#just single father trying his best to raise problem children

[pegging-satan]

Omg I just realised this panel. Omg. Kunikida is giving oldest child energy. Ranpo is the youngest and yosano is giving middle child energy hdhdhddjnd

Fukuzawa is giving single father trying his best to raise problem children, exhausted to the bone. It’s giving affluent European family in the early 20th century. This panel makes it look like their mother died some many years ago giving birth to Ranpo, and Kunikida had to step up to take care of his younger siblings while their father was constantly busy working, though he tried his best to make time for them. It looks like they were rich enough to afford several maids and nannies as well, but they wanted more of the familial bond. Kunikida would grow up to inherit his father’s empire, and run it efficiently. Ranpo would leave the country and be like an author or like some big name producer in Hollywood. Yosano would start a school and orphanage or something along those lines, and also be Kunikida’s top advisor.

Picture this: an affluent European family in the 20th century. The year is 1932. It has been over a decade since the war now. Fukuzawa was conscripted right towards the end of the war and so avoided a good chunk of it. He has one kid with his beloved wife, and he is currently two years old. They are happy, and four years later, they have another kid, this time a girl. Their lives are nothing out of the ordinary, they’re happy with what they have. Until, three years later, when their lives would turn upside down. She finds that she’s going to have a third kid, but wisps of war are showing on the horizon. And right before he has to go to war, their third kid is born. It’s bittersweet, because she died at childbirth. The kid is the most precious thing he has ever laid his eyes upon, and he does not want to leave them. Unfortunately, he was conscripted and had to go. The kids were to stay with their mother’s family till he returned, and Kunikida, the oldest, 9, did his best to obey his father when he told him to “take good care of your siblings and yourself”. Six years later, their father would return for good. The war was over, he was home now. He could barely recognise his kids, and they him. It was a bittersweet reunion, his oldest two welcoming him back, the youngest a bit indifferent; so far he had grown up without a father or mother. He only knew his siblings and his aunts. However, the cruel circumstances of fate did not seem to touch him and he was a gleeful little boy. As far as he was concerned, he just had one more person to play with.

They grew up, slowly; their father started a business and it started to flourish. Ever the obedient lad, Kunikida stuck by his father’s side, learning how to run the business he was the future heir of.

In the meanwhile yosano would teach the young Ranpo quite a number of things, and most importantly introduce him to the art of storytelling. He would read books fervently, and was a big fan of theatre. He’d go to the local theatre, watch plays, go to the cinema watch movies. He never missed a new release.

In the meanwhile, yosano would study the sciences with an ardent passion, and she would go out in search of new plants; she was a genius and would go on to excel in the fields of botany, zoology and etymology. She was as sharp as they could get.

Eventually, their father got too old to run the business, and the kids were old enough. Ranpo had left for America some time ago. And from his letters, seemed to be doing very well for himself, and had no plans of coming back anytime soon. Still, he divided his assets equally among them and left his oldest in charge of the business, and his sister was his right hand, a top executive and an advisor. She herself would oversee her younger brother’s share and on her own would build a school.

[yuri-is-online]

hi! I was experiencing a Thought™ for the Fuyuture au today while reading stories about elderly women feeling guilt over what they did:

so, you know how Yuu lives in a small, gossipy town (most likely) filled with conservative, single-parent hating people?

and you know how unmarried women/teenage girls used to drown/give away/abandon their babies?

what if Yuu did that? They were married to a guy in another dimension with no hint of support from the people they once considered family. With no choice, they hid their pregnancy and either:

a) left Yutu (and co. in Trey! Yutu’s case) at the police station

b) left them on a random person’s front door

c) gave them away to a family member, watching their child(ren) be raised to remember them as anything but their parent

idk I just felt a angsty today

So. I have more than a passing interest in how child protective services works here in the U.S. and one of the tings I considered doing way way back when I first came up with this ayuu was adding the element of Yuu having lost custody of Yutu at some point. My reasoning for this was that given that Yuu was a missing person for a while and came back claiming to not remember where they were, a lot of people already thought they were mentally unwell and had concerns allowing them to live on their own. Now add a child into that mess? Your mental health can absolutely be used against you by CPS if they decide you shouldn't have your kids, and the instant someone hears Yuu doesn't know where they were for 6+ years or who the father of their child is then yeah. I could see someone thinking it was in the best interest of the child to not be in Yuu's custody. I decided against that because I felt like it was too heavy of a topic but since you've opened up the door-

I think all of the Yutus have a degree of residual trauma from their parent being cursed and forced across the rift. It's especially strong in the non-human children, but they all would exhibit some sort of behavioral problems if they were taken away from Yuu. That's before you get into the various medical issues the non-human kids have; Ruggie and Azul's Yutus were worryingly slow in reaching all of their developmental milestones, Leona! Yutu seems to have a chronic iron deficiency that he has to take supplements for, Jade, Floyd, and Malleus's Yutus all have some sort of eyesight problem etc. I could see it being something that causes Yutu to bounce from placement to placement a lot and never fully finding a place to settle down. And speaking of Trey! Yutu and his triplet siblings, while modern CPS does try to keep siblings together, especially if they're multiples, it's not seen as mandatory so there is a very real chance the triplets would be split up and only reunited when the Dark Mirror summons them back to Twisted Wonderland so they can attend NRC.

Now maybe Yuu really does try to get their kid(s) back but is never able to get their Case Worker to see past the amnesia thing. Because let's face it that is a huge problem, and it only gets worse as Yuu tries to force themselves to remember. That could maybe make Yuu think it really is better for Yutu to remain in care and resigning themselves to life without their son. Maybe they already were convinced of that from the start and tried to focus on rebuilding their life. Maybe they'll get lucky and their Case Worker will place Yutu with a family member so they can at least be a part of his life in some capacity. No matter what happens, I think this inner turmoil and grief would speed up the strain the curse put on their body and kill them a lot faster.

If Yutu was being raised by a relative I could see this being the time that he would be taken aside and told that Yuu was actually his parent. If you want to be especially angsty maybe he already sort of suspected that because of how most of Yuu's family treated him, but having it confirmed just adds to the strain and distance between him and whoever is taking care of him.

If Yutu was in foster care by that point I could see him just never being notified why his parent's regular visits had slowed down and suddenly stopped. It puts him in an unimaginable amount of pain when he gets older and goes searching for answers to learn about how Yuu was suffering alone. It depresses him and drives him further towards more destructive behaviors. Deuce! Yutu probably wouldn't bother with keeping up the honor student facade and just go full delinquent, and I could see Jade, Ruggie, Leona, and Cater's Yutus all deciding they'd rather run away and rough it than continue to deal with the system. Trey! Yutu puts all of his effort into reconnecting with his sisters and making sure that they're ok.

All of them would be much more nervous, much less trusting, and just that much more desperate to prevent the bad future. Yutu already really treasures the time he spends with Yuu in the past but if this was his backstory I think it would be literally everything to him as opposed to just a big part of what he was fighting for. He would be extra desperate for your approval and love because he was starved for it growing up, and noticeably shy about it because there is a part of him that would think you felt like he didn't deserve it.

TᴖT this made me very sad

[starbright349]

He's Gone (Adam X Wife Reader)

This is kinda my AU. I'm going to call it, 'Family Is Everything' (I'm still working on the name), where Adam's 2 sons, Cain and Abel managed to get into Heaven with their father, after Eve (The boys' mother) left them for Lucifer.

Losing Eve to Lucifer took a huge toll on Adam and their 2 sons, Cain and Abel. Adam just couldn't cope with the fact that his second wife, the mother of his children, left them for a demon. They were both so young when it happened (Maybe 4-6) (Thats what I like to think)

Things didn't get any better when Adam had to raise his children on his own. He wasn't a good father to them and would often forget who's who sometimes. Adam's family was in a broken state, and was headed for the direction of Hell, where Lucifer, Lilith, and Eve lived.

In a desperate attempt to save the first man's family. Heaven decided to create another woman. Adam's third and final wife (Y/N), but this time, Heaven took it slowly with her. She was created on Earth, but before she was introduced to Adam and his sons, she was taught by no-one other than the Seraphim, Sera herself.

She taught (Y/N) everything there was to know about Earth, and Sera even told her about Adam a few times.

(Y/N) was nothing but excited to meet Adam for when the time came. Even if he sounded like a complete jerk. She was always in a playful and joyful mood, and thanks to Sera's teachings, she was very smart and could solve a lot of problems in mere minutes, she was also taught to be faithful, and was well aware of Adam's past wives.

On the day that the 2 were supposed to finally meet, Sera told Adam, that he needed to take things slow with (Y/N), and if things didn't work out between them, Adam would remain as a single father for the rest of his life.

Luckily, he actually managed to listen for once, and took things slow with (Y/N), despite him being hesitant with her. "Hey, I'm Adam." He said as he waved at her shyly. (Y/N) smiled and waved back. "Hi! I'm (Y/N), but you can call me (N/N) if you like." (Y/N) extended her hand to Adam who was looking at it hesitantly. "It's so nice to finally meet you after all this time Adam. I have a great feeling that we will get along just fine." (Y/N) said with her best smile.

Adam did have to admit, (Y/N) was fricken' adorable. Hot even. The temptation he had to fuck her senseless was powerful, but he didn't want to lose her by scaring her off, possibly the last woman/wife he would ever receive until he died. So reluctantly, he took (Y/N)'s hand and shook it, as he promised himself to try and take it slow.

The 2 became acquaintances for the first few weeks, just casually seeing each other, then they became friends, by getting to know each other more and more. Then best friends, with them being inseparable, then started to have feelings for each other, they even confessed at the same time, and lastly, they became lovers.

Adam even felt like it was time for (Y/N) to finally meet his sons when they got together. But had the feeling that Cain and Abel wouldn't like (Y/N), since she wasn't their mother.

And his feelings were correct, Cain and Abel didn't like (Y/N) one bit, even though she had made them beautiful flower crowns with the finest flowers she could find in the garden, cooked them their favorite meals and treats, and showered them in love and attention.

Cain and Abel thought of (Y/N) as an evil demon, who was trying to ruin their family, since they did want their parents to get back together. Even though Adam had tried to talk to his sons' multiple times, they didn't listen.

Once (Y/N) learned about Cain and Abel's desire for their parents to get back together, she sat both of them down and explained that she was not trying to replace their mother, but rather be there for them, care for them, and to help them through their most difficult times.

That was all Cain and Abel wanted to hear, they started to like (Y/N) after that. Adam was beyond proud and relieved that his sons were warming up to (Y/N), he would sometimes even walk in on them playing fun games with each other that (Y/N) created.

He would never admit it, but he thought it was adorable.

But when Adam saw (Y/N) putting Cain and Abel to bed and kissing top of their heads, telling them how much she loved them. Adam then knew now that he wanted to marry (Y/N) more than ever, and she would be a good mother to his children, and he did just that. They both got married after 2 years of dating, and (Y/N) was officially a stepmother to Cain and Abel.

Even after Adam and (Y/N) got married, he still wasn't a good father, so (Y/N) basically had to raise them. But despite this, she was a great mother to Cain and Abel, loving them like they were her own, and a wonderful wife to Adam. Not because of all the amazing things that she would do for them, but because she made them better.

Once they all died, they went to Heaven, and that's when things had become a little bit easier with Adam's family. They would get along well, and were a perfectly happy family.

Heck. Adam even became less of an asshole when (Y/N) was around.

