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wilwheaton · 11 months

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When you watch The Curse, you are watching two children who were abused and exploited daily during production. No adults protected us.

This was originally published on my blog in August, 2022.

I had a wonderful time at Steel City Comicon this weekend. It was my first time at this particular con, so I didn’t know there was such a huge contingent of horror fans, creators, and vendors who attend.

I love horror, and I was pretty psyched to be in the same place as John Carpenter and Tom Savini, across the street from the Dawn of the Dead mall. Pittsburgh feels like one of the places horror was invented, at least to me.

A number of these horror fans came to see me, and asked me to sign posters and other things from a movie my parents forced me to do when I was 13, called The Curse. I had to tell each of these people that I would not sign anything associated with that movie, because I was abused and exploited during production. The time I spent on that film remains the most traumatizing time of my life, and though I am a 50 year-old man, just typing this now makes my hands shake with remembered fear of a 13 year-old boy who nobody protected, and the absolute fury the 50 year-old man feels toward the people who hurt him.

I told this story in Still Just A Geek, and I’ve talked about it in some podcasts I did on the promo tour, but I’ve never put it out in public like this, in its entirety.

I suspect someone at the publisher would prefer I tease this and hope it drives book sales from people who want to read all of it, but I honestly don’t want to have another weekend like this one where everything is awesome, except the few times people who have no idea (and why should they) put that fucking poster in front of me, and all the fear, abandonment, and trauma come flooding back as I tell them that I won’t sign it, and why.

To their credit, each person was as horrified as they should have been, told me they had no idea (if they didn’t read my book why would they), and quickly put the poster away. They were all understanding. I am grateful for that.

But I really don’t need to tell this story over and over again, so here it is, with a child abuse and exploitation content warning, so I can just tell people to Google it.

After Stand by Me, everything changed. The attention from entertainment journalists, casting directors, and especially teen magazines came pouring in. The movie was a generational hit, beloved by critics and audiences alike, and every single one of us could pick anything to do next.

River’s parents and his agent got him Mosquito Coast, with Harrison Ford, as his next movie. I also auditioned for the role, but I knew even then that River was going to book the job. He was perfect, and I’d have to wait a little bit for my opportunity to come along.

I went on a lot of theatrical auditions after Stand by Me. I had tons of meetings with directors and the heads of casting at every major studio. It was all a very big deal, and I felt like we were all looking for something really special and amazing as my follow-up to Stand by Me.

At some point, a couple of producers contacted my agent with an offer to play one of the leads in an adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft’s “The Colour Out of Space.” The script was titled The Farm. (It would, of course, be changed when the film was released).

I read it. I did not like it. It was a shitty horror movie, and I saw that right away. It was the sort of thing you rented on Friday when the new release you wanted was already out of the store.

My mother, already an incredibly manipulative person, used every tool at her disposal to change my mind. My father threatened me, mocked me, told me “It’s your decision” when it clearly wasn’t. It was all so weird; I didn’t understand why they cared so much.

I told my parents I didn’t like it and didn’t want to do it. I clearly recall thinking it was a piece of shit that would hurt my career.

It wasn’t the first thing that had come our way that I wanted to pass on, and every other time, it hadn’t been a very big deal.

Sidebar: I was cast in Twilight Zone: The Movie, in 1983. The film tells four stories, and I was cast as the kid who can wish people into cartoonland. It was a GREAT role, in a movie I still love. (Note that Twilight Zone had four directors. One of them got three people killed. The segment I was cast in was not that one. I mention this because too many people zero in on this to deflect from what this whole thing is actually about.)

But I was CONVINCED by my parochial school teacher that if I worked on The Twilight Zone, which she had determined was satanic, I would go to hell. (This woman and her bullshit played a big role in my conversion to atheism at a young age, but when she told me that, I was all-in on the supernatural story they taught us in religion class.) I was so scared, more scared than I’d ever been to that point in my life, I cried and wailed and begged my parents to not make me do the movie. And I never told them why, because I was afraid my dad would laugh at me for being weak and afraid. My agent tried to talk me into it, and I wouldn’t budge. It’s the only thing I deeply and truly regret passing on, and I really hate I made that choice for such a stupid reason.

Okay. Back to The Curse.

This time, when I told them how much I hated it, they wouldn’t listen to me. My mother, already an incredibly manipulative person, used every tool at her disposal to change my mind. My father threatened me, mocked me, told me “It’s your decision” when it clearly wasn’t. It was all so weird; I didn’t understand why they cared so much.

That is, until they made me take a meeting with the producers of the movie, in their giant conference room on the top floor of a tall building in Hollywood. All I remember about this place was that it was huge; the table was way too big for the five of us who spread around it, and there were floor-to-ceiling windows on three of the walls, but the room was still dark. There was a weird optical illusion in the center of the table, this thing they sold in the Sharper Image catalog, made from two reflective dishes with a hole in the top of one. You placed an object in the bottom of the bottom dish, and it made it look like that object was floating above the whole thing. They had a plastic spider in it. What a strange detail for me to remember, but it’s as clear in my memory as if I were sitting in that room right now.

One man, who I presumed was the executive producer, was European or Middle Eastern (I didn’t know the difference then, he was just Not Like People I Knew), and I was instantly afraid of him. He was intimidating, and seemed like a person who got what he wanted.

So we sat there, my father who didn’t give a shit about me, my mother who was cosplaying as someone with experience, and me, thirteen years old, awkward as fuck, and scared to death.

I don’t remember what they said to me in their pitch or anything other than how uncomfortable and anxious I was to even be in that room. I tried so hard to be grown up and mature, but I — and my parents — was way out of my depth. I’d done one big movie and that was it. We didn’t have my agent with us, who had lots of experience and would have known what questions to ask.

No, in place of my experienced agent, my mother had decided she was going to be my manager, and she tackled the responsibility with an enthusiasm that was only matched by her absolute incompetence and inability to go toe-to-toe with producers the way my agent did. She was outwitted, out-thought, and outmaneuvered at every turn.

“You don’t have a choice,” my father commanded. “You are doing this movie.”

So we sat there, my father who didn’t give a shit about me, my mother who was cosplaying as someone with experience, and me, thirteen years old, awkward as fuck, and scared to death.

At some point, this man, who is represented in my memory by big Jim Jones sunglasses under dark hair above an open collar, said, “We are offering you a hundred thousand dollars and round-trip travel for your whole family. We will cast your sister, Amy, to play your sister in the movie.”

It all made sense, now. I was only thirteen, but I knew my parents were pushing me so hard because this company was offering me — them, really — more money than I’d ever imagined I’d earn in my life, much less a single job.

I knew that the right thing to do, the smart thing to do, was to say no. There would be other opportunities, and it was stupid to cash myself out of feature films for what I thought was, in the grand scheme of things, not very much money.

It’s incredible to me that I knew all of this. It’s incredible to me that I could see all these things, plainly and clearly, and my parents couldn’t (or, more likely, chose not to).

So after this man made his offer, all the adults in the room ganged up on me, selling me HARD on this movie.

My mother said, “Don’t you want your sister to have the same opportunities you’ve had? Wouldn’t it be fun and exciting to go to Rome? Think of all the history!”

The experience was awful. It was the worst experience I have ever had on a set in my life, by every single metric. The movie is awful, and it is the embarrassment I knew it would be.

I don’t think about this very often, because it’s super upsetting to me. Right now, I’m so angry at my parents for subjecting me and my sister to this entire experience. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In that moment, I felt bullied and trapped. All these adults were talking to me at the same time, and I just wanted it to stop. I just wanted to go home and get out of this room. I just wanted to go be a kid, so I did what I’d learned to do to survive: I gave in and did what my parents wanted.

The experience was awful. It was the worst experience I have ever had on a set in my life, by every single metric. The movie is awful, and it is the embarrassment I knew it would be.

But here’s the thing: when you watch The Curse, you are watching two children, me and my sister, who were abused on a daily basis. The production did not follow a single labor law. They worked us for twelve hours a day, on multiple film units (while I work on First unit, second unit sets up and waits for me. When I should get a break to rest, they send me to Second unit, then to Third unit, then back to First unit. I was 13.) without any breaks, five days a week. I was exhausted the entire time. I was inappropriately touched by two different adults during production. I knew it was wrong, but I was so scared and ashamed, and I felt so unsupported, I didn’t tell anyone. I knew my dad wouldn’t believe me, and my mother would blame me. Anything to keep the production happy, that’s what she did. That was more important to her than the health and safety of her children. The director was coked out of his mind most of the time, incompetent, and so busy fucking or trying to fuck one of the women in the cast, he was worse than useless. He was a fading actor who was cosplaying as a director, as in over his head as my mother. My sister and I were never safe. Instead of harmless atmospheric SFX smoke, they set hay on fire in barrels and blew actual smoke onto the set. They took buckets of talc, broken wood, bits of wallpaper and plaster, and threw it into my face during a scene inside the collapsing house. My sister is in a scene where she goes to get eggs from some chickens, and they attack her. So they hired Lucio Fulci, the Italian horror master, to direct her sequence. His idea, which everyone was totally on board with, was to throw chickens at my sister. Live chickens, live roosters, live birds. Just throw them at a nine-year-old girl. Oh, and then tie them to her arms and legs so they’ll peck her. All of this happened under my mother’s observation, and with her full participation.

Everything I need to know about who my parents are is wrapped up in that experience: the total lack of concern for my safety and happiness, treating me like an asset instead of a son, lying to me, manipulating me, and using me to get things they wanted, and then gaslighting me about it.

If just ONE of the things I can remember happened to someone I loved, I would have grabbed my kids, gone to the airport, and flown home. Fuck those abusive assholes in the production. Let the lawyers sort it all out. Nobody hurts my children and gets away with it.

My mom says she “had some talks” with the producers. She claims that, once, she wouldn’t let us leave the hotel. (God, what a fucking dump that place was. It was just slightly better than a hostel.) I have no memory of that, but honestly the entire experience was so traumatic, I’ve blocked most of it out.

The movie was the commercial and critical failure I knew it would be. My parents spent the money. I don’t know what they spent it on. I got to keep fifteen cents of every dollar, so . . . yay?

My sister and I hardly ever talk about this. I suspect it was as upsetting and traumatic for her as it was for me. I told her I was writing about it, and asked her if she remembered anything. She told me she’d been lied to her whole life about this movie. Our mother let her believe she had been cast on the strength of her audition. “I was excited to work with you,” she said. She reminded me about some stuff I’d blocked out, including a scene where my character’s older brother (played by an actor named Malcolm Danare, who was kind and gentle, and made both of us feel safer when he was around) shoves my character into a pile of cow shit. When it came time to shoot the scene, the mud they’d put together to be the cow shit looked an awful lot like cow shit. When Malcolm pushed me into it, we all found out it was real cow shit. I was FURIOUS. The director had lied to me and had allowed me to have my entire body shoved into an actual pile of actual cow shit. I don’t remember what I said, but I remember he treated me the exact same way my father did whenever I got upset: he laughed at me, told me I was being too sensitive, reminded me that he was the director and he wanted to get a “real” performance out of me, and concluded, “If it bothers you so much, we’ll get you a hepatitis shot,” before he walked away.

My sister also recalled that, after she survived the scene with the chickens, it was the producers’ idea to give her one as a pet.

Okay, let’s unpack that for a quick second: you’ve been traumatized by these birds, so we’re going to give you one as a pet. That you’ll somehow keep in your hotel, and then will somehow get back to America. It will shock you to learn that neither of those things happened.

She remembered, as I do, the huge fight I had with my parents in our kitchen, where I told them I hated the script and I hated the movie. I didn’t want to do it, and I hated that they were making me do it.

“You don’t have a choice,” my father commanded. “You are doing this movie.”

“This is the only film you are being offered,” my mother lied to me. She made me feel like, if I didn’t do this movie, I would never do another movie again in my life. I had to do this movie. As my father bellowed, I had no choice.

Both of my parents denied this argument ever happened. Can I tell you how reassuring it is to know that my sister, who was also there, remembers it the same way I do?

The makeup department decided they would literally cut my little sister’s face with a scalpel, in three places, and put bandages over them.

But one thing she told me, the thing I did not know, the thing that makes me so angry I want to break things, actually managed to make the entire experience even worse than I remembered it.

There’s a scene after her chicken incident where I check up on her in her bedroom. She’s got cuts and bruises, and I guess we talk about it. I don’t remember and I can’t watch the movie because I’m terrified it will give me a PTSD flashback (I’ve had one of those and I recommend avoiding it). Here’s the thing about that scene: she has some cuts on her face, and those cuts are real. They are not makeup.

I’m going to repeat that. My nine-year-old little sister had actual cuts on her face that were placed there by an adult, on purpose.

The makeup department decided they would literally cut my little sister’s face with a scalpel, in three places, and put bandages over them. My sister told me our mother wasn’t in the makeup room when this happened — honestly, it seemed like our mother was strangely and conveniently absent when most of the really terrible things happened to us on the set — and when my sister told her what they’d done, she “lost her shit” at the production. She was pissed, I guess, which is appropriate and surprising. I wonder what would have to have happened for her to put us on a plane and get us home to safety? I mean, her son being abused daily didn’t do it, and her daughter being CUT IN THE FACE ON PURPOSE didn’t do it.

I just . . . I can’t. I can’t understand or comprehend allowing your own children to be physically and emotionally abused. They were literally selling my sister and me to these people, like we were some kind of commodity.

This was a tough conversation. My sister’s experience with our parents is very different from mine. My sister and I love each other. We’re close. I know it’s hard for her to hear that her brother, who she loves, was so abused by her parents, who she also loves. I was really grateful she made the time to talk to me about it, and grateful the experience wasn’t as horrible for her as it was for me.

As we were finishing our call, Amy also remembered one man, a young Italian named Luka, who was our driver for the movie. I haven’t thought about him in thirty years, but I can see his face now. He was kind, he was friendly, he taught us how to kick a soccer ball, and in the middle of an abusive, torturous experience, he stood out as a kind and gentle man. I mention him because she remembered him, which made me remember him, and goddammit I want at least one small part of this thing to not be awful.

The Curse remains one of the most consequential times the adults in my life failed to protect me. I’m 50. I still have nightmares.

Ultimately, as I predicted and feared, this piece of shit movie cashed me out of respectable films forever. I got offers for movies, but they were always mindless comedies or exploitative horror films. They were never the serious dramas I wanted to work in after Stand by Me. The industry looked at me and River, wondering if one or both of us would become a breakout star. They quickly saw that River was doing real acting work, and I was in this piece of shit. For River, Stand by Me was a beginning. For me, it would turn out to be pretty much everything, at least as far as film goes.

