#for such a dysfunctional family (we love each other a whole lot)

[autistictaxidermyman]

another segment from the first chapter of my tua s4 fix it fic!:

chapter one: never was the one for loving kids

“Klaus? How did you find me?” 

“Five. He got a job with the CIA- and he offered me the address, to be clear. I wasn’t the one stalking you.” Klaus tried to keep his voice light hearted, but the joke didn’t land so well when he sounded so, so tired and so, so scared for what would happen if he was left with no one to keep him accountable again. Allison just stared at him for a moment, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other before admitting in a quiet voice that was so out of character for him, “I don’t have anywhere to go, Alli.” 

Allison looked behind her for a moment, as if checking if anyone else in the house had woken up. She sighed, looking back to him, “You’re sober?” 

Klaus nodded quickly and immediately, “I’m here because I want to keep it that way. Stay off the streets, you know?” 

She nodded, stepping to the side and pushing her door back. “You can sleep on the couch in the basement for tonight. There’s a bathroom down there if you wanna shower, and I can bring you dry clothes. You have to be quiet, though, Ray and Claire are sleeping.” 

Klaus stepped inside, their eyes going wide. He leaned in to her, giving an excited whisper, “You got both of them?” 

Allison’s face softened, and she smiled. She replied in a less hyper but just as disbelieving barely-there voice, “I got both of them.” 

“You got me, too, now!” Klaus announced in a too-loud voice, giggling under his own hand when Allison ‘sushed’ him. This time, the playful tone in his voice doesn’t feel like a facade.

[niko-sasaki-dbd]

Queue Interview with the Dead Boy Detectives Cast 👻🔎

This is going to be a long post! (These are my favourite parts from the interview!)

George Rexstrew as Edwin Payne

Acting Inspiration

Oh, gosh. Well there are so many. Meryl Streep, obviously. Viola Davis, obviously. More recently, I was blown away by Enzo Vogrincic in Society of the Snow. And Eden Dambrine in Close.

Cast Camaraderie

I loved working with all my co-stars. I’m practically related to Jayden [Revri] and Kassius [Nelson] at this point. Yuyu [Kitamura] is a dream. Jenn [Lyon] is mother hen. Bri[ana Cuoco] is the cool older sister. Josh[ua Colley] is the cheeky cousin. Ruth [Connell] is the godmother who gives you a card and £20 for your birthday. It really is one big happy dysfunctional family. I’m grateful for all of them, on and off camera.

Jayden Revri as Charles Rowland

Dressing The Part

These heads of departments, and Monique and Kelli, [they’re] unbelievable. They were so collaborative. We went through different hairstyles and different things we could do with the makeup. We added a bit of eyeliner for [Charles] just to make it feel more 80s. And then Kelli, I mean, it was like she did her research on me. She added badges to the jacket which kind of represented me as Jayden, before I even got there. It wasn’t until I got the haircut, put the makeup on, put the costume on, and I was like, Okay, this is Charles.

Cast Camaraderie.

The vibe was just incredible. Me and George, we really wanted to set the tone for the series and make sure that everyone’s having fun and it’s an environment where we could all talk about how we’re feeling. We were just such a big support blanket for each other. If there was ever a time that somebody needed space, or they wanted to prep themselves for a certain scene they were going to film, we all respected that and we were each other’s cheerleaders the whole entire time. And it’s still the same to this day now. I think it really shows when you watch the series that we all knew what we were making and we wanted to make something that we would want to watch, which we’ve all done. I cannot shout out my castmates enough. Forever grateful.

Kassius Nelson as Crystal Palace

Acting Inspiration

I watched a lot of animation. I used to watch the Addams Family, the black-and-white one, because I didn’t have Disney Channel or anything. Monk, Murder She Wrote, I was watching those things, so maybe I was actually destined to play a detective, now that I’m thinking about it. I watched a lot of cartoons and animations. I just liked the idea that I could be engrossed in another world. And I always wanted to know what happened next, or when the film finished, I would be like, “Okay, but then what? What happens after that?” And now I get to be part of that question or that answer (...).

Dressing the Part

We have a fantastic costume designer, Kelli Dunsmore. I always say that she literally wove the story into the fabric of the clothes, because there are things that she foreshadowed in the clothing that happened episodes later. Or, if characters start to get in some sort of relationship with each other, that will be reflected in the clothes that they wear or the colors that they have. Or, if they’re feeling any type of emotion, (...)l. Crystal wears these massive platform boots that must be about four or five inches. They’re huge, very heavy, but it’s funny because they change the way that you walk. (...) She’s not very light, which makes sense with the things that she’s going through and the experiences that she’s having. Practically, it helped, because Jayden and George are like six-foot-something. So, if I film a scene and I’m at the bottom of the lens and they’re up there, that helped. I’ve got a good couple inches on my feet.

Yuyu Kitamura as Niko Sasaki

Acting Inspiration

Sandra Oh is a woman that I will forever be indebted to because who she was on Grey’s Anatomy was so formative for me. The most interesting thing about her character was not that she was Asian, but that she was such a fully fleshed person with flaws and amazing qualities. And her work ever since I think has been iconic, so she’s a woman that I deeply look up to.

Landing the role in Dead Boy Detectives

I auditioned from Hong Kong and my dad was my reader because all of my acting friends were in New York. My dad was able to carve out time and be an amazing reader. And in that audition side, it’s the scene where Niko gets to see the “Dead Boys” for the first time, and there’s a line in there that was something along the lines of me talking to Edwin and asking, “Do you two make out with each other?” And my dad stopped the tape and he was like, “What are you reading for?” And I was like, “Don’t give me notes, it’s fine!” And so that was the audition process! I think within a month I found out I got the part and it’s been an absolute dream ever since.

Dressing the Part

(...) I think on paper Niko can seem like a certain type of character, but even in the choice of every costume we did, every color that she wears, every meticulous little piece about everything from her nails to her room, it’s so well curated and thought out. Through her journey, we also find that she’s a woman that wears what she feels. On the surface, she might seem like the most joyful, young, optimistic girl, but it’s the inner confidence and bravery where we find that she’s layered, and she is very much a young woman coming of age.

SOURCE: MEET THE REAL DEAD BOY DETECTIVES (AND FRIENDS)

[andreal831]

If the Mikaelsons’ & Co. raised Hope, what do you think her relationships would be like with each of them?

I adore thinking about Hope being raised by the Mikaelsons. They are such a dysfunctional family but they all truly loved that little girl.

I think Hope would have been a different character than we saw in Season 5 if she had been raised by her family. Likely more entitled and spoiled despite Hayley's attempts to ground her.

Hayley and Hope would still have the closest relationship out of all of them. Throughout her life, Hayley was always her constant. This would never change. Even when the whole family was around, we often saw Hayley still the one looking after Hope (or Elijah honestly). Hope would also lean on her when the codependency and the toxic Mikaelsons got to be too much. I can see her swooping Hope up and going on weekend trips just the two of them. When Hope was sad that the kids at school were mean to her, she would run straight into Hayley's arms. She will always be Hope's biggest comfort and biggest cheerleader.

Hope has always been said to be a "daddy's girl" and would have still been that way with her whole family around. Although, I do think a big part of Klaus' appeal to Hope is that he was this fantasy. All she knew about him were stories she was told so he couldn't mess up. When they did interact, he scared her and hurt her. I think they definitely would have had more ups and downs had they been around each other longer. They both have tempers and can be hot headed. They would have gone through a lot of the typically fighting. Klaus would have tried to control her as she got older and she would have rebelled. But he always had a soft spot for her. His temper would flare up but all it would take is one sad look from Hope to straighten him out. He would spoil her making it up to her. He would always go overboard, often times even Hope would tell him it was too much.

Hope would rely on Elijah to settle Klaus down and often go to him for advice on how to handle Klaus and his tantrum. Elijah would offer her guidance and be her rock in the hectic family. He would teach her to play different musical instruments and cook and just generally help her with her studies. She would have fond memories of sitting on his lap and reading with him as she grew up. She would get excited anytime she found a new book she loved and instantly text Elijah about it. He would dutifully read it and they would get together to discuss.

Kol would be the uncle she went to when she didn't want to understand her dad. She just wanted to be upset. He would tell her all about the chaos he caused (leaving out some of the more gruesome details). He would give her ideas on how to annoy the rest of the family. He would also be able to relate to her when Hope was feeling left out of the "always and forever." They would come up with their own thing to say and not allow anyone else to be a part of it.

I want to say Rebekah and Hope would be close but canon really fights me on that. Rebekah would be the fun aunt that every time she's around they have the best time. Rebekah would spoil Hope, taking her on extravagant trips around the world and sending her gifts from her own travels. She would be the person Hope calls to talk about dating and fashion. She would adore Rebekah and want to be just like her.

Freya is basically Hope's second mother. She would teach Hope everything she knew about magic, giving Hope the teacher she always wished she had. They would have a special bond due to their shared magic. Also do to the fact that they were humans surrounded by vampires. Freya and Hayley would be able to handle all of the human concerns the Originals were all too old to remember. Freya would know all of Hope's secrets because Hope would go to her first. Freya would help keep Hope level headed, reminding her of the dangers in the world while the rest of the family attempted to completely shield her.

I don't necessarily see a sibling bond between Marcel and Hope because of the age difference and the marriage to her aunt, but they would be super close. Marcel would understand Hope better than nearly anyone. He would be the first person she called anytime she got in trouble. He would pick her up and take her out to get some food, letting her explain her side of the story. He would never judge her but would offer his wisdom when needed.

Davina would be more like a sister than any of them because she would be closer in age than the rest of them. She remembered what it was like to be a teenage, New Orleans witch. She would love to help Hope with her magic and would always warn her to be careful with the New Orleans coven. Davina and Kol would often be away on their travels, but they would bring Hope along at least once a year. Always returning for her birthday and the holidays. Davina would plop down on her bed and demand Hope fill her in on all of the New Orleans drama.

