#whether its adopted or biological

[yoshua]

(shaking like a rabid chihuahua) I am going to Explode can we please talk about the fact that bruce is damian's father, but grayson is his Dad. like, thats his dad. damian is his kid. no im not accepting criticism at this time 🤍

[the-sparkling-diamond-satine]

Being adopted is so fucking weird. You find out about the niece you'll never hold being born and the date being set for wedding you'll never be invited to through social media

[harunayuuka2060]

*Sebek and a few Diasomnia students assigned to guard MC are watching Azul, alert and on edge.*

Azul: *contemplates whether it was a mistake to come to Diasomnia alone*

MC: ...

MC: Are you here to submit and agree to my terms?

Azul: ...

Azul: What is it that you want?

MC: It's not anything complicated.

Azul: *smiles skeptically*

MC: Oh, but it would undoubtedly be tedious.

Azul: Huh?

MC: What I need is for you to revise the remaining contracts that are still in your possession.

Azul: ...Wait. You're not going to ask me to terminate the contracts?

MC: Would you be willing to do that if I asked you?

Azul: ...

MC: Once you're finished, please provide me with a sample. If I find it reasonable, I will return the photo.

Azul: *smirks* How can you be certain that I won't attempt to deceive you by presenting a perfect contract?

MC: The reason you were able to take advantage of the students is that you never compromise on the quality of service you provide.

Azul: ...

Azul: I'm delighted I gave that impression.

MC: *smiles* Nonetheless, that doesn't justify your greed.

Azul: ...

Malleus: I'm pleased you agreed to stay for lunch, Ashengrotto.

Azul: *tries to mask the awkwardness with a smile* I had no reason to turn down a sincere invitation.

Malleus: *smiles* Of course.

Azul: ...

Azul: (I should've left while I still had time...)

Malleus: Dear, pass me your plate, and I'll remove the bones from the fish for you.

MC: Oh, it’s okay, Dada. I can handle it.

Azul: (Dada?)

Lilia: Dear, would you like some frog soup?

MC: ...

Sebek: THAT LOOKS DELICIOUS, LILIA-SAMA!

Silver: *mutters* Me when I lie.

Malleus: Lilia, get that abominable thing away from my child.

Azul: (Child?!) *stares at MC with wide-eyed expression*

Azul: ...

Azul: Excuse me, Malleus-senpai? If you don't mind me asking...

Azul: Have you adopted MC?

Malleus: *smirks* Adopted? No.

Malleus: They're my biological child.

Azul: HUH?!!

Floyd: Haha! See? I told you!

Jade: ...

Azul: ...

Jade: Still, it doesn't add up. How could he know that a human from another world was his child?

Azul: I learned from books that dragons imprint on their children, and that bond can never be erased, regardless of the circumstances. Additionally, they have been recognized by the Queen of Briar Valley and its people.

Jade: Oh.

Floyd: Why should we care about details?

Floyd: Are you tryna start a conspiracy~?

Azul: Of course not.

Jade: ...

Jade: Azul, I think you can use this chance to form a connection with them.

Azul: ...

Azul: You're right.

Floyd: Seashell-chan wouldn't like you as a friend~.

Azul: Why not?

Floyd: 'Cuz you're not honest~.

Azul: I'm hones—

Azul: ...

Floyd: But me~ I could~. Actually, we're kinda besties now~.

Azul: In that case, Floyd, can you help me—

Floyd: No. Haha! I'll be hanging out with Seashell-chan~! Bye-bye~!

Azul: Floyd— *sigh*

MC: Dada, why did you reveal the truth to Azul?

Malleus: *brushing their hair* It's meant to frighten him, dear.

MC: ...

MC: You're being overly protective.

Malleus: *smiles* Do you not like that?

MC: ...

MC: No, because if I were in your shoes, I would have done the same to protect you, Dada.

Malleus: ...

Malleus: Your Nana has sent yet another letter.

MC: ...

MC: Is it an angry letter?

Malleus: *chuckles*

[ryder-writes]

Dad!Bakugo x GN!Reader fluff

A/n: Just some domestic fluff. This is completely gender neutral. It is not said whether your daughter is adopted or if you had her biologically.

CW: talk of having another kid

WC: 947

You had built an amazing family with Katsuki over the years. After 4 years of dating he had proposed (much to your relief and happiness), and you were married a year later. A year and a half after that, you now had a baby girl, Enya. He could not have been happier. Until you both decided to add another addition to the family. That conversation had taken place the night before, both of you agreeing that a now 5-year-old Enya needed a little sibling. 

Katsuki was walking home. He had asked to take patrols closer to the house so he could make sure that your family was safe. He reached the front door and got out his keys. He always enjoyed coming home. Once he stepped through that door, it was like all of his anxiety left his body. And, that’s exactly what happened.

"Daddy's home!" He yelled as he swung open the door. He crouched down and held his arms out as he saw his pride and joy, his daughter, running towards him. He now left his gauntlets at the agency, because one time, Enya had accidentally jumped head-first into one while trying to give him a hug. Poor Katsuki felt so bad.

"Daddy!" Enya yelled, jumping into his arms. 

"Hey, squirt!" He grinned. He hoisted her up and kissed her forehead. "You have a good day?"

"Yeah! We made cookies!" She giggled. He smiled as he walked into the living room, listening to her talk about her day. He made his way over to the couch and gave you a sweet peck on the lips. 

"Hey, baby. Missed ya." 

"Missed you too, Kats." You smiled. "How was your day?" Katsuki sighed;

"Better, now that I'm home." He set Enya down before bending down to her level. "You go wash your hands so you can help daddy with dinner, got it?" She nodded and ran off toward the bathroom. Once she was out of view, Katsuki walked to the front of the couch. He flopped down on top of you and nuzzled his head into your chest. You chuckled and led your hand to his hair, gently scratching at his scalp. He let out a content hum.

