#and i was a really late-born child in all instances so they sort of housed me and paid for schooling and were otherwise-

[divinekangaroo]

Always fascinated by family dynamics where there's actual respect and grandparents and/or parents who are admirable.

[iammyownvariant]

Reader (Ghosts BBC, Mentioning of Alison/Mike and Alison/Thomas)

SUMMARY: You grew up in a wonderful big house full of ghosts. But why did you see them anyway? Reader Insert Series: BBC Ghosts AN: As I haven't the time to fully write out this idea, here's a shortened version of a prompt that has been playing inside my mind. Based on a post I viewed recently: I have always thought that if I'd been Alison, I'd be scared to death about getting pregnant or having a miscarriage and seeing that ghost child all the time. Now I could write something angsty about this, or something funny. I decided to go for a different route and wrote how it would be to be born in that household, with Alison and Mike as your mum and dad. (So no miscarriages or creepy things, just growing up with ghosts). Enjoy! PS. If anyone feels like picking up this idea or exploring elements of it, please do <3 -- -- Seeing ghosts was a normality to you. As you grew up, you saw them around the house and they were your friends. You saw them in school, saw them in the streets and basically everywhere you went. And you more than often became friends with them.

So this was how mum felt, hmm?

You could not say that you led a normal life. Seeing the ghosts and interacting with them wasn’t the oddest thing of all. No. The oddest thing you found, was something only revealed to you at a much later date, when you were already grown. But let’s cut back to when you were little.

You grew up in a wonderfully big home that your mum and dad had inherited by pure luck (or was it misfortune?). The house cost them everything and more than often people had wondered why they had started having kids during such a stressful period in their lives – because the home was still a bit of a wreck when you were born.

The house was large and wonderful and yours. You had never known any other place and you felt no need to ever move elsewhere. You loved it here. It was a certain love that made your mum and dad all the more determined to keep the place no matter what.

Apart from living in a fantasy-like building, your life was pretty normal.

Except for the ghosts.

The first time your parents noticed you saw them was when you were just a toddler and your father freaked out because you seemed to be talking to someone who wasn’t there. Your mum, being able to see them after a nearly-fatal accident, confirmed his fears though. You were playing with one of the ghosts that inhabited the house. Your parents thought it was a one off, until your sister was born four years later and she exhibited the same signs as you had.

Thus, the theory that seeing ghost was inheritable came into existence.

But as you had been seeing them since you were born, you held no fear of the inhabitants of the house. And there were a lot of them. It meant you were never alone. It was soothing in a way. Whenever there was something wrong or you felt sad or down, one of the ghosts was bound to cheer you up.

You especially loved Humphrey as a child. You loved his soothing voice and the tales he would tell when you couldn’t sleep. Truth to be told, you had a bit of a crush on the late Sir Humphrey Bone as a kid, thinking his face to be really pretty. So pretty, you often helped when his head and body were apart. You would go searching for another of the ghosts to pick up his head and put him back together whenever he lost it again. Though sometimes it would just be his head on your nightstand. Others might think this depravingly morbid, but it brought you a sense of safety, knowing he was there watching you. It chased away any bad dreams.

You often held sleepovers with Kitty. She was a lovely giggling young woman, and she loved to play hide and seek with you and your sister in the grand garden surrounding your home. The three of you would often giggle way into the night when either your mum would come to tell you to please go to sleep – or Robin joined in and did some of his caveman word games with the three of you – which made the evening all the better (no matter how often Kitty would exclaim that it was supposed to be a girls night only).

Having the ghosts around wasn’t always fun though. For instance, when you were a teenager and were playing dressing up and imagining all the boys who would swoon over you, only to see a head stick through your wall and telling you off. Auntie Fanny was a real pain sometimes, always talking about how you should be decent, how you should dress, how to hold your fork and knife during a dinner with guests. It was frustrating but she always managed to get on your nerves.

Your sister didn’t fare much better with her and suffered the same mouthiness of the former lady of the house. It didn’t help that the ghost woman still jumped out of a window in the midst of the night either. Your sister failed one of her exams once because she couldn’t focus on learning the material because Fanny Button kept her up each night with her screams. It was thanks to Thomas’ support that she was forced to focus on her schoolbooks and thanks to the other ghosts (and mum, who was pretty much threatening them to do as she said) to keep Auntie Fanny in check. In the end, your sister had changed back to a different room. The previous one she had occupied had been chosen by her because of the epic royal bathroom attached to it. Now she slept closer to yours again and took to using the shared bathroom without complaining. You didn’t mind, you liked having her close again.

Out of all the ghosts, you found the Captain to be the most tiresome as you were young. He was always drilling on about what you and the others should do. Always focusing on schedules that you should follow. Telling you off like you were a soldier.

Pat was way kinder, and often a bit too soft. You knew he often hung around your younger sister, because she was more outgoing than you were and he loved to be outside in nature. He helped her do all sorts of tricks, climb trees, shoot a bow and arrow – dangerous stuff even. But he taught her to do it responsibly, despite what you may expect of a man with an arrow lodged in his throat.

And then there was the one who frightened you like no other. Not even the plague citizens living in the cellar, who always kindly helped you with whatever issue you came to talk about. Yep, one of the ghosts scared you for a while: you usually tried to avoid Julian. As you were young, you thought he was an old man, wearing no pants, and he had a mean streak to him – jealousy you often found. He didn’t particularly seemed to like kids either, so you were fine with him going out of your way. As you grew older you realised Julian wasn’t actually as bad as you thought him to be. He even saved your life once or twice by pushing away or picking up a dangerous object that might have injured you otherwise. He was watching over you, like all the others were. And as you grew into a teenager and passed that sweet 16, you noticed a different gleam in his eyes. Julian changed. He became more gallant, more of a smooth talker when around you. But that behaviour ended quite abruptly, although the gleam of admiration never left his eyes. You wondered what had frightened him so to stop his advances on you. Whatever it was, you were grateful. Julian was not your type and never would be. (Later on you found out he had been challenged to a duel by Thomas who wanted to defend your honour, as child of the lovely Alison).

And then there was Jemima, she was the best friend of you and of your sister. As children she was just amazing to play with. First, she was older, and knew cool games you and your sibling had never heard of. Then, you grew to be the same age and she was the coolest girl you would ever know. And then, you grew older and she grew quieter. But you never ceased your habit of singing chilly songs with her.

You were a child, growing up between ghosts, and you felt safe between them. And though your father swore he could see them, most of his interactions with the house ghosts was initiated through you or your sister. He just didn’t possess the gift. But he was the greatest dad there ever lived. He loved doing stuff with you and your sister, going out, do fun things. He was a swell dad, filled to the brim with love for you and your sibling. He’d do anything to keep the two of you safe and happy and clothed and fed – even if things financially didn’t always go well for your family. You loved him to bits.

Your mum tried to warn you of the dangers of seeing ghosts. How those who could not see them would think it weird – would think you to be weird. You minded her words and sensibly, didn’t let anything show while in school. Even though, you were troubled with the ghost of a former teacher who kept sitting at a way too small child’s desk next to you and pester you throughout the lessons. You were glad when your mum told him off, some day after lessons. She had to sneak into the school with you. Oh boy, you had loved her firm voice, her confidence, and the fact that the ghost stuck to a different classroom from then on without coming near you again.

Your sister had a bit of a harder time. She let herself be distracted by the ghosts of a few children who had died in a school fire ages ago. While you had gotten away with explaining to them how you could not talk to them while others were around, your sister didn’t mind that rule though, and your parents struggled more than once with comments on how they should take your sister to see a doctor about this. Eventually, your sister learned, as she grew older. But more than often she would ignore what others thought of her and still communicate with the dead whilst other living beings were around.

But despite the fortune, or misfortune, of seeing ghosts, your life was pretty normal as you grew up. You loved all house ghosts for different reasons.

While Mary was easily one of your favourites, she was also a bit daft to the modern ways. Simple, might be a better word. She often promised to help you with your homework, but she never could attribute anything that you didn’t already know. So you often had to distract her with small tasks or tell her to hang out with Kitty or Robin instead.

And when Mary was gone it would be Thomas who would take over. Although he was easily distracted by art and snivelly poems, he would always try his best to focus and help you and your sister through each demeaning homework task. Sir Thomas Thorne was always nearby when you needed him. He had the tendency to sing songs to you as a baby, create old fashioned nursery rhymes when you were a toddler, play silly games with you as a child, motivate and guide you as a teenager.

In hindsight, you should have seen it coming. With all the care he held for you, with the warm tingling feeling it gave you whenever he was around. You should have known. And when you were a teenager and dated that ghost boy from two blocks away, it was Thomas who completely lost it and told you the boy would be no good for you, and that you deserved someone better. Someone more permanent. Someone alive.

Your mother and Thomas had a huge fight then – ("Someone more permanent than a ghost? That's rich coming from you!" your mum had shouted) all ghosts were listening in. But your dad was none the wiser. And so were you. Because you did not catch all references, and you did not understand each jab and insult thrown like a ping pong ball. And when your mum sat with her hands in her hair and Sir Thomas’ arm wrapped around her shoulder, you thought they had just made up. And then your father came in and he gave your mother solace. They hugged for a long time, and Thomas had just gone into the adjacent room. But that was all there was to it.

Of course it wasn’t though. Because your mother was strong. Darn strong. You loved it about her. The whole attitude she had, the air with which she wandered around the home and instructed the ghosts like she owned them. Your father said it hadn’t always been like that, that it had grown over time. In the beginning she had been ill-at ease, easily manipulated by the inhabitants of their home, had been often looked at funnily and ruined many a great business deal for talking or listening to the ghosts. She still did that – listen to them. She still embarrassed herself and your whole family along with it. Like that time you were at a beach party with family and friends and she had an entire conversation with a family of the 1960’s who were dead. Yeah, you’d rather not think back on that.

Or the one time one of she reported a crime to a dead officer.

Yeah.

But your mother was your hero. She was strong, fierce, and always stood up for you and your sister.

To find out a much deeper and darker truth then, about your family, was world shattering. And it was all because your sister had been in an accident and you came home to find Thomas in all states. And when you asked the other ghosts what had occurred they told you he was crying about his child. And that’s only when the pin dropped and you realised why this man was always working in your best interest and being so darn warm and kind for a person who was dead. Because you'd not missed the many times he showered your mother with affection. Or the way she would smile at him when he gave her another compliment. Or the way they would be just a little...too close. Could your sister be the child of a ghost? Impossible, right?

And you confronted your mum about it.

And she broke down.

Alison Cooper confessed to you, while your father was away at work, that she had been entangled with the ghost of Sir Thomas Thorne after a few heavy drinks and a way too fun party held at their home. Apparently, she had been incredibly drunk and had said things she otherwise wouldn’t have admitted. What happened should not have been possible by far. But Thomas had been able to actually feel her, and Alison had believed that no ghost could actually cause consequences with a human who was still alive. Perhaps her near-death experience had thrown something into the mix. We would never know. But Alison found herself pregnant after days spent without a touch by your dad, Mike. The first thought had been to terminate the pregnancy, but remembering the dove that still liked to terrorize their bedroom, Alison had grown scared. She realised she could not terminate the pregnancy or she might be faced with a ghost of her own baby. And you realised this was not your sister she was talking about. This was you.

So instead, Alison had pleaded Thomas to keep their secret (which he had done poorly and every ghost knew what had truly occurred, but luckily your dad could not interact with them), and your mum seduced your dad. They were already married, there were no contenders, your father believed you were theirs and never held a doubt. In hindsight, it explained your paleness- and the seeing of ghosts. It had been deemed the impossible, and for a long while, Alison thought and hoped that you were a child of Mike’s after all.

Mike took it all up really well, with you being what is called an accident. He was instantly smitten – as were all of the ghosts to be honest. Alison thought things would work our after all.

But then, when Mike wanted to have another kid, and though they tried, it took three years and a lot of desperation to admit to seeing a doctor. And then they were faced with the terrible truth that Mike wasn’t fertile at all. The news was delivered to your mum first, with Mike away and only the house ghosts listening in. It was a shock to all of them, mostly to Alison who had been pointed at the result by another ghost doctor. She managed to hide away the evidence, the true results, and together with newly found ghost friends she made at the hospital, fabricated a new lie. Mike was never to know that you could not possibly be his.

So instead, Alison was persuaded by Thomas and her undying love for Mike. He wanted another baby, she wanted them to be happy. Deal done. Thomas fathered a second ghost-seeing child with your mum. Your sister. The one who was recovering in hospital after a nasty car crash. (And luckily, she got out alive and safe and you got to hug her again tightly because no matter what, your sister would always be closest to you - all ghosts in spite).

So there you were, hearing your mother’s confession. The understanding dawning upon you that you did not see ghosts because of just your mum – but because you father was one. It all made so much sense. And it took a lot of strength to keep your mouth shut about it to Mike, your father.

Your real father, Thomas, you found, was understanding. And you were glad more than once that he could not interact with Mike. You had warned him that you would keep calling Mike dad, even if he wasn’t biologically. And Mike remained none the wiser. You still loved your non-biological dad as fiercely as you had before. You’d just glare a lot more in Thomas’ direction for a while.

In the end, you ended up marrying a young ‘living’ partner. You made sure that both Mike and Thomas were leading you down the aisle – even if Mike was never to know it. All Ghosts loved it, loved how you recognised Thomas to be your father. They also loved it how you never once dropped the truth on Mike or let him down. In your eyes, he would always remain on a pedestal as the perfect dad. It just so happened that you had two now.

As you somehow had expected, Alison died too young. An accident out of love, one of the ghosts had said. (She was furious at Thomas for many years to come, but she could not help but love him still.) During the years she was angry at Thomas, she tried to convey a message to Mike. She wanted him to know the truth, but he hadn’t understood her dying last breath, and he hadn’t understood her hauntings. ("It say's Thomas... dad? dad? Wait a minute, isn't Thomas one of the ghosts? Yeah, of course he is dead. Duh!") And he seemed delighted that she was still there, even as he started dating a new woman and ended up marrying her. (Alison was okay withit, but only after smashing a few vases and making that new woman's life a living hell). It was no wonder your dad wanted to move elsewhere quite soon after his second marriage. I mean, living with your deceased wife and your new crumpit was a bit weird, right? Your dad, Mike, handed the house to you and your sister. She chose not to stay and lived her live elsewhere, visiting occassionally, while Mike and his new wife settled somewhere close by. You remained in the huge mansion with your husband and your children, enjoying the way the ghosts watched over them as they had watched over you, feeling safe and happy. Because with these ghosts you were at home.

[august-persona]

More Witch Week Epiphanies (I'm losing track at this point)

Some time ago, I wanted to write a little essay (I feel weird calling it an "essay," makes this sound scholarly and not at all like the ramblings of a hyper fixated 15-year-old, but that's what it is) on the queer-coding in Witch Week. I got very busy and sort of forgot about it. Recently, I've been thinking about it more, and realizing just how much mental health plays into the themes of Witch Week as well as homophobia.

In the world of Witch Week, you cannot tell a witch just by looking at them. Witchcraft is not tied to any ethnicity, sex, religion, etc. Anyone could be a witch and you'd have no idea unless they told you. Of course, some people seem to be more obviously a witch than others. Everyone assumes Nan is a witch (and they are right), but even then they really have no way to be sure. There's also the way that witch history is banned, stifled, twisted to fit a certain narrative. The book asserts that this is all very wrong. Witches cannot help being born witches. It's simply not healthy for a society with so many witches - a society where witchcraft is intrinsic to so many people's lives - to persecute that witchcraft so harshly.

Now replace the words "witch" and "witchcraft" in that paragraph with "gay, queer, lgbtq+."

The themes of Witch Week are very relatable to the lgbtq+ community. You cannot tell that someone is gay or otherwise just by looking at them. There are people who are assumed to be queer based on how they act or look (and you might be right), but there's no way to be sure. Anyone of any ethnicity, sex, religion, etc., could be lgbtq+.

Lgbtq+ history, similarly to the history of witches in this story, has also been frequently banned, stifled, twisted to fit a certain narrative by society at large.

Homophobia is harmful. It hurts everyone living within a society where these bigoted mindsets are the norm, even straight and cisgender people.

Now, onto the topic of mental illness. It was no new revelation to me that many - if not all the kids - at Larwood House have, or at the very least exhibit some symptoms of, various mental disorders. The book even says at the beginning that Larwood House is a school for witch orphans and children with "other problems." Nan is schooled at Larwood House because she is a witch orphan; Charles is schooled at Larwood House because his parents sent him there, presumably due to his "other problems." The book was a bit vague on this. It mentions Charles becoming standoffish after his encounter with the second witch, and his parents being concerned that he was a bad influence on his siblings, but there are certainly more elements at play.

Along with being queer-coded (more on that some other time) there are many instances in the book where Charles is obviously in a dissociated state. Charles often references this 'other part' of himself, which splits away from him when he is distressed. Sometimes Charles floats away while the other part of himself does the talking and walking and such; in other instances Charles is present but aware that a split has occured.

Charles clearly has a personality disorder, one which is probably the result of his traumatic childhood experiences and further exacerbated by Larwood House's awful environment. He has no good friends, and his emotional needs often go unchecked by teachers and peers alike. Charles often wonders how no one ever seems to notice when he 'splits.'

You cannot tell that someone is mentally ill, or neurodivergent (some mental disorders aren't so harmful to one's life that they are ill) just by looking at them. Anyone of any ethnicity, sex, religion, etc., could have a mental disorder. Of course, some people seem more likely to have a mental disorder than others based on the symptoms they exhibit, but even then you may not know for sure what exactly is going on.

The only time anyone realizes something is up with Charles, is when he self-harms in view of the boys in his dorm. Even then they only conclude that Charles must be pretty stupid to do such a thing to himself, and think not much more than that.

