#but also i simply do not find the idea of adopting another child because of empty nest syndrome as charming or endearing

[theupstairskid]

Based on the articles we've gotten over the last few days it seems pretty likely that there's going to be some possible tension between Henren and Madney over Mara. As Madney have stepped in as emergency fosters for Mara until Henren can get their fostering license back and adopt Mara officially, I think the conflict will stem not from Madney potentially wanting to keep Mara but rather from Mara suddenly having essentially four different parents.

The idea that Madney might not give Mara back I think is a little too dramatic for 9-1-1. I think it would be way too devastating to the Henren and Madney relationship and it would severely impact the 118. I think it's ultimately too much. It doesn't seem "fixable."

But I do think that Henren and Madney clashing over parenting styles is a totally viable option for what might cause some tension between the couples. Hen and Karen could be visiting Mara over at Maddie and Chim's and they might try to parent her in some way like they normally would and Mara could simply say, "(Mama Maddie or Daddy Chim) said it's okay" or "they let me do it all the time." Suddenly your daughter taking parental cues from their Aunt and Uncle essentially could definitely stir up some issues.

If Hen and Karen confront Maddie and Chim about why they allow Mara to do XYZ or why they do this instead of that when Henren would do the opposite, it definitely opens the door for the couples to start criticizing each other's parenting styles/experiences and each couple getting defensive over it. Hen and Karen are already hurting from losing Mara in the first place and it's possible they could see how much fun Mara might be having with Madney and get jealous over how easy it seems for them.

With Gerrard back as Captain of the 118 and basically the confirmation that he's connected to Councilwoman Ortiz, Hen is going to be focusing on keeping her head down and her nose clean in order to not make anything worse for her considering all of the things she's facing at the moment. However, just because she might be calm and collected at work, it leaves an opening for the stress and weight of the situation to find an outlet elsewhere.

Ultimately having Henren vs. Madney in the arena of who should and how to parent Mara is a relatively easily resolvable bump in the road for their friendships. Once the Gerrard and Ortiz problems are resolved and Mara goes back to her family, the bonds between them will repair and strengthen. It also opens the possibility of Madney wanting another child but not wanting Maddie to go through another pregnancy and risk the Postpartum Depression all over again and Henren helping them discover that adoption or fostering is a wonderful option, very similar to Karen's IVF storyline.

If this is the route things go in S8, it's definitely going to suck to see the Han-Wilson family fight but I don't think it will break them.

[i-cast-bardic-inspiration]

Halsin with a Tav who had a toddler? Like they get back to Baldurs gate or theyve been nursing an egg(for the Gith and Dragonborn Tavs) that’s now hatching.

Pls let him be the dad he’s always wanted to be 🥹

Okay, first off thanks for sending in your request! I hope it’s alright to do this in a mix of headcanons and narrative blurbs because I have too many ideas for this wholesome content. Also, if I interpreted your Ask wrong please let me know and I’ll amend! 

But alright, here we go—let’s give our Big Bear some love and let him be Daddy Halsin because he deserves all the best things. 

*TW: Pregnancy talk, mentions of past trauma, wholesomeness so wholesome it hurts

Halsin will be in shock for a brief moment before going into Daddy Halsin mode. This man has just gone through the most traumatic hundreds of years; in pure survival mode after losing his family, being held prisoner in the Underdark, dealing with the Shadow Curse and all that it has brought upon him—he never once during that time was afforded the opportunity to simply…live. He always focused on doing what was necessary to survive. So now that he finally can let some of his walls down? Now that his lover just told him they have a child? 

He looks at you frozen in disbelief…he never thought he would be able to have his own family. And now you’ve given him one of life’s greatest joys in the mere blink of an eye. His whole world has turned on its axis in the best of ways and he needs a moment to find his feet on the ground again. 

Whether it’s biologically yours or you’ve adopted, it doesn’t matter—he views it all the same. He is in awe, deep gratitude bursting forth for this bounty of nature you’ve provided him with; that you’ve invited him to share.

“My heart…you,” Halsin’s voice breaks, “Why did you not tell me before?” the question falls past his lips with a tremble, but there is no trace of anger or hurt in his tone. Only awe, tinged with a soft skepticism as though this moment will slip through his fingers and he will wake to find it was all a dream. 

You tell him why. Maybe it’s because you were scared he wouldn’t want anything to do with you or your child…maybe you didn’t want to distract him from all that still needed to be accomplished…maybe you didn’t want to add another burden to his already heavily-weighed-down shoulders—whatever it is…

He understands your fears but tells you to put them to rest because nothing—absolutely nothing—could ever deter him from loving and caring for you and your child. He is more than willing to step into the role of a father…if that is what you should wish of course, to share this part of your life with him…

As soon as you give him the affirmative, he is all over you. Wrapping you up in his strong embrace, placing kisses wherever his lips can reach before settling his face against your neck and inhaling deeply. Your scent calms him, and he needs it to ground himself after the revelation that he finally—finally—has the one thing he thought he’d never have again…a family. He is a dad. 

He’s a dad! 

His deep laughter echoes through the air. He’s overjoyed, a little scared maybe too, but his unbridled joy is contagious and you find yourself tearfully laughing along with him. 

With your invitation, he quickly stepped into full dad mode, and wants to unleash all the doting upon you and your child that he possibly can. 

If the baby has not been born/hatched yet; he’s all about using his skilled hands to melt the tension from your feet and calves and anywhere else you might be tense from carrying the weight of another; letting his healing magic wash over you when your head is pounding and stomach is churning from the extra hormones; making sure you have proper nutritional meals to keep your stamina up…his healer capabilities really kick into high gear here.

If your little one is already in the world, they immediately take to Halsin like a moth to light. And he takes to fatherhood just as easily. It is a precious and priceless thing to watch the two of them bond so quickly. You knew he would take to it naturally, having all the qualities of a loving and supportive father. He was always a wonderful listener, he was just as good of a teacher, and he still held so much wonder and love for the world even after all his years. His zest for life was contagious and played right into the natural curiosities of a child. 

Beneath all of the stoic wisdom is a man who loves to play. Loves to experience everything life has to offer. And it shows when they decide to have storytime before bed…or any other time your little one asks for stories. Which is a lot of the time because Halsin is rather good at it. He could be a bard if he wanted. But all he wants is to see the expressions of wonder on your child’s face, the shrieks of laughter and gasps of surprise filling his ears as he twists and turns the stories, acting them out with grand gestures and motions. 

Sometimes storytelling evolves into playing “Adventurers”—or so that’s what the two of them call this game anyway…you call it pure chaos, but you don’t mind one bit. Not as your little one rides on the back of a giant wildshaped bear through the forest, roars and laughter tickling your ears. You join in at times, and it usually ends in one big giant cuddle pile as morning turns into afternoon and sleepy little eyes close for a short nap. It’s at times like these his heart threatens to burst, and you can see it in his eyes—feel it in the way his fingers trace your jawline and move softly, reverently into your hair…soon you’re drifting off in the peacefulness of it all too. Halsin just lays there holding the two of you in his arms, listening to your soft inhales and exhales. In the slow moments is when he really feels it hit him. How contented he is. 

They’ll go on walks around the forest together, sometimes stop to examine a plant or a flower, your child asking Halsin 123812378 questions about everything they come across, and he answers every one of those questions with the utmost of patience. He genuinely loves to share his knowledge with young and curious minds. You can tell by the way his eyes light up, and how his voice excitedly carries across the meadow as he explains things like how flowers grow from the ground with the help of the sun and water and air. 

He even asks some questions of his own to get your child thinking and talking, and also just to be silly and play: “what kind of animal would you be?” ~ “what is your favorite thing to eat?” ~ “do you think cats can have fins?” ~ “what is your favorite thing to do with mommy and daddy?” 

When your child is sad or upset, he is there guiding them through their big feelings. Oak Father knows, Halsin has had his fair share of coping with tough emotions through his years. Even with all the practice he’s had though he still gets overwhelmed at times. Children need help getting through these sorts of big feelings, not to be admonished or chastised for feeling something natural. Of course while he usually spends time wildshaped when he needs to think, he knows that might not work for a child, and there are certainly other solutions. Like physical connection—hugs, and holding a safe space for your little one to feel. Maybe they need help labeling what they’re feeling, and Halsin is right there ever-observant and gentle with his words, “I see that you fell, does it hurt anywhere? Were you scared when you fell from the tree?” Your child responds tearfully, “it was scary,” so then after a quick scan Halsin knows he doesn’t need to mend any broken bones. He just needs to hold them and tell them it’s okay to be scared and to cry, and that they are very brave for doing so. 

It’s moments like this that you find your heart swell with fondness so vast it nearly hurts. Because you know how capable of ferocity he is, how much strength and fortitude he has shown in battles past…that seeing him like this, so patient and supportive, so loving and gentle…you know he has finally been able to take the armor off both literally and figuratively.