"Tired, baby?" You asked. He have a soft grunt in response. "You sure you wanna make dinner?" 

"Mhm. Can't have you fu-" He could feel the glare you shot him. "messing up my sauce."

"It's not your recipe- its your mom's." You countered. He grunted.

"Fine. I want you to relax." He removed his head from your chest and looked up at you. "You take care of Enya every day. You literally hold this house together. It's the least I could do." He kissed your forehead. You smiled sweetly. 

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" You chuckled. He stood up and shrugged.

"Exist." 

-Fast forward 30 minutes-

"Okay, now scrape the onions into the skillet." Katsuki explained. Enya followed his instructions, scraping the onions off of the cutting board and into the sauce. "Great job, squirt." He praised. "Now ya need to stir this for bit. I'm gonna get the pasta." Enya contained to stir the sauce as Katsuki strained the pasta. He then slowly poured the pasta into the skillet. The pot got placed to the side as the sauce was mixed into the pasta thanks to Enya. She smiled up at her dad.

"Is this good?" She asked.

"Perfect." Katsuki smiled. "Now," He un-tied Enya's apron and slipped it above her head, "you go wash up an-"

"On it dada!" She yelled as she ran to clean up and get you. Katsuki chuckled under his breath and started plating the food. He really couldn't have asked for a better life.

"So, baby, I was wondering: do you like being an only child?" You asked, both you and your husband curious as to what she thought about bringing someone new into the family. You had both decided that Enya's opinion was important in this decision. If she 100% did not want a sibling, she was not going to get one. Enya paused her eating and tapped her chin, deep in thought. 

"Well, I like playing with Daisy…" Daisy wagged her tail at the sound of her name from where she was laying on the floor, between Katsuki and Enya's chairs. Katsuki had insisted that you get a guard dog once you decided to get married. He wanted to make sure you were safe when he was away because of hero work. So you got Daisy, a sweet but attentive German Shepard. "But having a sibling could be nice! I could play with them when you and Dada are busy." She smiled at the thought and went back to eating her dinner. You and Katsuki exchanged knowing glances. It was decided.

Later that night, you were laying in bed reading when Katsuki walked in, having just put Enya to bed. You patted the spot next to you and he happily got under the covers with you. Not even a millisecond after you had put down your book, he pulled you into his chest. You chucked and wrapped your arms around him. He nuzzled his head into your hair and rubbed your back softly.

"I can't wait to add someone else to our family." He confessed.

"I know, Kat. I'm excited too." You smiled. "And, I'm sure Enya will be a great older sister." You looked up at him (causing a soft grunt to escape him because he was forced to leave your hair). "And, I know you'll be an even more amazing father, Katsuki." He smirked softly.

"Not as amazing as a parent as you, my love."

A/n pt.2: btw I just wanna say tysm for the love and support on my other fics and stuff; I really appreciate it <3

My reaction to seeing said support:

[simping-overload]

ᴀ ᴛɪᴇꜰʟɪɴɢꜱ ᴛᴀɪʟ - ꜰʟᴏᴡᴇʀ ᴄʀᴏᴡɴꜱ

a/n: halsin with baby fever <3 make this man a daddy

tags: halsin, he wants kids so bad. gn reader, zevlor cameo, just fluff.

『read on ao3』

synopsis: Halsin watches as you interact with the children of the Grove.

ヾthis is a multi-fandom blog that is designed for mlm/nbmlm identifying readers! so if you're female or fem please do not follow or interact with my mlm related post!! you will be blocked if you do not heed this warning ゛

The festival was bustling, children ran around and played whilst the adults drank the evening away. Bards sing their songs by the fire, occasionally starting sing-alongs.

Halsin sat separately, in a smaller, quieter corner, leaning against a wall as he watched over the party, making sure things won’t get too rowdy.

His gaze wonders over the crowd, looking for a familiar face before he lands on you. Sitting down on the ground and making flower crowns with the children. A child places one on top of your head, mindful of the horns.

The children braid and weave flowers along your tail and horns. Maybe at the right angle, you’d look like a statue wrapped in overgrown vines and plants.

Seeing you interact with the children stirs an all too familiar feeling in his chest, his desire for children of his own. Whether adopted or somehow biological, he wants ones of his own.

To see and hear the pitter patter of their tiny feet thumping against the wooden floor of your cozy home. Teaching them how to cook, clean, and maybe, if they wished, he can teach them the ways of the druids.

He’s already accustomed to the cries and screaming of children. Over the long years he has been alive, it’s safe to say he already knows how to handle it, especially when he took over as Arch druid of the Grove.

As much as he wants children, he doesn’t know if you wanted them. You never gave any indication if you did or didn’t.

Halsin tears his eyes away from you when he feels a nudge on his side. He turns his head, locking eyes with the person. It was Zevlor, a good friend of his.

“Something on your mind, Halsin?” The tiefling leader asks.

“Its—it’s not something to get into now, but how are you, friend?” Halsin tries to deflect the conversation away from him.

Zevlor raises a brow. “I’m well. The party is a bit more crowded than expected. Aside from that, don’t you dare try to change the topic. You’ve spent enough time of your life hiding your issues and feelings. Speak, my friend. I’m all ears.” Zevlor takes a sip of his wine.

“Do you think Tav and I would be good parents?” He suddenly blurts out, shoulders tensing at what he just said.

Zevlor grins. “I think you’d be one of the best parents in Faerûn.”

Halsin smiles at this, looking away from his friend and back at you.

“Though I would recommend waiting. Maybe a few years after the fame from your adventures, die down, and when you finally settle down. Did you ask them yet?”

Halsin chuckles nervously, “Well. No. I was waiting for a good time, but that moment never came.”