Keelin and Hope would have a very quiet relationship. They would just be comfortable in each other's presence and not talk much. Growing up, Hope would often drag her board games or coloring books into the room Keelin was studying in and just work quietly, liking the company. Keelin would take breaks to color with Hope, letting Hope have the peace and quiet she needed in the hectic household. As Hope got older, Keelin would be the person Hope went to when she needed a break from the chaos. Keelin would bring her to work, joking that the ER in a hospital was less hectic than their household. She would teach Hope to love science and get excited to study. Hope would borrow Keelin's white jacket growing up and pretend she was a doctor.

And of course Hope would go to Cami with all of her big feelings she was learning to process. Hope would struggle with her temper having the werewolf gene and Cami would be more than ready to handle it. She would teach Hope coping techniques to deal with the family. Cami would have her own office in the house and unlike Keelin's study area, it was anything but quiet. Cami would often have music on and she and Hope would have dance breaks when the day was just too stressful. Cami would teach Hope to bake and they would drive Elijah crazy, always moving his things in the kitchen.

I love this family so much.

Thanks for the ask!

[inkspiredwriting]

A Proposal Through Time

Five Hargreeves x Fem!reader

Warnings: none

Five Hargreeves was fearless, nothing scared him, except the anxiety he felt as he prepared to propose to his girlfriend, Y/N. He wanted the moment to be perfect, something as unique and special as their relationship.

Five had meticulously planned every detail. He wanted it to be a mix of their shared experiences, filled with both humor and sweetness. The Hargreeves siblings had offered their assistance (some more enthusiastically than others), and Five had finally agreed to let them help.

It was a sunny afternoon, and Y/N was on her way to meet Five for what she thought was just a casual day out. She arrived at their favorite park, a place they often visited to escape the chaos of their lives. As she walked through the park, she noticed something unusual—a trail of clues, each one a playful nod to their adventures together.

The first clue was attached to a small tree. Y/N recognized Five’s neat handwriting: “Where do we always argue about what year it is?” She laughed, recalling their many debates, and made her way to the vintage clock display nearby. There, she found the next clue.

One by one, she followed the clues, each leading her to different locations within the park. Every clue brought back a memory: the bench where they had their first kiss, the fountain where Five had accidentally splashed her during a particularly heated argument, the gazebo where they had shared countless conversations.

Finally, the last clue led her to a secluded garden area. Y/N’s heart raced as she pushed open the gate and stepped inside. The garden was beautifully decorated with fairy lights and flowers. In the center stood Five, looking as dapper as ever in a sharp suit, a nervous but hopeful smile on his face.

“Five,” Y/N said, her voice filled with both surprise and joy. “What is all this?”

Five took a deep breath, stepping forward to take her hands in his. “Y/N, we’ve been through a lot together. Time travel, apocalypses, my dysfunctional family… But through it all, you’ve been my anchor, my constant. You make me want to be a better man, and I can’t imagine my life without you.”

Y/N felt tears welling up in her eyes, a mixture of happiness and anticipation.

Five dropped to one knee, pulling out a small, elegantly designed box. “Y/N, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Y/N’s eyes widened in shock and delight as Five opened the box to reveal a stunning ring. She couldn’t help but let out a laugh through her tears. “Of course, Five! Yes, a thousand times yes!”

Five’s face broke into a wide grin as he slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up, pulling her into a joyful embrace. The moment was perfect, everything he had hoped for and more.

Just then, there was a loud cheer, and Y/N looked around to see Five’s siblings emerging from behind the bushes, grinning and clapping.

“You guys!” Y/N laughed, realizing they had been hiding there the whole time.

Klaus, always the life of the party, was the first to rush over. “Congratulations, you two! We knew Five could do it!”

Diego clapped Five on the back. “Nice job, little brother. You didn’t screw it up.”

Allison hugged Y/N tightly. “Welcome to the family, Y/N. Officially, I mean.”

Even Luther, with his usual seriousness, couldn’t hide his smile. “We’re really happy for you, Five.”

Five shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lips. “Thanks, guys. But you can stop hiding in the bushes now.”

Viktor smiled warmly at Y/N. “You’re really part of the family now, Y/N. We wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Y/N beamed, feeling the love and support from Five’s siblings. “Thank you all. I couldn’t have asked for a better family to be part of.”

As they celebrated, Five pulled Y/N aside for a moment. “Sorry about the surprise entourage,” he said with a smirk. “They insisted on being part of the plan.”

Y/N laughed, wrapping her arms around him. “It’s perfect, Five. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

They kissed, sealing their promise to each other amidst the laughter and cheers of their family. In that moment, everything felt right. Despite the chaos of their lives, they had found a love that was timeless and true.

[tom-failure]

Hmm, how about Rika for that character ask game? 👀 And I'll throw in Zen as well, feel free to babble about him as much as you want <3

HO HO HO someone actually wants to hear my hot takes!!! Well, you’re in for a treat, my friend *cracks knuckles*

Rika

favourite thing about her

I’m gonna be hella controversial here, BUT my favourite thing about Rika is the lengths to which the game goes to justify her. HEAR ME OUT. This is the treatment always reserved for male characters. They are the ones getting coddled, loved, and redeemed (cough Jihyun Kim cough Jumin Han cough Saeran Choi). And Rika doesn’t even (arguably) get redeemed! She gets justified! The game explicitly tells you: ‘forgive her, or you’re a rape/pedophile apologist’. And hoo boy, that’s refreshing to see, especially in a game as misogynistic as MysMes.

I support women’s wrongs in this case. Raped women can have little a death cult. As a treat.

*mic drop*

least favourite thing about her

Hmm, I don’t know! I think Rika is a really good sympathetic villain. She’s sleazy, creepy, and at times plain terrifying. Recently I was chatting with a follower and we talked at length about how scary of an all-permeating presence Rika is/was to the RFA. But on the other hand, she has solid motivations for what she does, she has a pretty coherent (if fucked up) philosophy she follows, she’s well-rounded as a character!

I think the only thing I don’t particularly like about her is the voice performance and the whole Mika schtick. Rika doesn’t need someone nudging her towards the idea of a death cult to make her, as a villain, sympathetic. With all she’s been through, she is already sympathetic enough. And it’s enough that she takes her fucked up situation and turns it around to her advantage in this MORE fucked up way. It’s way more interesting.

And on the voice performances, I have very particular opinions. Rika’s strikes me as poorly acted oftentimes. Even taking into account the difference in mannerisms familiar to my Ukrainian ear VS the actress’ Korean.

favourite line

I love when, between being completely unhinged, she says incredibly sane stuff like this:

Like, SHE’S NOT WRONG!!!! Say it louder, queen!

But also…

brOTP

Honestly, I’m not sure Rika can truly have friends. I don’t think with her levels of fucked up, she could really keep such an arrangement. She can have followers, and she can have lovers, but I think, ultimately, she has never seen a normal equal relationship to such an extent that she wouldn’t know how to maintain it. So I guess it’s a blank here.

OTP

I think Rika with an evil fucked up MC is very *chef’s kiss*. V can suck it. And those two could be gay and do crime. Admittedly, I didn't pursue that ending, although I wad tempted, but I like the concept a lot.

But also, I love the dynamic of JuVRika and how they make each other worse, dragging everyone around them down with them. Those people are entangled in all sorts of manipulative and hurtful dynamics, and they all latch onto each other and refuse to let each other go. Truly a dysfunctional family, a toxic polycule, don’t join them when they spot you across the bar.

nOTP

I don’t have any strong negative feelings about Rika being shipped with anyone. Gonna be controversial again, but I don’t even judge people who see something romantic in Yoosung’s feelings for her. Go and indulge your toxic fucked up ships with my blessing.

random headcanon

Hmmm, don’t wanna repeat myself with the headcanons I already posted about her. I think a not-before-mentioned one that I really enjoyed was the one that came to life when I was talking to that follower about the Zen post. They said that Rika was down to solicit Zen for sex (maybe with V watching/filming/taking pictures) when they roped him into the RFA. And I’m seriously considering this possibility.

unpopular opinion

ANOTHER ONE?

Okay, here goes: I think Rika held way less power in her relationship with V than is often attributed to her. She was pretty much homeless and barely an adult when she was proposed to after just a couple months of barely knowing each other by some sort of a rich boy heir. She was severely mentally ill and she had pretty much no power in that relationship whatsoever. Without V, she would never have gotten access to those rich people and their resources, I don’t think. Yes, Rika made her fucked up decisions herself, but V made her SO MUCH worse beforehand. I think Rika is often blamed for what is actually his part.

song i associate with her

You are in luck! I make Spotify playlists for all characters and ships that interest me!

But if I had to pick one, probably On a Wire by Belasco

Shot myself

A final gaze

Through the glass of the watch

That you engraved:

‘To my love, my eternal love’...

‘YOU LIED, YOU BITCH’ —

I screamed from above.

And you,

Yeah you,

You wanted more than to fill a room with careless lies,

And you,

Yeah you,

You were the apple, no, the cause of my strife.

favourite picture of her

This one for the sheer memetic possibility.

Zen

favourite thing about him

I absolutely LOVE his backstory, even though it is so little explored. I love how dark it is and how it perfectly explains all of the shitty takes he has on the world and all the shitty habits he inflicts on the people he loves. I love his tragedy, I love how dark of a character he actually is, and how he came out of that hell so flawed, and yet undeterred. I love how rough around the edges his past has made him.

And oh, don’t get me STARTED on the voice performance. Best in the game, no contest.

least favourite thing about him

His route. I can’t STAND the whole premise, and I think it ruins him for a lot of people.

I’m also peeved by the way fandom doesn’t treat him seriously, but that pales before the treatment Yoosung is given, so I don’t think it’s worth elaborating on.

Yeah, the worst thing about Zen is his route, where he gets accused of raping a woman (poor boy gets his life ruined by an evil female, amirite, happens all the time), you gotta believe he is in the right there with no proof whatsoever (because women are evil and always lie, especially about rape, you know), AND THEN he is forced to reconcile with his shitty family that bullied him and let people harass him, to the point that he preferred to become homeless and a criminal??? And he never ONCE gets called out on his actual shitty behaviours?! Babes?!!

favourite line

This one on Jaehee route.

