#childbirth mention tw

[quitealotofsodapop]

more Soft Boiled!

[the little red ribbon in her hair!!! And she has her own version of Macaque's scarf!!]

the red ribbon was meant to be phoenix feathers like Wukong's cap, and I like ti think her scarf may actually be a piece of Macaque's original scarf. the one he wears pre-death is different from his scarf post-resurrection, so maybe after he died Wukong wanted to keep a momento for himself/his unborn daughter. Macaque comes back to life and assumed the scarf, which was a gift from Wukong in the first place, had been rescinded as a show of them no longer being together. that is, until he recognizes the fabric hanging from the shoulders of a familiar black-furred child that just broke his nose mid shadow play.

[Wukong about to get a talking to the second his adoptive family gets a hold of him. Once the monkey recovers from the early labour, and has emotionally recovered from the rollercoaster that was Yuebei's birth ofc.]

I can imagine PIF helping as a sort of midwife through the whole thing, and being very supportive and giving a lot of great advice, having gone through a similarly rough pregnancy not overly long ago herself (I also like to think Red Son, due to the fire causing the pregnancy and birth complication, was also a premmie). aaanndd then the moment Wukong is ok again after Yuebei is confirmed ok she's turning into the most foul-mouthed, harshest, rage filled person in the room. the others don't bother scolding Wukong much, taking softer tones in despite their concern and annoyance, partly because she said it all first, and partly because they feel bad about how utterly devastating her rant was.

[It would be so cute if Yuebei first started crying over something completely normal - for some reason, I'm thinking it's something like Zhu Bajie trying to pull a funny face for her. Wukong is so relieved to hear his baby crying that he doesn't even scold his pilgrim brother for scaring her!]

she's awake, but barely, and still so, so quiet. then, admist the other pilgrims quiet fussing over her, Zhu Bajie tries to lighten the mood by making a face. she starts wailing. Wukong, who was just about ready to go out like a light, instantly is next to the crib, picking her up and both trying to comfort her and himself as he cries in joy and relief. the others have a similar joyous reaction, except for Bajie, who is very wounded by the thought of being ugly enough to make a baby cry.

[Wukong would be so protective of his little Moon Comet Star. She was so sickly and weak as a baby, that he worries about ever letting her leave places he knows to be safe.]

maybe another lasting affect of her brief encounter with the fire is sever asthma. not great for a premature newborn. I imagine it would be something that sticks with you if your baby is constantly wheezing, coughing, unable to really make sounds, struggling to eat, struggling to breath, and maybe even stops breathing entirely entirely at times. And with almost nothing you can do, as back when she was born their wouldn't really have been much treatment or medicine for things like asthma. the constant worry of Yuebei suddenly not being able to breath probably means she never really got to go places, especially without her Baba. heaven forbid is she also has any seasonal allergies. not to say Wukong was a total helicopter parent, but he definitely worried.

Wukong is aware enough to understand that this is not a normal, or ideal childhood, so now that she's a bit bigger and stronger he's really trying to not lose his mind with anxiety every time MK takes her somewhere new off island without him. he even tries to encourage her to go out, so even if he has worries and a few different concerns when MK mentions the noodle shop all got tickets plus an extra one for the his daughter to a shadow play he tries not to stifle anyone's fun.

[That and I can imagine Wukong took her to stay with Guanyin on her unaging island for a while to help her health improve.] + [I bet even with Guanyin, "Cousin" Nezha, and the very rare corespondance with PIF and Red Son, Yuebei spends a lot of her childhood lonely]

as mentioned above, with her having been so sick she def would have spent a lot of time at Guanyin's. she's a renowned healer, and Guanyin is someone he trusts dearly to boot, so going to the goddess is a win-win in his eyes.

and yeah. between not being allowed to go out to new places much due to being a sickly child, and Wukong's reputation and not having anyone to connect with other then busy celestials, there's not much chance to go exploring. the monkeys are fun, but they and her baba treat her very delicately even when playing. her baba is awesome in her eyes, and its one thing for your parent to be someone you can call a best friend, but its a little different when your parent is your only friend. its why, despite not liking him much, she jumps at MK's offer to take her off island and into the city without her baba sometimes.

I feel like she'd make fast friends with Bai He once the LBD fiasco is over.

[Yuebei is gonna have a time when she starts understanding whats really going on with the Noodle Gang, and why her family "suddenly" can't remember her. Wukong blames himself for not explaining it better to her earlier, but hadn't wanted to dump so much loss on his babygirl all at once - it was a lose-lose situation.]

