Blossom. She/her/hers. Just boppin' around on fanpages for funsies. I reblog whatever fandom has caught my attention with no consideration for how long it's been dead 🙄 Believe me, it annoys me, too.
I JUST THOUGHT WE WERE GETTING OUR KING OF HIGH SCHOOL MEN WITH ROLES REVERSED... A FIGHT BETWEEN HER REALITY AND THE MACHINE, IN-GUK/SOO HYUK... NOT A DEEP LIFE CHANGING ACCEPTANCE OF HER CURRENT REALITY AND TIME GONE BY, JUST COMEDY. NOT HER GOING THROUGH MEN LIKE A KOREAN BUFFET... HOMEGIRL GOT AND BEAT SEUNG-HWAN, HE SO MAD SHE GOTTA PAY 1MIL TO SEE HIM AGAIN... SHE STOLE VICENZO BOY TOY SUNG CHEOL JUST TO LET HIM GO MARRY ANOTHER... WHEN YOU THINK IT'S SAFE SHE WANNA ONE UP SEONG WU MR. AFTER DARK, NO LIGHT NOWHERE UNTIL I SEE MY MAN LEE JAE WOOK AND THIS IS WHERE I MUST <PAUSE> ... CAUSE HOW IN THE HELL DID YOU GUYS PULL OFF THIS ROSTER. WHO WAS IN THE ROOM THAT MADE THIS HAPPEN... I AIN'T READY... EVERYONE'S SCHEDULE WAS EMPTY TO PUT IN WORK... SHEESH...
There’s so much more to Boyfriend on Demand than meets the eye. It works on two tracks: it’s a fun, lighthearted rom-com, but it’s also a meditation on loneliness and how we consume fantasy in a capitalist world.
I love that it resists the typical “dark sci-fi” framing. Instead of preaching at the audience, it uses the shorthand of the rom-com genre to mask its more serious questions about how we negotiate connection today.
Critics are calling the writing weak, but they're missing the point: it’s strategically lightweight. Many reviewers mistake the light tone and repetitive VR scenarios for a lack of depth because they expect a high-concept premise like “AI boyfriends” to pivot into Black Mirror-style cynicism. But having just binged the whole thing, I think the writing is actually quite smart. It’s not “less” than what critics wanted; it’s just delivering something else entirely. It’s proof that a show doesn't have to be “deep” in a dark way to be well-written.
If you look closely, the show isn't driven by action, but by emotional parallels. The “repetitive” nature of the story is actually its greatest strength. It’s a structural obsession with Mi-rae’s inability to move past her breakup. It all circles back to her trauma regarding change. Whether she’s overanalyzing Kyeong-nam’s comment about drawing or choosing an AI that promises to stay the same, she is constantly running from the reality that love evolves. The writing isn't just about dating; it's a deep-dive therapy session wrapped in a fantasy premise.
I love that this show avoids the usual rom-com shortcuts. A lot of series would have made the AI boyfriend the villain, but Boyfriend on Demand does something much more nuanced. Gu Yeong-il isn't a threat; he’s actually a catalyst for Mi-rae’s growth. It’s a refreshing departure from the “scary technology” cliché.
Here is my full breakdown of the thematic depth in Boyfriend on Demand:
It's easy to dismiss Boyfriend on Demand as being too “fluffy” because of its ridiculous scenarios and aesthetic world, but that’s all part of the internal logic. It’s a clever blend of parody and Y/N fantasy that manages to double as a soft critique of emotional capitalism. It doesn't mock the genre; it plays within the tropes while offering a smart, self-aware commentary on them.
Each VR boyfriend is a distilled romance trope: the handsome chaebol, the first-love senior, the heroic firefighter, the mysterious assassin, the strict doctor and so on. These archetypes are the bread and butter of otome games and webtoons, and the show leans into them completely. While the series exaggerates these fantasies for comedic effect, it maintains a sincere respect for the audience’s desires. It’s a delicate line to walk—being meta and self-aware without becoming mocking. It’s not laughing at the fans; it’s laughing with them.
If you’re paying attention from the start, you’ll notice a crucial detail: the dollhouse aesthetic. Between Mi-rae’s apartment and her perfectly curated wardrobe, nothing feels truly “lived-in.” This is totally intentional. The visual design mirrors three overlapping “constructed worlds.” Since Mi-rae works in webtoons (which are inherently stylized and color-coded) her “real life” begins to resemble a webtoon panel. It blurs the line between fiction and reality well before the VR elements even enter the picture.
Dior and Tommy Hilfiger’s involvement in Mi-rae’s wardrobe isn't just an ad, it’s a statement on how romance has become a consumerist dream. It’s not just about the chemistry; it’s about the aesthetic. When love is shown through gifts and luxury dates, the series is essentially packaging romance as a lifestyle. Mi-rae isn't just a protagonist; she’s a curated brand identity.
I. Seo Mi-rae: A Study in Emotional Contradiction.
She is a fascinating character defined by emotional distance. Fittingly, her name Mi-rae (미래) literally translates to “future,” perfectly captures her role as a symbol of modern relationships: technologically mediated and emotionally guarded. Instead of leaning into the “bubbly heroine” archetype, the performance is refreshingly deadpan and anti-romantic. Jisoo's delivery is intentionally flat and underreactive, mirroring a generation that is cynical toward—and perhaps even allergic to—classic romance. Mi-rae is essentially the audience's cynical inner voice; she knows the tropes, recognizes the formulas, and refuses to play along. (A standout early example occurs when she enters the VR simulation with the chaebol lead, Choi Si-woo. The romantic dialogue he's given is so exaggerated it borders on parody. When he starts showering her with grand declarations, Mi-rae doesn’t swoon, she physically recoils. Seeing her toes literally curl in secondhand embarrassment is a perfect touch.)
The way Jisoo captures Mi-rae’s duality within the VR world is incredible. She seamlessly shifts from a cynical, guarded producer to someone playful and bold—someone who is easily swooned and ready to go all-in on romance. You can hear it in her lighter tone and see it in her more animated expressions. She flips her hair and teases Eun-ho with a confidence her real-world self has long since lost. It’s as if the VR world is reclaiming the “pre-breakup” Mi-rae. It suggests the breakup didn’t just break her heart; it rewired her entire personality, and the VR space is the only place she feels safe enough to “reset” to her true self.
