#mother's day fanfic

[welldonebeca]

The Mother's Day Anthology - (1) Alysanne

Summary: Months after their banishment from Westeros, Alysanne and Jahaerys spend their first Mother’s Day in New Valyria. Set in 1941 WC: 1.3k words Warnings: Modern-ish AU. 1940S. Angst. Hurt/Comfort. Family fluff.

Alysanne closed her eyes, fanning herself with her paper fan lazily in the Solar, watching the sun rising on the horizon with the electric fan aimed at her face.

Hot. It was too hot, everything was too hot.

How much hotter was that damn country going to get?!

It was May! What place would be this hot at fucking May? So far, Alysanne had only stepped there in December, to escape Winter in King’s Landing.

And it wasn’t even Summer, gods…

She was cooking alive, that’s what she was.

As if being pregnant wasn’t uncomfortable enough.

She reached for the bowl by her side for more frozen treats, but it was just a puddle of juice now, so she just wavered her fingers to dry them, frustrated.

Not even her frozen treats survived the heat in that damn place.

“My love?” she heard.

Alysanne turned her neck and relaxed a little when Jahaerys walked to her, holding a bowl in his hand.

“You weren’t in your bed,” he pulled himself a chair.

She exhaled, tired.

“My room was too warm,” she groaned. “The fans were just blowing hot air on my face.”

Jahaerys sat by her side, taking her hand and kissing it.

“The sunset is beautiful here,” he hummed against her knuckles.

Her mouth soured.

“It was more beautiful from the window of our room,” she corrected him. “We could see it rising from under the ocean.”

A thousand years.

A thousand years of legacy, gone just like that.

They had worked so hard, tried so hard to establish themselves, and at least stayed home when they started asking for a democracy. Even if they weren’t in the throne – even if there wasn’t even a throne anymore! - but they were banished anyway; isolated, expelled from their home.

Dragonstone was still theirs! They couldn’t take it from them.

They could have lived in it happily, safely.

But no. They had to leave, even though they were the ones who’d unified that damn place, who’d made the Kingdoms into a country!

But they took everything they could take from them.

Their throne, their land, their freedom… her baby, still just a tiny thing in her when she lost him.

Her hand moved to her belly, to rub the swell of her womb. Jahaerys was certain it would be a girl this time, before he was due.

Saera. She would be Daenerys’ best friend.

Jahaerys thought that if they showed the gods their children belonged to them, then they would bless them.

Alysanne highly doubted it.

“It’s temporary,” he affirmed, reaching for her belly, and caressing it softly. “She won’t even have memories of anything but Westeros.”

Keep reading it on Archive of Our Own.

[adore-laur]

MOTHER’S DAY

— a self-explanatory blurb from the dadrry universe 🌷

——

Toss. Turn. Sigh. Repeat.

Postpartum anxiety kept hitting you in explosive bursts like crash cymbals. Intrusive worries about whether your newborn was breathing or not ruthlessly stormed your brain. Surging heart palpitations that ebbed and flowed like the ocean tide weren't helping your internally erratic state. 

She hadn't wailed those gut-wrenching cries in over an hour. It was a brief slot of time to catch up on your precious slumber, yet your melatonin was overrun by an influx of cortisol. Due to your ruptured sleep schedule, there was also a stinging sensation behind your eyelids. It felt like chlorine or lemon juice had seeped into your sockets ever since day and night swapped places. 

The speckled sky of stars trickled through the linen drapes, painting moonbeams on the bedroom carpet and walls. By the looks of it, you'd undoubtedly be awake to behold the moment they metamorphosed into golden rays of dawn. 

Heart thumping, stomach churning, and chest constricting, you surrendered your chance of a reposeful night of rest and silently slid out of bed. Harry was gently snoring on his side, facing away from you and dead to the world. Lucky him.

You padded over to the bassinet across the room. The moon made it visible enough to see the tiny bundle that was half you and half your husband sleeping there. Your trembling hand reached down and lightly rested on your daughter's belly. It has been a habit lately. Your eyes couldn't help but snap open in the middle of the night, the insomnia-induced anxiety getting you on your feet to check if the human you were responsible for was still alive. 

When you felt her fast breaths, relief immediately flooded your bloodstream. You stayed by her until you were at ease with the steady rise and fall of her chest, then eventually tucked yourself back under the covers and leaned against the headboard. You were wide awake now, and it seemed like it would be another all-nighter. Jealousy festered inside you because of Harry and how he could effortlessly sleep through the night without panic. He'd been so gracious with heaving himself out of bed and calming the baby whenever it was his turn—a true natural when you needed it most. And during those instances, you pretended to be asleep so you didn't worry him. It was hard enough to soothe one agitated person, let alone two. 

The digital clock on the nightstand flicked from 2:36 to 2:37. You bit your fingernails to pass the time. The weight and warmth of Harry beside you pulled you back down to earth, reminding you that you weren't doing this on your own. He was cheering you on, on the same page, and loving you unconditionally. 

Almost as if he could hear your reeling thoughts about him, you heard his snores get cut short by a deep inhale before his hand subconsciously flopped against your thigh. Fatigued fingers felt around until his warm, heavy palm spread on your skin, giving it a tender squeeze. He then rolled onto his stomach with a raspy grunt and turned his head to face you. 

In the faint moonlight, puffy eyes and a drowsy smile said hello. They greeted you with a gentleness that washed away the burdensome stones on your chest. He made you feel calm. Just one glance at him was the only solace you needed. 

He was a tired, tired boy. Technically, he was a grown man, but moments like these revealed that he was just a boy adjusting to the harsh reality of parenthood.

"Sorry for waking you," you whispered, raking your fingers through his disheveled hair. It was still a little damp from his nightly shower. 

"Did I sleep through her cries?" Harry murmured hoarsely, his eyelids drooping until they shut again. 

"No. I just got up to check on her."

He hugged your leg like it was a pillow. "Why? What happened?" 

You could've lied. Or you could've given him what he always asked of you: the whole and honest truth. The latter was the wisest choice, considering he could read you like a family recipe. 

"I had to make sure she was breathing," you admitted. 

Harry was eerily quiet. You thought he might have fallen back asleep, but suddenly, the room was illuminated in a yellow glow from the bedside lamp being switched on. It strained your vision for a few seconds, and after blearily blinking through it, you looked at Harry to find him sitting up with the silk sheets bunched around his waist. He yawned loudly, then scooted over to draw you into his body. A trace of citrus aftershave still lingered on his skin. 

"Can't sleep?" he asked, his lips moving against your temple. 

Your cheek melted on his warm, bare shoulder. "Ever since we brought her home, my anxiety has been eating me alive at night. I'm constantly worried about her, even when she's not crying." 

Harry planted chaste kisses on your face. Through slow, sleepy affection, he said, "She's okay. Nothing bad is going to happen." 

"You don't know that." 

"I know she's safe and sound, all snug in the bassinet six feet away from us." When you didn't respond, he added, "If you want, we can move it next to your side of the bed." 

You clutched his hand, loving the smoothness of his palm and how large it was compared to yours. "Can we? Please? I want her close just in case." 

Nodding, Harry brought your joined hands up to his mouth and kissed your knuckles. "Let's do it tomorrow so we don't wake her, yeah? We all need sleep right now." 

"Okay. Can you scratch my back? And talk to me." 

"Of course, sweetheart. Turn around." 

You did, and it didn't take long for him to lift your shirt so his delicate fingers could stroke along the expanse of your back. Goosebumps spread everywhere as you sank deeper into the mattress. The way his touch could envelop you in a blanket of comfort was miraculous. 

"Your postpartum checkup is in a couple of weeks," Harry mentioned, his mellow voice quickly putting a sleep spell on you. "We'll talk to the doctor about everything that's been going on, okay?" He shifted on the bed. "Listen, I get scared too. All I want is to protect her. When she cries, I feel helpless. But we're learning, aren't we? We'll be professionals by the time we're four kids in." 

You couldn't squash the craziness of his last statement because distant dream waves finally carried you away and let you drift in calm waters for the first time in a long time. 