Then there's the ways in which mental disorders have been demonized (and more recently romanticized, but that's a whole other beast) and twisted to fit narratives in mainstream culture which are often harmful to people with those disorders - should the concept of mental disorders and neuro divergence even be addressed in the first place - in order to cater to a neurotypical audience and a society which would often like to promote the idea that people with trauma and mental turmoil should simply choose to be unaffected by these sufferings, and should the "mentally ill" ever display symptoms or behavior deemed to be inconvenient due to their disorders, it is a moral failing on their part and not a failing of their caregivers and authority to provide them with help.

Or, that the mentally ill simply need to be locked up because they are no use to society; or even done away with entirely because how could they be any more than inconvenient, and quite possibly dangerous.

In cases of people whose disorders are not harmful to themselves or others, there is often an idea that their unusual behavior must be 'fixed' (got rid of entirely) to prevent inconvenience.

These are attitudes often applied to lgbtq+ folks as well. That queerness is a moral failing, or that queer people need to be locked up, or that their queerness must be 'cured.' If not considered a sin, homosexuality was considered a mental illness for a very long time. 'Homosexuals' were thought to be dangerous, and best kept locked away or done away with. Then there's the "trans women are actually just predatory men" storyline that's been unfortunately popular lately.

Parents are still kicking lgbtq+ kids out onto the street, telling their own children they're going to hell. Lgbtq+ kids are still being sent to conversion camps in some places. Lgbtq+ people are still bullied, killed, arrested, executed, around the world.

Mental disorders and neuro divergence is a present aspect of many queer people's lives. And no, not because homosexuality = derangement - but because some people with mental disorders just so happen to also be queer; or due to the fact that queer people tend to be more susceptible to trauma, end up developing mental disorders more frequently.

What's interesting about Witch Week is that Charles' disorder is not linked to him inherently being a witch, but to how his witch-phobic society traumatized him and led him to develop his disorder.

That's pretty neat. Consider the sheer quantity of media which depicts queer and queer-coded characters as being deranged. Even when the narrative does not outrightly state "gay = psycho," the connection is still made in the viewer's mind, overtly or subconsciously. And rarely is the distinction made that the Evil Psycho Gay ended up mentally ill not because of the fact they're gay, but because of the way their homophobic culture traumatized them.

Then there's Witch Week, a book featuring a subtle but excellent portrayal of a child living with an unaddressed personality disorder in the character of Charles; a character who also happens to be queer-coded; a character who is not the antagonist, but one of the protagonists; in a book which makes it altogether very clear that it is not the fact that any of these characters are inherently witches (witchcraft = lgbtq+) that they lash out in ways that are harmful to themselves or others, but that these harmful behaviors are perpetuated by the bigoted society they live in.

[jerakeenc]

many kidfics i’ve read and loved

look who’s reccing a million year old fics now. kidfics, very many. posted to dw for snowflake, thought I’d copy here as well. will be reading most, if not all. if you don’t hear from me again, this list is the culprit.

101 Ways To Get Lucky (In Love) by lenore

18,200 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

Rodney McKay is rich, gorgeous and at the top of his game—except someone just moved the goalposts! Now Rodney realizes he is sorely lacking the one status symbol that everybody seems to have…the perfect family. Rodney needs help, so he hires a relationship coach. Single-dad John Sheppard may be an expert, but not when it comes to his own relationships! And every day he spends with Rodney makes him wish that he could be the one to fill the vacancy in Rodney's life…

A Beautiful Lifetime Event by astolat

29,000 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.

An Earlier Heaven by regann

67,400 words | X-Men, Erik/Charles

In the wake of Cuba, Charles and his students are ready to pick up the pieces and work toward achieving Charles's dream of a safe haven for young mutants. Those plans, however, take a surprising turn thanks to a very unexpected complication. As he slowly builds a future for his students and for his child, Charles struggles with the loss of Erik and the secrets he's willing to keep to protect his family, but those strides are shattered when Erik makes a startling reappearance into his life. [mpreg, kidfic, ensemble]

And everything nice by noelia_g

30,200 words | Social Network, Mark/Eduardo

The one where Mark somehow ends up with a child and of course needs a nanny for the amount of time he spends at the office. Only problem is a string of nannys keep trying to get into his pants for what he assumes is his money. Cue Mark's assistant hiring a male nanny, enter Eduardo.

asking to be born by longtime_lurker

26,500 words | Bandom, Pete/Patrick

"Don't worry, it's probably just his big gay freakout," Andy yells cheerfully and unhelpfully into Patrick's ear as they're hustling Pete over to the nearest private clinic.

Better with You by harriet_vane

38,100 words | 1D, Liam/Louis

Based on this prompt at the kinkmeme:

Single parent and solo artist Liam Payne hires Louis Tomlinson to be a full time nanny to his four year old son Sammy. Although the two men don't quite click from the start it's love at first sight between Sammy and Louis. Eventually Louis and Liam warm up to each other and get on like a house on fire, in fact the two become a little too fond of each other.

I refuse to apologize for how sweet this ended up, okay? It's kidfic, I am forever writing kidfic, and this one is even kid-fic-ier than usual.

Can't Get Enough of You (Baby) by eternalbreath

22,100 words | Inception, Arthur/Eames

Eames vanishes from dreamshare and Arthur goes a little crazy looking for him until he stumbles across him -- with a baby.

Chelsea, Chelsea, I Believe by empathapathique

300,800 words | Hockey, Kane/Toews

Patrick meets a girl his rookie year.

Don't You Shake Alone by dsudis

62,180 words | Generation Kill, Brad/Nate

Nate looked exactly like Brad always pictured him: exhausted in the full life-in-a-combat-zone sense of the word.

Dude, what's a bulwark? by kellifer_fic

12,150 words | Teen Wolf, Derek/Stiles

Beacon Hills is the kind of small town where everybody knows everybody, and what everybody knows is that surly diner owner Derek Hale and free spirited single dad Stiles Stilinski have been in love with each other for years. If only they knew it too.

Every Other Beautiful World by rhiannonhero

43,280 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

Some things are unexpected but still inevitable in every beautiful world.

Forever, Now by harriet_vane

227,100 words | Bandom, Frank/Gerard, Jon/Spencer, Brendon/Ryan, Brian/Greta

Brian rescues kid!Gerard and Mikey from life on the streets, and eventually everyone finds a family.

here comes the sun by oflights

56,600 words | Social Network, Mark/Eduardo

This is a story about growing up, sad 70's rock songs, too much hair gel, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer", a baby with curly hair, a Geiger counter, a dog that isn't named Max, the Chicken Dance, Cheerios, pepper-spray, drugs, sex, and a stuffed chicken named Cluckerberg, nicknamed Cluck. or: Mark raises Sean's accidental baby, and I write the fluffiest thing ever.

I Got a Love (That Keeps Me Waiting) by svmadelyn

163,700 words | Hockey, Kane/Toews

There's a lot of different ways this summary could go, like:

Patrick Kane gets more than a gold medal in Sochi.

Or, the classic: It's too late to pull out now.

Or: Patrick Kane continues to thrive in high pressure situations.

Or: Patrick Kane gets knocked up, goes to White Castle, and finds love, not necessarily in that order.

But, ultimately, all that really matters is this: Patrick Kane is keeping his baby.

I Would Be by cathalin

20,290 words | American Idol, Kris/Adam

AU. Adam and Kris meet a few years down the road, when down-on-his-luck Kris and his young daughter Katherine show up to rent a room from Adam, who never made it to an Idol audition.

Ice Ice Baby by uraneia

51,340 words | Hockey, Claude/Danny

A gold medal isn't the only souvenir Claude brings home from Prague.

OR: The one where Claude gets drunk, gets pregnant, and gets convinced to move in with Danny, whom he's been secretly in love with for years. What could possibly go wrong?

my heart is bigger than the distance in between us by estrella30

15,000 words | 1D, Nick/Harry

Nick chuckles quietly but grabs the remote and follows Emma, Aimee coming up close behind him. It’s indeed Harry on the telly, singing along to his latest radio hit and smiling slowly into the camera far too seductively for half eight on a Friday morning, if you ask Nick. He presses the volume just in time to catch the crowd’s roaring applause and see the pink flush Harry’s cheeks. Nick watches him duck his head as he gives a small wave to the audience, and it hits Nick that Harry is still the most humble and appreciative billionaire Nick’s ever met.

Good job, popstar, Nick thinks to himself.

or, Nick is a single dad and Harry is his bff and it's a bunch of years into the future and they fall in love

Once Upon a Furry Octopus by skoosiepants

11,270 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

He was an intelligent, intuitive pet, but he wasn’t going to start sniffing out ZPMs or hidden Ancient weaponry or detailed instructions on how to kill a Wraith with a common household item. A pen, for instance.

Reconcilable Differences by astolat

40,000 words | Smallville, Clark/Lex

Luthor Family Values.

Shelter by harriet_vane

63,500 words | Social Network, Jesse/Andrew

From the kinkmeme prompt: Some sort of AU vaguely based on Shelter! For whatever reason, Jesse has to take care of Hallie and give up his dream of being an actor. He ends up working in a dead end job when former, now successful friend (Andrew) returns home. They fall in love, etc, only Jesse can't go away with him because he has a responsibility to his family. CUE ANGST.

Show Me The Way Back Home Baby by stilinskisparkles

15,000 words | Teen Wolf, Derek/Stiles

In which Lydia and Jackson produce the world's cutest baby, and the pack goes crazy-- the good kind of crazy. Except for Derek, who is afraid of tiny cute babies and Stiles who plans to be the best Uncle ever. Even if Danny called dibs on Godfather.

Skybird by windsweptfic

33,785 words | Inception/White Collar, Arthur/Eames

Arthur and Eames adopt a kid and raise that kid into Neal Caffrey.

Small Cells and Fibers by sevenfists

7,830 words | Bandom, Frank/Gerard

Tuesdays were finger-painting days. Frank made sure to wear his oldest pair of jeans, because even with his full-length apron and his constant reminders that paint belongs on paper and not on clothing, he always ended up with tiny, multi-colored handprints all over his clothes. There wasn't a thing he could do about it, so he just wore pants from 1995.

Small Primes and Square Roots by liviapenn

12,500 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

"I hope you picked someone really intelligent, otherwise it seems like it would be kind of a waste. Of incubation time, if nothing else."

So Wise We Grow by deastar

81,250 words | Star Trek Reboot, Kirk/Spock

"Commander Spock, we have located your son," the Vulcan lady on the screen says, which would be great, except Jim can tell by the look on Spock's face that he's never heard of this kid before in his life. "If it is expedient, the child will be sent to join you on the Enterprise within the week."

Something Better by lovelypoet

18,350 words | Bandom, Frank/Gerard

"We all have to take jobs we don't like sometimes, you know?"

The Next Time You Say Forever by Thistlerose

27,300 words | Star Trek Reboot, Kirk/McCoy

After his ex-wife's death, McCoy is forced to leave the Enterprise to look after his teenage daughter. Under normal circumstances, this would be the end of…whatever it is he has with Kirk that's more than friendship, but less than what he wants. But the universe has other intentions.

The Reeducation of Misters Kane and Toews by jezziejay

15,900 words | Hockey, Kane/Toews

In which Kaner sort of has a kid, and Mr. Toews doesn't know which of them is the bigger brat.

AU featuring teacher!Jon and hockey-player!Kaner. With bonus 'Hawks characters, love notes, pasta jewelry, Be Better Pizzas, pirouettes, a sprinke of angst and guest appearance by Derek Jeter.

The Road Delivered Us Home by keelywolfe

117,430 words | Hobbit, Thorin/Bilbo

In the years since Bilbo left Erebor, he has lost his respectability, gained a nephew, and gotten on with life at Bag End.

He'd left aside adventure for the comforts and peace of his little Hobbit hole, and for the love of a child who needed him. Though perhaps, adventures can yet find him.

This Story Was Brought to You by Our Sponsors by scaramouche

29,500 words | Supernatural, Dean/Castiel

Dean's post-apocalyptic life is a friggin' soap opera. Romance! Angst! Separations! Reunions! Pizza Dinners! A Child Dean Never Knew He Had! It's all very dramatic.

throw a little sparkle all over it by etben

26,000 words | Bandom, Frank/Gerard

"Hey, Ma," Mikey says. "No, everything's fine—well, I mean, Gerard accidentally adopted a baby—no, he's changing her now, he can't talk."

Tiny Houses by ohmyjetsabel

77,130 words | Teen Wolf, Derek/Stiles

"So this is what Stiles does. He lies in Scott’s bed and waits for Melissa to say she’s found someone to get it out of him, to cure him of the wrongness and the bad, and he dreams.

God, he dreams.

He dreams of fire and swollen bellies and that scene in Alien, of giving birth to jackals through his urethra, the whole horrific nine yards. His head is a terrible place to be, he can’t imagine his stomach is much better, why anyone would want to put a thing inside of it."

Tip, Slide, Tumble by j_s_cavalcante

42,900 words | due South, Fraser/Kowalski

Ray knew when he found the body in the alley it was going to change someone's life. He just didn't expect that life would be his.

Turn by saras_girl

306,000 words | Harry Potter, Harry/Draco

One good turn always deserves another. Apparently.

Unless it's lies or it's love by sprat

25,300 words | American Idol, Kris/Adam

In which Adam (a rock star) meets Kris (a single dad) at an Emergency Room in Arkansas at the end of a particularly shitty night. Also features: San Francisco, fresh starts, baked goods, OCs, cameo appearances by Matt and Megan, pirates, monsters with garbage heads and a recording studio.

What Child Is This by lamardeuse

30,150 words | Merlin, Arthur/Merlin

A modern AU with Merlin, Arthur, mayhem, a baby and a jingly elf hat.

What to Expect by arsenic

29,200 words | Bandom, Bob/Mikey

Mikey has his band, and his little girl, and that's enough. Really, it is.

Winter's Children by neery

66,890 words | Marvel, Bucky/Steve

When their attempts to recreate the super soldier serum failed, Hydra started trying to breed Captain America clones from his genetic samples. Unfortunately, the serum's effects aren't passed down genetically, so instead of an army of tiny Captain Americas, they get a bunch of tow-headed, asthmatic, allergic, immuno-compromised little Steves.

And then the Winter Soldier stumbles across Hydra's failed experiment...

With Six You Get Eggroll by speranza

31,000 words | due South, Fraser/Kowalski

"Kick 'em In The Head: A Guide To Parenting."

ETA: Bonus! Because I apparently lost my bookmark for this one but have the memory of an elephant for kidfic, so it came to me eventually. :D

A Farm in Iowa 'Verse by sheafrotherdon

166,000 words | SGA, McKay/Sheppard

John inherits a farm, Rodney ends up entirely out of his element, and there is much ado about baseball.

[killugonfan01]

Writing Pt 1

I’ve been fizzing with crossover ideas that have been keeping me awake longer than I should be and I just need somewhere to spill my guts.

First up, I recently fell into the hole that is the Phandom. Used to watch Danny Phantom, but I can’t say for certain I’ve watched all the episodes, it’s been years. I did like Micro Management though, I remember that was good (gee what does it say about the rest of the show that even my child brain managed to latch onto the one episode that had good writing?) At first I doubted I’d write for it, but then the damn plot bunnies decided to overrun me.

First I think of writing four standalone fics for a Harry Potter x Danny Phantom scenario (one for each house) that’ll be under the umbrella series title of Hogwart’s Ghosts (real original I know). I have some bits fleshed out for the Gryffindor and Slytherin Dannys (I made them the most similar in terms of backstory) as well as a vague idea of making sure the different fics will have different set-ups where Danny enters Hogwarts during different parts of canon so I’m not just rewriting the same story 4 times with minor differences. Like, I know the Gryffindor!Danny should be inserted into 5th year, because dissection/vivisection angst + blood quill lover Umbridge? Hello? Obvious choice. Dunno about Slytherin!Danny though, but I figured both Dannys would be mute at the start (so I don’t have to think of dialogue/puns) due to trauma.

And then comes the fact that I haven’t read the Harry Potter books in over 6 years, so the details are a bit fuzzy. But fine, I can roll with it. The most trouble I’m having is with Ravenclaw!Danny since in none of the fics I’ve read has Danny been placed in Ravenclaw. Been thinking of cranking his obsession with space up to 11 to justify it. To be fair, for most of the Dannys, it could be excused that he only allowed a small chunk of his mental shields to drop for the Sorting Hat to sort him, and so I could do author handwaving and say the parts of his personality he showed ended up influencing the different sorting outcomes. That plus the backstory changes to fit the timeline.

Of course, all 4 fics would be operating under the assumption of no PP, no identity reveal, and Ghost King!Danny for funsies. It’s a toss-up whether I’ll let the Hogwarts ghosts know about him though. Oh! And I’d like Sam and Tucker to have more presence than just a token mention at the start, especially in the (more) traumatic instances. 

And then there’s the Boku no Hero Academia x Danny Phantom crossover idea that’s been floating around in my head called Heroic Spirit (not to be confused with Heroes Spirit, that belongs to someone else) where Izuku gets sent back to the Dawn of Quirks.

Sam and Tucker are Meta Users (the name for Quirked individuals at the time in either canon or fanon, I can’t remember) while Danny was your regular quirkless teen whose only fault was being born to the town loons. And then the portal accident happened and he wasn’t the odd one out any longer.

The idea is less developed than the HP x DP crossover, but I do have a general idea of what I want. I kinda want to do some worldbuilding for the Dawn of Quirks Era and what the addition of ghosts means for how Meta Users are viewed (hint: it’s not good for the latter group). I know I want the story to end off where Danny brings Izuku to Clockwork and gets him back to his own time, and Izuku just promises he’ll remember Danny as a hero even if history won’t and just... moving the halfa to tears? Sure Danny wasn’t in the hero (or was it vigilante?) gig for the good PR-it’s a bit late for that honestly, he was just in it because he felt responsible for the portal’s opening, as well as the need to protect people in danger-but having someone who wasn’t his sister or his best friend tell him that he was doing good and giving him validation? Priceless for poor Danny-boy.

