Found Family - Blog Posts
”you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose family”
WRONG! Found family laser beam!
Here it is on my tiktok !
So yeah, the robot’s were never included in any family picture, even after they helped the Mitchell’s SAVE the world. So, I made a family photo at the beach! Don’t worry the robots are (probably...) water proof!
There are no hearts for anyone outside this home.
Chapter 1 -- And the world didn't weep for joy (but it gave a great, relieved sigh)
A red sun rises in the great beyond. The sky swims with dark oranges, reds, and purples– a bruised, bleeding sky. The world awakens with one notion carried within the fleshy, pink muscle of their ever-working brains: Jackson Mayfield has come home.
–
“–we are all so relieved to see the young Mayfield son returned to his family’s arms safe and sound after three years of total mystery–”
“–Where has he been? What has he–”
“–possible kidnapping? Or, perhaps magic–”
Violet turned off the radio. A long hour had been spent attempting to found one channel not speaking of young ‘Jackson Mayfield’s’ return home to no fruition.
Jackson Mayfield wasn’t cared about. At least, not before all of this. He was whispered about on those rare nights people dared to question just where he might be, what he might be doing, or if he was alive at all. His family never addressed any rumors that surrounded him, avoided any mention of him like the plague; it was as though his name had some sort of taboo attached to it, like if spoken, a dark fate would befall those who dared to raise their voices. He had ‘gone missing’ three years prior, leaving behind only a mockery of a bouquet and ashes and an empty seat at every gala that no one dared to touch.
Her brother had gone the same way. And if people had cared so little for the disappearance of a young man of the House of Mayfield, son of Duke Burton himself, then they cared for the disappearance of her little brother even less.
(Peasant, they called him when she went to the authorities. Called them. Commoners. And no one cared for the lives of the common.
Unless, of course, that life inconvenienced them.)
A hand slammed down on the desk in front of her, setting the contents haphazardly thrown onto it rattling and knocking her out of her thoughts. Her hands relaxed from their curled position reflexively.
Oscar ‘Oz’ Hall. The journalist she worked under, or rather, apprenticed under. (Really, she just shadowed him, but sometimes she felt more like his handler than anything else.)
He was a tall man of unimposing figure and a sharp, mischievous face that often had possible interviewees scampering off or avoiding him entirely. A large grin split his face in half– victorious– his wild red hair falling in front of his face and only serving to make him look all the more fox-like and less and less man.
Violet shifted in her seat, crossing and uncrossing her legs in what she hoped would come across as in a casual manner. He had given her that same smile two months ago, just before he threw himself over a chocolate fountain and totally ruined the dress of a young noble lady who they were lucky enough to find out that she found it spectacularly funny.
“Yes?” she said, holding back a sigh.
His grin became a tad strained. “Yes, what?”
Violet did sigh this time. “You want to say something; say it.”
Despite her bluntness, a trait many of the previous journalists that she had shadowed before had not appreciated as much as Oscar did, ‘insubordination’ they called it, Oscar’s grin came back full-force then some. “There’s a story in this.”
Understatement of the century but before Violet could tell him as such, he continued on. “A story that we can unearth. Jackson Mayfield–” he spread his arms, hands moving wildly with a flair. “–second born son, back after all these years, yet his family doesn’t say a word other than ‘Oh, we are so happy he’s home’!” He guffawed.
Violet nodded along like she always did when he got into these jittery, excitable moods, hands tapping on the arm of her chair in a continuous pattern– pinkie, ring finger, middle, pointer, thumb and back again– and leaning forward with feigned interest. (It really wasn’t all that hard to fake it, she was interested, just not for the reasons the journalist was.)
“Yes, that is suspicious; you’d think they would give more of a statement when the boy has been missing for so long,” she acknowledged.
Oscar’s face brightened further, if possible. “Exactly! There’s obviously something they’re trying to hide and I’m going to find it.” His grin was full of teeth now, his eyes set into a determined stare as his eyes raised and lingered on some great beyond likely full of glory and girls and lots and lots of birds full of feathers he was terribly allergic to.
Violet cocked a brow. “You are not going to be uncovering this.”
His expression crumbled entirely, face going stormy. “Violet, do you not–”
She cut him off. “I will be handling this story.”
For a long moment, his features fell into blankness, as though he had just short-circuited. Then, the grin was back, only all affectionate and happy and proud and all that icky stuff that had her face flushing as he threw himself unceremoniously over his desk to clasp his hands over her cheeks, causing a mug filled to the brim with pens to tip over and roll to the ground, shattering upon impact. But he ignored it in favor of cooing in her face and embarrassing her entirely.
“Oh, Vi,” he gasped, actual tears glistening in his eyes. (She’s seen him watch and document the death of a puppy with the most unaffected expression before; what the hell–) “Darling, you’ve finally come out of that horrible shell of yours and come to the limelight; I am so proud–”
Violet did not flush because she was flustered. She did not. She was… fuming with rage. Yeah. Totally. “You ridiculous, ridiculous man– get your hands off of me you oversized lunatic–”
Oscar treated her like an overly eager toddler would treat a disgruntled cat— roughly bit affectionately. “Glory is an avoidant muse, dear, but I believe with enough effort–”
“You absolute idiot, I will–”
It took several minutes, a couple swats, and a few more broken mugs for him to lay off of her and sit. (Albeit on his desk but still, the small victories.)