Yuebei learning and coming to understand what's happened probably ends up being the b-plot of an episode. maybe "Amnesia Rules", instead of Wukong getting his memories back by getting hit over the head, it happens because he realizes through Yuebei having an emotional breakdown over the others, and now her own father, having forgetton her and he realizes that she's describing them having reincarnated and he's like "ah! that's what happened." and explains more indepth what that means to her. the others hear of her feeling about "them forgtting her" for the first time during this, and can't help but feel bad and try and help Wukong explain. she probably clings to her baba for a long time after, and stops being as cld to the others. maybe even kinda apologizes to MK for thinking he stole them from her.

maybe. not sure how well the idea works.

[Yuebei doesn't like Macaque, but she doesn't completely abhor the idea of him and her baba becoming close again. She just doesn't want either of them to get hurt again.]

she doesn't protest her presence much, as her baba seems... hopeful (though still a little sad sometimes) when he's around, and she also doesn't hate the idea of having her second baba around. but she also doesn't let him off scott free, glaring over Wukong's shoulder at him when macaque gets to close to soon, clinging to Wukong when he tries to talk to her, not talking much around him even if he addresses her directly, and generally not being very receptive. she probably at some point goes through a "rebelious phase" where she does things to test if he'll "really stick around even if she's troublesome". as far as she knows, he didn't even want her in the first place, or at least didn't care that Wukong was having her, so to her it seems like a reasonable thing to question.

[Azure Lion about to get decked in the face the second he comes around. When did the monkeys multiply? Why is he on fire?]

what can Yuebei say? she's fiercely protective and not happy about someone trying to take away her baba again.

[Wukong is just watching Yuebei tear into their enemies like; "I love my strong little girl." <3]

probably been said before, but no matter the universe; Wukong is a proud dad to all his kids at all times

Prev.

[Macaque comes back to life and assumed the scarf, which was a gift from Wukong in the first place, had been rescinded as a show of them no longer being together. that is, until he recognizes the fabric hanging from the shoulders of a familiar black-furred child that just broke his nose mid shadow play.]

I'm sorry but that is the cutest/saddest gotdamn thing ever. Wukong was so distraught at losing Macaque that he couldn't bare to leave behind his most cherished possession. So he took the scarf. Wrapped it around himself when he felt cold. Maybe even used it to swaddle his new baby girl. Yuebei dragging it around the cave as her security blanket. It being carefully washed and repaired so many times that it's barely red any more.

In the end, Wukong wanted Macaque to be there with him through all of This.

And once the reality sets in, Macaque is sobbing at the sight of Yuebei wearing her beloved scarf as he once did.

And I just love that my reoccurring theme with Macaque in the Egg aus is;

[aaanndd then the moment Wukong is ok again after Yuebei is confirmed ok she's turning into the most foul-mouthed, harshest, rage filled person in the room.]

PIF is terrifying when she's genuinely angry/worried - and once Wukong and Yuebei are safe/healthy post-natal, she starts yelling.

Wukong now finally understands what Macaque meant when he said his "ears are burning". Once the woman calms down, she wraps Wukong into a near-crushing hug, thanking and begging him to never ever do something so stupid again. Even if it saved her baby, Wukong nearly lost his. And PIF would never forgive herself if little Yuebei had been lost to the fire.

Yuebei gets a tearful kiss on the forehead from her auntie before PIF leaves the room, content with the words spoken.

Wukong makes sure to hug DBK when he sees him next, knowing that the Bull feels the same as his wife over the matter.

[the others have a similar joyous reaction, except for Bajie, who is very wounded by the thought of being ugly enough to make a baby cry.]

HAHA! XD Bajie would take it as an insult - but at least his little bro is happy to hear the baby make noise. A loud piglet is a healthy piglet. And little Yuebei was a real quiet piglet for a long time... at least she stops being afraid of ol' Uncle Bajie when she gets a little bigger.

I immediately thought of a scene from Hero is Back where Bajie is trying to calm down the baby Silly Girl by pulling a face, only for the baby to start screaming at him.

[maybe another lasting affect of her brief encounter with the fire is sever asthma. not great for a premature newborn.] + [heaven forbid is she also has any seasonal allergies. not to say Wukong was a total helicopter parent, but he definitely worried.] + [and yeah. between not being allowed to go out to new places much due to being a sickly child, and Wukong's reputation and not having anyone to connect with other then busy celestials, there's not much chance to go exploring.]

Oof. This hit me as an asthmatic preemie myself. Cus so much of my health was compromised as a little kid, I wasn't very active or adventurous - something thats easy to regret as an adult.

