#defacto head of the mothers family

[littleeyesofpallas]

[solid-white]

I talked about scout in a previous post and how clever he was, so now I'm gonna ramble about heavy and just how underrated he is as a character:

He's often mischaracterized as uncaring, hating scout, or as just medic's alpha male boyfriend, AND THAT'S WRONG! Heavy is arguably the most caring one of the entire team. He's like a big mother bear that'll run into the line of fire and use his body to block the bullets just to keep the other mercs safe.

Other then spy who, in the sfm's, is their encouragement. Heavy is like their defacto leader in the comics. He's the one in front or in back who's the "main focus," he's the one who makes the big decisions about what they should do next, and while he isn't the planner like soldier or strategist like scout, he's the pillar of the decision making.

But even if he cares for the mercs, if push comes to shove, he'll always prioritize his family. His family are his main reason for existence and why he does what he does.

He didn't need to be there when they were making their final wishes (in expiration date), he could've been heading back to his family, but he stayed because he wanted to hear out what their last wishes were. AND he also found scout's joke funny. He gets annoyed occasionally by him, but he's never, EVER, hated him.

In fact, he looks out for him, like in expiration date where he has scout answer miss paulings phone call. Or where when medic is killed he slowly watches cheavy bleed out, OR, where he actually doesn't like spy all that much.

It's clear he doesn't necessarily like spy for leaving scout fatherless, since he can relate to that. He was always giving spy the stink eye or not really looking out for him for those reasons. So pack it up angst havers, scout knows spy is his dad and heavy never hid it from him, nor has he ever encouraged anything.

To make a long story short, heavy cares for everyone, is a gun & battle enthusiast, doesn't like spy, looks after scout (they had an unused noogie taunt animation, they're like brothers), and isn't just medic's alpha boyfriend.

[zeawesomebirdie]

Brudick Co-parenting + Batfam Shenanigans Rec List

Thanks to @holybatmandickgrayson for requesting this, and thanks for your patience while I put it together!! (And paging @steine-druff as per usual!) Dick acting as the defacto second parent in the Wayne household is one of the best brudick tropes, and it has my whole entire heart. And the batfam dynamic itself has so much potential and is a joy to read, especially when the common goal of teasing Dick about Bruce is involved!

These are in no particular order, but I've tried to organise them into general categories. The titles to each fic contain a link to it. A lot of these are on the shorter end of the spectrum, but there's a few longer fics included too! I hope you find something here that you haven't read yet!

Co-parenting

1. Till You Find Your Dream by Kyele [@timeforalongstory on tumblr]; rated E; no archive warnings apply; 177,062 words; 31 chapters; complete

Summary:

“You know, my child, that the orphanage cannot continue to support you once you become an adult.” The abbess sighs. “There is one path that is always open to you. You may choose a holy vocation, and take orders. The Sisters of Perpetual Grace will accept you as a postulant if you choose.”

Dick had known to expect this. “Thank you, Reverend Mother,” Dick says respectfully, “but I cannot follow that path.”

The Mother Superior nods. He looks unsurprised. “Then perhaps,” he says, “you would be interested to hear of another opportunity.” From the papers on his desk, the abbess removes a single sheet. “Are you familiar with Captain Wayne?”

---

Dick accepts a position as governess to eight war-orphans, adopted by millionaire and WW1 flying ace Captain Bruce Wayne. The rest is inevitable.

Starting this list off with a bang, this fic is glorious! It's a The Sound of Music AU and A/B/O, and that sounds like a wacky mixture but truly this is one of the best co-parenting brudick fics I've ever read. It features beautiful sibling dynamics, Dick learning to function in high society at the same time as he's teaching the children to do the same, and the best exploration of gender and social roles I've ever come across. And the way the children come to accept Dick as their governess then protect him from being fired by Captain Wayne is utterly glorious!

2. The Fall of An April's Fool by Mysterious_Aud_Lou; rated M; creator chose not to use archive warnings; 3,967 words; 1 chapter; complete

Summary:

All it took was one mission, one week, one bed, and one very tired mistake for Bruce Wayne to realize that he was in love with Dick Grayson.... and then came the fallout.

Bruce and Dick just came back from a mission in which they were fake engaged, and during that short mission, Bruce got a little too used to acting as a couple. Of course, the rest of the batkids pick up on this immediately, but luckily Dick is great at improv, and so this one has lived rent-free in my head ever since I first read it!

Damian Playing Matchmaker

Because I have a very surprising number of recs with this exact premise! These also sometimes double as co-parenting fics with the other batkids besides Damian too :)

1. Covet by resurrectedhippo; rated M; creator chose not to use archive warnings; 16,059 words; 1 chapter; complete

Summary:

Dick Grayson is an extension of Bruce Wayne. If there’s no Bruce Wayne, there’s no Dick Grayson. They struggle to exist without each other.

The entire world wonders if they have ever been separate people.

This one is a little bit of both co-parenting and Damian being the one to force them together. It features Bruce denying his feelings for a million years, Dick helping to train each successive Robin, and so much mutual pining it hurts (affectionate). And of course, Damian calling a family meeting to announce that Bruce and Dick will need to be wed over the summer, much to the shock of every other person in the family

And I'm adding a cut here because this is getting long, but I've got more under the read more!

2. Better than the Sweetest Dream by shield_of_selene; rated T; no archive warnings apply; 15,089 words; 1 chapter; complete

Summary:

Damian accuses Bruce of failing his Valentine’s Day duties; namely, romancing Dick Grayson. This starts a chain reaction that leads to exploding heart bombs, forced imprisonment, and wedding bells.

I love a villain who can commit to the bit, and the Matchmaker, a Valentine's Day themed villain, does not disappoint! This fic also features Damian having a better grasp of Bruce's emotions than Bruce himself does, which is always a delight to see!

3. To Court a Grayson by Mysterious_Aud_Lou; rated T; creator chose not to use archive warnings; 3,285 words; 1 chapter; complete

Summary:

Damian Wayne has always gotten what he wants, and what he wants is his father to realize that Bruce will find no better romantic partner than Damian's beloved Grayson. So, armed with a briefcase and a carefully planned powerpoint presentation, Damian takes on the challenge of convincing his father that it's time to throw all other romantic entanglements aside, and begin to court Grayson properly.

Oh my goodness, where do I even begin with this one? The whole thing is just glorious, featuring Damian hacking into Bruce's work calender, Bruce actually sitting through the entirety of Damian's presentation, and one of the most delightful reveals I've ever read!

General Batfam

1. Old and New by junetangerine; rated E; no archive warnings apply; 5,241 words; 1 chapter; complete

Summary:

Objectively speaking, he knew the man wasn’t infallible or indestructible (heaven knew he’d picked enough fights over it, Bruce insisting on patrolling even when he could barely stand on his own), but the prospect that he might not bounce back into the brilliant steamroller of a man that Dick loved in more ways than was appropriate or healthy was terrifying.

Not as jarring as the Twilight Zone experience of having Bruce look openly delighted to see him.

“Dick!”

It was all Dick could do to remain frozen in place while Bruce crossed the distance between them and just kept going, right into Dick’s personal space and then closer, until his mouth was against Dick’s. It was short, just a firm press of lips, but enough to turn Dick’s world on its head.

---

A head injury leaves Bruce confused. He seems to believe he and Dick are a couple. Dick doesn't have it in him to say otherwise.

Exactly what it says on the tin. This fic is a delight, featuring Dick being incredibly conflicted and Bruce trying to deny his feelings the moment he gets his memory back! Also featuring the various batkids accepting this new dynamic with surprising ease

2. Be Kind, Rewind by kleine_aster; rated T; creator chose not to use archive warnings; 2,138 words; 1 chapter; complete

Summary:

Batman always thinks of everything, except for erasing his old tapes when he really, really should.

This fic is very funny! I greatly enjoyed the dynamics between the various batkids as they processed what they were watching, and Dick's frantic reaction to being caught with Bruce

3. It's A Christmas Miracle (Or Not) by RandomMayhem [@randomlymayhemic on tumblr]; rated T; no archive warnings apply; 6,864 words; 2 chapters; complete

Summary:

With Harley and Ivy causing chaos in Las Vegas, Dick and Bruce must go on an impromptu trip to stop the unruly couple. Only, they aren't quite sure what exactly they're supposed to be stopping...

Waking up married wasn't in the plan, regardless. Not with Damian on the verge of pulling a Rumplestiltskin. So, there's no doubt about it - the holiday season's about to get a whole lot crazier.

In which Damian threatens Dick's firstborn child should they return home late for Hanukkah. This fic is very cute and very enjoyable, and the batfam's reactions to their impromptu marriage are a delight!

4. Truth or Dare by rnedagemacaroni; rated T; creator chose not to use archive warnings; 959 words; 1 chapter; complete

Summary:

This is why the Bat Family kids should not have free time.

Anything with the batkids actually getting to relax and have fun is an amazing read, and this fic is no exception!! Oh to be a fly on the wall during their games of truth or dare!

5. Wayne Family Adventure: the secret episode by Caroaimezoe; rated T; no archive warnings apply; 4,005 words; 1 chapter; complete

Summary:

Prompt: How will the Batfamily take discovering that their dad and big brother/mother have been in a secret relationship for years

I adore the sibling dynamics in this one, and Damian being smug the whole time is just SO cute! There's also so much that could be said about how valiantly Dick tries to keep their relationship secret only to fail so miserably, it's a true delight

And that's all for now! I hope you enjoy these!

[vemaro]

under these circumstances

[PART 1]

Link to PART 2!

Summary : Astarion got roped in by the tieflings to come and see their former leader. And by roped in, Karlach literally dragged him up from the Underdark. Against his will. It’s not that he doesn’t want to see Tav. Of course he wants to see her. He wishes she never left his sight. Astarion just has absolutely no desire to see the woman he’s madly in love with living a lavish life with someone else.

Pairing: Astarion x Tav (female Tav) // also minor Karlach x Dammon

Word Count: ~ 1120

Notes: I was going to write out a whole spiel to give context, but I’m suddenly feeling lazy. Fair warning, this is a super elaborate, highly specific AU I came up with a week ago. It’s been a brainworm (hah) in my head ever since. It’s canon-divergent, at least when it pertains to the romance with Astarion. But also Karlach’s heart. They pull a deus ex machina and she doesn’t have to stay in Avernus because reasons. Tav needs their Mama K.

My Tav’s name is Robyn, but I switched it to Tav when posting. I don’t go too much into detail about appearance so feel free to imagine your own character in her place. Though, I mention she a druid a few times, and she has heterochromia. Apologies if this is makes absolutely no sense. I haven’t written anything in a long time. And this is my first time posting here. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I’m dying to talk to someone about this.