She could not get rid of that stupid look on his face, but she could be mad about it, so she glared at him fiercely. His grin grew impossibly wider.
“Now, my dear flower–”
“It is Violet-”
“My dear flower, to secure an interview with the Mayfield family, you will have–”
Violet’s eyebrows drew together tightly. An interview? What is he on about? “I’m not going to be attempting to get an interview with them,” the apprentice said slowly, as though explaining something rather obvious. And it was. To her, at least.
Oscar went deathly still, slowly cocking his head in a way that reminded her of a prowling feline. “You are… not?”
Violet snorted in that unladylike manner her mother hadn’t managed to beat out of her. “Of course not, they’ll answer none of my questions and leave me with more than I started with. It would do neither of us any good.”
A glint shone in the redhead’s gaze, a realization forming behind his chestnut brown eyes. “So… how do you plan to ‘crack’ this?”
Violet shrugged, attempting to seem apathetic to his stare. “I’m infiltrating, of course.”
And if Violet let out a squawk that birds would be incredibly jealous when he launched himself at her again, for an embrace this time, that was nobody else’s business but her own.
--
This is for my Creative Writing class, but I decided to share it with the world as well just to see if people would enjoy it. I am not open to criticism so please, just enjoy what you are reading or, if not, scroll away. This will spare us both the heartache of hatred or any animosity. I will admit this is not to the best of my ability for I initially wrote this extremely sleep deprived and cranky and wanting a 'pick me up'.
I was very bored.
Rise April Challenge 16: Mask
Prev - Next - Masterpost Ao3 Link: Here
(This is a bit of a long one, but I think it’s worth it. Also, I go to make April say “bitch” so that’s fun. Warning: Feels Ahead!)
The Boys were acting weird. Which was quite a feat considering that they were mutant turtles, trained in the art of Ninja-ing. April wasn't even counting the fact that they were teenagers. In April's experience, all teens were weird. So yeah, the boys were acting stranger than normal.
It started when she went to meet them on the roof of her current job. Raph arrived first and gave his lovely snaggle tooth grin.
"Hey, big guy!" She calls out, waving him over to sit next to her by the small wall that went around the edge of the roof. "The others on their way?"
"They stopped by Run of The Mill to get us some pizza." He said, sitting down and crossing his legs.
"Cool." She responded and opened her phone, expecting Raph to do the same.
But when she looked up a few seconds later he was staring at his lap, the place where his eyebrows should have been furrowed in concentration. He was thinking very hard about something, and when Raph was thinking hard about anything it was normally meant bad news.
"You good over there, Boss Man?" April asked. The mutant jumped a little and snapped his head towards her, a big smile twisting his face.
"Yep! I'm good! Why wouldn't I be good? I'm the best at being good!" Raph said, words rushing out like water out of a firehose.
...Yeah, something was definitely wrong. April put her phone down and turned to face him.
"Come on, bud. What's going on?" she asked and tried to look him in the eyes, even as the snapper nervously turned his head away from her. "You always say that you're here for all of us, no matter what. And you know that we would do anything for you."
Raph softened at the girl's words. He shifted and squirmed, and though it was hard to tell with his green skin, April thought she saw him blushing. She waited and didn't look away, trying to project a calm and loving aura. The turtle finally sighed and faced her.
"I'm Ok, April. Raph promises." His smile was softer now, more real and relaxed, and April knew that that was the best she was going to get. She patted his arm, scales smooth on her hand.
"Alright, but just know that we're here if you need help. Or if you just need to talk." She leaned back against the wall and picked up her phone again. It's best not to push her friend unless he really needs it.
"What's your favorite color?"
The question was sudden and so different than what they had just been talking about it took a few seconds for April's brain to process it.
"...It's yellow, why-" She was cut off by a loud whoop and the sound of skateboard wheels, and when she looked over Leo was jumping over from the neighboring roof with a pizza box in his arms. The skateboard flipped under him and rolled across the roof as he landed next to them. Mikey and Donnie shortly appeared next to him,
"It's Pizza Time!" Leo yelled and that was just enough of a distraction that by the time they were all settled, April had forgotten the strange question.
-
The second time was with Leo.
They were having a makeover day, with different types of eyeshadows, blush, and nail polish spread all over the living room table. It was hard doing make-up on someone who was green, but Leo looked great if April did say so herself. They were munching on candy and watching some stupid internet challenge video, while waiting for their nails to dry when Leo asked the question.
"So what do you use for your pigtails?" She blinked and turned to him.
"What do you mean?" Leo had his look that he always used when he wanted to look natural but was really after something.
"Just, you know, you always complain about how hard your hair is to style. But it always looks fabuloso, So, you know, I just wanted some tips." Leo flashed his sparkling teeth at her like it would distract her from how weird his question was.
"You don't even have hair. What do you need tips for?"
"Casey said that Mikey had hair in the future. I'm hoping it will grow in." April narrowed her eyes at Leo, who was examining his nails with a clearly fake casualness.
Well... it wasn't like it was personal or anything.
"I can't wear hair ties because my hair is too thick, they always snap and they're a pain to use. I normally just use some ribbons to tie them up." Leo smirked
"Wow. You're sweet, strong, pretty and with a bow on top!" April shoved him away.
"Oh, come on that was a "ribbon" good one." Uuuhhhh, why her?!
"Ow! Alright, alright I'll stop "ribbon" on you. OW! Ok, I'll stop! Wait hold on-WAIT! APRIL, I'M SORRY! UNCLE! UNCLE!"