(NGL sometimes Sera would do the 'I wonder what (Y/N) would think about this behavior' whenever he misbehaves, that would get his attention)

After a few thousand years of being in Heaven, things got even better for Adam and his sons when (Y/N) told them that she was pregnant with Adam's third child.

He was beyond happy to hear that (Y/N) was having his baby, he would get to be a father again, and (Y/N) would be the mother. Cain and Abel were also excited to have a new baby brother or sister to play with.

Things were doing well for (Y/N)'s first trimester, Adam and the boys were setting up the nursery for the new baby to arrive. (Y/N) was thinking about names and was doing everything to keep herself healthy during the pregnancy.

But... in the middle of her second trimester, (Y/N) found out about Adam's job, he goes down to Hell and kills sinners. (Y/N), Cain, and Abel were in the courtroom when they found out.

Once the trial was over, (Y/N) grabbed the boy's arms, and flew out of the room, while Adam went after them. "(Y/N), boys! Wait!"

(Y/N) didn't listen and flew all the way home, holding her stepsons' hands. (Y/N) slammed the door open as she stomped inside of the house "Babe, just listen, I can explain." (Y/N) looked at Adam, "There is nothing to explain Adam! Those are human souls you are killing down there. And you do it for what? A thrill?"

(Y/N) was about to walk out of the room with Cain and Abel, but Adam grabbed (Y/N)'s shoulder and turned her around, forcing her to look at him. That's when (Y/N) let go of her children's hands and the married couple, had their first fight.

It went on for what felt like hours, Cain and Able were still in the room while the two fought. Adam noticed this, and angrily told them to go to their rooms, "You both go to your rooms, NOW!" (Y/N) snaped back at her husband's words. "Don't talk to them like that!"

The boys got so scared that they went over to (Y/N) and gripped at her robe for comfort, she noticed this and rubbed their heads gently. "It's okay boys, it's okay." The fight between the first man and his wife had gotten so heated; that Adam's mouth had spoken before his mind could.

"I don't even know why you care about them so much, they aren't your children, and I bet that you'll love that little unborn shit more than them when it arrives!" Adam said those words in a blind rage, but it hit (Y/N) like a ton of bricks.

The room stayed silent as Adam was rethinking on what he had just said, he wanted to apologize to her, but it was too late, and the damage was already done.

"Babe... I-I didn't mean to-" "How dare you." (Y/N) held her sons by their heads gently, rubbing them with her soft hands. "How dare you say that when I have been raising your children since your second wife left you!" Adam was in shock, (Y/N) didn't like bringing up his previous wives and rarely ever spoke about them.

"I have been there for them since we got together, I have been there for every birthday, school performance, their sporting events, I have broken up many sibling fights, I even stopped one of your sons from killing the other!"

Cain and Able winced at the time Cain tried to kill his brother because he was jealous of him, and he would have actually succussed at it if it weren't for (Y/N) coming in and stopping him in time.

"So, don't you tell me how that I don't love them when you have never even bothered to show up for anything in their lives." (Y/N) began to tear up. "And this kind of behavior makes me wonder if you will be there for our baby when they arrive."

Adam also began to tear up, everything that (Y/N) had said was true; he didn't know his kids at all, he didn't know what their likes and dislikes, how they were doing in school, their friends, hobbies. He didn't know anything about them, and with his third on the way; would he also do the same thing?

After the fight, (Y/N) and the boys left the room. She then packed up her and her stepsons' things and left the house with them, to stay with the Seraphim's: Sera, her old mentor, and Emily, the boy's friend. Adam said and did nothing to stop them, he thought that it was for the best to give them space and he needed some time to think about his actions.

*A month later*

(Y/N) and Adam hadn't seen nor spoken to each other since the fight, he thought that his marriage was over, and that he would lose another wife. Even though he may not show it, he loved his family with all of his heart and would do anything to save them. That was the main reason why he took the job as the leader of the angels; to keep his family out of harm's way.

Adam decided to make a plan on telling (Y/N) and the boys that once the extermination was over and he came back to Heaven, but Sera had decided to do the same thing.

As (Y/N) was making Cain and Abel's lunches while they played outside with Emily, Sera came into the kitchen to speak with (Y/N).

"(Y/N), I know that this isn't the best time, but we must talk about Adam while the children are not here." (Y/N) sighed and clenched her fists tightly, and without looking at Sera she spoke.

"There is nothing to talk about, my husband is a crazy man with a blood thirsty demon inside him, he kills souls in Hell and has little to no remorse over it!"

(Y/N) says as she sticks the sharp end of the knife, she was holding in the cutting board that was Infront of her. Sera then puts her hands on (Y/N)'s shoulders, "I understand that. No-one likes it when they people they love keep secrets from them."

Sera then looks out the window and see's the boy's and Emily, playing games with each other. Sera frowns and looks down at (Y/N).

She then reveals the reason why she decided to let the exterminations happen, and why Adam took on the role as Leader of the exorcist Angels.

(Y/N) listened in silence, but once Sera finish. (Y/N) held her hands over her heart. "He...He took on that role... to protect us?" (Y/N) was almost about to tear up, but Sera lifted her chin to force her to look at her.

"Adam may not show it, but he loves you and the boys more than life itself. I've seen it." Sera said. (Y/N) that she wasn't lying, she then remembered all the times that Adam would make time for his family, he would cancel a lot of his consents just to be with them.

All the times Adam would make (Y/N) breakfast in bed to make her feel special, sometimes he would stay home from work to take care of Cain and Abel whenever one of them got sick.

"I-I never thought of it that way, maybe I should apologize." Sera agreed (but only if he apologized first)

That same day, (Y/N) went Infront of the pearly gates, waiting for Adam to return to their celestial home.

Once the day was almost over, the exorcist Angel's returned to Heaven, but as (Y/N) was searching for her husband. He was nowhere to be found, she called for him, flew around the exorcists to look for him.

But he was nowhere to be found. (Y/N) then saw Lute. Adam's best lady friend and second in command, (Y/N) rushed to her, only to see that Lute looked badly hurt and was missing an arm.

"Lute!" (Y/N) yelled as she ran to her. Lute looked at (Y/N) with a worried look. "Lute. Where is my husband? Where's Adam, I can't find him."

Lute looked at (Y/N) and was about to tear up, but she just handed her a halo. She was confused but took it anyway, "Lute. Where is he?"

Lute looked to the floor as tears streamed down her face. And all she could say, in the nicest possible way. "He's gone."

[creepedverse]

Quite heavy but what about the gang's parents? Like, where are they? How are their relationships with their kids? What do the gang thinks of their parents? How close are they bla bla bla

Tobin blew his dads brains out with a shotgun a bit before his 18th birthday before ditching town with Tali and eventually ending up in Farnbury. Needless to say he has a very rocky relationship with his father. They'd get into really brutal fights regularly, his dad was a piece of shit junkie. Tobin hated that man more than anything, and that hatred stuck with him. He's always been closer with his mom, but he has a lot of frustrations towards her for choosing his dad over her children and she had a lot of mental health issues while Tobin was growing up. He loves his mom, but he has a lot of anger towards her for the shit she's done/didnt do. She's still alive back in North Dakota, staying with Tobins grandma and little sister, just trying to get by after everything

Tali never talked with her mother. She'd see her on the rare occasion, but they weren't close by any means. She lived with her father, who worked as a trucker so he was always on the road, sometimes leaving her and her older brother alone for weeks at a time. When he was home he would drink and bring his new girlfriend over. She doesn't like him, or think all that much of him, and has zero contact with him. Growing up, her parents were like nuisances that would pop up in her life once in awhile

Dia cut off contact with her father when she was around 16. He wasn’t a good father and the only reason the people around him think he is is because he’s a textbook narcissist that lies to everyone he meets. She got sick of him constantly bitching about how her mom is such a horrible person and how much he hates her while in the next breath compare Dia to her mom. She went fully no contact at 17 and even didn’t want him at her graduation it was that bad for her. But her mom is a little more complicated relationship wise. Dia loves and appreciates everything her mom did for her regarding her father and being a single mother raising her. But her mom is a very judgmental person that made Dia feel bad about herself and her interests quite often. She loves her mom dearly but the feeling of resentment from how judgmental and emotionally manipulative her mom could be towards her own daughter was too much to bear.

Nico hated her parents. Fittingly, the she was the only person her parents hated more than they hated each other, and the only situation where they were a united front was when it was against her. They were corporal, and controlling. They agreed there was something about her they didn't understand, tried their best to beat it out of her. Despite, or maybe because of the abuse, she lashed out often. Being with them felt like an extended exorcism she wanted over with. By the time she was 16, they were flat on their backs, rivered in blood, bullet shells, and their own brain matter. She didn't kill them, had someone else do it for her, but she wouldn't have hesitated to do it herself if she had to. No one told her what to do, even back then.

Shannon is somewhat fond of her mother. She barely remembers her, since her father took her away when she was 4, but she faintly remembers the smell of smoke and a tune she cant find anywhere. Her mother doomed her with the sickness though, yet she wonders, how could her mother have gotten it?

She hates her father though. If anything, he disowned her and ripped her away. The typical rich asshole, who saw that his daughter could be a problem, so he put her to wherever he could.

Bonnie was largely raised by her mom + paternal grandparents! She lived full time with her mom in California and it was relatively okay. they just butt heads like any teenager does.

She struggles a bit more with her dad, who's in jail by time she comes to Farnbury. The grandparents in Farnbury are her dad's parents, which leave a bittersweet feeling when she visits. She considers her grandparents as parental figures more than her real parents, ESPECIALLY her papa(grandpa) taking her dad's role!

Arthur was raised by his mother with his older brother! Arthur’s family is tiny, just the three of them, but they are each other’s supports! While Arthur struggled socially growing up, he knew he could always count on his family! He loves his mother dearly and she often would help him prepare for investigation outings by loading his bags chock full of protective crystals and protection salt. Arthur has learned a lot of his outdoors knowledge from his older brother. He learned the basics of survival and would often accompany his older brother to go camping once he was in his late teens, after he left school. Arthur’s mom is very loving, very open, and very spiritual. Arthur’s older brother is a bit hot headed, but he’s extremely caring and protective of his family. His brother moved out a few years ago, Arthur and his mother living in a quaint little place with their pets. Arthur is in Farnbury, but his family is still in New York!

Tommie's parents remain in Oregon, where he grew up. His mother haunts an empty house and his father rots six feet in the ground. Raised in their shadows as he was, rifts as wide as canyons opened between them all. Tommie does not talk about his parents to his friends in Farnbury. Tommie sometimes questions whether or not his memories of them are real or not.

[la-scree]

So You Wanna Know More About Mira Chambers...

I mean, some probably don't but I wanna talk about her a bit outside of gposes because she's my quiet goober and I love her. So here's some of her backstory before ARR and some things that are different within canon.

Despite her looking the part, Mira is no prim or proper lady. She's born and raised in the Brume by a single mother, her father was killed by an ambush of cloudkin before Mira could walk. One would think that being raised in such a place would make them upset but Mira was different, taking it as a point of pride. After all, Brumelings tended to be much tougher and close knit compared to highborns or nobles. Sure they didn't have much and it was tough but they always managed to make due for the most part.

Mira's mother didn't want her to stay in the poorest area for the rest of her life so she worked as hard as she could to afford to send Mira to school so she could learn how to read and write...and read she did. In fact, Mira loved to read so much that instead of of playing with the other children during their free time, she devoured all the schoolbooks she could. There was the rare time when she did get to play with the other kids but some of them thought it was a good idea to tell Mira that she needed to play a role more suited to girls instead of pretending to be a knight. This actually sparked a moment that would shape Mira into the woman she is today because as she and her mother headed home one evening, they both saw someone donned in black armor with a large greatsword take on several temple knights. Those in the Brume never tell the authorities what they were but they knew: a dark knight.

