#and no one wins when babies are orphaned | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

voluptuarian · 7 months ago

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another thing that's weird about adults who make an identity out of reading children's books is what they hold up as representative of the values they find in YA/young reader's fiction. They typically bring up wish fulfillment fantasy, morals and clear cut lessons, adventure stories with mild peril, strong centering on friendship and found family, and stories that make them "feel good" and are extremely light on genuinely challenging themes or ethically dubious situations.

Meanwhile when I was neck-deep in YA as a kid in the 90s and early 2000s this was the kind of stuff I was reading, other kids were reading, and that was winning awards, being highlighted on shelves and recommended by librarians:

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, in which a teenage boy survives a plane crash and is stranded in the Canadian wilderness and forced to survive on his own for months. He is ultimately rescued but is permanently altered by the experience. His navigating the drama of (I believe either currently separating or recently divorced) parents is also a major plot element.

Virtual War by Gloria Skurzynski, where real-life wars have been eradicated and instead are fought virtually, (inspired, if I remember correctly, by the disastrous results of a previous nuclear conflict) by specially chosen champions who are trained in combat strategy from childhood. Throughout, the three child champions are forced to question and push back against what the government has told them is the truth as well as against their own prejudices, including toward one of their own who is considered a "mutant" due to his dwarfism; it also details the grueling hours-long "war" in which the kids watch thousands of little 3D soldiers get blown up and dismembered and leaves them feeling genuine guilt for participating in.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, which focuses on a teenage Inuit girl who is orphaned, forced into marriage and sexually assaulted, then runs away and ends up lost in the Arctic and survives by befriending and living with a pack of wolves.

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse, in which the heroine lives with her parents on a failing farm as the Dust Bowl is beginning, accidentally sets her pregnant mother on fire resulting in her mother's lingering death and the death of her baby, and the girl herself being permanently maimed, after which she and her father become estranged and she eventually tries to run away.

Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene, which follows a young Jewish American girl on the WWII homefront who befriends (and falls in love with) a German POW, and when he escapes, hides him in her home for months; eventually the prisoner is caught and killed and the girl is sent to prison after being ostracized from the community and disowned by her parents.

The Ramsey Scallop by Francis Temple, where the heroine, engaged since childhood to her current fiance, is sent on a pilgrimage with him as way of working out his trauma from serving in the crusades. Neither of them feels ready to get married and the fiance is dubious about doing much living at all, but they're able to get to know each other and build trust on the road. It's been ages since I read it but I'm pretty sure there's a scene where a hot single guy who helps patch up an injury she sustained then offers to have sex with her, which she decides to turn down.

Music of the Dolphins by Karen Hesse, where a feral child who has been raised by a pod of dolphins is rescued and taken to a center for rehabilitation. The whole thing follows her progress at understanding to how to be human, and eventually her decision to reject it all and go back to her dolphin family.

The Last Book In the Universe by Rodman Philbrick, whose hero is a teenage orphan living in a purposely abandoned dystopia, ostracized by his community for being epileptic, whose only friends are an old man who is the last literate person in the community and a monosyllabic feral child. The split between the have-nots and the haves, who live in sheltered futuristic cities, and discussion of privilege (one of the main characters is a girl from the cities who comes out to do charity work in the dystopian district) are major themes, and violence is a regular occurrence, including toward the finale when the boy's mentor is murdered by a mob while he watches.

(And of course there's Among the Hidden and its sequels by Margaret Peterson Haddix which I never read, but my sister did, and I know at some point a whole bunch of child characters are massacred by the government because it upset my sister so badly she cried.)

And I couldn't forget The Dear America series, which includes:

character who is finishing high school as the Vietnam War begins and watches her social circle split nastily over the issue, lives through classmates and friends getting drafted, and ends up working at a hospital as volunteer where she is assigned to help disabled veterans

character whose mother (and I think siblings), as well as numerous fellow travelers die while traveling alongside her on the Oregon Trail, and later accidentally poisons to death several of her friends after picking a look-alike plant for their dinner; only one survives, who she eventually marries

character who is kidnapped by a local native tribe and eventually adopted, then marries a fellow captive, only for him and other friends and family to be killed when the tribe is attacked by Europeans, putting her into a total crisis of identity and conflicting loyalties

character who is taken from her tribe to be put in residential school, during which she is forcefully acculturated, severely bullied by another classmate, and a childhood friend of hers is accidentally buried alive

multiple books about immigrants in the 1800 and 1900s which highlighted struggles with poverty, cultural pressures, and prejudice; one of them follows a pro-union factory worker who watches as multiple friends die in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, and another whose father imports her to America at 13 to marry a coal miner

most of these stories emphasize the young protagonist ending up in situations were they are either on their own, or so alienated from the adults around them that they might as well be. The protagonists have to assume the adult duty of taking care of themselves, but also of thinking for themselves and making their own decisions and judgements about their lives and the world.

they are also going through big changes, often ones created by their parent's decisions, and which they frequently dislike or are straight up Bad for them. This contrasts with later, when the protagonists are able to make decisions for themselves-- often this comes through hardship and abandonment, but ultimately allows them to control their narrative going forward.

the setting and events are often harrowing, deeply unpleasant, and put the protagonist and their friends in danger of victimization by forces around them. Obviously this is exciting for kids to read, but it also allows them to see someone their age on their own, entering into Adult situations and taking on that role. It's also a break from the overtly positive or cartoonishly (but usually un-seriously) bad circumstances that dominate younger kids fiction and an introduction to the idea that life is just terrible most of the time, sometimes massively and unbelievably so. (It's going from the early childhood story of Madeline's thrilling adventures escaping forced labor in a factory, to the older kid's or YA story of seeing the protagonist work at one day after day, getting injured, having friends get sick, and then watching a girl's scalp get ripped off by the machine, something which creates not excitement but genuine horror and sympathy.) These plots also allow adolescents a chance to experience Big Emotions (like the ones they're about to fall head-first into themselves) in a stable, safe way. All of this aims to create a bridge from the juvenile reality to the genuine, adult one. Trite moral lessons are dispensed with in favor of allowing the child to go out and start thinking for themselves. And especially in stories like the Dear America books, it allows a look at things that happened in the past that we have, or should learn from, but also allows for a fuller emotional, ethical, and empathetic development.

often the introduction of sex is part of the story, from initial experiences of attraction (and the resulting self-consciousness, jealousy, etc.) but also sometimes actual sexual experience. Especially in the historical stories, marriage is also frequently part of the story-- either again, as a fantasy introduction to adult experiences, or as a realistic detail separating a child's historical experience from current ones and creating a better understanding of the hardships historical people went through.

and most include some form of rejection of prevailing authority and thought. Instead of blindly "doing what your parents tell you to" these protagonists must do what they think is practical or ethical. The boy in Hatchet cannot wait for an authority figure to guide him, he must figure out how to survive entirely on his own, while the kids in Virtual War are old enough to begin questioning the entire structure they've been raised in, and to develop empathy for figures that structure has deemed outsiders; the heroine of Music of the Dolphins decides the entire experience of being in human society is not for her, and returns to living with animals.

So these books offer harrowing circumstances, protagonists who are isolated literally or through moral or political alignment, and who must learn to live on their own and make decisions for themselves, often in defiance of prevailing attitudes. They usually emphasize finding one's place (even if that place is completely alone and unsupported), fostering understanding and sympathy with others, even with people who are considered "undesirable," who are different, or who have behaved badly to you in the past. And they frequently involve violence, budding sexuality, exploitation and abuse by authority figures/structures, and a heaping helping of death, including the deaths of beloved friends and family members. What is "feel good" and "unchallenging" about that? And like, I can't speak for what YA is bringing to the table now, but these people are overwhelmingly adults, they were reading YA at around the same time I was, I don't think it would be possible for them to have somehow missed the plethora of books with these hallmarks. So where did they get this idea that YA is some land of comfort where no complicated idea can ever reach you? Even Harry Potter is full of them, and we know they read that!

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kiame-sama · 7 months ago

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Part 2 of Cuteness Lore!

Because Human Babies were very cute, what if Fae became prone to sometimes steal Human Babies from their parents when they weren’t looking? (Or in more common cases, their parents were killed/separated from their baby)

Some other species would do this too, but it was the Fae who were the most likely to do this (They couldn’t resist the cuteness)

But they kept and raised the Human Babies even as they got older because of how quickly attached the Fae Parents became over such a weak and defenseless species that they began to freak out when they started to get older and panic when they realized how short Human lives are

These Fae felt both the greatest joy and pain when their Human Children grew up and passed away in within a century

Lilia ‘jokes’ that if Reader has babies he’s going to snatch them up (This joke did not receive positively as Malleus just looked pissed over the idea of someone thinking they’re worthy to marry one of his hoard, especially HIS Human!)

Fae are- in this AU- a much longer-lived version of other non-fae species. So in the instance of Sebek, he is half Fae-Raiju (Which often have a more dog-like appearance) and half non-fae Raiju (which are often more lizard/crocodilian in appearance). There is only one species that does not have a non-Fae counterpart and that is Dragons. Alternatively, there is only one species that does not have a Fae counterpart; Humans.

Concerning the history of Humans and these Fae types, Humans would often give their lives defending their young from the many dangers that exist in Twisted Wonderland, leaving behind Human young with no parents to claim/raise them. Fae enjoyed the curious nature of Humans and were typically the first to take in an abandoned/orphaned Human due to this genuine affection for the soft little species. In more war-torn areas or places where Humans were commonly hunted, Fae would go on excursions with the sole purpose of finding Human young they could then keep and raise. Finding an unattended Human, especially Human infants, was akin to winning the parent lottery for the many Fae that adored these strange little creatures.

It broke their hearts to see how quickly Humans lived and died when put in comparison to the long lives of the Fae that raised them. Some Fae parents would suffer serious heart-break when their little Human children died and would go into a state of mourning for years. Many Human families had a Fae patriarch/matriarch because the Fae was keen to raise their Humans, their Human's infants, and their infants, and so on. Many older Fae had raised at least one Human in their lifetime, so when it was decreed that Humans were extinct, several Fae species became enraged or even violent towards any who had participated in the downfall of Humans.

Malleus is not pleased that Lilia would even suggest HIS Human be bred by anyone, let alone someone who was not him a member of his hoard. Honestly, the few Malleus would even allow to entertain the idea of breeding his Human is himself and his hoard. Everyone else be damned. Lilia knows this and he is just amused that Malleus is even considering anyone of his hoard or himself having young with this Human because he knows he is going to be the baby-sitter regardless of who the parent is (He honestly hopes he gets to be the actual parent of at least one of the Human's children and wonders if everyone in the Hoard would be willing to have a child with the Human). Lilia genuinely wants lots of infants to care for- even if they are only half-human- because he misses the super cute Humans and their infants.

#kiame-sama #yandere #x reader #yandere x reader #reader insert #tw yandere #twst monster au #Humans Are Extinct TWST AU #my TWST AU

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sixosix · 2 years ago

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THAWED | LYNEY X FEM!READER SERIES

THAWED (MASTERLIST) — the lyney childhood-enemies-to-frenemies-to-lovers-kinda series that no one asked for, ft. fluff, a whole lot of bickering, flirting, and everything in between

STATUS. complete.

OTHER INFO.

DISCLAIMER. will contain spoilers. this series will be as dark as genshin lore can be, and this won’t strictly follow genshin’s actual lore—i’ll be making up a lot of stuff for the sake of the fic so there will be inaccuracies, NOT CANON COMPLIANT!! the timeline of events will be vastly different. each chapter will have their own warnings as well, so keep an eye out for that!

NOTES. hello, everyone !!!!!!! welcome to my lyney series inspired by taylor’s reputation album. how it works is each chapter will be titled after each song off of the album as u can see below,,, hope u enjoy reading as excited i am for rep tv!! :D

tysm to naosaki and kruinka for helping me brainstorm w this fic (and also helping me when i was visibly all over the place because of this series)

CHAPTERS.

i — are you ready for it?

The House of the Hearth was perfect. This was where you thrived—where no one else could take this feeling away. But then Lynette became a part of the ‘family’, and with it, she dragged along Lyney.

ii — i don’t wanna hurt you (i just wanna be)

You look more like a soldier than an orphan, Lyney thinks. It’s beautiful in all the wrong ways.

iii — you gotta leave before you get left

Desperately, Lyney melts them away, but your footsteps have already gone out of earshot. It’s an answer in itself: Don’t bother. Take the hint, Lyney; you already messed it up.

iv — for you i would fall from grace

“What now? What do you want me to do? Strut back into their lives and demand all their Fatui secrets as if I never left?”

