#screw parents

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

we need more hero/arch-nemesis duos whose backstory is being bitterly, bitterly divorced

[the-barefoot-hatter]

pediatricians are hard to find.

you aren't broken and other important things a triangle needs to hear

[azuzulira]

So, reveal gone right. Maddie and Jack are nothing but supportive of Danny. Of course they feel guilty, for their bigotry, attacking their son, never even noticing the accident. It's Jasmine that proposes a family bonding activity, to spend time together and work through the years of issues that they can only now address.

The activity in question? Family Road Trip & Field Study! That's right; what better way for a family of scientists to bond than correcting literal decades of bad science? Which is how the Fenton family, alongside Sam and Tucker at Danny's request, wound up in Gotham, hoping to interview one of the strongest Genii Loccorum in America.

Of course, there's more than a few ectoplasmic encounters waiting for them in Gotham. Everything from an angry Revenant, to a baby liminal that Danny just knows is related to the guy who's been bathing in dirty ecto for like centuries, to a horde of restless spirits following some clown like a permanent thunderstorm.

[grogumaximus]

[starry-bi-sky]

Who is the more well-adjusted twin; Damian, or Danyal? Why, it's Damian, of course!

And I have an explanation for this! But first I wanna preface this that this is just me like, rambling about this thought I have and it's not an attack on the trope as a whole. I love the Danyal Al Ghul au which is why i'm so deeply passionate about it, because I think it has a lot of potential to be explored. It's no secret that I've mentioned before that I think Danny's psychological development tends to get overlooked and underutilized in DAG aus, and the impact that growing up in an assassin league often goes ignored. This is just me further expanding on that.

Now lets set the stage! This is specifically for Danny who is adopted by the Fentons later down in life. Lets go twin au. At 10 years old, Damian goes to the Wayne Family, Danny is adopted by the Fentons (regardless of their affiliation with the League). By 14 years old, who ends up the better adjusted, more socially aware, spiritually in-tune with themselves, sibling? Why, Damian is! Why is that?

Because he has the actual support he needs compared to Danny. And I'm not talking about good or bad parents Fentons, because either way my opinion doesn't change. Damian would end up the better off twin, because, frankly, his family knows his background. They know he grew up in the League, they know what the League's teachings are, and they know he's a born and raised assassin. Knowing this, they can then help tackle and dismantle the teachings and lessons he has been given and ingrained into by the League. They may be a dysfunctional family, but they're functional enough to at least actively help deprogram all of the League's teachings that have been ingrained in Damian throughout his childhood.

Can't say the same for Danny.

Lets say Fentons here don't know his background -- and even if they do, the results may just stay the same if they play their cards wrong, -- Danny's now just been thrown into the deep end of a pool and is essentially being told sink or swim. Regardless of how he got there -- undercover, faked death, etc -- he has no proper support. He knows the League is meant to be secret, he's not gonna speak on it for various reasons. Whether it be some still lingering loyalty, fear of harm, or whatever. Whatever the reason is, he does not have a proper support system in the Fentons, no matter how nice they are. They can only tackle the surface level stuff and whatever Danny allows them to see -- if Danny ever lets them see it at all. For what do assassins do when they don't want to be caught? They hide. Sometimes in plain sight.

"But Jazz--" Jazz is a child. She is 2 years older than Danyal and no better at giving him a proper support system than the two adult Fenton parents, even with parentification. We don't know when she got into psychology or how long she'd been studying it by the time Danny's 14. We just know she's really into it. Even then, Jazz is not a licensed or reliable therapist, or even an experienced or implied good therapist, and should not be used as one either. It's a disservice to her character to reduce her down to 'supporting female emotional crutch'. Besides, therapy only works on people who want to get better. Danny, who'd be hiding who he really is, has very little incentive to want to, or to even think something is wrong with his way of thinking, even with exposure to the outside world.

When people's beliefs are outright challenged, they tend to double down on them, and Jazz canonically has a habit of psychoanalyzing her family and declaring what she thinks is the problem -- regardless of whether or not she's right about it. Jazz would get into psychology, try and psychoanalyze Danny, and all it would do is cause him to clam up, shut into himself further, and throw up even more walls so that she can't figure out that he has been lying this whole time. It would do more harm than good, and would actively hinder any progress he'd make in trying to open up to them. Roads and good intentions and all that.

