#it turns out the foster parent is not an improvement

[lynxgriffin]

And she'll finally realize how happy she is without you.

Last part of this real short series! Based on this total crack theory. Susie arrives in Hometown! Things can only improve from here…as long as she doesn't get a sudden reminder of everything she's lost.

Aaand done with this! Just thought this whole deal would be an interesting idea to explore in regards to Susie's backstory! We'll see eventually what actually happens in canon…hopefully!

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[nomatterwhatnomatterwhere]

Feels (Warm) like Sunlight

max verstappen x reader

author note's: this story has been floating in the back of my head for longer than I am willing to admitt, so although I'm not really sure about how I feel about this , I hope you enjoy it even a little bit

Feels ( Harsh) like Winter Wind

You were really beautiful.

You always had been but that night you were much more beautiful than he remembered.

The dress you were wearing seemed to be sewn on you. For you.

You shone that night, maybe more than the lights that brightened the terrace, maybe more than the stars.

It was one of the things that drove people to notice you, to approach you, not that you were aware of it, anyway.

But it wasn't that that led him to you, it was your laughter: a sound he would have recognized among a thousand, a sound he wouldn't have been able to forget, even if he tried.

It was strange, seeing you again after so long. To see you again in person.

It tasted like remorse mixed with regret.

You and Max had known each other since middle school, when you were kids with social problems who were only comfortable on the Kart track.

Max used to race there, on karts. The kart track was practically his home. But for you it was a different story: you were at the top of the class, the teachers loved you, and not all the students seemed to like you, and Max knew this despite the absences because of racing.

It was clear, any place you were in was illuminated by your presence alone.

Yet that light was not warm. Max knew this well.

He knew it because the light you gave off when you were at the kart track, though smaller and dimmer, warmed everyone around you.

The atmosphere was different when you were there, and Max had seen it with his own eyes: no one on the staff would point out to you that there were places you couldn't be, not when you asked them if everything was okay, if they wanted some water, if they wanted one of those milk candies you always carried around.

Max didn't ask, he didn't know you, he had no reason to ask. He was there for the karts.

The kart track owners had taken you under their wing, considered you a daughter.

They were your foster parents, after all.

You weren't quite sure if the staff knew, that you weren't really their daughter, but given how they turned a blind eye to some things, they probably thought you were really the owners' natural daughter.

( How could you not think so when it was obvious you were their daughter: it was obvious in the way they looked at you, the way they talked about you, it was the light in their eyes that made it obvious.

You were the only one who did not see it )

You had said it yourself once when his father had dropped him off at the kart track.

You were at the reception desk, doing your math homework. You asked him if he wanted to be driven home, since the go-kart track would be closing soon and going home alone could be dangerous, he told you that you didn't have to worry, and then you offered him a milk candy.

You had started doing this every time his father left him there: asking him if he wanted to go home and then offering him a candy after he refused.

When he came back from competitions you would get him the list of school subjects he was supposed to catch up on, sometimes you would give him your notes.

You started studying together, there at the reception table.

His father didn't seem bothered, in fact, since studying with you Max's grades had improved, and as long as he was doing well in school the too many absences didn't matter.

“He has a strange way of showing that he loves you.”

You should have been in class, but he had received permission to leave the classroom because of the situation between his parents, divorce papers and all, you, on the other hand, had simply decided to skip class.

( which was strange on your part, which is why you were only sent home with a reprimand.)

You had been sitting on the steps of the emergency stairs when you had told him and he was eating one of your candies, you gave him the whole package.

You had talked about you, about your biological family that you knew existed but didn't really spend time with, about your foster family that you didn't really feel a part of but were grateful for, about the fact that you hated studying despite the fact that studying came easy to you and that sometimes you thought it was the only thing you were good at, about a book that looked interesting but you hadn't bought because you had three other books looking at you judiciously from your nightstand waiting to be read, about a scarf that you thought would look good on him but you weren't sure he would like the fabric and that maybe you could go shopping together.

You had talked about everything that had crossed your mind in order to give him something else to think about.

You could have listed the characteristics of cockroaches and Max would still have listened to you.

He liked your voice; it was cozy, warm, gentle.

Completely different from what he heard at home.

You were not exactly his safe place, but at that moment you were what he had closest to a pleasant place.

Following his parents' divorce and his moving in with his father, your relationship had strengthened.

You continued to see each other at the kart track, study together, sometimes even went to his races, even when they were not in your immediate vicinity, even when your priorities should have been other

“I understand that the race has your undivided attention and interest, but the literature assignment will not do itself alone.”

Again, his father did not seem bothered by your presence; when you were there Max had better performances-he cared about making a good impression when you were there.

It was nice when you complimented him, meant every word, were genuinely happy for him.

It was less nice when, at the end of the race, he wasn't the first person you complimented because you were talking to someone else

It was the same in school, too. No matter how out of place or socially awkward you felt, your light attracted people, just as it did for moths.

It was obvious, how every time there was someone trying to get your attention, even for a moment, to enjoy your warmth. And you, like the kind person you were, gave your undivided attention to those who demanded it.

It was annoying.

But then, as if sensing it, you would find him in the crowd and run in his direction, smiling, congratulating him on the race.

He didn't even realize the smug look he took on when you preferred him over everyone else; it was his sister who had pointed it out to him.

It was his debut in Formula 1 and his race had ended after 32 laps due to engine failure.

His mood was not the best when he had returned to the pits, but he was not the only one, as you seemed rather annoyed as well

“Some people can't take no gracefully” was what Victoria had said after your umpteenth frustrated sigh and his raised eyebrow ‘ One of the older guys asked her out and she turned him down, but the guy wants a ’valid reason.' Not even the time difference seems to stop him.”

He wasn't surprised: you were pretty, people liked you, and more than once Max had witnessed guys asking you out. A couple of times even girls.

That wasn't new.

What was new was the fact that someone demanded a valid reason for a rejection.

What the fuck did that mean? You were not required to give any 'valid reason,' but knowing you, you had already given the asshole an explanation.

It bothered him. The situation bothered him. It bothered him that he never noticed your situation.

“I'm pretty sure she thought about throwing the phone into the street, hoping one of the cars would run over it-”

“Then I thought it might cause serious trouble” you had inserted yourself into the conversation after spending a good quarter of an hour on the phone "Sorry about the race, you were doing well-ugh" you had just leaned into him when your phone had started ringing again, but you refused the call, as you had for the three that followed because ”I came for you, not to talk on the phone”

“She kept rejecting every other call because ' you deserved all the attention you could get-wipe that look off your face. You're disgusting.”

Max didn't think he was disgusting. There was no reason why he should hide the satisfaction he felt at being the recipient of your attention. Especially after a debut that had not yielded the desired results.

He is not sure what happens next, not sure when your attention becomes part of the background, not sure when your presence is no longer needed for better performance, not sure when your light, your warmth, are no longer the same.

He is not sure when all this is happening, because otherwise he would have noticed how you started to stop showing up at his competitions, to stop sending him good luck or congratulatory messages, to remove yourself from his life.

Because otherwise he would not have felt so bewildered when, after years, he heard your voice again and realized that you had only disappeared from his life, not from his family's.

That you were no longer an integral part of his life, but he was no longer an integral part of yours.

He had been leaning back, sitting with his back to the wall, as he listened to his mother and sister talking to you in the next room, blissfully unaware of his presence.

Your voice had remained the same, always warm and kind, as you mediated between his mother and Victoria about Victoria's current boyfriend, as you updated them on your plans for the day, when you would show up for lunch at their house now that you had finally moved to Monaco, what to expect from the new radio show you would be hosting.

Max had no idea you lived in Monaco, had no idea you worked in radio, had no idea you were a well-known name, even outside the radio world.

He found out the next morning, while listening to the column you had talked about the day before, when your co-host introduced you as the host of the most popular late-night column. Not only of your radio station, but in general. Or when one of the guests very shyly asked if they could be invited on your youtube channel, which you had accepted without any problem.

Before Max knew it, with your gentle voice that smelled like home,and your being able to talk about anything while putting others at ease, you were back to being what he had closest to a pleasant place.

It was your voice that listened when something in the race didn't go as planned and he had to calm his nerves. It was your videos he followed between training and simulator sessions.

You would talk about the pros and cons of doing a job like yours, in the public eye but whose physical and mental stress many ignored, recounting some funny episodes, making some criticism of the system, sometimes inviting guests to take the floor and express their thoughts.

Occasionally you would talk about your life, what you liked and what you disliked, the more or less peculiar hobbies you had, as you got ready to go to work or work-related events.

Those were Max's favorites, which in a rather unhealthy way, felt that he was a part of your life again.

It was during one of those episodes, one of the rare live ones, that he realized he was still part of your life. Indirectly.

“Is there an F1 race or something?” you chuckled slightly ”I guess that means you can hear the noises. Uhm-” you had looked to the side, then started walking ”I mean someone sure is racing but is not an F1 race, sorry. Just karting” you had arrived near a track that Max knew well, having spent most of his life there, apologizing for the noise by raising your tone of voice as you picked up the passing karts ”I'll make sure to pass the compliments tho. Pretty sure they'll be happy to hear someone thought they were F1 drivers”

You had said this with a look that to Max seemed nostalgic, or perhaps he hoped it was; he selfishly wanted to believe that you were thinking back to the time you both had spent there.