He walks lighter, laughs louder, plays harder. His love knows no bounds, and he makes sure the two of you know it with every breath he takes. With every scratch he mends. With every toy he whittles. With every blanket he tucks in and every kiss he lays atop a sleepy little head. With every word and kiss and hug…he embraces this simpler but no less meaningful side of life with arms opened wide.  

One day, after a very important and engaging conversation about “daddy, where do babies come from?” your little one asks him another question. “Daddy, can you and mommy make a baby?” His eyes lift to find yours, a heat there so smoldering you swear you could feel it sweep over your skin in a dizzying rush. “Little One,” he starts, tearing his gaze from you to look down softly at your child, “would you like that—a brother or sister to play with?” Their little eyes light up and they shout “yesyesyes!” 

Halsin’s smile lines deepen as he laughs loudly. “You will just have to wait and see my little heart, all will be as nature intends.” He knows that is a conversation to have with you in a more private setting. Though he’s pretty sure he can tell by the speed of your breathing, the flush of your face, and the warmth in your gaze that you are no doubt feeling the same sentiment he is in that moment.

Adding to your little family might happen sooner rather than later…and he definitely would not say no to having more little ones running around.

[tokyo-daaaamn-ji-gang]

There's been something going on in my head lately. This topic is about Shinichiro and I feel disappointed. Because Shinichiro is a man who I see as the ideal older brother and parent, who is really good-hearted and loves his siblings more than anything. This is definitely Shinichiro. He is a really good-hearted man who can be easily trusted. But today, some of the things written in Izana's letter confused me a lot. We had discussions about this issue on Twitter and many things came to my mind. Our topic is this friends;

Shinichiro knew that Izana was brother to Emma, so he went to the Philippines to pick up his brother. He picked up his younger brother and went back to Japan. He gave Izana an incredibly beautiful day on the first day, and in fact, in Izana's words, gave him the best day of his life. He gave her the opportunity to live her beautiful day. Afterwards, she continued to take care of him and spend the day with him. What bothers me is that Shinichiro knew that Emma and Izana were sisters. Why didn't he come and tell Emma this in the first place? Was it such a difficult thing to say that you found your brother? For God's sake, he wasn't just Emma's brother, but theirs too. As soon as he found Izana, why didn't he bring her home and introduce her to Grandpa? Why didn't he take Mikey and Emma to their orphanage visits? Why did he promise Izana an empty family?

so apparently, from the letter we saw in the trailer, we find out that shinichiro actually /knew/ that emma and izana were related and still kept them separate when he could have adopted him...shinichiro, that's so sick and twisted shit is there an adult who didn't do izana wrong?The adoption process is surely hard but at this point he could have simply brought emma to visit him and introduce izana to mikey when he got to see him at the orphanage. Mikey was positive about the idea (as we see in the manga) so why didn't Shinichiro do anything about it?When he talks to mikey asking him his opinion on having another brother , he was already an adult, so why didn't he do anything? It's like he kinda forgot about izana because they're not "related", but at that point, why did he get izana's life in the first place? Because he was Emma's brother? And like this we get to the initial point again: he could have, at least, introduced them all

Well firstly I'm pretty sure Shinichiro didn't pick Izana up from the Philippines at all. Since Izana was in a foster home adoption type place and then juvie in Japan (that's how he met Kakucho at the foster home and then the S62 at juvie). I'm also not sure how a Japanese teenager would've been just allowed to take a kid from the Philippines to Japan like that. Actually Izana doesn't even seem to have known he had family in the Philippines until Karen told him. He thought she was his mum and that he had the same dad as Shinichiro (not clear if he knew the guys name or what he looked like though).

I agree though, from our perspective it does seem like Shinichiro made a big mistake here with not introducing Izana to the others or at least telling them. However Shinichiro didn't have our perspective. Shinichiro had no idea what was going to happen or what the consequences of doing that would be. I feel like this is one of those things which will divide the fandom, with some ageeeing and some disagreeing (both are totally fine though).

Like I think Shinichiro was right not to rush into things here, taking on the care of another child is a big responsibility and Shinichiro was already practically raising two, not to mention what kind of impact a change in environment could have on Izana's mental health, a kid he had known for a few hours at this point. I don't know a lot about the irl adoption process but I'm pretty sure you have to spend more then a few hours with the kid before deciding anything. I think that's why they then started exchanging letters, as a way for them to get to know each other better and get more comfortable with each other.

I'm guessing the next part of Shinichiro's plan was to get to know Izana better and get Izana more comfortable with him before introducing him to the others. We know Shinichiro was at least thinking about introducing Izana to them because of the question he asked Mikey.

But then I'm guessing what stopped him was all the complications. Aka Mikey ripped Sanzu's face open and Izana beat up a bunch of kids and then basically forced one to take his own life. Put them together and they don't get along and you're going to have a big problem on your hands. Like I understand why Shinichiro wanted to move slowly here, this isn't something that should've been rushed. Not to mention the warning signs Izana was already showing towards Mikey by asking Shinichiro to stop talking about him and saying hearing about Mikey gives him a headache.

I'd say the main mystery here is why he didn't tell Emma/ bring Emma with him to visit. I'm not sure if he didn't wanna get her hopes up or if he wss worried about her or Izana's reaction (though they both seem like they would've been positive), or if he didn't want to make Emma keep the secret from Mikey but didn't want to let Mikey know yet. That is a bit of mystery.

Also to be completely fair to Shinichiro I don't think he ever would've expected things to play out the way they did. He was only a teenager himself when he first met Izana and even as a young adult it's a big responsibility to bring Izana into the house and make sure all his siblings were doing ok. He clearly wanted to unite them all but wanted it done in the correct way. Shinichiro has only been shown to want the best for his siblings so I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing here. Though obviously this is just my take and we're all going to have different opinions on this.

[philosophicalconservatism]

Response To Post On Socialism/Marxism

maersung

Except for the fact that Karl Marx never once said that capitalism was an abysmal system; he actually praised capitalism and stated that it was the most productive system the world had ever seen:

i.e. you’re right, in a way. “The very standard which they judge their position was created by the system they condemn.” However, are socialists expected to abandon society to have a foundation to stand on? If we abandon society, we are accused of “not understanding capitalism” and thus the world, and if we do not abandon society, we are as you say “spoiled children railing against conditions in their parents house”. So what is it? Are we allowed to point out criticisms of the world we live in? Or should we all turn a blind eye to the suffering of millions and be content with the privilege we have?

Philosophicalconservatism

First of all I'd like to thank you for actually engaging with the ideas and argument expressed in the post instead of merely taking offense at the analogy.

Marx certainly did not praise Capitalism, he did concede certain facts. But what we have seen in free societies is not merely an increase in “productive capacity “ as Marx is willing to concede, what we have seen is a dramatic increase in the quality of life of the common man. We have seen a historically unprecedented decline in general human suffering which you cite as your great concern here. There is a significant difference between the generic desire to improve the world through criticism, which we must all feel (and which is incidentally also a part of the Free Enterprise system itself) and the very particular act of petitioning to replace a system that has been the most beneficial in history with one that is at best simply unproven, and at worst one of the more destructive systems ever adopted.

This brings us to my general criticism of radical politics. I have argued before that if radicals (of all kinds) were as rigorous in their criticism of their proposed alternatives as they are in their criticism of the existing system they would be much less certain, and as a consequence, much less radical. The American philosopher Sydney Hook articulated the mentality of the radical Socialist that he had once been like this:

"I was guilty of judging capitalism by its operations and socialism by its hopes and aspirations; capitalism by its works and socialism by its literature. To this day, this error and its disastrous consequences are observable in the judgment and behavior or some impassioned individuals, mostly young."

This type of double standard is a part of the essential nature of radicalism. It is the necessary condition for its (non-empirically grounded) militant certainty. Figuratively it observes one idea through a telescope and the other under a microscope. The spoiled child that perceives the parents who are responsible for everything that he has as his biggest problem in life (because they won't give him more) is not simply looking for "improvement". People who merely seek improvement will exhibit gratitude and appreciation for what they currently have. Their perception of reality is a grounded one. But ingratitude is a blinding force. It literally obscures one's perception of the world. It motivates one to find endless flaws within what one already has, but perfect salvation within any thoroughly vague, half fleshed out alternative as long as it is in fact an alternative.

This is not a clear practical perception of the superiority of another model, it is an emotional contempt for what one already has. The spoiled child believes that if he can just be rid of his parents everything will be wonderful. The specific details of what will actually replace them can be dealt with later. Marx himself (in The Germany Ideology) admits that his writing does not in fact embody an alternative model, merely a critique of the existing order. But he expects that through some dialectical magic the alternative will eventually just emerge; the same as our young child does.

. .

[allthingswhumpyandangsty]

Playing with this idea for a one-shot, so it's not fully developed yet.