And Mira wanted to be just like that.

So much that the next time when she ran into the same boy who told her she couldn't be a knight, she did the most logical thing a nine year old would do: get the biggest and longest stick she could find and beat his ass with it, declaring that one day she will instead become a dark knight and help those of the Brume. But this is still Ishgard and talking about dark knights out in the open was not a good thing so the adults had to tell her to keep that quiet otherwise the temple knights would kill her. Yes, they said 'kill', not 'arrest' because it's best to tell the kid the truth in order to keep them safe.

(And in like twenty years time said kid goes off and saves the universe. Oops.)

While Mira still kept that dream, her other one was to make sure her mother had some more comforts and so once she couldn't learn more from school (see 'learned more than the teacher had'), she attempted to work alongside her mother as a maid but therein lies a problem: Mira had a hard time keeping focus on her work. Instead of scolding her daughter, her mother decided to take note of how she acted and what could be done because Mira is normally a good kid so why was it hard for her to focus or pay attention? She realized that things like books and learning stimulated her and that maid work was simply out of the question. So she pulled some strings and talked to an old acquaintance who specialized in bookbinding and book repair for the lowborn folk. This was how Mira became an apprentice bookbinder and things were going great...until the Calamity happened.

Now with eternal snow, Mira felt like she had to work harder to provide for her mother. But she and her boss knew that Mira would not be satisfied where she was, needing to spread her wings. Both of them agreed that Mira would suffocate staying in Ishgard and convinced her to try being an adventurer for some time and find her calling. But Mira did protest a bit when she said she wanted to help her mother for all that she's done but her mom did tell her that while she appreciated all that she's done for her, she refused to let Mira stagnate behind these stone walls forever.

Turns out it was a good call given what happened next.

Given all of this, Mira is still a quiet person who does genuinely want to help those she cares about. While it tends to also be a general world bit, Mira's focus is more on those she cares about like in true dark knight fashion. Protect those who cannot do it themselves, that's the power of the Flame in the Abyss. She's not above cutting down someone who has harmed innocent's, not wanting to wait for the 'proper authorities' to take action. In fact, she does this while helping out a postmoogle and meets two Moon Keeper sisters, one of them trying to escape the poacher life and from the implied abusive Coeurlclaw King (fucking Seekers). He taunted that Mira wouldn't be able to help them because she'll get in trouble but in reality, she knew the Adders would not touch her. So she cleaved him down and got the sisters to Camp Dragonhead to lay low for awhile until they can get things sorted out.

But with this mindset, Mira also has a certain...distain for gods and other higher beings. Mainly because throughout all her adventures and even before then, she questioned why the gods didn't intervene during certain moments. Why did Halone allow the inquisition to make people jump into Witchdrop and prove their innocence by dying? Why did Azeyma not hear her prayers after the attack on the Waking Sands? Why did Oschon not protect the people of Nym from the curse that turned them into tonberries? She doesn't hate the gods per say but thinks that people can make their own prayers come true. She does change a bit on this stance once she goes through a different version of the Myths of the Realm story, one focused on her and her faith and interaction with the gods.

Another thing about Mira is during her journey as the WoL, she realized that the dreams she had before like becoming a dark knight was something she has already done and she didn't know what her new one could be. Like she didn't understand what her purpose could be outside of helping others, especially as the so called savior to everyone. It bugged her and she knew it since going back to Ishgard because it was 'her' who said it. You know, Dark Knight Things.

But despite her appearing as someone cool, mysterious, and powerful...she can be oblivious as fuck at times, mainly in the realm of romance. So many people did confess to her like Aymeric, Y'mithra, G'raha and others but the problem was that they were so vague that Mira took it as friendly or platonic, never romantic. It wasn't until Endwalker that someone actually managed to tell her and it was thanks to a friend she made that told him that he had to be blunt with her about his feelings.

If anyone wonders how Mira and Vrtra became a thing, that's what happened.

She still has those moments but there are times when she realizes and responds appropriately like friendzoning G'raha because she didn't ever see him like that or when she and Oschon don't take finishing blows during Myths and the realization of 'Oh...Oh.'

Basically Mira is a quiet little bookworm who can also beat your ass with the biggest sword she can (along with various other weapons).

[aloeanemonabee27]

OP ASL brothers older brother Ace au part 2

Luffy and Sabo accepted Ace's invitation on traveling with him and his crew, in that very same moment they said yes both of them packed their things (they didn't had lots of stuff to begin with) and they filled their pockets with treasure that it'll be enough for surviving a few trips until Ace return with his crew. Sabo left a letter on the bandits house so they know they left, as soon as they step foot on the Striker in the blink of an eye they were leaving Dawn island. The children were beyond excited, finally they will go to the sea and have a bunch of adventures with their awesome older brother! In the way Ace was telling them stories about his crew's adventures, the island he visited and did his best to answer their questions no matter how strange or difficult. The three of them landed on the closest island to take a break, of course with precautions to avoid any unwanted attention. Ace normally would go without worry, but now he has two brothers in his care and he needed to be careful and that was something he was no expert. The three of them went to a tavern so they could eat, especially the two Ds who are bottomless pits.

Ace needed to make a few errands so their brothers can be prepared for the outcome, now he knows what Dandan felt like provide him the first necessities for him to be alive, the difference is that he is not doing it for one child but for two and one of them is an uncontrollable ball of energy that can't be still in one place. And of course a spacious place where the three can be, as fast the Striker is, it's does not hold that much space. So basically the entire week being on East blue was Ace looking for essentials for his brothers so they can be prepared in Grand Line, them trying to keep themselves out of trouble. Keyword: trying, because in the same week a marine team recognized him and they tried to capture him. To make matters worse, they announced that "Firefist Ace kidnapped children", which of course it pissed Ace, like how dare they say he is now a kidnapper? Sure he steals, fight marines, disturbs the peace, be an occasional troublemaker, but a kidnapper never. A pirate he may be, but he has limits and morals damn it! In the end, he give up on fighting this matter, the government is the government so of course they're gonna say this kind of bullcrap cause c'mon, since when people are gonna belive that two actual children decided to join a pirate crew to the Grand line, who by the way the captain was their brother.

However this resulted in a problem, and that was him being chased almost every single day, to "rescue" this innocent children from this evil pirate grasp, in some point it's almost funny how this guys were trying to rescue children who weren't even kidnapped in the first place. Not only him, but Sabo thinks is hilarious too, makes some jokes about the matter but Luffy is more straightforward saying that the marines were dumb. In the serious side, Ace worries that one day another marine attack ends up being the old geezer. Ace fears if they encounter the old geezer, he won't stand a chance against him and take his brothers from him. The last stop on the last island on East blue, ended up being the most chaotic one before they left the Grand line. First of all, Ace was not happy docking on Logetown cause this was the island where his bastard of a father was born and executed.

At first, Ace didn't want to dock on this island for obvious reasons, even the little ones noticed this to the point that Luffy himself said that he won't go to the island if Ace didn't wanted despite him being more excited than anyone to explore this island. Looking at the faces of disappointment of the little boys, Ace relised that he can't just stop the excitment for adventure of his brothers because of his personal issues, he vowed that he'll raise his brothers to be the most freest persons in the world, him being a pirate himself should know any better. A pirate taking the freedom of another future pirate it's not fair, it made him release that he's being a selfish fool and a hypocrite, so he did his best to masked his troubles and put the best face for them and hyped then into adventure once more. Which fortunately, worked, especially for Luffy that just listening that they will explore Logetown he was the first to stepped out of the Striker and sprinted further into the island with Sabo hot on his trails so he can avoid that his little brother do his shenanigans.

Ace was following close behind them, as a responsible brother that he should be, he was supposed to watched them closely, but in the end he decided to be a little close and let their brothers do their brothers have their fun. "They deserve have their fun" he thinks with a smile on his face. With Luffy and Sabo, Luffy wanted to see the execution platform and Sano following behind him while yelling at him that they need direction's. In a short time, they gathered some attention. By chance, they encountered with Smoker and asked him about the execution platform, he told them where to go and giving the thanks the kids go to their destination. Smoker was hella confused about this kids being alone around here, he knew some kids can be curious about the execution platform where the pirate king died, but the children usually where accompanied by a grown up. Either they got separated from their guardians or something else, but before he could think of anything else, a marine went to him and informed him that Ace was here and he forgot about anything else and went straight to his duty.

Ace was just exploring around the island without having the enthusiasm about it, he was just walking around with his head on the clouds, after all, being in the island of the man he's trying to surpass isn't a pleasant feeling, not even helping unto the fact that the little ones that he passed around where talking about the pirate king and the parents giving them a reprimand about that evil man. Seriously, no matter how many times he hears it he won't ever get accustom to those comments, like his wound never healed in the first place and that allowed the shadows of his past to hunt him now. Without realizing it, he ended up in the last place where he wanted to be, face to face in the execution platform, he contemplated it not in intrest whatsoever, more like resentment. Resentment on all the problems his father had because of him, because on carrying his blood in his veins cost him a pain that he'll never get over the comments the people made about him, on how they cursed him and telling him straight forward he was a demon a child that should've never been born. That his mere existence is a sin, cost the life of an innocent woman that didn't deserved that kind of fate. Ace hated him because from the day he was born he never knew the freedom, only suffering. His thoughts where abruptly interrupted over a commotion, he came back to reality and saw people panicking over a child on the execution platform.

"Now who is irresponsible enough to leave their dumb children climb the platform?" he thought, as he sees the plank of the platform and sees Luffy. Oh it's Luffy.....wait "LUFFY!! GET DOWN FROM THERE!!" Immediately he went close to the platform, ignoring the fact that the security was looking at him, security be dammed his brother is doing a reckless "LUFFY GET DOWN FROM THERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!" Sabo then appeared and joined Ace on shouting at Luffy to get down, but Luffy was so eager on his view and excitement that didn't noticed Ace or Sabo calling for him, as for things couldn't get any worse Smoker appeard with marine troops and they where surrounded. As Smoker was telling Ace to surrender and free those children- "LUFFY I SWEAR TO ANY LIVING THING ON EARTH IF YOU DON'T GET DOWN THERE YOU'LL GET IN BIG TROUBLE!!!" They where completely ignoring them, Smoker just shut up and saw in amusement how this people where interacting, it wasn't his imagination either when he listen to other of his fellow marines, commenting about how unusual the scene was totally different from what the reports say. This wasn't a kidnapper and hostage situation, this was a ridiculous sibling argument. Ace telling the boy named Luffy to get down, Luffy telling them no, Ace saying he'll be grounded for the next few weeks, is he actually punishing the kid to eat greens instead of meat? The kid Luffy actually was arguing about this too? And the other kid joined the scolding? What the hell is this?