That being said, I think Danny's development and dismantling of the League's teachings would be slower than Damian's. Much slower. Because he would be the one having to pick apart everything and figure out what is right, what is wrong, what he wants to keep, and what he wants to toss. Everything he unlearns would be stuff he has to unlearn himself. If he even gets to that point at all -- depending on his experiences, he very well could not change at all, or change very little. The League acts as a purge for humanity, meant to reign in their hubris and retain balance, they just also happen to be assassins for hire. Danny's time spent in Amity Park could as well strengthen his belief in their teachings just as much as it could weaken it, especially if it goes as canon and he gets bullied.

Regardless, being tossed to a civilian family as someone who is very much not a civilian, without any support, would be actively detrimental to Danny's overall mental health and development. Especially to strangers like the Fentons. Damian was closed off and standoffish even with blood family, and it took him time to open up to them -- Danny, with the Fentons, would be even more so. He doesn't know them, he doesn't trust them, he has no rhyme or reason to open up to them, and since the Fentons don't actually know him, they can't help him the way he needs. Once "Danny Fenton" is made, he has even less reason to open up. So long as Danyal allows it, they will only ever know Danny, and they'll never know Danyal.

TL:DR the Fentons aren't the better family option just because they're civilians, and actually that makes them the worser option between the two because they can't give Danny the proper support he needs. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.

[minty364]

DPXDC Prompt #114

Danny had awful parents that didn’t care about him at all, little did he know he wasn’t even biology their son. When he gets into a fight with Vlad and Desiree everything changes when Vlad wishes Danny wasn’t Jacks son. Desiree tries to grant the wish but then grins maliciously when both Danny and Vlad look at each other confused. Danny who wanted to get a leg up on Vlad makes a wish,

“I wish my biological parents were here!”

At this point summon anyone from DC, I’d do Bruce and Talia again just because I like torturing Bruce with hidden child Danny. Talia totally hide Damian’s baby brother from him and Damian is going to be livid when he finds out. Whoops Danny was a ghost when he meets his birth parents.

[somereaderinblue]

In your Odysseus of Troy au what's the relationship between Telemachus and Paris.

Does Telemachus like him or he hates him for making his dad sad?

And does Paris really want Telemachus to be his son or does he just see him as a tool to make Troy stronger?

Unserious answer:

Paris: Your atta will love me, right? He was literally given to me to love me.

Telemachus, booping his nose: Bah!

Paris: I'll take that as a yes.

Serious answer:

Paris' first son was Corythus. How old was he when Paris left him & Oenone? As old as Telemachus was when taken from Ithaca and his mother's arms? Was he big enough to take his first steps but small enough for Paris to carry on his back while he herded sheep?

One thing's for sure: Corythus is more likely to know Paris' back than his face. And that's arguably more painful than a child not knowing what their father looks like, period.

Paris insists that Telemachus is his son. He is besotted with the babe, fawns and dotes on him, spoils him with the luxuries and riches Paris himself never got to enjoy in his childhood.

But at his core, Paris views Telemachus as a second chance; a do-over at best & a replacement at worst. If he can be a good father to this boy, who is not his blood, surely it means something, it means he's not a horrible person, not a complete failure, it means he can atone somewhat-

Still, anyone can sire a child, but it takes a man to be a father. And Paris, as many were wont to remind him, was no man.

Telemachus Pasipheros wasn't living up to his name as his wailing continued. He's been fussy for days and fitful for nights, irritable when not clingy and the fact that Paris was the one who reacted fast enough to grab the boy before Odysseus could spoke volumes of the Ithacan's exhaustion.

The prince struggled to keep a squirming Pasipheros on his lap as the boy howled and howled like a little wolf into his ears so loudly, Paris wouldn't be surprised if his earrings were caked in blood after this. Offered toys were smacked or tossed aside, words of comfort drowned under the child's woes and more and more stares were drawn towards the eye of the storm Paris was suffocating in.

