#adoptee reality

[anghraine]

wind-sage replied to this post:

it is a really fun compare and contrast between Leia I am FULLY an Organa and Luke I am a Skywalker. Neither is Wrong, just important to respect the others choice with it.

Yes, I agree! Their experiences and identities wrt the family members who raised them are often framed as equivalent, but in the OT, they really do seem to relate to each of their families in very different ways.

Leia is not indifferent to her biological parents; she has a tie to Padmé through the Force that lingers with her and matters to her, and it's very upsetting for Leia to find out her natural father is Darth Vader. But the Organas are no less her parents for that. To Leia, "my father" means Bail Organa as much as it invariably means Anakin Skywalker to Luke. She is Bail and Breha's daughter and heir in every way that matters, the princess of Alderaan to her fingertips. Even her blood relationship to Luke only reinforces the close friendship that already exists between them, and would probably matter much less to her without the pre-existing relationship and accompanying Force bond.

But all suggestion in the OT is that Luke was raised as a beloved nephew with his father's and grandmother's name, not a son in the way Leia is a daughter. And it's a potentially dangerous name, at that, which only reinforces the importance in that family situation of honoring Anakin and Shmi in how Luke was brought up to think of himself. Luke's powerful consciousness of himself as Anakin's son doesn't seem just his own thing or conflict at all with how Owen and Beru talk about Luke's tie to Anakin, but rather, reflects it— they say "your father" or "his father" to refer to Anakin and are extremely aware of Luke's legacy from Anakin (and presumably Shmi).

The fostering of a relative's child within the family can often be complex in that way, even IRL, so this isn't even improbable. And given that Owen is Luke's uncle because Owen's father bought and then freed and married Luke's grandmother who died horribly later on, it's not surprising that they would have qualms about erasing the Skywalker history or that the general family dynamic might be a bit more fraught. Luke pretty emphatically does not see Beru as his mother, despite his affection for her; he refers to Padmé as Leia's "real mother" and adds "I have no memory of my mother. I never knew her"—clearly he can only mean Padmé. It seems to me that he's digging for information about Padmé because her absence represents a different kind of loss for him than it does for Leia herself.

And yeah, I could see the disparity in their experiences being something they have to navigate later on, but ultimately the only way to fully reconcile that, IMO, is for them to realize that their family dynamics and sense of legacy were fundamentally not the same and they're not going to relate to their parents the same ways.

[lair-of-platonic-yanderes]

Platonic Yandere Von Lycaon Alphabet

Warning: OOC. Platonic Yandere. English is my second language. Mentions of stealing. Spoilers for Lycaon's and Hugo's past, Lycaon's Agent Story and Season 1 Epilogue.

With Baby!/Child!/Teen! Reader

Hugo, Vivian and Victoria Housekeeping Co. Cameos.

Hugo can be seen as another platonic yandere, or as just someone, who missed Reader.

It's a Double Alphabet. It includes both Mockingbird and Victoria Housekeeping Co. Lyacon.

It was supposed to be just Victoria Housekeeping, but I adored Lyacon's and Hugo's interactions and shared past, so I have to include it.

For the future: Hugo Platonic Yandere Alphabet will also be a double. It will be a "spin-off" of this one, where Reader left with Lyacon and where Reader stayed with Hugo. Just a small early announcement. Hugo's Alphabet, currently, are in a distant plans.

----

A - Adopt (How long will it take for them to start planning "to adopt"?)

Mockingbird - "Adoption" itself was a slightly spontaneous decision that he and Hugo made. You were just an orphan from the streets who were stealing to survive. One day you tried to steal from Mockingbirds and got caught. Both Lycaon and Hugo saw that you were in bad shape, dirty, and hungry, and your technique for stealing was pitiful (and they were sparing your feelings when calling it that). You won't survive for long on your own. So, together, they decided to let you stay.

Time passed. Lycaon and Hugo grew fond of you. Unfortunately, your presence didn't change much.

Lycaon and Hugo choose separate paths. Lycaon lost his legs and eye. And Hugo lost you because Lycaon took you with him when he left Mockingbird.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - It will take some time for Lycaon to grow fond of you. However, real "adoption" might never happen. You would probably be Victoria Housekeeping clients' child. Lycaon would like to "adopt" you, but he understands that there is no way to do it without looking suspicious. He will try to become your best friend and replace your parents emotionally. And if there's a chance, Lycaon would "adopt" you.

B - Baby (Is age of their "adoptee" important to them? Will they reconsider "adoption" because of the age?)

Mockingbird - Child or Teen. Lycaon won't go around stealing babies. And Mockingbird was a small group of thieves, there was no way they could raise a baby. But there is a small possibility they will meet a baby. There are enough people living on the streets, and not all of them are thinking far enough about consequences and just want some quality time. In that case, Lycaon will take the baby in for a few days until he finds a suitable orphanage for them. He (or Hugo) might return for them when he joined Victoria Housekeeping Co (or after Mockingbird became more powerful). They won't immediately adopt Baby, even if they are the most adorable baby ever.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - Baby, Child and Teen. Unfortunately, in Lycaon's reality, most of his clients will leave childcare for maids and butlers and will interact with their own kids when their reputation is on stake. Lycaon will try to do his best raising you while not being your "official" parent. He will never reconsider an "adoption".

C - Cage (How free their "adoptee" will be?)

Mockingbird - Lycaon and Hugo won't monitor where you go or do. Just be careful and don't get caught, and you can go anywhere you like. But, after Lycaon leaves with you, there will be constant monitoring. Not only because Lycaon is worried that it will be hard for you to live a "lawful" life, so he needs to make sure that you aren't stealing. You won't hide that you miss Hugo. You will ask Lycaon to help you search for him. You just want both of your adopted brothers back. Lycaon doesn't want you anywhere near Hugo. He will keep an eye on you, so you won't go looking for him on your own.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - As free as your parents let you be. For some part. Lycaon won't force new rules on you, and every time he has a chance, he will help you break your parents' rules. He will keep it a secret from them.

D - Domestic (Beside the room, what did they do in their house for their "adoptee"?)

Mockingbird - There isn't much Lycaon can do for you. Mockingbird's lair is small, they can't add rooms on a whim. But, he will organize a small secret place where you can stash your snacks.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - Room itself will be cozy and homey. Lycaon can do more, but he can't be sure, if he will manage to "adopt" you for real, and he doesn't want to look suspicious in eyes of Rina, Ellen or Corin. He already has a hard time explaining why the room was necessary.

E - Enthusiasm (How enthusiastic they are about the whole "adoption" ordeal?)

Mockingbird - Not really enthusiastic. Your adoption was an act of saving a child/teen from starvation or jail time. It wasn't a happy occasion. Of course, everything turned out great, but the mood still was sour at the beginning.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - Very, but he hides it. He waits for an opportunity to "adopt" you, and, sometimes, he can't help but wag his tail at the thought of officially becoming your guardian.

F - Family (Will they insist on being called father/mother/brother/sister etc.?)

Mockingbird - There is no need. It was your decision. You started calling him and Hugo Big Brothers, and they just rolled with it. Even after Lycaon left, you still called him and Hugo your brothers. Lycaon might try to make you stop calling Hugo brother, but he won't succeed.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - He won't insist, but he will wait. He is slowly becoming your parent figure. One day, you asked him if it's okay to call him "Uncle Lycaon". He let you, after you promised to keep it a secret. And, when one day you slipped and called him "dad". He just smiled and let you call him that as much as you won't as long as you keep it a secret.

G - Guilty [Character specific point.] (Does Lycaon feel guilty for taking you away from Hugo?). Bonus Point (Do they feel guilty for taking their "adoptee" from their previous life?)

Mockingbird - No. Lycaon is sure that you would be in danger if he left you with Hugo or let you search for him. He did feel a pang of guilt when he and Hugo had a discussion before the mission of getting Sacrifice Core from Hartman. When you were brought up, Hugo, who was collected just a moment ago, lost his calm. Hugo accused Lycaon of being manipulated and daring to think that he would harm you. Hugo even confessed that he would be fine with you leaving Mockingbird, if only you were allowed to meet with him. Lycaon swears that there were tears in Hugo's voice when he talked about you. Lycaon remembered each time you cried, when he forbid you from looking for Hugo or talking about him with Rina, Ellen or Corin.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - No. Because in his eyes he offers you a real family, and not a neglectful biological family who dump you on maids and butlers.

H - Harmony [Characters specific letters] (After everything is settled, how the "custody" over you will be split between Hugo and Lycaon?) Bonus Letter. H - How exactly the "adoption process" will go?)

Mockingbird - You are mostly will stay with Lycaon. You already have a life with him, and Hugo himself doesn't want to take it away from you for Mockingbird. But he will visit you daily, multiple times per day. He wants to make up for the time he lost. Hugo also wants you to meet with Vivian. He hopes that you two will get along.