II. Eun-ho is such a compelling character because he brings out a version of Mi-rae she thought she’d left behind.
The psychological pull here is so believable.
He's designed as that idealized first love who only has eyes for the heroine. It perfectly captures that campus romance nostalgia where everything feels simple and hopeful. Because Eun-ho resembles her real-life first love, Mi-rae starts to blur the lines between reality and the VR world. As the saying goes, nostalgia “edits reality,” focusing on the spark while ignoring the eventual decay. He essentially becomes a curated memory of love. Her jealousy over the “thousand other users” is fascinating because it exposes the parasocial illusion. Logically, she knows he’s an AI, but emotionally, she’s grappling with betrayal and competition. It’s a brilliant illustration of how parasocial dynamics function in real-world fandom.
III. Gu Yeong-il: The Perfect Boyfriend Paradox.
Yeong-il is Mi-rae’s algorithmic ideal. Since he was constructed from hundreds of her personal data points, he represents her ultimate emotional match. He is the personification of “perfect compatibility,” but ironically, that perfection is exactly what makes his failure so inevitable.
Here’s the problem with “perfect” love: it removes the friction that makes relationships real. By programming Yeong-il to always have the “right” answer, Mi-rae has turned love into a self-centered feedback loop. There’s no discovery, only confirmation. The coincidence of his appearance forces her to realize that her “ideal” man is actually just a sanitized version of Kyeong Nam. She chose the AI because real people are unpredictable and vulnerable—things she wasn't ready to face. In the end, Yeong-il is just an echo of her own desires.
IV. Park Kyeong-nam: Embracing the Unknown.
Kyeong-nam isn't your typical, overconfident male lead. His affection is a quiet, background presence until the moment he has to challenge Mi-rae’s defensive walls. His entire arc hinges on the idea that change is an inevitable emotional risk. Because of her past breakup, Mi-rae chooses stagnation over connection. Kyeong-nam’s argument, that she’s “afraid of change before they’ve even started” challenges her entire worldview. By declaring that he “already changed” the moment he fell for her, he proves that change isn't a downward slide; it’s a form of growth.
V. Yun Song: The Most Tragic Character.
The webtoon artist Yun Song serves as the show’s most overt critique of creative labor exploitation. Her arc sheds light on the industry's darker side: the relentless grind of deadlines, the pressure of algorithmic competition, and the physical toll of the craft. The most brutal detail is that her series' success isn't attributed to the quality of the writing, but to the marketability of the male lead. It’s a cynical reflection of how modern creative industries often prioritize aesthetic appeal over narrative substance.
Yun Song’s VR story is deeply bittersweet. When she begins plagiarizing VR scenarios for her webtoon, it’s a painful admission: she can no longer generate romantic fantasy on her own. The VR boyfriend serves as a surrogate for the gaps in her emotional life. Their final conversation is quietly devastating; she already knows he only exists for her happiness, yet hearing him say it still offers a strange comfort. It’s a moment that acknowledges a difficult truth. When real relationships feel out of reach, a simulated one can still provide genuine emotional relief. The show’s refusal to condemn her for it is what makes it so powerful.
VI. Ji-yeon: Dating as Gameplay.
Ji-yeon represents a unique shift in how we view romance. She approaches the app with a completionist mindset, turning dating into a series of strategic experiments. Her goal of “meeting them all” replaces emotional stakes with systematic mastery. The fact that she ends up as a consultant for the platform is telling. It implies that the people who thrive most on these apps are the ones who see through the code. She doesn't fall for the fantasy; she cracks the meta.
VII. The Founder’s Philosophy: The Unprogrammable Heart.
The creator of the app provides the show’s thematic anchor. His core belief is that love is the ultimate human frontier because it’s inherently unpredictable. AI can mimic a personality or follow a script, but it can’t experience the “leap of faith” that humans do. We give our hearts away with no strings attached and no guarantees. For the founder, the beauty of love lies in that very uncertainty—something code will never be able to capture.
The ending of the show isn't an anti-tech statement; it’s a celebration of human agency.
The VR boyfriends served as an essential emotional crutch, helping the characters move forward and process their trauma. But despite being a “safe space” for growth, they lacked the one thing that defines love: the ability to choose. Yeong-il’s devotion is a set of lines of code, whereas Kyeong-nam’s devotion is a vulnerable, human decision. The show beautifully illustrates that while technology can comfort us, it can't replace the messy, uncertain beauty of mutual choice.
We have to talk about Jisoo’s acting in this.
She absolutely nails the deadpan humor, using subtle underreactions and dry delivery to sell the comedy. Mi-rae basically functions as a POV character for the audience, reacting to all the absurdity with disbelief. I love how comfortably Jisoo leans into the cringe—whether it’s her toes curling at Si-woo’s lines or her over-the-top flirting with Eun-ho. She isn't worried about maintaining a “perfect” image or looking silly, and that lack of vanity is exactly what makes her performance so grounded and real.
She really proved her range here.
The way she distinguishes Mi-rae from Kyeong-nam within the VR world is such a strong creative move. It’s all in the micro-adjustments: the way her expression hardens and her tone shifts. You can tell the “familiarity” is gone the second she meets Gyeong-il. She signals a completely different identity through subtle cues instead of over-the-top acting. Even before the script explicitly confirms the identity swap, the audience can sense the change through her physicality alone.
Her chemistry is insane.
Seriously, she could sell a romance with a tree. The way she handles the physical side of acting is so refreshing; she’s so comfortable with her costars. There’s no awkwardness or waiting for the director's cue. Unlike some actors who feel a bit stiff or rehearsed, she’s completely present in the moment. It makes the relationship feel incredibly organic. Her scenes with Seo In Guk were a highlight for me because of how effortlessly immersive they were.
TL;DR
This series perfectly captures the struggle of staying connected in a hyper-modern world. It’s a judgment-free look at how different people navigate isolation. The show doesn't preach; it simply suggests that while fantasy is a safe space to heal, genuine intimacy always involves a bit of risk.
