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aftgficrec · 6 months

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ah I'm so excited you're open!!! thank you for the ridiculous amount of work you all do 🙏ok, this might be too specific but any fics with an alternate take on Andrew and Neil's post-trk reunion? Andrew gets out of easthaven early, Neil leaves the Nest later, AU's, etc.? i think it's a really interesting point in their dynamic, and I'm a sucker for sober Andrew realizing someone was watching his back for once

Feeling a bit like a Bernie Sanders’ meme – ‘I am once again asking myself why I spent so much time on an ask,’ 😅 but it's because this is such an iconic and beloved scene for our fandom. For a super fun ‘live’ first-time reader reaction to this high drama, check out ‘The King’s Men, Chapter 1 – Hello Foxhole, My Old Friend’ by @nickireadstfc here. -A

also see

Andrew's POV of throwing keys off roof here

‘Come and Save Me From It’ here (completed)

‘Learning To Feel (When You've Forgotten How)’ and the fandom meta posts here

‘pipedream’ here

‘reaching for the heights’ here

‘Lost boy’ and ‘[Un]broken’ here

‘I Know You From A Nightmare,’ ‘The Marks We Make,’ and ‘Draw Me Out, Mark Me In’ here

‘Marked’ and ‘Soulmates who can feel each other’s pain’ here

‘Of Stars and Stories’ here

‘What’s normal now?’ here

long previous recs with reunion mention

‘No More Fucks To Give’ here (updated)

‘The Sphynx and the Hare’ here (completed)

‘corvus, vulpes, lupus’ here

‘never fallen (from quite this high)’ here

‘Not a Pipe Dream’ here

‘everything and nothing begins with you’ here

Andrew gets sober, Neil stays at Evermore

‘Oh Raven,’ ‘Jailbird,’ and ‘Take to the Wing’ here

‘Scared to Live (But I'm Scared to Die)’ here

‘Comeback’ here

you may also like

in the dream I don't tell anyone (you put your head in my lap) by Fortheloveofexy [Rated T, 1850 Words, Complete, 2022, Locked]

The real Neil would never allow this, would not let himself be this vulnerable. The real Neil can barely stand to be around him. Andrew knows this. But Dream Neil? Dream Neil is a different story.

Will you be there when I come back? by Shamman [Not Rated, 299 Words, Complete, 2017]

Andrew is trapped in Easthaven with an eidetic memory and tries to focus his thoughts on the confusing image of Neil Josten's face. -Because however terrible it may look, Andrew's current circumstances are much less pleasant. Furthermore Bee has been making him sing and play the guitar in a very therapeutic attempt to make him express some sort of actual emotion over the past year.

tw: violent imagery

You Gave Me A Key And Called It Home by glintchi [Rated T, Collection, Complete, 2019]

Chapter 19: Yes, I Admit It, You Were Right [460 Words] Renee was waiting for him in the basement, fingers already taped, hair pulled back into a tuft of a rainbow ponytail.

Foxhole Tidbits by SpangleBangle [Collection Rated T/M, Updated 2018]

Chapter 14: My Friend, O My Friend [M, 953 Words] Prompt for Renee's reaction after Drake/Easthaven and Andrew's return.

tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: canonical character death

Did You Miss Me? by Deathandcommas [Rated G, 555 Words, Complete, 2023, Locked]

Aaron and Andrew have a late night chat after Andrew gets back from Easthaven.

tfw spoons by StrawBerryRains [Rated G, 216 Words, Complete, 2021]

Nicky offers Andrew ice cream when they arrive home from Easthaven.

A Taste of Your Own Medicine by caffeine_withdrawl [Rated M, 66454 Words, Incomplete, Updated March 2023]

Set after the infamous Thanksgiving, but then diverges from canon. Andrew and Bee decide it’s time for Andrew to come off the drugs, but works some magic so that he is allowed to do it in Columbia. Neil is tasked with helping him through it. They decide to do it the same way Andrew helped Aaron sober up, by locking him in a bathroom. Andrew doesn't react well, and switches between rage and panic. Andrew wonders if Neil is real or if he made him up because of the drugs.

tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: body horror, tw: implied/referenced rape/noncon, tw: implied/referenced csa, tw: flashbacks, tw: implied/referenced abuse, tw: drug addiction, tw: withdrawal, tw: vomit, tw: implied/referenced self harm, tw: ptsd, tw: emotional abuse, tw: hallucinations

making it harder to breathe by Azure_Allumiia [Rated T, 1643 Words, Complete, 2021]