Also, I do have a second part I plan to post in the next couple of days.

Enjoy (:

…

Tav starts backing out of the room. “Wait right here. I’ll fetch Callum. He’ll be thrilled to see you.”

As soon as her back is turned, she sighs. Thank the gods that Terrick has gone on another of his business trips. While her husband and old travel companions are civil (mostly), there is a stifling tension in the air whenever a friend pops in and Terrick is home. On one hand, Tav’s the same person she’s always been; the optimistic, fun loving druid who became the defacto leader of their merry band of misfits. Now though, she’s part of the highly respected Solariz clan, a noble family who holds a large influence within Baldur’s Gate. And a Solariz must act as such. She must mind her manners, dress in a way that befits her status, and worst of all, not go gallivanting up and down the Sword Coast looking for adventure. At least whenever Terrick isn’t around, she can let loose a little. Thankfully, her husband isn’t around too often.

Instead of walking straight through her son’s open bedroom door, Tav stops just outside and leans on the wall. She’s fighting back laughter because her day’s been made, but her son's month is about to get better. Tav loudly clears her throat and holds her hand up to project. “Oh, Callum,” she says in a sing-song voice. “Guess who’s here to see you.”

There’s a gasp from inside the room, followed by a thump, then followed by the sound of socked feet racing towards the door. The little boy spots his mother hiding behind the wall immediately and starts hopping up and down. “Who, Mama? Who’s here?”

She uses her mismatched eyes to point down the hallway. “Go look in the kitchen. They’re waiting for you.”

“Okay!” And he’s off.

Tav lets out a soft laugh. She loves that boy more than she’s loved anyone before, blood relations be damned. Finding him was the single greatest adventure of her life and she’s never, not once regretted taking him in, especially with moments like this, when he’s so happy. When they’re both so happy. Tav had no idea a part of her found family was missing until coming across Callum.

Speaking of found family …

“Karlach!”

When Tav reenters the kitchen, her red tiefling companion is kneeling down with her arms thrown out, sporting the biggest grin from pointy ear to pointy ear. “There’s my favorite little soldier!” Callum races towards her, throwing open his own arms as he jumps. Karlach pretends to almost fall over when she catches him. “Oh my gods, kiddo. Have you gotten bigger since I last saw you?”

Callum buries his face in her neck, soaking up as much of the barbarian's warmth as he can. “I missed you!” he exclaims into her shirt collar.

Karlach swings side to side, squeezing him tighter (but not too tight). “I missed you too, Callum. Been taking care of your mum, yeah?”

He pulls away and nods vehemently, making his blue curls bounce with the movement. “Yeah! I protect Mama from the scary monsters!”

Karlach ruffles his hair. “Good job, Callum.”

The second visitor slides in behind his partner. “On the subject of protection, I’ve got a little something for you.”

“Hi, Dammon! I missed you!”

Dammon, too, ruffles Callum’s blue locks. “Missed you too, kid.” The blacksmith reaches into his satchel and pulls out something wrapped in a cloth. Callum automatically leans forward out of curiosity, letting go of Karlach altogether. “Maybe you could use this to fend off those scary monsters.”

“What is it?” he asks.

Dammon removes the the cloth and crouches down to the Callum’s level. “Why, a sword, of course.” Karlach and Tav give a chorus of oohs and ahs. “The perfect weapon for a warrior of your esteemed caliber.”

Callum flaps his hands, jumping up and down, excitement radiating off him in waves. “A real sword?” he shouts. “For me?”

“If your mum will allow it.”

Callum whirls around, clasping his hands close to his cheek and brown eyes wide, a lethal combination meant to weaken the heart of their target. “Mama! Can I? Can I have the sword? Please?”

It doesn’t take a trained eye to know the weapon is fake. It’s made of wood and the blade is painted silver. The hilt’s adorned with dyed twine and a few faux gems for embellishment. To a small child, this is as real as it gets. Tav walks over and cards her fingers through his already messy hair, a scrutinizing pout adorning her face. “I don’t know,” she sighs. “Swords are very dangerous.”

Four year olds are not above begging. “Please, Mama! Puh-lease! ”

It’s fake, of course she’s planning to let him keep the gift. Tav still acts as if she’s thinking it over. “I suppose,” she says, dragging out the words. “As long as you say thank you to Dammon for making it.”

Callum whoops. “Yay!” Then he faces the tieflings again. “Thank you, Dammon!”

Dammon looks up to Tav and winks. She winks back. The hyperactive child quickly recaptures their attention by bouncing yet again. “Alright then.” Dammon then gets down on one knee and bows his head while holding out the wooden sword. “It was my deepest honor and pleasure, Sir Callum.”

Oh, Callum is eating this up. The newly minted knight looks back at his mother one more time, making sure he still has permission. A quick, encouraging nod from Tav lets him know he’s good to go. Callum gingerly reaches for the sword and takes it into his hands. “Wow …” he whispers.

“What do you think of the sword, soldier?” Karlach asks.

Words cannot properly express what Callum is thinking. He’s barely four years old after all. So Callum takes the sword by the hilt and holds it high above his head, shouting, “I have a sword!”

“Yes, you do,” Dammon agrees.

Karlach jumps back into her feet. “Hey! Let’s say you and I have a spar in the courtyard later, yeah?”

“Yeah!” With that, Callum starts showing off his swordsman skills, slashing and jabbing in a way only a child could. He even provides the sound effects. Tab, Karlach, and Dammon laugh along at his antics.

A scoff from the third and final visitor has everyone looking in his direction. “Wyll had better watch out,” croons a familiar voice. Tav digs her finger nails into her palms. “Our little bird here may be coming for his title as the Blade of Frontiers.”

If they thought the boy was excited at the previous company, they are immediately proven wrong. Callum’s smile shines so big and so bright, the sun may turn green with envy. It’s almost too bright for the pale elf. “Asty!” he cries.

“Hello, dear.”

Thanks for reading!!!

[babyspacebatclone]

Ok, just back from the live action The Little Mermaid.

And may I confidently say?

Best live-action Disney adaptation yet.

True, a low bar to clear, but this honestly felt like a movie and a love story, and not just a cash grab.

Every single changed scene had me smiling. Eric (Jonah Hauer-King) was amazing, and Halle Bailey truly is Ariel, I want her version to become the defacto in the Disney Princesses line because she feels sweet and clever and brave above and beyond the animated version.

(No offense to Jodi Benson, I love her, but the animated version is what it was and the new Ariel is just given more room to breathe.)

I think, comparing, my child self would love the animated spectacle more…

But my adult self loves the tighter, more in depth story of the live action more.

It feels like the best kind of fan fiction, one where someone who loves the characters asks “How were they feeling here? How can I expand this?”

And gives us those glimpses.

Not perfect, but definitely enough for me to fan girl.

Speaking of which… Spoilers below the cut.

Right from the opening scene, you see this movie is taking itself and the responsibility of the story seriously. I love the development of Eric, his camaraderie with the sailors while also being a good mix of level headed (don’t just harpoon mermaids) with reckless insanity (dude, you’re a prince, please don’t laugh while dangling by one arm over open water. ah, well, i love you anyway).

I can feel how much the film pulls back the special effects budget, especially making the introduction of Triton’s daughters basically a business meeting instead of the grand performance, but the filmmakers were smart enough to make the change work. I like the idea of each daughter being “manager” of a specific sea under daddy’s “CEO,” and it was a great excuse to give diversity to each sister.

Plus, I loved their banter/interaction while cleaning the shipwreck, they felt natural and I wish we could have had more time with them.

Speaking of natural!

As a writer I was listening to the exposition, and in my opinion it was exceptionally well done, especially for the amount they crammed into the beginning. Some of it was on-the-nose, but that was restricted to Grimsby, Sebastian, and Ursula, and felt character appropriate in each context.

There was an eye for why the character is saying something - “Am I supposed to tell the Queen her son died, and on his birthday?”; “A shipwreck brought you to us, and now a shipwreck almost took you away, I can’t stand this anymore!”

I didn’t fee like making Eric an adopted orphan of the royal family was necessary, but I loved both Jonah’s and Noma Dumezweni’s performances enough that I accept the filmmakers wanting to justify things and they do tie it in to Eric’s expanded character.

And that is 👌👌👌 he’s so sweet and adorkable and they manage to make his longing to see the world beyond his island mesh with Ariel’s longing for the surface world without it feeling forced.

You see them shyly come together over their shared feelings of isolation and longing for something they’ve only been able to glimpse, not experience.

Turning the ideas that Ursula is King Triton’s sister and Ariel’s mother was killed by humans into not just canon, but pertinent plot points, was excellent.

I wish we could have known more about her mother, but can I say I’m glad it was never revealed Ursula was actually responsible? I suspected that when it was clear Ursula had been banished around the time of the death, but it works so much better than it really was just one human that traumatized King Triton, and him having to overcome his hatred of humanity as a whole despite his lose.

Ursula pulling out the “I’m your Aunt, ‘Daddy’ has hurt me so much by refusing to understand me, too” was genius.

It especially helped with the fact that Ariel was going to refuse to sacrifice her entire life (realism!!) only to give in because of her anger in a moment of spite towards her father (realism!!!), especially with seeing their relationship and knowing that Ariel’s fear of being enclosed under her father’s constant watch was probably accurate.

As a song, “For the First Time” isn’t particularly special.

Including Ariel actively doubting her decision to come to land? Brilliant.

The entire day out and “Kiss the Girl” sequence is perfection, fight me.

Grimsby being an active shipper on deck?? 😍

I personally prefer Eric being the one to steer the ship in the climatic fight, but the detail of Ariel steering it because she’d witnessed him trying to save the ship in the beginning was nice symmetry.

The animal companions were done very well in my opinion: Scuttle was better handled than in the animation to me, Sebastian was perfect and they did a great job humanizing his design with his eyes compared to previous outings, and Flounder was - there. With Max.

Almost feel you could have cut the last two out and lost nothing except babbling to Triton at the beginning, Eric coulda saved the shipboy at the beginning…

(And yes Flounder’s “realistic” design does not improve in context, fortunately he’s on screen less than the animated characters with charisma)

I love the expansion of the prejudices on both sides; I wish it had been better explored at the end, but Queen Selina’s speech to her son about how his feelings for Ariel despite her being a “sea creature” (her initial fearful reaction) was beautiful.

Brain’s trickling down, it was an early showing, but you get the point.

