yjdrabbles123

[yjdrabbles123]

YJ Agere + Cats

I wrote all of this and then remembered that cats aren't generally allowed to free-roam much in america these days and that people can get kind of heated on the issue... but i REALLY dont want to delete all these hcs so for the purposes of this, lets just say that the team are in england XD

Lottie will insist on stopping to pet every single cat they pass when they're out- and she won't just pet them, she'll have a full conversation too. Sometimes she'll sit cross legged on the pavement just holding eye contact with the cat, while they slow-blink at each other.

If Akilah sees a cat that doesn't look properly taken care of, she will take names: Tai has had to physically pull her back from knocking on the door of a house to tell them that a cat with such long fur NEEDS to be brushed, it's all matted!!! (Tai points out to Akilah that they don't even know if the cat belongs to that house: Akilah counters that the cat is lounging on the doorstep in a very possessive way and even if it's not their house, it's still good info!)

Nat acts like she's not particularly bothered about the cats they see while out- she doesn't dislike them, she just doesnt care and she only pets them for Lottie's sake. Then one of the tuxedo cats from two doors down isn't there when she and Lottie take their evening walk and Nat notices IMMEDIATELY and is visibly concerned for it.

Mari and Jackie have so much Cat Lore for the neighbourhood cats it's unreal- every cat has a secret name and a wild backstory and all sorts of drama with the other neighbourhood cats. Shauna has had, on occasion, to separate Mari and Jackie when they end up taking opposite sides in a local cat dispute. Neither can be convinced that the orange cat is just sitting on the greenhouse roof, it hasn't OUSTED anyone, even if that IS where the Tabby usually sits: it's a whole drama.

Van has such silly-orange-cat vibes but she isn't aware of it yet. Tai fond of this particular orange cat with one (1) braincell simply because it has Van vibes to her.

[yjdrabbles123]

Tai and Lottie and everyone telling Shauna to chill, you dont need to be jealous of a stuffed TOY, it's fine, just let Jackie have her fun, dont take it personally-

Meanwhile: There aren't enough cookies for Shauna to have one (because Jackie put one in front of Bunny) and Jackie is like 'Lol suck it up Shipman, you don't even like macademia nuts-' There aren't enough slices of cake for Bunny to have one and Jackie is like 'YOU CANT LEAVE HIM OUT, HE'LL BE SO SAD, CARROT CAKE IS HIS FAVOURITE'

Shauna gets forgotten at the store and Jackie doesn't even notice. Bunny gets forgotten at the store and Jackie sobs hysterically until Nat takes her to get him back.

Shauna falls off the bed and Jackie laughs. Bunny falls off the bed and Jackie shrieks that Bunny might be hurt.

Shauna is DEFINITELY taking it personally.

jackie having a stuffed bunny that she insists is her best friend that can feel emotions and get injured and needs to be fed and looked after vs shauna who is beefing with it the same way elmo is with rocco

[yjdrabbles123]

Hm sounds fake, my sources have it as: "Miss Emily Lacey. A wretched piece, nasty, disagreeable, snuffy letch without even one good quality. Walks like a parrot and swears like a drunken drab."

HOLLI DEMPSEY as EMILY LACEY HARLOTS (2017- 2019)

*newspaper template by cavalierfou

[yjdrabbles123]

Fic idea: Mari getting accidently left behind when everyone is out together- like they're walking in some nature reserve place and Mari ends up alone and its so like one of her biggest wilderness fears- getting lost in the wilderness and not ever being found- that shes panicking almost right away, especially because a tiny part of her keeps wondering if somehow they did it in purpose.

She holds it together when shes lost- because shes trying so hard to focus on retracing her steps- but as soon as she sees Gen, she bursts into tears and just completely falls apart and everyone is so worried at how distressed she is and trying so so hard to take care of her. Like Van gives her a piggyback ride back to the car bc shes crying so much and theyre not sure if its bc of being lost or bc she's hurt herself; Gen and Akilah sit either side of her in the car and try to comfort her; Lottie makes one of Mari's safe foods for dinner and doesn't get annoyed at all when all the distress means Mari cant cope with the idea of food at all, just makes her a protein shake to have instead. The idea of being lost away from everyone has scared Mari SO much that at bedtime, they do what they do when anyone is having a really hard time: they pull all the blankets and pillows onto the bedroom floor and everyone sleeps in a big nest pile of cushions and stuffed animals and FINALLY Mari starts to feel safe again.