There are thousands of reasons film careers do and don’t take off. Maybe mine wouldn’t have taken off anyway. Clearly, it’s not where my life ended up, and I’m super okay with that now. But when all of this happened, it hurt and haunted me.

The Curse remains one of the most consequential times the adults in my life failed to protect me. I’m 50. I still have nightmares. Everything I need to know about who my parents are is wrapped up in that experience: the total lack of concern for my safety and happiness, treating me like an asset instead of a son, lying to me, manipulating me, and using me to get things they wanted, and then gaslighting me about it.

This annotation is the last thing I wrote before I turned this manuscript in, because opening these wounds is hard and painful. I put it off as long as I could, and I feel like I’m still holding back, because just this small glimpse of the experience has taken me a week to write. I can’t imagine trying to go back and unpack the whole thing. (Note that is not in the book: I’ve made an EMDR appointment to work on this because the nightmares have come back after the weekend).

Fuck The Curse, and fuck every single person who exploited and hurt two beautiful children to make it. You all participated in child abuse, and you all knew better. Shame on all of you. I hope this follows you to the end of your life. I hope that living with what you did to innocent children has been as hard for you as it has been for me, because you deserve no less.

#tw abuse #tw child abuse #tw exploitation #child actor #still just a geek #lucio fulci #trauma survivor #speaking up for the child who was silenced by his abusers

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sabbathbloodysabbeth · 1 year

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So I’m having the eye opening, I keep seeing Eddie being the trans man out of Steddie. (Who has a kid) And honestly, love that but hear me out about the possibilities.

What if Steve was in like major stealth mode. Passed so well no one thinks about it. Things are great until he goes partying at a place where he knows people don’t have a problem with him being trans. Now normally he tops with a toy but he gets drunk and he doesn’t mind bottoming. It’s not his preference because his dysphoria gets the best of him some times but he ends up having a one night stand and gets pregnant. Now no one knows he’s trans, and he’s not sure how to bring it up. He’s avoiding it and now he’s having to hide more and more. Wearing baggier clothes, ditching everyone, etc. he has this plan of just running away because he would rather run off and struggle then deal with his family treating him differently.

Though thing is everyone’s caught on and holding a intervention. Because something is up and they think it might be a code red for the upside down. They are not having another max situation. Because it seems like Steve is closing himself off. They all snuck in the house, because they’ve tried everything and Steve never lets them in unless it’s for something important. So none of them are expecting to see a half awake, half asleep steve coming down stairs with a tank top on. Stretching around his belly. That’s pretty big. Hand on it, hair pulled in a bun as he hasn’t left the house in a long time and is to lazy to cut it. He’s waddling as he moves to the calendar. Whining when he realizes he has a doctors appointment. “I suppose it’s time to figure out your gender so I can stop calling you a gremlin.” He smiles looking down at his belly. It doesn’t hit the younger kids, but it’s slapping all of the adults who are now quickly pulling the kids back who are getting kicked out silently. Steve hears the door closing and is nearly pissing himself when he sees all of the older teens and adults staring at him with wide eyes. He’s booking it out of the room slamming his door shut behind him. Coming back down with a baggier sweater pointing at the door and screaming for everyone to get the fuck out. Nearly in tears. Actually no his hormones are all wacky that he’s crying angrily

All of them refuse to. Robin moving and hugging him. “Oh my god, I thought you were being vecnaed this is so much better.” She’s careful of his stomach.

Anywho time skip to steve having the baby and everyone falls in love. Everyone never calls steve mom again, all jokingly call him dad. Though on occasion they’ll joke about him being their mom, but not in a way that makes Steve uncomfortable. The baby being baby sat by Joyce and Hopper excitedly. Hopper who isn’t fond of the child but is always found sleeping in his rocker with the brat curled up on his chest. Now Murray and the kids are the only ones not allowed to be near the baby unsupervised. Murray because Steve doesn’t trust him. He’s the crazy uncle that’s to crazy while Eddie is crazy but not crazy enough to put a baby in danger.

Just a gay Eddie who doesn’t change his sexuality all because Steve is trans. Steve is a guy through and through which still makes Eddie gay. He’s happy either way. There’s more in life then just sex and he doesn’t mind getting railed by the other. Though he’s the one that gets the closest to the baby. She/he love him the most. Playing with his curls, giggiling when ever he messes around with her. He Carrie’s the child by the diaper like a purse sometimes. Just him helping with the child, though Wayne meets the baby when Steve comes over to beg Eddie to help him get them to sleep. Eddies not home but Wayne is and puts the kid asleep fast. Humming as they both watch sports tv and both pats out. (There’s a poloroid that Eddie took of them sleeping like that)

Just yeah.. this is my dream now

#trans steve #seahorse dad steve harrington #trans steve harrington #steddie #stranger things #eddie munson #steve x eddie #steve harrington #bxb #steveharrington #steveddie #eddie stranger things #steve and eddie

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evilminji · 27 days

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As I have recently discussed, with the ESTEEMED Quirk Scholar @mayfay !

Suprise Quirk Accident Babies! Gotta love um!

They're the, ironically enough, love child of "suprise child acquisition" and "suddenly pregnant" troupes! But SPEEDRUN! Because THAT IS A TODDLER/BABY! Right here. Right now!

Just?

POOF!

✨️~BABY~✨️

And now YOU! Yes, YOU! Get to deal with it. All those vague "do I want to be a parent someday? Would it be SAFE? I am READY?" Questions AND MORE! Suddenly NOT SO VAGUE.

Suddenly VERY RELAVENT. Immediate. People are asking you questions you are GOING to need to answer. And?

You are not the only parent.

You might be JUST out of fucking high-school. Staring down a top lister, high 20, maybe TOP TEN, Hero. Who is society gonna choose here? Your barely adult ass... or them? You might never see your kid again if they decide to take them. Decide to be an asshole.

They have enemies, too.

Can... can you HANDLE those enemies? To protect your kid?

It's been less then fifteen minutes. Fight has barely ended and your sitting under a shock blanket. Decisions are going to have to be made. And all you can think is the sound of your own panicked screaming. Static white noise. The reporters and shady Goverment officials already circling like sharks. Gotta make a decision. Gotta make a decision. Gotta....

It is? The BEST.

The more unlikely the combos the better! My asexual ass is thriving! Fuck yeah! Free baby, no sex!!! You can have platonic child rearing shenanigans! Interesting Self Insert Setups! New OCs! Character dramas! Or romance, if your into that sorta thing!

But you know what I think would be funny as hell?

The continued bloodline curse of AfO being so Platonicly Yandere at his own kin that they go Rabidly Feral Wet Cat and try to claw his throat out, bare minimum! Because obviously HE isn't the problem here! No, no, it's everyone ELSE that caused the issues last time! He doesn't have to learn from past mistakes! He's perfect! (Spoken by the world's most delusional man)

He ALSO has lost track of how many minor quirks he has shoved in metaphorical pockets at the moment. As he is, as always, a kleptomaniac. The way the react to each other? Cascade and shift? React to OTHER outside quirks?

Ha! He's never fucking studied that. Why would he study that!? He has power to steal.

So... set the scene~

Toshinori v. Afo: Kamino Ward.

Make the changes you please, add or subtract Heros, but the BIG TWO are there. They clash. Like Titans. Like GODS. AfO getting frisky with his quirk use, throwing everything at the wall. But?

Oh. This time. THIS TIME, you bastard! Toshinori is NOT ALONE!

The power of community, of an ARMY, is not to be underestimated. They make be struggling. Have broken bones and worse. But they know he just... just needs ONE shot! They... they can give him one shot.

Even if it's the last thing they ever do.

Because? They are god damned HEROES.

AfO feels his legs rip out from under him, just as he's about to dodge. It's going to be a killshot. He may... potentially... THEORETICALLY... conceivably... possibly... panic... just a bit. MAYBE. A microscopic amount.

He lashes out.

With everything.

And he DOES mean everything. Yes, including that "grow flowers" and the "summon apples towards you"Quirk, for all the good THOSE would have done.

Something? Happens.

The blast hits the Oaf infront of him... and? Resonates. Like the striking of a great clear bell. It RINGS. Deafening. Without noise. The damn brat...rewinds? No. He's not younger. He RESETS! OH YOU MOTHER FU-!

Something sliding off him. Like dust. From the reset. Drifting towards other dust.

Swirling. Some merging, like planets forming. Most not enough. Turning grey and falling to the ground. But... but he can SEE it. A whisp of white hair gets in the way. HIS hair. Ha. Ha ha hA HA HA HA HA!!! Reset! NOT JUST YOU, ALL MIGHT!

The heroes are getting up. It doesn't matter. He'll just put them BACK on the ground.

INTO it this time.

But then?

The dust from him, all might, so many others. Solidifies, compresses, the pops like a firework. Dumping a very started black hair, blue eyed, toddler on the ground.

AfO connects the dots first. He has AfO hair texture. Quirk weirdness just happened and their is ALWAYS a cost or drawback to Quirks. Such as... any overflow creates an infant? Did he just make his own child?

Not risking it.

He lunges.

All Might lunges for the simple reason of "oh GOD SUPERVILLIAN AND A BABY!" D:> same as every other hero there.

Meanwhile DANNY? Retired Halfa Superhero, Zone Councilman, and LATE to his DnD night... is beginning to suspect THIS is what Clockwork meant when he said "some roads take longer to get home".

Was that that a "Lol good luck buddy"!?

@mutable-manifestation @babbling-babull @legitimatesatanspawn @hypewinter @hdgnj

#dpxmha #dpxbnha #minji's writing #Quirk baby au

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swannieluv · 6 months

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.𖥔 ݁ ˖꩜ (Almost) free – (PLATONIC) Wriothesley x Teen!Reader

✦⸼࣪⸳𝐆𝐍!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐖𝐜: 1,5k

✦⸼࣪⸳ 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆!!: Mentions of torture (?) and food poisoning.

✦⸼࣪⸳ A/N: HII! This was my first time writing a request and writing for Wriothesley, so I hope you can enjoy it!! Tumblr ate my last (three) draft before I posted, so I had to put an screenshot </3.

✦⸼࣪⸳ @wenutted

╰┈─➤Wriothesley was certainly a man with a lot of work to do. As the Duke of Meropide Fortress, his duty also extended to the most "troublesome" prisoners in the place. Among them was none other than [Name], a juvenile offender bold enough to steal from authority figures in the city of Fontaine.

It was during a summer afternoon that he met them. Wriothesley was on the wait for the arrival of a criminal on reports of serial thefts of jewelry and priceless possessions. There were no witnesses or traces that could lead to the identity of this thief, so even the Marechaussee Phantom was unable to follow their tracks, coming to the conclusion that they were someone ingenious and extremely experienced at what they did.

Well, what he didn't expect was that the notorious bandit he had been waiting for was a teenager with a bad sense of humor and terrible acting.

The "menace on the loose" who was giving the Fontaine authorities such a headache was right there in front of him, caught after falling asleep in a very comfortable seat inside the Court of Fontaine. It could be said that their carelessness had handed them over to their own hunters.

When asked abouth how they had managed to flee so fast from the crime scenes and hide themselves. The only answer they gave, with a straight face, was:

“I was literally just going in and out through the front doors.”

Quite the unexpected answer.

"Your Grace?" Wriothesley was cut short from his thoughts by two fingers snapping in front of his eyes. The only person brave enough to do that, without a doubt, was them. "What are you thinking? I thought we were going to have tea together."

"Me? Well, I was remembering the first time you set foot in this place." He crossed his arms and let out a little sigh. Their sentence was running out with each passing second, and he didn't want to admit that he would miss them if they left.

"Oh, when I gave you the middle…" He quickly shushed them with a hand right in front of their face.

"Yeah, I know. You were terrible to deal with back then." He ran his fingers through their hair playfully, messing it up.

"But I'm better today," they retorted with a simple sentence that carried a deep weight behind it.

A few months had passed since the incident with the Beret Society. [Name]'s behavior had changed drastically since they had been invited to join the group. In the end, it had all been a tremendous lack of humanity on Dougie's part; recruiting the youngest prisoner in the place and putting them through the same punishment he used with adults while handling the Aqua Doloris.

Before, they were sharp in their comments and too relaxed for their own good, one of the reasons that led them to this place after all. It quite amazed Wriothesley at how they ended up avoiding being caught by the Marechaussee, when they definitely didn't even know how to hide or lie.

They played a big part in their little game against Dougie, making Wriothesley start to pay more attention and spend some extra time supervisioning them.

"If I leave, Your Grace will miss me so much that you'll want to lock me up in that cell again. But guess what? You won't,” they sarcastically declared while jumping down the stairs.

“If you fall down those stairs, you won't be able to leave here before recovering; You know that, right child?” Wriothesley could imagine them falling. It wouldn't be their first time hitting the ground hard.

But contrary to expectations, it was Wriothesley who tripped and almost fell down the stairs, holding on tightly to the banister; trying his best to act as if nothing had happened. An embarrassing silence between them.

“Pfft…”

It was all that could be heard, them laughing at him, who remained motionless in place. Maybe he really was going to miss that little pest who, until now, had given him nothing but trouble. There was only one day until they're officially a free citizen again, but even though they joked about the possibility of leaving, their final decision had not yet been made.

"You really are fearless, aren't you?" He chuckled and looked straight into their eyes. "Not everyone has the nerves to joke like that, maybe I should ask for your sentence to be increased or something..."

Click, click.

Soft footsteps approached them, a sound they were both used to hearing through Meropide.

"I brought tea."

From the top of the stairs, Sigewinne had a smile on her face, carrying a small tray with her. At the sight of it, their faces instantly paled. As Sigewinne didn't have the same senses as humans, her cooking was peculiar, to say the least.

"Did you ask her to do it?" Wriothesley whispered to the teen as he watched Sigewinne walk down to them.

"Definitely not. She must have heard we were supposed to do it today."

The two exchanged glances, as if in telepathic communication. The current plan was to escape from the tea without hurting the feelings of the melusine in front of them. So as soon as she got close enough, the lame excuses began.

"Well, Sigewinne, I'd love to enjoy this wonderful drink with you but," she said in a pained tone, a terribly fake performance, "my tummy hurts, so I'll pass this time. You can give my cup to His Grace, he loves tea after all."

They held their belly, pretending to be in pain. But as always, Sigewinne knew how to get around the situation.