It’s well worth watching the movie, and I’m up for rambling if anyone else is! 😊

[kaitidid22]

Fanfic: Peaches (Conrad/Billie)

Summary: Billie takes Gigi for their annual peach picking trip, and Conrad shows up unexpectedly wanting to talk. (Canon-friendly & mention of Conrad/Cade.)

A/N: Don’t get me wrong, I love that we finally have forward momentum in this ship. But I wish we had seen more of Conrad’s feelings, or he and Billie outside the hospital, or at least together with Gigi. 

It’s implied that Billie is super aunty always on call for Gigi Time (and kind of a defacto co-parent, if she’s picking Gigi up from school), which is so sweet and makes complete sense. I kept expecting more scenes of Billie with Gigi throughout season 5 and now 6 but never got them. 

Anyway, I have all these brain worms of what those scenes might have looked like. So, I decided to write a few of them. There’s no point to these little vignettes. Just fun.

Peaches

Billie held open the bag and let Gigi drop a few more peaches into the nearly full canvas.

“We’re going to need another bag,” Gigi said seriously.

Billie patted the coat pocket where she had stowed her extra canvas bags. “I’m all over it,” she promised.

Gigi grinned before turning and darting away again. Billie watched Gigi’s sequined Uggs sparkling in the sunshine, bright hair streaming behind her as she ran down the line of trees.

We should have braided her hair, Billie realized, kicking herself for the amateur mistake.

She made a mental note to take a brush to it before lunch. She was supposed to drop Gigi at home by three, and Billie didn’t want to leave Conrad stuck with detangling the inevitable knots before he put Gigi down for a nap, or took his daughter out for whatever he had planned that evening.  

Billie felt lucky that Conrad had let her take Gigi for such a large chunk of his day off. He was home and usually, if he had nowhere to be or adulting errands to run, he spent all his free time with his daughter.

Billie knew it was irrational, but she didn’t want to give Conrad any reason to pull Gigi back from her relationship with Billie. And she knew he wouldn’t because of a few knots in his daughter’s hair—she knewthat, she really did. But things were different now. He had Cade, and where once there had only been the three of them, now there were four. Billie was the odd man out, and she was still finding her feet in their new dynamic.

Maybe Cade remembers to braid Gigi’s hair, Billie’s brain said in a nasty tone.

And that was stupid and insecure and jealous because she didn’t even think Cade was close enough to Gigi to braid her hair. Conrad had mentioned Cade generally slipped out early in the morning before his daughter was even awake. It had been a point of frustration with him as he tried to integrate Cade more fully into his life.

Billie shook off the maudlin thought, not wanting to ruin her good mood. Today was special. Today was the start of peach season. Bad thoughts weren’t allowed on Peach Day.

Warm spring air pressed against her skin, the Atlanta humidity just beginning to rear its head. The beginning of peach season had been Billie’s favorite growing up. As a little girl, the time in between peach picking days—only one year, less than really—seemed to stretch out in front of her like an infinite highway. She had been just like Gigi: vibrating with excitement as the day grew closer.

That had been before everything. Before the rape. Before the birth. Before Billie and her family moved away, and she lost touch with Nic. Before her mother died and her father grew lost.

Billie knew they were just peaches. They weren’t really a time machine. But, for one day a year—when the tree branches were heavy with ripe fruit, the air was sweet with the smell of peaches, and the sun still a soft, warm kiss and not summer’s molten fury—Billie could remember what that hopeful little girl had felt like.

“Hey.”

Billie spun at the sound of his voice, the heavy bag of peaches swinging back more slowly than her body and whacking her in the knee hard enough that her leg collapsed. Conrad took an involuntary step forward, hands outstretched to catch her, as if afraid she would fall.

She didn’t. Her other leg stayed strong beneath her weight. But she cursed under her breath and reached down to rub her knee. She forced a self-deprecating smile because she was, in all honesty, happy to see him.

“Hi,” she said.

“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Conrad said.

His deep voice was always pitched low, and he rarely raised it to show emotion unless he was excited and happy. It was smoky and smooth, and Billie had to fight the way her stomach twisted at the sound. When it went gravelly, though, it meant he was worried, and she could feel the weight of it in his gaze, too. She had first seen it when he found out about the rape and Trevor—a constant watchful, searching look in his eyes. Like he thought that if he looked away, she might disappear.

Or maybe fall apart, she thought, chastising herself.

It was one of the reasons she so rarely told anyone about what had happened to her. The fear of someone not believing her had never been quite as great as the fear that they would always see her as a victim. Weak. She wasn’t either of those things.

But she hadn’t needed to worry about that with Conrad. The look had faded over the weeks that followed the medical board meeting. He had slowly reverted back to the usual teasing glances and elbow jostling when he thought she was being too serious. Plus, he had been distracted falling for Cade—though Billie hadn’t realized it at the time.

“It’s fine,” she assured him, steadying herself. She ran her eyes over him, looking for clues. “This is a nice surprise.”

A slow smile spread across his face, and he ducked his chin before glancing at her from beneath his lashes. The day she had realized that arrogant, combative Conrad Hawkins could be bashful had been the very last gasp for Billie’s poor, wasted heart.

It was just too much. He was too much. She couldn’t keep him out anymore.

Conrad reached out and gently tugged the bag of peaches out of her hands. His fingers brushed hers and, like the lovesick idiot she was, she cleared her throat to cover a tiny gasp at the contact.

Cade, she reminded herself, shoring up her spine.

As much as Billie hated to think about the what ifs, there was a distinct possibility that Cade was going to be Gigi’s stepmother someday. And Billie needed to remember that.

“I thought you were meeting Devon for lunch,” she said as she turned and began meandering down the line of trees again.

Billie scanned through the orchard for Gigi’s sequined Uggs. She had told Gigi that the one rule of peach picking was that Gigi had to stay in sight of Billie at all times. Gigi was a good kid, so Billie knew she wouldn’t have gotten far.

Finally, she spotted the boots one row over and halfway down the line of trees. Conrad followed as she changed direction.

“I was planning on it,” he said, ducking under a few branches.

When he didn’t elaborate, Billie glanced at him. “Did he get called in?”

As a surgeon, Billie was always on call. It was the nature of the job. With internists and ER doctors, though, the schedule was a bit different. The ER doctors were usually only on-call for night shifts because weekends were generally covered in full at Chastain due to the trauma center load.

She’d had a lot of experience with Conrad’s schedule over the past five years, as well as his rare, vaguely panicked calls asking for her help with Gigi when the sitter wasn’t available. She had never seen Conrad called in for coverage—sometimes for an existing patient, and many times for the Go Team, but never to cover a shift or because the ER was overloaded.

But it could happen, she thought to herself.

“No,” Conrad said, shaking her out of her thoughts.

Okay. The word drew out into a drawl in her mind.

The cagey answers were making her intuition tingle. And she was self-aware enough to admit to herself that if anyone else were sidestepping her like this, she would be irritated for a moment and then dismiss them. Few people she had ever met made her want to spend more than a few minutes in their company. But Conrad was one of them. And she was starting to get worried.

Her eyes narrowed on his profile. The bashful look was back on his face—the one that made her stomach turn somersaults.

“Conrad Hawkins,” Billie said in as teasing a tone as she could manage. “Did you want to pick peaches that badly? So badly that you crashed your own daughter’s peach date?”

He laughed but looked away, and Billie felt her stomach drop. She was close to the truth. She hadn’t hit it yet, but it had something to do with Billie and Gigi’s peach date. It wasn’t that simple. She knew him well enough to know something else was going on.

But she also trusted that he would tell her when he was ready—she just needed to wait him out. So, she pushed the worry aside as best as she could and tried to make him comfortable.

“Peach Day was my favorite growing up,” she said.

“I know.”

Her lips parted in surprise. “How?”

“Gigi told me today at breakfast,” he said. “She was really excited. I think it might be her favorite now, too.”

“She didn’t stop talking about it for weeks when we went last year.”

“Months,” he said, this time with a grin that looked easy on his face. “I swear I still have some of the peaches frozen in the basement.”

“I swear I tried to limit her to two bags, but she’s just so darn cute,” Billie said.

Conrad laughed. “She’s a menace.”

“She’s the best,” Billie said, smiling back at him.

“I can only hope she continues to use her powers for good and not evil.”

A comfortable silence fell between them as they smiled at each other. After a moment, she looked away, eyes finding the sequined boots again among the trees. God she loved this. She loved the days they were all together, when it felt like they were…family.

You’re still family, a voice that sounded disconcertingly like Nic’s said in Billie’s mind.

I know, Billie told her.

“You’re always welcome to join us,” Billie said, staring resolutely at his daughter.

“You sure?” he asked.

And there it was: whatever was bothering him. She could hear it in his tone—to anyone else the words would probably sound light and teasing, but she could hear the real question there, the seriousness he was trying to gloss over. He wasn’t quite ready to reveal the full extent of his fear, but he was reaching out anyway, hoping she would reach back.

And she did because, with him, she would always reach back.

“Of course.” She met his eyes with a smile that she knew was a little too soft and added, “Always.”

His eyes latched onto hers with that sharp searching gaze, capturing her, not letting her go. She told herself to look away, that he was seeing too much. But then he opened his mouth, and her eyes dropped to his lips, leaning forward as if to read the words he was about to speak. Somehow, she knew that whatever came out next was important, and she couldn’t miss a second of it.

“Daddy!”

Billie jerked back, putting distance between her body and Conrad just as Gigi threw herself and an armful of peaches into her dad’s arms. He caught her with the ease of a five-year veteran and straightened to his full height, the peaches safely cradled between their chests.

Gigi demanded a kiss, which her father granted with a grin. Then the little girl leaned her forehead against her father’s, armful of peaches squeezed between them. She stayed there for a moment that was no longer than the span of a breath but that still managed to twist Billie’s heart in chest, and then Gigi wriggled to be let down again.

“Give Aunt Billie your peaches first,” Conrad said. “We don’t want to drop them.”

Gigi turned big eyes towards Billie in a silent plea for help, and Billie pulled the next canvas bag out of her pocket.

“I gotcha, kiddo,” Billie said.

She reached between their bodies and gently tugged the peaches out of Gigi’s vice grip. Father and daughter were pressed close together, and she had to ignore the few times that her fingers brushed against Conrad’s chest.

His shirt, she told herself. Nothing but cotton.

When the peaches were all safely stowed, Conrad set his daughter back down on her feet. Gigi stared up at him as she leaned back against Billie’s legs, hand tangling in Billie’s coat. Billie smiled down at the top of Gigi’s blonde head, love ballooning inside her chest, pressing against her ribs like there wasn’t enough space to contain it in her body. She really had no idea she could love someone so much until Gigi. Until Trevor. She let her hand smooth down some of Gigi’s flyaway hairs, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

Billie looked up again just in time to catch Conrad’s eyes jerking away and back to his daughter.