AWH HELL YEAH U POSTED THEM!!! i seriously adore these so much, theyre so fun and dynamic?? god. im never gonna be over the look of pure apathy on midoriyas face in that last pic
Hades gives Orpheus a trial he knows he himself could never succeed at, but it isn’t just that Hades knows he would turn around. Hades has been failing this trial every single year. He shows up too early. He turns too soon. He is so full of doubt that even the natural order of the world, that Persephone will return to him, is not something he can trust. Hades would fail the trial he has given Orpheus, and he already has. All alone, his blood runs thin.
So, after this post, I couldn't let go of this house. I decided to rebuild it in The Sims and then I had so much info I felt the need to share it. Other than commenting on some crazy aspects of this mansion, I think it can give some input/ideas for possible scenarios in fanfiction! (for one, I'd like to know what Eddie thinks about half of the features of this house lmao).
My process was: canon information > actual house information > gaps I filled the best I could
Disclaimer: keep on describing Steve's house however you want to!! I'm sharing this in case you wanna be as close to the actual house as possible!
Listings: Zillow | Trulia | Homemetry
Credits: Sticky notes by rawpixel.com | Washi tapes by rawpixel.com | background paper by starline all on Freepik
First and last episode of Silvia uses her degree on tumblr:
✨ Steve's house is ugly as fuck ✨
You might see this picture and think "what are you on about? it's not so bad!!" and I would agree with you, since the pool, the lights and the huge windows on the ground floor are doing the most at making this house look very nice and expensive.
But then, I saw this
this is the front of the house... THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE! THIS FLAT MF WITH THE MOST BASIC ASS WINDOWS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE FIRST THING EVERYONE SEES???
And like, I know this is season 1, they were on a budget and this house isn't as important as the Wheelers or the Byers but I have an hyperfixation on Steve Harrington so I simply cannot let this one slide.
There are a lot of things that bother me about this house: the flatness of this entrance (seriously, never heard of a porch???), those boring windows, the fact that the house is basic but then you have that expensive-looking front door and those huge windows in front of the pool?? it seems as if they merged two houses together???
Now, I know we all joke about Steve having a lot of spare bedrooms but like, this house is huge???
LOOK AT THIS? is this really a suitable home for three people? You could fit all Hawkins after the earthquake in here, jc. They actually do have 400 spare bedrooms.
But then I realized, half of this is actually empty.
This is the best part of the house, let's be fucking honest. Finally some rich features in here. But also, this means that half the house doesn't have a second floor but just a huge living space on the ground floor with a double high which is very rich of you Harringtons, wasting half of the second floor just for the sake of aesthetic.
(Also, that exposed wood roof is gorgeous but the color... meh.)
At this point you might think that this house isn't actually that bad.. let me remind you that this house contains this room:
Can you imagine being stuck in space completely alone with only the corpses of your friends for company, and the first living thing you meet after 46 years of that misery is a fucking weird alien creature who just rolls up with crazy advanced tech and goes "hi let's work together" and makes it possible for you to save your world through the power of friendship and molecular biology. AND THEN you find out that in this creature's language, its name means "mercy". Happened to my good friend Rocky btw
When an adult character is reverted to being a teen, or a teen character is reverted to being a child, or an adult character is reverted to being a child, or a—you get the idea.
A de-aging fic takes a character and makes them younger. Not by just having them be younger in the form of an AU but by actively turning back the clock on the character, returning them through fantastical means, to a younger age.
Conventions
As a trope, the rules of de-aging (also known as age-regression) may be clear, but the conventions are not. Some works preserve the adult mind of the affected character, others have them fully revert to the mental state that they had at the age they have returned to. Some let the character keep their adult memories,others do not.
Tone can vary wildly as well. It can be done as humor, or as horror. It can be crackfic or a serious essay on child liberation or the power imbalance of age gaps in relationships. As a trope, it is wildly versatile, and fan creators are well aware of this.
The transformation can be fully physical and mental. It can also be a physical transformation that leaves the adult mind in a younger body; or the opposite, where the mind is reverted to a child-like state, but the body remains as-is. De-aging is the opposite of aging characters up.
It is a popular genre in fandoms that allow for magic, such as Harry Potter, or have science fiction technology. De-aging can be written as humor, even crackfic; or as hurt/comfort, forcing characters to take care of each other. The story can also be a serious examination of changed power dynamics in the character's relationships.
History
"Oh To Be Young Again...!!" That is the title of the oldest fanwork I could find that employs this trope, penned by Louise Stange for the 18th issue of The Crewman's Log, a Star Trek TOS fanzine, wherein Spock is transformed into a baby.
De-aging as a trope has remained relatively popular in pan-fandom, though it has has its waves of popularity over the years. It was particular prevalent in fan fiction for the television series Stargate Atlantis from 2004 to 2009. And before anyone goes "why are we talking about Stargate on a retro trope blog?" I must regretfully inform you that that was twenty years ago. That's right, most of your de-aged Rodney McKay stories are past the age of majority now.
Citrus Tasting Notes
Orange: Oh, they got turned into a kid and they are so sleepy and cuddly!
Lime: So they got turned into a teenager and teenagers are horny sometimes!
Lemon: So they got turned into a teenager, and we are going to be discussing exactly how horny teenagers can get in detail.
Grapefruit: Did you read the tags? Are you sure you read and processed the tags "underage," "non-con," and the rest?
Stats
At the time of this post's drafting, there are 40,543 Works in the "Age Regression/De-Aging" tag on Ao3.
The top additional tags associated with this tag (after disqualifying synonymous tags) are:
Fluff - 11,171 works
Non-Sexual Age Play - 10,365 works
Hurt/Comfort - 8,037 works
Angst - 4,121 works
Emotional Hurt/Comfort - 3,568 works
Today, the top five fandoms in the tag are:
僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga) - 2,097 works
Video Blogging RPF - 2,060 works
Minecraft (Video Game) - 1,693 works
Marvel Cinematic Universe - 1,508 works
Batman - All Media Types - 1,424 works
Reader Feedback on the Genre
Criticism
In stories where only the character's mind is affected, the trope can come perilously close to AU stories that depict real mental disability with all the risks of ableism that comes with that territory.
