#Additional CP

[indianfasttrack]

महाराष्ट्र सरकार ने 8 वरिष्ठ आईपीएस अधिकारियों का तबादला किया, शारदा राउत एंटी-नारकोटिक्स टास्क फोर्स की विशेष आईजीपी नियुक्त

महाराष्ट्र सरकार ने राज्य ने राज्य के 8 वरिष्ठ आईपीएस अधिकारियों का ताबड़तोड़ तबादला किया है। इसमें महत्वपूर्ण प्रशासनिक अधिकारियों के फेरबदल कि�� गए हैं। जाने किसे कहां नियुक्त किया गया है। Maharashtra government transfers 8 senior IPS officers, Sharda Raut appointed Special IGP of Anti-Narcotics Task Force मंत्रालय प्रतिनिधिमुंबई: महाराष्ट्र सरकार ने एक महत्वपूर्ण प्रशासनिक फेरबदल में आठ वरिष्ठ…

[biasbuck]

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[weewoo911]

I hesitate to share this bc I’m aware that fandom misogyny is a problem and I’m very much of the opinion that as a girlfriend there is Nothing Wrong With Ana (some of the flirting’s a lil cringey but that’s fine)- in fact it seems like that’s the entire point, that she’s really good on paper.

However

I would have liked it so much more if she wasn’t the teacher from the Skateboard Incident bc that was not her best work, teacher-wise. I’m not talking about the initial fall (though clearly the kids should have been more closely watched if nobody noticed several children and a skateboard- but whatever, plot reasons), I’m talking about her reaction to it, because girl what.

When a disabled kid attempts to do something and gets hurt, the conversation should be “what need are they trying to meet and how can we meet it in a safe and accessible way for them” not “maybe he’ll learn his limits and write a book instead”!! Girl I know you’re an English teacher but WHAT.

Despite the Nothing-Wrong-With-Ana of their relationship, I could never get behind Eddie/Ana after that. If they’d wanted me to be Team Ana it would have been so easy to give the skateboard incident to another teacher and have Ana be involved in a way that was - eh, better.

[sharktttu]

yandere batfam x neglected doctor reader

(A/N: ok so this is my first time publishing any of my writings so I hope that everything is somewhat cohesive and understandable. and um yeah open to any feedback.)

Prologue

Sometimes I really miss my mom, shes not dead or anything but I was taken out of her care by officer Gordon because our home got one to many CPS visits at the wrong time.

Now I wont lie and say that life with my mother was amazing but at least she had the decency not to give me false hope. Everyday it was the same thing she would come home after work and start drinking, now she wasn't that mean of a drunk if you learnt to stay out of her way, which I did and not the easy way

My mother would always tell the truth and not sugar coat anything, she had hit me a few time as a kid yeah it was never full on beatings, maybe a slap or two here and there if I pissed her off but I loved her because she never left me hoping to spend time with her, she would never give promises that she couldn't keep, and she would never give me a sip of a normal life just to leave me in that dark again. My mother was my constant and I was taken from her.

My new "family" of geniuses though could never get that wrapped around their heads. they would give me false hope. Hope to get invited to family movie night, hope to have a normal family dinner without any conversation becoming super awkward just because I sat down to eat with my "family".

everyday I strive to be better, to prove myself, but with each new addition to the family I became smaller and smaller.

I came a few months after dick, I was about 6 about years 5 younger than him. I had no idea of what I did to him but he just didn't like me. He didn't hate me or love me I think I was lower than he last resort. I think it was all the stress and trauma he had from experiencing his parents death and trying to cope with it while Bruce trained him to become Robin. I never blamed him he had It harder than me.

Next came Jason he was okay. I could obviously tell that he liked dick more than me but that was okay, you cant come between a good old fashion brotherly bond right? he was nice and all but wasn't a constant for me to rely on. When he died yes I was sad, death was always sad to me it never mattered the person. But I wasn't as heart broken as everyone else because he was just another person that lived in the manor for me. I still cried I mean I was only 9. When he came back he acted like a completely new person, that's when I learnt about the family business. He then became a bad constant.

then Tim came in he never noticed me and I was always way to busy to even talk to him because I was desperately trying to gain the attention of Bruce even a look. after a few failed attempts and a retry with dick I moved on to try and get times attention, but all he did was call me annoying and push me away.

Cassandra in my eye was the best she was like the older sibling that I had always wanted. to bad she didn't see me in the same light. Cassandra saw me as a nobody just a kid that was taken in out of obligation and to look good to the press. I knew she was right and was just pointing out the obvious but It still hurt.

Barbra was neutral she was never there, not in a avoiding me way but in a I'm always working kinda way. I liked her she was a constant.

Stephanie was also a neutral but a little worse, she was the one that was never there in the I'm avoiding you kinda way. she just saw me as some annoying little kid so she just busied herself with work to try and not talk to me.

Damian was the one who treated me the worse. first he saw me as competition but as soon as he learnt I was made from a "whore one night stand" I soon became a beating block for him. always throwing insults at me. saying that I was lucky to even have Wayne blood with my "dirty blood". his words hurt the most but he was a great constant I think that he was my favorite sibling for reliability, of a reality check.

Bruce my "father" I don't really have much to say about him he was the least constant. in front of the press he'd treat me like I was actually one of his kids, like I was actually apart of the family. but I knew better than to get my hopes up. I learnt pretty quickly that he has a reputation and I was expected to help him keep it up. I knew that if he wasn't expected to attend an event with his kids then he wouldn't bother to spare a glance at me.

Alfred was like a mentor to me. He taught me so many things and he really did try to keep me from finding out the truth of what my family thinks about me but one against seven is not fair. he was my best constant, a constant that could give me a break from my harsh reality. A constant that would allow me to be a kid again. Alfred was my favorite constant.

(okay so what are y'all thinking I already have chapters 1 and 2 planned, any feed back is appreciated 😼)

[firstkanaphans]

Hello! Sorry to jump on the train of asking you stuff about the couples😅 but i have to ask, you put earthmix and aouboom on the definitely dating list. Earthmix i have no questions about it😂, but i know next to nothing about aouboom, and id really like to know more of your thoughts on them, if that's ok with you😊💞

[Thank you to @doublel27 for helping me compile this list.]

The first thing you need to know is that AouBoom are like FK on steroids. Take the codependence of First and Khaotung, turn it up to 11, and you have AouBoom. They met on the set of Enchanté and have been inseparable ever since—so much so that they’ve talked about how some people at GMMTV don’t even know which of them is which. They just call them both AouBoom.

One of the main things I look for when trying to determine whether two actors are dating is whether they live together. I’m not sure if AouBoom have ever actually talked about their living arrangements, but if they aren’t living together, they’re certainly sleeping over at each other’s houses enough for it to be suspicious. 

Here’s a compilation video of them wishing each other happy birthday. The first is from 2022—way before they were ever paired. The second is from this year. Boom took the video at midnight as Aou was walking out of the bathroom in his pajamas, so clearly they were having a sleepover 😂

Aou also drives Boom to and from set every day and if you’ve been following Memoir of Rati at all, you'll know that they’ve had a bunch of late nights and early mornings. I'm talking filming until 3AM late. I just can't see any logical reason for him to do that unless they were living in the same place.

Another thing I look for when I'm trying to determine if two actors are dating is whether they take vacations alone together. AouBoom do. A lot. My favorite was their trip to the beach on Valentine's Day of this year when Boom posted this video which is still pinned at the top of his twitter page. 