The moment finally took action when Ace started to climb the execution platform to get Luffy, Smoker finally took action, using his devil fruit to surround Ace and push him down of the platform and so Ace was obligated to fight with him. The battle was complicated since Ace had to be in more places than one, fighting with Smoker and putting down marines to avoid for them to get any of his brothers. The battle seemed that the marines where winning, Luffy knew this and in his desire of helping he shouted a battlecry AND HE JUMPED "LUFFY!" Ace sprinted in the speed of light and with one leap he catch the little body and landed on his feet. He put the little boy down to see if he was hurt, seeing no injuries whatever Ace smacked Luffy's head "WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING?! YOU COULD'VE DIED!! YOU THINK YOU'RE MADE OF RUBBER AH?!" And Smoker watched once again how Ace was scolding the little one, the other kid joined the scolding but was hugging Luffy after seeing he was ok. Getting serious, Ace ordered the boys to get on the Striker and wait for him so him can gain more time and the kids run. Ace stayed far behind to fight with Smoker, which the battle was inconclusive since Ace left in a hurry when he heard that back up was coming up. Finally, Ace arrived to the Striker where his brothers were waiting for him and they sailed away from the island once and for all. After the battle, Smoker informed the marine HQ about what happened, even he telling about what he saw he knew the government will twist the truth so he didn't give a damn what his superiors said and decided to take this situation on his own terms.

Finally, the brothers entered the Grand line, adventure is into them and they couldn't be more excited about it. By this time, Ace took out the Deuce's vivre card to reunite with him once again. It where exciting and dangerous days, but they managed every single obstacle in the way. Finally, the vivre card send him into a deserted island, full of vegetation almost like mountain Corvo, so they dock on the island and they started to explore. Ace let his brothers to have their fun as him was following the vivre card, when he arrived he saw his second in command and some of his crewmates and just by seeing Ace they became happy. They surrounded their captain, telling them how glad they are to see him again, glad that he was alive among so many other things and Ace couldn't feel any happier. Deuce got close to Ace and hugged him, telling him that finally he remember them as a joke which Ace laughed knowing damn well he wouldn't never forget them. The moment of joy was interrupted when the crew noticed their two little guests, where the hell did they came from? They looked at them, then looked at Ace and Deuce understood what his stupidhead of a captain did, still, he denied it until he heard it from Ace.

"Ace..."

"Yeah?"

"Who are these children?"

"Oh, them? My little brothers, they are accompanying us now. Say hi you two"

"Yo"

"Pardon WHAT-?! SINCE WHEN YOU-?! ACE GET BACK HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!!!" Deuce then started to scream profanities and demanding an explanation while chasing Ace, the crew was astonished and Luffy was saying that Ace's crew is weird and funny which Sabo agreed with him with a laugh.

On the other side of the Grandline, a certain first commander was standing in the deck, at first it may seemed he was looking at the beautiful sight of the ocean, but this wasn't the case. Marco, the first division commander of the Whitebeard pirates was looking at the newspapers, specifically, he was looking through the news of the infamous rookie Fire fist Ace. The newest article informing the movements of Ace, the amount of chaos he caused on his last stop on East blue, seeing the newspaper make him sick. Unknown to the crew, for the past few months he was keeping track on Ace's footsteps, this perusing was both in a professional and personal way. On one side, he had to keep his responsibilities of First division commander, helping his captain on this problems of the major situation of what happened in one of their territories, on the other hand his personal side just boils from anger. Thanks to the little stunt Ace had cause, their ship had an unwanted tension.

In his years he have seen and fought with fools who thought they known any better, thinking they could beat his captain, but Ace was the biggest fool he have seen until now and in some point it disgusted him. He normally wouldn't belive what the navy said, but on one thing they could share is the same thought in bring that rookie down. Not only that he dared to to trespass their territory and do whatever he pleased, but he also dared to hurt his fellow crewmates, the coward then hid his sorry ass for heavens knows how long and maked his glamorous return with innocent children in his hands. Just how disgusting of a human being can he be, he thought. He has to be a idiot to think he'll have a free pass if he thinks that innocent children would be his salvation, then he is mistaken. Fire fist still, has unfinished business with the Whitebeard pirates, so he better prepares himself and he better don't hurt those children, otherwise...

"You better enjoy your breaths while you still can, Fire fist yoi. Maybe they'll be your last ones."

[marchcountry]

So It Begins...

Mr. and Mrs. Harrington agreed to have only one child. Sophia would have preferred to have none. She was self-aware enough to know that she had no maternal instinct, and honest enough to admit she didn’t want one.

Archibald Harrington didn’t have an opinion one way or another. Children weren’t going to be his problem. They were going to be his wife’s responsibility.

He’d gotten more than one scolding from his own mother about his opinion.

 “Archie,” his mother would say softly, “if you think that it’s only the mother’s responsibility to raise a child, and that you don’t have to do a single thing, your poor child is going to end up dancing on a pole for dollar bills stuffed down their undies.” And she kept kneading the dough that would eventually be their sandwich bread for the week.

Otis and Beatrice Harrington would like grandchildren, but they didn’t push. Otis had looked Archie in the eyes, like amber hardened around a bullet shell, “You bring a human being into this world you damn well better be there, holding that kids hand and wiping their ass. You don’t and I’m going to beat your ass, take the kid, and raise them my damn self.”

Another time, “Darling,” Beatrice always said things so nicely, so sweetly. Her voice was warm bread slowly melting cold butter. Archibald fell for it every time. “If you do ever decide to have a child, I hope they give you a run for your money in every way you never could have imagined.”

Years later Archibald met Sophia in college. He was there to get his business degree and she was there to find a husband. It just so happened her family had an incredibly successful game company, and Archibald was a decent candidate to become her father’s protégé.

She was beautiful and serious. She knew exactly what she wanted and how to take it from Archibald. He wasn’t sure it was love, but it was a future.

They agreed to have one child to appease her parents. It’s what was expected, Archibald’s mother-in-law had said primely. And somehow, through the backward and in-between ways that wealthy people spoke, it was heavily implied that Sophia would never get her inheritance if she didn’t produce a child.

Sophia didn’t want a shitting, vomiting, crying bundle of joy to call her own. She made that very clear from the moment they started trying. Archibald was fine with that. The game company was doing well, he was growing his own fortune, they could easily afford nannies and tutors, and Otis and Beatrice would always be happy to have their grandchild around.

Archibald was sure that they could be the best kind of hands-off parents that money could buy.

The entire pregnancy was hard on Sophia. She hated the mess of letting Archibald deposit inside of her. Archibald cringed the first time she called it that. “Husband, I do so hate it when I feel you deposit inside of me.”

Otis laughed his ass off, nearly falling off his chair when Archibald tried to complain. His father’s damn bird echoed his hysterics. Beatrice at least had the decency to say she had to go powder her nose, even if she couldn’t hold onto her manners enough to quiet her laughter from the bathroom.

Archibald wished he had literally anyone else to complain to. Maybe some old college friends would still be willing to talk to him, but the honest truth was that he didn’t trust anyone but his parents with the issue.

His parents started off every phone call with “How are the deposits going?” for months, while their pet bird cackled in the background.

Even the damn bird was enjoying his pain.

Sophia didn’t have morning sickness. She didn’t get visibly bloated, acne in weird places, or any aversions to smells. If she had any food cravings she never voiced them, and kept a strong grip on her diet plans. She only spoke to Archibald about a sense of something growing inside of her, invading her space from within.

She was disgusted with the idea of a thing in her stomach growing fingers and toes.

Archibald did his best to keep her from having to think about it.

The Harrington’s had a private home birth. Otis and Beatrice were asked to stay home. Sophia didn’t even tell her own parents what the due date was. Archibald was banished to his own office until he was called for. She wanted as few witnesses as possible.

If Archibald felt a spirited energy gnawing at his chest, that was between him and his creator. If his stomach fluttered and he kept twirling his pen, over and under his fingers, and his leg wouldn’t stop hopping against the floor -well, that was no one else’s business either.

Maybe he finally understood what his own parents were talking about when the first little cries filled the house.

“I guess they knew this would happen,” Archie said to himself, his face rising toward the second floor where his son was just starting to experience the world. He felt like his heart had been carved out from under his ribs.

[litchihikxriclub]

ooh i've never heard of LHC before but it looks cool, i might be getting into a new fandom bc of your writing (again haha). anyway, i've got a meta/analysis question....how would you rank the kids in terms of who has the best/worst relationships with their family?

Yayyyy, another person joining us in the LHC pit! :D

No one here has had a very good childhood. Keikou is a disaster of rampant poverty, unsafe conditions, and parents who no doubt have to spend every waking moment working just to keep their kids fed and clothed. Even the most well-intentioned families on the list would end up at least a little neglectful just because they don't have the time or means to properly care for their children.

Also, disclaimer that a lot of them don't have explicitly mentioned family situations, so a good chunk of this is reading into their behavior/lifestyle for implications of how their home life might be.

. . .

"Best" Relationship

Tamiya — All around, Tamiya has by far the best relationship with his family of all of them. He has two parents who have his best interests in mind, a younger sister who he's close to, and a relatively stable situation overall. The inherent sacrifices and problems of their environment are still present, but at least his family is trying.

Kaneda — He mentions having an older mother who he "loves down to her wrinkly little fingers". My guess is that she's his only parent, and has both given her best effort to raise him and had to work herself half to death to do it. He also has an overall good relationship, but it's nowhere near as stable as Tamiya's family situation.

Dafu — In the same chapter of Bokura, he expresses fondness for his family as well. The lack of specific mentions (and his general loneliness levels) leads me to think that his home life is somewhat neglectful, but likely not on purpose. He probably has a "normal" household that doesn't have the time to pay much attention to him.

Kanon — We know next to nothing about her backstory. I get the feeling that she's better off than the boys, but how off her behavior is seems to hint at a highly sheltered childhood. I think her relationship with her family is overall decent, but her parents are the type of paranoid that means they've isolated her more than is healthy.

Yakobu — He also gives me "childhood neglect" vibes. My headcanon is that he's from a large family that's struggling to get by, and the sheer amount of kids to manage means that Yakobu had to stand out to get any attention. His relationship with his family isn't bad, exactly, but he definitely doesn't have a stable or reassuring home life.

Dentaku — Considering his single-minded focus on mathematics and his apparent lack of social skills or ability to form emotional connections, I see yet another neglect case here. It's likely that he's been encouraged to stick to only his academic skills (at the cost of a normal childhood) as that gives him some chance of a better future.

Raizou — All we see of his family is his dad, who's... well-intentioned, probably, but far from supportive or kind. I think he's a single father who's trying his best, but is also strict, harsh, and has very firm ideas of how his son is supposed to behave. He's also clearly one for physical discipline, which means Raizou is at least used to being hit.

Zera — And here, things take a massive turn for the worse! Zera absolutely despises his family, and the level of emotional neglect and abuse he's experienced is a lot of why he's Like That. He has divorced parents, abandonment issues from his father, and routine mistreatment from his mother. Zera knows he's not wanted.

Nico — We know he has the worst financial state of the kids, and his mother literally says "giving birth to you was the biggest mistake of my life" when he was in the hospital post-eye incident. And judging from his utter lack of self-esteem, it's not hard to guess he's grown up in an environment where his existence was treated like a burden.

Jaibo — Uhhhh... yeah. We know his dad is a doctor (and that Jaibo steals drugs and money from him), and Jaibo's everything hints at extreme sexual abuse. I don't think it's a stretch to assume he's had the most horrific childhood of the kids, and I can't imagine he has anything resembling a positive relationship with his father.

"Worst" Relationship

[floralcrematorium]

💕 - You've got your choice of one pairing you can canonize, but you've got to come up with how you choose to do it. Which pairing do you choose and what's your game plan for how it happens?

👶 - Which nation do you think would make the best parent?

👄 - Which nation do you think has the most fitting voice actor? Whose voice do you think doesn't work?

Thanks for the ask! Also help, I get rambly again

💕 - You've got your choice of one pairing you can canonize, but you've got to come up with how you choose to do it. Which pairing do you choose and what's your game plan for how it happens?

