#she really would be a menace

[iratempestatis]

I made a post about Xiao having the potential to be a shitty father, but you know what- the opposite is just as likely.

Again, it's difficult to emphasise the potency of his paranoia. He, better than anyone, would know just how fast and how suddenly things can go wrong. He could never be cautious enough. He could never love enough.

Mortals emulate the love they've received. For Xiao, love is a distant but incredibly fond memory.

His formative years were spent slaving away for a cruel god- those events were just a deluge of misery. He was taught, in his youth, that love was nothing but a fleeting fog- that it is power that forms the stuff of sweet dreams. His childhood was a deluge of misery.

He'd at least know what not to do.

Sure, love found him in the form of his siblings- and you, of course- overwhelming adoration. But that's not the same as the love a parent has for their child, yes?

Xiao would need to fathom- on his own- what love would have to mean for him.

Xiao has no love to emulate from his childhood- and so he'd at least know what to avoid.

In his youth, his naivete was exploited- and so the child would never be punished for theirs. By the skies and the sands and the seas, he'd do anything, anything to keep them from feeling bad for knowing less, for being small. He'd listen intently to their mindless chatter, be an incredible attentive listener to the most puerile nonsense, acknowledge every complaint with the utmost gravitas.

Being made to forego his own instincts, forget his own intelligence and being forcibly morphed into a desperate bloodhound would be a most painful memory, and so the child would be given a startling amount of autonomy- within reason. Xiao does not have mortal parents, and an elder telling the baby “because I said so!” would make him froth at the mouth in a rage. He'd tell the tiny fucker every reason for every action if they asked. Sure, he can't really make it eloquent, but he can always try to at least answer.

“Why do I have to sleep at nine? I don't want to sleep at nine!”

“You have to sleep at nine because you have school tomorrow.”

“I won't go!”

“That's foolish.”

“Why.”

Every why would find a patient answer. Your baby would be the most articulate six year old on any playground pretty much anywhere. And also probably the most annoying.

Xiao would also never place any restraints on food- again, within reason. “You can't have candy for dinner because it's not good for your health, but if you want more chicken, that can be arranged.”

“We're out of chicken!” the child would howl and he'd tell them to say that again, politely, and when they acquiesced and quietly protested "but we're out of chicken!" he'd go off to buy and cook more.

The little runt gets caught stuffing food into their mouth at two in the night? He'd panic. Does he not feed the child enough? He's never been more ashamed of himself. He's a failure of a parent. You have to stop him from staring into space with an anguished expression and gently explain that kids- and well, adults too- just get hungry sometimes.

He'd sternly tell the tiny creature to wake him next time. Why? Because they're too small to use the stove on their own. Why? Because they're not old enough to have the motor skills to use it safely. Why? Because everyone needs to do some growing and get some practice before they can. Why? He really doesn't know. That's just how mortals are. He hopes that's a satisfactory answer.

The child's a picky eater? He'll try to convince them, but he'd never force them to eat something that really does disgust them. Even the thought of it is enough to spark echoes of the past, whispering voices that call for violence and stolen dreams. It makes him nauseous.

The child doesn't like boiled broccoli? That's fine. Would they prefer it cooked into cutlets? That's great. No boiled eggs? What do you have against boiled things, tiny creature? It feels gross? Fine. Would you prefer your eggs poached, on toast?

He discovers that's a messy thing to feed a child.

So much of his life has been spent in solitude. The cool sting of loneliness is an intimate friend, and so he'd let himself be summoned at a moment's notice. The child's bored? What would they prefer to do?

They have a tennis match? The thought of teeny tiny baby mortals swinging their minuscule arms at a ball flying all over the place nearly makes him smile. He bites it back on instinct, then sees the earnest expression on the ankle biter before him, and lets it escape. He'd never keep a smile from something so precious, so deserving of everything he can contrive and more, more, more.

Anyway, of course he shows up. Maybe not in the crowd with the other parents, but he watches regardless.