"Hm? There's nothing to worry about, this tea is good for the intestinal flora."

"Wonderful news, right, [Name]?" Wriothesley nudged Sigewinne lightly. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you two. Duty calls, child.”

Their jaw dropped. That's it, there was no way out of this. Wriothesley could only grin at them and walk away while [Name] was being forced towards their usual tea-time spot. His grin had the exact following translation: "You're doomed."

And so, [Name] had to drink the cursed beverage.

Knock, knock.

Wriothesley's head rose to look at the door. He was just finishing his paperwork, something he could do another day, but which he needed to pretend he was doing so as not to make it so obvious why he wasn't drinking the tea Sigewinne had made.

"Who's there?"

"Someone who’s going to be outside the Fortress as soon as they can," the familiar voice on the other side of the door mocked, sounding like [Name] had finally made his choice, "I don't really like the part about being a juvenile offender or something like that."

Wriothesley let out a low laugh and let them in. He was genuinely not surprised by such a decision. [Name] was a thief on the loose around Fontaine and never stayed in one place for long. Name's preference to not remain contained within the walls of Meropide Fortress was certainly not surprising.

"What made you not want to stay here?" He crossed his arms and leaned further back in his chair; it was a rather comical situation for him.

"Here is nice. I've got food, a roof over my head, people to talk to," they mimicked his action and crossed their arms, "and you're here. But I do miss my true freedom outside those thick walls."

He stared at them with a fond smile on his face. He was quite sad that he would need to say goodbye to that child. Even if selfishly, Wriothesley secretly wished they wouldn't leave Meropide yet. Maybe he did have a favorite prisoner, after all.

“Now, can I get my ‘ultra mega hyper master favorite prisoner’ title before I go?”

They looked at him with stars in their eyes. To be honest, it was quite laughable.

“We’ll see how it goes.” He placed down the papers in his hand, waiting for them to speak more. Wriothesley definitely couldn't do that, even though it would be hilarious to see the other's reaction.

He got up and walked over to them. Unlike expected, Wriothesley hugged them and patted their head. And with a big smile on his face, he could proudly say:

"Enjoy your life out of here, little prick.” He gave them a playful, painless smack on the head.

“Thank you, Your Grace; but…”

They smiled mischievously at him and pointed to the door. Through it, came Sigewinne with her snack tray.

“To show my appreciation towards Your Grace and the great time I had here, I kindly requested my little friend Sigewinne to prepare the best pastries ever.”

The snacks presented to him had a suspicious smell. Maybe Sigewinne was also voluntarily partaking in this small prank. It was hard to say because of her usual smile.

“Just for you.”

In the end, even he couldn't escape getting a taste from his own medicine.

✦⸼࣪⸳♡ BONUS:

“I thought you would be free. What happened, [Name]?”

Sigewinne put a finger over her mouth, trying to understand the reason why they would stay inside such a place when they wanted to be free.

“I got sentenced to more time for ‘murder attempt through food poisoning’.”

“Towards who?” She tilted her head in confusion, an interested look in her face.

“...”

They silently pointed towards the Duke.

“Oh.”

#fontaine #genshin fontaine #genshin impact #genshin platonic #genshin x reader #wriothesley #wriothesley x reader #sigewinne #genshin oneshots #fontaine x reader #genshin x you #genshin x gender neutral reader #Swanniesarchive<3

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jaybirds-chirps · 9 months

Text

so like logically I knew that Ahsoka is a whole ass child during the clone wars, I think she's what? 14 when she gets assigned to Anakin? but watching an animated kid go through war when you yourself are a child is very different than watching a literal child next to an army of grown men all looking to her for orders when youre an adult. The animated show didn't really make it a big deal, that wasn't the point of that show, but now we watched a child talk about being a commander in a war, and for whatever reason it hit me different.

#ahsoka #anakin skywalker #star wars #the clone wars

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newobsessionweekly · 1 year

Note

HIII This is my first time asking

Can you write one shot with Buck? By that I Mean where's reader is pregnant, like how they started thinking about child, them telling 118 and Maddie, thinking about name(girl) and first kicking, time when he is touching her bump and when she is finally here I'm sorry if its to much. And sorry for all the mistake english isn't my first language

I've been thinking

Main masterlist | 9-1-1 masterlist

Dreams series

Part 1 | Part 2

Evan “Buck” Buckley x fem!reader

Fandom:911

Summary: You and Buck consider starting a family together.

Fluff

A/n: Thank you for the request, bub! It’s gonna be a series of all the stages, I hope you’re gonna like it! Also, sorry! It took a bit longer than I expected, working is really sucking every bit of energy out of my body!

Requested: yes

Words: 1.4k

Requests are open for Buck / Eddie!

Gif not mine, credits to the owner!

As you walk into Bobby and Athena's house, the laughter and chatter fill the air. It's a lively party, with children running around and adults catching up with one another. Buck takes your hand, leading you through the crowd, as you greet familiar faces and exchange warm smiles.

You settle down outside, letting the sun kiss your face, enjoying the summer day as Maddie and Chimney made their way, sending hugs here and there. Maddie's eyes are sparkling with excitement, and she can barely contain her joy. Buck kissed the top of your head, joining Bobby and Eddie as the girls gathered around you.

“Someone’s in a good mood.” you teased Maddie, as her cheeks turned red. “Where’s my favourite niece?”

“Oh, she’s over there with Howie.” Maddie pointed to where the boys were standing, making a circle around Jee-Yun as she ran between their legs, handing herself onto Buck’s.

You heard congratulation words coming from the boys, some patting Chim on his shoulder, some giving him hugs. Buck just stood there with a funny repulsion written over his face and everyone laughed at his words, making you frown even more.

“So girl, you’re gonna tell us why you’re so cheerful about or we should share our guesses?” Athena’s gaze shifted from Maddie to where the boys were, lightly chuckling when your boyfriend made his way to you.

“Well, me and Howie—“

“It’s so disgusting hearing people telling around they’re trying for a baby. Like yeah, congratulations, you’re having sex, but just don’t make a big deal out of it!” Buck was babbling around, interrupting his sister, and you just couldn’t hold your laugh at him scrunching his face in dislike.

“What’s the matter with you?” you caressed his hand when he landed on your chair handle.

“It’s annoying hearing Chimney talk about trying for another baby. I don’t want to picture my sister and Chimney having sex! Now I can’t get that image out of my mind!” Buck’s words made the girls laugh and after the realisation hit, all of you gave Maddie questioning looks.

“Yeah, thank you Evan for making the announcement!” Mads frowned at Buck, innocence playing on his eyes as he raised his arms in defence. “Me and Howie are trying for baby number two!” she announces, her voice filled with excitement.

The back yard erupts with laughter and cheers, and you find yourself clapping and smiling along with everyone else. But as the cheers die down, a thought creeps into your mind, and you glance over at Buck, who seems lost in his own thoughts.

Maddie notices your quiet demeanor and turns to you and Buck, her eyes filled with curiosity. "What about you two?" she asks, her voice filled with interest. "Waiting for baby Buckley to play around here some day."

Buck's gaze shifts from Maddie to you, and you catch a flicker of longing in his eyes. It's a question that has been hovering unspoken between the two of you for a while. Your heart skips at the thought of having Buck’s child.

You take a deep breath, suddenly feeling vulnerable yet hopeful. "Maybe some day." you say softly, intertwining your fingers with Buck's.

As the conversation continues around you, your mind starts to race with possibilities. You think about the future, about the joy and challenges that come with parenthood. The thought of sharing that journey with Buck fills you with a sense of love and anticipation.

Buck's attention turned to Christopher, who was playing around with Danny, his contagious laughter filling the air. A mischievous grin formed on Buck's face, and he couldn't resist joining in on the fun. They played tag, engaged in an imaginary battle against imaginary villains, and Buck even gave Christopher a piggyback ride, both of them bursting into fits of giggles.

While watching Buck and Christopher, Eddie joins you on the couch, with a warm smile playing on his face. He leaned in slightly, his voice softening. "You know, you and Buck would make incredible parents," Eddie remarked, his words laced with sincerity. "I've seen how you both care for Christopher and the rest of the team. You have so much love to give."

His words touch your soul, and you nod gratefully. "Thank you, Eddie. It means a lot to hear that from you."

“What are best friends for?” he noticed your lost expression, embracing you with warmth and a kind of love only Eddie was able to bring into your life. It was a big brother’s love, one saying he cares about you a lot and his heart aches whenever your smile is missing from your beautiful face.

His words resonated with you, reinforcing the thoughts that had been swirling in your mind since the conversation had begun. The idea of starting a family with Buck had always been a distant notion, but now it felt tangible, within reach. The mere thought of sharing such a profound connection with him filled you with excitement and warmth.

As the day drew to a close and the sun dipped below the horizon, you found yourself nestled in Buck's embrace, watching the stars emerge one by one. The gentle breeze carried with it a sense of serenity, and it seemed as if the universe was aligning to grant your unspoken desires.

Buck’s apartment is filled with a warm and inviting atmosphere that always seems to surround him; a mix of modern furniture and personal touches, reflecting Buck's adventurous spirit. The walls are adorned with photographs capturing his countless adventures and the sweetest memories the two of you share.

As you settle on the cozy couch, a sense of comfort washes over you, amplified by Buck's presence. You were tired, all you wanted to do was to lay in his arms, the calming movement of his chest raising and slowly making its way down with every breath drifting you off to sleep. But something feels different in the air and your tiredness is not it.

Buck glances at you with a mischievous smile, his hazel eyes sparkling with a hint of excitement. You notice his playful demeanor, sensing there's something he's been pondering.

"You know," Buck begins, his voice gentle yet filled with anticipation, "I've been thinking a lot lately."

“Oh, you thinking? That can’t be good!” you teased, trying so hard to keep the laughter from coming out of your mouth as his fingers made their way up and down your body in Buck’s attempt of tickling you.

“Now, seriously.” he cleared his throat and his blue eyes scanned your face. Tears forming in your eyes from all the laughter, a beautiful smile reached your eyes that you couldn’t keep under control and cheeks painted with the same pink as your lips. “Everyone around us have families, babies. We’re the only one left.”

His words hang in the air, leaving you momentarily speechless, but as you observe Buck's hopeful gaze, you realize he's being completely serious.

As a rush of emotions flood over you, you search within yourself to find your own truth. Thoughts of Buck as a father flicker through your mind, and you can't help but smile. He has always been compassionate, caring, and fiercely protective of those he loves. His determination to make the world a better place for others is a testament to the kind of father he could be.

Buck notices your smile and takes it as a positive sign. His enthusiasm grows, and he continues, "I know it's a big decision, and we'll have to figure out the logistics, but I can't imagine a better person to be the mother of my kids."

His words stir a sense of warmth in your heart, and you find yourself imagining a future where you and Buck navigate parenthood together, supporting each other through the ups and downs.

“I-uh… I’ve been thinking about it lately.” you confessed, playing with his hair as his head rested on your lap. “But the more I think about it, the more I realize how lucky any child would be to have you as a father."

A mix of relief and joy washes over Buck's face, his eyes gleaming with gratitude. He reaches out, gently taking your hand in his, and squeezes it softly. In that moment, you both understand that whatever path you choose, you'll face it together, as you've always done.

He suddenly stands up on his knees, dragging you down on the couch, hands framing your face. You laugh in surprise, wrapping your arms around his neck, holding into him as his lips pursued together down from you nose, to your cheek and making their way to your neck.

“We better get to work then!”

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hyperfixatedfandomer · 3 months

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Can you write a snippet of Quaritch following through with his version of “an old school ass whipping”

Nothing too serious because I don’t think he’d abuse Spider but I do think he’d be the type of parent to resort to physical discipline if pushed enough.

In the exchange between him and Spider, Spider does not seemed alarmed with fear and is actually a little cheeky. I think he’s used to adults just letting him get away with things.

I think it’s be interesting to read Spider’s reaction to an adult/authority figure disciplining him (whether physical or some other punishment) for not following instructions rather than just checking to see if he has not been harmed.

It doesn’t have to relate to him running off which is where Quaritch uses the threat. It could be anything.

Wish granted!✨

TW; none

Arrow to the heart

“UGH! Did y’all ever even wash these before??”

“Not since they were put here.” Miles responded nonchalantly, reading the latest report off his holotable as he lay in the bunk opposite of the shower entrance.

“This is disgusting.” Spider grimaced, his back aching from labour.

It must have been about seven hours since the dreadful words of an incoming punishment were spoken, yet it felt more like an eternity as Spider was been tasked to clean the floor of every room in the recom barracks with only a rag and soap. If hell existed — this had to be it.

“How…” The boy breathed, letting his arms rest minutely, slumped on the foamy tiles. For once, he was thankful to be forced into an ugly shirt and camo-pants. “How much do I have left?”

“A lot less if you didn’t yap all the time.” Miles, yet again, responded without giving his son prisoner as much as a look.

“No, seriously. How many rooms?”

The recom let out a heavy sigh, as if he was the one hunched over the tiles with rubber gloves. “Five. You’ll do toilets next.”

Spider groaned in misery, before taking a deep breath to steady himself and keep working. Maybe Miles would eventually get tired of seeing him like this and let it go.

“Oh, and don’t think I’ll let you off easy. You’ll be scrubbing these floors until you’re done with them all. No breaks.”

Socorro snapped his head towards him. “Are you crazy!? These are avatar-sized! The place is big as fuck! I’ll be stuck here until morning!”

“Then you’ll have to quit talking and get back go work.”

Spider growled. “This is child abuse.”

“You wanna take me to court?”

The blonde’s growls turned to a hiss as he got back to the task, fuming. What the hell was this old bastard’s deal?

“All this…” Spider grumbled as he slid the soapy rag over the floor. “Just for me calling you an asshole…”

“Oh no.” Miles snapped, his keen ears catching Socorro’s low mumbling form across the room. “All this is for you saying that shit in front of my superiors. You crossed a line. I could let your attitude slide in the forest, but not in public. You will not put me in a spot like that again. Got that?”

“Yes sir.”

“No you didn’t. Keep scrubbing.” Miles commanded, going back to reading. “How in lord’s name did those lab rats even tolerate you?”

With no warning, these last words hit Spider like an arrow to the chest. Out of nowhere, he got a strong urge to take that damned rag and strangle the colonel with it. “I was very well-fucking-behaved, thank you.” He spat.

“You? Behaving?” Quaritch smirked, raising a brow. “Nonsense.”