-
Next time was with Donnie.
April knew the soft shell had problems with boundaries, they've had to have several interventions to explain to Donnie that "It doesn't matter if you think you know better, you can't mess with our stuff without asking." Or "I know that you wanna keep us safe, but you can't tag track us without telling us." But it was normally alright. Donnie just needs some help understanding some things, and he usually said he was sorry, even if he still insisted that he was in the right. But April had thought that Donnie at least understood the basics of social etiquette, like not digging through a girl's closet without asking!
But when she entered her bedroom after a long day of work, there he was: sifting through her shirts with his back facing her, and with a pile on the bed that was not there when she left.
April closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, held it, and slowly let it out and relaxed her shoulders. She gently set down her backpack and opened her eyes.
Then she took a flying leap and tackled Donnie to the ground.
"OW! APRIL?! You're home early. How was- OW!" April wrestled the turtle into a chokehold, holding him down as he struggled, and she hit his chest with all the rage she could muster.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU ASSHOLE?!"
"Wait! April, Stop! I can explain-"
"EXPLAINE?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"Currently, I'm being beaten by a small, angry, teen-"
"YOU DON'T JUST GO TROUGH A PERSON'S CLOSET! THAT OFF LIMITS!"
"It wasn't like I was looking for your underwear! I was just looking at your shirts!"
April stopped and glared down at Donnie squirming in her arms.
"You got one chance to say something that will fix this, or I will be giving Leo an airhorn, and telling Mikey that you need more therapy." Donnie stilled.
"You wouldn't."
"You wanna test that?" April said, gritting her teeth. "Try me, Bitch."
Donnie sighed in defeat.
"I just wanted to get a sense for your style."
What the heck? April let go of Donnie and crossed her arms.
"Why?"
"Style is an important part of expressing yourself, it reflects how you want others to see you, as well as what other factors like personality, overall mood, values-" They were getting too far off topic.
"Yeah, I get all that. But why do you wanna know all that?"
"...To be a better friend..." Donnie said with a fixed and stiff smile. April didn't stop glaring. Donnie drew back a little but stopped. The smile dropped and was replaced by a regretful look. "I'm sorry, April. I get that I was wrong and shouldn't have done that. I swear that I wasn't doing it to invade your privacy and I do have a reason. I just... can't tell you right now. But I promise I will! And I also promise that I will never do this again."
April sighed and uncrossed her arms. She was still angry, but she had an apology and Donnie did promise.
"Fine. But this is the only warning you'll get, and you owe me big time."
Donnie smiled, a real one this time. It was soft and grateful, and felt so sincere that it threw her for a loop when she saw it. It didn't feel like it matched the situation at all.
"Of course. Anything you want."
-
The third time was with Mikey.
She had woken up in the middle of the night to find him hanging upside down outside her window, tapping on the glass. She stumbled out of bed, and towards the window to open it.
"Mikey? What are you doing? It's late."
"Sorry, I just needed to ask you something."
...
...
Why did it have to be April?
She thought about just slamming the glass in his face and going to bed, but, knowing Mikey, that would not deter him. So, she just sighed.
"What is it?" The turtle dug around in his pockets and shoved two small squares of fabric in her face.
"Which do you like better?" He asked, smile never leaving his face. She was too tired of this, but she still reached out and felt the squares.
"This one," she said holding one up. Mikey took them back and nodded.
"Great. Thanks, April. Night." He vanished into the shadows and was gone.
April shut the window and fell to bed, too sleepy to care what on earth that was all about.
-
The last time, it was with all of them.
A few days later, she walked into the living room and found the four brothers sitting on the floor in silence.
Raph had called April a few minutes and asked her to head down to the lair as soon as she could, that it was important. He had said that nothing was wrong when she had asked, but with the way they were all gathered in a semicircle with serious looks on their face it felt like they wear going to tell her someone died.
What was happening?!
April walked and sat down with a thump in front of them and narrowed her eyes. The tension in the room was thick, but she wasn’t going to back down from whatever this was. She would face it head on and beat it into submission. She wouldn’t run, not from her friends, not from whatever this was.
“What’s going on?” she asked, staring into each of their eyes. They stared back.
“We wanted to give you something,” Raph said, sounding calm and centered. But there was a lilt to his voice, a quake that made him sound... nervous?
The red turtle reached behind him and handed over a flat white box. April took it and saw Mikey wriggle out the corner of her eye.
This felt... big. Like some kind of old sacred ritual. It felt as though there was something else in the room, a presence that made every move seem purposeful and heavy. It made her hair stand on end.
April placed the box in her lap and looked at the brothers. Each of them was turned away and... blushing?
Screw it. She’d just have to rip the Band-Aid off.
She opened the box.
Inside, was a mask.
She froze when she saw it, its long tails spread out and the eye holes stared back at her.
It was yellow.
“What’s your favorite color?”
She reached down and touched it. She knew this fabric.
“Which of these do you like better?”
That wasn’t all that was in the box though. There were also two long, green ribbons, knotted at the ends, and strung through a beaded charm, that glinted in the light. It was the symbol of the Hamato Clan.
“We were thinking you could use them for your hair.” Leo said, his eyes locked on the floor and skin a bright pink when April whipped her wide eyes up to look at him. “Because you can’t wear the mask all the time like us.”
"So, what do you use for your pigtails?"
“We wanted to make sure it could be something you could wear without it looking out of the ordinary for you.” Donnie added, scratching the back of his hand.