Whumpee protag is a young successful businessman, real alpha personality, comes across as cold and cruel. But as a minor he was sexually abused by his adopted father. When the father killed himself, whumpee took over his company as just a teenager and ran the company even better, but gets tricked, betrayed and abused by his first new business partner. As a young adult he approaches his bodyguard, his right-hand man, who's much older than him, to abuse him in very specific ways (all the ways that he was abused before). Even if he frames it as kink, it's still very uncomfortable stuff. Bodyguard is terrified and has no idea how to answer; he doesn't want to see him hurt and has been protecting him since the abusive father died. He's also afraid that if this is what the whumpee has his mind set on, he will find a way to get it, one way or another, and isn't it safer for the whumpee if the bodyguard agrees instead of him finding someone else? Bodyguard doesn't know about any of the previous abuse, but once he agrees to participate, he starts to realize what must have happened to whumpee with the business partner—under his watch. He wants revenge, he wants to apologize for his failure, he wants the whumpee to feel loved, but he rejects everything gentle and kind. Whumpee thinks the cycle is doomed to repeat, so he thinks he's taken control of the cycle.

Not sure if it should end there with the realization of why, or if they deserve some kind of happy ending. Any thoughts?

tw: mention of childhood sexual assault.

this actually reminds me a little of my own blorbo — not every single detail is similar, of course, but maybe because it reminds me of my blorbo, I’m a little biased, so the more I read your ask, the more my mind goes “oh yes, yes, this is a brilliant and fascinating trope! I love this and I wish the trope got more recognition!”

(I mean your character and my blorbo share the same childhood trauma inflicted by their adoptive fathers who are now dead. and my blorbo also turned out an asshole with money and power who’s actually very abused and traumatized, but since no one knows about what he went through as a child, they simply see him as an asshole with money and power; it’s complicated, but this isn’t about my blorbo, so I’ll just stop right here.)

as for whether your story should end with your character acknowledging his trauma or if he should get a happy ending moving forward, I’m afraid I can’t offer a precise answer to that, since I don’t have enough knowledge/information about all the little details in your story, if that makes sense? and I believe every little detail does matter when it comes to how a story should end, which direction it should go. and only the author knows that.

could he eventually heal, move on and grow from his trauma, or should his story end with him realizing he’s traumatized and is haunted by his own past?

I really believe the answer depends on how you write him. there’s no right or wrong path for your story to take, since either of these can make for a perfect ending of the story. it can also kind of… be a mixture of both? but obviously, these are just my thoughts without having enough knowledge about his character.

that being said, the advice I can give you from firsthand experience is that you don’t have to make that decision — about how your story should end — right now. more often than not, I couldn’t make a decision about which direction my story should go until I was writing it and it just felt right for my story to head towards this direction instead of the other one. so as long as you write what feels right for you and your character, you’re doing it right and are giving your character the respect and conclusion arc he deserves.

[albentelisa]

Hi there! Any headcannon about Jim and Nomura?

Hi!

I consider Nomura one of the characters Jim 'liberated' in some manner (much like Draal). When they bonded in the Darklands, Nomura was obviously at that low point in her life when she just had given up on any chance to escape from the confines of the Janus Order and simply decided to go with the flow.

I can imagine that her life before that hadn't been that favorable. I have a headcanon that Nomura's familiar family wasn't that kind and loving to her (most likely, at least one of them suspected something was off). I also believe that Nomura isn't very good when it comes to acting skills or something like charming people (she's too straight-forward for that), and that didn't give her many favor points within the Janus Order (she had only gotten that high because Stricklander cherished her battle prowess).

Nomura calls Jim Little Gynt, but to my mind, she is Gynt in her own story too, endlessly searching for her own place in the world. 'Peer Gynt' had resonated with her for a reason. Not to mention, that the ending of that one is somehow hopeful, meaning that young Nomura felt there could be a salvation for her too. Another headcanon I have is that Nomura believed that her place could be by Draal's side at some point, but when he discovered her true nature and never listened to her explanation, everything just went to hell, probably nearly obliterating any resolve she had.

And then Nomura got trapped in the Darklands and used as a scapegoat by Gunmar, even though nothing was her fault. I feel that was the lowest.

It's where Jim came into the picture, refusing to give up despite being just a human child and defying all the odds. Somehow, I keep imagining him talking a lot to Nomura while they stayed in cells next to each other, keeping the mood hopeful. Most likely, he told her about his trollhunting adventures (and I hope that Draal also came up a lot).

Nomura didn't expect to be saved from the Darklands. She was a villain, she had no one to care about her and most importantly, she had her hopes crushed too many times before. So Jim insisting on saving her despite everything meant a lot to her afterward. I feel that when she was out she decided to live her life anew, this time true to herself.

When Nomura returned in season three, I feel she did it for Jim's sake. I think that Nomura is highly devoted to those she cherishes and after getting away from the Janus Order she's free to demonstrate it. And obviously, Jim is dear to her heart. One of my friends believes that Strickler talked Nomura into returning, but personally I love the idea of them both coming to the same decision separately and meeting while heading back to Arcadia.

I know that it's quite a common idea that Nomura is Jim's adoptive aunt, but I feel that she is both aunt and an older sister figure. Though, again, do we need any labels when it comes to found family?

Another of my headcanons is that Jim and Nomura bonded even more during their journey to New Jersey. She most likely was his sparring partner and the one who helped him with finding some balance between human and troll instincts (Strickler too - but he could only call occasionally). I can imagine that it was when Nomura finally got opened more to talk about her past. And both she and jim mourned Draal's death together.

[orangepanic]

Baatar Sr. adopts Asami AU for @thatoneguy56fanfic

In spite of their chef’s best efforts the girl—young woman, he supposed—only picked at her food. A small bite of fish here. A single sliver of purple sea onion. She tucked each one into her red-lipped mouth as if putting marbles back in a sack after playtime. Not an ounce of pleasure on her face. Baatar found his eyes drawn to her again and again in the same way one might watch the aftermath of a head-on collision. Asami Sato, both body and ambulance. 

“She’s your daughter’s age,” Suyin teased as soon as they were alone. 

“It’s not funny,” he replied. An uncharacteristic disagreement. “Spirits, Su, can you imagine? Opal said they’d only just reconciled.”

The laughter in his wife’s face faded as she turned away. “No, I can’t,” she said. “But I do know something about not having a father.”

Baatar sucked in a breath. He’d walked right into that one. “I’m sorry, darling,” he said, pulling her close. Suyin slotted against him, so warm and familiar. Her delicate breath tickled his neck. “It’s not a comparison. I only wish we could do more than give her somewhere to visit.”

“Because we don’t have our hands full with Baatar and Kuvira right now?”

“Because Baatar and Kuvira are the reason Asami doesn’t have a father.”

Su had nothing to say to that. 

The next day Baatar began his project. “Excuse me, Asami?” he asked after breakfast. “I wonder if you could lend me a hand?”

Her eyes met his, hollow. “What do you need?”

What Baatar needed took most of the morning. He hadn’t really required a second person to help him move his chalkboard from one side of his workshop to another where the light might be better, but in the end it was nice to have a capable set of hands to balance and measure and mark on the wall. Asami proved swift and efficient. Once the final screws were screwed and they were both thoroughly covered in white chalk dust Baatar asked her if she might review his plans for an expansion of Zaofu’s opera house later on. As a favor. Asami said yes. 

They continued like that the rest of the week. Every day Baatar created a project for which he might need the assistance of a fellow engineer. Some were items on his long to-do list; many he simply made up. And every day Asami agreed to help, and spent anywhere from an hour to half the day working on whatever it was he’d decided needed doing. At first Asami mostly took instruction. But as time passed Baatar started to press her for her own ideas. Did she think the lift should be hydraulic or not? Which way should the road cut? Had she come across a better material for the coating in her own work? To these questions he also started adding the odd bit of fatherly advice or occasional terrible pun. It took three days for Asami to laugh at one of his jokes, but eventually she did. And Baatar found that not only were her ideas often good and not at all what he would have done, but that he got more done that week than he had in the whole two months prior. 

“I’ve missed this,” he said one afternoon as Asami tightened the lug nuts on the last tire of the new heavy duty motorized garden wagon he’d decided the estate somehow needed. Hu Meng was getting old, and while they could simply hire another gardener he’d never much liked changes in staff. 

For a long time Asami didn’t say anything. Sweat dripped down from her hairline into her tank top as she strained against the wrench. But finally Baatar heard it, just a whisper. “Me, too.”

That night he talked to Suyin again. What was one more child after all? With Opal moving in with Bolin they even had a spare bedroom.

“It doesn’t have to be forever,” he said. “Just until she finds her feet again.”

Su gave him a knowing smile. “Sure, Dad,” she said.

[limehaspassed]

Hello! I love your work so I wanted to request this.

I have afew slasher OBSESSIONS! But at the moment Thomas is my biggest one.

I see many stories of the slashers being so excited for having lil ones. It warms my heart so big VwV

However I've been thinking alot on the scenario of "what if for some reason a child can't be had?"

With Thomas being such a family man... would he no longer want s/o if they can't have a child or maybe don't want them? Would they find another way? Or maybe just be happy with just having eachother for the rest of their lives?

