#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

Kelly's pov :Feels ( Harsh) like Winter Wind

Reader's pov: Feels (Wistful) like Summer Rain

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.

[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.

[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.

[cyanidesouffle]

Anderson's backstory - headcanon

Warning: CW real life abuse story as inspiration/light bulb moment. Some real medical horror. Tons of Spoilers, obviously.

This is the headcanon that I’m using for my fanfics. I thought I’d share before Watch me drops Anderson trivia that would upheave everything I ever worked for :')

Some backstory to the backstory headcanon:

When I read Imagine me and I understood that we were going to be spending a lot of time with Anderson, I was stoked. Finally, would we be getting some backstory to him?!

Then we got to this bit:

“My mother used to force bleach down my throat. Ammonia. Whatever she could find under the sink. It was never enough to kill me”, he says, […] “Just enough to torture me for all eternity.” […] “You might say that I lost my appetite.”

It horrified me (and kind of excited me, because ANGST). It reminded me of The child called ‘It’ (which is a completely made up story apparently, in case you didn’t know, but still pure nightmare fuel). I didn’t really think about the implications though. I made Anderson put a padlock on the cupboard beneath the sink in all my contemporary fics. That was it.

Then, in 2023, there was a child abuse case in the news here in Sweden. The short version is that a young girl had been forced by her parents to drink vinegar. The strong kind. The damage was so severe her stomach has had to be surgically removed.

And that’s how I found out how truly horrible this injury is. In case you didn’t know (And I'm warning you again, real life medical horror): If you drink acid (what have you, bleach, vinegar), it can literally melt your esophagus all the way down to your stomach. And if you survive, you don’t get a new one. Instead, you have surgery to have your small intestine connected to your esophagus. Apparently people can usually eat normal food after recovering, but in small portions and more often.

So here’s what I came up with for Anderson:

Paris Anderson is raised by his single mother. He has two siblings, one older and one younger. The eldest, a sister, is favorized by the mother the point where she abuses Paris and the youngest sibling, but thinks the eldest is perfect in every single way possible.

Paris' mother forces him to drink bleach and ammonia regularly. At first, it doesn’t hurt him enough to require a hospital visit. At school, his symptoms can be passed off as a cold. But one day, Mrs. Anderson goes too far, and Paris is rushed to the ER.

It’s there that the years of abuse come to light. His esophagus and stomach are so badly damaged that he needs extensive reconstruction surgery. (That’s what I talked about further up.) He’s placed into the care of social services and never sees his mother or siblings again.

Paris grows up in foster care, bouncing between homes for a while. Eventually, he ends up with a strict foster father—let’s call him Johnsson. A military veteran who runs a bootcamp for all the boys in his care. Unlike some other foster parents, Johnsson treats Paris no differently than the others despite his medical condition, and Paris thrives. He loves the routine, the discipline, and the way he and the other boys are constantly pitted against each other. Paris isn’t the biggest nor the strongest, but he is fast and calculating.

When he turns of age and is forced out of foster care, Paris, following Johnsson’s advice, applies to the military. Training is the only life he knows, after all. But his medical history gets in the way, and he’s rejected.

Undeterred, Paris applies for an experimental study aimed at improving transplant success rates. (They clone organs. That's it.) It’s there that he meets Maximilian, a PhD student in genetic engineering from New Zealand, who’s in the US because of the country’s more lenient laws regarding experimental treatments. As they work together on the project, they become close—arguably best friends. (But Paris would never admit to that…!) Thanks to Max’s genius, the treatment is a success, and Paris receives a new esophagus and stomach.

Paris doesn’t give up on his military dream. With his new body and renewed determination, he reapplies, excels in training, and rises through the ranks. He makes the right connections and becomes an elite soldier.

But despite his success, Paris hasn’t confronted the trauma of his past. Now that the physical marks of his abuse have healed, he finds himself turning to alcohol. In a strange moment of reflection, he realizes that the burn of alcohol on his throat reminds him eerily of the ammonia he was forced to drink.

He keeps his relationship with Max, and is soon allowed into the world of the RE, where he quickly proves his worth by finding the classified files of the military. He becomes their attack dog, taking care of anything (or rather, anyone) that will stand in the way of the success of the RE.

It doesn’t take long before he is matched/eloped with Leila Warner. They have a son, Aaron. They allowed the baby to be genetically modified by Evie. (Which is why, later in life, Paris is convinced there’s something genetically wrong with Aaron. That Evie somehow programmed him to fall in love with Juliette.) Paris is ecstatic. His son will never experience the hardships of his own childhood. No, Paris will make sure he is strong.