"I just wanted to get a sense for your style."
April looked down at the box in her hand. Her hands trembled.
This was-
Her vision blurred.
So, all this time it was-
Her throat went tight.
She had called them her brothers before, had called them her family. But she had always worried that she was wrong, that it was just her that felt like that. But this was an undeniable confirmation that yes, you are Hamato. You are our sister. We love you.
“It’s ok if you don’t want-” She lunged forward before that sentence could be finished and wrapped them in a hug. She clung to them desperately, trying to pull them closer and closer. She buried her face in someone's chest and sobbed. Tears and snot ran down her face as she kept whispering: “Thank you, thank you, thank you, I love you, thank you.” over and over again.
The mask lay on one floor, having fallen out of its box, and the two charms glinted like distant stars. All the while, the Hamato Clan children hugged and cried together.
Prev - Next - Masterpost Ao3 Link: Here Please check out @zee-rambles who came up with this challenge (you can blame them for the feels) and look at @rise-april-art-challenge to see more submissions by other fans. Please give me feedback if there is anything I should work on.
Friendships
Kiri and Spider have been best friends since the beginning
They met when Kiri was still an infant and Spider around 2. He still wasn't allowed to leave the labs but he snuck in to one of Kiri's checkups
He was a climber and a builder - hence his name - and so it was hard to keep him out of where he wanted to be
So when the toddler heard another cry in the building it was only a matter of time before he found it
He wanders, stumbling through the offices he's confined to and sneaking until he reaches the Avatars
Jake is there, Kiri in his arms, sitting next to Ms. Grace's tank. He's talking and it sounds like a story which Spider loves so he of course toddles his way over. He climbs into the Na'vi's lap without regard for his size, skin, or the fact that he's only met Jake a handful of times.
Jake, to his credit, catches the tiny human with a free palm under his butt. Paying no heed to the flabbergasted look on the mans face, he peers down to stroke the girls cheek
He flies for a moment while Jake tries to keep them apart but then the girl has his hand in her palm
She blinks up with big eyes and Spider offers a giant toothless grin: there was no going back after that
Neteyam comes with Kiri
He's Spiders age but double his size, 2' taller for the 2 months he's younger
Still, Spider doesn't let the few kids his age on Pandora get away. He's a social butterfly and opts to conquer Neteyam's introverted ways.
And so he toddles after the blue boy everytime he comes with his sister
Kiri is growing fast, especially next to human growth standards, but she still has a ways to go to meet Spider, so her big brother will have to do
It's 3 months of toddling after him, pulling his tail, and playing with the pretty beads adoring his hair while Neytiri tries desperately to keep the little human away from him
But, once again, containing Spider is mission the adults surrounding him have yet to accomplish
And so Neteyam finds himself with a little blonde flea attached to his side
He chases the younger boy through the halls, giggling at the tiny hisses Neteyam lets out when he catches him. He pulls his tail and climbs onto his big boy bed - he can use the grown up bunks now! - while Neteyam tackles his obstacles with ease.
The other boy is shyer but Spider has learned how to rile him up by now
They play for the hour or two that Jake spends with Kiri getting monitored in the labs. If Neytiri is there then it's harder, but Spider can normally get a story for them at least.
It continues on for a while with Kiri joining them as she starts to crawl, then toddle with their hair or her brothers tail in her fist
And it seems that gets Spider a little too comfortable
Namesake on full display, he tries to climb the bunkbed ladders of the bunk room while Neteyam is chasing him
He's gotten far too big for most of Spiders tricks to slow him down so the child thinks this is his chance to get a rare upper hand
Except bunk beds are tall and metal is slick and maybe Spider isn't really that much of a big kid yet
He really does try to catch himself but its too slippery and he hits the ground hard
The scientists around the lab don't like it when he cries and really does try to keep it in, but his arm really hurts and he can't help but let it escape
He waits for Neteyam to mock him or tell him to stop but instead finds himself craddled against the boys chest.
"Shhhh, shh, 's okay Spi, just stop cryin'. I-I'll get my Daddy and Uncl' Norm." Spider only shakes his head and cries more, clinging to the other boys beads.
"No'uh, 'm okay. 'm a big boy."
Neteyam stutters for a minute before he nods. The two boys stay curled on the floor for a few minutes then with Spiders arm cradled between them.
"Don't worry, 'm here Spi. Every'tings okay."
Their relationship is never as close as the others growing up but there's an understanding between them the others never have
They're equals, the two oldest brothers.
They might be opposites but they've got one another's backs...even if that's just taking left while the other takes right to corner Lo'ak at highcamp.
Neteyam never made friends easily
Spider forced himself into the picture and his siblings never really got a choice in the matter
Sure, being the Ole'ekytans son meant some of the other kids would clamor for his attention but he never did good at being more than casual
Responsibilities stack on him like like the berries on Tuks tarts: he doesn't have the time or strength to devote to anything else
His siblings are enough though. There's a war and he can't loose focus or they'll get hurt
He left them once and lost Spider - he won't let it happen again
It gets lonely though
He chases after his kid brother and protects his sisters from as much as he can but...there's no one to look after him
Then he meets Ao'nung
Ao'nung is brave and cool and gets it in a way his siblings just can't
He may not have grown up in a war but he has a little sister and another on the way - he knows the responsibility of an important father and its addicting to have that person in his life
They lean on eachother, quietly, and he finally has something for himself
He tells him things he never told anyone else
He talks about his fathers expectations and pressure, his mothers trauma, his worry over the human they left behind, and his fear for Kiri's future. He talks about Lo'ak running into danger and Tuk losing her innocence and Ao'nung talks about his anger. About the fear he has of whats to come, about Tsireya and how he worries this will break her. He's weak around him and Neteyam savors it.