—— 

A serenade of songbirds awoke you the following morning. Then, there was a slight breeze coming from somewhere. You soon realized there was no familiar dip in the mattress next to you, no blazing hot skin glued to you, and no soft puffs of air against your neck. You firmly decided that you loathed the feeling of a cold and empty bed in the morning. 

Stretching until your joints cracked, you squinted from the blinding sunlight gloriously casting over the side of the bed you lay on. The clock displayed 9:04, which was the latest time you had slept in since your third trimester of pregnancy. On top of the clock was a piece of paper you didn't recall seeing yesterday—the type of paper you and Harry wrote grocery items on. The familiar handwriting of your husband, which was a tad illegible but endearing nonetheless, had you reaching out and plucking the note from its place. 

Happy Mother's Day. 

Meet me on the beach when you wake up. Baby has already been changed, fed, and everything in between. Sunday breakfast on the shore, made by yours truly, awaits you. 

I love you so much. Thank you for completing me. 

~ Harry 

It entirely slipped your mind that it was Mother's Day—your first one. You'd been too caught up in a whirlwind of emotions, trying to capture a peaceful moment. Needless to say, you didn't even know what day of the week it was sometimes. Apparently, today was worth celebrating. 

After freshening up and tying a robe around yourself, you trod down the staircase. The late spring weather engulfed your senses as the kitchen came into view. The shutters were swung open, letting in gleaming sunshine and a gentle wind that felt like a welcoming embrace. It lifted your spirits instantly and caused you to temporarily forget about last night's troubles. 

You ventured to the beach area, the sand under your uncovered feet enlivening your drained state. Once the ocean became visible, you quickly stumbled upon an unexpected surprise. Harry, the human epitome of sunshine, stood there holding a tray with a vase of blooming flowers, a cup of steaming tea, and breakfast foods such as peeled clementine, poached eggs, and a golden-brown waffle drizzled with maple syrup. He was in his pinstriped pajamas, with sunglasses covering his eyes. Behind him, your daughter lay in a portable baby dome that shielded her from the sunny sky. She was sleeping on her back, her limbs bent adorably. You didn't recall hearing her cry after you finally managed to doze off last night. 

Barefoot, with a radiant smile dimpling his sun-kissed face, Harry met you halfway, setting the tray down on a nearby blanket spread out. His arms opened in invitation. You would have jumped in them if you had the energy, merely because his spontaneous thoughtfulness made you want to tackle him and never let him go—lovingly, of course. 

"Make way for the goddess," he said, taking his sunglasses off and eyeing you up and down. 

Makeup-less, half asleep, and moving at the sluggish speed of a sloth, you felt—and probably looked—far from a goddess. But when your husband looked at you like he wanted to eat you for breakfast instead, the tiniest flicker of confidence sparked inside of you. 

"Good morning," you greeted, smiling softly. 

Harry's hands instinctively splayed on your waist, his fingers digging into the cotton fabric of your robe. He was sporting a dopey expression, and you wondered if he got as little sleep as you did. 

Enduring delirious mornings with him had slowly become your favorite domestic kryptonite. When he'd crack ridiculous jokes amidst a quick, lazy round of sex before the baby interrupted, or when he would shuffle around the kitchen making an insufficient meal while accidentally putting the milk jug in the pantry out of pure exhaustion. 

"Let me guess," he said with an exhale, "you forgot it was Mother's Day?" 

You squeezed him tight and breathed in the faint smell of lavender fabric softener on his pajamas. "Can you blame me? I'm practically a zombie most days." You kissed him slowly, tasting the sweet and sticky syrup residue on his lips. "Mm, but thank you for everything. You take such good care of me." 

"Someone's got to do it," he told you, earnestness lacing his words. 

"I'm trying; I really am. Motherhood is... very grueling." 

"I know, darling. Whatever you need, let me know, and I'll help as best I can." 

You touched his cheeks, absorbing the sun's heat that graced them. "I want to take care of you too. I notice how tired you are." 

He fell into deep thought, and after staring at you for a moment with his eyes dancing over your entire face, he said, "Let's bring back date nights. When was the last time we went out, just the two of us? We can get someone to babysit, then go out on the town like we used to." 

"Can part of our date night involve taking a nap?" you asked, propping your chin on his chest. 

Harry glanced down at you, his green irises clear and happy. "Absolutely." 

"Sounds like a plan." You laughed at its absurdity. How did we go from 'I can't wait to marry you' to 'I can't wait to nap with you'? What has parenting done to us?" 

He tilted his head with a lopsided grin. "It's made me fall in love with you all over again." 

"Even when there's spit-up on my clothes?" 

"Uh-huh," he said, locking you in his hold. "And when you're burping a cranky baby while eating your first meal of the day well past noon. And when you're breastfeeding while sending work emails, your hair unbrushed, and my shirt hanging off your body. There's nothing sexier." 

Truthfully, he wasn't joking around. And you knew that one day, you'd find simplistic beauty in those things as well. 

"I'm a real sight for sore eyes." 

Harry kissed your forehead, swaying you to the sound of the waves meeting the shore and then receding. "You have no idea." 

——

[fumifooms]

Chilchuck, family & alcoholism

Collection of thoughts and speculation on Chil’s upbringing, his dynamic with his family and how alcoholism ties into it all. If you want the groundwork info on Chil’s background I recommend my masterpost on his family, here beyond a summary of the facts it’s really just me speculating from the crumbs we get of his parents and siblings, how it’s all affected him and in turn affected his own wife and kids etc etc.

There’s nothing more I’d like on mother’s day than to speculate about Chilchuck’s maladaptive attachment style. I’m fascinated by how distant everyone is and how much he’s been devoted to them all despite having been so absent. Intergenerational trauma get over here

Actually it’ll be easier if I make a rundown here too, it’s just stuff I reiterate from my masterpost tho.

Tiny table of contents: 1- rundown: family facts 2- rundown: alcoholism 3- dad 4- parenting 5- daughters 6- wife

^ Every time his dad gets mentioned. His mom never gets mentioned. His siblings I think are only ever mentioned in this extra, and then there are more ambiguous relatives cameos.

We know is hometown isn’t Kahka Brud, but we’re not sure wether he moved there upon getting his own house (presumably around when he got married at 13), or if it’s only after his wife when he rented out his place to relatives then rented the place in Kahka Brud.

If he rented it out to relatives, maybe that meant it was in his hometown? Especially if he and his siblings are "almost strangers" so presumably he doesn’t really keep in touch with his family. And I mean, he hasn’t seen his wife or daughter in 4 years so you can imagine how he’s like with his more distant family…

Additionally half-foots and Chil are very coded to be from an impoverished opressed working class people. So that’s the context.

I’ll say that I mentioned intergenerational trauma at the beginning, and I def think the distrust of elves is part of that, but here I want to focus on the interpersonal effects rather.

Copy pasting my masterpost thoughts overall: Chilchuck is hinted to have had a rather dysfunctional family himself (alcoholic father, distant siblings, etc). So he doesn’t really have the best model on how to raise someone and such. I imagine it was a sort of neglectful home situation, where the kids are encouraged to be independent. If they didn’t have to work or help around much, then a free range parenting sort of thing.

We do see how the family has full and warm feasts, where someone cleans his mouth with a rag, so it’s not like he didn’t have caring people or had a tragic childhood though! I don’t remember if it’s explicitely stated but he’s heavily implied to having grown up poor, as most half-foots, and I just think it’s the hardened hardworking family type of childhood where just like he does with others, they instilled somewhat harsh life lessons in him, which in turn encourages him to indulge in the simple pleasures of life like alcohol and sex, or at least women’s beauty and crass jokes. We do see he seems more optimistic when he’s younger in flashbacks, so a bunch of his harsh view on the world is still likely learned and earned rather than taught.