"Hush, hush....." Paris murmured, awkwardly bouncing the fussy toddler.

"NO! NOOOOOOO!" Pasipheros roared with the raw ferocity of a wronged child. "NO! NO! NO!"

"Don't shout." it was almost as horrible as the eyes picking him apart with vulture-like precision. "Don't-"

Pasipheros' hand smacks him in the eye as his tantrum reaches a volume loud enough to make Hector visibly cringe.

"CORY, PLEASE!" Paris snapped.

Silence, at last.

But it was far from a reprieve.

Paris opened his misty eyes (when had they closed?) and the sight of Hector's furrowed brows and pinched lip, Andromache's tense shoulders and Odysseus' penetrating gaze, that damn eye the silver of arrowheads rather than coins, almost made him wish Pasipheros' hand had simply gouged both his eyeballs out to spare him this.

Pasipheros' lips quivered, fat tears spilling past chubby cheeks as he cried, softer than his previous sounds, and all the more damning for it.

"It's his nap time." Odysseus said and his son is in Charis' arms before he even finishes talking. "If you'll excuse us."

"Of course." Andromache waved them away while Hector continued to look at Paris with eyes too pitiful to be a glare but too tense to be anything resembling comfort.

Paris also leaves, but does not follow Odysseus. That night, he finds another wooden sheep on his pillow. He adds the figurine to his growing flock.

Odysseus and Pasipheros spend the next day in the nursery. Paris doesn't visit them. He sits in the courtyard alone, and the silence is still no less damning than before.

[beggars-opera]

My very well meaning but clueless mother just pointed to her AARP magazine and said "I know you've said you have problems writing cover letters; this article suggests using something called ChatGPT. Would that help?" and now I'm going to set something on fire

[bitcrunched]

happy zuka day

[stubz]

Tuk didn't like this. She didn't like having to carry the tank and mask, didn't like being on the ship, and certainly didn't like this coal-ition.

But they could help Mom and Dad get rid of the RDA and they were healing Neteyam so she was trying not to whine. Well not too much.

It made her feel a little better that Loak and Kiri didn't like this place either. Spider was still deciding.

Right now they on a tour of the ship, their guide looked like a fluffy Prolemuris, or as Dad called them, a monkey. It was boring.

Only the others found it cool and that's cause Spider can breathe and all the new creatures they saw and the science thingy's.

So when Tuk heard the sound of kids laughing around the corner she followed it.

Down a large hallway she saw a giant door with a huge sign that said something care something. She wasn't really paying attention when Dad and uncle Norm tried teaching her how to read.

Looking back and seeing that the others were too busy to stop her she walked in.

Inside was a giant room filled with kids, tables, stuff, more stuff and toys.

"Hi, are you new here?" she looked down and saw another creature that looked like their guide, a tiny fluffy monkey thing.

"Uhh yeah. What is this place?"

"This is the youngling centre. It's where we stay until our parents can take us home. I'm Marl."

"Tuk."

"...what are you?"

"Huh?"

"What are you? I've never seen anyone so tall, or blue."

"Uh a Na'vi. ..what are you?"

"I'm a Ursa." for a moment they stared at each other. As most children do when seeing something/someone new.

"Put your foot in for freeze tag!"

"Ooo freeze tag! Come on lets go play!"

"What's freeze tag?"

"It's a new game we just learned. Its easy." The little Ursa grabbed Tuk's tail using it as a leash to pull her along.

.

Freeze tag was Tuk's new favorite game. She loved running and there was lots of running and even if she got caught she could get out if someone unfreezed her.

The books were also fun. Marl read to her and let her hold the book. She liked the one's by Robert Munch, she also liked his funny name.

There were lots of other things to do too. There was a climbing area with fake tree tops and lots of ropes to swing on. In the back there was a shallow pool to swim in, it was fun but she didn't like having to dry off with the scratchy towels.

There were was blocks that stuck together which made building easier. Tons of markers, crayons, and paint that was hard to get back at home. They even got lunch.