Zevlor huffed at this, smacking the druid’s calf with his tail. “Go ask.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now. Gods know you probably wouldn’t ask for another year! And look, they’re already on their way.. I’ll leave you to it.” Zevlor pats Halsin on the shoulder before slipping off.

Halsin watches as you approach, and by the Oak father, you look divine. The bear in him just wanted to ravish you more than and there. He pushes the feeling away as he pulls you into his warm embrace.

You wrap your arms around him, curling into him as you soak in his comforting warmth. Pulling back slightly, you look at your lover, adoration laced in your expression.

“Hi love.”

“Hello, my heart. I see you had quite the time for the children.” He brings a hand to the flower crown that lies on your head.

You chuckle, nodding, “Yeah, it got a little out of control.” You gesture to your tail. It had all kinds of flowers laced together covering it.

With a fond smile, he gently caresses your cheek with his hand. Pulling you forward, and presses a loving kiss to your lips. He faintly tastes like honeycomb and tobacco.

You shut your eyes, falling into the kiss. Getting lost in the sensation of his lips on yours.

He reluctantly pulls away when the need for air becomes too strong. He settles to rest his foreheads against yours, looking into your eyes with a longing your’re oh-so familiar with. You can see his eyes flicker with uncertainty. It seems he’s having an internal conflict with himself.

“What’s on your mind, Halsin?” You ask, cupping his face in your palms so he can’t turn away.

He sucks in a breath before letting the words flow from his lips. “I have something to ask of you.”

[zahri-melitor]

What's the Williamson thing? I don't think I've read much of his work

This is not exclusive to Williamson in any way, but he's part of it.

There are a bunch of DC writers who have a decided tendency to place more emphasis on biological relationships than adoptive ones. Williamson's a known example.

This affects variously families differently. Flashfam are less affected because they're almost all actual interrelated family members, however it's particularly noticeable in the writing of Bat, Super and Arrow titles.

(Aquafam is its own special case because 'biological v adoptive v foster' dramas extend back to the Bronze Age. Fortunately nobody seems to have let these writers near the Marvelfam/Shazamily much)

But essentially, it shows up as a tendency to define Damian Wayne, Jon Kent, Connor Hawke and Emiko Queen specifically by their biological relationships to Bruce, Clark and Ollie, and minimising the importance of adoptive bonds.

This is where you'll see things like Dick Grayson referred to as "Bruce's ward" in a title published in the 2020s, or Dick mention Bruce to Damian as "your father" (not ours), or have Ollie thinking about "my son Connor and my former sidekick Roy", or describing Roy as "like a son", or suggestions that there wasn't a Super Family before Jon arrived and that obviously the only possible Superman replacement for Clark is Jon, and so on.

It's this insidious "adoptive relationships and foster relationships are great but this here is your own flesh and blood, your biological child, and that is something that has its own special importance above and beyond any child you have chosen to look after". Which is something that some people do think and struggle with in blended families! But which gets really noticeable when it's prioritised in properties that were originally about families of choice.

Because we're talking about Joshua Williamson, and I was referring to his writing of Damian in particular:

It's having Alfred say to Damian “Bruce would have wanted you to be Robin” and claiming that is a scene that happened during Batman R.I.P., even though Tim was very much still Bruce's Robin at the time, had been promised by Bruce that he could be Robin as long as he wanted to be, and was literally in costume as Robin trying to hold the city together and track down and imprison Hush with Dick.

It's the attitude that Damian was entitled to be Robin because he was Bruce's son, and being Robin is a marker of being Bruce's Blood Son, whether or not Damian is actually doing the job of Robin.

It's scenes of Bruce and Damian going "Father and son. Batman and Robin. We don't need anyone else" even as Tim is currently also Robin and a very important thread of Bat family storytelling for the last 30 years is that yes, actually Bruce does need his family, he does need more than one single connection, the network is important at keeping him grounded and sane and able to do the job.

It's just...sigh. Joshua Williamson at it again.

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Damian attacks an intruder in the Batcave only for the teen to dodge every blow and try talking him down. He claims that someone said he might be related to Batman and he wanted answers about his biological parents.

This does not help at all considering this would mean Damian is not the only blood son and he calls him a liar. Baby Bat realized the glowing teen was protective over the rolled up scroll he was holding and he demanded to know what it was.

Seeing the fight pause Phantom thought this was his shot to get Robin to calm down and stop attacking him and so he explained this was the Infi-map, a artifact that could take the user wherever they wanted to go with no limitations. Damian quickly grabbed the map and they begin struggling over it. While they were both holding it Damian got an idea, "Fine! We'll take the map to our grandfather and he will confirm whether or not what you're saying is true!" And the map began to glow. Oddly enough it spat out a glowing purple door which opened and sucked them in before closing behind them and disappearing.

Instead of landing in front of Ras Al Ghul like Damian had planned they intead landed in...the batcave? That couldn't be right. It took only a moment to realize something was very wrong. The numerous "trophies" his father and siblings had acquired were nowhere in sight, instead the decor was different.

"Who are you?"

Startled, the boys hopped into battle positions and prepared to face down...Batman??? What? But Damian knew it wasn't Batman. What little he could see of the face was wrong. So was the height and build, it was similar but not enough to fool him. Phantom wasn't so lucky and just asked the imposter if he was his dad.

Well, a fight breaks out after an argument where the man declared that Bruce and Martha were dead and it clicked for Phantom. "Oh snap. Robin, when you grabbed the map you told it to take it to "our" grandfather. We don't share a mother, only a father." All he know about his mom was that she gave me up for adoption and died a few years later.

"Thats not possible, my fathers parents are dead."

Danny chose to ignore the venom in the other boys words, "Its called the Infi-map because it grants access to the Infinite Realms. It can take you anywhere or anytime you want to go, this includes dimensions, realities, alternate universes, a combination of all the above with time travel sprinked on top, you name it."