Since you 'revealed' you had spent most of your life between races and motors, your audience had not only expanded, but had also begun to ask you for content about that world you knew from the inside.

It was frustrating, walking around the paddock and having the feeling of having heard your voice in the confusion, of catching a wisp of your hair among the people and feeling like he was hallucinating in some way when he couldn't find you.

It was even more frustrating when you had talked on the radio about how much you would love to be a correspondent at a Grand Prix or when on the channel you had seemed so enraptured to be in the paddock, to talk to anyone who could - and would -have a chat with you, which to be understood, was really a lot of people, from drivers to mechanics to fans.

Everybody seemed to be enchanted by you, Max was sure they were, because he was enchantment too and he yearned for the warmth that they had felt. He yearned for it as much as he yearned to win every race.

Never before had he longed as in those moments to go back in time to when he didn't have to hope you would turn in his direction, that you would be in the same place as him, that you would be beside him.

That your attention was on him because you wanted it, not because he asked for it.

When he had heard your voice he really thought he was in the grip of some auditory hallucination, because you had said so yourself, that when you could you preferred not to attend.

“Although it may not seem like it, I don't really like staying in crowded places for too long, I get easily overwhelmed by all of that.”

He had tried not to jump whenever he heard a sound that sounded like your voice, but it was impossible not to when he heard your laughter.

Not when he was so sure he wasn't imagining everything. Not when you were so close-

You were talking to someone Max didn't know, but you both seemed engrossed in whatever you were discussing, at least until your interlocutor had been pulled into another conversation.

You physically relaxed, releasing the tension in your shoulders, as you shifted in search of a slightly quieter place before throwing yourself back into the fray.

You leaned against the parapet, running your gaze through the crowd, watching people from your little bubble.

Unlike in the past, you no longer seemed to sense his presence, because no matter how much Max stared at you, hoping that like in the old days somehow, he could still be the recipient of your attention, just like that, effortlessly, just because you wanted him to.

It didn't matter you hadn't met his gaze, he couldn't take his eyes off you, now that he had a chance to have you back in his life.

You didn't noticed he had approached you with two glasses of champagne, so absorbed in your thoughts.

It took you a millisecond too long to recognize him; it had been obvious when your eyes had widened and your shoulders had stiffened again.You looked like a deer in the headlights.

He had never gotten such a reaction from you. It did not felt good.

You accepted the glass with a slight smile, even though you had not the slightest intention of drinking its contents.

It was strange, he didn't know what to say to start talking to you. He rarely did not know what to do, how to act.

As a pilot he was used to deciding how to act, in the time of a blink of an eye, because in a job like his, hesitating for a second too long could be lethal.

These were decisions he had to make, and he couldn't overthink, because at that moment, in that car, on that circuit, in that corner or on that straight, he has to start and finish first. Even if it meant being unfair.

The media had exaggerated about him, but he still was Mad Max.

Yet at that moment he did not know what was the best thing to do, to say. He had too many things on his mind and none at the same time.

“It's been a while, hasn't it?”

You had always been good at putting others at ease, at making a situation less burdensome, your work showed that, and maybe it was something that was inherently part of you, but the way you had spoken to him was not what Max had hoped for.

It was still your voice, warm and gentle, tasting of home, but it was different from what he remembered, from what you used in videos or on the radio, from the voice he associated with you.

From his pleasant place.

There was an undertone that he didn't recognize ,that he couldn't associate with your person.

It felt a little cold, sharp. Like the air on the terrace, not cold enough to feel at the poles, but cool enough to bother you.

You still emanated that light, that warmth. He knew it, he had seen it only a few minutes before, but now it seemed feeble.

“Less than you think.”

At his words, blunt as ever, you had turned in his direction with a confused expression but before you could ask what he meant, he continued

“Why didn't you come to the Redbull pit?”

“Sorry what-”

“Why didn't you tell me you were coming to the races? I could've-”

“ I didn't have to tell you tho” you interrupted him by crossing his eyes as you leaned your arms on the railing ”We hadn't talked in ages, I couldn't just text you. It didn't feel right, you know?”

It didn't feel right to you to do a lot of things, you were like that as a kid and hadn't changed even as an adult, but he didn't think you would find yourself saying something like that to him.

It was true that you hadn't been in touch for a long time, and certainly mending relationships takes time, but he had never stopped to think about the fact that you might feel uncomfortable, as if you were disturbing him, in talking to him.

He was the person you preferred over everyone else

“Didn't think you knew I was there … Was it Vic who told you?”

He and Victoria talked, sure, but it wasn't like Vic was talking about you. Not to him, at least.

In fact, when they were both at their mother's house, and she happened to be on the phone with you, Victoria would switch rooms if he was around. She did the same when she was talking to someone about you and he was within earshot, if she didn't change the subject directly, let's be clear

“Heard you on the radio.”

His was a half-truth, if he had told you that he followed almost religiously every social communication from you he would have sounded more like a stalker than he already felt.

There was another silence, a little less tense than the previous one, which was short-lived anyway

“Heard the news” you had finally met his gaze ”for all that matters, I'm sorry.”

It hadn't taken him long to figure out what you were referring to; the fact that he and Kelly had broken up had been making the rounds on gossip sites even before they officially broke up, and once official they had been one of the most talked-about news stories in and out of the paddock.

It was a courtesy apology, but the fact that you were apologizing was somewhat ironic considering how much you were, albeit indirectly, involved in the situation.

The relationship with Kelly had been his corner of heaven since it began.

Kelly understood him on levels that no one seemed to reach, probably also complicit in her family history and her relationship with Daniil.

She did not marginalize him as most of the grid did.

She did not treat him like the kamikaze kid the media liked to write about.

She didn't look at him as if he might collapse into a thousand pieces like you did.

Being with Kelly made him feel good; he felt almost like when he was racing on the track, it was a great feeling.

When he was with Kelly he felt … understood.

Not to mention how he felt when he was with P: they had so much in common, Max could read them, those similarities, he could see so much of himself in the little bundle of tenderness that she was

He had a soft spot for P, and P seemed to have the same soft spot for him.

Or at least that was what the people around him said.

After a while, however, everything had become repetitive, boring, stagnant.

It wasn't bad, but not as pleasant as it was in the beginning either.

Something was missing.

The same something he sensed when he heard your voice, when he watched your expressions change.

It was something that made Max never tired of listening to you, that you never came across as boring, never dull.

Kelly knew this; she was neither stupid nor blind.

He didn't know how she knew, but it didn't matter so much.

Not when their last conversation had ended in screams and slamming doors.

“Mmmh” he didn't think there was any way to respond to what you said, so he merely nodded, ready to change the subject ”I can get you a pass, if you plan to watch the race.”

You laughed lightly, and Max felt that warmth again

“ If I plan to watch the race?” you had lifted your lips in that smile you used to make when you were joking ” I don't think you will ever find someone who's not here for the race. Well, they sure have other things to do, but you know what I mean.”

Yes, he knew. Formula 1 at the Montecarlo circuit was almost a sacred ritual, not only for people like you who lived there, but for the entertainment world in general.

Formula 1 was not called 'circus' by chance, the silly season was now intrinsic to its essence as Formula 1

“I appreciate the thought, but I already got my pass, but thank you,” you said as you began to walk away from the rail.

“Even for Quali?”

Max knew he had just made you a difficult offer to refuse, and it wasn't just your stopping to look at him, scrutinizing him, as if you were watching him for the first time, that made it obvious.

“You … have my attention.”

You were about to say something else, it was quite obvious, but Max was nevertheless pleased with your choice of words.

He was again the stated object of your attention, and he wasn't sure there was a feeling that felts as right as that

He had been talking to Raymond, while you pretended not to listen, deciding to focus on what was around you

Max didn't almost heard what Raymond was saying to him, so taken by the small, but sweet, smile on your face when you had heard the smile in Ray's voice greeting you

You had known Ray for as long as you had known the Verstappen family ,he had been his father's manager, it had seemed natural that he would take care of Max as well.

To be honest, Max didn't think you had who knows what relationship, he didn't even remember ever seeing you speak togheter, but from the small reaction of both of you, it seemed to him that he was missing something.

You gave him your email, your work email because you checked that one the most, so that Ray could contact you to get the details he needed.

When the call was over, you had thanked him, and asked him to apologize to Ray on your behalf for disturbing him at that ungodly hour. He had tried to reassure you; Raymond was used to keeping late hours.

That had earned him a look from you that was meant to be scolding, but had lost its value when you had chuckled, shaking your head

“You really are awful.”

And then Max had felt himself going back in time to when you were two kids with social difficulties, only unlike Max, you had stopped feeling comfortable only on the kart track.

Although you were sidelined, lots of people had come to say hello, to chat with you, to take pictures that you could post.

To enjoy your warmth, your light.

And you didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable, no longer hiding behind your kind smile and no longer giving the attention that was asked of you just so you wouldn't come across as rude, just because you were kind.

You were aware of your light, you had learned to handle it.

Perhaps, it was that awareness that made you so beautiful

you had always been but that night you were much more beautiful than he remembered.