They’re also just very attached to each other and frequently attend each other’s solo events even when they are hours away. In particular, LL showed me this video of Aou and his dad showing up to one of Boom's events several hours outside Bangkok.

Boom has also become Jasper’s de facto manager. He attends every single event they have and what I find most amusing is that no one teases him for it the way they do when Phuwin or Perth or Dunk show up. It's almost like it’s just a given that he's going to be there.

I don’t know, guys. There’s just something about them. It’s in the way GMMTV sent them to all of their marriage equality events even though they weren’t technically a branded pair at the time. It's in the way directors always give them the high heat roles in otherwise very tame shows. It's in the way Aou talks about being jealous of Boom's crush on "The Vet" as if it's a conversation they've actually had in real life and not just something they bust out for fan service.

Oh, and they have matching jewelry. Y'all know how much I love matching jewelry.

All in all, I'm less confident about them than I am about EarthMix, but I still think they're way more likely to actually be dating than any of the other CPs. I just think they're neat 🥹

I'm also going to tag @lazzarella, @elliebirdwrites, and @sherrymagic because they all know these two much better than me. Feel free to educate us if you have any additional lore you would like to share!

[nesiacha]

Survey: Who is your favorite feminist revolutionary of the frev (or at least someone who contributed to women's rights)?

In this survey, I have deliberately chosen a representative from each different faction.

On the Girondist side: Marquis de Condorcet The revolutionary who campaigned for gender equality, one of the few in his era. He is impossible not to mention in this discussion.

On the Dantonist side: Camille Desmoulins He advocated for the rights of married women to administer their property in 1793. In issue 14 of his journal Révolutions de France et de Brabant, he speaks highly of Théroigne de Méricourt and writes the following passage: "At the request of Mademoiselle Théroigne to be admitted to the district with a vote of consent, the assembly followed the president’s conclusions, thanking this excellent citizen for her motion; a canon from the Council of Mâcon having formally recognized that women have a soul and reason like men, they cannot be forbidden from making as good use of them as the speaker did; he will always make Mademoiselle Théroigne, and all women of her sex, free to propose what they believe to be advantageous to the homeland."

For the Maratist group: Jean-Paul Marat The journalist from L’Ami du Peuple often defended women who were victims of domestic violence, encouraging them to flee their homes and denounce those who abused them. Here is an excerpt from his writings found in the excellent book Madame Marat: A Heroic Life in the Turmoil of the French Revolution by Stefania di Pasquale: "Women are more inclined to tenderness than men. During their childhood, children are expected to oppose themselves to shame, but as soon as they come to the age in which women start listening to us, we hurry to conquer them and to excite their imagination; we focus all of our thoughts to unleash their senses. Hasn’t the time come to create a sweet bond with them? Men have always chosen while women have always accepted! How many foolish parents sacrifice the happiness of their daughters? Forced to yield the object of their heart forever, they become unable to love again, seeing only misfortune in their future." He also defended prostitutes.

For the Cretois group: Charles-Gilbert Romme The revolutionary mathematician, founder of the revolutionary calendar, also worked for certain women's rights. He founded a mixed club with Théroigne de Méricourt, and in a report on public education dated December 20, 1792, he advocated for girls to have access to republican schools. He made the following remark: "They should not be strangers to social virtues, since, in addition to needing them for themselves, they can develop or strengthen them in the hearts of men. If, in the natural and social order, man is called to execute and act, woman, by an imperious and necessary influence, is called to give the will a stronger and more vehement impulse." Although Romme’s feminism had limits, as seen in his statement: "The secondary schools in question are not for both sexes."

For the Robespierristes group: Georges Couthon One of the best-known members of the CPS in Year II, also spoke in favor of women's rights to share property administration in August 1793, as seen here: source. Additionally, he allowed his wife to give a speech at the Federation Festival in Clermont-Ferrand in 1790, before he gave his own speech, as seen here: source.

For the Enragés group: Jacques Roux Here is an excerpt from Markov Walter on this Enragés leader: "All the revolutionary parties tried to involve women, while, with the exception of the Enragés, they sought to exclude them from any real political activity. Jacques Roux considered them the decisive reserve of the Revolution. 'Victory was indisputable as soon as women joined the sans-culottes.'"

For the Hébertist group: Jean-Nicolas Pache This former Girondin minister of the War , who became an Hébertist and later Mayor of Paris, founded the Société patriotique du Luxembourg club, which, according to Louis Devance, "admitted women from the age of fourteen, with the same formalities as men, but their numbers could not exceed one-fifth of the total members; they were eligible for the same positions in the society, excluding the office roles."

For the Babouvist group: Gracchus Babeuf Babeuf wrote a letter in favor of gender equality to Dubois de Fosseux in 1786, as seen here: source. He supported the full participation of women in political clubs and paid tribute to the women of the French Revolution in his journal article: "Women dedicate their entire days to prevent us from starving," and said of them, "But beware, women, whom we have degraded, without whom, however, and without their courage on the 5th and 6th of October, we might not have had freedom!" He even remarked to one of his colleagues: "The advice you give us regarding the role women can play is sensible and judicious; we will take advantage of it. We know the influence that this fascinating sex can have, who, like us, cannot endure the yoke of tyranny and who are no less courageous when it comes to breaking it." He believed that the homeland had everything to gain from exploiting women’s talents in politics.

For the Thermidorian group: Armand Benoît Joseph Guffroy When he is not making false accusations against Élisabeth Le Bas or showing appalling behavior by kicking his former collaborator Marie-Anne Babeuf out after a violent argument, or writing poorly about Lucile Desmoulins and Marie-Françoise Hébert(euphemism) , one can find some quality in Guffroy's progressive views on women's rights. He wrote: "I had proposed to admit women to the primary assemblies, to deliberate on the choice of municipalities, and I still believe that my two separate ballots and my posted ballots would disturb all the conspiracies. If one is wise, one will come back to it; and I predict that we will never have a public spirit, public morals, if women do not participate in the administration as I have proposed. The National Assembly admitted to swearing the constitution, those who were in the tribune on the 4th of this month. Why would we separate them from the public good? The queen promised to raise her son in the principles of constitutional liberty; all French mothers must publicly swear this civic oath: without that, I repeat, no morals, no morals, no fatherland. Frenchmen, prove that you are men, by giving back to your wives all their dignity; French women, prove that you are worthy of giving birth to a race of free men."

Sources:

Antoine Resche

Louis Devance Le féminisme pendant la révolution française

Walter Markov

Stefania di Pasquale

Jean-Marc Schiappa

Charles-Gilbert Romme, "Rapport sur l’instruction publique, considéré dans son ensemble, suivi d’un projet de décret sur les principales bases du plan général, prononcé devant la Convention le 20 décembre 1792"

Thank you @anotherhumaninthisworld without whom I would not have been able to see the writings of Couthon, Guffroy, and Desmoulins in favor of women's rights.

[twig-tea]

Taiwanese Talk Show The BL Era

Thank you @thisonelikesaliens for shouting out the Taiwanese talk show miniseries The BL Era: Taiwan's Spotlight, it was really well put together and gave me some good insights into the Taiwanese BL market. And thanks @my-rose-tinted-glasses for pointing out Aliens' posts to me when I've been mostly off tumblr.

Aliens has posted about all of the episodes on their tag, which I recommend going through (all of the episodes are linked there).

