#and especially when i was old enough that i was fasting but my younger siblings still weren't

[vivitalks]

god's strongest soldiers are the parents who fast on yom kippur but still have to cook and handle food for their kids who aren't old enough to fast yet

[nightingale-prompts]

The Nightingale Family-DC x DP prompt

(Shameless Addams family inspired prompt)

News travels fast in Gotham, especially in affluent circles. A new family has arrived in the city, old money at that. They had taken up residents in the old mansion overlooking the Historic Gotham Graveyard.

The Nightingales had a way of letting their presence be known. They were rarely seen in public. The eldest Jasmine Nightingale however had made waves working at the Gotham Asylum as a psychologist. She was often escorted by her younger brother Dan Nightingale. The public really started talking when Jazz was seen talking with Harley Quinn.

There were two children that lived in the Nightingale manor. They were elusive to say the least as the family didn't attend the parties of Gotham.

It wasn't until Damian Wayne got an invite from his classmate Danielle to visit their manor that someone saw the lives of Nightingales. This invite had been received after Damian carefully befriended the youngest Nightingale to investigate their connections.

That's how the Waynes ended up at a dinner party.

The manor was bleak to say the least and that's saying something in Gotham. The buildingbwas made from black stones and gargoyles perched on the roof. The garden was wilted and full of thrones that crept up the walls.

Bruce felt a sense of Deja vu as he approached the door and rang the bell. Tower bells rang out as the face of Jasmine Nightingale appeared. She was dressed in black dress pants and blazer. Her lips were painted to match. Her red hair had a striking white streak through it which had become a fashion trend since the family's arrival to girls wanting to seem mysterious.

"Good Evening. It is so nice to meet the infamous Waynes." She shook Bruce's hand. Behind her, the sounds of clanking metal was heard. "That is just my younger siblings playing. You don't you boys join while I talk to your father.

Despite only being a fresh-faced 20 year old Jazz carried herself like a confident adult. A certified genius in psychology who graduated early she also handled the inmates at the Asylum well enough that escapes are at an all time low.

"She's got it all" was what Harley said.

Bruce's admiration of the young lady was only matched by his suspicion. The house the Nightingales lived y had once belonged to the Al Ghouls. There was no telling yet if there was a connection.

He took a seat in the living room with Jazz tea already prepared. She poured two cups of black tea. Not black as in the type of tea but the color of the drink. Bruce cautiously sniffed the black liquid, it smelled earthy and acidic. Poison.

"Do you like it? I made it myself. I added the belladonna myself. It has a sweet taste so you don't need sugar. The kids have sweet tooths but we avoid added sugars. They love nightshade." She smiled drinking.

Bruce put the cup down. So they drink poison at a young age. They must be part of The League of Assassins. But why are they here?

"If you don't mind me asking. Why did you move to Gotham? Your parents-" Jazz put a hand up as she finished her cup.

"Mr. Wayne I'm sure you are no stranger to parents leaving before their time nor the concept that not all parents deserve children. Now I can't confirm or deny if that is the case for use but you can understand that it's a private matter." Jazz said sternly.

That wasn't an answer.

Upstairs Danny and Danielle played with Elle's new toys. Swords from Dan's trip to Portugal. He even sharpened them. They were currently tearing through the mansion.

Tim and Damian caught them while Danny had successfully pinned Elle to the ground.

"Dami! Help!" Elle yelled catching Danny off guard as Damian tackled Danny to the ground.

"Alright, alright. You can go next." Danny rolling Damian off him and passing him the sword. "Im taking a break."

Danny loved playing with his little sister but baby games are tiring.

"They let you play with swords," Tim exclaimed. This wasn't something he expected, sure it was normal for Damian but Damian is weird and was raised by assassins. Damian didn't do it for fun, it was training.

Damian and Danielle ran off while fencing.

"You must be one of the Waynes. Elle has been excited to have your brother over." Danny said politely if not a bit dismissive.

"Eh, yeah. Your sister said we should join you." Tim said a bit awkward. " You have another brother right?"

"Oh, yeah. He travels alot but he's relaxing right now. He's probably swimming." Danny shrugged.

Tim had heard of Danny. They went to the same school but Danny was part of a program that allowed him to come to school when he felt like it. The program is for young engineers who want to work for Wayne Industries. He mostly worked on small experimental projects. So far Danny's superconductor tech was revolutionary but impossible to replicate. Danny somehow managed to make a more effective coolant than anything they had created in the lab.

"You have a pool?" Tim knew that the mansion didn't have a pool.

"Of water? No." Danny shrugged but gave no further answer.

"I see, so what do you do?" Tim tried to sound normal like he was talking to his friends and not someone he was trying to probe.

"Anything, everything. I was going to recalibrate my telescope but I have a laser to test." Danny walked off expecting Tim to follow.

Testing was just cut a bunch of things in half. Tim got some great info on making an explosive ice canister and foam bombs. Tim made sure to get his number to hire him to make some gear for him.

The Nightingale kids were absolutely lawless. They destroyed everything in their path.

Elle had dragged Damian to her room to show off her toys. She used to travel with Dan until she started school. She picked up a bunch of items. Cult artifacts, shrunken heads, voodoo dolls, cursed puppets, knives, swords, and the homemade taxidermy Elle made from roadkill. She also had a pet dodo bird named Ernesto who had a bed next to her bed. Ernesto took a liking to Damian and sat on his head. The way he shows his affection

Soon enough Dan came upstairs to check on Elle and Danny.

"You kids, need to get ready for dinner. Sharpen your nails and teeth." He said before going back to the kitchen.

"What does that mean?" Damian asked.

"You don't sharpen your nails. Well good luck at dinner." Elle said bemused.

Dinner was...horrifying. Watching the family chat happily as they ripped apart the moving food as it came to life. Damian was actually excited as he skewered the cheese and broccoli casserole that screamed at him.

"Father, why can't we do this at our home?" He asked.

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Yandere platonic obey me brothers with younger sister reader please?

Youngest Sibling Reader | Yandere Obey Me!

Before Lilith’s passing and the war that sent them to the devildom they’d been prepared to raise a new member to their family. Through much deliberation you do join them in their new life in the devildom but seeing as you are the youngest there’s a lot more pressure on you:

Whether you appear when they are in the devildom or within the celestial realm you are considered the youngest 

Especially with your generally smaller size 

Satan and Belphegor are considered older in every which way

“As the youngest of us (Y/n), you have to trust that we know more than you.”

“But–!”

“Which means you need to rely on us, so trust your older brothers.”

They can’t have you do anything on your own

What should stop you from also meeting some human or other being and trying to run off with them

They often don’t listen to you at all

Specifically Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Mammon

Like you’ll say, “Hey I can do my own laundry!”

And they’ll be like “No you can’t. Your tiny hands and tiny brain can’t comprehend such a difficult task.”

It’s just too easy for them to write you off 

Your cute little face and your tiny little nose and the little pitched voice that sounds like a toddler

They always come up with some logic that just doesn’t allow you to grow in any way

And then you have the others that can’t understand you because they just don’t hear you

You’ll say,”I read in an article about our monarchy being extremely barbaric despite the…”

But all they hear is “Goo Ga Ga. Can you pwick me up bwig brother?”

“Awww of course I’ll pick you up! An then we can dress you up in something to match me!”

“Hey what’re you even talking about?! Stop it!”

Or 

“Wow I wish I had a camera! These years go by far too fast!”

“Ugh Levi! Are you even listening?!”

Sometimes they’ll hear you…but don’t expect them to actually respond to you in any coherent way

Asmodeous and Leviathan are just automatically going to somehow misconstrue anything you say

They think you’re a baby after all

The only ones that seem to actually understand you is Belphegor and Satan

Both of which who seem to have gone through what you did or actually notice that you’re as independent as you are

“I kept trying to ask him but he just said I wouldn’t understand any of it. Even though I was the one to bring it up.”

“He’s an idiot. You can’t expect him to pick up on your genius. Which is why I tell you to only talk with me.”

“Yeah, but it’s folly to have only one person’s opinion.”

“Says scientists but I for one love only talking with you.”

That doesn’t mean they don’t tend to baby you too

“Can you blame me, you're a cute little calf. Pampering you comes naturally.”

“But can’t you see how exhausting it is. I’m old enough to want to have intelligent conversation.”

“I know you do…which is why I’m always going to be willing to listen.”

It’s a pain

But thanks to a nosy ruler that keeps the worst brother at this busy

There are so many chances to grow and maybe get away from these overbearing brothers of yours

[swtsupernatural]

D&S W. || NEVER ENOUGH

Dean & Sam Winchester & Winchester! Middle-Sibling! Gender Neutral! Reader

Content Warning Takes place after John's death, no specific episode, just soon after. Swearing, dealing with John's death & grieving, reader throws up once, use of knives and guns, mentions of demons, dean being unable to communicate his feelings

Summary Angst !!! hurt/comfort for reader - Dad died, and all you could think about was how he died not even liking his middle child. You.

W.C. 2.2 k

Ask anon : Could you do something with the Winchester brothers and a Winchester reader? Where the reader is the middle child and is the forgotten one of the family. The reader feels kind of useless compared to Sam and Dean.

Playlist: ♫ I Love You So - The Walters, Better Than Me - The Brobecks, I Know the End - Phoebe Bridgers

A.N. first platonic winchester reader fic ! wrote this sooo fast lol (I think I was projecting even though I'm the oldest child) also I had to include my fav chaotic old man duo in this one...enjoy! - claire <3

Dad was dead. It hadn't been too long since he left, but fuck. He was dead and all you could think of was how much of a shit child you were. You tried your entire life to prove yourself to your dad; but you weren’t Dean; you didn’t follow him blindly, listen to his every order, pick up on hunting skills like it was playing cards. And you weren’t Sam; you weren't booksmart, you didn't have a touch for understanding, and you weren’t as defiant. Yet, it still seems like your whole life that you were your dad’s least favorite. Now you didn’t have Dad, and you felt sick to your stomach that you were almost relieved. It was like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders and another one had been placed in your stomach. Your own father had died and you were relieved. No wonder you were the least favorite. 

When you were younger, you’d been more like Sam. Dean was Dad;s pupil, and to you both it didn’t matter who was second because you were both not your older brother. You’d move to a random small town school,get picked on like Sam did, Dean told you he’d beat them up for you, and then you moved again. Every now and then shit would go down and you’d spend some nights at Bobby’s — and it repeated all over again. Then, Sam had graduated highschool and left you and Dean for Stanford. You and Dean never went into upper education, it hadn’t really crossed either of your minds. Sam was 18, you were 20, and Dean was 22. You’d been out of school for a bit, trying desperately to keep up with Dean and Dad, you were just never as good. You didn’t know anything else, and couldn’t see yourself doing well in any other ‘profession,’ if you could even call it that. A couple weeks after Sam left, you were digging through the trash like a damn raccoon looking for a note cliping you’d accidentally thrown away with some crucial information about your current hunt. You found the sticky note, but it had latched onto a thick, white piece of paper. It was a job application. It was Dean’s. You nearly cried, he wanted to be a firefighter. You were so emotional because you know he totally could; he’d be wonderful at it. But he’d never leave the hunting life, especially not after Sam had “abandoned Dad and us,” as he put it. The heat of the fire brought you back to the stupid forest you’d bought Dad’s body to. The fire was warm, but still not comforting in the slightest despite the chipping cold. Your cheeks were pink, and you could feel your eyes starting to water. This was it.

You began walking with your head down in the opposite direction of the Impala. 

“Where the hell are you going?” Dean’s voice was gruff, his own head and heart in turmoil, showing in his wavering voice. He never sounded like that. It was so uncharacteristic and gazing up at their faces made you sick. They were lit up warm from the fire, both of their green eyes shining, frowns and dirt on their faces. You doubled over by a tree, placing your hand on the tough bark as you threw up your breakfast on the dewy grass. You heard Sam sigh, the thick, uncut grass rusting, a hand coming to your back as he pushed the hair from your face. He didn’t say anything, but his eyes told you everything. He knew more about your struggle with Dad than Dean did. Sam had always been easier to talk to. That’s why you wanted him to leave.

“Sam,” you whispered after wiping your face, “you need to go back to school, dude.” Sam looked down sheepishly.

“Y/N, cmon, you know I was there on scholarship, I–

“And you were also the best in your program, Sam. Dad’s gone. Go back, go make something of your life, please.”

“And what will you do? Keep hunting?”

“What the fuck else am I supposed to do? I’m not good at anything else, Sam! Hell, I’m not even that good a hunter. I’m half the reason he left to go on that stupid hunt in the first place.”

“Don’t start with that, Y/N.” 

“I know it, you know it, and Dean knows it. Just…I need to be alone.”

“No, you don’t.” Dean’s voice came from your left, walking up at a quick pace with his hands in his jacket pockets.

“You don’t get it.” You whispered, and they just heard your small voice.

“What’s there to get?” Dean huffed, shaking his head.

“Dean, knock it off,” Sam muttered.

“What you don’t get, is that Dad never fucking liked me while like he liked you both. And Sam, don’t act like he resents you for leaving or something. He stayed up sighing and reading all those student aid and college billing bullshit because he knew you could do it. And Dean, he always taught you so much more than me because you actually got hunting like he did and knew what you were doing. I was never good at either. I wish I was the one burning in that fucki—

Dean grabbed your shoulders and pushed you against the tree.

“Can you shut up about yourself for two damn seconds when we're at Dad’s funeral? I don’t need you crying about him being a dick when he’s dead. He had funny ways of showing it, but he loved you, Y/N.”

“No he didn’t,” You shoved him off of you, shoving your hands in your coat and huffing out steamy air as you returned to the car. Your brother’s followed you, but you were already lifting the trunk and grabbing your duffle bag. 

“Bye. See ya around.”

“Dean, let them go,” Sam grabbed his arm, stopping his brother from getting to you. “Even I know Dad was always a dick to them.

“C’mon, dude, give ‘em a break, just for now. We’ll call them in a couple days, it’ll be fine.” Dean shook Sam off of him, opening his car door and slamming it aggressively. Sam sighed, getting in the car and watching the black smoke in the rearview mirror flying up into the sky.  __________________________________________

It had been four weeks. Four weeks, two cases solved, 11 missed phone calls from Sam, 6 from Dean, and now you were cornered in a damn demon’s trap. It was 5 against 1, but that didn’t change how useless you felt. You were never as good of a fighter as Sam or Dean, you weren’t as obnoxiously tall or particularly strong. You always felt useless as a child, as a sibling, as a hunter, and as yourself. Of course this would be how you died.

You were at the point of just giving in and calling it quits on your life when a booming BANG rang out. From behind you, two more shots rang out, knives slashing. You didn’t question it, you just acted. You managed to corner the last demon, grabbing his head from behind and shoving your knife in his throat, killing it. You focused your eyes up and saw the last person you were thinking about. But boy, were you glad to see him.

“Bobby?” He crushed you in a big hug, gun in one hand and a first aid bag in the other. 

“Heard’a some weird stuff in this town, deaths and weird figures, figured it was demons. But, when Rufus and I went into the local police office as P.I.s, they said someone with your description already came by,” He grumbled.

“You know how stupid it is to go on a hunt alone when you're young, kid?” Rufus spoke, as his way of greeting you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder in a half-hug. “That’s why I always drag this old man with me in case shit goes down. So I can throw him in the storm and buy myself some time to run.” Bobby rolled his eyes at Rufus’ sarcastic words, and led you both out of the building.

“Why aren’t you with the boys, Y/N?” You sighed, running a dirty hand through your hair. 

“You uh…heard about Dad?” Bobby stopped the tread to his old car, turning and peered at you with dark eyes. 

“I did. Don’t worry, m’not gonna hit you with all that “I’m sorry, woe is you” crap you hate.” You huffed, smiling at Bobby, “But, I am gonna tell ya you always have a place to stay, kiddo.”

“Thank you.” 

He looked at you expectedly, his head tilting towards you, “...So?”

“I left them after the funeral. I was just…having a hard time, Bobby.” You muttered, sitting in the back seat like a little kid.

“I know, kiddo. How’s about you come to my place and get yourself straight, hm?” You nodded, and Bobby watched you through the rear view mirror hanging above him. Your hair was greasy and the bags under your eyes almost purple. This had been fucking you up a lot.

Bobby got out and opened the trunk, rearranging things while Rufus opened the garage to grab salt, bullets, and gear to restock after your predicament. He tossed you his keys and you caught them with a jingle. You shoved them in the door and finally turned the janky lock, pushing it open. You froze.

Sam and Dean were sitting on the couch. The second you sighed and stepped inside, Dean shot up from his seat rushing towards you, wrapping you in a far too tight hug. He pulled away, his lips in a straight line as he lightly smacked you upside the head.

“You scared the shit out of us, dumbass.”

“Great to see you, too.” 

“Where were you?” 

You shrugged, moving past Dean to Bobby’s cramped, warm, familiar living room.

“I was on the road…hitchhiking, looking into cases, all that.” “I’m gonna refrain from telling you how dangerous that is and opt for a hug,” Sam grumbled as he wrapped his long arms around you. 

“Why are you here?” You asked, settling down on the couch like no time had passed at all since you last saw them. Sam began to speak up, but Dean cut him off and Sam stared at him sternly.

“Cause we couldn’t find you and you weren’t answering us, and Bobby said he found you on a hunt near his place. We got here right before you guys. Y/N you had us fucking worried.”

“I’m sorry. I needed some time alone. I…love you guys. But being around you after Dad, it just reminds me that I’ll never be good enough for him. He’s dead and all I can think about is how he died not even liking me. I’ll never be like either of you.”

Sam laughed; he actually laughed out loud. “Like me? Are we talking about the same people? Cause I see visions of people dying, Y/N. I dropped out of college and can’t do anything right in anyone’s eyes, not just Dad’s.”

“That's not true, Sam…” He sat down next to you on the couch, his knees turned towards you, his eyes dark and watchful. Dean mumbled something about getting you all drinks and disappeared into the kitchen, sensing a touchy conversion he'd rather not be a part of just yet.

“And Dean,” Sam continued, “Dean would rather die than open up to anyone, even either of us, and he can’t function if he’s not drinking, hooking up with some random girl, or drinking. Which is why he’s getting us drinks right now. If anything, you’re the one I’d rather be like. I know Dean would too.” You rolled your eyes pointedly, like Sam was talking nonsense. He moved his head to find your eyes, tilting his head towards you with that face he made that would always stop you from talking. “Y’know, you’re so good at reading us and we didn’t even realise until you were gone. Honestly, Dean and I have never fought that much. And you’re always good at talking with the vics and feds, way better than me or Dean, I–

“Can we end the girly-crap convo now, please?” Dean handed each of you a beer, throwing his back the second he sat down, drinking way too much in one sip.

“Sorry we have feelings, Dean. In case you forgot; most people have those.”

“Yea, yea. Listen,” he turned to you after he groaned, trying to look sincere, well, as sincere as Dean could look. 

“You’re probably the least fucked up one in our freak family, Y/N, so quit it, alright? Sammy and I…we love ya.” He threw his hand that wasn’t clutching his drink up in a surrender. “That good? Can we please drink now and head to our next stop with a hangover in the morning?”

You chuckled, clink-ing your drink with your brothers, and nodding to Dean. He smiled silently, thankful you were back. He hadn’t realized how much you kept the peace and sanity between the three of you. He really missed you. 

“There better be two of those left, idjits,” Bobby grumbled, Rufus on his tail as they went into the kitchen grabbing a bottle each. They sat opposite of you all on the other couch and you held up your bottle. 

“Cheers. To being a weird, fucked up family.”

“Cheers!” Sam gave you a tight lipped, sweet smile. “Cheers to that,” Dean finished the rest of his drink, throwing his head back.

“You kids are gonna kill me,” Bobby muttered.

[rumble-aint-a-rumble-without-me]

having to take a younger sibling trick-ortreating and dragging dallas along (hc's)

A/N: I absolutely loved this prompt, thank you so much for sending it in, really scratched an itch in my brain that I didn't know needed scratching. Hope you enjoy!

Halloween nights and Dal’s walking around with you and your kid sibling instead of being at the big Halloween party at Buck’s place

Originally, the two of you were supposed to be at the party, but when your parents asked you to go with your little sibling, you couldn’t exactly tell them no-

And when you asked Dally to join the two of you…well he couldn’t quite find it in himself to say no either

So that’s how the infamous Dallas Winston ended up trailing along behind you and your sibling on Halloween night instead of being drunk off his ass at Buck’s big party

He’s happy to be with you, don’t get me wrong, and he’ll get better as the night rolls on, but at the beginning, he’ll definitely whine and complain about how he’d rather be at the party

Calmly tell him that you really don’t need him and are perfectly capable of walking both yourself and your small sibling through the dark streets on one of the most dangerous nights of the year and that’ll shut him up real fast, I promise you

Now! Onto the cute stuff!

Unless your sibling is small, I’m talking younger than like- five years old- Dally will refuse to walk up with them to the door

Anything over six, you’re gonna have to be the one who walks your younger sibling up to the houses while Dally waits back on the sidewalk, looking bored beyond all belief as he keeps an eye on the two of you

If your sibling is below five though, below five is an age that Dally believes deserves a little more hand-holding and he’ll be more than willing to go up to the door with your kid sibling

Granted, this kindness will have to be earned and Dal’s gotta have a good relationship with your kid sibling, enough of a bond between them that Dal’s willing to hold their hand as the two of them walk up to the door

Try imagining for a moment, Dally quietly murmuring to your kid sibling that they have to say trick-or-treat because they’ve forgotten what to do and are being shy and trying to hide in his leg

Try and tell me that’s not cute.