They were just here-Little!Mari

It was a pretty day out. It was sunny with a slight breeze. Van suggested they go to the new nature reserve, about two hours away.

Mari’s glad Van suggested it because of all the flowers she’s seen. She pointed out all the ones she thought were cool and told whoever was listening to her the flower's name. Of course, she showed Gen and Akilah all the pretty rocks she found along the trails.

They were coming up to a bridge when she saw a rock out of the corner of her eye. She stopped and crouched down to look at it, not noticing how far ahead the others were until she turned around to show Akilah the rock and didn't see her anywhere.

The panic started to set in almost immediately. Her once forgotten fear of getting lost or being purposely forgotten about in the wilderness when they were still out there, coming back. Her breathing started to become uneven, and her eyes were blurry with unshed tears welling up in her eyes. Maybe they had left her on purpose cause she threw a fit this morning cause her toast was slightly burnt, but she tried to calm herself down enough to start walking in the direction she was sure they were heading.

Finally, a few feet in front of her, she saw Gen and immediately ran to her, hugged her, and started crying.

“Oh my god, Mari, thank god you're okay,” Gen wrapped her arms around the distressed girl and sounded relieved. “Guys, she's right here,” Gen called out to the rest of the group, who all looked so relieved when they saw Mari holding on to Gen, sobbing so hard she couldn't really stand upright.

“Okay, now that we've found Mari, or better yet, Mari found us, I think it's time for us to start heading back home,” Tai says after checking to ensure Mari wasn't hurt.

About halfway back down the trail, Van notices that Mari is struggling to walk a little bit because she’s still crying. She wordlessly hoists Mari on her back and carries her to the car. After realizing Van is giving her a piggyback ride, Mari calms down a little and buries her face in Van's shoulder.

When they get to the cars, Mari has stopped crying and is just sniffling every now and then. Van gets Mari put in the car first with Gen and Akilah on either side of her, trying to find something to cheer her up. Nothing was working, but she seemed content enough just curling up to Akilah's side and sipping on the water Gen put in a sippy cup for her.

When they got home, it was teetering on supper time, so once they got all the littles settled, Gen and Akilah got Mari a bath ready, hoping that this might help calm the still distressed girl down.

“Mari, Princesa, it's time for a bath,” Akilah tells Mari as she walks into the living room and sees Shauna reading her “Robin Hood.” Mari looks up from the story when she hears Akilah's voice. She looks at Shauna nervously, not wanting to stop story time with her because it's rare whenever Shauna feels like reading to her.

“We’ll finish it when you're done with your bath, okay, Mar? " Shauna smiles reassuringly at Mari. Mari gives a slight nod, reluctantly gets up, and goes to Akilah to guide her to the bathroom for her bath.

The bath felt nice and warm. Gen put in bubbles for her, and Akilah let her get the bathtub crayons out. Gen washed her body while Akilah washed her hair and dried her off. Gen got her a change of clothes and a pull-up just in case. They felt Mari might've dropped a bit younger, but weren't sure. To their surprise, Mari didn't even put up a fight about it.

When she got out, Shauna kept her promise to finish the story when she was done. When they finished the story, it was about time to wash up for dinner. Mari leaned into Shauna’s side more, not wanting to get up just yet.

“What did Lottie make for dinner?” Mari looks up at Shauna as she asks the question. This caught Shauna off guard since this is the first time she's heard Mari speak since she got lost earlier.

“Ummm, I think she made Birria,” Mari giggled a little at Shauna's poor attempt to say the stew's name. “It's your favorite, right?” Shauna smiled, glad Mari seemed to be feeling a little bit better. Mari gave her a nod as she stood up to go wash up.

Everyone trickled into the dining room a few at a time before everyone had cleaned up and sat at the table. Lottie, Tai, and Laura Lee set a bowl of the stew and a cup of water or juice in front of everyone. Tai set down a grilled cheeses in front of Britt and Jackie, knowing the two girls wouldn't want any stew.

Mari took two bites of her food before she stared at it, unable to eat anymore. The smell was too strong, and it felt wrong going down her throat. Her eyes started tearing up since Lottie had made her favorite food just for her, but she was too overwhelmed to eat it. Lottie noticed and got up quietly. She got a protein shake from the fridge and poured it into a sippy cup, giving it to Mari when she walked back into the dining room.