[generalluxun]

Miraculous Reverse

Lore/fix/expansion/headcanon

Tackling that one out-of-place name drop and turning it from something boring and repetitive(in an otherwise really fun plotline!) into something more fitting. Like or hate her, having Chloé just be Marinette's bully in the reverse is just dull. It also goes against the overall theme of similar-but-different.

So, in trying to keep canon in mind, but twisting it up, I present to you:

Emonette's bully is actually reverse!Zoé- hear me out.

Reverse!Andre is an iron fisted tyrant. Reverse!Audrey is a harmless vapid party girl/trophy wife. Andre still very much abuses his power and Audrey is still very much a forgetful/neglectful mother.

Zoé is still the product of infidelity. It's not so much an estranged wife stepping out as a naive/foolish girl seduced by Mr. Lee. When André finds out too late, he is livid. Audrey goes 'to the country' until her 'health improves' and baby Zoé is tossed into the public welfare system.

Meanwhile back at home André is utterly embarrassed by the whole scandal. Chloé, already not something either parent was really interested in, is kept confined to the hotel and not spoken of. She becomes something glimpsed by guests out of the corner of the eye; there and gone. A rumor/urban legend starts about 'The ghost of LeGrand Paris.'

Back to Zoé- due to a social worker being careless with paperwork, and Zoé being an advanced reader for her age, she learns early on about her 'real' family. She is instantly angry as only a child can be. She should be rich! She should have power! She should have it all!

For the next several years she is a terror for foster families, orphanages, and homes for problem children. It gets to the point where she is returned to the Bourgeois(at least until Andre can fight the legal system again). Once she's there though, André doesn't know how to handle her. He's surrounded himself with sycophants for a decade. Someone who stands up to him with his own level of belligerence is alarming. He resorts to ignoring her/avoiding her and letting her do whatever provided it doesn't cause him more problems.

When Zoé meets Chloé(around 11-12 yrs of age or so), she sees someone with the life she was denied... So she takes it. She takes Chloé's name and enrolls herself in school. She claims to be the 'Ghost of Le Grand Paris', who was sickly growing up but is healthy now! She's out, proud, and taking everything she wants. This includes dominating the school, ruling as Queen, and taking out her personal anger on that easy-victim emonette.

I want to stress this is a *starting* point. This is a setup. This is where the narrative begins. Zoé is still in part wearing a mask, one she forged herself im childhood based on what she thought *should* be.

Chloé isn't some perfect angel. She's a recluse, unsocialized, isolated. (Think Mary Lennox from the Secret Garden) and libel to be a touch cross if her very tiny world is upset.

This whole thing is meant to blossom out, be discovered, and provide for some great narrative hooks.

Instead of just boring 'Chloé bad.'

[trensu]

ETA: now on ao3 as Hawkins Halfway House for Homeless Horrors

ETA2: now with an additional snippet

okay, how's this for an AU

We know that Steve wants to be a dad. Like, his literal life dream is to have a minimum of six children. SIX. who wants that?? crazy people, that's who. but we forgive him his insanity because he's sweet and will actually probably be a really good dad and there's not enough of those in the world.

the downer is that it's the late 90s, he's a (still) single guy in his thirties, and every adoption agency on the planet would rather give their children to a heteronormative couple who don't even want kids than to a single dude who would dedicate his heart and soul to giving his kids a happy healthy home.

He's bemoaning his fate to Robin at a bar they recently discovered. It's a weird little joint, kinda tucked away on the outskirts where Steve could've sworn didn't exist just last week. The patrons were kinda weird too but neither he or Robin could put their finger on why or how. If Steve had been a little less miserable, and Robin a little less caught up in comforting him, they might've noticed how everyone else in the bar kept sneaking curious glances at them or how they somehow always kept most of their features hidden.

They didn't though. Even when they were interrupted by a handsome black gentleman who called himself Jeff. Jeff said that he couldn't help but overhear their dilemma and that he's actually part of an agency that is more open minded about potential foster or adoptive parents. Steve's a little deeper in his cups than he intended, and doesn't question that some random guy in a bar is offering him a chance of having children. Robin is not as far in her cups and finds it a bit suspicious.

She was going to say something about it but Jeff looked her in the eye and said, "Everything is fine. There's no reason to worry. I'm only trying to help."

"You're only trying to help," Robin murmured back blearily. "Everything is fine. Yeah. Yeah, 'm not worried."

Jeff gives Steve his card and tells him he can stop by the very next day if he'd like, since his schedule is open.

The next day, Steve is regretting having gotten so drunk. Not really because of the hangover (though holy shit, he is NOT twenty anymore he needs to stop drinking like one). No. It's because Jeff had just finished giving him a tour of the facility full of rambunctious children in need of a home.

Actually, that had been pretty okay even if the other adults in the facility startled at the sight of him and the children kept ducking into other rooms to hide from him.

No. It's because Jeff had just introduced him to a child named Dustin who sneezed unexpectedly and somehow turned into a kitten.

"Um," Steve said. Jeff sighed.

"Dustin hasn't gotten back control over his shapeshifting since his mother's passing, but I assure you he's been improving."

"...shapeshifting," Steve said, numbly.

"Yes. Dustin tends to go for cat shapes, like his mother did." Jeff bends down to pick up the loudly mewing tabby kitten. "We've managed to get him to shift mostly into a domestic shorthair, rather than a cougar cub."

"That's great," Steve squeaked as he tried to tamp down the growing hysteria in him. "Really, really great. Y'know what, Jeff, this whole thing's been great but I think I'm still kind of drunk so I'm just gonna go--"

"No, wait," Jeff says, quickly placing the Dustin kitten on his shoulder before reaching out to grab Steve by the elbow. "Please. Look, you seem like a good guy. I did a quick scan of you and everything, and I really think if you'd take a moment to sit down and--"

"JEFFORD BILLANY JONES."

Jeff's shoulders hunched, nearly dislodging Dustin from his shoulder. He sighed again and turned to face the man storming towards him and Steve.

"Eddy, you know none of that is my name."

"I'll call you whatever I want since for some unfathomable reason, you've brought a human into my sanctuary. Why is there a human in my home, Jeffamy."

"Eddy, let me explain."

"It's Eddie in front of the human," Eddie said.

Steve's brain was experiencing some sort of malfunction because Jeff had been calling this man Eddie, except if he concentrated, the way Jeff said Eddie and the way Eddie had said Eddie sounded very very different except it hadn't because they both sounded like Eddie except for how Jeff's Eddie sounded different from, the same as, different, just like--

A pair of ringed fingers snapped aggressively in front of his face, startling Steve from an impending aneurysm.

"You. Who are you, who sent you, what do you want."

Steve stuttered something incoherent. He's pretty sure he's had a mental break from reality. There was some sort of sentient black sludge creeping across the tiled floor, wrapping a tendril around Jeff's leg.

"What is that?" Steve squawked. Jeff beamed at him.

"Oh, this is El! She's a Monster Under the Bed. She hasn't decided on a form yet, but that's okay, we love her just as she is."

"Jeff," Eddie snapped. Jeff looked at Eddie stubbornly.

"You told me we needed all hands on deck."

"How dare you, I'd never stoop to using boat metaphors."

"Don't distract me with blatant lies. Eddy, you said we needed help. You said you'd take anyone at this point."

Steve has not been able to stop staring at the sludge creature (El?). He's beginning to realize that he can't quite remember what Jeff looked like, or any of the adults they had seen. He's noticing that some of the children that have been scampering about had looked off. Like the boy with the bowl-cut they had passed by earlier who had looked...frosty around the edges. Or the girl he thought had had red feathers in her hair but is now suspecting the feathers were something more than decorative.

Ringed fingers snap in front of his face again. Steve finally focused on the man named Eddie who was actually named Eddie which was different from Eddie somehow. Now that he's able to shove away the confusion that is this man's name, he's struck by the fact that Eddie was quite possibly the most gorgeous man Steve's ever seen. He had wide, dark eyes that made Steve think of seabeds in the deepest of waters. His hair was a riot of dark brown curls that for some reason brought to mind swirling schools of fish.

"Answer my questions," Eddie demanded. Steve blinked and, with some difficulty, remembered the previous interrogation.

"Uh, I'm Steve. Jeff invited me because I want to be a dad."

Eddie barked out a laugh.

"Oh, is that right? In that case, welcome to Hawkins' Halfway House for Homeless Horrors! I'm sure Jeff would love to finish introducing you to the rest of our children. Have you met Mike? He's a ghoul! Or Lucas! He's a werewolf and his dream is to become a basketball star. They both have very sharp teeth so watch out for their tantrums."

Jeff scowls at Eddie before turning back to Steve. Steve was starting to feel faint and he was no longer sure if he regretted drinking the night before or regretted not drinking more.

"Steve, it's okay. Eddy is making it sound scarier than it actually is. You said you wanted to be a dad, and we need foster parents that can help these kids learn how to blend in with humans. That's what the halfway house is for, but there's only so much they can learn while living in sanctuary. We need a way to have them experience the human world more directly while still keeping them safe, and I think you're the solution we've been looking for. What do you think?"

"I think I need to sit down," Steve said thinly. Eddie snorted derisively. Steve was slightly offended but honestly everything was a bit too much right now and he really would like to sit down for a moment just to process. Because monsters are real, apparently, and some of them need parents. Which was terrifying to think about but also not so much? Because all kids were little monsters some of the time right? If Steve could have a moment to get his bearings...