Christmas Break with the Foxes, featuring Andrew at Easthaven and Neil in Evermore. Foxes celebrate New Years in NYC with the ball drop.

tw: graphic depictions of violence, tw: rape/noncon, tw: medical abuse, tw: torture, tw: blood

Dead Birds by Noah98 [Rated G, 1601 Words, Complete, 2021, Locked]

Neil just got back from Evermore and Andrew has returned from Easthaven. Riko calls. He wants a rematch and oh boy does he get it.

tw: violence, tw: blood/gore

Art

NB: just a sampling of art for this scene

“Feel Again” original song by @whatbutandreil [Tumblr, 2020]

Picking up Andrew from Easthaven part 1, part 2 comic by @coldcigarettes

andreil keys off the roof scene: animation by @hahanken | comic by @rainbowd00dles | comic by @lunapiq | art by @esklinray

I hate you comic by @thematicallycoherent

I’m not a hallucination art by @clumsyartish

Stick around long enough to figure it out for yourself. edit by @m1nyards

You are a pipe dream art by @viennemort

“you spend all this time watching our backs” edit by @matthcwboyd

not a hallucination a pipe dream art by @kryptidfox

“you were supposed to be a side effect of the drugs.” art by @planetmontressor

"Go inside and leave me alone." art by @dimsunstuff

“No, you’re a pipe dream.” art by @starkingdraws

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choco-bloop · 2 months

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Pearl and Gem doodles for an upcoming AU im planning to write and make more content about :)

But in short: Hero AU but with Life Series and one more SMP :)

#geminitay #pearlescentmoon #au #alternate universe #hermitcraft #life series #hero au #art #fanart #mcyt fanart #hermitblr #trafficblr #I'll probably explain more about the pre-canon events in another post #when i get the rest of the impt character designs out #vh ls hero au

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turtledotjpeg · 10 months

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This came from a randomized AU prompt involving flight attendants and characters meeting in a coffee shop - I went with the main four meeting in an off-brand airport starbucks (plus melody because I have a blorbo agenda here :P), but got thoroughly sidetracked drawing melody + pika as flight attendants haha

(gon & killua meet in the airport and quickly hit it off, but while goofing off they accidentally bowl over leorio who really needed that coffee after 18 hours in transit back to medical school

kurapika is about ready to murder leorio - not for the coffee stain, but because he didn't apologize sincerely enough - but then gon jumps in very politely and says it was his fault and he's very sorry. kurapika decides to let it go :)

some handwavey logic later and they all end up on the same plane. kurapika gives gon and killua extra bags of the little pretzels and nearly kills leorio again for trying to flirt with melody. they all have a feeling it's not the last time they'll cross paths 🙂)

#hunter x hunter #hxh #melody hxh #senritsu #i got very self-indulgent with this au lol (/ ~ \)#side cut melody is lowkey my pre-curse headcanon for her #went from having the side half of her hair to the bottom half :'D #also in this au her scars are burn scars #i went with transfem kurapika here (i think that's the right word? like trans and feminine but not necessarily binary female)#kurapika is kind of schrödinger's gender headcanon to me (as in‚ all of them at once unless i need to choose for a given scenario)#self-indulgently made her a gal here but that's not to say canon krpk wouldn't absolutely wear this outfit too (he 100% would)#...i think i'm now deep enough in the wall of tags to admit. that in my heart this is a kurasen au #kurapika took the job to (somehow) gain intel on this universe's version of the kurta massacre and #melody helps her keep her sanity in customer service hell (and vice-versa tbh)#(nostrade owns the airline. i have a terrible feeling that the neon of this au is out there piloting passenger jets on instinct alone)

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darkimpala1897 · 1 year

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Things Eddie has said to Wayne because he has no filter.

Eddie answering the phone it was one of Wayne's friend not knowing he had one.

Eddie: "Oh, hello sorry the dinosaurs are busy right now.

Wayne walking into the room looking at his nephew.

Wayne: "What are you doing?"

Eddie turning towards Wayne with a smile.

Eddie: "Oh wait one of the dinosaurs is here. It's for you Wayne."

Eddie hands over the phone laughing under his breath.

Wayne: "Very cute, very funny."

Wayne takes the phone shaking his head.

Eddie: "It's pretty funny, did you get it it's cause your old."