"Okay kids you know the rules, grab a plate a drink and find a spot to sit."

"Teacher Max we need a chair for Tuk!"

"One chair coming right up...wait who?"

"Tuk. She's new."

It was at this moment Tuk realized she hadn't noticed the two adults in charge here. And it was at this moment that said adults realized they had one more child than usual.

"Oh hey, nice to meet you. Tuk was it," she nodded. "I'm Max and that's Kim. We're the teachers here."

Of all the new creatures and beings Tuk's seen so far it was only now that she was nervous. Humans had that effect on her. Not all humans, Spider definitely never made her nervous, but new ones did.

She knew her Dad used to be one, loved and liked uncle Norm and all the human scientists her family knew. But ever since what happened to Neteyam and their home, both the old one and new one, she was a little nervous.

"Do you like it here so far?" Luckily for her Max had noticed her nerves and knelt down to give her the advantage of height and to look her in the eyes.

She nodded.

"Well that's good. What do you like so far?"

"...the games...and drawing stuff and the food, it's good." he laughed.

"Well thank you, it's a family recipe. And I'm sure Kim will be happy to hear that you like the games she's taught the kids."

With that he gave her a chair and left her to finish her meal with Marl.

..

"Hi Tuk, I'm Kim."

"...hi."

"I noticed that your really tall. How old are you? 20?"

"No? I'm only 7." she smiled.

"What?? No way. You're almost as tall as me!"

"Actually Teacher, I think she's taller than you."

"No!"

"Tuk Tuk, stand up! Let's see!"

She got up and true enough she was taller than the adult by 2 inches.

"Holy...I didn't actually think you'd be taller than me." Kim had seen tall kids before but never had she met a kid taller than her this young.

The children laughed cheering that finally someone was taller than their shortest teacher. Tuk couldn't help but join in, standing on her tippy toes to make her even taller.

"Okay, okay that's enough. Calm down. Now, Tuk, since your so tall do you think you could help me with something?" Tuk hesitated but nodded.

Kim lead her to a tall bookshelf that had a doll stuck ontop of it.

"This has been stuck there for the whole day and we can't get it since the bookshelf can't be climbed and the ladder is broken. So what I'm thinking is you get on my shoulders and grab it. Sound good?"

"I get on your shoulders?"

"You don't have to if your scared of heights, I can ask one of the other kids or just wait."

"I'm not scared of heights," she pouted. "I just don't think you can carry me. I'm big and your small."

"Oh really?" and before Tuk could say anything she was tossed over Kim's shoulder.

"Still think I'm too small!" the blue child shrieked with laughter until she was put down and together the two got the doll down.

...

"What do you think the emergency is about?"

"Maybe Smelv burnt dinner again."

"Nah I don't think so. Captain look a little too tense for a simple fire alarm."

"So I called all of you here because we have a missing child. She was last seen on a tour of the ship with her siblings. Her name is Tuk and she is a Na'vi; tall, tail, blue, bi-pedal." he brings up a hologram of her from the security footage.

"...JAMES CAMERON WAS RIGHT?!"

"...shit I knew we weren't expecting another kid."

....

"Dad! Dad! Can I go to school here?"

"Your grounded. As are all of you." he added looking at his older kids. Plus Spider.

"Aww, Kim, Max, can I go to school here?"

"...uh Tuk, I think that's a question for another day..." preferably when your mom isn't about to bite my head off thought Kim.

"Yeah definitely. Definitely not the best time right now." Max was sweating bullets trying not make eye-contact with the Captain who was very not subtlety growling at him.

'We fucked up.' they both thought.

[varilien]

chewing gnawing this guy if i'm being so fr rn

Palestine: Funds | Action | eSims | Info Sudan Resources | Congo Resource

[neo-zone]

TITLE DROP

[all-pacas]

CHASE: Stop it. Your daughter deserves better than this. …You want to get some candy?

(the c-word)

[blackjackkent]

[delawaredetroit]

Is this their standard greeting?

[articwolfclawartist]

For anyone who followed me for things unrelated to Ben 10 and may know nothing of the show: I deeply need you to be made aware of the existence of this joke