It’s so little yet so poignant. It is such a fleeting little thing, but it encapsulates his character in its entirety: lonely, hurt, yet caring about others first and foremost in his own clumsy ways; guarding his own wounds from others lest they suffer even a little bit of what he’s been through by proxy.

That guy makes me Feel Feelings.

brOTP

Zenhee! Or Zen/MC, specifically Joori, the MC I came up with and Jaehee’s girlfriend. But if we’re talking canon characters, then Jaehee. They would make each other so much better! Their friendship has so much potential! Zen would care for her in the very way she needs, I think his overbearing care is a perfect match for her self-neglecting self, and don’t get me started on how much he hypes her up! I saw a very good post recently about Zen wanting to be the older brother figure his own brother couldn't be to him, and here, I think, he could really shine. And Jaehee, with her reasonable and level-headed approach, would really give him good advice and bring him back to earth. She, too, can be overbearing with her care, but to beat Zen’s mind, set in his ways so hard he can’t look up? Yeah, that would work on him.

In general, it would be fun to see Zen have friendships with strong no-nonsense women, because he himself has strong enough a character and big enough a personality to offer them something cool and interesting, but also he really needs to be called out on his bullshit more.

OTP

…do I need to answer that? I’m THE Yoozen ambassador in this fandom, I am proud, and I’m still going strong. Yoozen/Zensung is THE ship ever, and I stand by it.

They care about each other a hell of a lot in canon, they compliment each other and stand up for each other, and I think they’re pretty much the only real friends in the whole RFA. And given Zen doesn’t let anyone close, the fact that he often invites Yoosung over and likes it is just very telling to me. The way they rely on each other and care for each other, despite Zen (and, arguably, sometimes Yoosung, too?) having no normal ways of showing it OR accepting it, makes my heart flutter. They talk about each other very tenderly to MC, too.

Also, I think they’d be incredibly good and healing for each other. Yoosung is very emotionally intelligent, empathetic, and insightful, and in him, Zen has a delicate and loving presence that he doesn’t have to explain himself to too much. Yoosung accepts him and wants to actually offer him warmth. And Yoosung’s open and kind enough to invite openness and kindness in return. He sees Zen for the big-hearted person that he is, and he could bring it out to shine.

And Zen is already so willing in canon to be the shoulder to cry on for Yoosung, to be good to him, he already wants to support him, help him, care for him, but he does it in all the wrongest and pushiest ways, hitting right into Yoosung’s own trauma. Yet, for all his forcefulness, Zen would give Yoosung the love that he craves: big, dramatic, and romantic. He is the protector, and he would do his damnedest to shield the softness in Yoosung, yet he would be the greatest inspiration and support for him to become firmer in his own personhood.

Besides, Zen with his fighting responses has the love that can complement Yoosung’s in its self-sacrificiality, and it’s just such a delicious dynamic for me.

nOTP

I am in general very faithful in terms of ships, so I’m not into any ships besides Yoozen that include Zen or Yoosung. But if we’re talking stronger feelings? Definitely Zumin. I am NOT into the trend of seeing outright hostility and saying, ‘yeah, that’s love right there’. I am old-fashioned like that.

random headcanon

I headcanoned extensively about Zen, both here and on Drawingmen, but the absolute pet headcanon of mine is the guy he had ‘too many firsts’ with, the unseen presence that prompted Love Story and that haunts Zen in all of my fanfic, but particularly Down Bad and The Wolf. I am currently writing a fic centering them both, and I even have a playlist about them now.

unpopular opinion

Romantically, I would not wish Zen upon any woman at all whatsoever. Zen has internalised the street code, he is EXTEREMELY prone to overcompensating, and he’s so desperate to be a beacon of masculinity (as an overcompensation, too, ironically) that he is bound to hurt people. His explosive character is just asking for trouble, and with the way he mellows down for the MC on his route… yeah, I know men like him. It never lasts long. I would not wish for any woman to deal with a man like that in a relationship.

song i associate with him

I got a Zen playlist, too, but it’s long and I haven’t filtered it in a while. The one song I would pick… probably Leave Me In by Zahl. 

It's all right if there's a battle tonight.

I'm right here and I'm ready to fight.

I swear I'm gonna kick daylight,

Serves him damn right.

So go on say your prayers,

But say them when I'm not there,

Cause that god, if he's there,

All he had for me was fear

And also, lately, Rokas by JUUK. After I drew that art with Zen’s hands over the years. Nothing quite particular about him in the lyrics, but it is now The Vibe.

You conceal your arms,

I conceal mine.

favourite picture of him

The CGs where he has Yoosung in his lap:

If I had a penny for each CG with Yoosung lying in Zen's lap, I'd have two pennies, which isn't much, but funny that it happened twice 😌

If you got this far, just letting you know I love you <3 Thank you for giving me the opportunity to ramble!

[sugolara]

♫ Ridin' round and round

Ft. Shota, Katsuki, Hitoshi, Izuku, Shoto, Eri & gn! reader

Synopsis: Born by dysfunctional parents, Shota Aizawa takes it upon himself to adopt a litter of kids to give them the best chance life could offer them. Or... [A family with different parents try to beat any obstacle that come their way, though they couldn't have done this without the help of their adopted father; Shota.] Cw: language, drinking, smoking, substance abuse, death mention, a bit of angst, quirkless! au, humor, slight sexual themes nothing to graphic, gender neutral reader!, updates once a month or so Honorable Supporting Cast: Denki Kaminari [The best friend], Kyoka Jiro [The friend], Eijiro Kirishima [The love interest], Ochaco Uraraka [The friend], Tenya Iida [The love interest/Ex], Mina Ashido [The friend/Ex], Momo Yaoyorozu [The love Interest], Hanta Sero [The love interst] & other extras that aren't important Music of the chapter: In My Neighborhood — The High Plane Drifters

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Later that day, school was finally over and with the breakup of Tenya and F/n still lingering in the air he refused to hangout with all the siblings at their home. While F/n was unaware of his refusal, they brought home Mina, Hanta, Kyoka, and of course, Denki. Along with them came Ochaco and Eijiro, but unlike the two who hung out in Katsuki’s and Izuku’s shared room, the others stayed in F/n’s. Since it was also a shared bedroom, the friends knew to keep in mind of Eri’s privacy.

On the twin size bed, F/n leaned against their headboard while Mina had their feet on her lap. The pink-haired girl always kept beauty products in her bag, so with a hot pink nail polish plush between the blankets to keep it from spilling, she painted F/n’s toes neatly. A toe separator was also neatly placed in between the crevasse, “I never knew you had this many siblings, F/n. You never told me about them.”

“‘Cause they’re not important.” F/n hummed out, knowing it was a complete lie. Continuing to read a magazine about staying healthy while eating Hitoshi’s bag of chips, being lucky that the tired male was busy with some after school club,“Plus, we only went out for like a month or two and we weren’t serious.”

Gloomy, she popped the dry brush into the bottle to apply more polish, “Still, it would have been nice to know about who you live with. I already know Mr. Aizawa is your dad, but…doesn’t it ever get weird with so many siblings?”

Pausing from reading, F/n looked at the girl who continued to paint their toes. There wasn’t anything weird about having so many siblings, so with the question coming in mind, F/n’s eyes narrowed a bit, “What, you think we all love each other or something? Like some incest type of shit?”

Next to F/n’s bed and on the floor, Kyoka and Denki sat while Hanta placed himself on the bean bag where he placed it next to the other two. The three eyed each other. The question Mina brought up was always something that was brought up since everyone who knew the Aizawa family, knew they were all adopted. With that being said, lots—though mostly girls—have fantasization of the Aizawa kids. It was weird and they hated whenever someone they dated would bring it up with a shy gaze, like they hadn't just said the most disgusting thing ever. And when all that was said, it would mostly end with a fight; courtesy of F/n and Katsuki.

But, they like Mina and it's so rare whenever someone gets added to their group because of their dislike of everyone. Besides, Mina was just clueless about the whole situation, so to spare an awkward tension in the air Denki spoke up, “You mean like banging the same chick or being into the same person, right?”

Mina nodded, blowing on the paint for it to dry, ignorant to what the others were thinking, “Yeah, like do you guys ever have competition? I know this one girl that dated Katsuki and when she and him broke up, she told me everything about him and Shoto. Something about a love trope, I don’t know, she was, like, batshit crazy.”

Kyoka snorted, looking up from her notebook that had musical notes for a gig that was coming up, “She had like purple and blue streaks, right?”

“Yeah, her!” When Mina nodded, Kyoka glanced at F/n, “Wasn’t that the girl you dated to?”

Scoffing, F/n returned to their magazine, “She knew we were family, so who’s to really blame here?”

“You.” Hanta pointedly said, scrolling on his phone, “Because you did that to this other girl before she moved away—you all did it to her. Shit was nasty when she bragged about it.”

“Wait, even Izuku?” Mina smiled, “I know he’s into Ochaco, but I didn’t think he had it in him.”

“Nah, not that little twerp.” F/n said, closing the magazine, keeping their thumb on the page to not miss it while it rested on their lap, looking ahead, “We don’t go after someone we want to be serious with, they’re off limits. Just ask Izuku who threw me into a canal when he found out I tried going after Ochaco.”

Mina chuckled, trying to keep her hand steady, “How did that happen?”

“He paid Hitoshi to keep me up for two nights and when I fell asleep, he helped Izuku throw me into a canal.” F/n rolled their eyes at the memory, “Mind you, it was raining and the canal had fucking leeches.”

Going into his photo album, Hanta grinned, “You wanna see the picture Hitoshi sent me?”

“What, yeah!” Mina excitedly moved, kicking F/n’s feet that hit Denki’s head.

“No!” F/n quickly rushed to Hanta with wide eyes, “Don’t show her, shits embarrassing!”

The two trampled over Kyoka and unfortunately with Denki being placed at the end of the bed he had his head smacked by the feets that kicked away.

“This is the club?” Hitoshi, with a dead face that expressed wishes of going home and crawling into his bed, said. He stood on the doorway where he stared into the classroom of what looked like 2-A. The room was empty of human souls except for the two who stood in front of him with hopeful looks, “This is what you wrote me up for?”