"This was a terrible idea, Jeffathan."

"I think it was a great idea, actually. I really think this could work."

"No. I forbid it. Don't do this again."

Then there was a sweet and beautiful humming. It made the edges of Steve's mind go fuzzy and soft. He blinked slowly and looked for the source of the sound. Eddie stared at him intently and when he spoke, his voice was like music.

"Steve," Eddie said. "Steve, do you want to make me happy?"

Steve nodded dumbly. He wanted that more than anything in the whole world. He wanted to make Eddie smile. He wanted Eddie to never stop singing.

"It would make me very happy if you went home and forgot everything you saw here today," Eddie continued.

Steve made a sad sound. He didn't want to forget. He didn't want to forget beautiful, gorgeous Eddie and this place that could make his dream come true.

"Please, Steve," Eddie's lyrical voice took on an aching mournful tone. "If you don't, you'll break my heart. I'll never be happy again."

The sadness in the song made Steve feel like the world was ending. Eddie couldn't be sad! Steve would rather die than make Eddie sad!

"I forget," Steve mumbled through the fog in his mind. "And you'll be happy?"

"So happy. I'd be the happiest man alive if you do that one little thing for me, my sweet Steve."

Steve nods again. "Okay."

"Good boy," Eddie croons. Steve felt like he swallowed the sun at those words. He followed Eddie as Eddie guided him through the halfway house. Eddie hummed his lovely song the entire way.

"Go home and forget," Eddie sang one last time as he helped Steve get behind the wheel of his car.

"Yeah," Steve replied dreamily and drove away.

--

The telephone rang shrilly through his apartment. Steve stumbled out of bed and picked up, only fumbling it a little bit.

"H'llo?"

"Steve, what the hell, I've been trying to get a hold of you all day! Where have you been?" Robin's voice rang out, making Steve flinch. He scrubbed his free hand over his face tiredly.

"Home? I just woke up," Steve said. It was weird that he was fully dressed, he thought dazedly, but it wouldn't be the first time he's passed out drunk in his street clothes. Was he wearing this shirt yesterday? He could've sworn he'd worn the navy one.

"What? Just now? It's like five in the evening!"

"Huh. That'd explain the weird dream," Steve mumbled.

"Was it the one where you get seduced by a giant squid? Because I don't need to know more about your weird tentacle fetish."

"I don't have a tentacle fetish! I had the dream ONE time, and I wasn't being seduced, I was getting drowned and it was terrifying!"

"To-may-to, to-mah-to."

"Whatever, this one was weirder anyway."

"I find that hard to believe but now I'm morbidly curious. Hit me with it."

"...I don't remember."

"There goes my entertainment for the evening."

"Was there a reason you called, Robin?"

"Yes! I met this girl named Chrissy and I swear Steve, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen..."

Beautiful. Steve had the faint impression of dark eyes and silver rings, but it was quickly washed away like a child's sandcastle in the tide under the onslaught of Robin's ramblings. As he listened to his best friend, he couldn't help but feel there was something he'd forgotten. There was something he'd been planning on doing today, wasn't there...?

...oh, well. If it was really important, he'd remember eventually.

[bethanydelleman]

Pride & Prejudice au where responsible adults get put in charge of Lydia for once in her life

She would hate it at first but it would be so good for her.

There are definitely fan fictions that explore this, there might even be a tag for it on the JAFF index. I have to say, I disagree a bit with the narrator when she implies that Lydia couldn't have had a turn around like Kitty, I think everyone that young can be helped:

Kitty, to her very material advantage, spent the chief of her time with her two elder sisters. In society so superior to what she had generally known, her improvement was great. She was not of so ungovernable a temper as Lydia; and, removed from the influence of Lydia’s example, she became, by proper attention and management, less irritable, less ignorant, and less insipid. From the further disadvantage of Lydia’s society she was of course carefully kept; and though Mrs. Wickham frequently invited her to come and stay with her, with the promise of balls and young men, her father would never consent to her going.

The thing I learned when my parents were foster parents for 10 years was this: children crave rules and structure. Every single child that came into our house did the exact same thing, for about three months they hated my parents, hated bedtimes, hated rules, and then one day they adjusted and that's when we got the exact same call from school, "What are you doing? They are so much better behaved." You would not believe how much good three regular meals, enforced bedtimes, and completely consistent rules will do for a kid. And it wasn't just the young kids either, teenagers too.

Lydia, I sincerely believe, would be the same. At first she would rant and rail against rules, and I'm not talking about corporal punishment, just guidelines of conduct and not being able to be "out" if she doesn't follow them, but then she'd adjust and realize it's better. People would treat her with more respect and like an adult if she behaved better.

Children want and need structure, they want and need a safe and secure base from which to develop themselves and their personalities. Lydia doesn't have that, her mother doesn't create structure, her father can't be bothered to do anything. I don't think it's too late for her. I think she would thrive.

[irondadfics]

Hello! I was wondering if anyone knows any fics of Peter being a bit of a dick? I love the stories where he is rude to people, normally as a way to push them away so they can’t see how bad his life is. Any examples of rude/sassy Peter would be greatly appreciated!

here are some for you! Happy reading

Wake up and smell the coffee by Bergen

The Avengers find themselves in need of Spider-Man’s help to improve their reputation. Peter Parker, however, doesn't exactly have the best reputation: he has been dabbling in a life of crime. Tony really doesn't care about picking up after some degenerate teen. Peter really doesn't care about some dumb adults telling him what to do. And nothing will ever, ever change their minds.

100 Hours (Community Service is for the Turtles) by orphan_account

“Hey there, Parker. I’ve got some exciting news about your community service sentencing,” the bright voice from the other line says. "It looks like you've been reassigned." “Oh, yeah?” Peter asks, warily. His social worker sounds excited, but he's been burned a few too many times to take any "good news" at face value. Peter listens to her explain with a furrowed brow, and when the call is over, he opens the web browser on his cracked Android and quickly types the words september foundation into the search bar. His eyes narrow as he peruses the top result. Oh, he is going to kill that Stark bastard. - All Peter Parker wants to do is fly under the radar. He wants to go to school, work off his sentence by picking up trash at the stupid park, and avoid going home for as long as possible each night. Unfortunately for him, Tony Stark has never been one to see untapped potential and not do something about it.

The seventh escape by Bergen

Tony and Pepper snatched Peter up only a few weeks after the first Spider-Man video went viral. Real fucking coincidence, right? Suddenly, Tony Stark rocked right up at his group home, strewing business cards around like he was Oprah. If Oprah were an ugly white dude with a goatee. “Big fan,” he told Peter, fasting forward through a video of Spider-Man catching a bus before it crashed through a road block. “In and out of foster care your whole life, am I right? I believe my wife and I could provide a very fitting home for you.” “Pass,” Peter said.

Paradigm shift by Bergen

Peter got a Stark phone when he was ten. Adrian took him to a big store with lots of TV screens that all played the same video of Tony Stark declaring to the world that he was Iron Man. They ducked behind the microwaves, both of them giggling as Adrian stuffed the phone under Peter’s sweater. They walked right out the door without tripping the alarm, and Adrian bought him ice cream to celebrate. — After his parents die, Peter is taken in by the Toomes family. Things slowly, then quickly spiral out of control. All Adrian wants is to take revenge on Tony Stark. All Peter wants is to do the right thing. Why is that so much harder than expected?

the long game by niniblack

“Your prints were a match for a missing persons case from ten years ago. A little boy who was kidnapped.” The officer pulls out a picture that she turns toward Peter. It’s a little boy around four years old, with curly brown hair. “That’s you,” she says. Peter shakes his head. “Do you remember how you got to that park? Who left you there?” “Lady, I don’t remember jack shit,” Peter says. “I was like four. No one remembers shit from when they were four.” --- Or: the biodad au where Peter gets arrested for selling drugs, and that actually improves his life.

[itbeguilttriptime]

Episode ideas for my "Lydia and Beetlejuice are rival newspaper reporters" TV show concept:

-A hybrid lab creature escapes from a top research facility and the race is on to recapture it. Lydia and Beetlejuice both attach themselves to separate search parties in pursuit of the creature. Though they're both chasing the same story, they end up having to protect each other when the creature is found and goes feral on its pursuers. Upon further investigation, Lydia and Beetlejuice discover that the creature was horrifically mistreated while in captivity and together expose the facility's abuse. The creature is found suitable foster parents that treat it right.

-A famous horror film director is holding an exclusive one-night-only screening of a never-before-released film he's made. Beetlejuice and Lydia both sneak into the event in disguises. They instantly recognize each other but, out of professional respect, don't blow one another's covers. They watch the film, but something is very off about it, and the way the audience is so totally absorbed in it, like they're being hypnotized. As it turns out, they are being hypnotized, and the film's spell possesses everyone but Beetlejuice. The evil director has used the power of movie magic to turn the audience into his personal slaves, and Beetlejuice must find a way to break the spell (and save Lydia) before it's too late.

-Delores's cult is rapidly growing in influence and power and both Beetlejuice and Lydia are assigned to investigate and report on what's going on. However, there's a problem. The cult only accepts married couples, so Beetlejuice and Lydia are forced to make a truce so they can go undercover. They pretend to be a happily married couple indoctrinated into the cult. The ruse is surprisingly easy to pull off, except for when Beetlejuice invents outlandish stories when the other cult members ask them invasive questions about their intimate life, much to Lydia's embarrassment.