“What are you doing here?” Gigi asked her father. “Where’s Uncle Devon?”

“Uncle Devon is at home with Aunt Leela,” Conrad said. “You made peach picking sound like so much fun I just had to come and try it myself.”

“It’s so much fun!” Gigi agreed with an excited wiggle that dislodged her from Billie’s coat. “I can show you how to find the best ones. Aunt Billie showed me last year.”

“Did she?” Conrad murmured. He glanced up at Billie through his lashes, a smile toying with his mouth.

Billie shrugged modestly. “A lifetime of practice.”

Gigi practically vibrated with energy in front of them. Billie bit her lip to hide her smile, and Conrad waved his daughter off.

“Go on,” he said. “Your old dad will only slow you down.”

Gigi rolled her eyes. “You’re not old, Daddy,” she said, but the words were called over her shoulder as she ran down the line of trees.

“Yeah, Dad,” Billie said. “You’re not old.”

“I feel old,” he said.

Conrad absently reached a hand up towards a low-hanging peach.

“Not that one,” Billie said.

Conrad looked at her, then glanced up at the peach, hand still hovering in the air. When his eyes met hers again, all humor had drained out of them. “Why not this one?”

The question meant something else to him. The shadow of seriousness had once again settled across his face. Under his scruffy beard, the corners of his mouth were turned down. His eyes had darkened to near black, his forehead had crinkled into crepe.

“It’s not ready yet,” she said quietly, eyes searching his face for any hint of what he was really asking.

At her words, his lips twitched upwards, and crinkles fanned out from the corners of his eyes. “How do you know when it’s ready?” he asked, voice gone gravelly again.

“All the green is gone,” she said, eyes trapped in his again. “And it’s just a little soft when you touch it.”

His hand closed the remaining distance to wrap around the peach and squeeze gently. His lips thinned as he pressed them together, but his eyes lightened to their normal brown.

“You’re right,” he said, eyes laughing now. “Still hard.”

“I told you,” she murmured. “I’m a peach expert.” Then she grinned at him. “That’s okay, though. There are plenty of peaches in the orchard.”

A tiny voice rang out down the line of trees, “Aunt Billie! I need the bag!”

“Coming,” she called back. She looked back at Conrad. “Try the one next to it.”

His eyebrows lifted, but he moved his hand to the next peach. She felt smug when he felt it, and she saw it register on his face. So smug, in fact, that a broad smirk spread across her face.

Something flashed behind his eyes as they met hers. Something that made her stomach dip and her toes tingle. And then he looked away, and her stomach dropped again at the feeling of rejection.

“Yep,” he said. “That’s ready.”

“Told ya,” she said over her shoulder as she walked towards Gigi. “Grab it, and let’s get a move on, Hawkins.”

“Billie.”

She glanced over her shoulder, not willing to give him all of her. But the look on his face had her turning completely back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“We’re ok,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

She blinked. “Yes?” Hers was.

Determination settled over his features. She was used to this expression—had been since their first days as equally arrogant and outspoken interns at Chastain. Back when he had resented her for every breath she took and had to steel himself to even interact with her on the few occasions their patient load overlapped.

But this was a different Conrad, and she was a different Billie, and he was steeling himself for something else now.

“Last week…” He trailed off, hands finding his hips as if to brace himself. “You’ve been avoiding me,” he said instead of finishing whatever he had started about the week before.

“I haven’t,” she said.

And it was true. She had sought him out at work a few times, just wanting a chance to talk, catch up about their lives. She had picked Gigi up from daycare three times that week, and always passed her over to Conrad in the hospital lobby with light conversation and a dash of their usual teasing. Billie had made sure to follow up with him on the nightmares—still nothing new—and the cold he’d had three weeks before. They had talked. She had made sure of it.

He tilted his head, eyes calling her on the sidestep. “Outside of the hospital,” he stressed.

She hesitated. She hadn’t thought he had noticed. She had assumed he was distracted. She looked at the ground, eyebrows coming together as she wondered how to talk around this.

Despite AJ’s insistence that Conrad was in the dark, part of her was sure Conrad knew how she felt about him. He knew her too well not to have seen the change in her. They had come so close to discussing it so many times, always skirting around it with innuendo and metaphors that all amounted to the same thing: Billie wanted, and Conrad didn’t. For a long time, she had thought he was saying Not yet. But the night of Kit and Randolph’s engagement party, she had realized he had been saying You’re not the one.

Thoughts swirled through her mind. Possible answers presented themselves and then dissolved just as quickly. She was left with the truth—at least part of it. They talked about everything. They could talk about this.

“Touché,” she finally murmured. She sighed and turned to walk again. “I’m not avoiding you,” she said.

“Billie—” he started to say, with the infinite patience he had developed after becoming a father. Or maybe it had been before that, and Billie just wasn’t allowed to see that softness in him until he began letting her share Gigi.

“I’m not,” she stressed. “I just don’t know how to do this yet.”

“Do what?” he asked, voice a gentle murmur.

“You with a girlfriend,” she said.

Too close, a voice in her mind chided her. Too close to the truth.

He let out an awkward laugh. She rushed on so that she wouldn’t need to hear his response.

“It’s always been the three of us,” she said, gesturing at his daughter down the row of trees. “You, me, and Gigi.”

Gigi had lost interest in waiting for Billie to show up with the bag and was currently trying stuff a peach in the tiny pocket of her jean jacket. The little girl was going to be a sticky mess, and Billie felt a surge of affection—and gratitude that she had remembered to stash baby wipes in her glove box.

“Holidays,” Billie said. “Weekends. Movies and zoos and museums. We’ve always done it together, been together.”

“Right,” he said. “And Gigi loves that.”

“So do I,” Billie said.

“So do I,” he stressed.

On the surface, his deep voice was teasing, happy. But she could hear his confusion and frustration, too, and she stopped walking to face him.

“Conrad, it’s different now,” Billie said.

Is that too close to the truth? she wondered. But it was too late now. The words were floating between them, and the searching look was back on his face.

“Why is it different?” he asked.

“Conrad—”

“It’s not different,” he said, sidling closer to her. “Billie, you’re family.”

He moved slowly, as if scared she would shy away like a horse. And, for a moment, she hated how well he knew her. She did want to take a step back and away, use that distance as a buffer between her very bruised heart and this very sweet man. But he was being so vulnerable, and she knew it had to have been hard for him to bring this up. So, she steeled herself, too.

“I know,” she said. “You’re my family, too. But Cade deserves a chance to build a relationship with Gigi. And, if you think highly enough of her to bring her into Gigi’s life, then Gigi deserves that chance, too.”

Conrad’s mouth worked for a moment, as if this was the very last thing he had expected her to say. “And you think that can’t happen if we’re spending time together?”

Too close, she thought.

“I think us spending time together muddies things,” she said. She dropped her poker face and sighed, letting her own confusion be visible to him. “Don’t you think it does?”

He hesitated, appearing to struggle with something. She gave him almost a full minute, but no words left his mouth. She sighed again.

“I don’t know, Conrad. That’s what I meant when I said I don’t know how to do this yet.”

“You think I do?” he asked with a laugh. “This is weird as hell.”

She couldn’t help it—she burst into laughter. Delight lit up his face as he watched her.

“Are we as much of a mess as we feel?” Billie asked, turning to walk again.

“I think we have everyone else fooled,” he assured her. After a moment, he asked, “You feel like a mess?”

“Only about ninety-five percent of the time.”

“I never would have guessed.”

She shrugged, and a comfortable silence settled between them again. When they had wandered close enough, Gigi ran over, threw her armful of peaches in the bag, and ran off again without a word.

“Look,” Conrad said, voice barely more than a murmur. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe having you and me and Gigi spend time together while she gets to know Cade isn’t the right move. Thank you for thinking of it. I should have.”

She nodded. She hadn’t realized until this moment that she had been hoping he would argue with her. Hoping he would tell her that he couldn’t do that, that their time together with Gigi meant too much to him. Hoping he would tell her he had been wrong to choose Cade.

Stop it, her brain ordered.

“But Billie…” He paused to take a deep breath. “You’re her favorite person.”

She knew what he was saying and suddenly understood what his real worry was. “I will always be there for Gigi,” she assured him. “And she knows that.”

Relief eased his brow. “She does, right?”

Billie let herself press closer into him, wrapping her fingers around his forearm and squeezing gently. “She does.”

“Can we just figure it out together?”

Startled, her head jerked in response. Not a nod, but not a head shake either. Not a yes, and not a no. Just confusion.

“You’ve helped me figure out all this parenting stuff,” he said, a wry grin toying with his mouth and crinkling his eyes. “You can’t abandon me now.”

Her fingers tightened on his skin. “Never.” She tried to make the word light-hearted, but her breath caught in her throat.

“I thought…” He trailed off with a nervous laugh. He’d been laughing that way a lot recently.

“You thought what?” she asked, curious.

“That you were avoiding me.”

He was obfuscating again. That wasn’t what he had been about to say. But she didn’t call him on it.

“So you said. Why would you think that?”

“Because… you were avoiding me?” he asked.

She shoved lightly against his shoulder. “I just told you I wasn’t.”

“But it looked that way,” he said, slightly defensive.

“You’re my best friend, Conrad,” she said. “I’m never going to avoid you.”

It was the first time she had said the words to him—“best friend.” The second time she had said it out loud to anyone, actually.

“You’re my best friend, too,” he said, blowing past it and not catching how much the words meant to her. “Which is why I was in a panic and trying to figure out a way to fix this.”

“Is that what today’s surprise visit was about?” she asked him, glancing sideways at his profile.

He didn’t look at her. But she could see his lips twitch under his scruffy beard. “Maybe I wanted you to remember how much fun we have.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “We do,” she agreed. “Always.”

“Good.” He cleared his throat. “So, where are we going for lunch?”

“Oh, you’re joining for lunch now, too?”

“You’re going to make me haul seven tons of peaches around and not feed me?” he asked, eyes wide in shock. “Monster.”

She swallowed her giggle. “Fair point. I was planning to take Gigi to Cierra’s.”

“Barbecue,” Conrad said, genuine surprise on his face.

Billie rolled her eyes. “I’m not all tea sandwiches and white linen tablecloths.”

“Who are you, and what have you done with Billie Sutton?”

She bumped her shoulder into his.

“Kidding,” Conrad murmured. “I wonder if we can get Gigi to sweet talk Cierra into grilling up some of our peaches.”