It can be a sad thought, ik. But for ppl that for one reason or another cant and/or don't want lil ones... how would Thoman (or others) respond to this?

I very much need this if you're willing to do it.

Thank you so kindly either way ^w^

Unprecedented

(Thomas x F!Reader)

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In which Thomas Hewitt wants try for a baby, a wish that can never be granted.

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Diagnosed Issue

The doctor has diagnosed you with infertility, a fact that ruined any image you had of having a baby.

For a while, you went without really caring, your mind more focused on meeting bills and moving out to Texas to a family home you inherited from your father, who had passed recently.

You had no little time to think about the baby situation until you moved to Texas and met the Hewitt’s boy, Thomas. It was here that you fell in love and ended up moving in, finding a home within the Hewitt family.

For a while you and Thomas live happily together but eventually he begins to ask about a baby, seeing as he is a rather big family guy himself.

The very mention of a baby sets you off and you bawl your eyes out because you did in fact want a baby with Thomas. You wanted your own family with him but you couldn’t have it. The words of the doctor rung louder than ever the day Thomas asked you.

It took you a while to calm down before you could tell Thomas, before you could inform him that you couldn’t have a baby. He was perplexed at the situation at first but after you explained why, he understood.

He was deeply saddened but understanding, rubbing your back softly as you cried about how sorry you were for not being able to conceive.

Yes Thomas was saddened and disheartened but he didn’t hold it against you. You were glad he didn’t hold it against you.

It would take both of you a while to get used to the news but you had each other and that’s all that really matters now.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Want Issue

You had been living with the Hewitt family for a few years now. Within those few years, you’ve grown particularly close to Thomas, the adopted son of Luda.

The two of you had an open and honest relationship, one that you both strived to make as happy and healthy as possible.

Naturally, sense there is so much love and chemistry built up between the two of you, Thomas brings up the idea of having a baby with you.

You’re first instinct is no. You don’t want a baby, you never have because it was simply a burden you didn’t want to carry.

Thomas feels rejected by this, his dream crushed because all he’s ever wanted was a baby that he could raise as his own. Of course, he believes he won’t be the best parent but he wants to try and he’s confused on to why you don’t want one.

For a while, he goes about and tries to convince you but you deny him each time. You eventually start feeling bad but you stand firm.

After a few days of failed convincing, Thomas decides to drop the subject and refuses to mention it anymore. If you try and bring it up to apologize, he’ll shrug it off and physically remove himself from the room.

You don’t know what to do because Thomas also begins distancing himself. You want him to be happy but you don’t want a baby. It causes a rift to form between the two of you.

You ended up finding a baby kitten along the side of the road and adopted it, allowing Thomas to have a “baby” without having an actual child to take care of.

Thomas was iffy about it at first but grew fond of the little cat and quickly grew into an excellent cat father. You were the mother but you allowed Thomas to be the main parental figure, seeing as you never wanted a child in the first place. However, if Tommy asked you to hold the kitten for a while, you wouldn’t object.

After all, the kitten wasn’t so bad.

Thomas became more vocal and close after that, as if a breath of fresh life had washed over him. You were glad he was feeling back to normal and he was smiling again.

[jtficprompt]

A Young Outlaw's Guide to Hitching a Ride Home

Prompts for a series of fics I'll likely not get around to ever writing.

Feel free to adopt and adapt, using as little or as much as you like.

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Wonder Woman; Tim Drake; Ferdinand the Kithotaur (title ideas: "Tell an Adult" "Doing what needs to be done")

Batman is on a plane somewhere over the Atlantic. A slow civilian plane, that definitely isn't big enough to fit the BatPlane in the hold.

Which isn't kind of plane Batman takes when he knows Robin is being hunted by the Joker.

Superman looked half dead in the news footage. He was barely walking by the time parasite was arrested.

The Titans seem to be off world. Tim has no idea how to contact the Flash.

That means Wonder Woman. Which means Tim need to get to the Themiscarian Embassy in DC as fast as possible.

(Also featuring: Cooking lessons and discrete child neglect assessment questions with Ferdinand the Kithotaur.)

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Roy Harper (title ideas: "Friends in Low Places" "The Corn Pollen Path" "First Step")

You don't stop shooting up because heroin stops feeling like heroin. You stop shooting up because you find something more important than the next score.

Roy Harper finds that in a seedy bar in eastern Kasnia, when he hears two thugs he recognizes as Joker henchmen talking about "the boss" going bird hunting in Ethopia.

He may be an addict. He may be a has-been. But he was a Titan, and he will be damned if he scrounges for his next score while another Titan falls into that clown's trap.

Even if it kills him. (He tries not to hope too hard that it does).

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Veronica Vreeland; Roxy Rocket (title ideas: "Ronnie & Roxy's Rescue Service" "I'm the Cool Aunt")

"Roxie! Darling! I need a ride! I have to get to Ethopia so I can kill Harley's ex."

Roxie knew Veroinca Vreeland was crazy. She regularly encouraged Harley to kidnap her "for brunch." She dated the Penguin. Voluntarily. Before today, she just didn't know that "crazy" extended to HALO jumps from a rocket plane on a mission to kill the Joker. … Maybe Ozzie has good taste after all.

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Jordan Hill; Barbara Gordon (title ideas: "Someone who's been there before")

"I'm not an idiot, Babs. I've known you and every single member of the Wayne family since we were kids. We don't have time for this. I don't care what you all get up to at night: Jeckko is hunting Jason, and I'll be damned if I let that asshole hurt another kid."

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Garth of Shayaris (title ideas: "Tagging in" "The-Batman's-an-Asshole-Phone-Tree")

"You're telling me that Vic has a program running that goes through the entire internet to sort out if I'm doing 'something weird'."

"I mean, it used to track Dickie-bird. But yeah."

"Because if Dick was doing something weird, it means B was an asshole."

"Obviously. He's still an asshole, right?"

"Yes. And there is a phone tree for this. For when B is an asshole."

"Yes."

"Aren't you supposed to be King of Atlantis right now? Seems like you should have shit to do. Besides following my ass to Ethopia."

"Acting King. And if Arthur can be an asshole and dump all his work on me without asking, I can definitely take a personal day."

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Ra's Al Ghul (title ideas: "Ra's Al Ghul is many things")

"Sir, he has the boy."

"Where is the Detective?"

"He's on his way. But, sir, he won't make it there in time."

"I should never have allied myself with that madman."

Ra's paused and gazed out the window. Talia wondered how may people besides her would recognize regret in her father's face.

"Then I must go in the Detective's stead. Have the hangars ready our fastest plane, then fetch my armor and swords." Her father did not turn from the window as Ubu rushed out to see to his orders. He simply stared out the window until he spoke again.

"Talia. Prepare the pit while I am gone. His father will not thank me for it, but if my folly comes to its worst end I will not deprive my grandson of his brother."

[truly-neutral-art]

I have too many DinLuke ideas and I need opinions other than my own. What should I focus on first? I'm crippled by decision making. (I'll put more detailed descriptions below the cut if you care about that)

Feel free to comment any other opinions, I am struggling with the indecision. And if anyone wants to scream with me about any of these ideas I would welcome it with open arms :)

Meet Pre ANH AU: Din and Luke meet while Din is on a job on Tatooine and Luke inserts himself into Din's job (because he's bored) Din gets injured and has to spend time recovering under Luke's care and they fall for each other. Din has to leave once he recovers and promises to come back for Luke as soon as possible but, unbeknownst to both of them, Luke is pregnant.

Fantasy AU: Sort of a King Arthur vibe with Din finding the Darksaber and needing to reclaim the ancient kingdom of Mandalore. Din doesn't desire the throne, simply wanting to take care of Grogu (a boy he saved from a band of thieves) but he can't avoid his destiny. Luke is a Druid who wants to teach Grogu, who has Druid abilities, how to use magic and ends up assisting Din on his quest. The usual suspects also show up and help along the way.

Post S2 canon divergence: This is just my take on a slow burn gffa dinluke with a lot of the usual tropes. Mostly just "the wacky adventures of The Jedi and The Mandalorian: acquire children" because I need more of that in my life.

Greek Mythology AU: Luke is the demigod son of Anakin, the god of the heavens. He grew up to be a renowned hero, as many demigods do, and was sent on many quests. His newest quest sends him to the underworld to deliver a gift to the god of the dead. Little does he know, a vengeful god and the king who sent him on his quest have set him up. When Luke gets to underworld he finds out that he was meant to be the gift. Now he has to deal with Din, the god of the dead, who is outraged by Luke's arrival.

Apocalypse AU: The world has been taken over by a sickness that horrifically mutates people, animals, and even plants into killing machines. Din is just another survivor trying to make it through another day but finds his priorities change when he meets Grogu. Not long after taking in the child, Din realizes that the young boy has the ability to influence the creatures that have taken over the world. When people come after Grogu for his abilities Din has to put his trust into a mysterious man, Luke, to keep his son safe.