“You think you know me? That you got me all figured out?”

“You’re not as mysterious as you wanna be, kid.” The recom side-eyed him. “You’re an audacious, lazy brat who was never taught manners because those traitors had no patience to raise a proper man.”

Spider laughed in disbelief. “Oh. Really?”

“I didn’t say you could stop. Quit whining, or I’ll assign the B-squad’s barracks as well.”

“Wh-NO!” The boy barked, standing and throwing the wet rag in the bucket. “We’re NOT done!”

Miles rolled his eyes. On some level, he could feel that this outburst was coming, but held out hope that they’d skip Spider’s desperate self-affirmations. He’ll let him talk it out and add onto the punishment after the rant is over, which was the only reason why he didn’t plan on tunning the kid out.

No other reason at all.

“You think I’m like this at home? I’m not! I worked day in an out at hell’s gate and then high camp, to help those I care about and keep hem safe!” He raised his voice. “I’ve always tried to be quiet, stay out of the way, keep to myself! The rest of those ankle-biters didn’t come close!” He stepped closer to the stone-faced colonel. “I’ve always did my best, alright?!”

His voice wavered, and Quaritch’s ears flicked down instinctively. Was the kid getting emotional? “If you were so damn good then why the hell had no-one scrambled to get you back yet?”

His implication hung in the air, simple and clear; that it was Spider’s fault that there was yet not a single rescue attempt made.

Another arrow to the heart.

“You know why.” Socorro spat.

“No I don’t. We’ve spent so much time squatting in the mud miles from Bridgehead yet no one has come looking fo you.”

Spider’s breath hitched.

“Maybe, get this…” Quaritch stood. “You’d be favoured more if you were less of a pain in the ass.”

Of course, the recom did not believe his words. Not fully, but he needed to deliver the punishment in a way his ward would remember. Spider was overdue for a reality check.

Except…the cheer pain in Socorro’s eyes in response to his words suggested otherwise. Quaritch was suddenly rooted in place, pinned under his gaze.

“How…how dare you.” He spoke, his voice shaking. “I was good. I did all I could and then more.” Water began pooling in his big eyes. “I did everything. I was useful, convenient, invisible!” His hands balled into fists. “I did everything they asked! I was at their beck and call! Always!”

Miles felt his heart sink with every sentence. Shit. Alright. Perhaps he overdid it with the cutting words.

“I never complained! I learned to treat my own cuts and bruises! Learned to power through the broken bones! I’ve never been a burden!!!” He screamed.

After weeks, months of staying tight-lipped about his past, all this new information threw Miles’s mind into a spin.

“Spider—”

“You wanna know why I called you an asshole in front of those corporates!? Because you’re a fucking monster!!!” But Socorro could not longer be stopped. “You threaten and hurt and kill and it never bothers you, so why the FUCK should I respect you!?!” He sniffed, throwing off his gloves. “All you’ve ever done is screw me over! It’s YOUR fault no one cared how good I was or that I’m gone, because I’ll always carry YOUR blood. FUCK YOU!” He roared, before sobbing and storming out of the barracks, leaving Miles to stew in what he had just heard.

He looked at the wet rag lying on the tiles, the silence deafening and his tail limp.

Damn it.

Why did his heart ache so?

#atwow #avatar spider #spider socorro #avatar 2 #avatar way of water #avatar #spider avatar #atwow spider #avatar quaritch #Quaritch avatar #atwow quaritch #recom quaritch #miles quaritch #atwow recoms #avatar 2 fanfic

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baratiddyappreciator · 2 months

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Can you please do the baki boys for the first time meeting their S/Os child that is either from a past relationship or just adopted a while back. I really feel like Restu and Koshou will not really have a general idea of how to interact but they're really trying to get along ^v^

P.s the kid really like dinosaur to the point that they start calling the baki boys different dinosaur names 💕

Oh this wins for the cutest ask I've ever gotten!! Thank you!!! I'm operating off of the basis that they know the reader already has a kid and that this isn't just a "oh btw I have a child. Surprise!" type deal. Also I am SO SORRY that this took so long lmao.

Baki:

Awkward as hell. He knows you have a kid, and you'd been talking about introducing them for a while but he was so worried that this kid wouldn't like him and that you'd leave him because of it, but He apparently had literally nothing to worry about because he immediately got roped into playing with your kids toy dinosaurs in a dramatic re-creation of the moment the meteor hit, and they then proceeded to throw a temper-tantrum when it was time for him to leave. Safe to say, Baki stayed the night.

They bond very quickly, to the point where Baki just full on accepts "yes, this is fatherhood, I am prepared for fatherhood, this is my child as well." He isn't the step father, he's the father that stepped up. He's fiercely protective of your kid, and nobody, not even his father, is going to mess with them if he can help it.

Speaking of Yujiro, he throws a bit of a fit that Baki so quickly takes in another man's child because "The Bloodline Must Continue" but he gets over it pretty quick, seeing this one as more of a practice run for Baki for when it comes time for him to have his own kids, because surely this is just temporary... Right?

He introduces the kid to the other fighters in the arena. By the end of introductions, this kid has gained several uncles and a few grandpas. At that point, just accept that you're going to have a lot of people in your house spending time with your kid. Which, on the plus side: free babysitting, and you kid will literally be the safest person in Japan. Possibly the whole world if they can win over Yujiro enough to be seen as respected, but too pathetic to even think of fighting.

If they do wind up pestering you for another sibling, they're going to have to wait. Baki's got no problem with making them an older sibling, but he's barely an adult himself. That can wait until he's got some stuff sorted out on his end and you've both had the chance to have a long talk about your future together.

Learning about your kids love of dinosaurs is something that benefits Baki because he also loves dinosaurs and he can take the chance to flex that he's eaten t-rex meat before. If your child is given the opportunity to watch Baki fight, they'd probably nickname him after some form of dromaeosaur, likely velociraptor because he may be small but he's damn deadly given the chance. Bonus points if they have trouble pronouncing it, like kids often do, so it just sounds garbled in that cute way.

Hanayama:

It takes a while for him to agree to meet your kid. Not because he's scared, but because he's not nearly patient enough to be near kids for extended periods of time. If your kid is rowdy and loud, there is a very high chance that Hanayama will simply ignore them given the chance, but a more mellow child wins him over pretty quickly. Especially if they're happy to just sit there and chill out for a while, though his boys don't mind roughhousing with them if they need to get some energy out. Hanayama is an intimidating man, and likely even more so in the eyes of a child, but if they can be brave and trust you then they gain a staunch protector.

It's a slowly established bond, but once it's in place it's unbreakable. Even if you and Hanayama wind up splitting, he's going to be in that kid's life. He's at every event, big or small. Even if he gets dragged into a fight, he's normally ale to finish it up quickly enough to still make it on time as long as they don't mind him looking a bit rough and not picking them up as eagerly because he's probably at least a little bit sore. This kid now has not only a super tough father-figure, but a large system of uncles and cousins too!

Said uncles and cousins are also incredibly devoted, you will walk into your own home and find them just chilling with your child like "Oh tell uncle Kizaki how your day was! Any trouble?" Just know that if they're ever bullied... Well, simply put, no they won't, because that gets very swiftly shut down by the bullies parents. Nobody wants to deal with the yakuza, this group especially considering how scary Hanayama can be when those he cares about are put in harms way.

He's reluctant to bring the kid around other fighters purely for the reason that he's not there as much as the others. He knows that he can keep them safe, but it's a matter of protecting both you and your child from any unfavorable individuals that might show up to challenge the other fighters, though they definitely get to know Baki because of how close he and Hanayama are.

Your kid can pester you as much as they want for another sibling, Hanayama's waiting for a few more years before he even considers having a kid, especially because they'd take up the mantle of the family after he's gone. While he definitely doesn't mind having a kid, he's nowhere near ready right now. In the meantime, they can play with the kids of the gang members have have them.

Your kid likes dinosaurs? Cool. He doesn't have any real strong opinions on dinosaurs. Granted, the first time your kid looked him dead in the eyes and told him that he reminded them of an ankylosaurus, he did feel a bit weak in the knees because nobody has ever basically outright told him that he's a tanky hard-hitter quite like that. He's happy to be their ankylosaurus, he loves the kid and that's pretty final. Besides, it's not like anyone's going to say anything to him about it.

Chiharu:

It also takes him a while to meet your child, but not because he doesn't want to or is nervous (he is nervous, but he won't tell you that), he's just a genuinely busy guy. He's got some stuff to get done, making sure that not only is he safe, but that you and your child are safe too. He does have enemies in his line of "work" that wouldn't be above using some pretty deplorable methods to get their point across. When he does finally meet your kid though, he's shockingly calm, eager to meet them and happy to be there! They want to play? Hell yeah, he'll get on the ground and playing with them within the first five minutes, and they are inseparable. He doesn't want to leave, he winds up sleeping on your couch, passed out watching a movie with your child. Land Before Time, specifically, because he has TASTE!

Bond established within five minutes. Really, all that needed to be said was "Hi! I like dinosaurs!" and Chiharu was won over. He bonds with kids so easily it's almost scary, but it's because he's got an incredibly sense of whimsy and can easily see things the way that kids do. You may see a messy pile of leaves, but Chiharu sees a potential castle. He's perfectly happy to take your child under his wing. He's honestly more of a cool older brother than a father figure, but he's got his moments of paternal wisdom, such as telling them not to lick batteries or stick a fork in the electrical outlets. Really, common sense things, but sometimes kids just need to be told not to do dangerous stuff.

Much like with Hanayama's guys, his guys don't mind spending time with your kid. That's their bosses adopted little one, and they're going to treat them like family regardless. That is their little buddy now, and nobody is gonna get between them and their little buddy. They'll always have a ride to and from school, they'll always have someone able to bring them snacks or lunch, and they have an entire army of bodyguards at their beck and call.

No hesitation, just "THIS IS MY MINI ME!! LOOK UPON THEM AND WEEP BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER BE HALF AS COOL AS US!" And you know what? He's right. The two of them are cool, and your kid has become his mini-me. When they're old enough, if they wanted a tattoo, Chiharu would 100% take them to get one where he got his. It's good quality, and his partner in crime deserves only the best of the best! The other fighters will probably get attached too, because being around Chiharu is bound to increase the confidence of any child.

Your kid wants a little sibling? Well, shit, better start building that crib because he won't hesitate to give them exactly that. He'll take your opinion into consideration. If he could spontaneously pop out a kid himself, he would. Rest assured, him being unable to do this is a good thing, otherwise you'd both have about 10 toddlers to take care of on top of your own child. If you're persuasive enough though, you can convince him to just wait a little bit. Unless, of course, you are also spontaneous, in which case, congratulations, another child is on their way! Be it adopted or biological, this one will absolutely just wind up being another Chiharu 2.0, though if that's a good thing is up to you.

He'd probably get called Pterodactyl or something along those lines because of his back tattoo, but also: He's bird-like in his tendencies. He wears the nickname with pride though, and he doesn't need an explanation. Any nickname given to him by your little one is going to stick no matter what, and he wouldn't have it any other way. Hell, he'll even do his best to come up with a good one for your kid in return, his dino knowledge is, admittedly, very limited.

Katsumi:

Perfectly at ease, an absolute natural when it comes to stuff like this, despite never potentially being a father himself. Literally almost everyone loves him, so he's not too worried about your kid taking a liking to him as well, but that doesn't mean he won't try to win them over first. Bribes are brought and provided (with your permission, of course). Even if they like him right away, he's very quickly cemented as a favorite in their books because of all the cool stuff that he brought! He's not above getting on the ground and playing around with them too. Leaving them alone together is dangerous however, because you'll come back and Katsumi has taught your kid how to punch through a wooden board, and your coffee table is now less structurally sound than it was the last time you were in the room.

There's a very strong bond, but it takes a while to actually set in. Katsumi isn't worried about it being an instant thing, he knows that these things take time, probably better than anyone else, and he's definitely not going to push. That being said, he thinks he's doing worse than he really is. They don't talk to him about something because they got distracted and he immediately jumps to "oh god, they hate me, I need to call my dad for help because I can't have my beloved's kid hate me!" Even if it's your younger sibling being protective because that's just how kids can be sometimes. He immediately goes running to Doppo for help, only to basically be told to calm down.

Yeah, this child absolutely will be absorbed into Katsumi's friend group. They're going to grow up calling Katou and Suedo their uncles, and they're absolutely going to be able to keep up with their quips and jabs. Congrats, you're now raising a witty karate nerd and their three mentors. Of course, Doppo and Natsue are there to help if need-be, so you at least have reliable baby-sitters that are always willing to take the little one so you and Katsumi can go on a date or even if you just need a minute, even if it's just to sit down and not do anything for a hot minute.

This is his star pupil. Adults that have trained under him for months? Years? Nothing in comparison to the bond between Katsumi and his new partner in crime. And they do commit crimes. Innocent crimes, to be fair, but still crimes. One will distract you while the other steals food and snacks for the both of them. If they get caught, then they're making a break for it and you'll never catch up to them until they come back later with puppy eyes wanting more food, and you won't even be able to stay mad, because they just look so innocent and adorable (they aren't, they have committed crimes and will commit them again), so surely a little treat before supper couldn't hurt!

A sibling? They want a sibling? A niece or nephew?? His body is ready, he'll get pregnant if he has to. He doesn't care if it's impossible, his little baby will get whatever they want from him and they know it too. He's the worst at saying no, and eventually his partner in crime learns this. You're going to have to help Katsumi when it comes to letting the little ball of energy down easy. That being said, him actually telling them no will take a few years, though it's going to take a while for him to actually get the hang of it without feeling guilty.

Katsumi will most likely get called Stegosaurus, especially if he ever demonstrates his skills anywhere in front of this small, impressionable child. Is it to brag? Probably. Is it to show how cool karate is so they agree to take lessons? Mayhaps. Does he get upset about this? No, absolutely not, and the second this small human learns that Katsumi once fought a caveman, it's all over, they're gonna be asking a billion questions and Katsumi will barely be able to keep up. They'll convert him to the dark side (liking dinosaurs) in no time, just watch.

Jack:

He's so quiet. Just in general, yes, but beyond saying hi, he's not doing much initially, just sorta relaxing. There's no reason for him to get worked up, the kid's not going to be able to do anything to him, and he doubts that you'd ever leave him just because he was being himself around someone. As for the reaction to meeting Jack, there's most likely going to be either "WOAH! That guy's HUGE!!" and "Woah. That guy's huge." though after the first few minutes they'll likely realize that Jack is pretty chill. They'll most likely wind up sitting together and watching a movie, and because it's Jack he's going to want to sleep over so he can get his cuddles in before he has to go back to working out.