You can’t.

It’s the cutest thing I’ve thought of all day long.

As the night wears on, your kid sibling is bound to get tired, especially if they’re smaller cause Halloween involves a lot of walking and kids get tired fast, especially if they’ve got tiny legs

Dally, if he’s feeling overly generous, will pick up and carry your small sibling if they’re young enough to do so, or will carry their candy bag on the way home

Carrying the candy bag comes with a price, Dal’s gonna take some of the candy, and he’ll eat what he wants (he’s not gonna steal that much though, he’s not that much of an asshole to steal a kid's candy, especially not when it's your kid sibling's) 

At some point in the night too, I forgot to mention this earlier, but he’ll grab your hand as you walk the sidewalks, or he’ll throw his arm around your shoulders to keep you close to his side

If you ask what he’s doing, he’ll look away from you and mutter something about kids being stupid on Halloween and how he’s just trying to protect you from the idiots 

Also! If you’ve got a tiny sibling, Dally will crouch down and compliment their costume before you start trick-or-treating, saying how he thinks they look tough or cute or whatever

If you’ve got an older younger sibling, that sounds weird but you know what I mean, he’ll be a little more teasing and ask if they’re too old to be trick-or-treating or dressing up and generally be a nuisance because he knows your sibling can handle it

A few more random things before I wrap this up:

When you’re crossing the streets, he’ll grab both of your hands and walk across because he’s gotta set a good example for the kid, ya know? Holding your hand just comes as a benefit-

He will refuse to dress up no matter if you’re dressing up or not, Dallas will not dress up at all and will just walk around with you and your sibling in his regular clothes

If the houses have candy that sucks, Dally tells your kid sibling that they can come back later and TP the house if your kid sibling wants to

I highly recommend smacking him in the side in these instances because he’s being serious and will actually do it. Don’t let him do it

And ya know…at the end of the night…when he drops you and your younger sibling back at home, he sheepishly admits that he did have a good time with the two of you, probably a better time than he would have at the party and offers to join the two of you again next year

Reward him with a big kiss and a bunch of Halloween candy, it’s only the right thing to do <3

[linkedspirit-fanartfunart]

Brotherhood in Time

Summary: Forest/Bean's backstory, pondering on his sibling-hood with Sheik and Zelda (ao3)

(connected loosely with this art)

Warnings: pain/implied injury, fear

-

Link stared up at the ceiling of his tree house. His legs were longer than the frame itself, hanging over the side by the knee. 

“We could return the sword for a while.” Navi reminded him, settling to sit on the headboard, “...It'll be more comfortable.”

He shrugged. He didn't mind. He just didn't want to return to being tiny after fighting Ganondorf's Phantom. The idea of even possibly seeing Ganondorf while he was small enough to be so easily smacked aside again was terrifying. Being tall was the only way he could match Ganondorf.

So here he was. Unable to sleep, too tall for his own home, with only the comforting blue light of Navi to settle his thoughts.

She watched him in silence. Likely waiting for him to realize he wasn't fitting in the old house and get up to follow her directions. (He never fit in here. Not really.) Eventually, she sighed, giving up on this particular hint of hers.

“How old do you think Sheik is?” He eventually asked into the soft blue glow. Sheik was cool. He seemed interesting. He sounded like he knew a lot. Link liked that.

“About your age, maybe a year or two older.” Navi offered. Link wasn't sure what exactly that age would be. 9? 10? 8? …add 7. Link had been trying to figure it out. Age seemed a lot more important than it used to be. Maybe he could ask Sheik and call himself the same age as him.

Navi waited for a moment in Link's thoughtful silence before asking “Why?”

“Mm. Just wondering if I'll meet his younger self. Like I know Malon.” He lifted his head to look up at Navi. “Do you think I'll be able to find him when I go back?”

“Maybe,” Navi chimed, “We can't spend too much time looking for him though.”

“I'll be quick.” Link nodded, “I'm faster than the bunny guy! I think I could find little Sheik super fast.”

Navi giggled and flew over to pat Link's head lightly. “Try and sleep for now.”

He shuffled to get more comfortable. Pinpricks rushed through his legs, “My legs fell asleep before the rest of me,” he whined. He curled up to keep his legs from dangling with a pout.

She sighed, “I told you.”

He made another whine in protest.

-

Smoke and rain was an overwhelming combination of smells. Fire raged over the buildings. A dark silhouette lingered at the well. Sheik. Link rushed toward him. He would know what to do about the burning homes. Link didn’t want Kakariko to turn into another version of Castle Town. Ashes and dust. He wanted to call out, but his voice didn’t seem to work, blocked.

Sheik seemed tense. He stared down the well, almost unmoving. Link slowed as he approached, concern bubbled in his throat.

“Get back, Link!” Sheik demanded, not even turning to glance at him. 

The wood frame of the well exploded up into the air, and Link spun to watch it fall. Sheik’s presence at his back made no move. Link stepped to look at it, brows furrowed. What could do that? It had no fiery explosion. Wind? Magic?

Sheik shifted behind him. Link glanced back just in time to see him get lifted into the air, as if by some invisible giant hand. Sheik yelled in alarm, thrashing against the force. He was tossed over Link's head. Link gasped, wide-eyed. Panic boiled over. Link didn’t think about the monster. He rushed to Sheik, prone face first in the mud and grass.

Sheik heaved a breath, but did not get up. Link hovered over him, pulling out his shield and sword, eyes flickering around the burning village. No. No more people would get hurt. Especially not Sheik.

It was the rain that gave the invisible mass away. Thin moonlight hitting water droplets in such a way that the monster's path was visible. It headed straight toward them. Link stood strong, brows furrowed with determination. He would protect his brother friend.

The monster was not physical enough to cut. He had tried. Link gasped as it effectively passed through him, a sensation like something grabbing his very soul. His vision blacked out as a pain beyond pain rushed into him. Fire. The stomp of hooves. A clatter of blades. Blood. An echo of war. He wailed a cry. His body being thrown was a distant sensation. He tried to get back up. Push through the fuzzy vision and pain like he did with most monsters these days. But he felt. So. Small. He wasn’t supposed to be small right now… Mom. He wanted his mom. He didn’t even remember her, but he wanted her to hold him as his body collapsed under the weight of darkness.

She hummed a song. His mother. She sounded suspiciously like Sheik’s singing voice. Soft, intertwined with poetic rhythm. It sounded like a song Sheik might’ve taught him, too. He couldn’t quite remember it. He wished he could remember it.

Beyond the cold rain, a spot of warmth. Fabric-wrapped fingers gently touched his temple, shifting some of his bangs away from his face. A shadow hovering over his head, preventing rain from falling on his cheeks. He groaned, and the figure retreated from his space, soft and quiet.

Sheik breathed in relief as Link opened his eyes. Oh, Sheik! Sheik was okay! Link smiled a little dizzily. He wanted to hug him, but his throbbing headache forced him to sit up far slower than that impulse.

Sheik leaned back, “Looks like you’re coming around…”

Navi hovered over Sheik’s shoulder, a nervous flutter to her wingbeats. Link groaned lightly and leaned his arms against his knees.

Sheik looked at him for a moment, and offered him a leafy plant. Link took it without much thought and shoved it in his mouth to chew. He knew the plant. Saria gave it to him sometimes. It tasted bitter and medicinal. He spit it out with a grimace.

“Yucky,” he whispered under his breath.

He chuckled. Barely there but still the first giggle Link had heard from him. “It'll help with pain,” Sheik said. He sighed, standing up. He offered a hand, which Link took, standing himself.

Sheik let a quiet moment settle in the rain before he launched into explaining the situation. The fires had already started to get drowned out by the rain by the time Sheik had explained it all. Impa had gone down the well… That was likely why Sheik had seemed so distracted and stiff.  They were from the same tribe, Link assumed Sheik was connected to her somehow.

The Ocarina was wet and slippery as he practiced the Nocturne of Shadow. His fingers trembled, clumsy with cold and a nervous buzz in his ears. He figured the sound out eventually, however. Sheik nodded in approval when he'd copied it enough times. 

“Let me take care of the village,” Sheik said, stepping back, “I'm counting on you.”

Link nodded, automatically closing his eyes while Sheik vanished from sight. Link could do this. Sheik believed in him. He was counting on him. Sheik would take care of the village. Link let out a soft breath and walked toward the well.

-

Link sat on the bed fit for an adult. It felt weird, being too small for something like this. He glanced over stone walls and ornate tapestry. The weirdest part of time travel was sitting in the castle that had crumbled under the weight of corrupted Power. He didn't like it. The castle felt more like a dungeon than half the actual dungeons he'd been in. 

The King had insisted Link stay with them while he investigated Link's claims surrounding Ganondorf. Zelda had been right. He believed him far more readily than he had Zelda. Especially after he explained he was from the forest and that he had proof Ganondorf had killed the Deku Tree. 

Ganondorf was currently being watched carefully by guards. But he was still free. He could still destroy the castle. The future could still happen. Worse. Link wasn't just some random kid from the woods anymore. Ganondorf might not let him just lay there like he did the first time. He needed to make sure Ganondorf couldn't win this time. He had told Impa what to look for. But he needed more. He needed to keep the sacred stones far away from Ganondorf, and being at the Castle wasn't the way to do it.

It wasn't Ganondorf that the King was really thinking about when he asked Link to stay. He knew that. “You have your mother's eyes.” The King had said. Like Link had suddenly become the most precious, rare creature in Hyrule.

He had his mother's hair too, it seemed. He shared his father's nose. His father's brow. His father the King.

A lost prince. 

It made sense. He felt lost. Like he did running in circles through the woods.

He leaned out the window, looking at the grass toward the garden…. Zelda. He should take her with him. For the moment. Prevent Ganondorf from surprising them with a new plan. He couldn't hurt her if she wasn't in Castle Town.

He turned around, rushing toward the door. The princess hovered by the doorway, startled by the door opening.

“Link! I was- I wanted to make sure you had settled into your room.”

Link stared. Zelda looked so different with youth in her face. Her eyes matched his. He hadn't noticed that before. 

“Father’s already discussing getting you a bed more fit for your size- this is usually reserved for guests from other kingdoms.”

He glanced back into the room. He frowned lightly. He shook his head.

“No? ….You like that bed?”

“I grow,” Link whispered.

She giggled, shrugging lightly. “Okay. I'll tell him.”

He looked down, pensive. “...Come with me?”

Zelda tilted her head, “Where?”

Link shrugged, giving her a pleading glance. Beyond these walls. Away from Ganondorf and any memory of his plot. He didn’t know how to say that, though. He hoped she caught his intention in his gaze.

She smiled lightly, an adventurous glint in her eye, not unlike how Sheik glanced at him on rare occasions. “Okay.”

Link grabbed her hand and they raced through the halls together. Zelda giggled infectiously. She stopped in her room to grab something and she emerged in a tunic fit more for what Link had once imagined a young Sheik would wear. She grinned.

Link nodded and they ducked into the gardens. They sneaked past guards into Castle Town proper.  The pair of children were relatively unnoticed by the people busying through their day. Link and a dog chased each other in circles through the street, while Zelda laughed and leaned against a flower bed.

A flash of red hair and cape in the crowded street. Tall and Imposing. People parted for the Gerudo man in waves, Hylian guards flanking him on both sides. They looked more like security for the man than for the people of Hyrule.

Link froze. Zelda slid just behind him, hiding her face against his shoulder while her eyes focused intently on the man. Ganondorf glanced at them as he walked toward the castle. His expression soured as soon as he caught Link's gaze. They stared at each other as Ganondorf passed.

Link let out a slow breath. His heart pounded. With fear. With rage. Zelda tugged the back of Link's shirt. He snapped back into reality, glancing back at her.

“Show me the forest?” Zelda asked, “I've never been.”

Link nodded. He led the way through the town and into the grassy fields. They walked side by side, quiet. Zelda looked around, fascinated by it all. She pointed out butterflies and birds. She picked clovers and flowers.

Link sighed. Ganondorf wouldn't destroy the castle looking for Zelda now. He knew it. The man's original plan wouldn't work anymore. Link was with Zelda and everyone would be fine.

So he let himself relax as they walked to the edge of the final grassy hill toward the forest. Zelda showed him a bundle of flowers, grinning, “Try one!” She announced cheerily, "I hear it's delicious."

Link squinted in suspicion. She shoved the flowers closer into his face. Link raised his nose with a laugh. Impish impulse led to him pushing her down the hill in retaliation. She grabbed his tunic skirt in a giggly panic. Link tumbled down the hill after her with a shriek of laughter. They collapsed in a pile, laughing, clothes and knees stained with grass. 

“Mean!” Zelda accused with a giggle.

“You are!” Link called back, grinning as he threw her into a headlock.

Zelda cackled, prying his arms open, and slipping away from his grasp. She raced ahead into the wood with a peal of laughter. Link gasped and raced after her. 

He pounced toward her, and she ducked, spinning to grab him and lift him. He squealed a laugh, kicking. She giggled. She looked into the woods now winding pathways and set him back down. “Oh. Where to now?”

Link looked over his options. He quietly took her hand as they walked deeper into the woods. Sheik had been good at vanishing, but he was also 7 years older and more confident in a fight. Link didn't know if Zelda knew how to fight like Sheik. He didn't want to lose her. Zelda hummed cheerily while they walked. She swung their hands together, like they had always done this.

Slowly, the woods darkened, giggles of skull kids and Kokiri filled the air alongside the sway of leaves and birdsong. Zelda stepped closer to him. Link followed a familiar pattern and pulled Zelda gently toward the log that led them into the Kokiri forest.

She gasped softly as she looked around the fairy filled forest. Frozen at the entryway. Link paused to look back at her. A little smile settled on his face.

“Woah, Link's back!” Fado shouted, “And he brought somebody!”

Zelda startled, looking up at the Kokiri sitting on a roof. 

“Link's back!” came more cheers, Kokiri coming out of their homes to rush and greet him, “Who is that?!” Said someone else, “Is that a Hylian?! I thought they were taller.” “Where's his fairy?” Mido’s distinctive voice grumbled, shoving into the front. “He lost her already?” someone gasped in response. “Oh no, did she die leaving the woods?!” “Link’s alive though!!” “Of course he's alive, it's Link.”

Link swallowed, glancing over his old friends. He took a step back and grabbed Zelda's hand again.

Zelda stepped forward graciously, and smiled, “I am Princess Zelda! Link offered to show me your forests.”

“The Princess?” Saria's voice echoed out of the crowd of fae softly. She stepped forward, smiling. “It's a pleasure to meet you! I knew Link would find you.”

He gave a bashful smile to her in return. 

Zelda nodded, “He has been a great help to Hyrule. Thank you for sending him.”

“The Great Deku Tree sent him,” Saria clarified. She offered her hand, “I'm Saria!”

“Pleased to meet you!” Zelda cheered, taking her hand and shaking it firmly.

“Though… Where is Navi, Link?” Saria asked, tilting her head.

“I thought… She came back here?” Link whispered. 

“She left you?” Another Kokiri asked.

“I- I'm not Kokiri.” Link said quietly. It felt shameful to admit. As if he’d been lying to them all the whole time. But that was why Navi left, wasn’t it? Saria seemed unsurprised, while others whispered. Link focused on her as he continued, “She helped me, but she came back here. Right?”

Saria shook her head softly, sympathetically, “I haven’t seen her.”

Link glanced at Zelda, nerves fraying. Why else would Navi leave except to return to the Kokiri where she belonged? Where else would she go? ....Could a fairy get lost?

She squeezed Link's hand. “Ah, she should be fine, right?…How about you all explain more about the fairies of your woods to me? I'd love to learn some more about who Link grew up with too.”

The Kokiri began chattering all at once, excited to share. Link slipped behind Zelda as they all talked, glancing around for hints of blue light.

Night had approached far faster than Zelda anticipated. Link had counted on distracting her the entire day. They just needed to survive this day and then Ganondorf would be found guilty and Link could feel like Zelda was safe in the Castle again.

Zelda paced Link's tree house nervously. “My father will be so worried, Impa will certainly be looking for me. Surely we should just go home?”

“Stals.” Link said simply, propping his head up in his hands while he sat on his bed.

“Right. It's safer here. We must leave first thing in the morning, though!” 

Link nodded and yawned. Zelda properly looked around his house. “This is where you lived?” He couldn't tell if she approved. He nodded again.

“It smells nice and woodsy?” she offered. Yep. She didn't like it. He didn't really mind her judgement. He knew it wouldn't fit him in a few years. He would miss it, he thinks. He shrugged.

“...Bed?” Link asked.

“Oh, please.”

Link stood. With speed honed from his adventure, he picked her up and tossed her into the bed. She squealed a giggle as she landed. “Oh. What is this made of?” She laughed, patting the mattress.

“Straw?” Link gestured at the pile in his room with a confused frown. “What’s yours made from?”

“Down and wool?” Zelda shook her head as she tried laying on her back, “How do you sleep on this?”

“Side”

She turned onto her side. “...That's worse. You've been terribly mistreated here! Goodness!”

Link laughed, shaking his head as he settled to lay on the floor.

Zelda sighed, looking at him. “...Will you stay here? …Instead of the Castle?”

Link stared at the ceiling for a long moment.

“You'll always be welcome there, I know it,” she continued, “I won't make you stay, though. I know the woods are your home.”

That was the thing. They weren't truly home anymore. The forest was the land of eternal children. He had so many friends here. But they weren't like him. He would grow up. In some ways, he already had.

“I’ll miss you, though. I- I think I would like to have a brother.” Her smile was nervous. Worried he might not want to be her brother. Yet he already was. Not by the King's word, but through a fight she didn't remember. One he aimed to prevent.

“I would like to have a sibling too.” Link whispered.

She sighed in relief and turned to look at the ceiling as well. “I'm glad.”

Link let silence fall for a long while. It was dark in his home. Too dark without a blue light. Zelda's breathing was quiet. So quiet. He sat up. “Zelda?”

“Mhm?”

“...Can I-?”

She scooted over in the bed, and Link crawled in, curling up on his side next to her, into an arm she'd left into the space. She hooked her arm around his shoulders in a soft half hug. He sighed in relief. A sister... He had a sister.

...A sister who knew so many things. He considered for a moment, before whispering, “...Do you remember my- your-...our?”

“Mom?” Zelda finished for him,“...not really. I was very young when she disappeared. Impa tells me stories, though.”

“...Can you tell me some?” Link asked, voice slipping away from him even as the words escaped his lips.

“Of course.” Zelda said, voice soft and lowered. Like Sheik. Link closed his eyes. Sheik told a simple story of a golden haired woman who smiled like Light itself. Sheik was always a good storyteller, poetic and gentle. Link drifted into hazy dreams.

-

Ganondorf was finally gone. Impa had caught some aspect of his plan in action while looking for Zelda. She had personally escorted him to a cell in a dungeon and Link was happy to close that chapter permanently. Link had stayed a little longer, for Zelda. Sneaking her out (with Impa's permission) to visit the Zora or Kakariko and once all the way to the Gorons. Zelda was safe now.

He had a new goal.

Malon didn't take much convincing to give him Epona. She was mostly excited to know he'd memorized her song. He was walking Epona out of the ranch when he saw Zelda standing in front, looking out toward the Castle gates.

Link slowly walked up to her, eyes flickering over the grass and wooden fencing. Impa stood just outside, giving them a semblance of privacy while keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.

“You're already leaving the land of Hyrule, aren't you?” Zelda said. She, like Sheik, seemed to have a 6th sense about his presence behind her. 

She turned, holding the Ocarina of Time in her hands. She seemed to have planned this, a determined knit to her brows. Link barely had to nod to confirm her suspicion. Zelda looked down at the ocarina.

“Even though it was only a short time, I feel like I've known you forever. I'll never forget the days we spent together in Hyrule…” She nodded firmly to herself, “And I believe in my heart that a day will come when I shall meet you again.” Her eyes seemed shiny. She knew. She knew he didn't plan on returning to the Castle. He didn't know how she knew. Zelda took in a breath “Until that day comes, please… take this.” She offered the magical instrument, eyes pleading. “I am praying… I am praying that your journey is a safe one.”

Link stared at the blue Ocarina. Idly, Link wondered if she had another vision surrounding this. ...He didn't know if he wanted to know.

“If something happens to you, remember this song.” She played the Song of Time, and he fell into a habit made with Sheik. He picked up his own Ocarina, and played. 

He took the Ocarina after they finished, holding it gently. “Zelda… Thank you.”

She rushed to hug him, bone crushing and firm. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her in return.

“You'll always be my brother, wherever you are,” she whispered.

He nodded against her shoulder. With a steadying breath, he pulled away. He secured the Ocarina of Time in his pouch, safe. He looked at her once more, and got up onto Epona. 

“Goodbye!” Zelda said, “...I hope you find her.”

Link smiled, and clicked Epona into motion, into the woods.

[tickletastic]

Can I ask for headcanons about the Robins?