Wayne covering the mouth piece nodded.

Wayne: "Oh I got it just fine."

Eddie trying to start a conversation at the dinner table.

Eddie: "I walked into Chrissy's room once and I tripped on a bra."

Wayne putting his head down knowing what was coming, Steve had no idea.

Eddie: "It was a booby trap."

Steve trying not to laugh because that was horrible even for Eddie.

Eddie following after his uncle who was trying to escape him.

Eddie: "What is a bunch of kittens called?"

Wayne afraid of what's gonna come out of his nephews mouth still answers

Wayne: "You mean a litter?"

Eddie: "What's a litter?"

Wayne shaking his head wondering where Eddie's brain disappeared to.

Wayne: "A bunch of kittens Edward."

Wayne just trying to enjoy some peace and quiet. Eddie coming out of nowhere.

Eddie: "What did the triangle do to the circle?"

Wayne looking towards his nephew, he grumbles something under his breath.

Wayne: "Oh god here we go again."

Eddie laying on the living room floor staring at the ceiling well Wayne made breakfast.

Eddie: "I stayed up all night wondering where the sun went."

Wayne looks over the counter at his nephew wondering where he was going with this.

Eddie: "Then it dawned on me."

Wayne shaking his head, he feels like he's living with his sister all over again.

Eddie walking through the door Steve right behind him.

Eddie: "I forgot to throw a boomerang once."

Steve looking towards him confused.

Eddie: "But it came back to me."

Wayne could be heard groaning from wherever he was.

Eddie couldn't sleep so he goes and bugs his uncle.

Eddie: "What did the mermaid wear to her math class?"

Wayne who was trying to sleep looks towards Eddie.

Wayne: "I don't know what?"

Eddie: "An algae bra."

Wayne groans grabbing his pillow tempted to smother his nephew.

Eddie on a field trip, Wayne unfortunately had to chaperone.

Eddie looking a dinosaur, he points it out to Wayne.

Eddie: "Look, this one looks like a chicken."

Wayne looking at he nods agreeing.

Wayne: "Well fun fact of the day, paleontologists believed that birds came from dinosaurs."

Eddie looks towards his uncle.

Eddie: "Well look at you being Mr. Professor."

On that same field trip.

Eddie looking at the planets.

Eddie: "Hey Wayne, name all the planets?"

Wayne thinking about it for a second.

Wayne: "My very educated mother just served us nice pizzas."

Eddie blinking at him confused.

Eddie: "Are you having a stroke?"

Eddie laying upside down on the couch watching TV.

Eddie: "A backwards poet writes in verse."

Wayne wondering what he's on about now.

Wayne: "Do you even get what that means?"

Eddie shaking his head.

Eddie: "No of course not Wayne."

Eddie standing with Wayne as the upside down potals activate.

Eddie: "People are making apocalypse jokes like there's no tomorrow."

Wayne looking at his nephew with the seriously look.

Eddie: "Too soon uh?"

Eddie putting a ridiculous hat on Wayne.

Wayne glaring at him.

Wayne: "Eddie seriously?"

Eddie nods smiling.

Eddie: "It's my birthday, so it's my amazing rules and I say you have to wear the sombrero."

On that field trip I was mentioning early.

Eddie staring at a dinosaur skull.

Eddie: "That's a thick skull."

Wayne looking at it.

Wayne: "Kinda looks like Gareth."

Eddie looking towards his uncle.

Eddie: "I'm totally telling him you said that."

Wayne shaking his head.

Wayne: "Please don't. But like come on you have to agree, just catch it in the right light and boom it's Gareth."

Eddie sitting on the kitchen counter watching as his uncle packed up the Christmas decorations.

Eddie: "It's not like the guy didn't know how to juggle."

Wayne putting down the Christmas lights, wondering to himself if he could string Eddie up.

Eddie: "He just didn't have the balls to do it."

You're welcome for the qoutes we should have had between Wayne and his idiot nephew.