The genre is also, when done poorly, criticized for its ageism, and its infantile presentation of children who are more mature than their alleged age is written in the work.
There is also the response from those that are vehemently against all works with underage sexual activity, for this is a topic that occasionally is relevant in works of the genre.
Praise
For fans of humor, this is a beloved subgenre of comedy. Watching a fan favorite character being subject to childhood and its various ordeals, or having a character suddenly have to pretend to be their friend's parent, these are concepts with a lot of room for laughs.
Kidfic enjoyers are also fans of this genre, having a great time watching the rest of the cast deal with not just a child, but a child that the characters have a complicated relationship to.
And for the fans of age-gap or underage works, this is a genre that offers them the opportunity to explore how an otherwise adult or non-age-gap ship dynamic would change.
“Just what are you doing here, Miss Swan?” Regina had to know. “I was under the impression I wasn’t your favorite person.”
“Yeah, well.” Emma jammed both hands into her jeans pockets. “You don’t have to be a favorite to be important. Henry needs both his moms.”
Or, Regina falls into the portal with the wraith from S2 and has a little trouble (and a little help!) getting home
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1,967 words
@whumpay 2026, day 15: Forced To Watch / “No one is coming to save you.” / Waterboarding
Regina yanked ineffectually at the magic-suppressing cuff on her wrist. It was awkward, what with her hands being looped around the back of a chair, but it wouldn’t have made a difference either way. She huffed in frustration and stared hatefully at the woman in front of her.
“I need you to stay here while I keep up appearances as Lancelot, but worry not,” Cora was saying, smiling beatifically. “Soon enough, you shall be back where you belong. By my side.” She stepped forward and cupped Regina’s cheek in her hand. Regina recoiled violently. “My daughter,” Cora murmured gently, dismissing her defiance entirely. As always. “I’ve missed you so.”
Cora swept out of the dilapidated cottage that she had imprisoned her daughter in. Regina sighed, the fight suddenly deserting her. She glanced around the room, half-rotted tables and chairs illuminated poorly by the dim light pushing through the murky windows. It was practically in ruins … like the rest of her homeland, she assumed, if what she saw today was anything to go by. Not that she had had the chance to see much since she had been sucked back into the Enchanted Forest.
Her powers had come rushing back to her the moment she came through, and she had been able to contain the wraith. She pitied whatever poor soul came across its unstable prison, though. Her mother had found her not long after that, and they had fought a mighty battle.
There was just something about the exhilaration of whipping fireballs around, transforming her desires into reality, enforcing her will upon another person that felt like nothing else in either world she had lived in. Her childhood had been an endless series of tests and threats, and the sensation of magic rushing through her body felt like a reassurance that she would never be that powerless again.
Feelings weren’t reality, though.
She had only regained her magic for a few short hours before her mother had defeated her and bound it away from her with this detestable cuff. Instead of repaying her for her attempted matricide, her mother instead prattled away about how she knew her daughter loved her and they could conquer the cursed land together and be a happy family there.
Regina would only allow for one person to be her family, and she wouldn’t let her mother get anywhere near him.
If she had to stay in the Enchanted Forest and destroy every portal her mother raised until the end of time, she would do it. No one in that world would miss her for one second, except her sweet darling Henry.
She was certain he would miss her. The past few months have just been … pre-teenage rebellion. She grew less certain the more she thought about it, so she stopped thinking about it.
The door to the cottage crashed open suddenly, admitting two women from the torrential downpour. One was wearing heavy armor, and the other a sodden dress. A Royal, from the look of it.
“Please, misses, I’m so scared,” Regina hunched over to make herself look less threatening. “There was this scary man, and he tied me up here, and he could be back any minute, and I’m so scared of what he’s going to do. Please, help me get free.”
The women inched closer, looking over her carefully. “Please-” she repeated.
“Wait, Mulan,” said the one in a princess dress. She looked almost familiar. She clearly thought Regina looked familiar to her, if her look of horror was any indication. “It’s her. She was with Maleficent when she- when I-”
The armored one, Mulan apparently, protectively stepped between Regina and the other one. Aurora, Regina realized. The daughter of Maleficent’s mortal enemy, Briar Rose. Regina had a feeling she might not be feeling too merciful towards witches these days.
“How dare you ask us to rescue you!” The girl was becoming hysterical. “You’re a monster! Who would come to save you?!”
“Aurora,” Mulan pulled her back.
“No one’s coming to save you!” Aurora shouted. “I hope you get what you deserve!”
“We should go.” Mulan shepherded Aurora back toward the heavy deluge, and as she turned, Regina noticed a very familiar pouch.
“How did you get that pouch?” Regina demanded. The spell ensnaring the wraith had been very delicate. If anyone had disturbed that pouch…
“What do you care?” Aurora stared at her in suspicion from behind Mulan.
“I think it might be housing a very dangerous monster,” Regina answered cryptically. “You should be very careful with that.”
“What did you do to him!” Aurora tried to shove past Mulan to get to Regina.
“Um, nothing, obviously. I’ve been tied up here?” Regina replied, motioning toward her bonds with her head. They didn’t need to know exactly how long she had been tied up.
“Aurora!” The warrior reprimanded once again.
“She did something. She- she had to do something to Philip. I just know she did. She set a trap for him or something so he would pick it up and get Marked,” she babbled frantically.
“If he was foolish enough to pick it up and get marked, that’s kind of on him,” Regina remarked snidely.
“You don’t know anything about him!” Mulan snapped.
Regina smiled. “But I do know of a way you could get him back. How bad do you miss him?”
The two women looked at each other, clearly upset, but also desperate.
Regina didn’t bother to hide her smirk.
~~~
Regina stumbled along in the mud behind their horses and tried to calm her fury at the indignity. She had convinced them to take her with them on their journey, though they were too smart to remove her Enchanted Cuff. Going on a dayslong fetchquest to help these two fools rescue their lover was hardly Regina’s choice of activity, but once they got to where they’re going, they would need her help and remove the cuff. Then she would be free to repay them for their … generosity.
