hospital gown and is hooked up to a machine that monitors the baby in her belly.

Then she’s left alone while her sister talks with the doctor and calls John. She sits on the bed and looks at her swollen belly that she won’t have in a few days or weeks once she delivers the baby.

She’s going to miss her belly. It’s one of her favorite things about being pregnant. Knowing she’s growing a human inside of her. A human that she and John made because they love each other.

A contraction hits her at the same time tears prick her eyes. She will truly miss being pregnant.

The door to the room opens and John comes running in. “Baby, hi,” he pants like he just ran up here. “Are you okay? Do you need something? Why are you crying?”

“We’re going to have a baby,” she tells him. “My belly is going to go away and she’ll be in the world.”

John grabs the hand that doesn’t have an IV in it and kisses the back of it. “It’s okay,” he coos. “This doesn’t have to be our only baby. We can have as many as you want so you can have your belly.”

She laughs as another contraction hits. Her smile drops. “Where is the epidural?” she groans. “This hurts so much. God.”

Almost as if she was heard, a nurse comes walking into the room with a needle. The needle is the worst part but as soon as the epidural is administered, she feels so much better.

“Sorry it took me so long to get here,” John says when things have settled down. “Nico told me that you called and immediately ran out of the locker room without my stuff so I could be here. He wanted to drive me but I couldn’t ask him to do that. He still had to be interviewed and clean out his stuff. I was done being interviewed and was told I could go back in a few days to get my things. I needed to be here with you.”

She nods and looks at him. “You’re here,” she says. “That is all I wanted. Our daughter should have her father here.”

John presses a soft kiss to her cheek. “Absolutely.”

Nearly fourteen hours later at two in the morning, Taylor Marie Marino is born. Eight pounds, four ounces. She is exhausted and her vagina hurts after pushing out a whole human.

Baby Taylor cries in her arms and she cries as she looks at her daughter in her arms. John stands next to the bed and rests his hand on Taylor’s head. “Congratulations, mom and dad,” the doctor says to them. “She’s beautiful.”

“Looks just like her mom,” John says. She looks up at him and pouts. “Her mom is so strong and beautiful.”

She shakes her head and leans against John. “Shut up,” she laughs. “Don’t suck up to me now because I went through almost fifteen hours of labor because of you.”

“It was a joint effort, baby,” John replies.

“Maybe one will be okay for us,” she tells him. “Not sure if I could do this again. I don’t think I can push another watermelon out of my vagina.”

The nurse takes Taylor from them with a laugh. “Get some rest, momma,” she says. “You did good. Now you deserve a good rest.”

So she does. It’s going to be the last good rest she’ll get for a few years, or 18.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

【 May 24th, 2024 】

It’s been a beautiful and chaotic month since they went home with Taylor, but they finally have a system. Every other night, she gets up with Tay. John still takes most nights though.

Tonight, she gets up with a crying Taylor.

She grabs the newborn out of her bassinet and heads into the living room. “What’s wrong, my love?” she asks softly. “Hungry? Do you need to eat?” She glances at the time and sees that it’s about time. “Yeah. Let’s get you fed.”

So she gets comfortable on the couch and gives Taylor one of her breasts. She sucks gently and leans back to relax.

Minutes later, Taylor moves. She isn’t moving. John is taking her out of his arms. “Did I fall asleep?” she asks.

“Yeah, it’s okay,” she tells her. “I got her. Go back to sleep. It’s obvious you need it.”

She shakes her head and follows John and Taylor to their daughter’s room. He lays her back down and puts on the white noise machine. They stand and look at their baby.

“We did good,” John says. “We’re doing good.”

“Maybe I do want another one,” she comments. “After we get married though.”

“Of course.”

They look at each other. John smiles and says, “I love you.”

“I love you,” she replies. “Both of you.”

“My girls.”

༺═──────────────═༻

MASTERLIST

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#hockey imagines #hockey imagine #hockey fanfiction #hockey fic #hockey oneshot #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #nhl fanfiction #nhl fic #nhl oneshot #john marino #john marino x reader #john marino fic #john marino fluff #zegrasdrysdale request

[caligvlasaqvarivm]

Wanted to ask, is Eridan's relationship with his dad ok? Like when Eridan was learning how to use his harpoon gun he seemed very much distressed and not enjoying any of it

The only real canon characterization we have of seahorsedad is that the version of him that's Cronus's lusus is "stern, fatherly" and that he ditches Cronus for Hussie, although that last one is mostly just a Bit so I don't really count it as characterization. He's also willing to go along with Eridan "doing something ridiculous," though, again, that's kind of a Bit and it's unclear how canon that is.

((cw for abuse and stuff beneath the readmore))

As such, pretty much anything I say is going to be pure extrapolation that serves my characterization of Eridan, and I can't really back it up with hard textual evidence. But, personally, I think Eridan believes his relationship with his lusus is "good" in the way that many children growing up beneath strict, emotionally neglectful, and even outright abusive parents do.

We know that Eridan has very few friends. He doesn't even really talk to half the people in their group chat, and according to Feferi, he's never spent more than a few days underwater, total, in his whole life. Add onto that that lusus murder (and, by extension, the culling of the orphaned troll) has been his duty long enough that he describes it is "the only thing i evver did," I think it's a reasonable assumption to make that he also has no IRL friends, aside from Feferi.

And to give an idea of how old Eridan was when he started having to murder lusii, here's how old Vriska was when she was expected to start feeding spidermom:

This, and the fact that Dualscar was called "Orphaner" because the job of feeding Gl'bgolyb was his even into adulthood (as he lived before the Summoner's rebellion and the removal of adult trolls from Alternia), and the fact that no one, including Feferi, ever shows any gratitude towards Eridan for performing the job, supports the idea that feeding Gl'bgolyb has always been a violet blood's responsibility. After all, Feferi makes overtures about not being better than other trolls, but she sure does revel in being royalty when she can get away with it. It'd be in character for her to not be particularly grateful to Eridan because she sees lusus murder as fundamentally being his responsibility, especially if he started when they were both REALLY young.

In other words, Eridan was expected to start murdering lusii (and by extension, other trolls) from the moment he was old enough to do so, which, judging by how old Vriska was when she started killing trolls for Spidermom, is not very old at all.

Also, given the lifespan of violet bloods, it's entirely possible - and my personal belief - that Seahorsedad was Dualscar's lusus as well as Eridan's. Even without that being the case, since it was always Eridan's job to hunt and kill lusii, the biggest possible culprit for inducting him into his role would be his lusus.

And let's be clear, I think the fact that having to murder lusii/trolls is the biggest culprit for what's fucked Eridan up the most. The pressure of having the safety of the entire race on his shoulders, the fear of Gl'bgolyb and what happens if he ever fails, and the guilt of taking lives (which we do know Eridan thinks about) have left him with genuine struggles caring about other people, a nasty martyr complex (which isn't unjustified), extremely unstable and negative emotions, shattered interpersonal relationships, and a deep, nihilistic sense of resignation towards his place in society. The latter has directly led to him attempting to embrace that place by tricking himself into thinking he believes in hemocasteist, sea dweller supremacy rhetoric - which his actions contradict - because, without the game's intervention, he had no other options available for him but to become a key figure in the imperial army, continue murdering other sapient creatures until he died, and watch all his few friends die before him, either when they got culled, killed on the battlefield, or purely dropped dead of old age.

And, like... a parent who does that to their child, even if we assume the absolute best (that Seahorsedad does genuinely care about Eridan), can't possibly have a fully healthy relationship with said child. And I think it's not unreasonable to assume that the best is not what's happening between Eridan and Seahorsedad, because Eridan's psychological profile is so fucked up that I highly doubt he was receiving much, if any, actual affection or support from his lusus. Personally, I think his lusus was "stern and fatherly" in the worst possible way - high expectations, no emotional warmth, and complete disregard for Eridan's psychological well-being, as long as he was producing adequate results.