#stranger things #eddie munson #stranger things season 4 #steddie #steve stranger things #steve harrington #stranger things au #incorrect quotes #alternate universe #post canon #pre canon #wayne munson #uncle wayne

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why-is-it-always-autumn · 2 years

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I know i’ve said it before but i hate when writers of extended universe stuff conflate stuff that’s important to the audience with stuff thats important to the characters. That’s his “iconic outfit” because he wore it in the first movie (which took place over a single day) but he has no reason to still be wearing it in every sequel. She was characterized as flighty and prone to picking up and dropping new hobbies constantly, with knitting as her current Thing, but now all she does is knit, even in flashbacks. The name we know that character by is a random alias they have no reason to reuse with other characters or in different situations. That line was quoted by everyone after the movie came out but in-universe like two people heard it and no one has any business quoting it back. the new characters in the soft reboot have no reason to care that dark lord credulous is really jolene, because unlike the audience they have no reason to know who jolene is. Just because we saw it on screen doesn’t make what actually happened public knowledge.

#i feel like an old man yelling at a cloud but i just get so annoyed #theres a distinction between watsonian and doylist analysis for a reason #and if your writing decision doesnt have a good watsonian explanation it makes your story weaker #you can still include the stuff just keep in mind that this isnt as important to the characters as it is to the fanbase/marketing team!#maybe hes wearing the outfit on purpose because its the anniversary or he thinks its lucky or it proved to be so durable he bought 12 #maybe she went through character development and decided to stick with knitting #(she still shouldnt knit in pre canon flashbacks though)#maybe they were feeling sentimental or someone from the first con was there or it was the only id they could find #whatever just give it an actual in universe explanation #because the characters have not watched the movie and i feel like writers sometimes forget that

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fromxxthexxashes · 2 months

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while a summer wind blew through the trees (43454 words) by june_nights Chapters: 11/11 Fandom: 9-1-1 (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), minor Eddie Diaz/Shannon Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Minor Evan "Buck" Buckley/Abby Clark - Relationship Characters: Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley, Sophia Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Adriana Diaz, Shannon Diaz, Ramon Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Helena Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Isabel Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Bobby Nash, Henrietta "Hen" Wilson, Howie "Chimney" Han, Buck Voice: The Universe!!, Josephina "Pepa" Diaz Additional Tags: Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, First Meetings, Internalized Homophobia, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unrequited Love, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss, First Time, First Dates, Idiots in Love, Falling In Love, Pining, All Roads Lead to Canon, the Buddie Speedrun (TM) Edition, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Breaking Up & Making Up, Found Family, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:

El Paso, June 2010

Looking at Evan is hard sometimes, the same way looking into the sun without blinking is hard, but looking away is even harder because Evan has a smile that lights up a room and when he laughs, his eyes crinkle at the corners. Eddie has wanted him since the moment they met, and while that was easy to ignore - this is harder. This, that's Evan's humor and the way he cares too much about the people around him and not nearly enough about himself. It's the way he'll memorize random fun facts he's never going to need but still doesn't know the difference between Star Trek and Star Wars, and it's his complete disregard for personal space, highlighted every time his shoulder bumps Eddie's when they're walking next to each other.

Or:

Eddie and Shannon get married young. What if they broke up instead? Buck leaves home at 20. His adventures take him all the way to Peru and back. What if they took him to El Paso?

Notes: This has such beautiful build and delicious, gorgeous angst and some absolutely lovely and cute moments. I love a good summer fling romance. This one is done particularly well. If you like the angst of the divorce era (and the eventual makeup) in canon you’ll really like this one.

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fullscoreshenanigans · 3 months

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(Original Post)

@anulithots Ray's lack of infantile amnesia being the result of epigenetics is an interesting and tragic thought.

This is also one of the reasons the farm system seems ill-thought out to me from a purely pragmatic standpoint.

The demons have to have an understanding of this after breeding humans for roughly a thousand years and learning of the differences between demon and human genetic make-ups, on top of Ray making a point to cite how humans are influenced by their environment to back-up his reasoning about why they won't increase security if Norman ran away to avoid being shipped out. (To say nothing of how Isabella probably pettily considered this when thinking about shipping Ray at some point.)

Living in the kind of brutal environment that headquarters is for a decade would fundamentally change a person on some level, and we're shown the toll it takes on Isabella despite the iron woman persona she's built up.

(Chapter 181.3 | Minerva Confidential Report from the S1 Blu-ray | S1 Episode 12 | TPN Light Novel 2: Moms’ Song of Remembrance - “The Starry Sky and Leslie’s List” Chapter 9)

So I question why at least when the candidates are pregnant the demons wouldn't want to offer better treatment and incentives to them, or at least a mention of this by humans or demons directly involved with farm management questioning it before being told by those higher in the chain of command that it's unavoidable; they're working within the confines of the time and resources they've given, or whatever reasoning they provide while the upholding of the status quo so the demon royalty can maintain their authority over the general populace can continue.