-In this AU, Rory is a smarmy politician running for senator, whose publicity campaign revolves around raising awareness for mental health issues and improving treatment/conditions for diagnosed people. When Lydia interviews him, he tells her the sob story of his dead fiancée and a part of her (the experienced journalist part) can tell that he's lying through his teeth for voter sympathy. But she can't prove it. In private, Rory believes that all mentally unwell people should be "locked up forever like they used to be" and has grand plans to that effect. Lydia and Beetlejuice work together to expose this slimeball before he gets elected.

-Lydia's co-workers Barbara and Adam Maitland go on vacation, and Lydia is assigned to take over Barbara's "Ask Mrs. Maitland" column for a few weeks. It starts with Lydia receiving an completely unhinged ask letter that she correctly guesses is a prank from Beetlejuice. Answering the real ask letters goes well for her at first, until Lydia gets a letter from a teenage girl who's getting bullied at school. Lydia advises the girl to "assert herself" more, not knowing that this girl has Carrie-esque powers. Lydia's encouraging response inspires the girl to go on an epic rampage of revenge against her classmates. Lydia has to stop her before she completely obliterates her entire town.

[remikuii]

are you leaving me too?

( ᪥ ) : oh hii ! so before reading, let me inform you that this is the second part of the original post. kindly visit the 'summary' post here !

characters : ranpo edogawa and reader (as his foster mother)

synopsis : everything's not fine for ranpo. everywhere he go, he finds his way out immediately. since the death of his parents, he was left alone with no one to rely on. his dad who's known as 'the clairvoyant' told him if anything were to happen, ranpo should go to yokohama and visit the police academy. throughout his journey, he secretly longed for love—an unconditional love of a mother who will give him hugs, praises and snacks to go throughout his lonely world.

warnings : none because ranpo is a baby :3

"Ah...Miss [Last Name], you're better than that..." The Director of the Police Academy softly placed all the documents down the table. He let out a sigh and shook his head.

"I'm not gonna be able to approve of keeping Mr. Edogawa here..."

Inside the envelope is Ranpo's improvement card. Academically, he ranked 1 among all the students registered in Yokohama. There are no subjects marked failed except—the behaviour chart.

"Sir..please, the child got nowhere to stay if you kick him out of here..."

This is the only time that the Director heard your pleads. Ever since you applied for the job, what he admires about you is your cold demeanor. Things that must be done shall be done—that's what he learnt from you. You're not easy to please especially when it comes to students discipline.

"I admire his intelligence, Miss [Last Name]..It's the department's honor to have him here—he raised his name with this academy..."

"But I couldn't bear to see the rest suffer just because of an individual."

The tea he served now become cold, still untouched. With your head hang low, you stood up and gave him a bow.

"I...Understand..I'm sorry for causing you trouble at this hour."

"Ah! [Your Name]-chan!...OW!" You flicked Ranpo's forehead while hiding the pack of candies you bought for him.

"What did I told you about formalities when we're still inside the academy's premises?" Ranpo pouted and shook his head.

"It's still the same! You're Miss [Last Name] here and you are [Your Name]-chan outside! Is that two different person?" Ranpo received another flick on his forehead.

"No red bean porridge with a sweet mochi and pack of candies today, only water!"

It's quite a sight to see him throw his tantrum shamelessly everytime you give him that threat, yet you're caught off-guard, he only responded with silence.

"Ranpo...? Are you alright?"

You turned around and saw him searching in his pocket. With his usual closed eyes, he brought a silver chain from his pocket with a clear pebble on it. Inside, there is a piece of cherry blossom petal.

"I'm just drinking my favourite drink when I asked someone to remove the pebble inside. About the petal inside, it's too troublesome to tell you the story behind that." Ranpo reached out for you hands with his cheek tinted with crimson red.

"I heard your conversation with the Director..I'm sorry for causing you trouble." His hands connected to yours are trembling. It took you a minute to see the wet circular mark on the floor—he's crying.

You kneeled down to his height, took his hat off and ran your hands to his messy locks. His tears kept on flowing out from his eyes as he get overwhelmed of your actions.

"Ranpo-kun..? You will never cause me trouble, hm? Why would you cause me trouble? Because you ask me to buy you candies? To buy you red porridge? To give you a ride to school?" Ranpo embraced you. His tears staining your uniform but you don't give a damn.

"I...[Your Name]-chan...They...They don't know your anymore because of...me...You changed just to...let me have a place to stay at, to live at.."

You embraced him tighter, tears started to fall down your eyes. Ranpo fear that he causes you trouble. He is scared that maybe because of that, someday, you will get rid of him.

"I never behave, I often speak my thoughts, I often cause trouble, I often cause you trouble...[Your Name]-chan..I-I'm sorry..! Please don't get rid of me..!"

His words brings lots of memories back to you. Everytime his parents will ask to have you at their house, Ranpo is the very first one to welcome you. It's a rare sight for you to see him crying, not for candies but fear. Ranpo is the most intelligent child you witnessed to grow up.

Everytime he did something that he knows you wouldn't like, he will eventually get rid of the evidence (but nonetheless you saw it). Whenever you ask him to confess what he did, he will only pout and shook his head, giving you things such as his favourite candy or favourite toys as an apology.

You looked at the necklace he gave to you, they're newly made. He thought he caused you trouble, so he give you a necklace out of a pebble as an apology—he never changed.

"[Your Name]-chan...? You're gonna get rid of me too, right? Are you leaving me too?" You distanced yourself and grabbed his face.

"You're intelligent enough to see through me, right? Look, look at my face. Tell me if you see any evidence that will prove your question, that I will leave you." You firmly spoke despite the tears flowing on your cheeks.

Ranpo stared. It took him 5 minutes before shaking his head. He threw his arms back to you to embrace you.

"Remember when you're 4? We used to play crime-mine. We must solve a crime and then it will be marked ours if we are able to crack it. I saw your potential and your interest, that's why you're able to solve everything. You got 505 crimes named after you...Your Father bragged about that for weeks..."

"I may not be able to see the future or tell you the future but...Ranpo-kun..When you become a detective, I'll be right beside you. Always."

"Atsushi, I'll take over right here."

Ranpo took a step near the closed door, Atsushi behind him. They're at the Port Mafia's premises. The case of the missing Police Academy Director, [Your Name] is led by no other than Ranpo Edogawa himself.

"But it's too dangerous for you to have it here, Ranpo-san.."

"If [Your Name] didn't hesitate to give up everything to give me a life to live, then I won't too. If she didn't leave me, I won't leave her too—especially when she's in danger."

"After all, she's the love I lost and found."

okay y'all it's here huhu. I'm actually planning to make you cry about the ending but nope, I can't have smol ranpo crying over you.

i suggest you listen to sad kdrama ost or anything that sure will touch your soul, yeah yeah. that's it mwa mwa

[kotoneshiomiofficial]

It's been a while since I've shared my thoughts about Kotone so I figure its time for a refresh. My interpretation of her has changed over the years so I think I should start fresh.

At the cores of both protagonists, there is a need to keep others at an emotional distance for fear of being hurt by them. I believe this is because of their upbringing, losing both parents and then being passed around several different foster families over the years. We can infer from this that the parents were unfit to care for them, or some similar situation. And so, they subconsciously developed this maladaptive coping mechanism and applied it to all aspects of their lives.

The main difference between Minato and Kotone is how they express it; Minato is apathetic, keeps others away by mostly foregoing social connections, and tries his best to feel nothing at all. On the other hand, Kotone still desires social connection, but can't bring herself to be vulnerable, so she surpresses most of her emotions to only present herself at her 'best'. She always smiles, is always kind, and seems to have endless patience. But by bottling up the rest of her feelings, no one else can get close. There's nothing to grab onto; she can help you, but she doesn't give you the chance to help her even if she really needs it.

I think this informs a lot of her early game social links. Notice how many of them are essentially her standing there being talked to and she only either offers her help or tells someone what they want to hear. (This is most obvious with Hidetoshi's social link) And that's not necessarily a bad thing! But it can become an issue when it turns into a failure to communicate (which it does of course). She very rarely says anything about herself, as though she thinks it wrong to do so, as if she's being selfish or self-centered. It's probably what she tells herself so she doesn't have to contend with her unhealthy habits (yet).

As the game goes on, her ability as a leader improves and the party grows, and along with it the burden of leadership. Eventually saving the whole damn world is on her shoulders. And while she does forge strong relationships with those around her, they're mostly based on helping her friends through tough times, and she never asks anything of them.

She never talks to Yukari about her parents despite the fact they started hanging out because they related to each other about absent parents! She never talks to Mitsuru about the stress that comes with leadership even though she would sympathize completely and would absolutely offer Kotone advice! Because she would need to put down the mask and ask for help, open up and be emotionally honest, which terrifies her.

I think for Kotone to awaken her evolved persona, she would need to break down her walls and reach out for help, as she's done for all her friends. She needs to trust them with how she feels and put faith in them to stay by her side after revealing she's not handing her issues nearly as well as she's lead them to believe.

[oatmealdaydreams]

DarkSides Family AU

Okay, but: platonic/familial Anxceitmus? I live for it. So I present: Human AU of this.