Wukong is so scared of how fragile his cub is. He's immortal, he's indestructable - but that means nothing to him if he can't protect his baby. He knows that mint and licorice, and anti-muscosal formulas help people with poor lungs, but the science back then wasn't 100% sure, and he sure as Diyu wasn't letting his daughter smoke datura cigarettes like the western doctors reccomended! At least the Eqyptians had Kyphi - an incense mixture (multiple formulas) that was frequently repurposed into asthma treatments.

All he can really do is to have a fully-stocked pharmacy inside Water-Curtain Cave, and make sure Yuebei stays away from pollen-rich flowers.

Wukong cries with relief in the early 20th century when Ventolin, Antihistamines, and Epinephrine become common knowledge.

Bonus: Interesting article I found on asthma treatment in Traditional Chinese medicine.

[as mentioned above, with her having been so sick she def would have spent a lot of time at Guanyin's. she's a renowned healer, and Guanyin is someone he trusts dearly to boot, so going to the goddess is a win-win in his eyes.]

Yuebei probably sees Guanyin as an aunt/grandparent figure. Hard not to when the bodhisattva is so doting over the tiny girl. Yuebei finds a lot of her lessons and treatments boring, but at least for a long time she had Red to hang out with.

Guanyin knows Wukong wouldn't trust Yuebei's care with them lightly. Even if Guanyin was present to bless Yuebei's arrival, the Monkey King is hesistant to let anyone tend to his little girl for a long time. The goddess is honoured to be so trusted.

[she jumps at MK's offer to take her off island and into the city without her baba sometimes.]

It's the thing that allows her to open up to MK a little more, even with her burning jealousy of how he's spending so much time with her baba + the Noodle Gang family + him getting to have a "normal" life pretending to be a healthy human cub.

She likes arcades but they get very loud for her at times. MK is quick to notice when the "Monkey Princess" (as he calls her) gets overstimulated, and suggests that they check out a quieter activity.

Like a play.

[I feel like she'd make fast friends with Bai He once the LBD fiasco is over.]

Little girl gang! And if Bai He is a foster kid/orphan like I hc, then Yuebei has zero issue letting another sickly little girl into her family. She's very sympathetic and understanding of Bai He's physical limits ever since she hosted LBD - the human girl now aching constantly from her body being forced to move like a puppet. The two jokingly compare how one briefly hosted Fire while the other Ice. Bai He could be considered the more feminine of the two, but they both bond over shared interest in animal science - Yuebei still loves her dinosaurs while Bai He is still a die-hard cat fan. And ofc the inherent chaos that two fearless little girls can get up to when they wander off from their babas' watchful gaze.

[the others hear of her feeling about "them forgtting her" for the first time during this, and can't help but feel bad and try and help Wukong explain. she probably clings to her baba for a long time after, and stops being as cld to the others. maybe even kinda apologizes to MK for thinking he stole them from her. maybe. not sure how well the idea works.]

Ultimately, even if Yuebei understood how death/reincarnation worked, she would still feel "forgotten" as (nearly) every soul that passes through Diyu is made to drink Meng Po's broth and forget their past lives. The little girl still feels abandoned in some way by her Pilgrim uncles "leaving" her and her baba. It's bad enough that Uncle Bull had to go away for a long time, but to lose her uncles, only to see them again in new forms that don't recognize her, devastates Yuebei in a way thats hard for her to articulate.

And for her own parent to be afflicted in a way that makes him unable to remember her? Oh you better believe Yuebei is a complete mess.

When Wukong briefly loses his memory in "Amnesia Rules"; he initially panics, wondering why he can't "feel the Egg" any more - only to look over at Yuebei and have a moment of fractured memory thinking that she must be a projection from the future, or an Egg Macaque made on his own without him.

This assumption continues unaddressed until the gang manages to get Tang back, and befriend Scorpion Queen. As they're about to get Wukong to go back into astral meditation to "reboot" himself, the ginger monkey turns to ask Yuebei something thats been plaguing him all day.

Amnesiac!Wukong: "Are you my Egg?" Yuebei, sadly: "I was..." Amnesiac!Wukong: "Aww. Come here, cub." (*Wukong pulls Yuebei in for a hug*) Amnesiac!Wukong: "If you really are my little Egg many years from now, I'm happy that she grows into a strong, fearless little lady. I'm proud to be your Baba." Yuebei: (*cries into Wukong's shoulder*) "I love you baba..." Amnesiac!Wukong, crying too: "I'm so happy to be able to hear that. I was so scared when you tried absorbing the Samadhi Fire... I thought I lost you. But you're a tough little girl aren't you? You spat that fire right out like it was sour!" Yuebei, aware of her birth circumstances: "Yeah. You tell me that story all the time." Pigsy and Tang, not aware: "What?"