Medieval fantasy AU: The new Duke of Mandalore, Din Djarin, comes to Coruscant, the capital of the United Republic of Kingdoms, to sign treaties and make alliances. Many people expect Din to marry to strengthen his position so all eyes are on him, much to his discomfort. Meanwhile the Skywalker family's position is threatened by old enemies, leaving them vulnerable to attack. To solve both their problems Luke and Din get married, but now they have to convince everyone that this is a love match and not a marriage of convenience.

Harry Potter AU: This was mostly inspired by a comedy bit pointing out that Harry Potter was just Star Wars but with shitty lightsabers. The story would take place during the tri-wizard tournament and follow a similar storyline to the original. However, this has a focus on the romance between Din and Luke (obviously), the champion from Mandalore (Durmstrang) and the chosen one respectively. (Also I can make Luke trans just to stick it to JKR)

Spy X Family AU: Luke is a spy sent to look after Grogu who is an asset to the republic. Din found Grogu first on a job and is informed of Grogu’s importance by the mandos (mercenary guild). Republic wants Grogu to become a politician that can unite the two factions (Republic and Imperials). Mandos want Grogu to be knowledgeable of Mandalorians and be sympathetic to their causes. Both want Grogu to go to this elite school (has family requirements) that lead to Din and Luke making a fake family with Grogu to further the goals of their respective sides.

[anthurak]

So this might be the thing that catches me some serious flack, but this has been bugging me about the Helluva Boss fandom for a while now.

Specifically, I feel like people have been parading around the whole ‘Octavia is 17/ a minor!’ point just a bit too much at this point. Particularly whenever someone seems to even think about shipping Octavia with Loona.

Heck, as I’ve stated previously, I don’t even ship Loona and Octavia romantically (I see them more as a very close, emotionally intimate, platonic friendship with perhaps a few vaguely romantic elements), and even I’m thinking that all this is a bit much.

For one, as I brought up in my post on my issues with the ‘wholesome adoptive sisters’ take on Loona and Octavia, going by the implied timeline of the show thus far, Octavia has to be VERY close to eighteen at this point. The first season of the show clearly takes place over the better part of a year, with there being 6-7 months between episodes three and five alone.

However, the big sticking point for me is how this is all starting to feel a bit infantilizing. Like the fandom has become fixated on this idea that Octavia is ‘just a kid’ and ‘needs to be protected’. And the thing is, that is NOT how the actual show seems to be portraying Octavia, ie; Octavia is not a ‘kid’ anymore.

In fact, Stolas himself has said as much.

During his big ‘We are getting a divorce!’ fight with Stella in The Circus, Stolas admits that the only reason he put up with Stella’s abuse was for Octavia’s happiness. And later, he states; “the only thing the Goetia family wanted from our marriage (Octavia) is already 17, so it’s done!”

It’s not difficult to see Stolas’s reasoning here; he is saying that the only thing that has been keeping him from getting a divorce from Stella is so their child could grow up with some semblance of a happy family. And now that child has grown up, so Stolas no longer has any reason to keep up the hollow charade of his marriage to Stella.

There’s also some interesting implications to Stolas’s line about Octavia being ‘the only thing the family wanted’ and being ‘already 17’ if you start reading between the lines. We know from earlier in the episode that Octavia was originally sired as a ‘precautionary heir’ to the Goetia bloodline. Basically, Octavia seems to be a ‘backup heir’ meant to inherit the family if something were to happen to the likely five, six, seven+ more ‘important’ kids in the line of succession. And Stolas’s line seems to imply that Octavia has reached an age where she is now capable of inheriting the family lineage, should it come to that. If not Hell’s age of majority, than at least an ‘age of inheritance’. Which means that the family has gotten what they wanted out of Stolas’s marriage to Stella, so once again, he now longer has any reason to put up with her abuse anymore.

And the following episode ‘Seeing Stars’ has further reinforced this idea of Octavia NOT being a kid anymore. The entire inciting incident of the episode has Octavia running away from home after she feels she can’t rely on her dad. We even get an entire insert song about someone running away from their dysfunctional home and finding they very much LIKE being independent and doing their own thing. And by the end of the episode, Octavia gets the emotional comfort and closure she desperately needs NOT from a reunion with dad, but from another young woman who is very much a kindred spirit to her.

One of the things that’s made me really doubt the ‘wholesome sisterly’ interpretation of these two is simply how their scene don’t really seem to have that tone.

With all the dialogue, lighting and music, the whole scene comes off as less ‘wholesome’ and more ‘melancholic’. It’s about Octavia and Loona discussing some very heavy issues that don’t have easy or simple answers, showing some real vulnerability, and bonding not because their dads happen to have a thing going on, but because these two clearly relate to and understand each other. It all gives the scene a sense of maturity, and certainly doesn’t present either of these two as ‘kids’.

Heck, the scene even has a few vaguely romantic elements, such as Octavia lighting Loona’s cigarette, the strong sense of emotional intimacy and the warm, intimate lighting and music. Sure, as people have pointed out, Loona and Octavia aren’t actually blushing, but with the choice of lighting I’d argue the effect is definitely there.

Now to be clear, as I’ve said earlier, I don’t think the show is doing any kind of romance between Loona and Octavia. Rather, I think these vaguely romantic elements serve to highlight the maturity of the scene. Highlight the fact that these aren’t kids, but rather two young adults.

It all points to the simple fact that the narrative is not treating Octavia as ‘just a kid’. But rather a young adult. As I discussed in my previous post, it really feels like the narrative isn’t pushing Loona and Octavia as two kids or teens bonding as sisters just because their dads are getting together. But rather as two young adults forming a very close, emotionally intimate friendship based on shared interests and a deep, mutual understanding of what the other is going through as they try to figure their family issues out. And largely disconnected from whatever their dads have going on together.

Do I see the show having Loona and Octavia get together romantically? Again, very unlikely. Do I ship them romantically? Again, not particularly. Certainly not as they are currently in the show. The only context where I find a Loona/Octavia romance potentially interesting is a ‘4/5+ years down the line’ situation, where they’ve been super close for a long time and it’s one of those ‘loosely-defined place between friendship and romance but they’re basically soulmates at this point’ dynamics.

But regardless of whether I ship these two or not, I do get the feeling that a lot of the fandom has latched just a little too hard onto the idea that Octavia is ‘just a kid’, rather than someone the story is presenting as being at the end of their teenage years and beginning to figure out their independence as a young adult. Like at this point I’m starting to get just a little concerned that when we get an episode involving or even just mentioning Octavia’s 18th birthday, there’s going to be some blowback/discourse simply because the creators are showing Octavia turning eighteen.

For the same reason I feel that a lot of the fandom has latched a bit too hard on the interpretation of Loona and Octavia having some ‘wholesome sisterly dynamic’, I have a feeling that a good chunk of the fandom’s interpretation of these characters, and more importantly their expectations for these characters in the show going forward, aren’t actually what the writers are planning for them.

[jackiewepps]

Anime Talk - In Memory of Nami Sano

As we are nearing the end of the year, I would like to bring attention to one manga artist who is no longer in this world. I write this with the intention of paying her my respects. Anything that may seem offensive have no such intention behind it.

Nami Sano was born on April 17. 1987 and died August 5. 2023. She was 36 years old and passed from cancer. She left behind many works, two of which have been animated. The first one was Sakamoto Desu ga? (Haven't You Heard, I'm Sakamoto) which was animated in 2016. The other is Migi to Dali (Migi and Dali), which was animated in 2023, the last episode airing December 25. 2023.

I have watched both these anime and want to talk a little bit about both of them. I want to start with Sakamoto Desu ga?.

The story is about a cool high school student named Sakamoto. He transfers to one school and solves problems in the coolest way possible, making friends and enemies along the way. I didn't watch the series as it aired, but it's still been a while. I do remember enjoying it a lot. It is seinen and mainly a comedy series. I can't describe it very well, so I encourage you to watch it, or at least check it out on MAL. I gave it a 7/10 ranking. This is also called "good". I will admit, comedy is not what makes me rank a series highly. My favorite part about the series is probably the titular character, Sakamoto and all the character dynamics he is part of.

As for Migi to Dali, I have quite a lot to say. I had seen the series as part of the line-up of the Fall season 2023 and was considering to watch it. I originally decided against it because I simply had too much to watch on the airdate, Monday. Yet, after another student from my university recommended it to me and mentioned that the author had passed, I decided I should at least watch the first episode and see if I liked it. I definitely did. I couldn't look away. A middle-aged couple named the Sonoyamas, living in Origon village, decide to adopt one child, just one. They find the perfect son, a 13-year-old boy named Hitori. However, there is something the couple do not realize. Hitori is not Hitori. Hitori is two 13-year-old twin boys named Migi and Dali, who both play the role of Hitori. They often swap places and pull off little tricks to make sure that no one will ever catch onto this.

I will say no more on the story. As it is a comedy, mystery and suspense story, I would hate to ruin all the fun. The final episode is great and I ended up giving it a 9/10 score (great) on MAL. If you enjoy mysteries like I do, then I can't recommend this series enough. You can check it out on MAL if you feel like it.