Because Eridan craves attention, and has very little distinction between good and bad attention. He's naive and trusting to a fault, hardly ever suspects anybody of lying to him, and has basically no social skills. These all say to me that Seahorsedad is just, like... not giving him any emotional attention at ALL.

And poor Eridan is just 13 years old - still too young to fully realize how poorly he's being treated by people who are supposed to care about him. Like, yeah, he's completely obnoxious and exhausting to talk to, and you can't really blame Feferi or Kanaya for being sick of listening to him, but at the same time, some of the shit they do to him as a result is honestly just mean. Like Kanaya is just actually bullying him- training him up to be a wizard as a joke, shitting on him behind his back with Rose, making fun of him to his face - and yet:

He's just that fucking desperate for people to care about him and support him; I can't help but think he's just not getting that at home, you know?

So I think if you asked Eridan, he'd say that his relationship with his lusus was good, and that his lusus was proud and noble and stoic, and absolutely a great custodian, and there were no problems at all.

But I think if you were to dig deeper into their relationship, you'd start to hear worrying things like that Eridan never got to celebrate Twelfth Perigrees, and was instead dragged out to go lusus hunting because it was particularly easy to do so on that day. Or that his lusus had to pull the trigger FOR him the first time they ever went hunting, because his own hands were shaking too hard. Or that he'd be locked out of the hive every time he cried, until he stopped crying altogether. Or that he thinks he's never been sick a day in his life because he was never allowed to have an off day and not go hunting and now he's just used to ignoring any and all symptoms. So on and so forth.

He reacts EXTREMELY POORLY to Feferi saying she feels like she needed to look after him - more poorly than to the initial news that she was trying to break up with him:

And I think that's because weakness was punished in his household growing up. He wasn't allowed to be weak - he was nobility, royalty. He had duties, responsibilities. If he faltered, their whole race died. And when you consider the fact that "you have to kill things for the good of everyone you care about, all the time, constantly," is the abject lesson that's been hammered into him since he was old enough to walk and talk, the fact that he's so incredibly fucking adamant about murdering angels starts to be a little... sad. He's just stuck in that mindset. He doesn't know how to escape it.

So... yeah. In summary: his relationship with his dad is great!

#homestuck #eridan ampora

[suzukiblu]

I just wanted to say, yesterday I sat down and binge-read all your Timkon fics, as well as most of the WIPS, and I BADLY want to write some now. I've never really written Tim, tho, since I'm more used to writing Jason. Do you have any tips, or bits of Tim and Kon characterization you consider especially important? (The WIP I've made on my head, if it helps, is (Daemon AU) comics!Tim ends up on Young Justice!Cartoon universe, and he's very, very weirded out by how different Kon is to Conner, and very pissed off that this Conner gets a Daemon while his Kon doesn't have one.)

tbh it kinda depends on where you're trying to go with the fic idea, I'd say? Also why Conner DOES have a daemon and Kon doesn't, probably. Also-also, does Conner even actually have a daemon or is Tim just confused about Wolf or something.

Generally speaking, though, the thesis of Tim is that he is a ride-or-die guy who really fucking COMMITS when he makes a decision. Sure, he'll stalk Batman. Sure, he'll introduce himself to Nightwing and tell him he knows his secret identity. Sure, he'll put on the suit Jason died in to go save Batman and Nightwing from their own stupid selves. Sure, he'll be Batman's emotional support sidekick and lead Young Justice and the Teen Titans and try to clone his dead best friend and run around the planet solo to save Bruce from the timestream. Why not! SOMEBODY'S gotta do it!!

"Somebody's gotta do it" is a lot of Tim's motivation, from what I can tell, haha. He also comparmentalizes really well, is a very talented and skilled detective as his defining Robin skill, uses a bo staff as his signature weapon after convincing Lady Shiva to train him and was the dude who was smart enough to add pants to the Robin suit, and one of his more iconic lines is I think Cassie going, "you lied to Starfire?" and him answering, "I lie to Batman". Which he does. Frequently. Frequently and a LOT-ly. To be fair, Bruce is also a fucking liar, so he deserves it. Tim, however, actually has friends he will ADMIT are his friends without having to be waterboarded into it during an active apocalypse-level crisis.

The boy has no chill. He DISGUISES his lack of chill, but it is fucking nonexistent and the ONLY reason he looks "reasonable" is because his besties are the teen idol superclone with limited life experience and Stephanie "welp my dad's gone supervillain so I'm gonna go kick him in the dick with my intermediate gymnastics" Brown. And then there's Cassie "I'm just gonna ask Zeus for superpowers, natch" Sandsmark.

Also Bart. Also Bart is a thing. Bart is SO MUCH a thing.

So yeah, Tim is a full-stop no-holds-barred insane person, he's just also a better liar than any of his friends. Like so, so much better. AT LEAST THEY HAVE SUPERPOWERS, TIM. AT LEAST THEY'VE GOT THAT. He figured out Bruce's secret identity at NINE 'cuz he went to the circus as a toddler and Dick Grayson's flips were just that sick, and then just didn't tell anybody for FOUR FUCKING YEARS. Four fucking YEARS!! ACTUAL FUCKING YEARS. He just didn't think it was relevant, I guess?!!? So instead he just stalked them with his camera and took cool pics. So many pics. So, so many pics. And he skateboards.

Also he and Kon fucking could NOT stand each other at first because Kon was used to being a solo act and didn't want to answer to anyone else and Tim lacked the ability to convince him to listen to him and they just had VERY different personalities and priorities, and also for a little while in there Match was fucking shit up by pretending to BE Kon, and frankly it's a fucking miracle Tim and Kon didn't kill each other before they ever got to be Titans together, the way they totally failed to get along for the first YJ run.

Seriously, I think they actually had a literal fucking fistfight on Apokolips once, I think that ACTUALLY happened. In the middle of a literal WAR that happened. Tim. Tim, you KNOW better, buddy.

#anonymous #meta ecetera #long post

[thelighthousestale]

Perspective

[This is a continuation of A Decent Bloke. I just couldn't stop Lily and James talking about wizarding politics.]

Underneath the grand willow tree on the bank of the lake, the air was thick with the scent of crisp autumn leaves that layered the ground as Lily dropped down unexpectedly next to James Potter, who was engrossed in a Quidditch magazine. Startled by her sudden appearance, James looked up and greeted her with a quizzical, "Alright, Evans?"

Lily cut straight to the point. "What is the Sacred Twenty-Eight?"

James set aside his magazine and raised an eyebrow in surprise as he turned to Lily. "The Sacred Twenty-Eight?"

Lily took a deep breath, she was nervous about asking questions that seemed so obvious to people who grew up in the wizarding world. Severus had always told her it is important to act like you belong, to not show ignorance. "Yes, in the library the other day, you mentioned your family was excluded from all this twenty-eight nonsense and I don't know what that meant. So what is it?"

"It's a load of rubbish," James declared, looking away from Lily and grabbing nearby rocks that he began absentmindedly tossing into the lake. Lily watched the ripples form from the contact with the water expand across the lake into large circles and then fade back into still water, "The Sacred Twenty-Eight, more formally known as the Pure-Blood Directory if you'd like to look it up in the library, was created by an arsehole named Cantankerus Nott at some point in the 1930s. It is a record of which families in the British Wizarding World are considered 'pure-blood'."

"So it's like an official directory? Is it managed by the Ministry?"