Aether nestles into his seat. “Prove to me that I can trust them just as much as you do. Who knows, you might get something out of this, too.”

v — you must like me for me

Lyney laughs. It sounds like music that has haunted you for years—and with a new one playing, it’ll torment you for years more. He loosens his grip but keeps you caged in, still. You’re twirled around to face him, and something about his expression has you swallowing thickly.

“You’re even more stunning than I remember, ma chérie.”

vi — look what you made me do

You frown at him, your face upside down in his view. “That was unfair.”

“I have to be if I want to beat you.”

vii — all eyes on you, my magician

He doesn’t take his eyes off you, even once when his fingers reached out to fish out a champagne flute. Lyney still has that stupid smile on his face, the rim of his glass against his lips. You’re hit with the startling realization that you want to kiss him.

Fuck, what?

viii — you’ve ruined my life, by not being mine

“You’re so warm,” you murmur to his skin.

Goosebumps blossom all over his body. Your face brushes against the side of his neck. “Do you hate it?”

“I like it. My hands are cold. Every part of you is warm.”

ix — us traitors never win

Lyney knew that this would happen. He knew well enough to predict what ‘Father’ would make them do, but still—

“We understand,” Lynette says, her eyes darting down to Lyney’s clenched fists.

The Knave stares at Lyney, and the strength of her stare has Lyney lowering his eyes to the floor. “Do you?” she asks. They wisely stay silent: Lynette’s hesitance and Lyney’s frustration. “Then I trust this won’t happen any longer.”

x — king of my heart, body and soul

You bit back the bite of ice and wondered how ironic it was that every time your Vision acted out, it was, more often than not, tied to Lyney.

“What, so you expect me to believe you’d just go against your ‘Father’ like that?”

xi — baby can we dance, through an avalanche?

Lyney supposes he can’t hate Aether that much for that. And selfishly, Lyney supposes he can’t truly hate Aether because he brought you back to him. In a vague sense of camaraderie, Lyney understands.

xii — there is an indentation in the shape of you

And so you two stand face to face with your old home, the House of the Hearth. It still had the same grand doors you remember, the same living room, and the same fireplace, but the emptiness was unfamiliar. It was unsettling, like a bad dream.

This used to be your home.

xiii — he built a fire just to keep me warm

“I think it’s special. We’re twins, Lyney and I, but I think if I were in his body for even a day, I wouldn’t be able to recreate what you two have. He treasures you deeply, more than you know.”

xiv — hold on to the memories, and i will hold onto you

fin.

END NOTE.

thawed related tags you might want to check out:

#thawed fanart <3

#thawed memes i want to hang in a museum

of course, if you want to check out akagi's series of mind boggling fanart:

#akagi0021 carrying the entirety of thawed

FANART COMPILATION

our favorite akagi0021 has been blessing me with THAWED fanart (!!!) and i decided that i need to compile all of them for me and to make YOU see the art as well... BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL SO GOOD (with permission of course)

CH 1 | reader's new outfit reveal

CH 2 | lyney doesn’t know how he looks at reader

lyney and MC height difference before/after IM ON MY KNEES theyre so cute

CH 4 | aether and paimon confronting reader

bonus fanart of lyney and reader after training :(( so cute

CH 5 | lyney seeing reader!!!!!! aahhh his eyes

lyney as a kid and then lyney now (grown up) THIS ONE IS INSANE. little lyney is so adorable but then look at the lyney now

CH 6 | LOOK AT THIS ONE!! scene of lyney saying “she’s hiding something” except akagi made him unnecessarily sexy wtf

CH 7 | drunk reader driving lyney crazy... (i went crazy)

CH 8 | "lyney's not my boyfriend" ; the ending scene with childe, aether, and reader!! they all look so good T__T

CH 10 | lyney's "i would. i would for you" OUGH YESS

++ ADDITIONAL!!!

and look at this so so so adorable collection of doodles of chapter six by sunny @emanami !!! her artstyle is to live for its SO cute (look at the siblings!!!)

more of sunny's cute drawings: thawed!mc biting lyney's cheek like what i want to do

look at @lacrimae-lotos's version of mc!!!! SO CUTE look at her piercings and her eyes aahhhh

akagi's art dump from different chapters | theyre all so cutue im sobbing i love akagis mc and lyney so much T__T (LYNEY BRAIDING MC'S HAIR)

lyney doing the stretch tactic ohh he is so slick modern au with akagi's thawed!mc and lyney at the beach i fainted

++ LOOK AT AKAGI'S VERSION OF MC! shes so lovely

design headcanons (theyre all so precious)

akagi's reader as a genshin char !!

reader's outfit for chapter seven SO PRETTY

thawed!mc's eyepatch lore... aether is so silly

akagi's au where mc never left the house and they're enemies to lovers yes yes yes yesyse

#606: THAWED #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x you #genshin impact x you #genshin impact #x reader #lyney x reader #lyney x you #lyney x y/n #genshin impact series

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dragqueenstarscream · 4 months ago

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i've been waiting all my life (for you to arrive)

bot with a baby au - chapter one

after a decepticon attack leaves a newborn baby orphaned, ratchet takes it upon himself to take care of the baby until he can find her remaining family. it doesn't go as planned.

author's note: i can't believe i'm actually doing this. this was supposed to be a joke. this was supposed to be a crackfic. but here we are, because i actually managed to come up with a plot. gonna shoot for a saturday/every other saturday upload schedule so i don't overwhelm myself, whichever one ends up working out, but we'll see how that goes.

the title comes from "worlds collide" by marianas trench. if you know the story behind that song and get why i chose that line for my title, you get alllllll the brownie points.

the first lesson every medic on cybertron learned upon entering the field was that you couldn't save everyone.

of course, it was drilled into each prospective medic from day one. it wasn't meant to frighten anyone away from the field. it was simply a hard truth, and the sooner one learned it, the better.

ratchet knew it from the start. he knew going into the medical field that sometimes, bots would offline, and he could do nothing about it. as difficult as his first loss was, he was at least mentally prepared for it.

and then the war happened, and losses became the norm.

it was impossible for ratchet to not blame himself when a patient died under his care. it didn't matter if they came in with their chassis blown apart by cannonfire, tox-en circulating through their hydraulics, their faceplate bludgeoned to oblivion, or whatever horrific combination of injuries one could suffer on the battlefield. if they didn't make it home, ratchet would blame himself.

as trying and painful as being a battlefield medic was, ratchet didn't have it in him to quit. in his mind, giving up would lead to even more deaths, and it was better to dig his heels in than give in to his self doubt. and as he improved in his field, as he fought like the pit to keep soldiers and civilians alike alive in the face of impossible odds, he learned the second important lesson all medics would come to learn at some point in their careers.

he couldn't save everyone, but that would never stop him from trying.

it started with an alarm on the base computer.

it was a saturday, and the children were spending their weekend with their autobot friends. raf was playing video games with bumblebee, miko was trying to explain the plot of an anime she liked to bulkhead, and jack was hunting for his bike helmet so he and arcee could try to break their speed record. this left smokescreen wandering around the base, getting himself familiar, and optimus and ratchet standing by side by side in front of the base computer, trying to find any possible signs of the remaining relics alpha trion had sent over.

"still no luck?" ratchet asked as he moved to optimus' left.

"alpha wanted to be certain that these relics would not fall into decepticon hands," optimus said. "my only comfort is that, if we have the same information, these are as difficult for the decepticons to find as they are for us."

"that's one way of looking at it," ratchet huffed. as he watched the screen, he asked, "what do you think you'll do when the war is over?"

"if we win?" optimus asked. he paused, thinking for a moment. "i am not sure. i would much like to go back to iacon and see alpha trion again. maybe i would return to my original job."

"i don't blame you," ratchet scoffed. "i don't think i could handle being a prime. too much weight on my shoulders. you're a better bot than i am, optimus."

"i could say the same about you, old friend," optimus said with a slight smile. "it takes a strong spark and a lifetime of skill to do your job."

"eh, it's not as hard as being a prime is," ratchet shrugged. "anyone can learn how to do what i do."

"do not sell yourself short, ratchet," optimus said. he thought for a minute, then asked, "what will you do after this war?"

"me?" ratchet said. "i'm not sure. we've been in this war for so long that it's hard to imagine anything else."

"i feel the same way," optimus sighed, his expression changing ever so slightly before returning to his usual calm.

ratchet was about to say something when the screen lit up with an alert. focusing on it, ratchet noticed what looked like two sets of lifesigns moving along the screen.

"knock out and breakdown?" he said, reading off of the screen.

"most likely knock out and cylas," optimus inferred. "cylas must've defected from the decepticons after project damocles failed."

"what's knock out doing with him, then?" ratchet asked.

"he's probably mad that cylas took over breakdown's body," bulkhead guessed. "i wouldn't be surprised if knock out wants payback."

following the two blips along the screen, ratchet saw that cylas was moving towards an isolated building, far from any cities or towns. putting two and two together, he said, "that must be a mech outpost. he's either going there to gear up for a fight or to hide."

"either way, he needs to be turned in," optimus said. "we can't have a repeat of project damocles."

bumblebee beeped out a response, which raf translated. "he's saying that cylas was the one who took out his t-cog. he'll probably try to use knock out for extra parts if he beats him."

"then we had better get going and make sure he's apprehended," optimus said. "bulkhead, arcee, come with me. ratchet, you too. we may need a medic. bumblebee, you and smokescreen stay here. we'll need you to man the ground bridge."

bumblebee nodded and got up to take his place next to the ground bridge controls. at the edge of his vision, ratchet saw jack, bike helmet on, climbing on arcee's alt mode, while miko hopped inside bulkhead's alt mode. he rolled his optics, exasperated, but not in the mood to tell the children off when he knew for a fact that they wouldn't listen.

bumblebee booted up the ground bridge, prompting optimus and ratchet to change into their alt modes. once bumblebee punched in the coordinates, the familiar swirling, green vortex of the ground bridge opened up before them. optimus took the lead, and ratchet, as usual, followed right behind him.

the ground bridge spat them out in the middle of a forest covered in snow. as dark as it was, the moonlight streaming between the branches helped illuminate their surroundings. aside from fallen pinecones and animal tracks, the only things disrupting the blanket of white were two sets of tire tracks, which changed into giant footprints once they went deeper in, where driving was more difficult.

"stay on your guard," optimus warned them as he changed into his bot mode. "they may be focused on each other, but we cannot afford to be careless."

ratchet changed into his bot mode shortly after, followed by bulkhead and arcee. the four bots trudged through the snow, following the tire tracks, with bulkhead and arcee carrying their humans on their shoulders.

"do you see that?" miko asked, pointing forward. ratchet looked up from the ground and saw what looked like a building in the distance, though ratchet couldn't make out the details from this far.

"that's our mech base, alright," arcee said. "there's nothing else it can be."

as they collectively picked up speed to get a better look, ratchet saw the destruction cylas and knock out had already wrought. the entrance to the building looked like it had been hacked open, most likely by knock out's buzzsaw. tire tracks scattered in all directions, though none of them looked like knock out's or cylas'. they were too small.

"whoever was here must've packed up and ran for it," ratchet guessed as he stepped through the destroyed entryway. sure enough, the area he'd stepped into looked like a garage, and only a few trucks had been left behind. the rest had all been taken, and which ones remained had been shoved aside or mangled in what must've been a fight. what remained of the base controls had been hurled aside and hacked through, rendering the base inoperable. part of the ceiling had been shot down, leaving a pile of concrete and twisted metal on the floor, partially covering the doorway to the next room.

"i'll go check out what's ahead," arcee said. she set jack down from her shoulder and crouched through what wasn't covered by ruin to scout what lay ahead.

"bulkhead, come with me," optimus said. "we need to see if cylas or knock out are still in the area."

the wrecker nodded and followed after optimus, setting miko on the ground before changing into his alt mode and following optimus outside. jack and miko followed after arcee, leaving ratchet to himself in the garage. as he looked around, he started to weave a possible narrative together in his mind's optic.

cylas must've come through this way to alert his agents, he guessed. knock out followed right behind him, and they must've gotten into it. that hole was probably from knock out trying to shoot cylas. knock out, i can understand, but why would cylas be coming here and not getting away as fast as he could?