Here are my main takeaways from all 6 episodes, in case it helps anyone decide if they want to watch/which eps may be of most interest:

Ep1 on Unknown and The On1y One: The discussion about the adaptation choices in both of these shows (as both of these were adapted from danmei) was really interesting, though the lack of discussion about where to end the first season of On1y One was glaring to me. I did like that this episode talked about what made both of these stand out (the build of the feelings between the characters) and how much emphasis this episode put on good writing. There was an offhand comment that Director Liu Kuang Hi made about not needing a shower scene that made me wonder if he regretted that scene in Your Name Engraved Herein (I for one am very glad it was in the film as a critical character moment). That last bit is just me speculating BTW, I don't mean to put words in his mouth.

Ep2 on HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count: It was new information for me that this aired in a time where Taiwanese culture more broadly was interested in tragic stories, I liked having that additional context. Also I was interested to hear confirmed by writers and creators that there was a lot of pressure post-MODC to write only happy endings, though some of the fans interviewed talked about how a sad ending can be acceptable if it's earned. This was such a tumultuous experience for BL fandom, if you didn't experience it in real time I recommend watching this episode to get a sense of the impact.

Ep3 on VBL: This was my favourite episode of the series; it was the most interesting to me because it got into a side of the business I really don't pay a lot of attention to: Fandom management outside of the series itself. I learned a lot about the VBL series including that it was produced in partnership with a Japanese company and that it was the first BL since 2018 to air on TV in Taiwan. I also hadn't realized that this company had worked hard to build fandom around the pairs outside of the show itself, and that was a part of why it was so successful. I had no idea that this set of shows did such a good job managing fan engagement. It was really interesting hearing the network person talk about how they think about the show as just one part of a whole that they are selling, and how managing how it lands and what impact it has and what trends is another part. All of that was fascinating. I also liked hearing the actors talk about what it's like being in a CP. This episode did not hold back that the writing in the VBL series felt shallow and that the actors were green, which I was impressed by--I appreciate creators who acknowledge their own gaps especially when they then talk about wanting to see those improve.

Ep4 on Kiseki: Dear to Me: Placing this right after the VBL episode was smart because they talked about the effect of the fanmeet flop and its subsequent handling failure and the impact on the show, which is given more context from the previous ep. I knew almost nothing about this other than that the pressure on the secondary CP in this show was high, so getting this BTS insight into what happened from fan and industry perspective was fascinating. I did not realize that Taiwanese BL producers experienced expectations formed by Thai fanmeets (which differ from Taiwanese fanmeet styles) from both international fans and from Taiwanese BL fans. The framing of expectation and the question of whether Taiwan should follow the Thai model or just do its own thing but better set expectations in advance is an interesting one.

Ep5 on HIStory 2: I'm so glad HIStory 2 got some attention because it's my favourite season that I rewatch regularly. The news that they had a plan to have an check-in on the family from Right or Wrong hurts my heart; how dare they pain me with this info. That being said, the actor Steven Chiang writing what is essentially fanfic for his own character made me very happy. The idea of the Thai market being a one-stop shop and Taiwan still experimenting with small producers that don't have a production line or 360 business model was very interesting. I also loved the Taiwanese pride in this episode, and the frustration that came through when they were talking about how Taiwan has great IP to adapt too, it's just hard to get it off the ground. It was smart to end on this episode, as a speculation on how Taiwanese BL should move forward in the context of everything above: Its legacy, it's fumbles, the international pressures and the realities of the Taiwanese industry. Also, LIN PEI YU PRODUCING A TAIWANESE GL IN 2025?! GIVE IT TO ME!!!

[justacozybug]

Cozybug Mod Recs: Ranching

Something about those cute little farm animals always hooks me!! I'm always on the lookout for new animal skins/retextures, or cute animals to add into the roster. Here are a few that I've played with before, all 1.6 compatible and available on Nexusmods.

Mizu's Quail

This mod has become a staple in my last three playthroughs! The quail themselves are absolutely adorable, come in up to 4 different variations, and make the cutest sounds. I especially love that they're a little cheaper than chickens, so they make a great starter coop animal when you're still pinching pennies! This mod also has compat with Animal Husbandry, if that's something you play with.

Ice Cream Cows

Who can resist a cute lil ice cream cow?? Certainly not me. These little guys come in 7 "flavors", each producing their own milk. You can either turn it into ice cream using the included machine recipe, or just make regular cheese out of it. Taste implications aside, I like the flexibility there lol. There's a whole layer of recipes, gift tastes, and buffs to explore as well once you get deeper into the mod!

Otter's Barn + Coop Animals

If you're looking for super cute reskins of the barn and coop animals, Otter has you covered! As a CP enthusiast, these are the two I've used, and they allow you to customize which skins appear in Marnie's shop when you purchase animals. There are also AT versions available though, if that's more your jam! Otter also has a collection of other animal retextures/additions, so you could make your whole farm match if you want.

Elle's Coop + Barn Animals

I would be absolutely nuts not the mention the ✨classics✨ that are "Elle's Cuter" mods. There is something just oh so satisfying about how these little guys look, especially when they're laying down for a little rest!! Absolutely adorable CP mod with tons of configurability for skins - in fact, my only criticism is that it took me AGES to decide which skins I wanted to turn on in my game from the pages and pages of options.

Livestock Bazaar

This mod 100% revolutionized Marnie's store for me, and now I won't play without it! Not only does it organize the front page for better scrolling/locating animals if you have a bunch of custom ones installed, it also has a super nice UI for choosing skins. I've been burned too often by the "random" choice that always gives me the same brown cow, so being able to preview and pick is a game changer.

[lozeyart]

Commissions are back open, folks!

Rules: - Each additional character is +$10 - Payment will be through PayPal invoice. You will pay half up front and the second half after the commission has been completed. I will take payment from friends through venmo. - I will NOT be taking complex background commissions at this time. - I can NOT do expedited commissions at this time.

At this time, I am working two jobs, which means I have maybe one or two days a week to work on commissions. With that in mind, please be patient with me if you do decide to commission me, I'd greatly appreciate it! I will be open with communication and give you updates! I will NOT draw: - CP - Noncon - gore - mecha (I cannot draw it at all) - incest - offensive or hateful art

If anyone has any questions, ask away! (Yes, I will draw NSFW)

[radfemsiren]

I can’t reblog with my addition because OP (devilith/ @devilith) is a coward that wants to @ me, then immediately block… pathetic behavior when they want to openly mock and bully rape and incest victims, but are too scared of a bigger blog calling them out.

Regarding this post where a woman is sharing her story of sexual abuse from her brother, and how she believes porn played a role in him abusing her, this was OPs direct response:

Porn and rape culture play a role in real life abuse. Abusers don’t magically wake up one day and are just who they are. Society socializes them to have entitlement to violating people’s bodies, and consuming media that degrades and objectifies women and children is a large factor. Pretending like this problem doesn’t exists and speaking to victims like this just so you can jerk it to loli or incest shit makes you a disgusting, vile degenerate. Also, stop using nazis to excuse your misogyny. ITS NOT PURITAN to say that porn with incest and cp, even if it’s fictional, is bad! :

Then devilith wants to pull the “well a lot of us are victims too!” card when backed up against a wall.