I answered this one for CanUkr! You can read it here. I'm not sure who else I care enough about/know enough about the relationship to canonize. I'm not ride or die about any of my ships and I wish I was as unhinged as other people. I wanna be known as the ___ person for something

👶 - Which nation do you think would make the best parent?

As much as I love the FACE fam dynamic, in canon Arthur and Francis are terrible to and for Alfred and Matthew (I say this having watched that one World Twinkle episode last night).

I don't think I can answer this one for nationverse to be honest. I'm inclined to say Yao regardless, though, just because he's seen. it. ALL. He's equipped for So many situations, however I don't see him wanting to become a parent if you consider age as well as however you perceive his relationship with Japan. Yao's in his Childless Wine Aunt era.

I have two answers for this I think?

Single Answer: Denmark. Surprising choice. I think of all the Nordics, he would be the most equipped to deal with a Child (cough, Gutters, cough). I think a lot of people are big fans of Sweden as a father figure to Ladonia and Sealand. In examining his relationship with Iceland, I think Sve is a wonderful older guardian, but I think communication may not be one of his strong suits. The same goes for Fin -- I think He can be excitable, fun, and patient, but he's be better suited for an older kid. He's like. The cool uncle who shows you heavy music, lets you take a sip of his drink, and has eclectic hobbies. In my eye, he's also a people pleaser and is also someone who prefers to save his own problems for later to help someone else. He'd get too exhausted. Now, Norway as a parent? Moving on. I'm not including Ice in this. He's not necessarily a teenager in my eyes, but he's my age whereas with everyone else I see being a bit older human-age wise. Ice isn't in the spot to be considering parenthood -- he's got his own stuff to figure out (not in the Moody Teen Way that is so often relegated to him). I also think Ice values his personal time and needs time to recharge. So this leaves Den. I think Den can be,,, wild. He can be irresponsible and obnoxious, but I think he's someone who knows how to tone shift depending on who he's with. I think like Fin, he's like a fun and excitable to a kid, but I think Den is someone more willing to put his foot down when the child's best interest is in mind. But to be honest, all of the Nordics are best suited to be uncles you visit for a weekend rather than parents in their own right.

As for a ship? My answer is: CanUkr. Surprise surprise. I think they're both patient people who also know when to put their foot down (both of them deserve to be assertive, damnit). Kateryna would be a terrifying force in the event of misbehaving children, but she's someone who would know what he child needs/wants. I also see her being like my grandmother -- My grandmother is constantly trying to take care of us and provide the things for us she never did. Matthew is the kind of parent who would invest time into his kid's hobbies. They're not Fun™ parents, but they would be able to raise a functioning and good human. I trust them not ruin a person, lol.

👄 - Which nation do you think has the most fitting voice actor? Whose voice do you think doesn't work?

I don't really have a favorite voice, but I'll tell you one thing. Todd Haberkorn HAUNTS ME. The Hetalia English dub being my first ever anime has POISONED me because every time I watch a new anime I hear a familiar voice and go on Behind The Voice Actors to figure out where I know them from, and they've usually voiced someone in Hetalia (hi, I watch dub for most anime because I can't watch watch something and I have to have it on in the background while I draw or game). Todd Haberkorn is someone I can recognize instantly and he haunts me. I don't dislike him whatsoever, but like. It triggers some sort of response from me and I'm expecting HWS Italy to come running at me full tilt.

As for a voice I don't like... Denmark. I don't think I like either of his voices? I just went and checked how he sounds before and after his VA change and thought I liked his old voice more than I actually do. I'm not sure how he's supposed to sound in my head, but neither of his voices do it for me.

I also still can't get used to England's new voice in the dub. I know why his VA had to be changed, but because he's had two new VAs, the difference is always startling.

Also okay, I lied, I just rewatched the "Every Time Norway Speaks In Hetalia" video. My favorite is Norway. I have no good reason. I genuinely don't. I know a lot of aspects about Nor aren't popular with Scandanavian fans, but his voice is a guilty pleasure of mine. I have no good reasoning for why it appeals to me other than It Just Does

Hetalia Asks

[lavender-long-stories]

Spoilers for What He Left Behind | Chapter 2 | Rated T

The autopilot hadn’t let up. Hinata went to work, came home, and sat in her room when she wasn’t cooking. The meals she left made him feel bad because she also paid rent for her room. Her cooking was everything that Naruto said it was, and it was bitter to enjoy it. She didn’t go out, though she was constantly reviewing messages trying to coax her out. She ignored the buzzing on her phone by just staring at it. He got sick of it. Sasuke picked up her phone and deleted the messages then blocked the last five numbers she ignored more than once, and handed her her phone back. Sasuke readied himself for rage, but it didn’t come. 

“Thank you,” Hinata whispered.

It didn’t take long before it got out where she was. She was taking a different way to work, and they were seen together getting groceries. People asked him if she was okay after he blocked their way to pester her. 

They asked the question Sasuke couldn’t answer. “Why did you take her in?” Sasuke didn’t think about it at the time, but it would look like he knocked her up, and Naruto left, so he took her and his child out of guilt.

He could ignore the accusation, but he wasn’t sure she could. Hinata was still shut down, and that wasn’t good for the kid or her relationship with it once it was born. He didn’t ask her if she considered other options because if she thought about it, she would have done it already. He didn’t need to be involved, but he was sure she would keep it because she didn’t have a problem being a mother. She just had a problem with the father running off.

Hinata filed for divorce first. The papers were on the counter when she came home from work. Naruto must have never filed. Somehow that made it worse.

Sasuke had no clue how his usually relatively responsible best friend could screw up so much. He should use ‘responsible’ a lot more loosely, but come on.

Every time he thought about it, he didn’t understand it. She was sweet, clean, sane, a good cook, willing and ready to be the mother of his children, and Naruto tossed it at the first sign of everything he had ever said he wanted. He was kind of waiting for something to be wrong with her.

--**--

Hinata sorted through his and her laundry, something he never asked her to do. She just did. He noticed a little set of baby clothes.

“It’s pretty soon for those, isn’t it? You’re not even showing.” Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the small onesie.

“People aren’t sure what to get but want to help out. Infant clothes of all sizes will be useful as the baby will grow quickly.” Hinata mumbled.

Her lack of real opinion on these things was frustrating. “What do you need, anyway?” He had never really taken an interest before. He didn’t act like she wasn’t pregnant. He just didn’t bring it up. 

She set her folding aside, and went to her room, returning with a notebook with a list of her clean writing of what she would need to find before the baby was born. Things like a car seat carrier, baby blankets, a crib, bottles, pacifiers, a breast pump… he didn’t want to know what that was. But it was a short list. Shorter than he thought it would be, there wasn’t a single toy on it.

“Don’t you need baby toys and high chairs?” Sasuke wondered.

“A high chair won’t be needed until it can hold its head up and eat solid food, and there isn’t much more than a rattle or chew toys that are needed to entrain a child of that age.” Hinata looked at the minimal list.

“I guess the minimalist approach works.” When most parents split, the parent who ended up with the kid tried to give them everything to make up for it, but I guess the kid wouldn’t have known, and Hinata didn’t seem the one to give in to emotional impulses. It dawned on him that she may be trying to keep it small, so she didn’t invade his home more than she had to.

“I’ll get you a crib.” Sasuke pointed to the list. “That way, I don’t have to pick out clothes or bears.”

“You don’t need to get anything you have already given us so much by letting us stay.” Hinata tried.

“And I’ll be a dick to everyone else if I don’t get a gift. Just tell me the one you want, and I’ll get it.” Hinata sighed. Sasuke’s nose twitched. “You don’t have to make a big deal about it.”

“You don’t have to make up for what he did. I appreciate all you have done for us, but please don’t feel obligated to take us on because Naruto failed to be the husband I married.” This was the first time Hinata addressed the situation. How long had she held her tongue? She looked like she might turn blue. 

Maybe she thought once she said it, he would throw her out and wash his hands of her. “Nah, he’s a bastard, and I’m done cleaning up his messes, but I sat and listen about how wonderful you were for years, and I don’t know.” He took a breath. “I guess I want to see what was so wonderful that he could just leave like that.”

Hinata closed her eyes. 

“I know I took you in because I’m used to cleaning up his messes, but you can stay as long as you want. I always wonder what kids were like.” Hinata wiped her eyes. Sasuke didn’t mean to make her cry.

“Thank you.” Hinata started weeping, and he didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t going to hug her but…. What did he do?

“You okay?” Sasuke turned to make tea. That’s what she did when he came back stressed from work.

Hinata sniffled, accepting the cup when he finished. “I’m sorry, it’s just, your the only person not pressuring me for answers about Naruto and not asking me what I’m going to do on my own and….”

“That’s all anyone wants to talk about.” Sasuke finished. She nodded. 

Sasuke had gotten that too. Constant questions. Was the real father? Why did he take her in if he wasn’t? What did he think went wrong? What would he do when he got sick of her? When was he going to kick her out for freeloading? No amount of actual truthful answers worked, so he stopped answering.

“The girls at work are half and half. Some of them are so giddy, they only want to talk about the baby. The other ones think I tried to tie him down with a baby and failed, or I cheated, and that’s why you took me in.” Sasuke rolled his eyes and nodded, knowing that one. “My friends want to know what happened and what my plans are….” Hinata hiccuped a sob. “And right now, having the baby is all I have planned. I don’t have any further because all I had... had Naruto in it.” That explained why she stopped going out altogether. Her friends were nothing but reminders that she was drowning in her uncertainty. “Thank you for not adding to it.”

“You’ll figure it out. Even if I hadn’t offered the room, I think you would have found a place you could afford and worked it out. You’re not that fragile. If anything, I would say you have handled this better than any other time I’ve seen a girl get pregnant and someone run off. The last I saw had a breakdown and blamed everyone else then ...drank” Hinata flinched, putting her hand over the slight bump.

“Thank you, it means a lot that you think so.” Hinata sighed, looking at her list. 

“If you want to talk about planning, I’m here. Just don’t make me shop for baby bullshit.” 

Hinata smiled for the first time since she ended up in his place. “I won’t.”

--**--

The void was filled, they could stay in the same room with each other, and it wasn’t filled with tension. On her phone, Hinata showed him what she planned to get, a small bedside crib that would work until the child was old enough not to roll over and suffocate on a futon. He ordered it with his card, one less thing for her to worry about. 

Her cooking was good. It felt like the home he and Naruto never had as orphans. It gave him a pit in his stomach when he realized that he hadn’t had home-cooked food like this in… years since foster care, and it hasn’t been good cooking since his mother.

Since the day Hinata started cooking, she had it on the table at the same time every day. If she came home late, she panicked until she was sure it would be on time. He hadn’t thought much of it until the day she broke down crying when she was 15 minutes late to the table because she set the oven too low. He hadn’t even noticed until she started crying. 

“I’m sorry….” Hinata whimpered. Sasuke stared at her misery, unsure what to do or what brought it on. He didn’t even notice the time. “It’s late...” She explained.

Was it just stress, or was genuinely worried about the time? “Hinata. Honestly, I don’t care when you feed me. You don’t even have to feed me.” 

It didn’t seem to calm her. Hinata buried her face in her hands to sob. Sasuke took a deep breath. Maybe this was the time for a hug. He crossed the room to reach for her, and she flinched when she noticed he got close. 

The fear hit him like a train. Sasuke slammed his hand on the counter, seeing red. “He HIT you!?” 