Any bond with Jack comes with the assurance that he's not going anywhere unless you either act like a jerk or unless you ask him to leave, and that's the same case for this child. All it takes is him being there during a few nightmares or rough days for them to realize that Jack is, simply put, there for them. He's going to be just as protective of them as he is of you as well, you're both a part of his family now and nobody is going to bother either of you on his watch. Once they get more comfortable with each-other, they'll likely rough-house a bit. Jack controls his strength well, and the kid doesn't have to worry about hurting him, so be prepared to just occasionally watch them get tossed onto the couch by Jack, only to run over begging for it to be done again.

Yujiro might give Jack a hard time about not having kids of his own and taking care of someone else's child, but Jack honest to god doesn't care. Yujiro can keep yapping at him, he's perfectly happy doing what he's doing, which is most likely enjoying a really nice outing with you, your kid as well as Baki and Kozue, he's not about to let his old man ruin that. One of the few times Jack might actually crack back at Yujiro, because while this isn't his kid, at least he's parenting. Will that start a fight? There's a decent chance Yujiro might be insulted enough, but it's the truth and deep down he knows it, so he can't really say anything.

Jack doesn't really care if he introduces them (and you) to the other fighters or not. These are good people who wouldn't hurt either of you, and if they were then you wouldn't even know about them. The first person he introduces the both of you to is Tokugawa, he needs to get the old man's approval to bring you two around to the arena on occasion, though Baki isn't long after for an introduction. He'll want all of the important people in his life to know about the both of you in case anything happens to him so you'll both be safe and taken care of. It's a morbid thought and he'd likely never say it out loud, but he likes to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

They want a sibling? They want him to give them a sibling? Well, he's conflicted about that one. On one hand, the idea of having a kid with you is fun, and he certainly doesn't mind trying even if it's not physically possible, but on the other hand: he really doesn't know if he can have kids. Not just because of the steroid abuse, but because of all the mental hang-ups he has about being an unwanted child. Would it be wrong of him to bring a life into this world? Would he be a good parent? What if they're sick, or his father does something to them because they're not strong enough? He's got all sorts of fears and concerns, but given time he'll come to you about them so you can both talk about it.

It takes a hot minute to figure out what dinosaur to nickname Jack, but eventually, given a lot of thought (and maybe a Jurassic World binge) they settle on Giganotosaurus. Because like Jack, this dinosaur is big and has a horrific bite, both powerful and fast, even if they aren't the strongest, much like Jack. Though Jack doesn't really know how to feel about being nicknamed after a dinosaur in particular, he does appreciate their knowledge and the effort they put into finding the right one to call him, even if he's not really one for nicknames. If they try hard enough, they can even get Baki on board with it. Jack will suffer the entire time, but he doesn't actually mind.

Kosho:

Awkward as all hell. He doesn't mind kids, he's just not good with them. Like, at all. He doesn't know what to do to entertain them, he doesn't know how to bond with them, he doesn't even know what they like doing other than being weirdly sticky all the time. He doesn't understand how or why, but it's a thing that they do. That being said, this kid is absolutely infatuated with him. No explanation, no reasoning, they just decide instantly that they want to be near him very often, and you're going to have to literally pry them away from him. It's like when cats find the one person in the room that don't like them and proceed to stick to them like glue. Doe she understand? No. Is he trying? Desperately trying, yes. Is it getting him anywhere? Nah. Do they still love him? Absolutely, take joy in his misery while it lasts, because he will eventually get used to it.

Kosho is pretty damn loyal. He cares for his people, and he likes to show that in his own weird way. He's like a cat, where he doesn't want to be given affection unless he's the one to initiate. At some point in time, he'll just walk past the kid while they're doing regular things to just pat them on the top of the head and then promptly walk away like he didn't do anything. If they try to hug him or lean into him, he'll act like they've burnt him, but he's not against the affection, he's just not used to kids trying to get closer to him and show him that they love him.

They never have to suffer through long and dragging on doctors appointments ever again. Given a little bit of time, both of the brothers will get used to them and be absolutely in love. Kureha is 100% willing to offer up fake doctors notes if it means he can get out of dancing around the awkward conversation between him and some macho man that refuses to admit that he's got a bright pink vibe up his butt and can't get it out. Speaking of, this kid is about to be traumatized by both Kureha and Kosho telling them horrifying stories about messed up stuff, but they're going to have fun while it's happening so I guess it's a win?

Does Kosho want to introduce this kid to the other fighters? Oddly enough, yes. He wants to brag about his new little buddy and flex that he's got the new fun cool person to hang around with. There's no hesitation, no second thoughts, he just shows up one day like "HEY FUCKERS LOOK WHAT I FOUND!! THEY ARE STRANGE AND STICKY BUT I STILL LOVE THEM!" Only for your child to just be sitting there shitting bricks because oh my god look at the size of that guy- Hey is that a caveman?? They eventually just sorta accept that Kosho is just going to show up at some points in time, and he may or may not be accompanied by a small borderline feral child, and that they may or may not have to endure (happily so) their shenanigans (talking about dinosaurs and about how cool they think all the fighters are).

Sibling? Yeah, nah, sorry kiddo. He's not too interested in having his own kids, and he's a bit worried about having another kid only for them to wind up going through a "I HATE MY OLDER SIBLING!!" phase that he went through with Kureha, not realizing that he is the exception and not the norm. It'll take a long time for him to realize that as well, but seeing the two of you interact if you're siblings does help him slowly start to figure it out. He might warm up to the idea down the line, but he's initially very against the idea and will outright deny ever wanting kids. He might never change his mind, because one might just be enough for him.

They 100% call him therizinosaurus. He cuts stuff with his nails, the connection gets made almost immediately. Does he enjoy being called a dinosaur? Not really, no. Does he appreciate the effort that was put into finding the right one that suits him? Absolutely, so they can call him a therizinosaurus all they want, he won't stop them. He never really gets the point of it, but he does appreciate their knowledge and will actively encourage their interests with random cool dinosaur things that he happens to find, be it while he's out on some adventure training or if he's getting groceries. Eventually he starts learning about dinosaur stuff against his will and just accepts that this is his life now.

Kureha:

He's not awkward per se, but he isn't super fond of kids, especially not loud energetic ones. He might warm up to them eventually if they are more energetic, but only be assured it's because they matter so much to you. He'll never admit that he was nervous before meeting them though, there's no way he'll ever tell you that he feared a young child holding the potential to ruin his relationship simply because they didn't like him. He played really nice with them for the first few months, and then he started being himself a bit more. They either get along just fine or they constantly butt heads about some things, either way, it's a playfully bitchy relationship where they give each-other a hard time to show that they care about each-other.

They will never have to worry about long wait times to get checked out for anything. Runny nose? Kureha's got it. Sore knee? He's got that too. Kureha is fully willing to spoil the living daylights out of this kid and he makes that very clear. They want dinosaur stuff? They get an exclusive tour of the paleontology wing of a museum and they get to raid the gift-shop for souvenirs after. Not feeling well? They've got doctors notes on demand. Lord help whoever manages to upset them, because Shinogi can and will give them the worst health scare of their lives. You've got a cough? Well, we took a chest x-ray and we found some weird spots so we'd better check for something more serious!

Kureha hangs around Jack often enough that eventually you'll just wind up adopting him into the family as some sort of uncle. If the kid struggled with bullies before, then the second Jack goes to pick them up from school that is over. They now have the cool massive scary uncle and the cunty scary father figure who just so happens to be a doctor. They literally can't do anything because if Kureha complains to their parents it's all over for them, especially since he's so well respected in the medical field. Otherwise, a quick call to Jack for a quick favor can really get things moving in the right direction.

Would he bring them around the arena? Not likely. He'll introduce them to Tokugawa, his brother and Jack, but the others aren't likely to meet them unless they happen to run into you all in public or at the hospital when you're visiting Kureha. Them coming around the arena wouldn't be likely until they're much older, like in their late teens or early twenties simply because he doesn't want to have to patch them up because they gain an interest in fighting. ESPECIALLY if Pickle is around. Jack, Katsumi and Retsu weren't the hardest to patch up, but it's not something he wants to do for someone that he's supposed to help raise.

They can ask him for a sibling all they want, his answer isn't likely to change from a firm no. Now if you want a kid, that's a different answer entirely, and it's more of a conversation he's willing to have because you're both adults and that's the healthy thing to do, but a kid asking him to bring another kid into the world? That's an automatic no. He doesn't even really want kids of his own simply because of how his family is (thank you Iya for the lovely lovely Shinogi brothers HCs I love you pookie) but he's open to at least talking about it and thinking about it for longer than five seconds. That being said, if he does agree for whatever reason, then he's going to be an absolute bitch about it, even if he was the one to initiate obtaining said child.

He expects to be nicknamed after some glorious majestic dinosaur, and then the kid hits him with the Synosauropteryx and he just needs to sit down for a few minutes when he finally looks the lil guy up only to realize that the only reason they chose that one in particular was because he's got red hair. It's a devastating realization for him, but please wait to bring out the chihuahua comparison, because he'll go from devastated to murderous in about half a second and you will NOT be able to outrun him. Pointing out that he's then proving you right will simply make him even angrier, and you will 100% wind up duct-taped to the ceiling, your kid will help him.

Retsu:

This man is a MOTHER. He is a MOTHER! He knows how to handle kids and he does so very well! How and where did he learn how to do all of this? No idea! He didn't help raise other kids, as a matter of fact, he was pretty much an only child the entire time he was growing up, but he does remember how he was raised. Despite him being a mother, don't be overly shocked if you come home one day and he's taught them how to kick a hole in the wall (that was not intentional and he doesn't know how to make them stop please help he is scared) and then there are also the random skills that they also learn from him passively. There's no fear, they almost instantly both click with each-other, the vibes are immaculate, it's like finding peace for the first time.

Retsu is nothing if not loyal to his loved ones. They want something? They've got it, and if he can't get it for them, then he knows someone that can get it for them in almost no time at all. Having his connections, stuff like that is child's play. They want an archeologist at their birthday party to tell them about their most interesting dig? Why not go to the actual dig site and help out? He can get that organized, he promises, just give him a few weeks to get all the ducks in a row, and he'll make this the best damn birthday party they've ever seen. How is he going to top it next year? Don't know, but he will. You just gotta trust the process!

He might take them back to the temple he was born and raised in to go meet some of the other Chinese Kempo practitioners he grew up with, though he doesn't really want to take them to meet Kaiou Kaku and his family, simply because he'd rather not put them in the potential path to be judged and treated poorly, as the old man can be pretty prejudiced, though he doesn't really have much to worry about because Kaiou Kaku is a father, grandfather and great grandfather, so he's used to kids not sharing his interests and is actually decently chill about that. It's a large family that, upon learning that Retsu has taken in this child, will do anything to protect them.

He'd be torn between bringing them to the arena or just keeping them introduced to a few people that he's close to, like Tokugawa and the Orochi family, though he might eventually just bring them with him because they pester him enough. He's decently protective and might be weary of Jack and Baki getting close to them simply because of Yujiro being... Well, Yujiro, but eventually he does give in and they wind up rough-housing with one of the brothers or Katsumi while he does something else, like fighting so they don't have to see him whooping ass. Though he does wind up absolutely thrilled that the others would care for his adopted child this much and he'll tell you as much with a big emotional smile and a tear in his eyes. You'll have to comfort him a little, he's easily made emotional.

A SIBLING?!? MY WORD!! Why are they asking HIM this question?! (He's stunned and shocked and oh my word he is appalled and doesn't at all realize that this means they see him as a parent and obviously parents are the ones who have kids right?) He's not really sure how to react other than a flustered and desperate request for your help please god he doesn't know what he's doing please help him. Once he calms down and thinks for a second though, he gets it, really he does. He's open to the idea as long as you're both stable enough in your lives to bring another one into the family. He's going to be just as good of a parental figure to this one, he promises, and honestly, he's one of the few people you can trust when he says that.

He doesn't mind being nicknamed after a dinosaur, he's actually highly flattered because of it and is incredibly proud when he gets to witness their knowledge firsthand! All of those late nights staying up with them to figure out what the coolest dinosaurs are were definitely worth it, because the one time he asks what dinosaur they think he is he gets hit with "Oh! You're definitely a Tarbosaurs!" A ruthless and efficient predator, thought to be a dedicated parent? That sums him up perfectly! He's got no problem calling them his little tarbosaurus either, even going as far as to learn as much as he can so he can occasionally drop interesting facts onto your childs head and watch them light up in excitement and delight.

Doppo:

He's done this before, he's willing to do it again. Younger kids are a bit of a challenge because he adopted Katsumi at a bit older, but he doesn't mind, he adapts quick. That and he's got a bunch of eager students that either know someone or are someone that works with kids and can do whatever he needs them to when it comes to child care. If he's busy for whatever reason, he knows that either Katsumi or one of the hired babysitters have them covered, especially if it's a date night. Katsumi's a bit old to be expecting a new sibling, but that won't stop Doppo. Truth be told, he did enjoy fatherhood and having someone looking up to him with that child-like wonder and amazement, so the first time he meets them he wants to immediately hit them with a wow-factor. And the fun part is that it works! Enjoy peace and quiet for the next six hours, because Doppo's got this covered! Go take a nap or get your nails done, you'll find them tuckered out and ready for a nap of their own when you get back.

Devoted and loyal aren't nearly enough to describe Doppo. You need him on the PTA? He's there, and he's getting things done! His name carries weight, and he uses that to his full advantage if he needs to. He did it for Katsumi, and he knows for a fact that the teachers and parents still at that school remember how he ruled the PTA with an iron fist, though he was always hidden in the background. They want to go to a museum with dinosaurs? He's organizing a field trip for the entire grade, and of course he's there as a chaperone to supervise and get some quality dad time in, just like he did with Katsumi when he was at the age where he didn't realize that that's what Doppo was doing.

He definitely is not letting Yujiro get wind of this one. That's the last thing he needs. This child is peaceful, interested in things like dinosaurs and learning, The Ogre would eat them alive, and there's no way he would ever let that happen. Baki is safe, Jack is a maybe, but Yujiro? Definitely a no. Absolutely not. If he sees him while out in public he's distancing himself from you and the kid just to be sure that you don't look associated with him in the slightest. He's not playing games, you and your kid will be safe no matter what, and if it means having you be whisked away by someone he knows to go back home and wait out Yujiro being... Well, his awful self, then that's simply going to be a factor. He'll let you know about that upfront though, so you know what you're getting into.