Xiao is strict about a curfew. It's one thing he'll never budge on, and it's the same for all his children, if for some reason you want more than one tiny creature running amok causing chaos, and expecting rationale from you before they acquiesce to your requests. He lives in terror of anything happening to the baby, and he's taken care to ensure his name always being on the tip of their tongue the moment they suspect danger.

He'd be so terrified of being a bad father that he'd end up being the very opposite.

(nuance in the reblogs thanks to @sizzles-z-4002 !! Thank you <3)

[boxheadpaint]

I just need to know is that Cackletta paired with Peach? If so, fascinating, I wish to know more - if not, I entirely understand the coincidence of two people standing next to each other in a dynamic does not equate to them being A Pairing

yeas

Reasoning: funny

[moeblob]

Kara and Nines In their own colors but the other's style.

[doodlingwren]

"I depend on you..." "Do I or do you?"

My take on the "I depend on you" art trend from Twitter✨ Every now and then I want to draw something with bright colors... and blood

[slayerdurge]

"Crawling back from her bloody disgrace - it's my favorite assassin. Gods, you're a sight for sore eyes."

[king-spite]

so it seems the poppy war has become my absolute favorite series so ofc i'm losing my mind comparing every scene with my other favorite series (red queen) and making an unfathomable amount of headcanons

[brionysea]

if stranger things 5 comes out and they're like 'omg! the upside down has been a product of someone's dark and twisted mind this whole time! it's... WILL!' I'll immediately lose interest

[xxplastic-cubexx]

dumbass supreme says 'yeah ill play a quick game of rivals before lunch why not' and gets mvp more at 1

[willowbirds]

I think one of my favourite things about Laudna’s character in these recent episodes is the question of how much of Laudna is Laudna and how much is Delilah.

Laudna wanted the fire shard, but she confessed that she wasn’t sure if that was really her wanting it or if it was Delilah’s influence. So with this recent episode, was that actually Laudna who wanted the Willmaster’s power? Was it actually Laudna who called Orym ‘The Halfling’?

Laudna wants the power to protect her friends and Delilah is right there, willingly giving it to her. Why shouldn’t she take it?

With who Laudna is it’s completely understandable why she thinks that way, but this leads to Delilah having more control over Laudna, making it harder for the two to separate.

Laudna went back to being herself after the Willmaster turned to ash, but still in the back of her mind, Delilah is there. Waiting for Laudna to feed her another soul.

[limblesstar]

had to crop but... what if... being a warg/skinchanger also made u a little monstrous.

[moeblob]

Yeah! I haven't read any fics focusing on them but I have seen that they exist! And also there's like a five sentence interaction in a fic I read ages ago that lives rent free in my brain. I think about it all the time when I draw Sixty.

[noxtel]

do we remember the "i was today years old when"?

cause uh

i was today years old when i discovered that my cat likes being rolled around while sitting on a suitcase as if it is a limo and i am driving it

the sheep is strange

[wickedhawtwexler]

yeah it's important to create a character who's flawed but likeable, realistic, interesting, dynamic, etc. but the most important part of creating a character is asking yourself: will the people of www.tumblr.com go insane about them?

[dreamsy990]

i drew silly gijinkas of my dogs

the dogs in question

[inkling-talks]

Just finished replaying chapter 2 of Deltarune and I forgot it ended Like That

[aromantic-ghost-menace]

Soo... I've thought who would end up being in the role of Gaston in that beauty and the Beast AU idea I had for slay the Princess... and while I was strongly tempted to either ignore it, just make that one Oppy or Cold or have that be fused together with the father role the Narrator plays... I think the funniest take would be if this was something like twin brother of Quiet who happened to be named Gary.

And who also happens only be able to say "Gary", but with different inflections.

Everyone expect the Princesses is able to understand what Gary is trying to say perfectly.

Gary as Gaston here, because he would be willing to Slay the Princess "Beast" here, while Quiet just isn't.

(You can blame me having found out about the origin of the Gary thing today AND me combining that with the Gary clones from fallout in my head there.)