Despite the pouring rain, Regina felt a warm spot on her hip, like a sunburn. She patted the spot with her bound hands, trying to decipher what was happening. The warm spot moved, jumping up her ribs, around her shoulder, and down to her wrists. She looked around warily, wondering who was following them.
“Did you hear that?” Mulan halted the horses suddenly, surveying the surrounding woods.
“I can’t hear anything over the rain,” Aurora began, but Mulan shushed her.
Regina tried to hide her grimace. Her wrists were starting to burn.
“Over there!” Mulan started to steer her horse around, but at that moment, Regina’s cuffs exploded. The women had only a moment to look shocked and horrified, before she knocked them both out.
“Are you alright?” Regina turned to see Emma, of all people, materializing from the woods. Even in the pouring rain, she looked luminous. Regina turned her attention to her burned wrists before she had to squint or something.
“I’ve been better,” she replied sardonically. “And since when did you have magic?” She concentrated on healing so she didn’t have to think too hard about what the interloper was doing here.
“Since uh landing here, I guess.” Regina could hear her shrugging. “I didn’t really know what I was doing, just figured I should get those cuffs off you.”
“A good choice,” Regina noted, in a way that suggested that was a rare occasion. “And I assumed you didn’t know what you were doing when you nearly set me on fire. You didn’t want to experiment with telekinesis before you tried explosions?” She had finished healing her wrists. It would be weird not to look up now.
Emma was blushing, though she acted like she didn’t notice. “I don’t know, maybe I was just asking myself what would Miss Fireballs do?” She retorted.
Regina didn’t know she had made that big of an impression. Her mouth settled into a satisfied little smile before Regina realized it and wiped it off.
“And just what are you doing here, Miss Swan?” She had to know. “I was under the impression I wasn’t your favorite person.”
“Yeah, well.” Emma jammed both hands into her jeans pockets. “You don’t have to be a favorite to be important. Henry needs both his moms.”
Aw, isn’t she just the picture of benevolence? So sweet that Regina could practically feel her teeth rotting inside her mouth.
“I thought I was evil and couldn’t be trusted with children,” she countered.
“I know you’d never do anything to hurt Henry,” Emma responded, sincere belief shining from her eyes. Regina found herself taken aback, being on the other side of such faith.
“You’re right, I won’t,” Regina affirmed, voice low with sincerity. “Let’s get ourselves back to our son.” She mounted one of the horses and steered him to start walking back the way they came.
“Wait!”
Regina turned to find Emma holding up her sheriff’s notebook and a pen. She sighed. “What?”
“We should leave them a message so they can save their prince.” Emma waved the items at her.
Regina rolled her eyes and magicked up a parchment with detailed instructions into Mulan’s hand. She doubted they could succeed in such a daunting task, but they did seem rather determined.
“Are you happy now, Miss Swan?” Regina waved a hand toward the road.
“Immensely,” Emma snarked back, mounting the other horse and passing her on the road.
Regina rolled her eyes again and followed her.
~~~
“You think this will work?” Emma shouted across the road. She wasn’t skilled enough with horseback riding to sustain a gallop, but they had managed a slow canter.
“Do you have a better idea?” Regina shouted back.
Vines whipped out of the forest and grabbed them off their horses, holding them suspended in the air. “Yes, in fact, I do.” Cora glided toward them.
She tsked. “My foolish daughter. I was so hoping we could go to Storybrooke together, but if you keep misbehaving, I’ll have to leave you here.”
“I won’t let you anywhere near Storybrooke!” Regina snarled, and the vines tightened around her in response.
“Oh my, is that a protective instinct I hear?” Cora laughed. “You’re a failure. You can’t protect anybody. That Dark Curse you sacrificed so much for? Failed! Exactly as the Dark One intended. You were a mere puppet to him, and yet, all of the riffraff in Storybrooke hate you. Nobody wants you over there. You’re weak, patheti-”
“I do, I want her over there,” Emma rasped out. “So does our son.” Emma caught Regina’s eye, clearly expecting her to do something.
“Oh, ‘our son’ ?” Cora gasped dramatically. “Regina, is there something you want to tell me?”
“Yes, Mother,” Regina hissed, wresting back control of the conversation before Cora could actually begin an earnest interrogation of exactly what Emma was to Regina. “Go to hell!”
Regina reduced the vines to dust, releasing her and Emma onto the wet road. She and Cora circled each other.
Regina was careful not to repeat the mistakes she made in their earlier fight, but it didn’t matter. Everything stopped when Cora reached inside her chest and clutched her heart. Regina vaguely registered Emma shouting, “No!”
Suddenly, a shockwave of light rumbled across the Forest, and Regina collapsed to the ground.
~~~
Regina felt the faint sensation of being carried. “C’mon, Regina, you gotta wake up,” Emma whispered in her ear. “For Henry. For our son.”
“For our son,” she croaked.
“Oh, good, you’re okay.” Emma sighed in relief.
“Okay is a relative term, Miss Swan.” Regina left her head on Emma’s shoulder because she was too tired to lift it. Yeah, tired. “Let’s just get home.”
“Yes. Home.” Emma smiled, and it was like light was radiating from her entire face.
Or maybe Regina was just passing out. She closed her eyes just in case.
Maybe she could allow for two people to be her family. Maybe.
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I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know what you thought! (pls be kind T.T)
hi! first off, i gotta say i'm a big fan. you're probably one of my favourite writers on ao3! now, i've got a question and i was hoping maybe you'd know the answer. Do you know why is it that the fandom unanimously decided that obi-wan calls anakin (or whoever) "dear one"? it seems to be his most used pet name in fanfics, but i cant seem to find any scene in which he actually says this in canon nor its origin. everyone seems to agree on it and i wonder why. thanks anyway if you don't know! <3
I suspect that it’s fanon, probably adopted from an early, popular fic where it was used, though I’m not sure which one. I think it has stuck so well because it fits in with his speech patterns, and sounds natural. But yeah I also can’t think of any canon on the top of my head where he uses it.