Robin was silent. The man was appearently Thomas Wayne, thier alternate reality grandpa.

[ao3-top-batfam-ships-bracket]

My problem with Bat/ Bat ships isn't that they exist, it's how many people like them.

Wait! Hear me out. I swear I have a reason.

I'm good at ignoring ships that squick me, so I do. I also want to make it very clear I am not I am not hating on individuums who ship Bat/ Bat.

But to me, how much people ship them is kind of indicative of how little we value adopted children in our society. People say they aren't "really related" so it's fine.

Because you just don't see that level of engagement with ships involving biologically related family.

And it's that attitude shining through more than the shipping itself I dislike.

"Fiction isn't reality" no, it isn't, write the darkest thing you want. Explore fucked up concepts. That doesn't make you a bad person. It's completely normal.

However oftentimes Fiction is often still a reflection of reality. From reading, we can learn about our society (or other societies, if we venture beyond our own culture.) It says something, whether the author meant for it to mean something or not.

We understand where you're coming from and agree that adopted children/siblings are real family and shouldn't be valued less. We also agree that fiction mirrors reality which mirrors fiction, although that process is much more complex than many people claim.

However, 1) not every family is your typical nuclear family. Everybody defines their family and their relationships with its members in their own way. Some people call all adults that are close to them uncles and aunts, regardless of any actual biological connection. Someone could have been raised by their biological parents, but don't claim them as parents because of personal reasons and even view other adults who filled the parental roles better as their actual parents. Someone could have a biological sibling that is much older than them, grow up without them in their life and due to that think of them as more of a cool friend than a sibling. (All examples are taken from our own personal experiences.)

It's especially apparent in cases of found family, which batfamily certainly is. Tim and Jason haven't met until Jason was 18 and Tim was 16. Both were adopted by the same man, but they didn't know each other. Does that automatically makes them brothers? Even though without the adoption papers they would be total strangers? If Jason's death invalidated the adoption papers does it mean he and Bruce stopped thinking of each other as parent and child? Bruce and Dick have an age difference between 10 to 20 years and viewed each other more as brothers, partners and mentor/mentee at first. Bruce and Tim for a long time also thought of each other as mentor/mentee, especially since Tim still had a living father. That was also the case of Dick and Damian. Tim had a crush on Cass in the comics at the beginning of their friendship. Jason and Dick were technically brothers before Jason's death, but they weren't close at all and only met a few times. Barbara is a mother/sister figure to Cass even when she was dating Cass' adopted brother Dick. We don't think Jason and Cass even met once in post-crisis comics, despite technically being siblings. (Sorry we're only mentioning that one era, we aren't as knowledgeable about new52 and rebirth.)

The recent push to make the batfamily a nuclear family in our opinion does a huge disservice to the characters and their interesting and complicated relationships that can't fit neatly into boxes labeled "sibling" or "parent".

2) some people think of batfamily as a family AND still ship them at the same time. Yes, some claim they aren't "really related", but there's another side that absolutely views them as related and wants to explore what happens when two brothers or a father and son fall in love.

3) there's actually a pretty big engagement with ships involving biologically related family. Wincest (ship between biological brothers Sam and Dean from Supernatural) is the 15th most popular ship on AO3 of all time. We still remember how prominent the fandom discourse about shipping the Weasley twins from Harry Potter was. In almost every fandom, there're at least a few incest ships. Are they more popular than adopted sibling incest ships? We don't know, but if anyone wants to measure it in some way, we'd love to find out.

Edit: 4) as people have rightfully pointed out in the comments and reblogs, a lot of fics are AUs where one or both characters weren't even adopted and met in different circumstances. You can see that in a lot of fandoms, people will imagine close friends or even strangers as biological family and vice versa: write biological or adopted family as just friends or even strangers.

We're looking forward to hearing what other people think about this topic!

[thealexanderfiles]

DCU from a Marvel fans limited perspective

recently i've accidently been sucked into the DCU universe, mostly Bat family, if i'm being honest, and although i've never watched a single movie/episode, this is what i have gathered from purely reading the occasional fanfiction/lots of tumblr posts

SPOILERS i guess

There are A LOT of batkids

Bruce Wayne adopts these motherfuckers like they're some kind of limited edition pokemon set

no one is actually sure how many there are but if you have black hair and blue eyes and live in gotham, Batman doesn't care if you've got parents or not. you're coming home with him

There appears to be five Robins and Batman goes though these children like a chainsmoker with a pack of cigarettes

people die a lot

Thats okay though because people come back to life a concerning amount as well

Jason Todd died and came back to life by being dumped in a pit of magical water

Damien Wayne is the only biological child of Bruce and he mentions this a lot

Dick Greyson was the first Robin and the first adoption and i think he and Bruce got in a fight and he left to become Nightwing

Jason Todd stole the Batmobile's wheels and became the second Robin. after he came back to life he became Red Hood

Tim Drake was not an orphan, he just fit Bruce's target demographic and was conveniently close (I mean come on, it's like express shipping) He is also some kind of super-genius. He was the third Robin but became Red Robin/Drake

Stephanie brown(?) was the fourth robin(?), not sure for how long. People get upset when other people forget. I think she's called Spoiler or something

Damien Wayne is the final Robin. Hes this assassins son and im pretty sure Talia dropped him off at the Wayne Manor and said, "I had him through the terrible twos, you get the teen years'

Not entirely sure if Tim runs Wayne enterprises

Brucie wayne is the funniest fucking thing i swear

He's so stupid

not sure is Tim, Dick and Jason follow Bruce's lead and become absolute airheads as well

Alfred is a butler

Alfred has guns

There's someone called Duke and Cass knocking around

The Justice League think Batman works alone

someone in the JL is allergic to the colour yellow

there is a concerning amount of Danny Phantom x DC crossover fics

sames goes for Miraculous

Tim Drake is Bi and for some reason people don't like that

internet is divided on whether of not Batman is a bad dad

#OnlyInGotham is a thing?