I really should finish off my current HxH/AC crossover, or at least get it to a decent temporary stopping point first though...

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #298

“i don’t like what i am becoming  /  wish i could just feel something”

Do you have sensitive skin? Very. Do you wear necklaces or earrings more? Just my tragus piercing, really. I only ever wear a necklace sometimes if I'm taking a "nice" picture. Rings or bracelets? I currently don't wear any bracelets, but I do always have one ring on. How many toilets are in your house? Two. Is your current crush younger than you? By just a couple years. Are you a lighter complexion than your father? Yes; he's very tan, especially his arms from being a mailman. Ranch or barbeque sunflower seeds? I don't like sunflower seeds. Do you know the first five books of the Bible in order? No. Do you have a pet fish? Nah, they're not my thing. Do you believe being gay is a choice or a "disorder"? Neither; I believe it's a genetic mutation. It defies biology and the very motive for life, but I always say that a mutation does not, in any way, equate to "wrong." I am extremely adamantly pro-gay rights and bisexual myself, so I can't shit-talk it. What are some of your favourite sounds? Crunching leaves, rain gently tapping on windows, windchimes, birdsong... mainly nature sounds. There are others, I'm just blanking right now. Are you a warm weather or cold weather person? Cold, 100%. What time do you wake up? What for? This spans over a massive gap, honestly... I can wake up as early as 5 or as late as 9:30. Most often, it's pretty early, and I call that my "trial" of being awake, lol... because I will almost without fail go back to sleep for a couple more hours. Hell, that happens even if I sleep on the later side. Do you ever listen to music to fall asleep to? I used to do that in middle and maybe some of high school, I think; I'd fall asleep with my iPod on and earbuds in. I haven't done that in a very long time, though. Could you spend the rest of your life with someone who had bad taste in music? ... Yes? Their taste in music has nothing to do with them as a person???? Do you still talk to the person you fell hardest for? No, and it's best I don't. Have you ever wanted to get drunk and get your mind off everything? Yes, and that's how I found out I'm far from a lightweight. I wasn't going to drink more than I actually wanted to drink just to get wasted. Did you love playing hide and seek as a kid? Yeah. Who is the last child you held? My youngest niece. Have you ever woken up not knowing where you were? Maybe for a few moments after my surgery? I don't really recall. When is the last time you made the wrong choice in anything? Every fucking day when I decide what to do with my time. What is the most interesting thing in the room you are in? My snake, I guess. She's a champagne morph ball python. When washing your hands, do you wet your hands or put soap on first? I put on soap first. When was the hardest you ever cried? What was the circumstance? Probably when Mom literally dragged me home after I tried to walk to Jason's to talk the night of the breakup. I lost my fucking mind. Which gift cards do you have in your wallet? I don't think I have any. Coke or Pepsi? Coke. I hate Pepsi. What is better: cute smile, or amazing eyes? A cute smile. What song are you listening to? "Drilled a Wire Through My Cheek" by Blue October is on currently. Name your best friend(s): Sara. Do you know any mechanical stuff about cars? Nope. Last night you felt? I wasn't suicidal, but still kinda wanted to die lmao. Do you still watch Disney channel? No. How do you like your eggs? I only enjoy them scrambled, and preferably with cheese. What’s your all-time favorite song? "False Flags" by Massive Attack. If you could be any TV character, who would you be and why? Idk, I don't watch TV enough. Maybe Donna from That '70s Show. Very strong and independent, outspoken, and not to mention she has great taste. I find her to be a good female character to look up to. Do you ever come up with really good ideas for stories or movies? Do you do anything with them? Yeah; I'll try to integrate them into RP characters and plots. What sort of things do you post on your Tumblr? Vintage photos, screen caps, girly things? It's a Markiplier cesspit lmao. Sometimes I'll reblog shit I find funny. I've been very inactive on it, though. Have you ever had a dream that you couldn’t shake, even for days after you woke up? Oh yes. When was the last time you felt like a nuisance, or unwanted? Recently, I'm sure. When was the last time your dreams were crushed, or at least hindered? I dunno. How’s school going? I'm not in school. Are you angry at anyone right now? Myself. The last person to say they loved you? Mom. When is the last time you laughed hard? Hard? I'm really not sure. Are there any words on your shirt? No, it's just a blank black tank. Does it take a lot to make you cry? NOPE. Do you tell your parents everything? No. Do you get bored easily? I'm bored to the point of thinking being dead would be more fun at some point almost every day. I have anhedonia badly. I'm honestly starting to think I've over-medicated to a numbing degree so am trying to wean off some things. Have you ever burned someone's picture? No. How long was your last nap? Maybe three hours? I was really, really tired, though. Can you name the last time you felt happy? Probably when Sara and I talk-talked for the first time in a while. When was the last time you played with sidewalk chalk? Oh, I have zero clue. Probably not since I was a kid. Do you have friends obsessed with World of Warcraft? Bro wtf don't @ me. Have you ever punched a hole in the wall? No. Have you ever told someone you hated them? The only time I've seriously said that was to my dad before we reconciled after the divorce. What was the color of the bridesmaid dresses of the last wedding you went to? I actually don't remember... Favorite thing to do on Facebook? See The Memes. Do you wear flip flops, regardless of weather, all the time? I SAID don't @ me. What is in store for your future? I both do and don't want to know. Have you ever seen a live bat? Yeah. I adore bats. Do you chew on straws? No. Do you have any trophies? Yeah. Who’s the last person that creeped you out? Some guy who walked into the store I was at with Mom, continuously looking back and forth. Would you believe an ex if she/he said they love you? Well, that would depend on the person. Have you ever been kissed in the rain? Yeah. Anything exciting happening soon? My half-sister and her kids are visiting tomorrow and staying for a few days. It's a surprise for Mom. Do you keep a diary or journal (offline or online)? You could say these surveys kinda are. I don't have a designated "diary," though. When was the last time you took a painkiller? What was it for and did it work? I had womanly issues a few days back, and yeah, it helped. Have you ever had to go and rescue someone because their car broke down? When was the last time that happened? I mean, I've driven /with/ Mom to do so. I myself don't drive. What’s one sweet/candy you miss from your childhood? Is this item something you can still buy or has it been discontinued? Y'all remember Baby Bottle Pops??? 'Cuz I do, and I love those fuckin things. I still see them sometimes in gas stations. When was the last time you used some kind of moisturiser? A few days back for my hands. They were painfully dry. If you’re under lockdown/stay at home orders at the moment, are you struggling or managing okay? A bitch is s t r u g g l i n g. Has anything positive come out of the pandemic for you? Fuck no. Do you wear a watch? Is it analogue/digital? Does it it have things like a step-counter in it? No. Do you have any gifts from Christmas that you still haven’t opened or used? Not used, yes. Well, then some things are still in their boxes, but they're unwrapped. Do you know how to tie a tie? If so, who taught you? No. Who was your last missed call from? Did you ring that person back? Some number I didn't recognize, so no. When was the last time you had some kind of problem with your internet connection? Is this something that happens often? A few days back. It has occasional instances where it'll go out but come back on shortly. Do you have a favourite celebrity chef? No. Do you prefer pizza or pasta? Pizza. Have you ever volunteered anywhere before? What was the reason behind doing so? Once at PetSmart when they had dogs to adopt out, which was for school volunteer hours. I spent time with them, giving them attention and taking them outside. I also had two other animal-related volunteer days, but each was only a few hours because my fucking weak-ass body couldn't handle them. Have you ever been truly obsessed with something? What was it and how did you come to feel that way? I have an incredibly obsessive personality; I could probably name near on a dozen or so things I've been genuinely obsessed with. I don't know what it means to love in moderation. Some are/were pleasant obsessions, some aren't/weren't. Does it bother you when people turn up at your house without asking or waiting to be invited? Yes. Are you taller or shorter than average height? I'm the average for an American woman. Do you have any family members whose beliefs or ways of life completely embarrass you? YUP YUP YUP YUP. Are you scared of heights? Yes. When was the last time you lost something of great sentimental value? Did you ever end up finding it again? I don't know. Have you ever injured anyone in self-defense? No. What food do you find to be the most filling? Is this something you eat a lot of? In relation to its portion sizes, oatmeal or eggs. I can't have a whole lot of either. I wouldn't say I eat either a lot, but oatmeal is more common. Have you ever heard people talking badly about you behind your back? Did you confront them about it? Yes, and in at least two instances. Do you consider “home” to be the place you were born, or is it somewhere you create for yourself? I consider it to be my childhood home; not the one I was actually born in, but only because I was way too young to remember and we only lived there like, maybe two years into my life. Have you ever experienced having to leave your home due to a fire, or due to the threat of fire? No, thankfully. When was the last time you felt you were in a dangerous situation? When we had a serious tornado warning Christmas Eve. Yes. In winter. Are there any superstitions that you believe in? Which ones and what are your reasons for doing so? No. Are there any series of books/films that you never finished - either because you got bored of waiting or just lost interest? Oh, I'm sure. I Wouldn't say I lost interest in a lot though, I just wasn't interested enough, like for The Hunger Games. Which theme park is your favorite? I haven't been to nearly enough to know. Like, just one. Do you eat healthy? I try to be, at least. Though I've been doing very poorly about it lately because I'm a emotional goddamn eater and am having a very hard time. Do/did your parents fight often? They're divorced for a reason. Do YOU fight with them often? No. Would you say that you're respectful? I hope so. Are you a fan of Green Day? Yeah, I love them. Would you rather have 4 kids at one time or never have a kid? Jesus Christ, never. I don't want any anyway. Do you think 'friends with benefits' relationships really ever work? No. Do you or have you ever known a drug addict? Yes. Do you turn off the water while brushing your teeth or leave it on? I always turn it off. No reason to waste it. Do you have any nieces or nephews? Lots, if you include my half-siblings. Are caterpillars more cute or disgusting? I tend to find them cute. What's your homepage when you bring up the internet? Google. Was the last book you read for fun or was it for some type of assignment? It was for fun. Have you ever dated someone you met online? Yes. Would you go on a date with someone right now if they asked? Depends on who's asking. Do you own any band tees? Oh, I have lots. Off the top of my head, some that I frequently wear are Metallica, Otep, and Korn. Do you know someone who wears a wig? No. Have you ever kissed someone under fireworks? I don't think so. What kind of dressing do you eat on your salad, if any? I strongly prefer the Olive Garden kind, but I also enjoy ranch. What genre of music do you listen to the most? Metal of some sort. Have you ever dated someone who was way overprotective of you? No. Do you personally know any cops? No. How many different colleges have you gone to? Three. How much stress can you handle? Not much at all. How confident are you in achieving your dreams? I ain't got the slightest clue by this point in my life. What is one thing you thought you’d never do but have done or are doing? There's a lot of things, most bad, some good. Do you have to take medication for any mental illness? A lot. Do you like looking at pictures? It depends on what's in them. Specifically pictures from my past, that's usually a big no. Do you believe the dead can have connections with the living? I guess in very vague ways. Which family member do you get along with the most? Well, define "get along with." I by far have the strongest relationship with my mom, but we fight sometimes. As for who I stay on the most stable ground with, that's probably my dad. Would you ever be able to become a vegan? I know I couldn't, but I'd love to. How did you meet your newest friend? Who even IS my newest friend... Have you ever watched the show Teen Mom? What did you think about it? No, and I think it's an awful fucking idea for a television show. Put a spotlight on and money into teen pregnancy, yeah, that's a genius plan. Are you old enough to remember MySpace? Yeah. Do you think you’ll be a good mother/father? I wouldn't be. Do you have trouble deleting your text messages? I don't need to. Is there something that you haven’t told anyone that you actually would like to tell someone? No. Have you ever been called a tease? Yeah. Do people ever make fun of your religion or lack thereof? No. Do you say/do things a lot for shock effect? No? What was the last compliment you gave a guy? I probably told my nephew Ryder he was a good brother. Was one of your grandpas in a war? Maybe? Idk. I never knew either well at all. Have you screamed in a pillow before? Yes. What do you like more, acoustic or electric? Electric. Have you ever ordered something off a commercial on television? No. What's worse, having someone mad or disappointed in you? Disappointed. Do you still consider Pluto a planet? Yes. Didn't they reinstate it as one, anyway? Right now, are you at a high, leveled, or low point? What's lower than "low?"

[waywardwrestlewritingwaif]

The Guardian’s Oath, Part Thirteen

Ok, I’ve been at this for over a month at this point and it’s a relief to say that we’re approaching the home stretch. I think we’re still looking at a few more posts- three or four?- but things are starting to wind down. Or up. There is winding happening. If you’d like to get caught up, you can find all the previous parts linked in the Master List. If you’d like to let me know your theories as to what’s happening/ going to happen, that is very welcome!

Pairing: Feargal Devitt/ Finn Balor/ OFC

Word count: 1,632 (shorter bit this time!)

Content advisory: nothing for this part

Once she had left, Kate excused herself to wash the dishes, clearly aware that the Reverend and I wanted to speak alone. 

“Are you going to tell me I’m being unfair to the boy?” Feargal asked. 

“If you’d punished him just for daydreaming about folk tales then I’d tell you I thought it harsh but he was insolent to you when you questioned him about it. He shouldn’t be talking back to his elders and especially his father that way.”

“But you do think I’m being harsh.”

“I sympathize with his disappointment,” I conceded. “And I suspect that a lack of exercise in the last couple of weeks is partly responsible for his bad behavior this morning.”

“You seem to be going out of your way to avoid telling me you think I’m wrong.”

“I’m not trying to say that you’re in the wrong! Just because I can understand his feelings doesn’t mean I automatically side with him over you!” Feargal rolled his eyes and that was enough to bring tears to my eyes. “I don’t understand why you seem to be trying to pick a fight with me.”

He turned to look at me and the second he saw my pained face, his expression softened. He walked over to my side and kissed my forehead, cradling my face in his hand, becoming the man I had married once again. 

“Forgive me, love,” he cooed in my ear, “I think perhaps I’m questioning my own reaction. I don’t want to deprive my son of a well-deserved day off. I have some bad memories associated with some of the local stories, and with those of Finn Balor most of all. I’ve told the servants not to repeat those tales to the children but I know that they forget and do it anyway. So at the least I try to keep the children from believing in them.”

“Your bad memories,” I ventured, “do they have something to do with your late wife?”

He sighed and gave me a little nod. 

“During her… decline… Sarah started believing in all sorts of strange things. She’d hear these otherwise harmless little fables from people in the village and she’d suddenly start acting as if they were facts. She believed that the old caretaker at the burial ground next to the church was a ghost, for instance. But worst of all were the ideas she got in her head after she heard about Finn Balor.

It must seem ridiculous to you, the idea of a grown woman believing that there was some kind of goblin or demon lurking about but she did. Sometimes, she’d say that this Balor was threatening the children. Sometimes she’d lay in bed for days because she claimed she’d been injured fighting him. Then, when she said she was going to have a third child, it became worse. One minute, she’d be saying that she had a demon inside her and the next, she’d be claiming that I was some kind of monster who meant to steal the baby from her.”

Tears coated his eyes and he blinked rapidly to try to clear them away. 

“I’m so sorry, my love,” I hummed. 

“What harm could she have thought I would bring my own child?” 

“She wasn’t thinking right. Her mind was ill. No one who knew you could ever imagine that you could hurt a child.”

I felt knots of guilt and tension twisting inside me as I heard the story. How was it that I had confused him, however briefly, with this same creature? How had I let myself believe that this beautiful, innocent man next to me could be anything other than the angel he seemed? It was not the first moment that I had questioned my own sanity since arriving at this place but it was the first time that I felt that I was potentially a danger to the others there. 

“I’ll take Sophia out for a walk,” I soothed him. “Why don’t you talk to William and then you can come and meet us if you think it’s warranted.”

“As always, you are my angel of good sense.”

*

Sophia was quiet for the first part of our walk, her eyes flitting over my form as we made our way down to the sand. The last step had always been a little loose and the winter had apparently made it more so. I moved slowly, trying to balance my strange new body. 

“Here,” she said, taking my arm in hers and guiding me down, “you need help.”

I thanked her and was a little surprised when she tightened her grip on my arm to steady me on the uneven surface. 

“Why does Papa hate it so much when we talk about things like Finn Balor?”

“I’m not sure,” I stammered. “I suppose he doesn’t want you to start believing things that aren’t true.”

“It’s more than that,” she continued sagely. “You know it is too.”

“Whatever his reasons, we should respect his wishes. It does us no harm to push those things from our minds.”

“Can you do that? Can you just push something out of your mind if you don’t want it there?” She seemed incredulous. “I can’t. There are lots of things that I’d like to never think about again but that doesn’t mean I can stop them.”

“We all think about things from time to time, but the idea is he doesn’t want us wasting our time dwelling on them. You’re smart enough to understand that.”

Sophia smiled a little deviously, leading us closer to the water. I wasn’t happy about the idea of getting wet but the sand was firmer where it was damp and so I didn’t resist. 

“You say “we”, like you’re included. You’ve thought about those sorts of things too, haven’t you?”

I nodded but immediately said, “I’ve always been easily frightened since I was a girl.”

“No,” the girl countered, “I think you were really scared when we told you about Balor. I think that you felt like he was real the same way we did.”

“Such things aren’t real.”

“Our mother thought there was a spirit in the house, you know. She thought it meant to harm us. She said that it wanted to take Colin when he was born.”

“I’m sorry that you had to hear that. I don’t mean to say anything against her but that must have been very hard for a little girl to understand and I can see why you’d be frightened and confused.”

“Sometimes at night, she’d come and sleep in my bed when she was upset. She’d have to curl up to fit in but she said that she wanted to be with us so that we’d be safe. She’d say all sorts of things.”