#like I just need an in-universe acknowledgment of this and I'd be fine #same thing with why the kids still have their identification tattoos in the human world that I talked about in another post #moving to a separate post because I don't feel comfortable discussing fandom stuff on posts dealing with real-life tragedies #anulithots #The Promised Neverland #Yakusoku no Neverland #TPN #FSS Chatter #Farm System #Minerva Confidential Report #Pre-Canon #TPN Light Novels #Moms' Song of Remembrance #The Starry Sky and Leslie's List #TPN 181.3 #Escape Arc #TPN 027 #TPN Ray #TPN Isabella #Ray #Isabella #Isabella and Ray's Incredibly Fraught and Complicated Relationship Tag #I've seen Krone's light novel story/bonus chapter cited as doing more harm than good #for focusing on how dystopically brutal HQ live is that you question how any of those kids made it to adulthood #and had children as emotionally stable as they do at all #one of the multiple allowances one has to grant the series for Shirai to explore the themes he wants to focus on #like Ray lacking infantile amnesia and having the mental fortitude to deal with their reality at six lol #Long Post

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waitingforsecretsouls · 7 months

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I can grin and bear a lot of Maedhros slander. But giving him, the OG Thingol hater, pre- Quenya ban and Silmaril Quest even, who is trying to unite all of Beleriand in his Union against Morgoth and who will kill himself to never have to relinquish the Silmaril he eventually retrieves, the exact same opinions as Thingol rather than Celegorm and Curufin on the Silmaril Quest is where I draw the line.

You really think the guy who's trying to get everyone he can on board is gonna be angry at C&C for trying to recruit a hidden (ergo useless to him) realm to his cause rather than the flip-flopping elves of Nargothrond and Finrod's willingness to throw his own brothers and their family oath and labour of their fathers SOUL-literally-under the bus for a stranger and the heiress of the guy who is content to sit and try to wait out Morgoth (who herself has no plans whatsoever to eventually help out with that or try to convince her father to chip in a bit)? Instead of Beren and Luthien's selfish "politics? what politics?" attitude or Thingol for the temerity to set the quest in the first place? On my hands and kness begging people to stop trying to strip Maedhros from his canonical demonstrated character traits, motivations, opinions, loyalties and strength of character (and pride. Dear lord let Maedhros have his canonical pride. Not everyone is secretly an insecure, self-loathing mess and there's NOTHING to suggest this in Maedhros in particular. Seems primarily like people tying his potential scars from Thangorodrim to self-worth issues, what a novel concept. The guy is the lynchpin holding the Noldor and their resistance together, he is performing and leading better than literally anyone else, there's nothing to be insecure and angsty ABOUT except general war-related unpleasantness).

If it was Maedhros he would have either killed Beren on the spot disguised as an unfortunate casualty once he made clear he wasn't dissaduated by the oath or smiled and waved him off to Angband with a "good luck" and imprisoned Luthien for negotiations with Thingol and a "took care of your suitor problem AND got your daughter safe in custody, what have you got for me in return?" when she came looking for Beren, be for real now.

#silm #maedhros #stop trying to make Maedhros your moral stand-in in the story #he's a character with canonical character traits and motivations #also true for this Nolofinwean advocate people try to twist him into #if you prefer Fingolfin over Feanor that's cool but don't make that Maedhros' problem #but that's a rant for another time #can't believe it needs to be said but maybe let the Feanorians have their canonical stances on issues #what's this aversion with having them seeing themselves as in the right instead of as hopeless doomed sinners lol #also people really try to turn Nargothrond and Doriath into in-universe desperately coveted resources #I highly doubt the Noldor saw it that way pre Nirnaeth they were doing just fine retaking their territories and making new allies #and even afterwards if it weren't for Beren and Luthien and Beren and Dior we could have gotten a Turgon and Feanorian alliance #like are the attempts worthwhile? For sure as we see with C&C and Nargothrond #but they didn't cry themselves to sleep as losing all hope over losing those resources #the Feanorians are kind of a big deal especially in the lead-up to the Nirnaeth you know?

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astral-schools · 5 months

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playing through lemuria again. hey can we talk about this. why is there a book w a picture of earth and also what is almost exactly our periodic table in the old one's labs.