“No!!” Hinata shrieked. Looking horrified, she hugged herself, and it was clear that wasn’t the whole story. No, Naruto wouldn’t have hit her, but he knew Naruto when he wanted something. Was his best friend above yelling at his wife when she didn’t have dinner on the table, or was she so afraid of disappointing him that even the thought would make her this afraid? Was this why she wasn’t mad? Did she feel like she deserved it?

He felt sick.

Sasuke reached back out. This time Hinata let him set hands on her shoulders. She wiped the blubbering tears, but they kept coming. “I. Don’t. Care.” He pronounced. “Your cooking is a favor. You can stop tomorrow and only feed yourself. You bought all the groceries. You put all the work in. It’s your food. You are choosing to share it.” He made sure not to break eye contact as he tried to get his point across.

Hinata nodded, still sobbing. What the hell had he done to her? Naruto said she was the perfect wife but had he made her that way, or did she rise to his image of perfection?

Sasuke got her to sit down and eat. She picked at her food, but he stayed there until she was done.

“What happened if dinner wasn’t on time?” Sasuke asked.

Hinata picked at her napkin, keeping her eyes down. “He had this image of how the perfect marriage would be and would be upset if the routine was broken. If I were late enough, sometimes he would say… that I wasn’t trying hard enough to make the marriage work. I didn’t love him enough… He never said cruelly, and he didn’t mean it.”

“Don’t make excuses for him. If the story paints him bad, maybe it’s correct.” Sasuke growled. “Once you start making excuses, it turns from bad behavior to abuse.” 

Sasuke was putting the pieces together now. His apartment was clean as could be, cleaner than when he moved in. Hinata was attentive to him when he talked but only gave words of encouragement, even if he was just ranting about bullshit or was the bad guy. She was particular about making his morning easier. Coffee made for him and ready to his liking. His lunch was always something he would eat. Dinner, well, they just covered that. If he didn’t like something, she would apologize and fix it to his liking, even if it was at her expense. How had he not seen all this before? She was so eager to please, and his lack of negative response was starving her need to improve constantly. 

“I’m not a hard man to please,” Sasuke added. “You could serve me a mountain of sweets, and the worst you get out of me is a sarcastic remark, and I won’t eat it. I didn’t buy the food. You pay rent. You aren’t a burden.” He tapped his hand on the table so he would look up at her. “Alright?”

Hinata wearily nodded. Did Naruto think she was so wonderful because she was ready to serve him? Why was he the one to leave? Where the hell was he anyway?

What He Left Behind

Pairing: Sasuke x Hinata Rating: T

Description: When Sasuke is confronted with an abandoned pregnant Hinata, he does the only thing he can think to do, he takes her in. Strangers to friends. Friends to lovers.

Tags: Pregnancy  |  Romance  |  Domestic Fluff  |  Happy Ending  |  Fluff and Angst  |  Hurt/Comfort

Image by Gaelle Marcel

[carriagelamp]

A combined May and June book list because work was too busy for me to have any extra time or energy for reading. Now that things have slackened a bit though I've been able to start picking up more things! It feels so good to sit down with a book again and just read for the pure joy of it. Still, despite a lack of time I did read a few really cute books over the past couple months.

Doctor Who: 13 Doctors 13 Stories

A collection of Doctor Who short stories that was honestly just a lot of fun. Each story features a different Doctor, so by the end you’ve had one story for each of the Doctors that there’s been so far. Since I’m primarily familiar with NuWho and only have only seen/read a handful of Classic Who stories, this was a fun way to get to know them and their companions a bit better. I don’t think there was a single story I disliked! Though the one that amused me the most (even if it wasn’t necessarily the “best” in the collection) was probably “The Nameless City” because the idea of a Doctor Who / Cthuhlu crossover is way too funny. The Doctor throwing the Necronomicon across the Tardis? Outstanding, no notes.

Charlotte’s Web

A classic that I feel the need to reread every few years. It really is the perfect spring novel, and it made a very comforting read this May. Now that I’ve read E B White’s other children’s novels, I can now say without a doubt that Charlotte’s Web is the best of the lot. It feels like a more tightly written, cohesive and compelling story than either Stuart Little or The Trumpet of the Swan. White's writing just draws your right in, his descriptions, the way he'll wind you through these leisurely lists of details, the way every thing feels new and special and comfortable... it's impossible not to feel content while reading.

For those who have never read Charlotte’s Web, it’s a story about a pig called Wilbur, who is saved from being killed as the runt of the litter by Fern. Her parents allow Fern to raise the pig, and eventually Wilbur goes to live in her uncle’s barn. After he learns that he will most certainly be killed for meat in the autumn, his animal friends — particularly the clever and beautiful spider called Charlotte — start hatching a plan to save Wilbur’s life. 

Enemies

I’ve read the other Berrybrook Middle School books written by Svetlana Chmakova and by and large I've enjoyed them, but I have to admit they’re wearing a bit thin for me (Brave was definitely the peak of the series for me). Which isn’t the fault of Chmakova! She draws nice stories that have good themes and morals for that age group, they tackle very relevant social problems kid that age might go through. But as an adult, this one in particular felt profoundly middle school.

In this book, Felicity is struggling with the fact that she never seems to “finish” anything while her sister seems to be good at everything and impresses everyone. Felicity is struggling to learn how to balance the importance of going at your own pace versus sticking with something to meet obligations versus asking for help when you need it. During all this Felicity struggles with friendships that have faded and may even be getting worse — how easy is it to make enemies and how does one fix that?

The Innocence of Father Brown

I’ve been wanting a good cosy murder mystery and I’ve always heard good things about Father Brown so I decided to give the first collection a try. It was pretty darn good! Father Brown is an unassuming little Catholic priest who appears to bumble his way good-naturedly through life. However between his keen ability to observe and appreciate every day life mixed with the fact that a man who hears Confessions gets exposed to the way of the criminal mind, me makes an astounding detective. No one expects anything of him until he absolutely dazzles with his observations and connections. His nemesis-cum-bestie Flambeau is stupendous and I love him.

The religious fervor / aggression / intolerance of any slight deviations is a bit trying though and definitely dates the stories… I would be interested in trying another book to see if that’s toned down. Or maybe even watching one of the modern adaptations since I suspect they would chill out that a little on the blatant xenophobia. Makes me long for good old Father Mulcahy.

The Hardy Boys: The House on the Cliff

I never read The Hardy Boys as a kid but I feel in my heart that I would have loved them. This book was a fun detective story about the Hardy brothers initially attempting to stake out a group of smugglers, only to stumble across a seemingly haunted house and the sudden kidnapping of their father. The peril mounts and they need to rely on their friends to foil the plot. My only complaint is that it lays the whole "wholesome 1950s" schtick on pretty thick. I would really like to try reading the original 1930s version before it was toned down… except it’s damnably hard to find. I think if I had gotten this as a kid it would have scratched a similar itch to Tintin.

Hazel’s Shadow

A thrilling YA survival horror! It combines some neat, unexpected elements to make a really intriguing, fast-paced horror story that is part haunted house and part zombie plague survival.

Hazel has always been able to see ghosts, every since she was a child, and they don’t particularly worry her... they don't except for one creature — a horrible, black shadow — that lurks in her grandmother’s house and seems to haunt her every step, leering and waiting as her grandmother gradually grows sicker and sicker. Hazel would have thought that this would be her biggest concern until what starts as a localized fear suddenly seems to spread, turning the recently deceased into mindless, unfeeling monsters, hellbent on destroying any living person they can get, to kill them and turn them into one of them. Hazel and a small group of fellow classmates are at school when this happens, and find themselves — and a pair of ghosts — needed to band together to survive and possibly to face the horror that’s been haunting Hazel.

American Girls: Kit Saves The Day

I’ve often heard that these American Girl books are actually really good so I grabbed one from the library. And dang, people weren’t kidding, I was really impressed at how much nuance they fit into such a short book written for such a young audience. Kit Saves The Day is about a girl whose family is living through the Great Depression. It shows the life she has to live in order to help make ends meet and how its different from the life she once knew. Her understanding is expanded when she meets a young “hobo” who rides the rails and is invited to help with the family's gardening in exchange for food.

My Dress-Up Darling v2

A ridiculous series that’s just a little addictive. It's about a student, Wakana, who is trying to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps of becoming a doll maker, and is passionate and skilled at creating the costumes and accessories that goes with them. When popular, trendy Marin catches him at it, he’s sure he’s going to be humiliated… until he finds out that she’s passionate about cosplay and really wants to try cosplaying her favourite character but doesn’t have the skill to make the costume. The two end up teaming up to bring that dream to life. It’s charming and pretty and just the right amount of fanservice-y mixed with more technical aspects that keep it interesting.

Torchwood Tales

Short stories have been great for me lately — I’ve been so busy at work that they let me sample a bunch of different adventures without demanding too much time or attention — and this audio collection was a godsend. Like the Doctor Who collection, this one features a variety of exciting stories set in the Torchwood universe. I really enjoyed the first half of the stories, but honestly the second half didn’t quite do it for me. My favourite thing about Torchwood is the team dynamics, and the last four stories were set late enough in the series that they were mostly down to only Gwen or Jack… who I love in tandem with the other characters but am less interested in as solo agents. “Everyone Says Hello”, “Department X” and “Ghost Train” were probably my favourites because it really let a group of character bounce of each other in funny ways as they try to solve whatever absolute weirdness is going down. Rhys getting to the be the "most important man on Earth" for a story was such a pure delight!

Up To No Gouda // Cheddar Late Than Dead

Wow. This series. Was a disappointment. As I said with Father Brown, I was in the mood for some “cosy murder mysteries” and stumbled across this completely by accident. The concept of grilled-cheese-themed murder mysteries paired with the hilarious awful puns made me certain that this was going to be a fun series. It must, I naively told myself, be at least somewhat self-aware and probably have a humour/parody bend to it. I could not have been more wrong. This may have a negative amount of humour. I think every time it tried to be funny is actively sucked mirth and enjoyment out of the air.

This series is about the whitest woman in existence, who is so blandly pleasant that it made the 1950s Hardy Boys edgy in comparison, who goes through life running her grilled cheese restaurant, banally making uninteresting conversation with everyone (who apparently feels compelled to answer her incredibly dumb, probing questions), and brownnosing the cops so hard I might almost call it indecent if it were for the fact that this book even censored the term “that sucks” in reference to something being disappointing.

Nothing happens. Midsomer Murders is the perfect example of how I want this sort of small town murder mystery to go: it should have an at least somewhat interesting detective character, completely fucking mental background characters who make things more difficult than they should be, and an absolute pile of dead bodies by the end. I want the first corpse in the first five minutes and a steady bodycount from then out. It took an hour before the book’s one single death and I had to listen to this woman talk about cheese until then. The deaths weren’t even gruesome.

Why did I read two of these dumb books? Because I started with the third in the series (Cheddar Late Than Dead) and it was juuuuust interesting enough that I thought that maybe the author had run out of steam by this point and that the debut might be better. It was somehow the inverse and the first was EVEN MORE BORING.

I can’t emphasize enough how much she doesn’t do anything. It does not feel like anyone is investigating anything. Most of the story is absolutely unrelated small town nonsense that doesn’t even manage to be properly charming.  Most boring murder imaginable. This is a Hallmark murder mystery. Do not read these. They're not even bad enough to be funny.

Wind Rider: Rescue on Turtle Beach

A charming little introductory book to a new series. Wind Rider is about a pair of kids who find a small, abandoned ship wrecked on the shore… but which suddenly transports them across the world and becomes not only whole and seaworthy, but also capable of sailing itself. The kids go on an adventure to Hawaii where they help save some endangered sea turtles. Reading it as an adult it was fairly dull, but I can see how it would appeal to the intended age group. It had nice art and decent facts about endangered animals. It feels like it’s trying to be a new, nature-conservation-themed Magic Tree House. ...Which might be one of the reasons I wasn't that into it, I felt like I could have gone to read Magic Tree House and had a better time of it.