Lottie rubbed Mari's back to help the girl calm down and not cry: “It's okay if you can't eat right now. We can save yours if you feel up to eating it later. Does that sound good?” Mari gave Lottie a teary nod as she drank the protein shake given to her, and Lottie took her food back to the kitchen to put in a Tupperware bowl and in the fridge.

Once everyone was done eating, it was time to start getting ready to settle down for the night. Lottie was finishing up the dishes, Van and Shauna were trying to get Mel and Jackie to pick out their pajamas, Nat and Laura Lee were finishing up giving Misty and Krystal a bath, Tai was making sure both Britt and Robin were brushing their teeth, while Gen was helping Mari brush her teeth and get her changed into her pajamas.

Once everyone was settled down enough, Tai, Van, Nat, and Gen went to grab all the pillows, blankies, and stuffies from everyone's room and took them to the living room for everyone to sleep there. When bedtime was mentioned, Mari was crying and clinging to Akilah, not wanting to be left alone again.

Mari was settled in the middle of Akliah, and Gen and everyone else piled on around them. Mari, realizing everyone is with her and that she's safe and they won't leave her, made her relax a lot. She curled up into the front of Akilah, slipped her thumb into her mouth, and fell asleep feeling safe, loved, and cared for.

AN: This is the first fic I've written in a while, so I hope I did your ask justice, anon.

[yjdrabbles123]

I love that everyone has different things/reasons they get upset and different things they need; I love there being a checklist and like everyone hates actually having to go through it but it DOES help.

Like I can fully imagine people getting madder in the moment when they're trying to rage against the world and they just keep getting asked if they're hungry or hot...but also it DOES actually help and they HATE that it does.

Like Shauna just wants to rant about how everyone is being so DUMB and NOISY and how is she even meant to WRITE when Mel and Van are playing pirates on the very same sofa she's sitting on? It's SO UNFAIR- but actually....yeah ok she hasn't eaten anything in a while, so ok FINE she'll have a stupid snack but ONLY to stop Tai aksing her about it.....and she HATES that actually once she's eaten something, she doesnt feel like she hates everyone anymore.

Or Mari is kicking the skirting board and sniffling because everything is bad and not fun and nothing is going right and everything feels bad and she just wants Gen to tell her that shes right and the world is wrong and that shes the most hard-done-by person ever- and Gen WILL....but she's also going to make Mari drink some water and go to the bathroom and come and sit in a quiet room for a bit, and while this just makes Mari start crying for real because CLEARLY Gen doesnt even CARE what shes going through, she does annoyingly feel way better when Gen says they dont have to sit quietly in the study anymore.

Or Mel is just refusing to play nicely with anyone because she's in such a bad mood and when Van makes her come to the bedroom, she's ready to defend herself and explain how everyone else was spoiling the game and she doesn't get why Van tells her to change her clothes because she hasn't spilled anything, she hasn't had an accident, she's not dressed inappropriately for the weather but when shes wearing her old soft tshirt and shorts, she realises how very scratchy and uncomfrotable her new shirt was and how maybe she should have listened to Van and not chosen a shirt made of polyester.

theres always such a checklist to go over whenever anyone has a paddy. like, okay no blood on them or anyone else, so they can take the time to bring the little one out the room without fight damage patrol to check them over. then there's a big check over to go through, but the ones first asked are always:

- hugs and kisses or some alone quiet time?

- do they hurt anywhere?

- too hot or cold?

even though sometimes all the cg wants to do it to just sweep whichever little is upset into a big hug (or shake them silly), they always need to assess the basics first if possible. if Robins just teary because it's ridiculously hot outside but she didn't think to take her sweater off, then the best way to fix that is a cool beaker of water and a tank top. If Van's suddenly cranky with her playmates, it's easy to find out it's because she's been chewing on the scar tissue and hasn't had any painkillers yet. If Jackies getting whiney with even Shauna, and pulling her away to talk only makes her scream and cry worse, then the best thing (though it breaks the cgs heart) is to leave her to it for a while. Give her 5 minutes to yell at her toys while they supervise until shes calm enough for a cuddle and a chat about her big feelings.