Lycaon didn't like it. But he has no strength to get you away from Hugo once again. Lycaon couldn't bear to see your tears again.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - Lycaon will be careful. He will pay attention to rumors and implications. He will try to mess up with your parents' reputation and image. All of it to make them see as unsuitable guardians. And he will be here to take you in. But he will be quick. You might not have any other relatives until you, an underage person, became a hair for a large company or huge sum of money. Every possible relative you have will seek for a way to get custody over you. Not on Lycaon's watch.

I - Ill (What will they do, if their "adoptee" became sick, and they can't treat them on their own?)

Mockingbird - Both Lycaon and Hugo will panic. They will do less "noble" heists to get money to pay a doctor who will heal you.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - He will just go to a doctor. He has the right to do it, and you aren't holding against your will. It will be fine.

J - Joke (What kind of parent they are? Serious or Fun?)

Serious.

K - Kill (Will they kill for their "adoptee"?)

Never.

L - Liquid (Do they have any special drink they make for their "adoptee"?)

Mockingbird - Any sweet drink from any shop. You couldn't afford it when you were living on the streets, and Lycaon wants to make up for it.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - Tea. He will prepare even the complicated one—everything for your liking.

M - Meal (And what about meals?)

Mockingbird - Pancakes. He and Hugo tried to make you pancakes when you just "joined" them. The pancakes were... average, if not bad, but you ate them and were almost crying. The gesture touched you so much; you were grateful. And, despite knowing that pancakes remind you of Hugo, Lycaon will make them for you.

Victoria Housekeeping Co.- your favorite food, even if it's a junk food.

N - No (What they will never do to their "adoptee"?)

Harm you.

Mockingbird - Punish you for missing Hugo. Don't get me wrong, Lycaon doesn't like it. He doesn't want you to think about Hugo. But he won't dare to punish you for remembering him. Lycaon will just beg for you to keep quiet about him. Lycaon didn't even say the word when you helped Lilac with getting to "Mockingbird". He knew that you wanted to see Hugo again, and it clouded your judgment.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - Dictating your life. Yes, you must remember about etiquette, but you are free to enjoy your life.

O - Obvious (Is it possible to catch on their intention to "adopt"?)

Mockingbird - Kind of? Your first meeting ended in your adoption. And when you two left Lycaon, just take you and leave without preparations.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - No. He is just a butler who does his job and who was concerned with his clients' behavior towards their child.

P - Place (Favorite place to took their "adoptee")

Mockingbird - Anywhere in the evening, where you can see lights of the New Eridu.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - In a quiet park.

Q - Quit (Is there anything, that will make them reconsider to "adopt"?)

Mockingbird - If you run away during the first two or three days of your stay. He and Hugo already offered their help, you refused it. They won't beg you to stay or force you to.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - If you have good parents who have to let maids and butlers look after you. They love you, but they have so many troubles with their job. Lycaon will help to ease their burden. But he will still be your secret honorary uncle.

R - Reunion [Character specific letter] (How Lycaon reacted to you finally meeting with Hugo again?)

He should have expected it. You helped Lilac with"Mockingbird". You "interrogated" him after you heard about the Phantom Thief stealing Astra Yao's disk. He was there. Did he see Hugo? Is he okay? Is he healthy? Does he have friends?

You ran to your room when you heard the news about Hugo's "death". Lycaon was devastated when he heard you crying.

Maybe he was mumbling too loud and you heard him. When he was ready to meet with Hugo in Port Elpis, you secretly followed after him. You were sure that you heard the name "Hugo".

Lycaon and Hugo barely started talking, when they heard your voice, calling out Hugo's name.

Any seriousness of the situation was gone. Hugo crushed you in his embrace. You were so happy! You finally have both of your brothers back!

Lycaon was silent. He didn't like it. But he will have to accept it. He can't just destroy your happiness again. He will let Hugo return to your life.

S - Sharing (Do they "adopt" because they wanted to give love to someone, or they want someone to give love to them?)

Mockingbird - To give love. You need help and care. Mockingbird would give you care.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - To give love. You need help and care. Victoria Housekeeping would give you care.

T - Thing (What is the first thing they get for their "adoptee"?)

Mockingbird - A warm and dry place to sleep.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - A knitted scarf.

U - Unite - (Will they welcome someone into the "family"?) Bonus [Fractions Specific Point - How the rest of Victoria Housekeeping reacted to Lycaon's 'adoptee'?]

Mockingbird - Yes, he welcomed Hugo when it all started. Members of Victoria Housekeeping are welcome to join, but Lycaon would prefer if they stayed away.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - Victoria Housekeeping will be welcomed to join the family.

Rina - She is an aunt in this family. She likes you, and she likes to spend time with you. However, she has some questions about your "adoption", but doesn't want to ask them. Yet.

Ellen - She is a little distant, but you are always welcome to hang out with her and her friends.

Corin - She is still shy around you. She doesn't know who you are. A client, or Mr. Lycaon's adoptee. She will get used to you. Eventually.

V - Vacation (Will they take their "adoptee" on vacation?)

Yes, if he has a chance.

W - Wish (How much they will do for their "adoptee"?)

As much as he can. Lycaon would love to spoil them.

X - [Wildcard. Anything you want to share about them?]

Mockingbird - When Lycaon passed Mayor's message about any people who helped to deal with Sacrifice Core and Exaltists being able to ask for any reward, Hugo immediately asked to officially adopt you. What followed is a vocal argument between these two. And there will be more arguments like this. People would assume that Lycaon and Hugo are getting a divorce and can't reach an agreement about custody.

Victoria Housekeeping Co. - When Hugo

learned about your existence (for the next thirty minutes) he was sure that you are Lycaon's biological kid.

Y - You (What make them want to choose their "adoptee" specifically?)

You needed help. You needed someone who can take care of you.

Z - Zero [Character specific point] (Back to the beginning. Could Lycaon leave you with Hugo?)

If there was no way for him to reach you before Hugo, then yes. After that, you will constantly be on his mind. Are you safe? Are you alive? You didn't get caught, right?

When he heard about a duo of Phantom Thieves he felt relief. Yes, you are still a criminal, but, at least, you are still alive and well.

[ashs-cardboard-box]

"Come back to me"

~ Hosea Matthews/Dutch Van Der Linde/Male!Reader (Arthur, John, Tilly, Lenny, Abigail, Jack mention) ~ Fluff, lost/found family (Day 1) ~ Romantic ~ 4.5k words NOT CANON TO THE RDR2 STORYLINE. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Looking back, it had to have been at least fifteen years since you last saw your family. You wondered if they thought you ran off. If you cracked under the pressure of being against the law; of the reality that your life wouldn’t be even remotely close to normal. The majority of you hoped they could forgive you, even if it wasn’t directly your fault. Fifteen years seems like such a long time ago now, but every day felt agonizing for you. Every morning you woke up longing for them again, hoping that somehow, in the big wide world, you’d somehow stumble upon them all again. In the first few years, you hadn’t seen their names in the newspapers, so you stopped looking as hope dwindled.

That one fateful day felt just like any other. The foggy morning of August twenty-third, eighteen-eighty-four. Your beautiful baby girl, Tilly, had crawled up into your tent that night after a particularly nasty nightmare about… you didn’t remember really. Your exhausted brain barely registered the six-year-old girl curled up against your side, snoring worse than Arthur had when he was a boy. Tilly was the most recent “adoptee” of the gang. Supposedly found sobbing her little heart out on the steps of a place of..dubious morals. One of your husbands– not legally, but it was the thought that counted– Dutch, had said she was crying for her mama, but that thought just made your heart clench and you asked him not to divulge further. All you knew was that, just like the boys before her, she needed a home. You had so much love to give and became as much of a father to her as you could, alongside Dutch and Hosea, of course.

Preceding her, was a scruffy boy named John. Oh, how that boy would get into trouble at every twist and turn. It all got a bit fuzzy, remembering exactly how old your kids were when they were taken in, but you knew he was twelve now. Lord knows he wouldn’t stop bragging about how he’ll be a teenager soon.

And, of course, you couldn’t forget Arthur, your eldest. Definitely less of a hassle than John, but put those two together and it’d take all Dutch, Hosea, and you had just to pull them away from each other…again. You were more of a father to Arthur than the other two kids, as he’d known you longer. He was, as much as you hate to admit it, the practice child. He was well into his teens when the ever blossoming gang had found him, right after his father was killed. You could hardly remember all of the times you fought. You and Dutch were just starting to enter your thirties, whilst Hosea was already in his forties. If it weren’t for them, you would’ve left him to starve. You were so…bitter. But now? Now, you get emotional at just the idea of one of your babies getting hurt. You nearly had a heart attack after Arthur’s breakup with���Molly? Missy? You couldn’t remember now.