"hey, ratchet!" jack's voice rang out from amid the rubble. "you might wanna come see this!"

ratchet turned in the direction of jack's voice. arcee crawled out of the rubble and started to clear a large enough path for ratchet, who, in turn, helped her pull apart the fallen concrete and metal. as the two bots worked, ratchet looked over to arcee. her face looked as confused as he felt, her brow scrunched up in bewilderment.

the two bots forced their way into... well, ratchet wasn't sure what it was. it looked somewhere between an abandoned hospital room and a ramshackle laboratory. jack shone his phone flashlight around the room, revealing a massive medical berth, fit for a large cybertronian, as well as a human sized bed nearby, oddly enough. along one wall hung a myriad of barbaric looking instruments which ratchet could only guess were for taking apart and examining cylas' hijacked body. feeling a draft coming from nearby, ratchet looked around and saw a hole big enough for him to walk through ripped from the wall, along with two sets of snowy footprints leading out.

"looks like we found where they went off to," he grumbled. "knock out isn't done with cylas, it looks like."

"i don't blame him," arcee said, raising an eyebrow. "i would've done the same for cliffjumper."

as ratchet continued to look around the room, something caught his attention; a doorway mostly covered by fallen equipment and concrete. curious as to what lay behind, ratchet hauled the mangled metal and chunks of concrete out of the way. maybe some mech agents had hunkered down in there, people who'd be able to give up any information on where cylas might've gone.

the doorway was tall enough for a bot like arcee to go through comfortably, but ratchet had to duck his way inside. to his surprise, this room seemed relatively untouched by the destruction outside. apart from dust shaken down from the ceiling, everything looked mostly intact, from the fluorescent lights on the ceiling (which ratchet accidentally bumped into upon first entering the room) and the human sized medical equipment. he couldn't understand it. was the human equipment for the mech agents, or was it for cylas? maybe both?

as he turned to his left, two things came into his vision. the first was what looked like a monitor displaying vital signs. he didn't know how human vitals would read compared to cybertronian vitals, so he didn't understand everything he saw, much to his dismay. after raf's poisoning, he'd promised himself that he'd learn more about human medicine; clearly, he hadn't learned enough.

the second was what something ratchet couldn't wrap his processor around. it looked almost like a cross between a table and one of those rolling chairs the kids liked to play around on. on top of the main part of the table was what looked like a clear tank with a myriad of wires and tubes either protruding from the tank itself or plugged into the table. one wall of the tank had two large holes in it. something lay inside it, but ratchet couldn't quite tell what it was, squinting against the glare of the fluorescent light reflecting against the top of the tank.

crouching down to get a closer look, ratchet leaned in closer - and felt his spark freeze up.

two sets of footsteps followed ratchet into the room. the voice of miko piped up, "ratchet? what is this place?"

"this looks like nicu equipment," jack pondered as he looked around the room. "what on earth is it doing here?"

"and how do you know that?" miko asked.

"mom's a nicu nurse, i know what that stuff looks like," jack replied.

"children," ratchet piped up, raising a servo to shush them. once they were quiet again, he slowly raised his servo to the side of the tank with the holes in it and gently pulled on it, causing it to slide downwards. once he got a better look at what was inside, ratchet's horrified expression melted into something furious.

"bumblebee," he said, trying to keep his voice as level as possible as he opened up his comms, "we need a groundbridge. optimus, we need to get back to base, now." turning his head to the side, he said, "jack, when we get back to jasper, we're going straight to the hospital."

"wait, why?" the boy asked, stepping forward to get a better look. "what's going on? is someone hurt?"

ratchet didn't say a word. he reached inside the tank and slid the interior bed out with one digit. summoning up every bit of care and caution in his body, ratchet picked up what lay on the bed and gently set it on his other servo. behind him, the kids craned their necks and stood on their toes for a better look. as ratchet slowly turned around to face the children, his expression shifted to something unusually calm, but the fist clenched at his side revealed his righteous fury.

in his servo, wrapped in nothing but a thin blanket, lay a tiny human baby, asleep and shivering against the freezing cold air.

author's note: i told you i came up with a plot for this fucking crackfic idea. now to get started on the next chapter. (is this crack taken seriously?? idek anymore. i can't write just a goofy dumb fic. i've gotta do something else with it)

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hollowed-theory-hall · 3 months ago

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I've been reading your posts for awhile now and I genuinely enjoy reading your takes especially with Harry's characterization. so I've been wondering what are your thoughts on the lupin family? especially with teddy? although I still kinda dislike his parents' relationship i still think he's an interesting character and i wished people talked about him more outside of shipping. What would his relationship with harry be growing up? Also Lyall's death was never really confirmed, only hope's was so do you think he and Andromeda raised teddy instead of harry? It still feels odd that remus chose a 17 year old to be his son's godfather surely there were other suitable candidates than a literal teenager.

Thank you so much 💕

So, this is like entirely in my headcanon space since I did not watch/read Cursed Child and I'm not planning to. I don't consider any of the post-book material canon at all except the Quidditch World Cup in 2014, which I accept since it's fun and doesn't go out of its way to ruin established characters. I enjoyed reading it more than the epilogue, so that's something.

That being said, I often prefer to ignore many aspects of the epilogue and the World Cup article when headcanoning post-books events. I also don't engage much with next-gen stuff since I'm more interested in Harry's generation, but I do have some thoughts about Teddy.

With all this out of the way, let's talk about the Lupins.

So, I like Remadora, I think they're alright for the little we see of them. Tonks just deserves so much better than Lupin in my mind. I mean, he wanted to leave her, after he got her pregnant, for his own sense of inadequacy, guilt, and allergy to taking responsibility. Harry was so justified in ripping Remus a new one.

Now, I mentioned here, how I think Remus didn't make Harry Teddy's godfather because he thought Harry was ready (though Harry is more mature and responsible at 17 than Remus is at 37, so...), but as a way to promise Harry that he isn't going to push him, or Tonks, or anyone who loves him away anymore. It was Remus trying to apologize in a weird way that didn't really land. Especially since he goes and dies right after. (can you tell Remus is my least favorite marauder?)

Now, I find it really hard to imagine Remus as a father for Teddy had he lived. Like, I can see Tonks being a cool mom and her and Teddy matching hair colors when walking together and messing with people (and I think she could become more responsible had she lived longer). Remus is a harder one for me to envision as a parent. I mean, I think he'd be relieved that Teddy wasn't born a werewolf, but whenever he'd look at Teddy and Nymphadora, I think Remus couldn't help but feel sorry for himself and like he doesn't deserve them. While making Harry Teddy's godfather was meant to be a sort of promise, I can't see Remus fixing his habits so quickly. I mean, he'd try. But I can also see him, trying to up and leave a few times only to be talked out of it by various characters.

I think his behavior is going to put a lot of stress on Tonks too. Like, While I think they do love each other, I don't know how well their relationship would work in the long run if Remus doesn't bother to work on himself and get his fucking act together.

But in the books they both died, so Teddy is spared the mess his parents' relationship likely would've been and is instead stuck with a different mess of being an orphan with a 17-year-old caretaker. (This kid cannot win. Maybe because both his parents were kinda irresponsible and didn't quite get a grasp on adulthood when he was born)

So, post-DH, Remus and Tonks are dead, Ted Tonks is dead and we are left with a grieving Andromeda who lost all her family (again), a grieving Harry who just keeps losing people, and a newly orphaned barely a-year-old Teddy Lupin.

I think Teddy is an interesting mirror to baby Harry and Neville in a way. His parents died/couldn't take care of him because of Voldemort/his followers and he was left with only a godfather/grandmother. Teddy got both and his godfather isn't in Azkaban, so he has it a little better.

I like to imagine Harry makes sure to be super involved with Teddy's childhood, but I can't imagine a 17-year-old (almost 18) Harry post-war and maybe going back to Hogwarts for 8th year (depends on headcanon) being in a state to take care of a baby full time. I like to think Andy helps out in that first year a lot. I think Andy needs someone, some family to get her through loss. And I think Harry could enjoy Andy's company too. I'm sure she has plenty of stories about a young Sirius, and maybe even a young James, and in my headcanon, Andy somewhat adopts Harry as an extra son too.

Which means she ends up seeing way more Weasleys than she ever expected to. I think the Weasleys, who just lost Fred would understand a lot. I mean, both Andy and Molly lost a child and other family. I want Andromeda be more involved with all of them post-canon. That's my wish.

So Harry is Teddy's official guardian, but he spends loads of time with his grandma and the Weasleys growing up probably. Like, I don't mind him and Victoire being together, though I wouldn't necessarily have been my preferred choice, but I don't really care. They're probably childhood besties because they grew up together.

As for Teddy's relationship with Harry, I think Harry would end up treating him more like a much younger brother than a son. I mean, when Teddy would be 10, Harry would just be 27. Don't get me wrong, Harry could, technically, be his dad, but I think their dynamic is going to be different than that of Harry with his own children. Just because of how young and traumatized Harry is when he gets Teddy.

So, I think their relationship would have its tense points, but they'd also love each other. Like, you know Harry would do his best. He'd be super protective over Teddy, Andy would be, too. Like, no one messes with this kid.

But I also kinda want Teddy making a: "you're not my dad" joke/comment when Harry tries to send him to his room or something and Harry doesn't know if he wants to laugh or cry the first time it happens. But I think it would become a recurring joke Harry laughs from.

I think the first years would be the roughest. Everyone's grieving and trying to settle back into a semblance of normal life. Harry never really had a "normal life" he's gonna have no idea what to do with himself and I think Teddy could be a purpose he dedicates himself to. I think these two and Andy could all help each other figure their lives out. But as Teddy grows older and things settle down, it becomes easier.

While I think Harry and Teddy would end up really close, it's not going to be exactly the same relationship Harry and Sirius had. Teddy is going to have a happy childhood, Harry and Andy wouldn't let it be any other way, so he won't have the same grief and trauma Harry did as a child. Like, their dynamic would be less desperate, I think. Like, Harry wouldn't need to stay in a cave and eat rats for Teddy, their situation would be way chiller. Like, I think Harry would be constantly confused about how Teddy ended up being such a cool kid/teen because he doesn't think he could've raised him like that and he would joke about it with Teddy who'd be all sarcastic like: "Obviously, I raised myself here,"

Like, I imagine Teddy with his mother's punk fashion sense and goofiness (the goofiness I believe was 100% shared by Ted Tonks), Remus' voice and constant self-doubt, Andromeda's posture (he sits with his back perfectly straight, okay, Andy didn't let him slouch by the table), and Harry's sarcasm. He's like this mix of them and still his own person.

I think Teddy is likely to go through quite a lot of personal phases to try and figure out his own identity and how he portrays himself. Becouse everyone treats him as the godson of the famed boy who lived, but his dead parents were the last Metamorphmagus and a Werewolf. And he is very close to his grandma, who is a disowned daughter of House Black. Like, this is a kid rip for angst about who he is and who people see him as and him being a Metamorphmagus really leans into it.

Like, a young Teddy making sure to look like Harry in public because he's proud of the connection. Or Teddy mimicking Remus or Tonks' appearance from photos when he thinks about them and misses them or wants to remind strangers who his parents actually are becouse they seem to forget. Like, that could be super fun.

I think Harry's kids would really like Teddy. He's like a cool older cousin/brother who lives with them. Like, I can see them really looking up to him and Teddy would complain to Harry about being followed around by a 3-year-old that won't leave him alone and Harry would just find the whole thing amusing.

(I can also see a post-war Andromeda getting back in touch with Narcissa, so you could involve the Malfoys too if you felt like it. Though I feel like Teddy would just, not like Lucius much)

(Also also, I think Lyall is dead. I feel like if he was alive we would know, yk?)

#harry potter #hp #hp meta #asks #anonymous #hollowedtheory #harry james potter #remus lupin #nymphadora tonks #teddy lupin #andormeda tonks #andromeda black #hp next gen

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fictional-orphan-smackdown · 11 months ago

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ROUND 4, MATCH 1!