[ant1quarian]

Quill as (Y/n)’s single dad?

TW: Swearing, Homophobic Karen.

This man is one of the most playful, energetic, easy-going dads out there

You get in a fight at school? He turns up to the principals office, listens to the story with a straight face before turning to you with an eyebrow raised and simply asks if you won

Now instead of the school lecturing you whenever you get in trouble, they lecture Quill about how he needs to be a better father

THAT BEING SAID

He won’t let you get away with anything that was your fault

Like, for example, striking first

Doesn’t tolerate that shit

Just as much as he doesn’t tolerate you being an asshole to people without any reason

Or a brat to other people. AT ALL.

SUUUPER accepting!

You’re part of the LGBTQ+ community? Asks why you felt the need to tell him, when he’s already very open to the fact that you might be part of the community. Honestly, just bring the living being that you have a crush on home, and he’ll figure it out pretty quick.

Literally treats it as if it’s normal

If any of your so-called “friends” disrespect him, he won’t hesitate to tell them to shut the fuck up and get out of his house if you’re going to be an asshole.

… There’ll be one of your friends that are trying to marry him somehow

He treats it as a joke

Manz literally laughs about it

…

Quill would be your ultimate hypeman and let you do basically anything you wanted to, as long as it didn’t involve lawsuits of any kind

Best dad ever I swear

Likes to make memories with you he knows will last, for you to tell your children of the future (if you decide to adopt, or have kids in the first place, that is)

Very up-to-date on all of the slang of the kids these days and how they act, so he literally fits perfectly into your friend group

When he gets the compliments of “You’re doing well raising that kid all by yourself,” He blinks a few times- which is hidden underneath his glasses- before replying that “That almost sounds like you’re implying I need a partner to help me.”

If the person doesn’t backtrack and apologise (aka, If they’re a Karen) and instead choose to confirm that he needs a wife to help him as it is what is expected of him, he’ll take his glasses off and stare them right into their eyes, say that “It’s bold of you to assume I like female- anyone at all, for that matter.”

If they’re homophobic?

It’s a “Oh my- Go stand in the fucking corner and do some serious self-reflecting. ‘Cause you? You are an asshole that needs to get a brainscan.”

And then he leaves.

Just… leaves.

But overall?

10000/10 father.

Come to him with all of your problems

Talk to him about anything

He doesn’t mind.

[coffeexdreamcb]

❝ Baker, coffee enthusiast, lover of bunnies and kitties ❞

29

[1995.09.22] Seoul, South Korea

[ Personality ]: Sweet, bubbly, super soft, Nayeon is popular amongst customers because she's always smiling and she remembers everyone's orders. She doesn't lose her temper no matter the problem as she's very calm and gentle. Nayeon doesn't like violence or aggression, choosing to talk about her problems and finding a peaceful resolution. She has a caregiving nature and can be pretty funny - or cringe. She never knows as some people think her sense of humour is weird but she likes it.

[ Background ]: Nayeon is the youngest of three children, she has an older brother and sister who she has a close relationship with, her mother passed away when she was young and her father worked hard to raise them. She studied her hardest in school but she was never top of the class but she did well enough to pass. She started working part time at a cafe near her home during school holidays and when she left school, she went full time until she figured out she would love to start her own business. She studies business part time and manages the cafe as well.

For information about the cafe, click here.

[ Physical Appearance ]: 163cm, small build. Nayeon only has the single lobe piercings in each ear. She has soft, chubby cheeks which give her a likeness to a bunny and often likes to change her hair colour. She considers herself to be 'plain' as she tries her best not to stand out too much.

[ Info ]: Loves listening to the rain and watching thunderstorms. She loves going to the botanical gardens every season to see the new gardens. Anything nature related is a plus for her. She reads a lot, she once tried to write a novel but it's never been published. Nayeon likes to fly kites if it's a nice day with a good breeze and swims at the local aquatic centre.

[ Unlocked ]

A scene from Nayeon's past where she tried to impress someone, successfully or not

Adopted Donggie and has trained him to be the perfect cafe kitty. People love to pat him and greet him in his cat tree at the front of the cafe.

Nayeon learned how to bake with her dad when she was little. The first thing she made was apple pie and every Autumn, she’ll bake them as a tradition.

Her dad loves her kimbap and she makes it for him every time she goes to visit.

More information will be added here as it is discovered

[ Important People ]: @livealittleoc-cb Grayson (🐉), @hleee (🕶️), @cafesongmingi (☕️)

Bisexual, strong fem lean. Soft dom with women, top. Submissive with men.

Poly.

[ Kinks ]: Vanilla (mostly), pegging, toys, oral (giving and receiving) and lingerie. Nayeon is willing to experiment with new kinks so don't hesitate to ask

Nayeon hasn't had a lot of experience with men, she's only ever had sex with two men. She feels more confident and comfortable with women but has only been in three relationships so while she can seem confident - she doesn't have a huge amount of experience sexually and is willing to explore new kinks

Nayeon loves romance and finds simple gestures mean so much to her and has never been one to think that gestures need to be expensive to mean something. Flowers, sending check in messages or even just spending time together can mean the world to Nayeon

Her love languages are words of Affirmation (receiving), Acts of Service (giving)

Nayeon is okay with casual sex or friends with benefits but isn't the type to engage in one night stands

[ Ideal Type ]: Someone who has a lovely smile and enjoys watching the rain. She wants someone who loves romance as much as she does or who will try and give her the love she knows she deserves. She does have a soft spot for the rough bad boys who have a soft spot 'only for her'.

[cryptid-killjoy]

Alaska had not been without it's benefits for many, not just for Elsa.

If Koda was a good teacher he got it from his mothers, also from the studio, from dealing with kids all the time, being put in charge of the small ones only. What he hadn't realized was this wasn't because his mothers' didn't trust him with the "real classes" - it was more about teaching him patience, creative on the spot thinking to problem solving because problems always arise in large groups of children, center of focus and remaining calm in chaos is an art all not all have the temperment for. They had faith he could handle it. It was more like they trusted him with the young students. He just wasn't around long enough to see it quite yet. Hopefully, he'd truly digest that soon and actually believe it.

Elsa's gestures were enough, a small touch to his back when Mushu disappeared, nothing overly coddling, and she kept stepping right back at his side when finished speaking to the onslaught of different faces he hadn't seen in far too long. It reminded him there was something strong in his life right then when everything felt so brittle.

Elsa told him he didn't need luck. Something about this moment reminded him of the time he didn't really want to make a speech at Chip's fundraiser for the encampment lost in the fire he'd never even lived in. Koda would have done anything for them despite seriously not wanting to stand up there and give some speech. This was definitely like that. He did not want to go up there and give a memorial speech about not one, but two mothers. Some things you just... stand up and you do it anyway.

"Thanks." He semi-smiled at her, his first of the sort that night.

He stood there. He looked out at everyone. He took a deep breath. He glanced over at he burial site. He looked at the spot Mushu once stood. The grass was still pushed down where his tiny foot pressed the green blades. He looked up where he'd seen the hawk. There was no hawk now, but what he did see was an eagle. It caught his breath. He hadn't seen Sitka in awhile. People in the crowd started pointing along with a few hushed whispers where the name could be heard.

This presense gave Koda the motivation to open his voice. He finally got started.

"To set free not one but two souls that had such a huge impact on my life is such task. I would want them to know if there was any lack, regrets, or moments in this life either of them ever thought they didn't live up to their best selves, if they might have ever wondered if only I chose a different path would it have been the better road.... whether for themselves or for their son...." He shook his head, "I'd relief them of it. I relief them of it. To live and learn is what we're here for and they both fought hard, fought honorably, and earned their flight to freedom. Their souls feel of burden. They owe no one anything and gave me the best life they could.

"They were warriors. Literally and figuratively. They fought gender, marriage, military, immigration, human-witchcraft-supernatural-coven blended norms in less than welcoming eras, not to mention being true veterans of war who rose up as women of business trying to bring cultural appreciation to our surrounding communities. Nothing gatekept just shared for education. They were powerful in every way I can come up with describing. They would have fought for every single one of you... till the end... just like they did Nola.

"But most importantly of all... they were my moms. Just Mom and Mother."

He looked over at the elder that called Xi beautful. Then he looked over at Denahi. He was thinking about him calling him Kenai's son. Sure, but he was young. Those memories were so vague and blurry to Koda as much as he loved his father.

"I was raised by Mother Xi, a single mom for years in coven. I am my mother's son." He needed it to be said for some reason. A single mother's bond with their son was something people just don't always understand. "I was suspicious when Mamma Mulan came along, but eventually I realized she was the best thing that ever happened to us. Those are my moms and I'm going to miss them... but I set them free. I set them free. May they live on free from all this. Just free."

He made his way back to Elsa. It felt like things were going to wrap then. "I thought I might just tell them they always made holidays fun, but then all that came out. I know it's not possible because I was talking, but it feels like I was holding my breath the whole time. Glad it's over."

Elsa was not the best at emotions. Everyone knew this. But she could recognize them in others, and the sadness that was on Denahi’s face was heart-breaking. It was a lot like the one that had been on Koda’s when she froze his mothers in ice initially a long time before.

“You are very welcome,” She nodded. That had been one of the benefits of her time up north, at the research center. She might just had been a housekeeper of sorts, but she had access to the labs. She conducted her own research while the laboratory was empty. She may not know what it was inside of her body that made her able to do these things, but she could learn more about the symptoms.

She could control the ice to follow, sliding along as if it was on ice itself, smoothly over the grass and the dirt. It was like taking them on their last walk under the moonlight.

Once they were at the destination, once they were among the crowds of people, Elsa looked up towards Koda. Only once he had given her the look, the okay, would the ice start to turn into water, soaking into the soil around the bodies, the underside going last so that they descended slowly onto the ground rather than just falling. It was up to the natural elements now. The bodies were now in a state where decay could continue, only a touch of it happening before they were frozen.

A feeling at her leg made her look down and sigh under her breath. Out of respect, she didn’t shoot ice towards the small dragon. It was the family guardian, of course she wasn’t crazy to do something like that. But she did appreciate how Denahi had been able to tell him off with just a single hiss. That was a skill.

She went where Koda wanted her to go. If he walked forward to talk to people, she took a step back because this was not about her. She didn’t want to be the center of attention - she never really wanted to be the center of attention. But if he stepped back beside her, then she would be close, their arms touching, her gaze on him, supportive, all throughout. It didn’t go over her head how important this all was, and how far he had opened the door to knowing him when he had invited her to be here. She had closed many doors that had opened like that. Some she regretted. Most she had not. But she wasn’t closing this one.

She’d lean in and listen. Koda was a good teacher, even if he didn’t think so. The way that everything seemed to have more significance, more life when he told it. The dance to set the souls free - that seemed - interesting. Coming from a place where once someone dies, they just go straight to the netherworld, it was eye-opening. It was new. This was all new. “Emotional debt,” She repeated, those words bouncing around in her brain. They seemed noteworthy.

When she heard his breath shudder after talking about Mushu, she rested her hand on the small of his back. A small form of comfort just for them, no one else had to see.