Yes, absolutely! I have some batfam headcanons here (and probably a bunch more in my tags), so these ones will focus on them as robins

Dick

Such a little shit, but almost impossible to control because of his unlimited energy

while, as nightwing, he's used to being the eldest, when he was robin, he was almost always the youngest around, so he suffered a lot of the younger sibling torture at the hands of the titans and yj

while bruce wanted dick to be more serious, especially when he's leading a team, i think he was actually terrible at it until jason came around, i don't think this boy could deliver a single command to the titans without bursting out laughing

i think the older people in the titans would probably tickle him when he tried to lean too hard into the whole serious bat thing, to remind him that he's just a kid, and being a twelve year old is more important for his development than fighting crime

while it embarrasses dick immensely to outright admit he likes being tickled, the titans, bruce, and alfred all found out pretty damn fast

dick would get a bit too hyper and end up bouncing (literally) off the walls, hanging from wayne manor chandeliers, and bruce would have to find a way to wrangle him down, eventually he realized that tickling was a great way to drain all of dick's energy (at least for an hour or two)

at some point, while dick would still pretend to put up a fight when peeled down from the ceiling, he would let bruce catch him much easier because he'd be excited for the tickles

i think he's probably ask bruce for soft tummy tickles or back tickles to fall asleep sometimes

Jason

when jason first moved to the manor, he was prickly, to say the absolute least, and it probably took a while for him to warm up to touch given that he grew up in crime alley

the first time that jason doesnt flinch away when dick, alfred, or bruce go to touch him, they consider it a huge win, but still, none of them want to push it too far out of fear that jason will become all skittish again

i think they probably find out that jason is ticklish after patrol, when he's getting checked for injuries,, alfred was probably just trying to check his ribs and jason started to giggle uncontrollably, and suddenly everyone was trying to hide that their attention was on jason being adorable

when jason started leaning into touches is when everyone took it as a sign that he completely trusted them, because jason is not one to tell anybody what he wants, even if he doesn't have to say it out loud

after that, dick took it as free reign to tease jason all he wanted

jason was insanely ticklish when he was robin, but even if he was completely breathless with tears streaming down his face, he would never admit that he was.... but dick still tried to get him to admit it every time

bruce wasnt sure if jason would be anything like dick, but he did try the soft tummy and back tickles on jason to see if he found it relaxing, unfortunately for jason, he found even that to be unbearably ticklish, though he did love bruce's affection

Damian

i always forget that he's literally just a kid, like he's literally pocket sized

not incredibly ticklish like jason was when he was robin, but ticklish enough everywhere that he will at least giggle steadily, even if the spot isnt that bad

he would kill anyone who even attempted to say it out loud but he adores being tickled by his family

i think he loves all affection from his family in general, especially dick and bruce, but he's going to argue, insult, and fight his way through it no matter the form, including tickling

damian is 100% the type to dish out black eyes and bloody noses while he's being tickled

he does actually like back and neck tickles from dick when he's going to sleep, but he cant help himself from laughing, even though he likes how it feels

gets tickled most often by dick and bruce, but every once in a while he'll get thrown over jason's shoulder and tickled until he's actually saying "please stop" instead of just demanding that jason stop

Tim

his ticklishness is pretty similar to dick's, though he can't handle even a second of anticipation, both as robin and as red robin

this is something dick knew very well, and he would use it against tim at any opportunity, just hovering his fingers an inch away from a ticklish spot and watching tim giggle hysterically as if he really is getting tickled

he finds it to be a lot more flustering than his brothers do, and he can't handle teasing at all

after jason's death, dick made sure that tim knew how much he appreciated and loved him, which included A LOT of affection (enough to make up for two brothers)

as a result, i think dick probably found out that tim was ticklish first, by manoeuvring him while they were cuddling or trying to give him a massage

when tim was robin, he would laugh so hard it would even surprise himself, he wouldn't be able to make out a single word while getting tickled silly by dick or bruce

weirdly, i think tim was probably the best at hiding it too,,, i think, while he can't handle anticipation, if someone accidentally brushed him, or if he knew he was going to get checked for injuries, he'd be able to school his features pretty well for a little bit

i think, as robin, he hated the earpieces because the vibrations when someone was talking over the comms tickled too much, though he eventually grew out of it (aka replaced just his comms system with one that wouldn't vibrate so he wouldn't giggle out loud on patrol)

[zaynmirrors]

A/N:

Hello all! New fanfic here. Let me know if you want to start a tag list. If you guys have any ideas for chapters, anything! I take requests, it just takes me a minute to upload them. Let me know what you think!

Tw: eventual smut, abuse (not from current characters), mom!reader, youngmom!reader, children, others I haven’t thought of yet.

Pairing: Eddie Munson & Mom!Reader.

Dustin Hendersons older sister

FIGURE YOU OUT:

Chapter 1

When Dustin had invited his friends over he didn’t anticipate his sister and niece falling asleep on the couch before they were supposed to arrive. 

His original plan had been to have a movie marathon but now he was unsure if they’d both be able to sleep through the noise. He’d known you were up practically all night, he’d heard the frustrated groans and heavy feet even from his room at the top of the stairs.

Normally his well behaved niece would sleep through the night and barely even fuss but the poor two year old was battling an ear infection. “Dude do you think we’ll wake them up if we just watch the movies?” Mike asked hushed as he looked over at the back of the older woman. 

“Look I don't want to wake either of them” Dustin sighs quietly, “Y/N was up all night” Lucas made a sympathetic face, and glanced over at the subtle movement of Dustin’s sister. 

When y/n graduated highschool, she had run away with her lover leaving their mom distraught. Y/N returned almost a year later, heavily pregnant, crying about how her supposed highschool sweetheart had left her. 

Y/N didn’t really like to talk about it in detail, Dustin understood that there was more to it but never pushed. He was happy his older sibling was back, and enjoyed being an uncle. 

The loud banging on the door startled the boys, all eyes looking to y/n. The banging continued, causing Dustin to scramble up and jerk the door open. “Dude” he hissed looking up to the curly headed senior. 

The smile on Eddie’s face faltered, confused at the not so friendly greeting, “that’s no way to greet a guest Henderson” even his normal speaking voice was boisterous.

“My sister’s asleep on the couch” Dustin spoke quietly causing Eddie to try and peek around the foyer to see for himself. He gave an apologetic smile and pushed past the younger boy. 

“What’s the plan, boys?” Eddie asked, trying to be quiet. They all shrugged, unsure what would be quiet enough to not wake the two fast asleep on the couch. 

Dustin spoke “y/ns usually a deep sleeper” shrugs and continues, “we can just try going ahead with the movie marathon” The rest of them nodded in agreement, Dustin went to the kitchen and began gathering snacks, the others followed in order to help. 

Y/n jolted awake, unaware of the group of teens in the kitchen, or the repeat senior who was supervising them. She looked down making sure the small child wrapped in her arms was still asleep. 

She took the opportunity to unwrap from the child and stand, stretching. Y/n took the blanket off the back of the couch covering the toddler with it. The quiet chattering of the teens had reminded her of Dustin’s plan. She felt awful as well as embarrassed. 

Y/n made her way to the kitchen and leaned against the frame, “if I ordered pizza would you boys eat any?” This caught the kids off guard causing them to jump, y/n chuckled not aware of the taller man on the other side of the room. 

They talked amongst themselves and then nodded in agreement that pizza would be good. “I’ll go order, Dustin can you-“ she didn’t even need to finish her question before he nodded understanding to keep an eye on the toddler. 

Y/n called the local pizza place putting in a decent sized order. Treating the teens was the least she could do, especially as she’d realized they had tried to be quiet and still were. 

She took the opportunity to freshen up, which just consisted of fixing the loose ponytail and brushing the sleep smell off her breath. Y/n wanted nothing more than to curl into the bed and go back to sleep, but that wouldn’t be fair to either Dustin or her child. 

The outfit that was currently being worn was fine, she was going for comfort rather than impression. When y/n came back out and glanced over at the couch her child slept on, tucked into the corner of it was a tall curly headed man. 

Dustin had mentioned Eddie before, however, the thought of him being what looked to be almost her age never crossed her mind. He looked at her child as if she was a bomb waiting to go off. Normally she wasn’t much of a worry, but there was no telling today. 

“Here let me-” Y/n  started and bent down to pick up her child to give Eddie more room, as he was frantically telling her it was okay. Jovie was picked up carefully and carried to the room she shared with her mother. 

Mike smirked and looked at Eddie, “Scared of a baby Munson?” Eddie went to say something but stopped when y/n walked back into the room and spoke, “What’re we watching?”

Dustin had no qualms against his sister joining, she was into just about the same things he was. “I think we’re going to watch a bunch of horror movies” he looked to the rest of the group to make sure they were in agreement. 

“Oh! In that case-” she held up a hand, hurrying off to her room again, this time returning with a stack of movies. “Steve dropped these off” Dustin carefully took the stack and looked through it, passing the tapes to each of the boys to get approval.

“Half of these are new releases” Mike states, in shock. Y/n shrugged unsure of what to say, though she knew the gesture was more than just friendly from her babysitter. She wouldn’t entertain the idea. 

“You guys cool with these movies then?” Dustin asked and each of them voiced an agreement. He made quick work to start up the first movie, while y/n paced waiting for the pizza afraid that the doorbell would wake up her child. 

Eddie made his way to the foyer once the smell of melted cheese wafted into the living room. “Need help?” he asked lowly, y/n gasped not expecting the voice behind her. “Sorry,” he apologized. 

Y/N shook her head, “No, you’re fine.” Said nothing else handing over two boxes of pizza. He made his way back to the living room strumming up excitement with the food. Y/n follow behind him shortly after, as she went to set her two boxes down an all too familiar cry erupted. “Fuck, I’m sorry boys” everyone but Eddie mumbled out a dismissal, not caring about the one small cry. 

She went to go check on the ill child, Jovie stood in her crib, face crumpled in a grumpy expression. “What is it grumpy butt” y/n asked as she picked up the disheveled child. “Hungry?” Jovie nodded, placing a small hand over her left ear. “I know, time for medicine.” Jovie fussed, y/n bounced her trying to soothe the child “Hey, Uncle Mike and Lucas are here” This seemed to perk the child up. 

Y/n smiled as she made her way back to the living room, “My and Lu!” Jovie shouted grabbing everyone’s attention. Making grabby hands at the two boys sitting next to one another.

“Hi Jo” Mike said just as excited, albeit fake enthusiasm. Mike also knew y/n disliked- no hated her child being called Jo. So this was his way of annoying her like any “normal” sibling would.

Jovie’s feet made contact with the floor and went to the two boys, dustin looked over them catching y/ns attention “want me to wait?” He’d been asking about the movie, she shook her head not wanting to throw more of a damper on their movie night even more than she already thought she had.

Dustin went ahead and started the tape while y/n grabbed the medicines from the kitchen. “Come in booger butt” she said sitting on the floor in front of the couch that still held an enamored Eddie.

Eddie watched as y/n expertly spooned each fruity smelling liquid into the toddlers mouth, then rewarding with small cut up bits of pizza. As if they still wouldn’t taste like the gross fruit flavored medication. As much as Eddie wanted to watch the movie, he’d be completely fine watching her all night.

Y/N barely made it through the first movie, Eddie noted when he had glanced from the screen to her. The child however was wide awake, being entertained by Dustin at least at the moment.

In between movies Dustin laid a blanket around his older sibling careful not to wake her, especially as he places a couch pillow behind her neck. It was clear to Eddie, Dustin cared deeply for his sister almost more than some siblings would. Eddie may have thought her ex or baby daddy or whatever, was just a piece of shit and left her to raise the baby on her own. Which is why Dustin cared so much.

Two more movies down and everyone decided to pause for a bathroom break. Eddie was the first back to his seat, noticing the toddler sitting in the middle of the couch as if waiting for him to return, “heydoh” she said clearly trying to say hello.

“Hi” he said, unsure what was happening. Then looked around for Dustin, “I’m Eddie” he continued holding out his giant ring clad hand.

Jovie examined his hand and took her tiny one wrapping it around his pointer finger. He’d almost melted at the gesture, never having an interaction like this before.

She tried to say something but whined placing a hand over her left ear. Eddie looked down to y/n to see if the sound had woken her up but she might as well have been dead.

“Your ear hurt?” Jovie nodded in reply to his question. He glanced around the room trying to find the medicine or grab Dustin’s attention.

Dustin who had overheard was already preparing the medications came over and handed the small measuring cup, “how do I-“ Eddie went to ask but was ignored, he swallowed down the anxiety.

Jovie instinctively opened her mouth ajar, Eddie carefully placed the rim of the cup against her lips and tipped it back. She coughed causing Eddie to curse “oh shit”

“She’s fine” Dustin stated, “she’s dramatic, aren’t you Jovie” she giggled like she knew exactly what he was saying to her. “Thanks for doing that”

Eddie mumbles a no problem as the child crawls in his lap. His arms fly up into the air unsure of where to put them. Jovie made herself comfortable in his lap, uncaring of who he was and focused on the movie. One that he wasn’t sure she should even be watching but if Dustin wasn’t concerned; He wasn’t going to be either.

Hours went on, the Hendersons’ mom had come home to a living room full of sleeping teens and her grandchild. She let them be and went on to bed herself, y/n awake, panicked as she was unable to find her daughter. She stood looking around only to find her tucked away in Eddie Munsons arms as he laid flat across the couch. She smiled softly at the sight contemplating on pulling her from his arms.

Y/n had no intention of waking him up but she’d feel safer if her daughter was asleep in her crib. As she tried to gently take Jovie from his arms, they tightened around her slightly and y/n decided to not worry about it. Her brother wouldn’t be friends with some weirdo, right? She made sure to place a blanket over the both of them, once she was satisfied that Jovie wasn’t going to roll off the couch she made her way back to her bedroom, changed her clothes and crawled back into bed.

Chapter 2

[duchezss]

My favorite details/moments from Trolls Band Together because I have a problem.

Lemme just get this out of the way and say the soundtrack is a certified banger oh my god.

When brozone tries and hits the perfect family harmony the first time the colors that they get outlined in are all separate, the three colors don't blend at all.

Just Floyd comforting Branch....😭 😭

Branch's little hops when him and Floyd were talking about the bunker WAHHHH.

The real emotions of Branch missing his brothers while simultaneously not wanting to see them like???

"There goes my back" when JD was throwing Branch LMAOO.

The entire design of Mount Rageous is so whimsical and gorgeous I'm in love.

When the whole screen shakes when JD hits the counter eh oh el.

"If there was a brother I'd do this for...I'd be Floyd" WAHHHH.

The old MTV style music video Watch Me Work has.

Floyd singing with the posters of brozone floating around 😭

"Tiny, Poppy, Branch, and this random dude" I SPIT OUT MY DRINK LMAO.

"Are you a narc?" OH I LOST IT IM SO DEAD.

All of Branch's old hairstyles being references to Justin Timberlake's real hairstyles.

"Poppy seed" awwwww.

Branch's little "yay" is so cute.

The ongoing ring pop joke is actually so funny I'm sorry.

The way Bruce and JD just throw Branch on command.

Bruce still being considered the heart throb even though he's got a dad bod, a wife, and children 😭

THE BLEEPED OUT CURSE WORD I WAS IN TEARS.

The amount of songs they fit into Brozone's back is actually impressive, and the way they mesh so well together??? Legitness.

"That's not an idea, those are shoulder pads" I just can't...

When Floyd's hair started turning white and he was going transparent....WAHHH 😭 😭 WHEN I GET YOU VELVET AND VEENER WHEN I GET YOU......(But also the details to show how fast his health was declining? Someone cooked)

Branch's iconic clue board.

Bruce holding tiny diamond since he's also a dad.

Branch trying to be brave and talk to the clown but as soon as Viva came at him he backed up. That's such a real response I love is so much??

Clay's hair being green? Which kinda hints that JD or someone made him dye his hair yellow when he was younger.

Viva calling Clay "Mr. Clay" is actually the cutest thing everrr

Clay and Bruce's handshake, I also kinda like that it implies that they were really close, kinda like how Branch and Floyd were close. I think it really separates JD from them.

Also everyone's reaction to JD being super cold while everyone fawns over Branch.

Clay's so smart 😭 (and autistic) I love him so much.

All the brothers cute dancing in It Takes Two ❤️

The very real response of Viva not wanting to talk about her trauma and also not wanting Poppy to leave.

"I don't wanna lose my brother either" I feel like no one talks about how brave Clay is. He's in the same boat as Viva, he thinks Bergens still attack trolls, and he's going out into the world for the first time in who knows how's long. Just because he wants to help save Floyd, like that's so sweet???

Floyd's dead face was way funnier than it should've been.

"I thought ghosts just floated away" the delivery on this line is unmatched.

Floyd speaking one younger brother to Veener was so 😭, especially cause you know he felt like Veener did when Brozone was still active (on a lesser degree ofc) I can't.

We don't talk enough about how fire all of the choreos are, like they got professional dancers to make these dances, AND YOU CAN TELL OML.

JD's need for perfection constantly getting in the way of the greatness they all could achieve.

Branch being the voice for all younger siblings out there who will never be respected by their families hit me. But I also think there's something to say about the JD's of the world. The older siblings they took charge because they felt they had to. All parties end up getting hurt.

Also Branch actually wanting them to be a family so sweet. It really embodies the naive hope of wanting to stay together that youngest children have, but it's not unattainable. You can still be close with your siblings into adulthood, no matter how much time has passed, and that's what this movie represents as it's core.

"I didn't think we'd both find ourselves tied up on this honeymoon" WHATTTTT.

BRANCH AND FLOYD HUGGING THROUGH THE GLASS WAHHHHHHHH. Also Floyd being the only brother to respect that's he's grown....I just love them so much 😭

The whole interaction of all the brothers reuniting while in the diamonds is so funny for no reason lol.

Viva understanding she was wrong and striving to do better for her sister >>>

BRO THE ENTIRE CLIMAX IS SO GOOD??? THE TENSION?? THE MUSIC??? IT'S JUST PERFECTION. THE SONGS CHOICES WERE SO GOOD, AND THE WAY THEY REARRANGED WATCH ME WORK TO BE SO INTENSE IS BRILLIANT. THE SONG JUST KEEPS BUILDING AND THE STAKES GET HIGHER, IT'S WAY TO GOOD.

"Actually I've got two really brave sisters" When the message of this movie is that found family and blood family are just as important as each other, and that no matter what you get to pick who your family is >>> 😭

When Clay falls hard while in the diamond, Bruce and JD immediately check on him, meanwhile he's just focused on Floyd. The older brotherism... 😭

The message of this movie also being that perfection isn't important, but rather balance, harmony, and communication are key. ❤️

The acapella opening of Better Place....just.....wow.....

Clay's adlibs eating everyone up??? Kid Cudi I was not familiar with your game hold on.....

When they hit the perfect family harmony all their colors start mixing, showing their respect for individualism and also for the group.

The way Floyd eyes light up when they're all singing is just 😭

Branch building the bunker for all of them 💔, Floyd remembering the waterslide, all of them hugging?? Just peak filmmaking idk.

"Jail it is" also apparently someone did the math and in our world the twins would get over 6 life sentences for their crimes hello???

All of the boyband references are so funny idc.

Clay being excited to get to know Branch 😭 also JD reading a book in the back that presumably Clay recommended him?? That's so cute? He's really trying y'all, they're all trying, and that just warms my heart 😭

*NSYNC making their first song in over 20 years for this movie is actually the craziest thing ever I'm obsessed. Also they all designed their little trolls which I think is so cute.

The last songs....just bangers....I can't even, I sound like a broken record, why is every song in this movie so good.

Fav adlibs speedrun (from the last two songs): Floyd little "yeah yeah", Clay's "dohhh, ohhh," one of the nsync members "show the wayyy", Bruce's "so excited", Branch's "ohh" & "ayeee"

The layering when they all sing together is too good. It sounds so gorgeous and if you listen closely you can hear each persons vocals.

Also I just need to talk about the music production and mixing for a second. This movie has three version of Better Place, all of which are unique. The main one is the NSYNC version, which is notable for it's little rap section. The Family Harmony version use's the intro/pre-chorus as the main part of the song. It also lets the song slowly built, and adds instrumentals as the song progresses. The Reunion version doesn't use the intro/pre-chorus, but rather mainly focuses on the chorus. It also uses the bridge from the main song as the post-chorus/refrain. Just a very creative use of the song tbh. Also the instrumental differences between Watch Me Work and Mount Rageous? Like it's the same song, but the way they add more classical elements and more layers to build the tension and the song as a whole?? I have no words. Perfection.

Obsessed with this movie. If you haven't seen it pls go watch it.

[iamfuckingsorry]

So I know the fandom loves seeing young Kim as a punk, with leather jackets and combat boots and a million pins and patches and in general fairly anti-establishment and also somewhat openly gay at least within the community

And I'm not gonna lie I love it too

But there's also this idea that I can't get out of my mind, and it's Kim in what is called "epa-kultur" over here. 15 year old kids too young to have a driver's license or a car, but one of the friends in the group has six older siblings and managed to get one of those cars that are only supposed to go up to 40 kmph that you can drive with a moped license, but that can definitely go up to like 150 if you flip the right switches. It's 30 years old and absolutely shit but you all love it anyway. You drive around, a shitty speaker in the back playing terrible electronic music too loud to really hold a proper conversation while inside, nine kids packed like sardines sitting on each other's laps (one of the backseats is taken up by a speaker), ending up in an unused parking lot to get drunk on 3% beer. The car's broken half of the time but that just means you play bad music and get drunk on cheap beer while trying to fix it with random parts you got from a friend of a friend of a friend, always fucking up in some way no matter how hard you try so the car will inevitably break down again within a week. Until you eventually really do get fairly good at fixing it, and then you just end up checking all the bolts and connections all the time instead. And like it's definitely a small town/rural thing over here. It definitely would not be a thing in Revachol, and especially not in the part of Revachol Kim grew up in, where you're happy to have a roof over your head and food to eat and you're probably reasonably rich compared to your neighbours if your family has a car. And while it's very different nowadays especially with younger kids you could still get a lot of the ideas common in more conservative areas, about gender roles and queer people and whatnot.