[yjdrabbles123]

Little! Van Palmer moodboard + headcannons !!

Little Van is always always always moving ! Even when she's sitting down her legs are bouncing or she's chewing on her nails. When standing in line at the store she can't help but spin in a circle and try and beat Melissa or Nat in a game of sticks!

Has an old zipper from a bag that broke that she uses to fidget with, she likes the noise and the feelings it makes as it zips and unzips.

Very active when little! Loves to run around and play games and help out the others with whatever tasks they're doing. However she does not like bedtime, she's a master at "just one more story?", but will cry and cling to Tai whenever it's time for her to sleep

Doesn't like having her hair touched unless it's by Tai. She tolerates Melissa messing with her hair when regressed however it's not her favorite activity. She just loves the way Tai crushes her head ever so gently and puts it in a ponytail with presicise care and no one else compares

Little!Van is usually found playing with Melissa or reading a story with Nat. However she's always following Tai if Tai is around, making sure they're in the same room or sitting together!

She loves to run around and chase things! Yet Van tends to run off from the group. One time they were out in the woods and van saw a swuirrel and started chasing it, but she ended up lost (not really, she was only a few feet away, but she couldn't see anybody) and she started freaking out. Taissa found her and calmed her down.

Tend to regress ages 4-8

When regressed Van leans towards Melissa or a Nat. However her favorite person no matter what is always Tai!

Since Tai also spends a lot of time caring for Akilah, Van and Akilah got pretty close. They don't have much in common in regards to play styles however they found out they both love caring for the animals and Akilah showed Van how to make friendship bracelets!!

Main CG is Tai but if she's unavailable Van will go to Melissa or Nat

Bites her nails and chews her cheeks if she doesn't have something to mess with

[yjdrabbles123]

Van and Nat watching horror films together except this sometimes results in Nat having bad dreams and running to Vans bed for comfort (and ofc Van always pulls her in close and promises she's totally safe and that ofc the monster or demon or whatever cant possibly get them when they're safe under the duvet.)

[yjdrabbles123]

Van getting locked out of the house a lot as a kid/young teen as a punishment because she's stayed out too long or because her mom is annoyed with her over something. Sometimes she'd just go to play more with Nat or sneak into Tai's window but sometimes shes stuck outside and its hot or cold, shes hungry or thirsty or she needs the bathroom-

Then post-crash she has a bad morning- she's tired, snaps a bit, gets reprimanded, burns her toast because shes forgotten it and sets off the fire alarm causing Lottie and Jackie to start crying because Sudden and Loud. She feels awful and guilty- which means when Shauna and Nat are looking at her kind of reproachfully, she comes off as defensive rather than sorry. She scolds Mari for whining that she forgot to pick up milk, causing Mari to announce that she doesnt LIKE Van anymore, which usually she'd brush off but now it hits harder so she ends up telling Mari she doesn't like her either, and finally Tai steps in and tells her to stop.

Van leaves the house for her appointment feeling really annoyed and out of sorts- and when she gets home- exhausted and burnt out and wriggling a bit because she didn't think about taking a bathroom break at the office- and the door is locked and no one answers, of course she assumes its because everyone is mad at her and she's being Punished.

In fact, most people are out and Tai is taking a long bath with music playing so she doesn't hear anything. She only relaises Van is outside when she gets out and glances out of the window and sees a sad huddle of flannel on the doorstep, and rushes downstairs really bemused as to why Van is still out there and absolutely heartbroken when she finds Van sobbing and shivering and damp on the doorstep.

[yjdrabbles123]

Regressed Nat finding food really hard because it brings up memories of not having enough to eat/having to scrounge whatever she can find, and because of that, the pressure to not waste food and to have to eat food she doesnt want becomes a Lot. Even though part of her knows that no one would get upset with her and theyd never expect her to eat, just the knowlege that if she doesnt eat its a waste makes her anxious and she cant even ask for what she wants bc she doesnt KNOW what she wants, nothing sounds good.

Of course she bottles it all up and pushes through until one day when shes feeling super fragile and bursts into tears when Van gives her a plate which surprises everyone because they had no idea Nat was feeling off.

Lottie swoops in, scoops her up and carries her upstairs for a lie down and eventually gets Nat to open up about how hard its all feeling- and once she knows whats wrong, she makes a mental note to order more of Jackie's protein-shakes and supplement drinks so Nat can have them too.