"No, it's not official in any government sense. Though some families stupidly consider it an honor to be on the list. It is basically just another way to perpetuate pure-blood supremacy. Some families won't even associate with someone unless they can tie their family back to the list.

"But no family is really pure-blood," James continued, tossing a small rock between his hands before throwing into the dark depths of the lake. "Take Sirius, for example. Anytime a member of his family marries a muggle or muggle-born they are literally blasted off the family tree. They pretend they never existed. But just because you pretend someone doesn't exist doesn't change the actual reality or history of your family. You know Ollivander's in Diagon Alley? His mother was a Muggle-born, yet their family is still on the list too. It's all about power and keeping elite families in line."

"If no family is actually pure-blood then how can the list have any authority? "

James paused in his rock throwing while he looked at Lily, the autumn sun reflecting gold in his hazel eyes. Lily liked noticing the different colors in his eyes. "Ah well, it's all propaganda, isn't it? People like to confirm their already preconceived ideas, especially if it validates their sense of superiority... or fear. The two kind of go hand in hand I guess."

"My dad, he fought in the Second World War, and he never really talked about it. I think it upset him, the things he saw. When I found out about magic I never imagined the same issues that sent my dad to war and left him a bit haunted would exist here. The wizarding world is so small. It seems counterproductive to separate us into this, I guess caste system you could call it. If the goal is to exclude people like me from the magical world how do they expect to create a workforce or support their economy?"

Talking about this kind of stuff to James was different than talking to Severus. Severus always gave short, clipped answers and was quick to change the subject. James was always long-winded and excitable. Severus told her facts. James gave her explanations.

James, Lily had noticed the past couple of weeks, was also different than the James she had rowed with after their OWLs. She couldn't put her finger on it since he was still loud and overly confident but there was something about him that changed over the summer.

Maybe she was the one who changed over the summer.

Maybe they both did.

"Well, only the most extreme pure-blood supremacists seek to purge the world of what they considered 'impure.' However," James explained, picking up tiny rocks once more to toss into the lake, "Most people merely uphold societal norms and unexamined prejudices. Not that those biases are any better mind you."

"But you aren't most people. You don't think wizards are better than Muggles?" Lily questioned.

"No," James asserted. "People can be smart or dumb, decent or nasty, and it has nothing to do with being magical. The problem is that most pure-bloods live totally removed from the Muggle world."

"You think we need to get rid of the Statute of Secrecy?"

"No, well I don't know. I do think our community could benefit from more exposure and relations with the non-magical world. The problem is the supremacists argue the statute should be abolished so they can rule over the muggles." James tossed a rock high in the air before catching it and throwing it into the lake before he continued. "I haven't worked it all out, to be honest. I just know things need to change."

A year ago, watching James toss rocks into the lake while she tried to have a serious conversation would have annoyed her but as she watched him closer she thought perhaps the distraction of doing something with his hands was helping him concentrate, to articulate his thoughts better. "My family lives in a town with Muggles, goes to church with Muggles, we buy produce and eggs from Muggles at the market. My parents even hang out at the local pub with Muggles. They are my neighbors, not my enemies or my subordinates."

Lily realized all of a sudden how close they were sitting. His scent, a mixture of wood polish and sage, filled her senses. Their hands were almost touching, and she pondered whether he could hear the pounding of her heart. Just as she considered reaching out to see if playing quidditch had caused rough callouses on his hands, James moved his hand to throw another rock into the lake.

Lily picked up a rock herself and threw it where James' had landed, the sun reflecting through the ripples. "Do you want to meet in the library again? Maybe you can help me with more NEWT history work."

"I'm not taking NEWT-level history, Evans."

"Yes, but I like hearing your perspective."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment, watching the ripples fade across the lake as the water became still once again.

James got up from his place under the tree and turned around to offer a helping hand to Lily. His hands were soft. He smiled at her as she allowed him to help her up, "I like hearing your perspective, too."

#harry potter fanfiction #james potter #lily evans #lily potter #jily

[the-dumpster-fire-of-life]

Okay i was rewatching dance moms last night and i got an idea 😭 what about 2023 bill with daughter reader (teen) who does dance and so hc’s about what kind of dance parent bill would be 😭 like would he be into the drama or would he be calm and collected ?IGNORE IF THIS IS DUMB LMAOOO

(I, too, watch dance moms and love this idea so much! Scripting this into my DR currently, and also here ya go and I hope you enjoy!)

Dance Mom!Bill Kaulitz

I feel like he just loves to see you dancing

Any style of dancing you do doesn't matter

He's just always so happy to see you on stage

Especially if you have been dancing since you were a kid

Sometimes you make him tear up because he just gets hit that he's been watching out grow up dancing and he feels old as shit

But he is a very supporting parent with your dancing

Especially if you want to be a professional dancer one day

He will always help you with your dreams

Henjust wants you to work hard for your dreams but he'll always be there for you to help

When you were little he was THE dance parent

Always doing your hair and making sure you were ready

Especially if you were doing competitive dance competitions

You best believe you were the best looking kid there

If you ever forgot anything he somehow always had it

He was the one doing your makeup for years because he was just so good at it

Obviously

Your hair was done, clothes, makeup, everything and Bill did not play

You got the best dance education he could ever give you also

He was the dad bragging around that his kid was an amazing dancer

He would stay away from the drama, just wanting to be there for you but he was also into the drama

He wasn't involved but he found that shit entertaining

But he would get you out of there if shit got physical or yelling got to loud

If anyone said anything about your dancing he would get pissed off

He does not let anyone talk shit about you or your dancing

#tokio hotel imagine #tokio hotel x reader #tokio hotel #bill kaulitz imagines #bill kaulitz #bill kaulitz x reader

[hazashiovo]

Father!figure Joel random headcanons with fem!reader?

(now that I'm reading my request again it sounds pretty vague :/ I'm gonna try to tell some ideas or details. So, would be cool to see how joel cares about reader's hobbies like bringing her new things, what does he do when reader gets sad, or when someone in town is messing with her, how does he reacts when reader shows him affection like making him a gift or hugs him or kisses his cheek, or how does he teases her when she's shy of some subject, etc)

I love this! Especially since I see Joel more in a platonic way.

Joel Miller father headcanons

Joel would be TERRIFIED to be a father again.

After losing Sara he kept living with the feeling that something bad is going to happen to you too.

Even so, nothing is going to harm you while Joel's there ,and he's always there for you.

He had a hard time accepting you as his newly adopted daughter,but once he made peace with himself? Best dad ever.

You like drawing? He left a box with a ton of art supplies.

He found them a while ago but didn't know at that time that you like art.

You enjoy music? He got you your own guitar,which also comes with music lessons only from him.

He knows how much you like listening to him singing,so it became a habit for him to sing to you,and once you gain more experience you'll be able to sing with him.

Maybe you like reading, Joel makes sure to bring you to this huge library,a bit far from Jackson but it's totally worth it.

You returned home with toons of books to occupy your time.

It doesn't matter which hobby you have, he will always be there to support it.

One thing I learned from the show,is that Joel likes hiking.

He used to do that with Sara when things were still okay, so when he started this with you it felt like a part of him healed.

When exploring a new place,he found an old shop full of video cameras and photo camera,and so he started collecting photos of you two. He even made an album where he keeps the photos with you.

If there was a fire that would be the main thing he would save.

When you got older he became more protective. He knew those Jackson boys barely wait for a new girl to get with. Well not this girl,not his little girl.

If you're queer,he would be completely oblivious. My man doesn't have a gaydar,not in the slightest.

If you would hang out with a girl pretty often he would just assume you're best friends or something along the lines.

Now if he accidentally saw you kiss with said girl? S-H-O-C-K.

Joel's not homophobic,don't get him wrong,but he just never expected it. And never actually saw it coming.