Gotham is like an australian NYC

the Riddler is a not funny, less aggressive version of the Joker

apparently Alcatraz and Arkham are different prisons but thats on me

there's a whole group of superheroes out there, each have strong powers and they decide to leave the most dangerous city to the member that has no powers and dresses up as an anthropomorphic bat and runs around the city causing copious amounts of property damage with his children

there is a girl called barbra? Gordon

there is a criminally small amount of content for the girls

for some reason people ship the bat kids together, ike, anytime you have to remind yourself 'its TECHNICALLY not incest is Not Good'

Clark Kent is running round acting as if his reading glasses are the only thing standing between a normal life and CHAOS and the worst thing is that he is right

i am a MCU fan and i was SO sure that Deadpool was MCU but now i'm not so sure

Fandom likes to have this troupe that Bruce wayne doesn't believe batman exists when obviously the superior troupe is that Gotham is pretty sure they are exes

teen titans and young justice are a thing but i cant figure out which robin is who.

Damien Wayne has enough animals to open a zoo

who tf in the batfam are metas?????

Batman has definetely used the Tired Dad voice on villains and the Brucie Wayne voice on the JL

Bruce Wayne has contingency plans if someone discovers his contingency plans

THERES A PLACE CALLED THE FUCKING BAT BURGER???????

it took 2 robins until batman realized that a small child running around in a vest top and speedos was not the greatest idea

Someone needs to tell me, like right now what's going on, where to start and what to read. bc rn im LIVING on chaotic fics

[chronicsinner]

Parent Tav x Zevlor + Uncle Astarion Headcanons

Imagine: Tav and Zevlor having a child (whether adopted or biological) and astarion is living with them as the sassy gay uncle.

Authors notes: This was supposed to be a shitpost but I just kept typing lmao. I will not be taking questions at this time.

Once the Elder Brain is defeated, you and Zevlor offer Astarion a place to stay. You know Astarion has been through enormous hardship and you don't wish for him to be thrusted into his freedom alone. He won't admit it, but he is very thankful to be able to stay with someone he is familiar with; especially when its day and he can't go outside.

After a year or so of living together, you discover you are pregnant (or discussing the logistics of adopting a child.) Zevlor, an older man who has never had a child of his own, becomes incredibly anxious. One night, in the privacy of the bedroom you two share, he expresses his concern about having a vampire around the baby. "You know I'm not one to judge.. but-" your partner exhales and pauses for a moment. "you're sure its safe to have a baby around a vampire?" You take Zevlor's hand in your own and give it a reassuring squeeze. You explain to him that Astarion is not a bad guy and how he was forced into being a vampire. "You are overthinking, Zev'. I know its difficult.. but please, trust me." You whisper. Zevlor sighs and with a soft smile, he agrees.

Once the child is born your vampire housemate is drawn to the puny creature; tiptoing into the nursery one night to peek over the bassinet as it sobs tiredly. For a moment, he feels awestuck at just how vulnerable the newborn is. Tiny rounded features with softly pointed ears and a teifling tail that is no thicker than a quill. Astarion speaks to the babe quietly, trying his best to keep it from waking it's exhausted parents. "Shhhh little one, its alright." He coos. After a moment of gentle shushing your child stops crying, finding the elf's gentle voice and the soft glow of his ruby eyes soothing. Immediately Astarion feels an unfamiliar warmth spread across his chest; its as if his undead heart is melting straight through his ribcage. He sighs before pulling up a chair and taking a seat next to the cradle. "I suppose its not as if I have anything better to do." he thinks to himself, trying his best to avoid the realm of possibility that he cares for the infant. In the following days, you mention offhandedly to Astarion that the baby has stopped crying at night. Zevlor reiterates you, saying how great it feels to finally get a full nights sleep. Astarion scoffs, giving a quick "Thank gods" before changing the subject.

However, as the years begin to pass, Astarion and your toddler become close. Much to your surprise Astarion starts to volunteer himself to watch your child whenever you or Zevlor express the desire to 'get away'. Although you knew Astarion was safe for your child to be around, you never figured he would actually have genuine interest in them. After all, he was only a close friend. He didn't have to concern himself with your child if he didn't want to and you made sure he knew that. But Astarion can no longer hide behind his usual facade of indifference and arrogance; his affection for your child is slowly becoming evident. Sometimes, Astarion will string himself along the sofa with a wine glass in one hand with your child being supported in the other. "I don't think your mother would appreciate it if I let you have a taste, my dear," he would say, holding his glass to the side as your child reaches for it. "Now, on the otherhand, if I were in charge.."

One afternoon while preparing lunch, you start to hear giggling coming from the hall's entryway behind you. As a protective mother of a michievious child, your interest is piqued. After a moment of thought, you decide to stop what you are doing and investigate. You dust the flour off your apron and stride down the hall, your mind beginning to race with all the possibilities of what your child could be getting into. The noise gets louder and louder as you walk until you approach your child's bedroom. You halt, pressing your ear to the door to listen for a moment but you are unable to make out any string of words. You twist the handle and your eyes widen as you open the door. Before you is Astarion, sat on the floor, with a feather boa around his neck. His wrist is pointing downward and his are fingers spread as your child is holding his pale hand by the knuckle. Upon further investivation you see that your child is painting Astarions nails a glittery black with comically crude level of precision. Astarion slowly turns his head over to you, his eyes half-lidded with mock offense. "Do you mind? I've waited all month for this appointment so you'll just have to come back later. Isn't that right (Your childs name?)" Astarion flashes you a faint reciprocating smile before turning back to your toddler.