Time goes by and he gets hurt. His arm might never be the same as it was and his ear still rings with the echoes of gunshots but he has his brother back and his family is safe
Neytiri finally, finally lets Spider come home but it's not over
He doesn't think it ever will be
But Ao'nung slips his hand into his and maybe he'll be okay
Maybe he doesn't have to do this alone
Rotxo was Ao'nungs first friend
They were friends from the first time they sat through lessons together and they've been attached at the hip ever since
Rotxo knows Ao'nung will be a great Ole'ekytan but he'll need a right hand and Rotxo is ready to step up
For a long time he thinks maybe he'll be more than that but the Sullys arrive and they both find that path a different way
Still, they're eachothers person
They back one another up no matter what and there is rarely one without the other
In training they pair up, have joint moves that they make just for themselves and know the others gaps or weaknesses like its their own
Tonowari didn't want to train them for war but they didn't want to risk being unprepared
So when the sky people reach their waters, they spend every hour they can steal with one another
They spar and wrestle and carve more weapons
Their hands shake with fear and adrenaline but they keep their thighs pressed to the others and carry on
Rotxo gains muscle mass and Ao'nung learns to use a bow Neteyam carved. They grow their skills, their strength, but also their fear
Unlike the Sullys, they didn't grow up with war on the horizon
They don't know what's coming and cling to each other while they can.
No matter what, they know they can rely on the other
It isn't until they see Quaritch dead that they'll let go of the breath they're holding but they hold the other up until then
Nothing could pry them apart and nothing that tries will walk away
Home
Home
Spider was never meant to find Home
He knows that. No matter what Kiri whispers to him, what Lo’ak insists when the young warriors of the Omatikaya attempt to chase him off, or what Neteyam mumbles when Neytiri whips around with venom on her lips - he knows it, because if it were wrong, it would mean that everything that’s happened was for no reason. He can’t go that route, and so Home is just a concept he’ll never know
His siblings tempt to sway him many times over the years - they feel so much like Home it hurts, but he’s not so selfish to risk it for them when he knows he already took it from their mother
He’s seen his father in the photos the scientists don’t know he has, video logs that show a man that’s only been a horror story his whole life
But what scares him is he sees himself
He sees his eyes, the scowl when he’s angry, the cinch in his brow. He scowls at the image and sees his own face stare back.
So yeah. He doesn’t have a home. He has siblings though, and that’s more than he deserves. So Spider is okay. Really, he is.
But then his Dad shows up
—-
Quaritch is everything he thought he’d be and…not.
He’s angry. The man is full of hate and a need for revenge. He destroys the ground beneath his feet and spits on the life that’s surround them. He doesn’t know Ewya but he hates her none the less.
But he’s protective. Possessive of what’s his (and yet another damn thing he got from his father) and it seems Spider is included in that
He hates it but a part of him feels protected - it’s safe in the that’s holding a poison blade is. He’s one slip up from hell
But hell was bridgehead. It was the feeling of his deepest parts being pried out and displayed like the pages of a storybook
No one cared as they saw some of his best and his darkest days.
No one cared when the whips came out. When he bled so much he worried it was fatal
No one cared when he starved, when the distant sound of wildlife made his stomach twist with need.
Except Quaritch.
Quaritch snuck him food, bandaged his back, and pulled him down.
His hands may have delivered some of the blows or his lips produced the words to trigger nightmares but he cared.
Love is complicated, but he knows his Dad loved him
He thinks he may have too
Quaritch saw him.
He didn’t know. He thought he did but he didn’t but he wanted to he knows he did -
Then Neteyam almost dies. No one came for him. They left him, gave him up, except his brothers didn’t
Neteyam and Lo’ak fought for him.
They risked their lives when they had the chance to get away
Spider pieces his home together after that
Home finds him in the nights after when he rests with Kiri on his shoulder and Lo’ak’s hand loose in his grip. Tuk is curled into her mothers chest and Jake stands a silent guard at the door. Neteyam is flat on the bed of one of Ronal’s medical tents. His brother has been asleep for a few hours now with Norms assistance, but his family is too afraid to leave his side
He’s been awake the whole time. He hurts in ways he didn’t know he could until his capture but the warmth of his closest friends is too precious to loose right now. Still, he can’t sleep. Adrenaline is running under his skin and anxiety is inching up his throat. Jake is outside, safe and strong, but his tracker could lead the rest of the sky people here again, never mind Norms tempering, or his memories could have a clue, they had to be recorded, or -
Jake lays a large hand on his shoulder.
He jumps and a scared gasp escapes his throat before he processes the subtle differences. The thinner fingers, callouses Quaritch hasn’t had time to form yet, the gentleness.
“You need to sleep, Kiddo.”
Spider shudders and bows his head. “I will, just…can’t. I’ll go lay down in a few hours. When they’re okay.”
He can practically hear Jake roll his eyes. “I’m here. You’re safe, they’re safe. You need to sleep, Son.”
They both freeze, blood cold and eyes wide, as the silence envelops them.