However, something is still missing from his life. Paris wants to be loved. He doesn’t love Leila. She’s a means to an end: a son; an heir. Somehow, somewhere, he meets Ms Kent (I like to name her Catherine in my fics). The romance is intense. Finally, Paris feels completed. Ms Kent is his other half. He doesn’t want kids though, because as it was decreed from his own childhood: You cannot love more than one child. – Because at the end of the day, Paris does think that he loves Aaron. In his own twisted way.

We all know what happens once Ms Kent dies. Paris goes off the rails in grief. He becomes an alcoholic. - Before he drank to cope with his childhood trauma, but Catherine's death sends him into a new kind of darkness. - He starts abusing Adam. Continues his work with the RE and they get into office, then once Juliette accidently kills that child Paris orchestrates the most dramatic love triangle known to mankind.

And that's it. What do you think? :)

[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

[embrfang]

Here's her backstory, might tweak it a bit but it's also up on her About doc!

Evren never knew her parents. Or rather, she can't remember them. She'd been left at an orphanage when she was only two with nothing but her name and her clothes, and it was there she stayed for the next thirteen years. Amid potential fosters and families being unnerved by the red eyes and unnatural teeth, Evren’s unexpected ability to breathe fire and generate and tolerate scorching heat only got worse as the years went on.

After sneaking out one afternoon, she found herself at a Renaissance festival where one of the shows involved a fire breathing act. Thinking she'd found someone like herself, she introduced herself to the firebreather. Though her abilities startled him at first, he agreed to try to help her better control her powers. After the festival came to an end several weeks later, he officially adopted her.

Over the following years, her grasp of her powers improved, and she was settling in well with her new dad. But a sense of discontent wouldn't leave her alone: once the emotional high of finally being adopted started to wear off, her new father's demand for perfection in her abilities started turning her previous admiration to loathing. To top it off, she found out he'd been exploiting her for more money at their shows, while she'd not seen a cent of it even as an allowance or savings to be handed off later.

With a bitter sense of betrayal– and a renewed sense of no one wanting to deal with her and her powers unless they could benefit from it–  she abandoned the festival circuit and indulged her anger, offering her abilities for hire on a much more destructive path.

[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

[atopvisenyashill]

@chena-h jace has spent a lot of time on driftmark completely ignoring the problem bc every time he bitches about it everyone starts dunking on him lmao.

he is focusing on the factors he can control, and since daeron was sent p young to foster in oldtown, aegon is the one who is like “hey shouldn’t we foster one of your kids with their grandparents or at least let them get to know their betrothed better?” and rhaenyra can acknowledge that if she wants rhaenys & corlys to stick to the betrothals & continue to have her back, she has to continue nurturing the relationship. so jace & luke are there a lot the way that like, brandon was seemingly in the riverlands a lot to get to know catelyn & robert and ned were fucking around all over.

we don’t get a lot of particularly wild rumors that spring up out of dragonstone in the books - it seems like it’s easy to just hang out & plot there & it doesn’t get back to the mainland, i mean no one really knows how religious & weird stannis has turned until after he breaks his silence. so all anyone in kl knows for several years is “rhaenyra & aegon seem to get along pretty well but they haven’t had any kids yet” and this has helped jace’s blood pressure immensely. but rhaenyra lets them know she’s pregnant & they’re going to stay in kl for the duration (they’re bringing gerardys with them, the whole move is aegon's idea bc he wants his mommy to meet his first kid) and jace’s first reaction is “how the fuck did she even get pregnant aegon is the one wearing the dresses isn't he” and his second thought is “oh my god why would you do that” and he absolutely follows them to the capital (he is in fact also just, a worrier and this’ll be the first kid rhaenyra has had since joffrey, he’s her heir and he reserves the right to pace anxiously outside the birthing room the entire time she’s in labor).

and of course like. aegon throws a rager immediately upon arrival to the capital & wears a dress there & is surrounded by a posse of hotties both men & women and there’s some sexy lyseni sailor on his arm the whole night & alicent and otto are fucjing sick over it & viserys, known party king, does not see the issue with aegon liking to party, it’s not like anything particular awful happened at the party (“but the dress-“ “it’s a party!”) and more importantly, clearly rhaenyra has learned she can’t go to such places bc she wasn’t there, so as far as he’s concerned, the whole thing is chill.

of course jace knows the sexy lyseni sailor was in fact rhaenyra who has gotten so good at passing as a man atp that he’s tricked mushroom multiple times into thinking he caught aegon with some random silver haired male whore & not rhaenyra & he thinks it’s hilarious bc he knows mushroom. jace’s life has never been harder. he can’t outwardly agree with the greens without exposing that his mom is there but he really agrees that this is super risky & dumb to do while they’re at the capital. and while aegon is boymoding during the day, rhaenyra just goes to small council wearing trousers now. THAT ONE viserys thinks is a bit much altho it is in line with rhaenyra’s ~willful nature , viserys just sees it as another way of acting out, and he doesn’t love it but it’s a bit quieter than the brothel escapades of yesteryear so he hasn’t done more than grumble (which - the reason they came back was bc aegon wanted to see her mom bc she’s becoming a parent for the first time & it’s nerve wracking & rhaenyra gave in bc we know rhaenyra has a very complex relationship with motherhood & birth too. but rhaenyra let alicent know that’s why they came back - even tho aegon did Not phrase it as “i want to see alicent” lol - and alicent is very thrown by this entire situation. is it an improvement or not?