Billie drew in a quiet breath and slipped her arm through his elbow. “Yes. You’re brilliant. Grilled peaches are my favorite.”

“Yeah,” he said in a low rumble. His eyes were light and happy and affectionate. “I know.”

[trixstriforce]

so can we talk about how LU!Malon is a Trade Wife or am i just meant to not realize how gross it is that in a LOZ au the only major female character is a Trade Wife.

bc i already knew a a majority of her portrayals in fics were grossly misogynistic like yall only include her to give Time a baby or give the LU boys a mother. if we r lucky she gets to just be Time's wife but i have RARELY seen even popular LU writters make her more than that. But im realizing that its a lot grosser than that bc she is weirdly out of character in LU to be more of Time's domestic wifey and the boy's defacto mother like she is in fics. She is only added to 1 give Time something to care about 2 give Time a family(sometimes give Twilight a family too) 3 be the adopted motherly figure to make everything alright for the other boys.

I can not think of a time off the top of my head a LU fic included her as a character where she wasnt there to be a character motivation for Time or the motherly figure for the boys. Malon in oot is not fucking like that. She was an airhead and a horse girl but she was never explicitly a caring person and certainly not motherly. She was stubborn and strong wiled like how some fics and even LU tries to portray her but still they lean more into her motherly role and love for Time as her major character traits if they ever let that part show.

This is misogyny i dont know why this is such a widespread thing other than the comic itself is misogynistic which i already knew but the LU fandom tends to curb a lot of the worst writting in LU and this is something i havent seen combated much in fics at all, if anyhting this interpretation of the Trad Wife Malon has been wholeheartedly accepted w/out critical thinking. That feels weirdly gross to me that the most significant woman character in LU is only an extension of her husband and a wife first then mother then character and it seems no one else is rlly talking about that or curbing that in their fics

(if anyone has a fic recc where malon isnt just an extension of Time or Twilight or any of the boys send it over btw!!)

[tay-likes-toons]

Finally refined the designs of the main four of The Poeville Chronicles. info below:

Zack Alrickson (they/them) - A young mage gifted with enormous power, but their troubled home life has left them in a troubled, childish mental state that results in their power being rendered as more curse than blessing. They were the first person Mira connected to, having rescued their beloved stuffie bunny from a gang of bullies. (voiced by Casey Mongillo)

Mira Cheng (she/her)- The latest in a long line of magical women known only as The Protectors, Mira has spent the last ten years training and traveling the world with her emotionally closed-off, survivalist aunt, Ana. Finally back in the town of her birth, her family are essentially strangers to her and her social skills are incredibly lacking. Were it not for the other three, she would be lost. (voiced by Daniella Pineda)

Bull Davis (he/him) - Born to and raised by a teenage mother with a checkered past, Bull Davis has been a constant victim of social ostracization: be it concerning his mother's sexual life, his sexuality or his lycanthropy inherited from his absent father. Closed off from society at many fronts, he became a loner and avoided human contact whenever he could; anyone who approached him, he pushed away immediately due to anger issues. Mira's stubbornness and lack of anything resembling social skills ironically lead to him gaining his first true friend in her, and by proxy, his first real friend group. (voiced by Vincent Martella)

Chloe Ahruja (she/they) - Terminally bored and highly intelligent, this druid is less concerned with controlling plants and more concerned with chasing a social media high ever since her parents gave her her first MaxPhone. The head of Roger Corman Middle School's AV Club, she's the defacto director of any and all filmed events going on, from PTA meetings to school field days, as well as the brains behind the schools social media pages. She met Mira when the rose-haired girl stumbled her way into the AV Club room when she was scouring the school for a bathroom. As soon as Mira said she was a Protector, stars clouded Chloe's eyes and she immediately appointed herself Mira's own personal PR woman. (voiced by Lakisha Kimberly Robinson)

[thepoevillechronicles]

Meet the Outcasts

Zack Alrickson (they/them) - A young mage gifted with enormous power, but their troubled home life has left them in a troubled, childish mental state that results in their power being rendered as more curse than blessing. They were the first person Mira connected to, having rescued their beloved stuffie bunny from a gang of bullies. (voiced by Casey Mongillo)

Mira Cheng (she/her)- The latest in a long line of magical women known only as The Protectors, Mira has spent the last ten years training and traveling the world with her emotionally closed-off, survivalist aunt, Ana. Finally back in the town of her birth, her family are essentially strangers to her and her social skills are incredibly lacking. Were it not for the other three, she would be lost. (voiced by Daniella Pineda)

Bull Davis (he/him) - Born to and raised by a teenage mother with a checkered past, Bull Davis has been a constant victim of social ostracization: be it concerning his mother's sexual life, his sexuality or his lycanthropy inherited from his absent father. Closed off from society at many fronts, he became a loner and avoided human contact whenever he could; anyone who approached him, he pushed away immediately due to anger issues. Mira's stubbornness and lack of anything resembling social skills ironically lead to him gaining his first true friend in her, and by proxy, his first real friend group. (voiced by Vincent Martella)

Chloe Ahruja (she/they) - Terminally bored and highly intelligent, this druid is less concerned with controlling plants and more concerned with chasing a social media high ever since her parents gave her her first MaxPhone. The head of Roger Corman Middle School's AV Club, she's the defacto director of any and all filmed events going on, from PTA meetings to school field days, as well as the brains behind the schools social media pages. She met Mira when the rose-haired girl stumbled her way into the AV Club room when she was scouring the school for a bathroom. As soon as Mira said she was a Protector, stars clouded Chloe's eyes and she immediately appointed herself Mira's own personal PR woman. (voiced by Lakisha Kimberly Robinson)

[irhynesumahat]

Former Guardian

Name: Malik Ishtar

Age: 21+

Gender: Male

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 130 lbs

Orientation: Pansexual

Family: Imseti Ishtar; father (dead), Merut Ishtar; mother (dead), Rishid Ishtar; adopted brother (alive), Isis Ishtar; sister (alive)

Personality: Rebellious, headstrong, arrogant, prideful, brash, vengeful and manipulative. His more positive personality traits are reserved more for those he is close to. In which case he can be loving, helpful, thoughtful, dutiful and kind. Malik is also quite curious, and loves reading whatever he can get his hands on. He's a consumer of knowledge in an eclectic sense. If it catches his eye, he's learning about it.

About (Past): Malik was born for the sole purpose of carrying the Pharaoh's memories carved onto his back and to continue the legacy of the Tombkeepers.

With the "murder" of his father, Malik blamed the pharaoh and went for revenge. Of course, we all know how that ended. It took the wind out of his sails for a time, but not completely.

About (Present): Now officially freed from his duties, he understands that he cannot truly run from the past and what he was. However, despite all appearances that Malik puts on, he's still quite chaotic. Years of living underground and being depraved of many experiences has made him far more lax and open -- he'll try anything at least once, which sometimes turns to bite him on the ass, of course. Dangerous or thrill-seeking behavior is a possibility of indulgence for him.

He's also still not fully redeemed. There are still sects of the Keepers who seem lost and still keep contact with him, especially the ones closest to him in age. They still consider him the defacto leader to some extent and so will often still come around or seek advice. He doesn't care for that much, but he does try to help them adjust the best he can. Even if the clans are supposed to be disbanded.

The Ghouls are also still active under Malik, but have moved on from cards to bigger things: drugs, weapons, artifacts and black market dealings with priceless antiques. . . just to name a few. He will reject the notion in public that he's still runing a criminal ring, but he still very much is.

Malik also enjoys forms of luxury. Everything in his home could be considered quality. Even the clothing and shoes he wears are expensive, and there's lots of colour. Hardly any dark clothing. He loves to smell nice, too, with expensive oils, soaps and colognes. He still wears kohl around his eyes in the way that displays his Keeper status as the leader despite disliking that role. He keeps himself clean and free of most hair (except for the hair on his head which he keeps longer), and clean in general.

Strangely in reverse to this, he may also keep some rather ridiculous things around as well. Baubles and the like, things that strike his fancy. Again, due to his deprived former state. Small amounts of clutter which are usually notes for classes, translations he does for museums or the like. Otherwise, his home is clean mostly because Isis keeps on him about it.

He keeps many different books of many authors and genres in his home, too, mostly with things on ancient Egypt that's been edited by himself with knowledge he'd gained.

Languages: He's pretty good at learning languages, all things considered. He speaks the ancient tongue (with a more upper-class dialect), Egyptian-Arabic and Japanese, with English in the process. When upset or flustered, he slips back into the ancient variant. Sometimes he may mix words, though, if he's drunk or tired, especially. So you may get Arabinese or whatever.

When concerning others: Generally speaking, he comes off as friendly and open even to strangers. Depending on the character, he may react differently.

In regards to Atem, he may act cordially to the pharaoh, but not much else. There's still a residual grudge there, even if he helped rescue him from his dark half.

In regards to Yugi, he's more open than he is with Atem. Though he doesn't talk much to Yugi due to feeling more guilty on that end. (From using Jonouchi and Anzu).

With Ryo, it's almost a sort of kindred thing. He understands what the other has gone through, and he's definitely kinder to him.

For Bakura, it's neither really hate nor exactly fondness, though he's grateful that the Spirit of the Ring tried to assist even if it was for more personal gain.

Concerning Jonouchi and Anzu, he feels guilt, so he may not come right out and be too friendly. Instead he may feel a little undeserving of their friendship.

[chaoticgremlinwholikescheese]

So, I’m working on a queer ww2-era book. Here are the main characters!!

Theo (Theodore):

A jewish nerd. Pre-enlistment, he worked at a jewish deli in San Francisco. His parents fled Germany before the Nazi party arose to escape the pogroms/antisemitism. Theo is a medic with the brigade, but since he speaks fluent German (and yiddish), he is the defacto translator as well.

Before he enlisted, Theo and his family were saving money to bring family members over from Germany to save them from the Nazis. Unfortunately, they only made enough to bring over one, Theo’s younger cousin. Theo writes to his cousin, and he’s trying to see if his cousin’s family is still alive.

Theo reads a lot of comics. He has a crush on Steve Rogers/Captain America (he doesn’t realize it’s partially because he has a crush on Nick, who looks somewhat like Cap). He carries books around with him. He sometimes reads aloud from them. He trades books with people they meet, so that he always has new things to read.

He also sings. He grew up with stories from his mother about the Berlin opera, and he dreamed about being an opera singer. That dream faded, but his love for singing never did. He sings while he works.