I still think he inherited many flawed views from how his father acted, like his attitude about excessive drinking not being a big deal, it being worth it. That work hard play hard, enjoy life die young mentality he has, shown mostly in the “alcohol” section of his Adventurer’s Bible profile, could very well be partly a result of the general poverty half-foot communities are that he grew in as well, like how he doesn’t hope for things to be as best as they could be and contends with good enough.  As far as I remember, his mother is never mentioned, but I doubt it implies she was out of the picture. She was probably a regular sort of mother that took care of the home and was still around when his father died, not unlike how Chil’s wife was implied to be a housewife. It looks like there’s a good age gap between one sibling to the next, that could be interesting to speculate about too. Mostly though I think it’s big family because it’s just sorta what happens when you regularly have sex and you don’t have contraception, being poor often makes family planning harder for various reasons and leads to more children.

Alcoholism context rundown:

Good Chilchuck analysis baseline here. Alcohol seems to be his main stress reliever/coping mechanism, especially for how emotionally constipated he is, and his job is being stressed about his party’s safety. Then he also mentions as a changeling that having his senses dulled feels relaxing to him, further confirming alcohol, as a drug that dulls senses, is something that he likes for the intoxication aspect and feels it’s relaxing. Alcohol also acts as a hunger suppressant, so it for sure has played a role in his dieting and unhealthy eating/diet habits, especially since he shows the instinct to drink to soothe hunger, all of that about how going hungry for 3 days used to feel manageable. Chil dieting info compiled here.

Chilchuck is at his most effortlessly cheerful when drunk or drinking. Compilation of every time he was drunk here.

And to be clear, a cheerful drunk is still a drunk. He literally will drink anytime he gets the opportunity to even if he’s aware overdrinking leads to health problems and death. Like canonically. He does NOT see how drinking should be a problem and does not seek to show restraint with it.

Dad of the dad

Marcille and Chilchuck having a talk on how losing a dad be like "You lost your dad young too…? I know how it is, it must have hit you hard…" "No not really tbh. Do you want lasagna or chicken for dinner?" <- either genuinely doesn’t feel much about his dad’s death or has 10 layers of repression, idk which is worse

I think Chil not making a big deal out of his dad’s death, not having worries in following into his footsteps that way in the least, is super interesting.

As a buddy @saccharineomens puts it: " I kinda imagine chilchuck and his dad didn't have a bad relationship, but in general chilchuck is so blase about drinking (he sees it as a delightful time, a wonderful thing! he wouldn't mind dying doing something he loved!) that he's not very upset about his dad's passing? like "yeah, he died, but i was already an adult, he was an adult, he made his choices, i make my choices, it's cool" " And I’ll nitpick that we don’t know how old he was when his dad died, I always assumed it was pretty early since Chil left home when he got married, and like I’ve gone into he doesn’t seem to be the keep in touch type. It’s on the table though, and he could have learned about it through letter if nothing else and that contributes to the "meh" reaction.

And that is very Chilchuck, the whole "we made our choices, it is how it is, he died doing something he loved", and you can totally believe that that’s the crux of it, but I do think the nonchalance hints at the family overall being distant and not only the siblings, that there’s dysfunctional shenanigans going on in there more than just… Healthy coping and having moved on.

I wonder when Chil first drank… And I wonder how he came to realize he liked alcohol a lot. His father probably gave him sips… Or he stole them

No because, with how disaffected he is about his father and siblings I could definitely see him having started to kind of numb himself/dissociate with the help of alcohol in that home environment that felt so… Either devoid of feelings or too messy to get attached. I can totally see his family being one that encourages dealing with feelings by bottling them up.

Because too… We saw him have a family/community feast of some sort presumably when he was a kid, in that chapter cover, so it’s not like there’s no warmth or sense of family at all, but then like… What went wrong? If as I theorize that girl with short black hair in that panel is his future wife, since she’s his childhood friend and all, what if his family/home life was always kind of cold and distant, even when gathered and cheery or despite those occasions? So then it’s like, at the family gatherings, she’s the most important person there to him, the one he actually connects to the most, the warmest presence he has…….. Someone he jokes around with that feels on the same speed as him, that doesn’t have the same connotations as everyone else present, a bit of a haven, someone different, a breath of fresh hair and a regained sense of childhood… Spitballing of course of course

I feel like they had a pretty big family and they were poor and such so there were always chores to be done etc, so their household might have operated like a mini busiess of sorts where everyone’s too busy, always has this and that to do and the mother asks them to go do tasks. I used to think it might be more of a neglect situation, where the kids are expected to provide for themselves and so cook their own meals and whatnot, both parents distant, but I don’t think so with the feast illustration. Chil at the beginning of canon used to see eating as a practical thing more than anything, you have to eat to live but don’t eat much or your weight will make your job more dangerous, might as well skip meals and have beer instead, etc etc. So the thought that he doesn’t know how to cook all that well despite this speculated background where he cooked for himself and keeps cooking minimalistic, since he does tell Senshi he taught him about cooking, is fair, but still… There could definitely be a situation where his older siblings were pushed into a parental role too, where they helped with the food and raising the younger siblings etc etc. As mentioned, the age gap between siblings may play into the dynamic as well. But on this front I have less ideas…

So yes my general take on Chil’s family is that everyone was too busy to emotionally connect as much as is normal, the parenting leaving things to be desired with alcoholism and emotional neglect.

Fathering

And I think that’s especially interesting considering he hasn’t been keeping in touch with his daughters either. It’s "they’re independent now" and that’s kinda it. His daughters haven’t sent him letters or visited him or tried to make him talk to their mom again. It does feel like with his own parents and siblings to me, where people are almost strangers, where relationships grow apart and everyone shrugs and goes ‘that’s how things are’. Is it that everyone including all his daughters gave up on trying to keep in touch, or is it that they all went "well divorced or not he’s absent, this is our normal tbh", and which is worse?

So yes, I think his relationship with his daughters is probably similar to his relationship with his parents, sort of hands off. Chil's dad was probably not a good dad but probably not quite a bad dad. A definitive He Was There, to quote another friend heh

Imo the thing with Chil is that he was pretty absent bc of work travels to dungeon dive, right. He’s working hard to provide for his family but in the process he’s not spending much time with them, slowly making a gap grow between him and them as they drift apart and change as people. He’s a career dad who never realized spending time with his family was more important and threw his pager into the ocean— But also here’s the thing!! You want to say being his family is more important, but money is arguably more important! They’re poor, they don’t have the privilege of free time as much. Sure he’s not there, but he is providing for them what they need to keep living and growing healthily. Similarly, you want to say Chil should stop doing harsh dieting for weight management, but, he has a point, maybe starving is still preferable than dying in traps. Of course the ideal would be to change jobs, but again, life is a struggle and that’s not always an option.

^ Truly the classic "if you don’t listen to me, your parent, a cryptid is gonna kidnap you!" international experience………

He is so so so the "What? My way of parenting is kinda bad? But my father raised me like that, and look how great I turned out!" <- emotionally dysfunctional…….. "Pshhh what do you mean having an alcoholic parent negatively affects you? My father was an alcoholic too and look at me"  🤡

All of it was behavior normalized to him. And listen, I’m saying this but not as like, shirking of his part in it. This isn’t a teen or young adult, he’s middle aged, he’s become the one giving and not receiving the generational trauma. He’s chosen to never think deeper on the topic.

And like, he himself is so indifferent to his father and what their relationship was like, of course he wouldn’t notice if a parenting choice wasn’t great for his daughters. He doesn’t have a relationship with his dad, he’s not (at least not consciously) traumatized by him, so from his perspective it’s mission success! He got raised decent enough 👍⭐️ Except he doesn’t realize that like, not particularly caring if he died is sign of a problem between them in itself… And this even as he remains somewhat of an important figure in his life, especially since that’s who he sees on the other side of the life river in the ghost chapter. It’s implicitly the biggest instance of loss through death Chilchuck has in his life I think.

But despite it all he obviously does love his family a lot, right. So I do believe that like, while he has imperfect standards when it comes to parenting he still tries to be better than his dad was, that even if it’s necessary that he has a lot of long work travels, he spends time with them. And there’s sort of this dissonance that he’s both "it doesn’t matter wether i’m here or not, they’ll live, they’re tough girls. Oh they didn’t like my scolding earlier? It’s just how kids are" dismissive and "I love them so much and I want them to have a good life. I want to do my best by them" devoted and so so caring. And like that’s why he works so damn hard, he does it for them, but also that’s why the girls grew up with an absentee father and aughhhh AUGHHHH the unsolvable dilemma of it all Chilchuck in Dunmeshi truly represents like, the harshness of reality & the world and how sometimes things will just suck no matter what, and then of course balancing that with Marcille in their shared arc where she tacks on "And despite that there is beauty everywhere even in the small and menial things, despite that your flawed relationships and dreams are still worth fighting for" ie giving reconciling with his wife a shot, etc.