and jace just has NO ONE to talk to about this alsjdfls. can't even publicly bitch about it. and now everyone knows because rhaenyra and aegon have decided to split their time between dragonstone and the capital and people are calling aegon "prince aegon the conquered" and make dick-less jokes about rhaenyra all the time and rhaenys and corlys told him not to react but the vein in his temple is getting a WORKOUT it's throbbing so much alsdfjl.

[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.

[irondadfics]

Hey! It's been a while since I asked anything. So, I was wondering if you could recommend any fics similar to "I told you I had issues" or "wake up to the smell of coffee". They’re so good and I thi k we really need more angry Peter in the world. That's it! Bye!

here you go

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.

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 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.

Alone (When I Should Be With You) by HappyJuicyfruit

“No, I don’t think I will let you go.” Mr. Stark said, “not until you tell me what’s going on.” His grip readjusted, stronger than before, and Peter felt his chances of getting out of here slipping away from him.  That’s when he started fighting for real.  “Woah, woah, okay,” Mr. Stark’s faceplant fell back into place when one of Peter’s fists flew too close. “Pete, calm down. I don’t want to hurt you, I just- I don’t understand. What is going on? First you take down Toomes, and then you change your mind about Spider Man entirely? I give you back the suit, and you never put it on. Instead you choose to beat the shit out of these low lifes? What changed in two weeks?”  “Everything!” Peter shouted, finally pushing out of Mr. Stark’s hold. “Everything’s changed!”

[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

[whumpsmith-participates]

AI-less Whumptober 2024

Day 14 - Seizures

Tags/CW: character with epilepsy, uh.... that's it that's the tags.

Eren Bos never planned to be a father of four before his 30's, but considering how he got his kids he couldn't exactly complain about it. It started with Tyler, coincidentally his oldest. He was fourteen at the time, Eren was only twenty-six.

He was neck-deep into learning robotics to improve the world of prosthetics for animals when he met a young genius prodigy who was already better at writing code than some programming veterans. That was the first time Eren and Tyler collaborated on a project, learning a lot from each other. Like how Eren was just a veterinarian with a bleeding heart, and Tyler was in trouble with the law because he was a suspect in his best friend's murder case.

Eren helped Tyler prove his innocence, only to discover that it had been his own parents who conspired against him. Eren never cared to find out why, all he cared about was that this poor boy needed a warmer home than where he came from, so he took him in without hesitation. First as foster care, and later an official adoption so he had a bit more freedom in making decisions for Tyler, helping him cultivate his talent.

Over the next three years, Tyler accumulated PHD's and patents, while Eren accumulated more kids, forcing them to buy and renovate an old ranch outside the city so everyone could get the space and peace and quiet they needed and deserved.

His second kid was Alexei, appearing half-dead on his doorstep, being held up by an old gym buddy of Eren's. It turned out she worked for the government, and had freed Alexei from a lab in Tavlova, Russia. And now they were both on the run because she refused to hand the poor boy over to the US government. Considering half his body had been replaced with machinery, she believed he had been through enough, and Eren agreed.

With a fake ID, he adopted Alexei next, fixing up his robotic parts together with Tyler and trying to improve the quality of life for him as best as he could. The woman who brought him, Thandiwe, or Andy for short, stuck around as well. Enjoying the anonymity of the ranch and helping out where she could.

Next, Alexei brought home a cat, who turned out to be a feral shape-shifting teenager. Sylvester spent more time sleeping in the barn than in the house, but he was welcome at their table and after pulling some strings he became part of their quirky little family too.

His kids had a huge appetite, and Eren often had his hands full with his vet clinic, so he hired some help. Her name was Skye, and it didn't take long before he fell in love with her. He'd known her for a while before already, as her German shepherd was one of his patients. A big, healthy and happy dog who made it a whole lot easier for the boys to accept their "new mom."

Skye, was her name, and she took her job seriously, teaching them all some manners. To wash their hands before eating, to clean up after themselves, to show up for dinner in time. She even got Sylvester to behave at the table, and helped Alexei improve his English.

In their spare time, the boys and Andy liked to play hero. Tyler found out he couldn't become a pilot, so he found other ways to fly. Alexei's robotic parts enhanced his strength and he was at least semi-bullet proof, Sylvester could use his shape-shifting to get in anywhere and Andy could rely on her training. Despite all their talent, however, they weren't perfect. And one day, they were unable to save the parents of a twelve-year old girl.