Sophia continued to head towards the water, pulling hard on my arm despite my increasing resistance. 

“She told me that we couldn’t ever be safe from this thing that lurked in the house because it was as much its home as ours. She was certain it was going to take one of the children, one of three, but she promised she’d protect us.”

With a sudden movement, Sophia hopped onto a slab of rock that jutted through the sand. She jerked my arm forward and down to pull me after her but I lost my footing and found myself on my knees in the sand as water pooled around me. Sophia locked her hands on my shoulders, dark eyes gleaming and tendrils of her hair caught in the wind, making her look like something feral. 

“If you believe, you can protect us from what Papa can’t,” she whispered harshly. “Will you? Will you keep us safe?”

The sun hit my eyes and for a moment it was like the girl herself was transformed into something magical, but then she was before me once again, the beautiful, strange child that I’d cared for as my own and all I wanted was for her to know that she could trust me. 

“Yes,” I promised, “yes I will.”

She smiled serenely and helped me back to my feet as some voices hailed us from a distance. 

William reached us first, able to run at a shocking speed even as the wet sand pulled at his feet. As he came charging up, Sophia held her arm out to make sure that he stopped before he ran into me. The two of them exchanged a knowing glance and she arched her eyebrows at him. 

“Papa told me you said I should be allowed to come,” William grinned. 

“As long as you understand why you were wrong to speak to him as you did, then you deserve to have a day to relax.”

“He needs to learn to think more before he speaks,” Sophia scolded.

“I’ll race you back to the rocks,” he challenged her. 

She took off without even accepting, him hot on her heels as Feargal reached me. 

“What on Earth happened to you, love?”

I looked down at my clothing, soiled and damp from my spill earlier. “I’m afraid I lost my footing, but Sophia was able to help me back up.”

“Are you quite sure you feel up to this?”

“Yes, and I suspect that soon I won’t feel up to anything, so I’m going to enjoy this walk even if I keep falling down all day.”

He laughed at my uncharacteristic obstinacy and took my hand. The children scampered around the rocks and life seemed sweetly normal. But I found myself startled at every strange noise, every shadow I saw from the corner of my eye. I could not relax because, as mad as it seemed, I believed that there was something from which I had to protect my family. 

[euchunja]

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐄. // 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒. // 𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓.

hi my loves !! oh my gosh this took me so long and it’s embarrassing but anywho ... i am jasmine, and here i am ! as i’m sure we all hate the dash right now so let me apologize for how hideous this whole thing looks !! but since i’m late i won’t waste time, so below the cut you’ll find some info on miss 𝐁𝐀𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐔𝐍𝐉𝐀 as well as plot ideas !  ( iforgottosaythisbutpleaselikethisifyoudliketoplot! )

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘.

child of dionysus, and in his fashion, is a lover of all things revolving around partying, playing pretend, and chaos !

could be confused for an aphrodite kid for her obsession over making love and beauty, but nope !! she’s actually a child of dionysus through and through once you really watch her, she’s got all the traits but ... for the worse ??

though honestly, it’s sometimes hard to remember she’s a half-god child, as most of her powers aren’t physical, and honestly could be claimed to either be a matter of coincidence or her being naturally gifted.

born in seoul, south korea, initially clueless to her ties to the greek god. she was raised christian, as well, and the idea never really crossed her mind !

her mom told her when she was really young, as she saw the girl’s powers developing into dangerous habits very early, and hoped clarity would stop that ! but unfortunately it didn’t, and ... well chunja is chunja haha !!

her powers started coming full force when she was around 10 ! her mom, who was the owner of a bar, suffered a drop in customers and was forced to close her business. hopeless and out of work, she had to resort to house hopping between family members until they finally settled into a one-room apartment much smaller than their old house.

but chunja was humiliated and wanted to keep up the appearance that they were well off, so always thought up elaborate lies to keep up the appearance that they were doing just fine - comparable to elite’s cayetana ! but given that this went on for years without anyonr noticing ... you could say she was naturally a pretty good liar actor, thanks to her father !

the big moment that happened because of this though was when she was caught shoplifting ! she wanted trendy clothes, and given her family’s predicament, it was the only way how. after getting caught, she made an elaborate lie and turned it around to accuse the store clerk who’d spotted her of falsely accusing her, and got away with it !

this is why she thinks her father noticed her and claimed her. however, that’s not the case ! though chunja often uses her skills for the worse, it was a time she cured someone of madness not long after that shoplifting incident that got the attention of dionysus !

 after getting claimed, she became much more sure of herself, despite her financial situation ! she seemed to understand herself better, and was more sure of her talents.

shortly after getting claimed, things seemed to look up for her, and her mother came back better, becoming the owner of a lounge much more upscale than the bar she had owned prior. she moved up to the middle class, and it was then at age 13 she became an international student, travelling all over the world with her mom on business trips.

but she felt incredibly drawn to greece, as she felt her ties were there. but it wouldn’t be until she was approaching college that she would get her chance to move there, when she started university !

before then, she spent two and a half years after high school studying abroad in france, desperately wanting a change of pace but not yet ready for the academic pressure of college.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀.

highkey can’t say it nicer than this .... chunja is an insensitive manipulative asshole lmao !! 

listen i hate to say it ... but it’s true ! she’s got a bad temper, and if you get on her nerves, she becomes livid, and since chaos is what she loves the most, doesn’t feel upset when messing with others.

chunja’s definitely got a sharp tongue, and is incredibly blunt, always speaking her mind and not being afraid to do so. some appreciate her honesty, other’s hate it ... really, it depends !

she has inherited the ability to trigger madness in others, and ... yikes !! it’s sort of a known fact that all her boyfriends and girlfriends seemed to go off the rails after they broke up, and ... i can’t say that’s not a coincidence !

 unsurprisingly, she loooooves parties, and because of that, she doesn’t perform too well in school. she actually doesn’t even go to class as much as she should, but what you gonna do when there’s a rave the night before an exam you know ??

drug / alcohol tw !! alongside parties, she loves indulging in both alcohol and drugs, as she’s near addicted to the feeling of euphoria she gets ... a trait she got from being dionysus’ kid ! at first glance she might not seem like it, but she’s tried nearly everything in the book, as she doesn’t want to miss out on anything that might give her that perfect high. she loves drinking, especially wine, and the smell alone is intoxicating to her ! she can’t get drunks as easily as the average person, though, as she has a high tolerance. it frustrates her a lot of the time, as she wants to get drunk, but it’s good for keeping up appearances, and is impressive to down numerous shots at parties.

she always tries to reach out to her father, seeking his praise, but for some reason or another he never seems to reciprocate her affection. it really messes with her, and often has her questioning her own self worth, but does help in motivating her to work hard to impress him.

despite her ego at times, she’s actually pretty gloomy internally ! she feels things just  never seem to go right for her in the long run, and though she often has temporary happiness it rarely lasts. it may be chunja’s punishment for using the powers she’s been granted for the worse, but she’s not willing to really change anytime soon !

despite her bad traits, she really does have some redeeming ones ! for instance, she is incredibly loyal to those she cares for, ironic given her tendency to use others for her own gain. but she always stays true to her friends and family she’s on good terms with, and will cause literal hell to anyone who tries to go against them !

there’s probably more, but ... it’s so late and this needs to be posted lol !

𝐏𝐋𝐎𝐓 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐒.

here is just a connection idea dump because a proper plots page is coming super soon and i’m too tired to think properly honestly ?? 

dionysus sibling relationships, even sibling rivalry ?? partying buddies who seem to vibe with each other and always have fun ! other older / mid-20′s muses clinging to their youth, smoking / drinking buddies, ex - flings, with lingering feelings ?? or current flings struggling to not have feelings ! friends who both have that sense of chaos in them, a crush who she’s actually soft for ? what ?? is this a fever dream ??? someone who heard the rumors all her exes went mad and are now terrified, best friends who know each other better than anyone ! study buddy to make sure she isn’t kicked out of school, fwbs,  a duo who constantly butt heads, first girlfriend and first person she came out to, someone she’s met while travelling at one point or another, someone who knew her as a kid and potentially the only person who knew the truth about her financial situation, a younger muse who she unexpectedly looks out for, etc !

[wormtales]

cis  male  /  he/him.  ┊  if  you’re  looking  for  PETER  PETTIGREW,  you’ll  probably  find  HIM  in  the  GRYFFINDOR  dorm  with  the  rest  of  the  SEVENTH  years.  they’re  the  TWENTY  year  old  HALFBLOOD  who  looks  kind  of  like  ROBIN  MIGNÉ.  they  seem  FACETIOUS,  INTUITIVE,  CARING  to  me,  but  apparently  they’re  also  FOOLHARDY,  SELF-DOUBTING,  COVETOUS.  maybe  that’s  why  they  remind  me  of  laughter  breaking  the  stillness  of  a  suburban  summer  night,  coughing  on  whiskey  and  cigarettes,  running  a  restless  hand  through  messy  blond  hair,  the  soft  ticking  of  a  grandfather  clock,  bruised  knuckles  stuffed  in  the  pockets  of  scuffed  jeans.  the  golden  rays  of  the  late  afternoon  sun.  the  scent  of  mothballs,  the  slightly  metallic  taste  of  tap  water.  quick  glances  seeking  approval,  a  cheeky  grin  once  it’s  been  earned.  dog  eared  comic  books  in  a  cardboard  box  under  your  bed,  feet  dangling  over  the  edge  of  the  roof,  staring  down  the  stars,  wanting  to  be  a  hero  but  not  quite  knowing  how.

PINTEREST

peter  pettigrew.  born  in  sheffield,  england  to  a  muggle  father  and  a  magical  mother.  he  lived  in  a  small  brick  house  with  old  fashioned  furniture.  his  family  has  always  been  catholic,  and  so  every  sunday,  he  dressed  up  in  his  nicest  hand-me-downs  and  went  to  church  with  his  parents  and  younger  sister.  

the  pettigrews  are  what  you’d  call  a  working-class  family.  money  has  always  been  tight  with  them.  it  wasn’t  uncommon  for  his  father  to  be  working  holidays,  or  to  overhear  a  whispered  conversation  between  his  parents  using  words  like  mortgage  and  foreclosure.  their  clothes  were  always  just  on  the  edge  of  shabby  no  matter  how  often  his  mother  darned  and  ironed  them.

perhaps  because  of  this,  or  perhaps  because  he  was  a  wizard,  he  didn’t  really  click  with  the  muggle  kids  in  his  neighbourhood.  he  was  more  a  mama’s  boy,  helping  his  mother  dust  and  vacuum  and  fold  the  laundry  and  set  the  table  for  supper  every  day.  his  parents  were  worried  that  he  wasn’t  a  very  social  child,  and  that  he  wouldn’t  make  many  friends  at  hogwarts.  they  even  considered  holding  him  back  a  year,  but  ultimately  decided  against  it.

but lo and behold, when he went to hogwarts he made friends! remus, sirius and james to be specific. and it was gr8 and they brought out this whole other side of him that he’d never shown before

this  mischievous,  snarky  boy  who’ll  yes  ma’am  and  no ma’am  your  mum  to  her  face  but  just  as  soon  make  a  your mom  joke  when  she’s  out  of  earshot.  his  smile  is  either  shy  and  endearing  or  the  cheekiest  lil  shit-eating  grin  you’ve  ever  seen.  he’ll  laugh  at  the  worst  of  jokes.  fluent  in  sarcasm.  he’s  great  at  seeming  more  innocent  than  he  is  (  a  power  that  is  used  and  abused  during  prank-pulling  ).  and  yeah,  he’s  an  enabler  –  his  friends  do  stupid  stuff  and  he  doesn’t  stop  them.  but  so  what  ?  he’s  a  twenty  year  old  boy.

his  room  is  surprisingly  neat.  would  never  admit  it  but  he  kind  of  likes  cheesy  cliches  (  he’s  watched  gone  with  the  wind  with  his  mum  enough  times  he  can  quote  it  off  by  heart  ).  he  wants  to  be  a  dashing  hero  like  in  the  dog  eared  comic  books  he  still  has  in  a  box  under  his  bed.  wants  to  sweep  a  girl  off  her  feet.  wants  to  be  something  more  than  the  sidekick,  at  least  once.  

peter  loves  the  1977  star  wars  movie  and  is  very  excited  for  the  sequel  coming  out  later  this  year  !  he’s  rooting  for  luke  and  leia  (((:  sure  hope  nothing  in  the  future  movies  will  ruin  that  ship  !  (  yes,  this  is  his  villain  origin  story  )

sometimes  he’s  trying  just  a  bit  too  hard  to  impress  other  people  because  he  cares  a  lot  more  about  what  other  people  think  of  him  than  he  likes  to  let  on.  slightly  self  conscious  because  he  had  a  growth  spurt  over  the  summer  –  he  used  to  be  really  short  but  now  he’s  all  long  limbs  and  stupid  grins  and  dimples  and  tousled  blond  hair  and  he’s  grown  quite  attractive  but  doesn’t  realize  it,  thank god.  and  hey  –  that’s  just  part  of  his  charm.  because  he  is  charming.  he  just  doesn’t  realise  it,  compared  to  james  and  sirius.

he  compares  himself  to  james  and  sirius  a  lot.  peter  has  always  been  prone  to  insecure  thoughts  and  nervous  tics  –  during  exam  season  his  nails  are  always  bitten  down  to  stubs  and  his  skin  breaks  out.  and  in  the  times  he’s  feeling  particularly  unhappy  with  himself  he  looks  to  his  friends.  and  this  can  go  either  one  of  two  ways  –  either  they  make  him  better  and  build  him  up  (  and  really  he  should  be  able  to  do  that  himself  but  he’s  always  been  dependent  on  other  people.  always.  first  his  parents,  then  the  marauders.  )  or  he’s  feeling  insecure  and  he  looks  to  his  friends  and  sees  how  much  better  they  are  than  him.  how  unattainable  their  status  is.  and  he  feels  like  a  useless  burden,  dragging  them  down.  those  are  his  bad  days.  but  they’re  relatively  infrequent  –  at  least  for  now.

he  has  ways  to  dispel  these  thoughts.  for  one,  he  drinks.  not  the  best  coping  mechanism,  granted,  but  whiskey  burns  his  throat  and  the  inside  of  his  chest  like  the  fire  he  always  wished  he  had  burning  inside  of  him,  and  it  makes  him  feel  stronger  and  it  makes  him  feel  braver  and  his  friends  are  drinking  with  him  and  soon  they’re  all  laughing  and  doing  stupid  shit  together  and  then  the  alcohol  washes  away  any  doubts  peter  has.  and  it’s  good.

and  sometimes  he  gets  into  fist  fights.  he’s  gotten  better  at  it  over  the  years,  ever  since  sirius  taught  him  that  your  thumb  isn’t  supposed  to  go  inside  your  fist.  he  feels  strong  when  he  fights;  he  feels  a  reckless  sort  of  freedom  that’s  as  close  to  confidence  as  he’ll  ever  get.  and  sometimes  he  picks  fights  he  knows  he  can’t  win,  but  hey,  that’s  part  of  the  thrill,  right  ?  because  he  also  knows  that  his  friends  can  bail  him  out,  and  he  also  knows  that  the  black  eye  he’s  going  to  have  in  the  morning  will  make  him  look  tougher,  and  people  will  fuss  over  him  and  ask  questions.  and  it’s  good.

if  you  asked  peter  what  the  most  important  thing  in  the  world  is  to  him,  he  would  say  his  friends.  and  he  would  say  his  family.  not  once  would  it  ever  occur  to  him  to  say  himself,  or  his  own  health  or  happiness.

he  puts  a  lot  of  value  on  interpersonal  relationships.  and  sometimes,  that’s  a  good  thing  because  he  values  those  relationships  and  cherishes  them,  and  he’s  a  wonderful  friend  and  very  intuitive.  he  can  always  tell  if  someone’s  upset,  and  he’s  a  great  listener.  but  also  sometimes  it’s  a  bad  thing  how  much  value  he  puts  on  those  relationships.  because  he  builds  his  own  personal  value  off  of  them,  and  off  how  much  people  like  him  and  support  him.  like  i  said  –  he’s  always  been  dependent.  he  doesn’t  know  any  way  else  to  be.

and  deep  down,  peter  is  an  optimist.  it’s  his  fatal  flaw.  how  ?  because  no  matter  how  badly  things  are  going,  he  thinks  to  himself  that  it’ll  all  turn  out  fine,  in  the  end.  something  will  happen,  in  the  end.  someone  will  save  him,  in  the  end.  for  instance  –  he  has  no  idea  what  he  wants  to  do  after  hogwarts.  and  sometimes  that  worries  him,  but  most  of  the  time  he  pushes  it  to  the  back  of  his  mind.  he  can  think  about  that  later.  because  in  the  end,  it’ll  turn  out fine.  because  it  always  does  for  the  good  guys.  right  ?

idk  what  else  to  say  man  …  i  love  peter  but  sometimes  he  makes  me  sad.  this  quote  from  buffy  always  reminds  me  of  him

he’s  just  a  DORK  ok..........

[pynkhues]

I adore you+you are such a treasure in the fandom. I was thinking of C&C, how at least twice Rio commandeed attention of the kids easily+Beth was (little?) envious of this. Why/how does he do that so easily? Sexism at work that we take men more seriously/respect them more? The kids see Beth more as a softie? Something else? I

Ah, thank you so much, anon! You’re making me blush.

And totally! Rio does command the kids attention, and Beth is absolutely jealous of it in C&C. I’m so happy that comes across, because it’s a really deliberate thing that I write and a characterisation steeped on my interpretation of canon, haha. So there’s a few reasons for it. 