Managing to worm yourself around the small girl in your bed, you rise to your feet with a lazy yawn. The sun was barely beginning to rise, making the fog seem more dense than it realistically was. Pulling your quilt up over Tilly’s shoulders, you tuck her back in, not wanting to wake her so soon, as you lean down and press a gentle kiss to her forehead. Due to the lack of proper resources, everyone had to share a tent. You with your husbands, Dutch and Hosea, and all three kids together in another tent. At first, that thought worried you, terrified they were going to torment one another, but you were soon reassured by the discovery that, when tired enough, they all leave each other alone. Glancing over towards the other two cots, pushed together to make it easier to fit two grown men, a smile crosses your lips as you watch Hosea and Dutch sleep so peacefully. You could hardly resist yourself, sneaking over just to kiss their foreheads as well. Your hand gently pushes Dutch’s hair out of his face, earning a slight scrunch of his nose in his sleep. You usually hated being up so early, but your internal clock refused to let you fall back asleep. Sneaking out of the tent, you internally wince at the feeling of the dewy grass between your toes, immediately locking onto your boots that you’d left by the tent entrance last night. Picking one up, you tip it upside down, repeatedly patting the sole to dump out any hidden scorpions. Satisfied with its emptiness, you slip it on, your union suit pant leg bunching up at the bottom, only to do the same with your second boot. It was like a ritual at this point. Wake up, cautiously get up; careful of anyone in your bed, check up on everyone before debating with your husbands to see who’s making breakfast. Though, Dutch is usually left out..especially after he somehow melted the only pot you had.

Making your way into the kid’s tent, you push the flap open quietly and poke your head in. John was halfway off his bed, somehow turned all the way around with his head dangling off the foot of it, making his face all pink. Arthur had fallen asleep with a book draped over his face, no doubt some Evelyn Miller book Dutch had been yapping about. Slowly, you creep inside, right up to John’s cot. Cramming three beds into one tent was difficult, but you all made it work. It was awkward at first, but putting Tilly between both boys seemed to quell the arguments for the most part. Gently, you pick the boy up from the edge of his bed, readjusting him entirely to lay normally for once, his head resting on his pillow. Reaching down to grab his, disgustingly dirty, wool blanket off the floor and, extremely reluctantly, covering him back up as John curls up happily beneath it. He never let you wash the damn thing, even if you desperately needed to. You could only imagine the horrors that lay inside the fibers. Turning around, you round Tilly’s cot over to Arthur on the opposite side of the tent. Grabbing the book by both the top and bottom, curling your fingers underneath the open pages to prevent them from closing right on Arthur’s face, you lift it up off of him and close it, setting it just beside him instead. Little did you know, as soon as you woke up that morning, you were already being watched by bounty hunters. You, Dutch, Hosea, and young Arthur managed to scrounge up a couple hundred dollar bounties just from petty thievery..except for that one bank robbery somewhere in the newly formed state of Kansas. Greedy bastard, you recall, but that was as far as your memory went, it all blurred so easily since it went by so fast.

You remember leaving the boys and shuffling a bit away from camp to take a leak, but you didn’t even get your buttons undone before you’re ambushed. Someone with a gun to your back, holding you up against him with a hand over your mouth. Someone else making the demands.

Something about wanting you to turn in your family to collect the money from the law? You could hardly focus, the first thing that left your mouth was “me, not them”. Inexperienced, they accepted that…and your myriad of violent threats and expletives as they all but kidnapped you without much of a trace due to the lack of struggle.

It was hard to comprehend how long fifteen years was in retrospect. Everything was changing now. Eighteen-ninety-nine. One year before a whole new century. The years beyond your capture were nothing whatsoever. Endless roaming, searching, running from the law. Ironic. You were originally doubtful to become an outlaw, but after fleeing from your cell, you’d been wanted ever since.

You were doubtful you’d ever make it back home. Afraid that Dutch and Hosea were just distant memories now. You wondered if your kids ever made it past that day. Hopelessness plagued you everywhere you went. At least, that’s how you felt, until you stupidly tripped over someone’s extended leg as they sat on the Valentine train station steps.

“Sorry.” You mumble gruffly, pulled out of your thoughts as you finally pull your gaze from the mud beneath your boots and over to the person you’d so rudely stepped on. It was some rugged looking man, but he seemed familiar somehow. Sandy blonde hair, barely hidden by a hat you can’t seem to properly place. Face covered by a scruffy stubble, sharp features. The man looked surprised to see you, if not oddly elated.

“Y/N?” The man questions, completely disregarding the incident of you tripping on him as he rises to his feet, standing in front of you. He had a few inches on you, that’s for sure. “Do I know you?” You inquire. He seemed a bit dejected at that, but he doesn’t let it deter him. The corner of his mouth turns upwards in a lopsided grin of hardly contained excitement.

Reaching up quickly, he pulls off his hat, holding it to his chest. There’s practically stars in his eyes, fully expecting you to remember who he is. “You kinda look like my son, Arthur...” You mumble, idly scratching at your jaw with a sideways glance towards the train tracks just a few feet away.

Turning back up towards the man, his expression is unreadable. A mixture of sorrow, utter joy, and shock paints his face, whatever that feeling would be called, you weren’t sure. “You still think I’m your son..?” Arthur questions, almost honored that you still thought of him that way.

He never thought he’d see you again after you just vanished. He wanted to be angry with you, to demand answers as to what the hell happened to make you just get up and leave, but he was just relieved you were alive. So much had happened, he didn’t know where to start!

“Arthur?” You echo as your eyes widen. Surely not. This guy is just making a fool out of you, but the longer you stare at him, the more that fuzzy image of that twenty-one year old Arthur returns to your memory. The chip in his tooth, the scar on his chin, the little divot in the tip of his nose…you felt like you couldn’t breathe.

Your first reaction is to hug your son as tightly as you possibly can, subsequently squishing his hat between both of your chests. He was alive! Your son was alive! He looked so much older now, it was hard to believe. The burden of the knowledge that you’d missed out on a good chunk of his life was almost unbearable. You didn’t even want to imagine if everyone else was still alive.

To feel Arthur’s arm around you, albeit slightly hesitant and much more tense, it was like a weight was just ripped right off your chest. You could feel Arthur’s heartbeat against your throat as you rested your chin atop his left shoulder, pounding almost as fast as your own.

But he’s the first to pull away, as a young-looking black man approaches him, waving a letter at him with a quirked eyebrow, clearly stunned to see Arthur hugging some strange old man. “Lenny.” Arthur clears his throat, patting you on the shoulder with one hand, setting his hat back atop his head with the other as he turns to face this Lenny fella.

“You ‘member Dutch and Hosea talkin’ ‘bout that old lover they had a ways back?” Lenny nods, shock and amusement crossing his features. Arthur gestures vaguely towards you that Lenny’s eyes follow.

“You’re Y/N?” He questions, to which you nod, extending your right hand to be shaken. Lenny quickly switches the letters from his right hand to his left to shake your hand properly. It’s firm and polite, clearly holding immense respect for you, despite being near strangers.

But, you can hardly grapple with the idea of meeting someone new as your mind circles back to what Arthur had said. “Dutch and Hosea?” You prompt curiously, almost worried, earning an amused chuckle from both men.

“Yeah? Who else?” Lenny asks, releasing your hand and handing the letters off to Arthur. You don’t bother to ask. “I meant- they’re still.. y’know.. alive, I guess…” You clarify awkwardly, glancing towards your son, watching Arthur rifle through the letters in hand.

“I don’t think even they could kill one another, much less something else entirely.” Arthur remarks, sidestepping to allow Lenny to walk past, headed for a large wagon just behind the train station.

This was the most excited you’d felt..ever, really. You can’t help the grin that overtakes your face. Your lips parting to ask another question, but Arthur beats you to it as he makes eye contact with you again.

“Yes, John ‘n lil’ Tilly are alive too. Yes, We’ll take you to ‘em.”

You nod eagerly, like a schoolboy being given the sweetest candy he could ever ask for. Only, this was his family finally being returned to him. You felt like you couldn’t get back to your horse quick enough. Nearly running into people as you quickly walked back to it, your eyes zeroing in on it hitched at the rundown saloon.

Ignoring the insults hurled your way for pushing people out of your path, you force yourself to calm down long enough to mount your horse, not wanting to startle it. Pulling the reins up off the hitch rail, pushing your boot into the stirrup and slinging your bodyweight up to the other side of your saddle.

Pressing your heels into its flanks as you pull the reins to the right, forcing your horse to turn around, riding right back up to Arthur and that new boy, Lenny. He seems young, must’ve been tagging along with Arthur, you guess.

Riding alongside the wagon on the right side, you have to force yourself to maintain focus on the obstacles ahead and not stare at your son as he drives the wagon. It’s hard to believe. He’d grown up so much, you thought you’d end up finding his grave some day without being given a chance to say goodbye. The idea sends a shiver down your spine and bile rising in your throat.

The ride back to where your family had gathered felt like an eternity. Fifteen additional years just to make it back. The sun was already beginning to set, the shadows elongated on the ground. You were antsy on your saddle, you barely noticed when you finally came to a stop, with Arthur telling Lenny to run on ahead and warn the gang and to leave him to situate the wagon.

Watching Arthur guide you into a small clearing between the trees, the wheels on the wagon creaking in the mud. You can hear several voices just ahead, some louder than others, you can pick up two very distinct voices, more frantic than the rest. You barely make it four feet into the camp before you dismount your horse, trusting Arthur to take care of it. Your eyes locking onto the distinct features of your husbands, right next to Lenny.