Hitoshi said, looking next to him where Shoto also stood with his usual resting face. The bi-colored male had his hands in his pockets to keep warm from the cold room, “Neat, isn’t it?”

“It's an empty classroom with Tenya and whoever that is.” Letting out a sigh, the older male turned around, “Have fun ‘cause I’m out, Shoto.”

“No, wait!” Whoever reached out, grasping Hitoshi’s hand, “Please don’t go! If I don’t have any members then Mr. Nezu will shut it down! Shoto told me that he knew a lot of people that could join and this wouldn’t only help me, but also you! So, please, don’t go…stay.”

“...You know if I was blind and I heard this conversation going on I would think this was a love confession.” Shoto spoke before turning to Momo, “You don’t have to say…all that. Hitoshi and the others are going to join regardless, but for now I want some peace and quiet.”

A sigh of relief left Momo’s lips, “Thank you.”

“Wait, if the others are joining then does that mean F/n will be joining too?” Tenya asked with brows quivering, “Not that I don’t mind, but there are some ground rules that’ll need to be discussed.”

Closing the classroom door, Hitoshi rolled his eyes as Shoto dragged him into a desk, forcing him to stay glued to the chair until the club was over, “With the others joining we’re going to need a lot of rules.”

Nervously, Momo looked at Shoto as she held her hands to her chest, “So…you mentioned your siblings would be coming tomorrow. Are they going to be a worry…?”

“Yes.” Shoto nodded as he waved his hand, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure their attitudes are in check.”

“Good luck with that.” Tenya and Hitoshi murmured.

“So, uh,” Hitoshi placed his palm on his chin, allowing his fat head to rest on it, “what club is this exactly?”

“Oh!” Momo grinned with eyes brightening, “I’m so glad you ask! This club is different from the others! This club…is a study club!”

“...Oh…great.” Said the soft disappointed voice of Hitoshi.

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Decay

hello everyone we're back!!! sorry it took me so long, i had to rattle this one around in my head for a while to get it on straight (heh)

this is my first time really writing leon's perspective so i hope it sounds okay!!!! i also hope it doesn't come off too mia bashing, that's not my intention at all, i just think what with leon's past with sherry he'd have a hard time reconciling mia's choices against his own priorities etc.

also rose sweetie i'm so sorry i'm giving you so many dysfunctional adult/parental figures i swear once ethan recovers a little more he'll be the other emotionally competent person here

Read on Ao3 Masterlist

Warnings: talk about infidelity, previous character death (it's ethan so he's fine now but still oof)

Pairings: mithan, lethan, winterfield

Word Count: 3799

They talked about Mia's new job, about how much they missed each other, about how proud they were of Rose. All the things normal couples would talk about. Then Ethan had sighed. "Mia," he says in a quiet voice, and Mia's mouth twitches. "Yes, Ethan?" "It's no use."

Out of all the things Leon expected from Chris’s call, suddenly being privy to what has to be the weirdest talk between husband and wife was not one of them. And yet, here he is, sitting in a sterile interrogation room with a buzzing light, a former bioterrorist, and a living mold colony assuming the shape of a former systems engineer.

Life is strange sometimes. He’s learned how to roll with the punches.

“You don’t have to do this,” Ethan had said when he came to escort him from his room—room, Chris had stressed, not a cell, even though it felt a whole lot like a cell and he’s pretty sure Ethan thought of it like that too—“I’m sure you have better things to do than babysit me while I try and talk to my…ex-wife? Former wife? Widow?”

Leon had snorted. “Are you kidding me? I’m missing my favorite soap opera, the least you could do is make up for it with your familial melodrama.”

He didn’t mention that he was the only person other than Chris himself who had the required clearance to be there, and even Chris-Emotional-Constipation-Redfield knew that was a bad idea. So, here they were.

At first, it'd just been a little bit awkward, watching Ethan so visibly relax when Mia came in. Mia too—like watching a soldier reunite with his wife after a long deployment in one of those videos with a slow love song playing in the background. Only this time they couldn't touch, separated by a sheet of bullet-proof glass, and talking through phones that made everyone sound like they were doing really bad Darth Vader impressions. They talked about Mia's new job, about how much they missed each other, about how proud they were of Rose. All the things normal couples would talk about.

Then Ethan had sighed.

"Mia," he says in a quiet voice, and Mia's mouth twitches.

"Yes, Ethan?"

"It's no use."

Her brow furrows for a split second before she forces a light laugh. "What's no use?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Her hand clenches and she drops it out of sight. "I really don't, Ethan."

"Yes, you do."

What's making this so much worse is that Ethan isn't angry. Leon's gaze flicks between them as Mia clearly wrestles with the words on the tip of her tongue but Ethan's just…sitting there. Then again, the man's died, what, three times at this point? It's not that surprising that nothing fazes him, but still…

"I mean, I don't know what I'm going to tell people," Mia says, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a brusque jerk of her chin, "I can't exactly explain Rose's father magically reappearing."

Ethan doesn't respond for a moment. She seems to take that as clearance to keep talking.

"I guess I could say you—woke up from a coma, or something, but everyone thinks you're dead. You've been gone for sixteen years, Ethan, it's not—it's not something we can just shrug off."

"'We?'"

"Yes, of course, 'we'," she huffs in a laugh, even as panic starts to cloud her eyes, "what are you talking about?"

Another pause. Then he sighs again. The sound rattles through the shitty phone. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"About what?"

"About me. About Rose."

Mia swallows. "Ethan, I—"

"Did you know the whole time? Ever since Dulvey? Or did you figure it out along the way and just—keep it to yourself?"

Her hand trembles slightly on the phone. She tries to force back that light expression but Leon watches it begin to crack as they both stare at her. Her gaze darts to him a few times—what the fuck does she expect him to do?

"I felt you die," she whispers and yeah, okay, even Leon's chest lurches at that, "when—when Jack killed you, I felt it. And—and everything was so blurry, so hard to see through—through Eveline's mess that I thought—I thought I might've been remembering it wrong, or something else had happened, or it was just—just another one of her mind games but—"

She chokes on a sob and Ethan's fingers twitch toward the glass, the phone pressed tightly to his ear.

"—but then you were back. And—and you were just you and I thought—I thought it'd be over."

"And Rose?" Mia nods, her eyes squeezed shut as Ethan breathes out a curse. "That's why the pregnancy was so bad, wasn't it? You were—you were trying to fight the mold?"

"Don't blame yourself," Mia's saying as soon as Ethan's sentence finishes, reaching out to put her hand on the glass. After a moment, Ethan's hand presses back. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't Rose's either, she—she's beautiful. Our baby girl…"

Something in Ethan's expression twitches. His hand slowly leaves the glass. A moment later, Mia's does too. They sit there in silence for a few moments before Ethan pinches the bridge of his nose. "I wish you would've told me."

Mia scoffs. "What good would it have done?"

"I would've known." The first hint of irritation flickers behind Ethan's words and Leon has a bad feeling about how the rest of this conversation is going to go. "I could've—I could've done something."

"What could you have done? Told Chris? He'd have us locked up like this years earlier," she says, gesturing around, "and then what? Would we have taken Rose, gone on the run?"

"Mia—"

"There was nothing you could've done, Ethan," and she says it like she's trying to be kind, but Ethan's shoulders keep getting tenser and tenser.

"It's funny."

"What is?"

"That's what people said when you went missing."

Mia goes still. Leon fights the urge to shift in his chair. Yep. Bad feeling. Here we go.

"They said there wasn't anything I could've done," Ethan continues, his voice still low, "that I was beating myself up for nothing. That you were gone, there wasn't anything I could do about it, that I should go ahead and try and move on as best I could with my life. What was left of it anyway. Then I got an email from you."

"Ethan…"

"And you know what, Mia? Turns out there was something I could do. There was a whole hell of a lot I could do."

"You died, Ethan!"

"Yeah. I did. Then I came back. And I did a pretty good job about that."

More than pretty good, Leon wants to add, but he holds his tongue.

"Do you ever think about what might've happened if you just told me? Before all this had to happen?"

"I don't want to talk about this, Ethan."

"You never want to talk about it. Any of it. That's the whole goddamn problem, Mia. You were at that farm for three years. I died. And you wanted to just move on as if nothing happened. But we couldn't. I couldn't. That wasn't fair."

Mia's fist clenches. Her face twists up. Leon takes a deep breath and holds it. "You have no idea what I went through there, Ethan. No idea."

"Because you never told me! I would've been there for you—"

"You couldn't have been! You would never understand!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I was there! I got infected too—Mia, you—"

"You were never supposed to be there!"

The room rings with her panting breaths. Both of their knuckles are white around the phones.

"You were never supposed to find out," she manages, "you were—it wasn't supposed to be like this. God, Ethan, you were supposed to be safe."

An old, old anger flares in Leon's chest. He takes a deep breath, tries to swallow it, but Ethan's talking again and he frantically tunes back in.

"—think was going to happen, Mia? It wasn't just going to be that easy, something was bound to happen at some point. Did you think I—didn't you trust me?"

"Of course I trusted you, Ethan."

"Really? Because it doesn't feel like it. You kept secrets from me, big secrets, Mia, you don't do that with someone you trust."

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hi, honey, no, I'm actually not babysitting this time, I'm escorting an experimental bioweapon across international waters? Don't come looking for me?'"

"Jesus Christ, Mia—"

"See? You wouldn't have understood!"

"I died for you, Mia!"

Mia's eyes widen. Ethan's chest heaves with the force of his shout. He makes himself take a deep breath and Leon forces himself to relax. Shit, this is so not his forte…

"I died for you," he says again, quieter this time. "I died and I came back for you. And I tried to be there for you, the whole time, like I was supposed to be, and you—you—"

Oh, God, no, don't let Ethan start crying. He has no idea what the fuck he's supposed to do if Ethan starts crying.

"You were my wife," and all three of them wince at the past tense, "was it so wrong for me to want you to be there for me?"

"I tried to be—"

"You didn't." Ethan doesn't even sound mad anymore, just exhausted. "You were too busy trying to keep the truth about me and Rose from me, from Chris, from everyone. Like if you pretended hard enough, everything would be okay. God, Mia, it was like—it was like you were the one who'd died."