Pigsy and Tang are so emotional over the amnesiac!father-daughter bonding, that they are completely off-guard when the older monkey rattles off some details about the Samadhi Fire that he neglected to let the others in on.

[she probably at some point goes through a "rebelious phase" where she does things to test if he'll "really stick around even if she's troublesome". as far as she knows, he didn't even want her in the first place, or at least didn't care that Wukong was having her, so to her it seems like a reasonable thing to question.]

Ooof!! I love the idea of Yuebei antagonising Macaque "just to be sure" that he's serious about staying around. Macaque honestly tries his best to be patient, but after a while he starts to get super annoyed with the girl's attitude.

Then one stray prank or comment rolls into a genuine verbal confrontation.

Macaque: "What is it about me that offends you so much!? I get it - my and your dad had a few fights and I sorta almost destroyed the world trying to escape the Bone Demon - but I'm trying my best here! I wouldn't have broken your dad out of his possession if I didn't think he was worth sticking around for!" Yuebei, emotional: "How am I supposed to believe that when you left us twice!?" Macaque, realizing: "Twice? What do you mean by- OH." Yuebei: (*trying not to cry*) Macaque: "You... you thought I knew? Kid, I only learned you even existed as a concept when Jin and Yin busted my lip open first thing after New Years." Yuebei: "You have your special ears! You should have known I was there when you-" (*stops talking, buries head into knees*) Macaque, extremely guilty: "I should have. I really should have. But I chose not to listen. I was just so... angry at that monk, at the circlet, even at your baba, I..." *sighs* "Maybe if I had stopped to listen, I would have known you were there. That Wukong had someone he would kill me for. I don't blame him for that." Yuebei, lifts head from knees: "You don't?" Macaque: "Nah. You're a lot cooler than I am. You took the Samadhi Fire head in before you were even born. And when you saw the Bone Demon, you didn't run and hide like I did - you and MK took that witch out. And did I see a certain little warrior take her first war trophy before we left?" Yuebei, avoiding eye contact: "She isn't using it..." Macaque: "To be fair it wasn't getting much use with her anyway. If she had a brain in that skull, she'd know Wukong picks a good troop. I just wished I had known that a few centuries ago..." Yuebei & Macaque share an awkward silence Macaque: "I wanna stick around kiddo. I missed out on a lot when I left. Both times really... But I want to stay. Flower Fruit Mountain is my home too, and I hope someday it could be a home me and your baba can share together again. Even if you don't believe me." Yuebei: (*affectionate elbow jab into Mac's rib*) Macaque, chuckling: "Well, that's progress from the nose busting." Yuebei: (*trying not to laugh*)

Bonus: Wukong hears some of this convo, or it's parroted to him by one of the (sneaked-out of Diyu with Mac) Eclipse twins. You know this monkey crying over his former mate and his baby girl finally starting to get along!

[what can Yuebei say? she's fiercely protective and not happy about someone trying to take away her baba again.]

The only reason Azure gets as far as he does with the Memory Scroll is that Yuebei is either A: Not on FFM at the time, or B: Got Memory Scroll'd in the confusion.

Otherwise, she starts kicking and punching Azure the second she clocks who he is. MK and Mei are gonna have to drag her off of him.

The Jade Emperor and Xiwangmu see this tiny monkey, burning with rightous anger and protectiveness, and just know who's cub she is. The Emperor does however, look over to his wife very briefly to ask if the little girl dragging Azure Lion by the scruff of the neck to Diyu is a lost grandchild of theirs.

[probably been said before, but no matter the universe; Wukong is a proud dad to all his kids at all times]

Wukong loves his kids so gotdang much. Canon or au - him a proud dad.

This got a little away from me - I hope you liked my reply!

