#with no caretaker present

[a-wumper-on-the-internet]

I actually know nothing about whump terminology tbh, so: is this a trope?

I've been calling it the Mutual Caretakers. Two characters have both been whumped, either by each other or by a third party or one by the other and the other by someone else. Whatever the case, both are in pain and generally experiencing new, fucked up emotions the likes of which would make baffle any phycologist.

And then they have to caretake each other. Maybe no one else is around who can do it. Maybe it's just a situation where there is no one else but the two of them. Maybe there's a more competent caretaker available but these two just have a special bond of Trauma And Piss Poor Coping Skills that no one else can really touch.

It could be messy and bad for both of them, and make everyone involved significantly worse, or maybe it can actually help and become mutual understanding or some sort of weird-ass friendship. Or maybe they just self destruct. Who knows!

The trope pairs well with: Whumper redemption, whumpee corruption, complex/grey whumpers and whumpees, and general line-blurring between roles.

I realize now that every one of my ocs (there are more coming, I swear) all eventually end up like this. The whumper and whumpee equivalent of a get-along shirt. I need something to call it.

#this is NOT whumper turned caretaker OR whumpee turned caretaker btw #because this should specifically scratch an itch that these two are too broad to cover #it must be two characters who have been whumpees at some point (bonus points if either/both of them were also whumpers) #and who must caretake each other #with no caretaker present #with extra bonus points if neither of them know what the fuck they're doing #it's the healing. it's the breaking out of toxic cycles of violence #it's the learning how to heal past abuse and how to understand that you abused people and what the hell you do #it's the hurting and the hurting others and learning to live in spite of it anyway #whump #whump scenario #whump prompt #whumpee #whumper #whump prompts #whump tropes #whumpblr

[fourlittleocto]

I had a thought that the first time Phantom went little, they didn't really have control of their magic and actually turned little. Some of this I wrote while I was little so I'm not sure it makes any sense, but I don't thank anyone will see it anyway so.

almost 3k under the cut, mentions of food, and Phantom has some flashbacks

I guess it helps to know that big Phantom uses primarily He/Him, and little Phantom uses They/Them, and that Phantom was the runt of his litter.

Phantom was already worried. About everything, to be entirely honest, but today it was even more present. With the tour looming over his head and the ministry threatening to send him back to the pits when he messes up, it's hard for him to find a moment of real peace. His only anchor so far has been his new pack. Well, it's his first and only pack, since quintessence ghouls tended to be pretty solitary in the pits. He’s grateful to have a pack at all, and to be summoned into one that's so loving and supportive is some kind of unholy miracle.

He was on his way back from another unproductive meeting with Sister Imperator that was just an excuse to scare him into submission. It didn't really make him want to please her more though. All he wanted to do was be swallowed back up from the pits, because no matter how bad it was down there, at least his every move wasn't being watched and criticized.

He shakes out his body, like a dog trying to dry itself off, to work out the stress. On the bright side he didn't have to talk to her for another week, and he’s on his way back for some comfort cuddles from his packmates.

He pushes open the door to find Rain on the couch playing video games. Dew and Swiss are having a hushed conversation in the kitchen. He wants to bother Swiss for his attention, but he doesn't want to interrupt the obviously private conversation, so he settles for dropping onto the couch next to the water ghoul. Rain takes his eyes off the screen to smile at Phantom. He winds their tails together. Phantom traps the soft, seaweed-like tip of Rain's tail to rub between his fingers while he watches him play.

When Rain dies, he turns off the game and sets down his control. A faint purr rumbles through Phantom’s chest already. He jumps into Rain’s arms when they open, pulling him close to Rain’s chest and scratching lightly across his scalp.

Both of their heads poke over the top of the couch when Dew pushes back into the common room with a huff.

“Of course you put down your game for him,” Dew snarls under his breath, but he doesn’t put any effort into actually keeping it there, and both ghouls on the couch hear it. Phantom pins his ears to his head and tries to hide in Rain’s shirt with a whine.

“Dew,” Swiss warns, but it’s already too late. Rain’s tail is starting to puff up between his fingers. The light purr in his chest drops into a growl, and instead of comforting Phantom when he squeaks he sits up and pushes the quint ghoul to the other side of the couch, left to curl his tail around himself protectively.

“I’m not ignoring you! If you asked nicely instead of acting like a child about it you could be over here with us too.” Rain bites back. He rolls his eyes at the fire ghoul. He seems to care less about this fight than Phantom does, who’s watching like the most morbid tennis match with wide eyes. His tail taps at his lips, but he holds it in his hand. He’s not a kit anymore and doesn’t need to suck on his tail to feel better, no matter how much he actually wants to.