And I just love the idea of 15-year-old Kim with a group of other kids like this, feeling a tiny little bit like he finally belongs somewhere for the first time, trying to figure out a way to get some money for a car part for his friend's car, drinking even though he doesn't really want to because that's what you're supposed to, casually making sexist jokes that make him strangely uncomfortable even though he doesn't really understand why, fully convinced the only reason he tries to find any excuse to spend time with this one guy that is so impressive and knows so much about cars is because it's the first time he's found a good friend, because why else would you feel this way about a guy

and then after a couple of years maybe he does bring up possibly feeling a certain way about men when he's a bit drunk and he immediately gets made fun of, and when he doesn't react fast enough and say that obviously he was kidding, eww that would be so gross, he gets called a hundred different slurs without hesitation, not just homophobic ones but racial ones too, and he realizes once again that there really isn't a single place in this world where someone like him could truly belong, no matter how it might feel in the moment.

(and then maybe he does get a leather jacket and some patches a few years after that lol)

[shiftsandgiggles999]

A (somewhat) canonical retelling of Emma Bloom’s backstory with a few small renditions of my own choosing (:

“Hurry up Julia! Mother will be cross if we’re late for supper.” 10 year old Emma Bloom chastised her 6 year old younger sister, the pair marching swiftly down the cobblestone alleyway to their home.

“Yeah, yeah. You know mother will be cross no matter when we come back.” Julia grumbled in return, stooping down to pet yet another skinny, grimy alley cat. Emma let out a puff of air, knowing the other girl was right. Their mother was always finding reasons to be aggravated with the girls whether those reasons were just or not.

The duo trundled on, schoolbooks in Julia’s arms, a fish for supper in Emma’s, the elder glaring daggers at passersby who dared risk so much as a glance towards her or her younger sister. The Bloom family did not live in the nicest part of Cornwall, England that was for sure. It wasn’t the slums but it wasn’t far off in Emma’s humble opinion. The walk through the alleyway was dark and dank, even in the middle of the day, and there wasn’t a street corner in England that wasn’t occupied by at least a few unsavory types. At least that’s what her mother said any time she was forced to leave the house.

Even at the ripe age of 10 Emma understood what people, strange men especially, were capable of and the older girl took care to keep an eye on Julia for as much as they quarreled, they were still siblings after all, she did not want the younger girl to know such horrors of the world so soon.

“Do you think mum made the biscuits she said she would this morning?” The 6 year old jogged to catch up, hope filling her big green eyes. The siblings were practically identical with their sandy blonde locks, pale skin, and the most striking green eyes anyone had ever seen. The 2 little girls were undoubtedly beautiful, and that was unfortunately one of the most dangerous things a girl could be.

“Maybe.” Emma mumbled in reply, knowing she hadn’t. Their mother was always happy to see the girls go in the morning and get out of her hair but as soon as they returned Mary Bloom could be found in yet another foul mood having forgotten whatever empty promise she had made her daughters this time. The girls’ father, Michael Bloom, labored at a factory job up to 11 hours a day depending on the week and the unemployment rate, and was simply too exhausted and frustrated upon his return home to care about the welfare of his 2 children, preferring to leave the child rearing to the women folk.

“I suppose it’s fish stew again for supper?” Julia wrinkled her nose in disgust. She hated fish stew. They both did and they were quite certain their parents did as well. But, it was cheap and it was better than cabbage soup, another staple meal in their home.

“Yes. But the fishmonger overcharged us last time and made up the difference today so I had a little extra left over that mother needn’t know about.” Emma gave her sister a sly smirk and the 6 year old’s face lit up like Christmas had come early this year.

“Sherbet fountain?”

“One for each of us after supper.” Emma chuckled at the younger girl’s squeal of delight at the prospect of candy.

Entering their quaint little apartment home the pair took care to wipe the mud from their feet and leave their boots by the door lest they track in dirt and stomp around like elephants according to their mother. As Julia went off to leave her school things in the girls shared bedroom Emma headed into the kitchen to deposit the paper wrapped fish.

“Took the 2 of you long enough. That fish will have gone off by the time you’re done lallygagging about.” Mary Bloom snipped as she stomped her way through the miniature kitchen, drying her hands on a wet towel and loudly slamming the stew pot down on the stove.

“Apologies mother. We’ll be quicker tomorrow.” Emma had fast learned to just tell her mother what she wanted to hear and let the insults roll off her back no matter how much she ached to throw her own right back. Instead, she bit her tongue and busied her hands deboning the fish, willing herself not to earn a slap tonight. She couldn’t very well share sweets with Julia is she was cowering beneath her father’s belt.

Mary shot a disgruntled look at her daughter’s back, wanting her to take the bait and bite back effectively starting an argument and giving her a reason to take out her frustration on the younger girl. Nevertheless, Emma kept her temper in check, surprisingly enough as she was well known for her hot headedness, and got on with her supper duties as Julia started her homework in their bedroom.

Emma was in school as well but as the eldest child of a low income household she often had other duties to uphold at home that kept her from her studies. That being said she wasn’t stupid. Emma Bloom was actually rather intelligent considering both her age and unfortunate upbringing. Despite her limited time in the classroom she rather enjoyed school and learning new things, even if the teachers were boring and older than dirt and the actions of the other children frequently caused her to end up with sore knuckles and her own ruler crudely marked with her name.

Once she understood the letters reading and writing came naturally. Arithmetic was… less of a strong suit but Emma still tried. Julia struggled more with school and throughly disliked it but there wasn’t much else a 6 year old girl was good for.

Just as Mary and Emma were finishing up supper Michael Bloom found his way home and into his chair at the head of the table without a word to any of his family. Julia came skipping eagerly in a moment later, powder blue dress swishing about her knees and a great big smile on her chubby baby face.

“Mother did you make the biscuits you talked about this morning?” The little girl asked hopefully, bouncing on her heels.

“No. Perhaps if the 2 of you had been back on time then I would have gotten around to it.” Emma knew this wasn’t true of course and didn’t make a lick of sense either. Her mother had plenty of down time while Julia was in school and Emma was either in school herself or running errands at their mother’s request. Nonetheless, Mary’s snide remark left Julia unphased, the younger girl suppressing a grin when her older sister winked at her and hid a little smile of her own, the exchange going unnoticed by their parents.

Dinner mostly consisted of Mary attempting to engage Michael in small talk about how each of their day’s had been and Michael simply grunting as a response to anything she said. The girls kept silent, making pointed glances at each other every time their mother said something very unladylike about a neighbor and trying very hard not to gag on the spice less, watery stew.

“Could we go to the beach on Saturday father?” Julia piped up, feet swinging eagerly underneath the table.

“It’s meant to rain on Saturday.” Michael responded dismissively, never even bothering to look up from chewing the leathery fish chunks.

“Even better. More puddles to jump in and the waves always look so big when it rains.”

“We’ll all catch our death out in that. You especially jumping around in the water or getting swept away in a rip tide.” Mary joined in, siding with her husband as normal.

“I have to collect the eggs and the milk from the grocer’s on Saturday. She could come with me and we could take the long way around through the cove on the walk back.” Emma suggested, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly and hoping to appease both her parents and younger sister.

“Fine. But you are responsible for her Emma. If she comes back and gets us all ill or gets swept into the current it’s on you. You hear me?” Mary raved, pointing a long, crooked finger in her eldest daughter’s face. Emma nodded, sneaking a wink at Julia who could barely contain her excitement. Who knew what kind of mischief the pair could get into with an entire afternoon devoid of adult supervision.

After supper Michael Bloom retired to the sitting area to read the daily newspaper and nurse a cup of cheap brandy. The girls scurried off to their room after finishing their kitchen duties, excited by the prospect of a rare candy treat. It wasn’t often they had anything sweet in the house, much less store bought candy that they could not afford.

Sherbert Fountains were still on the cheaper side but neither girl cared, savoring the sweet, sour, lip puckering taste of the treat as they sat facing each other on their respective beds giggling and dusting the lemon flavored powder all across the bedsheets.

“Perhaps Saturday we can go by that little sweets shop by the school. It’s always so crowded when we’re out of class. It’ll be easy to knick something.” Emma smirked wickedly, licking the sticky candy from her lips.

“Emma! That’s naughty!” Julia gasped, giggling even harder. “Do you think they have chocolate?” The other girl may pretend to be the well behaved one of the pair but in reality she was just as mischievous as her older counterpart. Emma grinned and assured her they did in fact have a plentiful supply of the younger girl’s all time favorite treat.

“Now, you’ve had your sweets. Go and brush your teeth so that they don’t rot out of your head.” Emma took both empty wrappers and stuffed them into a drawer to dispose of later in a trash can far, far away from the house.

“Ugh. You’re not mum Emma. You can’t always boss me around.” Julia pouted.

“Well by all means let them fall out. You’ll never be able to eat sweets again. It’ll be mash and prunes for the rest of your life.” That and a look that rivaled their uptight mother’s when the girls were misbehaving were enough to get Julia moving, albeit grumbling about nasty prunes as she went.

* * *

She was trapped. There was nowhere to go that the flames did not lick at her clothes, her skin, her hair, anything their devilish fingers could cling to they did. It was her own home she found herself trapped in, every door and window barred by the hellish fire quickly consuming everything in its path.

The wooden panels groaned overhead and the walls crashed in around her as the fire moved ever closer to the little girl trapped in the center of it all. Emma was scared, so scared that all she could do was cower on the floor with her head buried in her knees and cry as the overwhelming heat kept creeping closer, growing hotter as the seconds passed, scorching her soft skin.

A loud, piercing scream filled her head and shook the house around her, ripping her awake but not out of the nightmare, the blazing heat still surrounding her on all sides and the bright orange flames dancing around her body casting harsh shadows across the darkened room. The scream had come from Julia who had been awoken by the immense heat and acrid scent of burning wool to the sight of a raging fire engulfing her sister’s bed with her still in it.

For a long moment Emma was too shocked to move, her breaths coming fast and ragged as she stared blankly at the ceiling. However, as soon as she was lucid enough to register what was happening the older girl leapt from the bed and raced to the other side of the room where Julia was crouched, sobbing. Their parents raced into the room at the sound of the girls’ distress, Mary gathering them both into her arms and ushering them into a safer part of the house while Michael ran to fetch water and put it out.

The children huddled together, Julia still crying and clinging to a shell shocked, ash covered Emma while their parents worked to put out the flames. Thankfully, the disaster had remained secluded to the one bed and only burned up the bedsheets and parts of the mattress, the metal frame keeping it from spreading further.

Emma’s clothing had not been quite so lucky, her nightdress scorched along the bottom hem and all up the sides, small blackened holes littered here and there. Though, miraculously, Emma herself appeared to be completely unharmed by the fire that had consumed her only moments ago.

Once the flames had been fully doused and the doors and windows thrown open to to release the smoke, Mary and Michael went in search of an explanation to the strange happenings of their evening.

“Someone want to explain what happened?” Michael Bloom question, bushy black brows furrowing in anger at his 2 children. Julia was the first to offer up an explanation.

“I just woke up and Emma was on fire! It was really scary. I thought the whole house was going to burn up.” The younger girl clutched a beloved doll in her arms for comfort, big green eyes still watery and red from her tears. Michael’s attention immediately redirected itself onto Emma.

“I’m not sure either father. Honest. I was having the most awful dream about being trapped in a burning house. I woke up and the dream was real!” Emma tried to look as innocent and confused as possible which wasn’t at all hard to do since she really was both innocent and extremely confused.

“Well it didn’t just spawn out of thin air now did it?” Michael was growing angry, the muscles in his face scrunching up as his piercing black eyes darted between the 2 girls.

“We really don’t know what happened father. Honest.” Emma’s voice was quiet, childish, her eyes pleading with her father to believe them. If it was even possible Michael Bloom’s face scrunched up even harder as he looked between his scared, smoke smelling children.

“Fine. But you better make sure it does not happen again. Understood?” Both girls nodded furiously, being ushered back to bed by their mother.

“We’ll sort out the bed tomorrow. Tonight you’ll just have to share.” Mary Bloom waited until both Emma and Julia were squished into the single bed before roughly throwing the scratchy quilt over them and leaving without another word.

The window was still open to air out the house and left the girls huddling together for warmth as the late winter wind whisked in and chilled them to the bone. Emma couldn’t help but notice that despite the biting cold and her chattering teeth, underneath the blanket her palms were covered in a sheen of sweat.

* * *

The first occurrence happened on a Wednesday. By Saturday the Bloom family had all but forgotten the little incident and were back to their less than cheery ways.

“Emma watch the bacon. You let it burn again and you’ll be out looking for another switch. Julia get those dolls out of my kitchen floor before someone trips and breaks their neck.” Mary ordered the girls around as she set the breakfast table and handed a cup of coffee to Michael who was, as usual, sat at the head of the table reading the morning news.

“Anything new today darling?” Mary asked sweetly, trying to earn her husband’s favor by getting him talking about his favorite subject, politics.

“Not much really. More people being sacked as the economy plummets so prices are about go up again. A group of disorderly women were spotted at one of the docks smoking and drinking out in broad daylight. These radicals with their short hair and even shorter, harlequin dresses are ruining this good town I tell you. I believed they had put a stop to all of that in the 20’s. Clearly I was wrong! And I know it’s not just Cornwall it’s everywhere. You should hear some of the news coming out of America Mary. It’s downright scandalous the way they flock to parties and speakeasies, cohorting like men. It’s outrageous!” Michael fanned out the newspaper and took a long drag from his pipe, filling the kitchen with yet another layer of smog. Even Mary paused for a moment before answering in her usual practiced, monotone way.

“Yes dear. They are becoming harlots, the lot of them.”

Emma gripped the fork tighter in her hand as she flipped the sizzling bacon, trying hard not to give a retort of her own. She had heard a little bit about the going’s on her father mentioned from adults in town and found the liberal ideas quite fascinating. She would love to chop off her long hair, dress up in those sparkly dresses, and become the very thing her sexist father despised if for no other reason than to spite him.

It all sounded like a grand old time to the 10 year old and perhaps it was simply her rebellious spirit but she couldn’t understand her father’s complete aversion to the changing times. Her mother didn’t help of course. She followed her husband blindly without a single thought of her own it seemed. Emma often wondered why on Earth she had ended up trapped with 2 old crones stuck in the 1800s when even they themselves had barely been alive to see that time period.

It was true Emma had much more of a personality than her mother and a more forward thinking mind than her father. She also favored neither of them physically. While Emma and Julia both had wavy blonde hair and green eyes, Mary and Michael each had dark hair and matching obsidian eyes. They were both thin and gaunt with very harsh features whereas the girls were still chubby with baby fat and had soft, kind faces even when angry. If there hadn’t been records of their births Emma might have thought they weren’t related at all, and she had certainly questioned it a few dozen times. However, she had received one thing that made her unmistakably a Bloom and that was her short, bad temper. A family trait it seemed.

“Would it really be so bad for a girl to cut her hair? It’s not like it won’t grow back.” Emma started, challenging her father who met her hard stare with a lethal one of his own.

“It is the principle of the matter. First they chop off their hair. Then they start wearing trousers, and some have believe it or not. Before you know it women are trying to make their own money and support themselves without need for a husband. It just isn’t natural.” He seethed, puffing on his pipe with a steady pace as he awaited the rebuttal he knew was imminent from his bull headed daughter.

“And so what if they want to live for themselves rather than for a man? Why is a woman not afforded the same luxuries? What makes us weaker, less important, or worth less than a man?” Emma was on a roll now, forgetting the food completely as she took on her father in the heated debate, mother and sister watching nervously in silence.

“Women are made to bear children. They cannot do the work of a man as efficiently. They are smaller, weaker, and emotional.” Michael was quickly growing angry now.

“A good woman can do anything a man can do and she can do it with a screaming baby on her hip. It takes 2 to make a baby father. It isn’t just the woman. I may only be 10 years old but I know just how terrible men can be and in my opinion we would be a lot better off without you.”

Slap.

The stinging hand came down hard across Emma’s face, knocking her into the stove and over the open fire. She instinctively jumped back with a yelp as her arm landed directly on the lit eye. The young girl slowly looked up at her father, a bright red handprint displayed across her pale face, absolute hatred in her watery green eyes.

“I will not hear this nonsense in my own house. If you want to become one of those heathens then you will do so when you no longer live under my roof and eat my food. Until then you will act like a proper, respectable young lady and treat the men providing for your ungrateful little self with a little more respect. Is that understood girl?” Michael’s voice was calm, quiet, and quivering with barely concealed rage. Emma nodded silently, gently touching her heated cheek where he had hit her.

After Michael had stalked off to another part of the house no one was really in the mood for breakfast. Mary, Emma, and Julia picked at the food, Mary casting malevolent looks at her eldest daughter ever so often but not wanting to redirect her fury upon herself by stirring the pot.

Emma on the other hand had already redirected her attention elsewhere. When her father had knocked her into the stove the lit fire should have scalded her bare arm when it landed upon the eye, but, just like the night her bed caught fire she was once again left completely unharmed.

That afternoon it did in fact rain, a slow, drizzly rain that seeped into your bones and caused a chill to spread throughout your body even once you were back inside. Emma and Julia took miserably to the streets, the younger still trying to enjoy sloshing through puddles as she had claimed she would but it became immediately obvious that she was quite agitated by her soggy stockings.

The walk into town wasn’t long but even so by the time they made it to the grocer’s both girls were shivering and drenched from head to foot despite their colorful rain slickers. The pair wasted no time collecting all that was on the list, paid the man at the counter, and scurried back into the frigid rain towards the sweets shop, refusing to let the bad weather keep them from their promised treat.

Even despite the wet there was a gaggle of school aged children lingering about the corner shop, a smattering of both boys and girls clinging to their mother’s arm begging for every kind of sweet available. Others were already enjoying their selection outside away from the fray in whatever semi dry spot they could find.

“How are we gonna do this with so many grown ups in the way?” Julia whined, grabbing at Emma’s hand at childish frustration.

“First, we pick out the goods. Choose which sweet you want and meet me back by the door.” The pair split off, perusing all the different candy displays while avoiding the stuff behind the counter knowing it was just a little bit out of reach with the shopkeeper on patrol.

After a full lap through the over crowded store, Julia being forced to squirm through a man’s legs at one point, the duo found their way back to the door to converse amongst themselves again.

“I want to try a Baby Ruth.” Julia whispered eagerly, pointing to a display of colorfully wrapped chocolate bars. They had been all the rage lately, the kids at school often flaunting them in front of their friends like a prized possession.

“Fine. I’ll distract the shop owner. You snatch one and run. Got it?” Julia nodded with excitement, already sidling back towards the unguarded table.

Emma flounced up to the counter, catching the attention of the frazzled looking man trying to keep up with the Saturday hub bub while simultaneously keeping an eye out for naughty children such as themselves trying to steal.

“What do y’got that’s good sir?” Emma questioned loudly, slamming her hand down on the countertop to get his attention and perusing the shelves behind him, simultaneously reaching into her coat pocket with her free hand as if to pull out a handful of coins she did not have.

“Why, everything in my shop is delicious of course. I’ve got Snickers choc full of nuts and caramel, Abba Zabba’s with vanilla taffy and peanut butter, or perhaps you’d fancy a Charleston Chew, named after the dance and full of nougat.” The man prattled on in a booming voice, gesturing to each candy on the shelf.

“Hmm, got anything not chocolate? Tends to go right through me.” Emma clutched at her stomach and made a sour face.

“Of course. There’s Sherbert Fountain, Red Hots if you’re in the mood for a bit o’ spice, Hubba Bubba Bubblegum, all kinds of lolli-“ The man paused, quickly looking past her before beginning to shout. “Hey! Hey you girl! Stop at once!”

Emma spun around just in time to see Julia dart out of the crowded shop as fast as her little legs could carry her. The older girl wasted no time in flashing the handyman a wide, mischievous grin before following suit, the sound of angry shouts fueling her adrenaline and pushing her faster as she and her kid sister fled the scene of their crime.

The pair did not slow until they reached the safety of the beach, tripping and falling into the wet sand when they couldn’t stop giggling.

“Did you see the shop man’s face when he realized I was stealing?” Julia chortled giddily, rolling around in the sand, the drizzling rain still coming down on top of them.

“I really thought his head might pop. He was as red as a tomato! It looked like he was ready to leap over the counter and chase after us.” Emma cackled alongside her.

The sister’s were in tears by the time their giggles had subsided, faces red and clothing ruined by the sand, rain, and sea water, the waves lapping angrily at the shore made more excitable by the bad weather. They had only managed to snag one candy bar but neither complained, splitting it equally and taking the first bite together, moaning at the sweetness of the chocolate melting on their tongues.