All propaganda and what each competitor is from under the cut

The Baudelaire Orphans (A Series of Unfortunate Events)

The epitome of orphans, they’re the best

“I’m having a very terrible childhood right now”-Klaus

The story deadass begins with them being told that their parents died in a fire and that they're orphans now. They then bounce from guardian to guardian who tend to always meet a gruesome fate at the hands of Count Olaf. Not only have they been orphaned once, but have been orphaned multiple times and are called "The Baudelaire Orphans" by not only characters in the book but by the narrator himself. They're called "The Baudelaire Orphans" so many times that it might as well be a defining character trait of theirs, and honestly it sort've is. The series doesn't even end with them finding a home or guardians of any kind, it ends with the Baudelaires fate being completely ambiguous with them literally sailing away from the island they were stranded on in the final book (yeah this series is quite the journey, I highly suggest it). These poor three kids are probably the most orphaned kids of all time since their orphaned in a new way almost every book and they deserve at least one win in their unfortunate tale.

These guys are like the poster-child of orphaning, we open the series with them finding out that they're orphans and also have no access to their money so now they hop around from place to place from weirdo caretaker to another weird/crazy/murderous caretaker and it's all fun and games and murder and decieving and surviving and thriving and---my point is, these three are a wonderful trio of siblings who love and rely on one another through all their trials and tribulations.

Literally every single one of their problems come from being orphans. They’re continually referred to as orphans and the plot of the first half of the series is them being shuffled around to guardians.

These kids are so orphaned they never even get a found family outside themselves. At least most stories featuring orphaned kids see them fulfill some sorta epic destiny or have them find a new home or set of loved ones of sorts. The Baudelaires? They're thrown from one fucking failure of a home into the next, ignored, hunted, etc.. It's been years but like, even in the end, they still have to set sail alone. As individual characters, they aren't bad either. Violet's the dependable big sister who's knack for inventions comes in handy, Klaus is a well-read chap and Sunny is a lovely gremlin. They make a good trio.

Every single guardian they try to obtain throughout the series turns out to be someone who wants the large inheritance left for them and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it.

They basically fend for themselves the whole series when no adult will listern to them. The whole series is them being resourceful and clever the whole series despite the misfortune. Violet is a brilliant inventor, Klaus reads and collects knowledge, and Sunny learns to be a good cook over the series

their parents die tragically in a fire and then everything awful proceeds to happen to them

I haven't read these books in years but if any orphans deserve to win a smackdown it's these fools, they are constantly in the trenches in those books goddamn. Also that baby is like a shredder they have that on their side, I think that beast literally solo'd a snake?

(This one was specifically for Klaus, but I'll put it here still) He and his sisters being orphans is kinda the point. As in many books, it's the trigger for them to change lives and navigating hardships. The thing is, their hardships just grow worse and "unfortunate" (read "dreadful") events keep happening to them as they stick together instead of the story getting better. Klaus and Violet become Sunny's subtitute parents and get through their more and more miserable lives together keeping hope things would eventually get better

Arguably more famously orphaned than Bruce Wayne, if not for how their story happens while they’re orphaned children versus an orphaned adult. Definitely have the most famously tragic post-orphaning story. All three are incredibly brilliant in their own way, including the literal baby. Pursued relentlessly by the leader of a maniacal theater troupe and letdown by a slew of adults, so it’s all the more impressive how amazing they each turned out to be. Book series was so good it got turned into a pretty great movie and then a successful TV show years later. Also can’t forget how these three are orphaned repeatedly as the distant relatives who take them in get killed off in increasingly inventive manners. Let’s be honest, ain’t no characters out here orphaning like the Baudelaire orphans.

this series taught me so many cool words and phrases and I love each of the 3 main characters so much

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are peddled from caretaker to caretaker over the course of 13 books, always being chased by the evil Count Olaf who wants to steal the Baudelaire fortune that the children are meant to inherit once they reach a certain age.

Spoilers ahead, the Baudelaires siblings story starts with them going from being the Baudelaire kids to the Baudelaire orphans, after their parents pass away in a mysterious fire. But they arent the only paternal figures that they lost, they go from tutor to tutor, almost all the good ones dying in front of them, and even the ones that survive at first their future is uncertain since the last time the kids see them they are blindfolded in a burnind building, and we never found out who make it out alive and who didnt. Even the main villian, Count Olaf their first tutor, and the only constant adult in their life after their parents death ends up dying in front of them. These three are orphans ten times over.

They are THE orphans. They have lost not only their parents but multiple guardians that they went to live with as well.

They're THE Orphans. The childhood book orphans we all read, Orphans Prime if you will. They lose their parents, every caregiver who's ever kind to them, then say fuck it and live on a deserted island on their own to raise themselves abd fully embrace their orphan status. On the island, they learn their parents survived the shipwreck then died again - double orphaning even.

OH MY SWEET LITTLE CHILDREN THAT FUELED MY LOVE FOR READING AND THE MACABRE Violet- Won her first of many invention competitions when she was five with an automatic rolling pin (comprised of a window shade and six pairs of roller skates). Extremely innovative and genius, foiled by her kindness to others. And she knows how to make a Molotov cocktail. Klaus- Absolute monster of a bibliophile, conducts research for fun, and has a photographic memory. He is known to want nothing more than "a good book, a comfy chair, and the warm glow of a reading lamp". He also is a Herman Melville fan, which is points for him in my book. Sunny- Most people know her only for her penchant for biting, but Sunny is a distinctly distinguished character. She has sharp wit (as long as you can read it through her babbles), her poker skills are phenomenal for a baby, and she has quite the knack for cooking! Also yeah, the teeth. She climbed an elevator shaft with them once.

They are constantly going through it, give these kids a break for real

Mina Murray/Harker (Dracula)

IIIIIIII Loveeeeeeee Herrrrrr, she's learning shorthand, she's the group scribe, she writes in her diary about her and lucy seeing cows on a walk, AND she's a train fiend. She's everything to me fr

#poll #a series of unfortunate events #violet baudelaire #klaus baudelaire #sunny baudelaire #dracula #re: dracula #dracula daily #mina harker #mina murray

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roguerogerss · 1 year ago

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snow lands on top

pairing: coriolanus snow x covey reader

w/c: 3.2k

warnings: just fluff! a few sexual comments but nothing more, mentions of family deaths, reader is just a poor lil soul

(merry christmas my angels! if you’re having a hard time, i feel you! here’s some soft coryo lovin to help you through it. the holidays r a hard time for so so many people, and my inbox will always be open to anyone who needs someone who’ll understand <3 luv you the most, we’ll get through it all)

Christmas Eve. The soft patter of snowfall, the breeze from your half open window, the bustle of the Corso below. You'd been listening to the Christmas shoppers - stressed or unbothered - the kids playing in the snow, mothers and fathers dragging their children to holiday themed events. Laying around in bed all day in old silk had become your go-to on the run-up to Christmas.

You’d come to hate snowfall. It meant the sounds of merry families, playing outside together. It meant mourning for when you could do that, it meant resenting others, something that the Covey would never want for you.

Christmas was bittersweet. It had been for years, now. No gifts under your small, sad Christmas tree, no family gathering, no over-the-top dinner event, sometimes no dinner at all. You lived alone, in your little apartment which you could hardly afford, and had no family left since the war.

You remembered the good times, of course, that was the 'sweet' in all of the bitter. Remembering your mother's baking and the smell of sugar cookies and Christmas cake. The lavish real evergreen tree that made the ridiculously high ceilings of your apartment look low. The gifts, the dinner, curling up with a mug of hot milk on the plush sofa. You even thought of your Christmases back in District twelve. Never too fancy, never too many gifts, but a family, the Covey, music, a home.

Life after the war had been cruel to you. What once was a young girl, with a family wealthy enough to move her to the Capitol, had become a young woman with no one to turn to, and not a penny to her name. You didn't have the luxury of pretending like everything was fine, like you had your family's riches to fall back on. Everyone at the Academy had found out when you'd had to ask for a scholarship loan to pay for your tuition, one which you'd never be able to pay back.

That was something you'd always envied of a particular classmate of yours. Coriolanus Snow. Crassus Snow's baby boy. You knew he must've been penniless, as poor as a church mouse. But maybe you only knew that because your own circumstances were much the same. Coriolanus was smart about it, always looking classy from an outside perspective, never asking for money, never acting hungry. But, when looked into closer, you could easily see cracks.

His shoes were the same ones he'd had since first year at the Academy, and they must've been achingly too small for him. He'd eat only small amounts at school and pretend he was full up, but you'd seen him once, with no shirt on, and his ribs stuck out like a sore thumb. Wherever there was an academic prize that involved money, he was always trying his hardest to win, pulling out every stop, but if there was no monetary prize, he'd only do half as much.

You saw right through his act, always had, but instead of exposing him to everyone else out of jealousy, you'd helped him out whenever you could. Us poor orphans have to stick together, right?

You'd share food, give eachother your spare trolley tokens so you wouldn't have to walk the hour back to the Corso, discuss strategy over how to win said academic prizes, and split them with eachother when you did.

You'd become close friends, over the years, even although it was kept strictly as a secret from all of your other classmates. And so, when you heard a familiar voice floating in through your window, you smiled to yourself.

"Y/N?" You could only faintly hear him calling from the street, but you started up from your bed and yanked the window open fully so that you could hang out of it.

There he was, Coriolanus Snow, in all of his glory. Blonde curls full of white snowflakes, wrapped in what seemed to be a ratty fur coat, chittering away. You laughed when you saw him. "Coryo, what are you doing out? You'll freeze to death!"

"Wanted to come and make sure you were okay." He called back, and then looked around warily, almost as though he was checking the coast was clear before asking, "Can I come up?"

You nodded, "I'll buzz you in." And then you swiftly closed the window. Goosebumps had raised on your arms and chest and you'd be paying for the next year if you had to put the furnace on.

You crossed to your bedroom door, made your way down the hall, and pressed the buzzer, which always made the most abhorrent sound when it let whoever was outside, in.

You waited by the door, and soon enough, Coryo was coming bounding up the stairs, fur coat now in his hand, nose and cheeks bright red. You let him in and laughed as you took his coat from him and hung it up. "It's Tigris'. I don't have anything warm enough, but it's the rattiest old thing I've ever seen."

"It's quite something." You turned back to see him shivering, arms folded around his body to try to warm himself. "Oh, you poor lamb."

Your Covey accent had never faded. The Capitol had always looked down upon you for it, but Coryo blushed every time you spoke. "I'm fine, I'll be fine."

"But it's freezing in here, too. Come here." You opened the small cupboard in the hallway, which held a few random seasonal items, and pulled out two, old blankets. You smiled at Coriolanus as you draped one around his shoulders, and he smiled back, close enough to you that his breath was hitting your cheek.

"Thank you, honey." Coriolanus' eyes scanned your apartment, peering through the living room door and then your bedroom door, and he frowned when he saw just one Christmas decoration - your tiny little tree. His family was poor, but Tigris was creative, and they still managed to uphold some joy in the form of tinsel and stockings at Christmas time.

"What?" Your face dropped and you looked worried, placing a tender hand on Coryo's blanket-clad shoulder. "You look so sad."

"You just..." Coryo's voice trailed off, unsure of how to say what he meant without hurting, or offending you. "I mean, you don't have too much, do you?"

"Well, I thought you knew that." A crease had appeared between your brows and you sounded upset with him, dropping your hand from where it had previously sat. Coryo corrected himself quickly, shaking his head at you.

"No, I'm sorry, that came out wrong." He racked his brain for something to say that would make you feel better. The look on your face made his chest sting. "I don't know, would you want to spend Christmas with us?"

You cocked your head to the side, looking at him as though he was going insane. Maybe he was, he wasn't even sure what he was saying. He closed his eyes and ran and hand over his face, which brightened you up a bit. You laughed, and he laughed, and he felt his shoulders relax. Why was he so nervous? He never got nervous, not like this, anyway.

"We don't have much either, but it'd mean you weren't alone. I know how you feel, especially at this time of year." Coryo noticed the slight tinge of pink that had dawned your cheeks, and, on a whim, he reached out and, with two freezing fingers, tilted your head back so that you were looking at him. "You could come to our house, Tigris makes bread pudding, and we managed to get some beef mince this year, too. Maybe you could even sleep over tonight, and we could wake up together-"

"Coryo, you're rambling." You stopped him, you knew he could go on for hours, and, although the offer was tempting, and you enjoyed the idea of spending even more time around Coryo, you planned on turning him down. "Thank you. That sounds lovely, but I'd never want to intrude. No, the Covey wrote me to let me know they've installed a telephone in the town hall, I can call them for a couple minutes tomorrow, lift my spirits. I'll be fine."