He’s very open about being jewish. Though many jewish soldiers choose to put P for protestant on their dog tags, Theo refuses to do that. He will not hide his jewishness. Because of this, he is bullied by other soldiers in the ranks. He rarely picks fights or stands up for himself, choosing instead to ignore them. Nick often steps in and beats up the guys bullying Theo (he’s protective).

Theo is a sweetheart. Just a little guy (quite literally, he’s relatively short). He has a heart of gold, and Nick falls in love with him because of that.

Nick (Nicholas):

Nick appears like your typical jock. He’s a muscular, popular, blond blue-eyed guy. But he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He’s a genuinely good person. He has this charisma that makes everyone love him.

He’s a proud Brooklyner from New York. He didn’t grow up wealthy. His dad was never in the picture, so his mom was working whatever jobs she could to keep a roof over their heads. While his mom was working, he hung out with an old woman who lived upstairs. She worked as a prostitute, but is now retired. Because of this Nick doesn’t allow any of the soldiers to pull shit with sex workers on/off base.

Nick has dyslexia (undiagnosed, because it’s the 40s), and everyone assumes he’s stupid. But he’s actually very intelligent when it comes to certain topics. He has trouble reading, so he loves to listen to Theo read aloud (he just loves Theo in general). 

At home, his mom is working to get him married. She has an engagement set up with his female best friend from home. However, Nick’s bff is a lesbian, and in a happy relationship with her girlfriend. They have an agreement to be each other’s beards so neither gets in trouble/discovered. Nick writes to his ‘girlfriend’, and she writes to him. She knows he’s in love with Theo and is desperately trying to get him to realize it. When they get together, she’s totally invested in their relationship.

Nick falls in love with Theo, but he’s kind of a himbo, so it takes him a while to realize it. Theo is also kind of stupid when it comes to feelings, so the two of them take a while to figure it out. But the two of them are meant to be. 

[thedeadthree]

lhysa 🤝 polina <- dramatically falling off a building when they decide a conversation is over ✨😌

[lilyharvord]

Do you have any Barrow siblings headcannons ? i’d love to hear them

OOOH alright, I'm taking a break from writing OtHatH for a moment on my double shift to clear out my ask box a bit. So here we go! Headcanons!!!

Bree as the eldest, takes it upon himself to be the defacto leader. He knows he's not the brightest, but he believes that if he is the strongest, then there is no match.

Tramy is the second son. He figured that because of that, and because there are well... three more after him, that he has an easier time hiding. Bree is strong enough for both of them, beating kids into the muck early. It allows him to develop a softer, gentler heart. Next to Gisa... he is their mother's favorite.

Shade is, well, Shade. He is teasing, and wit and quick sharp thoughts. He's not the strongest of his brothers, but he is the quickest. He thinks it's quite fitting that his ability is to jump between spaces faster than a human can blink. He's always been quick, it only make sense.

Mare, we all know about right now.

Gisa, the youngest, the brightest star. It's a heavy burden, being the one to carry the world on your shoulders. It's its even heavier to when you are the baby of the family.

When Mare was born, Shade was the first to hold her. He demanded it actually and pushed his older brothers out of the way and stepped up to his mother's bed side to hold out his arms expectantly. She was lighter than air it seemed. But when she opened her mouth and wailed, she had lungs like an ox. He had smiled down at her, and said quietly, "You have to make it."

When Gisa was born, all the children huddled around the bed with narrowed eyes and concerned pouts on their mouths. She was smaller than Mare when she was born, a little sickly looking too. "She won't last the winter" Bree whispered in Tramy's ear as their mother gazes adoringly down on the new baby. "She won't last the summer." Tramy whispered quietly in response. "She'll make it." Shade whispered between both of them.

She made it of course.

From the moment he was strong enough, the Bree would trail the officers in the Stilts, learning how they walked, how they talked, how they carried themselves. He'd come home and teach his siblings, show them what it was like to be a solider. They all knew at a young age that the Choke was their destiny.

Mare starts stealing young, she practices on local boys and girls, and Bree and Tramy beat up anyone that tries to come after her. Shade simply frowns but never says a thing, unlike their parents, unlike Gisa who perfected their mothers concerned scowl at a young age.

They play along the river bank together, swim in the river, daring each other to see who can swim out the farthest, who can brave the current the longest. Because she is small, Mare is determined to win every bet and she certainly tries, almost dies a couple times but she tries. The siblings have to explain that she almost died a few times to their mother, but there is normally just a long sigh and a shake of the head.

The night before Bree leaves for the front, he shakes Tramy awake and in the dead of night, drags him out of bed to the edge of the river and makes him promise on the river to protect the other siblings until he comes back. His voice shakes and tears gather in his eyes for the first time in a long time. Tramy promises and they sit by the river until dawn, the two eldest sharing a final moment.

The night before tramy is supposed to leave, he drags shade out of bed, and Mare follows them, determined to be apart of whatever it is. He makes them both swear to protect each other and Gisa, forces them to swear like he did on the river. Mare rolls her eyes and agrees with a snort. Shade agrees with his whole heart. They sit on the bank with him after that, and respectfully ignore the tears that stream down his face.

When Shade leaves, Mare almost takes the two soldiers out that come for him. It takes Kilorn holding her back, and Gisa gripping her arm to keep her from killing them. She screams for him, breaking free from their hold as the transport starts up and sprays mud. She chases the transport until it hits the main road and even then she tries to chase the dust cloud it leaves behind until her lungs burn and her cries become sobs as she drops to her hands and knees in the dirt.

Gisa dreams of painting, of never having to work for a sneering condescending seamstress. She dreams of her own shop, and not being the one that has to keep her parents warm and fed for the rest of their lives. She always wakes up with a smile that falls from her face quickly when she realizes that it's a stupid dream anyway.

When Mare is taken by the officers and Walsh, Gisa stands on the porch until that transport is gone. Then she goes inside and puts a blanket of her mother's shaking shoulders while she sobs. She puts a pot of broth on the stove and tries to figure out the best way to proceed. Without her hand there is no money. Without Mare there is no money. Kilorn comes by later, determined to learn where Mare is, and Gisa tells him the truth. That she was summoned to the palace. HE tries to go after her, as if he could storm a palace of silvers by himself and make it out alive. Gisa scoffs and drags him back, but he leaves in the dead of night, talking about Will Whistle.

Less than a week later, Bree and Tramy are standing on the porch, letters of leave in their hands, their bewilderment at the situation still fresh in their eyes. Their mother sobs, calls it a miracle, Gisa can practically hear the gears turning in her fathers head as he assess the papers, and tries to read between lines that dont exist. Shade does not come back with them, and the family mourns them. The siblings mourn Shade and Mare. Bree and Tramy have never felt survivors guilt like this. They both promised to protect their younger siblings at all costs, but while they were gone the unthinkable happened.

Anyway, that's all I have for now XD

[bouncingkadachi]

Organizing some MHS2 headcanons in lieu of proper writing (oops).

In order under the cut because this got incredibly long: Kyle’s Family, Kyle, Astrea (Rider), Breakfast Team. Some specific focus on older Kyle and Rider because that’s what I’ve been thinking about mostly these days.

Kyle’s Family (featuring weapons I wish I knew how to play in the main games ahaha)

Eldest Brother (Lance)

Gunlance. Married a hammer user and they’re living their best life.

Wanted to follow in his father’s steps and pursue the Guild Knight route career-wise but accidentally overshot it and ended up being the first G-ranked hunter in the family.

The dourness of his Serious Face increases the closer he is in proximity to his family, a byproduct of years spent corralling them all in their father’s absence. According to his wife and hunting partners he’s a hoot to be with on hunts, but his brothers will believe it when they see it.

Good friends with Reverto, shocking as it may seem. They both rose up to G-rank at about the same time, making them the same cohort.

Second Brother (Gwaine)

Charge Blade (it looks flashy and I think he would appreciate it)

HR Hunter who really needs to stop goofing off if he ever wants to pass his G-Rank licensing exam. He’s got the skill set for it but very little desire to sit through the formalities.

One of his greatest joys as a child was coming up with increasingly outlandish dares for his youngest brothers to do because they were so incredibly easy to trick.

Before his elder brother became defacto caregiver in the early days of navigating life without their mother, they were thick as thieves and two trouble-making rascals. They’re still closer to each other than the younger three though.

Third Brother (Owen? Hmm)

Hunting Horn

Spent a lot of time looking after the two youngest boys once his elder brothers started taking Hunting more seriously. Sits somewhere comfortably in the middle of enabling shenanigans and enforcing the rules, which were already fairly lax in their household.

Extremely popular with the neighborhood aunties and grandmas. Was always coming home with extra sweets and treats in his pockets. Naturally, the palico he eventually ends up with is a gathering type.

I personally think he would enjoy the Kamura style of hunting with the HH, especially Earthshaker. The months following his return from his trip abroad were a bit rough with him since he missed the wirebugs.

He’s got an incredible head with numbers. Had he not decided to become a Hunter, he would have been a merchant.

Fourth Brother (???)

Long Sword

Feels like he needs a frat boy name to match Kyle idk. Is Kyle a frat boy name? ????

Has an extremely volatile relationship with Kyle. His older brothers theorize that it’s because he was all set on being the official youngest in the family until Kyle was born, as their parents had seemed happy to stop at four children at the time. While the bitterness between the two has faded as they grew older, the propensity to devolve into squabbling six-year-olds who are seconds away from biting when their (tragically identical) tempers flare has not.

Possesses the most flexible battle mind among the brothers but doesn’t quite have the skill yet to back it up, making him prone to rush and botch up critical steps while on the hunt. Frequently goes out on missions under Gwaine’s tutelage which is yielding mixed results—while his skills certainly seems to be improving, Gwaine is prone to purposefully setting off his younger brother’s temper and then gleefully sitting back to watch the train wreck unfold.   

Dad

He’s trying his best and he misses his wife

He had bigger Hunting aspirations as a younger man but the death of his wife caused him to give his career some serious consideration. Focusing more on the Guild Knight path was initially planned as only a short-term solution which would allow him to stay relatively closer to home when all his sons were still fairly young. He adapted to it better than expected, though, and remained on even after his two eldest started Hunting on their own.

He met his wife when she worked as a Guild Receptionist and it was Love at First Sight (for him. Not for her).

Had genuinely not intended to bring Kyle with him to Hakolo Island for the Razewing Investigation. While it had seemed harmless enough on paper, he had felt that his youngest son was still too green with a personality too biting to be tactful on what would be one of their first major visits to a Rider village. It was not until later that he realized that the investigation papers had been doctored by the very subordinates who had been Kyle’s main advocates for his joining the mission.

