age-re-side

[age-re-side]

diagnoses character with whatever the fuck it is that i got

[age-re-side]

oh, van ❤️

The idea of little!Van being given a new raincoat or pair of shoes that someone grabbed from the girls section of the store because Van's a girl, right? Why would they do anything different? And they're green, but they're the girly green, the kind that's sort of minty with pink accents, which makes Van's stomach feel kind of weird and she doesn't like looking at herself when she's wearing them. She starts doing stuff to scuff them up intentionally so she'll have to get new ones again, like dragging the toe across the pavement when they're walking and stepping in mud on purpose and "accidentally" leaving them outside on the porch when it's raining. She goes through two pairs of shoes in as many months and Tai finally realizes what she's doing and takes her to the store to pick out her own shoes and doesn't bat an eye when Van shyly picks out a pair of boy's shoes. Van breaks down in tears in the car, apologizing for ruining so many pairs of shoes because it's expensive but it was making her chest feel all weird and like she wanted to crawl out of her own skin a little. It makes Tai realize the stains on half of Van's shirts and the rips in her backpack aren't just a result of Van being kind of clumsy, it's Van's frustration with being given the most "boyish" version of the "girl" thing and takes it upon herself to overhaul a bunch of Van's things with her input.

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Littlejackets random toys, but they're random toys I remember from my childhood. This is SO far out of my au since these are from the 2000s, and I've already worked out a lot of their favorite toys/games etc -but that's okay!

(from left to right: Lottie's, Akilah's, Van & Mel's, Jackie's, Mari's)

Lottie: Although she's far too tall for this, she loves it. They found it at an op shop and there was no turning back -it was love at first sight. The colours, the interactive features, the wheels?! She loves to be able to stick things in the front too, and it's an easy way for the older littles to include Lottie even when she can't fully comprehend their games. Jackie can say that Lottie is the big sister taking the baby for a walk, while Lottie is off playing in her own little world.

Akilah: Girlie loves a farm set. Why pretend otherwise? She loves the sounds it makes when she moves the right things, and she can hide so much in the silo! She loves to take this out on a sunny day and lay in the grass so that everything feels authentic and more real. Nat's teaching her how to make pipe cleaner animals too, so she'll have even more!

Van and Mel: They LOVE a good racing game, especially when it's one they can play indoors no matter the weather. They create ridiculous tracks and put whatever they think might fit down there. They have been known to get in trouble however, since they take competition very seriously and might climb on tables to get the highest track...

Jackie: She loves this thing. It goes everywhere with her when she's having an especially bad day, and even if she isnt its always in a crib in the corner of her room. She asks for something from the catalog every chance she gets: birthdays, christmas, doctor visits, the end of reward charts, you name it.

Mari: Being a flower-fairy-princess-queen is NOT an opportunity she's going to pass up! She loves the flashing lights and music that plays when she spins it. It's very rare that she'll let anyone but Jackie play with it, since apparently only Jackie appreciates the magic. She gets the wand taken off her quite often though, as she has a habit of smacking people with it if they don't listen to her royal orders.

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Little!Mari constantly bedazzling herself and whoever will sit still long enough. Akilah's new animal stickers for her reward chart have gone missing? Maris used them to decorate Akilah since 'stickers look better on people'. Jackies brand new gel pens aren't on their spot on her desk? Well, don't look at Mari. She's always had those stars and spirals all over her legs.

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What do we think the littlejackets bedtime quirks are? Not i-need-another-drink bedtime avoidance quirks, but safety measures that have passed through from the wilderness. Most of the time, they won't even be as concerned for themselves and are instead trying to make sure that everyone else is safe.

Jackie only falling asleep when she has a large pile of blanekts by her bed -just incase the temperature drops below freezing and she needs to make sure everyone is warm enough.

Shauna always making sure their emergency route downstairs is safe and clear and that everyone has their fire safety kit in their bedside drawer before she goes to bed -just incase a fire starts and they need to get out fast.

Van always making sure the first floor doors and windows are locked -just incase any animals try to get in them in the night.

Lottie always having to be carried around and see into everyone's closets and cupboards so that she knows nothing is waiting to get them while they sleep.

Mel giving everyone extra tight hugs that linger and extra goodnights -just in case something happens in the night and she never sees them again.

Mari pretending not to care about any of this -but always remembering little things like how Van likes to tug the window three times to make sure it's shut or running infront of Lottie to help show her how safe their house is.

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Scary Movie!

Mari and Shauna join forces to watch Nat's new scary movie, scream 2, but things don't go as planned and start to feel a little too real.. !!! does talk about murdering and screams ghostface, so yeah, just in case that might bother you! !!!!