I just checked RotS and he only calls Boga “girl,” so it’s not from there lol that was my only hypothesis. I know we get “my darling” and things like that from things he says sarcastically in battle to Ventress, but yeah not “dear” or “dearest.”
In my experience, it’s a little bit of both!
In “The Lawless”, when Obi-Wan goes to rescue Satine, he calls her “my dear” (about 45 seconds in) in the conversation:
Satine: “Are you alone?”
Obi-Wan: “Yes. The Jedi Council and Galactic Senate will be of no help to us here.”
Satine: “I trust you have an escape plan then?”
Obi-Wan: “As always, my dear.”
So, there’s some precedent for it, but it’s the only time I can think of and I suspect a lot of it comes down to that it fits naturally with the rest of his speech patterns and people (myself included! 😂) think it fits his character well. Fanon definitely took it and ran with it, but it’s not like it’s coming out of nowhere, either, so feel free to either use or not use, according to what suits you better!
Anakin was used to disappointing his master. Or at least he thought he was. He’d certainly done it enough. So, disappointing this inexplicably teenaged version of his master hurt more than he expected.
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3,084 words
@retrowrimay 2026, day 14: De-Aging
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Helpful link to AO3
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Anakin had been several systems away when it happened, in the middle of a dogfight, actually. It wasn’t until the battle had wrapped up and he had reported to the Jedi Council that anyone bothered to inform him of what had happened to his former Jedi master.
“He what?!” Anakin barked, turning on his heel to return to the bridge before the trooper could reply. At least he hadn’t made it that far from the holocomm yet. Niner nearly stumbled in his haste to catch back up with him.
“General Kenobi is a youngling, a shiny! Commander Tano-”
“Call her,” he cut off.
“Sir!”
Ahsoka must have been waiting for his call, because she appeared on the viewscreen almost immediately.
“Master Skywalker!” Ahsoka’s face was tense and worried.
“What happened?” he snapped. He wouldn’t believe it until he saw it.
“It’s Master Kenobi, he- I-” Ahsoka wrung her hands.
“Show me!” he commanded.
“Now, now,” said a teenage boy, walking into view of the holocomm. He had his hands out in front of him placatingly, and he angled himself in front of Ahsoka, as if to protect her from him. “There’s no need to shout.”
It was really him. He had never seen this version of Obi-Wan, except in pictures, but it was undoubtedly, unmistakably him. Unless it was a very good shapeshifter, in which case, why wouldn’t they copy his current age?
“How did this happen?” Anakin whispered. He listened to Ahsoka describe their expedition in the cave and studied the glowing blue orb that Obi-Wan had found and was now holding up to the holocomm for him to inspect. Apparently, Obi-Wan had retained all of his memories up until his body’s current age, his late teens. Years before he had met Anakin.
After Anakin’s fifth lamentation of his padawan’s poor judgment, young Obi-Wan stepped in front of Ahsoka again and chided him. “Enough. I am quite certain that the present circumstances are partially, if not all my fault.” Anakin quieted, yielding to his teenaged former master, though said teenager apparently didn’t remember being knighted, not to mention any of their years together. “What’s done is done,” the youngling lectured him. “I am sure Padawan Tano will include all the relevant details in her report.”
“Ever the peacekeeper,” Anakin remarked, a touch of bitterness leaking into his voice.
Obi-Wan visibly steeled himself before dipping into a deep bow. “I am humbly sorry for what mistakes I have made as your Master, Knight Skywalker.” Anakin froze. “I hope I can work to correct them.”
“Don’t say that,” Anakin winced, more than a little stung.
“However,” Obi-Wan continued smoothly. “There was more to Padawan Tano’s report.” Obi-Wan turned slightly to shift the focus to Ahsoka again, apparently not trusting him to pay enough attention to his own padawan.
“Master,” Ahsoka began. “The seppies sent in reinforcements. We have our forward base set up planetside, but they managed to chase off the Negotiator. Which means-”
“You’re stranded.” Anakin finished. “Osik.”
“Did I model such language for you when I was your Master?” Obi-Wan joked, awkwardly but lightly.
“Master Obi-Wan,” Anakin intoned, glad to be back on familiar footing. “You were never anything but the picture of refinement,” he returned lightheartedly. Ahsoka giggled at the well-worn joke, and Obi-Wan gave a pained smile, but he looked disturbed. Anakin wasn’t well-versed with Obi-Wan’s face at this age, but that looked to him like clear-cut Disappointment, through and through.
He could recognize it easily enough.
Anakin instinctively straightened, as if to win back the favor of a youngling. “Of course not, Master,” he coughed. “I just-”
“Do not fret, Master Skywalker.” Obi-Wan waved his hand dismissively. “Peace.” Well, it was definitely Obi-Wan, if he ever doubted. “I’m sure she’s heard worse,” Obi-Wan tried another joke.
“I’m sure she’s said worse,” Ahsoka said sarcastically, sounding annoyed that they were ignoring her, but Anakin couldn’t tear his eyes away from the little, flickering image of his master, so young and yet still so serious. Anakin had had this once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a better first impression and he had karked it up yet again.
Kark!
~~~
Everyone was used to General Obi-Wan Kenobi running himself ragged in the war, but this teenaged Obi-Wan took it to a whole new level. Once Anakin arrived planetside, the Council cleared Obi-Wan for the frontlines, citing how far into his apprenticeship with Qui-Gon Jinn he was mentally. Ahsoka told him how Obi-Wan had been chomping at the bit to help, distraught by every failed skirmish. Physically, Obi-Wan was still older than Ahsoka was at Christophsis, so Anakin had no way to protest.
Despite Anakin and Ahsoka having years more experience in this war than Obi-Wan, he was constantly throwing himself in front of them, like it was his duty to protect them, like they couldn’t take care of themselves, like the Force had sent him to singlehandedly win the war. Kark, even Ahsoka wasn’t this reckless.
Anakin’s mood darkened with every reminder that his master didn’t trust him. “You were supposed to stay back and defend the tower!” He shouted at the teenager.