Firstly, and perhaps most simply, I think Rio is somebody who’s naturally commanding and has a charismatic, collected, authoritative presence that people respond to, whether they realise it or not. In particular when it comes to Beth and her kids, I don’t see that sort of personality as being one they’re used to at all, and while it manifests in Beth both in the show and most of my writing as something she responds strongly to, resents, and tries to emulate (to varying degrees of success), I think the kids are at an age where they just really respond to it. 

The second reason - and probably the main reason - is that I think on a sort of fundamental level, the Boland kids were born into a house where their mother and everything she does was never respected by their father. In not being respected in that way, I think she was both devalued and lost any real authority over the kids.

I actually tend to think about the moment in 1.06 a lot, where Beth comes back from the park and dumps the money on Dean, as being incredibly telling as to the dynamic in that household before Beth’s Boss Bitch Rise, and it’s actually not because of her speech. It’s because:

1. Dean changed the locks without telling her.

2. He could see her struggling with the ‘groceries’ and didn’t bother even offering to help, let alone moving his ass off the couch to do it.

3. He didn’t even pull his attention away from the TV to tell her something that was fundamentally about to change the shape of her days - that he was going to stop working late, and be around more not to help her, but to protect her. 

4. And he did points one and three without ever talking to her about it.

In that, Dean treats Beth as some combination of child, maid and trophy/doll. Which is....pretty indicative of their dynamic overall really. For the kids, seeing your father treat your mother that way - and having your mother ultimately having been complicit in that behaviour for most of your life - not only endorses that behaviour, but I think probably encourages it in them too (i.e. Kenny telling her she can’t do math in 1.02). 

And it’s not just Beth being complicit for years in Dean’s treatment of her, it’s also the fact that she’s a total mollycoddler and I feel like it’s canon Beth really struggles with discipline generally. After all, we’ve seen Ruby and Stan discipline Sara, and Annie discipline Sadie. Beth’s kids misbehaved twice in s2 alone - Jane hiding in the closet while search parties rolled out for her, and Kenny eating the teacher’s cake at school, and in both instances, Beth took all the guilt and blame onto herself and let the kids off the hook. 

This is to say nothing of the fact that there is no way Dean’s ever been anything other than a ‘fun dad’. 

In C&C, Rio’s slowly becoming the primary male figure in the Boland kids’ life, so I’m having a lot of fun exploring how that dynamic rolls out. I think, particularly early on, half of their attention to him is because he’s new and commanding, like I said above, but also because he doesn’t let them off the hook, and he represents a marked shift in their homelife and how Beth’s treated. Rio - at least in C&C - treats housework as something everyone does because everyone lives in the house, and I think respect generally is something that’s incredibly important to him and in how he relates to people. (He is absolutely the sort of dad who if a kid refuses to eat their dinner, they’re either getting it cold for breakfast in the morning, or they’re not going to be making their own meals until they can respect the chef, haha) 

I think Rio’s typically pretty fair too with the kids, and willing to talk things out like we’ve seen him do on the show with both Marcus and Kenny (I am DYING for scenes of Rio with Emma and Jane in s3!) which I think garners him a better response from the kids too as opposed to Beth’s tendency to placate and smooth over and make the kids happy? Like, just as an example off the top of my head, I can see Kenny trying to get out of chores while he’s in exams in highschool because he’s stressed, and Beth immediately getting that and letting him do it, and encouraging him to study, while Rio is like ‘No, let’s sit down and look at your schedule and work out how you can better manage your time so that you can do well in your exams and also mow the lawn, thanks.’

It’s definitely a complicated transition for everyone, particularly since that degree of accountability, and Beth trying to be better at not picking up after everyone and being more of an authority figure, is something they’re all so unused to. It’s certainly something Beth and Rio argue about a lot, a fact made worse by Marcus picking up some of Jane’s bad habits and attitude (and maybe working out on his own that Beth is a much softer touch with punishments and rules than Rio is, haha). 

And the thing is, I think Beth does want to be tougher with them too, just she’s got a lot of history to try and overcome with that, and so much baggage, and it’s really going to take her a long time to get there (if she ever really does at all). 

Phew! That got long! Sorry, anon! Thanks for the question, I hope that answered it. :-) 

[carlatsukinamistolemyhamsandwich]

So these soulmate headcanons.. WOW, they’re awesome! Please, pretty please make one for Reiji 🙏🙏

So sorry for the wait! I got really carried away with this one and it ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be, so I’ve put it under the cut. I hope you like it ^^ 

General setup: Set in a universe where everyone has a soulmate and there are various different connections between soulmates. Vampires (and Founders) have been known to have human soulmates. Generally the connection between a vampire/founder and their soulmate will not kick in until their soulmate is born and will fade after their soulmate dies. It considered unusual for a vampire to meet, let alone be with, their human soulmate.

Reiji Sakamaki

Connection with soulmate:  youcan influence your soulmate’s emotions when in physical contact with them.

- You weren’t born with any sort of obvious connection to your soulmate. Many people weren’t, but it didn’t stop you from feeling a slight sense of envy towards those with a name or pattern inked on their body that would lead them to their other half. No, you would have to rely on luck to find your soulmate, and you were left with little clue as to what form the connection might take when it showed itself.

- Years passed and all too quickly you found yourself preparing for your last year of school, your connection to your soulmate as elusive as it had always been.

- Just before the start of term, a letter arrived, with an offer to a transfer to Ryoutei Academy and a place to stay while you studied there. One of your relatives had some connection to the politician Tougo Sakamaki, and had apparently been able to pull some strings to be able to arrange the whole thing. Whether you wanted to transfer to the school or not, you were given little choice in the matter, and as all of your friends started back at your old school, you were being driven in a sleek black car to your new home, leaving all of them behind.

- Although the mansion had a dark, unsettling feeling the moment you laid eyes on it, nothing could have prepared you for what lay inside its walls. Vampires, cruel and vicious, some nightmare made flesh, and your apparent hosts. Although captors might have been a more accurate term, all connection to your loved ones had been severed and any attempts to run were met with swift retaliation. 

- Reiji had hardly taken a vested interest in you when you first arrived at the house. Your manners and posture left a fair amount to be desired but at least you were slightly better than some of the louder women they’d been sent over the years. Mostly the triplets did with you as they pleased, and he suspected it would not be long before yet another bride would need to be dispatched by the church. 

- A few weeks after you first arrived, Reiji was enjoying a rare moment of peace in his room. A pot of freshly brewed tea steaming on the table, it’s pleasant aroma filling the air as he flicked through his notes. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hall and Reiji lifted his head in response.

Moments later, the door slammed open and you tumbled inside, the scent of your fear heavy in the air. Your eyes widened as soon as they found his and you started to stammer out an apology, something about how Ayato was chasing you and you hadn’t realized this room was occupied. 

What an unsightly creature you were, your blouse half torn open and your hair in disarray. But he was far from one to refuse such an opportunity. 

Reiji set his notes to the side, readjusting his glasses as he noted how rude, not to mention unwise, it was to intrude in such a manner. It seemed that you thought you might be able to leave his room with only a simple chiding. How terribly naive.

He played to your assumptions for a short while, issuing a verbal dress-down that left you slightly red in the face. When he made an act of generously offering you a cup of tea, you muttered a soft yes almost immediately, eyes on the floor. 

It was a simple matter to slip one of his newer concoctions into your cup without your notice. A few minutes after accepting the drink, your hand went to the base of your throat and you started to wince.

“Is something the matter?” Reiji inquired, his own cup untouched. 

“My throat, it feels like it’s on fire,” you said, your voice hoarse.

“How interesting, I’d hoped it would paralyse the vocal cords completely, but it seems I still have more work to do.”

Your expression morphed into one of horror and you quickly stood and backed towards the door, but it was too late. Only a flick of his power was required to lock the door without him ever actually touching it. In no time, Reiji had you against the wall, wrists pinned by his gloved hand. You struggled against him but it was to no avail, and then his teeth were at your neck.

The moment his lips touched your skin, a jolt of fear shot through him. Some kind of mortal terror, the likes of which he’d never experienced before. He drew back and the feeling vanished, leaving him breathless. What was this? Your scent was that of an ordinary human, you certainly shouldn’t have the power to affect him in such a manner. 

Experimentally, Reiji ran a bare finger over the skin of your neck and the same sensation filled him. Flinching back as thought he’d been burned, he tightened his grip on your wrists to the point where you cried out.

“What exactly are you?” He hissed, scanning your eyes for any indication of deception.

“Human,” your voice shook, “I’m just a human.” 

Reiji took a deep breath to see if there was anything he’d missed in your scent, but it was utterly mortal, laced with fear. Wait, fear. Those were your emotions he’d sensed, but how? Vampires were capable of many things but this wasn’t one of them. Unless… 

An idea of the situation took shape in his mind, and there was only one way to test it. He lowered his mouth to your neck again, ignoring how you flinched away.

The fear hit him again, but this time he pushed back, summoning the sense of calm he felt when left to enjoy his tea in peace. Almost immediately your muscles relaxed, and even as his fangs pierced your skin, you made no move to struggle, nor did you protest.

The moment his skin left yours, you stiffened. The air once again rife with the smell of your fear.

“What… What did you do to me?” You spoke in a small voice.

A connection that flowed equally between a vampire and a human, Reiji had no doubt about exactly what it meant. That a mortal child held such a power over him… It was far from a pleasant thought and no matter what you were, it was not something he would allow you to wield against him.

“Have you truly not grasped the innate differences between us? This is just another one of the many abilities at my disposal, and another reason why you should learn your place in this household. Should I choose to, I could make it so that you begged me to drink from you to the point where your blood ran dry.” You shivered in his hold, and Reiji braced himself for the onslaught of emotion as he bit down over your clavicle.

You were far from what he had hoped for in a partner, but perhaps that could be rectified with a bit of time and training. The nature of your connection to each other certainly held some potential in that regard, although he would need to find a way to keep you from being able to subconsciously impose your emotions on him.   

One thing was for sure though, the triplets had had the last of their fun with you. From now on, the only one who would be feeding from you was him.

- The nature of your days in the mansion changed after your encounter with Reiji. Gone were the many hours the triplets would spend bothering you. They still tried of course, but Reiji had an uncanny tendency to interrupt them before they could ever get very far. In fact, you seemed to be able to go very little time without Reiji making some sort of appearance. He’d somehow managed to get hold of your academic record and informed you that it was not fit for a member of the household, even though you suspected it was at least better than some of his brothers.

He seemed to have decided that it was his duty to ensure your grades were up to scratch and, everyday after school, you were to meet in his rooms for tutoring. Sometimes it would be topics you were familiar with, other times it would be extensions of the syllabus and then there were the lessons on deportment. You’d protested that the latter had little to do with your grades but Reiji had shot you a glance and made a scathing comment about how you were in desperate need of them regardless. Since then, you hadn’t voiced any further complaints.

You couldn’t wrap your head around Reiji at all. His punishments for failing to meet his expectations were harsh, as the marks from his riding crop all over your back proved. But he was capable of being pleasant, of offering a kind word or gesture whenever you began to wonder what the point in trying to please a man with such high standards even was.

And, more surprisingly, he had made no move to bite you since that first day. Not once. He’d also taken to wearing two gloves as opposed to the single one he’d worn in the time before he’d taken such an interest in you, as though he couldn’t bare to touch someone of such low worth.

- About a month or so after your tutoring sessions had begun, Reiji had offered you some of his precious tea and you’d known better than to refuse. It was something of a common occurrence. Sometimes the brew would leave a terrible numbness in your limbs, or cause you to feel so hot that you might burst into flames. But then there were instances where it was only tea and Reiji would chuckle as you stared at the contents of the cup in paranoia.

On this particular evening, when you felt perfectly fine after finishing almost half a teapot of Darjeeling, it seemed it would be one latter occasions. Except when you met Reiji’s eye, he was studying you in a way he often did when you were acting as a test subject for one of his potions. 

“Is everything okay?” You asked, a slight sense of apprehension clear in your voice.

Reiji took a deep breath and picked at the hem of the white glove on his left hand. In the blink of an eye, he was standing over you, a bare hand gripping your chin and tilting your head to look at him. 

“Do you truly feel nothing at all?” He asked, his expression scrutinous.

“N, no,” you replied weakly. “Am I supposed to?” 

“Ah-” he withdrew his hand “-it would seem that particular potion is defective. You need not pay it any mind.” Reiji returned to his seat and took a long sip from his own cup of tea before turning his attention to you. “I’m sure you must be aware by now that a full moon will soon be upon us, and as a result, I find that my throat is not soothed by tea alone.” He set his teacup to the side with a soft clink and you swallowed nervously as he approached you once again. 

His fangs pierced the skin of  your neck, sending pain stinging through you. You braced yourself, expecting him to use that strange ability he had once before to influence your own feelings. But there was nothing aside from the throbbing that accompanied the process of having your blood sucked. And when he pulled back, you could have sworn you saw something akin to a sick sort of glee in his eyes.

- After you’d retired for the night, Reiji swirled the small bottle of clear liquid he’d spent weeks working on. It had worked to utter perfection. Naturally, it’d been prudent to test the potion on you first and when you’d shown no ill effects it had been time to assess it’s true effectiveness. When he’d touched you, Reiji had been able to feel a slight flicker of your emotions. Nothing comparable to that he’d experienced before, so it would seem that for one of you to truly feel the emotion, the other would have to be experiencing it strongly or send it through your connection by force. 

He’d tried to send a feeling through that intangible bond between you, watching closely for any sign of reaction from you. There had been none however, and he’d known then that the potion was fit for his purposes. The effects were not designed to be permanent, but by taking a dose of it each day, it ensured he could touch you while his feelings remained entirely his own. You, on the other hand, would feel whatever he sent through your connection.

With a little experimenting he realized he could even cause you to be overcome by pain or pleasure with a simple touch. Your improvements in his lessons were drastic, your feelings apparently a much more powerful motivator than any physical incentive he could provide, and you quickly grew into a far more suitable partner for him than when you’d first arrived at the mansion. In fact, Reiji found that he had almost started to enjoy periods spent in your company, at least more so than he had with any other bride. You were not a poor conversationalist in the right setting, and had even offered more than a few insightful comments without his prompting. 

Perhaps you were soulmates for a reason after all. 

- In the weeks that followed, you knew something was not right. Emotions that didn’t quite feel like your own would plague you whenever spent time in the company of the second eldest Sakamaki. A flash of disgust when you caught sight of Shu sleeping in some inconvenient location, a sense of discontent whenever your grades were less than perfect and a newfound appreciation for crockery.  

But in spite of it, you had come to look forward to the time you’d spend with Reiji, to the point where you were developing feelings for him. Unfortunately however, you were unable to tell whether they were genuine or another result of those awful vampiric abilities of his. 

- One day, as you were walking through the school corridors to collect some documents your teacher had asked for, your foot caught on something and you went sprawling across the floor. 

“Heh, nice underwear.” Snapping your head back, you caught sight of Shu, one eye cracked open as he looked at the point where your skirt had ridden up exposing… You quickly adjusted the fabric and made to get to your feet. His legs must have been what you’d tripped over in the first place and you felt some lingering sense that you should get away from the blonde vampire as quickly as possible. 

A pale hand shot out and grabbed hold of your wrist. “Hold it, I’m thirsty.” You struggled but were ultimately powerless as he lifted your wrist to his mouth. Blue eyes met yours. “You were the one who fell on top of me and exposed yourself, lewd woman,” he said before biting down. 

“Stop!” You used your free hand to shove against him in an effort to free yourself. In spite of how much worse it would make the wounds, the feeling of his fangs in you was unpleasant enough to risk it. “Let go of me!”

“Tch, noisy.” He twisted your wrist until it was at a painful angle and bit down again.

“Ah, it hurts. Stop it!” Even though you knew your protests were more likely to end in further injury than anything else, you couldn’t help it. The sensation of his hands on you felt wrong.

After taking a good long drink of your blood, Shu pulled back and sighed. “You’re unusually bothersome for prey that’s been with us this long.”

“If you have a real problem with it, then why don’t you just use your vampiric powers to manipulate my own feelings against me? Reiji seems to do it often enough.” The bitterness in your own voice surprised you.

Shu’s eyes narrowed in what might almost have been confusion. “What are you… He has taken an unusual interest in you.” Something seemed to click, and a cruel smile played at his lips. “You really are an idiot, didn’t you notice that the triplets never did any similar?”

“What… what are you saying?” Now that you thought about it, they hadn’t. But Reiji was older than them, it didn’t seem too unbelievable that he’d have a better handle on his abilities.

“I’m saying, whatever you’re talking about has nothing to do with him being a vampire.” Shu yawned and let go of you. “Enough, I’m sleepy. Go and find somewhere else to be.”

“Wait! What do you mean ‘nothing to do with him being a vampire’? What is it?” You asked in frustration.

“If you’re so dense you can’t figure it out then go and bother him. Although there must be a reason why he hasn’t told you yet.” Shu closed his eyes, a signal that your conversation was at an end. 

You stood motionless in the corridor, mind reeling. Something that allowed him to influence you in such an intimate way but wasn’t just another one of his supernatural abilities. There was only one possibility that came to mind and the revelation made your heart stop. 

A soulmate connection. With Reiji. And… he knew. He knew but he hadn’t told you, had instead just used it to manipulate you. 

Tears welled in your eyes, a mixture of anger and betrayal filling you. It seemed you would need to have a conversation with the vampire that was long overdue.

- Reiji could scent Shu on you the moment you stepped into the limo on your way back to the mansion. The blonde himself didn’t make an appearance, apparently so lacking in energy that he couldn’t even move himself to the vehicle. Pathetic.

It was only the presence of his other brothers that kept Reiji from doing anything during the ride home. No, this matter would be dealt with in private. Shu had trifled with his prey before, but this time felt infinitely worse; a gross violation of what belonged to him. And that you had allowed it to happen…

For your part, you were unusually silent on the journey, your hand subconsciously straying to your wrist every so often, where Shu had bitten you no doubt. 