(see og tags before adding commentary)

#also why are roentgenium and copernicium missing lol. pre-1994 ass periodic table #i know the Actual reason is because almost all the assets are reused from hero101 which was theoretically supposed to take place on earth #so like obviously theres Earth Stuff #and maybe they just didnt think about it before using them in wiz?? which is pretty likely #like the most plausible answer is that they reused assets and didnt consider the implications cause they didnt think anyone would bother #but the fact that earth is technically canon and also the old one's origins are completely unknown #im just sayinnnnnnnn #very encouraging for my theory that hes from a version of our universe #sal posting #w101 fandom #lemuria spoilers #I GUESS?

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princesscolumbia · 21 days

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Ānzhuōniichuan - Chapter 2

Insomnia has been making a total mess of my ability to do things, including doing the stuff necessary to get rid of the insomnia. On the plus side, I've managed to get enough sleep this last week to recover enough to finished a chapter, so please enjoy:

Summary:

Ranma and Ryoga's journey, now with their new Chinese friend Xian Pu, takes them to a dojo in Japan.

Notes:

Been dealing with insomnia that's played merry hell on my ability to get, like, ANY writing done 'cause I'm just out of spoons before the morning is half over. Finally managed to grab a few time slices as I've been forcing myself to recover to get this written. Lost Little Wolf - The Minor Key Ch. 14, Double Isekai Ch. 10, Return to Recipient Ch. 6, And at This Point I'm Afraid to Ask Ch. 5, Deviation Ch. 9, Lost in the Dark Pt. 1 Ch. 2, Fission Ch. 10 Pt 2, and a few unpublished works are still on deck and work will continue...even if a bit slowly.

Preview below the cut:

Akane sat on her heels in the way that her friend Sayuri had marveled at since they were in elementary school together, feet flat on the ground, her knees up against her chest, arms wrapped around her legs, and chin resting on the little nook between her kneecaps. She was watching Ranma as the (currently) girl sat cross-legged in front of the family shrine. Ranma's eyes seemed to drift back to the largest picture on the shrine quite regularly; Akane's mother. Tears formed a track down the redhead's cheeks, and Akane had to admit that this part-time girl looked very cute and (dare she say it?) huggable. Akane was doing everything she could to fight the impulse to wrap her arms around Ranma and just hold her until the crying stopped.

"...stupid pops..." Ranma sniffled for probably the twentieth time since they'd come out here.

"Ranma..." Akane ventured, "Why did you turn yourself into a girl?"

Ranma blinked the most recent tears out of her eyes and turned to Akane, seeming like she was waking up from a daydream. "Huh? Oh..." she wiped the tracks off her face and said, "Didn't wanna cry as a guy. Aint manly."

Akane snorted, "'Manly'? What's being a man got to do with it?"

Ranma took a deep breath, "Nothin' really, just..." she wiped at her eyes again, "...pops just always kept hammerin' on me 'bout bein' 'manly,' and I thought that's just how guys'r'supposed to learn how to be guys. 'A real man does this,' 'a real man acts like that'... 'course, half'a that was the same as the bullshit 'bout bein' honorable, an' he never was."

Akane settled herself into a proper sitting position, opting for cross-legged like Ranma was doing instead of the seiza that 'proper girls' were 'supposed' to do. Yeah, she could sit seiza, but sometimes cross-legged was more comfortable. "Seems like your father was a jerk," she said, trying to keep Ranma talking.

The redhead sighed, "Yeah, Ryoga and Xian are helpin' me see that and tryin' to teach me how to be, I dunno, the kinda person I want to be. Still gotta long way to go, though. Like, I still don't know what I said wrong earlier."

Akane scrunched her brow in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"When I asked if you were a glass cannon," she sighed, "I just...a glass cannon is somethin' that can pack a hell of a punch but breaks real easy. Sometimes that's just how some martial artists are, I'm just tryin' to ask a question but something I said is wrong..." Ranma went from a little bit sad to teeth-grittingly frustrated in the space of a few words, her hands suddenly bunched into fists.

Akane found herself momentarily at a loss for words, "...but...being called a 'glass cannon' is a bad thing. Like you're trying to make fun of someone for having a weak defense."