Her face twists. "Is that why you went to Chris?"

Oh. Oh, God, oh, fuck. Give Leon an island full of bioweapons and trigger-happy mercenaries any day, do not make him deal with emotions involving Christopher fucking Redfield.

"What?"

"Don't play coy with me now, Ethan," Mia says, voice hardening, "did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

"Mia, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you and Chris were acting more like the married couple by the end of things than you and I were."

Then, something truly terrifying happens: Ethan Winters laughs.

It's not humorous. It's not happy. It's bordering on manic and utterly, utterly cold in a way that feels wrong for a person so fundamentally warm and it rings in Leon's ears. Even Mia looks shaken by it.

"You think I what, seduced Chris Redfield with my tragic bioweapon ass because you and I were fighting all the time? That's what you think happened?"

"Ethan—"

"Let's get one thing crystal goddamn clear: I never cheated on you. Not when you were missing, not when we were stuck in the compound, not once in Romania or any other hell hole the two of us got shoved in. I turned to Chris because I was fucking scared, Mia, and he was supposed to be keeping us safe, not because he made me feel wanted. The only person who's made me feel wanted in the past—well, I don't know how many years it's been now, but that's Karl fucking Heisenberg and he only wanted me to get to Rose so he could use her to kill Mother Miranda. You can accuse me of a lot of things, Mia, and I'll let you, but I was never unfaithful."

"That's not what I meant, Ethan," Mia tries, but Ethan's already shaking his head.

"It's exactly what you meant, Mia. You think you're the only one who noticed things changing? You wanna know how I knew something was wrong that day? Miranda kissed me. And you hadn't wanted to touch me in months."

Leon can't stop himself from shifting. That's—holy fuck, that's sad in a whole new way. Seriously. He won't even ask for a gun, give him a knife and a virus outbreak, not—not whatever the fuck this is turning into.

Even though part of him really wants to put his hand on Ethan's shoulder right now.

"Chris was your friend," Mia says quietly—shit, he got lost in thought again— "and he was…it seemed like it was so easy for you to…to talk to him."

"I wanted to talk to you, but it…it felt like we were always fighting whenever I tried. Chris was—" he huffs— "he wasn't my friend, but he was…there."

Now both Mia's and Leon's brows twitch. "He was, Ethan, he was your friend—"

"No, no, he wasn't. He made that very clear."

Mia's gaze flicks to Leon's—he'd been half hoping they'd forgotten he was there, to be honest—and he just remembers the day he'd met Ethan Winters, before everything went to shit. Finding him alone on the mats, weeping, like he'd—

Well, like he'd just had his heart broken.

Some of that must show on his face because Mia's expression hardens with a distant anger—one he's worn himself from time to time, thank you, Chris—before it deliberately softens again. "I'm sorry, Ethan. I'm so sorry. For everything."

"I know. I'm sorry too."

She shakes her head. They sit in silence for a few more moments. "Where…where do we go from here?"

Ethan sighs. "Well, I think it's back to being poked and prodded by scientists for me. I'm not letting them take Rose away from me again."

"I don't think Chris'll let that happen."

"Yeah, let's hope so." There's a pause, then he huffs a laugh. A real one this time. "I was just thinking: Rose said once that she wouldn't let anyone try and stop us from talking 'cause I was her emotional support mold dad—"

Mia laughs at that too. Even Leon manages to crack a smile.

"—and now I'm imagining her explaining that to Chris with a straight face—"

"—and him not knowing what that means?" Mia finishes. "You know, sometimes she says things—the kids and their slang, I can't keep up anymore."

"Oh, I gave up trying. Now I just embarrass her with how bad I am at using it."

They laugh again, and Leon is going to get whiplash with how back and forth the emotions are here. Judging by the way Mia's smile is slowly growing sadder, she is too.

"How did we get here," she asks, mostly rhetorical, "how did it end up like this? We were…we were happy, weren't we?"

"We were," Ethan says, just as softly, "I was happy, Mia."

"Why can't we be happy again?"

"It's like the vows said: 'till death do us part."

Mia laughs, though it's through a sob, and Ethan does too. Now they're both just looking at each other, and then Ethan murmurs I love you, and Mia says I love you too, and—

"Alright," the BSAA guard at the door says, "that's time."

Mia stands up, smiling at Ethan, nodding at Leon, and leaves through the door. Ethan doesn't move until the door closes again, sagging in the chair with his head in his hands. Leon glances up, seeing another BSAA guard approaching their side of the door and holds up a hand. The guard pauses.

Ethan takes several deep breaths, each a little steadier than the last, before he pushes himself up with a tired smile.

"So," he says, "better than your soap opera?"

"Hell of a lot more interesting, that's for sure." He jerks his head toward the door. "You need another minute, or…?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks for being here."

Leon swallows. "No problem."

The guard steps away as soon as they're out into the hall. They walk for a few minutes before Ethan says, "Leon? Is it okay if we go outside for a second?"

"Sure. This way." They go to one of the little courtyards in the middle of the compound and Ethan immediately sits down on one of the benches, head tipped back like he hasn't seen the sun since…well, yeah, no, actually that makes sense. "You wanna just…sit here for a bit?"

"Yeah, if that's cool with you."

"I've got nowhere else to be."

And see, now, here's the problem: Leon would love to try and forget about everything he just heard. It isn't any of his business, hell, it's probably so far not his business that he shouldn't have been there in the first place, but now…now he's kind of emotionally invested.

This is why he just watches crappy soap operas that he doesn't tell anyone else about.

"What?"

"Huh?"

Ethan smiles blandly at him. "You're…kind of staring at me."

Shit. "Sorry. Just…lost in thought."

He chuckles. "You can ask if you want to."

"It's your business."

"Yeah, well, you just got a front row seat to the season three finale without being there for seasons one and two, so, you can ask." He shifts, leaning back against the bench more. "Figured it's the least I can do."

Leon frowns but puts a pin in that one. He may be slightly better at this whole having-emotions thing than Chris, but he's under no delusions that he's good at it. "How'd the two of you meet?"

Ethan lights up like it's goddamn Christmas when he tells the story and it sounds like every single rom-com in the world. Boy meets girl, they have a few sweet dates, there's a funny story here and there about office parties that don't go completely according to plan, and then they get married. Leon's chest clenches as he listens and yeah, maybe he didn't fully grasp the scope of what Chris meant when he said that Ethan was a good man, that he didn't deserve it—because no one ever deserves the type of shit Ethan's been through, but holy fuck, this man's like a goddamn golden retriever.

"Why didn't you leave?"

Shit. Way to fucking go, Kennedy.

Ethan tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

"When you got to the Baker Farm and you realized it was…"

"Fucked up?"

"Yeah."

And just like that, he deflates, something dark washing over his expression. "I couldn't. I couldn't leave, not when I knew Mia was there."

And the thing is, he gets it. He's about to tell Ethan how much he gets it when Ethan shakes his head and looks up at him with this self-deprecating smile.

"Pathetic, right?"

"You're not pathetic, Ethan. You're a damn good man."

"Careful, you say things like that too much, I might start to believe you."

See, now, that's the other thing. And judging by the way Ethan's suddenly avoiding his gaze, he's gonna guess that frown he'd tried to keep off his face made it there anyway.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize, it's okay." He looks away, shifting to knock their legs together. "So. Karl Heisenberg, huh?"

If he was hoping for a way to break the dull mood, he failed. Miserably. "Everything in that village hated me. The lycans wanted to eat me, Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters hated me because I was a stupid manthing—" Leon tries not to snort at that— "Beneviento and Moreau were—and the Duke, I don't even know what the fuck his deal was, but he wasn't—the point is, only Heisenberg actually talked to me like a person for half a second. And as soon as I told him Rose wasn't a weapon, I was gone. It shouldn't even have meant anything, but Mia was dead—or so I thought, and Chris had been the one to shoot her and take Rose from me—and Rose was in pieces and I—"

"Hey, hey," Leon says, his hand on Ethan's shoulder before he realizes what he's doing, "hey, Ethan…"

Ethan bows his head, taking a deep breath. When he lifts his head again, his eyes are wet, and there's a lump in Leon's throat. "Is it wrong that I still love her?"

Well. Remember that shit he said about not being prepared for this?

"Sorry," he mumbles a second later, "you—you really don't have to answer that."

"How much has Chris told you about me?"

Ethan glances at him. "Not much."

"Has he ever mentioned Sherry Birkin?"

Ethan shakes his head, a furrow between his brows and suddenly Leon's telling him about Sherry. About wanting to be a cop in Raccoon City, about finding Claire—"Wait, Chris has a sister?"—and Sherry, and making a deal to keep her safe. Ethan listens, concern and sympathy engraved into his expression, reaching out to put a hand on Leon's shoulder when it takes him a second to get the words out, and he has no idea what the fuck he's doing or why he's telling Ethan this when he should be the one comforting the other man, and before he knows it he's talking to Ethan like they're old friends, and he doesn't know what's going on and all he knows is that Ethan Winters is a fucking unicorn.

"I'm sorry," he says, and there's not a trace of that weird curling in his gut that he normally gets when people tell him that, "that really sucks, buddy."

He blows out a short breath. "Yeah, I guess it does."

They sit in silence for a while. The wind is cool, not cold. The sun passes behind a few clouds and re-emerges.

"I've never told anyone all of that," he says suddenly, "not really."

"Well, I promise I'm good at keeping secrets." Leon huffs a laugh. "Hey, Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"I know this is weird, and it's—I'm not expecting you to say yes, okay, but…do you think we could be friends?"

Leon turns to look at him. Ethan just smiles back, a little awkward, but painfully earnest. He tries for a smile and finds it comes rather easily. "Yeah, Ethan. We can be friends."

That smile turns genuine so quickly it makes his head spin. He tips his head back to enjoy the sunshine again, a weight falling off his shoulders and Leon can't help but stare. In the back of his mind, he can't help but wonder what Mia Winters was thinking, even though he knows that's a dangerous road to walk down—one he's steered Chris away from a number of times too. But he looks at Ethan and all he can see is another blond trying to keep a child safe and…well, he's never been a saint.