You waved him off, and pulled your mother's old silk robe tighter around your body. You started towards the living room door, expecting Coryo to follow, maybe you'd sit together on the flaky sofa and talk for a few hours, but he didn't let you get far. He snatched your hand from your side, and when you turned to look at him, his blue eyes were filled with concern.

"Call them from our house." He wasn't going to let you off without a yes. "Please. I can't leave you alone, that's not fair. Plus, I've always wanted to meet them, haven't I?"

You took a breath and adjusted your hand in his. It felt nice, to have him be so affectionate. You could admit you were closer than most friends, the line between friendship and love always slightly blurred and maybe crossed over on more than one occasion, but it always felt good to have him near.

After careful consideration, and a few reassuring rubs at the back of your hand from Coryo, you finally gave in. "Are you sure? I don't mean to be a pain-"

"You're not. You could never be." He stepped closer and took your other hand, close enough to you that, if he leaned forward, your foreheads would be touching. "Honest, Tigris will be happy to have someone other than Grandma'am."

"And what about Grandma'am? I'm District, I don't think she'll like that-"

"She respects your family. It's not the right way, I know, but there are very few district people she doesn't mind. She knew your parents, always says they were very respectable people." A grimace crossed Coryo’s face, talking about his Grandma’am’s views in front of you. He’d agreed with her for most of his life, but that was until he met you, and that Covey accent finally made snow melt and changed his mind.

"Really?" Your face had lit up. The idea of anyone from the Capitol accepting you, no, respecting you, was something you’d only ever dreamt of.

"Really." Coryo smiled, now, and then he joked, “What an honour, huh? To have Grandma'am like you."

"An honour, indeed." You laughed. You let go of one of his hands, but kept hold of the other. You started to drag him with you towards your bedroom, but Coryo stayed put, confused. He’d never been inside your bedroom, he assumed it was off limits. You laughed at him, “I’m not trying to get you into bed, darlin’, if I was you’d know about it.”

His face turned a deep shade of red and you approached him and placed a gentle hand on his cheek. “Coryo, I’m messin’. I’m just going to pack a bag, you can come if you like, but if I’m making you uncomfortable you’re welcome to sit in the living room.”

“No. Oh, no. You’re not making me uncomfortable.” Coryo let you lead him to your bedroom, now, and he looked around the almost bare room as though it was a place of worship. There was hardly anything in there, a mattress on the floor, a small, oil lamp positioned next to it. A couple of books, a wardrobe which held your school uniform and your mother’s old performance dresses, which you wore every day you could. He was just happy to be somewhere so intimate, somewhere you allowed only the closest people in your life. “Sorry.”

You got that cheeky look on your face, now. The one that Coryo loved so much. “It’s okay. I know you’re a virgin, anyway-”

“Hey!” He smacked you with the blanket and you giggled and smacked him back. “That’s none of your business.”

“Oh, but it’s obvious.”

The walk to Coriolanus’ apartment wasn’t long, but it felt different. You’d never made it obvious that you were close, before, but you walked together, through the snow, chatting away like you’d been best friends for years - which was the case, and now people knew. Even when you passed classmates or their families, you’d both smile and wave, and it felt good to know that people would know.

“Are you excited to meet Grandma’am?” Coryo joked. Your cheeks balled when you laughed and gripped onto his hand in an overdramatic way. Coryo thought his heart might’ve burst.

You bounded forward, still holding his hand, and walked backwards in front of him. “Oh, the most excited. I’m sure she’s got great gossip.”

“Only the best. Did you know she had a fling with the President’s brother when they were in school?” Coryo whispered dramatically, and you gave him an equally as theatrical gasp.

“I hope she’ll tell me all about it.”

You arrived at the apartment cold but happy, noses bright red but laughing. Fingers freezing but locked together. You felt pure joy for the first time in a long time, and Coryo decided he could get used to this.

When Tigris opened the door, you knew this was the right decision. Her face lit up, and she clapped her hands together excitedly as soon as she saw you. She didn’t even bother to greet Coriolanus, just started straight for you, “Oh my! It’s so lovely to see you. Please tell me you’re staying for Christmas!”

“I sure am. Coryo managed to convince me.” You looked up to the boy stood beside you, who’d already been smiling down at you with such love in his eyes.

“Well, we are so happy to have you. Lucky to have you.” Tigris squeezed your shoulder and then stepped to the side, gesturing to both of you. “Come in, please.”

You could’ve sobbed, the feeling of being wanted, not being alone. Coryo touched a comforting hand to your arm as you stepped into the foyer, once grand, but now cracked and tired. Tigris took your coat, and the Grandma’am greeted you with open arms.

“Your dress is beautiful.” Tigris commented, and you did a quick twirl to show off the lace-up detail in the back.

“Thank you, it was my mama’s. I try to wear her dresses whenever I can.” You smoothed the ruffles of your dress, looking down lovingly at the shades of green tulle, handmade by your mother herself.

“And so you should.” Tigris reached out to touch your ruffles, too, and she smiled at you as she did so. “She had great taste.”

Coryo led you through to his bedroom, to let you drop your bag off and familiarise yourself with the place. “Thank you.” You muttered as you placed your bag on his windowsill. “For letting me come here, letting me stay. Your family are just beautiful.”

“Yeah, they’re great.” Coryo stood from his bed to join you as you looked out of his window onto the snow covered Corso, at a fresh snow angel and a family you could hear laughing from the penthouse. “I’m sure the Covey are, too. And your parents.”

“My parents were. And the Covey are. I hope one day, you can meet them.” You turned to him, that crease in your brow back.

“I’d love to.” Coryo took hold of your hand, noticing that you’d taken up an unsettled look. “Should we get some air? Grandma’am keeps roses on the roof, might be nice to see them in the snow.”

You nodded. “Yeah. That’d be nice.”

The roof was nice, you could see the entirety of the Capitol from up there - roofs engulfed in white, and the snow-covered roses were such a beautiful sight. You plucked one of the stems, after Coryo said you could, and simply stared at the thing. Back home, flowers were everywhere, they felt like warm hugs, like trips to the lake, like your mama. It was rare that you saw them growing in the Capitol.

“It’s beautiful up here.” You commented as you took a seat at the edge of the rooftop. “You can see the whole city.”

“It is beautiful.” Coryo sat next to you, shoulders touching, pinky fingers travelling closer to eachother and then pulling back, looking forward but watching eachother out of the corner of your eyes. “You’re beautiful.”

Coryo had let it slip, and he took in a deep breath and held it for a while after speaking. You tried not to let your smile get too wide, worried it would border on psychotic-looking if you let it reach it’s full potential. Beautiful, Coriolanus Snow called you beautiful.

“Oh.” Was all you could say, quietly, only loud enough to be picked up by the soft breeze and carried over to Coriolanus. “Thank you, Coryo. I think you’re beautiful.”

Coriolanus looked down and laughed, shaking his head at you. You let your pinkies intertwine, now. “You’re just saying that because I said it.”

“I mean it. Anyone would be stupid not to think it.” Then all of your fingers were locked together. And you sighed and let your head fall onto Coryo’s shoulder. He smiled to himself, and then, in a quick surge of confidence, he pressed a kiss to the top of your head and decided to speak his mind.

“You know I love you, right?" He blurted out. He didn’t regret it, but he was nervous, now. If he’d learned anything this Christmas Eve, it was that you made him nervous.

"I know." You closed your eyes and breathed in the cold air, “I love you, too."

"But I mean, really love you." Coryo took his hand from yours and, instead, draped his arm around your back, fingers reaching up to fidget with your hair. “You're very easy to fall in love with."

"Hm." You hummed and removed your head from his shoulder to look up at him. Your cheeks were flushed and your breath made little clouds in between your two faces. “I think you're very easy to fall in love with, too, Coryo."

You were so close, noses touching, Coryo’s hand still twirling one lock of your hair around and around. And then your lips were on his, his hand gripping the back of your neck, kissing you with a hunger, a passion, you’d never felt before. Not feverishly, not sexual in nature, just real, raw passion. You’d meant what you said. Coriolanus Snow was incredibly easy to love, and you did. You loved him. And he loved you. Nothing else had ever seemed to simple in your entire life.

Coryo couldn’t imagine a world, now, where your lips hadn’t been on his. Where you hadn’t called him beautiful. He was on a high, an all time high, he was convinced. Snow lands on top.

The snowflakes continued falling, landing on your heads, noses, the roses. And you let them, with no resentment, no upset. Because Coryo was there, everything was easy, now.

#coriolanus snow x reader #coryo x reader #coryo snow x reader #coryo snow #coriolanus snow smut #coriolanus snow #the hunger games ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #tom blyth #tom blyth x reader #coriolanus snow x covey!reader

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dumbass-tumbler-cryptid · 12 days ago

Note

I absolutely love the concept of Quaritch raising Spider in hells gate and it’s something that I have been thinking about this au ever since you wrote a concept a little while ago, where spider is upset since he’s the only kid his age on Hell‘s gate since he’s way older than the other kids and Quaritch cheers him up. I remember Navispider also wrote a Quaritch raises spider prompt. I got so excited when I saw the concept you wrote about courage raising spider on Hell’s gate and expanding on this. I look forward to seeing more of it in the future.

I also have a question as to what you’ll be releasing next whether it is an au, or a chapter for one of your works.

Thank you! To start with your last question once I finish this au concept I’m going back to working on Visited. I really want to get a chapter posted because I feel like I haven’t posted for any of my fics in so long.

And yeah the Quaritch wins concept has also been stuck in my head since I wrote that little fic and I just needed to get it out so I could concentrate on my fics. It’s getting insanely long though. My word count last night was over 10,000 words and I’m nowhere near close to where I wanted to end part 1. Originally I wanted this to only be two parts. But now it’s going to be three and here’s part one. Enjoy!

Content warning. Quaritch starts off as a hard ass military dad and because of that he can get mentally/ emotionally abusive. He learns his lesson and stops but just want everyone to know that going in.

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Quaritch wins the war but Neytiri is still able to save Jake and the two go into hiding to form a resistance. Paz still dies in the war leaving Quaritch as a single parent but the catch is no one knows he’s the father of little four month old Miles Socorro. At first he thinks he has to claim him in order to save him from being sent back to Earth but then he learns that babies can't be put in cryo. So his secret kid is safe. Now he just has to decide whether he wants to publicly claim him or not. The higher ups are really happy with him after the trillions of dollars worth of unobtanium he’s sent back to Earth and so he knows he can ask for whatever he wants. But he doesn’t really have the time for a child. With his career he could never be a present parent. So for a few days he ignores his kid to see what will happen to him. Surely there’s some couple willing to take him. No such luck. From what he’s heard some nurses are begrudgingly taking care of him but their patience is wearing thin. There’s talks of the nurses doing secret D.N.A tests to find the orphan boy’s father and force him to take responsibility, if he’s even alive. And so he caves. He tells the higher ups Miles Socorro is his.

It is rough the first few days. Quaritch has no idea how to take care of a baby. His kid sure is cute though. He loves him in such a visceral primal way that it’s hard to describe. But there’s also a fear there. He’ll be up late to feed his son. He’s tired as hell but has a dreamy smile on his face as he watches Miles jr. And then a vision of the Na’vi attacking their base and slaughtering his innocent little boy flashes through his mind's eye. When his son is done eating he puts him back in bed then goes to brew a pot of coffee. He has to stomp out the natives if he wants to insure a future for his child.

He wants to throw himself into his work but with a baby that needs constant attention that proves impossible. The divide between parenting and running an entire military operation quickly becomes way too much even for him. So he arranges for seven of the most willing nurses on base to nanny for him, each working one day a week. He pays them out the ass for the service. And while he knows their names, in his head he refers to them by the day of the week they work, Ms. Sunday, Ms. Monday etc. Quaritch hardly ever sees his son after that. He’ll go weeks, even whole months without even catching a glimpse of his kid and when he does it always startles him. Because babies grow fast. He feels like he’s constantly seeing a new child and it makes him feel guilty but not enough to change his ways. He’s working hard for his son. His boy will thank him for it one day.