Keavy was the last and youngest to join them. Feeling partially responsible for her parents' deaths, the boys vowed to protect their little sister at all costs, even if that meant excluding her from one of the things she loved most about them: Playing hero.

She pestered them about it frequently, and today it was Tyler's turn. He thought he'd escape it by moving into the hangar on the other side of the land, where he maintained the jet he would never be allowed to fly, and worked on new inventions, and built two small apartments so he and Andy wouldn't feel so cooped up in the chaos at the ranch house anymore.

But the hangar wasn't hard to find, and Keavy didn't mind the walk, always stopping by while she was taking the dog for a walk anyway, leaving him outside to dig holes on the improvised runway while she begged Tyler to let her join "the team."

"Pleaaaaase Ty!" she said, "If I had a jetpack—"

"I'm not building you a jetpack," Tyler said, "you could get hurt."

"You fly around on a shelf without a helmet!" Keavy pointed out.

"It's a hoover board," Tyler said, "and I'm seventeen. You're only twelve."

"All I'm hearing is we're both underage," Keavy said, folding her arms.

Tyler sighed. He was much too tired to argue about this again, so he tried ignoring her while pouring himself some coffee, only to find that the heating pad stopped working and his coffee had gone cold and stale.

"Are you ignoring me?!"

"Keavy I....I uh...."

Keavy raised a brow as Tyler seemed to lose his train of thought.

"Are you having a stroke?" she asked. She meant it as a joke, but things got real really fast when Tyler suddenly collapsed.

"O-oh my god— ANDY! ANDY HELP!"

She prayed to everything that Andy was home, but also ran to the fire alarm button by the hangar door and pulled it. A siren immediately started blaring throughout the hangar, almost drowning out the sound of a door being thrown open as Andy was thankfully home.

Keavy didn't immediately realise, though, running back over to Tyler and rolling him onto his back to check on him. His arms were stiff and bent, making the task not an easy one, and when she could finally look at his face, she found his eyes rolled far back, and he was foaming at the mouth.

"Keavy!"

Keavy nearly sobbed in relieve as Andy joined her. She always knew what to do. And she did now too. She pulled Keavy away and rolled Tyler onto his side, bending one of his knees to make sure he didn't roll too far.

"W-what's happening?!" Keavy asked.

"Seizure," Andy just said, "how long has he been down?"

"I-I don't know! W-we were just talking and suddenly he fell s-so I pulled the fire alarm—"

"So less than a minute then," Andy said, "turn that racket off!"

"I-I don't know how!" Keavy said. Andy rolled her eyes. She realised the girl was just scared, but it was hard to stay patient amid the noise of the siren. So she promptly pulled out her gun and fired a shot at the siren, which shut off with a final, sad whooooop...

Andy put her gun away again, turning back to Tyler and checking his pulse. Now that the siren was quiet she could hear that he was breathing, albeit a bit wheezy and shallow, but only a few seconds after his breathing returned to normal as his arms finally relaxed and went limp as well.

"He'll be okay," Andy said, "this happens sometimes."

"W-what do you mean?" Keavy asked.

"Tyler has epilepsy," Andy said, stroking the boy's hair a bit as he curled up on the floor.

"D-does this happen often?" Keavy asked in shock.

"Only if he forgets to take his meds, or doesn't get enough sleep," Andy said, "are you back with us, Ty?"

Tyler responded with a disgruntled groan.

"He's back," Andy said, "sorry you had to find out this way, Keavy. I know seizures look scary, but imagine having one. Screaming and pulling the alarm doesn't help him. So don't do that next time."

"I-I didn't know..." Keavy said, quickly wiping at her eyes.

"That's why I'm telling you now," Andy said, "we don't panic unless it lasts longer than five minutes or it's the second time in a day."

Keavy nodded, though she still couldn't help but worry as she peered at Tyler, trying to bury his face in his hands, though she could see the dust staining his cheek where he had drooled, and he looked as shaky as she felt, and it suddenly clicked what Andy said.

"Ty?" she said, kneeling down next to him, "Ty, it's okay. I'm here..."

She dug through her pockets, finding a pack of tissues and taking one out, using it to gently wipe the drool and dirt off of his face while he recovered. Once he felt calm enough, he slowly lowered his hands, peering up at Keavy.

"Thanks," he said hoarsely, "I hate drooling..."

"I can imagine," Keavy said, "can I do anything else for you?"

"Can you get me some water while I try to remember how to sit up?"

@ailesswhumptober

Masterlist Main account

Ever since that day Keavy always carries an extra handkerchief to clean Ty up if he gets another seizure.