“I don’t want to share you with him!” Dew yells. The blood pounding in Phantom’s ears makes it hard to be sure if Dew meant to emphasize share or him, but his body is in full fight or flight mode and he doesn’t think he can stay to find out.

He moves so quickly he almost falls face first off the couch. His legs feel shaky, like they’re not really his, but he pushes through with the promise of the safety of his room. The door knob is a struggle too. He slams the door closed harder than he means to, which sends another jolt of panic through his system. He feels like he’s freezing but he won’t stop sweating, and the afternoon light pouring in makes his head pound. He buries himself under his covers and presses his hands into his ears in hopes that the screaming will stop.

It’s no longer Dew and Rain’s voices in his head, it’s his mother, the old pack leader, voices he heard only once but hasn’t been able to shake since. Tell them they’re the runt, they’ll never make it, they fuck up everything. That things like them are the reason packs like that don’t work. Their jeans scratch their skin and pull too tight and they need them off, but their hands are too shaky to undo the button.

They scream.

It’s the only thing they can think to do, to try to relive some of the pressure building in their head. Everything starts to feel better, but in a fuzzy, unclear way that they know they should be concerned about but don’t want to think about it enough to be. It’s at least a break.

They start to pull themself out of their sheets. Their pants stick to the material and slide off too easily, the button still done up but way too big enough to hold onto their hips. The shirt they were wearing falls when they push themself up too, at least staying on their shoulder, but the sleeves reach their elbows and the bottom hem reaches their knees. They stare at it questioningly. All the previous panic has been pushed aside, now they mostly just feel… small. And curious.

They rub the hem of their shirt between their fingers and roll off the bed like they usually do, but instead of landing gracefully they fall way further than they shoot. It sends another flare of panic through their body. This one at least is short lived, but it has their knees wobbling as they take uneven steps towards the mirror in the corner.

When they can finally see themself they freeze, staring into wide, wet eyes, then trailing down their tiny form. They have to be half the height they were just moments ago, and lanky in the way all 6 year olds are, not the usual never-grew-into-his-size lankiness he was used to. They know it’s wrong. No matter how much they want to be happy that their outside matches their inside, they know it’s not right. All the emotions swirl in their brain and start to bring back the bad feelings, and even though they just want their eyes to stop stinging, they start crying instead. Fat tears roll down their face and heavy sobs shake their whole body. They want to curl up in a ball but they can’t look away from that little kit in the mirror. The little kit with the same light patch around their eyes, the same white bangs and dark, unruly hair, and the same misshapen tail snaking its way into their mouth to chew on it self-soothingly.

A loud knock makes them freeze. They scream at themselves to pull their tail out of their mouth so they won’t get in trouble. The person outside calls their name and they whine, which reminds them there’s something more important to fix first, but no matter how much they try they aren’t getting big. It sends them back into their fit of tears.

They watch through blurry vision and the smudgy mirror as Swiss pushes their door open, freezing when they make eye contact. The whole room stills. So many thoughts race through Phantom’s mind they’re surprised they don’t explode with it.

“Phantom?” Swiss whispers. He takes a step towards the little quint ghoul, and that’s finally enough to break the spell. Phantom’s tail pushes back into their mouth as they crouch down into a ball, hiding themself behind their arms protectively.

“P-please don’t h-h-h-hurt me. S’ok,” they slur around their tail. Words seem to stick in their brain. They give a frustrated grunt. Their tongue feels heavy enough on its own, and even though the tail isn’t helping, they know it will only feel worse if they take it out.

“I would never hurt you sweetheart. Can you tell me what happened?” Phantom shakes their head hard, almost falling over from the motion. “Ok, it’s ok baby,” Swiss pauses for just long enough that Phantom starts to worry again. They hide their head more in their knees and let more heavy tears fall, since it seems to be helping. It at least made them feel less big and spikey. 

“Can I touch you?” Swiss asks. Phantom’s tears dry slightly as they have to think about it. They still feel wrong, but Swiss gives such good hugs that always make them feel better when they’re big. It doesn’t take much to realize they want to be held. They unwrap their small, lanky limbs, popping their tail back in their mouth and making grabby hands at the ghoul standing above them.

Swiss smiles brightly and easily scoops the small ghoul into his arms. He eases them down so their legs are wrapped around his waist, and their head is resting on his shoulder, ear pressed close enough to hear his heartbeat, which settles Phantom down considerably. Swiss bounces them up and down and hums until the last tears stop falling and they can breathe a little more even again.

“Wanna change into something more comfy?” Phantom tenses again at the idea of being put down.

“No p-please. Like it h-h-h-h-here.” They try to shove their face more into Swiss’s shoulder. Swiss sighs and chuckles at their antics.

“Ok, well are you feeling hungry? Think you can at least drink some water for me?”