All that said I think the very strict "you’re gonna grow up to have a stable job by god, young miss" attitude, those strong work ethics he highly values and focuses on and no doubt tried to instill in is own kids, is something he somewhat inherited from his own upbringing and parents.

In my masterpost bit on his parenting, I said I don’t think he’d do any kind of corporeal punishment, but. I do wonder about spanking aftee all. It can be so so easy to rationalize it… Sigh

Daughter pov

Again, my general interpretations for the daughters are written in my masterpost. I think Patti knows her father the least and is the one least worried about jobs and stability and least settled down as a result. Flertom is the more social one who I imagine tended to be the one worried about her parents’ couple and their emotions the most. And Meijack… Ohh Meijack.

When your father tried his best to provide for you but he worked all the time and even when he was home he was either tired or stressed and he’s always liked to get drunk to relax and cheer up. When you know he values work ethics and respectability so you grew up to be capable and quiet. And when he says you’re like him you’re sort of puzzled, does he really know you so little, or does he know himself so little? But you like the feeling of your father ruffling your hair so you accept it and still you stand next to your mother just as quiet and just as stoic during family gatherings. He leaves again and again and when your mother leaves him nothing changes, really. You wonder if it’s more telling that you know him better than he seems to himself or that you don’t know him as much as you wish you did, or that you don’t think about him all that much these days. Out of sight out of mind

Thinking of those posts about how kids never forget and during the "draw your family!" things at school, some of the kids draw their working parents seperate from the rest of them...

Absent father and when he’s at home you get the crumbs of him that you get and you’re grateful for it and that’s that <333

She doesn’t know how much he loves them bc he hasn’t showed them in a long time </3

The horror of drunk Chil in my fics is often about what in this state he can’t do rather than what he could do, how someone who’s as proud of his skills and work ethics as he is has truly changed, not comprehending how he could become so sloppy or how he could allow himself to get like this, marred the values he preaches above all else. It’s in the way that he fumbles with doorknobs, that he could never lockpick a door if you were to lock it, and it both being your salvation and bringing you extreme distress at the thought of it all. His footsteps usually featherlight now sound heavy as stone, like a troll’s.

You know the thing that gets me so bad with alcoholism angst is when people describe the drunk person as a stranger. Often making a metaphor that they’re monsters, have some monster they shapeshift into uncontrollably once in a while, as a way to split the unreconciliable halves of the person sober and drunk in your vision of them……. It gets me soooo bad Little Puckpatti growing up on tales of trolls kidnapping disobedient kids and replacing them with doubles so no one even knows they’re gone… Coming face to face with a drunk Chilchuck that roams the halls of the house with heavy steps in the night, because she wanted to go drink a glass of water, too thirsty to sleep………..

And this is where I reveal that I wrote a fic about just that!! Trolls that thump and tiptoe through the night Mei @ Chil, You made me of stone and still every day you wear me down and chip away at me bit by bit

In the end notes I describe my takes and interpretations: With Mei I tried to give the sense of a kid who sacrifices some parts of childhood to feel closer to her parent, like not playing games to spend more time with him no matter how empty, or wanting to be worthy in his eyes. With Fler, since she was the one in canon to take in their mother and write Chil a letter explaining the situation, I feel like she’s always been the one most involved and aware of the problems in their family. The one most there to emotionally support or to understand what the vibes in a room meant. Puckpatti I think knows her father the least, since with time I think Chilchuck was more and more away from work and more and more cynical like the flashbacks of younger him dungeon diving. I think because of her not minding unstable odd jobs that she’s the most passive, that she’s the most go with the flow. I do also love when Mei is the one most aware of her parents’ flaws and most critical as the eldest, but not in this fic. Meijack grows up to never touch a drop of alcohol, what people joke is the one difference between her and her father. Flertom drinks, too much sometimes, but she considers drinking should be a social activity rather than a habit. Puckpatti only drinks on special occasions when she has the chance.

They already don’t have that much time together because of his work, I wonder how big of a percentage the amount of memories the daughters have of him are when he’s not himself truly… How they kinda reconcile it all. It’s their normal. 

And the thing that’s gutting too, is that Chil always looks so so much more open, relaxed, cheerful and happier when drunk than he usually is. He doesn't know how to get his defenses down without alcohol

"you're all that's good"

Because we do see how he truly used to not be so closed off and bitter. But distrust and fearing for betrayals from both coworkers and then his wife aka the person who’s supposed to be closest to him (he doesn’t even have close family besides his daughters. Does he even have close friends) turned him into what he is now. He was so cheerful!! Happy and trusting and optimistic.

He leaves and she left

God there’s the whole ‘wife leaving him’ trauma too is the thing… It had to have fucked him up so bad like no wonder he got paranoid and decided not to open up to ANYONE like. He never saw it coming is the scariest thing. He didn’t expect her to just up and leave. He didn’t see the warning signs. He won’t know if it’s coming this time either.

….. But then also, why he didn’t reach out to her (besides hurt) was because it was a petty silence treatment, like "oh she left without saying a word? Fine well I won’t reach out to her either" <- man who is so not fine and collected about it. It’s been FOUR YEARSSSSSSS I wonder if he always was like… "This week she’s gonna send a letter. … Ok fine, this month she’s gonna crack. … Within the year she’ll come crawling back." and it’s a bit why it was allowed to go on for this long unchecked like… Why he still considers her his wife even though functionally she’s more of an ex by that point after 4 years.

I can never stop thinking about him and his wife they’re fucking crazyyy. Him not reaching out to her started as a silent treatment from frustration. She never reached out to him either, she just up and left, didn’t even leave or send one last letter she’s just gone and has left this all behind, the house and everything in it. It’s been 4 years but he still considers her his wife and considers themselves only "estranged", "due to circumstances we haven’t seen each other in years". His face in the panel he said this is interesting too, trying to be casual but defensive and exasperated, already dreading the judgement and questions. He moved out of his house to rent a place in Kahka Brud instead. How much of him not reaching out was avoidance… Guilt, frustration, sadness, confusion, just procrastinating and dread and fear of a rejection more concrete, or something else… Maybe realizing he doesn’t miss her as much as he should, not enough to chase after her or try to get her back, just resigning himself to it… Is he a bad husband, is he a bad person? Should they reconcile?

Not seeing it coming… It’s half trust, that this person who’s so dear to you could never just up and leave and hurt you like that, half entitlement, thinking that she would never think of leaving, and third it’s blinding himself to the warning signs, not wanting to believe or acknowledge them. Because like, there WERE some, he said she "suddenly fell into a bad mood on the way back [from the outing]" and I don’t think he’s too dumb to be aware that something was off, he literally just dismissed it and then went surprised pikachu face when it turned out things were indeed off.

Part of it is definitely, how do you even react if your wife walks out on you without warning. If it happened to me I think that I wouldn’t reach out for a while either, wait for them to reach out to me first, give them space. As I put it in one of my marchil wips, "I respect your right to be rid of me too much to try and shackle you to me if you want to leave". Inaction is easier than admitting he’s scared to check and find out that the worst case scenario is true. It’s been years and he still hasn’t worked it out why she left. Do you think that’s on purpose. That he doesnt want to know for sure. It’s so so so scary to try and do anything about it

He said he didn’t reach out right away when she left because he was petty and wanted to give her the silence treatment back. Ok but is it that he blames her for their marriage falling apart or does he blame himself and he’s just misdirecting the conflicted feelings? Did he not reach out because a part of him was too scared to know why she left or if she would refuse to come back? Did he just think that she’d come back on her own, and things would get fixed while still staying unsaid and unconfronted like they always have, the first month, then the next and the next, until it was a year in and it sunk in that oh, maybe she wasn’t coming back?