Oh he does bring them around the arena when he knows Yujiro isn't in the country. He's reluctant around Jack, but Shibukawa, Retsu and Tokugawa? They all meet his new kid, and they all weep because oh my god, they're so cute, and so clever!!! Tokugawa hopes that they'll become a fighting prodigy, much like Katsumi, but it only takes him about a month to accept that they don't really have an interest in that. They will learn Karate, because of course, Doppo wants to bond with them in his own little way and make sure they know how to defend themselves, so eventually someone will say that dinosaurs are boring and Doppo will bring them home crying laughing because someone said dinosaurs were stupid and they karate chopped them in the leg because they're wrong dinosaurs are cool don't be a dummy. Bonus points if it's some big showy fighter was trying to act hard and cool that immediately shut down once he got slapped.

A sibling? They already have a sibling! Katsumi is right there! They want a younger one? Well hell, Doppo's already in his fifties! It's a bit late to think about having another one, but yet again, if you ask real nicely he might consider it. In all seriousness though, he doubts that they'll need another sibling, they, as well as Katsumi, are more than enough for him, but if you say you want to be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, he doesn't mind helping you achieve that goal. ;)

Oh he doesn't mind getting nicknamed after a dinosaur! As a matter of fact, he's entirely pleased by it. Especially when they decide that the perfect nickname for him was triceratops. Big, strong and intimidating. If he was a more insecure man, he'd be worried that he was scaring his new kid, but no, he knows that they feel safe around him. They wouldn't give him a nickname if they didn't! He wears his nickname as a badge of honor, and proudly brags about being seen as strong by his children. Katsumi might give him a hard time about it, but he's just jealous that Doppo got a cool nickname first.

#baki the grappler #baki son of ogre #grappler baki #baki dou #baki rahen #baki headcanons #baki hanma #hanayama kaoru #chiharu shiba #katsumi orochi #jack hanma #kosho shinogi #kureha shinogi #retsu kaioh #doppo orochi #natsue orochi #shibukawa gouki

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woso-dreamzzz · 4 months

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i feel like alba taking bambi is a bit extreme. hear me out! like yes ofc caring for one kid more than the other is bad!! but with the whole ale forgetting bambi at daycare it’s like what parent hasn’t forgot to pick up their kid once. like does that make sense like i feel like especially because it happend only once and she was at her job when she forgot that shouldn’t warrant alba legit taking her daughter away from her? like it just wasnt THAT big of a deal like ofc it’s not good but i think alba is reacting a bit over the top about it. idk maybe my perspective is different, but what do you think? id love to hear your opinion as the writer

I don't think you guys understand just how much I love answering these kinds of asks. Also, sorry in advance because this is going to be a lot of psych ramble but genuinely parent-child relationships and their impacts are actually so fascinating to me

So, the whole Alexia forgetting Bambi thing would be a big escalation if that was the only reason Alba had for removing Bambi from her home. It looks like the only reason but there were a lot of other things that Alba would have noticed when she got Bambi from nursery.

So, first of all, what Alexia's been doing is emotional neglect. Compared to other forms of neglect, emotional neglect is one of the harder ones to recognise because it's not as obvious as something like physical neglect.

The signs are very subtle and it's difficult to notice if you're not a child's primary caregiver.

From Bambi's perspective, she's been shoved to the side a bit since Jaume was born. She was never really close to Olga so she can cope with that in a sense (not that she should have to) but Alexia's disregard for her definitely hits hard.

It's a lot of little things built up onto each other. In Injured IV, when Alexia comes home she immediately greets Olga and Jaume but doesn't even spare Bambi a look. Bambi stays under that coffee table for quite a while in the hope that Alexia will notice she's not there and look for her but she never does.

She also mentions when Jaume isn't 'being good' then she doesn't get things like a bedtime story or cuddles at bed which is essentially her equating Jaume crying with the fact that Alexia yet again forgetting about her and that his needs trump her own.

There's also the fact that all of Bambi's individual pictures have been changed to ones of her and Jaume which leads to her thinking that she's only worth anything if her brother is attached to it. Similarly, all of the pictures she drew have been taken off the fridge in favour of a photo of Olga, Alexia and Jaume. Even when she lets Alba put her drawing up in Injured IV, she places it on the side of the fridge where it won't be seen as clearly.

Bambi also learnt how to cry quietly. When Kids are younger they can't communicate their feelings properly and crying loudly gets the attention of a caregiver so they can receive comfort. Bambi's learnt to cry quietly because she knows that no one will come to give her comfort if Jaume is also crying even though there are two adults in the house, one for each of them.

Emotional neglect really builds on a child as young as Bambi and causes effects like low self-esteem, depression and anxiety and in more extreme cases failure to thrive and Bambi, sadly, is on track for all of them.

Now, that's all from Bambi's perspective and, of course, Alba can't know all of that because she's not Bambi's primary caregiver.

She can only go off on what she can see. What she knows for sure, at first, is that Alexia and Olga have both forgotten Bambi.

That isn't what makes her take Bambi though.

She gets a notification from the Barca account saying that they're meeting their youngest teammate and it's got a picture of Alexia, Olga and Jaume so it's not like both of them were super busy and that's why they forgot Bambi.

There's also the change in routine that Bambi mentions. She used to get a new train every week and when Alba mentions that, she finds out that Bambi hasn't received a new train in weeks (more like months) which is a massive deviation from an established routine.

There's also the celebration they watch on tv with Alexia winning the Copa de la Reina and all those pictures of her with Jaume and the cup and there's no hint at all that she realises Bambi isn't there with her.

There's obviously Bambi's reaction to that too and her tearing up the picture because she doesn't think it's real (bearing in mind that it's a picture of her, Alexia, Olga and Jaume as a family).

It's clear to Alba that something is going on and Bambi isn't doing well because she's been in such a sad mood since she picked her up and then Bambi hides herself away in her room and Alba can't get the door open.

It's a pretty big emotional outburst from Bambi and quite out of character to how she had been previously.

Honestly, everything is out of character from what Alba previously knows - both Alexia and Bambi and it's enough for her to think that perhaps the two need to be separated.

The anger from Injured IV comes in because it's been hours since the final ended and Bambi hid herself away compared to when Alexia, Olga and Jaume come home.

Throughout that entire time, Bambi wasn't even a thought. Alexia didn't even realise Bambi had been left at nursery until she got home which is hours after Alba had to cancel her own plans to get Bambi.

The anger probably escalated the situation a bit more than it needed to but Alba had hours to stew and piece everything together so Bambi's removal from Alexia was warranted once she'd put it all together.

That's all from Inured IV, not onto Injured V:

So childhood emotional neglect is especially impactful the younger a child is. Bambi is around 4 and she's at that age where she's beginning to understand her own and others emotions. Having a stable caregiver to help her work through this is crucial and she doesn't have that so there's a big chance that she'll be developmentally delayed because of it.

This, of course, could lead to big impacts down the road when she goes to school and makes friends and even when she gets older and develops adult relationships.

She's already got low self-worth and is trying to be too independent at too young an age because to her, nobody wants to pay attention to her.

In Injured V, she actually flinches away from Alexia when she tries to grab her because she's now used to being ignored by her mother and having Alexia suddenly wanting her is overwhelming and strange.

It's seen in Injured V how different Bambi is in Alexia's home vs Alba's home when she's genuinely excited to show Alba the picture she made because she's still in her developmental stage and is still able to adapt and come back from this - at least in a way that will have minimal impact on her emotional development and regulation.

Of course, we also find out that Bambi at least suspects that she wasn't as planned as previously thought. She knows Jaume was definitely planned but she's slowly finding out that she wasn't so that's another hit to her confidence. She equates how Jaume is being treated to him being wanted and how she's being treated to her not being wanted.

When Eli comes and all of this comes out, it's clear that this is deep rooted stuff.

As I said previously, emotional neglect is one of the forms of neglects that's hardest to notice. Alba has no way of knowing just how long this has been going on for and just how close this is to having extremely detrimental effects to Bambi's emotional development.

The low self-esteem is already there. She's nervous at the thought of seeing Alexia, Olga and Jaume so there's some anxiety setting in too. For all Alba knows, the depression could be next and if she had left Bambi there, the potential of failure to thrive is quite high too.

So, honestly, Alba removing Bambi was probably the best way to do it. With Bambi with Alba, she would know how she was doing and even if she had left Bambi there and explained what was happening to Alexia, there was always a chance that it could regress back to the neglect again even if Alexia promised to work on it.

Honestly, the standard practice for suspected emotional neglect should be to report it to child services so Alba is actually doing Alexia a favour by not getting them involved.

But, yeah, this is really long but those are essentially the thought processes of everyone 🤷‍♀️

#asks #Bambi

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arlana-likes-to-write · 6 months

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Lightning Bug - Chapter 24

Masterlist

Warning: self harm, mention of past trauma, angst with fluff, Natasha and Wanda being good parents

Word count: 3.1k

“Stephen,” America said. You stood up slowly, but the room began to spin. “Hi. This is-” You lunged to the side, throwing up the food Wanda made for breakfast in a bowl next to the stairs.

“She’s throwing up in the cauldron of the cosmos.”

“Yeah,” America said slowly. “I’m surprised it took her this long.” She started to rub your back. “You threw up much quicker.” You stood up, and a red cap brought you a glass of water and a napkin.

“Uh, thanks,” you took the items from it, and the cap returned to its proper place around Stephen’s shoulders. He was wearing all blue with a brown belt around his waist. The most striking thing about his appearance was a necklace around his neck. You took a sip of water. “Hi,” you waved. “Sorry about that. I’m Y/n,” you introduced yourself.

“I know who you are,” oh. Okay. Well, that was ominous. “What were you thinking?” He turned his attention back to his pupil. “You could have gotten separated or, worse, caused an incursion .” America sighed, looking down at her feet.

“I know, I know. I wasn’t thinking.” You weren’t the biggest fan of how he was talking to her.

“Hey, chill,” he looked at you, and you heard America quietly say your name in a warning. “No one got hurt. We are back in our correct universe,” well, you hopped you were. “She made a mistake. It happens.” The man crossed his arms.

“I don’t have time to explain the complexity of the multiverse to another child.” You never wanted to slap an adult more than you do now. “America knows it was more than a simple mistake.” You disliked how quiet America was being. It was so unlike her. You wrapped your pinky finger around hers. Stephen’s eyes followed the path of your hand, and you saw his eyes soften at the gesture, but his mask went back on quickly. “I believe your presence is being requested at the tower and America,” your friend raised her head. “We will discuss the consequences of your actions later.” He raised both hands, and orange sparks surrounded the both of you.

You yelped as you fell through the portal Stephen created. Instead of hitting the ground, red magic surrounded you and America and gently rested you down. You stood in the common floor kitchen with a very amused Black Widow looking at you. “Imagine our shock,” she began. “That Vision gave you the day off because you weren’t feeling well, and FRIDAY tells us you and America left the tower,” you cringed at her tone and looked down at the floor.

“You must be feeling better,” Wanda added.

“It’s not her fault,” America defended. “I woke her up to hang out with her,” Natasha said your name, and you looked at her. You saw a playful twinkle in her eye, indicating she wasn’t mad at you.

“Go to your room and get some sleep,” you nodded.

“Yes, ma’am,” you looked at America, interlocking your hand with hers. “Sorry you got in trouble,” you squeezed her hand.

“No big deal,” she shrugged her shoulders. You smiled at the couple, pleading with your eyes for them to go easy on her, and took the stairs to your floor.

You took each step slowly, your body was still sore, and the adrenaline was wearing off. “There you are,” you looked up to see Bruce walking over to you. You smiled at the doctor, ignoring the concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you headed towards the kitchen and grabbed a glass to fill with water. “Do you need something from me?” You sipped on the water as Bruce flipped through the clipboard he was holding.

“I’ve noticed you’ve been going through many batteries,” he said. Your fingers tightened around the glass you were holding. “I’m glad you are using it, but I want to ensure you use it safely.”

“I am,” you said. The lie ticked the back of your throat. “I use it in the morning and sometimes at night.” It wasn’t a total lie since Maria liked to use the machine during training. He nodded.

“Well, I wanted to give you this too,” he took a piece of paper and slid it across the counter that separated you and him. “It’s a list of places that have used the batteries.” It was a list of hospitals, schools, and clinics that you never heard of before. It made you smile. “If you need anything, you know where to find me.” You giggled.

“Will do,” you said. “Thank you, Bruce.” The doctor waved as he left towards the elevator. Sighing, you cleaned the glass you used and walked into your room. You dropped the paper onto your nightstand. Lying to Bruce did not feel right. It was like when you first moved to the tower. All these lies were stacking up on each other; you crawled into bed and wrapped the blankets around you. You prayed for a dreamless sleep.

“I can’t believe she traveled the multiverse and got out of her lessons,” Natasha laughed, cutting up some vegetables for Wanda. “In the same day! I’m a little impressed.” Wanda smiled, resting her hand on the small of Natasha’s back as she walked over to the fridge.

“Are you impressed or jealous America took her?” Wanda asked.

“Both, honestly,” the witch laughed and kissed her cheek.

“Well, we did tell her to be a kid. Ditching class and getting into trouble does fall into those categories.” She wrapped her arms around Natasha’s waist and leaned against her back. It made it a little tricky, but she made do. She would never deny the feeling of her girlfriend’s arms around her. It was calming as she felt every beat of Wanda’s heart and breath. “You don’t think we were too hard on her, right?” Her girlfriend asked. It was a delicate balance that Natasha was unfamiliar with. They needed to enforce some rules, but she refused to be like the young girl’s biological parents.

“I don’t think so,” the Black Widow said. “But we’ll check in with her after she’s gotten some sleep.” Natasha was worried about her not feeling well. Wanda nodded, kissing Natasha’s shoulder.

“She’s special,” Wanda mumbled. Yeah, Natasha couldn’t agree more.

Sweat poured down your back as you tried to catch your breath and stared down the machine. You needed to do it tonight. You woke up from a nightmare involving America, and at dinner, those scenes danced around your head. It was awful; it was the only way you could find a word to describe it as America’s screams echoed in your mind, and you were the one that caused them.