[shamebats]

I think the reason why I'm so obsessed with Contrapoints' Twilight video is that I, being somewhere on the asexuality spectrum and having a relationship to sex that's more like a fun hobby I enjoy and sometimes hyperfixate on but mostly don't feel that strongly about and find kind of entertaining and fascinating more than anything else, have always wondered about so many things she talks about but never got any real insights, at least not any that felt like they made sense. Natalie explains the concept of desire so well because she compares it to things like storytelling and music and power fantasies, which I can relate to. I definitely have a lot more understanding for the heteros now and my own discomfort with female sexuality, why I never felt comfortable in that sexual role, and why Twilight stopped being interesting to me when it was no longer about the power fantasy of a monster being simultaneously horny for you (despite your ordinary boring human-ness) and also wanting to kill you and started being about marriage and childbirth and motherhood - things that are actually scary to me, way more than the horny superhuman monster wanting nothing more than to eat me, and worst of all not all that interesting, but I think I have a newfound appreciation of that as well. There's just something about the gore and horror of how that freakish half-vampire baby came into existence that offers a glimpse into how the author, a deeply religious conservative woman with children, subconsciously views that part of womanhood in relation to sexuality. What I'm saying is I now understand that Bella suffered more than Jesus and deserves our respect.

[schmergo]

Directing community theatre plays is like what I imagine childbirth to be like. When things get down to the wire, I'm like out of my mind being like "Why did I agree to do this? This is brutal! I'm never doing this again! I don't think I can withstand this stress!" and then afterward it's like my memory immediately erases the stress and I'm like, "...Shall we have another?"

[empathiie]

@mischiefxmuses | Rhaenyra & Harwin | hwevent18.🐉

Rhaenyra knew that Harwin was not going to be fond of this -- Rhaenyra being a knight, helping protect the city when they had just given birth to their child not that long ago. But they wanted to help keep things safe, for their husband, for all of their children and their family that was in the city. They sigh as they cradle their newborn daughter in their arms. "I have to keep us all safe," Rhaenyra whispers, looking into their daughter's eyes. "That is what's best."

[dylan-westwick]

character: Atlas Williams @atlaswilliams

location: Outskirts of the Holiday Market

It was crazy to think that six days ago she was giving birth and now that it was Sunday that she had her babies bundled up for their first outing. The doctors suggested that they should be taken out and though she'd been really nervous at first, she'd made sure everything was set up and that they were carefully secure in their car seats and she wanted to make sure they were not in crowded areas so she'd texted Atlas to tell him where they were and put them all bundled up in their stroller and took them towards the little park area in a secluded area, grinning as she watched them sleep soundly having just eaten awhile ago now. They looked so peaceful and she was just fully in love with them and could not wait for their godfather to get to see them now too. When she finally saw him approaching she gave a small wave. "Ready for your life to change forever?" She said a bit teasingly, but also she felt like Leda and Lysander were absolutely worth the hype.

[carnagebleda]

i thought i'd lost you. ( from aemond to alysanne )

' for a moment there so did i. ' alysanne's most recent childbirth was not an easy one, the maesters said the blood loss was nearly fatal but after nearly two days of sleeping she regained consciousness. still, on bed rest, she was holding her newborn son while her newborn daughter slept beside her. ' we might have to take a hiatus on making any more heirs for a while. ' there was a small smile on her lips to try and lighten the mood but neither of them came this close to death before. it didn't seem real.

I THOUGHT...PROMPTS // NOT ACCEPTING // @ironwoven

[ambroslal]

What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

weirdly specific but helpful character building questions : not accepting !

when she was around fifteen or so, she was not awakened by someone else. it was abnormal, because they had an avox just for her at creed house; mother doesn't come either, so it's already almost afternoon. she has to scramble around to find someone to serve her, and when she does, it's her avox but she's in a rush when she gives domitila a bowl of rice pudding. it doesn't click until she has had a taste, and she almost spits it out. rice pudding is a tradition in her family — her mother's — when a woman gives birth. the avox has a tired, and sad look in her eyes as she points at something pink, which answers domitila's unvoiced question. it's a girl. she's been replaced, seems obvious. so she throws the rice pudding in the trash, and gags at the sight of it for all those twenty something years after that.

there's been material gifts that had been cringe-worthy, but none of them stick to her mind as that day when she first realized how forgettable she can be.

[tragcdysewn]

was that emilia clarke? oh no no, that was just manon blackbeak, a canon character from throne of glass. they are one hundred and sixteen years old, use she/her, and are aware that they are not actually from washington dc. too bad they can’t stray from this city for long.

how long has your character been here:

a little under a year

what is your character’s job:

no. she doesn’t work, how dare you expect her to

where has your character been pulled from in their fandom:

the end of kingdom of ash

has any magic affected your character:

nope!