Knowing that this is Sano-sensei's last completed work, you would suspect it ended around the time of her death, but this is not the case. Apparently the manga finished in November 2021, long before she was diagnosed. According to Wikipedia, she was also working on a new project around the time of her death, which further proves that Migi to Dali ended as she intended.

While it is possible to tell that the author is the same through the art style, the stories of Sakamoto Desu ga? and Migi to Dali are so different it is hard to believe they are written by the same author.

What I can conclude is that Nami Sano had a creative mind with many ideas for gimics and interesting stories. It is sad that the world has lost such a great, creative mind this year. My heart goes out to her loved ones, and I hope that none of them are left alone at this difficult time.

[xjulixred45x]

Now MCL x Dead Plate has the makings to be a very a dramatic, tragic, and horror-esque crossover, specifically if Vincent still decides to kill Manon (since you said that the kids love Manon and vice versa) and the entire canon of Dead Plate still happens.

I have so many questions!! BUT I MUST know your takes on the following—if you want to answer these, of course:

1) Consider: Klaus and Karin meeting because they either go to the same school (before Solheim incident) or it's just a random moment; Manon is still alive in this one. What would the dynamic of the kids be (in your version, would they be separated twins from birth? or are they not related and are simply friends?)? How would Rody and Vincent (before or after Rody becomes an employee) react, especially since Vincent has extremely high standards?

2) AU within an AU (unless you make this canon): How would Klaus and/or Karin react if Manon does disappear, and if they(separated or together, depends on you) discover what had actually happened to Manon? Especially Karin if she finds out who did it.

The second one is very dark considering their ages, so if you don't want to do it, you don't have to. Your ideas for this crossover are just very interesting to me, and allows us to expand on how good, bad, and complex these characters are outside of what is canon! (I love both games)

OMG!!!! I LOVE THIS ASK!! and don't worry! I have no problem i'm answer this!

Dead Plate x My Child Lebensborn: IN CANON

1) First of all, I can totally see Klaus and Karin getting to know each other. Both for the ironic factor (boss father/employee brother lol) and for logical factors. Klaus is a very intelligent child despite being young and from humble origins, so he could go through recommendations to a more prestigious school, that is, a school to which Vincent would send his daughter.

Now that I have the opportunity to cause even more DRAMA, YES, KARIN AND KLAUS ARE TWINS. However, they were adopted by very different families as you can see (Rody's parents definitely couldn't adopt Karin due to financial problems, if they had had a better situation, they would have adopted them both. Vincent still would have only taken Karin lol ).

Klaus and Karin are very good friends, each other's only allies when school starts and the other children bully them. They share several common interests such as a love for animals (especially Foxes) and I honestly think that them discovering that they are siblings could be an adventure in itself in this AU (Karin sneaking into Vince's room to look for his birth certificate which reveals that YES, she was a twin), which would make their bond even stronger. They become inseparable in a short time, they protect each other, they tell each other everything.

Vince and Rody have quite different reactions (what a surprise).

Rody is very happy that Klaus has a friend, he wants to chat with her every chance he gets and he DEFINITELY notices the insane resemblance between them, not only in appearance, but in attitudes (did you know that separated twins still share attitudes /habits? That happens here!), so when he finds out that she is not only his friend, but Klaus' twin sister, RODY IS EXCITED! And he definitely wants Karin to feel like part of the family as soon as possible.

Vince, on the other hand, the first time he sees Klaus, acts like he's seen a GHOST, and while he's happy that Karin now has a friend (who's on her level) he's definitely not that excited when he finds out that Karin has a twin who is ALSO “related” to RODY of all people. More than by his standards, Vincent doesn't like this because it would give Karin free rein to have another family (the Lamorees, who already wanted to adopt her first), and in general I don't think he would be very happy at the idea of share his daughter with RODY.

Of course, I think Vince could be more cooperative if he and Rody talk shit together about the children's original family (the racist grandparents, the abandoned father) and MAYBE there Vincent would be more willing to make an agreement for the children to interact as twins (say, a child spends a weekend with one of them and they change). Here Vincent cares more that Karin doesn't leave him, while Rody cares that Klaus has his complete family.

2) This could be considered Canon, or at any rate one of the endings depending on what you choose (just as all DP endings are canon, so are all What If cases here).

I definitely think Karin and Klaus would notice almost immediately/at the same time when Manon disappears, Klaus because Manon would at least call to check that he's okay, and Karin because Vince being so picky about babysitters wouldn't waste a free one (aside from that she stopped coming to their house out of nowhere…), so they both talk about it to each other and think “suspicious….” And they decide to investigate.

(If anyone is uncomfortable imagining them as their canon ages (8 years old), we can say that this takes place after the incident with Solheim and the children are older (maybe 12 years old)).

Karin, even though she knows he is someone harsh, has no reason to distrust her father, so she asks Vincent if he knows what happened to Manon and/or if she has contacted him, which Karin does not know what she expected was for Vince to tell her that Manon was (supposedly) with her parents...lying to her. And Karin KNOWS when Vincent is lying, she pays attention when he thinks she isn't, he was talking to her in a similar way to how he talked to clients, when he didn't say what he thought, with that face...

(it's worse if Karin overhears Vincent at the party telling Rody directly that he doesn't know Manon, making her feel WORSE). And every time she insists on calling Manon or Vincent tells her something different, she doesn't get it, it's the same response. Although Karin could use some manipulation tactics to get something.

For example:

-“Did you fire her...?...or would she no longer want to see me...?”- STRAIGHT TO THE HEART---

With this, Vince could say that Manon hasn't contacted him, but it's DEFINITELY not because she didn't love Karin, but to stop asking because she wasn't going to get a different answer.

So, Karin and Klaus investigate on their own (Klaus asking Rody, taking notes on clues and the last time they saw Manon, etc).

IMAGINE WHEN THEY CHECK VINCENT'S APARTMENT WHEN HE AND RODY WORK, Klaus probably finds Manon's hair in the bathroom trash can, which is pretty weird (assuming Manon hasn't been there in weeks) and the kids rake EVERYTHING in the department, in every place looking for something more, but nothing. the only places missing are the refrigerator, and Vince's office (which Karin has access to because she can take out drawing sheets there).

IMAGINE THEIR REACTIONS WHEN THEY FIND MANON'S LETTERS AND THE PHOTO OF HER AND VINCE IN THE TRASH.

Karin wouldn't know what to say, she would try to justify Vincent, saying that maybe he was hurt by her disappearance and didn't know how to process it, that maybe they were at enmity and didn't want to say it, but Klaus was completely blank, and Karin knew she couldn't defend it. They both know, Vincent has something to do with everything. Something happened to Manon and they are going to find out...

Taking the keys to the refrigerator would be difficult, since Vince's room is off-limits unless Karin has a nightmare (not very likely now that she's 12), but if they do it when Vince is working and go downstairs when he's smoking, well…there is an opportunity.

AND BOY, THE KIDS ARE TERRIFIED.

I think in a scenario where Vincent doesn't catch them in the act, they take the necklace and lock themselves in Karin's room at the restaurant (like that scene in Coraline), get under the covers, and try to convince themselves that everything is a nightmare, this can't be real, MANON HAS TO BE WELL—

By the time Rody goes to pick up Klaus and Karin for THEIR weekend together, and Vince wants to find the key to the refrigerator, it's already too late as he sees the kids' rolling eyes...

THEY ALREADY KNOW.

And if we talk about whether Vince catches them in the act like in the game...

First of all, PAN, but unlike with Rody, Vince is not willing to kill the children, much less Karin, but he also couldn't let something like that come to light, let it be seen that way- let KARIN see him that way. Maybe he could leave them in their beds until morning and then they'd think it was a bad dream (Vince would spend all night cleaning up the remains left in the freezer and probably gave them painkillers so they wouldn't notice the blow), maybe he could feign ignorance and pretend he didn't know Manon's necklace was there.

(Or if there was a confrontation like in the game, Vince would most likely try to explain his twisted reasoning (the kids maybe being shielded by Rody), it was SUPPOSED to be for THEM, they loved Manon SO MUCH, he was supposed to THEY WILL ENJOY (and they did, depending on the ending)) THIS WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!

(Lowkey, Vince would be trying to blame Rody/Klaus for this, for making Karin HATE him without taking into account that he caused this. And yes, the dish made with Manon was served to Karin and Klaus here, not to Rody. There is more but this is already super long).

AHHHHH THIS IS SO GOOD BUT I WANT TO EXPLORE IT EVEN MORE WITH OTHER DRABBLES AND ASK!!!! THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST AND PLEASE IF YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS SEND THEM!!!

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

[teecupangel]

I've been seeing Wesker fanart on my dash lately (Resident Evil) and, I don't have any direction I intend for this to go but, what if Wesker was Clay's older cousin? Who has always come off a little weird and creepy to Clay, but feeds into his need for *someone* to acknowledge how smart and capable he is. And then one day Wesker goes to check on the boy--bright, worthless father, keep an eye on for future potential--and he's just, vanished. Eye witnesses say an older gentleman began visiting him at his work site, and then he just disappeared, never to be seen again.