If you ask Astarion how he feels about your child he will be very vague with his answer. "Oh, (your childs name?) Cunning little thing isn't she/he. Honestly, I didn't think I met anyone more stubborn than you until you decided to have kids with a tiefling commander." In truth, he absolute adores that kid. If anyone were to make the mistake of trying to lay a finger on your child he wouldn't hesitate to slit their neck.

Both Zevlor and you completely trust Astarion with your child at this point; even considering making him a godfather at one point. If you do decide to make him a godfather, he will get choked up; trying his damnest not to cry as all the emotions he has tried to hide for so long come crashing down.

[andreal831]

TVDU and forced parenthood

I don't know if it is because Julie Plec didn't understand parenthood or just didn't care, but almost every character has a messed up relationship with the idea of parenthood.

Starting with Rebekah, whose entire identity becomes about being a mother. When she is first introduced, she behaves like an immature teenager with almost no maternal instincts or desires. But it quickly shifts in TO to focus on her desire to have a child. I am completely fine with a woman wanting to have children, but she never gave a real reason to want it. Just this general idea that she had always desired it. I get she likely would have been thinking about it when she was human since, during their human period, women tended to have children in their teen years and it was what all women did. But throughout her 1,000 years, we never see her seek that relationship with anyone. She briefly develops a protective relationship with April and then Davina, but they are easily pushed aside. She even abandons her relationship with Hope multiple times. It never seemed to me that she wanted to be a parent, rather wanted a baby.

This is even more obvious by the fact that Klaus 'adopts' Marcel. Rebekah could have adopted a child, or taken in someone throughout her long life. Now, it could have been that she feared Klaus would be angry and jealous, but this story is never shown. In fact, Klaus seems fine with Rebekah training Marcel, even after he was jealous of Elijah teaching him.

Speaking of Marcel, this whole storyline was problematic. The Mikaelsons take in this boy and then make him feel indebted to them. I've seen people argue that they didn't adopt Marcel, but rather took him in as a ward. Either way you look at it, Marcel was a child and deserved to be treated like one and not some trophy (a lot of white saviorism happening). I do think Elijah wanted to raise Marcel as a son but Klaus wouldn't let him. So instead, Klaus raises him as a friend which created a complicated relationship. I also hate how you can clearly see the difference in how Hope is protected versus how Marcel was raised. Whether it's sexist or racist or just based on him not being their biological family, it's problematic.

And then there is Hope. Hayley will always be my favorite parent in TVDU. Even when she was young and overwhelmed, you could tell her thoughts and actions were all about protecting Hope. Yes, some things she did weren't the smartest plan, but she was also a scared 20-something-year-old trying to survive against enemies that were 1000x her age. She risked her life repeatedly for her daughter and would sacrifice anything for Hope to be safe and happy. She was the one character I felt truly understood what it meant to be a parent.

I always get in trouble when I criticize Klaus as a parent, but he was a narcissistic parent for 90% of the show and that honestly needs its own post.

It's not surprising the Mikaelsons don't know how to be parents. Mikael wanted to train them to be warriors and Esther had a similar feel to Rebekah, that she wanted babies but didn't know how to be a mother. I know Esther and Mikael likely had their own childhood traumas, but that's another conversation.

I liked that Kol and Davina never discussed children. Davina was young and Kol never expressed desires to be a father. Not everyone needs to want to have children. To me, Elijah was the only Mikaelson sibling who expressed a deeper interest in being a parent. Yet, he still didn't understand the full extent. He essentially acted like a parent to his siblings but ended up just having messed up relationships with each of them. He wanted to step in with Marcel and even Hope. I like to think he learned his lesson from Marcel and fought harder for Hope, but again, the whole family just fought harder for Hope.

I also think Freya having a child makes sense, but Vincent being the father had me baffled. He hated Elijah for what he did to Davina until Elijah died, but forgave Freya for her role? Not only forgave her but decided to help continue the Mikaelson line. I just find it hard to believe that he would have agreed to help. But Julie wanted to expand the Mikaelsons and then do nothing with it I guess.

Even in TVD, this idea that everyone wants to be a parent is pushed. Again, yes some people do, but not everyone needs to want children.

I understood Jo, Alaric, and even Stefan's desire to have children. This need to protect and care for others was built into them. We see Alaric (before his character sucked) basically adopt Elena and Jeremy. Jo was always protective of her siblings and loved caring for others so much she became a doctor. Stefan just always had this paternal need to take care of others in my opinion. I even see this with Elena and Bonnie. (Also the fact that Bonnie's future is never mentioned -- we hear about everyone else but what was Bonnie up to in Legacies??)

But Caroline and Damon having children made no sense to me. Caroline had dreams of a career and seemed adventurous, but then was forced into pregnancy at what 23 years old while she was still in school? Yes, we see she gets to become a journalist, but in Legacies we don't hear anything about her life or career. She isn't even there as a mother. Caroline's character basically disappears.

Damon never expressed a desire for children that I can remember. He enjoyed his vampire life and I can't see him giving it up to be a mortal, stay-at-home dad.

There are a lot of problems with the show, Friends, but one thing I've always loved is how they show the different pathways to parenthood. Pheobe is a surrogate for her brother, Monica adopts, and Rachel is a single mother. There isn't one way to be a parent, as long as you always put the children's safety and happiness first.

TVDU could have learned a thing about it. For a show that loved to randomly have a found family trope, it was also ready to throw it out the window the second biological family showed up. That's not how found families work, they are family through and through.

Also, and I cannot say this enough, not everyone needs to want to have children. Even women.

[booksandmore]

I’m sorry but CC only has herself to blame for making TMI known as “the incest books” in all of the reading communities outside of TSC fandom.