But if he saw you and a boy kiss,he's all protective father mode on.

Of course he's not a meat head, he'll understand that you have the right to a relationship just as much as anyone,but that doesn't mean he's also fond of the idea of a boy around you.

He'll only accept it for your happiness,but if that guy ever hurts you? Oh well, it's not his fault for what's about to happen.

Fortunately he trusts you can pick the right person, whether they're a girl or a boy.

At times when you're sick he can't help but remember Sara, he'd also remember how worried he would be for his daughter,the same worry that he feels for you.

He makes sure you stay inside and makes you drink and take the pills the doctor prescribed for you,even if you don't like it.

If you ever return from outside hurt, expect to never hear the end of it. For some time he wouldn't let you leave Jackson, mostly because of his fear of anything happening to you again.

But he's not that kind of Father,so after a while he will reluctantly give you permission to go outside Jackson again.

Movie nights.

Joel finds those old DVDs with movies he used to watch before the apocalypse,and he just loves rewatching them with you.

You'll be all snuggled up in his chest,head right where his heart beat, everything reminding him of his movie nights with Sara after a long shift at work.

Joel feels really happy and fulfilled that you trust him enough to be this vulnerable around him. Especially since this world is cruel and full of dangers.

He's dead set to never let anything or anyone lay a finger on you,even if it costs him his life.

.

.

My daddy issues are sueing me.

#joel tlou #joel miller #joel miller x reader #joel #joel tlou2 #joel headcanons #joel miller headcanon #tlou #tlou headcanons #reader #x reader #platonic #father x daughter #tlou2 #the last of us x reader #fluff #fluff headcanons #fluff imagine

[letters-to-lgbt-kids]

My dear lgbt+ kids,

Many years ago I watched a documentary about interabled couples (meaning that one partner is disabled, the other one isn't).

They interviewed multiple couples and asked how they met, what their friends and family think of the relationship, things like that. I don't remember most of it (I can't even tell you if it was an actual movie-length documentary or just a short piece in the local news) but there was one story that always stuck with me:

An autistic man had a crush on a woman he regularly saw at his doctor's office. So he decided to write her a letter. He wrote down a detailed description (if I recall correctly it was multiple pages long) of how their relationship could look like: date ideas that would be safe and enjoyable for him, situations in which he may require her support or help, possible communication struggles they may face and ideas on how to deal with them etc. The next time he saw her at the doctor's office, he handed her the letter. She read it, smiled and said "This says you can't go dancing with me because loud music overwhelms you. But I really love dancing. Could we dance at home if you are in control of the music volume?". He said "Yes" and she said "Okay, then let's do that"... and they have been a happy couple ever since.

I love that story. Honestly, I wish someone would come up to me and hand me a letter like that!

There are so many unspoken rules in the dating world that (neurotypical) people oftentimes just expect you to know and understand - especially the whole "be mysterious, play hard to get, don't scare people off by being too honest" stuff can be really confusing! His letter feels like an antidote to that. He clearly communicated his individual set of "rules" (boundaries, needs, wants). It may be my autism speaking, but this sounds like the ideal way to start a relationship for me: they were both on the same page from the get-go rather than having to guess what the other one wants.

As someone who has been rejected for being too honest and talking about boundaries too early, it feels comforting to me to know that someone did exactly that and was so successful with it.

I mentioned this old story to a friend a few days ago - and they didn't think it was cute. In fact, they were shocked and disgusted by it. That sounds incredibly toxic, they said. You can't just hand your partner a set of rules at the beginning of the relationship and demand they stick to them forever. Those things need to be an ongoing conversation that both partners get to contribute to. Love isn't a business contract that one person writes and the other just signs off on. Treating it like one is a red flag. And quite frankly, they'd feel super creeped out if a quasi-stranger wrote multiple pages about a relationship they didn't even agree to yet!

And you know what? I absolutely believe that my friend is right - and I also believe that I am right. It could be cute and it could be a red flag.

This goes for all kinds of relationships but it's especially important for those of us who have unique or less common "rules"/needs (which could be because you are neurodivergent, disabled or chronically ill but also be lgbt+-related, e.g because you are ace or aro): Doing things differently is not by default toxic - and not by default wholesome, either.

That letter could be a great starting point for healthy ongoing communication in a relationship... and it could also be toxic if it is used as a binding contract that doesn't allow any further conversation.

Apart from a few obvious exceptions, we can't really make a definite list of things that are always good or always toxic when it comes to dating/relationships - we need to think of things in context. And that goes for the "standard route" as well as for more unique approaches.

With all my love,

Your Tumblr Dad

(P.S: For the record, I'm sure that the couple in the documentary does have ongoing, healthy communication!)

#I think it's unlikely that any of you know the documentary since it was so long ago - but if it seems familiar I'd love to know the title! #lgbt #lgbt+

[pencileraser1]

pencil eraser one. you word your long posts about dps very well so im pointing my frustration with media-ly illiterate people in your direction. im constantly seething with rage at this podcast episode i listened to a very long time ago abt dps bc they said neils suicide was STUPID and OVERDRAMATIC. and i just. i wanna throw up that boy killed himself and ur calling himnoverdramatic what do i even do. i am high a little and this is very much affecting me i cant get up from this couch 🎀

you're completely correct for this i actually have a few thoughts about this so uh bear with me for a second

theres something that sucks so much about this specific type of criticism of this movie in particular to me because of how much i relate to neil. i watched dps for the first time when i was 17, severely depressed and borderline suicidal and i related So Much to him. i didn't write off his suicide or criticize it because i'd Been There.

generally i feel like this criticism probably stems from lack of understanding Why he would do what he did, and there's a number of reasons that that this could be although that would be leaning a bit too much into psychoanalysis and assuming things i don't know about them so i'm not going to go into it really

up until it happens, neil seems like he's doing mostly okay, and particularly if you haven't seen the movie before i could see how to certain people his suicide might seem overdramatic since it's a bit of a sudden shift from mostly okay to suicidal. but the thing is that up until this point, neil has just been doing a very good job at hiding that something is wrong.

my interpretation of the movie has always been that he'd struggled with some form of depression as well as dealing with some amount of suicidal ideation before the movie and had just generally been good at masking it. during the events of the movie he is the happiest he has ever been because of the combination of the poets, acting, and keating. so when at the end of the play his father suddenly takes away all three, and his options are either to confront his father (something that he feels is impossible to do- even if it technically isn't, the fear he has surrounding it of his father listening but not caring, or making things worse than the are, or anything else, prevents him from doing it) or suffer through 10 years of medical school away from anything he actually cares about, he decides to remove himself from the situation entirely instead.

(theres something about the way his suicide is framed within the movie where in some fucked up way his suicide more than anything else is his carpe diem. he's seizing control of his life in the only way he is physically capable of anymore)

neil's suicide isn't rational but that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense or that he's overdramatic. just because logically waiting out the 10 years until he's away from his dad or leaving as soon as he graduates high school or turns 18 or whatever it is is a better option doesn't mean that 1. he'd have the idea to run away early or more importantly think it doable (he tries so hard to not directly disobey his father the whole movie and after doing it one time is now stuck in This situation, additionally, while this is the 50's and in general shit costed less/jobs were easier to get/etc. he is financially dependent on his father and running away without any support is not the smartest decision) and 2. that he'd be physically capable of enduring the 10 years. because 10 years is a long time Especially if it's 10 years studying to become a doctor, something that is both generally difficult and also something he Doesn't Want To Do. and so the sudden switch from happiest time of his life to suicidal throws people off and they don't understand why he wouldn't have done any of the other options that they thing are the logical ones but to him probably didn't seem physically possible.