“I couldn’t let you have all the fun!” Obi-Wan quipped, but Anakin could feel the fear Obi-Wan was dumping into the force.
“Just let me handle this!” Anakin leaped to finish off a droideka before Obi-Wan decided to leap in front of it or something. Why won’t the boy just trust him? He trained him after all!
“A good Jedi asks for help when he needs it,” Obi-Wan reminded him, moving over to cover his blind spot.
“I know that,” Anakin grit out. “I didn’t need help.”
“Why do you take all this burden on you, Knight Skywalker?”
Anakin couldn’t see the teen since they were fighting back-to-back, but he could picture the exasperated look on his face. “We’re in a war, fighting Sith. This might be where I bring balance to the Force.”
Obi-Wan didn’t freeze, but Anakin could tell he was rattled. “You’re the Chosen One?”
He didn’t have to sound so shocked about it.
Anakin pursed his lips. “Qui-Gon believed so.” Thankfully, that seemed like the last of the droids, so Anakin could turn to see how Obi-Wan was receiving this revelation.
“Oh, Anakin.” Obi-Wan looked anguished. “That’s too much responsibility.”
Anakin shifted uncomfortably. “I can handle it,” he insisted.
“And they told you when you were 10?”
“9, actually.” Anakin corrected. Obi-Wan looked appalled at the idea, but Anakin would much rather know and prepare to shoulder such a burden than to be judged silently against a standard that no one told him about. “Would you have preferred that they lie to me?”
“No, but I-”
“Generals! Reinforcements!” Obi-Wan was cut off by their communicator, and they hurled themselves back into the fray.
~~~
Though he had never known Obi-Wan at this age, Anakin found himself ruminating on his past with Obi-Wan a lot.
Anakin knew he had never been what Obi-Wan had wanted, but still he had tried to make Obi-Wan happy that he had kept him. That he had chosen him over his precious Council, the one blemish on his master’s probably sterling record. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan had done it out of duty to Qui-Gon Jinn, but in his most private moments, Anakin liked to think Obi-Wan would have chosen him on his own merits, in some other universe, had he been given the chance.
Anakin had never been foolish enough to let himself believe that, though.
It had been especially bad those first few years, when Anakin was too clingy and emotional, and it was all “you mustn’t cling so much in public, Anakin,” and “you must sleep in your own room tonight, Anakin,” and “you must give me some time alone so I can meditate, Anakin.” Instead of the solo training and missions that made up other padawan’s days, Obi-Wan had enrolled him in initiate classes, which unfortunately endeared Anakin to neither fellow initiates nor fellow padawans. He wouldn’t even let Anakin leave the temple for years, his mistrust ran so deep. This of course had only served to make Anakin more stir-crazy.
Once they were finally able to start running missions out in the real world, though, Anakin took to the work quickly. He was good at it, and he loved doing it. Well, most aspects. He had never taken to the fancy dinner aspect of the diplomatic missions Obi-Wan was so skilled at. He was much better at the aggressive negotiations portion of those missions.
Outside the dinners though, the missions had bonded them together, almost like brothers (if one of the brothers had to call one master, and the other brother always had critiques of the one’s performance). Anakin learned that every instinct he had was unwise or Dark or otherwise against the Code and, despite Obi-Wan’s accusations of bullheadedness, he had learned to adapt around the Order’s decrees.
Anakin had felt like he and Obi-Wan had finally gotten to a good place, now that he was a Knight. Kark, Anakin had his own apprentice now, and he could start to understand some of the fear Obi-Wan must have felt when Anakin was reckless, some of the confidence he had to project even when he wasn’t feeling it but his padawan needed it, some of the pride when she finally took his lessons to heart.
Obi-Wan had commended him many times for how well he and Ahsoka worked together, and he felt certain that the Force had brought them together for a reason.
Teenaged Obi-Wan must not share that same certainty.
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“I’d like to help Ahsoka with her meditation.” Obi-Wan approached him on the bridge, while Ahsoka was training with Rex.
“That’s fine,” Anakin said, without looking up from his reports. “You usually do, since I’m so garbage at it.”
Silence hung in the air for a few seconds too long. Anakin chanced a glance up to find a familiar troubled look on young Obi-Wan’s face.
“I usually help you train your padawan?” Obi-Wan confirmed hesitantly.
“The war doesn’t exactly allow for a rigid training schedule.” Anakin snapped the datapad closed, trying not to take offense at Obi-Wan’s implicit criticism. “All of the masters kind of pitch in to help any padawans they happen to be around.” Obi-Wan waited him out, somehow knowing theirs was a bit of a special case.
“What about before the war?” Obi-Wan asked.
“Before the war,” Anakin sighed. “I was still your padawan. It was a wartime promotion, and they surprised me with a padawan during the battle of Christophsis.”
“Did you feel ready to take on a padawan?” Obi-Wan asked carefully, face placidly neutral. Rather at odds with the chagrin he was releasing into the Force.
“Not at all.” Anakin followed his lead and gathered up his frustration by the handful and chucked it into the Force. “I think she was supposed to go to you, but Yoda stepped in.”
Obi-Wan’s face darkened, but cleared quickly. “I see,” he said lightly.
What does he see, Anakin worried. “You said that you felt it was the will of the Force,” Anakin couldn’t stop himself from adding. Pathetic. “I’m doing my best.”
Obi-Wan stepped closer and cupped his cheek gently. “I’m sure you are, my dear.” Obi-Wan left the bridge to meditate with Ahsoka, and Anakin tried not to reel back like he had been slapped in the face.
~~~
Having finally driven off the remnants of the Separatist forces from the planet, Anakin and company were finally onboard the Negotiator, ready to go back to Coruscant. Well, sort of.
“So, we obviously need to get you and that orb back to the Jedi Archives, so we can crack this curse or whatever, but we’re on the Outer Rim. Even if we took the straightest shot possible, it would still take months, and General Obi-Wan Kenobi can’t be out of commission for that long, teenager or no,” Anakin debriefed bluntly, still settling from the taxing Council meeting he had just left. “We’ll be taking the roundabout route back to the Core, providing aid to a few battlefronts on the way. However, we’re limited to in-space engagements. No one wants any seppie generals to figure out that your beard isn’t as long as it should be.”