She herself ruined TMI becoming as big as it could’ve been & TSC in general by putting incest in all 6 books of TMI…That’s why no one posts about it on Booktwt or Booktok..

There’s no point in being upset at readers judging TMI for having incest in it when that’s a valid criticism.. Clace kissed multiple times for three books all while not being officially sure whether or not they were related or not..then CC got petty & doubled down on the incest after being criticized for it already & had Clary kiss her biological brother in book three after people already hated it with Clace in the first two books.

Clary’s brother almost rapes her in book five and tries kissing her in the last book. TSC is not GOT where it gets a pass. Non TSC stans really want a LI calling his girlfriend’s Dad his own Dad 💀 Jace was calling Clary’s brother his brother while being romantically involved with Clary. Just because he was adopted by Valentine as a kid didn’t make it normal for Cassie to have Jace call himself a Morgenstern or to call his girlfriend’s brother his own brother.

TMI hate = CC’s own fault.. any TMI stan bitterness should be directed at her own questionable writing choices. Sorry but seeing TMI stans hating that TMI is judged for this all when it’s the authors own fault is weird yk? It’s been too long, Cassie understands why TMI gets hate. As a TMI stan it makes me upset that she dragged the incest on the entire series because I can’t proudly ever talk about Clace, Seb or TMI as a whole because she got weird with the writing in that series on purpose to spite people who criticized the incest in Books 1-2. It was petty for her to drag on incest for that long knowing people hated it..It’s her fault.

I’m tired of people outside of the fandom being judged for not liking the incest for Clary with two Mmc’s when..it’s valid not to like or be comfortable with. TMI stans always having to make excuses for her too is even sadder bc it’s not our fault or other readers’ it’s the authors fault for putting that in a fun YA series that didn’t need incest AT ALL. That’s probably why the show was a flop and the movie, no one could take the series seriously with that arc for Clary with Jace and her brother Sebastian..

no yes i totally get it!! it is frusterating to see tmi get dismissed but im not gonna force anyone to do anything they dont like. it’s valid to not want to interact with something cause it grosses you out, i’ve definitly done that before as well. we all have our limits and that’s okay!! that said feel free to ignore the rest of this i just wanted to explain my thoughts more thoroughly but it got a bit long😭you might not like anon sorry

first of, i do admit it’s been a while since my reread and also, i haven’t touched the other series since i first read them so i can really only speak for tmi rn, and if i get anything wrong that’s on me

i should probably clarify that my original posts were create because i was just so baffled that people were sayong cc has some kind of incest kink and that’s why she was forcing it into her books. like?? an author choosing to engage with darker taboo topics doesn’t mean they’re into it im pretty sure. its not like i know her personally, but if she had a kink i sort of suspect it would show up in the rest of her books yk? is it really that hard to imagine that she’d include it for a reason?😭

for me, maybe because i’m used to books like the secre t history or older classics, i tend to look past the taboo of it and focus on what it does for the story/reveals about charchterization, if that makes sense?

i think that tmi is very much about family, and sebastian having these fucked up views about family (where he mistakes romantic love for familial love) really goes to show how horrible valentine was as a father, and how terribly he was treated and how desperate he was for love. i think he doesnt know what it means to be loved by family and that’s why he substitutes it with something else. cause i think that deep down inside he does have a normal brotherly love for clary, its just that he doesnt know any other way to show that

for me the incest thing is a plot device and it frusterates me how no one wants to engage with it that way. could it have been done differently? probabaly. but they don’t even try to examining why it’s there at all! they don’t bother analyzing or asking, hey, does the author have any particular reason for putting this here, or writing it the way she did? they just dismiss it as gross and go away. but i really do think it has a purpose and point in the story that gets lost on a lot of people

the thing is, it’s meant to be uncomfortable! it’s meant to be gross! it should weird you out!! i doubt cc meant it to be viewed positively, especially when neither the charchters nor the narrative does. it’s meant to show how badly these adults and this society have fucked up these children, and robbed them of being able to love freely and safely yk?

most of my frusteration really just comes from how puritanical fandom has been. you can choose not to engage with something if it grosses you out, that’s fine and valid and we’ve all done that before. but looking down on someone for wanting to engage with it objectively is??? i think it’s just etiquette to not engage with what you don’t like. block the tag. curate your own experience. that kinda stuff

again anon if you chose to read this anyway i really do respect and understand what you’re saying. i’m really sorry if i came across as mean or rude but like. i really really love tmi and i cannot tolerate it being dismissed like that

[haveihitanerve]

Okay so theres quite a bit of Batcest hate out in the world- and I do have to admit, I view the Bats as family too, which is why I can understand, but there are certain ships that i understand, after all most of them are not related biologically at all, and are under no obligation to each other to be so, bruce literally says in one comic "Whether or not they're brothers is no matter, they're both my sons" or smth along those lines, pretty much his children may all be his children but that in no way has to make them siblings anyway im getting away from myself here, a list of batcest shippings i understand and my reasoning for why people might ship them together, if you don't wanna, don't read any further🙃

Bruce/Dick: Brudick is an old ship, actually, originally they were created as a gay couple, not openly, but heavily implied, and a way for people back in the day to "legally get married" was through adoption... Anyway I like BruDick when I see it because it just works Dick understands Bruce in a way no one else ever will, he was the first one, the original, his grief and experience mirrors Bruce's in a way that makes them so similar and yet so different, he is the light at the end of Bruce's tunnel, and theres just so much that can be written about them, angsty or fluffy, whether romantic or platonic