So let me get this straight, we should listen to victims when they are totally down for your filthy porn you want to indulge in, but not when they speak out against it? Hmm.🤔

No, stick to what you believe and stand on business! Instead of being a sniveling coward and bullying and backtracking. Taboo porn is bad, and I will always believe that. If a victim agrees with me, good. If a victim doesn’t, then I’m not going to pretend retriggering themselves constantly is healthy or ok. Anyway, fuck you ❤️

[witchygagirlwrites]

Vixen-Part 1

Adam Ruzek x Reader (nicknamed Vixen)

How did you end up with Ruzek as your partner anyways?

You were fourteen when your parents divorced, fifteen when your father died of a stroke and you mother kicked out on the streets not caring where you want just saying that “She wasn’t having another woman in the house with her man” that was how you’d ended up working at the Honeycomb Hideaway with the help of a woman you met at the homeless shelter and a fake ID.

You didn’t know what they were doing in the back offices. You just knew you were a teenager with no roof over her head, barely any clothes on her back and the ability to bring hundreds in a week in cash. You worked there for months, learning at first alongside other dancers where you were basically a prop in their routine then you eventually worked up to having your own. 

It wasn’t so bad, the bouncers kept the men from touching you. The bosses appreciated that your “younger look” brought in a certain clientele. When the Honeycomb Hideaway was raided for drug trafficking and money laundering you met Alvin Olinsky. You could recall damn near every moment of that night as vividly as if it had just happened.

You were on the main stage, dancing to the music as a few men with lust filled eyes watched you. You were numb to it by this point. You had a shitty little apartment that was yours, a few belongings to call your own. It was good enough, right?

When the doors burst open and men stormed in, wearing vests and badges, you felt your heart drop. Fucking cops. You were still under eighteen. That’s all you needed was these assholes turning you over to child protective services.  You hopped off the stage and tried to make a run for it but a set of strong arms grabbed you “Woah honey, were you going?” your eyes flew up to the face and instead of fear you felt a sense of safety looking at the cop. Tears welled up in your eyes “I don’t want to go to CPS” his eyes widened “How old are you sweetheart?” “I just turned sixteen” you whispered and he nodded, slipping his coat off and putting it over your shoulders “I got you, it’s gonna be ok” 

Al along with his wife Meredith opened their home to you when they had a young daughter at home and no reason to trust you. You didn’t sleep the first two days you were there. You would just sit in the middle of the bedroom they’d given you and stare at a wall, listening to Lexi as she slept across the hall. You were afraid they’d kick you out too if you got overly comfortable or that they were just keeping you long enough for CPS to find a placement. 

That was until they showed you the guardianship paperwork they applied for. You would be with them for the next two years until you turned eighteen and could be on your own. “That doesn’t mean we’ll turn our backs on you however” Meredith assured you with a small smile. That was when you finally broke down. She’d held you for two hours while you sobbed against her chest.

Over the next few weeks Meredith got you into doctor’s appointments to get your health checked up on then she helped you to enroll in ged classes. Lexi warmed up to you even more, coming to your door in the middle of the night when she’d have nightmares.  They became the family you were never blessed with by blood. 

When you got your ged and approached Al about wanting to go into the academy he’d been so proud and told you he’d support you every step of the way. You graduated from the academy in the same class with Erin. Hank and Al were the loudest people in the dang crowd.

When Hank was given the Intelligence Unit he pulled you in alongside Erin. Not because Erin was his girl and you were Al’s but because in just a few years time the two of you had proved yourselves time and again, rather it was because you knew both sides of the line or because you had the men raising you that you did.  

A few days after Jules was killed it became apparent the unit needed a new addition and a fresh face at that. You followed Al into the academy. He was talking to the instructor so you walked off a bit to watch the rookies walk through the exercise they were undertaking. You remembered it all too well. You had to talk down someone who was suicidal with a gun to their head. 

It was a pain in the ass in your honest opinion. You’d rather pull a two week undercover stint than half the exercises the academy put you through. A noise drew your attention and you spun around about the time one of the rookies knocked their “suicidal” backwards. “You wanna kill yourself?” He held his own fake gun to the guy’s head and snatched his away.

 When he realized that you, Al and the instructor were all three staring at him he looked between you and shrugged “You said to get his gun away” you bit your bottom lip to keep from laughing when Al pointed at him “I’ll take that one” of course that would be the one Al picked.

 Adam Ruzek. The loud mouthed, golden retriever with ADHD that Al drug out of the academy to have on board as a rookie in the unit was proving to be a pain in your ass as well because when it was time to roll you either rolled with Al or Antonio. That meant being in close quarters with Adam.

“So, where did the nickname Vixen come from anyways? I mean you’re pretty and all but Vixen?” he asked from the backseat and you felt your spine stiffen, despite the sharp laugh that escaped you at his confusion. Everyone else in the unit knew your background. Hank was there that night with Al, he’d helped grease the wheels to get your guardianship in place Trudy too. Erin hadn’t been in a much better boat than you. Antonio didn’t judge and Jay had point blank asked and you rewarded the ability to not beat around the bush with honesty.

“Vixen as in female fox” you replied and he raised an eyebrow “Sly as a fox Ruzek” Al answered with a laugh. You shrugged “Plus I can get rather unpleasant when my temper flares up” Al cut his eyes at you “Unpleasant sweetheart?” you grinned “Hush you before I call Meredith and tell her you’re picking on me”

“What’s the deal with you two?” Adam asked causing Al to groan and you to roll your eyes “You’re a fucking jabbermouth aren’t ya?” you asked and he shrugged “Just curious?” you cut your eyes at Al and he gave you that look that was telling you this ball game was all yours. It was your story to tell, not his. “I was in a tight spot as a teenager, Al found me and saved my life” 

Adam nodded slowly “Explains the father, daughter bond” you rolled your head to look at Al with a laugh “Yeah, I guess he’s pretty much the closest thing to an actual father figure I’ve ever had” he shook his head “And she’s a pain in my ass like only a kid could be”

Once more people were added to the unit and partners shifted you ended up with Adam at your side. Counting Hank the unit had nine members, the largest it had been since its start but it wasn’t a bad thing. That meant Al and Hank didn’t have to put boots on the dirt as often. The rest of you had it covered. 

You parked your car and climbed out to head inside and heard Adam calling your name. You looked up to see him heading towards you and nearly laughed. The original description you’d given him of a golden retriever with ADHD still stuck. He’d just filled out a lot more in the past couple years. Instead of the somewhat lankish rookie you and Al met that day he now had a broad chest and shoulders, a smile that could knock any woman off kilter and was the biggest sweetheart you’d ever met. Even if he still had a bit of a temper, then again Al had trained him. You didn’t expect any less out of his prodigy.

“What do you want Ruz? I haven’t even made it inside yet” you teased and he pulled a coffee up “I got your usual when I got mine Vix!” you felt a smile slip onto your face because you hadn’t had the time to stop by and grab a coffee and you’d yet to go shopping for a new coffee maker for your apartment after yours died a week before.

“Have I mentioned you’ll always be my favorite rookie?” you laughed as you took a sip of the drink and he winked at you. “Glad to hear sweetheart” he turned to fall in step with you as the two of you headed inside. Since he came into the unit the two of you had actually become pretty close. You were there for him when his fiance broke things off and well as for you, you were perpetually single. Hazards of too many trust issues and too many heart breaks.He’d dated here and there like you dated here and there, to take care of certain needs if they popped up and that was it.

He bumped his hand against yours “Hey, you good?” you hadn’t realized you’d gotten quiet but you cut him a smile “Of course” 

______________________

Adam watched you walk ahead of him and couldn’t stop the smile that slipped onto his face. The day he’d been pulled out of the academy he’d noticed Al first thing because he’d been talking to the instructor then he’d heard a muffled laugh and saw you standing off to the side.