“Whoa,” you placed your hands on your temples as the room spun. You shut your eyes tight and felt your body fall to the ground. A pained groan left your lips, and you opened your eyes. The room was no longer spinning, but your head was pounding. This was a new feeling. It made you feel weak, and you hated it. Maybe this was what it felt like when you hit empty. On shaky legs, you stood up and covered the machine with the sheet.

You needed to go to sleep. With every step you took toward your bedroom, your legs felt like lead. You had half a mind to fall asleep in the hallways, but you figured that would raise many more questions. Suddenly, you were standing before a door that wasn’t yours. Wanda and Natasha. Before you could knock or turn away, the door opened, and you were staring at the Slovakian. “Oh, hi.”

“Your nose is bleeding,” you instinctively went to touch it, but Wanda grabbed your hand. “Come with me, and I’ll clean it.” Wordlessly, you let Wanda drag you to the kitchen and sat on the stool. She quickly wet a towel and sat down next to you. “I made sure it was warm,” she said, gently whipping the blood off your face. It was warm, but a shiver still went down your spine. “Did I hurt you?” She pulled away.

“No, you didn’t,” you whispered. “Just not used to this.” You didn’t elaborate, but Wanda nodded as if she understood.

“You know,” she smiled. “You remind me a lot of Pietro. He was very protective of me and the other kids,” you remembered her telling you about him. He was killed when they fought against Ultron while saving Clint and a little boy. “He would steal food for us when we couldn’t afford it.” You smiled.

“Sounds like Caleb” she tossed the towel in the sink and walked around the counter to the other side to clean it and her hands. “How do I remind you of him?” She was quiet momentarily, focusing on washing the towel and her hands. It amazed you that on the most straightforward task, she chose to do it the mundane way instead of a wave of her hand, and the mess would be gone. You believed she needed to keep her hands busy whenever a painful memory arose.

“He never wanted anyone to worry about him. He kept every worry and pain to himself and covered it with a smile,” she shook her hands dry. “Why are you up?” She asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she playfully rolled her eyes at you. “I couldn’t sleep,” you admitted as Wanda grabbed two mugs and filled the electric kettle. “I haven’t been sleeping well since I told everyone what happened to me,” she placed tea bags in the mugs. “Every time I close my eyes, I relive everything.” The water began to boil, and she filled each mug. With her magic, she made two spoons appear.

“When was the last time you slept?” You chuckled, pressing down the tea bag with the spoon.

“I sleep every night, Wanda,” but an intense feeling of guilt ran through you. Gently, she tapped her finger against your hand, but you refused to look at her. “I’ve been hurting myself,” you whispered. “Not in the same way before, but it’s the only way I’ve been able to sleep.” Once again, she tapped your hand. You gathered the courage and looked at her. There was no judgment in her green eyes. Instead, there was love; you’ve seen mothers look at their daughters like this.

“Thank you for being honest with you,” she said. “How have you been doing it?” You took a sip of the tea.

“The machine Tony and Bruce made me. I’ve been using it to the point my powers are depleted,” you explained. “It’s the only way for my mind to shut off,” you bite your lip and trace the mug’s rim. “I just came from there, and I think it’s what caused the bloody nose. I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” She asked. She was frowning when you looked up at her.

“I promised I wouldn’t do this anymore,” you whispered. “And I broke it.” You heard a slight hitch in your voice, which Wanda also heard. She quickly rounded the kitchen counter and pushed away a few tears that fell with her thumb.

“Healing isn’t linear,” she said. “It’s messy and complicated. Sometimes, you take one step forward and three steps back, but that’s okay. I’m not mad at you, sweetheart, and I’m proud of you for being honest with me,” she wiped a few more tears and kissed your forehead.

“You’re the only one that’s ever done that,” you admitted. She tilted her head, a little confused by your statement. “I’ve seen my mother do it to Henry a few times and random families on the street, but you are the first to kiss my forehead.” Her green eyes softened, masking the anger you saw that wasn’t directed at you. It was directed at the shitty deck of cards that life gave you. She kissed your forehead one more time and grabbed your hand.

“Come on, you need sleep,” you felt your eyes get heavy as she led you to the couch. She sat down first and encouraged you to cuddle against her. Your head rested on her chest, listening to the steady beat of her heart. It was soothing. A blanket was pulled up to your shoulders, and her hand began to draw circles on your back, but you moved to look at Wanda.

“You and Natasha would make perfect parents,” you told her. “Have you ever thought about having kids?” It would be adorable to see a mini Wanda and Natasha running around. Wanda smiled.

“Maybe one day, once we are done with all the Avenging,” you nodded. That was understandable; their life was so uncertain. “Besides, I think we have our hands full with you lot here,” she ruffled your hair, which caused you to giggle.

“Night, Wanda,” you turned on your side and closed your eyes. The feeling of Wanda’s hand on your back and the calmness of her heartbeat helped you fall asleep in no time.

When Natasha reached over to pull her girlfriend closer, she found the spot empty and cold, which was not expected. They made a promise to one another to wake the other person if they had a nightmare. Frowning, she got out of bed and pulled on a sweatshirt. The tower was always cold, and she hated it. The cold reminded her of Russia, where her life was changed forever. She walked out of her room and found her girlfriend on the couch. “Hi, malen’kaya ved’ma (little witch),” Natasha whispered, walking over to her. The witch was awake, running her hand through Y/n’s hair as she was fast asleep. The sight warmed Natasha’s heart as she knelt behind the couch and kissed Wanda’s shoulder. “Everything okay?” Her girlfriend hummed.

“Yeah, she just needed some cuddles to help her sleep.”

“Is she okay?” Wanda sighed but nodded.

“I think she will be. We’ll talk about it tomorrow,” Natasha wanted to talk about it now, but she learned not to question her.

“Do you want to move her to our room?” Wanda nodded and moved her hand to the young girl’s back.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Wanda whispered, gently shaking her awake. “Can you wake up for a second? Then we can go back to bed?” The girl groaned, blinked open her eyes, and rolled onto her back. Her eyes flickered to Wanda, then Natasha.

“Your girlfriend is a comfy pillow,” the girl mumbled. Natasha smiled.

“Don’t I know it,” she said. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” The girl stood up from the couch, taking the blanket with you. The Black Widow was surprised she didn’t fight them when they laid her in their room. When Wanda opened the door, she crawled into the middle of the bed and under the covers. Her eyes closed as soon as her head hit the pillow, and she fell asleep. Natasha chuckled.

“Glad we got the bigger bed,” Wanda smiled and got onto her side of the bed. Immediately, the teen searched for her warmth. The sight made Natasha smile.

“Are you joining us?” The Black Widow nodded and got in bed. “What’s on your mind?” Natasha gently brushed the young girl’s hair out of her face.

“We should ask her soon. Make this little family official.”

Wanda set down a plate of eggs and pancakes in front of you. “Thank you,” you said. “For breakfast and last night.” Natasha set a tall glass of orange juice next to the plate. “Honestly, it was the best nights sleep I’ve gotten in a while.” The Black Widow smiled as she watched you pour syrup over the flood and cut into the pancake.

“No need to thank us,” she said. “We are here whenever you need us.” You nodded; it was a concept you were still trying to learn. “Actually,” Wanda stood next to her girlfriend. ‘We do want to talk about something.” Your stomach dropped, and you placed your silverware on the plate.

“You aren’t in trouble,” Wanda added, but her assurance didn’t help the anxiety spike. “We think it would be good if you see someone to talk to about everything you’ve been through.”

“Like a therapist?” You questioned. The couple nodded. “I don’t know.” You hated opening up to a stranger when it took you forever to tell the Avengers.

“It’s something you don’t have to decide right now, okay?” Natasha smiled. “Just something to think about.” She ruffled your hair, and it brought a smile to your face. The couple began to discuss their plans for the day - a meeting, a training session, and what they would do for dinner. You knew you were damaged, a little broken from everything you’ve been through, but you weren’t sure if talking to a stranger would help.

“Just the family I’ve been looking for,” Sam said, stealing a piece of a pancake from your plate. You stuck your tongue at him as he sat down next to you. “I’m guessing you’ve gotten presents for Barton’s kids,” he told the couple. Natasha nodded her head. “What the hell did you get them? AJ's birthday is coming up, and I have no idea what to get.” You were not sure what birthdays were until you lived on the street and read a book where the main character had their birthday with friends and family. It clicked, then. Once a year, Henry had friends over, your mother made a cake, and he went to unwrap colorful presents. He was celebrating his birthday, something you never got the pleasure to do. Once a year, you lay in bed and listened to a party no one invited you to.

“Hey,” you were pulled out of your thoughts by Natasha. “Where did you just go?” She asked. All three of them were looking at you.

“Nowhere,” you said, but Natasha gave you a pointed look. “I was thinking about birthdays. I never celebrated mine.”

“Well, when it is?” Now, that was a great question. You tilted your head.

“I’m not sure,” you slowly said. “I guess my parents would have had to tell me or Caleb, but no one did,” you shrugged. “It’s fine,” you quickly added. “I went this long without a birthday party. I’ll be fine.” You ignored the look on their face and focused back on your breakfast. A birthday party sounded fun: presents, cake, and being surrounded by people who cared about you. But you were fine without one. Right?

taglist: @aestruvx, @toouncreativeforausername, @modedddd, @julilamoment, @mythixmagic, @yourmamacom, @vicmc624, @cherlenovix, @liliesandrosies, @whitewidowsbite, @clintsbigtoe, @blackbirdv98@arualdcg@yoyo-w @natbelovasblog, @johnnyhulu, @blackwidow-3, @theenglishswiftie, @faith-olsen

#wandanat x daughter!reader #wandanat x reader #wandanat x you #america chavez x reader #america chavez x you #america chavez x y/n #wandanat #lightning bug #natasha romanoff x wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x natasha romanoff

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johannestevans · 10 months

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the thing about ppl that hit their kids is that like. they get so angry and upset at their "authority" being disrespected (aka their kids being complex human beings) that they want to hit something. bc they have no emotional regulation. bc they got hit themselves

"oh well my kid was having a tantrum so i hit him"

yeah, you got overstimulated by your child making loud noise and your child being a person with needs you don't know how to fulfil, but you knew hitting something (your child) would get some of your big feelings out

feel better now, yeah? because you hit someone? because you were feeling big feelings and Hard Emotions, but now they've been replaced w the satisfaction of beating someone else into submission? but you turned out okay after being hit by your parents, right?

like young children don't learn anything from being beaten except that sometimes, adults will want to physically attack them, and that pain hurts, and that's true. if your child is too young to understand an explanation of what they did wrong, hitting them is pointless

and if they ARE old enough to understand, you can just explain.

but its not about what makes kids learn. its about an emotionally broken adult who's so insecure and so ill-equipped to deal with their own feelings that they want to use their child as a punching bag

and we should be honest about that when we address it. yes, those ppl sometimes believe, or say, that they think hitting works, but the real reason they do it is bc they hit their children as a method of self-soothing. inflicting pain on a baby is cathartic to them.

that's why people hit their kids more after a hard day at work. thats why they escalate from 0 to a beating when their kids get in the way of a nice dinner or their tv show. its why cops assault and kill people at work then go home and beat up their wife and kids too.

bc when you're upset or do something "bad" as a child (like show emotion too loudly) and you then get the shit kicked out of you, you learn that the benefit of getting older and rising in the hierarchy is getting to physically abuse those beneath you.

#musings

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shade-pup-cub · 2 months

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Febuwhump 2024, Day 22 - Wars, Mask/Time & Chain - ALT Last Words

Fandom: LOZ/Linked Universes

Summary: Through a portal, Time is reduced to his younger self. Things are never simple with the heroes and they all learn how young Time really was when fate forced him into his role of being a hero.

CW: Slight blood and language

“We aren’t gonna last much longer here!” Legend grunted out as he blocked a sword that was aimed at Hyrule.

Four hissed as he got nicked by an arrow. “Any tricks up your sleeve Vet?”

“I’m fresh out of tricks and we are overrun!”

Wild was in a tall tree picking off monsters when he shouted, “Portal! It’s towards the end of the hill.” It was a snow covered hill and a straight shot into the portal. They all kept fighting as WIld thought of a plan. “Shield surf to it, the monsters can’t keep up!”

One by one they all hopped onto shields, pulling off the crazy stunt they all gave Wild a hard time about multiple times. Legend and Sky sat on their shields. Wind and Hyrule dove onto theirs, laying on their stomachs as the others were more experienced with balancing on their feet. It didn’t take long for them to crash through the dark portal and roll across the green grass on the other side. Of course Wild’s shield broke and he went flying into Twilight, bringing them both to the ground.

Shaking off the dizziness from switching worlds, there was someone missing. “Where’s the Old Man?” Wind asked when the eldest couldn’t be seen.

“Uh, you guys, I think I found him.” Sky was crouched down next to what looked to be a child. “I didn’t see him get hit by anything. Did the portal do this?”

Hyrule was the next one to kneel by the child. “He’s so tiny.”

Time groaned and rechead for his head. Two bright blue eyes opened and he took a moment to register that what was in front of him were people. He rolled away and pulled his sword. “Who are you people? Where am I?”

Being the youngest, Wind wiggled his way through everyone who was gathering around. “Back up! Give him some space will ya!” Wind huffed and turned back to the kid. “Hi, you don’t remember us do you?”

“Why should I know any of you?” His blade stayed between him and the others. He glared at them with an all too familiar look, even if he was turned into a kid, baby fat still laid over his muscles.

Twilight stepped closer, then stepped back when the young Link pointed his sword at him and growled.

Wars was the last to be coherent to everything and the voice from the past had him pushing everyone to the side quickly. “Mask?” His little brother was standing right in front of him again. How did he not know that Time was Mask?! He was kicking himself for not putting it together. “Hey little brother, it’s been a long time. You want to put the sword down so we can talk about what’s going on?” Warriors got onto one knee to be more eye level.

It was clear that Mask knew who Warriors was. His face softened, shoulders relaxed and sheathed his weapon on his back. “Cap?"

"Yeah, it's me. You haven't changed a bit. How long has it been since you were in my era?" Wars needed information. He needed to know what they were dealing with. Mask wasn't always the levelheaded one like he was as adult Time.

"Maybe a month or two." His eyebrows pulled together and the boy's features turned from calm to anger. "Did you try to find me after our last battle?"

Warriors didn't have to think back very hard. He knew the battle, the sinking feeling in his gut when he saw his little brother's green tunic grow darker due to a stab wound. He had hollered for Mask to get back up when the kid hit the ground. Wars never got the chance to see if he did.

"I looked for you for days on end. There was no sign of you anywhere."