Janus being the wine mom, Remus being the weird dad/parent, Virgil is their adopted kid who's just as strange as the others

Virgil is a mostly silent kid, preferring music and quietly drawing over other activities

They found him in the foster care system and immediately knew he'd be their child (he was so lonely and sad, c'mon he needs some love)

They fostered him for almost two weeks before officially adopting him

They went out for ice cream and let Virgil skip school for the day, surprising him with the adoption papers after shopping at Hot Topic for three hours

Side note: all three of them like different things from Hot Topic, so it's always a family shopping trip when they go

Virgil was ecstatic when they showed him the papers, he cried, they all cried

They spent the rest of the day doing whatever Virgil wanted as a way to celebrate

They're big on gift-giving and quality time as love languages, but it's more than the average of what you'd think

Quality time is also them just listening to each other ramble about whatever, whether it be a favorite show or band, or even random weird facts Remus happens to think are funny

Gift-giving is more like trinkets and handmade things, like a hand-painted record for Virgil or a little octopus-themed bracelet for Remus or a booklet of sassy comebacks for Janus (they all love Janus' sassiness and it amuses them)

Small touches of affection: a firm hand on a shoulder, leaning against each other, backs against each other, hooking fingers instead of holding hands

When Virgil gets his first panic attack around them, Remus knows what to do almost immediately (which surprises their husband in a fond way)

Remus used to help a friend with their panic attacks, and used to have their own often in high school (Janus helped them through it as they improved)

Remus made sure to keep calm and whisper, uncharacteristically soft with their panicking son (they're only ever soft with a few people, which are their son and their husband)

Janus knew music helped sometimes and grabbed Virgil's headphones and put them gently over his ears, playing a playlist labelled "Calm the Storm" on Virgil's Spotify (it was one Virgil created himself, since he didn't used to have people to help him and just music)

Remus distracted him and leads him through a breathing exercise, bringing him back to reality

Virgil first notices the music, then that Remus and Janus are there, and calms down a little at that realization

Janus helps him through a grounding exercise as Remus carefully holds their son's shaking hands

After a bit of calming down, Virgil clings to his parents like a lifeline

Turns out Virgil gets very clingy after panic attacks, and he needs a lot of physical affection/reassurance until he feels better (usually lasts for the rest of the night/day)

After that, Virgil trusts them both a whole lot more and gets comfortable in talking to them a bit more

Turns out Janus is a very good singer, and Virgil found out on accident

Janus had been humming and singing in the kitchen at like, 2am cause he was trying to calm himself down (he couldn't sleep well, stressful case; he's a civil rights attorney)

Virgil heard the words to "Come Little Children", the calming voice bringing him to the kitchen

Neither could sleep anyway, so Virgil watched quietly from behind a corner to the kitchen entrance

Janus noticed him, heard the preteen's footsteps, but pretends otherwise cause it seems to calm his son

After that, whenever Janus sings, Virgil quietly listens and feels safe hearing it

When Remus hears Janus sing, they fall in love all over again

Remus will literally drop whatever they're doing just to listen to Janus' voice (they're so gay and in love, omg)

And when Virgil enters highschool, Janus reminds him to stand tall cause he's a bad b*tch and most people are just dumb anyway, Remus tells him to let them know if they need to kill a kid for hurting their son (or if he just wants to skip school for whatever reason)

Virgil appreciates them both, but reminds his protective parents that it's literally day one, chill the f*ck out-

And when Virgil DOES get bullied by some little insecure dumbf*ck, he stays quiet about it for a little bit

He knows he can go to his parents, he knows there's not reason to keep it from them, but he feels so scared and the bully's threats to out him in front of the whole school if he tattled and makes it worse

Side note: Virgil isn't out to anyone, not even Janus and Remus quite yet, so it just terrifies him (the thought someone would find out about him being gay); he doesn't even know how his bully found out?? Idk maybe they're a stalker or something

He knows logically he could tell his parents about being gay n sh*t, and they'd probably be okay with it and not care, BUT there's that damn underlying doubt and what if they send him away? He couldn't survive being separated from them now that he was theirs and they were his

After three weeks, Virgil returns home with a nasty black eye that he'd forgot to cover up and Janus immediately notices (he had a day off from his job and chose to chill at home and wait for Virgil to get home since his son had to take the bus bc both parents worked a lot)

Side note: there was always at least one parent home cause Remus worked from home most days and Virgil needed someone there due to a case of separation anxiety

Okay so: Virgil returns home with a black eye and Janus notices, dropping what he was doing to tend to his hurt child

He grabs the first aid and leads Virgil to the couch so he can take care of him

Also his nose is bleeding a little?? Did someone break his nose? Nope, nvm- not broken, Janus examines it and sees no sign of breakage

Virgil is shaking but remains quiet because all he can think is omg he'll ask questions and then find out and then he'll leave me, pls don't leave me, I can't handle being left all alone again-

Before Virgil notices his breath quickening, Janus is rubbing his arm soothingly and humming a random tune to help Virgil calm down

Janus mutters how it's okay and it's not his fault and how he's safe, always safe here in his home

After Virgil returns to reality, he refuses to look at Janus and he's still a little shaky

Janus gathers that he's scared, so he simply lets him breathe and gives a small side hug (he knows Virgil doesn't like big hugs until after he feels better and he initiates it first)

Virgil melts into the comfort of Janus and huffs

That's how Remus returns home from their job (they're a freelance horror writer, and had to attend a meeting with a beta reader over coffee)

They see comfort being giving and wordlessly goes to sit besides their son, now seeing the bandaged black eye and the tiny signs of what once was a bloody nose

They take one of Virgil's hands in their own but he refuses to look at them, to look at either of them

After some moments of silence, Remus basically says "okay, whose kid do I need to kill? What motherf*cker decided to f*ck with the wrong family?"

As soon as Virgil hears that, however, he just starts crying and now he's choking on a sob he was holding in since his bully punched him during second period

This immediately stops Remus bc their son is sobbing, like wtf happened?? They were so killing a mf later (not really, they couldn't risk jail and separating from their son and husband)

Janus asks a small "Vi? Hey, it's okay, darling. What's wrong?"

God and that gets Virgil mumbling his anxieties out loud but neither parent can make out what he's saying

After some more comfort and calming down, Virgil mutters out a clear "pls don't leave me, pls", which just breaks Janus' and Remus' hearts as they share a very concerned look

They both reassure him that they aren't leaving, that they refuse to leave him, no matter what

Janus dries Virgil's tears and Virgil lets himself be engulfed into a big group hug by them two

After a little bit longer, a "Who hurt you, darling? You know, you can tell us anything." From Janus, and a "Anything at all, love." From Remus (which was so soft and it made Virgil feel safe to hear them like that)

Taking a big move to trust them, Virgil starts slowly telling them about his bully, leaving out the him-being-gay-and-his-bully-might-out-him part

Remus and Janus nod along and listen, silently scheming to kill a b*tch

But then the dreaded "Why didn't you just tell us?" And Virgil bites his lip, debating

He still feels scared but it's Remus and Janus, and he feels safe with them

So he blurts out how he's gay and that his bully threatened to out him to the whole school, and then he kinda breaks down again as he tells them how he was so scared and terrified of this whole situation

His parents hug him tight and remind how they're literally gay f*cks themselves, ain't no way they'd judge him for something like that

Virgil cries in relief now, the love from his parents flooding into his body like hot cocoa on a freezing night

After finally calming the rest of the way down, they assess what the best course of action would be (Remus suggests murder and a faked accident, but though Janus doesn't rebuke it exactly, he mentions a more legal way like telling school staff or something like that)

They spend the rest of the day cuddling up to Virgil and watching his fav movies and eating takeout and just having a self-care night

Virgil trusts them enough to always come and tell them what's bothering him after that whole debacle

The parents calling Virgil "Vi" as a nickname YES

Janus helping Remus through their episodes of more intense instrusive thoughts

Remus helping Janus through his insecurities about his vitiligo and how stressful his cases get

Virgil helping his parents out the same way they help him, a mutual comfort throughout the family

Idk just FAMILY, y'all. I live for this. Maybe I'll add in some Uncle Roman content later on?

If y'all wanna see more of this, let me know!

[warsofasoiaf]

Beyond epilepsy, how much of Robert Arryn’s problems do you think are nature or nurture? If Ned or Stannis had been allowed to foster him away from Lysa how do you think he would turn out?

That is an open question. It's fairly obvious to say that some of Sweetrobin's problems are distinctly "nurture," his spoiled attitude shows every bit the signs of an overindulgent parent. Keeping him away from Lysa (and more importantly, Littlefinger) would go a long way into improving him from a physical and mental health perspective.

But how much of his arrested development is actually genetic? The Arryns are noted as having the "purest Andal blood" but also struggle with fertility issues. Obviously, this is GRRM tagging a stab at the whole "super-special bloodlines" idea both of aristocracy in our own world and in fantasy literature in general (even if that message isn't *always* picked up).

So I can't really say, and it's tough to answer your second question because while Eddard and Stannis would certainly raise him differently, the nature/nuture problem crops up. It's easy to say that Sweetrobin under Eddard would learn the importance of duty, not shirking the hard tasks, and other "Northern virtues" as expressed by their culture, but Sweetrobin might actually be headstrong and develop in his own way. After all, it's not like Robert Baratheon changed from being fostered with Jon Arryn.