“Whoever baby Ruth was she makes delicious candy.” Julia mumbled around a mouthful of chocolate and peanuts.

“Supposedly it was named after an American president’s daughter but a lot of people think it was named after another American baseball player.” Emma shrugged. “We had to do a presentation on the history of candy in school last year.” Julia shrugged back, not really caring about anything other than how it tasted.

After they had finished their sweet treat and were walking along the surf back towards home Julia spoke.

“That night your bed caught fire, you really don’t know what happened?” She peered sideways up at her older sister, big green eyes full of innocent curiosity. Emma just gave a thin lipped shake of her head.

“I really don’t. It was quite strange. And the weirdest part?” She hesitated only a moment, balling her hands into fists and feeling the sweat on her palms making the grocery bags slick and hard to hold. “My hands haven’t stopped burning since.”

* * *

The second occurrence came on Monday night. The same dream of little Emma trapped in the burning house only to wake up once more engulfed in flames. Michael and Mary again confronted their children about these strange happenings, quickly becoming less certain about Emma’s claimed innocence.

“Fires do not just start themselves.” Raged Michael, the veins in his neck bulging as he paced back and forth in front of his eldest daughter. Mary was off applying burn cream to Julia’s scorched fingers where she had tried to reach into the fire to rescue her big sister this time and paid the price.

“I don’t understand it either father! I swear it isn’t me!” Emma cried out desperately, begging her father to listen to her plea.

“Enough lying! Both times this has happened have left you without so much as a mark on you! Your sister is in there crying with 2nd degree burns and still you cannot confess to what you have done!” Michael was growing angrier by the second, spittle flying from his lips as his face drifted from red to purple. Hot tears were sliding down Emma’s cheeks, unsure of how to convince her father it wasn’t her fault.

“Father..” the 10 year old whimpered, curling in on herself and backing into the corner knowing full well what was about to occur.

“Very well. If you insist on refusing to speak the truth perhaps this will loosen your tongue, girl.” Michael was already unfastening the belt around his waist and stepping towards his daughter who turned her body into the wall, bracing for the pain to ensue.

The leather came down hard and loud across the child’s back, thin, cotton nightdress doing nothing to soften the angry blows. Emma gritted her teeth to keep from crying out and not give her father the satisfaction, using the wall for support as she ground her nails into the soft flesh of her palms. Michael gave her 10 sharp blows in the exact same spot each, her face red and tear streaked once he was finished but she did not offer up any more of an explanation as she did not have anything else to give.

This went on for several weeks. Twice a week or more Emma would unknowingly set fire to her bed in her sleep and each time it happened the punishments became more severe. Eventually Michael took away the remnants of the burned mattress, quilts, and pillow altogether, leaving Emma with nothing but the metal bed frame to sleep in.

Since removing the flammable materials from her space the fires had become less frequent, however, the ever present holes in her clothing and blackened metal cot told her they were still happening just less flamboyantly. Michael and Mary had taken to calling her a pyromaniac, still believing it was her purposefully starting the fires in a bit of childish rebellion as she never seemed to be injured by the flames. Julia still claimed to believe Emma about being innocent but as time went on even the 6 year old sounded less sure it wasn’t she who was causing havoc in the family.

The beatings came frequently, the girls’ father growing angrier each time and looking for any excuse he could find to remove his belt. As for Emma herself she found her hands growing increasingly hotter, her palms sweating and itching almost constantly now. She tried to tell her mother of her odd medical predicament but Mary just believed she was making up more excuses to try and throw them off her trail.

Emma was scared and confused but eventually resigned herself to dealing with her problems all on her own, her parents clearly uninterested in caring for their own child. She had always possessed a bit of a temper and wasn’t afraid to put someone in their place should she feel they deserve it but this new set of circumstances and the obvious fear her family had for her had left Emma with a hardness no 10 year old should have.

She had taken to more or less caring for herself, not that she hadn’t been doing that previously, but aside from beatings and harsh words when she did quite literally anything in their vicinity Mary and Michael had taken to simply ignoring their eldest daughter altogether.

“Julia set out the plates and get your father. This is nearly done.” Mary demanded, flipping sizzling bacon with one hand, the other perched on her bony hip in her usual expression of annoyance. She didn’t particularly trust Emma around the stove these days and had become too fearful of her to even let her help in other ways.

As the rest of the family sat down to enjoy a meal together, Emma snatched a piece of toast and a strip of bacon off the platter before setting off out the door. While her mother may not want her around the cooking food it was apparently still her job to fetch the weekly groceries.

As she walked she absentmindedly scratched at her itchy palms, wiping sweat on her dress every so often. The burning sensation had increased over the last couple of days and was driving Emma mad but she was growing used to it. However, it certainly seemed worse today for some reason.

The closer she got to town the worse her symptoms seemed to get, the girl clawing at her palms until they were blistered red. They had also begun to swell somewhere along the way, the skin stretching and tightening like 2 big water blisters ready to burst.

They were beginning to agitate Emma a great deal by the time she had made it to the grocer’s, her whole hands up to the wrists now burning something awful and she thought they might just burst into flames if they got any hotter. She collected a few of the things they needed around the small market and moved towards the ice chest containing the different cuts of fish.

Unable to stand the incessant aggravation any longer the girl glanced around to make sure no one was looking before plunging her hands into the ice chest and automatically sighing with relief. However, the relief was short lived as her hands only seemed to burn hotter beneath the ice, quickly melting the contents inside. Emma watched in horror as the ice began to disappear at a rapid pace, the fish chunks soon floating around a box of tepid, smelly water and her hands burning worse than ever.

“Oi! You girl! Wha’ d’ya think yer doin’?” Emma jumped at the grocer’s gruff voice, ripping her hands out of the ice chest and spinning around to face his wrath.

“Yeh think it’s funny d’ya? Ruin’ me stock? Yer goin’ ter pay for all that.” The grocery man was livid, stalking towards the little girl with an angry red face. Emma was just debating whether to make a run for it or to stay and try to explain herself when all of a sudden, in her adrenaline induced state, her swollen, burning hands suddenly spontaneously combusted right before their very eyes.

Emma yelped and instinctively wrung out her hands trying to put out the fire but of course it didn’t work. The grocer took a hurried step backwards away from her as his eyes widened in surprised fear. Emma was terrified and had no idea what to do so she did the only thing she could think of. She ran.

The 10 year old high tailed it out of the shop and through the center of town, people gasping and jumping out of the way as they took notice of her flaming appendages. The flames consumed her hands up to the wrists, 2 great balls of fire encouraged into burning brighter by Emma’s panicked flee.

She ran until she made it to the beach, collapsing in the surf and plunging her hands into the ice cold seawater in a desperate attempt to put out the flames. The fire extinguished underwater but the pain persisted and as she drew them back out they immediately relit. Emma went back and forth for several minutes, dunking her hands in the water, watching the fire die and the water sizzle, just to pull them out and have it rekindle itself all without leaving a scratch on the girl’s tender skin.

Eventually the adrenaline began to subside and so did the intensity of the flames, Emma discovering that if she concentrated really hard on calming both her breathing and her heart rate that the fire began to sputter and finally vanish, stubby, pale fingers back to normal if not still uncomfortably warm. She was afraid of letting her emotions light them back up and worked very hard to keep herself calm as she stared at her fingers in disbelief.

Once she was certain she had it somewhat under control Emma turned back towards home, fearfully checking her hands every time she felt an itch or a prickle of heat, knowing she did not in fact have things under control as she was desperately trying to convince herself. She could not let her mother or father find out about this. They would lock her up, kick her out, or maybe even kill her depending on what kind of day Michael had at the factory.

Emma was doing her best to suppress the panic needling its way into her chest when she finally made it back across town without incident, scurrying into the Bloom’s apartment home and off to her bedroom without stopping to even check if anyone was home. Her father was likely still at work, her mother off at a neighbor’s house spilling her woes to her housewife friends. Julia, however, was sprawled atop her bed, already out of school for the day.

“You’re back quick. Where’s the groceries?” The 6 year old questioned, attempting to read a children’s book she had nicked from school. Emma didn’t immediately answer, sitting down on the edge of her own metal cot and breathing hard, taking in the events that had just occurred.

“Emma? Are you alright?” Julia had her full attention on her older sister now, obviously concerned by her odd behavior and abandoning her book on farm animals to sit up and face the other girl.

“I-“ Emma started, unsure of what to actually tell her or how to do it without sounding completely, certifiably insane.

“I think.. there’s something seriously wrong with me Julia.” Emma stared hard at her hands, half wanting them to catch fire again and prove to herself and Julia it had really happened but at the same time fearing she wouldn’t be able to stop it again if they did.

“What do you mean?” Julia was intrigued, wanting to understand what was going on with her big sister as of late. Emma hesitated only a moment, taking in an unsteady breath before finally telling the other girl everything.

“I was at the market and my hands started burning like they were going to catch fire any second. It hurt so bad I stuck them in the ice box where the fish are kept. But then the ice started melting and when I pulled them out they really did catch on fire! Can you believe that? I certainly couldn’t. Both my hands, covered in flames but the craziest part? It didn’t even hurt. It was like my skin was fire proof or something. Then the grocer man got mad I had ruined the fish and I ran out of the shop and down to the beach. Everyone in town saw. They all know I’m a freak, Julia, and they’re going to tell mum and dad and then I’m done for!” At some point tears had begun to run down the 10 year old’s face, fear coursing through her body but also relief at finally having told someone. However, Julia wasn’t sporting the expression Emma had expected her to have after relaying such surprising and exciting information.

“You’re just making that up.” The younger girl pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and putting on a rather adorable look of annoyance. “You must have done something really bad in town in you’re making up stories to cover it up Emma.”

“I’m telling the truth!” Emma cried, begging the other girl to believe her. “Everyone saw! The grocer watched me catch on fire! It really happened I swear! Julia you have to believe me.”

“Father told me not to listen to your excuses Emma. He said you’re just looking for attention and to not spend so much time with you anymore.” Now Emma was growing angry. Angry at her sister for not believing her story, angry at her parents for refusing to listen to what was obviously a cry for help, and angry with herself for believing that anyone would care enough about her to do either of those things.

She opened her mouth to tell her sister exactly where she would stick her flaming fist the next time she saw their father when her anger got the best of her, the lack of control causing her fists to go up in flames again just like at the market.

Julia screamed. Emma gasped and reflexively tried to scurry backwards away from the heat. However, just like earlier the flames did not harm her, simply wriggling and dancing across her fingertips as the pair watched in astonishment.

“Wha- how are you doing that?” Julia had fallen off the opposite side of her bed when she had gotten spooked by the sudden appearance of the fire and now crept cautiously around the bedpost with wide, fearful eyes and her mouth agape in utter shock.

“I told you I don’t know! I can’t control it.” Emma tried frustratedly shaking out her hands again with about as much luck as the first time. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she tried to calm herself down again but she was too amped up by her fight with Julia.

Julia watched with fascinated horror as Emma flexed her fingers, tried blowing them out like a match, and huffed in annoyance when nothing seemed to work, the flames blazing hotter than ever. Finally she took a long, deep breath and concentrated on clearing her mind and slowing her racing heart. Closing her eyes she imagined her hands encased in ice and the flames slowly dissolving, her skin cooling underneath the ice. After a couple of minutes she risked a peak and, to her delight, found nothing more than her very average, fire free fingers wiggling in front of her.

A wide grin broke out on the older girl’s face, waggling her cold fingers for Julia to see. She didn’t have complete control over her new ability but it was a start. The next time it happened she at least knew how to stop it even if she couldn’t always control when it happened.

* * *

It wasn’t until the next day that things went from bad to worse. Emma and Julia were at school and it seemed the events of yesterday were already making their way around town, Emma’s classmates ogling and whispering behind her back when they thought she wasn’t listening. Julia’s classmates kept asking if the rumors were true and if her sister could really control fire. The 6 year old told the truth. The 10 year old did not.

Julia’s innocent, naive friends were entranced with the idea that someone could spout fire out of their fingertips at will, continuously asking how she did it and trying in vain to replicate it themselves all throughout class, much to their teacher’s chagrin. Emma’s classmates, however, were less impressed and more wary of the girl on fire. There were murmured whispers of ‘freak’, ‘monster’, ‘con artist’, ‘gypsy’, and Emma did her best to ignore the lot of them. Nevertheless, it was only a matter of time until the girl’s hot headed temper got the best of her as it always seemed to. One of the boys that sat behind her was animatedly whispering to his friend, obviously intending for Emma to overhear.

“My mum was in the village when it happened. Saw the whole thing. She said if she hadn’t jumped out of the way when she did she would have gotten set on fire. She felt the heat and everything the freak got so close.” The boy sneered, earning an amused chuckle from his crony beside him. “My father was even saying we should bring back the witch trials. She’d certainly be the first to hang.”

That did it. Emma whipped around in her seat with so much fire in her eyes it was a surprise she didn’t light the whole desk up like a bonfire. The glint of fear that passed between the two boys was enough to grant her the smallest amount of satisfaction as she silently dared them to speak another word against her.

“If you 2 don’t shut your gobs this instant I’ll set the both of you on fire and dance in the ashes. We’ll see what your mum says then when you come home on the bottom of my shoe.” She hissed, holding up one hand and giving them a very unladylike gesture.

“Miss Bloom!” Screeched the school marm, turning just in time to miss the exchange of words but to witness the raised middle finger. The boys sniggered and feigned innocence as they took great delight in seeing her get in trouble.

“They started it Miss!” Emma tried, pointing at the pair of goons who were pretending to pour over their schoolwork.

“That is quite enough Miss Bloom. You will turn back around and worry about yourself or else I will have to get the ruler again. Am I understood?” Emma grumbled a response and turned back around in her seat, the back of her neck prickling in irritation as the boys continued to make snide remarks all throughout class.

After school Emma practically dragged Julia away from the grey brick building and through the busy streets back towards home. The townsfolk ogled Emma as bad, if not worse, than her classmates had, backing away in fear as she passed, mother’s roughly tugging children into their skirts, father’s shaking their head’s disapprovingly at her as they shielded their family’s. Emma set her brow and surged forwards through the throng, Julia trotting along behind her already out of breath.

“Emma slow down.” The younger girl whined, panting and struggling to keep up as they made the journey from school to home in nearly half the time it usually took.

When they got there Julia scurried off to help their mother prep for supper while Emma locked herself in their bedroom. She flopped down on her bed, the old metal cot groaning in response to her sudden weight. Everyone in town knew. They all had an opinion of her and it did not appear to be a good one. The other kids were bad enough but hearing the same whispers of ‘freak’ and ‘witch’ from the grown ups just worked to solidify Emma’s belief that she was quickly becoming the town outcast.

Perhaps she should just run away and join the circus. Emma snorted at that thought. What would perfect Michael and Mary say then? Their daughter, the circus freak.

All of a sudden Emma’s ears caught the sound of another voice in the house, that of one of her mother’s neighbor friends, and she sounded distressed which of course piqued the 10 year old’s curiosity. She crept out of her bedroom and into the kitchen where Mrs. Lisenby, the woman next door, appeared to be having a come apart.

“It’s all over town Mary! They’re saying she caught fire, just like that!” She snapped her fingers before resuming her frantic pacing across the kitchen floor. “No reason at all. Harry said he got onto her about bungling his fish. He said soon as she took her hands out of the ice box they just lit up like a matchstick. Poof! Gave the poor man quite the fright. And then she just ran off, disappeared towards the cove.” Mrs. Lisenby was clearly distressed and Mary herself looked as if she couldn’t decide whether to be worried about her dear friend’s mental state or terrified of her own daughter.

“Well it had to have been some sort of mistake Alice. There is just not way someone could conjure fire right into their hands, least of all my very own daughter.” Mary offered as a weak rebuttal but she didn’t look at all convinced as her face slackened in deep thought and her fingers instinctively went to the cross she wore at her throat. She of course hadn’t told Mrs. Lisenby of Emma’s pyromaniac tendencies.

“What if the girl’s a witch Mary? What if she’s possessed by the devil himself?!” Mrs. Lisenby was really working herself into a state now, chewing at her fingernails as she wore a path across the kitchen tile. Emma had heard enough and was becoming increasingly agitated by people claiming she was such awful things without asking her about their accusations first. Before she really thought about what she was doing the girl stepped into view with an expression of barely concealed wrath on her face ready to let them have it. Mrs. Lisenby let out a yelp and jumped so hard Emma was surprised she hadn’t hit her head on the ceiling.

“For your information I am not a witch.” Emma seethed, all but shaking with silent rage. “And I will thank you kindly to stop spreading these atrocious lies about me Miss.” Mrs. Lisenby was taken aback, her lips moving but no sound coming out as she floundered like a fish out of water.

“I didn’t mean.. I- I really must be getting home now. The kids.. yes I should go.” She hastily bid farewell to Mary, casting more spooked looks in the direction of the little girl still staring daggers at her on her way out. As soon as the door was shut and they were alone Mary rounded on her daughter.

“What is wrong with you?” She hissed, malice in her deadly quiet voice.

“I just don’t think it’s fair that people are accusing me of something so horrible. I am not a witch or possessed by the devil mother!” Emma huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in defiance.

“What you are is a nasty, attention seeking little girl.” Mary began stalking towards Emma. “I don’t know how you’re pulling these little stunts of yours but they need to cease this instant! You are single-handedly ruining this family’s good name and turning the whole of Cornwall against us!”

Mary was absolutely livid, her face turning scarlet and her hands shaking where they hung at her sides, fingers clearly itching to wrap themselves around little Emma’s throat. Before she could defend herself in walked Michael, Julia hot on his heels with a basket of cabbage from the lady down the street. Michael Bloom paused as he put away his coat and hat, glanced between his seething wife and frustrated eldest daughter before he face curled into a look of irritated disgust and he let out a resigned sigh.

“What have you done this time eh?” He sighed again, directing the accusatory question at Emma. However, her mother stepped in before she could utter a single word.

“The little wench was mucking about in the grocer’s yesterday apparently. Alice stopped by and she was in a right state claiming the girl had set herself on fire right in front of Mr. Mandel and then went running through the streets for everyone to see! Yet, not a scratch on her. Just like always. I don’t know how she’s doing it Michael but this cannot continue.” Mary tsked her tongue, glaring darkly at Emma. “They are calling her a witch, a demon from hell Michael.”

Mr. Bloom’s expression had grown darker and more angry with every word, his beady black eyes boring into Emma’s undeterred green ones. “Is this true?” He asked her in a deadly quiet voice, venom dripping from every syllable.

“Yes.” Emma stated plainly, meeting her father’s lethal glare without fear. She was done trying to reason with these people. If they weren’t going to listen to her then she wasn’t going to cower in front of them begging for their mercy and forgiveness.

Michael looked as if he was going to blow a fuse. Nostrils flared, breaths coming in harsh puffs, fingers quivering with rage, he reached out for Emma, undoubtedly ready to throttle her and be done with all this malarkey. However, something happened that shocked every single individual in the room, including Emma herself.

As her anger at her family took hold and consumed her very being, Emma lit up like a firework and this time it wasn’t just her hands. This time her entire body from the tip of her blonde head to the toes of her worn out boots was instantly engulfed in red hot flames. It was as if a bomb had detonated beneath her feet, the flames licking up towards the ceiling as the girl’s fury made them flicker and dance wildly around her.

Mary and Julia screamed, jumping backwards. Michael hurried to shield them with his own body as he stared transfixed, mouth agape, at Emma in the center of the fire, posed like an effigy with a wicked little grin on her perfectly poised face. She peered at her family from behind the wall of fire, unfazed by the heat that should have begun melting her baby soft skin instantaneously, knowing they now had no choice but to believe her.

* * *

Mary Bloom could not handle it. She wasted no time fleeing from the house screeching about how her daughter was a demon delivered straight from Hell via her own womb. She did not take any of her belongings or inform anyone where she was going. She simply fled, no one knowing when or if she would ever return.

As soon as she left Emma’s act of spontaneous combustion ceased and her father took out his own fear and anger via the belt. The 10 year old was bruised, bloody, and still covered in soot from the fire when her father forcibly dragged her by the hair down the hallway and threw her into her bedroom, Emma screaming and cursing the whole way. He returned minuets later with a set of asbestos sheets, tying her hands and feet to each corner of the metal cot.

“You can rot in here for all I care.” Michael spat in disgust. “You are no daughter of mine. The devil can come and collect you himself if he wants you back.”

He boarded up the window and locked the door from the outside so she could not escape, Julia being forced to move to the couch at night to sleep and forbidden to go anywhere near her sister. Nevertheless, the 6 year old did not always abide by her father’s horrid rules.

He really did seem determined to let his eldest daughter starve to death and as the days dragged on Julia began sneaking bits of food from at least one of their meals, mixing it up each day so as not to arouse suspicion, and collecting the key from where her father had stashed it in a flower pot before sneaking into the bedroom after Michael had fallen into his nightly drunken stupor.

“I nicked some bread for you Emma.” Stated Julia quietly as she stealthily made her way into their room that evening.

“Thanks Julia.” The older girl croaked back, voice hoarse with disuse, lips cracking with dehydration.

Julia poured a bit of water from the jug on the nightstand into the foggy, unwashed glass that had been sitting there for the last week and took her time tearing off bits of hard bread, hand feeding it to her sister as if she were an invalid. Emma was silent during all of this, eyes dull and glazed over as she chewed reflexively and without interest. Nearly 6 days locked in a dark room, unable to move or interact with anyone had left the 10 year old depressed and vaguely mad, eyes roaming back and forth across the bare ceiling as if there were a projector playing a film only she could see.