Jason/Tim: this one I also understand, to an extent, Tim needs someone who cares for him, Jason needs someone who understands him, Tim looked up to Jason, not as much as Dick but enough, he wants Jason to come back into the family, wants Jason and Bruce to forgive each other, he sees the good in Jason when no one else does, hes stubborn in his desire to mend their relationship- Jason on the other hand once he stops trying to kill Tim actually genuinely cares for him in a way he doesn't for anyone else in the Batfam, appreciates Tim's knowledge and perspective and I do believe, I honestly am not too sure on this, but he works with Tim first before anyone else??? i'm probs wrong on that one but I think... anyway I do like their pairing- it gives a nice contrast and they usually tend to love each other wholeheartedly, almost obsessively in the fics i read, which they kinda deserve, someone who loves them so much

Bruce/Jason: this one I get, but only after the pit. They're two sides of the same coin, Jason is only more willing to go for the final step and Bruce isn't, theres just so much of their morals that collide and snap, this honestly could just be a fic/pairing i like because of the angry smut and all, but yeah i like them, I feel like romance between them would make it easier for Bruce to get his point across about why he can't murder and why its wrong, and also vice versa

Dick/Jason: the two oldest, the ones who dealt with Bruce's shit the longest. Idk but something about them, they had almost personality flips, Jason was the happy go lucky one, then he went pit mad and now hes angry and snaps and Dick was the angry one hell bent on vengeance and now he's smiling and happy and trying to keep the fam together and all that, idk jason would let dick be angry again if they're a couple and let him release all the pent up anger/repressed inside and Dick would cool Jason's anger, bring back the joy in him, etc etc

Bruce/Tim: this one I'm still a lil on the fence about, I like it because it offers another side of Bruce and Tim's relationship, and it adds another way for Bruce to show he does actually care and appreciate and love tim and wants him in his life, and its another way for tim to soothe Bruce and bring him back from the edge and etc etc... don't have too much to add bc again im on the fence but yeah

so those are all that i got for now, yeah hope that maybe explained things better, probably just made things more confusing but i just had to get it out at one point :p overall i steer away from batcest in my fics and dont like to use it like that, theyre family, brothers sisters, parents in my heart, but sometimes theres just scenarios where they fit better as romantic partners... anyway thats all

[maykitz]

i've bitched about this on end before but the way fire emblem games already tend to not have that much story gluing together the gameplay maps (which is fine) but then still manage to kneecap what few themes they've set up.. valentia pours all its little dialogues into the generic "the protagonist has to prove even a lowborn farmboy can make a difference" hero story then just makes a fool of itself with the even more generic "...except he secretly was a prince all along" reveal. fates did this even more egregiously because the entire conceit it was designed around was the adopted family vs. biological family thing (them localising the title to "birthright" lol) except it then wastes no time clarifying that the characters it just introduced as corrin's original family aren't actually blood related at all (so you can romance them) which makes it moreso a question of whether the father that steps up first or the father that steps up for a longer amount of time is the real one. i guess

[bee-unknown]

as someone who was adopted i HATEEE the conversation surrounding the velaryon kids because i never felt like I really fit in (through no fault of my adoptive family, I just had issues after being shuttled around the foster system), I always felt like I wasn't as good as my mums "real" (biological) family, I never felt like I was truly her daughter, I was genuinely surprised to see i was given an equal share in her will as my sisters, the idea these kids aren't really laenors and not really rhaenys and corlys' family and have no right to family echoes so much of how I felt. and it's not even my own feelings anymore. People have been saying it for 2 years. I cant enjoy this fandom without seeing people questioning whether or not they should be considered part of the targ family.

and yeah I know its fiction but this series isn't made as an escape, its a commentary. which is why so much is based off current politics and historical conflicts. its made to reflect the real world. and all I see is my own feelings of inadequacy reflected.

(on anon because I don't want to be attacked by rabid TG fans)

It took me a while to organize my thoughts to answer and I still don't think this is a good enough answer

But I think this all comes from that believe that an adopted child can't be as loved as a biological one

That's why they think that Daemon hates the Velaryon boys or that Laenor's side of the family has no right to mourn Lucerys

Add a sprinkle of resentment to that mix because TG (who are the picture of a nuclear family) are constantly betraying each other, and TB (who are messy as fuck ngl) are a united front

And you have bastardphobia at its finest

The Velaryon boys are all amazing and very loved, so those who hate them can only use their parentage as justification for their hatred towards them, using bastard as an insult

They forget that this shit affects real people, that their "uh they are not a real family because they are not related 😵‍💫" affects real people who "unluckily" don't have a nuclear family with a biological mom and a biological dad

[supershot73199]

So I was thinking we see a lot of DC x DP fics that have Danny secretly related to one of the bat boys and while those can be good what about him being Cass secret twin. Like when Cass mother was pregnant she ended up having twins and so when she gave them to their father he decided he only needed one to be the perfect weapon he was trying to make and so he gave Danny to some random orphanage where he was adopted by the Fentons.

Skip ahead and we can get the Batfam finding out Cass had a twin even she didn't know about. (How they find out whether through her mother, Bruce or Tim digging through files they got from her dad about her or even some magic ritual vaguely saying she has a blood relative somewhere) this causes a bunch of shenanigans ad the batfam try to track down this random kid just so Cass can have a biological family member who didn't want to use her as a weapon.

On Danny's side of this I think it could help explain his insane combat abilities (the kid canonically catches the soul shredder with his bare hands and he gets good at fighting insanely fast) and I just think him learning that he has another sister who also got adopted by a random rich guy would lead to a lot of shenanigans and as for shipping I think it be fun to bring back the classic DannyxRaven (maybe she helps track him down as a favor to whichever bat boy you have her closest to) maybe have Ghost king phantom body trigon and pull an Elle woods "What like its hard?"

Just so many ways they can have a fun interaction Cass the silent yet sweet girl who can kick your ass and Danny the loud sarcastic kinda an asshole if he doesn't like you but can still kick your ads. Plus Cass gets a new older sister in Jazz and a new niece/cousin/sister in Dani.