Well. Wesker can't very well let that stand, now can he.

It is time for me to dust off my knowledge of Resident Evil lore!

So…

The thing about Wesker is that he’s actually part of a project to genetically modify children into becoming ‘superhumans’, the next step to human evolution. Children were adopted (more or less) and given the surname Wesker and then they were experimented on.

Albert Wesker is simply one of the ‘successful’ ones.

And, and, and…

If we take in consideration that Albert Wesker’s birthdate is around 1960s, Clay being born in 1982 means, for this to work, Wesker isn’t Clay’s older cousin.

He’s Clay’s uncle.

And there’s really no information about Wesker’s life before he became a ‘Wesker’ so we can play around with it.

Let’s say he was Clay’s father’s younger brother, the brighter of the two, the apple of their parents’ eyes. He was taken from his family because he showed potential, told the parents that they would take care of him, make him live up to his potential, the whole propaganda.

So Clay’s father had to live in his younger brother’s shadow the entire time. Perhaps his family fell apart after Wesker’s ‘adoption’, maybe the cycle of abuse started when Clay’s father couldn’t be the child Wesker had been. It does not excuse what his father did to him. It does not excuse the pain that Clay had gone thru.

But it’s what drove Wesker to check up on him.

Call it lingering sentiment.

Call it a weakness.

Call it the possibility of another ‘child’ that Wesker wanted to check before he begins the final stage of Uroboros.

Either way, he introduces himself as Albert Kaczmarek and they start to talk. Clay thinks he wants to build bridges with his father but Albert had long thought of his older brother as a lost cause.

But Clay?

Clay had potential.

And Wesker always liked to have all the cards.

So when Clay disappeared?

Well…

The other projects Wesker had in hand could be pushed for now until he finds his dear… nephew.

Unorganized Notes:

RE and AC lore needs to be played around. The most ‘pressing one’ would be the timeline of events as Uroboros is meant to be finished in 2009 and Clay was approached by Bill in 2010. That’s easy to do. Just make Uroboros have a few more setbacks and delays because Wesker got ‘distracted’.

As usual, all the viruses are derived from failed Isu experiments.

Considering ‘superhuman’ is more or less connected to the Isus in AC lore, this means Spencer was trying to recreate Isus using children.

This also means that Wesker has higher than normal Isu genes (those glowing eyes? Yeah, definitely him having some form of Eagle Vision)

It would be so, so easy to make Umbrella = Abstergo but to change things up, let’s make Umbrella and Abstergo rivals, the two big pharmaceutical companies (it really says a lot about humanity that pharmaceutical companies are easy targets of “yeah, those guys! Definitely evil corps!”)

Umbrella knows about the Templars and the Assassins but they’re in the whole “I stay in my lane, you stay out of mine”.

This does mean that the world of AC would know about bioweapons and all of Umbrella’s dirty secrets but that’s fine. I mean, Wesker is more or less doing shit on his own anyway.

Ngl, I like the idea of Clay meeting Jake just for the sheer exhaustion and sass Clay would do as he becomes Jake’s minder I mean cousin.

Oh. This means Wesker is Ezio’s descendant………

[snowbellewells]

Birthday Fic Update: “One More” (part three)

Okay, I realize that it isn’t morning anymore (as I promised @kmomof4 Sorry Krystal!) But it is still Monday, and I’ve kept you waiting less the a week after the painful update. This one won’t fix everything, but you’ll have a better sense of what’s going on, and hopefully things will look less bleak. Also, this update marks the halfway point in the story - so there’s a bit of a hinge point with this one - the first half is from Emma’s point-of-view as usuall, and the second part shows us what’s been going on with Killian.

I hope you’ll enjoy (and perhaps feel less likely to keep out your pitchforks) after this one!

Still a Birthday Fic for @searchingwardrobes -- who I hope will trust me just a little longer, despite the momentary pain.

Also available on AO3, if that’s your preference, or from the start here on Tumblr

Summary: Through the years, Emma keeps waiting - one more placement, one more year, one more separation - until she can find where and with whom she truly belongs. It turns out the person to show her has been right beside her all the time...

by: @snowbellewells

iii. nineteen years old (two years later)

“Just one more good push, Emma!” the nurse at her elbow cajoled, urging her on intently, knowing the young woman was almost out of strength, at the very dregs of her reserves. “You can do it, I know you can.  …Ready? Push!”

Gritting her teeth on a last effort to free the little one inside her, whom she had clung to the hope of meeting, despite the heartache and worry that had hung over her as he grew. She couldn’t fail him now. They would both need every ounce of her resolve to face the world, just the two of them.

Shakily, Emma attempted to give Nurse Green a tremulous smile, though barely able to hold her head upright through her exhaustion. “Just one more, huh?” she huffed, her breath ragged as she exhaled and tried to draw in another. “I think the little guy has other plans, Tink.”

Tina Green, known to many of her patients and co-workers at the small women’s clinic in Seattle where she worked and where she had met Emma as ‘Tink’ for her petite, blonde, pixie-ish looks and chipper manner, merely shook her head. “Whatever it takes to keep you fighting to see him,” she countered stoutly.

The doctor broke into their back and forth from the foot of the bed - matter of fact and as though he had heard none of the women’s conversation that had come before. “Alright, Ms. Swan. The baby’s head is crowning. Now is the time for that final effort. You’re about to meet your son.”

Emma didn’t know that she had more to give; she had been laboring so long now that drawing breath and retaining awareness seemed almost too steep a battle. All the same, she bore down again, praying this truly would be the last push, that her little boy would finally join them. She could only hope she didn’t break Tink’s hand as she clutched it for some minor amount of support.

Over the last several months, there had been so many times; moments when she tossed and turned unable to sleep, when she tried to read maternity books to prepare and only felt inadequate and overwhelmed, or when she stood in the corner market near tears over boxes of cereal, wondering how she would ever keep her child fed and clothed with her meager sole income, when she had almost admitted defeat. She’d considered giving her precious little one up for adoption; thinking even as her heart bled at the idea that he would have to be better off with a family who couldn’t have a child of their own than with her - not even out of her teens, who’d never had a mother herself and could barely keep a roof over her own head. But then Emma remembered her own experience in the system, always alone and never wanted. What if her baby wasn’t adopted either? She simply couldn’t leave him to the same sort of childhood she’d lived through. 

Emma kept herself fighting because, in getting to this point, she and her child were already survivors. They would find a way, because they would have each other. Drawing in a ragged breath and forcing herself to exhale it slowly, Emma refocused on the goal before she was urged to push yet again. If nothing else, she would give her child what she’d only had for a short, golden period in her life - someone to love him unconditionally… a family.

The contracting pain inside her swelled yet again, feeling as if it might tear her apart. ‘One more, one more, one more…” she repeated to herself, almost a mantra that matched her heartbeat, urging her to carry on.

The pressure crested to almost unbearable proportions, and Emma couldn’t hold back the cry torn from her thoat as she gritted her teeth and strained to finally see her baby enter the world, to finally hold him in her arms. 

“There you are, I see the shoulders,” the doctor reported, guiding the newborn on his way. “You’ve got this, Ms. Swan.”

Falling back on her pillow, winded and drained like a deflated balloon, Emma tried to catch her breath, even as she listened intently for the first cries of her little boy, the announcement that he had arrived alive and well.

“Did you hear that, Emma?” Tink’s voice chirped happily at her side, brushing the mussed, sweaty strands of her hair off her forehead and offering her a gentle, encouraging smile. “He’s here! Your little guy’s finally here! You did it!”

“I did, didn’t I?” Emma slurred blearily, her eyelids hovering exhausted at half mast but determined to see the bundle who had caused such worry and excitement before she could fully relax. “Can I hold him yet?”

As if knowing his mother’s voice and prompted to answer it, just then a high, thin wail rang out in the delivery room, the reedy cry of a babe cold and scared outside of the cozy home he had known in his mother’s womb. The plaintive sound reached out as distinctly as an outstretched hand to squeeze her heart. Emma struggled to sit forward, straining to see and comfort her little one in his distress.

Only moments later, Tink moved toward her cradling a white-blanket-swaddled bundle passed on from the doctor as he had finished washing the newborn and clearing his airway. “Here he is, Emma,” she crooned, leaning over to carefully hand the baby off to his eager mother. “He just wanted to see his mama,” she added sweetly. The little boy’s cries lessened the moment he was nestled in Emma’s arms, and the angry red of his tiny wrinkled face lightened as he calmed.

Predictable as it might have been, Emma felt tears welling in her eyes, pooling and streaming down her cheeks. Her joy at holding him in her arms after nine months of waiting - her son, her flesh and blood - overwhelmed and spilled from her in an unchecked torrent. His little upturned nose, chubby cheeks, thin tufts of damp, curling bown hair were already cherished, even as they blurred before her eyes.