#neil perry #dps #tw suicide #this might just be nonsense sorry #hopefully coherent

[destinygoldenstar]

As a kid watching Ninjago, I was just interested in the flashy powers, and the heroics of the main characters, like any kid would. Like, 'Aw these guys are so heroic and selfless and awesome'

But now as an adult, when I recommended my GF the show, I specifically said "This is Family Issues: The Lego Cartoon"

Honestly, Jay likes to complain and hide his upbringing, but he's probably the ONLY ninja with any resemblance of a normal happy childhood and backstory. He has two loving parents who supported him, and was an aspiring inventor.

You could argue Fritz Donegan rectified it, but Jay didn't know this, so how would this affect how is childhood turned out?

At worst, he was dirt poor, living in a junkyard and all, but compared to what the rest of his team went through, I think they'd WANT what Jay had.

Nah, instead most of Jay's trauma and emotional baggage is in the present.

And who else do we have?

We have a robot who didn't even know he was a robot, or had any idea of his identity or memory, so much so that he was just... wandering around the land with amnesia. (Then, you know, everyone thought he was weird)

We have Cole, who grew up in a harsh family background where his dad forced/pressured his kid to be a musician, and canonically suffered depression and bad violence habits after the loss of his mother/during her illness. (Idk about those other Royal Blacksmiths if they are in the family or not, but either way they didn't seem supportive)

Kai and Nya's parents up and vanished from their lives at ages five and three, and they had to raise each other all by themselves with just a blacksmith shop. Basically means they were forced to end their childhoods right there, especially Kai, because older sibling. And there's no indication they had any friends or anyone to help them in their town, at most there was that one lady that they hated, so... ouch.

And... Lloyd.

Just Lloyd.

Half of the show is just Lloyd suffering.

Born as the son of a man forced into an evil oni maniac, said father ditched his entire family.

Mom decided it was a good idea to abandon her kid in a boarding school about villainy. (That's like, the ONE thing I genuinely think the movie did better than the show.)

And that school heavily bullied Lloyd and even exiled him, forcing him on the streets, basically

Everyone hates him and doesn't help him (until Pythor)

Gets tricked by Pythor

Gets kidnapped by Serphantine

Nearly dies in lava

Is given a destiny as the savior of all of Ninjago where he's forced to be on opposite sides of his father, and part of said destiny involves him needing to kill him

AGAINST HIS WILL MIND YOU

Was LITERALLY forced to give up his childhood for this destiny

Was tortured by the Overlord for his golden power

Ice Ninja died

He got his father back, and then he died.

Was possessed by an evil ghost tyrant and was forced to do horrible stuff with no control over himself

Was also physically strained to his limit with that possession

Lost his uncle

Fell in love, and then said crush turns out to be a twist villain who wants to TORTURE him, resurrect his father and steal that fatherly love from him, and have said father try to KILL HIM

Which he was very close to succeeding at

Has to live in hiding for a week thinking all his friends are dead

Twist villain crush dies in a building collapse

That traumatizes him and haunts his trust and empathy towards people for A LONG TIME

Gets cubed in a video game (idk if that counts as trauma)

He's also a dragon oni hybrid, and his oni hide haunts his mind for his entire life, and is terrified to even think of a part of himself

Merge. For weeks he thought all his friends were dead. (Again)

And you know, physical beatdowns from being the Green Ninja, one of the most responsible jobs as the savior of all of Ninjago.

And that is not even everything, I'm sure there's a lot of stuff I didn't mention.

This poor, poor Emo Child.

If this wasn't a Lego show, this would have a Clone Wars tone, I'm convinced.

So yeah, 'Family Issues: The cartoon'.

At least they all have each other. They're a happy found family, and the light in each other's lives. They're here for each other. Their dynamics are precious to me.

#ninjago #childhood trauma #found family #family issues #ninjago lloyd #ninjago kai #ninjago nya #ninjago cole #ninjago zane #ninjago jay #lloyd garmadon #kai jiang #kai smith #jiang kai smith #nya jiang #nya smith #jiang nya smith #cole brookstone #zane julien #jay walker

[buckybarnesss]

now i'm thinking about peter hale creeping on, stalking the stalk all the pack members when they go off into the adult world because despite everything they're his little hooligans to bother with his existence.

like the idea of scott tolerating peter's presence more than his own father's is hilarious to me, okay. he knows what to expect from peter. which ranges from just because you bit me doesn't make you a father figure and stop creeping out my roommates and don't make me call derek.

stiles and peter mutually stalk each other in a delicate game of one- upmanship. stiles totally doesn't mis-use his fbi agent status at all for this. peter works to make it especially hard in response.

peter being oddly supportive of lydia and she dislikes it but also the flower deliveries to her office are pretty it'd be a shame to throw them away.

peter helping new single parent derek with baby eli and it giving derek an entire full ass crisis about his uncle.

he tries to give liam life advice regularly and liam is like you are not my real dad wtf.

peter absolutely would be invasively supportive of malia in her life choices. not going to college? suggests trade school. sleeping with jordan parrish? interesting choice here's some protection.

i don't know the idea of peter settling back into something resembling his pre-fire personality where he wasn't exactly a nice normal person and had boundary issues but protective of what he sees as his. just keep an eye on him so he doesn't set up your girlfriend to get bitten and than die from rejecting the bite, okay.

#my blog #teen wolf #thoughts on teen wolf #peter hale

[the-burd-lord]

Finally am confident enough to post my redesign of Charlie. Buckle up cause it’s a lot!

Kept her simple since I think her original design is kinda alright, but went with the doll aesthetic more.

Made her design simple enough for it to stand out in most any environment within Hell. Should probably have made a colored version for her, but I'm keeping the white and pink from her original design, but making her outfit yellow to compliment the reds of Hell and the blues of Heaven.

Here’s the newest design although I'm still fiddling around with different variations for the marks on her face, shown later in this post. Might lean towards stop motion look with how the mouths of the characters are always a separate segment from the face.

Eventually she goes from bellhop to more of a concierge roll as she gains more confidence in running the hotel, and eventually becomes the defacto ruler of Purgatory.

More on that later.

Also lil Lucifer resign too. Might make a whole post about him, but the basics are that I decided to go more “biblically accurate” angel for him.

He made Charlie's body, with Lilith drawing up the design for what she would look like. Overtime Charlie got to choose what she wanted to look like. She has accrued many bodies over her thousands of years of living.

Their relationship is close as although they don't see each other in person as often, Charlie always makes time to have at least one phone call a week with her dad. Especially with his worsening depression.

He doesn't fully believe in the hotel idea, but he’s willing to support his daughter anyway he can. Although he is hesitant when she requests to have an audience with Heaven as he knows how fickle they can be.

Especially when her first meeting with an angel is spent talking about rock bands.

I also changed up what Charlie is as not only is she a doll, but she is also the manifestation of “free will.” Spawned from Lilith and Lucifer’s union being an action that goes against "god's plan."

Although she barely remembers it, her actions caused Adam and Eve to eat the apple. She partially made the hotel out of guilt for condemning humanity, feeling as though she has to make it up to the sinners she condemned.

This makes her super hesitant to push the patrons to get help as although she knows that it'll help them in the long run it must fully be by their own free will to want to change. This hesitance also leads her to not fully interfere in their afterlives either, even when she knows a push is all they'll need.

She is able to literally be anyone or anything, and she is scared of this fact. Kinda getting decision paralysis. Also being that she is a being made out of pure energy this essentially means she's a bomb.

This is the result of what happens to her once her form is broken.

These are the old designs, went with a more streamlined look later.

Heavily inspired by the final form of the Princess from Slay the Princess. A game I highly recommend!