Still, even though he’s never actually parenting he has very strict rules for how he wants his son to be raised. Because Miles Quaritch Jr, as his birth certificate now reads, will be the next leader of military operations on Pandora. His father is determined of that. So his son has to be tough. No coddling. No toys unless they’re educational. When he starts eating solid foods they have to be healthy. No sugar, no snacks, just fruits and veggies. He better be dressed like a mini soldier, no cute, colorful clothes. And when his hair starts to grow Quaritch expects his son to be taken to the barber every few weeks for a buzz cut.

The nurses compile with this for a little bit. But baby M.J is not having it. He’s a really sweet little boy most of the time. He’s playful and insanely energetic, to the complete exhaustion of his caregivers. But he also wants to be cuddled when he’s hurt or something scares him and none of his caregivers have the heart to deny him that. M.J likes his dad approved toys but he loves the stuffed animals his mom made for him before she passed. Quaritch didn’t have the heart to throw them out but he also thought they would make his son too soft so he put them in a closet. M.J somehow got into that closet. He cried his little eyes out when someone tried to take the plushies from him and so they were just his now. He was good about eating his healthy foods. M.J was never a picky eater. Just very messy. But he did hate the mini military clothes he was dressed in. The stiff camo could never be comfortable for a baby. And so from the moment he’s able, M.J strips it all off to run around in just his diaper. The nurses can’t blame him honestly. The oldest of his caregivers Ms. Thursday, as Quaritch would call her, is really good at knitting and crocheting and Ms.Saturday is pretty decent with a sewing machine. Together they make M.J a wardrobe that he’s actually comfortable in. Bonus, everything is super cute. When M.J’s curly hair grows out they’re sad to see it go but no one is more upset than M.J. He has a complete meltdown every time the clippers start running over his head. Once his teeth start coming in he bites the barber hard. Harder than anyone thought a toddler could. The barber is holding the wound, blood streaming down his arm, when he bans M.J from being brought back until he’s at least six. Fine by the nurses. That curly mane of blond hair is just too cute.

The nurses really do have a lot of affection for M.J. All seven of them have always wanted a baby of their own. Ms.Thursday is way too old though. And while the rest are all around child bearing age, half of them are sterile from Earth's pollution. The others have made peace with never having a child after seeing what an absolute pariah Paz became after having M.J. But they’re happy getting their baby cravings out on M.J.

When his terrible twos hit M.J becomes unstoppable. He runs, never walks. He climbs on absolutely everything. He’s a little escape artist, getting out of every play pen, room, and even the apartment itself on one heart stopping occasion. They report this to Quaritch but he does nothing. Just chastises them, yelling that they’re incompetent if they couldn’t handle a two year old. After multiple instances of this they are fed the fuck up. So they decide to strike.

Typically one nurse will come in to relieve the other at five am. Instead after Ms.Sunday puts M.J to bed she leaves putting a note on the nightstand as she goes. Quaritch gets back to the apartment around one am. He takes a quick shower, collapses into bed and is asleep for all of twenty minutes when his son starts crying. He groans, ready to start shouting at the nanny to shut his kid up. When M.J doesn’t quite Quaritch does start yelling, “Don’t you understand that I need to sleep! How stupid are you that y’a can’t shut up one kid!” He gets no response. Finally he pushes himself out of bed, furious. He storms into his son’s nursery to scream at the help only to stop short when he finds her gone. Quaritch reads the note then crumbles it up and throws it to the ground. Then his attention turns to his toddler. He hasn’t seen him in who knows when and is not happy. He’s wearing some fuzzy green footie pajamas and his buzz cut is a grown out scraggly mess. He’s clutching a plushie close as he sobs.

Quaritch growls, ripping the toy from his son’s hands, making him shriek. “Stop crying right now!”

Of course that only makes M.J cry harder. He’d had a nightmare but now he’s terrified of this stranger yelling at him. “Keep it up! I’ll give y’a somethin’ to cry about!”

“Help!” The toddler starts screaming. It shocks Quaritch because, since when can his son speak? “Help! Auntie! Help!”

All anger drains out of him as guilt hits him like a tidal wave. “Be quiet.” He’s harsh but more calm then he was before. “They’re gone. And they’re not comin’ back. So just shut your mouth and go back to bed.” With that he leaves his son to cry himself to sleep.

The next day is a mess. Quaritch doesn’t know what to do with M.J. The toddler backs away from him when he goes to get him for breakfast. He starts screaming for help again when Quaritch picks him up to put him in his high chair. M.j is crying too much to feed himself the scrambled eggs his dad sets in front of him. Quaritch angrily stabs the eggs with a fork, shoving it in his son’s face. “Come on! I’ve got a meetin’ in an hour! Just eat!” M.J. cringes backward, just wanting to be away from this scary person.

Eventually Quaritch gives up. He picks M.J up, puts him back in his room, shuts and locks the door then leaves for his meeting. He was going to come back after that meeting. But then work just got the better of him. M.J was fine for a few minutes. He was just happy the stranger was gone. But then his tummy starts to rumble. And his mouth starts to get dry. Then he has to go to the bathroom. So he starts crying for help. It never comes. He’s sobbing for hours and hours before Quaritch comes back.

Quaritch is horrified when he opens the door. His son is sobbing. He’s dirty, sitting in a puddle of his own mess. When M.J looks up and sees him his breath starts coming out harsh and jagged. Quaritch growls. He’s angry at himself for failing his son but he doesn’t want to admit that. He says nothing, just scoops the boy up to give him a bath. M.J calms down once he’s clean. He takes food without issue, staring off glassy eyed as Quaritch gives him bites of steamed veggies. Then Quaritch puts him to bed. He gives him no affection whatsoever. Just throws the blanket over him and turns off the light.

Quaritch understands that he can’t do that again. So that means he has to bring his kid with him all the time. But he’s embarrassed to be seen with him and doesn’t want to be perceived as weak. So the next day he dresses his son in camo. M.J fusses but doesn’t cry. Then he leaves with him. M.J does not want to follow though. And Quaritch doesn’t want to hold his hand. So instead he grabs his son’s wrist and drags him down the halls of Hell’s Gate to the barber. “Oh hell no,” he says when he sees father and son, “your kid is banned.”

Quaritch gives him a cruel smirk, “who are you to ban my son when I’m the one runnin’ the show around here.”

“Your kid flips his shit. He screams. He cries. He bites,” he rolls up his sleeve to show off the scars left by his son, “he’s a danger to me and himself. I’m not doing it! Bring him back when he’s older.”

Quaritch rufly ruffles his son’s hair making him whimper, “look at this mess! I can’t be seen with him like this.”

The barber’s eyebrows raise, “you can’t be seen with your own son,” Quaritch growls but his cheeks tinge red in embarrassment, “he’s little. The clippers freak him out.”

“So he needs to get over it. Just give him a buzz and we’ll go.”

“I can try giving him a scissor cut but I’m not gonna stress him out with the clippers.”

“He’s two! You can’t handle a two year old!”

“Seeing as I’ve only ever seen his nannies with him, can you handle a two year old?”

“That’s it! I’ll do it myself! And you best believe there will be consequences for your insubordination!” Quaritch picks M.J up making him yelp then plops him into the barber chair. The barber himself hangs back, ready to be proven right. The second Quaritch flips the clippers on M.J starts crying, racing off the chair to get away from the scary noise. Quaritch just barely manages to catch him. Then he gets bitten hard. He swats his son's mouth away, then grabs him by his checks. “You stop it! Bite me again and I’ll whip your ass!” M.J sobs harder. The stranger keeps a grip on his face as he runs that loud, brain rattling machine over his head. Everyone in the room is watching them, quietly horrified that their boss could be so cruel to his own son.

“There! Was that so hard!” Quaritch screams over his son’s complete meltdown. He’s out of breath because, yes, it was in fact that hard. He looks around, feeling the judgment of everyone around him. Humiliation takes over. Quickly he snatches up his son’s wrist and drags him back to their apartment. Every last person in their path can hear the poor little boy crying his heart out. The cruel display from Quaritch is all anyone can talk about for days afterwards.

Once back home Quaritch plops M.J onto the couch. “Be quiet! You’re fine!” M.J curls into a protective ball. He’s still crying but it’s slowing down from his fear. “Do you even know who I am?”

M.J shakes his head, rubbing at his eyes, “no.”

Quaritch sighs, feeling guilty. “I’m your father. Do you know that word?” M.J stares at him blankly. “Dad? Daddy? Papa?”

“Papa?”

“That’s right. I’m your Papa. And it looks like you're gonna be stuck with me now. So I need you to be a good boy. That means no cryin’. No fussin’. You do as I say and we’ll be good.”

M.J pouts, pointing at him, “meanie.”

“I don’t have to be. I can be nice. But only if you're nice and do as I say.” M.J starts to whimper. He doesn’t want to stay with this scary person. He wants one of his aunties. He doesn’t understand why they left him with this mean man. Papa moves to pick him up but M.J cringes back. Papa growls, “stop it! I’m not gonna hurt y’a. Stop flichin’ like you’re gonna get hit.” M.J gets teary eyed when Papa grabs him but forces himself not to cry. He doesn’t want to be yelled at. “There. See? You’re fine. Now let’s get some of your things packed up and we’ll go to work.”

Quaritch has M.J play quietly under his desk in his office. Most people don’t even realize the kid is in there. They’re just confused by the occasional sound of wood hitting wood as the little boy bangs his toys together. Quaritch ignores him for the most part. Whenever someone is in the room with him he acts like nothing is amiss. But occasionally when he’s alone - analyzing footage of the rebels, creating battle strategie, reading intelligence reports- he’ll peek at his son and smile, feeling warm inside. He’ll ruffle M.J’s hair then turn back to his work.

M.J himself is so bored. He wants to run! To really play, not just sit with his toys. After a few hours he’s had enough. He stands up, glaring daggers at his father. “What’s the matter with you?” M.J dashes off, completely done with sitting still. “Miles! Come back here and sit down!” M.J ignores him, running around the room. Quaritch wisely locks the door before chasing after his son. It’s not hard to catch the toddler. In one move he scoops him up, holding him above his head. M.J actually laughs in excitement before Quaritch starts yelling at him, “what do y’a think you're doin’! I told y’a to sit down! Do you want an ass whippin’!” M.J’s moment of joy turns to fear and he starts sobbing. “Quit it! All y’a do is cry! Y’a think the natives will give a shit if y’a cry to them. Or a viperwolf ready to eat y’a for a snack? Y’a gotta be tough if you're gonna survive!”

Of course M.J doesn’t really understand what’s being said to him so he keeps on sobbing. Then a knock sounds on the door, “ah boss? Word just came in from the western front. They’re wanting to talk to you a.s.a.p.”

Quaritch hurries to stash his son back under his desk then opens the door. “Can they wait a few minutes?”

The cadet shrugs, “you’re the boss. Of course they’ll wait for you. But Na’vi forces are moving in. They could strike any moment. Everyone is waiting for your command.”

Quaritch nods, “I’ll be right there.” The cadet hurries away awkwardly. He heard everything Quaritch screamed at his son. Can still hear the poor kid crying all the way down the hall. He doesn’t go out of his way to tell people about it but when word of the barber shop incident gets to him he tells his friends what he experienced and soon everyone knows. They start comparing notes with the nurses who realize there’s a gap of a day between when they went on strike and when M.J started being spotted with his father. It doesn’t take a genius to assume Quaritch left him alone for a day.

Life goes on like this for a few days. And then Ms.Thursday shows up at his apartment door and slaps Quaritch straight in the face the second she sees him, “how could you be so cruel to him! We all knew you were an asshole but we didn’t think you’d treat your own son like this!”

“Like what?! I’m preparin’ him for life on this hellscape of a planet!”

“He’s two!”

“And!”

“And he doesn’t understand!”

“Well he’s gonna! What’s it to you anyway? You and the others left him!”

“No, we left you! Disrespecting and belittling us all the time….”

“As I should! Making my boy soft….”

“Auntie!” M.J, attracted by the familiar voice, sprints to Ms.Thursday. She scoops him up, smiling. M.J buries his face in her shoulder. “Help.”

Quaritch is humiliated. But he doesn’t want to admit he’s wrong so instead his anger takes hold. “Give him back.”