If Phantom really thought about it, their tummy did feel a little empty. They nodded into Swiss. The big ghoul shifted them a little so he can walk easier, and the gentle sway and being surrounded by Swiss’ conforming scent almost lulling Phantom to sleep, even just on the short walk to the kitchen. But before they know it, they’re set down on the counter. They rub at their eyes and rock back and forth while they watch Swiss dig in the cup cabinet until he pulls out a sippy cup.

“W-why is that in-n there?”

“For little ghouls like you,” he answers easily. He fills the blue and yellow sippy cup with water from the sink and hands it to Phantom.

“There are other kits here?” They perk up, looking around like these other kits might magically show up just because they asked. Swiss makes a silly face like he’s pooping, which makes Phantom laugh. He takes a sip from his cup and wiggles at how it makes his mouth not hurt anymore.

“Sometimes. Sometimes when Dew or Rain or Cumulus have big feelings, they get small like you are.” Swiss looks back at Phantom after he grabs the cheerios from the top shelf, then turns around and grabs a bib from a drawer lower down. He tries to loop it around Phantom’s neck but the kit crosses their arms.

“I’m a big b-” they start, but saying boy doesn’t feel right even if it tries to slide off their tongue, so they try again. “A big kit.”

Swiss nods and puts both things away, instead grabbing a muffin from the snack cabinet that Phantom reaches for enthusiastically. They turn the wrapper off quickly and shove half of it in their mouth before Swiss can reach for it to stop them.

“Phantom,” he scolds. The little ghoul ignores it though, loudly chewing the too-big mouthful and starting up a wiggle again.

“Oh thank Lucifer Swiss, I need…” Dew stops himself short when he walks in the kitchen and finds Phantom’s big eyes looking back at him, muffin crumbs all over his face and sippy cup frozen half way to his mouth. “That’s… mine. What-” he starts, but Swiss steps between the two.

“I’ll wash it, Phantom just needed to borrow your sippy. He’s feeling vulnerable,” Swiss says the last part through his teeth. Phantom doesn’t really know what that word means but they know it’s probably not good.

“But that’s not normal. Are you sure he’s ok?”

The blood starts to pound in Phantom’s ears again. All they hear is that they’re not normal, too small. It’s something they’ve heard too many times to count. It makes them want to hide again.

But they’re big. They don’t need to run away, they’ll show Dew how big they really are. They throw the sippy cup on the ground. It obviously isn’t meant for ghouls as big as them, because the top pops off and sends water all over the floor. They feel a little bad, but Dew and Swiss have stopped ignoring them, so they cross their arms and say as big as they can, “I’m big, and I’m not a boy.”

“Oh,” is all Dew says.

“Are you a girl?” Swiss asks. Phantom’s big act falls quickly. They hadn’t really thought about it. If they aren’t a boy or a girl, what are they? Can you not be a boy or a girl? They know they’re not a girl, so maybe they are a boy. They shake their head and look towards Swiss for him. Luckily, he smiles warmly again.

“Ok, you can be our little bat.” It pulls another happy wiggle out of Phantom, this one reaching from the tips of their ears to the spade of their tail, which now that they’re done chewing they can slot back in their mouth.

“Our little bat is actually a toddler,” Dew says only to Swiss.

“I’m 6!” Phantom yells and kicks their feet. Dew puts out a hand like Phantom just said the same thing he did, which makes them cross their arms and stick out their tongue at not being listened to.

“Hey babybat,” Swiss crouches down so he’s the same height as the kit. “Why don’t you finish your muffin, and then we’ll go take a nap, alright? I’ll be right back.” Phantom chirps in agreement, too busy after remembering they still have a whole half of their muffin to inhale. Dew steps out into the common room. He keeps watching Phantom the whole time through the window between the two rooms, until Swiss hands him a different sippy cup, this one pink and sparkly, and goes out to join Dew.

Phantom watches them wave their arms while he chews on his muffin. He imagines they’re dinosaurs fighting each other, the flying ones that look like bats and have big claws and beaks. They roar at each other, and it’s a good thing Phantom speaks dinosaur.

“Get away from my egg,” Swiss roars. He spreads out his wings to make himself look big. Phantom, who’s obviously the egg, puffs out their chest to match.

“I’m going to eat your egg!” Dew roars back, taking a swipe at Swiss, and even though they know they’re only playing pretend, the thought of Dew hurting Swiss for real scares them. They look down. The floor is so far away, but they have to be brave. They shut their eyes tight and push off, somehow landing on their feet. They take a deep breath. They’re so brave, they can do anything, so they run out of the kitchen and wrap themself around Swiss’s leg. Dew’s attack stops right away.

“Don’t h-h-hurt h-him,” Phantom pleads. They make their meanest, scariest face at the fire ghoul. Dew tilts his head at them, looks back up at Swiss, and then crouches down to be on Phantom’s level.