The moment, you arrived at the mansion, Reiji ordered you to his room. You obliged but there was something in your expression he didn’t like, not one bit. 

“So,” he said, after his door had closed behind you, “are you going to tell me where that mark on your wrist came from or will I have to force it out of you?” The riding crop in his desk was easily accessible, but it didn’t feel like it would be enough. Nothing did.

You were silent, looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.

“Well?” Had contact with that good for nothing really corrupted you to the point where you would act with such disobedience. 

“How long?” You said in a small voice.

“I beg your pardon.”

“How long?” You repeated.

“Perhaps if you would care to elaborate, I might be obliged to answer,” he replied, and were he not mired in anger, he might have felt a slight sense of apprehension at your words.

“How long have you known that we’re soulmates Reiji?” You met his eyes for the first time since you’d entered the room.

If Reiji’s heart beat as a mortals did then he was sure it would have stopped dead. You’d found out somehow. Shu! He was going to kill him. 

“What did he say to you?” In a flash he had you against the wall, gripping your chin so you were forced to see the fury in his eyes. 

“Barely anything, but enough to let me know whatever you’ve been doing to me isn’t a result of any vampire ability as you’d have me believe. Why were you so determined to keep it a secret? Because you enjoyed being able to hold it over me? Because I wasn’t what you wanted so you took to training me like some kind of pet?” You spat, anger overriding whatever self-preservation instincts told you defying him was a poor idea.

“That… That is not any of your concern.” He’d known it was unlikely he’d be able to keep the truth from you forever, but he certainly hadn’t intended for you to find out like this.

“No, it is, that’s the point Reiji! It is my concern! Soulmates are meant to be equals, partners. But instead you’ve done nothing but use our connection to manipulate me.” Raising your voice at him was certainly not a wise idea, but you either didn’t think about it or didn’t care.

“Silence!” His grip on you was bruising. “You truly think we are equals? How terribly childlike, but then what should I expect, compared to me, dear,” the word came out as a sneer, “you might as well be a child. Do not think just because such a connection exists between us that it grants you any sort of rights over me, is that understood?”

A loud slap rang throughout the room. Reiji stood with his head to the side, glasses knocked slightly askew and a faint sting on his cheek where your hand had impacted it. He released your chin in shock and you fled from the room immediately. Ordinarily he would have made a move to stop you, but instead he stood, frozen in place. 

It was not the physical contact that had affected him so, no, you possessed so little strength compared to him that the very idea of it was laughable. Instead, it was the flood of emotions that had passed from you to him in the short moment your hand had made contact, strong enough to override the tonic coursing through his system.

Anger was at the forefront, followed by sorrow and number of other fleeting emotions, but the one that lingered, and left him standing while you ran, was betrayal, deep and sickening. The dregs of fondness he’d sensed explained perhaps why it was so strong. After all, the deepest wounds could only be inflicted by someone you cared for, trusted. 

Reiji glanced towards the door. He could easily catch you, take you down to the dungeons and thrash you until you screamed yourself hoarse for your outburst. As much as he felt like he should, he was intelligent enough to know it would ultimately do little good. And, if he was even the slightest bit truthful to himself, he knew it would utterly destroy whatever had been built between the two of you. 

A brief flick of his wrist and the door closed. He had some thinking to do.

- You weren’t sure what on Earth had possessed you to yell at Reiji, let alone strike him across the face. After sitting in the silence of your room, your anger had faded, replaced with misery… and fear. It had been foolish to allow your emotions to get the better of you in a house full of vampires who could kill you with half a thought, and especially with Reiji of all people.

The longer you spent in your room, the more afraid you became. Your actions certainly wouldn’t go without recompense. Regardless of what Reiji had done and how you felt about it, you’d come to learn that your opinions meant very little in this household.

A sharp knock resounded on your bedroom door and you felt the hair rise on the back of your neck in response. Was this it? Had Reiji finally come to finish you off for slapping him and being unfortunate enough to run into Shu? Or had your soulmate announced that he was done with you and now one of his brothers was outside your door waiting to drain you dry? Then again, if whoever was standing on the other side was really intent on your demise, it was unlikely they’d bother to knock first.

“Come in,” you called out softly, glancing at the lamp on your bedside table, you supposed that you could at least try to use it as a weapon if it came down to it. Although even then, you doubted you’d last more than a minute.

The door opened and Reiji stepped inside, carrying a tray laden with a teapot and two of his beloved ornate teacups.

Fear shot through you at the sight of him, recalling the last words you’d spoken to him and the large collection of toxins he kept on his shelf gave you an idea of where this might lead; death by poisoned tea.

Sharp eyes shot to you as Reiji set the tray on the small table in your room. “After all the time I’ve spent on you, you could at least try to maintain some semblance of composure. Although I suppose a healthy dose of fear is warranted given your actions towards me earlier.” A hint of a wicked smile played at his lips and an unpleasant shiver ran down your spine.

“Reiji I…” Your voice cracked and you felt vaguely like you might be about to burst into tears.

He held up a hand as indication to cease whatever miserable plea it was you were about to make.

“I will discuss your punishment for your behavior later, for now-“ he gestured to one of the chairs at your table “-take a seat. And do try to put the lessons on posture I gave you to good use.”

You obediently made your way to the chair and sat down, being sure to keep your spine straight. While your anger at the way he’d manipulated you hadn’t simply vanished, your fear was enough to keep it at bay. Whatever self-destructive impulses had driven you to act earlier, now a dying whisper. 

Reiji sat in the chair opposite you and poured dark steaming tea into the cup closest to you. As the liquid trickled into the white china, you thought of all the horrors that it could contain. You’d been exposed to his concoctions before with varying effects, however nothing had done lasting damage. But then you’d never pushed him like this.

“I’m really truly sorry,” you began, whether from genuine regret or fear you weren’t sure. ”I shouldn’t have yelled or slapped you but I wasn’t thinking, I just felt so frustrated and-”

“As much as I feel you should show some remorse over your actions, you need not get yourself into such an unsightly state. It is just tea. I am perfectly capable of ending your life with my own hands, and I would not waste any of my deadlier arsenal on a fragile mortal such as yourself.” His words were as clipped and cutting as always. You took hold of the teacup, the liquid rippling as your hands trembled. 

“Well, as I’ve gone to the trouble of preparing it for you, you had best taste it, had you not?” A thinly veiled order.

You sniffed miserably into the teacup before taking a sip. All things considered, it truly was delicious. Some rich blend with just the right hint of bitterness.  When you glanced up, Reiji was observing you expectantly and you swallowed shakily.

“It’s lovely, thank you.” You tried to offer a polite smile but you were fairly certain it was more of a grimace.

“Hm, well at least you haven’t forgotten basic manners.” Reiji pushed his glasses back up his nose with a single finger but said no more. You wanted to know what this was all about but you really didn’t want to ask him and so instead simply slipped away at your tea. The silence was thick, heavy and uncomfortable, the vampire across from you seeming content to watch you. Or perhaps he was just waiting to strike.

Once you’d emptied your cup, you set it down delicately on the tray, not wanting to add breaking his chinaware to the list of slights you’d committed. Reiji lifted the teapot to pour you another cup, before clearing his throat.

“With regard to the nature of our… connection to each other, perhaps it was remiss of me not to inform you of it sooner.” For once, he didn’t quite meet your eyes, instead focusing on the action of refilling the teacup. 

It occurred to you that this might be some poor form of an apology, or at least as close to one as Reiji was willing to give you. You sat there dumbstruck as he continued.

“As you have made such progress in our lessons, I have decided that causing any lasting damage over a single outburst is something of a waste. Once you have been properly disciplined, I plan to resume our sessions together unless-” he finally lifted his eyes to meet your gaze “-you are now so opposed to my company that you would prefer to serve as a meal for one of my brothers.”

“No!” You blurted out. Whatever your feelings, you certainly didn’t want to go back to being the triplets’ plaything. “I would… prefer to resume our lessons.”

“A sensible choice. Well, you should finish your tea before it cools. I don’t have all night and your punishment awaits.” And with the smirk he gave you, you wondered whether you might come to regret your decision. 

***

You can find links to my other soulmate AU headcanons on my master list. Feel free to request a set for any of the other boys, you can check to see if a character has already been requested on my current projects list ^^ Next up is Ruki~

[maleyanderecafe]

Parent Yandere

Most yandere stories are about the love between the yandere and s/o, but what about after that? When the yandere and their s/o have grown up to become adults and have had to raise their children? We’re going to explore the concept of a yandere parent. This was inspired by one of @fuckyeahmaleyandere’s posts about a parent yandere or an older yandere who is in love with an s/o with a child. I had it reblogged, so you might want to look for that if you want to read more about it! 

For this post, I will be talking more specifically about the yandere parent and the the child’s relationship with each other. I’ll also talk about the s/o’s relationship with the child as well, but it will mostly be focused on the yandere parent and the child that they have. We’re going to go over a couple of different senarios for family life, from a loving family, to a more broken family and a single parent style family. 

So first, let’s talk about a loving family. This means that the s/o and the yandere are happily in love and have a goodish family life. The s/o and yandere dad would may be really lovey dovey, to the dismay of their children, but it’s obvious that the dad loves the kids as well. For the relationship between the yandere father and the child, I think the yandere would most likely be very loving towards them, possibly even spoiling them. A fun scenario (that I’m stealing from @everykissbeginwithkai‘s bio from Echo, which if you’re reading this, I’m going to write one on Generational Yanderes, just like what Echo is) would be that the father would teach their children how to be a yandere. This would be things like how to throw knives, how to poison people you don’t like and how to stalk people. It would be pretty entertaining for a yandere father to teach their son on how to stalk a girl they like by hiding in a tree and having the s/o call them down to eat food. 

I’d imagine a fun senario where the dad has three children: one who absolutely adores their dad, one who is annoyed by their dad’s yandere tendency, but still loves him(and just wants a normal life really) and one that hates/has a rivalry with their dad ( and is the teen of the house probably). It would be fun to see them learning how to knife people they don’t like, with the one that adores his dad being the best at it, the one that’s indifferent succeeding, but not really caring about it and the one who hates them to try knifing his dad but failing really badly. Personally, I’d think that would be a really fun family dynamic. If the family ever got robbed, I can imagine the family, as a team, taking down the robber and terrifying the robber so that they never come into their house again. 

Detouring off a bit, but if the yandere dad had to choose between their kids and their s/o, they would most likely choose their s/o. Obviously, if it were possible, they would try to save both parties, but in the scenario where they absolutely cannot save both of them, I would think that the yandere would choose their s/o. I think the only scenario where the yandere would save their children over their s/o is if the s/o cannot be saved ( like they were poisoned and would have died anyways) or if the s/o forced the yandere to save their children over them.

However, not all couples are as lucky as this one. If the s/o was more forced into the relationship, then the family could be a lot more... destructive. If, for instance, the s/o was kidnapped and was with the yandere out of fear, then the child could serve as a bleak reminder that they would be bound forever. They might throw their anger onto the child, since they would see them not as a child that they both would lovingly have but something that was forced. In this kind of scenario, the yandere would probably either ignore the child almost completely, or see their child as the reason why their s/o is angry all of the time. If the yandere was fairly loving as a parent, they might try to blind their kid from the idea of the yandere and s/o being a destructive family by possibly threatening or manipulating the s/o into faking being a good family. On the flip side, if the s/o is very loving towards their child, the yandere might be jealous and end up hurting them, since they would be taking their s/o away from them.

There’s also the possibility that the s/o might just “give up” and be unresponsive to basically everything. In this scenario, the yandere might ignore the needs of the child to try to take care of the s/o. The yandere might feel extremely guilty and try everything to get their s/o to talk or do something at the expense of the child. They might also be delusional and still think that their s/o is lively and continue on life as if nothing had happened, which would be very traumatizing for the child. Again, they might also be very angry at the child, or they might start seeing the child as a “replacement” for their s/o. 

Finally, the last scenario is if the yandere ends up as a single parent. It might be that the s/o had some sort of accident or ran away or just straight up disappeared. In any case, this scenario means that the yandere parent and the child are together. Assuming the yandere doesn’t just straight up kill the child for one reason or another (like out of resentment or some way of trying to sacrifice their child to bring back their s/o) , there are a couple of things that might happen. For one, the child may end up being a replacement for the s/o. For instance, changing the behavior or appearance of the child so that they act more like the yandere parent’s s/o. If they step out of line, or try to rebel, then the yandere parent may use force/manipulation to get them back in line. Or something similar, where they believe that the child is the s/o and may ask why they left or died, perhaps being very aggressive or very distraught over the manner. It could also be that they would treasure their child since they’re the only person left that has a connection to their s/o and thus may spoil them and try to raise them in a good household. They may grow paranoid that the child would try to run away or might die, and might keep them in the house as much as possible. They might neglect the child and focus on worshipping their loved one. Or perhaps if they might believe that their child is the reason for the s/o’s absence and might take it out on them. Again there are a lot of scenarios.

Time for me to make up a scenario again! A single yandere father loses their s/o in an accident, and he ends up raising his son. The son is raised in a homeschooling environment, and while loves his dad, is very suspicious of him. For one, it seems like the dad doesn’t like talking about the s/o at all and always attempts to avoid any conversation about it. The dad never seems to let the son leave the house and heavily watches over him. Occasionally when the son does have to go out for one reason or another, he has a gps tracker attached to him. The son always tries to avoid the dad late at night, as he always ends up worshipping at the shrine for the deceased s/o. In many cases, the father becomes delusional, believing that the son is the deceased parent and often screams at him, asking why they left and if they love the dad or not, or they become extremely aggressive, yelling at the son, asking why he was born. Even in these scenarios, the father always apologizes in the morning and carries on as normally as possible. One strange day, the son hears a knock at the door. The son is first startled, as usually his dad doesn’t have or like any visitors in his house. The son opens the door and finds that his uncle (who the son has never seen before) has  come to visit. They get along very well and have a good time until the dad comes back home. The dad immediately starts arguing with the uncle and lets it slip that the parent’s accident may not have been an accident at all. Eventually, the dad forces the uncle to leave, and the child, curious about what happened to their parent, runs away to find their uncle. Now it’s a chase to see if the son can find the secret to their other parent’s death or if the yandere dad finds him first.

Long scenario! Anyways, those are my thoughts.

[leobelgrave]

LEONIDAS BELGRAVE [CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT QUESTIONNAIRE]

BASICS - 1. Height?

Leo is 6′0.

2. Eye color?

Blue/Gray.

3. Do they need glasses?

No.

4. Scars and birthmark?

They have a star-shaped scar on the back of their neck, due to them being incidentally stabbed with a screwdriver by their older brother. They also have a small, round birthmark on the right side of their rib cage, which they affectionately refer to as Pascal, the third nipple.

5. Tattoos and piercings?

They have a poke tattoo of the Aries constellation on their left shoulder blade, which they have no memory of getting.

6. Right or left handed?

Left!

7. Any disabilities? Physical or mental.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)

8. Do they have any allergies?

Not that they’re aware of.

9. Favorite color?

Doesn’t have one. Prefers warmer colors, though.

10. Typical outfits?

As eccentric as possible. Sometimes, when they feel more modest they’ll opt for baja hoodies, shawls, mismatched socks. But they also aren’t too shy to wear something more revealing. Sometimes skirts, sometimes slacks, one time literally nothing at all. The colors are always vibrant and eye catching regardless of what they are wearing though.

11. Do they wear any makeup?

Sometimes, though usually only when going out. They like to keep it simple, with a bit of mascara, eyeliner, and gloss. Their nails are always painted, though.

12. What weapon do they use, if any?

They always carry a mace around in their bag, but never once have they used it. Why a mace, you may be wondering? Because it is just as chaotic as they are.

PERSONALITY - 13. Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?

Optimistic.

14. Are they introverted or extroverted?

Extroverted. It’s nearly impossible for them to meet a stranger.

15. What are their pet peeves?

Boring conversation, people who act indifferent about everything, people who get offended easily, using eating utensils when you could use your hands, slow walkers, people who don’t wipe their mouths when they’re eating.

16. What bad habits do they have?

Oh boy. They chew on their cheek, they pull on loose threads, they fidget, they’d bite their nails if polish wasn’t so damn expensive. They are willing to take anything for a temporary escape: usually alcohol and halfling weed but... they are open to other options. They also tend to switch topics quickly and usually focus on having their own reply ready instead of focusing on what the other person is saying.

17. Do they have any phobias?

Getting old. Not physically, but spiritually. In a sense, they’re afraid there’ll be a day where they wake up and realize everything they thought they’d achieve is behind them and they no longer have anything to look forward to or be excited about. Also, sailing. They get seasick easily and there’s too much about the ocean that remains unknown. No thanks.

18. How do they display affection?

They’re super physical. They hold hands a lot, and poke people, and kiss their cheeks, and lay in their laps, and would probably permanently attach themselves to someone if they could swing it. They’re all about affection. It’s intimacy, true, genuine vulnerability, that they can’t really get comfortable with. All the physical attention usually does a good job as a deterrent, though.

19. How competitive are they?

They are ridiculously competitive, even when they don’t mean to be. If they see someone else walking toward the exit at the same time as them, they consciously walk faster and when they beat the other person, who is likely completely unaware there was a race, Leo thinks to themselves, ha, I won!

20. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

Bigger butt. Next question.

21. Do they have any obscure hobbies or routines?

They are really good at knitting and crocheting. A good percentage of their wardrobe is home crafted. They also collect rocks and crystals so that they can make jewelry out of them. They always considered themselves artistic, but their drawing and painting abilities were abhorrent, and their singing voice was... well, not great either. So they found their expression through clothing, which is why they make such weird and bold fashion choices.

BACKSTORY - 22. What are the names and ages of their close family members? Parents, siblings, etc.