It took Emma entirely too long to finish the meager meal, the bread somehow hard, burnt, and chewy all at the same time. With Mary gone Michael and Julia were struggling with meals, a man and a young child about as adept at cooking as monkeys in the zoo. Nevertheless, Emma did not complain, or even seem to taste it really, just monotonously chewing and swallowing with whatever undercooked or overcooked slop Julia managed to obtain for her.

The asbestos sheets kept her from lighting anything on fire and releasing herself but she had certainly tried like hell in the first couple of days, refusing to give in to her father without a fight. However, all that her efforts had achieved were a few new holes in her clothing and a blackened metal cot beneath her.

“They have started asking about you at school.” Julia started, often catching Emma up on what she had been missing. “Father said to just tell them you’re sick but I don’t know how long we can keep up that lie. The people in town stare at father and me when we go, probably wondering if I can do it too and what he’s done to you and mother.”

Emma listened without a flicker of interest, still staring unwaveringly at the dark ceiling.

“We started learning arithmetic is school. It’s awful. A boy in my class brought in a frog and it hopped up Mrs. Spinnet’s skirts. That was funny. I ripped my dress tripping in the street yesterday. I wish mother was here to fix it.” Julia’s voice got quieter as she fidgeted with her fingers in her lap, Emma finally looking at her younger sister.

“I’m sorry Julia.” She whispered with sincerity. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“Why’d you have to do it Emma? Why couldn’t you just keep it a secret, be normal?” Julia’s eyebrows furrowed in frustration and angry tears gathered in the younger girl’s eyes.

Emma didn’t even have it in her to be mad at her for speaking just as the adults did about her. She knew it wasn’t Julia’s fault, she was just a little girl who couldn’t understand why her mother had abandoned her, why her father was so cruel, or why her sister, her best friend, was a freak with supernatural powers at the center of all this tumult.

“I’m sorry Julia.” Emma repeated softly. “I really, really am. I didn’t ask for this either.”

Julia left soon after, leaving Emma to stare at the ceiling and contemplate her seemingly worthless existence until the next time the other girl came for a visit.

This went on for an agonizingly long couple of weeks, a teacher from the school even showing up at the house one time to check on Emma in which Michael lied and told her that the girl was incapacitated by a horribly infectious disease and that no one could get near her or even step foot into the house without risk of contamination. Only once a week did Michael briefly cast a look into the dark room to see whether or not Emma was still alive, simply wishing to remove the body before it could smell up the house once she was no longer his problem. He always looked quite disgruntled when her head lolled to the side to give him a weak glare, ensuring him of her continued survival. He still did not know of Julia’s late night escapades after all and apparently just decided to believe demons did not require frequent food or drink to survive.

However, one night Julia didn’t come, at least not at her usual time. This was the first night in nearly a month that the girls’ father hadn’t drank himself into a diluted stupor throughout the evening and was too alert for the 6 year old to try and steal a bit of food at dinner and he also refused to retire to his bedroom until nearly midnight. Finally the quiet shuffling of the lock indicated the other girl’s arrival except this time she did not hold food scraps between her tiny fingers but something that glinted silver in the minuscule rays of moonlight penetrating the boarded up room.

“Emma!” Julia seemed agitated, her eyes as wide as saucers as she hurried over to the bed. “I nicked father’s pocket knife. I’m setting you free.”

Emma perked up at this news, watching as Julia clumsily brandished the small blade, hacking at the knotted fabric around one wrist and nearly cutting both of them about half a dozen times in the process.

Once she had a hand free Emma wasted no time before quickly sawing the other 3 limbs out of their bindings. As soon as she could move freely the older girl hopped up on shaky legs, a newfound sense of purpose finding its way within her.

“Come with me Julia.” Emma pleaded hurriedly, throwing a few essentials into a knapsack.

“I can’t Emma. I can’t leave father and what if mother comes back?” The younger girl was clearly anxious but there was also a sort of determined resignation on her young face.

“They’ll know you helped me. They’ll take it out on you Julia!”

“I’m not going Emma. I’ll put the key and the knife back and he’ll never know. He doesn’t know I know where they are. Even if he does find out it’s better than watching you die.” There was sadness in Julia’s big green eyes but she did not shed a tear, instead wrapping her big sister in the biggest, strongest hug she could muster before pushing her towards the open door.

The younger girl stealthily replaced the key and the knife from where she had found them but left the bedroom door unlocked so that it just looked like Emma had found a way out herself. If they were lucky it would be days before Michael even noticed, giving Emma as much of a head start as possible, not that he would bother looking her even when he did realize. Michael would be thrilled that she was no longer his burden to bear.

Emma took a few cans of food from the back of the pantry, hoping he wouldn’t notice if he couldn’t see the empty holes, and filled an old canteen with clean water.

“Thank you Julia.” Emma stated a bit awkwardly once she was standing in the doorway ready to depart. “If I can I will come back for you.”

Julia nodded once, curtly, not oblivious to what was most likely an empty promise.

“Good bye Emma. Be careful.”

Without another word to her sister Emma hurried out into the night, Julia watching anxiously from the steps as her best friend, the only person who had ever truly looked out for her and loved her disappeared into the shadows without so much as a backward glance, abandoning her just as their mother had done.

* * *

Emma traveled the country lanes solely by night for the first few days, not wanting to risk potentially being recognized and sent back to Cornwall. During the day she sheltered in alcoves along the beach, in the scarce trees littered about, or once in a long abandoned barn on the edge of someone’s property.

Being the middle of winter it was quite cold and all Emma had to wear was a rather ratty, blue dress that barely brushed her skinned knees. Yet, she wasn’t at all cold. Little Emma was growing more comfortable with her fire wielding abilities everyday.

Since that last night with her family she hadn’t been able to conjure up anything flamboyant but she had worked out how to hold a baseball sized ball of raw flame between her palms. It was small and inconsistent, often flickering in and out at random, but it was on her terms. No more fire fingers or effigy burnings, although when she sneezed sometimes a little flame still blew out of her nose like a dragon with a chest cold. She also found that she really didn’t feel the cold unless the temperature became exceptionally low and the fire raging in her core seemed to stutter, sapping and depleting her energy faster than normal.

Emma had enough canned food for roughly a week along with whatever she could scavenge on the road such as dandelion roots, horseradish roots, and some very questionable mushrooms that left her dreaming of polka dotted monkeys wearing top hats and tailcoats dancing the 2 step. Fresh water was easy enough to come by with the plethora of shallow springs and animal troughs. Emma wasn’t exactly sure where it was she was going but she kept on moving, searching for something to make this life worth living.

As she walked she often began to find her mind wandering to what had become of her family back home. Had her father yet discovered her disappearance? Had her mother come back if she knew Emma was gone from their lives? And what had happened to Julia? Had she been punished for helping her older sister escape or were they simply too pleased to care?

There were still so many more questions swirling around in the 10 year old’s brain when her ears picked up the low hum of distant voices carried to her on the wind, pausing and listening to try and discern what type of people she was about to run up on this late at night. Emma crept towards the sound, careful to keep herself concealed in the shadows. Once she finally caught a good look at the odd group her eyebrows shot upwards in surprise.

There were horses, dogs, and people galore, littered all across a makeshift camp alongside a smattering of more unusual creatures: small monkeys, snakes, a pair of zebras, and even a large lion asleep in one of the barred, cage like trollies. Many of the people gathered around a bonfire in the center of the camp, talking, laughing, and showing off talents as unusual as the beasts they traveled with.

One man juggled pins, throwing them up and down and around in a pattern Emma could not wrap her brain around. A woman decked out in glittering gold jewelry played a miniature flute and swayed her upper body to the music, a gigantic king cobra peeking its head out of a basket and moving its own frilled head to the rhythm as if in a trance. There were also a handful of school aged children running amok as well but they appeared to be in charge of the chores that grown ups did not want to do such as tending the animals and lighting up the fires to cook over rather than practicing odd skills.

This strange amalgamation of people were carnies Emma realized with a start. Circus freaks, outcasts who were considered too weird and abnormal to make a life in respectable society. People normals feared and wanted to keep hidden. People like Emma.

She knew what she needed to do and so with a determined glint in her eye she stepped out of the safety of the darkness and strode right into the heart of the lion’s den with her head held high. The little girl waltzed right up to the gaggle of men and women hovering around the biggest fire and waited on someone to take notice of her.

“Well what do we have here?” An exceptionally tall, lanky man peered down at her with a smile full of yellow, rotting teeth. “Lost are yeh little miss?”

They all chuckled lowly, every pair of eyes now locked onto the lone child in their midst. However, the fire in Emma’s gaze never wavered, staring each of them in the eye as menacingly as a 10 year old could.

“I want to see the ringmaster.” She stated coldly, hands instinctively heating up where they hung at her sides.

“Is that right? And why exactly should the ringmaster himself bother with the likes of you eh?”

“I want a job.” This really set them off, catching the attention of others in the encampment as a few of them all but fell off their log seats laughing. Anger flared in the younger girl, having to dig her fingernails into her palms and bite her tongue to keep from wiping the grins off every one of their faces.

“A job? You want a job as a circus freak? And what makes you think you have something to offer us anyways eh?” The tall man sneered, crossing his knobby arms across an equally knobby chest and sitting down on a log in order to look Emma in the eye.

Surprisingly it was Emma who broke the intense staring contest first but only to glance at the raging fire blazing hotly in the center of the group and calmly walking towards it as everyone watched with rapt interest. A couple of gasps sounded around her as the young girl reached into the flames, plucked out a smoldering stick without so much as a wince of pain, and chomped down on it, a little smoke trail emitting from her nostrils.

“Fire eater.” Emma stated blandly, meeting the tall man’s now impressed gaze. The others looked at her with the same slightly surprised expression on their faces and fell quiet, unsure of how exactly she had just done that. Playing with controlled fire was one thing, it was another entirely for a child to be able to reach into the red hot flames without a flicker of pain or injury.

“Humph. She’s got tricks.” The tall man grinned, a knowing look passing between him and the snake charmer that Emma did not notice. “Ringmaster’s in that tent o’er there.”

He pointed to the largest tent of all in the center of the camp, Emma nodding her thanks before proceeding in that direction. “Good luck little Phoenix.” The tall man’s chuckled lowly, the eyes of all the carnies following her.

“Hello?” She called, peeking her head inside.

“Yeah? Wha’ d’yer want now?” A gruff, slightly slurred voice responded from somewhere in the very back of the tent.

“I’m looking for a job.” Emma stepped fully inside the dingy makeshift home, peering around for the man she was speaking to. Finally, a squat little man in his mid 40’s poked his egg shaped head out, a flask of booze clutched in his chubby fingers.

“A job eh? And what exactly is it you can do little girl?”

“I’m a fire eater.” The ring master quirked one eyebrow and moved out of the shadows to get a better look at her.

“A fire eater eh? You seem mighty young to be playing with fire. You know the last one we had ended up setting herself on fire in the middle of a show. Haven’t exactly been too keen on replacing that act after the uproar she caused.” His beady black eyes stared scrutinizingly at Emma, sizing her up.

“That won’t happen with me sir. Give me a chance to prove it to you.” Emma had that determined look on her face, the one that either made adults treat her as an isolate, disobedient child, or as an equal. In this case it seemed to work in the girl’s favor as a yellow, toothy grin spread slowly across the ring master’s pimply face.

“I like your confidence kid. Very well then. We have a show in 3 days time. Let’s see what you got.” He nodded and turned away from her, a clear dismissal, and Emma left his tent feeling rather satisfied.

* * *

The 3 days passed rather quickly, the circus folks accepting Emma but still keeping a heathy distance as they remained uncertain of her. She kept the more unnatural aspects of her abilities to herself, however, that didn’t stop her from adding on a bit of a flare from time to time during practice.

As opposed to the normal people that has to ingest some form of toxic, flammable substance in order to breathe fire like a dragon, Emma did not need to. She was able to inhale the flames and breathe them back out at will, even going so far as to shoot a a bonfire sized jet of fire 6 feet into the air above her like a human blowtorch.

As she found her flow and developed a routine Emma became all the more experimental with exactly how much she could get away with before anyone suspected it might be more than just an act. Her body moved in a sort of dance of her own creation as she twirled the burning torches she carried, sending sparks flying all around her like fireflies dancing across a summer meadow.

The group spent most of the daylight hours traveling, stopping only for a meager lunch or to occasionally re-shoe a horse. During the evenings those that had something to practice did so, the others whose abnormality lay within their physical appearance busying themselves with cooking or playfully cat calling their friends.

Emma had been somewhat fascinated upon seeing all the different acts that first evening as she had only ever seen the circus one time as a very small child. Alongside the snake charmer lady there was also the lion tamer, the twins that did acrobatics while riding a pair of zebras Roman style, a man that trained dogs to jump through hoops, a trapeze artist that doubled as a contortionist and could squeeze her entire body into a milk crate. And of course there were those that relied on their unusual physical traits such as the tall man, the bearded lady, the girl who barely stood 3 feet tall at 22 years old, and the man that had tattooed and pierced his body so extravagantly that he more closely resembled a serpent than a human.

Then there were the other children who Emma learned were orphaned runaways just looking for food and work and who were the ones to set up camp and handle the brunt work that came with traveling with the circus. Emma was the youngest of the performers but one of the oldest children and the orphan boys weren’t too keen on befriending performers. She was left to try and make a place for herself among the grown ups even if they were more or less ignoring her as well until they knew whether or not she was fated to become one of them.

“Reckon we’ll be there tomorrow. Just enough time to set up before the first show on Friday night.” The tall man, who Emma now knew was named Phineas, grunted, warming his hands by the fire that evening.

“Gonna be a bloody cold one this weekend. Last cold spell of the year I hope. Thought spring was supposed to be warm and flowery. Think anyone’ll actually come out for the show?” Asked the snake charmer, Leonora, shrugging her traveling cloak tighter against the biting wind.

“People always show. No matter the weather. Remember that ice storm few years back in London? Or that heat spell in Bristol when people was fainting left and right? People don’t care bout weather so long as they get their money’s worth o’ entertainment.” The others chuckled in agreement, swapping stories back and forth about the past. Emma listened with only mild interest, having nothing to contribute and no desire to anyhow, simply killing time until she could go back to her tent for the night.

“You ready for your shot at the big top little miss?” Phineas turned his attention onto her as did most of the others.

“Guess so.” Emma shrugged, intently chewing her food. She didn’t have much interest in idle chat or making friends, preferring when they ignored her and left her to go about her own business. Yet, her hostility never seemed to have the desired effect on Phineas at least.

“Been watching you with your little light sticks.” Phineas grinned with his yellow teeth. “You seem quite comfortable handling that fire. Almost abnormally so.”

Emma glared at him, not entirely sure what he was implying and yet again completely missing the knowing look he exchanged with the snake charmer.

“I beg your pardon?” Emma bristled, ready to either come up with some lame excuse for her odd ability or pick a fight with him in order to divert his attention elsewhere. However, the tall man just let out a low chuckle of amusement.

“Only teasing kid. You’ll do just fine. I’m sure of it.” He winked at her and went back to making bets with the others about who would muck up their act this week, leaving Emma both confused and mildly aggravated by his incessant need to pick at her.

There was much chatter on the road the next day as the group of oddballs drew closer to their destination with every step. Emma entertained herself with conjuring little fireballs between her hands when no one was watching, the adults laughing and taking light hearted jabs at one another involving their talents as per usual. Even the animals seemed more restless than normal, obviously picking up on the excitement radiating off the humans.

After what felt like an eternity and a half they finally arrived on the outskirts of a sleepy little town Emma did not recognize. They were quite far inland at this point and the terrain had changed considerably. Where there were rocky, sandy beaches, the smell of salt in the damp air, and vast cliffs looking out across the sea, here there were no distant sounds of waves crashing against the shore, flat, brown countryside as far as the eye could see, and the tiny village set in the middle of it all looked pale, Victorian, and rather sickly. From what Emma could see from their place atop the lone hill these people still lived like it was the mid 1800s, completely forgoing the thriving modern day society that was the 1920s.

The boys went about setting up camp and since they had arrived mid afternoon there was enough light to begin setting up the big top as well. This was the first time Emma had seen the show tent and watched in mild fascination as it was erected, the boys working together quickly and efficiently clearly having done this a few dozen times before. The ringmaster was strutting about checking in on everyone ensuring they were fit and ready to perform the following night.

“Ready for your shot at the big time kid?” He asked her with a toothy grin. She had learned the man’s name was Sawyer but he preferred to be called “the amazing Stolinski” or simply ringmaster.

“Guess so.” Emma shrugged, having no more enthusiasm for him than anyone else.

“Ah come on kid. This is your chance to be a star. Anyone else in your position would be over the moon ecstatic!” He beamed, opening his arms wide and gesturing to the entirety of the operation. However, Emma wasn’t so sure that was true. No one wanted to be a circus freak, it was what you became as a last ditch effort to survive. She simply gave the ringmaster a tight lipped smile that more closely resembled a grimace and a curt nod, knowing full well what would come out of her mouth if she chose to speak.

“You’ll go on after the twins.” He continued on, unbothered by Emma’s lack of enthusiasm. “The lion tamer will come out before you’ve finished and you’ll light up the ring of fire for her on your way out.”

Emma nodded that she understood and he clapped her on the back before moving off to pester someone else.

As the morning light crested the hilltop and cast a warm glow around the frosty, fluttering circus tent a few of the early risers in the village began to take notice of their sudden appearance. There was pointing and staring as everyone realized the circus had come to town and later in the morning the boys set out to sell tickets and hype up the people for tonight.

The performers had the day to lounge about or lightly practice, not wanting to be too worn out before it had even begun. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits, laughing and joking boisterously as they huddled around the fires for warmth. Leonora had been right about the cold. It was bloody freezing and it would only get worse as the weak sunlight disappeared into night.

Nevertheless, Emma didn’t mind at all. The biting winds didn’t bother her like it did the others. And just as Phineas had predicted it did not seem to stop the villagers from wanting to see the show either as the boys returned that afternoon with significantly fuller pockets of coins.

“Nearly everyone down there bought a ticket!” One boy, Fabian, grinned, unloading his pockets into the hat of the ringmaster alongside the others.

“Well done boys. Get some food and start bringing everything into the tent. Only a few more hours until show time!”

As the sun went down and the lights went up the night came alive with fantastical wonder. The tent was alight with torches scattered all about the stands for added warmth, people slowly trickling in and chattering excitedly to one another.

The performers lined up out back, ready to enter the ring when their time came. The boys ran around yelling about snacks and drinks for sale trying to make a few extra coins. And at exactly 7:00 on the dot the ringmaster floated into the tent and allowing his booming voice to bounce around the walls.

“Welcome friends! We are so pleased that so many of you could come out to see the show tonight and I also hope you will consider telling your friends about the other two shows we hope to amuse you with during our short stay in your fine town. The circus doesn’t come to town just any old day y’know.” He flashed a grin into the crowd of onlookers. “So please, eat, drink, and enjoy what we have to offer you.”

The ringmaster gave a dramatic bow and turned on his heel, his cape fanning out behind him, and rushed out the back of the tent as the “freaks” hurried in behind him to put their odd deformities on full display. Emma heard the ‘oo’s’ and ‘awe’s’ of the crowd as the tall man and his fellow abnormals flaunted their physical differences, people whooping and gawking like they were at a human zoo.

After them was Leonora, a basket of venomous snakes and a flute in hand. Women and children shrieked as the dangerous vipers began to slither around the ring under her command. Then came the trapeze artist/contortionist, the dogs and cart horses turned show ponies, and finally it was time for the twins with their zebras.

Emma was growing just a little bit nervous now, her fingers fidgeting and sending sparks up into the chilly night air. She listened to the sounds of hooves galloping and the cheers that followed as the twins performed their acrobatic stunts on the backs of the running animals. Finally, the pair trotted back out with wide grins on their faces, adrenaline pumping from the ride.

Emma grabbed her torches and scurried into the ring before she had time to hesitate, lighting the ends with her fingertips as she went. Every pair of eyes was now on her, the air stiflingly hot with so many bodies packed into such a small space and the fire dancing around the upper portion of the tent.

Emma took a deep breath and held her torches up to show the crowd, being met with excited cheers that gave her the little boost of confidence that she needed to settle into the performance. She knew her routine by heart now, dancing smoothly around the ring to the joyous sound of applause and screams of mock fear when her torches purposefully strayed into the crowd. A thin stream of fire emitted from her lips as she twirled the lit torches like batons in a complicated ballet of her own making.

The crowd really took off when the young girl took the entire end of one of the blazing sticks into her mouth and ejected a wall of fire 6 feet into the air above her before allowing the smoke to trail from her nostrils like a burnt out dragon. The crowd cheered as loudly as ever, clearly impressed by the miniature fire eater. Emma grinned as she drank in the applause all for her, giving a dramatic bow and lighting up the ring of fire for the lion to jump through before hurrying back outside into the cold air.

“Well done kid.” Phineas gave her a rather enthusiastic pat on the back that made her topple forwards with a short laugh.

“They really loved you.” Chimed in Leonora.