“I’m sorry bug, I didn’t mean to yell.” He looks at Swiss awkwardly. It takes Phantom a minute to remember that, oh yeah, that is how this whole thing started. They don’t know what to say, so instead they chirp and lay a big, wet kiss on Dew’s cheek. He wipes it off and sticks his tongue out, but he still can’t stop himself from smiling, which Phantom takes as a win. They stick their tail back into their mouth and smile back shyly.

“Feeling tired babybat?” Swiss asks, ending the moment. Dew stands up and starts to slowly make his way towards Rain’s room, while Swiss scoops up Phantom once again and carries them to their own.

They didn’t think they were feeling tired, but being laid under they’re covers and surrounded by Swiss, it’s hard to keep their eyes open anymore.

When he wakes up he’s groggy, but it slowly comes back to him that his shirt’s not so big anymore, and Swiss isn’t covering him so completely, and he sobs into Swiss’ chest in relief.

#regressed ghouls #phantom ghoul #aeon ghoul #little phantom #swiss ghoul #caretaker swiss #dew ghoul #ghost band fanfic #the band ghost #octo presents #octo sfw

[asavt]

Uncertainty

#my art #digtal art #original character #sona #the caretaker #that feeling of something that's yet to come #and you don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing #you look up at the sky #and see the hundreds of little different possibilities #you look ahead of you #and all you see is a white door #you don't know what's ahead of you #... #you are scared #of the future #of the past #of the present #and you spiral down right where you stand #you don't know what's to come #. . . #you trust your instincts #like you have always done #and take a leap of faith

[flowerbloom-arts]

A sort of prequel to this post with the middle-aged Muddler putting down Moominpappa for his reckless decision-making.

It's just... I don't know. A younger Moominpappa having a proper conversation with a realist who is completely unable to get behind anything about him wouldn't be something he wants nor needs to hear.

#moomins #moominvalley #art #joxter #the joxter #moomin joxter #moomin muddler #the muddler #moominpappa #young moominpappa #comic #minor swearing #I don't think younger MP would receive a direct reality check very well all things considered #when THAT has been the one thing one's gotten from their subpar caretaker and you develop a cluster b disorder BECAUSE of it..... #criticising him for being an immature attention seeker really..... is not the best way to navigate his issues at this stage of his life #especially coming from someone he has no basic respect for on a personal level. he wants someone to build him UP not tear him down again #which is exactly the kind of person Moominmamma would be and still continues to be in the present day #once he's build enough of a life for himself THEN you can knock him down a peg for his decisions without him retreating away

[gayboymint]

I DONT remember my log in info for anything that's not logged into my phone so uh here's a pic of a picture for Caretaker Day <3

#caretaker day #cotig #chronicles of the imaginarium geographica #paxar presents #hank morgan

[catmitsumi]

marie lesbian crisis comic

#no home #marie kim #my art #posting the sketch of this bc finals and i will forget about i drew thsi by tomorrow #based on the idea that like #bc marie was assigned as family caretaker from a very young age #she wouldve found it more difficult to develop her personal identity #which she def does as we see her present day but smthn like her sexuality wouldve been a more easily repressed subject

[the-cookie-of-doom]

for a while now, I've really been doubting my career choices with nursing. I know a lot of it is burn out and depression, and being so overwhelmed between work, school, and clinical, that I didn't have time to breathe. I was in the hospital/on campus for 60 hours a week last semester, and that's not counting the time I had to study outside of that. It was awful. I quit my job because of it, I was almost involuntarily committed because of it.

But the scariest part for me has been how much I've hated clinical. It makes me miserable. And that's terrifying, because once I graduate? That's what I'm going to be doing for the rest of my life. So if I already hate it now, what does that mean for my future?

Sometimes, though... Sometimes I'll have a clinical that is just so good, it reminds me of why I'm doing this. Why I'm putting myself through the pain and suffering of becoming a nurse, which is honestly one of the hardest careers a person can have. It's mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. It destroys your body and your mental health. Most of the time it's thankless. It doesn't pay nearly enough for what we go through.

Despite all of the reasons there are not to become a nurse, there are some patients that will remind you why it's all worth it anyway.

Last week, I had a crotchety old bitch of a patient. She had been in the hospital for 10 days, was refusing all of her treatments, screamed at anyone that came in her room, and demanded dilaudid around the clock, despite having no injuries to justify it. Everyone hated her. Her own nurses went in her room as little as possible; I think in the entire 12 hours I was there, her nurse spent maybe a total of 20 minutes in her room. I was in there for hours. A couple minutes at a time in the beginning just so she could warm up to me. Then I spent 2 straight hours at her bedside just talking to her. Letting her tell me her life story. Which was tragic, of course, and no wonder she was so run down and bitter and wanted to get high off narcotics. She was miserable, lonely, and in chronic pain from a body that was deteriorating around her.