Ranma turned to look at Akane, her jaw slightly slack, "But...I'm not trying to...I just...what?!" Her bunched fists were suddenly up and scrubbing at her eyes as a stuttering sob escaped her again, "F-fucking pops!" she stammered out, "R...Ryoga thought I h-hated him 'cause I just used the same things pops did to get me to spar with him! And since w-we started travelin' t-together with Xian they..." she heaved a couple of sobbing hiccups, "They've been t-tryin' t'teach me not to be mean 'r' cruel, an' it's like everything I say is mean! I thought that's just h-how you knew someone c-cared! And...and pops taught me that!"

Akane couldn't hold back any longer. She practically threw her arms around the smaller girl, muttering the little calming phrases and making the noises that Kasumi did whenever she couldn't handle the stress of life any longer or the Hentai Horde was particularly aggressive and nobody else would listen.

The two of them sat for a while, Ranma safely curled up in Akane's arms, the taller girl gently rubbing Ranma's back to comfort her. After the tears finally petered out, Akane realized that she was feeling something she hadn't expected for someone who'd revealed they were born a boy under the fabric of the silk shirt. She paused in her up and down motion, fingertips gently probing back and forth. Before Ranma's back could tense up any further, she asked, "Ranma...is that a bra?"

The redhead let out a nervous chuckle, "Y-yeah, got it a couple days after we got back to Japan. I had...no idea that there was such a thing as a sports bra, but...it works for me an' Ryoga 'cause of the curse." They disengaged enough for Ranma to look down at her own chest, as though the shirt wasn't there, "Pull 'em on like a shirt, the band stretches when we get hit with hot water and nothin' in the cups to really stick out or be obvious when we're in guy forms." She sighed, mostly seeming to need the breath to recover from the emotional outburst, "Didn't know...pops always made it seem like women wore bras 'cause they were weak or somethin'. Xian got kinda sick o' me fightin' without wearing one an' challenged me t'wear one during a spar an'...well, I don't think I wanna go without one ever again while I'm practicin' the Art, and since everything's practice..." she shrugged.

Akane could say quite well she didn't know any boys that didn't want to do martial arts without a bra. Now that Ranma seemed to have regained some of her emotional equilibrium, they separated, both now sitting cross-legged and facing each other. "Ranma...do...um..."

Ranma, for her part, just sat and waited for Akane to get her thoughts in order.

Akane took a deep breath, "I...my sister was right, I've been...every morning I have to fight a horde of boys just to get into school. And they made it clear they're intention is to overpower me and..." she swallowed, the fear she used to fuel her anger every day welling up inside her, "...take advantage of me."

"What?!" snapped Ranma as she started from her seated position. To her credit, she seemed to come to her senses and sit back down, "...sorry," she muttered.

Akane smiled, her expression pinched from the anxiety of the morning brawls bubbling inside but grateful that she seemed to have stumbled onto someone who was just as indignant about it as she was, "Thank you, Ranma. But," she took another deep breath, "I guess I've been letting them twist how I see boys up..."

Ranma nodded, "An' if yer enemy gets inta your head, then they're the ones pickin' the battlefield."

Akane mirrored Ranma's nod, "So because I need to...overcome this weakness, I need to ask you a question and hope it's not, like, the rudest question I could possibly ask."

Ranma tilted her head in a motion that reminded Akane of nothing less than a kitten encountering an ice cube for the first time, like she had no idea what was going to happen next but curiosity was driving her to learn no matter what and damn the consequences.

Taking that as encouragement, Akane plowed ahead, "Are you a boy or a girl?" She bit her lip, suppressing her embarrassment at having even had to ask.

Ranma's gaze seemed to turn inward, "...you know, I guess I'm a little of both?" she said after a while. "I mean, before the curse, I'd've told you I was a guy, 100 percent, but a lotta that was based on what my pops said, and we both know how much of a dumbass he was. But...I mean, I like bein' a guy sometimes. I want to be taller and more muscular and have longer reach an' all that. And sometimes I just like seein'..." she blushed, "Um...what I was born with between my legs." Akane blushed at that as well, which Ranma clearly picked up on because she said her next sentence in a tumble of words, "Not, like, in a hentai way or nuthin', but just 'cause it's, you know, what I 'spect t'see. But since I got the curse, I'm...I dunno, kinda seein' lots of stuff different. Like, chocolate is different!"

"It is?!" blurted Akane.

Ranma nodded enthusiastically, "And ice cream with chocolate? Gods! No comparison! I mean, I never got the 'guys don't eat sweets' thing before, but when I'm in girl mode it's like my tongue was made for sweets! And..." she blushed, "I...kinda like lookin' cute and...pretty. And I'd kinda like t'wear a dress an' just...be a girl for a bit."