The first time she brings Nat one of the drinks in a bottle makes Nat blush; the first time Lottie holds the bottle for her is even more embarassing but also feels good and safe and comforting in a way she never imagined....and unlike when shes offered a plate of food, being given a bottle doesnt make her want to cry apart maybe from relief.

[yjdrabbles123]

Nat going home to visit her mum and awkwardly mentioning Lottie or Jackie and her mum casually saying something about how she's not really a fan of Nat being with a woman- like shes not super hateful, she's not mad about it, shes not even mean about it, shes just talking like its the same as 'Yeah I didn't love it when you had bangs/I didnt love it when you were smoking so much weed'.

And to Nat, it's a gut-punch: that her mother, who put her through hell by staying with her piece-of-shit father, has the AUDACITY to act as if it's NAT'S relationship that is a problem, that is less-than-ideal, that is harmful.

She opens her mouth to list all the shit that her mums own relationship caused- and then closes it again.

Why start a fight?

But she thinks about it all the way home- every cruel word and every slap and every missed meal and every sleepless night- and by the time she gets home, she's right back to being the child she was who was just so scared all the time, who knew there was nowhere really safe, who knew that no one was going to save her and maybe she wasnt worth saving anyway.

And when the front door is opened to her, she's sobbing and shaking and hicupping as she tries to explain it all and cant and all she can really get out is all the things she's been remembering, jumbled and confused.

And even getting scooped up and carried inside, wrapped in a blanket and cuddled and soothed, isnt enough to make the awful scared feeling, or the absolute loss of her mom having betrayed her yet AGAIN, go away.

[yjdrabbles123]

Tai and Van’s bed turning into a communal bed on particularly bad nights. First it’s Lottie - who refuses to sleep alone, wedged up between them. Then Shauna, after a nightmare, crawling in next to Tai because it’s the only place she feels safe. Then Mel is shaking Van awake because her sheets are wet, and Van doesn’t want to change the sheets so she’s squishing in at Van’s side. And surely it’s almost morning now - but not before Mari can crawl in, curling up at the foot of the bed, bringing Akilah with her. And at this point Tai is practically falling out of bed, and Van is so squished she can’t breathe. But at least all the littles are safe and sound.

[yjdrabbles123]

Hi hi, how are you?

I was here thinking about Nat and how, from what Tai said in the pilot, Nat often showed up to training under the influence of alcohol. It makes me think of her at the party too and how the poor thing saw scary things with the use of other substances. Do you think if she got drunk enough at a party, her petite side would come out? Maybe the constant urge to pee would eventually lead her to have an accident and regress?

Sorry, I ended up talking too much. This has really been taking up my thoughts.

- @smallwildernesswolf

Oh, nonny, I absolutely LOVE Your idea, thank you so much! Thinking of her at Lottie's party, and she's all cheerfully giggly and drunk.

(this will have alcohol in it, it also has parental abuse and cigarette smoking)

I keep thinking of her on the rebound of her dad dying - that point when the person who abused you is DEAD and you don't have to think about making them happy or having them yell at you again. Even if they died horribly. Even if you're guilty about it.

So Nat is shnockered and swaying and giggling on Lottie's back patio, maybe her and Lottie smoking together away from everyone else.

"You're like…" Nat blows out a plume of smoke, and she's shifting from foot to foot, can't seem to get herself comfortable because there's something tight and uncomfortable in her tummy and she can't put her finger on it. "You're really tall."

"You're plastered," Lottie says back, but she's grinning a bit anyway. "How much have you had to drink?"

"Oh, y'know," Nat says, and she leans a little more heavily against the wall. "You've got this big fuck off pool. Do you ever swim in it?" "Sometimes," says Lottie, "but it's still a little early."

"Why do you have it uncovered?" Nat takes another drag of her cigarette, another slug of her drink. She's all light and floaty, and for once she's not feeling burdened by GUILT.

The season starts soon, but for now it's all… quiet.

Chill.

Another drink, and the discomfort in her stomach is getting stronger. "Takes some time to get it ready," says Lottie.

It's cold enough that they're both breaking out in goosebumps, but Nat is enjoying the cold, enjoying the spinning of being drunk.

"Like a turkey," Nat says, and that bring sout a little giggle from Lottie.