So I spent as much time with her as possible. Sure enough, she didn't ask me for any pain medications a single time, once she realized she could trust I was going to look after her. I Explained her medications and her treatments, and the reasoning behind them. I offered to reach out to out chaplain when I noticed she was hyper focused on some televangical broadcast. I got her to call her son to come visit her. I got her to agree to take her medications and allow us to take blood sample for her labs, which were days overdue. I got her up and working with physical therapy so she could start walking again.

By the end of the day, that patient loved me. Not a single complaint all day, she wasn't screaming down the halls and cursing everyone's existence. She was still crotchety and mean in that way old hillbillies are, but she wasn't angry. She wasn't lashing out. She was finally being cooperative. All because I took the time to talk to her and offer her company.

Tonight, I had a shift in our mental health unit. There was a patient who I noticed was very withdrawn and avoiding everyone, mostly just standing in a corner at the end of the hall, by a window. I went down and talked to him. Kind of stilted at first, but slowly he opened up to me. I really only meant to talk for a few minutes, mostly for my own sake, to get used to interacting with mental health patients like this.

Instead, we talked for hours. Nearly 3 hours straight at the start of the day alone, and then more throughout the day. My feet were killing me by the end of it, but it was completely worth it to see the way this poor guy came to life. We talked about everything from social topics like music and movies, to his medications and treatments, and how to manage his depression once he leaves. Something I was able to connect with him about on a personal level in a way his nurse hadn't, because I've been living with depression for a decade, I've been on antidepressants, and I understand. I think that was the point it clicked for him, when he really started reaching out to me, instead of answering when I prompted him. Because humans need connection and understanding.

By the end of the day he was talking freely and smiling nearly non-stop. We'd made plans for him to get back into an old hobby he hadn't touched in years, and he seemed genuinely excited to start it back up again. He was nearly bouncing in place when I went to say goodbye to him at the end of the night, and thanked me for talking to him all day. Even the staff nurses noticed the way his demeanor had completely changed.

Another patient (my actual patient for the night) started the day very combative. To the point she had to be redirected to her room (not locked up, just strongly encouraged to go and cool down). She was screaming at everyone, having some very serious and severe delusions. Same story; I talked to her throughout the day, little bits whenever she was feeling calm. I noticed she had a tattoo from an old semi-niche XBox game I used to play, and we bonded over that. By the end of the shift she loved me. Kept asking me if I'd gotten lunch/dinner, made sure all the other patients on the unit got their snacks, told us all to get some rest once it was curfew for the unit (we had to stay another 2 hours) and said we could use the spare bed in her room if we needed. Which sounds really weird but coming from her was incredibly sweet. Again, total attitude change.

I am very cognizant of the fact that the way I approach my patient care is largely a privilege of still being a student. It's easy for me to stand at a patient's bedside for 2 hours straight and listen to her life story when I have nothing better to do, let alone 3 other patients to take care of. But that nurse didn't talk to her at all. Even when she was in the room, she dismissed everything the patient said. The mental health nurses? Most of their time is spent in the nursing station gossiping and messing on their phones. There's no reason for them not to put in the extra effort of spending time with their patients. And especially there, it can have such an impact.

All of that is to say, I love the relationships I'm able to build with my patients. It's so important for me to be able to connect with people like this, to make them feel seen and cared for and important. No one wants to be treated like an inconvenience, especially not while they're in the hospital, sick and hurt and exhausted and in pain.

Nights like these are why I'm going into this field. I love medicine and I always knew I would end up in the hospital, I've always wanted to be able to save someone's life. But I think now that I've grown up and I'm actually working with these patients, I've come to see not only how rewarding it is to save someone's life, but to nurture that life, too.

#cookie speaks #dont mind me i'm just feeling really sappy #im really proud of what i was able to accomplish with that patient today #he's going home tomorrow and i really hope he's able to do the things we talked about #i truly love being able to help people this way #i want to be the kind of nurse that people remember #i want my patients to feel taken care of and cared for #i dont have a single maternal bone in my body and i never thought i was much of a caretaker #but this is genuinely such a rewarding experience #i dont care how hard nursing is when I get to have days like these #I know it won't be nearly as easy once I start nursing for real #ill have so much more responsibility #but for now I'm going to take advantage of my ability to sit and talk with my patients for hours at a time #i think even if they aren't psychiatric patients #everyone wants to be heard #having someone's undivided attention makes you feel good #especially in this day and age where people are constantly talking over each other and distracted by their phones and never really present #in a conversation #so I always try to give that to others #i love therapeutic communication lol #one of my favorite parts of nursing #anyway

[south-sea]

art prompt, if you're still willing: since Metal's free to go where he pleases now, where would his favorite spot be?

metal can visit hundreds, even thousands of worlds, and his favorite place will still be wherever shadow is.