When in her "chimera form" she accidentally kills Adam, leading her to take him on as a guest at her hotel. It also leads her to convince Heaven and Hell to use Mount Purgatorio for her new liminal hotel. Kinda using Adam as a bargaining chip to show heaven that if angels can fall, then that doesn't mean sinners can't climb up the mountain to Heaven.

Overtime, with more horror influences I kept adding into her character and design I accidentally just made her into a creepy doll with some analog influences.

(It's almost like my subconscious is trying to tell me something 🤔)

Vaggie and her scary gf.

Decided to go for a more psychological route for Charlie’s abilities and personality. On the surface appearing normal, but still standing out in most environments because of her simplicity. That there's just something about her that doesn't quite fit anywhere.

Her character finally clicked for me after watching Paranoia Agent. She's not really based off any characters from the show, but some of the themes and imagery are baked into her character.

Along with the banger opening.

Eventually she builds her hotel in purgatory, and essentially becomes its ruler. Much to the chagrin of Heaven, who still only sees her as a demon. Even though she was technically born in the heavens.

Even though Charlie uses Adam as a bargaining chip they don't really care that he fell. But they don't want to be proven wrong either, so they reluctantly agree to the idea.

Also lil bonus of Charlie and Vaggie in nightwear. Gotta make another post for Vaggie, but I’m still working some things out with her story and character.

I apologize if so much of this post made no sense. I didn't realize how much I had written for Charlie. Although makes sense as she is supposed to be the main character.

I am happy to answer questions if y'all want more clarification.

#Youtube #charlie morningstar #hazbin charlie #charlie hazbin hotel #hazbin redesign #hazbin rewrite #character redesign #character rewrite #vaggie #horror #horror art #sketch #digital sketch #sketch dump #sketches

[ghostflowerhotpotch]

Do you think that gwen stacy is trans?

Yes, yes I do.

Now, the last time I talked about this I also mentioned I didn't see a point in making a post about it, because nothing I was going to say was going to be different than what you had probably already seen everywhere else.

That being said-

I had seen SO MANY idiots on the internet, to which I haven't replied (because I am also trans I used to know when or not to bother with people like that,) which had made me want to discuss the matter in my own words, even if I can't truly add anything new to the table.

So, I will probably do the same reasoning everyone else had already said, if anyone is still interested in reading it feel free, if not you can scroll. I will also address some common criticism of the theory.

Before we start the actual arguments, a few things.

No, I don't think if you believe Gwen is cis you are transphobic or something, as long as you are respectful.

I can't say how people see her or not, and while for me the evidence feels obvious, I know unless we have Gwen saying it (or someone close to her at least,) it cannot be sure one way or another. Remember that, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.

I am fine if someone doesn't think she is trans, but I do think believing is IMPOSSIBLE for her to be is when you are entering transphobic territory. The reason why I think this is dumb, aside of the evidence; is the fact that if a character doesn't need to say I'm cis at any point to believe so, Gwen shouldn't need to say I'm trans for people to HC her as such or similar.

With that out of the way, let's start.

Going back to this image, we see that Gwen has a flag that says "Protect trans kids." Which to me feels like says a lot.

I had seen people suggest that "Of course she is an ally, she is a hero!" And while I could get Gwen being interested in helping people who face discrimination, since she deals with crime and such; the idea has me cackling more than anything else.

Is not impossible, but seriously, WHEN had you seen an ally with a flag in their room? It feels like an excuse someone who is in the closet would say; allies could have trans stuff or displayed in certain situations, but those situations tend to be in public, you know? Since being an ally means being vocal when you need to; there is really no reason for an Ally to have a trans flag in their room as decoration.

To top it all off, is on top of her door, not a window or anything, is obviously this is more for her than anything else.

George Stacy has a trans flag on his uniform.

This...This a really big deal honestly.

In a vacuum is a small gesture, perhaps if you aren't part of the community you don't get why I think this is amazing. So let me say a couple of things.

He is supporting his trans daughter; maybe is because of my family, or because all of my current trans and non-gender conforming friends have parents who range from shitting to not very supportive in general. So having Gwen be trans, still be a teen, and her dad supporting her? FUCK that means the world to me, even if I think he isn't that good of a dad.

This is in his uniform, this isn't just supporting Gwen in front of her, but also when she isn't around. You would be surprised how many parents say to be supportive but be quiet while hearing about discrimination. This also can lead me to believe he will be supportive when other trans individuals are around.

He is a cop. In real life, I don't feel safe around cops for a multitude of reasons I will not get to because I don't want to get too political here. Regardless, the fact that he is the Police Captain of his department while having this shows that he can be supportive of trans people, is huge.

Now, I know the next piece of evidence has been debated A LOT, especially for people who honestly, have clearly no idea how cinema, animation, or art work at all.

You know? Coding can be so funny at times.

There have been multiple times, when things had been coded on purpose, to the point I thought it was as subtle as a brick hitting your face; and yet I still find people who don't get it and just baffled me to not end.

Examples: Norma in Dead End Paranormal is coded as autistic, but it is never explicitly said on the show, (I think is mentioned in the comics? I know the creator is autistic.) However I never felt it needed to, because Normal has so many signs and hints that I clock her in the first episode, and the representation is so point it feels as if she needed to state she is a woman of color.

Nimona is another example related to the trans experience; seriously almost word for word what Nimona says can be applied to trans people, with the creator also being trans; and yet I was baffled to see some people saw the movie and didn't clock that.

Now, is what Gwen is saying in this scene talking about her experience being Spider-woman? Yes. However, just like Nimona didn't explicitly say she was trans, their entire story revolves around a trans allegory (As well as being likely genderfluid,) feels like is trying to say something.

Not to mention that this is a story, an animated one at that; everything you see on screen was put there by someone and animation tends to have fewer coincidences because you are going to be staring at this screen for a LONG time most probably. It was also noted by the crunch situation (which is again, horrifying and I think Chris Miller needs to find another way to work rather than wasting time and resources like he did,) that the writers had a tendency to tweak to make sure everything was on point; this couldn't have been thrown carelessly.

With all of this preface, Gwen's speech in this section? This could be played WORD BY WORD on a come-out speech.

"And they can only know half of who I am!" -> Having your real gender identity in the closet a lot of times feels like you need to hide half of who you are, from likings to aesthetics to even how you behave socially, it can be a big toll.

"So I'm completely on my own!" -> This is a common sentiment for people who are in the closet without support, because you are carrying all these feelings alone and have no one to understand.

"And now, I don't- I don't even know what the right thing is, anymore!" -> People may be a bit confused about this one, but believe it or not, it happens more often than you think. Should you transition? Should you wait a few years? Should you try to have this conversation with your parents, cousins, etc?

"But I know...I can't lose, one more friend." -> I don't think, I need to talk about how often people aren't supportive of trans individuals. I could talk more about this, but frankly, I don't need to. It happens, even to this day and age, especially in the current political climate.

To top all of this off, the reason why I singling this part (Aside from this speech being as subtle as the Ruby Gillman movie having the antagonist be a parody of Ariel.) Is the background.

The colors are just like a trans flag.

Now, I had seen people suggest that pointing at this is dumb because "that's just an homage to the covers!"

To which I said, no, this is the homage.

And what the background is doing with Gwen in the speech scene is definitely not the same thing.

I find this argument really funny from an artistic point of view, but in case people are wondering why I don't think it counts, let me number a few things.

The covers do this lighting situation OUTSIDE, they normally depict Gwen being around the city on a landscape when things happen, not indoors. This is both the covers and the sky in Gwen's universe. But we don't see indoor places doing this really.

The colors blend, while you can see buildings and windows have their own colours, you can also see them going from orange, to pink and red on the exact same wall.