From day one you busted his balls even worse than Al did. You gave him no slack but when him and Jay got into it when he’d only been in the unit a couple weeks you backed Jay down by reminding him all of you were smart mouthed rookies at one time. You were…well fucking amazing in his opinion. Gorgeous, badass and smart on top of it all. You could fall in with everyone else, get a word or two from Al or Hank through the coms and change raid plans alongside the best of cops.

When Kevin joined the unit he hadn’t wanted to admit how worried he’d been that Voight would assign Kevin as your partner or how happy he was when he got assigned as your partner instead. He told himself he’d never fall for another cop but after he started working at your side day in, day out? He could understand just why Halstead looked at Lindsay like she hung the damn moon. Now that he’d been your partner for a couple years? He knew he was gone for.

He couldn’t have you of course. You were practically Al’s daughter. That was the biggest no go there was. He’d settle for being your partner, being your friend.

He was shook back to reality when you threw your now empty coffee cup at his head “Dude, I’m not holding this freaking gate open all day” he laughed and tossed the cup in the can behind Trudy’s desk then hurried up the stairs to meet you “Yeah yeah yeah. I’m coming you little bully”

The two of you walked up the stairs together and when you got to the bullpen you split off from him to go to your desk that was next to Erin’s and he went to his desk that was next to Al’s. He watched you laugh at something Erin said and shook your head, yeah he could settle for whatever as long as he got to be something to you.

Part 2

@desimarie12

@skywalker0809

@elvenpirate51

[elllie-phant]

Stuff to do if your a chrono minor in an unsafe/dangerously unaccepting home. (Very long post)

- get a job. If you need to run away, youll need money. If you're legally able to be hired, go for places that pay well. If not, doing stuff for neighbors(yardwork, chores, etc) for money is an option. You can also run a small business selling things you make, or sell things on ebay, Etsy, Facebook marketplace, and other online sites. Pawn shops are also an option if you can't sell stuff online.

- if you or your family is religious, you could pretend to repent or something similar to get in your families good graces. It probably won't be a permanent fix if you still want to be yourself before you turn of age, but can buy you time to plan to leave in somewhat peace.

- When you leave, you can try crashing at an understanding family members or friends house. They can help get you taken out of your parents custody, and if they live close enough you can still go to school.

- if you have no place to crash, there are homes for kids and teens that can take you in. Some provide clothes and schooling in addition to the food and shelter most have.

- if your parents won't let you leave, or you have no way of doing so safely, you can talk to a teacher or school counselor. They can contact your country/states DHR, cps, or equivalent. They can get you put in foster care. There can be court involved in this tho.

- on the topic of school, you may need to stop going there for a bit. Your parents can show up and check you out if they want to. If you're old enough you could drop out if you want to.

- If you have parental controls on your device, you should either 1) ditch the device 2) try and turn off the controls or 3) get the device factory reset. This will turn of the controls, but your device will be completely wiped. It's the best option if you need the device but can't risk you being tracked down.

- if you need cheap food, you can go to soup kitchens, cheap fast food (like mcdonalds), or a dollar store. There are fast food apps that give you free or very discounted food. Physical coupons work too but they can be hard to keep track of if you're moving around a lot.

- charities can give you clothes and shoes for free. Some community centers, libraries, and homeless shelters give out stuff to help in cold weather. Some shelters can also help you get a job if you need that. I wouldn't recommend staying there tho because of the strict rules and curfews lots of them have.

That's all I have for now. If you are in immediate danger PLEASE call 911 or other emergency services.

[wandixx]

Ghost of fries and Hero of cookies part 4

All work words count: 14 643

Words in this part: 2999

Summary of whole work: Duke wasn't expecting to wake up from his quick rooftop nap to some meta kid with fries. He also wasn't expecting kid to stay

Or

Danny asked Dani to stay safe while she was in Gotham. Where would she be safer than under the wing of local hero? And he looked like he needed bad day combo anyway

This part summary: Dani haven't considered how hard it can be to save people from house fire

Beta read by @audhumla-sailor though English is second language for both of us, so proceed with this in mind. I also know all of the charaters through fics alone, so probably ooc. Stay catious if it's something you don't like

First part, Previous part

Trigger warnings: house fire, panic attacks, temporary character death (am I over dramatic to say this if background child character's heart stops for a long moment and Dani hears it?) slight dissociation (tell me if I missed something, I'll fix it)

Dani proved to be useful addition to Duke’s patrol routine even though she couldn’t always join him, had very little actual training and was a certified mess most of the time. It was nice to banter with her in the free time, she did help when needed and her enhanced hearing was great in finding trouble he would otherwise overlook. She also often brought snacks (he did too, because girl had no idea what was healthy and in the love of god, if he didn’t try to get her in better habits). 

“Fire on seven. Some people are stuck inside,” Dani blurted out and flew faster than baseline person should be able to withstand. Duke run and grappled after orange blur she became. It was less than perfect that she couldn’t tell more specifically where things were going down, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t train. 

They rarely intervened with fires, unlike Gotham’s police and CPS, firefighters here worked pretty great. Dani knew this, so her going there in the first place meant something was up.

On a fly he grabbed his gas mask. It was made to withstand Scarecrow and Joker when they released their toxins and not smoke so it should do its job. He hoped that Dani would stop before entering so he could give her spare mask and well, coordinate. But she didn’t, of course. What did he expect from kid who body tackled Joker’s goon without second thought about idk, four other goons with guns being in the same room! He only saw end of her cape in between flames when he swung to the right street. Duke made sure his mask was secure when he stopped on a nearest save rooftop to assess the situation. Fire was too big to be put out with personal means like fire extinguishers so all they could do was to evacuate. 

“Hoopoe, you reckless idiot, don’t die in here,” he muttered, sure she would hear him before grappling inside too.

***

About five seconds after entering building, Dani decided that she didn’t like fires. It probably came from her time in Amity but she was far more comfortable when she could beat the root of the problem into submission. Also, it was surprisingly loud, like need-to-cover-her-ears-for-a-hot-moment type of loud. Not louder than a rogue attack, it would be really hard to beat that level of noise but fire was worse in some way. It was somewhat similar to nails on a blackboard. Not in a sound per se but in a vibe she got from it. How she couldn’t tune it out like she usually did.

She straightened herself and dove ahead to the nearest person she heard. Smoke rendered her eyes nearly absolutely useless. Though she saw, heard and felt enough to find safe routes. Of course she could go intangible and in theory wouldn’t be affected by anything from physical realm but even when intangible fire kept burning for some reason and she would prefer to stay raw to being crispy. Rescued people should stay unfried too.

She didn’t quite remember first few rescues, just that it went smoothly, she took a leaf from Danny’s book, throwing some puns and references she didn’t quite knew but from context thought they would fit. Then once outside, she kept telling them to wait for paramedics and went back inside. She was more and more on edge for some reason.

She was really glad she didn’t need to breathe as much.

Middle-aged man grabbed her arm and shook her violently, asking to save his children.

“Fourth floor, fifth window to the left. Please save them!” man cried. Dani felt kinda like snapping but took deep breath to stop herself from it. Signal would be disappointed if she yelled at panicking civilian. She could kinda relate to the man anyway. She was probably also panicking.

“I’ll save them, I promise,” she said instead, phasing out of his grip.