He seems genuine here when he says that he was angry about it and gave her the silent treatment, but it is an habit of his to lie to make himself look worse instead of showing vulnerability, so who knows.

He is so so scared of being affected by relationships. Same thing with his compulsive habit to disguise his worry for anger. It’s why he doesn’t want people to have expectations of him, "I’m a coward I’m selfish", because then they can’t be disappointed, they can’t be surprised if he bites, they can’t leave when you lose what they’ve been staying for.

He has avoidant tendencies too. Every time there’s an interpersonal issue he just accepts it’s out of his control immediately. He’s passive when it comes to relationship problems, just like with coworkers, relationships are a ticking time bomb to him, and he just wants to be left out of it and come out unscathed. It comes back to his pessimism. He doesn’t think that like, things could be better. According to him life is tough and cruel, you accept your lot in life and make the best out of it and that’s it. If people are scummy you don’t whine about how unfair it is, you close yourself off and work to not be taken advantage of again and adapt. So then with his wife, when Marcille is like "Have you tried… Talking?" it’s such a crazy idea that it might work at all, that he could have the power to fix things… And that’s why it’s such a big deal when he goes "Alright I’ll try… I don’t know if it’ll go as well as in the stories, but I’ll try". That CRUMB of allowing himself to be hopeful is so huge

Honestly for the longest time I misread this bit, I thought she left in the night like how Marcille framed it, but no she left after he left for work. She left after he left again.

The way it’s told, it really sounds like Chilchuck just came home from work, stayed probably a couple of days in which they went to that outing together, then left for work again right away/soon after and it’s like. Was that outing the most special thing you guys did together. You came home from like a month of work, you had one outing where she ended up having a bad time, y’all didn’t talk about it further and then you left for another couple of weeks. Are you kidding me

Your married life is waiting for your husband to come home, spending mediocre time together, being shut down when you voice discontentment, and things being left unaddressed before he leaves again.

She left when he was gone for work, but did she leave the day of, or did she flip flop on it and took a while before working up the strength to leave? Was she waiting to see if he’d say anything before leaving and when he didn’t that was the last straw?

Chilchuck trying to prove a point that half-foots can make it out there, trying to rely more on himself because that’s the only person he can trust. His wife feeling like he's leaving her behind (because he does. over and over and over and over.) This guy just keeps throwing himself into work because he thinks it's what's best for everyone. Hey sir neglecting emotional needs can be kinda detrimental to everyone involved, I think you might wanna know that ^ quotes courtesy of @soappox

And to come back to alcoholism for a bit, alcoholism is alcoholism, and someone asked why I thought that a Chilchuck with depression would drink and cope through alcohol, since drinking seems to be something cheerful to him. It does puzzle me a bit but it’s worth going over, so… I don’t think him using drinking as a coping mechanism is far fetched at all. Cheerful drunks that are alcoholic still can absolutely use alcohol in ways like that. If something makes you happier, or even just more numb which translates to you feeling more free etc etc, then I definitely think it tracks that he’d keep drinking. Like personally I do think he’d drink a lot after his wife left him, and in rough patches like that. Depression -> not wanting to have to think, the days are blurring together and you either don’t want to be conscious or you want to feel something etc etc -> drinking for the alcohol. Alcoholics tend to be, well, dependent on alcohol. If something bad happens etc they’re usually more likely to go harder on it rather than stop. We can debate on when and why Chilchuck first started to drink but it’s straight up his favorite food now and it’s deeply ingrained in his life, in his favorite outings and activities and priorities and moods and meals. A CHEERFUL DRUNK IS STILL A DRUNK!!! They drink to get happy not drink because they are happy, though obviously the two can have overlap.

Chil represses sooo much. His solution to interpersonal conflict and feelings is just don’t think about it and dull your feelings & senses to everything ✨ I love him. I need to kill him with hammers Like the other day I was thinking about an AU where he might have ran away from his neglectful home or something, but then I remembered he deals with everything including his family by dulling his feelings and senses to things 🫠 He wouldn’t leave

I’d say he doesn’t look troubled by loss through death, moreso loss through mistakes. His nightmare is his daughters dying yes, but moreso them being killed, there’s an axe in the wall etc, it’s about having failed to protect them.

If he can’t fuck something up or if he’s already fucked it up there’s this pacifying sense that he can’t have the rug pulled from under him, because that’s what having connections is, having a wife isn’t an insurance it’s a rug waiting to be pulled. And his brand is sort of Flawed Mr Mistakes Man so he’s kinda been having to cope lol. I do think he throws himself into workaholism, because it’s sort of the only way to live he knows, making yourself capable and useful and spending his days working like that, less time to think, too tired to think. Senses dulled, senses that are usually too sharp, cutting with clarity that he prefers ignoring and avoiding. Work is something he doesn’t have to feel through, something that gives him pride and self-esteem, something through all the danger and life or death risk feels safer, emotionally. No one taught him how to deal with things another way, it’s always been suck it up and work.

Conclusion

Stop smoking we love you and we don’t want you to die

No drinking will not externalize your feelings no it won’t vent them out well please Chilchuck ple-ea-ease…….

</3 They should invent an alcoholism that doesn’t make you dysfunctional and hard to be around

^ Drunk, by The Living Tombstone

I’ve been thinking about enneagrams and Chil is 6w7 highkey. Becomes 3 when stressed, a little 8 but it’s more that he wants security so much that he becomes paranoid rather than having the core of an 8 y’know. I haven’t dug into it for quotes yet but this paper goes hard if you’re curious.

Dropping my relevant Spotify playlists here bc why not: Chilchuck & his wife, marchil angst

[onsomenewsht]

from the vault:

but what can I say? / rules must be obeyed

》 The Winner Takes It All, ABBA

》 Alexia Putellas x Reader

》 winner takes all [idiom]: used to say that the winner of a round will win the whole contest

No one looks puzzled when a seven-year-old boy comes rushing into Barcelona’s training centre, some even high fives him or cheers as he passes them at full speed.

Rafael is well known and loved in the building, even more for his joyful personality than for the last name he wears on the back of his jersey.

The kid turns a sharp line to join the team outside. Despite his short legs and his clumsiness in most situations, he has quite control of his footing.

The perks of being Alexia Putellas’ son.

“Looks like our mascotte is back”

“The best Putellas!”

The girls notice him as soon as he sprints from the doors, dribbling around some coaches without much effort, but trampling over a discharged pair of boots. The boy lands hands first on the grass. He takes his time to get up and clean his now stained jeans, quickly assessing the damage and deciding he doesn’t really care.

Jana catches the kid as he comes running once again, lifting him up with a bit more effort than the last time she saw him.

“Jaja put me down, I wanna hug mama!”

“Ouch, I’m not your favourite tia anymore?”

“No, Mapi is”

The girls close enough to hear the exchange burst out laughing, luckily for Jana’s ego and the team’s well being the said defender is not around to brag about it.

“Ohi, mi vida!”

“Mama!”

Hearing Alexia’s voice, Rafael manages to escape the girls’ affection to literally run in her open arms. The hug is emotional even just to watch, his tiny hands holding on the blonde’s neck as she keeps him as close as possible.

“I missed you, monito”

No one wants to interrupt the moment, so your arrival is the perfect distraction.

You excuse yourself and the little troublemaker for crushing the training session to everyone you meet on your path. They assure you it’s fine, you two are always welcome, and today is a special one after all.

A lot of hugs and jokes are exchanged, you take your time to greet all the girls, holding more firmly the honorary daughters Alexia took under her wings ages ago. You missed them.

“My favourite Putellas!”, Claudia shouts as she crushes in your arms.

“You just said that to Rafa”

“He’s the best Putellas, you’re my favourite”

“I’m barely a Putellas anymore”

“I thought you were supposed to arrive tomorrow”, Alexia’s tone is nothing but happy for the change of plan, your boy secured in her arms and quiet for the first time in weeks.

“We were, but it’s your last training session and he wanted to be here”, you move closer, messing your son’s hair as you attempt an awkward half hug.

“Mum said we could surprise you! Are you surprised?”