If you want even more proof of my support, let me show you what the artbook says about this (which includes the covers.)

My point is, even if we try to argue that the covers had something to do; do you think in a movie where they already have Gwen had a trans flag, her dad had a trans patch; would have a moment when the speech mimics exactly the trans experience (or a big chunk for many people,) with the colors in the background being EXACTLY like a trans a flag, with creators and creative that they have STATED, the importance of color in Gwen's world and in Gwen specifically, somehow just choose colors at random at a pivotal moment of the movie?

And I am somehow the crazy one?

Biases

I like to believe I am a fair person, for the most part. Every time I do these analyses I try to be as impartial as possible, and when I know there is a chance my biases and personal opinion will come into hand, I said that much.

As I said before, I am trans, anyone who has seen at least my master post can probably guess I like Gwen. Having a character I dearly love be trans (Even if our situations are wildly different) obviously means the world to me, and perhaps I would have had a similar headcanon even without any hints or evidence.

Regardless, I don't think what I am saying is purely biased; things are put in movies for a reason, especially animated movies, and let me tell you something, has this been another character, especially if it was a new character? I don't think people would be debating this.

If we have a new character having a trans flag in their room, their dad having a trans patch, this narrative; I doubt anyone would be saying this is coding. (Honestly, we would probably have more dudebros saying this is woke garbage than the ones I had seen lol.)

Alternative theories

Now, since I have addressed the theory and some of its criticism, I can't just ignore the number of people had rather than thinking Gwen is trans, believe someone else is.

Theory 1: Peter is Trans

This isn't odd. Honestly if you had been part of the Spiderman community while being queer, or aware of queer readings, you would have probably come around to the fact that a lot of people headcanon Peter Parker as trans, in multiple different variants in different mediums.

Partially because the spidey-hero situation really mimics the trans experience (there is a reason why you can put Gwen's speech on a come-out scene while simultaneously being about her hero identity without either way sounding forced,) and depending on what source materials, other clues can apply. This post isn't about that and it is already extremely long, so I will not dwell on this.

With this theory in mind, Gwen and her dad would be having trans flag and patch in memory of Peter, since with this theory it was likely that was the reason he was bullied, and probably another reason why to experiment to become the lizard; since being bullied could make him feel like he needs to find a way to be more masculine.

And look, do I have a problem with people thinking Peter is trans? Not really, I encourage it, I personally like the idea that both Gwen and Peter were trans and they bonded over it.

However, I wouldn't want this to be in canon, why?... It feels like it would fall into some harmful stereotypes.

Think about it this way; if we go with this route, a trans teen was bullied, after showing he looks like he is kind of isolated (Gwen seems to have the band at least, Peter looks like he was a loner, and then Gwen started to put distance between them because Spider-woman issues.) Get's so desperate that in an attempt to be "special" (maybe even "better" and "stronger," if he felt he wasn't enough as he was,) tries to experiment with things he shouldn't dying in the process; to which Gwen and her dad then would try to fight for trans rights in his memory, as this theory also heavily implies Peter was bullied because he was trans.

And look, angst narratives had their place, and a lot of people like this narrative, heck I remember a book that does something similar (More than Gold is the name, tho the character doesn't die,) and that was written by a trans person.

Nonetheless, the idea to suggest the only trans person in this narrative, dies after ostracization and bullying, and their purpose on the story as a whole would be to fuel Gwen's pain, with the "protect trans kids" idea only happening partially because of her guilt; feels a lot like "bury your gays (or trans in this case,)" something akin to frigging (while Peter would obviously still consider a boy in this theory, having a character from a minority die to hurt/inspire a protagonist, feels deeply concerning.) Is just a combination of too many things that I dislike.

Again, if someone likes this idea I will not say they are a bad person or anything; but I would have fewer issues if it wasn't because a SIGNIFICANT number of those who said this theory, had also shown to be deeply transphobic; insisting Gwen is obviously not trans with non-arguments. Doesn't need to be everyone, but it still annoys me.

2. Captain Stacy IS the trans one!

This one is...interesting, to say the least.

This one is less frequent than Peter's, but I had seen it pop around enough that I decided to address it.

Unlike Peter's, this one doesn't carry horrible connotations. Well it would have the "only" (if we go with this theory and with no other "canon" trans parent in the story,) trans parent be also the one that tries to point a gun at his daughter, to also be so extremely stubborn even when she finally comes back he acts kind of petulant- okay all of these things are bad, however, they wouldn't need to be related to each other; since none of these are really stereotypes of trans men. That's something?

Anyways, the big idea behind this theory is that aside from being more plausible for an adult to use a trans patch because they are trans rather than because their kid is trans, it could be a possible explanation as to why there is no mom or mention of a mom, since this child could be in vitro.

Which, okay, not that bad; I don't think a lot of trans men would like the idea of being pregnant, however, it has happened before so why not.

I don't think this is a bad theory overall, I just don't roll with it because it feels kind of, lazy? Again, do as you may; but it feels that the people who did it were more interested in again, having an explanation for Gwen not being trans, while also not actively being transphobic. Maybe some people just want more trans dad content I don't know.

There are technically instances of both the Peter theory and the Dad theory that could dethrone both of these, but the one related to Peter makes me feel a bit gross to think too hard about, and the other George one could imply something things that one way or other I don't like when the reality is that is a few frames on a scene where the patch isn't the focus. Another reason is that hey, if I don't have solid evidence on my own, I am not going to nitpick at other fan theories.

Speaking of which.

Is this Representation?

Short answer: No, no it's not.

I don't even want to discuss if is good representation, because it doesn't feel like it is to begin with. Yes, I do believe Gwen is trans, but all the things I have are background references, that are okay, however not having a confirmation does sting. It doesn't have to be the focus of her character, yet is not even off comments really, just some clues around.

Do I think it doesn't have Merit? No.

I remember during the first days this movie was out, I read a comment from someone who was in Florida, who said when they saw the "Protect Trans Kids" flag in Gwen's room, started crying.

I think of myself, almost a decade ago, in a country that wasn't really welcome to gay people, much less trans people; of the discrimination I faced because of it. I think when I was a teen, grappling with all these feelings; and how I would had feel seen the badass and cool, Gwen Stacy as Spider-woman, having that trans flag in their room. I know I would have cried too.

We cannot act like things are perfect currently; the United States, England, and other countries are becoming increasingly transphobic; having these things in a PG movie, from a big company, that is released to a worldwide level and is making bank. Not to mention that as small as these details are, the movie did end up getting banned for it, not even censored.

I think we can get better representation, but it doesn't mean this is less huge or less special; even if it didn't touch me like it would have in the past, it had touched many people, and that's something I appreciate one way or another.

This is in itself, another reason why to love this idea.

Gwen being trans fits the themes of the story better

Stan Lee is obviously, talking about Spider-MAN, but it gets the message across doesn't it?

Part of the reason Spiderman became so iconic, was the idea that ANYONE could be Spiderman, this ended up involved in these movies too.

In Across the Spider-verse, we see multiple types of spiders, people from the future, and past, children, women, men, animals, and a popsicle at one point (literally.) The movie also has Miguel, who is the antagonist, convinced what makes them Spiderman/Spiderwoman/you get the idea- is decided by a cosmic force, with Miles claiming that Spiderman is an idea, a responsibility, but something much more diverse than "you need these events to happen in order to be considered truly spiderman."

In Into the Spider-verse, this idea is also shown, by having spideys that are not just Peter Parker, and how Peter while important, isn't truly the protagonist of this tale, he doesn't need to be.