"Ethan?"

"Yeah?"

"I won't let them take Rose away from you either."

Ethan looks at him, eyes wide, and nods. "Thank you, Leon."

He can't say much of anything else, so he just nods back. Then Ethan's looking over his shoulder like he's expecting someone to come out and sure enough, jogging over is Rose with Chris trailing behind her. Ethan stands up and catches her in an exuberant hug, spinning her around until she laughs. He catches Chris's eye over their shoulders and nods.

Fuck it. He's in.

[creaturecomplications]

TW: mentions of death(we all know who), analysis and acknowledgement of familial dysfunction in the TMNT 2012 narrative

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TL;DR immediately under cut

TL;DR: The 2012 turtles grew up in a dysfunctional family system created by Splinter and the poor writing accidentally gave a really good inside look to what real dysfunctional families are like. Also I still like this version, so I analysed it.

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Thought I'd share a thought I've had about the 2012 TMNT series for a WHILE. This is based on a mix of my own, admittedly somewhat limited, engagement with the series as well as what I've heard others say about it's writing quality and the particular issues it creates in the series.

TMNT 2012 unintentionally became a REALLY good look at what a dysfunctional family is like from the INSIDE. I say this as someone who grew up in a dysfunctional family system, though my parents were not physically abusive like Splinter was shown to occasionally be mostly to Leo but sometimes he dragged the whole family along for the ride. Regardless, let me give a couple examples.

People often complain how Mikey's character growth is just plain ignored by the writers repeatedly throughout the series(really anyone who isn't Leo or Raph, but Mikey's the focus for now). While this IS bad writing on their part, it's also something that ACTUALLY HAPPENS in dysfunctional systems like this. Mikey's role in the family is clearly the jokey, happy little brother. In families like this, you are not allowed to grow outside your role. No one will outright SAY it, but the family's reactions to such things will usually be enough for most people to shove themselves right back in their box. That said, some find spaces and people outside the family to explore these parts of themselves, and from what little I've seen Mikey seems to have done this with the likes of the Mutanimals, then, once he's back with family, everything deemed outside his role gets neatly tucked away until next time.

There's also their friends who, even those who've been accepted as family, don't get to see the full extent of the dysfunction. Everyone knows Raph and Leo fight, they'll yell at each other in the main room after all, but no one gets to see things like what I've watched of Splinter's and Leo's talks in the dojo, and most of Splinter's talks with Raph about his anger. Actually, a lot of Splinter's not-so-great actions are hidden, not just from their friends, but from a good chunk of his sons too. Then, once someone like April shows up, he's the loving, if some what strict, father that pretty much everyone in this community the turtles have built respects greatly. This respect isn't entirely without merit, I'll admit, but the point still stands that he acts better when people from outside their immediate family are around then he does when their not. I also wouldn't say he's the greatest towards any of his kids, but he's better to some then others with Raph and Leo getting the brunt of it, though even Raph seems to experience more warmth from him in the show then Leo does. He also seems to treat Raph and Leo better if Donnie and/or Mikey are around, though not as much as when friends stop by.

I know I've just spent an entire paragraph essentially sh*tting on Splinter, but I would like to point out that IS clear he loves his sons dearly. It's also clear he's a deeply flawed and traumatized character who I plan on exploring more. Regardless, it doesn't excuse his behavior and the toxic system he's created as a result of it. I think even more of an explanation could have been found if we knew more about his upbringing and the Hamato Clan outside of Tang Shen and Oroku Saki, but he actually doesn't seem to talk much about them which is FASCINATING to me considering how much pride he holds in his culture and in BEING Hamato. Quite frankly, I'd bet money he's recreated something very similar to what he grew up in, hence why he sees no problem raising the turtles the same but now I'm just speculating and making head cannons 😅. Either way, as much as he loves them, he was NOT the best dad.

Back to the main point, while the writing, again CLEARLY unintentionally, creates a really good narrative look at the inner workings of a dysfunctional family, there IS hope for them at the end from what I've seen. An interesting detail I've noticed is that the boys all seem to start getting along better and finding better ways to cope and work together whenever Splinter is out of the immediate picture for a significant chunk of time, like when their in space or at the farmhouse. It takes time, sure, but it's there. They also seem to do better and get closer as they get older, which is something my sister and I found in our own relationship. While Splinter's death is certainly hard on them, I imagine they'll stay close and things will only get better between them as time goes on. Maybe they'll realize how Splinter handled certain things wasn't great or maybe they won't, but either way I see room for them to be happier and more real, present, and honest with each other post series. Please feel free to respectfully give your opinion and your own observations, I'd love to see some other takes if possible! Also please keep in mind that I haven't watched the full series, mostly just clips with some episodes sprinkled in through the years so please feel free to tell and send me stuff so I can watch and learn more about these guys because I love them even if they're not my favorite iteration!

[askbensolo]

Hi! How would you describe the difference between your relationship with your mom, and with your dad?

Man, what a good question. Well…there are ways in which I get along better and worse with each one of them.

Mom and I have a lot in common. We’re both deep thinkers with strong personalities. She and I have really good conversations on politics (now that I’m not simping for the Empire anymore), and we really get each other when it comes to complaining about other people. Now that I’m at home again, Mom comes to me instead of Dad when she’s had a particularly irritating work experience—and, you know, I think Dad’s more than okay with this.

Mom has experienced some of the same struggles as I have. (Not all, but some.) So, I find that some of my experiences are easier to share with her, because they require less explaining than when I talk to Dad. But…Mom also worries more. And I think Mom is really scared of messing up at being my mom. Which shows she cares about me, yeah—but…the way that her fear presents itself, more often than not, turns out to be the opposite of what I need from her a lot of the time. So…she and I tend to butt heads a lot.

Now, Dad…I think I’ve grown to a lot closer to him as I’ve gotten older. I used to find him really annoying—and he is—but, now I see that he’s not just My Embarrassing Dad; he’s also a husband to my mom (who has always carried the galaxy on her shoulders) and a father to Rey (who’s still growing up) and even though he doesn’t really understand me sometimes, he does his best, and even though he’s already succeeded at getting me past age eighteen I can see he still cherishes the honor of being my old man, too.

My absolute favorite thing about my dad is that he is so, so normal. Despite everything he’s lived through. No Force crap. No emotional dysfunction or psychological quirks. He’s just A Guy. And…when he and I hang out, I feel almost normal, too. That is one of the best gifts anyone could ever give to someone like me.

There is never any pretense with Dad. I can tell sometimes that Mom is nervous around me—whether she’s nervous about how I’m doing, or about how she’s doing as a mother, I can’t always tell. But…Dad isn’t like that. Whenever Dad seems concerned about me, I know the only thing on his mind is making sure I’m okay.

With Mom…well, I’m not saying it’s her fault, but…I feel so responsible for making sure she’s okay. And, like—presumably the whole reason I came back home to live with my family was so they could make sure I’m okay—but…I really just feel…all this pressure to…not stress out my mom.

…

…Sorry. Did not mean to overshare.

I love both my parents. I do—I really do. And I know they love me. And every day I hug both of ‘em and tell ‘em “love ya” and I bend over so Mom can kiss me on the forehead like she used to when I was little and we’ve got all our inside jokes and our shared memories and I am so, so glad I have such incredible parents.

But…there’s always just those little things underneath our smiles that go unsaid.

…You know?

[therootsofourgarden]

The Roots of our Garden Intro Post

🥀🌸 “If I could just try, could I banish all the pain in you? Give you everything you need.” 🌸🥀

Hey!! So this is a little blog for my crossover AU “The Roots of our Garden” (fandoms will be listed following the “plot/info” segment)! I’ll mostly be posting art and dumb little poems, as well as using this as an ask blog!! You won’t have to know any of the fandoms in order to understand this! I’ll try my hardest to make sure everything is clear and explained!

(Run by @thequasarwinds )

Plot/Information

Plot

A group of six individuals find a “spell/curse” has been placed upon them, forcing the group together under particular effects that allow them to be in tune with each other. Memories of an individual bleeds into the others- and ailments (whether emotional or physical) are shared across the group. Finding this rather unfavorable, they set forth on a journey to cure themselves of this curse.

Important Links (not active atm)

(Please note that this AU IS of a personal/comfort nature- and is used as a way to process my emotions- more on this in the disclaimers section)

Gardners list and roles (main cast)

Garden visitors (major cast)

Garden/plant growth lore explanation

~~~~~~~~ (will add more links in the future if needed ~~~~~~~

Fandom List

(I know this looks like a LOT; PLEASE don’t get overwhelmed or deterred!! You do NOT need to know ANY of these at all! And we (me and my twin) have worked hard to make sure the world building all comes together cohesively! And even more so on a character basis. A lot of these will only be present either through a few characters (if not one) or a location visited or mentioned)

Primary Fandoms

Little Nightmares

Hilda (Netflix)

Made in Abyss

Amanda the Adventurer

The Mandela Catalogue

Major Fandoms

Epic The Musical

Wings of Fire

Warriors

(there are more but those are the ones that feel worth mentioning)

Tags

~~~~~To be added~~~~~

DISCLAIMERS

Trigger and Content Warnings:

Suicide/Suicidal ideation, self harm, child abuse/the overall mistreatment of children, dysfunctional family dynamics, unhealthy relationships (of all kinds), fighting (of all kinds), depictions of violence, blood, and possible depictions/mentions of dissociation/derealization/depersonalization as well as, most if not all of the five major trauma responses (fight, flight, freeze, flop, fawn)

(and possibly many others which I will tag!)

As I mentioned previously. This is a comfort AU- used to process my emotions and what not. As such this does make this vaguely a vent account. But it’s still its own story outside of its relationship to me! And feel free to interpret the more vague aspects of this AU however you like! I LOVE textual analysis and interpretation of my work!