“I’m surprised, monito”, everyone smiles at Alexia’s open laugh.

Rafael’s arrival completely shifted the atmosphere, somehow making it more emotional but definitely lighter. Jana has been on the verge of tears for days now, hiding behind Patri as the weight of their captain’s retirement comes crushing on them.

It’s the right thing and it’s the right time, but it doesn’t mean it is any easier.

Despite all, despite her family’s fear and her teammates’ concern, Alexia is at peace with the choice. Despite your insecurities, Alexia’s certainty when it comes to important decisions like this one still manages to reassure you.

“Can I go shoot at Cata?”, Rafael asks with his mastered puppy eyes, as you drop your gaze at his stained jeans and the Catalan studies the shoes he’s wearing.

Damn puppy eyes.

“You can go, but make sure an actual adult is there too”

“Is Mapi an actual adult?”

“No, ask Ingrid or Rolfo if they want to join”, you add.

He nods enthusiastically, sprinting away toward the bubble of players who are more than happy to welcome the kid as the training session ends on a high note. You’re sure it will be difficult to interrupt their game later.

It’s easy to notice the two of you are left alone, her teammates giving you space but mostly eager to spend more time with your son.

“He just wants to score”

“We’re working on his selfishness with the ball, I swear”

You smile at the blonde soft defence, still amazed about their bond and how considerate she has been about Rafael’s passion for football. Never pressuring, never patronising, always just as supporting as any other parent could be.

“Thank you for bringing him here, I know you’re supposed to be in London for the week and I really appreciate your support”

“Don’t even mention it, Alexia”, you reassure her, “It’s important for you and It’s important for him, I’m more than happy to support it all”

“How long are you staying?”

“Just a couple of days, but we’ll be at any ceremony, don’t worry”

Alexia mumbles unamused, pretending the presence of her family alone is not enough to make her comfortable and confident to face all the events she’s supposed to attend as a celebration of her career.

“He can stay longer, I’ll be back when it’s my turn again”

“Are you sure?”, she is not really able to hide her excitement.

The new and strange routine is just starting to feel like it’s working in the first place, even if dividing a kid between two countries and two parents who didn’t manage to save their marriage is the most painful thing you both ever experienced.

Neither of you wants to upset Rafael and destabilise him even more, or worse, make him feel unloved.

“I’m sure, he’s the winner”

[babygirl-diaz]

Happy Mother's Day, Eddie

Every year on Mother's Day, Eddie took Christopher to Shannon's grave with flowers, teddy bears, balloons, and a handmade card made by Christopher. It became a tradition after her death. There was a year when things went to hell and Christopher refused to go there with Eddie, but after they mended their relationship, they restarted their tradition. Now Christopher was 16 years old, and this was one of the only times he voluntarily spent time with Eddie so Eddie made the most of it.

After they put everything on the grave, Eddie and Christopher silently sat down on the bench.

"Dad?" Christopher called out after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

Christopher pulled something out of his jacket pocket and gave it to Eddie.

Eddie looked at it confused and realized it was a handmade card that read 'World's Best Mom.'

"Is this for your mom?" Eddie asked. "I thought you already gave her a card?" He said, looking at the grave.

"No," Christopher replied awkwardly and wrung his hands together. "It's for you."

That confused Eddie even more. "For me?"

Christopher nodded. "You've tried your best to fill both roles since Mom's death, so I don't think it's too far-fetched to want to celebrate you too today."

Eddie was stunned and welled up a little at that. He opened the card to see a picture of himself and Christopher from when Christopher was only 7. Christopher had drawn it himself. Under the picture, the message read, "Sometimes the world's best mom is actually a dad." Eddie couldn't help but laugh a little through his tears. "Can I- can I hug you?" He asked. He knew Christopher didn't like hugs anymore that's why he asked first.

"Yeah, yeah you can," Christopher replied with tears in his own eyes.

Eddie pulled his son close and hugged him tight. "I love you so much, kiddo," he said, kissing the top of Christopher's head.

"Love you too, Dad," Christopher said, hugging him back.

After Eddie pulled away, they stayed there for a few minutes, just talking to each other and Shannon.

"Can we go to Buck's place?" Christopher asked once they started walking towards the pickup truck.

"Buck's place?" Eddie asked. "Why? Isn't he supposed to be hanging out with Maddie and her family today?"

"No!" Christopher replied quickly. "I need some help with my math homework, so I asked Buck, and he said we can come over."

"Okay?" Eddie replied unsurely. He was almost certain Christopher was up to something, but he didn't press.

Instead, he drove them over to Buck's place and let Christopher go ahead of him. "Where's your backpack?"

Christopher didn't answer and instead knocked on Buck's door.

Buck soon opened and grinned when he saw them. "Hey, fellas!"

"Something smells good," Eddie commented as he entered the house after Christopher.

"I made chicken enchiladas!" Buck replied excitedly.

"Oh, nice! My favorite!" Eddie chuckled at Buck's enthusiasm.

"I know, that's why I made it!"

Eddie looked at him, confused. "You cooked for me? Why? It isn't my birthday."

"No, but it's Mother's Day and you're the world's best dad slash mom, remember?" Christopher giggled.

"And the world's best dad slash mom deserves only the best!" Buck added and took Eddie's hand, leading him to the dining room. "Ta-da!"

Eddie's eyes widened when he saw all the food on the table. "Oh wow." He looked between Christopher and Buck. "You two planned this?"

"Happy Mother's Day, dad!" Christopher said instead and gave him a side hug.

"Happy Mother's Day, Eddie," Buck added and gave Eddie a side hug as well, squishing him in between his two favorite guys.

There was no place Eddie would rather be.

[little-annie]

Just another @strangerthingswritersguild drabble.

G | WC 635 | Steve, Eddie & Robin

It was a typical Thursday evening in Buckingson home -as previously named by a very inebriated Robin and Eddie. Some random record playing on low, the small space lit by nothing but the orange glow of lamp light and candle flame.

To anyone it would sound like a peaceful night at home.

But not just anyone had Eddie for a live-in boyfriend and Robin for a best friend who also happened to be a roommate. And surely no one had the pair of chaos twins constantly bringing in stray animals to their home.

The first time it'd been a bird, some small feathery thing with a damaged wing that Robin carried into their home with her bare hands and made a nest for out of grass clippings Eddie had gathered in the park. They named the chirpy little thing Squeaker, and by the time it's wing had healed the small animal had been on several road trips and one memorable trip to the grocery store. He'd (?) joined the next migration and now every year since when his flock comes through the city, he'll perch himself on their balcony and chitter until Robin or Eddie come out to say hello.

Then there had been Bambi. A small abandoned fawn Eddie somehow managed to sneak past Steve and into Robin's room where the pair cared for the thing until a wildlife rehabilitation centre could pick it up. Steve didn't find out about that one until he answered the call from the rehab centre offering their update on the creature several weeks later.

There was also Bob the baby Racoon, Dorothy the dumpster cat, Roco the abandoned puppy and now, there was Pumpkin, apparently.

Steve had been in the kitchen slaving away over dinner when he heard the soft click of the front door and the insanely uncharacteristic whispers between Eddie and Robin.

And then there was a meow.

A wretched, croaky thing that sounded as if the newest addition to their home had the same nicotine problem as Eddie.

“Shhhh,” Steve could hear Eddie whisper as he continued to stir the pot of pasta sauce he was making, “Don't want Stevie finding out about you just yet.”

“We gotta bath you first baby,” Robin added.

Steve could only imagine the condition of this animal, let alone the event it would be for Robin and Eddie to bathe it.

But as he had a handful of times before, he pretended he hadn't heard a thing and let the chaotic two carry on.

Just the sound of them attempting to wash the cat was rather comical. Of course there was lots of swearing and one quite loud yelp from Eddie, accompanied by Robin's hushed placating. Funny enough they were still trying to be quiet, but Steve could still hear the murmurs of…

“Are you bleeding?”

“Of course I'm bleeding, Buckley. Did you see the claws on this thing.”

“Did you see the nuts on ‘em?”

“Unfortunately, yes. What the fuck?”

“Should they be that big?”

“I don't know. We'll ask Steve.”