bonus info:

this is my beautiful lethal witch baby manon. i love her to death and so should you. she is the daughter of two warring witch species, the ironteeth and the crochans, and her parents believed she would be the key to uniting the witches and bringing them home to their native lands. her mother, lothian, the heir to the cruelest of the ironteeth clans, the blackbeaks, told manon’s grandmother who her father was right after her birth. her grandmother murdered her mother in cold blood and named manon the new heir, telling the clan lothian had died in childbirth. she later tracked down manons father, tristan, and killed him as well, but not before promising to turn the daughter he’d searched for into a brutal weapon. she succeeded, and manon became the leader of the ruthless coven the thirteen, gaining the title the white demon among the crochans, after she hunted down and slaughtered many of them, believing her grandmothers claims that she was born soulless.

after the ironteeth allied with a demonic king and took several witches to breed new demons, manon began to doubt her grandmothers ‘wisdom’ for the first time. she killed another witch to save the good kings life, and her grandmother demanded her second in commands life in return. during the execution, manon turned on her grandmother, who revealed her lineage during the duel, along with the fact that the most recent crochan she’d slaughtered was her half sister, rhiannon. the thirteen got away, but manon barely survived, her wyvern bringing her to the king she’d saved for help. after she healed, she found the crochans, and convinced them she meant no harm. she killed one of the ironteeth matrons, and took the crochans stolen crown from them. the crochans named her their new queen. she convinced many ironteeth to rebel, and led her witches into battle against the demon king, finally slaughtering her grandmother, though her thirteen were lost in a sacrifice to stop his ultimate weapon. now she has returned her people to their home, and united under one queen, just as her parents wished.

though she isn’t soulless, she is not soft. she will kill you with no hesitation, and has razor sharp iron teeth and nails to do it. and while this isn’t used in canon, as she is part crochan, she has access to crochan magic, a very different magic than the ironteeth, but she’s still learning.

[lcngliive]

laena nodded, smiling at their mother. "yes, they were married to laenor, and they have three sons," she hadn't met them, but had heard that they were handsome boys. "yes, I assume he would have known you as his grandmother - I'm told that you were around to help for them," and that her mother had been there to raise her daughters when they could not. "I do," she smiled, nodding. "I named her rhaena, she's named for you," laena felt like she had spent so little time with their children - dying in childbirth wasn't something that they had intended, but nothing could have been done - laena only wished that she had come here before having to make the decision to go to vhagar. "their father is daemon, though I'm not sure how much of an active role he truly played after things settled down,"

"i believe that and i've been in this place for a few months now," she nodded. perhaps it was odd how natural this felt to her, but rhaenys wasn't going to question it. there were other things she would want to ask her daughter now though. out of curiosity since there were plenty of years to catch up on in her memories. "ah, i have come across ser harwin already, actually. though i also met joffrey whom i've learned is rhaenyra's son and that rhaenyra married your brother. i came to that conclusion when he ran up to me calling me grandma." rhaenys knew better than to question that situation, especially when laenor himself wasn't around. "but you have children too. what did you name your other daughter?"

[whotfelsewantedtobelynnyx]

Of all the theories as to how Carmilla and her daughters found eachother in Hell (adoption, reuniting after they died, one or all three being Hellborn, ect;), I think my personal favorite is the one where Carmilla was either pregnant when she died or later gave birth to a child she miscarried when she was alive.

But whether or not that’s true, one of my favorite crack theories/headcanons about Carmilla being pregnant in Hell is how absolutely weird the other Overlords would be about it- because let’s be real, they would absolutely be weird about it. Maybe supportive and weird, but weird.

Zestial, nervously following Carmilla around: My darling. My own heart. I beg of thou, please, for just a moment.

Carmilla, still stubbornly walking around in her ridiculously sharp shoes: I’M FINE.

Zestial, who’s been trying to get her to sit down or at least change her shoes for over an hour: 0,_0

Rosie, crouched at her side with a glass of something red and questionable: I’m telling you, honey, just try this. It’ll cure that morning sickness in a jiffy.

Carmilla, curled up on her bathroom floor: …it disturbs me that I’m nauseous enough to actually be considering this.

Zestial comes to her rescue and shoos Rosie out to go make her some (GINGER) tea before Carmilla can do something she’ll regret.

Alastor, gazing suspiciously: Why on earth is your abdomen moving like that? Is something trying to break out?

Carmilla, too exhausted to deal with this: That movement is my baby kicking, Alastor.

Alastor: Pardon? You mean to tell me that one can see that on the outside? Eugh.

Carmilla, glaring at him: You are so lucky you’re not worth getting up for.

- Rosie insists on throwing her a baby shower. Vox and Alastor get kicked out for fighting and are forced to put together the IKEA furniture for the nursery as punishment.

- I seriously doubt this lot can build and work an ultrasound machine, so something like this is likely.

Carmilla, slowly coming to after giving birth: Mmmh…?