His parents, Percival and Herron, are each 59. His brother Tiberius is 34, his sister Elexus is 31, and his brother Maximus is 23.

23. Is their family alive and are they still in contact with them?

Yes, and no. To Leo’s knowledge, they have not spoken in about seven years. They have no memory of this, but they only left home about 11 months ago.

24. Where are they from? City, nation?

They were born in Crowmire, Hegaehend. They grew up there, but ultimately moved to Khaggon in their early twenties.

25. Did they have a childhood best friend?

Leo has never had many close friends, as they tend to hold others at a distance for fear of rejection and of any other sort of downfall that would dampen their spirits. They’re open to the idea, but also no one has bothered to try and break down the walls thus far so in a way, they feel they’ve been right to build them up in the first place.

26. Have they had any pets?

They would love one, but they’re way too irresponsible. There is a stray cat that often hangs out on their windowsill. Leo calls it Blue because it is actually red, and sometimes they feed it scraps.

27. Did they grow up rich or poor? What were their living conditions like?

They grew up pretty comfortable. Their father owned several profitable businesses in Crowmire, so they were lucky to afford a house big enough to fit four children comfortably, and Leo never had to worry about going to bed hungry. All the siblings were meant to stick around and take over the businesses as their own. To Leo’s knowledge, they are the only one who left.

28. What is their educational background?

They went to school full-term, but genuinely did not apply themselves. For instance, when their mother demanded Leo take language courses, they took Draconic and Sylvan. Once they felt they’d learned everything they needed to learn, they sort of tuned it out and waited for it to be over. As a result, Leo isn’t very smart in terms of academic knowledge, but they feel they more than make up for it with street smarts and life experience. (However, they do not in fact make up for it.)

29. As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up?

A performer of some sort. They used to put on dramatic performances with their family where they’d write scripts and force each of them to play characters. Leo, of course, was always the lead. And yes, it was silly, but they actually weren’t a half bad actor. Oh well.

30. What advice would they give to their younger self?

They’d say, “If Mom ever tells you she is good at cutting hair, disagree and politely decline. And the way you’re feeling right now: overlooked, misunderstood, confused- that um... that gets better. You end up liking yourself, so, uh, you know. Might as well start right away. Oh, and when you’re at that one bar with the dog that pees on that dwarf lady, don’t smoke what she sells you. Seriously. Still don’t know where my pants went that night and those were some expensive pants.”

31. Growing up, were they ever bullied or were they the bully?

When they were younger, back before they really discovered themselves, they were bullied quite a bit. But as they grew to enjoy themselves and realized how cool they were for someone so young, they started to genuinely not care, and also they developed really good debate skills so when someone tried to belittle them, Leo usually ended up coming out with the upper hand.

32. Who do they look up to/who is their role model?

There really isn’t anyone they’d consider a role model. They are not at all like the people who raised them and there weren’t many outside influences who ever bothered to try. That might be a large reason Leo is so aimless most of the time: they don’t know which direction they want to go in yet.

PRESENT - 33. Do they currently have a place of residence?

They have an efficiency apartment that they pretty much just use to shower and, sometimes, to sleep.

34. What is their most treasured possession?

Their Reliquary! They keep it in their closet under their sewing supplies but anytime they’re going on a long trip they bring it with them.

35. What is their drink of choice?

Alcoholic. They don’t care if it is the cheapest ale or the most expensive spirit one can find. If it gets them drunk, it’s good.

36. Which king/queen are they loyal to, if any?

If they had to choose one, probably Kaylynn just because she’s the only one who isn’t currently dealing with a war. They actually don’t mind the idea of moving to Anari some day, and would seriously consider it if it didn’t mean such a long sea voyage.

37. Have they ever killed anyone?

They aren’t sure, but they hope not.

38. What was their last promise and did they keep it?

They promised their landlord that they would have the rent, and they did! Two days late, but, still. 

LOVE - 39. What was their first kiss like, if they’ve had one?

They were thirteen and had to kiss a boy named Oliver at a slumber party. As far as they recall, it was not terrible. It must not have been too bad, because they kissed again several times after.

40. Are they in a relationship/have a love interest?

No. Single and terrified of intimacy, unfortunately.

41. Have they ever been in love?

They don’t think of love as some sacred thing that is rare to find; Leo has loved lots of people and lots of things and experiences and memories. Have they ever been in love? No. But if you asked them, they’d lie and say it was all the same.

42. Have they ever had their heart broken?

Absolutely. One of the reasons Leo is so guarded from everyone is because they care so easily. And they trust unwavering. And they’re devastated when things don’t pan out the way they expected them to.

SPIRITUALITY - 43. Do they follow a god, if so who?

Yes: Tymora. There was a while where Beshaba was actively trying to get them to start following her instead, but Leo doesn’t remember this. Not that it matters, they ultimately stuck with Tymora anyway.

44. What do they think happens to them after death?

They don’t know. They keep their options open, but if gods exist and magic exists then it’s perfectly reasonable to believe that there is something waiting when the journey is done.

45. What is their spirit animal?

Fox. Chaotic and sly and pretty and full of mischief.

[wormtales-archive]

if the marauders were anything like yall i understand why peter joined the death eaters KIDDING ILY & I’M SO EXCITED TO BE HERE anyways i’ve been playing peter for uh five yrs now ? he my problematic fave son.

— is that TARJEI SANDVIK MOE wearing that GRYFFINDOR scarf ? no, it appears to be PETER PETTIGREW who happens to be a SEVENTH year and a HALFBLOOD !! HE is CISMALE, and i heard they’re INTUITIVE and FACETIOUS, but might also seem FOOLHARDY and SELF-DOUBTING. they appear to be leaning towards the side of the ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, but this is a conversation we should be having somewhere else.

pinterest board

aesthetic: laughter breaking the stillness of a suburban summer night, coughing on whiskey and cigarettes, running a restless hand through messy blond hair, the soft ticking of a grandfather clock, bruised knuckles stuffed in the pockets of scuffed jeans. the golden rays of the late afternoon sun. quick glances seeking approval, a cheeky grin once it’s been earned. dog eared comic books in a cardboard box under your bed, feet dangling over the edge of the roof, staring down the stars, wanting to be a hero but not quite knowing how.

PETER PETTIGREW. born in sheffield, england to a muggle father and a magical mother. he lived in a small brick house with old fashioned furniture. his family has always been catholic so he dressed up and went to church every sunday. he was an only child, and it showed – his parents adored him and coddled him from the moment he was born.

perhaps because of this, or perhaps because he was a wizard, he didn’t really click with the muggle kids in his neighbourhood. he was more a mama’s boy, helping his mother dust and vacuum and fold the laundry and set the table for supper every day. his parents were worried that he wasn’t a very social child, and that he wouldn’t make many friends at hogwarts. they even considered holding him back a year, but ultimately decided against it.

but lo and behold, when he went to hogwarts he made friends! remus, sirius and james to be specific. and it was gr8 and they brought out this whole other side of him that he’d never shown before

this mischievous, snarky boy who’ll “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am” your mum to her face but just as soon make a “your mom” joke when she’s out of earshot. his smile is either shy and endearing or the cheekiest lil shit-eating grin you’ve ever seen. he’ll laugh at the worst of jokes. fluent in sarcasm. he’s great at seeming more innocent than he is ( a power used for pranks now, but much darker things later ). and yeah, he’s an enabler - his friends do stupid stuff and he doesn’t stop them. but so what? he’s a teenage boy. 

his room is surprisingly neat. would never admit it but he kind of likes cheesy cliches ( he’s watched gone with the wind with his mum enough times he can quote it off by heart ). he wants to be a dashing hero like in the dog eared comic books he still has in a box under his bed. wants to sweep a girl off her feet. wants to be something more than the sidekick, at least once. sometimes he’s trying just a bit too hard to impress other people because he cares a lot more about what other people think of him than he likes to let on. slightly self conscious because he had a growth spurt over the summer – he used to be really short but now he’s all long limbs and stupid grins and dimples and tousled blond hair and he’s grown quite attractive but doesn’t realize it thank god. and hey – that’s just part of his charm. because he is charming. he just doesn’t realise it, compared to james and sirius.

he compares himself to james and sirius a lot. peter has always been prone to insecure thoughts and nervous tics – during exam season his nails are always bitten down to stubs and his skin breaks out. and in the times he’s feeling particularly unhappy with himself he looks to his friends. and this can go either one of two ways – either they make him better and build him up. and really he should be able to do that himself but he’s always been dependent on other people. always. first his parents, then the marauders. or he’s feeling insecure and he looks to his friends and sees how much better they are than him. how unattainable their status is. and he feels like a useless burden, dragging them down. those are his bad days. but they’re relatively infrequent – at least for now.

he has ways to dispel these thoughts. for one, he drinks. not the best coping mechanism, granted, but whiskey burns his throat and the inside of his chest like the fire he always wished he had burning inside of him, and it makes him feel stronger and it makes him feel braver and his friends are drinking with him and soon they’re all laughing and doing stupid shit together and then the alcohol washes away any doubts peter has. and it’s good.

and sometimes he gets into fist fights. he’s gotten better at it over the years, ever since sirius taught him that your thumb isn’t supposed to go inside your fist. he feels strong when he fights, he feels a reckless sort of freedom that’s as close to confidence as he’ll ever get. and sometimes he picks fights he knows he can’t win, but hey, that’s part of the thrill, right? because he also knows that his friends can bail him out, and he also knows that the black eye he’s going to have in the morning will make him look tougher, and people will fuss over him and ask questions. and it’s good.

if you asked peter what the most important thing in the world is to him, he would say his friends. and he would say his family. not once would it ever occur to him to say himself, or his own health or happiness. and i’ll get into this more later, but when the war begins, peter doesn’t betray his friends for himself, at least not at first. in a weird, twisted, misguided way, he does it for them. but again – i’ll get into that later.

he puts a lot of value on interpersonal relationships. and sometimes, that’s a good thing because he values those relationships and cherishes them, and he’s a wonderful friend and very intuitive. he can always tell if someone’s upset, and he’s a great listener. but also sometimes it’s a bad thing how much value he puts on those relationships. because he builds his own personal value off of them, and off how much people like him and support him. like i said – he’s always been dependent. he doesn’t know any way else to be.

and deep down, peter is an optimist. it’s his fatal flaw. how? because no matter how badly things are going, he thinks to himself that it’ll all turn out fine, in the end. something will happen, in the end. someone will save him, in the end. for instance – he has no idea what he wants to do after hogwarts. and sometimes that worries him, but most of the time he pushes it to the back of his mind. he can think about that later. it’ll turn out fine. and when the war starts, and he gets deeper and deeper involved with the death eaters, he refuses to admit how much it scares him and how big of a problem it’s becoming. because in the end, it’ll turn out fine. it always does for the good guys. he never considers that he may not be one of the good guys.

this probably won’t happen in the course of this rp – but he gets involved with the death eaters when it’s looking darkest for the order. and victory is looking certain for the death eaters. so he joins them because he has this stupid, stupid, naive hope that if he joins the death eaters, he can convince them to spare his friends when they inevitably win. he does it for them. and deep down, he knows that that’s not gonna happen, but he pushes it to the back of his mind. because it’ll all turn out fine.

this year is the year his insecurity complex starts to come into play – when everything starts to unravel. it’s a slow process, and it begins with peter’s father. see, peter’s father is dying, but he doesn’t know it yet. no one does. it’s during a doctor’s appointment, a month from now, that william pettigrew will be diagnosed with stage ii pancreatic cancer. he won’t make it. he will die before peter graduates from hogwarts.

peter’s mother will not deal with it well. she will retreat into herself, mourning the death of her husband, and peter will be forced to spend most of the summer after his last year caring for her, while struggling with his own grief. suddenly, peter will go from the doting, loving support of both parents to the support of neither.

so he’ll turn to his friends, desperate, seeking validation and support, but they’re each starting their own lives. there’s a war starting, they’re all beginning their own independent lives but peter – remember, peter has always been dependent. and suddenly, his insecurities are making a surprise comeback. the golden years at hogwarts, what peter will later realize were the best years of his life, are gone, and so is the carefree boy peter used to be.

but anyway. that’s in the future. right now, peter is just a teenage boy like any other, goofy and impulsive and self-conscious.

[iamtotallycool]

Eleteo Appreciation Week day 4

I’m on some kind of roll to get this done and uploaded now for day 4 of @eleteoappreciationweek

I did listen to “Only Us” from Dear Evan Hansen on a good loop while I was writing, so that could contribute to it :)

So here’s Day 4: Soulmates (Soulmates Timer AU)

“To say that one waits a lifetime for his soulmate to come around is a paradox. People eventually get sick of waiting, take a chance on someone, and by the art of commitment become soulmates, which takes a lifetime to perfect.”

~Criss Jami,  Venus in Arms

Queen Elena Castillo-Flores, First of her name and Protector of Avalor.

She really did like the way that sounded.

Elena had used the title many times before today: when she would practice saying it in the mirror, dressed up in her mother's jewels as a little girl, doodling it on her notes when her tutor would drone on too much during her lessons, and of course, Armando announcing it over and over during the relentless rehearsals they had had this week. Esteban had insisted that everything had to be perfect.

But now, it was no longer a dream or just pretend. It was real.

Elena let out a shaky sigh with a hint of a giggle laced into it as she leaned against the railing of the balcony, grateful for the weight it took off of her large, extravagant, new, red ballgown and her handcrafted personalized Crown that sat on her head.

She unconsciously began rubbing at her wrist, or more specifically, over her Soulmate Timer tattoo, which tonight was hidden under a turquoise and diamond bracelet that had been passed down through many Queens in her family.

It was a habit of hers since she was a child. Something her mother Lucia had told she had done as well, saying it was a small way to absorb strength from her Soulmate even though she hadn't met them yet.

Elena's timer had always puzzled her though, considering that since the day she was born, her timer recorded that she would meet her Soulmate in about 60 years.

At the time she had been worried about meeting her soulmate at such an old age. However, it had quickly subsided due to the surrounding love provided by her family and the old historical stories of Rulers who didn’t settle down and marry their true love (usually from some long forbidden romance) until after they had served the Realm.

That all changed though when her experience with Shuriki and the amulet made 45 years go down to 4 year, and suddenly the possibility of meeting her soulmate was a lot closer than she had anticipated.

Again, the feeling of anxiousness ended up being lost as she had had a lot more important things occupying her time, especially recently.

Elena remembered about a little over a month ago that the number had been close, really close.

So close that even the staff began to loudly gossip about who the mystery person would be. It would have to be someone arriving around the time of her Coronation considering that royals and representatives from all corners of the Earth had been invited.

Alas though, even after meeting many of the guests that were being housed at the palace and glances she had cast to the large crowd during the ceremony, she had yet to notice any spark or zing or whatever she was supposed to feel.

The night was still young though.

Elena then gasped as a small and sparkling jaquin illusion appeared right in front of her. The small creature did a few twists and tricks before exploding into a thousand sparkles right in front of her face.

“I hope you didn’t come out here just to tease me,” Elena said as she brushed off the sparkles and turned around to see Mateo behind her, his hand and tamborita outstretched. She would know his magic anywhere.

“Just looking for the bright light of the ball,” Mateo said, reseathing his tamborita and moving to stand next her.

Elena bumped shoulders with him as a small pay back for the trick, which he lovingly returned.

She also took a moment to admire him out of the corner of her eye.

He had decided to don something besides his usual red robes tonight in honor of her celebration. So instead he wore midnight blue robes with accents of white, yellow, and a lighter shade of blue, making him look like the twilight sky. He also wore a silver cape over the top of it with a broach of her family’s crest clasped on the front.

Elena remembered how Rafa had been gushing about his outfit earlier this evening. How it was not only been another one his Abuelo’s robes, but is was also the one that he had specifically worn to Elena’s christening.

“I'm surprised you're out here,” Mateo then said. “You were practically jumping in the seat of your throne earlier when Armando made the official proclamation.”

“I just needed to get some air,” Elena as she leaned in towards him, catching some of the warmth of his cape that was surprisingly very soft. “To take things in and reevaluate them. A lot of good people have taught me that.”

“Good to see you are taking the council's advice to heart, even though you'll no longer have it.”

“Yeah,” Elena replied solemnly.

It was true, the Grand Council would officially dissolve next week, once affairs and paperwork were sorted out, and medals and honors were given in a much smaller but still formal luncheon.

Funny, how she was once so determined that she didn’t need them, and now, she couldn’t imagine a life without them.

“Hey, you know they aren’t going anywhere, they’ll be right here if you ever need them.” Mateo shot her a crooked smile, “And as your Royal Wizard, you know you have me around for the rest of my life.”

A familiar feeling of relief washed over Elena at the sound of his proposal. She could always rely on him to make her feel better.

“Let’s go somewhere, just the two of us.”

Mateo snorted, “An hour into your role as Queen and you’re already making plans to runaway for some grand adventure.”

“Not runaway, I just want us to spend a day together, or even just an afternoon.”

“You know that whatever we plan might not happen for a while, with all your new responsibilities that you’ll be shouldering.” Mateo grabbed her hand, “I’ve already seen how many nights you’ve stayed up late and how much you’ve been pacing around in your room this week.”

Elena quirked up an eyebrow. “Are you spying on me now, Royal Wizard?”

Mateo immediately flushed red. “What! No--no of course not, I didn’t mean to, I swear!”

Elena threw back her head and laughed loudly at his frantic outburst.

She knew very well how visible their rooms were to each other. They had spent many nights writing messages to each other across the way. And not that she would admit it out loud, but she had peered over to check in on him on occasions when she would see his light burning late while he was hard at work. Or she would accidently see something else that would cause her to fall backwards off her window sitting area and onto her floor in an embarrassed mess.

But she would keep that to herself for now.

“Relax, I know you would never besmirch my honor,” She replied, rubbing small circles on his hand with her thumb. “And I’m touched by your concern.”