Then, of course, Lo’ak snores and the moments gone. Jake laughs softly and suddenly exhaustion is pulling at his eyelids. A cushion slides behind him and a hand gently lowers him down.
“Sleep.”
The pieces come faster after that.
He cries with Kiri for hours. Laments his father, spills everything he felt. She’s the first one he tells the truth too. She knows more than he thinks anyone else ever will
He tells her Quaritch is alive. He tells her its all his fault.
She cries, yells, and then they just lay there. She tells him how scared she was of her mother. How lost she felt without him there.
He looks at her as she cries and another puzzle piece slides into place
Lo’ak and Neteyam came together when they came back for him, but it doesn’t feel settled until later.
They’re on their ilu with Spider behind Lo’ak as they race out to meet Payakan. He’s giant and beautiful and damn terrifying, but Lo’ak describes him as his soul brother. An extension of himself and a badass of a friend. They tell him how Payakan saved them. How he helped get Spider home
He’s scared and excited and now sure what to make of the beast, but then Lo’ak is leaving him on the ilu and falling into the water
He rises on a fin the size of a small marui with a loud whoop that can’t help but make Spider laugh in astonished awe
“Paya, meet my other brother, Spider.” Then a wave of water is splashing over him as Lo’ak laughs in a way he hasn’t heard since the forest
His breath leaves his lungs as he laughs and laughs, happy for more reasons than one. Neteyam meets his gaze from across the surf and smiles then one quick nod. He holds his gaze and feels the warmth spread in his chest.
“Team up?”
“Team up.”
Tuk has been his little sister since he held her in his arms for the first time. Neteyam snuck him over when they were barely into puberty and put a baby the size of his torso into his arms
He remembers her being the most terrifying thing in the world. He was so sure she would be terrified of him, that he would make her cry as soon as she was in his arms and the other kids would realize he’s a monster
But Tuk has always been Tuk and she just grinned and pulled his hair. Her Tswin fluttered with her affections and he knew he would do anything for her
He had never seen her angry, truly angry, until she stumbled into him cleaning the cuts along his hips and back. The cloths on the floor are bloody and his skin is angry and mottled but he had been decent at hiding the level of it until now. Behind her, Neytiri stops in her tracks as she takes in his scars
Tuk’s eyes fill with tears and then he has a bundle of 5’7” child in his arms
Her eyes flash and she looks like her mother when she growls out; “What happened? They hurt you?”
He stutters, not knowing what to say when Neytiri kneels down in front of him. She takes the ointment and the bandages in front of him, moves his arm from his side, and begins to apply. Her hands are shaking and he realizes he’s never seen her frazzled
“You’re a child.”
He looks up, Tuk now angrily crying in his arms while she cleans and gently bandages the wounds. “I..I know…look, I’m sorry Tuk saw, I-I didn’t think anyone was coming back for a while..”
“You’re a child. Children are precious. I-I didn’t realize they…that…” She scowls down at the drying blood and puts the wrap down. She pulls him forward so he rests against her with Tuk snug between them. “I’m sorry, Spider. This will not happen again.”
His face is red and words don’t seem to work but he manages a scared nod. “O-Okay?”
She nods, decisive, and resumes her work. Then, lifts a dirty dread with a disgruntled finger. “These next. My children will not be seen looking uncared for.”
And that’s that. He has a family, a home, and it’s all he ever wanted.
He doesn’t think it could get better.
Part two coming cause holy shit it's 2000 words
the “i’m not their parent but i actually am” trope is the best thing in the world
The Best of the Fantastic Four
↳ Johnny Storm and his dad Reed Richards
I’m proud of you, John.
Hey everyone I just want try to post this fanfic I’ve made. I wanted to try learning to promote it and this was one idea I had. Not sure how well it will work.
Whump+Found Family
When the weakest one gets injured, and they all hover around them like mama hens, desperately trying to take care of them.
When the STRONGEST one gets injured, and they all flail around, trying to figure out how to take care of the one who always takes care of them.
When one character doesn’t realize they’ve been accepted into the family/think of themselves as outsides, until they get hurt and everyone takes shifts watching over them and taking care of them.
The Revenge for hurting one of their family.
Group cuddles after horrible days, where they all just pile up together in front of the couch.
One taking punishment for the whole group.
“Who did this to you?”
The recovery room being packed too tightly with people who love the whumpee and are worried.
Working together to carry the injured one.
“Why did you save me?” “That’s what family does.”
When one of them loses their voice, and the others have to try to guess what they mean.
Crying together.
The whole group just wrecking havoc in order to rescue their kidnapped teammate.
i love the term “found family” because it can mean anything from “over the course of our epic adventure we gradually came to realize that we had found the loving home and family we were all searching for in each other” to “i woke up in the same dumpster as this troop of idiots who immediately forcibly inserted themselves into my life despite my loud and repeated objections and increased the amount of problems in it by 200% and it hasn’t even been a week but i’m already prepared to die for every single one of them without a moment’s hesitation”
found family dynamics i adore:
the entire gang shares 1 (one) braincell which they takes turns passing around
unwilling teammates gradually grow on each other
Area Man Forcibly Adopted by Several Children
bonded over shared trauma
none of us have actual families or homes to go back to anymore, but at least we have each other
“every single one of these guys has tried to kill me at least once, but we’re cool now and i’d trust them with my life”
redemption arc comes with bonus new family and friends (bonus feature is non-negotiable and eventual acceptance inevitable)
i WAS going to leave the group and go my own way as soon as this job was over - and i would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for my meddling heart!
villains with Feelings™
Officer I Swear I’ve Never Met Any Of These People In My Life (But If Anything Were To Happen To Them I Would Kill Everyone Here And Then Myself)
you guys wanna know what i love? FOUND FAMILY.
yeah i know i have a lot of trauma to unpack but whatever.
i will eat a found family book, movie, song, fanfiction EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
friends who are like siblings and care for eachother. YEAHHHHH. an older man who comes to care for someone or multiple people younger than him. YEAHHHHHH.
basically anything. i love when people care for eachother. like that shits knocks me off my feet every single time. like oh my god.