They seem much older now. Dutch took your advice and finally grew out his mustache, Hosea’s blonde hair had gone gray. Much older than you remembered, but you hardly cared. You were sure you looked older and more worn as well. Your feet carry you through the grass before you knew what was going on.

In an instant, you’re standing in front of Dutch and Hosea. Hosea’s shaking hands reach out to cup your cheeks. The touch is so familiar, yet so foreign. It makes your eyes water as you lean into his touch. “Darlin’?” Dutch chokes out, taking your hands into his own. His thumbs feeling over your bony knuckles, the skin getting tougher there over the years. You were never very violent before, but you were forced to after being on the run for so long. All Dutch wanted to do was protect you, but he’d never, ever admit that.

“Is that really you? What- Where have you been..?” He prompts, his brow furrowing. Letting go of your hand, he gently pulls one of Hosea’s hands off of your cheek, replacing it with his own.

“It’s..a long story…” You chuckle sheepishly as your tears begin to fall against your will. How long had it been since you’d felt like this? So full, so complete, so happy?

Straightening up, you press a kiss to Hosea’s lips, earning a slight gasp, before he leans into you. His bony thumb swiping against your cheekbone, against the wet track left in its place. “I missed you, sweetheart…” You whisper as you break the kiss. Hosea presses his forehead against your own, not wanting to pull away from you whatsoever.

But, not wanting to leave out your other husband, you press a kiss to Dutch’s lips next. He’s much more rough. Moving his hands down and grasping at your shirt tightly. He hates feeling so vulnerable, he always has, but he can’t hold back after seeing you again.

Hardly even registering Hosea as he shifts to stand behind you, hugging you close. Your mind flickered to a stray thought about people getting confused seeing their gang leaders embracing some strange man, but none of them have the courage to speak up at the moment, letting the trio have their moment.

Parting with an inhale, Dutch rests his head against your shoulder. Your hands moving down to rest on his hips, holding him close as you lean back against Hosea. “Where were you..?” Hosea repeats Dutch’s question, much, much quieter this time. His face nestled in your neck, feeling like he couldn’t get enough of you. They felt damn near tears themselves, selfishly clinging to you entirely. Sandwiching you between both of their bodies, absorbing their oh-so-familiar body heat.

“Bounty hunters.” You confess in a mumble. It sounded so silly out loud. Fifteen years of loneliness all because of money? But, Dutch and Hosea seemed to understand completely. Dutch’s hold tightens on your torso and Hosea pulls you further back against his chest, as if closer were any more possible without any gaps between them. “I- I thought y’all died or got arrested or somethin’..”

“No, darlin’. We ain’t dead.” Dutch chuckles, pressing a kiss to your pulsepoint, as if worshiping your very lifeforce. “We’re thriving.” He boasts as he lifts his head, a grin crossing his face. Though his remark ears him a scolding tug on the ear from Hosea behind you. “But–” He adds, glaring at Dutch as if warning him not to say anything further about the gang. “We still missed you, sweetpea. It’s been hard without you.”

“R-Right.. Of course.” Dutch agrees with a nod. Sniffling as he leans down and presses another peck to your lips. “Of course we missed you.”

You felt simultaneously overwhelmed, yet so happy. You felt like you could ramble on and on and on about how much you missed your husbands, how lucky you were to be back with them, how you hated what happened, but you’re pulled out of your thoughts by Arthur walking right up to you, another man in tow.

“Ah, John, my boy!” Dutch grins, removing his hands from you as he walks right up to John, setting a hand on his shoulder, he guides him right up to you as Hosea lazily drapes an arm over your shoulders, holding you close.

John looks so much more different than his twelve year old self. Scars adore the right side of his face, breaking up his coarse beard hair. His hair is longer now, but still as greasy as ever. Mentally, you roll your eyes, wishing you’d forced him to wash more as a boy.

“Pa..?” John asks quietly, chuckling as he shrugs off Dutch’s hand and steps past Arthur, pulling you into a tight hug. Usually, he’s never this affectionate, but he couldn’t lie to himself and say he didn’t miss you. You barely have enough time to compose yourself from your first breakdown before even more tears come spilling down your cheeks.

Wrapping your arms around John tightly, your fingers clasping around the back of his shirt. “Johnny…” You breathe, clinging to your son as if he were going to slip away again. He was a man now, and that thought filled you with guilt. You weren’t there. Your kids grew up without you. You missed their first robberies. You missed teaching them to shoot. You missed teaching them to read and write. You missed Tilly’s–

“Where’s Tilly..?” The words leave your mouth before you could stop them. John gently lets go of you, following the many eyes darting across camp in search of the young woman. “She’s prolly doin’ laundry.” Arthur mutters under his breath, craning his neck to look at the opposite side of camp.

“Tilly Jackson!” Dutch bellows. You nearly jump out of your skin, not at all expecting your husband to just shout for someone. But, Hosea’s arm curled around your waist grounds you again.

You watch as Tilly scurries from, what you can assume is her tent, upon hearing the gang leader call for her. Her hands politely smoothing out her dress, her eyes flicking around in confusion until they finally meet your own watery ones.

“B-Baby girl…” You choke out, opening your arms for a hug as you offer a wobbly smile. She looks like a proper woman now. She’s practically giddy to hug you back, holding you tightly. You missed her entire life. She was only a girl when you left. You felt sick to your stomach as that mindset continues to spiral with each hug from your family.

“You- You remember me… don’t you?” You mumble, pulling back reluctantly to peer into her eyes, almost begging her to have remembered you. To your surprise, she nods, a smile on her face.

“I remember you, Y/N! Dutch and Hosea talk ‘bout you all the time. Even if I didn’t, it’d be hard not to know you!” She laughs, her hands moving up to rest on your biceps, to which you copy her movement, reluctant to part. A tightlipped, solemn grin spreads across your lips, right before it falters.

“I’m so sorry, Tilly..” You sob. Removing your hands from your daughter’s arms, they move up to wipe away the tears relentlessly streaming down your face. You felt guilt. You should’ve fought harder to stay with your family, rather than abandoning them without a trace. Though, you could feel a warmth in your chest from the smile on everyone’s faces.

Hosea pulls you close again, wrapping you in a gentle hug as you rest your head on his chest. He presses a loving kiss to your forehead, just as Dutch gets the hint and shuffles back over, pulling both you and Hosea into another tight hug.

No words need to be shared, just pure love. Heart-to-heart. Ignoring most of everyone else in the gang for now. You only remembered your close family, and the new boy you met.. Lemmy, you think? Something like that.

“You two raised them so well.” You whisper your praise into Hosea’s chest. His breathing was much more wheezy than you would’ve liked, but there wasn’t much you could do other than love on your husbands as much as you possibly could.

“They remembered you.” Hosea whispers into your hair, and you feel Dutch’s chest vibrate against your back as he hums with agreement. “You taught them first.” Dutch adds, soothingly rubbing his hands up and down your sides. Down to your hips, up to your ribs, and back down again.

“John Marston!” A woman barks, causing you to falter for a moment. Sniffling as you pull away from Hosea just enough to wipe your eyes again. Watching as John huffs and turns to stare at the woman, un-amusement plastered on his features.

The woman pauses in her step for a moment, a small boy in tow, as she spots you in the middle of a cuddle pile between the gang leaders. “Y/N.” Dutch clarifies briefly, causing a spark of recognition to flash in her gaze. Forgetting about her lecture to John, she approaches you instead.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from these two.” She confesses, her cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment. “My name’s Abigail. I’m John’s wife.” Abigail introduces. Dutch and Hosea relieve you from their hug long enough for you to offer her your hand to shake, to which she accepts. Though, you’re more curious about the boy behind her, clinging to his mother’s dress.

“Oh! That’s our son, Jack.” She explains calmly, letting go of your hand and gently coaxing her son out from behind her to meet you. A friendly smile flashes across your features as you squat down to meet Jack’s eyes. Though, as Abigail’s words register in your head, your eyes widen as you look up towards John, then to Dutch and Hosea once again.

“We have a grandson..?” You gasp, earning a chuckle and a nod. Technically, Jack wasn’t your grandson by blood, but to you, John was your boy, and that meant Jack was your family too. Looking back towards the boy, you can practically pick out John’s features in him. Their noses are the same, rounder cheeks like John had as a kid, sharper chin.

“Hey, kiddo. My name is Y/N” You greet politely. “Hi.” Jack mumbles. You didn’t expect the boy to know who you were, but you felt so happy, yet so god damn old, seeing Jack standing shyly in front of you.

Shifting slightly on your knees, you dig into the pocket of your pants, pulling out two quarters. “Here.” You offer, holding them out for Jack, to which he excitedly holds both of his little hands out for your gift.

“Go wild, kid.” You chuckle with a quiet sniffle, not exactly wanting to show that you’d been weeping like a baby. “Thanks!” Jack beams, almost immediately running off from Abigail, yammering about how much candy he’s gonna buy.