Ms.Thursday shields him away. “We’ll come back. If you agree to respect us we’ll all come back to take care of him.”

“Oh I sure as hell don’t want y’a back! Now put down my son and never come here again!”

M.J faces him, all defiance and fury. “No! Meanie!”

Fed up Quaritch rips his son away from Ms.Thursday so fast she can’t fight him, then he slams the door in her face. Ms. Thursday stands there just long enough to hear Quaritch yelling at M.J. A shuddering sob rocks her whole body as she realizes there’s nothing she can do. Quaritch has all the power. Rules don’t apply to him. She cries the entire way back to the hospital wing. Plenty of people see her and she has no issue telling them what happened.

Quaritch’s entire reputation is tarnished by the end of the first two weeks of fully parenting his son. Even some of his closest friends look at him with judgment in their eyes and go out of their way to make M.J smile. While the public shame does make Quaritch feel absolutely embarrassed he doesn’t really change his ways. He just gets better at hiding them.

After only a month M.J is a shadow of the happy toddler he used to be. He tries to hide from his father whenever he can. Every morning Quaritch finds him under his bed or in his closet. He always looks tired because the anxiety he feels around his father makes it hard for him to sleep. When he does he has accidents, something he gets yelled at for. He’s on the skinny side because his dad will yell at him when he shows any sign of being picky even though he’s not picky, he’s just eating slowly because things are new to him and he’s trying to figure them out. All in all he looks like a very sad little boy. People’s hearts break whenever they see Quaritch drag him along but no one can think of a way to help him.

Lyle is in Quaritch’s office one day. Like always M.J is on the floor playing with the solder and Na’vi figurines Quaritch made for him when he was born. But instead of the soldiers beating the Na’vi the Na’vi are winning. Lyle laughs, “I’m so losing my bet.”

“Bet? What bet?”

Lyle points at M.J. “You think he’s gonna take over for you one day?”

Quaritch bristles, “well of course I do. He’s my son. Why wouldn’t he.”

“Ah, take a look, boss. That kid hates you. It’s looking more like he’ll lead the rebels to destroy this place just to spite you.”

“Junior doesn’t hate me,” the toddler is still playing like he’s not being watched. Quaritch angrily rips the toys from his hands. M.J doesn’t cry. He just stares at him defeated.

Quaritch isn’t sure what the inciting incident was. He was so shocked that everything else but that one moment evaporated from his memory. But sure enough one evening when Quaritch was yelling, M.J, red faced and near tears, screams back, “hate you!”

Quaritch’s rage evaporates. He expected to hear those words when his son was a moody teenager. Not as a toddler. If his son was saying this now then he meant it. He wasn’t making his son tough. He was making him hate everything Quaritch stood for.

The realization of how wrong he was makes him spiral a little. He needs to do better if he wants his son to follow in his footsteps. Make his son love and admire him. But he doesn’t know how. He knows he can start by not yelling at him as much. Maybe bring back some of the toys he had banned. But as for parenting he’s at a loss. All he knows is being a hard ass. So with his tail between his legs he seeks out Ms.Thursday. “My kid hates me.”

“You're surprised after how you’ve treated him?”

“How can I be better? I need to do right by him or else one day he’ll run off and join the rebels just to get back at me!” Ms. Thursday raises an eyebrow, silently prompting him. He sighs, “I’m sorry about how I treated you and the other ladies. It was…..wrong of me. I can see that now.”

Ms.Thursday, or Lita as Quaritch will now refer to her smiles, “thank you for saying that. I accept your apology and for little Miles’ sake I’ll help you.” She talks him through a lot very quickly. All of M.J’s preferences. Basics of parenting. Proper punishment techniques like time out.

The next morning M.J is hiding from him like always. Typically he screams at his son to “get your ass out here right now!” But today he tries a different approach, “Miles, where are you,” he calls gently in an almost sing-song tone. He feels completely foolish, “are you under here?” He’s not under the bed. “Are you in here?” Sure enough when he opens the closet door fearful brown eyes stare back at him. “There’s my boy,” he says gently with a smile he hopes his son finds inviting. He holds his hand out to him, “come on. No more hide and seek. Let’s have some breakfast.”

M.J is incredibly hesitant. The person in front of him looks like the mean man but is acting nothing like him. He takes his hand slowly, afraid that he’ll be screamed at. But then he’s not. He’s calmly led to the kitchen, picked up and placed on his booster seat. Some sliced peaches and cheesy scrambled eggs wait for him. He grabs a spoon and scoops up a small bite, slowly tasting to figure out if he likes it. Then he freezes, bracing to be yelled at. But then he’s not. The mean man smiles encouragingly, ruffles his hair, then tucks himself into the table to have his own breakfast. It’s all really peaceful. M.J happily eats every last bite of his meal.

Lita and Annie (Ms.Saturday) were still making clothes for M.J even though they were away from him. It’s their hobby after all. Quaritch was surprised when Lita handed him a box full of clothes that would fit his fast growing toddler. When he actually went through the box he hated the cutisie things they’d made. But they felt nice. He knew his son hated the feeling of his camo. M.J had embarrassed him by stripping off his clothes and running around more times then he could count. So even though Quaritch hates it he gets M.J dressed in an airy short sleeve cotton shirt and fluffy light blue knitted overalls with a cute embroidered bear patch on the chest pocket. M.J loves it. He hasn’t felt this comfortable in months.

Quaritch gets M.J’s little backpack filled up with toys, including his son’s favorite plushie, snacks, a coloring book and some picture books. Anika (Ms.Monday) had put together the coloring and picture books for M.J. She’s really good at art and drew pretty, kid friendly versions of Pandora’s wild life. When they leave Quaritch actually holds M.J’s hand. He feels vulnerable walking slowly through Hell’s Gate so his adorable toddler can comfortably keep up. He expected his subordinates to laugh at him. Think he’s soft and lose respect for him. But they don’t. He catches looks for sure but they’re not judging. In fact, people look happy to see little M.J.

In his office Quaritch sets up a playpen in the corner for his son. M.J loves it. He can actually run around and move in there. Over time Quaritch adds a little trampoline and a cushie mat that is used for both nap time and his son’s spontaneous gymnastic displays. Yes it’s weird as hell to hear the excited shrieks of a playing toddler while discussing military strategy over video call. Or reviewing bloody, post battle footage while the little boy naps peacefully. But it is what it is. Their boss has a kid. Everyone just gets used to it. Besides it’s a nice reprieve from the violence to see such a sweet face smiling at them or just being his happy playful self. It’s a nice reminder of what they’re fighting for.

It takes a lot of time for M.J to come around to Quaritch after the hell he put him through. He’ll be playing, get a little loud, then instantly freeze in fear, bracing for the screaming. “You’re okay,” Papa says gently. M.J doesn’t believe him but goes back to his toys with less enthusiasm.

Papa moves to pick him up and M.J flinches away. Quaritch feels his old anger spike but he shoves it down. He feels so wrong being gentle but he forces himself to get over it. “It’s okay Junior. Papa’s not gonna hurt y’a. I’m just gonna pick y’a up. Okay? One, two, three.”

Quaritch wakes in the middle of the night to rustling sounds. His son is restlessly pacing his room, unable to sleep. M.J freezes when he’s caught. Then he starts backing himself into a corner, his bottom lip trembling. “What’s the matter, tiger? Y’a can’t sleep? Come here.” M.J hesitates. Quaritch gets down on his level, trying to seem open and friendly. It takes a whole five minutes of M.J slowly creeping forward, without being spooked by his father, for him to be close enough for Quaritch to scoop him up. “There. See? You're okay. Did y’a have a bad dream?” M.J nods, his soft curls bouncing with the movement. “Do y’a want a little snack?” M.J shakes his head no. Quaritch hesitates to ask his next question. He still feels awkward giving his son affection just as much as M.J hesitates to accept it. “Do you want to stay with Papa tonight? I can protect y’a from all the scary monsters.” M.J thinks about it hard but eventually agrees. At first Quaritch lays his son on the other side of the bed and keeps his distance. After many sleepless nights M.J tries to cuddle with him. Quaritch feels ridiculous getting so soft hearted as M.J crawls his way onto his chest and snuggles in. But dammit, he loves the feeling. He hugs his boy close, planting a kiss on the crown of his head. Both father and son fall asleep to the gentle sound of the other's heartbeat and even breath.

Quaritch still gets self conscious with his toddler around. He fears being seen as a weak leader and, worse case scenario, getting forced to retire and sent back to earth. So in public he doesn’t give his son much affection. He puts together a wagon out of old scrap metal so he can pull M.J along in that instead of holding his hand. He builds his son’s playpen up tall with solid walls so you’d have to be looking straight down to see the kid. Bonus it also keeps his little escape artist in. And if M.J wants his attention during the day then Quaritch locks the door before he attends to him so no one can barge in and see him giving his son snacks, or helping him in the bathroom, or kissing his boo-boos, or giving M.J his mid day nap by holding him on his chest. He’d be humiliated if anyone saw him being such a dad. But secretly he loves taking care of his son. It’s the only time he can let himself be soft and gentle. It brings a whole new dimension to his life that he never knew he was missing.

He doesn’t really know how his son got the nickname Spider. He knew it was from his kid’s love of climbing. All he remembers is going away for a few days on a mission, leaving his son in the care of his nannies. When he came back everyone was calling M.J, Spider. He knows something happened to prompt the name change. But no matter who he asks he gets the same answer. “I don’t know,” as they shift nervously.

Once the damage is done there’s no going back. The boy is just too stubborn. Quaritch will call, “Junior. Come here.”

Spider will glare at him, staying rooted to his spot. “Spider.”

“No. Your name is Miles. Same as mine. That’s why I’m Miles sr and your Miles jr. Or just Junior. Now stop being silly and come here.”

“No! I’m Spider!”

Quaritch rolls his eyes with a sigh. Fighting with the toddler is not worth it. He’ll indulge him for now. Eventually Miles jr will grow out of this phase. “Fine. Spider will you get over here already.” Spider smiles, happily running to him.

When Spider is four, Quaritch gets some major news from the R.D.A. They want to expand. Not just their base but their population as well. They still want to try and save Earth but the prospect is looking more grim by the day. So they need to start preparing the infrastructure for (the rich) to evacuate. And they’ve already sent resources that’ll arrive by the end of the year. In the meantime Quaritch needs to secure the space for the sprawling city the R.D.A wants to build. Which proves difficult with Jake ramping up his attacks. They win as much as they lose. He loses tons of good soldiers and has some close calls himself. The straw that breaks the camel's back is when his aircraft is shot down. We wakes up among the wreckage, bloody and disoriented, but still in one piece. Then as he’s getting his bearings Jake appears, gun in hand ready to kill him. Quaritch’s last thought is of his son. How all he wants is to see him one last time. In slow motion he watches Jake pull the trigger back, bracing for the end. Then Prager appears, tackling Jake to the ground, the bullet shooting wildly into the air. Then the rest of his squad are there, lifting up the wreckage that has him pinned, dragging him out, guarding him as they rush him to a medevac.

He’s got a nasty concussion and a bit of internal bleeding but he’ll be okay. With advancements in medical technology the doctors perform a minimally invasive surgery to fix the bleeding. He doesn’t even need anesthesia for it, just some heavy duty pain killers. They give him a shot that’ll help speed up the healing process and a regimen of meds to help his brain recover from the concussion as if nothing had happened. He has to stay for observation for at least one night. While he’s desperate to see his son he doesn’t want the boy to see him like this. So even though Emelia (Ms.Wednesday) offers to bring Spider to him, Quaritch refuses.

The next day he’s allowed to go back home. Ja offers to walk him there in a wheelchair but Quaritch waves that off in disgust. No one can see him looking weak. He ends up in the passenger seat of a golf cart wearing dark sunglasses to block out the light giving him a head splitting migraine. Spider is thrilled to see him when he unsteadily walks through the door. “Hi Papa!” It sounds like he’s shouting at the top of his lungs. Quaritch cringes in pain, holding his head in his hands. Fike gently shushes Spider as the squad leads Quaritch to his room to lay down.

The nurses have their hands full down in the med bay so it’s Quaritch’s squad that stays with them. One will stay for four hours or so before another comes to take over. Quaritch just lays in the dark, the room spinning, his head pounding. Spider slips in, quietly creeping onto the bed. “Hi Papa,” he whispers this time.