Something beautiful about the comfort of everyday. I think a real act of true love is welcoming someone into it.
For my birthday I want a Durarara!! AU focused on friendship and found family rather than your usual romance...so I made it myself.
I would have drawn more but I could only do so much without stopping. This was inspired by a writing prompt posted by blacksteelgajeel.
The idea is that Celty is the Captain of a notorious pirate ship known as The Black Galleon. Her crew consists of all sorts of misfits including Shizuo, Mikado (yep that's him, I just drew him bad) and a few others. She covers her face and wears very baggy clothes so nobody knows what she looks like (and consequently don't know she's a woman) and that makes her one of the most wanted criminals out there.
One day her and her crew uncover some treasure that they've been after only to discover that its cursed. Celty is given a year to live before it kills her. The only way to stop it is for her to give up something without anything in return.
After discovering this, along with a drawing of someone labelled Shinra, the crew decide to try and find her childhood sweetheart and win his hand in marriage. The only problem is, he's a prince.
After a difficult journey filled with obstacles (including Izaya), Celty is at a masked ball with her love to be, only to discover he's had the rest of her crew captured. Not only that, but they too have been effected by the curse. Deciding that it's not worth it, she ditches Shinra to rescue her crew and go on one final adventure with them. Kicking Izaya's ass
When their final day arrives, they sit on their ship, watching to sunset together. The next morning, they wake up to discover that they've been cured. Celty's sacrifice was enough to save them.
I would write this in more detail but my life is already packed with all sorts of things so this will have to do.
I might post something else today but it would probably just be memes.
Bye~
(PS I encourage people to reblog my stuff because I'm suffering through a glitch where I essentially get randomly blocked by people I haven't even interacted with. It's really annoying and hindering)
let my baby innnnnnnnn
Propaganda under read more:
This imp is a very broken individual. Most of the ways he reacts to people is from experiencing life on hard mode. His dad sold him for spare change and an extra slim condom to then steal from the royal demon family. He accidentally caused a fire that destroyed his family's circus, greviously injured his best friend, and killed his mother. He rejects people that get to close to him for fear of being rejected when he opens up to them.
As it is, most of his friends and family are in the found family and he could really use their presence in his life to help ground him and make him more stable and happy.
In the last few episodes and shorts of the show, he has been going through his emotions more and learning how to deal with his trauma. Hopefully this will help him grow for the better for himself, his friends, his family, and his business.
-
He needs a hug and a family
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his dad sucks and his relationship with his brother is a struggle and he destroys every intimate relationship he touches and it's really sad and i just think he could really use a family. please. i need to force connection and emotional enrichment upon him . he's a good person at his core i think. he just needs like….. to learn to trust a little
Billionaire brothers au
Imagine Bruce and Oliver having terrible insomnia because they had been kidnapped alot as kids, and had been in alot of danger. So, neither of them can sleep unless they feel safe, either surrounded by the kids or eachother.
Imagine after a long mission, neither of them have been sleeping during it as they hadn't felt safe, both of them just curling up next to eachother in civies on the long flight home without thinking.
It would shock the JL, as Bruce is always serious around them, and also because of how young they are (22-23). Also I imagine that Bruce has long curly hair which he normally has up, but is just scattered around him. So Bruce and Ollie just sleep properly for the first time in days while the team just try their best to stay away from them because they don't know what's going on.
Imagine after weeks of solving problems, and after an invasion from mind controlling aliens (where the whole JL but Bruce and Ollie got mind controlled) they just end up falling asleep instantly.
Or after one of them had a tough week they'd just comfort eachother like they've always done, one just walking over to the front of the other and wrapping their arms around the other and hiding from the world against them, both of them holding eachother automatically. I think it would just shock the JL, especially if it was Bruce who just walked up to Ollie and tucked himself against him, Ollie automatically wrapping his arms around B without thinking.
I just love the thought of Bruce and Ollie shocking the JL by acting like themselves due to knowing eachother for so long, and the justice league is absolutely confused half the time as they act like they hate eachother in meetings when it's just that they know eachother so well and both hate it when they act infront of others.
Can we have more of the overly mature characters that always act older than they are just , actually, act their age for once.
Like the strict cold 20yr old, who is more mature than all of the 30-40yr olds, actually acts their age,dancing and singing to new songs, making jokes.
Because in their hearts they are the sunshine character, but they put up icy walls to protect themselves, but the fire inside them will melt the ice.
Or the fire in their heart was put out before, and can only grow around their family, who knew them before they became cold, began hiding themselves, so their family are the only people they feel safe with and can truly be themselves with, even subconsciously - moving closer to them when they're nearby or smiling more around them, something so natural for family but not for their friends.
Because their family is safe, their family will protect them, so they don't need to hide themselves.