“Indeed they did. Think you can keep that up for 2 more days little miss?” The ringmaster asked hopefully, an excited glint in his beady little eyes.

“Are you saying I have a job?” Emma smirked playfully, reveling in the praise.

“I’m saying if you can get that much satisfaction from the crowd for 2 more shows then I do in fact think we can find a place for you in our midst.” Emma smirked with satisfaction of her own, assuring them that she was up to the task. That had actually been kinda fun.

The rest of the weekend went just as well, the stands equally as full as the first show and the crowd just as boisterous even though most of them had seen the same acts at least twice now. They were clearly desperate for a respite from their mundane everyday lives.

By the time Monday rolled around and it was time to hit the road again Emma was officially a circus freak. They traveled quickly and efficiently, only stopping when absolutely necessary. It could be anywhere from 2-4 days between shows depending on how far they had to travel, weather conditions, supplies, and the health of both humans and animals.

June rolled around and Emma had been with the circus for just about a month now. The heat of summer had begun to set in and the entourage had now made it all the way up to Wales. Initially Emma had been fascinated by the idea of the big city after living on the outskirts of Cornwall her entire life. That was until they had first arrived in London 2 and a half weeks prior and she had begun choking on a viscous layer of smog before they had even entered the city limits.

There were plenty of factories back home putting out the toxic smelling smoke but nothing compared to the city. After only a day Emma couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to wade through the sludge in the streets, constantly breathe in the thick, cancerous fog, or stand listening to the constant chatter of machines, factories, and street brawls. However, these highly populated towns certainly brought in some good business.

They often stayed more than the standard one or two nights in these bigger towns because there was so much more demand and they were able to sell out every night. Even during a financial rough spot it seemed no one could resist a night of frivolity.

Emma had gotten comfortable with her part of the show and knew her routine well, knowing exactly what got the crowd whooping and cheering for more. They had even picked up a few new acts along the way. There was Harry and Larry the twins that had been conjoined at the neck since birth, Julius the juggler who could keep 20 bowling pins in the air while simultaneously riding a unicycle, and then there was Alejandro the clown with his silly shaped balloons and enormous shoes he couldn’t help but trip over.

Their little circus family was growing meaning the more shows and the more money the better. As an official performer Emma received a small stipend from each show but it wasn’t much at all, especially considering she was still the youngest. However, it was enough for the very few essentials a 10 year old needed.

The circus provided food and shelter and anything she couldn’t acquire for herself one of the others were usually willing to help if they could. Phineas and Leonora at least. The others still weren’t too keen on her presence with her being so young and a girl, but Emma thought it really had more to do with the fact she got so much more attention from the crowd than they did. It also didn’t help that the young girl had no problem telling them exactly how she felt about their opinions of her in a way that would make even the most ruthless sailor blush.

But Phineas and Leonora were different. They kept an eye on her, helped her with any problem she might have had, and occasionally made odd remarks behind her back about her being peculiar. Emma didn’t care. She had been called much worse things than peculiar by her own mother and weren’t they all circus freaks? Wasn’t everyone here a bit odd? Anyways they looked after her and were decently nice to her unlike the rest of the crew.

Leonora had even helped to fix Emma’s hair when she had gotten tired of trying to keep the long, golden locks tidy on the road and lopped it all off with a pair of sheep shears. Now she was sporting the short, bouncy bob her father so detested on top of being an outcast. She really was turning into the very thing her parents so despised and quite frankly little Emma could not have cared less.

Circus life certainly wasn’t the most glamorous thing ever what with being on the road all the time and not bathing for days at a time, sleeping in tents where thieves and ruffians could run up on your during the night, and people certainly tend to get on each other’s nerves in such close quarters but she was free.

Free from the fear. Free from the hatred and abuse. Here she could be herself and no one ran screaming or called her a demon from hell simply for existing. Here she was rewarded for her gift and that was what Emma had finally begun to think of it as, a gift rather than a curse.

Tonight was the first show in Wales and to no one’s surprise it was completely sold out. The boys ran around keeping anyone from trying to sneak in for free while the performers lined up in their usual order of go out back.

Emma absentmindedly patted one of the zebras as she waited on the ringmaster to give his customary opening speech to the crowd welcoming them and thanking them for coming out. As the performers filed one by one into the tent the crowd grew louder and the gaggle of street kids trying to catch a glimpse of the magic within grew larger. Emma’s turn came and she waltzed in already twirling her torches above her head and around her middle, falling into the familiar rhythm encouraged by the steady supply of applause.

Once the show had concluded and the group had taken their final bow everyone began to disperse for the evening. In the chaos between performers going one way and the audience going the other, a woman managed to push her way in front of Emma and corner her back behind the main tent.

Emma blinked up at her in surprise. With her perfectly curled light blonde hair, cherry red lipstick, and crisp, pristine business outfit she looked more like someone on the cover of a women’s rights pamphlet than a factory girl of housewife.

“That was quite the show.” The woman gave her a wide grin, showing off her abnormally perfect teeth. “Fire eating is an unusual choice for someone your age.”

“Guess I’m just that good.” Emma didn’t like this woman. Although she wasn’t totally sure why but something about her sugary sweet voice and the way she managed to talk down to the younger girl while simultaneously trying to make it sound as if she was speaking to an equal irked her.

“You are indeed.” The woman responded cryptically. “And would I be correct in assuming that spectacular ability of yours wasn’t learned but came naturally?”

Emma narrowed her eyes at the other woman, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up in warning.

“Who exactly are you Miss?”

“Who I am isn’t important. What is important is that I know who you are, or rather, what you are. And I know many more people just like you.” Emma gaped at her, too stunned to speak for a long while.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” She didn’t like where this conversation was headed and something told her not to divulge any unnecessary information. The uptight woman just let out a low chuckle.

“Suit yourself. But I’m not here to accuse you of something we both know you possess whether you wish to admit its existence or not. No. I am here to offer you a job. A job with people that have the same explosive talent as yourself and with others whose abilities range as far and wide as you could possibly imagine. I can offer you better wages and companionship with others as talented as yourself. All you have to do is come and work for me.” The woman gave Emma another of her pearly white smiles, allowing her a moment to think it over.

And Emma did, think it over that is. This woman clearly knew something she didn’t and Emma wouldn’t pretend that she wasn’t at all curious what it was. As loathe as she was to admit it she really considered the possibility of following this stranger if it meant understanding more about her abnormal abilities. However, in the end her gut feeling was stronger than her desire for insight. There was something off about all of this and Emma may have been young but she wasn’t stupid enough to wander off with a sketchy stranger.

“No thank you Miss.” The younger girl stated blandly, meeting the cold, dead eyes of the woman whose cheery facade cracked ever so slightly at the denial of her request.

“Well.. you will be giving up the chance to learn more about what you’re capable of and the chance to become someone other than a circus freak. Wouldn’t you like to get away from all this?” She blundered on, sounding a bit peeved that Emma hadn’t immediately fallen to her knees thanking her for her graciousness.

“I said no thank you.” The little girl bit back again, forcing a thin, fake smile onto her lips. The woman huffed in annoyance, pursing her own lips and appearing to think very carefully about her next words.

“I am offering you more money than you will ever see in your lifetime as a circus freak and the chance to actually do something significant with your extraordinary abilities. Do you not understand how valuable they make you? How many people would kill to be in your shoes and would beg for the opportunity to come and work for me?” The business woman was fast growing angry with Emma’s lack of compliance and whereas upon first glance she had appeared much like a perfectly put together movie star, now Emma began to see through the cracks in the mask she had obviously painstakingly crafted for her con.

This woman wasn’t being at all truthful about what exactly it was she was after and the part about being her abilities making her valuable brought up a red flag in Emma’s mind. She let out an irate huff of her own, making sure the annoying woman had her full attention before addressing her for the last time.

“Well thank you ever so kindly for your more than generous offer of rescuing me from the dreadful life of a circus freak Miss.” Emma spoke sarcastically, every syllable dripping with disdain and disgust. “But, and do listen carefully this time will you, I will not go traipsing into whatever foul little con artist scheme you or your egghead bosses have cooked up and let you ruin my life. I am perfectly capable of finding my own way in this world without you or your people.” Emma’s expression was so nasty that the older woman actually shrunk back from the little girl and had it been a month prior Emma might have accidentally set her ablaze with her unbridled fury.

“I see.” The woman was clearly very annoyed at not getting what she wanted but was also eyeballing the girl’s balled up fists as if she were thinking along the same lines but unsure of exactly how much control a 10 year old could actually possess. Emma expected her to argue again but instead she gave an irate huff of air, turned on her heel and stalked off rather angrily, the younger girl waggling her favorite finger in the air at her turned back and letting out a derisive snort before heading back to the others just glad to finally be rid of her.

* * *

She didn’t remember falling asleep. In fact, she couldn’t remember anything at all after her encounter with the strange woman. However, as her groggy mind worked to comprehend her present situation Emma knew one thing for certain. She was moving.

A thin bed of scratchy hay irritated her skin as the wagon trundled along the bumpy dirt road, muffled voices floating in and out from somewhere outside. Her mouth had been gagged and her hands cuffed behind her, obviously having somehow been drugged.

2 of the hushed voices were deep, masculine. However, there was one higher pitched and dripping with an air of superiority that even in her half conscious state Emma recognized as that abysmal woman from the circus. She had obviously been kidnapped and was currently being taken God only knows where to do God only knows what for some sort of criminal gang.

Emma tugged weakly at her bindings, trying to wriggle around and find something, anything, that could aid her in her escape. She didn’t know exactly how long she had been unconscious but it was already well into the night, the full moon illuminating what little of the passing countryside she could see out the back of the wagon. Emma groaned and felt herself start to succumb to the unknown drugs running through her system once more, relaxing into another dreamless slumber.

It was late into the next afternoon when Emma awoke next, a splitting headache threatening to tear her in two but much more awake this time as the toxins seemed to be leaving her bloodstream. The group had stopped and she could hear the muttered complaints and tell tale clanking sounds of a horse being re-shoed.

The girl tried to wiggle her hands free from their restraints again but the cuffs were exceedingly tight and unyielding. Emma huffed in frustration, yanking uselessly at the rusty chain attaching her cuffs to the wagon. They clearly weren’t taking any chances on her escaping.

As she contemplated how on earth she was going to get out of this one Emma was suddenly pulled from her reverie by the appearance of a curious bird. Emma stopped her fidgeting long enough to meet the obsidian eye of the great blue falcon who had decided to perch itself curiously on the edge of the wagon and was peering at Emma with great interest.

There was something about that strange bird that captured Emma’s undivided attention, and it wasn’t just the oddity of a bird of prey eyeing her up like she was a fat, juicy mouse. There was something.. peculiar about this particular bird and Emma found herself trying to call out to it around the gag in her mouth as it took flight and soared away, disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared.

As the animal disappeared into the forest she let out a sigh and tried to listen in to the conversation outside instead. Someone was still clanking away at an anvil, the other 2 muttering heatedly as if arguing but Emma was unable to make out the exact words exchanged.

Then came the sound of another set of scuffling footsteps from the other side of the wagon as if someone was hurrying towards them out of the woods. Emma lifted her head up out of the hay just as someone new appeared in front of her.

It was a woman. She appeared relatively young with jet black hair pulled into a tight bun at the base of her neck, small spectacles hovering on the bridge of her nose, and she was wearing a rather dated Victorian era dress. Upon first glance Emma could tell she was a stern, matriarchal woman but there was also an air of maternal kindness that she had never seen in her own mother. There was also something slightly familiar about the way the woman looked at her even though Emma knew for a fact that they had never met before.

“I am going to get you out of here ok?” The woman whispered, fiddling with the chains keeping Emma attached to the wagon as quietly as she could.

Her kidnappers were still engrossed in their argument and paid no heed to the subtle clanking noises coming from the back of their wagon. The woman huffed in annoyance when the old chains did not yield, a look of concentrated thinking passing across her face.

“I will be right back.” She gave Emma a look that said ‘I will not leave you’ before striding off around to where the others were and she could hear her speaking animatedly to them.

“Excuse me.”

“Who are you? Wha d’ya want?” One of the men asked haughtily.

“Who I am is of no importance. What is, however, are those keys hanging off your belt loop.”

“She’s a bird.” The woman kidnapper snarled.

Emma was confused by that proclamation. A bird? Was that some sort of group the woman was affiliated with? Emma’s thoughts inadvertently strayed to the blue falcon with the intelligent eyes that had visited her earlier. She couldn’t actually be a bird. That was completely impossible. But weren’t her own fire wielding abilities supposed to be just as impossible?

There was a bit of commotion, scuffling and shouts of confusion. Emma wasn’t sure what she had done or how she had managed to overpower 3 people while wearing a petticoat but the strange woman had reappeared just as quickly as she had gone holding a set of keys.

As soon as she was free Emma jumped from the back of the wagon, still wobbly on her feet from the drugs. As she stumbled after this new stranger they passed right by her band of kidnappers who paid them absolutely no mind to Emma’s utter confusion, the 2 men and their woman companion looking strangely discombobulated as if they couldn’t quite remember what they had been doing in the middle of the woods with a wagon.

Emma scurried along behind the quick paced older woman hoping she knew where they were and potentially how to get back to where her other traveling companions were surely wondering what had become of her by now.

“Excuse me miss but could you tell me how to get back to Newport?” She questioned.

“If that is what you wish. But first I would like to ask you a few questions.” The woman spoke with the air of a school teacher, subtly glancing back at Emma without slowing her stride. Emma was instantly put on alert, feeling particularly untrusting after her little kidnapping adventure. The woman obviously sensed her insecurity and quickly backtracked so as not to scare her into running away.

“Let me first start by introducing myself. I am headmistress Peregrine, or you may call me Miss Peregrine as you are not currently my ward.” Emma furrowed her brow at the way she said ‘not currently her ward’.

“Peregrine? Like the bird?” She asked, again thinking back to the bright blue falcon that had visited her barely a minuet before this woman showed up claiming she possessed the same name.

“Yes. I am going to go ahead and presume that you do not know what you are?”

“I’m sorry? What I am?”

“You can do things others cannot. You are a fire starter if I am correct. You can summon and manipulate fire with nothing but your hands?” Emma was becoming more confused by the minuet and this interaction with a strange woman admitting her interest in the other girl’s magical abilities was looking more and more like the previous interaction by the minuet. She was not getting kidnapped again.

“If you’re here to offer me a job like they did I’m still not interested.” Emma bristled, her palms heating up as she contemplated whether her chances of running or fighting were better in this instant.

“No, I am not here to offer you a job. And neither were they. Not really. They were going to take you back to their domain and sell you to the highest bidder, someone who would use you for your fire wielding abilities.” Miss Peregrine had slowed down to allow the younger girl to catch up, giving her a slightly sympathetic look.

“They were going to sell me? How do you know all of this?”

“Because it is my duty. I am what is called an ymbryne. In our world ymbrynes are tasked with the care of children such as yourself. Special children with special abilities. We are peculiars.” That rang a bell in Emma’s muddled brain. Phineas and Leonora had called her peculiar behind her back at times. Could they have meant something other than the dictionary definition of the word?

“Peculiar.” Emma repeated softly, allowing the word to sink in and feel what it really meant. Something about it felt.. right.

“You said that we are peculiars. Does that mean you can do something others can’t miss?”

“Yes. As an ymbryne I am able to manipulate time, creating time loops for the safety of our kind, removing small snippets of a person’s memory as I did with those 3 snatchers, and as you saw I can also take the form of my namesake.” Emma nodded slowly as she listened, taking in the information as best she could.

“So that really was you earlier? The big, blue falcon?”

“That is correct. Much easier to get around inconspicuously in bird form. Although it is definitely the least interesting part of my ability. Now, I can either point you back towards the circus and you can continue running from dangers both known and unknown or you can come with me back to the island of Cairnholm and I can properly introduce you to the peculiar world.”

“Cairnholm? I’ve never even heard of that island before.” Emma hesitated, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she thought about her decision, Miss Peregrine waiting patiently.

“You really aren’t going to sell me?” She asked one last time, wary eyes cutting sideways towards the older woman. Miss Peregrine let out a short laugh but gave her a reassuring look.

“No. You have my word that I will not sell you. All I wish to do is offer you safety, companionship with other peculiar children, and a more comfortable life.” Miss Peregrine sounded sincere and Emma found herself wanting to trust her. Worst case scenario she ran away and found the circus again. Best case scenario she finally finds a family that wants her. She finally nodded her acceptance, falling into step beside the other woman as they marched down the long dirt road towards the sea.

* * *

The trip to the island of Cairnholm was wholly uneventful and the pair arrived within a few short days. Emma wasn’t particularly impressed by the sleepy little village that reminded her so much of Cornwall but it was certainly safe as Miss Peregrine had said, secluded out here in the middle of the ocean with only one little ferry to charter people between it and the mainland once a month. On their journey to the island the matriarch had given Emma much more insight into the world of peculiardom and Emma now not only believed her but found she was rather excited to meet others like her.

No one paid them any attention as they traipsed silently through town and Emma knew they were probably used to seeing new children come through every now and again as Miss Peregrine’s home for peculiar children had been under the disguise of an ordinary orphanage during the war. They believed she was nothing but another poor unfortunate child with no place to call home which was not entirely inaccurate.

As the pair grew closer to the big house stop the hill Emma found herself grinning at the blatantly obvious peculiar children running amok in the front garden, unusual talents on full display while in the safety of their found family.

“Let’s get you settled in and then you can meet everyone. They will all be delighted to see a fresh face and hear new stories.” Miss Peregrine had seen the little girl’s face light up at finally finding others like herself and a warm smile of her own toyed at the corners of her lips. The little fire eater was going to fit right in.

The End

[nerves-nebula]

oo I was wondering if maybe the brothers in your AU would have different levels of food anxiety? Honestly I was thinking mostly Raph, considering he's the oldest, largest (at least body weight wise it seems?) and probably expends the most energy taking care of his brothers and doing most of the chores when he was younger.

Probably especially bad that Leo could bully food from any one else and get away with it, and sounds like he might've picked on Raph most in that regard, or if Leo took Donnie or Mikey's food Raph was more willing to split or even give his portions away.

That's assuming Splinter even fed them, which considering the "timeout corner" they might have had to forage for food more than once.

Because like I was thinking about the dynamic between Raph and Casey and how Raph's food anxiety could be what helped drive him to make sure Casey had at least some food (he knows how much it sucks and doesn't want someone else to be stuck like that) and how Casey could have a big impact on Raph if he helped Raph to have a more stable source of food/ate enough.

<- also kinda related thoughts. Raph might be smaller in your version because he didn't get all the nutrition he needed growing up so his height/size is stunted? Also maybe why Leo is the tallest (favourite child privileges?). Hunger might have also helped drive Raph to try running away?

<- I could definitely see Mikey and/or Donnie having food anxiety too, with either food hoarding or getting aggressive when they think someone will steal their food? Or fast eating.

<- Basically I am ROTATING THEM IN MY HEAD!!

OHHHH this is an ask i have so much personal investment in because here’s a Not Super Secret fact about me, I’ve got Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder! And (partially because of that) I starved a lot as a kid! BASICALLY me and all my siblings have weird relationships to food so I am FULLY committed to making these guys relationships with food weird as well.

Splinter DOES feed them, in that there is FOOD in the HOUSE which is EDIBLE. He doesn’t really cook for them, though. Raph’s been cooking for them since he was old enough to take on that job, though he mostly made easy stuff at first like sandwiches/soup/noodles/uncooked vegetables.

So lets go through each turtle and look at how things turned out, why dont we?

Leo: Leo has the least food issues of them all. To him, it’s more like a status thing. If he wants something, he’ll take it. It doesn’t matter if there’s only enough soup for them to each have one bowl, he’ll have two if he feels like it. He does it because he knows he can get away with it, and because it’s been normalized. It doesn’t feel like a huge issue/violation to him.

Mikey: Mikey binges/eats food as fast as possible. He doesn’t wanna give anyone the chance to take it from him. He’s the least discerning and will eat stuff even if it’s kind of rotten/stale. He doesn’t have the self restraint to hoard food, he’d just eat it all immediately. Mikey gets reasonably aggressive about his food, but wouldn’t actually hurt his brothers (except maybe Leo) to get it back. then again his brothers (except leo) typically wouldn't take it from him anyway.

Donnie: Donnie has a ton of texture issues and because of that he’s a picky eater, he’s starved the most second only to Raph, because even when there IS food he can’t always get himself to eat it. he’s more used to the pain of starvation than the disgust of eating something with a Bad Texture

(shoutout to MYSELF. I was really out here dying as a 12 year old, huh? Fully eating 1 sandwich a day and crying about it cause the bread felt gross and dry in my mouth.)

Donnie is prone to hoarding food, but keeps it hidden in various places because if Leo thought Donnie had more food than him, he’d try to steal it. So Donnie keeps his stashes secret, but will share food if he thinks the others REALLY need it. Because Donnie can only eat specific kinds of food, he’s very aggressive about protecting his food from others. But he can’t beat Leo in a fight, so he usually resorts to hiding the food.

Donnie has slight cannibalistic urges because of all that (and cause he’s a softshell lol), but it’s not a huge issue and he’d never act on them cause the idea/texture of eating another PERSON is repulsive. He’ll often just chew on something (even himself) to tide himself over. 