She heard them, little boy weakly whispering to his sister that everything would be alright as soon as the heroes would get to them. His voice was hoarse, choked, interrupted by shallow breaths while the girl sobbed. Dani darted their way. Fire unit and medics were finally getting closer.

Girl yelled when caped hero appeared in room full of smoke. They both were sitting, older boy slightly swaying.

“It’s okay, I’m here to get you out to your dad,” she soothed, grabbing them both into a hug like carry. She barely jumped away from under the crushed lamp that fell where they were half a second before. Girl yelped.

“It’s okay, I got you, it’s okay,” she muttered, hoisting kids into more comfortable position. She flew nearest way out of the rom, looking for a clear spot on an outer wall. Her stomach dropped and core spasmed when she realized that boy stopped breathing, going limp in her arms. She was panicking throughout whole of this fire rescuing mess but only then she became frantic.

Maybe it was because of the smoke that kept cluging in her throat. She didn’t need to breathe as often but now she felt like she was suffocating and was suddenly all too aware of each bit of air she managed to swallow in her lungs.

She almost dropped when they finally got out. It took less than a second for her to fly to the kids’ father. She put girl down a little to hastily before gently laying boy n the pavement. Adult was beginning to hyperventilate and honestly Dani wasn’t too far behind him. She wished Signal was there. He would know what to do. Dani only had been on one first-aid course and she spent the better part of it on reviewing memes.

She had to remember something!

Breaths! She had to make absolutely sure if he was breathing!

She remembered practicing this one, so she did as instructed, counting to fifteen instedad of ten for a good measure. Then to twenty just to be safe. She knew she was counting too fast anyway.

Boy wasn’t breathing.

He wasn’t breathing!

She wished her ears were deceiving her but there was no heartbeat too!

What was she supposed to do now?!

Oh, right, she remembered chest compression thing from movies. She could do it.

Someone yanked her back, so hard she almost hit her head.

“You’re doing it wrong. I’m nurse, I’ll do it,” young woman declared, already kneeling were Dani was mere seconds ago, unzipped boy’s hoodie and got to work. Only then halfa realized that they got circled by small crowd of people rescued from building. Two of them were calming boy’s family down. She would use some comforting too.

She scrambled to her feet, racing out the crowd. Nobody even glanced her way.

She turned around and flew back inside the burning building.

Why did it feel like running away?

*

First ambulance arrived three rescues after the boy. Dani was so relieved she had to stop for a moment because her knees buckled and flight betrayed her for a hot second. She heard only four other people inside and Signal. They would finish soon enough.

Good.

Her head was spinning slightly.

“Congratulations, you are being rescued, please do not resist” she announced with forced confidence, appearing next to the man who probably was in a gang. Thankfully he didn’t fight her. When she was back in Central City one of the Flashes told her to make sure that people know she was trying to help them especially if they seemed like the type to choose fight over other crisis responses. This man certainly did. He almost punched her anyway.

Next was boy who was far too little to be left alone. She gave him her cape. She assumed he could use the comfort it gave her. There was a reason she choose comfiest blanket to this role.

She heard Signal making his way to the last victim but for some reason it was slow going. She flew up there after the last reassuring words to the boy.

She learned why Signal got stuck about three seconds after appearing on the right floor. It was a literal epicenter or whatever it was called. The root of the problem. The literal Hell on earth. Dani stopped for a moment, downed by the coughing fit and tears making her sight absolutely useless.

Signal was talking to someone. Asking them to calm down. She wasn’t sure. Dani forced herself to stand up and go see what was happening. She was probably swaying a little.

There was young woman in the middle of the fire. There was no scent of burning skin or hair so Dani assumed there were some powers involved. Thankfully most likely she wasn't a ghost. Dani wasn’t in the right headspace to fight a ghost and as cool and competent as Signal was, he couldn’t fight ghosts either.

Woman was visibly terrified. She kept screaming, begging Signal to go away because she was too dangerous to be so close. Hero tried to talk her down. She yelled that it was all her fault and she shouldn’t be saved.

Oh.

Woman had to just learn about her ability and lost control over it. Go big or go home, right? She didn’t exactly have home anymore so…

Dani barely kept herself from hysterical laughter.

Ghost fights were so, so much easier, she just had to beat the cause of the problem into submission and trap it in the thermos. No persuade it into stopping.

It was all too hot, too loud, too suffocating.

Dani could barely think.

Creaking of the ceiling boomed through her brain, somehow getting over the overwhelming cackle of fire that made her just want to hide in the corner and cry, even ignoring absolute onslaught to her other senses.

Ceiling was going to fall down and crush all of them.

Dani could barely think, so she didn’t.

She forgot to turn intangible when she crushed through window, meta woman held tightly in her arms. Thank Ancients she was durable enough to not break her head for that. Signal could handle himself. Hopefully.

Dani gasped on fresh air. She felt lightheaded, barely cognizant from instinctual relief to be out. She was free falling, her body limp, eyes half-closed, wind rushing in her ears and on her face. It was paralyzing but not in a bad way.

It felt good.

It felt like freedom.

It felt like something she could do for the rest of eternity.

It felt-

“HOOPOE!” panicked yell cut through her haze.

Right.

She was plummeting to the ground. She held someone. They would die when they crushed.

She should stop falling.

Could she do it? 

She had to.

She dropped off the blue haired woman with the nearest medic squad and ran. Or flew. She wasn’t quite sure. Her brain still didn’t feel right. But she knew she had to leave.

Next thing she knew was the pain from practically collapsing on a wall and dumpster she hid behind. From what, she had no idea. She had no idea about anything.

So she did only thing she still could.

Dani cried.

***

Duke was getting frantic in his search for Dani after that room collapsed. He knew she made it out, he saw her falling head first to the ground. He was trying to catch her but he knew he couldn’t do it on time. And then she caught herself, left Abigail with medics and flew away in a blur. And Duke couldn’t go right after her because some cop had questions. Duke did his best to wrap it up quickly but still by the time he could look Hoopoe was nowhere to be seen. He was straining his eyes trying to see any sign of her but other than the boy with her cape as a blanket there was nothing. He was tempted to ask Babs for help.

Scratch that, he didn’t have time to do this on his own. Pride and this stupid bet be damned. He turned on his comm, not bothering to go off the main channel.

“Oracle, I need you to search for white-haired preteen girl dressed in white and black. Somewhere near Rossaire street. Probably there will be no clear footage”

“Need help in search?” Steph chimed in gently “Spoiler can be there five minutes flat”

Duke considered it for a moment. Steph knew how Dani looked (as much as anyone who saw her only in photos could know how she looked) and wanted to meet girl anyway. She could be useful help. On the other hand, she mentioned before she had some important stuff. And he wasn’t sure how Dani would react to someone unknown finding her in this state. Last thing he wanted was scaring girl even more. He searched road for Dani’s past light, again.

“No, don’t worry. She just got a little overwhelmed”

“Alright, good luck with finding your kid then”

“She is not my kid!”

“Signal who-” Bruce grunted but got interrupted by Babs.

“Turn right, she entered blind zone but I can lead you there”

“Thanks O”

“No invisibility?” Steph mused.

“Thank God for that,” Duke answered, while grappling to the left. He shoot forward as fast as he could ”Or maybe not. She has to be quite out of it”

“Left again”

“Signal, who are you looking for?” Bruce asked again.

“Next alley to the right. It’s the last place I can see her”

“Thanks O.”

“Signal-”

“Later B.”