Which gets Nat laughing - it isn't even that fucking funny, but she's leaning heavily against the wall, holding on to her stomach and cackling like a loon, and she's laughing so hard that she hard that it takes a second for her to realize that the discomfort in her stomach is going away, and there's warmth soaking into the front of her jeans - warmth down her leg, and her laughter can't seem to stop as it puddles down onto the patio, and what if someone SEES, but she can't seem to stop, except now the laughter is turning ito tears and…

"Nat?"

Lottie's hand on her cheek, & Nat drops her cigarette and leans more heavily on the wall. "Nat, what's going - oh."

Maybe she she sees the wetness in the dim light, or maybe she's just picking up the smell, even through the chlorine tang of the pool.

"Hey, Nat. Nat. It's okay."

"I don't wanna… get in t-t-trouble," Nat mumbles, and her head is fuzzy, all those old memories bubbling up in the depths of her gut and trying to force their way out. More loud, blubbering sobs.

"Please, don't tell, I won't do it again, please don't…"

She trails off.

She remembers being scared. She remembers that she SHOULD be scared, there's old terror crawling its way up her throat, but she can't seem to find a way to make it STOP, can only shake and cry that much harder.

(She remembers the last time… this sort of thing happened, remembers how angry her dad was, and it's hard to remember just then that he can't hurt her anymore, not the way he could.)

"No, sh, sh," Lottie says, her tone soothing, and she's dropped her cigaratte, has halfhazardly put down her drink. SHe wraps her arms around Nat, holds her close, and she doesn't even seem afraid of getting her feet wet.

Nat cries into Lottie's shoulder, clutching at her shirt. She can't make herself stop, can't seem to catch her breath, can't do anything but sob and sob and sob, leaving a wet spot on her shirt. Her nose is running, her eyes are still streaming, and she's going to start hiccuping if she keeps freaking out like this.

And then there's the sound of the glass patio door opening, and Nat freezes, because what the fuck is she gonna DO if someone catches her… like this?

She doesn't even realize what's happening until Lottie has taken two steps to the left, & there's the shock of cold water hitting her and she's sputtering in the pool.

"What the fuck?" Shauna asks from the patio, and Nat finds herself blinking up at her teammate.

"We wanted to check out the pool," Lottie says, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, and she sounds more drunk than she is. Nat sniffs, and she stares up at Shauna, her head still fuzzy.

"Don't drown," Shauna says. "I don't think I remember my CPR training."

"Will do," Lottie says, giving a mock salute. "Everyone should be going home soon anyway."

"Yeah," says Shauna, distracted. "Have you seen Jackie?"

Lottie shrugs. "Check the rec room," she says. "Nat, sorry for talking you into this."

Nat can't think of anything to say, just gives an awkward smile. It feels almost sincere.

(She wants to suck her thumb, but this isn't the time for that, not covered in chlorine in front of Shauna Shipman.)

"You can use my shower and borrow some clothes," says Lottie, as she pulls herself out of the water, dripping onto the cement on the side of the pool

The wet spot is gone now, and Lottie looks like some kind of siren out of a fairy tale, and Nat can't stop herself staring.

She wants to say 'thank you,' but her head is too foggy for words. She settles on wrapping her arms aruond Lottie when she's out of the pool, savoring the bit of closeness in the quiet darkness of the patio.

[yjdrabbles123]

been rereading some of your fics !! they are so , so comforting!! I especially adore how you write little!mel ,,, and was wondering if you ever felt up to it if we could get some more of her?? Maybe with cg shauna or Van?? - anyway, hope you’re having a great day <3

Aw thats so nice, this ask made my day, thank you! So happy to hear you like my stuff :3 I did recently update my wilderness little mel fic on ao3 https://archiveofourown.org/works/64481470/chapters/165578608 and I'll see if i can come up with more also :3

[yjdrabbles123]

Mel needing help in the wilderness to change clothes bc of her arm and then one day being really resistant to it and insisting Gen just leaves her to do it herself although it's literally impossible and she fights Gen on it so hard that eventually Gen asks Van to help- but even Van gets told to leave her alone because shes got it and shes fine and she doesnt need help.