Mari had never noticed how many shadows could look like monsters. Not the under-the-bed monsters that she had Gen secretly check for at bed time, but real monsters that were lurking outside the windows. Peering in at her and waiting to snatch her down to a dark pit full of something horrible, like spikes or murderers. 

Watching Nat's new super scary video that they were under no circumstances to see seemed such a good idea that she didn’t even mind joining forces with Shauna, but now she was really regretting it. 

Neither of them were saying anything, but they were shuffling closer by the minute. Shauna had pressed up against Mari’s side a while back, and they were both gripping each other's hands, despite their sweaty palms. That only made her feel worse, because if Shauna was afraid, maybe there really was something to be scared of?

The killer in the film kept popping up and stabbing with his sharp knife. Mari couldn't figure out how he kept getting them. Didn’t anyone in scary movies look around? 

“I don’t like this”

Shauna didn’t reply, but she pressed even further -had they ever been so close without fists flying?- and Mari knew that she didn’t like this either. Then the music tensed and Mari knew something bad was about to happen. The distorted mask showed up again and someone screamed, which made Mari jolt and send the remote falling to the floor with a loud clack. 

And then there were footsteps that creaked on the stairs. Not movie footsteps, but real footsteps. Footsteps that were only one room over.

“Mari” Shauna whispered “Ghostface is here! He’s in the house!”

Mari didn’t waste time and threw the blanket over their head, like it was armor. She squeezed her eyes shut and whispered an apology to Nat for stealing her video. She was about to be murdered, and next to Shauna of all people!

The footsteps creaked closer and Shauna let out a sharp squeal. Mari hid her face in her knees and wailed. She didn’t want to die! The footsteps were louder now, pounding as they made a direct beeline for the living room. The blanket was snatched from over their heads and Shauna began to flail her arms, which meant Mari had to move away from her and even closer to the killer with the big sharp knives, which meant that she would get got first and she was going to die cold and alone and-

“Shauna? Mari?”

Tai. That was Tai’s voice. Tai who was most certainly not going to get them with sharp knives. Tai was standing in front of them, and that thought made Mari finally feel brave enough to look around. Shauna was still on the sofa, snot and tears covering her blotchy face, and Tai was putting down a glass of water and calling for Nat, although that seemed unnecessary since Mari could hear commotion upstairs already. 

Lottie was definitely howling and Mari thought she could hear Jackie yelling too. More chaos was coming from the stairs. Nat was rushing down in her boxers and band shirt and Misty was close on her tail. Nat skidded in and took one look at the television and muttered a swear.

“Are you kidding me?” She hissed, snatching the remote from the floor and stabbing the off button. “Why would you two want to watch that?” 

Mari shrank back down and wished that she had someone to cuddle her like Tai was doing to Shauna. Why was she always left on the outer? 

“C’mere Marzi.” 

Mari clambered into Natalie's waiting arms and breathed in her comforting scent. Maybe Nat didn’t hate her after all.

“Of all the videos you two could have chosen, why did you choose that one? Why not sneak out of bed and watch Casper?” Tai asked them. 

Shauna let out a sob that hurt Mari’s ears. “It wasn't our fault! Nat said that we couldn’t watch it ‘cause it's for big girls, but we’re big girls.”

“I never said you couldn’t watch it like.. ever. Just not while you were little, and not just I’m-feeling-a-bit-older big, but properly and fully big. Okay?” 

Mari nodded at Nat's words and nuzzled further in her shirt. “Are we in trouble?” Maybe if she and Shauna looked sad enough they might get off the hook. Mari felt Nat sigh into her hair and rubbed her hands up and down Mari's arms.

 “Not tonight kiddo. We’re gonna talk tomorrow though, when everyone's had more rest. Tai, are you alright taking Shauna? I’ll take you, Marzi. And who’s hiding in the doorway, huh?”

Mari turned and saw Jackie trail in, looking spooked. Had they really woken the entire house?

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something about taivan being mari’s parents. something about mari being taivan’s daughter.

something about mari being van’s baby — the one little innocent spot she has left, the only person other than herself who can still make-believe and find some joy in things. something about van being unable to put her feelings into words for mari whenever shauna questions her on it; because she doesn’t know how to say that mari is her baby in the same way jackie or mel was shauna’s baby. but jackie wasn’t always shauna’s baby, she was also shauna’s tai. but the grief van feels over mari feels like absolute heartbreak, what she imagines shauna feels over jackie, though she’ll never admit it out loud.

something about mari looking up to van as a big sister, a mentor, a caregiver. mari always following van around like a lost little ducky. mari offering sleepovers anytime she could because she saw where van lived once and she wants to give van a safe place for the night. mari drinking from van’s water bottle at practice and van says it’s okay because it’s mari. (if anyone other than mari, nat, or tai did that, she’d be grossed out.)