#consider these open indefinitely if it's second chance related ;D #sea answers #art by sea #metal sonic #shadow the hedgehog #second chance au #for slightly extra context #his new caretaker coded in the whole 'blue eyes to indicate sadness' thing #but the thing about metal is they tend to display blue whenever he's overwhelmed with fondness too #it really only happens with or in relation to shadow even if shadow is not physically present #so take that as you will

[miralyk]

it’s new year’s eve, and i’m spending it in taking care of my grandmother—she keeps forgetting where she is and who i am, but staying home to take care of her and give her reminders is reassuring not just for herself, but for myself as well

our language barriers and memory problems have us struggle to communicate, but there’s something about how regardless, being a family staying together is wordless and timeless—it’s new year’s eve, and it’s both happy and heartbreaking to spend the present with her while knowing how the future will end

#happy holidays…! things from the car crash and ‘return to normalcy’ being my ba ngoai’s caretaker are humbling reminders #of our mortality and what we have lost/will lose but more importantly what to cherish and acknowledge esp in the present #i love people! i lost people! i will keep on losing people! even though i can’t love myself i can keep on loving others!! #i’m… very bittersweet about everything feeling both happiness and sorrow #esp w the ever present feeling of just Existing but not Living

[narcoticwriter]

Somedays, Your Honor could be akin to a toddler with how easy it is to bring her to rapt attention

Neuvillette: Your Honor, we have a homicide-

Focalors: (interrupts, sighing) Great, another one? Let me guess, marital dispute? Life insurance policy? Covering something up? Organized crime? Politics? Jealousy? Greed? Just because they felt like it?

Neuvillette: (shakes his head) None of those things, Your Honor.

Focalors: (perks up) Oh? Is it something interesting at least?

Neuvillette: (reading from a paper) Allegedly, a child left their toy in the middle of the floor and their great-grandfather slipped and fell down the stairs, Your Honor. The child's aunt and her siblings are suing them as they accuse them of trying to get the inheritance after it was already promised to her and her siblings.

Focalors: . . . and?

Neuvillette: The inheritance is actually going to the great-grandfather's childhood friend, who's dead and so it would be going to his descendants instead.

Focalors: . . . that's it? (sinks back into her chair) I thought this was going to be a little different. Like the one with the incestuous relationship and the other one with the moonshining cult! (reminiscing) That was a fun one, that moonshining cult. It's almost enough to have me forgive that bard . . .

Neuvillette: (is silent before he sighs) Your Honor, they're going to have the child testify on the stand.

Focalors: (indifferent) So? That happens all the time.

Neuvillette: (plainly) The child just turned three yesterday.

Focalors: (suddenly sitting up at attention) Truly?

Neuvillette: To be honest, Your Honor, I don't even know how the court let that pass, but-

Focalors: (snapping her fingers) Neuvillette, get me some popcorn and snacks. Also, make sure that you get the cherry soda and not the grape! (with disgust) Grape soda is gross.

Neuvillette: (nods) Of course, your Honor. I will assume that you would also like your usual order?

Focalors: (quickly) Yes, yes, that too. Now get going, I want to be properly refreshed before the trial starts!

#from the person that brought you boomer faruzan presents: #bratty toddler focalors is my favorite focalors #and tired caretaker neuvillette is my favorite neuvillette #genshin impact #genshin crack #focalors #neuvillette #narky thinks

[truly-morgan]

[JL draws on jiujiu presentation documents]

RenCheng | Mo Dao Zu Shi Modern AU 04-11-2021

[#rencheng modern days]

Jiang Cheng isn't the one at the top of the Jiang company after his father and mother passed away because he was never the successor on paper and the greedy people at the top managed to take the president's place.

He still has a good post, good enough that the money he makes is more than enough to raise jl on his own, but he is kept away from the top.

"We are waiting to see if you can do the job" he was told.

So Jiang Cheng works his ass off to prove it.

This causes him to reach exhaustion as he needs to take care of a young child, which he has no experience in doing so. adding to this all the work he has to do plus overtime at home too.

Then one time he is assigned this really important meeting with people from the Gusu Lan co. (it took a lot of convincing to have it).

but horror, he realised that parts of his paper and presentation have cute drawings made with crayons on them!!

a very sleep-deprived, stressed out and exhausted jc is mortified by this, wants to start crying and for the ground to swallow him.

But his voice barely wavers when he realises that, acting as if nothing was wrong.