“What do you think happened to his tail?”

“Probably froze off like his ears.”

Jesus Christ.

Twenty minutes, several yowls from the cat, one loud painful sounding yelp from Eddie later, Steve is introduced to Pumpkin.

He's a scraggly looking thing.

One eyed, half tailed and missing the majority of his two ears. The definition of a dumpster cat. Steve's sure the cat stunk before the bath the apparently three before him endured.

Robin and Eddie are soaked head to toe. Bloodied and bandaged. Hair in utter disarray. They look exhausted. But they also look to be just beaming with excitement.

The cat on the other hand, held tightly in Robin's arms looks less than thrilled.

“Steve,” Robin starts, joined by Eddie a moment later, “Sweetheart,”

“Meet Pumpkin.”

[yourteght]

» AISHITE (あいして) — capa teste

⟅12.05.2024 — eu vi um dia desses um vídeo das melhores mamães do universo dos desenhos e assim, só apareceu peça boa, gente supimpa que da até vontade de, nossa, nem sei explicar. Lembrei desse vídeo depois que acabei ficando em casa sozinho e fui pensar em um projeto de gente pra zoar como nesse vídeo que vi, não teria alguém melhor que essa grande querida aqui. Pra quem assistiu soul eater vai saber pq esse projeto de mãe está nessa capa, pra quem não viu, eu peço que considere um ser desprezível (única qualidade dessa criatura é que a bixa é bonita, que ódio).

P. S.: essa capa ta tão delicada, tão fofa, tão meiga 🩷 o que torna minha zoação com essa capa ainda melhor! Medusa, te odeio!

[jnoodlee]

Zelda doesn't want to leave bad marks and memories on her daughter, just like her father did! She will give all the love, attention and freedom to her little girl!😭

Another thing, I know that in my stories Zelda sometimes seems a little rigid and harsh with Link! But here they are not those couples who live in peace and harmony all the time😂There is always a little fight and disagreement!

I was going to post it tomorrow, on Mother's Day, but I changed my mind🥹

[agerebatman]

Happy Mothers Day, Alfred ♡

Ficlet • Regressor Bruce Wayne, Caregiver Alfred

"Alfred?" Bruce's voice was small and gentle, and Alfred knew exactly what that meant.

"Yes, dear boy?" Alfred responded with a pet name, knowing his son was regressed.

Bruce shuffled into the room shyly. He was always quite bashful when small. Bruce held a few pieces of paper in one hand and a small bin in the other.

"What do you have there?"

Bruce didn't respond, just looking down with a timid smile.

"Oh, is it a secret?"

He nodded.

"Well, you're welcome to stay here in my office while I work, if you'd like. I'll even put the telly on. "

Bruce took his usual spot on the floor behind the coffee table, laying out his supplies. Every time Alfred looked in his direction, Bruce would use his large frame to block his view. There was snipping and coloring and gluing, but Alfred couldn't parse what he was making. In good time, Bruce appeared behind him.

"Baba," he whispered, having slipped even smaller with his craft, "for you."

He placed a card in Alfred's hands. Paper flowers were glued to the front, and when he opened it, there was a picture in colored pencil. Alfred and Bruce's late mother, Martha. Written neatly across the top: Happy Mother's Day.

Alfred tried to quell the tears in his eyes. He wrapped Bruce in a hug.

"I love you very much, my darling."

"Love you too, baba."

[pinkysgallery]

🌿💚Amalia will be such a lovely mom💚🌿

🙏Please, let it be canon🙏

Give a hug to your mom. (I can't hug mine)

[chaos-of-the-abyss]

as i write this fic a new headcanon has come to me. thingol named luthien after his mother

[animentality]

I know it's a fact of life and all, but it does give me the heebie jeebies, knowing there's someone out there whose job is to masturbate male pigs so they can ship off semen to artificially inseminate sows.

Like I get it... it's just...like...business, circle of life, this is how the meat industry is efficient in how it breeds livestock, but...

I'm trying to imagine someone whose job it is to masturbate a caged pig, and it's like...

Hm.

I hope they pay them...something good.

Also I wonder if like...female pigs ever feel super weird about being artificially inseminated.

Like they know it's not natural.

I assume.

And then I think, well, what about the male pigs?

They probably know it's not natural either, being jerked off in a cage by some human.

What is going through their heads during all this...

[duskyashe]

NaNoWriMo Day #10

[masterlist] [part two]

Prompt found here

Another one for ya, @stealingyourbones!

Possible trigger warnings: casual disregard for potentially deadly situations, possible body horror (I'm not entirely sure what counts as body horror and what doesn't, so this is a precaution ಡ⁠ ͜⁠ ⁠ʖ⁠ ⁠ಡ)

=============‹«⟨∞∆∞⟩»›=============

Danny was really starting to question his parents understanding of the word "vacation". This was the fifth time this year that he and his sister had been dragged along to some kind of "getaway destination" for a "nice, relaxing vacation," only for it to backfire on the younger Fenton's. Admittedly, though, this was the first time that backfire resulted in Danny being held hostage by another hero's rogue.

He felt it really said something about his life that this was the most relaxing part of his vacation so far. Everyone else around him seemed to be genuinely scared for their lives, but Danny? Eh, he's had worse. It's certainly lacking creativity, a certain flair that he'd gotten used to. Besides, he's fairly certain he could take whatever Gotham could throw at him.

Honestly, he wasn't even sure which rogue was behind this hostage situation, he'd kinda zoned that part out. And it wasn't that he didn't feel threatened! It was more, well. Ever since his accident at fourteen, he'd spent more time threatened, fighting for his life, or in danger than he hadn't, so... Yeah. Yeah, he was aware his life wasn't normal or ideal, but it was his.

Danny was just starting to go over the named objects in the solar system for the second time since he zoned out, when he was torn out of his thoughts by the sound of metal ricocheting off the walls. He watched in awe as Red Hood, Red Robin, and Nightwing worked together to bring down the goons while Batman and Robin tag teamed the guy in charge. He did his best to absorb as much of the fight as he could, knowing this was a golden opportunity to learn from some of the best heroes and vigilantes in the world.

He was so invested in the fight that he didn't notice the other hostages had already evacuated or that there was a desperate goon sneaking up on him until a hand was pressed tightly across his mouth and a weapon of some sort was held just out of his field of view. "Oi!" The goon cried as the majority of the Bats finished their appointed tasks, instantly gaining all of their attention. "You're gonna let me go, yeah? Or else pretty boy here is gonna—" they didn't get to finish their threat as Red Hood seemed to unhinge.

The eye holes of his helmet started glowing a bright, familiar looking green, his limbs stretched out, and his fingers gained talon-like claws. He let out an ear piercing shriek before bolting forward, guns falling uselessly to the ground, forgotten. Danny blinked, and suddenly he was wrapped in a very protective embrace, the goon who had been trying to use Danny crumpled at the base of the wall a few feet to the side of him.

It took another few blinks for Danny's brain to fully process and catch up with everything that had happened, but eventually he caught up enough to realize that Hood was crooning and clicking like he'd seen a few ghosts do to comfort their young. Which was. Well, it was actually kind of comforting? In a weird kind of way? He'd never had it done for him before, and now that he was paying attention, he could definitely feel a ghost core in Hood. He could have sworn it wasn't there when the Bats had first appeared, but he had been zoned out at the time, so who knew?

When the crooning and clicking started taking on a more frantic undertone, Danny realized he'd tensed as soon as the goon had grabbed him and he hadn't relaxed yet, nor had he reacted to Hood's attempts at calming him. He took a breath and consciously started relaxing into the hold, taking the comfort being offered and letting his core vibrate within his chest to simulate a contented purr. Hood started relaxing at that, his core starting to rumble gently in a resonance with Danny's that honestly made him a bit drowsy, but tensed back up at the sound of soft footsteps, letting out a low warning hiss.