Standing back up, your knees pop with the effort, definitely getting too damn old for the outlaw shit. You weren’t sure when Tilly, John, and Arthur left, you guessed they had things to do other than watch their father figures be all sweet on one another. Almost instantly, you feel Dutch and Hosea’s arms wrap back around you. Hosea in front of you, with Dutch’s chest against your back. You melt into the hug completely, just wanting to relax a bit after an eventful day.

“Why don’t you let us catch you up?” Hosea suggests, tilting his head slightly to look into your eyes. “Just like old times, over some fine whiskey.. Maybe get some food in you.” Dutch’s contribution seemed less like a suggestion, more like a demand to make sure you weren’t going hungry on his watch.

“I’d like that.” You accept, relaxing into your husbands’ warmth between their bodies as the sun finally sets. Holding one another beneath the stars, keeping each other safe, knowing nothing could happen to any of you ever again. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Return to masterlist

[krystalklear21]

I’m sick to my stomach watching how the internet keeps dehumanizing Natalia Grace.

People are STILL calling her "evil," mocking her, and acting like the Hulu show Good American Family is just drama instead of what it really is—a sanitized rebranding of child abuse. A disabled child was legally re-aged to adulthood by the very people who adopted her. The Barnetts convinced a court that their 8-year-old Ukrainian daughter was actually 22—and then they abandoned her in an apartment alone while they moved to Canada. She couldn’t bathe herself. She couldn’t cook. She couldn’t advocate for herself.

And because she had dwarfism and didn’t “look like” or "act like" what people expected from a child, the world believed the Barnetts' horror movie fantasy over the reality of an abused little girl. It’s not a coincidence they modeled her after the character from Orphan. It’s not just ableism—it’s cruelty disguised as skepticism.

Let’s be real: if someone tried this kind of stunt with a neurotypical, able-bodied child, no one would buy it. The only reason this was "believable" is because she was disabled. And now Hulu is profiting off her trauma and paying Kristine Barnett, while Natalia and her family get nothing. They didn’t even ask her permission.

And here’s the terrifying part: if re-aging a child worked once, what’s to stop someone with darker intentions from doing it again? What if a pdophile decides to legally re-age a child to avoid statutory charges? What if this becomes a blueprint for future abuse?

It was a complete failure of justice and empathy. Natalia was failed by the court, the system, the media, and the public. She deserved safety. She deserved support. And she damn sure didn’t deserve to be turned into a villain for existing in a body that people didn’t understand.

If you’ve ever cared about disabled kids, adoptees, or survivors of institutional abuse, this is your moment to speak up. Correct the misinformation as you see it, and in all the discourse raise questions-- this loophole can be exploited by child predators and child abusers.

Natalia Grace deserves better than this.

[astrid-goes-for-a-spin]

I have had a terrible, terrible idea

Timeless Child establishes that the Doctor is not from the/this universe and is the source of regeneration. Now we have a whole season about his identity as an adoptee and the villains are godlike creatures with titles instead of names from…outside of the universe…?

Praying I’m wrong but I’m so concerned now that the Doctor is gonna be revealed to be the same type of being as the Toymaker and Maestro and that’s why regeneration is so bullshit (it’s reality warping)

[fanaticsnail]

NEW OC DROP FROM SNAIL HELLO IMMA OFF TO ASK NOW CAUSE IT'S LORE FRESH FROM THE GODDAMN OVEN HOLY SHIT

okay so uhm for rothbart (rothie)

🍖, 🛒 and 🪩 (maybe 🎶 too? in relation to the dance question)

And for chains and gallows (they're a pair are they not?)

💐, 🪐, and 🎶

Thank you! I feel like roth is gonna be a fun oc ngl

OOOH YOU'RE ASKING ABOUT ROTH! He is... Difficult. If he knew you called him 'Rothie', he'd silence you permanently. For the other two, Yanis and Gallows are absolutely a pair and they love one another very much.

🍖 Roth has beef with ceiling fans. He hates them with a burning passion, particularly because he enjoys jumping to great heights. He doesn't particularly fancy decapitating himself when he jumps, hence the hatred.

🛒 Looking for Rothbart in the grocery store, the place he'd more likely often than not be found in the sweets aisle. He has a severe sweet tooth, and he will open a variety of packages to try them before he even thinks about purchasing them. Where he is in reality: already found and dragged by the scruff back by Kalifa while chastising him for scaring civilians by what he announces into the PA system.

🪩 Roth loves to dance, and has entertained his adoptees on many occasions. He is also extremely good at it. He is treated and doted on like a prized pet, and he behaves like a show pony. In private, at clubs, he'll pick a target that he wants to see move and sway his body extremely close to theirs until he's flying them away.

🎶 Rothbart never begs for anything. If he doesn't like a particular song, whoops, it looks like that speaker was broken when it was purchased. His favourite song at the moment is "Cbat" by Hudson Mohawke, mostly because he likes seeing the beast spring forth from Lucci to gnash his teeth at him when it plays.

💐 These two are the undertakers for the one piece universe: the death janitors who trail behind the marines, pirates, emperors, and others alike when there's a mess to be tidied. Gallows does the talking, Yanis does the heavy lifting. They are technically famous, and they treat everyone equally with charm and grace. Unless it's the Kid Pirates. They don't leave their mess neat enough for these two's liking. They are exceptionally polite to those freshly grieving, but always enjoy their fans approaching them.

🪐 I haven't brought these two anywhere with me, I don't think I've ever considered them outside of One Piece until I thought about space and how fun their symbiosis would be as aliens as opposed to Gallows' mushroom control over Yanis' hulking mass.

🎶 Gallows enjoys anything he can hum to, but his favourites are old Spanish songs back when he and Rosinante were marines together. He sings them to his bud sometimes, and Yanis loves seeing the happy memories fleeting behind his eyes.

I love talking about these boys. They're just my absolute sweeties, and Roth is still very new.

[kimyoonmiauthor]

What is adoption trauma anyway?

So, a lot of kept think that adoption trauma is the child going through say foster care or the orphanage, and then coming out fucked up. (Probably as a result of through the grapevine talk about Eastern European orphanages) But Adoption trauma is a lot more complex, which is also why a lot of adoptees present with complex PTSD.

Adoption trauma includes, but is not limited to:

Genetic separation from our family. For us, it's often a death, but without the certainty since the majority of us can't find our birth families. Often adoptees have crippling abandonment issues.

Lack of mirroring in our immediate family so that we often feel separate.

Separation from siblings, if it was done in the name of adoption. (Twins and twin studies used adoption)

Not knowing our medical data, or being totally uncertain because of epigenetics.

The uncertainty eats at us.

Lost time with our birth family, even if we are in an open adoption.

Not being certain of our past because the information keeps changing on us. In movies, they make this "cute" but in reality, it causes spiraling depression.

*Sometimes* it is added with foster care and orphanages.

Finding out the systemic wrongs that formed the adoption industrial complex: Name your systemic wrong, adoption absorbed it all. Always causes us a spiral. We call it getting out of the fog.

Often not having defenses against Kept being invasive by asking questions that are boundary pushers. (I call this process grooming. My boundaries are still shaky.)

Being denied a voice in media and being told we don't understand adoption.

Being told that adoption fixed everything and is made up of cute babies.

Being told we are perpetual children. We could be older than the person talking to us and they will still talk down to us.

Being told the way to fix our adoption trauma is to adopt.

Often adoption trauma comes with created NDs and disabilities. C-PTSD, bipolar, depression, anxiety. But ALSO, ADHD (even if they were in a "loving" foster home), Sensory Processing disorder, etc.

The lack of papers and proof of the adoption, as well as keeping those papers from us. (anonymously added)

Late discovery adoption brings another layer of trauma. (Anonymously added)

Things that compound Adoption trauma often in our environment (beyond the usual):

People asking where our "real" parents are.

People asking us to choose parents by title, rather than by how they treated us when they find out we're adopted.

People auto-assuming the narrative of birth and adoptive parents for us in front of us rather than getting to know who they were as individuals.

People making jump assumptions about how adoption is—often as a magical cure.

People asking invasive medical or history questions because we said the word adopted, and super focusing on that without caring about our feelings and how we feel about our adoption and the adoption industrial complex.

People trying to comfort our adoptive parents that we look like them.

People threatening our safety by saying crap like, "We'll take you to the orphanage"

People calling our adoptive parents saviors.

Parents expecting us to be "teachable moments" for fucking adults. Child safety comes first, you assholes.

People saying, "But I know someone who adopted and those children don't have trauma." Yeah, because people go around talking about their trauma freely when you get the above behavior?

People calling us angry for asking for better child welfare laws.

Rehoming and the whole situation that allows that to happen. STOP REHOMING.

Death— Adoptees and Foster Youth are notoriously bad at handling death.

But you're not really _fill in heritage_ because you're adopted.

Seeing Adoptive Parents get PAID for talking about adoption while we get DENIED unless we write a memoir, which then is marketed to only adoptees. (Our pictures always get plastered onto those articles written by adoptive parents, in which case we get harassed even more.)