Is exceedingly proud of all his sons, but is perhaps most fond of his middle son for his striking similarity to his late wife. Similarly, is perhaps more easily prone to setting higher expectations for his youngest son than all the others, since Kyle was so dead-set on following him and taking up the bow.

Kyle

Seeing as he threw himself off of Ratha at like 500 ft above the ground just to get a better shot I refuse to believe that he won’t come up with some whacked-up method to do Aerial Aim even without wirebugs

Tsukino accompanied each of the brothers on their first major mission, but it just so happened that Kyle’s first ended up being the entire Razewing Ratha fiasco. It was silently understood by the entire family that following that job, Tsukino would be Kyle’s palico. Nearly destroying and then saving the world really does wonders on the bonding experience.

There’s a thin scar on the left side of his face slicing from his ear across his cheekbone, right under his eye, courtesy of a run-in with a poacher. For a time, there was serious concern that he would lose the eye, but thankfully it never got that serious

That is not the only scar that he picks up in the course of his career, but it is the one that he is most particular about. If he must go in for a hug, he always leads with the right. There is only one notable exception to his iron-clad “no touching” rule in regards to that scar

Begrudgingly picked up a lot of tips and tricks about monsters to pad out his Hunting knowledge, such that he’s inadvertently found himself carving a niche position for his career: he has, against his best efforts, become one of the most sought after Hunters to take on for extended research expeditions. It grates on him mostly because he’s intent on hitting G-rank promotionals, and that is difficult when most of his time is being taken by lengthy investigations at behest of the Schriveners.

It does make him very well-traveled though.

He’s methodical in his hunt preparations but he is also one of the fastest amongst the brothers to abandon his plans entirely and just go for the first hair-brained scheme that crosses his mind in a pinch. According to his grumblings it’s a bad habit he picked up from spending too much time with his Rider best friend. In truth, it’s a combination of that and a life-long arms race with his immediately older brother, skewing more towards the latter.

As he gets older, he settles into a routine that sees him spending a week or two between most of his longer missions on Hakolo Island. He does keep a set of lodgings in Lulucion, but if you can’t find him there and he’s not on a job chances are high he’s on the island. His niece thinks he goes there to bum on the beach, much to his chagrin.

The entire Mizutsune family is a bit of a landmine for him.

Some hurts die slowly—even years later, and despite all brash appearances, Kyle is very attuned to his own thought process and the potential consequences of his actions or inactions. He never wants to be in a position where he’s capable of being easily manipulated ever again, and to that end, he’s learned to throw his own weight and experience around, despite or even in spite of potential opposition from other Hunters.

Astrea

A winter child, born at the height of storm season.

It took a lot of time for her to consolidate her feelings for her grandfather and work through the ball of love and grief and hate that his death and the subsequent journey brought about.

It took even longer to understand and empathize with why Ena had kept Red’s Kinship Stone for four long years after his death, instead of returning what was arguably the most important piece of kit for a Rider to the bereaved family.

Despite everything (or perhaps because of everything) Ena is the closest mother figure that Astrea’s had in a long time. It comes with its highs and lows, and was a steep learning curve for both of them.

When Red was still alive and Astrea was very young, she used to dream about leaving Mahana Village one day and carving out her own little corner of the world. Now that she has the ability to do so, she’s found that she prefers to stick close to home. This is mostly because she didn’t really have a choice in the matter of leaving the first time, and that’s become incredibly important to her: she wants to know without a single shred of doubt that when she leaves it’s because she chose to, and not because she was forced to.

Had an incredibly busy time around her twentieth birthday and coming of age. Naturally, the village threw a huge celebration, and then Ena and Alwin insisted on her stopping by Rutoh to which they piled her with additional presents. She ended the whole affair with a visit to the Pit of Remembrance, two weeks after her birthday, toasting to her grandfather with a bottle of fruity Mahanan liquor.

Has come to fold a lot of Hunting techniques into her own work due to spending so much time on the job with Kyle as a partner. That does not, however, mean that she has a head for endemic life, as evidenced by the Stinkmink Incident.

Because Kyle is terrible, he brings up the Stinkmink Incident without fail every few months, usually when they’re driving each other up the wall with their combined snark

Neither she nor Kyle are above manhandling each other out of the way oncoming hazards. This tends to involve a lot of flailing elbows and kicked knees and straight-on getting bowled over by a Monstie.

Because Astrea is equally as terrible as Kyle, she makes it a point to greet him in the traditional Mahanan way whenever the opportunity presents itself, regardless of Kyle’s notorious distaste for it. Because she is not that terrible, she lets him go easily the moment that he’s decided that he’s tolerated enough affection.

The poacher incident had a significant impact on both of them. Sometimes, she’ll find herself running her thumb along the scar when she’s got his face in her hands. Sometimes too, Kyle will reciprocate by keeping her hands there.

Breakfast Team

Ratha

Learned to navigate storm gales the winter after everything was Over, when Alwin and Ena came to stay for the season. It should have been Red and GR doing the teaching, but Alwin and Shaulk did a pretty great job of it, if they do say so themselves.

Has a tendency to steal fish from Juice’s jaws and then fly tauntingly out of reach to safely roast it.

Never quite warms up to flying to or around Lulucion, so they usually stop there for a quick pit stop or an overnight stay at the most while en route to other destinations.

Omelette (Kulu Ya-Ku)

Most Valuable Chicken

Does a lot of the patrolling and scouting with Astrea. As such, he’s extremely agile and capable of turning on a dime, as well as being the Monstie that is most prone to charging directly into the foray in the event that Astrea gets knocked off the saddle and they need to run.

Gets a large delicious egg twice a week as a treat and knows exactly when those days are.

Jam (Nargacuga)

An extremely judgemental cat if your cat was the size of a tank and could kill you with a swap of its tail

Skills include search-and-rescue.

Hobbies include stealing weaponry and holding them hostage until ransom is paid either in treats or specific behaviors performed.

Can purr and does so to great effect on clear camping nights

Fish (Tobi-Kadachi)

Essentially an extremely large dog with the ability to glide great distances and discharge a lot of electricity

Is small for his species

Extremely friendly... to other Riders.

Enjoys a good scratch under his chin and behind his cheek and will roll over for a belly rub.

Gets along famously with Soup. Astrea often works them together as a set.

Juice (Lagiacrus)

Knows the sea routes favored by Mahanan traders by heart now and frequently accompanies them as a seaside escort.

Often turned loose in the sea to mind his own business, where he’s been trained to keep clear of the fishermen’s nets lest he disrupt their catch. Heeds to a special whistle.

Guides the boats back in the advent of storms like a portable beacon.

Soup (Soulseer Mizutsune)

His personality does not make his appearance any more endearing

Was an entirely accidental acquisition. He had been stalking Astrea and Fish (to eat them or steal scraps or whatever), and all parties involved ended up with much more than they bargained for.

Is rather attached to Fish for some odd reason. You can frequently find the two of them napping in a pile on the sand in the village.

He and Kyle do not get along. Then they ran into a poacher.

[firelxdykatara]

You’re doing a LoK rewrite, correct? Would be really interested in hearing how you plan on fixing Suyin’s character and the Lin-Suyin conflict because……. oh boy. Man there’s a lot to unpack there. This is what happens when we don’t let Toph just raise her fucking kids for the sake of pushing a stupid as hell narrative about working women and single motherhood.

I am indeed!

In... you know, the way I'm doing most of my big potential projects, in that I have a folder with some documents that have plot notes and... some day I may actually get full, finished fics out of them (h2o AU is in there, as is my voltron!atla fusion AU, and uhhhh my book 3 atla rewrite, and a few other things), so... but I will say that the docs I have for my LoK rewrite so far amount to roughly 4.2k words of just Plot and Character Notes, which may some day turn into words of Story, hopefully.

ANYWAY, POINT IS: yes, this exists, and I have Many Many Thoughts.

Including how the Gaang kids would shake out! Cause I know I'm doing Zutara, and maybe Tokka???? Although I don't wanna just leave Suki out either... maybe a throuple??? Or Sukka having an amicable breakup before Sokka and Toph get together--maybe she already has Lin by then, and Sokka helps support her through the grief of losing Kanto???? Idk honestly, I haven't actually figured any of that out definitively yet except that Aang was perfectly happy to settle down with an Air Acolyte from one of the rebuilt temples because he grew up and out of his crush on Katara pretty easily once he hit puberty and matured a bit.

UHHH none of which is actually an answer to your question, because it's a valid one! Which is why I've been sitting on this a while (10 days I'm so sorry) bc I haven't made any solid decisions but I've been letting it percolate around my head a bit. And the more I think about it, the more I really like the Sukka -> Tokka idea (and I don't want to kill off Suki since the kids all deserve their awesome Kyoshi warrior auntie in their lives, and also I want a Sukka kid to be besties with Iara [zuko and katara's youngest] so maybe she gets with someone else after she and Sokka split? I could be talked into Ty Lee/Suki actually, the more I think about it....), but obviously having a stable father figure and a Toph who is... not what LoK made her out to be will dramatically change the Beifong family dynamic.

That said, I think I actually have a solution. (I'm so sorry for what I'm about to do.) Toph has Lin with Kanto--and he passes away when Lin is two or three, which is why she has very few memories of her father. (Although none of this 'she doesn't even know his name until she's 50+ cause Toph didn't tell her daughters about their fathers' bullshit.) Sokka is there for her through it all (all of the gaang is, of course, but you know that it sometimes just hits different when it's someone you're also starting to fall in love with, especially when there are older and much more deeply buried feelings there that are now resurfacing, because at least in my version Toph was deeply in love with Sokka when they were teenagers, but he was in love with Suki and she also loved Suki so she didn't want to mess up anything about their family or the group dynamics by making her feelings anyone else's problem), they fall in love, get married and have Suyin.

(Sokka may jokingly refer to it as a shotgun wedding, but the truth is he wanted to propose well before he found out she was pregnant, his attempts just kept getting messed up in increasingly comedic fashion.)

Throughout all of this, Republic City has been established, Sokka is Chancellor, Toph is something of a defacto police chief--mostly because, at the time, no one else was willing to volunteer, and she jokingly offered to whip the law enforcement, but unfortunately everyone else at the meeting took her seriously. However, she is also the founder of the probending league, and basically her feelings about law enforcement are complicated and she actively discouraged her kids from joining the force which is part of why Lin did. How else do you have a teen rebel phase with a parent like Toph? (Which, in this instance, means tough and firm but fair, with a 'you break it, it's up to you to fix it' attitude and very little desire to actually control her daughters and their behavior.)

Ah, but here's the rub.