And Van is confused for a moment until a possibility occurs to her and she's like 'Hey....if any of your clothes need to be like washed or whatever, it's no big deal, you know? I was gonna wash some stuff anyway, I could take yours-' and Mel just looks at her with her eyes all big and full of tears because she REALLY didn't want anyone to find out that she'd peed a little bit in her pants when it was hard to get her clothes off one handed earlier so how does Van know????

[yjdrabbles123]

Love the post about the water, it feels canon to me. Could you share more thoughts about their regression in the wildernesss

Thank you! 

So I’ve not really thought much about regression in the wilderness because in my mind it’s more like something that people fall into when they come home. Like i feel like from a survival perspective, your innate self preservation wouldn’t allow you to make yourself LESS competent/less useful/less able to survive unless you were in a REALLY serious situation in which you NEED some sort of mental escape/where you’re really pushed to your absolute limits of what you can stand. So I can imagine Van, when shes recovering from the wolf attack, finding everything Too Much (bc ofc it IS)- words are hard, making decisions is hard bc everything hurts, talking hurts her mouth so she uses words less anyway, she’s constantly tense and terrified that someone else is going to get attacked and things startle her so easily- so when Mari drops a pot when cooking, she jumps a foot in the air but now she cant shrug it off: Tai realises Van is pressing up against her and tearing up which is so unlike her.

Or Lottie, when Laura Lee dies, just curling up and crying and crying and not being able to do anything for herself because that means shes accepting a world in which Laura Lee is dead and she CANT so eating and drinking is just Too Much and Nat has to coax her into it. Or Jackie after That Night (bc she CANT DIE), finding everything unfamiliar and scary bc now she trusts no one except Nat so she just wants to cling to her side and cry and when Nat goes hunting, Jackie is hugging Nats sweatshirt and sobbing in the corner. Or Tai waking up from sleepwalking in the middle of the forest and totally collapsing: just curling up into a ball and crying for Van because she’s too scared to move and she just wants Van to come rescue her. And it’s not til morning that Nat comes across her and brings her back to the cabin, Tai clinging to her hand as if Nat is going to run from her, and still crying.

Let me know if you have any more questions or specifics youre interested in OP!

[yjdrabbles123]

Anyway re the drinking water thing: it does help. Sort of. But it leads to some....side effects, especially when they're feeling smaller and less in synch with their bodies needs. -Jackie squirming around as she tries to finish off a chore before she goes to the bathroom and Shauna keeps urging her to just go and Jackie insists that NO she needs to finish this first and she can hold it- except all the extra water means she actually cant and Jackie ends up wetting herself as she tries to make it. -Mari wets the bed and shes HORRIFIED bc shes never done anything like this before and she's pouting and stomping her foot and lashing out at everyone and Nat tries to reassure her by telling her that it used to happen to her too- and then blushes really bright when she realises what shes said. -Akilah cant get her layers of clothing off in time and has an accident and is found by Tai absolutely sobbing and embarassed and uncharacteristically upset by it. Tai scoops her up right away and promises her its all ok and theyll deal with it and she isnt mad and no one will laugh-but even after she calms down Akilah clings extra close to Tai for a while after, always trying to sit at her feet or work next to her because Tai just feels so safe.

[yjdrabbles123]

Nat in the wilderness teaching the others that when you're starving hungry, drinking a ton of water can help you feel slightly more like you're full- and lots of them having Major Guilt about how they never realised things were That Bad. Like Van awkwardly hanging around Nat when shes trying to do a chore and eventually just blurting out 'Dude, I'm- SO sorry, why didn't you- I could have brought you like an extra lunch or-' and Nat just shrugging and saying she knows that Van's own lunch situation wasn't exactly stable; Laura Lee giving Nat a really sincere and earnest apology that she failed to help someone in need who was Right There and telling her that her church will give out food parcels absolutely no questions asked and does Nat want her to help her get one?? And Nat kind of pointing out that they're ALL starving and Laura Lee's church is REAL far away-

And Shauna being almost mad about it, like what the hell, was Nat just going to starve rather than ask for help??? And Nat saying it was ok and that Jackie used to bring her lunch sometimes and Shauna is really surprised Jackie never shared that with her.

Nat doesn't love all the focus on her and it makes her shrink away from everyone except Jackie for a bit because Jackie is the only one who even sort of knew what she was going through- or at least she didnt but she at least knew Nat was consistantly without a lunch.