something about van giving mari a piggyback ride as they explore the woods. checking in with her using thumbs-up and being unable to contain her laughter when mari grins enthusiastically as if they aren’t stranded in the middle of the wilderness. van sleeping in the middle of mari and tai, feeling mari curl up against her back. van sharing tai’s sleeping bag with her and giving mari more blankets. mari running up and throwing herself at van in a hug every time van leaves the camp and comes back, and van isn’t that affectionate, but she’s laughing and always right there to catch mari.

something about tai being mari’s stepmom because van is always parenting her without ever really admitting she’s parenting her. and then eventually tai graduates from stepmom to second mom. she braids mari’s hair, she carries her when van can’t, she is reminded to just smile and slow down whenever she sees mari’s innocence about something. tai grabbing mari and holding her back from arguing with the others if van doesn’t notice.

something about both van and tai looking back on a walk to make sure mari is still with them. tai going to check on mari during van’s recovery and finding her snuggling with van’s blanket, laying down with her, holding each other as they cry. mari being unusually quiet when van is unconscious, sitting by her, holding her hand, praying over and over that she wakes up. somehow, someway, thinking it’s her fault. maybe the wolves had been after her and van got in the way to protect her?

something about mari sitting in between van’s legs on the field after a practice, van trailing her fingers through the ends of mari’s hair - subtly, because she doesn’t need anyone to know she actually has a soft spot. tai driving van home, but also driving mari home because mari’s parents work too late, mari’s head popping up from the backseat, forcing them to listen to her favorite songs on the radio. tai having tapes in her car labeled mari because she’ll get a little alone time with van if van’s shadow is distracted by the music. mari being slightly younger and promoted from jv to varsity, immediately latching onto van as her person, lottie teases van for having a shadow.

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Caregiver Misty headcanons!

She can look after the little ones well. In fact, she's often one of the better ones for remembering who will need the bathroom before they leave, and who didn't eat all their lunch and will need a bigger dinner, or when someone went down for their nap, but she's not very good with actually interacting with them. She'll either overwhelm them with talking about the many ideas in her head, or have no clue what to say. There is rarely an in between.

^ If the little one is just staring at her, or not feeling like talking, she will just narrate what she's doing, or what she's done that day.

Like when she was a kid, she plays best when she has a script of sorts to follow. Jackie and Shauna want her to be the third powerpuff girl? Awesome, she knows how to roll with that. But when she’s asked to play something with no firm starting plot, like families or barbies? She’ll stumble all over her sentences and rely on the girls to tell her how she should play, which often leads to the little one(s) she's playing with to get upset.

Since she grew up being left out so much, she always makes sure that all the girls that want to be included are, and finds out why not if they don't. She's very good at noticing when someone is missing or sulking.

She's very observant and often remembers little throw away pieces of information the others say, and she catalogs the information on the girls in her head. She knows their favourite foods, clothes, colours, what cheers them up/gets them upset. This goes for the other caregivers as well as littles.

You know how people are often like ‘ohmygosh I’m so scared I’m going to break you’ with babies? She's like that. The other caregivers (and littles!) have told her that the girls won't break by toddling down the stairs, and while she knows that, it doesn't stop her from holding her arms out behind them to make sure they don’t slip.

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Little Mari Ibarra headcanons!

Oh my goodness, for the last time: she isnt a baby! She won't ever beat the baby allegations (since she is one of the youngest littles) but she's just as much of a big girl as Jackie or Mel, thank you very much! She's always trying to keep up with them and gets upset when she cant manage.

Nat is her favourite cg. On the days where Mari is being so difficult and all the other girls just want to rip their own hair out, Nat is the only one she will listen to. Not even Nat knows why

She has SO many favourite toys. The other littles play with many toys, but they always have a fallback that they'll grab under pressure. Not Mari though. She needs at least an extra ten minutes when someone calls for her to grab a toy cause they're about to leave.

Mari does have a dummy, but she rarely uses it in front of others. It's one of those that are attached to a snuggly comforter, and she nuzzles into that while she sleeps. Sometimes when she is feeling extra vulnerable she'll wear a jumper with big pockets and tuck him in one to carry around with her. His name is brownie.

She always insists that she's big enough to cook or bake, even when she isn't. So the other girls have to be very vigilant in keeping an ear out for the clattering of pots and pans

The others always make sure she has some job, no matter how small. They'll make a super big deal of 'oh no! Lotties hat is still inside. Mari, can you be a super duper duper big help and run and grab it?' It makes her feel like a big girl and saves them trailing all the little ones inside.

She's absolutely terrified of the bear from the bear in the big blue house, which amuses Shauna to no end. Shauna has ended up in time out many times for calling Mari into the living room only for her to play the show.