It is readable.

everything else goes smoothly and jc would consider it aced 100% were it not for him not realising his little lemon boy had decided that his jiujiu important paper and presentation were meant for drawing. He was in a hurry in the morning and didn't check back.

he simply wishes Lan Qiren won't comment on it as he praises him for his good presentation and talk more about the possible contract and answers some question.

"And about this... duck," lqr says as he looks again at his papers, jc feeling like dying again.

he does get flustered this time around, now that he doesn't have a presentation to rely on. "I am sincerely sorry for this unprofessionalism," he says, "My nephew seems to have drawn on them without me noticing, I can ask for a new copy to be printed for you" he suggests.

He is a bit stunned when lqr declined, keeping the papers with the drawings.

Later on, he is relieved to hear the Gusu Lan co. did sign up with them, also relieved not to hear about his little crayon drawing incident.

Little does he know lqr grew immediately found of the man he believed should have taken over the company who is clearly doing his best with his nephew, he can understand him on that front.

They meet again on one of jc days off as he was taking jl out for his birthday. He is more relaxed now that this isn't a professional setting.

he even dare accept a dinner date suggested by lqr ("And if you want you can bring your nephew too, I understand how hard it can be to find a babysitter sometimes").

and like this, they keep meeting, jc falling for the gentleman.

lqr even manages to snatch jc away from those greedy men who won't leave him a chance and know jc will bloom better in an environment that gives him the chance to do so.

later in life jc manages to buy back the jiang company after they went nearly bankrupt.

one night, after jc finally moved in with lqr, he was searching for something in the office, only to find a familiar paper.

a presentation sheet with a duck crayon drawing. He is surprised to find this, but also still a bit embarrassed at the memory.

he is a bit surprised when arms snake around his waist, a large torso settling against his back as lqr placed his head next to his.

"Why do you still have this" jc asked.

lqr hums a bit amused, kissing his neck gently.

"Because this is the day I started to fall for a beautiful young man who did a great presentation and had a loving and warm look in his eyes despite the cute drawings his nephew did on his important papers".

something about jc was not even the slightest mad about it, tired maybe, but also loving. He did find out quickly just how good he was to his nephew, treating him like his own son.

This and his pretty face had been extremely charming to him.

maybe chuckled a bit as lqr kissed his neck some more.

He may be still embarrassed by that presentation, but he would also cherish this ducky if it was one of the reasons lqr fell for him.

====

(this started with my thought being "What if jl drew on jc important presentation paper"

I feel like it sounded better in my head ksdjbvibh anyway hope y'all love jl being the best accidental matchmaker)

Original

#tweet archive #mdzs #mo dao zu shi #rencheng #lan qiren #jiang cheng #modern au #fluff #kid caretaking #office au #lqr take care of jl #while jc does a presentation

[elegyofthemoon]

Unforeseen

finally works on a prompt

this kinda turned more into a bit of a ventfic...ish?

but warning for child death mention

one word prompt

35. Unforeseen

He saw his death coming. Perhaps this was what made him lucky on his last few days of living: to allow himself the preparation for the death to come…or maybe there was more to it than that.

Ion was a kind kid. And a self-aware one. He knew of the people’s views on the Sunchildren — knew that they would not take kindly to him. He knew of the Jibashiri’s reluctance towards him after facing the failures of Risutaiosu and then Surepio after, and it all weighed upon him. 

He must have wondered: what could I do better for my people? What could I do that the other Sunchildren failed to do? It was a feat too much for a child like him, but he took it all the same in a way that a child would. 

Ion was a skilled fortuneteller, or he claimed to be before his people, and people had their doubts at first — the same way they had doubted Surepio’s capabilities of tending to their wounds. 

But Ion insisted, and he’d tell their fortunes, staring into the scry glass he had, waiting and waiting until it felt like time had frozen over him — that was when you knew that their fate had been revealed to him. And he’d take a few seconds more before a smile pushed its way across his face, and he’d gaze at the person and tell them, “There is good fortune ahead of you.” 

Ion would say more than just that: he’d sprinkle in how it’d come to them, what to do to curry the fortune all the more, and what to avoid, and at the end of it, he would give the person a handcrafted sigil, made the night prior in his quarters. 

People did like good fortunes. People enjoyed hearing good things for themselves, and therefore, they would become piqued by his fortunes. More and more people would come, and more and more fortunes would be told, and Ion would not reject any one person from a good fortune. 

Perhaps we should have suspected it sooner, but we had never seen the people so happy when they interacted with the Sunchild. And so the fortunes stayed, and the sigils with them. 

But soon enough, fate would bring these fortunes to light — the false fortunes to light, and in the face of these misfortunes, he would become a victim of his own making. 

Ion was — that was how he could predict his own death. Whatever he had truly seen in the scry glass, it must not have been good for anyone if he had chosen to lie for their sake — not wanting to tell of their doom or the tragedy that would play out. 