Rosie, happily bouncing one baby in her arms: Oh good, she’s up! Congratulations, sweetie. You have two beautiful daughters 🥰

Carmilla: ….

Zestial, who’s gently cradling the other: Carmilla…? Is something the matter?

Carmilla: …there’s really two of them. I thought I was hallucinating.

BONUS:

Fun fact- some scientists say cats have sensitive enough hearing that they can hear babies’ heartbeats within their mother’s bodies.

Husk, staring at Carmilla:

Carmilla, who’s still processing that she’s pregnant and hasn’t begun telling anyone else: …is something wrong?

Husk, ears bristling slightly: h o w m a n y h e a r t s d o y o u h a v e ?

[empathiie]

@mischiefxmuses | Rhaenyra & Harwin.

Rhaenyra wanted to tell Harwin, more than anything, of their recent discovery -- but that would mean having to explain what had happened to their daughter with Daemon, and that was... very difficult for Rhaenyra to speak of aloud, still fresh in their mind. Visenya. That would have been her name. They knew that Harwin would be there for them, no matter what, unlike their second husband, who had left them alone in their labors with Visenya. That made the thought of telling Harwin a little bit easier. He would not leave them screaming for him, wondering where he had disappeared to. Daemon should have been there, and they would always resent him for that. Even Jacaerys and Lucerys had been there, in the beginning, out of concern for their mother. They had been sending Harwin away, often, these past few days -- so that they could express their fears to Luke and Helaena separately; both of whom had known of Rhaenyra's prior pregnancy. "Harwin," They say now, whilst Joffrey was playing with the other children. They take his hand. "We need to talk, my love."

[carnagebleda]

even though it's hard going back and forth between my post-dance surviving daughters (like I have to be completely in a t.eam b.lack or t.eam g.reen mood to write either) the first common thing that comes to mind is that they would def call out for their parents during childbirth and forget that they d.ied years ago.

[sukibenders]

The Arcane fandom, especially on TikTok is never beating the allegations because why, now, some fans act like it's too inconceivable to imagine that Ambessa was, not only, pregnant twice but gave birth twice as well? And their reasoning for this is "She looks like the type to get a man pregnant instead" or "She's too tough for that, I just can't see someone like her going through that." There are layers to these statements because, for one, just because someone, especially a woman, is a dominant force doesn't mean that they can't get/don't want to become pregnant (do you believe overtly dominant men can't be fathers?) It's also very weird because the undertones of misogyny and misogynoir and the overt masculinization of black women are there because, not only are they viewing pregnancy and giving birth, in general, to be viewed as something "weak" (even though it's grueling hours of labor that results in tearing the body apart, sometimes even death) but also attempts to strip Ambessa of her nuance. Yes, she is strong and very dominant, but she also deeply loved her children, who she birthed, and when one was taken away from her it changed her deeply. It's very gross to view a character like her in this way because it also reflects how you view dominant women in real life, pregnancy, and childbirth as a whole. Like how are you going to praise Arcane for having such a wide and diverse ensemble of female characters, but then have misogynistic takes like this? Make it make sense.

[torchflies]

Hi TG Fandom!

@xtherainbowconnectionx mentioned Texan Ice to me and I cannot get him out of my head. 

Just, a Tom Kazansky who was raised out in Nowhere, Texas and didn't really wear shoes until he was old enough for school. 

An Ice who was called Junie or Junior growing up and the only son of a bullfighter and a barrel racer who fell in love at the local Rodeo. 

Maybe he was the only child of a mother who died too soon, died bringing him into the world too early because it was 1959 and they lived so far from town. He was small and pink and Tom Kazansky Sr. was so desperate that he popped his newborn son in a basket and put him in the oven to keep him warm. 

He gives his name to that little boy because it’s all he has to give, a name from a place he's never been and the deed to his dead Mama’s farm. 

I need a Tom Senior who tries so hard but doesn't understand his son. Ice has dreams of flying and something beyond sorghum fields and Tom Senior loves his son with all his heart but doesn't really know him. He didn't know his own Daddy beyond the buckle of a belt. He raised his son with all the goodness he could muster. 

He doesn't want his little boy to go to a place that he can't protect him and the only thing he knows about the military is the boys who didn't come home from ‘Nam. 

He can't vocalize his fears though, so he tells his boy not to come back without a chest full of metals and golden wings. 

Then he cries in his barn with no company but the stars. 

Ice comes home with a loudmouthed boy who is small and wiry and reminds Tom Senior of himself — running away to the Rodeo to fight bulls that were less scary than his own drunk of a daddy. 