Akane found herself smiling, easily imagining taking the redhead on a shopping trip with her friends Yuka and Sayuri.

Ranma grimaced, "Aint a fan of the cramps, though."

Akane thought her eyes would pop out of her head, "...cramps...?! Like, you have a period?!"

The redhead tossed her head back and let out a melodramatic groan that lasted nearly thirty seconds before slumping down (clearly exaggeratedly) and grumping, "Apparently I'm an 'early developer,' 'cording to Xian's granny. They weren't expectin' Ryoga or me to have our periods for, like, two months or somethin' so didn't say nothin' at first 'cause Xian was already fixin' to give me an' Ryoga 'the talk.' Then 'bout a week after we got back to Japan I woke up hurtin' like crazy and Xian had t'call home 'cause she thought it was somethin' else and Elder Ku Lon just laughed her wrinkly ass off so loud I could hear it over the phone an' across the room." She straightened, "Aint..." she turned green, "Bleedin' yet, but I gotta carry a pad around just in case now."

"But...you change back and forth, right? Can't you just, I don't know, stay a guy as much as possible during it?"

Ranma curled her lips and stuck out her tongue in irritation, "That's what I asked first thing. The magic of the curse aint, like, givin' me a new body every time. It's just flippin' me back an' forth between bein' a guy and bein' a girl like I'd been one the whole time. I can stop the period with hot water, but the second I flip back to girl-mode the period picks up right where it left off. Now I gotta wear either panties or briefs no matter what 'cause boxers sure as hell don't hold a pad."

Akane paled slightly, "Oh, um, are you...? Is it...?"

Ranma shrugged, "Nah, that was last week and was short 'cause I guess it was my body's first time an' all. But it was two days and tryin' to hide that your pad's slipping fucking sucks, let me tell you."

Akane turned as scarlet as her name for a bit as she imagined being in a similar situation. Frantically trying to drown out her scattered thoughts, she asked, "So when should I think of you as a boy?"

Ranma shrugged again, "Any time I am one, I guess. Xian and Ryoga've been tellin' me to use hot or cold water whenever I'm feelin' more 'boy' or 'girl.' That's why I got the water in there," she pointed to the house, "When I was feelin' like I needed to cry. I just...don't feel much like a boy, so I changed."

"Huh...I guess you're kind of lucky like that."

The smaller girl's face scrunched in confusion, "What are you talking about? It's a curse!"

Akane held up a hand placatingly, "Yes, and it's awful that it happened to anyone, but there've been times I kinda wished I could turn into a boy to take on the horde. Not really any other time, but if I could just once take 'em on as a man I bet they'd think twice about trying again the next day."

Ranma's smile was strained but sympathetic, "I guess I can see that."

"So do you...I guess... 'switch' mentally, too?"

Ranma shook her head, but then seemed to think about it and tentatively bobbed her head in a single nod, "I didn't think I did at first, but lately if someone says 'he' or 'him' about me when I'm in girl-mode, I start lookin' around for who they're talkin' about. And a few days ago I had a cop tryin' to look me up...long story, but we'd had more'n a few times the cops tried t'put me in jail 'cause my pops used my name for his bullshit, an' I was just...tired of it and already in girl mode, so I made up the name 'Ranko,' kinda on the spot, and yesterday I was in girl-mode and Ryoga said my name...er, she said 'Ranma' three times before I realized she was talkin' to me 'cause I just kinda started thinkin' of my girl-mode as 'Ranko.'"

They were quiet for a bit, the sound of the rain muting the rest of the outside, making them feel like their entire world was just the dojo.

He...she has periods, wears a bra, thinks of herself as a girl... Akane could almost feel her worldview shifting around in her head, I mean, sure, sometimes he is a boy, but even as a boy he was treating me better than any of the boys at school...ESPECIALLY Kuno! She had no idea what this meant for her in the larger context of her life, but her family's school was all about learning and adapting and growing in spite of everything thrown at you and becoming better than everyone else because of what was thrown at you.

She came to a decision, though exactly what the conclusion was or the path to get there she couldn't say. Smiling warmly, she reached out and offered her hand to Ran...ko. "Well, then hello Ranko, I'm Akane. Would you like to be friends?"

Akane didn't really understand the phrase 'lighting up the room with a smile' until that moment when Ranma practically glowed in response to Akane's offer.

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