I’d like you to be at least a little bit…sensitive with how you interact with this blog. Just don’t be overly critical or rude, the whole nine yards. I may add onto this with certain boundaries in the future

This does NOT entirely reflect how I’d portray the characters outside of the context of this blog. As I mentioned, this is used for my own personal comfort- so I’m allowing myself some creative liberties in order to accomplish that. But it will remain relatively in character to the best of my abilities

the characters will be portrayed as either cats or dragons

🥀🌸”We could’ve had anything anything else. Instead, you hoarded all that’s left of me.”🌸🥀

[autistictaxidermyman]

trying to write my alternate s4 fix it fic concept and thought I'd share the first draft opening paragraphs of the first chapter, which focuses on Klaus (and his life with Allison, Ray, and Claire in the time skip):

chapter one: never was the one for loving kids

For most of his life, there were few things that were undoubtedly true about Klaus Hargreeves, especially during the periods of time where he was anything but sober. He could list them off on half a hand: he was a drug addict, he had super powers, and he was one member of the most dysfunctional family on the planet. 

Now that they had continued their escapades through time and alternate timelines, he was pretty sure they were the most dysfunctional family at any point in time, in any universe. Five was the only one who seemed to actually wrap his head around those things, so he didn’t actually know, but Klaus was all but sure that he was correct in his assumption. 

After six years in this new timeline, though, Klaus knew a lot more about himself and what he cared about. It boiled down to a few core things when you peeled back every complication: he liked being sober, he loved his niece, he didn’t have super powers anymore and he wanted to keep it that way, and he was still a part of that aforementioned dysfunctional family. 

Oh, and he might not strictly be a “he”, but they would deal with that at some point further down the line when they had a second to talk to Viktor because right now, the world might be ending again. 

Or at least, their world was ending.

[dilucsfavorite]

What's your opinion of Irene and the Divine Warriors? What were their dynamics?

Personal, a joke headcanon I have is that Irene is like a neurodivergent Jesus who doesn't pick up on social cues (romantic or otherwise) and is completely oblivious to the Shad/Esmund/(Enki) love square she's caught in. Menphia and Kul'zak are in the background cracking up and panicking because they're basically babysitting a God-like deity (Irene) with the mental awareness of a five-year-old, a traumatized possessive Great dane (shad), a giant Golden retriever (Esmund), and most of their days are consumed with trying not to let Enki die in the crossfire

Before I get into my opinions, I think that joke headcanon is super funny. Also, I'll refer to the Divine Warriors as DW during this entire thing just to make it more easier to write and everything.

As a whole, I believe they are a very dysfunctional family. The way I see them, none of them have romantic feelings for one another as I do not feel as if any of them have the time to even have emotional connections like romance. They all used to be the best of friends, but as the weight of being important people and powers came crashing down on them, so did their friendships.

Some dynamics include:

Enki and Kul'Zak: These two are the closest out of the bunch, they are good friends and trust each other with every fiber in their body. However, to history and to the others, these two rarely interacted. Most of their friendship was hidden within letters sent between the two of them.

Irene and Shad: I hated the dynamic between these two on the show. Like.. they loved each other.. but like they didn't? In my opinion, They are polar opposites, both power wise, personality wise, and philosophy wise. They butt heads a lot, but they have their moments. To me, they are the type of found family siblings that will insult and throw punches at each other, but god forbid someone else insults one or the other.

Now, like their names suggest, They all had jobs within the group, though all acted alone and were all worshiped by different groups of people.

Irene was obviously the healer of the group due to what her powers are and what her name suggests. Here's the thing, I believe her powers are like.. too god-like for an entity described multiple times to be a mortal being. Like.. bring people back to life?? Its like a badly written OC. While I do believe she has the best healing capabilities, and some healing powers, I do not think she should be able to bring people back to life. However, she is the person who makes healing medicine a thing to be studies, and not just something left to witches or healing magic users. She started the idea of doctors.

Enki is the keeper. As the name suggests, he is the keeper of all knowledge, he records everything that has happened within the divine warriors, history that has happened in every nation. I like to think that he has a giant library hidden deep beneath the earth's core. It is like the library of Alexandria, but it has never been found. Most scholars do not believe it exists. But it does.

Esmund the protector. I think he has some pretty cool magic, and since we don't know what is powers are, I am going to make something up. He is the protector, meant to protect the people and his matron. I believe he has the power to harden his skin, but he does not use this to his advantage during fights, he only uses it when the fight is getting tough (which rarely happens). I also believe is a tall, buff man. Intimidating to anyone who does not know him, but he has a giant heart.

Kul'Zak the wanderer. He goes between nations, gathers history, records art, records the people and rulers of villages, and also the resident map maker. He and Enki work close together to fill the library up to anything that can fit into it. Also, he blends in so much that it was no wonder that people did not know he was the wanderer.

Shad the destroyer. I believe his old title was Shad the fighter. Unlike Esmund, Shad was always on the front lines fighting. He never really protected anyone, but he was sure a fighter. He was the type to blindly go at it when it came to war, and it had gotten him in trouble many of times with the other DW. He got the title of destroyer during the war. The title of fighter is only kept within the Library that Enki has. Books and other history was destroyed in the book burning of history books.

Menphia the fury. She was usually in the back of wars, having magic that allowed things to fall from the sky to attack enemy lines. Things like fireballs and such. The reason why she is not so talked about is because she wanted it that way. She did not want to be known, she did not want to be remembered. In some regions, the story of the raining fireballs became that of myth, became a story. One that only happens during war full of magical energy converging. Menphia only wanted to live a quiet life, not fight others, espessially people she used to call her friends.

This took forever to type up but coming up with ideas like this was fun !!!!!

[sixth-light]

WoT 2x08 thoughts

WoT s2 really, I haven't got to blog the season like I would have wanted because (checks notes) everybody in this household has been sick for a month and counting (do not recommend). No order here, just things as I think of them, full series book spoilers possible:

They really did stick the landing on this season for me, as well as line everything up so neatly for next season. I think S2 is really going to reward a rewatch.

Particularly re:Lanfear. I literally choked when she walked up to Bayle Domon and started talking about the pieces of cuendillar she'd sold him. I know the Dark Prophecy is probably still legit because we flashed back to Ishamael reciting it as he released her BUT ALSO I am now imagining her lying on her bed surrounded by screwed-up drafts as she tries to make it sufficiently ominous.

The Forsaken shenanigans this season have just smashed it out of the park and we only had two of them. I presume we're going to highlight one or two a season for practical purposes (and ofc TSR/TFoH are the Moghedien-Nynaeve books) so I reckon next season we mostly get Moghedien and...I guess Asmodean if we're doing that plotline at all?

Man I so liked my "evil Seanchan/less evil Seanchan" theory but the way they ruthlessly killed off every named Seanchan character this episode (yes we didn't see Suroth and Alwhin's bodies, but that seemed pretty fatal, they explicitly did NOT show any ships getting away) says to me that they want to put that plotline on ice until the Corenne and Tuon arrive. It could still work but we'd have to introduce more Seanchan nobles to make it happen...or...they could make the whole Extremely Dysfunctional Imperial Family dynamic real by having one or more of Tuon's siblings tag along. That was a very tell-not-show element of the books and then rendered irrelevant by Semirhage murdering all of them at once.

Extremely out-there theory: the way they're focusing on Moghedien being 'insane' and having Lanfear refer to the rest of the Forsaken as 'the boys' and being visibly wary of Moggy...what if they merge Moghedien and Semirhage? After all, Moggy goes after the Sad Bracelets first even if Semirhage is the one who uses them...

THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP as that gifset going around demonstrates, this really was the theme of the season. I continue to love how much these kids love each other (and the lingering fear the show has planted that it won't matter, because look where Lews Therin and Ishamael and Lanfear ended up...). Totally bought that they would all just roll with running into each other like that when there was a clear and present threat.

Rand is still so much in his 'just trying to protect my friends' era, poor kiddo, we're going to see that get more and more worn away as the Pattern forces him into bigger and bigger confrontations.

MAT, goddamn, his story took a bit of time to get moving but looking back all the pieces are there. Everything about the knife-on-a-stick sequences was just. fjlkfsdjklfsadjlkfsd. Amazing foreshadowing AND a funny and effective piece of storytelling in the moment. Particularly enjoyed the use of the dagger to open the box with the Horn.

Re: Min's vision: I'm thinking that at some point next season someone will report back to her what actually happened and we're going to see an arc with her learning about her own power and realising that her visions can be partial or metaphorical.

Man I hope Egwene gets lots of nice things next season because this one has been (not unexpectedly) brutal. Completely on board with her killing Renna. I wonder if they're getting rid of the 'sparker/learner' distinction in the show, given what she said to Renna about sul'dam just being very weak in the Power. I also wonder what 'very weak' actually means coming from Egwene, who canonically in the show can hold up against a Forsaken for some length of time (another change I am fine with).

Fascinating to think about Perrin in 2x08, straight-up killing Geofram Bornhald for killing Hopper, vs Perrin in 1x08 deliberately choosing pacifism. I don't actually mind that they gave him some unquestionable culpability here; in the books it was always SO obvious he wasn't in the wrong that it felt silly.

Relatedly, I think what's going on with Nynaeve (to the extent that anything is, she certainly didn't suffer for screentime this season) is that like Perrin her PERSONAL plot actually stalls out around book 8-9 - they're slowburning her block storyline for the same reasons they're slowburning his Wolfbrother one, I reckon. I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't heal stilling until much later in the show than the equivalent of book 6.

I didn't even notice that we left all the White Tower-related plotlines behind entirely this episode until I got to writing this post. FASCINATED to see where we pick up with Verin, Alanna, Siuan, et al next season...not to mention Liandrin

I haven't even talked about Aviendha! She hasn't had a lot to do beyond be introduced/introduce the concept of the Maidens and the Car'a'carn but it was solid set-up for next season and in line with how much she actually had to do in TDR.

My one big lingering question for this season is whether Ingtar isn't a Darkfriend on the show or whether he IS and they decided that his verbal confession wouldn't happen/work in the show and left it as a subtextual easter egg for book readers. I think both positions are arguable from the text, I'm curious what the intent was.