For interracial adoptees, often we get paraded out as proof that our parents are "not racist", which the system is built on racism.

How much did you cost?

Every time we talk we have to talk about our birth parents and adoptive parents and how "good" or "bad" they are in polarizing terms.

BTW, for Adoptive Parents: Teach boundaries first. CHILD SAFETY COMES FIRST. Invasive questions: The child has a right to refuse. Any questions about cost, not in front of your kid.

The thing is that people often think adoption is this magical place that heals all hurts in a way that they don't imagine in other scenarios.

If your parent died, and the other parent remarried and you got a step-parent, no one would say to you, "Oh, well you got a new parent, so you can FORGET about your dead parent." Absolutely they do this with adoption. People don't treat losing parents as a trauma. But adoption does that. And we don't know if they are alive or dead.

If you met a stranger on the street, would you ask them, "Hey how much do you weigh and how much do you make in a year?" NO, right? But with adoption, for some reason, people think it is.

On the street you meet someone that looks sad. They tell you their mother died, but they just realized they don't know their family history. And would you seriously tell them, well, it's not that bad, trauma affects us all differently? Fuck no. You'd be called a cold heartless jerk. And rightfully so. But with adoption 100% this is called acceptable. Look, you're adopted, so it's not that baddd... is it?

Which parent do you want to shoot more? Your mommy or your daddy? YOU MUST CHOOSE. No reasonable person says this, but people ask us which set of parents we love more as if we are experiments. You do get the twin experiments were amoral, right? RIGHT? We got the answer through genetics and epigenetics. A mix of both. So shut up with this question. We get to choose by the quality of the relationship as us as individuals. Just like when someone has two sisters, they don't go, welp, I can't have a second sister. You go by how the person treats you. BTW, this question is totally anti-queer too. And queer people don't have to buy into this het normativity at all and say there are only two.

Why does the word "adoption" make it like it's unicorns shitting glittering rainbow poop. Adoption agencies got to dominate the narrative, and it acts like an advertisement to say you get to save your child, thus own them. But as I said before, saving a person doesn't give you the right to own them, and saviorism and parenting don't mix. Altruism isn't "What's in it for me?" Is that what the Christians are teaching about adoption? Look, you get to "save" this child and then discount price to own them for life. Certainly not what Jesus taught. There's stories of Jesus making sure that only true orphans ended up with new parents, and preferably in their own families. (Because I bothered to read the Bible as a Jew.)

That said some things Adoptees would like as alternatives:

Permanent Guardianship. It's worked in Australia and New Zealand.

Queer communal families instead of adoption. Like Andrew Solomon and a lot of queer families are finding ways around adoption and IVF. They partner up with other queer people, so that children know their genetic past. (Also remember that adoption preys on queer people)

Communal families? Doesn't have to be queer. Do you need to raise your own blood?

Intrafamily adoption with support.

Foster Care people are trained in mental health support and required to do so. (This was a proposal under Obama)

Adoptive Parents (if there has to be some) are trained in trauma and for the harder cases, the children go to them.

That we fix all systemic wrongs feeding the system. i.e. get rid of the 99% bloat.

Adoption agencies are abolished. Instead it goes through courts (which is possible if you cut down the influx).

In cases of abuse, the children can put put into protective custody, but get an option of a free name change upon becoming an adult.

If it occurs to you at this point this sounds a lot like victims of abuse objecting to their existence, for many adoptees it is exactly that. FFY and Adoptees don't want to live in a world where we have to exist. And if there is adoption, it's created not by systemic injustice, but because there is truly no alternative. That it is reserved for experts that can deal with that level of trauma. We stop the "healthy" baby routine with adoption and concentrate it on the individuals that truly need it and that those individuals get the support they need to grown and thrive into healthy adults. Because children shouldn't exist for adults to be parents. Adults should be there to give children parents.

[starlightshadowsworld]

Concept:

I love the idea of when C.A Cupid shows up at EAH the universe tries to write her into their reality by giving her a destiny.

But it can’t write one that’s correct to who she is at all.

Because while CA Cupid becomes a normie (gasp shock horror) her parents and family are all still monsters. And not only that they’re mythological beings who are all very different depending on who you ask.

Cupid for instance could be a baby with wings, the son of Aphrodite or a being that predates her entirely depending on the source.

And you know this is another universe without monsters. So Cupids version of that story and this universes version could be so much different.

I feel like it could be like comparing Loki in Norse Mythology to Loki in the MCU.

Theoretically it’s the same guy but no, no it is not.

And if you can’t figure out her dad’s story you’re gonna struggle having her repeat it.

Even then okay you settle on one version okay cool cool. Cupid is Eros and the son of Aphrodite and so CA Cupid will be following the Eros and Psyche myth as part of our destiny for her.

Cool cool…one problem neither this worlds Cupid or Aphrodite know who this kid is and Psyche may not even exist.

Because the destiny is made up.

Unless they get written into this world too which…would be insane. An entire family line just poofs in out of nowhere.

And well none of this might even matter because according to her wiki page, CA Cupid was found by the Cupids on their doorstep and they adopted her.

It might make no difference you know I am unfamiliar with how EAH treats adoptee’s.

But given their very very strict rules about following your blood family line…yeah I don’t think it’s gonna be a positive one.

So CA Cupids “real destiny” just might not fit into this world at all. I guess she’d have to make one up. No wonder girl becomes a rebel this must all sound horrendous to her.

I’d love to see Headmaster Grims face if she interrupted his “following your destiny or you die” nonsense with “I don’t have one and I’m still here.”

[t440]

tumblr users when they see a chance to reify race as an objective biological reality and hurt people minding their business… like i need you to understand that upholding race as a factual, biological reality and not as a social construct such as gender is inherently reinforces racists’ opinions of themselves as superior. if you say trace people are a threat, you then have to define Who is black, who is white, who is asian, so on so forth. you have to draw lines in the sand that enable white nationalism.

and you may say, “but that doesn’t apply here because mixed people are at least a little bit (x)!” how much is enough? how asian do you have to be to be Validly Asian? what blood quantum do you want? do you want race proof? do you want fucking 23andme results? because that is Not a slippery slope, that is actively what you do by doing this. you are hurting trace people and adoptees and multicultural families and anyone who does not benefit from racism.

furthermore, do you think a certain blood quantum is required to participate in a culture? what about immigrants, adoptees, mixed people? what about people who think they know their ancestry, but don’t due to parental misidentification (such as single mothers, cheating, even parental abduction- all things that may not allow a person to know that)? if someone thinks they are indigenous genetically and participates in the culture their whole life, then learns they were not, are they race faking? are they valid? why the fuck do you care?

and you might be like. “these are edge cases.” yeah, so are transgender people. idiot

[atypical-dysphoria-culture-is]

Little Guide on Atypical Dysphoria

[PT: Little Guide on Atypical Dysphoria]

Table of context

Section 1 : Explanation

Section 2 : Common Types

Section 3 : Don’t Do

Section 4 : How to Support

Explanation

Atypical Dysphoria also referred to as Uncommon Dysphoria, is when someone had a dysphoria for things not commonly seen in the average person. Atypical dysphoria is not connected to things like gender, height, or weight (though there are exceptions where the atypical and typical dysphorias blend.)

Rather it can take the form of a multitude of things, such as conditions like BIID (Body Integrity Disorder), Munchausen Syndrome, Headmates within Systems, Delusional Attachments, etc. but it can be also found in some general groups as alterhumans, systems, age regressors, and more.

Those who use this term do it as a acknowledgment of who they are and their own minds. This term isn’t to justify, condone, or produce actions that could hurt themselves or others.

Common types

This section will list each and will use the emoji combos this blog’s associates with them!

🧠🌀 Atypical Dysphoria (look above)

🧠⭐️ Xenic Dysphoria (Term used by Xenic folks to describe their dysphoria)

🧠🦽 BIID (Body Integrity Disorder) / Disibility Atypical Dysphoria

🧠🐾 Spieses Dysphoria (common in alterhuman communities)

🧠🍼 Age Dysphoria (Common in age regression communities)

🧠🕰️ Time/Era Dysphoria (someone who has dysphoria in what era they should be in)

🧠🖐️ Race Dysphoria (may be in groups like adoptees)

🧠💊 Addiction Dysphoria (Someone who has a dysphoria around addiction related things)

There are more out there but these are ones you may see on this page!

Don’t Do

Atypical Dysphoria, like anything out there can be fine when in check. But it is always good to make sure that you stay in a healthy mindset. Especially for things like BIID where one may end up wishing to remove certain appendages to relieve the dysphoria.

But in reality atypical dysphoria is something anyone with it should keep a watch on. Certain dysphorias may lead you down bad paths or doing dangerous things in the sake of reliving it. So please, if it gets bad, find a professional or someone in your life you trust to talk about it. You should not struggle alone with these types of things.

Remember, for anything that may be dangerous, harmful to yourself or others, or may end badly in any way. Please make sure to make sure you are in a good space, mentally, physically, financially, etc. before doing anything. Don’t harm yourself to achieve something.