Our leader was a liar, but Ion was a kind kid. 

The Solar Rite came, and his people couldn’t wait for the start of a new reign.  The son returned to his father, and his people built a grave to honor Ion no Mikoto's name. 

I wonder: Was he loved in the end? 

He couldn’t be worse than those children of the past, gifting things instead of destroying them, giving hope instead of crushing it. 

The rejections of these sigils he gifted say otherwise. The anger these adults would unleash against their leader — a child, no less — would say otherwise. They build this shrine to Ion no Mikoto, at the edge of Byakuyakoku, and lay the remnant of their former leader with it like they wash their hands of any relation to him. 

But when he offered them these sigils and dreams of a bright future, there was love in the eyes of people — something that no other Sunchild would ever face. When people came to visit, seeking out more fortunetelling and he gave them happier things to hope for, there was love there. Despite the results of his short-acting kindness — despite the cruelty of his final days — wouldn’t these joyful moments be considered love? 

Was he loved in the end? No, but I like to think he was, even for a brief moment. And maybe in future generations to come, the brevity of this love will echo in time, and they will see these rejections as gifts to a leader they had once adored. 

That is all I could hope for for Ion. 

I place my own sigil beside his grave. 

#scribbles #thank you ! #tbf the whole series needs a warning for child death which ill be doing now/checking if it even has that noted #child death mention #for the sunchildren #for other details: this was kinda meant to be written as a reflection by the caretaker of the sunchildren #i figured this caretaker wouldve been the first caretaker of the two present throughout the story #and she took care of surepio and risutaiosu #which is why both kids also get a mention here #was this well written? probably not. i winded up using it as. ig a way to express some grief lol #why am i posting it so early? idk i just needed it off my mind #im probably not posting it on ao3 though #think i got too nervous about the whole ai scrapping #even if i do lock the fics and stuff #death

[raayllum]

me in the rayllum corner of the fandom while also relating the most to callum as a character

#callum relaters unite #like don't get me wrong. some of rayla's guilt complex and general morality? CALL ME THE FUCK OUT #but i'm callum all the way down #except when he's being a lil snake boi #but personality. hobbies. family dynamics. caretaking. presentation #me and callum both being sunshiney people with verbally brutal tempers: same hat #dragons rambles #memes #mine #tdp callum #my lil man #honestly there's a good bit of relation for everyone in the trio #like ezran is just me when i was a child and also autistic in so many ways. also who i want to be as an adult #forbidden op lore #it is funny to me that i feel like i see a lot more people saying they Relate to rayla than callum #but that also might just be bc rayla is more overtly a hot mess more often #tag ramble #BEING EXCELLENT AT COMPARTMENTALIZATION mmhm

[caffeinatedopossum]

It makes me really sad the massive gap I see in acceptance and understanding of disabled people without caretakers and those who need them. This isn't meant to pit disabled people against each other btw, just something I've been thinking about lots lately now that I might be officially getting a caretaker soon

#it will literally make me breakdown in tears and i wont understand why until i just sit there #and think about how disabled folks with caretakers are treated and represented and presented to me #and how theyre seen socially and culturally #its painful to say the least

[rearranging-deck-chairs]

i love having characters just say stuff. did you know you can do that? doesnt even have to be true, you dont even need to know if it's true, just that they believe it. anyway. missy voice: children love me

#children love being hung from the ceiling by their feet #i love missys children thing #i think bc to me it feels like a reaching for something slightly...like....inorganically #or. no #thats not it #but it's like the woman thing. it's. an image. an idea of something #but at the same time it's not about the optics #like it's not that she wants to present the image of a mother. at all #like shes a caretaker of children a lot. theyre never HER children you know what i mean? #and i also think theres like real needs or desires that are being expressed by how she gravitates to children #and specifically in this position to be a mentor to them in some way #easy power of course #and shaping a person #and i think theres rebellion against gallifrey in it in a way #i think she'd raise little anarchists #i also think it's fun if she repeatedly claims that shes good with children #i dont know if theres much basis tbh for all my missy&kids thoughts i need to relisten to her audios but #i have her claim this kind of a lot #and never in a situation where the other party has any way to verify #they have never SEEN her interact with children #or with the doctor it's like. yes maybe Once Upon A Time but theyre 2 millennia older now who knows maybe she HAS changed you know? #thats the recurring thing wiht missy maybe she HAS changed #but even if she hasnt i dont think the doctor would even be sure if it's true #both bc biased judgement clouded by emotion And i dont think it's entirely clear with missy #it's sort of like. yes shes good with children unless you saw the hanging the child from the ceiling incident #then maybe you wouldnt think so #but if you just missed that #anyway #i like having her claim it anyway #i think it's an expression of something too