Suyin is ten years old when Sokka dies, and Lin is sixteen. I'm not sure how he's killed--maybe by Yakone, to tie it into my plans for Amon and book 1. (Note that I'm not sure when the Yakone bloodbending trial happened in canon, but it doesn't matter. The timeline I'm gonna build will be completely different post-comet, and I'll eventually write it all down so that I can keep things straight.) Which would incidentally provide excellent means of having Katara have a very personal stake in the Amon conflict, and perhaps color the fight between him and Iara, but I'm getting off track. And I think Sokka being killed by Yakone, and Toph being unable to protect or save him, or deliver her own brand of justice to avenge him (because Aang is there to stop her and.... shit probably got ugly, I suspect she didn't talk to Aang for at least twenty years after Sokka's death--and this isn't to say I think Toph is particularly violent or murderous, but in that moment, she absolutely wanted to kill the man with her bare hands, and however much she may have regretted it afterwards, she took a very long time to forgive Aang for stopping her in the first place), is what results in Toph stepping down as police chief.

She didn't withdraw from her daughters or fuck off into the swamp or anything (words cannot express how much I hate that part of her canon history), but she did grieve for a very long time. Lin, meanwhile, felt like it was up to her to keep her family together, while also feeling a desperate need to... prove herself, I think. And because her mother was so adamant that she not join the police force, that's exactly what she does. I think Lin completely misread Toph's intentions, too, and believed that the discouragement was because her mother didn't think she had what it takes, when in reality I think Toph was scared of Lin losing herself in the job like she herself had begun to, and eventually coming up on something she couldn't change or fix and making the same mistakes she had.

(I think Toph and Lin have communication issues largely because they are both headstrong and willful, but where Toph thought she was giving her daughters the room they would need to make their own way, what Lin desperately craved was direction and she felt like that was something her mother simply couldn't understand.)

Suyin, on the other hand, fell in with a bad crowd like in canon. I think that what she desperately needed was attention, similar to Lin craving direction, and Toph was trying so hard not to be her own parents that she went a little too far in the other direction and Suyin began to feel like it didn't matter what she did, her mom wouldn't care, or get angry, or discipline her, or anything. Lin and Suyin butted heads a lot growing up, too, especially after Sokka's death, because Lin tried to rein in her sister's behavior and this was met with resistance and derision because Suyin felt like Lin was trying to be both mom and dad and she was neither but her big sister would never admit to being just as lost as she was and it made her furious.

So when Suyin is sixteen, and Lin is twenty-two and new to the force, The Big Rift happens. Lin catches Suyin and her gang, tries to apprehend her, gets a scar on her face in the ensuing conflict. But instead of abusing her power and sending her problem child off to her mother before fucking off to the swamp to avoid the consequences of her actions, Toph tries to actually fix things. Suyin cools her heels in prison for a while, because she was paralyzed by guilt at the time when she hurt her sister (a few inches lower and she could have slit her throat), and was still there when Lin's backup arrived.

Uhhhhhhhhhhh..... I'm so sorry I rambled for so long, BUT THE UPSHOT IS: I think Suyin learned a bit about culpability and taking responsibility for her own actions, Toph realized that her daughters had different needs than she did at their age (and I think a lot of the problem was that grief clouded her own ability to connect with her daughters, and in trying to not be her own parents she lost sight of how to be the parent her own daughters needed), and Lin, I think, had to realize that she had never fully processed the loss of not one but two fathers and had turned to her job in order to avoid actually confronting the grief that had overshadowed her childhood.

However, she did not forgive Suyin, at least not right away--and she wasn't forced or expected to. Suyin understood that she crossed a serious line, she took her lumps and did her time, and no one shamed Lin for her anger. I think, as a result, she had less reason to hold onto that bitterness, and perhaps by the time the story actually begins, she and Suyin are on much better terms, though I haven't worked it out exactly yet.

UHHH yeah I went on for days lmao. All of this is subject to change, too, depending on the needs of the story whenever I get around to actually writing it all down, BUT these are my initial thoughts, at least.

[thosebrookfieldgirls]

Sorry I’m kinda new to your story,I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit about your OCs like their personalities/what they’re like

You’re asking me about my character! I’ve been DYING for someone to ask about my characters! Hang on I have flow charts! ... Ok, I’m done with my Entrapta moment. 

In all seriousness welcome! I’m glad the story is interesting you enough that you want to know more about everyone! I’ll go ahead and keep these summaries like you’re still in the prologue and it will be good for other people who are new and unsure about if they want to invest in the literal BRICK I’ve written so far. (any character after the girls will be under a cut for mobile scroller’s sake. 

Ramshackle 

Valentina Corey: She’s usually pretty optimistic with a dash of realism thrown in as well. She’s willing to try anything at least once but has a very strong sense of morals when it comes to things she views as right or wrong and isn’t afraid to call someone out for being an ass. She’s very family oriented and wants nothing more then to get home to her mother, sisters, and brother. 

Kristina Kaiser: Everything is usually get out of her way or she’ll personally make you. She doesn’t care if she looks particularly unlady like as long as she’s getting what she wants in the end. Foul-mouthed and a dirty mind, she’s here for a good time not a long time. Some would even argue the only thing she takes seriously is Volleyball. 

Anne Marie Ryland: The dorm’s defacto Dorm leader and a bit newer to a roll of leadership. She does her best to rationalize and delegate but there are certain people who just manage to push her buttons all wrong resulting in her acting more with her emotions then with her head. Stubborn to a fault and has an uncanny way of getting even with those who screwed her over. 

Judith Wieck: She was an heiress and easily one of the richest people in their sleepy town of Brookfield Ohio, but here she’s just icy cold with a sharp tongue and devil-may-care look on other’s opinions. She’s distanced herself from the other’s in her dorm significantly despite being the Vice Dorm Leader, but she seems to have done that with most people in general except for a few oddballs around the school. 

Kimberlee Daniels: Sweet as can be, if not a little clumsy and awkward. She tries to always look on the bright side and see the best in everyone--even if she doesn’t necessarily see the best in herself. Usually one of the first to pled for the others to not start a fight and tries to see other’s side of the argument as well. 

Eva Frost: A Scene Girl surrounded by a bunch of Jocks. Eva has no interest in interacting with the others or even attempting to bond in anyway with them. They all come from completely different words and social classes, so it’s best she just stay away from them and they stay away from her. She’s also the only one to not grow up in Brookfield, originally moving from Chicago. 

Fiona Alagona: A ray of sunshine and genuinely a good person, if a bit of an airhead. She’s the one who breaks up most of the fighting within the dorm. She’s always smiling so really no one has any doubt she probably had a happy life and has no worries of her own besides how to get back home. 

Heartslabyul

Whitley Harrison: Based on the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, Whitley is a hasty individual who has a habit of rushing things to the point of being messy. Usually means well, even if he sometimes speaks before thinking. A nervous individual but is slowly growing more and more sure of himself. 

Savanaclaw

Hunter Winchester: Based on Clayton from Tarzan, Hunter is the co-captain of the Night Raven College Volleyball team with his boyfriend. A bit of a himbo, Hunter is still able to throw down with the best of them and use his advantages to come out on top... even if it is hard to take him seriously sometimes. 

Chui Burroughs: Based on Sabor from Tarzan, Chui is the other co-captain of the Night Raven College Volleyball team. Usually quiet, but with a quick wit that is unmistakable. Chui isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty if it means victory in the end, though usually he’s more then willing to let Hunter have his fun going wild as well. 

Octavinelle

Gula Glitterncove: Based on Tamatoa from Moana, Gula was the previous dorm leader for Octavinelle before Azul challenged and won the position in his second semester of his first year. Gula is an opportunist who is always open to new ventures to give him a leg up in any way from social standing to economics. Still, Gula is a gambling man and a bit of a sadist always excited to watch his opponent squirm. Especially if they are someone he’s lost to in the past. 

Scarabia

Nasir Toma: Based on Iago from Aladdin, Nasir is a bright eyed first year who’s usually seen trailing after Jamil running small errands for the Vice Leader. He’s smart, but sometimes gets a little in over his head and gets too cocky before his plan has finally reached fruition. Or just generally putting his foot in his mouth. 

Rushil Dara: Based on Kaa from The Jungle Book, Rushil is a sly and cunning individual as many of the members of the Scarabia dorm are. He’s content to follow his adopted brother’s lead and see where things are going to go and how they are going to play out before making his move based on what fits his interest best. Though that isn’t to say he isn’t going to get a few jabs in and toy around just a little. It’s just boring otherwise after all. 

Banjeet Chakrabarti: Based on Shere Kahn from The Jungle Book, Banjeet is a quick judge of character and interested in the current political climate of Scarabia as a dorm. He laments the days before the Asim family renovated the dorm, but is unwilling to raise a finger to change things. Is usually an avid enjoyer of drama as long as it doesn’t involve him personally. 

Pomefiore

Alin Blumenthal: Based on Mother Gothal from Tangled, Alin is an orphan who has a strong devotion to his friend and crush. But that isn’t to say Alin isn’t a driven individual without his own goals in mind. He’s got a dream and he’s going to do anything he can to make it happen by putting in all the effort he can. A jealous streak a mile long and an mean as a snake, he won’t let anyone get in his way if he can help it. 

Eduardo Campana Carmen: Based on Ernesto de la Cruz from Coco, he’s a level-headed and charismatic individual who is curious to see how things will go. A famous singer back in his home city, he’s popular and will play into being a flirt for his fans. Though there is really only one person who’s attention he wants. 

Niklas Southerland: Based on Hans from Frozen, Niklas is as arrogent as he is charming. A prince thirteenth in line for the throne, he’s willing to do what ever it takes to secure his future. Even if that means crossing lines that should otherwise never be crossed. 

Ignihyde

Pyrrhus Thalia: Based on Pain from Hercules, Pyrrhus is one half of brothers who is well meaning if awkward. A complete simp but also a hard worker. He has a talent for finding some way to accidentally hurt himself at any given moment by either his own clumsiness or just bad luck. 

Gregor Thalia: Based on Panic from Hercules, Gregor is the other half of the well-meaning but awkward brothers. Another simp, but far more reserved then his half-brother. Tends to stutter and hang back, letting Pyrrhus do the talking. Still, he’s a coding genius, even if he isn’t holding a candle to Idia just yet. 

Diasomnia

Toile Weaver: Based on the Spinning Wheel from Sleeping Beauty, Toile is a mute half-fae with the ability to portray sarcasm with just a look. Usually indifferent to everything around them except for a few individuals who catch their eye and loyalty. A bit of a mischief maker but no more then their friend and other members of their club.