This franchise hinders the idea that being Spiderman is more than a name, a gender, or your background; is about someone that when given the possibility of using their powers for their own gain or ignoring the call, decides to risk it all, to handle a difficult life, to try to do their best despite the circumstances; because the essence of Spiderman, is being a hero, and anyone can be Spiderman. Anyone can be a hero.

Gwen being trans, elevates this idea.

While I think having more Spider-woman content is empowering on its own, cis woman or trans, the idea of having a trans hero obviously exemplifies this idea more than having her absence.

If Gwen is a trans girl, it would mean having a trans girl who is a tridimensional character, a trans teen that messes up, that doesn't know what to do, but is also a hero, and wants to do her best like everyone else. It means showing a trans girl as someone beautiful, badass, and having a guy who adores her with all his might.

If the idea of having her Peter be trans could be problematic, having her be trans means having a great role model, means a story about trans joy where we are free to be more than our identities, because the idea of Gwen casually being a hero and also trans is amazing in its own.

Is not perfect, but I ultimately love this idea, because it brings me hope. It means comfort for some trans and trans teens suffering out there, it means perhaps someone out there will try to offer more stories on the big screen with trans teens.

I want to believe this because Gwen being trans means more for us and the narrative than it would be otherwise. Let us have our dreams.

#ask #atsv files #gwen stacy #peter parker earth 65 #captain stacy #george stacy #across the spideverse #atsv

[imagitory]

Do you think Wish would have been better if they kept the concept of romance between Asha and the star boy, and the kind and queen being a villainous couple?

TL;DR...maybe.

I admit, I do really like human!Star and Magnifico/Amaya being a villainous couple as concepts -- but I don't think adding those ideas alone would've fixed Wish's shortcomings. Because I strongly believe the main reason so much of the Wish fandom has latched onto the idea of a romance for Asha in particular comes down to people feeling more for their mental AU concepts of Asha and Star than for Asha and the rest of her canon cast in the real finished product. There are no relationships in Wish -- ones featuring Asha or otherwise -- that I feel really prompt much investment or emotion in the audience.

Asha's mom and grandpa really don't have much time devoted to them, especially early on when we could establish some real history and pathos in their relationships with Asha. (Positive examples of this would be Ember and her dad in Elemental, Tiana and James and Eudora in The Princess and the Frog, or Mama Coco and Miguel in Coco.) We never even learn Asha's mom's dream even though it's picked up multiple times and the narrative makes such a big deal about Magnifico crushing it. The few lines discussing Asha's deceased father could've been cut from the story altogether and we would've lost nothing. Asha's friend group gets so little focus as individuals that it's hard to even remember most of their names. They were clearly envisioned as just "the Seven Dwarves but as teens," and honestly, them being vaguely like the Dwarfs is the only real impact they leave on a lot of people by the end. Or did a bunch of kids that went to go see the movie beg their parents for dolls of Simon and Bazeema after the movie was over? Asha and Star's dynamic can't be that interesting because Star doesn't spark any real character growth or change in Asha, nor does Asha really bond emotionally with Star. Star honestly just floats around looking cute for most of the movie, rather than doing that much of consequence. Valentino doesn't provide any significant emotional support for Asha, the way that even other cute Disney "pets" like Pascal or Pua do for isolated characters like Rapunzel and Moana. He also doesn't advance her journey in any meaningful way like Sebastian or Jacques and Gus do for Ariel and Cinderella, respectively. Asha and Magnifico's hero-villain relationship has no teeth because they have no real history prior to the events of the story (unlike Ursula using Ariel as a way to get back at her father Triton or Mother Gothel raising Rapunzel in isolation in an attempt to use her hair's magic to keep her young) and they don't serve as any kind of narrative foil to each other (unlike Jafar, who like Aladdin also uses magic and deception to try to advance his own goals, or Scar, who like Simba at the beginning of the movie "just can't wait to be king" and is focused way more on the perks of kingship rather than the responsibilities). Even Amaya and Asha can't have much of a relationship because there's no time set aside for it, and even if Amaya put in a good word for Asha with Magnifico, she didn't speak out on Asha's behalf after Magnifico vindictively cast her aside and really only decided to fight alongside Asha after Magnifico "went too far" by threatening Amaya herself (as opposed to, say, anyone else).

When my mum and I went to go see Wish, we came out of the theater feeling oddly blase about the whole story. My mum even -- upon me asking her about her thoughts on this topic before I sat down to write this -- admitted that although she "wanted to see evil defeated," and all that, she honestly just hadn't cared about any of the characters that much. She wanted Magnifico to lose because it was justice for Magnifico to lose -- not because she was actively rooting for Asha, her friends, or Rosas overall. She wanted good to triumph and evil to fail, but none of the characters and their relationships had made her that invested in seeing how that came about. And considering that every single character in every story ever written is largely shaped by the relationships they have with other characters, that means that Wish's primary failing is not a lack of romance, either for its main lead or its villains --

It's a lack of love.

Any kind of sincere, selfless, development-inducing, chemistry-fueled love. Not necessarily romantic love -- Disney's Revival work has actually shown just how diverse love can be through films like Zootopia, Encanto, and Frozen -- but real love between the characters, built on the back of history and camaraderie and meaningful screen time. Love that adds layers to their personality, fuels their choices and actions, and ultimately helps them bloom into better, more complete people. Instead I would argue that the only "love" in Wish is with ideas from past Disney projects -- that's why there are more Easter eggs and overt meta references to other projects in this movie than there are scenes that actively stir your emotions. You know -- the way Mulan does when she decides to steal her father's armor, or Marlin does when he gingerly picks up Nemo's cracked egg in his flippers and cradles it, or Cinderella's stepsisters do when they rip apart the dress the mice made for Cinderella, or Pinocchio does when he watches in horror as Lampwick turns into a donkey, or Tarzan does when he comforts Kala after he comes out dressed in his biological father's old clothes and she starts to cry.

The reason a lot of fans love these two ideas -- villain!Magnifico/Amaya and human!Star/Asha -- so much is because these two relationships, even just in concept art, prompted more emotion out of them than any relationship in the entire finished film.

Perhaps if that same level of emotion was brought out in these relationships in a real movie, that would've helped, but only if the rest of the film had also been trimmed down and edited so as to help tell a story with those two elements. Slim down the overstuffed cast. Have Asha's family actually have a point, or cut them. Give Asha and Magnifico some sort of real history and/or compare-contrast dynamic. Develop Star as a character. Give both Star and Asha character arcs. Make the music more essential to telling the story.

Without a lot of additional changes on top of those two concepts being used, I think the ideas of a hero and villain couple would've only just made the list of ideas that were only half-baked in the final product longer. After all, if Star was Asha's love interest, you'd still really have to have good writing and a lot of chemistry between the two characters in order to sell your audience on a love story between them. Not saying it can't be done -- Tangled and Elemental both did it quite well -- but just throwing the two characters together as is (namely, rather underdeveloped) and making them romantic partners by itself isn't enough. Honestly, I think a platonic or even familial-esque relationship between Star and Asha could've been just as powerful, if that love between them really came through. Just look at the bonds between characters like Judy and Nick from Zootopia or Miguel and Hector in Coco. Even keeping Star as less explicitly human could've been fine, if the relationship between them and Asha was strong enough. Stitch and Lilo's relationship is rock-solid in Lilo and Stitch, and Stitch isn't even remotely human. Even Soul did something kind of interesting with Joe Gardner and his relationship with 22 by giving them something of a mentor-student bond. Maybe a quasi-"young parent/child" relationship between Asha and Star could've even been interesting, if it was written well!

I do think both ideas had great potential in giving Wish more of an identity that could help set it apart from its predecessors -- I mean, we've never had a human character have a romance with a supernatural being or a villainous couple in a Disney animated film before -- but including them wouldn't have fixed Wish by itself.

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