Mateo bent his head down bashfully and rubbed the back of his neck. “So, where shall we go then?”

“I’m to decide?”

“Well, you are the one inviting me, I figured you would have some plan already up your sleeve.”

To be honest, she didn’t have anywhere in particular she wanted to go, anywhere was fine as long as she was with him.

Her eyes wandered around the surrounding hills and landscapes of her Kingdom, waiting for some sudden inspiration to hit her. However, she was instead hit with the realization that they were under the balcony’s gazebo.

Well, she knew she had been standing under the gazebo this whole time. But with him at her side now, she was instantly reminded of his Royal Wizard Promotion Ball, and how it was in this very same spot she felt like they had truly connected together for the first time.

And she knew right then and there that there was only one place she wanted to go with him.

“We should go to the lair of Azaluna.”

“Really?” Mateo asked in surprise. “Why there of all places?”

“Because I haven’t been there since I was released from the amulet.” Elena shrugged her shoulders, “And it’s also where one chapter of my life began, it only seems right that I revisit there as another one begins.”

“Then I think it’s the perfect place,” Mateo said as he put an arm around her shoulders. “But you have to promise me that empanadas and your famous agua fresca will be on the menu.”

Elena smiled as she put an arm around him as well and leaned forward so that their foreheads bumped together.

“Deal.”

Staying in this position, Elena closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the peace of this moment. She hadn’t been lying about actively taking the time to have quiet moments amongst the chaos, despite her still very much passionate and gung ho attitude.

Sometimes though, it took the right people to fully settle her into these small instances.

In fact, Elena felt so calm and serene right now that she thought she was hearing bells.

No. Wait. She was hearing bells.

Elena pulled back as Mateo did, who was wearing the same look of confusion. The two of them looked around for the source of the sound, until they looked down and realized it was coming from them.

Mateo pushed up his robe’s sleeve as Elena pulled off her bracelet.

On both of their wrists, their Soulmate tattoos were blinking bright gold zeros while the sound of little bells kept going off. This continued for a few more seconds until the blinking stopped and the tattoos faded away, leaving behind bare skin.

Elena let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. She turned her gaze back to Mateo, who too was staring at her with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

This was...was it…after so long...could it...how did she not see...

“Elena?” Mateo asked questioningly, a hint a fear and doubt in his voice.

She immediately wanted to say something comforting to soothe him. To doll out a motivational and upbeat quote she always carried in her heart.

She was completely speechless though. She could even feel her knees begin to tremble.

So much was already going on at the moment for her to even think about something like a Soulmate. And it’s not that she didn’t care or feel nothing like this for Mateo. But for such as sudden push to come in.

Or was it sudden?

“Queen Elena!”

The couple jumped about a foot in the air as they quickly detangled themselves from each other.

Aramando huffed his way over to the two of them.

“It’s time for the feast to officially begin,” He said between gasps of air. “Followed by dancing, and then gifts--”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Elena rambled out as she began straightening out her gown and adjusting her ruffles. She had almost forgotten about the rest of the schedule for tonight. “Thank you Armando, I will be in momentarily.”

“Yes your majesty!” Armando said with a bow before turning to head back inside. “I need a drink.”

Once the door closed, the pair were only left with a thick and heavy silence.

“We better not keep them waiting, your highness,” Mateo then said, refusing to meet her gaze as he began walking away.

Elena didn’t like the way he had said that at all though. It wasn’t sincere or even a little playful. Instead, it was like there was suddenly some distant between them. And Elena desperately wanted to close that distance as she reached out to catch his arm.

“Mateo!” She exclaimed louder than she had intended to. “I need you to know that I’m not disappointed at all, in fact I feel incredibly relieved that it’s you--”

Relieved!? Seriously!?

“Wait, that came out wrong. What I’m trying to say is--”

Elena was instantly frustrated by her overwhelmed state, that she gave up on trying to say anything at all and instead wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a tight hug.

Thankfully, Mateo returned her affection fiercely, crushing his body against hers as she buried her face in his shoulder.

“I...I know what you’re trying to say and I feel the same way,” Mateo mumbled out into her ear. “I just didn’t think it would feel so...unexpected, especially with a literal counter on my body.”

“My parents would always say that true love is supposed to be...and it's not like we've ever been the type of people to focus on something like this,” Elena said with a small and slightly forced giggle. “Though, I think we need to move that picnic date up sooner than we thought.”

She felt Mateo nod, “I agree...we have a lot to talk about.”

He was right, there would be quite a lot to talk about, an entire future to talk about in this case.

And in this moment of stability, Elena at least realized that her soulmate wasn’t someone she suddenly met and would by some destiny have to fall in love with them. It was someone she had met, matured with, laughed, cried, and created a solid relationship that could be easily stood and built upon.

And she would gladly take that over anything else.

“Hey,” Elena then said as she pulled back so she could see his face, which looked more at ease now. “Regardless of whatever happens though, you’re still with me, right?”

Mateo gave her a small smile as he grabbed both of her hands. He then brought them up to his lips and placed a kiss on one of her knuckles.

“Always.”

[whitewitchdani]

Infinitely Different: Chapter 13

Read Chapter 12 Here

Word Count: 2,912

Pairing: Winchester!Sister Reader x ???

Warnings: angst, fluff, canon typical violence

A/N: I told you chapters would start coming out steadily again. :) I hope you guys enjoy chapter 13! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged and please give me all the feedback on this series!

Infinitely Different Masterlist

“Well, you know all about my family, tell me about yours.”

Your head shot up from looking at the empty cup in your hands, “What? No. Trust me you do not want to delve into the mess that is the Winchester family.” 

You had been talking for a while and heard the full story of the Original vampires and the amazing lives Elijah and his siblings had led over the past 1000 years. You had countered with the story of how your brothers jumpstarted Judgment Day the first time. But to tell him the story of how you became a Winchester? That was one can of worms you would prefer remained tightly sealed.

“Nonsense, my family is an absolute train wreck. I doubt there is anything you could say that could make me think any less of you. After all, you can’t change your family.”

You sighed, “It’s not that I think you’ll think less of me, more that it’s kind of painful to talk about. And also after I tell you everything about my family, John should be happy he’s already dead. The last time I told anyone about my family was to Damon and he was dead set on kicking my dad’s ass afterwards,” you said with a dry laugh.

Elijah smirked, “If you don’t want to tell me that is quite alright, I understand. I just wish to know you better, understand you more. Perhaps knowing your background will give me insight into why you are the way that you are.”

You looked at the Original vampire in front of you and let out a long sigh. There was no reason for you to not tell him, you trusted him and well if you were being honest with yourself, you kinda liked him. NO, you can’t think about that right now. Until you were able to sit down and think you liked no one.

“Well, I don’t know how much you know about the Winchesters but we have an interesting story. Firstly, I am not Sam and Dean’s full sister.”

“I knew that already.” Elijah interrupted.

You looked at him confused, “What? How?”

“Your blood smells different to me than theirs. It’s obvious you only share one parent, father most likely.”

“Oh, well, yeah. John is the boys’ dad, and mine. I’m about two years younger than Sam. My mom was a hunter and met dad when he was still kind of a rookie, sort of saved his ass on a nasty vengeful spirit case outside Indianapolis. After that, there were drinks at a little hunter dive nearby and then... bada bing, bada boom. Nine months later, Y/N Winchester makes her appearance in the world.”

Elijah smiled at your colorful description, holding out his hand, “Would you like another cup?”

You looked down at the empty teacup and back to the vampire with a sheepish expression, “No offense, but if you want me to continue with the Winchester Sagas I’m gonna need something a little stronger than English Breakfast Blend,” you said with a sly smile.

Elijah smirked, taking your cups and leaving the room. When he returned he carried two crystal glasses and a decanter of amber liquid. He poured two generous portions into each glass and handed you one of them. When you took a sip you smiled. 

“Whiskey. Didn’t take the Mikaelson’s for whiskey drinkers,” you smirked as you took another drink.

“Not typically. But we have spent quite a bit of time in America and developed a taste for it. It was mostly a guess if you’d enjoy it, but hunters as a demographic tend to lean toward that type of liquor.”

You laughed, “I’m pretty sure we helped invent it and now keep most of the manufacturers in business.” 

He began to laugh with you until it died down into a somewhat uncomfortable silence; the only sound the fire crackling in front of you. You knew what came next in the story, and part of you didn’t want to tell it. Stefan didn’t even know. The only people who knew the full story about your mom and your childhood were the people who were there for it: Sam and Dean. You had told Damon bits and pieces during your late night drinking sessions, but never the full story. But here you were, about to spill your guts to someone you were supposed to kill on sight. Real smart, Y/N.

“In the first six years of my life, I only met John twice. The day I was born and the day I turned six, because apparently he was nearby. I really had no desire to meet him, Mom talked about him like he was a complete bastard and after I lived with him for a couple months I understood why,” you huffed a small laugh.  

“But John showed up the day I turned six and spent the day with me and after that I had this glowing view of my father. He was my hero. My dad saved people just like my mom and to me that was the best thing in the world. I wanted to be a hunter just like my parents. My mom never hid what she did from me, because she wanted me to be prepared for what was out there and because monsters and their families tend to be revengeful types. And she was right. Because that’s what took her from me.”

You were quiet again and suddenly found your glass to be incredibly fascinating. Again, all that was heard were the embers crackling in the fireplace. You could feel Elijah’s eyes on you but you knew they weren’t full of pity, rather admiration of the strength he had already seen in you. Now he was learning where it had come from. 

Without looking up you continued, “Um about four months later I was sleeping when I heard a noise downstairs. I sat there for a minute until the noise turned into a loud crash. I raced downstairs to find my mom wrestling with a werewolf on the floor of our living room...

“Y/N RUN!”

“MOM NO!” 

You watched as your mother continued to fight against the wolf holding her to the floor. The little training you had began to kick in and you bolted for the arsenal under the stairs, grabbing a gun and silver bullets. When you came back, the wolf now had your mother pinned to the wall. You pulled the hammer of the revolver back, loading a bullet into place. The sound of the gun cocking caused the werewolf to turn and look at you.

“My beef ain’t with you kid. Do what your mommy said and run, I don’t wanna hurt ya.” 

While the wolf was distracted your mother had pulled the spare knife she kept from her boot. She went to stab him but the wolf was quicker, grabbing her wrist and turning it back around on her, causing the blade to go into her own stomach.

The wolf must’ve been a pure-blood, as he drew back his claws and his eyes returned to normal. He stalked toward you but your wide eyes were still locked on your mother’s slumped form against the wall. When he got close you finally noticed his advance and began to back up, dropping the gun as your back hit the wall behind you.

“You got someone you can call?”

You nodded.

“Good. Here, this was hers.” He handed you your mother’s cell phone, which you took with a shaking hand. “Now, don’t ever let me catch you hunting or I won’t be as nice next time. Understand?”

You nodded again, a tear streaking down your cheek.

“That’s a good girl.” He patted your head a couple times before walking out of the front door like nothing had even happened. 

You stared at your mother’s body. You couldn’t find it in you to go over to her, so you looked down at the phone in your hand. There was only one person you could call and you hoped like hell he would even answer. With shaky hands, you dialed the number your mother made you memorize for this very instance. You thought she was being overzealous and paranoid, if you had only known.

The phone rang four times before a gruff voice answered, obviously upset at being woken up at the late hour, “What?”

You were silent. You had only met John twice and had literally just watched your mother get murdered; you were entitled to a bit of a freak-out.

The voice on the other end huffed, “Hello? Who’s there? How’d you get this number?”

Thinking your only family was about to hang up on you jolted you into action, “Hi,” you said in a small voice, “Is this John Winchester?”

“Yeah, who’s askin-” he paused as he thought he recognized the voice and when he checked the number that had called, he recognized that too. “Wait, Y/N?”

“Hi, Daddy.”

“Baby, why are you callin’ me at 3 in the morning?”

You sniffled, trying to keep the tears at bay, “I need you to come here.”

“Y/N, what’s wrong? Where’s your mom?”

The tears had managed to escape and were cascading down your face in full force, “Just come here please.”

“Where’s your mom, Y/N?”

“A man got into the house. There’s blood. Daddy, please.” You begged, crying hard at this point.

John sprung into action, waking his oldest son to get his youngest together. “Okay baby, I need you to go upstairs to your room and get into your closet and shut the door. Don’t come out for anyone but me, understand?” John thanked whatever powers there were that he was only an hour away from your house; with a Winchester driving it could be made in about 20 to 30 minutes.

When he arrived he rushed into the house, ordering his sons to stay in the car until he returned. He entered the house and cringed at the sight he saw; he and your mom may not have always seen eye to eye but she was the mother of his child and because of that, whatever did this was going to pay.

He ran upstairs to his daughter’s bedroom and tore open the closet door, finding her small form sitting on the floor hugging her knees and sobbing. Thankfully, she had no blood on her and looked unharmed. Physically at least. John knew it was going to be difficult for her; Dean was only four when Mary died and it took months to get him talking again.

He crouched down to her level, “Y/N/N?”

You looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes, “Daddy?”

“Yeah, baby. It’s me. C’mon, let’s go.” He scooped you into his arms and carried you out the front door, making sure you didn’t see the scene in the living room again. They were close enough to Bobby’s that he could drop off his children and then return to deal with this mess.

As he plopped you down in the front seat next to him, you turned to look at the two boys in the back seat, both older than you.

You turned to look at your father, “Who are they?”

He sighed, this wasn’t how he wanted to do this, “Y/N that’s Dean and that’s Sam; they’re your brothers. Dean, Sam, this is Y/N, your sister. She’s going to be staying with us from now on.”

The flashback played like a movie reel in your head as you told the story to Elijah out loud. It was strange; actually telling the full story to someone felt kind of... good? Freeing? Sort of like a weight had come off of your shoulders. Sam and Dean knew everything of course, but had always walked on eggshells around you when the topic came up. Something told you Elijah wouldn’t.

“I know this is not helpful nor any consolation to what you’ve gone through, but I am truly sorry. Losing your mother that way...”

You looked up at the Original vampire in front of you and smiled, “Thank you Elijah. You should know that you’re the only person who knows the full story besides Sam and Dean; I’ve never told anyone.”

“May I ask why?

“I didn’t want their pity I guess? Also I guess I’ve always felt sort of guilty. I could’ve pulled that trigger and saved my mom but I froze. It’s my fault she’s dead.” A lone tear streaked down your face.

Elijah moved closer to you, a bit hesitantly at first to see if you’d stop him, and then moved right next to you when you did not. Using his thumb, he wiped the tear from your cheek.

“First, you were six, merely a child when she was killed. Parents are meant to protect their children, not the other way around. You were incredibly brave for a child of your age, mature in your actions and thought processes.”

You laughed, “My mom always used to say you could’ve plucked my brain from my skull and dropped it into the body of an 18 year old and no one would’ve been the wiser.”

He smiled, “She was most likely correct. You should not blame yourself for her death, Y/N. If the blame lies with anyone, it is with the creature who took her from you.” He cupped your cheek after wiping another tear away.

“He’s dead.” You whispered into his hand.

“How do you know?”

“Because I killed him.”

Elijah pulled back and looked at you, “When?”

You sighed, “When I was 14. Dad came back from a hunt one day and said he had found the wolf that had killed my mom and that it was time for me to put everything he had taught me to the test. So he took me to the house the pack was holing up in and he took out the other two and left he one who killed my mom for me. He recognized me too. Cursed me for turning into my mother: a hunter, a cold-hearted killer. And then I put a bullet in his heart. John was so proud, I don’t think I spoke for a week.” Remembering the alcohol you had in your hand, you downed it in one fell swoop. 

The room was quiet again. Tears were flowing down your face in full force now. You hadn’t cried in years, not since Sam had left for Stanford, but you had ended up on his heels anyways. You went to wipe the tears but two hands beat you to it. Elijah cupped your face and wiped the tears away with his thumbs. 

“He was right. We’re all killers. Why we claim to be better than the things we hunt I’ll never know. I tried to leave this life, I did. But everyone always gets pulled back in. Even when I tried to leave I ended up here, a town made up of 75% supernatural beings. John made his children into killers, Dean never asks questions; it’s always so black and white for him. I never followed John’s orders like he does, even less than Sam did. No wonder Dean resents me so much. All I did was come into the family and piss John off basically with my existence as I got older.” 

You were still crying at this point. Why were you spilling your entire guts to him? What the hell was happening to you? Oh yeah, this is why you didn’t want this can of worms unsealed, because it was so damn difficult to keep them all from crawling out. Now you were basically having a breakdown in front of someone you barely knew.

Elijah brought you into his arms and you instantly relaxed in them. He held you tightly and you wrapped your arms around his neck, reciprocating it. You felt your breathing begin to even out as one of his hands rubbed your back and one cradled your head. 

“It may not mean much, but from what I have seen and heard you are an incredibly strong woman.” You both pulled back from the embrace but stayed close. “You protect yourself and others but know that there is a line that should not be crossed, and that there are shades of gray when it comes to people like me. To deviate your beliefs from those of your friends and family I know is not easy. From what you have told me you have overcome insurmountable ordeals and dealt with events no one else will most likely ever experience. Yet you still dropped everything to come aid your friends here in Mystic Falls.” 

Elijah moved even closer to you, your noses almost touching, and you swore you completely stopped breathing. You knew what was coming, and even though you knew you should, you were making no effort to stop it.

“You are an amazing woman, Y/N.”

With that, Elijah closed the space between you until your lips finally met. The kiss started slow and gentle; you could feel the care he had for you behind it. Then it became a bit harder, more passionate. He cupped your face and you drew the lapels of his jacket into your fists. Your lips moved in sync and the rest of the world seemed to melt away. You didn’t know how exactly you felt in that moment; all you knew is that you never wanted it to end.

Oh you were so screwed.

Read Chapter 14 Here

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