He loves his boy, who is the sun that rises and sets, the thing that Tom Senior’s world revolves around. But there is no poetry in their life and he's just a man, but he opens the door wide enough to usher both men inside. 

“Y’all can bunk down in Junior’s room. It’s mighty fine to me.” 

It’s love, in the only way Tom Senior can express it. 

Just — Texan Ice is giving me feelings. 

[jelzorz]

199.

When Soren's daughters are born, he sends for Corvus.

The concept is kind of weird at first: Corvus isn't around as often these days, and he and Soren... the falling out of their old relationship wasn't easy on either of them but it's been years since and they're both in better, happier places. He lives by the border now, in a little cottage that's small and quiet and better suited to him than the politics and drama of Katolis castle. He keeps watch over the old scars of the Breach and sends crows to Ezran every week or so to keep him apprised of their peacekeeping efforts, and he lives there with Terry, of all people, whom Soren had been hesitant to trust at first but he's good for Corvus—the same way he imagines Opeli is good for himself.

Soren is happy for them. Genuinely. Terry is a good man, and after the chaos of being with Claudia, he deserves the quiet and the comfort of being with someone like Corvus. Those scars haven't quite healed over yet so Terry doesn't usually visit with Corvus whenever he comes to call, but despite everything, despite the complexity of Soren and Corvus' past relationship, despite the way it fell apart, they're still brothers in arms, and there is no one (besides Opeli) that Soren trusts more.

So when his daughters are born, of course he sends for Corvus, and of course, Corvus comes, eager to meet the baby girls that are his nieces in all but name, and of course, Soren mulls the question he wants to ask over in his head, wondering if it's too much to ask after everything that's happened.

"They're beautiful," Corvus whispers, rocking a sleeping Brynn in his arms. Soren watches him examine her nose and the pinkness of her cheeks, warmth in his chest as Corvus' smiles at the way she coos. "Congratulations. To you and Opeli both, you must be thrilled."

"I'm just glad they're all okay," says Soren, shushing Briella a little when she starts to fuss. "For a second there I—" He swallows, thinking of the first that they lost, and how very harrowing Opeli's labour was when she birthed these two not even two weeks ago. She's recovering well, and the twins have been putting on weight the way they're supposed to, but the worry still sits with Soren. He's lost so much already. He cannot even imagine losing more.

Corvus recognises it. Soren does not wonder how.

"Hey." Corvus nudges him gently. "They're okay. They're all okay. These two are thriving and you know how stubborn Opeli can be. She's not gonna let childbirth be the thing that gets her after all of this."

Soren snorts in spite of himself. "I know," he murmurs. "Can't blame a guy for worrying, though."

"No," chuckles Corvus. "I suppose I can't. Ezran said it was a lot."

"That's putting it lightly." Soren shudders at the memory of it: the first relatively uncomplicated, the second in breech, the haemorrhage that followed still too bright and too red, even in his mind. He shakes his head. "I wanted to ask you something, actually. It's a big kind of favour and you can say no, of course, but you're the only one I'd trust with it."

Corvus raises a curious brow. "What is it?"

"Well, if..." Soren clears his throat again, wondering how to put it, how to begin. "I dunno, it's kinda weird with how things were. I hope it's not weird now?"

"Soren."

"Right, um." Soren takes a breath. "If anything happens to me or Opeli, would you be willing to take care of these two? Again, you can say no—I dunno what you and Terry have planned for the future, and y'know... one of the things that we didn't agree on way back when was kids but... There's no one else I'd ask, so..."

Corvus blinks. Then he grins. Then he laughs. "I'd be honoured," he says warmly.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Corvus chuckles a little more and traces the curve of Brynn's nose. "They're growing on me. Kids as a concept, I mean. I think we were young but you were always ready for it more than me. Maybe Terry and I won't or maybe we will, but if it's these two, I'd have no questions about it. Of course."

Soren lets out a breath, the tension in his shoulders easing a little, and smiles. "Thank you. And I'm sorry. About all the things that didn't work out between us."

"I'm not," says Corvus. "Because then these two little ladies might never have existed and I can see how happy they make you, and at the end of the day, we're still friends, right? I'm glad things happened the way they did. I'm really happy for you, Soren."

Soren lets himself chuckle and bounces a little as Briella stirs. "I am happy," he says. "And I'm happy for you too. I'm glad you have Terry. He's good for you."

"I like to think so," chuckles Corvus. "Thank you. And you should know you don't have to ask. I'd protect them with my life if I needed to."

"I know," says Soren, and he smiles, wondering why he could ever think anything else.