How to Support

I’m short, listen, be there, and be a open arm. If someone suffers from a extreme or harmful dysphoria make sure to help them stay as stable as they can. This can be as simple as listening and being there for those who do struggle.

If you notice them fallowing down darks paths so your best to get them out, it like any other down mental state.

Atypical Dysphoria is not exclusive to any community. No one can claim a type of thing that affects more than just one group out there.

Atypical Dysphoria does not automatically mean they’ll use terms like TransIDs, Dissomei, Desirdae, or Intusui. Someone may just call themself that and go on their Mary way.

It’s best to respect the boundaries of folks who do happen to stuggle with this!

(Edit) @atypical-dysphoria

[lokiinmediasideblog]

Whenever I see a bad take about MCU!Loki just being evil I think about how reality supports the "woobification" of Loki.

The stress of abandonment causes infant brain pathways to be altered. Of course he's that scared of being alone!

Lying to adoptees about their adoption causes severe psychological harm even in better adjusted loving families (which let's just say it's very toxic).

And in terms of Loki apologia: Stabbing in the abdomen has a very low fatality rate and they're aliens with very dense tissues. So he clearly didn't try to kill Thor. It's the equivalent of a slap for them.

[partypolitic]

‼️Married Women and Trans People Are About To Lose The Right To Vote‼️

According to the SAVE Act (bill HR22) if your current legal name does not match your voter registration , you will not be able to vote without a passport or birth certificate (not a drivers license).

The SAVE Act also bans online and mail in voter REGISTRATION, makes helping someone else to register to vote a FELONY, and MANDATES FREQUENT VOTER PURGES!

This will affect the ability to vote for married women, trans people, adoptees, poc, young voters, and the elderly.

This is being claimed (lied about) as a way to ‘stop illegal migrants from voting’ but it is already illegal for a non citizen to vote and lots of safeguards exist against it. In REALITY this is a way to make ‘household voting’ de facto law for married women who have changed their last names.

‘Household voting’ is when the head of the household (the husband) casts a vote for the entire house i.e. his wife does not get a vote.

Trans people are already having their passports correct gender marker rejected, if the state also rejects a name change on either your passport or birth certificate so it doesn’t line up with voter registration, you could be denied the right to vote as well.

[shelaghdette]

some thoughts on the turners and may

spoilers for the synopsis of s13e05 ⬇️

i don't think she's going to die. i've seen a couple of people panicking about that, but i honestly don't think so. the fact that she HAS a future to call into question, suggests that she survives, but the incident is still enough to cause a lot of distress and uncertainty.

here's some pics from on set -

patrick doesn't seem to have noticed anything. phyllis looks concerned. shelagh looks absolutely distraught. they're running towards something. i think this is when the incident takes place.

in a scene that looks like it's from before, may and angela are in the background with an inflatable. i think this can give us a clue about what happens to may.

i predict that may gets into some sort of trouble in the water, but is ultimately rescued. given her future with the turners is called into question, it could be severe enough to land her a trip to a&e. and if a child in the care system has to attend hospital/engage with emergency services, social services are automatically informed immediately.

remember back in season 9 or so, when may hurt her foot playing and shelagh was "over reacting" about it? this is the reality for a lot of foster and adoptive parents - every tiny injury and incident is brutally scrutinised, and even minor things can lead to another placement being found for the child.

as a formee foster kid/adoptee myself, i'm really aware of this. in my final placement (adopted by a family member) social workers were watching my guardian like a hawk for a couple of years. she was questioned about everyone who had contact with me, anyone who was staying in the home or even visiting had to have extensive police background checks, all of my doctor visits and hospital appointments were endlessly scrutinized.

in conclusion - i think shelagh and patrick are about to be investigated by social services, which will possibly involve cyril too, because of his new job.

i'm not ready for this :(

[tommming]

Adoption analogy for trans gender identity

One of my favourite analogies for being transgender (and people should use this more in my opinion, I came up with it idk if anyone else did too) is adoption. (and I am aware that adoption in our society has some problematic issues in its current state, but that’s not the point, especially because humans throughout history and the world can and do adopt children).

When an adult adopts a child, and the child is happier and healthier because they have someone to care for them, and the parent and the child both like to refer to each other as mom/dad and son/daughter, would you deny the reality of this relationship or refuse to use the words mother/father son/daughter?

Some adoptions will be more visually obvious than others (like inter-ethnic), and this can lead to mean and invalidating comments and assumptions about the relationship. 

In adoption situations, it’s clear that the medical implications (genetic diseases etc) are not the same as biological parents and children. 

And some kids will at some point decide they want to call their adoptive parents “adoptive parents” and reconnect with their biological parents, and maybe have two sets of parents, and this is accepted, because parent can mean different things. 

Everyone (idk i’ve never met an adoption hater) accepts that this is all valid and in a sense real, because who counts as a parent or son/daughter is just words, and even if they usually have a concrete biological basis, it would be quite disrespectful and unhelpful to refuse to use the words to include adoptive parent/child relationships. 

As you can piece together I am sure, the visually obvious adoptees are analogous to visually obvious trans people, medical concerns are analogous, and different sets of parents is somewhat analogous to the somewhat nuanced way sex and gender all fit together (like someone can be male and nonbinary or whatever) and that whatever the adoptee kid says about their relationships is probably what others should accept, and just the whole thing is analogous! Especially it’s really the same type of thing: People accept the fact of adoption / gender as something that is socially and psychologically real despite lacking the biological basis that typically defines these things, largely because many of the important parts of what defines these words/concepts actually does apply to the situation, and importantly I would argue everyone is better off because of it! (better both because of the actual adoption / transition itself and because of the validating language and people being understanding of it).

You could argue that adoption reduces the resources available for real parents/children (parenting clinics, family therapy, family lawyers, etc.) You could argue that is degrades  and distorts the meaning of what a child is (so that immigrant parents wanting their children to be reconnected with them might have less legal leverage, or that after someone dies it’s no longer enough to be a biological child to inheret their stuff if they have no will, because being a child no longer has any real definition). You could even argue that it perpetuates unhelpful stereotypes about parent/child relationships (for example I know someone that had an abusive mother and is lowkey triggered when people talk about maternal love, and it’s not helpful at all for people to assume that everyone’s parents are nice and caring and present or even existent/known because so many children’s parents are not, or that parents are responsible and have rightful authority over children, which is a dangerous idea for children that are abused by their parents). But are these realistic concerns? Why or why not? I’m not saying this is exactly the same as gender issues, but it has similarities for sure.

I think these ideas are interesting and important and I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I really think this is a great analogy, and shows how I wish the world would be about transgender people (accepting and validating, even legally, without suspicious concerns and without any delusions or misconceptions about what’s real or not).

Furthermore, if you want to really get into it, both the idea of being a parent and the idea of being a woman or man have an interesting similarity, due to both of them being being complex concepts that involve biology and social relations and stereotypical characteristics and all kind of stuff. Someone who is a father to a child that died before the child was born, and left nothing for the kid (wasn’t married lets say), is a parent, and so is an adoptive father, notice how there is absolutely no single fact that these two dads have in common except for the identification as a father. I think this is very similar to a very masculine cis woman that is consistently mistaken for a man, lives a very masculine life generally, lets say perhaps has had medical issues with her hormones throughout life, and has no real attachment her gender because she is a gender studies professor and knows about how its all bullshit (I knew a professor that was a lot like this), and a trans woman, who is technically male, but passes effortlessly as a quite feminine woman and has since being a little child gravitated strongly towards girlhood and said she’s a girl, and grown up to take hormones etc., although not yet done bottom surgery (you probably are aware of this, but there are many trans women that fit this description). There is not a single fact that makes these people both women other than their identification as women. Both are quite atypical, but both have good reason be called women. 

This is why I think that gender is actually a circular definition. Men are men because they are considered men, women are women because they’re called women. Just like parents are parents because someone called them a parent. There are a million and one things that are typical of a man or woman or parent, but none are completely definitive (in my view), and that’s okay because they are just words and words are tools to understand the world. And likewise I think other complex concepts are probably like this too. Religions, languages, families, crimes, salads, idk! Trans women are women because we regard them as women.

[kimberbohwrites]

How would Rolan react to his person finally confessing they are a foundling/adoted and that's why they've been dodging answering questions about their family as it's a complicated mess to explain unless you make a string board. His person feels awful for hiding it from him until this point.

Hey anon, I have opened and tried to answer this at least a dozen times and I’m not doing a great job. In reality I’m married to an adoptee and I can’t seem to write this without my mind slipping back to my own spouse and their experience.

So I’m going to keep this really short and sweet so I can answer for Rolan and not myself. (And thanks for your ask!):

- I think Rolan would initially be a little hurt by the dodged questions and secrecy, but once he understood why I think it would fade almost instantaneously.

-He’s got his own share of family issues and he won’t pry if he can tell it’s too painful to discuss.

-I think he’d sit with them, his tail coiled around their leg to keep them close as his person shared what they could with him.

-Rolan doesn’t strike me as someone who handles crying well and when his person breaks down in tears over everything he would panic for a split second. Then he’d draw them up close to cry on to him, nuzzling them close and giving them a forehead kiss.