Naively, she had feared that he would remind her of the man who’d fathered him; someone she’d met not long after landing in Seattle a year ago, roving blindly in a lost and broken haze, barely remembered beyond messy brown hair, teasing cocoa-colored eyes, and a handful of rushed, less-than-incredible couplings in the back of the stolen car he’d left her with. She fallen in with the older guy almost solely because he’d shown an interest, she’d been running scared, almost starved and out of money to rent a motel room another night, and simply tired - tired of having to figure it all out on her own. When she’d wakened to find him gone about a month after they’d met and thrown their lots in together, she hadn’t even been surprised. She probably should have been hurt, but after Killian’s loss, Neal’s desertion was more like the prick of a thorn than a lasting wound. The positive pregnancy test stolen and then used in the Target bathroom had been the shock that had almost felled her.

Instead, gazing down at her little boy’s placid face, relaxed and nearly dozing once held again in his mother’s soothing warmth, Emma could only see his beautiful sweet innocence. She would give her own life - mere minutes after meeting him - to see that preserved. He should always be able to have the sort of hope she had lost long ago.

Unable to look away, afraid to even blink for fear he might vanish, Emma loved her baby on sight, as if she had never even understood love before. This was one thing at last she knew she had gotten right.

“Henry,” she breathed out softly against his baby soft skin. “Mama’s here… I love you so much, okay? No matter what.” And she vowed then and there, whatever came, Henry Swan - her Henry - would always have his best chance.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

eighteen years old  (not quite three years ago)

When Killian Jones first woke in a base camp mobile hospital overseas, he couldn’t remember where he was or what had happened to him. As he tried to regain his bearings, glancing around and intently tamping down the beginning flickers of panic and that blank canvas within his mind, he knew who he was, but who might be missing him, and why he might be lying there injured in the strange bed beneath him were completely beyond his capability to recall.

Thankfully, as he remained conscious, and doctors and nurses came to check on him and report on his condition and what was being done for him, more of Killian’s awareness and memory came trickling back. He had enlisted in the Navy and reported for basic training. He was had hoped to do his duty, to travel, find his purpose, and also pay for his chance to pursue college study for a career that truly inspired him. He’d been thinking of those possibilities, along with the more mundane pleasure of cuddling with some clearly familiar and comforting blonde beauty in some off-campus coffeeshop, humming along softly to some unknown singer, ignoring his school work and hearing of her day, even as he had been going about the tasks of a routine patrol in what were supposed to be friendly waters, when something had gone wrong. He’d been gladly thinking of making his older brother proud and the happy future stretched out before him when their vessel had been struck.

His brother! An alarm blared in his mind suddenly. Liam! How could he have forgotten?! He’d already wasted so much time! He shook his head in agitated frustration as his realizations multiplied. Bloody hell! Would they have already told his brother he was missing? Or dead?

Quickly flagging down the first orderly who passed, Killian urgently attempted to make the person understand just how desperately, how immediately, his message needed to be sent. He needed to find out if he had already been listed as missing, if his brother had already been notified, and if - 

Emma! This second remembrance was like a bolt of lightning slashing right through the center of his being. How could he have forgotten the most important name he had ever known? She was the beautiful girl beside him in his fantasies of quiet afternoons in a peaceful college town; the smile and sparkling green eyes looking back at him in his dreams. They had been nearly inseparable from the moment they’d met, so how was it possible her memory had not been the first to return to him?

Killian’s stomach fell away, gut clenching in fear and regret at how bravely Emma had tried to seem happy for him when he’d told her of his enlistment. How he had promised her he’d be back at her side before she could even miss him. Tears swam unbidden in his eyes, knowing how it would have devastated her to hear he was lost. Of course, Liam would have tried to tell her gently, but she would have assumed the worst. Life had given Emma Swan little reason to do otherwise in her first seventeen years. And he would, for all that she knew, be just one more person to desert her and leave her behind.

Mercifully, once Killian calmed himself enough to make the situation understood, and to speak with the right higher-ups to ascertain what had been reported and how he should proceed, it didn’t take long for them to help him contact Liam stateside. The relief and joy in his brother’s voice, at what seemed no less than a miracle to the elder Jones brother, was a balm to Killian’s fraught and anxious soul.

But when Liam balked at taking the call next door, not letting Killian speak to Emma, his insides turned to ice. Haltingly, in a voice full of pained regret - both for Killian’s hurt, and as one who had loved the neighbor girl as an older sibling himself - Liam managed to explain that they had no way to tell Emma of Killian’s return. The moment she had turned 18 and was free of the foster system, Emma had vanished. As if she hadn’t been able to look at Killian’s house next door without him there, Emma had fled; no one had seen or heard from her since.  She was just… gone.

Tagging:  @jennjenn615 @searchingwardrobes @kmomof4 @whimsicallyenchantedrose @laschatzi @jrob64 @apiratewhopines @cosette141 @stahlop @xarandomdreamx @sotangledupinit @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @tiganasummertree @optomisticgirl @nachocheese-itsmycheese @spartanguard @therooksshiningknight @xsajx @lfh1226-linda @winterbaby89 @elizabeethan @the-darkdragonfly @donteattheappleshook @motherkatereloyshipper @booksteaandtoomuchtv @thislassishooked @blackwidownat2814 @gingerchangeling @gingerpolyglot @scientificapricot @tomeandflickcorner @ineffablecolors @drowned-dreamer @let-it-raines @justanother-unluckysoul​ @wefoundloveunderthelight​ @hollyethecurious​ @bdevereaux​ @zaharadessert​ @kday426​ @darkcolinodonorgasm​ @artistic-writer​ 

[ledstuckatred]

Unpopular thought:

I think that Maura and Daniel have chemistry, and that their relationship / marriage is real. Maybe just at some time-limited point, but I believe he does exist.

Sure, she also has a connection with Eyk, but she hesitated quite a long time to tell him that she also has that letter and that she's seeing things that shouldn't be there.

Having somebody else live through the same things as her could've helped her staying sane throughout all this madness, and yet she decided to play alone as long as possible.

Her main interest seems to be herself, always, and it wouldn't surprise me if she were an antagonist in the end, too. What speaks against this is the fact that she helps Tove early on, but her scientific interest simply might be stronger.

I wonder if her connection (if you can call it that) to Elliott is because there is some part in her brain remembering things, or because it's the classic "I was told I can't have children and I suffer from it, so I adopt the first random kid I see"?

Due to being face blind, I still have no idea who's on the ship at the very end. I do believe that they are in space and that this is most likely the actual reality, not another simulation, but the reason remains a mystery to me...

Some say they needed to find a new habitable planet and used the time to work with people's minds to strengthen them, and that her brother was supposed to take care and went mad instead.

But living through this also has a high chance of breaking them, no matter whether the simulation initially was supposed to be a positive experience or not. People usually don't really do well with actually believing in things to be real, only to find out that they weren't...

Also somebody pointed out that the coordinates only have two values, while three being actually needed. But the third might be hidden somewhere throughout the series, who knows.

I think Daniel might be a scientist just like her, but that she went down a path he didn't want to follow her, so he tries his best to get the old, nice Maura back instead by playing the simulation game, and trying to have her make positive decisions.

Elliots room being in a grave and him reacting so emotionally to the "truth" makes me think that he was also real, but died at some point. Maybe he was traveling on the space ship as well, but couldn't survive everything due to being an untrained child.

In the end, Maura feels very emotionally detached to me.

My theory is:

She clings to Eyk because he's a mirror to her mental damages, whatever they have been caused by, and wants to be in the role of a mother because that's generally seen as a positive human quality.

But I think she might not be the person we saw throughout the show so far, and crossed the fine line of scientific research that's still acceptable.

The whole dialogue between her and Daniel about what is the actual reality is mildly concerning to me, because: both are valid in my opinion, but the type of reality around you is the defining part for society and humanity in general.

One can not exist without the other, because the "personal reality" is essential to your mental health, and the "outside reality" is essential for social interaction. We already do have people where these two collide, and we all know how good that works...

I think Maura might be some kind of antagonist in the end, and that Daniel still exists in some form somewhere and tries to save herself from the things she created.

This being said, I also think there's a lot of truth in the words of her father. With him being also part of the simulation, he caused a lot of misery for both Maura and Elliot who she's trying to save, and while horrible things happened on the ship she has never been actually emotionally or physically damaged (unlike everybody else). So why would she build a simulation where she's confronted with her father? Having him tell a lie would have proven her point that she's not crazy, but what he said was indeed proven to be true, at least in parts.

This seems to be a bit odd considered how much control she actually had over everything in the end, except from this truth being brought up. Or maybe not control, you could call it blissful ignorance what others went through. She barely interacts with most of the people suffering after all... Even if Elliot was only part of a simulation, this didn't invalidate her father's words after all.

I'm really looking forward to what the showrunners have planned further on, and I hope that they don't try to make it too complicated and thus too absurd.

I also think that everything we saw so far has happened in reality in some was, with all being realistic enough for every time episode to happen.