Thanks for the question, Speedy.

SomethingLikeALawyer, Hand of the King

[bamfkeeper]

Hey, so i have a few head canons for my oc, Cloudstrike, aka Ethan Grey (also, when I made him, I completely forgot Jean’s name is Jean Grey. Im sorry Jean 😭. So rn it’s just a coincidence, but maybe I’ll change it, or maybe make them distantly related? Idk this is my first oc anyways :p). I submitted him before for a different ask you did (I don’t expect you to remember that ofc tho lol), and he has wind powers, to be able to control wind, turn into a gaseous state, use some lightning, etc.. Also, since X-men ‘97 is what brought me into X-men, a lot of my ideas are based on that universe in the show. So anyways, here’s some head canons I have for him 😊

Sometimes, Ethan likes to turn himself into his gaseous stage and go into the vent system in the mansion, and be shot around the place like a roller coaster. He finds it to be a fun way to pass the time. 😊

Like how Bobby/Iceman can use his ice powers to chill drinks, Ethan can use his powers to chill or heat anything up (though he can’t chill anything quite as good as Bobby). So, the other X-men like to have him around during freezing days for him to be their portable hand warmer lol

He likes to play video games, especially competitive ones, so he hangs out and plays with Jubilee a lot, Roberto too sometimes, but since he’s more inexperienced, they won’t play as competitive of games as to not make Roberto feel as bad 🥺

He loves to cook, and to experiment with unique dishes, so he loves to get recipes from the other X-men; German recipes from Kurt, Cajun from Gambit, and several African recipes from Ororo. 🥘🥧

While Ethan has a bed and sometimes sleeps on it, he prefers to instead sleep while hovering in his gaseous form in his room. He finds the lack of pressure or gravity to be comforting

When he’s goofing around, he’ll sometimes give the person a small static blast (doesn’t hurt, just tingles), which is especially affective against Kurt and Hank because of their fur.

Since he has somewhat similar powers as Storm, she helps him in the danger room to train. They form a bond from their similarities, and even practice fun combos they could do in fights.

He has a small crush on Kurt (because who wouldn’t lol, plus Ethan’s bisexual), but he isn’t acting on anything yet. Though, he can’t help but blush whenever Kurt compliments him 💙

He would consider Jubilee to be his best friend. Also, they bond over being raised for adoption (I changed this one part of his backstory, to where he was abandoned by his original family for unknown reasons, but was adopted by this nice and caring human family who didn’t mind that he was a mutant). In XMTAS, she has foster parents too, so they bond over this. 🥰

He isn’t that keen on Logan atm, as he finds him to be kind of a jerk, but Kurt keeps telling Ethan that Logan is cool if you get to know him, so Ethan’s keeping an open mind. Though, he can’t help occasionally making some jokes at Logan’s expense with Scott.

Ethan has an interest for science and engineering, and sometimes likes to nerd out with Forge (whenever he’s around) and Hank sometimes.

Anyways, that’s my ramble for now. Again, he’s my first oc so I have some things I need to refine and expand on, but this is what I have so far. I’m not even skilled enough if an artist yet to draw what he exactly looks like. Also, I’m completely open to any critiques, ideas for improvement, or other fun ideas that I could incorporate! I hope you enjoyed my rambling 😊

Of course I remember Cloudstrike, I love him!

I think wind powers are super cool. And turning into a gas is super useful! I wish that more mutants who had elemental powers utilized this. I also love how he sleeps in this state for comfort, it makes sense! I love seeing domestic sides of ocs too.

I love his relationships you mentioned! Jubilee and Roberto is a cute trio with Ethan, and cooking with Kurt and Ororo? Sooo sweet.

The shock! Kurt and Hank puff up!! That's so cute. Like rubbing a balloon on them and watching it stick 😂

You know Kurt the flirt is gonna be complimenting Ethan. He'd be so fascinated with his powers and I think he'd ask him a ton of questions about them, especially about when Kurt teleports and he asks Ethan about his brimstone smoke cloud. Can he control it? Does it have a taste? A smell? A feeling?? So many questions.

HA I love how Ethan doesn't really like Logan, he can be kind of an ass at first.

I love all the relationships he has with the team, it really feels like he's part of the group! He's fleshed out really well, and the connections makes him feel more real. He's sweet! Thank you for sharing him with us 💙

[msfcatlover]

Reverse!Robins thought

What if… Tim wasn’t adopted… until after Jason. What if Tim didn’t pull his whole fake relative shtick until after he got shot. Is this anything? I feel like this is something.

…I feel like I might’ve just cracked open Tim’s entire character arc for this AU, actually.

It does rely on making Jack Drake a thousand times more of a dick than he is in canon. But Jack not wanting to look after his disabled son, Tim getting a stipend to find some sort of accommodations for himself, Tim not letting the Waynes know (because Tim Drake fucking hates asking anyone for help, hates letting other people see his weaknesses, does feel a level of shame about both his new disability & his father’s reaction to it, still thinks that if Tim just works really really hard at it that he’ll eventually regain full mobility in his legs so all of this is temporary, and also the idea of being taken in out of pity while Jason runs around as Shadow… yeah.) And then Damian finds out and is so horrified & worried about Tim (and so incapable of expressing that himself) that Damian’s response is just to immediately rat Tim out to the rest of the family so that Cass & Duke & Bruce can work on getting Tim to move in with them—

OH! Alternatively: keep Jack closer to canon, but he becomes suffocatingly overprotective of Tim. Treats Tim like a glass doll, infantilizes the hell out of Tim, and in the process of “protecting” Tim from any possible danger Jack ends up completely cutting Tim off from every single relationship Tim has. It’s not malicious, Jack’s not trying to be abusive or isolate Tim, but it’s demeaning. It’s humiliating. No matter what Tim says or does, his dad just will not let Tim have any sort of life, because Jack’s seemingly convinced that Tim will shatter into a million pieces if Tim so much as looks at the ground wrong.

So Tim ends up running away. Just empties his bank account over the course of a few weeks, researches available apartments with both functioning elevators & landlords willing to take cash under the table, catches a bus to Bludhaven, and silently hates the fact that the only reason anyone is going to even know Tim’s gone missing is because Jack is definitely about to throw a tantrum about it. And Tim finally gets to use his crutches outside of PT (because Jack would certainly never risk Tim doing something as dangerous as falling down,) and has a landline to call his friends (because private conversations just were not possible when Tim’s dad never left him alone, and Tim had to leave his phone behind to avoid being traced,) and Tim has 2 glorious weeks of freedom (and one pizza party) before going down to get his mail one day and Damian is standing outside of the door scowling. (Tim even thinks he successfully blackmails Damian into keeping quiet about Tim’s new living arrangements, but Tim vastly underestimated Damian’s levels of concern, and Damian’s guilt for both being a terrible brother to Tim when Tim first became Shadow and also being off-world when Tim got shot. This does not improve their relationship much, at least short-term.)

Tim sues for emancipation, because he cannot bear to live with his dad again after the last couple months of coddling. Jack tries to get Tim permanently placed under his guardianship, effectively stripping Tim of the ability to leave even after Tim turns 18. Bruce gets all up in the middle of it, offering himself as a potential guardian given how close his kids are to Tim, his own resources to provide for Tim, his spotless over-a-decade-long record as a foster parent, and Jack’s less than stellar parenting record even before Tim got shot.

The judge refuses to let Tim go fully independent. Tim, somewhat desperately, points out that at 17, his own opinion should matter in this; if the children of divorcees get to have a say in how much time they spend with each parent by the time they’re Tim’s age, then Tim should have a say when he says he absolutely will not under any circumstances be living with Jack Drake again as long as Tim remains disabled. That if they make him go back, Tim will just run away again—and this time, he’ll go further & be a lot more thorough in disappearing. That the only way they’ll be able to stop Tim is to tie Tim down 24/7, and at that point there’ll be a solid case for abuse, now won’t there? (Tim’s plan: get Kon to fly Tim to Hawaii to avoid plane records & cameras, set up a new false identity there.)

Anyway, that’s how Tim ended up living in Wayne Manor.

[cure-typhoon]

Any thoughts on dynamic between Karkat and Kanaya in your dadkat au?

HMMMMM okey so these two had a really up and down relationship in their 20s because of Karkat's general...personality going down a hole, it was kinda hard to be around him because he was straight up a dick, and while Kanaya could understand he was going through a hard time, she was already turning thin on her patience with her, so one day she and Jade just told him ''Hey you need help'' because, well, he needed help, after the game, his mental health started declining rapidly and the death's of his friends starting to consume him internally (so does Kanaya but she hasnt gotten to her breaking point (yet) so she doesnt realize that) and after Dave left, things started roll down hill

And well, he got help, losing Dave was heartbreaking and he was not about to lose two more important people in his life

So he got help, this obviously didnt fix all his issues, it took a lot of pride to even stay with one therapist at first, but it started working and well, their friendship started to repair itself bit by bit, Karkat also became the babysitter of the friendgroup

Their dynamic was kinda like, give and give, they both help eachother out when the other needs it, Kanaya doesnt take his bs so that helped a lot on his journey of self-improvement, Karkat helped her with babysitting because she knows her and Rose are really busy with the caverns/trying to get a book deal

Then...