Duke landed in the alley, turning his comm off. He knew that sooner rather than later he would have to explain himself and would probably get endless teasing but it wasn’t important at the time. He searched again for past light. He run after glimpses. He stopped when he heard sniffle from behind a dumpster. He slowed down, approaching loudly. It wouldn’t do any good to scare her.

“Hoopoe?”

Her breath hitched. Duke sat down next to her far enough to not invide her personal space but close enough to make her feel not alone.

Her face was black from ashes and smoke other than where her mask was and cleaner tracks her tears were making.

Her mask was laying on a ground (clearly forcefully thorn off which ouch), cape obviously nowhere in sight. When she calmed down, he would ask what happened with it. It would probably be a good distraction. But not now.

“Hey kid. Can you try breathing a little slower for me?”

She mumbled something, inaudible between loud wheezing.

“I know it’s hard but I’m sure you can do it. Who if not you?”

Girl visibly tried, shifting around as if she tried to find some much needed comfort. Clearly, the lack of pressure her cape was giving her wasn’t helping.

“How about you try putting hand on my chest and matching my breathing? It often helps”

She moved her hand and he led it to his chest. Dani shuddered.

Slowly, telegraphing his movements Duke extended his arm and put it across Dani’s shoulders. Girl leaned into it with choked sobs.

“I know it was scary,” he muttered as she shook silently “You did so well, Dani”

Girl let out quiet, high-pitched whine that didn’t sound quite human, trapping him in the hug much stronger than child her age should manage. He rubbed her back gently.

They sat in silence, as girl relaxed a bit.

“I officially despise fires. Just not my vibes, y'know,” was the first thing she managed to say. Duke smiled, still trying to comfort her. He knew far too well what she was trying to do. He let her. Every hero needed to retreat to humor every once in a while. Majority of his family and associated vigilantes did it constantly.

“Right here with you”

She looked at him, searching for something on what little she could see on his face.

“You see more, don’t you?” she asked but didn’t wait for an answer “It was too much even with normal eyes. How can you be so calm?”

“I have normal ears and after fifth or tenth time it loses its charm”

“Yeah, okay,” she wheezed out “I didn’t expect the fire to be so loud. And smoke was a bit much in terms of texture and smell and everything”

“I would give you a mask if you waited, you know?”

He felt more than saw how she shrugged. It seemed like she wasn’t exactly listening to him anymore.

“But since you didn’t, we should get you looked up by some professional. You breathed in some nasty stuff”

Dani didn’t respond. Then she sprung up with gasp, a little out of his grasp, not standing but sitting straighter. She grinned, wide, eased thing gracing her lips as fresh tears began to create new paths on her dirty cheeks. She let out a choked laugh, more sign of relief or release of tension than actual happiness. It sounded rougher than usual, probably because of smoke and ashes aggravating her throat.

He wanted to ask what was up but it felt like the wrong time for it.

“He is breathing again” Dani cheered gently, as if unsure before repeating loudly, letting herself believe “THE BOY IS BREATHING AGAIN!”

Girl was shaking again, no bothering with drying tears this time.

Duke could guess what happened. He didn’t want to think about it too hard.

“It’s great to hear”

“Yup!” she grinned between fat tears.

They sat in silence as Dani gradually calmed down again. He knew she didn’t feel all that well yet, she couldn’t but she was probably calm enough to not break down in the middle of the BatBurger.

“I think this day counts as quite bad one,” girl said, wheezing a bit. Duke smiled, knowing where this was going. He ruffled her hair.

“Yeah, I think so too”

None of them said anything for a long moment.

“You’re up for a ‘bad day combo’ Gotham style, Hoopoe?”

“Yup” she smiled.

********

Apartment building: *is on fire*

Dani: It can't be that bad

Narrator voice: It was in fact, much worse

Kid, whose heart stopped thankfully didn't have too many issues tied to it and nothing life treatening long term. Every person who was in the building during fire left relatively unscathed. This fic is supposed to be mostly fluff I'm not killing anyone

Kid who got Dani's cape-blanket refused to phisically let go of it for solid two weeks. Later it still had to be in his sight. Understandable since his life went of the rails and did it hard. Kids ripe age of seven shouldn't be home alone. Especially not for whole day...

Dani: *still clearly shaken* Does your bad day combo include fries?

Duke, on his way to The "I had mental breakdown and need calories" Waffle Foodtrack: No, but we can change it!

Underpayed BatBurger employee: ...

Duke&Dani looking like they've just returned from war:...

Underpayed BatBurger employee: ...

Duke&Dani:...

Underpayed BatBurger employee: *deciding they don't have enough mental energy to care* Welcome to the BatBurger, can I take your bat-order?

Duke: One kids meal, please

Employee at The "I just had mental breakdown and need calories" Waffle Foodtrack, used to seeing Bats crying: *sees Hoopoe munching on her fries but in a sad way* Ah, babiest one got christened by fire already?

Employee: *takes out notebook to note down crazy combo this kid will come up with**they have every Gotham vigilante in here*

Dani: I haven't had a waffle ever before so maybe nuttella and whipped cream? I don't know, sweet?

Employee, offended: Let me surprise you.

It was great waffle, sweet enough to give sugar rush quite big group of preschoolers. It had marshmallows, sprinkles, whipped cream, jellybeans, whatever else this person on the mission found and could mix. Dani absolutely loved and devoured it.

I finally didn't forget to add read more!!!

I really want to draw Dani and Duke togheter but I can't find any pose references that satisfied me. Do you have any good ones? Can be chibi though preferably not

Next part

[theworldoffostering]

This is your friendly political reminder:

1. We have a child who immigrated to the United States. It was difficult to do so, and my guess is those of you referring to people as “illegals,” don’t have a very good understanding of the cost or the process. Additionally, there seems to be a severe lack of compassion and understanding that human beings are human, and we are called to love one another. People are suffering all over the world. Jesus did not call you to “take care of your own.”

2. We have three children in the local school district with IEPs. I’ve spent most of the fall vigorously advocating that they get what they need WITH their IEPs in place. Those of you looking to see the Department of Education dismantled might be lucky enough to not need any of the safeguards that we need in order to ensure that our children can learn. Five of our kids went to HeadStart. One is currently receiving a Pell Grant for college. Please step in alongside me to attend IEP meetings, drive my children to school to receive services (today alone I will do 12 pick up/drop offs at four different schools), or offer private tutoring in the form of specially designed instruction, tutoring, or OT, all of which are needed.

3. Five of our children came to us through adoption. Being anti-abortion while trying to strip away all of the things our kids and family needs in order to stay afloat with our children that are very much alive, but need additional help in various areas (like healthcare and education) is inconsistent at best. Please volunteer to help me out at home. Many people are single issue voters, but are not actually taking kids into their home that survived birth, but don’t have a home in the world. We are managing mental health diagnoses, former police contact (monthly at one point), a prior CPS investigation (now closed), complex medication management, attachment trauma, the inability to spend time together as a couple, and so much community judgement. It’s hurtful. I am an all-in parent, but it’s impossible to do alone.

4. All seven of our kids have utilized state insurance, and currently six of them have it. It sure saved us financially when we had a child that needed to be life flighted to a hospital with a fractured skull and brain bleed. It has also allowed for countless in-patient stays for mental health.

5. Being a foster parent for 16 years has unfortunately provided me with an up close seat to see the impact of sexual abuse on children and teens, some of whom are now adults. Sexual assault is never okay. Being willing to overlook sexual assault as a means to justify the end, is also not okay. Ever.