Danny tried to catch a glimpse of what had made Hood go on the defensive again, but the footsteps had stopped at the hiss and Hood's back was to whoever it was. Unbidden, a frustrated and curious chirp bubbled up from his core and out his mouth before he could stop it. Hood froze, the gentle rumbling was the only thing that didn't stop at the sound of Danny's chirp. Danny looked up to find Hood's glowing green gaze locked on Danny, his head tilted to the side in thought. Curious, Danny copied the pose and let out another chip, this one more of a "please" than just aimless frustration and curiosity. Slowly, Hood turned his head over his shoulder in what seemed to be assessment.

"We don't want to hurt him," a young voice called. That was probably Robin, Danny thought. "We just want to make sure he's alright. He can stay with you until you're sure we won't hurt him, but we'd like to see he's okay for ourselves."

Danny let out another few chirps, with an unexpected trill working its way in, conveying trust, respect, and excitement. He really wanted to meet the rest of the Bats, and maybe figure out what was going on with Hood. He had been fairly certain none of the Bats were ghosts or halfas, so he would really like some answers as to how Hood had ended up with a core in the first place.

Eventually, Hood crooned his reluctant, wary acceptance and slowly started to turn around, letting Danny see the rest of the Bats again. It seemed like Danny was right, it had been Robin that had spoken. He was also the one that had tried to approach them earlier. Robin had his hands up slightly, extended away from his body, very obviously trying to prove he meant his word as any movement toward a weapon would be more than obvious and would allow Hood to react as he saw fit. The rest of the Bats were farther away, hands also displayed, though they were a mixed bag on how far away their hands were from their various weapons.

Everyone seemed to be in a bit of a stalemate, no one knowing how to react or what to say first, so Danny, more relaxed than he could remember being, ever, decided to solve that for them. "Hey, so, uh, I'm Danny, it's nice to meet you all."

=============‹«⟨∞∆∞⟩»›=============

Can I just say, it's really hard to write while eating? It's even harder trying to write while also watching TV with your sisters (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ BUT HEY! I still managed to write this in time! And I managed it while still sick! (Did I mention yesterday that I'm sick? I meant to, but I don't remember if I did or not (⁠~⁠_⁠~⁠;⁠))

I couldn't decide which rogue ended up holding Danny hostage, and I also couldn't decide where Danny was being held, but I was able to decide that the hostages were taken because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Danny was either in a museum, a cafe/restaurant, or the planetarium I've been assured Gotham had in at least run (⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠）

I'm going to try to do a Harry Potter ficlet tomorrow, either pure or crossed, not sure which or with what, just something Harry Potter. If anyone has any ideas for what I could do for that, please let me know in the comments and I'll choose my favorite one to write! If I don't get any suggestions I'm confident I can write, then I'll look elsewhere, but I'm trying to broaden my NaNoWriMo ficlet catalogue so more people can find something to enjoy. You guys are the best (⁠◠⁠‿⁠・⁠)⁠—⁠☆

Have a good morning/day/night!

[devoidwrites]

MOTHER’S DAY • Joshua Hong

Summary: Joshua surprises you on mother’s day, with the help of a certain set of twins.

Genre: idol au, fluff

Words: 800-ish. short and sweet.

Pairing: FATHER!Joshua x FEMALE!Reader

Warning: none it’s so pure. not proofread.

“Anything for you, my love.”

You were woken up with the sound of giggling coming from the kitchen. Your blinked quickly, glancing around the room to find your husband missing. Rolling yourself out of bed, you got to your feet and made your way out of the bedroom.

The giggling got louder as you got closer to the kitchen, and you couldn’t help the smile that formed on your lips as you caught sight of Joshua helping the twins in the kitchen.

Nari and Joon were on the stools they used to see better when aiding either of you in the kitchen. They were bent over a plate, helping Joshua place whatever it was they were making perfectly on it.

You couldn’t stop smiling as you watched them, your heart swelling at the sight of your husband being so domestic. The three people you loved the most, and they were here making breakfast for you.

“What’s going on here?” You announced your presence, grinning when the twins gasped as they turned to you.

“Mommy!” They cried out as they made their way to you, throwing their arms around you when they were close enough. They pulled you towards the table, pointing at your usual chair for you to sit down in. “Sit!”

Their excitement made you chuckle as you did as you were told. You sat down in your seat and in seconds a set of small hands was placed over your eyes.

“You can’t look yet!” Nari told you as she made sure you couldn’t peek through her tiny fingers. “It’s a surprise.”

“Okay.” You closed your eyes under her hands, not wanting to ruin whatever it was they had in store for you. They seemed so excited and you didn’t want to ruin their happiness.

“Be careful.” You heard Joshua say softly to Joon.

“Okay Daddy.” His tiny footsteps could be heard as he walked closer to you. He placed the plate in front of you, and Nari removed her hands.

Together, the two of them shout. “Happy Mother’s day Mommy!”

You open your eyes, and you heart warmed once more at the sight of the breakfast they had made you. Heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries sliced into bite sized pieces. There was a glass of orange juice beside your plate, and a small heart shaped cake was behind the plate. It was messy, but it was adorable. You loved it.

“You guys.” You pouted. “Thank you so much.”

“Do you like it?” Joon questioned. He looked up at you with such hopeful eyes there was no way you could ever let him down in any way.

“I love it!” You told him with a grin. “Did you make it all by yourselves?”

They shook their heads and Nari spoke. “Daddy helped us a lot.”

You held your arms out and the two of them jumped into your arms, giving you the biggest hug they could manage.

“I love you two so very much.” You kissed them on their foreheads before pulling back slightly. “I’m so lucky to have such wonderful children.”

They giggled as they pulled away from you completely. Joshua stepped forward, squatting down so he was eye level with the two of them. “Why don’t you two go and get mommy’s gifts?”

Their eyes lit up even more and neither of you could stop them from racing off. Joshua chuckled as he stood up from his position. You stood up as well, wrapping your arms around his torso.

“Breakfast was their idea.” He told you, wrapping his arms around you, leaning his chin against your head. “They were very excited to help.”

“You didn’t have to do all of this for me Shua.”

“Of course I did.” He countered without hesitation. “You’re the mother of my children- the love of my life. You deserve to be spoiled on Mother’s day.”

“You spoil me almost every day.”

“Yeah, but today you can’t fight me on it.”

You pulled away slightly so you could look him in the eyes. “Thank you.”

He leaned down to press a soft kiss to your lips. His hands slid down your arms until he was able to lace his fingers with yours. You pulled away as the twins footsteps could be heard getting closer.

“Anything for you, my love.”

The twins were back at your side, handing you a bouquet of orange roses. “They’re your favorite color.”

“They are.” You nodded. “How’d you know that?”

“Daddy told us!” Joon told you. You looked over at Joshua, who gave you a cheeky smile.

“Open!” Nari exclaimed, handing you a small box that was wrapped specially. You shared a glance with Joshua, and his smile told you that they wrapped the gifts themselves.

Unwrapping the box carefully, you found a velvet ring box. You glanced between the twins before looking back at the box. Their eyes watched your every move, waiting anxiously to see you reaction to the gift.

You gasped when you opened the box. A thin silver ring was inside. The two bands met in the middle to create a heart, and inside the heart was a pearl. On the inside of the band, the twins initials were engraved. You absolutely loved it.

“Now we can be with you all the time.” Joon said happily. “Even when we’re at school.”

“It’s beautiful.” You gushed. Joshua pulled the ring out of the box and he slipped it on your middle finger on your right hand. “I love it.”

They cheered victoriously at their success in making your happy, but their cheers were short lived as Joons stomach growled lowly. Nari giggled as she stepped to the side.

“Hm.” You pretended to think for a moment. “How am I gonna finish these pancakes all on my own?”

The smiles on their faces were worth everything you’ve ever been through. “We can help!”

You ushered them to go ahead, and they didn’t hesitant to dig into the pancakes they made you. You reached out to grab Joshua’s hand as the two of you watched them. He pulled you into his side, wrapping his arm around your shoulders.

“Happy mother’s day, sweetheart.”

[mamadoc]

I’m thinking about writing a quickie fic about Mother’s Day. But it would be directed more toward those who have a hard time with Mother’s Day - women without great mothers, whose mothers have died, who are struggling with fertility, etc. It would still be a Chenford/The Rookie fic.

Any interest in a story like that?