-Finally, he would cheer them up by telling them a funny story from his childhood, one he’d never shared before. It’s a happy memory, a prank between siblings gone awry that ended in a small (harmless, he swears) fire in a barn in Elturel. They drift off while cuddling, after sharing a few happy memories in all the sadness they’d both experienced.

[newstfionline]

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Canada to cut immigration levels in major reversal, Trudeau says (Washington Post) Canada is set to slash the number of immigrants that it welcomes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday, in a sharp reversal for a country that bet big on immigration to boost economic prosperity and that has long cast itself as open to newcomers. The about-face comes as public opinion polls show waning support for immigration amid concerns that it is exacerbating long-standing housing shortages, pushing up rents and deepening stresses on an already overburdened health-care system. Canada is to admit 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, a 21 percent drop from the target of 500,000 it set last year. That number will fall further to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. All are below the goal of 485,000 set for this year.

Asheville Has Tap Water, but No One Knows When It Will Be Drinkable (NYT) Nearly a month after the remnants of Hurricane Helene ravaged western North Carolina, running water has now been restored to most of the region around Asheville—but you can’t drink it yet. What comes out of the tap is often yellow or brown, and while it can be used to flush toilets and take showers, it is still unsafe for human consumption. Officials have given no indication of when the water will be safe to drink again, and the reservoir that feeds the system still looks like it is filled with chocolate milk rather than pristine water. Obtaining clean water remains a daily concern for many residents, who head to disaster relief sites to bathe, do their laundry and pick up bottles of drinking water. Large canisters stocked with well water dot some neighborhoods. Many restaurants and breweries that lack a clean water source remain closed. “It’s the new normal, going around to find places to do everyday stuff,” said Lisa Nowell of Swannanoa, N.C., after she did laundry with her daughter at a disaster relief site. “It has changed life so instantly.”

Thousands of adoptees live in limbo without citizenship (AP) The 50-year-old newspaper was turning yellow and its edges fraying, so she had it laminated, not as a memento but as proof—America made a promise to her, and did not keep it. She pointed to the picture in the corner of her as a little girl in the rural Midwest, hugging the family Yorkshire terrier, with dark pigtails and brown eyes so round people called her Buttons. Next to her sit smiling, proud parents—her father an Air Force veteran who had survived a German prison camp in World War II and found her in an orphanage in Iran. She was a skinny, sickly 2-year-old; he and his wife decided in 1972 to take her home and make her their American daughter. They brought her to the United States on a tourist visa, which in the eyes of the government she soon overstayed as a toddler—and that is an offense that cannot be rectified. She is one of thousands of children adopted from abroad by American parents—many of them military service members—who were left without citizenship by loopholes in American law that Congress has been aware of for decades, yet remains unwilling to fix. She is technically living here illegally, and eligible for deportation. “My dad died thinking, ‘I raised my daughter. I did my part,’ but not knowing it put me on a path of instability and fear,” she said. “Adoption tells you: You’re an American, this is your home. But the United States doesn’t see me as an American.”

Billionaire Esteves Sounds Alarm on US Deficit, Money ‘Printer’ (Bloomberg) Billionaire Andre Esteves, the chairman of Banco BTG Pactual SA, said he’s worried about the lack of debate over the ballooning US deficit and what he sees as the excessive printing of money. The Brazilian banker compared investor concern about his own country’s fiscal situation, which has been whipsawing financial markets, with relative quiet around the situation at the US Federal Reserve. The “reality is, even if you are the owner of the printer, there is a limit to print,” he said. While the fiscal situation [in Brazil] is being discussed daily by newspapers, politicians and investors, there’s been no similar talk in the US, he said. “The difference is that we don’t own a printer and need to be more rigorous.”

Molotov cocktail explodes in a Chilean high school, injuring at least 35 (AP) A homemade firebomb exploded inside a public high school in Chile on Wednesday, igniting a blaze that injured at least 34 students and one teacher, with several in serious condition, firefighters said. A group of students ages 15 to 18 at the school in central Santiago, the capital, were making Molotov cocktails in a bathroom to be thrown at a protest later when one exploded, said police Lt. Col. Fernando Albornoz. It was not clear what caused the blast. Police said they found bottles and fuel cans likely to make the explosives.

A loneliness epidemic is spreading worldwide. Seoul is spending $327 million to stop it (CNN) In South Korea, the city authorities of Seoul have announced they will spend 451.3 billion won (around $327 million) in the next five years to “create a city where no-one is lonely.” Every year, thousands of South Koreans die alone every year, a phenomenon known as “lonely deaths” and part of a larger problem of isolation from society. The initiative will include counselors, in-person visits and consultations, more green spaces and activities to encourage people to connect. “Loneliness and isolation are not just individual problems, but tasks that society must solve together,” Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon said in a news release. The problem of loneliness has gained national attention over the past decade as the number of related issues increased—such as young people who withdraw from the world and spend their days isolated at home, often for months at a time. The phenomenon, known by the Japanese term “hikikomori,” has become increasingly common; South Korea had up to 244,000 such recluses in 2022 by one estimate. The number of lonely deaths has also been rising—reaching 3,661 last year.

Japan’s ruling party may struggle in Sunday’s vote, but its decades of dominance won’t end (AP) Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ‘s ruling party, dogged by corruption scandals and plunging support, faces its toughest challenge in more than a decade in Sunday’s parliamentary election. This could set up a very short-lived time in office for Ishiba, who only took power earlier this month. But even if he may have to take responsibility and step down as head of the party and prime minister, it won’t cause his Liberal Democratic Party to fall from power. That’s because the party, which has had a stranglehold on power since 1955, easily dominates a fractured, weak opposition, which has only ruled twice, and briefly, during that time. The LDP has built its juggernaut of support through a network of bureaucrats, businesses and regional leaders. While opposition parties have made inroads in cities, the LDP controls the countryside, funneling huge government subsidies to rural areas.

Storm blows away from northern Philippines leaving 65 dead but forecasters warn it may do a U-turn (AP) Tropical Storm Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 65 people dead in landslides and extensive flooding that forced authorities to scramble for more rescue boats to save thousands of terrified people, who were trapped, some on their roofs. But the onslaught may not be over: State forecasters raised the rare possibility that the storm—the 11th and one of the deadliest to hit the Philippines this year—could make a U-turn next week as it is pushed back by high-pressure winds in the South China Sea.

Israel attacks Iran in series of pre-dawn airstrikes targeting military infrastructure (AP) Israel attacked Iran with a series of pre-dawn airstrikes Saturday in what it said was a response to the barrage of ballistic missiles the Islamic Republic fired upon Israel earlier in the month. The Israeli military said its aircraft targeted facilities that Iran used to make missiles fired at Israel as well as surface-to-air missile sites. There was no immediate indication that oil or missile sites were hit—strikes that would have marked a much more serious escalation—and Israel offered no immediate damage assessment. Explosions could be heard in the Iranian capital, Tehran, though the Islamic Republic insisted they caused only “limited damage” and Iranian state-run media downplayed the attacks. Still, the strikes risk pushing the archenemies closer to all-out war at a time of spiraling violence across the Middle East, where militant groups backed by Iran—including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon—are already at war with Israel. The strikes filled the air for hours until sunrise in Iran. They marked the first time Israel’s military has openly attacked Iran, which hasn’t faced a sustained barrage of fire from a foreign enemy since its 1980s war with Iraq.

Hezbollah proving a formidable foe against Israeli forces in Lebanon (Washington Post) After a series of staggering losses, Hezbollah is putting up a stiff fight against Israeli forces in Lebanon’s south while continuing to rain down rockets across the border, underscoring the group’s resilience and the limitations of Israel’s ground campaign. When Israel sent troops across the border on Oct. 1, officials estimated military operations would last for a few weeks. More than three weeks later, officials have said they will likely need a few weeks longer, raising concerns over the kind of mission creep that has defined Israel’s past wars in Lebanon. The militant group has bounced back from its unprecedented setbacks—including the penetration of its electronic devices and the assassination of most of its senior leadership—thanks to a flexible command structure, help from Iran and years of planning for an Israeli invasion, current and former Lebanese officials said. “They are a formidable foe,” said an official with the Israel Defense Forces. The official said Hezbollah militants are better trained, more experienced after fighting in Syria and armed with more advanced weaponry than in 2006, during their last war with Israel.

In Gaza Camps Where Tents Are Now a Luxury, a Harsh Winter Looms (NYT) A year into the war in Gaza, the prices of ready-made tents and supplies to build even flimsy shelters are soaring. Warm blankets, clothes and firewood are hard to get or prohibitively expensive. Finding a vacant apartment is out of the question for most displaced civilians. And many have no income at all. So people eking out an existence in tattered tents and makeshift shelters across the enclave are bracing for a tough, rainy winter. This one, many expect, will be worse than the last. Most of the roughly two million people in Gaza have been displaced at least once by the war, compounding the hardships of a population enduring waves of Israeli bombardment and widespread lawlessness.