[godlessvalentine]

why syd calmed carmy and claire didn't

So I've been thinking about this a lot, more like a weak but consistent questioning at the back of my head. I've been seeing the debate whether carmy and syd is platonic or not. Especially the scene where carmy calmed down from his anxiety when his thoughts drifted to syd. I think carmy is used to the ambiguous nature of his relationships, like we've seen in the thanksgiving episode, how dysfunctional his relationships with his family. His brother, alive and dead, hovers over him like a heavy, depressing blanket. And richie, don't get me started with cousin, he was never really welcoming to carmy, he's resentful, and hostile even. Yet, carmy had his back, they had each other's back. I finally understood why the thought of claire sent him to having an anxiety attack, she was part of his history, i remember at the thanksgiving episode where there's this very stressful scene on how he's reacting on his family's meddling with his crush with her, I think at some point, he would associate that sort of emotion with claire. The feeling of not being in control, which brings me to syd. She arrived and saw the potential of The Bear the same moment carmy was struggling to keep everything together, and we all knew that after he exploded and syd quit, she came back. I think when fans claim that syd and carmy should be together with the argument that syd saw his worst and still came back, they are placing a label to the nature of relationship. For me, I understood carmy and syd better when I refused to put a label on what they have, I think the label of romantic, platonic, casual and such only defines what kind of transaction and what level of sexual intimacy two people should share. But if we look at the nature, that's a whole different thing. carmy is used to being in the purgatory, if he is loved or hated, his family never really had that sort of security where he can find his identity in terms of relationship. he's sensitive, and he can express himself, if he feels safe. He doesn't feel safe with claire, because for him, she's too good to be true. But with syd, the only place he feels in control is in the kitchen, and where do syd offers help and safety? in the kitchen. The scene where they figure out their menu at carmy's house is evidence. carmy learned how to diffuse explosive behavior in his family because all they ever do is explode, that's why he's good at dealing with stressed people in the kitchen. syd is someone that fits into his current nature of loving and caring, and she challenges him, she challanges him in the safety of the explosive world that carmy is used to, while claire puts him in comfort and challenges him to love, something he cannot deal with. carmy's sense of safety is the driving force of how his relationships are formed, and the foundation and the nature of how he interacts with other people. I really loved the writing of this series and I hope they do carmy and syd justice, romantic or platonic, i am really looking forward to how they will explore that.

[allthejoeks]

RWBY Chibi-esque antics I want out of Volume 10:

Ren, Nora, and Oscar having to navigate the emotions of 'Holy shit, our leader is back and alive, which is so great, but now he has even more trauma so we need to be extra good to him.' with the fact that he's now planning their daily schedules down to the minute and they need it to stop.

As RWBY's doing the rounds of introductions to all the important people, since they're the face of this whole thing, Yang introduces Ruby as 'our homophobic leader' every time.

Finally, they meet the Belladonnas, and Ruby just WON'T stop with horrifying and embarrassing stories. At one point, Yang drags her into another room, begging her to cut it out, and Ruby shrugs her shoulders. "I dunno, Yang, seems like it'd be out of character for a homophobe like me to let this go smoothly."

While the sisters are having an increasingly loud brawl in the other room. Blake's having an actual heartfelt conversation with her parents. Her dad admits that Yang still has made a better first impression that Sun did. A chair flies through the wall. "Barely."

Bumbleby showing off to the rest of their friends, we get ecstatic Nora, so on and so on, and Illia cracks an innocent joke about how she's cool with it only if she gets to be Blake's maid of honor, and Weiss, slightly less innocently and much less jokingly says, 'Obviously I'M going to be Blake's maid of honor." Which begins a season-long running gag of them trying to out-friend each other. Usually Illia wins these bouts because as everyone discovers, the magic words to make Weiss go away are 'Ruby seems lonely today, don't you think?'

A complete reversal of White Rose's dynamic. Ruby's trying to do important leader stuff a lot of the time, so Weiss (still a bit nervous from V9 Ruby) is trying to be the nonsensical bubbly one to take her mind off things. "Ruby, paperwork is such a drag, right? How about we *checks her Scroll* go... skiing with friends?" "In Vacuo." "We've done stranger!"

The Schnees, still trying to wriggle their way out of dysfunction junction, start thinking of Ruby as some sort of guru. Winter's partially jealous that Ruby's getting all of Weiss' attention, and they all wish to learn her secrets to having healthy family dynamics. She gets invited to dinner with them a lot. It is rarely fun.

Eventually Qrow starts inviting himself too just to piss off Winter, but he unironically hits it off with Willow as they bond over being recovering alcoholics and trying to be better family people. Which leads Winter into going absolutely insane trying to ensure that Qrow isn't sleeping with her mom.

There's a side plot the entire season where RWBY is trying to convince a local crime lord with a dedicated and loyal crime family to ally with them instead of Tyrian, and she's more than happy to, being dead is bad for business after all, but for some inexplicable reason Ruby just pisses her off, and the two remain cagey the entire season. Eventually, after Bonding(TM), she admits she loves lacey and colorful things, but it's just a little too girly for Vacuo's underground, and Ruby, finally connecting the dots, weakly suggests, "What about a parasol? Nothing wrong with keeping the sun off you." and the crime lord does a total 180, happy to work with Ruby and her great ideas while Ruby has a crisis of faith.

[nifolution]

I Quit 3

Warnings: Ransom being Ransom

A/N: This is a revised copy of my oc fic. It is written in 3rd person. The Thrombeys’ opinions are NOT my own. Thoughts are in italics. 18+ only due to smut and dubcon situations. No stealing, no reposts, no translations, no feeding to AIs. Comments, reblogs and likes are always welcome and appreciated. 

Chapter 2 Series Masterlist  Main Masterlist

Chapter 3

It had been a few days since the Thrombey family dinner. Y/N welcomed the return to her mostly quiet routine. Grateful that those nights didn't usually happen more than once a month. The whole family seemed to have a flair for the dramatic and only interested in their own image. Hiding their misery behind luxury and fake smiles. How Harlan spawned such a bunch, she'd never know.

Y/N was sitting at the kitchen island, enjoying her drive-thru lunch. Because let's face it, she cooked for a living, and sometimes the greasy fast food hit the spot. An added bonus that it involved no work on her part. It's like they say, food tastes better when prepared by someone else. She found that all the more true on days she felt exhausted or moody. 

She nearly choked on her cheeseburger when an unknown figure appeared in her peripheral vision. The man strode past her without a glance, straight into the pantry. The sound of drawers opening and slamming shut seemed extra loud as the stranger rummaged around. An angry voice rang out, “Who moved the damn cookies?”

Who does this guy think he is destroying my kitchen?

Y/N firmly answered, “I did.”

The kitchen invader stepped out, seemingly surprised to see an unfamiliar face staring daggers at him. Although the apron clued him into her position here. “Where's the old broad?”

“I assume you mean my predecessor, she's retired. I'm Y/N. I’ve been working here for a few weeks now.” She pointed her chin behind the man, “The cookies are on the bottom left.”

Instead of returning to the pantry, he moved closer to her, “Y/N, that's a lovely name.”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, “I'll be sure to tell my mom you approve.” She recognized him now from the family portrait hanging in the parlor. “I assume you're Hugh.”

His face lit up, “Smart girl.” His eyes scanned her from head to foot, openly ogling her. “A pretty girl like you can call me Ransom, though.”

This time her eyes rolled without her permission. “Is that supposed to make me feel special?”

Ransom didn't answer. Instead he leaned over the island, snatching a french fry. He made a show of slowly bringing it to his mouth and eating it, daring her to say something. She wanted to slap it out of his greedy hand. Or maybe shove the whole lot down his throat. She wasn’t sure.

“Well, it's been fun, but I have to see my grandfather. I have an important matter to discuss with him.” He sucked the salt from his fingers. “Maybe I'll swing back after so we can chat. Get to know one another better.” He winked at her, walking out with a swagger and a smile.

What an ass.

Was he cute, absolutely. But Y/N was all too familiar with narcissistic jerkwads like him. Her school was full of them. She refused to let him get to her.

Fran had told her Ransom liked to show up whenever he felt like it, stir the pot, then slink off into the darkness after he had his fun. His family took the bait every time, so he delighted in causing them any amount of misery or aggravation he could. She also mentioned how he and his grandfather seemed to thrive in having a go at one another. Pissing the other off was their favorite pastime, but they loved each other dearly. The relationships in this family were beyond dysfunctional.

---------------

A few hours later, Ransom made his way back into the kitchen, intent on seducing Harlan's new chef. The old man put up a fight, but eventually caved in to his demands. He always did eventually. Too kind to let his first grandkid suffer through life and legal battles alone and without a new car. A few choice words, a few rounds of Go and he was putty in his hands. 

Now it was time to get something else he wanted. He paused, leaning against the doorframe, quietly observing the young chef while she chopped vegetables. She looked so innocent, so unbothered. Poor thing didn't know what she was in for.

It was quite sexy watching her work. Smiling to himself, Ransom closed in on her, wanting a better look. The shk shk shk of the blade hitting the cutting board didn't falter. It was a bit hypnotic, her expert hands made it look so easy. He wondered what else she could do with those hands. Promising himself he’d find out.

“You'd look better with your hair down.”

Y/N didn't bother looking up at the attractive nuisance. He was so close that whatever expensive cologne he wore filled her nostrils, distracting her. “That's not a good idea while I'm cooking.”

“So grouchy,” Ransom pouted. “You should be nice, smile more. I'm sure you have a beautiful smile.” She turned her head to glare at him. That was not the reaction he wanted. What would it take to get her to play? “You realize one word from me and my grandfather will fire you?”

“Do YOU realize I'm holding a big ass knife?” She waved the blade for emphasis. 

Ransom held his hands up in surrender, backing away dramatically. “Take it easy there, Killer. I was just being friendly. It wouldn't hurt ya to do the same. You might actually enjoy it.” The shit eating grin remained plastered on his face as he exited.

No, but it very well might kill you, asshole. Not wanting to lose her position, Y/N smartly chose to not speak that part out loud. Just in case.

A breath she didn’t realize she was holding released upon hearing the front door slam. He was gone. She got back to the task at hand, but would be lying if she said her mind didn’t start to wander.

Damn he smelled good.

Chapter 4