Policies have real impact on real people. This fall has been one of the hardest yet for me as I work to meet everyone’s needs both personally and professionally. Our family is already isolated as is often the case when trying to walk through life against the grain. Last fall a local family (a mom in her 40s) told one of our older daughters that their entire church here in town hated me, and that I needed professional help. (You may report back that I do have a therapist because anyone processing this much secondary trauma over 15 years needs one.) This is awfully difficult stuff to endure in a small town both as an adult, and a child, and yet endure we must, because there is no other choice.

Hate breeds hate. Please choose differently. We are just trying to survive in our small corner of the world here. It’s already incredibly challenging, and would be less so by having people to circle around us to support us, love us, and encourage us. At the end of the day, isn’t that what most people need?

[ms-spkhd]

(A small snippet from the second chapter Stand There Looking Backwards (Half Unconscious from the Pain), which I promise that I'm still working on. Slowly but surely. I love writing Wayne and Eddie together, they're such a pair. Make sure to read the first chapter if you want some additional context. Cheers!)

(cw for child abuse)

Eddie flipped onto his back fitfully and stared at the ceiling fan as it whirred above him. Steve was right, wasn’t he? It didn’t take a rocket scientist to acknowledge how colossally fucked they went about that night. It was practically born sideways, no doubt about it. At that moment, it had never been more clear that they both deserved far better than what they ended up with. Steve deserved someone to make love to on his own terms, and Eddie deserved to have his heart intact. It was a night full of rash decisions, and it shouldn’t have happened—point, blank, period.

When his tired eyes left the ceiling, Eddie watched the peeling orange of dusk peek through the gaps in his curtains. The bed creaked as he rose onto unsteady legs and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his wrists. Wayne was sitting on the couch, nursing a beer, when he padded outside into the living room. The old man acknowledged him with a raise of his eyebrows. Eddie stood before him, and for the briefest flash, he was back in the trailer in Forest Hills, young and frightened of the world and himself. Tip-toeing to the foldout where Wayne slept so he wouldn’t wake up alone like he had so many times before.

It seemed M*A*S*H reruns were on the docket that night, Wayne chuckling to himself as Klinger admits he ‘doesn’t deserve to be in the army’. Eddie sighed, shoulders dropping, as he settled beside the old man on the couch, chin resting atop his palm. 

Wayne exchanged a brief glance with him and asked, “All better now?”

“Said I was fine.” Eddie picked insistently at a hangnail.

“Mm. Sure as hell didn’t look like it.”

“Yeah, well. I’m finer now.”

Wayne scoffed and took a sip of his beer. “Awfully curt of you.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

Wayne turned to face Eddie with his eyebrows drawn. “You and I both know damn well you’re brief when you’re upset, boy,” he said.

Eddie leveled him with an icy glare that went unnoticed and unaffected. Shaking his head, Wayne hummed, “You mince your words when you’re blue.”

Wayne, despite all of Eddie’s reservations, is painfully observant. Since Eddie’s humble beginnings at Forest Hills, cooped up in an oversized worn-in flannel, Wayne always treated him with a certain tenderness he hadn’t experienced since Mama slept six feet under. He was a glass boy, marred and fickle; Stretch Armstrong for his father’s violent hands, a misshapen toy that didn’t know how to be anything else. He kicked and screamed and cried until his insides shriveled up like raisins. 

There was this time once, about a week after he first moved in, that he’d gotten so overwhelmed at the prospect of his father not coming back from jail that he threw the Garfield mug Wayne had offered as a peace offering to the ground and it shattered to pieces, all while screaming at his uncle until his throat ran raw.

“I fucking hate you,” Eddie wailed. “I’m going home and I’m never coming back to this shithole!”

Eddie knows now that he didn’t miss his father, not really. He just missed the familiarity of him–the pseudo-stability he carried with him since Mama died. His father, despite it all, was the one thing of her that he had left, aside from his own blurred memories. Wayne hadn’t the slightest clue of her before Eddie was born, and he only knew her as the poor girl who ran off with his brother for a green card. Wayne never even met Eddie until CPS threw the kid at him after Al was sentenced. To little Eddie, he was a random fucking old guy who was trying to be his dad, but was too patronizing to realize that real dads threw BEER cans at their kids when they can’t pick a lock right.

It took a few hours for Eddie to shuffle guiltily from his room and beg for Wayne’s forgiveness–to grapple and sob at his waist and beg him not to pull the belt from his pants and beat the shit out of him like Dad’s old routine–but Wayne insisted that he was okay. Told him he was disappointed, but not angry.

“You grew rough,” he said beside Eddie at the kitchen table as they glued the mug back together, “with all these odd angles. The good lord knows that your dad and I did too, but you get old and you whittle down those edges.”

When Eddie blinked back up at him, he sighed and placed the super-glue into his little hand. “Your father didn’t, but I did, and you can, too. All this–” he gestured vaguely at the mug–”is you tryn’a get some control back in your life, ‘cause you don’t know how else to go about it. I’m not gonna beat you, and I’m not gonna do any of the shit your daddy did. You’re growing, Ed. It’s not your fault.” 

 When Eddie grew older, kinder but stupid, Wayne’s gentle leniency transformed into a gruff and loving patience. Even when Eddie became cagey about the drugs and the boys, even when the animal inside him roved and slobbered during that first graduation week, Wayne looked at him and saw him as he was. The minutiae of him, the little things he’d do or say.

God help Eddie, Wayne Munson loves him, no matter the circumstance.

Even when Eddie throws the occasional hissy fit in the living room. 

“Okay, fine. I’m upset. I was upset.” Eddie crossed his arms protectively around himself with a huff. “But I don’t want to talk about it.”

“So we won’t,” Wayne said. He waved dismissively to the kitchen. “There’s a bottle of Coors left in the fridge, so help yourself.”

“Beer won’t help.”

Wayne hummed thoughtfully and thumbed at the rim of the bottle. “Television’s always here, otherwise. Laughter’s the best medicine.”

Life goes on. The song remains the same.

[drfranklangdon]

Tommy and (Rocker) Donny are twins.

Their mom died giving birth to them. Resenting them for killing the love of his life, their father drank and took out his anger out on them every night.

When they were twelve, a teacher reported their father to CPS and he was arrested.

After a year in the system, a family adopted Donny. Financially, they weren’t able to adopt both boys.

Donny goes by ‘Rocker’ now. His new last name from his shiny new family. Tommy will never call him that. It’s a ridiculous name.

Donny wrote letters to Tommy after he was adopted. He never opened them, but kept them all.

Tommy joined the army at 17. He was discharged after 5 years due to DADT. Fucking coward, Trevor, reported him after Tommy admitted to falling in love with him. He’s married to a woman with kids now.

He had nowhere else to go. He heard Donny was in LA now. Heard he married his high school sweetheart that no one likes, including him. He crashed on their couch while he was at the academy.

They never talked about Donny abandoning Tommy. Never talked about Tommy being gay.

They text and call occasionally. Sometimes they see each other at work. They’re brothers by blood only, as far as Tommy is concerned.

Evan never understood how Tommy could treat family that way. They break up.

Their father died in prison, after racking up dozens of additional charges while he was inside.

Donny showed up at Tommy’s with a case of beer the night he divorced Val. They catch up – for real this time.

The next morning Tommy goes to Evan’s. This time he’s not going to lose someone he loves.