Raph: poor, beautiful Raph. Raphael, my darling boy. SO FIRST OF ALL Raph starved the most. If Leo took more than his fair share, Raph would split his portion for his little brothers, because to him taking care of them is his whole reason for being alive.

he has cannibalistic urges too, cause he starves the most (and cause he's a snapping turtle). and that makes him feel like a terrible person. Donnie and Mikey get these urges too, but they never starved quite as bad as Raph did because he’d always split his food with them.

I like the idea that Raph is stunted because of nutritional issues, so yknow what? I'm adopting that. it's canon now.

as for Raph and Casey,,, I think they would definitely share food. In fact, I think Raph would leave Casey food/snacks as gifts when he was trying to befriend him. Casey eventually bringing along food from above ground would be a GAME CHANGER for the turtles, too.

one correction: Donnie is actually the tallest! He just slouches a lot (and I've mostly drawn them as kids, before his growth spurt)

Man, sidenote, but writing this really got me thinking about my childhood more. If we didn't get enough to eat, mom would get mad at us like “why didn’t you eat??” IDK I’m 11 and you’ve been gone all day!! She’d check in with the older kids and ask them (and eventually me, cause at a certain point I was the oldest one home) if the other kids had eaten. And sometimes i’d say i did just to get her off my back. God what a shithole. Anyway, this was a fun ask hah.

[saints-who-never-existed]

Bamboo, daffodil, mahonia, and papyrus for the flower ask game

Some loooong answers here, I'm afraid. I simply couldn't help myself! :)

Bamboo - Do you change into a different outfit when you get home?

Oh, 1000% percent yes!

The second I get home my jewellery is chucked in a box, my shoes hoofed into the nearest cupboard, my bra goes flying across the room like a slingshot to hit the floor with an audible thump, and my jim-jams are on for the evening!

Daffodil - Do you have siblings? If yes, in what ways do you think you’re similar to or different from them?

I'm sandwiched in the middle of two brothers. We're close in age - one is two years older, the other two years younger and we get along great!

My big brother is a little more like me personality-wise, I reckon. We're both very solid and dependable sort of people whereas my younger brother, god bless him, is and always has been the flakiest, most chaotic wee bastard on the planet.

I'd say the biggest thing we all have in common is our sense of humour which is absurd, filthy, and pretty sick at times if I'm honest. We're especially big fans of creative insults often rich in word-play and so silly that they can never actually be taken to heart, just begrudgingly appreciated. It was my birthday the other week and I received some lovely cards from the pair of them - one calling me a "chuckling fuck-biscuit" and the other calling me, simply, "weasel-tits".

Call me crazy but I find a delightful sort of poetry in nonsense like that!

Mahonia - What place/thing/activity inspires you most and how do you express yourself when it does?

Well, one thing I've always found hugely inspiring is nature in general and more specifically, the landscape around the loch near my home back in Scotland.

I've always been interested in mythology and religion and folklore but often found difficulty when it came to actually, truly believing in any of it. So I asked myself - 'Well, what do I believe in? What does inspire that level of devotion and ecstasy in me?' - and the answer was the land itself.

I was at art school at the time and found expression in planning and conducting a personal pilgrimage through several key locations around the loch. I created my own mythology of sorts weaving lots of different ideas and material together - fire and earth, stone and water, mothers, maidens and crones. My trek culminated in climbing my own personal 'Holy Mountain' - the highest in the region. And when I came down again, I made all sorts of things including a short film (which was shite lol), a series of sculptures in a variety of materials like stone, wood and wax, and the pièce de résistance - a pilgrim's guide/bible/grimoire.

I made the paper itself from scratch, I wrote the whole thing laboriously out by hand, and bound it lovingly together and it's still one of my favourite things I ever made.

Papyrus - If you put your ‘On Repeat’ playlist on shuffle, what’s the first song that comes up? What do you like about it/associate it with?

A lovely version of a song I've loved forever!

Not only is it just rollicking good fun, it's also a very entertaining challenge to see just how many verses you can add and how fast you can sing them before you run out of breath entirely!

It's a great song for drinking to but I discovered years ago that, oddly enough, babies also go absolutely wild for it? I think it's the rhythm and repetition they respond well to.

I've come to associate it with my nieces in particular as I have a lovely memory of singing it to them when they were younger. There I was - 4 month-old niece cradled expertly in one arm, lulled to sleep by my dulcet tones, and 5 year-old niece hanging from my other arm, spinning me round in an exuberant jig and having the time of her tiny wee life. <3

[spaghetti-man99]

Rats

Tags: Hunters & Hunting, Rats, Light Angst, Fluff, mentions of basically all the other ghouls, Dewdrop | Sodo Is A Little Shit, he's not in the fic but he's still a little shit

Characters: Phantom, Aurora, Swiss

Summary: Phantom adjusts to life in the Ministry with a little help from his friends (and a little bit of rat hunting).

(whole fic under the cut :))

Aurora spat the husk of fur into the pile. “That’s 15 for me!” She smirked. Phantom sighed, glancing down at his meager pile. They’d been hunting for the better part of the night, and he only had a few skinny rats and a roach to show for it. The other’s piles had been growing steadily, and Swiss wasn’t even done for the night.

Almost as if summoned by the thought, the door banged open revealing a heaving Swiss. He trudged into the room and threw down his sack into his own pile, dead furry creatures of all sizes tumbled out. Aurora sighed and shook her head. “You just can’t let us win, can you?”

Swiss gave a tired smile and shook his head. “Little shits were fast tonight too.” He grunted.

“Not fast enough.” Phantom grumbled, plopping down and leaning his head against Aurora’s leg. She glanced down with a fond huff. Swiss raised an eyebrow and kneeled down to count his catches.

“Maybe next time, kid.” He hummed. “Looks like I’ve got you two pretty beat.”

“No shit, Swiss.” Aurora said. Phantom stuck his tongue out at the taller Ghoul as his head rest began to step away.

He looked down at his pile and tossed a couple over half-heartedly. He had been there for almost three months now, and yet he still couldn’t find the really good rat holes, the sources of little creepy crawlies within the Ministry. He and Sunshine had seen a couple while exploring, but they were always mysteriously empty by the next hunt. He didn’t even know why he kept coming along on the unofficial pest patrols. It wasn’t like he was really helping anyways, but it was nice to have something familiar to do as he transitioned into Ministry life.

Down in the Pit, hunting had been necessary. Not for food, but for safety. If one of the Pit critters got into your home, or you didn’t see them in your path, you were in for a world of hurt. So he and his siblings sniffed them out, made sure there was nothing hiding in the cellar to bite the younger ones, and sometimes got a little snack out of it. In the Ministry, it was a matter of principal. At least, that’s how Swiss had explained it.

He said that the Ministry was old and creaky, and the rats and mice in the walls weren’t helping. They were a nuisance. Sister especially seemed to hate them, and no matter how much Copia pleaded with her she would not let up. So Aurora and Swiss had taken to hunting them down once a month. And when Phantom was summoned, it seemed only natural to let him tag along. After all, he had been good at it in the Pit, why shouldn’t he be here? At least that’s what he had told himself.

A hand waved in his face and he blinked back to the present. Swiss squinted at him. “You look like your having some thoughts,” He said, “Care to share?” Phantom hesitated before shrugging.

“I don’t know. I was just wondering why you guys keep me around, I guess.” He chuckled. “I mean, lets be honest I’m not exactly at the top of my game.” Aurora frowned.

“What are you talking about?” She asked. He gestured to his tiny pile, and she made a noise of understanding. “Ah, well I mean, you are still pretty fresh. No one’s expecting you to be a prodigy over night.”

“Yeah, but I used to be, back before this.” He huffed, tail twitching, “And now I’m lucky if I catch a bug.”

“Yeah, it’s different territory. It’s going to take a bit to get used it all.” Swiss hummed.

Phantom sighed. “I don’t know, I think you guys might get more work done if I wasn’t here. I’m deadweight.”

“Dude.” Swiss snapped. “Stop. You’re not dead weight, you’re just learning. We don’t mind teaching you the ropes, do we?” Aurora shook her head and stretched out a hand.

“Nope!” She chirped. “Plus, if we really found you that annoying, you wouldn’t be here right now.” He snorted, gripping her hand and hopping up.

“I guess.” He conceded. Swiss ruffled the other Ghoul’s hair, grinning at the grumbles of protest. All three turned and stared down at their piles.

“Well,” Swiss hummed, “I guess Dew’s out $20.”

Phantom groaned and rubbed his eyes. “Sunny too.” Aurora gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder.

“Sun’ll be up in about an hour, so they’ll find out soon.” She smiled. “I’m sure they won’t mind too much, they bet the money in the first place.”

The other two nodded. They stood in silence for a minute before starting to gather their catches, grumbling as their arms quickly became over crowded with dead creatures. The end of the hunts were always the same, they slunk back through the halls and out to the garden to bury the many dead, then back to the communal living area to write their scores on the chalk board and head to bed. In the morning they would wake up, get chewed out by all of the Ghouls who lost their bets, and then enjoy a heavy thank you breakfast. It was always the same.

As they wiped the dirt from their hands, Swiss wrapped his arms around their shoulders and they started the long trek towards sleep. Phantom smiled gently. A rat squeaked distantly and he realized his ears were zeroing in.

Maybe he could get used to this, after all.

~~~

@antichristual I hope it's alright to tag you, your post about the rat catching Ghouls was actually the whole inspiration for this! :))

[hardwinters]

ₓ ˚ . ˚ ♡ || actress & model & former olympian. STATS. CAREER. PINTEREST. ACCEPTANCE.

howdy everybody! i'm dial and i'm so effing excited to meet everyone and their muses! i am reaching hag status soon at 26 yrs old and roll with she & her pronouns for the most part but i'm honestly cool with anything. anywho, enough abt me, onto my methodical little daffodil who wouldn't hurt a fly unless it was in the path of her skates :o she is one of my favorite muses, but it's my first time playing her in a setting like this and i really look forward to it! if you are interested in any of my listed plotbunnies orrr would like to plot something else just tick the little heart! i also have dsc available upon request ♡

some trigger warnings to keep in mind: anxiety attacks & injury descriptors

born & raised (for the most part) in incheon!!

no siblings unfortunately :( it's a wonder her parents found the time to have her

her mom was an always busy financial analyst who seemed to never not be on the phone talking business, while her father was the most respected divorce attorney in south korea due to his discretion when dealing with high profile cases.

100000% mostly raised by her nannies. her parents were overly serious and not very affectionate. they loved jinseon, but they definitely didn't express that in the ways such a sensitive child needed them to. sort of left her with a lack of self love that she overcompensates with kindness to others.

as her parents wanted her to fall into a high paying career, jinseon was one of those overly scheduled kids who was just shuffled from lesson to lesson to lesson. even her meals were listed in a planner. she learned to love and rely heavily on routine even as a child.

one of those lessons happened to be ballet through which she discovered her love of performing and knack for tightly controlled yet elegant movements. her instructor noted her agility and recommended her for a beginner's figure skating program.

fell head over heels for the feeling of being on the ice...it was the first of her lessons that she really connected with in a major way.

got rly good rly fast and made her coaches take notice. she had tremendous self-discipline and wouldn't miss a practice for anything. TRUE ICE PRINCESS THINGZ! the things she mostly struggled with were anxiety and her own confidence, but she found it easier to fake it than give up.

it wasn't long until she was competing in respected events around the country and eventually, the world!

the way her coaches invested in her allowed her to go far, even though they could be extremely harsh and the practices equally grueling. she did her best to channel everything into motivation and become the best at what she did.

her first championship routine was preceded by her first of many anxiety attacks, but quitting wasn't an option. not with sponsors and coaches and parents all bearing down on her, demanding perfection.

she soldiered on and managed to reach the podium at her first and many other world championship events. she was quickly gaining popularity among fans of the sport; any practices that weren't closed would get increasingly full of spectators wanting to see what she did next.

she especially grew in popularity among younger people with aspirations of following in her footsteps. because of jinseon's charisma and pretty face, there were always the cheeky questions of when her drama debut would come being thrown around. she was so focused on competing however that she had little room for other ambitions.

her routines well known for her wickedly fast scratch spin (nearly six revolutions per second) and perfectly fluid triple axels.

the republic of korea's noc eventually came calling and jinseon was officially chosen to compete in the 2014 winter games in sochi, which is around the same time everlast entertainment first took note of her!

ngl, swiping gold away from russia's almost unbeatable skating team in their own country was an extremely scary time for her, esp being only 16 at the time, but the graceful way in which she publicly handled the pressures of it all was widely praised and eventually earned her a contract at everlast entertainment.

she was getting to do commercials and magazine covers and interviews, as long as her management team signed off on them. it was something that resembled freedom but was actually far from it, not that she seemed to care at the time.

jinseon became so swept up in being the perfect teen role model, and eventually the perfect young adult role model. it was a lot to take on, but she shouldered everything with a smile, only pausing to allow her anxiety to grip her when she was in the confines of solitude.

when the 2022 winter games come around, everything is seemingly business as usual. she's sticking to her status quo and waiting for her ice time when she catches wind of another competitor's intention to bust out a surprise 4lo.

her coaches fly into a panic, thinking this may sink her chances of winning gold. their solution is for jinseon to go even bigger, landing the first ever quad axel, something she nor any other skater had ever successfully done in competition up until that point.

maybe it was her anxiety, maybe it was the olympic mind games, or maybe it was the fact that she simply wasn't skilled enough. she attempted the jump and it went catastrophically. in an attempt to catch herself, her skate hit the ice early and well before she was able to brace for the impact. she felt an excruciating sear through her entire leg, especially around her knee. no one had told her anything yet, but deep down, she knew. as she lay sobbing on the ice, she knew she wasn't coming back from this.

both her mcl and acl were pretty much obliterated, having to be surgically reconstructed shortly after the games. as she expected, she was told she'd never be able to strap on skates at a competitive level ever again, if even at a recreational level.

she felt rly lost for awhile, not really knowing what to do with herself. she had to go through physical therapy to help heal her knee and regain mobility, but a good deal of her pain was mental and emotional as well. she'd essentially gone through a loss and felt as if she'd let down everyone in the process. for awhile, she wasn't rly seen in public and mostly stayed at her home in seoul.

it was quite honestly her fanbase that got her thru this time! their continued support despite her not being able to do cool figure skating jumps anymore meant more than she could ever express to them. their insistence that she try out acting was p much what made her take that leap, once she was mostly back to physical health. for the first time since her injury, she felt like her life wasn't over.

her management team was far from happy about her auditioning for kang hanna in agency. they felt like a less conceited, chaebol role sans a romance plotline would be a better first outing for her, but she wanted something different! something that didn't feel so controlled! something that didn't make her constantly think about what she had lost!

here's some highlights of said plotline from agency.

it was an uplifting experience getting to step outside of herself and take on the role of someone with such a different personality. it allowed her to detach from her own situation for a few weeks and focus on something else entirely.

everlast entertainment is still trying to keep her in the box they've carved out for her, but jinseon is starting to see some rly green grass outside of it 👀

some tidbits about her current day personality:

still widely known for her politeness even as she navigates a new career field. honorifics, bows and respectful distances are all popular tools in her social arsenal, especially when she's meeting someone for the first time.

she's always been the good girl and the nation's olympic sweetheart, but she's increasingly curious about the other side of fame. ppl who just don't give a f*ck?? kinda heroic if you ask jinseon. she just doesn't have it in her. she's far too timid, so she just admires from afar.

she can be overly sensitive sometimes and her feelings have always been reaaaal fragile. she'll pretend she's not hurt by something but it's usually fairly obvious. she gkhgljkj remembers the shit you do to her though like real trust is hard to win back with her. she'll be nice but things won't be the same if true betrayal happens!

loves friendship and love but is often too scared to seek it out! what if it's one sided? what if they downright hate her? she isn't the type to speak up when she likes someone or even wants to be friends due to fear of rejection, but getting past that barrier has been pretty blissful in the past.

wishes she could just be as outspoken as everyone else, but her words get fumbled so easily. that's why instead of trying to appeal to her management team sometimes, she just...does things w/o their knowledge 😭

along with some brief plotbunnies, i also have some quotes & inspo to hopefully inspire some sort of connection ideas!

something based off of this quote pls

some more inspo

bestie vibes like this

a former pr relationship that was organized by meddling management teams due to a shared wholesome image. there was never any true romance, but you both enjoyed laughing over the awkward situation.

her dad represented one of your parents in their divorce proceedings.

you / your idol group performed at the opening ceremonies for the olympics one of the years that jinseon competed and you've kept in touch ever since, even if your chaotic schedules rarely allow you to link up in person.

you and jinseon are ambassadors for the same brand and are about to do your first collaborative photoshoot!

you and jinseon auditioned for the same drama role and now the media is pitting you against one another. there's no truth to the rumors of professional jealousy...is there?

alternatively, i'd love to collab on ideas for future castmate situations! maybe we can discuss a future drama jinseon and your muse can appear on together if you're looking to do something new soon ♡

the secret romance jinseon hid from not only the public, but her management team, if only because she knew they'd try to talk her out of it. things have ended since, and there's a deepening lack of closure between you.

maybe some childhood friends from incheon? you and jinseon knew each other before all the fame and accolades were bestowed upon you.

some fellow athlete friends!! or maybe someone who frequents her gym, takes the same pilates class she does etc.

[anna-20s-world]

"Story of my life"

Hello, my name is Anna Mae Cardines but you can call me "Anna " in short Do you wanna build a snowman? HAHAHAHAH I've been single since birth, but if you want to be part of my life, it's okay HAHAHAHA kidding. I'm 18 years old now, and I live in Arca,Pusok Lapu-Lapu City. Do you want to know about my life? What do you think my personality is? What makes me happy? What is my goal in life? If you want to know about my life, okay, we will start.

I want to share my story in life, and I hope you are motivated to continue and fight in life. I hope you will work hard for your future, especially for your family. I am a shy type,an introvert sometimes,and a responsible and helpful person who needs my help.We are eight siblings, and I am the seventh child of the family. We have four males and four females. My mother doesn't do regular work, and only my father provides for our daily needs. Sometimes we don't have food to buy. There was a time when my parents were fighting because of financial problems. 

When I was a child, we lived a simple life. We live without electricity, and we use candles to make our house light. I remember that there was a day when I imagined that we had a TV in my house. I also make and draw a cellphone by using a cartoon. I think that day I want to experience having a cellphone or even electricity. I remember that there was a time when we didn't have enough food to eat. There is a time that our food is bananas, and then in one banana, we share because we don't have money to buy one by one. 

There is also a time when my mom is finding a way to have food to eat. Sometimes I help my mom find our food, and we have more debt, especially in food. I also remember that when I was a child, I can't forget that day that me and my younger sister were watching TV in our neighborhood. We have our favorite series on TV, and then we watch outside in our neighbor's house because we are too shy to go inside their house to watch TV. Then I think our neighbor doesn't watch us outside, so they close their window. After that, me and my younger sister were sad and went back to our house to cry because we hadn't watched our favorite series. 

I remember that when I was a child, I experienced all the outside games like Chinese garter,takyan, patintero, luksong baka, etc. It was fun playing with my childhood friends, and at that time, I had no cellphone or toy. I can't also forget that there was a time when me and my childhood friends were cooking for our lunch. We cook papaya with sauce, and I can't forget that moment, even if it was simple, but for me, it is so memorable because my parents are happy that I'm done eating lunch. That day, we didn't have food in our house. 

When I was in elementary school, I was not responsible for my school, and I was always absent. I am the type of person who is shy, lonely, and has no friends at school. Sometimes I am bullied by my classmates, so that is the reason why sometimes I want to be absent. I am a child who doesn't have confidence in myself, and I always compare myself to other people. I also remember that when I went to school, sometimes I did not have snacks. 

Fast forward: When I was in fifth grade, I had my first crush. If I remember this memory, I can't believe myself that age is when I'm in love. Me and my crush are close together; we always jam and play together. The memory that I can't forget about my crush is that we are both close parents, and we are always together going home. There was a time that I was absent, and I was so kilig that time because he asked my mom why I wasn't in school.

When I was in high school, I was serious about my academics. I have a small circle of friends, and according to my grades, I always compare my grades with those of someone else. I always imagine that I want to have higher grades, even if they're 90, because sometimes my father jokes about my grades, and sometimes he compares me to my younger sister. I haven't received an award since I was in elementary school, despite having perfect attendance, being at the top of my class, or being the most.

Now that I am in senior high school, I have a little bit of confidence in myself, especially in school. I am now a responsible person, especially for my studies, and I have many friends I meet. I can't believe that now I am achieving my dream of having a 90 in grades. I am also happy that my parents and, especially, my father, are proud of me. I can't believe that I achieved my goal of getting an award. 

My goal in life is to graduate soon and to become successful someday.I also want someday that we will have electricity.I want to someday help my parents with what they need and want. When the time comes that I am rich and successful, I will help other people who need my help, especially my neighbors. The thing that makes me happy is that I will take it back to my parents; they sacrificed for me, and I want to see my parents happy.

I also want to travel the whole world with my family and eat at the restaurant that they want to eat at. I encourage you to be a strong and independent person. Everything that happens has a purpose. I hope you are motivated by my story to work hard to achieve your goals in life and to become successful someday. Don't give up, and trust God always. Lastly, despite all the struggles and challenges in life, don't give up. I know that God is teaching us how to be strong people, and I know that God is guiding us.

Thankyou for reading:))