Karkat becomes a foster-parent and their dynamic changes immensely

So turns out, taking care of a child all day is VERY DIFFERENT to just babysitting for your friends, more if that child hates your guts and the guts of anyone around him, and it changes your friendships because the first time the kid meets the kids of your friends, he gets into a fight and almost breaks the nose of your bestfriend's son

This two have very styles of parenting and tbh, Kanaya is very worried about Luis because he is just some random kid that Karkat suddenly decided he was going to foster care, and Karkat is very adamant of giving a why he is doing all of this at first and is not really liking that Kanaya is trying to ''MEDDLE WITH HIS DECISIONS'' , its not like their frienship is about to break, but theyre are annoyed at eachother for a while

Though, after some communication things settle down, at least for their friendship, karkat life is now chaos because he ended up fostering Luis's two younger sisters, Kanaya helps Karkat get a job in the caverns and they become coworkers, though, theyre in different departments but they speak on the lunchtime, their coworkers dont really understand how two people so different became friends, until Kanaya says they meet ''In The Cult They Escaped From''

Theyre like siblings at this point, i dont think they would ever use that word but they have been friends for like, 20 years, in the present day of the au, they criticize eachother and they help eachother out, they hang out like once a week and just, chat about their days, Karkat has been trying for her to go and talk to someone about having to kill Eridan but she refuses, but she is there if she ever wants to talk to him about it

[tar-maitime]

no better love

Rating: G Characters: Maedhros | Maitimo, Fingon | Findekano Additional: modern AU, family, fun and shenanigans WC: .6k

For @russingonweek Day 7 - The Future Prompt - Transformation

The house was unrecognizable.

“I think,” Fingon said slowly, “that we might have made a slight tactical error in allowing Curufin and Turgon to collaborate on decorating for Gil’s birthday party.”

Maedhros, at his elbow, snorted. “You’re assuming that ‘allowing’ them entered into it at all. I couldn’t stop Curvo from getting involved and going all out, and you couldn’t stop Turgon, and we should probably just thank our lucky stars that an inventor and an interior designer with thwarted dreams of city planning didn’t do worse to the place.”

“And that they were too busy competing to kill each other,” Fingon agreed. He looked dubiously around him again. Perhaps he was just taking his long-overdue turn as the more practical of the two of them, but giving their house a (theoretically temporary) makeover into a startlingly lifelike replica of a medieval castle’s interior seemed a little over the top. Gil was turning six.

But he was still healing from the burns he’d gotten in the car crash, and so had been forbidden from doing anything for the party at all besides showing up, which had led to Turgon and Curufin getting involved...which had led to this.

“It might be a little bit my fault,” Maedhros confessed. I wouldn’t let Turno throw you a ‘welcome home’ bash when you got out of the hospital - I wanted to keep things quiet - so I think he poured all that energy into this. And then of course Curvo can never let anyone outdo him at anything.”

Fingon laughed, and reached out to pick up her hand and kiss it. “It’s all right, Russe. Both our families are a lot, but we knew that pretty much from the start, didn’t we?” 

She nodded ruefully.

And that was all the time they got to discuss it, because at that moment, the doorbell rang, announcing the advent of the first of a small sea of children dressed as knights and princesses, and their parents, and over the next half-hour, all the siblings and parents and uncles and cousins from all three corners of the family, until the house was packed to the gills. There were almost too many people to tell whether the house was decorated or not.

Fingon and Maedhros found each other again somewhere between presents and cake, and exchanged eloquent looks. “Next year,” Maedhros murmured, “neither of us will be injured or taking care of the other, and we’ll be paying attention when Gil asks if he can have a party with all his friends, and we’ll say no. Keep it just the three of us.”

Fingon nodded, even as he surveyed the chaos of the party. Gil was happily at the center of a ring of friends, paper crown completely askew, with Maglor’s foster twins pressed in at either elbow and Tyelpe trying to break up a nascent quarrel between Idril and Maeglin a few feet away. By contrast, no one was stopping Angrod and Caranthir’s argument, but at least they didn’t seem in danger of breaking anything - unlike Aredhel, Celegorm, Amrod, and Amras with whatever gymnastic showing-off they were attempting. Curufin looked like he was going to intervene to save his handiwork, though - one more thing covered.

Feanor, thankfully, was nowhere near either of his stepbrothers nor the toaster or any kitchen appliances. He was casting a contemplative eye over a couple of battery-powered toys Gil had received, but Fingon had reasonable confidence that he would either leave them alone or improve them in ways Gil would like. It was probably fine.

He glanced back at Maedhros. “I don’t know. We might at least have the family over, next year. It’d be too quiet otherwise.”

Maedhros snorted. “You’re impossible,” she informed him.

“And that’s why you love me,” Fingon bantered back. It still hadn’t gotten old, saying that.

“It is,” Maedhros admitted. “Among many other reasons, but yes.”

She punctuated it with a kiss, what Fingon had been angling for all along, and he settled in against her side to watch the controlled chaos of the party together until the next minor crisis.

[atopvisenyashill]

What if Tywin died instead of Joanna?

i’m so mad i had a better structured answer and tumblr ate it so now this is super long and ranty. blame tumblr!!

anyways, i’m seeing three scenarios here

everyone is better off

the twins are still Doing That but tyrion is better off, so probably everything is still better off

aerys loses his absolute mind bc joanna is single now

while i imagine joanna does engage jaime to elia - and this is probably a much happier outcome for both of them, because joanna would have attempted to put a stop to the incest, up to and including sending cersei to foster somewhere else - i do think cersei is a huge question mark. she is often the instigator of their problems!

not to lay the respsonibility at her feet or anything, bc she experiences shit in her childhood that is enough to damage most people’s psyches (losing a parent that young and to childbirth is hard developmentally not to mention a fucked up prophecy hanging over her head & potential issues with empathy already!) and then experiences decades of spousal abuse, and is then given near unlimited power and told “now don’t do anything crazy lol” like, of course cersei decides “if i have to live in hell i’m taking these two idiots with me what are baby brothers FOR after all” and if you want them to have a chance at normalcy in adulthood, the key is for cersei to have a less traumatic time so she has half a chance at adjusting to the regular stressors of life. the main way to do this is to get her away from jaime and away from any terrible prophecies that trigger some sort of fucked up neurosis in her from an early age.

now, we don’t know who joanna had in mind for cersei, if she had even thought that far, but being lady regent of the west, she’s going to have significant control over who cersei marries. if she sends cersei away to foster somewhere to get her away from jaime, shes got a wide range of possibilities and if someone reaches out to her to get involved in their lil rebellion, she might take the opportunity to send cersei somewhere quite far, like riverrun or the eyrie or dorne or the fucking north, so long as it’s right now immediately & the distance might do cersei some good but equally possible cersei takes this as rejection and turns on her mother; though, if she’s spending her adolescent years somewhere with a healthier dynamic (and the bar is in hell) maybe cersei isn’t so paranoid. but that’s ONLY IF joanna is healthy enough & aware enough to send cersei away when she’s like 8 or 9. it’s a big if.

then there’s the tyrion of it all - i think joanna warms up to him eventually and cersei being elsewheres means he’s probably better off. at the very least, there’s less conflict if jaime married elia and had heirs like he was supposed to wrt tyrion, and Joanna may even attempt some matchmaking for him and can do that without the added stress of “he is disabled and also inheriting casterly rock” bc like, i’m not saying joanna would take the same hardline stance but i AM saying she saw something to love in fucjing TYWIN, and i don’t think she’s a saint who would unequivocably embrace her disabled son. BUT i don’t think she’d shame him or abuse him the way tywin does either. tyrion grows up in a family all similar to jaime; they certainly aren’t always respectful, frequently patronizing, dismissive, and tyrion is likely to get resentful at times (who wouldn’t) but i think everyone can agree that a household full of “i know they mean well but they don’t understand what it’s like” is an improvement over whatever the fuck tywin was doing.

all of this means…maybe the twins are married elsewhere when robert gains his throne potentially after KL goes boom since Jaime isn’t there to whack Aerys, but potentially after a much easier rebellion because dorne sided with the rebels, house lannister sides with the rebels, and they coup aerys the fuck out of there a bit easier. robert probably marries a tyrell or a hightower (there’s a few of marriage age and they’re rich) in that case. the realm is a lot better off lmao. OR cersei isn’t married yet (she’s still a lil young admittedly) and does marry robert. probably still attempts to pull jaime to her but joanna knows this is happening and is more inclined to stop it, especially with jaime married to elia, her best friend’s daughter and the beloved sister of the now prince of dorne. this probably causes a lot of problems ergo scenario two, but i do think a world where jaime or joanna is in charge of casterly rock, even a world where the incest still exists, is a world that is miles better off just bc joanna isn’t going to ignore the problem like tywin, and tyrion being even marginally less fucked up is a net win.

OR like i worried above, aerys starts a war for joanna. i mean, petyr started a war over his obsession with cat & sansa, it is not out of the realm of possibility that aerys “burning the lord paramount and his heir alive is fine actually” targaryen goes “joanna comes to court or i set casterly rock on fire” and that’s not really good for ANYONE.

so anyways if joanna lives it’s probably fine, probably even better actually, or maybe, everyone dies on fire. typical westeros really.