"You ran away and left me for dead." The words came out coldly, meant to sting.

"That's not wha-" He was stopped by a fist colliding with his cheek.

Mask sat on Warriors chest and kept punching. He gave three more blows to his once big brother's face before the Captain grabbed Mask's wrist and sat up. "I didn't run away! I was kidnapped!"

"Bullshit! You left because we were losing!" Mask slammed his head forward, effectively making Warriors grab his bleeding nose as it broke against the younger's forehead.

Twilight, being the strongest, wrapped his arms around Mask. The boy thrashed against the hold. "Let me go!"

"Not until you calm down so we can talk everything through." Twi moved his face out of striking range when he saw that Mask was going to slam his back.

"Fine, let's talk! Let's talk about how Link left me dying with a gut wound, under a pile of his dead soldiers, bleeding out and I had to use the Fierce Deity Mask just to stay alive!"

Sky looked at Wars, then Mask. "How old are you?"

"Eleven." Mask felt Twi's grip slack some and took his chance to get free. He drew his sword to keep the others from grabbing him again.

Legend surprisingly was at Warriors side first, "The Cap said he was kidnapped, don't you think you should hear him out?"

"So he can tell me lies?"

Hyrule was fixing Warriors nose, saying, "He is your brother. He always talks about you, how great of a kid you are and how he misses you."

"I don't care!!" He huffed as his anger rose and clouded the little bit of a filter he had. His eyes locked with Warriors and venom dripped from words, "You are not my big brother, you are a coward that left me for dead and I hate you. I hate everything about you. I wish you were dead!"

The others gasped and Warriors felt like he had just been stabbed in the heart. 'Is this how Time felt?'

Mask covered his mouth as soon as the words came out, big ocean blue eyes watering. He had seen the Cap close to death before and it terrified him. He would never wish real harm to him. His guilt was clear as his ears drooped and the tears spilled over.

Wars looked hurt and turned his head away from the child he adored and protected.

Mask looked around at the others who were shocked by his words. His bottom lip wobbled and his chest ached. Here he was being a cruel brat to the one person who never lost faith in him and he never thought he would see again. 'What have I done?!' He took a few slow steps back. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, I promise I didn't mean it."

Dread sank into his gut like a stone thrown into a lake. Warriors wouldn't look at him. 'Why do I keep messing everything up?' "M'sorry…" Mask bolted for the forest, ignoring the calls for him to come back.

"Let him go…" the Captain said as Wild went to chase after the boy.

"But he-" Wild began to protest.

"Give him some time, then I will go after him." Wars began washing the blood off his hands and face. He had so many questions, but he needed to ask Time, not Mask.

"He's eleven, but Time said he went on three adventures. We know of the original one, then some adventure where he got the mask collection, but he was in the War?" Wind was trying to wrap his head around it all.

Legend paled. "He had three adventures within three years. No wonder he doesn't talk much about his journeys, his childhood or hardly anything personal outside of Malon."

There was a heavy silence as everyone pondered over their own traumas leading up to Ganon and other evils. To think a child, well they were all children, but a nine year old kid that should still believe in make-believe went through anything remotely similar, if not worse. The Goddesses better have been desperate.

"I'm going to bring him back." Warriors whispered as he finished getting as much crimson off of him as he could. He followed the clear signs of where Mask had gone. Tall grass was split by the boys frantic run.

"Mask?" He started to call out once he was fully in the woodline. "Mask, come out so we can talk. Please?"

He stopped at a downed hollow log, seeing the trail end there. He could hear the faint sniffles from inside it. He sat with his back relaxed on the rough surface, rubbing the edges of his scarf as he gathered his thoughts.

"When I was captured and taken to Cia, I was thankful that it was only me. She would have used you against me. I saw you get hit and not get back up. I could only pray that someone found you in time. I managed to escape that night and I ran right back to where I had been standing before and began the search. There were so many bodies that needed to be sorted through, but I only wanted to find you. I didn't stop until midday that next day. Impa knocked me out so I could get medical attention and promised to continue the search. No one ever found you and I thought I lost you forever."

The sniffles slowed to a few hiccups. Warriors he could hear Mask moving around before he poked his head out just enough to look at the Captain.

Warriors sighed heavily. “I have hung onto your last words to me before we went into that battle. ‘Children are the promise of a future, the assurance of greater things to come’. You sounded too old for those words, but now I know why. You really are an adult trapped in that body, aren’t you?” When Warriors turned to his side and saw Mask looking at him, he smiled gently and reached out a hand. Mask came crashing over into his arms.

A few moments of a tight embrace, Mask gave a wet laugh. “You were trying to keep me and Tune from fighting because we were children. I was glad I changed your mind, but how did you find out about my physical and mental age thing?”

“I got to meet you as an adult, late-ish thirties. You are actually traveling with me and all the other heroes that you saw earlier.”

“And Tune?”

“Tune too, but he hasn’t been to the war yet.”

“I didn’t see myself though.”

Warriors didn’t exactly know how to say this to him easily, but they kid deserved to know. “That is because you are him, but when we all went through the last portal it changed you back to this age and clearly with no memory past this time in your life.”

“Of course it did. I hate time travel.” Mask mumbled before looking up at Warriors. “I really have missed you and I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it.”

The now older hero pulled his little brother into his arms. “I’ve missed you too Sprite.” Releasing his hold, Wars asked him, “Ready to go back before one of them is sent after us?”

“Probably smart to get you back to safety.”

“You little shit…” Warriors, with as much love as he could, pushed Mask off his lap and got some of the best giggles out of him.

Arriving back to the others, Mask stayed slightly hidden behind Warriors, barely talking as the others were introduced to him, again. Warriors was patient, knowing that Mask was trying to trust the ones in front of him. “I go by Warriors or Captain, this here is Sky, he is the first of us. -”

Mask gave a breathy “wow”.

“- That is Four also known as Smithy. Legend is next to him, he is our veteran.”

“Or Bunny.” Sky added.

“Ha ha.” Legend gave a rude gesture with no heat behind it.

“Hyrule is next to him, he is our Traveler and part fae.” Warriors loved the starry eyed look Mask had at that. “Next is Wild, he is the only one that can cook. The taller one is Twilight and your descendant.”

“So which girl did I marry?” Mask somehow asked innocently.

Twilight choked. “W-which one?”

“Yeah.” Mask gave a chuckle. “I’m technically engaged to Princess Ruta and Malon.”

Wind burst into laughter. “Twi could have been part Zora!” Twilight promptly caught the now second youngest in a headlock, thoroughly messing his hair up.

Warriors rolled his eyes, also messing with Mask’s hair. “Malon.”

“I was hoping for that.” Mask said with pink cheeks.

Wind broke free of Twilight's playful hold, going for a kick to the knee, saying, “She’s great! You two look so happy together.”

Something in Mask’s chest stirred… Happy… He was going to finally be truly happy. He pulled on Warriors scarf, whispering in his ear. “Is that Tune?”

“Sure is.”

Mask flung himself over to the pirate. He was still shorter than him, so he wrapped his arms around the boy’s middle, squeezing tightly. The last time he saw Tune was the last time he had seen the Captain, but the sailor had been forced through a portal created out of nowhere.

Wind was always happy to help someone, but even as he wrapped his arms around their age reduced leader, he asked, “Did I miss something?”

Mask nodded. “Yes, but I can’t tell you what it is or it could ruin what has already happened.”

Those two were tied at the hip the rest of the day. It was terrifying and refreshing. The two played in the trees (easily dragging Wild along in their fun), played more pranks than imaginable and told stories with such animated movements that only children had.

The terrifying part, Legend had asked Mask what his favorite magic was. Instead of just telling the Vet, ‘Din’s Fire’, Mask felt the need to show him. Everyone took cover as the little monster in green rolled on the ground, laughing hysterically as the fire was pushed out around him.

Warriors got up from where he took cover. “Sprite! Really?!”

The other sat up with black soot smeared on his face and into his hair, “What?”

Warriors pointed to the whole woodline behind Mask that was now up in flames and looked to be only growing larger, spreading from tree to tree at an alarming rate. “You are going to burn the whole forest down!”

“I can fix it!” Mask pulled out his blue ocarina and began to play an upbeat song that Mask swayed to. Thunder clapped as lightning streaked across the suddenly darkened sky, then the rain came pouring in. Somehow Mask was laughing even harder at the others expense, falling back over.

Warriors really couldn’t be mad. At least the fire was out.

They set up camp right there, not wanting to travel after the day's events, especially as the night krept closer. There was a buzz of happiness around them all as Wild cooked, Mask curiously looking into the pot.

Warriors had a fond smile as he settled into his spot to eat, just watching Mask. He had missed him and now never wanted him to leave his sight.

Wars looked over when Twilight sat next to him, a fond smile also on his face. “How’s it feel to see him like this again and know that he turned out okay?”

A low laugh slipped out from the Captain, “I imagine it’s the same feeling you had when we found Wild. Seeing the young man he had become during the time apart. Someone to be proud of.”

Warriors paused as he pumped his shoulder into the other man’s. “The same feeling Time has every time he looks at you. Proud.”

Twilight lowered his head, ears dusted pink. The young man always looked up to the eldest hero from day one and Warriors had always been curious over why, but that was a secret Twi kept close and he would never push for him to spill it.

Across camp, Mask stood before placing both hands on his head. He stumbled a bit to his left, knocking into Legend who caught him before he fell.

“Kid, you good?”

“I don’t… I don’t know. Som’tin isn’t right.” Mask slurred.

Warriors was on his feet instantly, headed for the youngest when they all saw Mask fade in and out like a blur or the static that would come up on Wild’s Slate. Not a soul moved when Mask screamed, voice going from his young pre teen voice to a post puberty voice. When he came back into focus, he was no longer the young child, but a tall teen in a green tunic, cap, white collared undershirt and white leggings.

Looking at the closest people to Mask- Time- Link(?), Wars took a mental not for later of how Wind paled, but clearly had excitement in his eyes while Legend paled with a whole different emotion. Anger.

“Y-you-!” Legend started, but Warriors put a hand up for him to stop and took slow steps as if the teen in front of him was a spooked animal. “Mask?”

Sorrow filled eyes looked up at him. “Link… Cap? What is happening? Where am I?”

“What is the last thing you remember?”

Mask seemed to be searching his memory. “I- Zelda… s-she was sending me back.”

“Back to where?” Warriors didn’t want to pry on a memory Time hadn’t ever told him, but he needed to know.

“We defeated Ganon after I woke from the seven year sleep, but she-” he was starting to struggle to breath with his panic. “She wouldn’t let me stay there, in that time, making me go back to when it all started.”

Mask crumbled to his knees with another scream, body blurring again until he was an even smaller child than he was at the beginning of this chaos. He looked so heartbroken as he cried out in anguish, but it wasn't physical pain as much as it was emotional.

Twilight was the one to step in as Warriors was trying to work through his shock. “Hey, Link right?”

The child- gods… he was a child!- showed no fear as he looked up at the Rancher, removing the tears from his eyes. “Mhm.”

“What’s the matter?”

“She left me.”

“Zelda did?” Twilight did a head tilt, similar to Wolfie.

“Navi, she left me. She was supposed to stay with me forever, but she left!”

Off to the side, Hyrule gasped and placed both hands over his mouth. The name must have meant something to him.

Before the child could collapse into Twilight’s arms, he blurred out again, coming to as a young adult. His hair was long, coming to his mid back while braided. He was in his green tunic, but took up the black fitted undershirt and black leggings.

His head was down, hands holding his face, hands that were covered in blood. The sight of blood pulled Warriors from his pause. He landed next to Twilight, grabbing the changed hero by the wrist.

The other gasped, startled by the contact and jerked his head up. There was so much blood, the wound over his eye fresh. He was trembling like a lead, but Warriors didn’t have time to console him since he seized up again into a blurry translucent mess.

Now his hair was cut short, his body more bulked with muscle like they knew Time to be, but his face was still young, mid twenties.

“C-cap… make it stop. Please, I can’t- ha-AHH!”

Another see through static blur and Time was back with them. He looked beyond exhausted, white as a ghost and older… older than he had been that morning before all this happened.

“Wars, I’m gonna be sick.” Time barely had a moment more before he began to puke. Somehow Four already had a bucket waiting. Then again, Four had a tendency to get sick and probably saw it coming.

Twilight helped keep Time up on his knees as Warriors kept his hair out of the way. The others tried not to gather too close, not wanting Time to get claustrophobic, but they were concerned for their leader.

Mouth rinsed, Time abruptly stood, staggering for a moment. Legend had his hands on the man’s back, Sky and Twi at his sides, Wars at his front. He didn’t listen to anyone telling him to take it easy and that he needed to sit down. Instead of sitting, Time’s good eye rolled back and he collapsed forward into Warriors, bringing them both down to the ground.

With the air officially knocked out of him, Warriors wheezed out, “By the Three Sprite, you are heavy!” Some of the tension bled out with that, bringing a chuckle to the boys.

Once checked for injuries, taken out of his armor and cleaned up a bit, Warriors laid his brother back onto his chest in a non crushing way, allowing him to sleep peacefully for the first time since the last time they were at the ranch.

With the moon high in the sky, the forest child stired, waking Warriors. Time was groaning a bit as he pushed himself up off the Captain and out of the embrace.

“Hey, where are you going?” Warriors asked as he saw Time sigh, ears lowered, running the blue fabric through his fingers like he had two decades before. It was a look of longing, a look of still needing or wanting to be close and maybe even protected.

“Too big. Too big and too old.” The simple words cut like a knife. Time thought he was too old to be held close. It was even more of a sign that he was forced into the role of an adult too early. He should have been held as a child, had someone care for him and codle him before he was thrown into his first adventure, but he wasn’t.

Wars sighed. “You aren’t too big or too old to lean on your big brother. Now get back over here Sprite.”

Time looked like he wanted to flop back down where he had been, but he held himself back, going slowly until his head was resting on Warriors chest again, blue scarf around him like it had been when he was twelve.

Warriors carded his fingers through his brother’s hair. “Children are our future, but that doesn’t mean they should have to step into the roles the future holds for them before they are ready. Be a child for a while longer. I have you.”

He didn’t mention how his tunic started to feel wet under Time’s cheek and how he clung to him a little more.

#ao3 writer #febuwhump 2024 #febuwhump #linked universe #hero of time #hero of warriors #lu mask #hw mask #lu chain #age regression #time needs a break #and a hug #almost done #didn’t really edit #sorry for any misspelling

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