Her head, too, was drawn up by the sound of the hawk’s call, the wings flying against the sky. The symbolism wasn’t entirely lost on her, even if she hadn’t seen the hawk form of Koda’s mother. But regardless, the corners of her lips went up ever so subtly, more on the relief side than the grief.

She looked back to her man, or at least, the man that felt like he was her man though they had never fully initiated a title, just as Denahi was walking over. This moment felt heavy before his mouth even opened. Her own lips sealed shut, not making a sound during this pivotal moment. That apology - it felt huge. Something like that, that pride, is hard to apologize for and yet Denahi had done a good job. Though, the only thing that mattered was what Koda had thought of it. If he would accept it. Her hand remained on his back.

And accept it, he did. Without pomp, without gloating, just accepted the totem and put it around his neck. The air changed. The earth changed. Something changed with just that gesture. It was enough to be felt, enough to be cheered for.

She listened to all of the translations, attaching importance to different actions that she was seeing, songs that she was hearing. But she stayed quiet herself, not taking part, but also not shunning it, feeling like a scientist watching something grow in a petri dish.

But that didn’t mean that everything was fixed, that everything was settled. Koda’s next words were rough - not because he said them but because it was true. No one was speaking up with memories. The part of her that was feminist, that knew Mulan and Xi, started to feel a bubble of irritation in her stomach at what was said. A beautiful bride. A comment on appearance and then her worth as a wife. Her icy eyes looked out over everyone that had come, not glaring, but not quite as warm either.

Even she had things that she could say.

And then she looked back to Koda. Was she anticipating that he was going to go say something? Of course. Did she think that he should? Absolutely. She squeezed his hand back in return, running her fingers over the back of his large hand. “You don’t need luck,” She whispered back.

[virginiaisforhaters]

its april so its time to share my autism speaks story. for a few years i worked at a therapeutic recreation center for IDD participants in the summer. it was sort of like camp combined with summer school, and we worked with elementary aged kids with very impactful intellectual and developmental disabilities. every year during orientation, we’d have speakers come and give presentations on disabilities, care, behavioral management, self defense, just sort of whatever might come up. it was a governmental organization, NOT one organized or funded by autism speaks (we also did NOT have ABA on site, i wouldnt work there if we did). it was an exhausting job, understaffed and only well paid because no one would work it otherwise. we had to keep up with an ever changing landscape of terms and names and words we no longer could use, which obviously we should try our best to accommodate except it was under threat of immediate termination if a parent heard us say the wrong thing. i was bitten a few times, and a participant dislocated my arm one summer (please support funding and ballot initiatives for disability organizations, WE NEED IT) but for the most part, it was fine. the participants werent THE problem, im not going to sit here and blame a non-verbal autistic child for biting because they were not being properly understood. but the PARENTS. the parents. look im like, obviously somewhere on the spectrum, and i know having worked with IDD kids for so long how difficult home life can be, especially in low income or single parent houses. not all the parents were Autism Moms, but the ones that were were very pro-autism speaks “we need to cure the children vaccines are the devil” Autism Parents, and we had one of these for one of our orientation presentations the last year i worked there. this father was the reason i left the organization. after his presentation, which consistently stated that vaccines cause autism and featured data and info exclusively from autism speaks, a worker raised his hand. this young adult asked “isnt it true that rates of autism likely havent increased, but rather it is more diagnosed now because medicine has advanced to the point where its easier to recognize” or something along those lines. a professional, genuine question. the parent lost it, and i mean screaming swearing stomping off LOST IT. after they left, the person who asked the question was immediately fired due to pressure from the parent. we lost a good, caring worker, and on top of that the money that paid for that presentation could have been better utilized for one of the many things we desperately needed. i stayed for the summer, my last summer, because i needed the money and leaving would only make things harder for the other staff since i wouldnt be replaced. but i also started really thoroughly digging into autism speaks and why the fuck they made everything so much harder for everyone involved. i mean, i knew the basics, but i was shocked to discover how much money autism speaks was hoarding, or wasting on useless medical research to “cure” autism. on therapies that torture children. i stood around every day, looking at all the problems that money could solve, not only for our organization but for every organization in the country that genuinely respects and wants to assist and enrich the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. and it disgusted me, and i knew that the organization would never uncouple from autism speaks because it was the parents who were involved in and pushing autism speaks on the center. so i left. sincerely, deeply, from the bottom of my heart, fuck autism speaks.  

[eldritch-spouse]

Warning ⚠️: lots of Angst .themes of rape and abuse This ask gets heavy.

Please be careful with reading this!!

I got question about Lust Demons, Are they like Cuckoo birds? Like they try leave their young with overly affectionate species like humans and then leave. Like the young demons feed off of affection. While their young they can still influence their targets but can't controlto well do to their age . The young demons can cause humans to become super protective of them and make human neglect their own offspring. That why so many lust demons have are adamant on getting with humans. But just because they have a better understanding on humans then most other monsters doesn't mean they have easier time. Adults lust demons are seen as predatory sex beast and dead beats. That humans will often times avoid an ostracize them out of communities. Making the adults more aggressive with their flirting and more likely to commit rape.

With all this problems with the adults, the younger demons are even more looked down upon. Often having human guardians avoid their demon children and shunning them. Which in turn causes the young demons to become more aggressive because they crave the paternal affection of their guardians. Which in turn also causes younger demons to become depressed and hate themselves.

Is that why Santi feels so connected with Grimbly, he sees a younger abused monster with paternal issues that he to has faced.

😓 gee , that was dark sorry about that... umm if this ask makes you uncomfortable please ignore for you own mental health.

On a lighter note ,I also have a funny brain dump . When Grimbly is watching porn, he gets a pop-up add about local dilfs/milfs in his area that want to fuck him. And he sits all smug like. "See I knew that Dilf/Milf wanted to fuck me. 😍

[Grimbly very confused as to why all the local milfs/dilfs that wanted to milk him dry suddenly vanished when he got an ad blocker.]

TW: Mentions of suicide in one section, all prior warnings apply here as well. I get descriptive.

This one will get long folks!

Lust demons... Don't make for the best parents, no. Unless they're part of demon royalty. See, most concubi seek to hook up with demons of other casts rather than their own, and children is not really something the vast majority of them wish for. Sure, their breeding fetish may make them howl to get creamed/stuff someone, but we all know there's nothing remotely similar to consideration for possible pregnancy risks in their head when they're in the throes of lust.

Like I once said, lust demons have a natural, instinctual aversion to children that stems from a child's aura being too pure/radiant, thus making lustful ones extremely uncomfortable to be around one. Even if their child is a concubus, they'll still have to do a lot of mental work not to feel deep, hardwired discomfort around their own offspring. A lot of lust demons simply cannot overcome their base nature, and thus leave behind what would otherwise be a perfectly functional family. It is not uncommon to see another type of demon, non-demon monster or even human raising a concubus on their own. And, in fact, there's even some societal stigma towards those single parents, who are accused of being weak-willed and perverted for letting a concubus impregnate them without any forethought.

Lust demon children are thus often abandoned, left on their own to form groups and fend for themselves on the streets of frankly not very friendly environments. They often have to grow up too fast, enduring things that no normal younglings should. This was the case with Santi. Santi comes from a particularly poor succubus who chose to let go of her offspring rather than actually put in the work and better herself, face the consequences of her recklessness. His father is unknown. Not that the incubus knows any of this, Noph'ae does not genuinely remember either of his parents. In fact, a lot of his childhood is a blurred mess in his head. Remembering what he had to do to live another day would break this man. Santi does not want to be approached about this in any way, and will react negatively when someone mentions childhood trauma of any kind to him. He lives in the present, the past is nothing but an ugly stain in his life that Santi desperately wishes to scrub off the face of the Earth.

He did everything in his power to become his own person, sustain himself, help the friends that had been there for him through tough times. Santi had to be stronger, faster, so much more powerful than the nefarious people in his life. He worked to make sure that he was as impenetrable as a great monument, trying to grow as a person as well and not become the borderline sociopathic beasts he had seen some lustful demons turn into. It's safe to say the incubus is very proud of what he's achieved for himself. But the fact that he loathes going back to Hell and vehemently chooses to stay in the surface is enough proof that his self-control can and will falter, if he's shoved back into the same environments he was exposed to as a kid.

There's endless stigma in most societies regarding lustful demons, needless to say. They're seen as omens of bad luck at times, like sirens, heralds of personal tragedy. Home wreckers, perverts, child-neglecting monsters, icons of vulgarity and a stain on this universe. Naturally, stereotypes like these only ever end up perpetuating an already precarious situation, creating an increasingly negative feedback loop wherein concubi act out because society harms them and others take these explosive reactions as fuel to their fire, a justification for their rising hatred. Santi... Well, he lives with it. Fact of the matter is that most others are hypocrites, most others are selfish, and they will shut the fuck up about lustful demons being bad as soon as they have his fingers around their cock/inside their pussy. They're pathetic, and the incubus simply cannot take them seriously.

The reason Santi basically kidnaps Grimbly into being his strange quasi-son/friend lies vastly on two factors- Grimbly's appearance and past. You see, Grimbly and Santi share some physical similarities, mainly in terms of coloration and facial features, which gives them a silently-acknowledged kinship in the fact that there might have been demons of the same cast in both their families' histories.

Grimbly is the product of an affair between a male greed demon Icon and a simple female bat monster. And, well, how are you going to explain your illegitimate half-bat half-demon baby to the rest of your royal relatives? You can't. It would ruin his image, his entire family's honor. Of course Grimbly's dad was too greedy to let go of all that luxury. Grimbly's mother was threatened into either getting an abortion or sending the offspring far away, where he would never catch the eyes of other demonic monsters with influence. She chose the latter, and with endless grief in her heart, abandoned her own son at the doorsteps of an orphanage. Again, Grimbly is also not aware of any of this.

Grimbly lived his youth in much the same way Santi did, except the bat monster was not charming enough to make friends, and thus lived mostly on his own, roaming from place to place. Life was hard, he was understandably apathetic and weak, living through his days in a dull, dissociated blur, enduring whatever he had to just to make ends met. There came a point where Grimbly sincerely did not care if he lived or died. It would change nothing. If he were to throw himself off the ledge of a building to feel the wind on his face one last time or simply cease feeding until the hunger took him- If Grimbly were to simply sit on a sidewalk in a sunny day and let the sun scorch him alive, he doubted he'd shed a single tear.

It just so happened that, one day, the small bat monster crossed paths with Santi. They were both adults at this stage, and though Grimbly simply zombie-trudged his way past the incubus with glazed eyes, Santi was paralyzed staring at the other monster, a sea of emotions tearing at him. The incubus could tell, from just one glance, that the bat monster was exactly like his younger self, going through the same song and dance, alone. In an act that, to this day, Santi can't tell was born out of genuine charity or perhaps a desire to make amends with his own past, Santi follows Grimbly. He has to effectively give chase, because the small monster zooms out of sight almost perfectly. When the incubus finally corners Grimbly, it shatters his soul to see the smaller monster simply state that Santi could fuck him if he let him live, turning around and putting his hands on the wall- As if he had been through this before. The exact same pose Santi once had to take, the same dignity-shattering memories his brain worked so hard to erase yet never could.

The wave of abject horror, of nausea, sorrow, that coursed through the powerful incubus made him feel so broken and sick that he almost vomited on that alley.

Santi picked Grimbly up and brought him to his home, the two of them started living together from then on. Santi played a huge part in shaping Grimbly up to be the much brighter monster he is today, and Grimbly helps make Santi feel like an actual person, like he's not just some sex pest in a world that despises his kind deep down. The bond they share is symbiotic and stronger than the toughest diamond.