“Hmm,” Obi-Wan hummed, stroking his scraggly stubble.
“Of course, there are far more active ‘negotiation’ fronts than battle fronts in our path, which the Council bemoaned incessantly,” Anakin recounted, more than a little annoyed. He carefully avoided Obi-Wan’s worried gaze.
“At least that means we can skip all the stuck-up negotiations with snooty people that don’t seem to care that people are dying,” Ahsoka commented, slouching in her chair.
“Do neither of my successors care for the art of diplomacy?” Obi-Wan asked lightly, glancing between them.
“Ha, Skyguy?!” Ahsoka snorted. “You compare him to a rancor in a tea shop all the time!” Obi-Wan froze, disappointment welling in the Force. Ahsoka glanced over at Anakin with clear worry, but he did not look at her. “Master Kenobi?” she asked tentatively.
The sour feeling in the Force disappeared like it was never there. “Sorry, my dear. Please, carry on, Anakin.”
So Anakin continued, his sour mood souring further.
~~~
Anakin strode down the hall with a purpose. All this having complex emotions and dumping them in the force was taxing, and he had finally relented to try meditating. He was surprised to find Ahsoka in the meditation room, but he soon realized she wasn’t there to meditate as much as she was to bother the room’s other occupant.
“Tell me another!” she commanded.
Obi-Wan chuckled, gazing at her softly. “Pick a letter, my dear.”
“F!”
“Hmm, how about Ferro? The original inhabitants had long since abandoned their homeworld for a mysterious planet called Sekot or Zonoma Sekot, the mission briefing was a bit unclear. But Master Jinn and I were sent to investigate the ruins there and-”
Anakin waited to enter until Ahsoka had left.
He settled into a standard meditation pose beside Obi-Wan, then hesitated. Perhaps they could chat a little before he started. Obi-Wan clearly expected them to and was waiting patiently for Anakin to interrupt his meditation.
“You know, you and I went to Ferro, too,” Anakin started casually. “You never told me that you caused a cave-in with Qui-Gon, too.”
“I caused a cave-in a second time, did I?” Obi-Wan asked, tone light, but body tense. He probably didn’t believe him.
“No, that one was me, actually,” Anakin confessed. “I might have … lost control of my temper. A bit. You were very cross.”
“Of course, I was,” Obi-Wan agreed with a sardonic grin.
Anakin exhaled suddenly, standing smoothly from his meditative pose. “Okay, I’m gonna go tear apart a droid or something.”
Obi-Wan’s eyes flew open. “Wait, Anakin. Why are you leaving?”
All of the frustration and inadequacy and fear finally boiled over, and Anakin snapped. “Look, Master, you don’t even have your memories, and you’re still so disappointed in me. Forgive me if I need to blow off some steam.”
“Disappointed?” Obi-Wan looked shocked. Whether at finally being seen through or called out, Anakin wasn’t sure. “Why ever would you say that?”
“How can you even protest?” Anakin responded hotly. “It’s on your face as clear as day! You dump mountains of it into the force every time you’re around me! You’re disgusted AGAIN that I made a mistake like that, and you don’t even remember it!”
His Master, his real Master Kenobi, had practically raised him and, as such, was entitled to think whatever he wanted of Anakin, no matter how much Anakin hated it. What made this- this pretender think he had the right-
“Anakin, darling, no. Don’t-” Obi-Wan scrambled to his feet. “I- I’m afraid I did this all wrong.”
Anakin scoffed.
“Anakin, please,” Obi-Wan reached out, but paused just shy of actually touching him. “Will you give a young old man a second to give you a full explanation? I’m afraid I’ve done a terrible job as your master-”
“To have gotten a padawan to turn out like me,” Anakin finished his sentence. Now that they’re apparently airing all this out, he won’t stand to be managed like a politician.
“Please please,” Obi-Wan repeated, looking at him like his heart was breaking. Anakin felt nothing but sincerity in the force and stayed where he was, though every fiber of his body screamed to be elsewhere.
“I have … many faults,” Obi-Wan started. “You may not like to hear about them, but please indulge me. I was almost not accepted as a padawan. Everyone said that I was too angry, too impulsive, too attached … Does that sound familiar?”
Despite the completely unbelievable statements Obi-Wan was saying, there was no lie in the force. Only regret, but … perhaps that was directed at himself and not Anakin, he finally realized.
“I had promised myself that I would correct myself and do better. That I would not burden the people I love with those weaknesses. That I would be the perfect Jedi everyone said I could never be.” Obi-Wan smiled ruefully. “It may seem to you that I succeeded, but every bitterness you hold for me, and rightly so, is proof that I did not. And the disappointment you feel in the Force is at myself for failing you. You deserved so much better than you got, Anakin. I don’t need my memories to know that.”
Could it be true? Had he been misreading his Master all these years? He had been so certain that he was feeling disappointment in the Force that he didn’t question who it could be directed at. Anakin felt overwhelmed and cut Obi-Wan off with a firm, “I need to go.”
His droids were about to get the upgrade of their lives.
~~~
The next morning, Anakin stopped by Obi-Wan’s quarters. The teenager invited him in for tea. Anakin stayed quiet until they both had a steaming cup of tea to hold, a trick Obi-Wan had taught him.
“You?” he started. “Angry?”
“Oh yes,” Obi-Wan nodded. “They almost threw me out for starting a fight.”
“For real?!” Anakin was astonished.
“I was partly goaded into starting it but yes. I imagine I was very vigilant about you having the same problem.” Obi-Wan answered apologetically.
“...yes.” Anakin admitted.
“Thank you for your honesty.” Obi-Wan smiled.
Anakin sipped more tea. “What a pair we make.”
“Quite the pair,” Obi-Wan agreed.
They sipped their tea, before heading for the bridge to start their day.
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Obi-Wan: Neither of my successors care for the art of the deal?
Ahsoka: Ha, Skyguy wouldn’t be anywhere near diplomacy if it weren’t for Senator Padme
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I hope you enjoyed this! Please let me know what you thought! (pls be kind T.T)