Quaritch smiles despite the pain, “hi son.”

“Auntie Z said I have to be quiet.”

“That's right. I need you to be very quiet.”

“Because you hurt your head?”

“That’s right.”

Spider kisses the patch of gauze on Quaritch’s temple then snuggles in. “All better.” Quaritch melts, all of his misery forgotten. He hugs Spider close, running his fingers through his hair.

After his close call Quaritch moves to gorilla warfare tactics and drone strikes instead of head to head combat. It helps keep his soldiers alive and the Na’vi at bay until more supplies come in. And when it does Quaritch is amazed. Sure he had a list of everything he was getting. But seeing it in person is totally different. Their new machinery widens the perimeter of Hell’s Gate twenty fold in a day. Then the moment they activate the swarm assemblers they start building. After five days the framework of their new city takes shape. It’ll be done by the end of the month.

The best part for Quaritch is his avatar. It was made to upload his memories into in case he died in battle but since he didn’t he’ll now drive it instead. He’s absolutely thrilled. A younger, stronger body that he can use to fight on the frontlines without any fear of dying. Without any fear of leaving his son an orphan. It’s absolutely perfect.

Once the city is up and running a lot of things change all at once. Quaritch and Spider upgrade to a much better apartment. It’s the size of a modest house with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious living room, state of the art kitchen and gorgeous dining room. Quaritch turns one of the spare rooms into his office. He barely has to leave after that. He can watch what’s happening all over base from his computers. He takes video calls, delegates tasks and comes up with battle strategies all from the comfort of his own home. The other spare room becomes Spider’s playroom. It’s decked out like a mini kid friendly gym with a rock climbing wall going to the ceiling, a small trampoline, ropes, a swing and a slide, along with tons of toys. Spider goes nuts over it. The office and the playroom are across the hall from each other so Quaritch leaves both doors open so he can monitor his son while working.

With the city done the next part of the R.D.A’s plans get going. Population growth. Because (the ritch) the city will need a next generation of soldiers, nurses, and service workers (to keep the wealthy comfortable) to make their city thrive. So a new program is introduced. For every child that’s produced the R.D.A will allow the biological mother and biological father to choose one loved one to bring to Pandora. There’s an absolute frenzie to jump at the opportunity. Everyone is desperate to save their family and friends from Earth. Soon Hell’s Gate is filled with the cries of newborns. Lita sets up a daycare for the infants so their parents can go back to work. Quit a few of the parents completely leave the kids there. They didn’t want a child. They just wanted their loved ones to be safe. It creates a generation that are very close to each other. Leaving Spider completely out in the cold.

Spider feels like a test dummy for the little kids all the time. He has pretty intense physicals every six months to see how Pandora’s environment is affecting his growth. Then there's schooling. When he was five he had an A.I teacher projected as a hologram in his playroom. He threw toys at it until he broke the projector. Papa was not happy with him. Quaritch ends up putting a child sized desk in his office, facing the wall. He doesn’t want Spider to catch any glimpses of the war. He makes sure to keep Spider on track and helps him as needed. Spider’s lessons are all online. He has learning modules for every subject. Of course he’s learning English, math, science and history but Quaritch also wants him to know the Na’vi language and about Pandora’s flora and fauna. Those skills will be invaluable when Spider becomes a soldier. Quaritch will get Spider started on the lessons and make sure he works on each subject for an hour but for the most part Spider is teaching himself. By the time he’s eleven he’s incredibly used to it all. He expected the little kids to get the same schooling as him but it turns out there’s a few teachers among the family members arriving from Earth who start up a school. Spider is a little jealous. One teacher offers to tutor Spider one on one. Spider wants to pass but Quaritch jumps at the opportunity. He wants to spend more time in his avatar out on the front lines but can’t when he has to supervise his son all day. Que Spider sitting in a small meeting room every day bored out of his mind.

Spider feels some kind of way whenever a new ship full of family members docks. The first wave is ninety percent grandmas. There’s a lot of tears as they rush to see their child and meet their five year old grandchild for the first time. A year later is when the grandpas arrive eager to see their growing families. Spider (age 12) watched the happy scenes once with his dad. “Where are my grandparents at?”

“Dead.”

“Oh.” He’s not quite sad from the news. It’s more of a lacking feeling. “Do we have any family on Earth?”

Papa chuckles but there’s no humor in it. “None that you’d wanna meet.”

While some of the younger grandparents can resume the jobs they had on Earth like teaching, or laboring jobs, most of them raise their grandchildren, cook, clean, garden and craft necessary items like clothes, shoes, furniture etc.

Spider loves going outside. One of his earliest memories is being balanced on his dad’s hip, looking out an observation window completely entranced as he took in the beauty of Pandora at night. He cried when all that gorgeous nature was obliterated to expand Hell’s Gate. Papa held him and rubbed his back but wasn’t too sympathetic. “Oh come on now. It’s just a few trees. And we’ll make good use of’em. You're gonna get a bigger bed and some new toys and a whole bunch of other stuff.” The news does not comfort Spider. If anything he feels guilty when he first sees their new apartment with all its shiny wood furniture.

“When can I go outside?” Spider asks when he’s five.

Papa frowns. “You're too little to go outside.”

“Do I have to be as big as you?”

Papa thinks about it. “I don’t know about that. But y’a need to be able to fit into a mask. We humans can’t breathe out there. So y’a need a mask to stay alive.”

Spider nods, eyes lighting with hope, “can I try one on?”

“I said you're too little.”

“But how do you know if I’ve never tried one…..”

“Miles!” Spider jumps. He knows he’s in trouble if he’s hearing his given name. Papa wags a finger at him. “I said no and that means no. It doesn’t mean you argue with me. I’ll take y’a outside when a mask fits y’a. Now go sit in the corner and think about what you did. I will not tolerate disrespect in my house.” Spider is pouting while he glares at his father but wisely does as told, stomping over to the time out stool in the corner.

A few months later Spider gets an opportunity to slip away from Quaritch. He wanders his way to an airlock where he finds a row of masks hung on the wall. He makes a huge mess stacking every item he can find to climb up and grab one. Quaritch is panicked the moment he realizes Spider is gone. His heart stops when he pulls up the security footage and sees what his son is doing. He calls the closest personnel to stop Spider. Spider just managed to pull a mask off the wall when a soldier grabs him from behind. He keeps hold of the mask as he’s led to his father. When his very angry Papa is in sight Spider happily shows off his prize. “Look Papa! It fits!”

Quaritch is livid. He gets down on Spider’s level, grabbing his shoulders. As calmly as he can manage he says, “what were y’a trying to do?”

“Get a mask.”

“To go outside?”

“Well yeah. I really want to go, Papa.”

Quaritch’s worry spikes dramatically causing him to shake Spider a little, “do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there! I told y’a you're too little! You can’t go out there alone!”

Spider frowns, “but I didn’t wanna go alone. You said you’d take me out when a mask fit. It fits. So can we go out?”

Quaritch melts. He takes a deep breath, tucking Spider’s hair behind his ears. “I’ll take y’a outside…” Spider lights up from shear joy, “……after you're done bein’ grounded for running away and nearly givin’ me a damn heart attack”

All that joy immediately dies. “What’s grounded?”

“A month of no fun. No t.v. Less play time. More chores…..”

“Noooooo!”

“Yes! When a month is up and you’ve learned your lesson I’ll take y’a out.”

“Really?”

“Promise.”

Spider crashes into his arms. “I’ll be so good Papa. Gooder than anyone ever in the whole universe.”

Quaritch chuckles, “you mean better. Looks like we’ll need to add some extra schoolin’ to your punishment.” Spider groans.

That month is the single greatest month in Quaritch’s life as a parent. When Spider is a wild teenager Quaritch looks back on that month and smiles. It was too good to last but damn was it nice while it did. Spider did everything he was told. He crinkled his nose while eating his vegetables but still ate them without complaint. He went to bed on time instead of running around to avoid sleeping. He got his hair cut without fussing, though he was clearly grimacing the whole time. He did his school work without giving up and complaining about how boring it was. He picked up all his toys, made his bed every day and even offered to help with chores. For Quaritch it was paradise. For Spider it was Hell.

When the day finally comes Quaritch doesn’t say a peep about going out. They go about their normal Saturday morning. They have breakfast, Spider watches an hour of educational kids shows then runs to play in his playroom. Quaritch is in his office busting ass to get all his work done by lunch. Right at noon Spider wanders in saying, “Papa, I’m hungry.” Quaritch smiles at him, mentally exhausted by his efforts but happy. He’s completely done. The rest of the day is his. They eat then Quaritch says, “I need to step out for a minute and you're gonna come with me.”

Not an unusual thing for Spider to be told. “Okay.” He follows his dad through the long halls all the way to an airlock. Spider gasps, eyes going wide.

Papa picks up a mask. “Now this has to fit on fairly snug. You want a tight seal but it shouldn’t feel painful.” He fits the mask onto Spider’s face. Spider is buzzing with anticipation. “This is your battery pack. It goes into this bag that clips right on to the waistband of your pants. Now we won’t be out there all day but you need to keep an eye on the battery's power. You always want to make sure yours is fully charged before you leave and keep an eye on it through the day. The charge lasts for 48 hours but that doesn’t mean you can be careless with it.” Spider nods, paying close attention for the first time in his life. “Alright. We’re gonna head out then. But you stay close to me. If you run off then we’re gonna be done and you can go right back to being grounded.”

“Yes sir,” Spider says with a slight panic. He definitely wants to run wild in the jungle but he doesn’t want this privilege to be revoked. So as the airlock opens he grabs his dad’s hand.

While Quaritch doesn’t like being seen holding hands with his son he never rejects it when Spider initiates. And in this instance he was going to hold onto his son anyway. He knows Spider is way too excited over this and doesn’t want him doing something crazy out of enthusiasm. It was either swallow his pride and hold hands or put a child leash on Spider. The later option was the most humiliating thing he could think of for both of them. Besides, he’ll never admit it but he loves the feeling of that little hand in his, wanting guidance and protection. It makes him warm inside.

Spider is oddly quiet as he takes everything in. First there’s the concrete landing where huge ships are docked and mech suit drivers walk around soldiers going about their day. Then they get to the gate. “We’re not going far,” Papa says. “This fence gives off a sonic pulse that keeps the animals away. We want to stay in range of it.”

The fence is still in view whenever Spider looks back but looking forward all he can see is a lush expanse of jungle. He’s instantly in love. Spider has his dad walking the entire perimeter of Hells Gate. It takes hours. Quaritch wants to stop plenty of times but Spider is just too happy being out. His son stops to admire every new plant, asking more questions than Quaritch has answers to. Every animal call is met with an excited, “what was that Papa?” And apparently the sonics didn’t keep every animal away because a flock of creatures that looked like dandelion seeds on the wind lightly land on Spider’s head and shoulders making him giggle in delight.

Quaritch furiously swats them away. “Don’t just let things sit on you like that. You don’t know if they’re dangerous or not.”

Spider pouts. He looks up at the creatures floating away and waves, “bye.”

It’s sunset when Quaritch puts his foot down and leads them back inside. Spider is exhausted but still doesn’t want to go, making him stubborn and cranky. Unfortunately his dad is also stubborn and cranky. Quaritch picks Spider right up, making him scream in protest. “If you wanna go outside again you’ll stop it right now. I don’t even let my soldiers out at night so you sure as hell aren’t stayin’. You're gonna eat dinner, take a bath and go right to bed.”

“No!” Spider is near tears as he fights the hold, desperately wanting to go back to the jungle.

Quaritch gives him a warning swat on the rear. “I said stop it. Or I’ll make sure you never go out again.” That completely silences Spider. Peace achieved Quaritch says, “I’ll take y’a out again whenever I can.”

Spider sniffles, “tomorrow?”

“Not tomorrow.”

“The next day?”

“No, not the next day.”

“The day after that?”

“I said when I can. That means I don’t know when but when I find the time we’ll go.” Spider isn’t satisfied with that answer but once they’re inside his exhaustion catches up to him. His head collapses onto his dad’s shoulder, his arms tightening around his neck. Papa hugs him, rubbing his back

#spider socorro #miles spider socorro #miles quaritch #colonel miles quaritch #avatar fanfiction #my fanfic

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