Gandalf was even kind of an outsider in Valinor. To the extent that the other Maiar noticed him at all, it was just “The weird one who’s always hanging out with Lady Nienna”.
He was, wasn't he. Glad he found a family with the fellowship.
(Sorry this took so long)
The "Christmas Mindfulness" Episode
(This is a story concept for an episode of an ensemble-cast TV show, or maybe a webcomic or something. @homunculus-argument posted a story concept back in October that reminded me of it, but I decided not to put this on a reblog of that, because really, the only similarity is vibes.)
The story arc revolves around two characters: one is relatively new to the story's Found Family, and absolutely loves Christmas, or at least believes in spending "the Holidays" with people one loves. It helps if they're also either cheerful, a bit pushy, or both. I'll call this character "Willy."
The other character, for self-care reasons, always spends Christmas alone. By their own deliberate choice. For them, being alone at Christmastime is their way of celebrating their escape from their abusive family, or from some other tragic backstory that makes Christmas traditions especially distasteful or triggering. It helps if this is also a fairly introverted or pessimistic character. I'll call this second character "Wonty."
This is Willy's first or second Christmas with the Found Family, and Willy's excited about it, but they also learn that Wonty always chooses to spend Christmas alone. Willy sees this as tragic and concerning, and decides that Wonty needs their sympathy, company, and guidance. Either the rest of the group doesn't realize what Willy is planning to do, or Willy doesn't listen to or believe the others.
Willy prepares a quiet, low-key Christmas experience just for Wonty, designed to "fix" Wonty's attitude toward Christmas, then invites themself over to Wonty's home. You see, Willy doesn't understand that Wonty is enjoying spending Christmas alone. That possibility hasn't even occurred to Willy. In Willy's mind, they are making a noble sacrifice by skipping the Found Family's Christmas party, and instead trying to bring Wonty around to the joy of Christmas.
Wonty, answering their door, declines to invite Willy in. Wonty explains that they prefer to spend Christmas alone, celebrating their safety and independence. Willy brushes this off, and insists on being invited in, insists that Wonty needs this, until finally Wonty relents and decides to try and get this over with.
As Willy practices Christmas upon Wonty (if the narrative is set in modern North America, I like the idea that watching "Die Hard" together is Willy's plan), Wonty just gets more and more miserable every moment. Willy can see this, and gets more and more anxious and desperate to cheer Wonty up and change Wonty's mind.
Eventually, out of frustration and confusion, Willy does something that's inappropriate, something that crosses a boundary of some sort, just to try and reach Wonty in Wonty's deepening funk. This leads to a moment in which both characters are shocked by what just happened, then Wonty firmly asks Willy to leave. This bit probably depends a lot on how the actual characters would navigate this situation, but Willy does leave, whether immediately or after trying to salvage their plan.
Afterward, Willy ends up at the Found Family's annual Christmas party. Willy has themself a pity party over what happened, and expresses deep concern over Wonty's lack of Christmas spirit. The rest of the Found Family, or perhaps just a Heart or surrogate parent character, explains the details of Wonty's tragic backstory and reasons for isolating themself from Christmas celebrations, and lays down some home truths for Willy about boundaries and respecting differences. Some people just aren't going to see the world the way we do, and that's okay, and worth respecting.
There's no real reason Willy can't figure out some of the above paragraph on their own, except the concept has to come through to the audience somehow. Also, Willy now realizes that Wonty did try to explain all of this, but they steamrolled Wonty and didn't listen. Willy spends the rest of the evening processing all of this.
The next time Willy meets Wonty at their shared experience, or some other place Willy can approach Wonty in public, Willy presents Wonty with a thoughtfully-chosen peace offering, something they've found out, after some effort, that Wonty will genuinely enjoy. Willy apologizes honestly to Wonty and acknowledges what they did, promising never to visit them on Christmas or try to "fix" them, ever again. Wonty points out that the honest apology and clear contrition make a great deal of difference, and forgives Willy.
Hooray, everyone is okay again, and we grew in the process! The end.
hi tumblr im back with more nimona..🩷
edit: 4K NOTES? thank u so much… also i love reading your guys silly hashtags on reblogs u guys r too nice
Analyzing this very short yet sweet scene
I find it very comforting that just when they stepped in Tom's Peter's universe, the first thing they want to do is meet him and help him the best they can. And I love writers added that in, before they get to see him.
Apparently this tiny part isn't hugely talked about, but I feel like it matters for tons. They're both showing huge empathy towards another spiderman who's dealing the worst. Even better that their spider senses, which is more supernatural than any regular being, are having a mutual feeling in their gut to meet each other.
And after they found out about May's death, they are surely thinking of helping him more.
I might be new to Spiderman stuff but when rewatching this whole thing (and their movies), this tiny scene resonated stuck with me the most. ❤
Them
Ahhh I love them!! Bestes fake siblings ever lol
so i decided im gonna share some of my stranger things rants/random thoughts/headcanons i share with my friend (she's a saint) here as well just cause i can eheh
. . .
so here's a thought i had recently:
i was thinking about found family and how in fanfics they make the stranger thing gang usually closer then actually are in canon (which i love dont get me wrong) but i think they act a lot more like a real big extended family (shoutout to my 20 second-cousins who i never see) like
'we only talk to each other if nana is dying (upside down shit) and at christmas maybe'
and they are all messy af and weird like real extended family like:
yeah this is uncle steve he's going through his third divorce
this is my cousin dustin, he's my favorite, dont tell him his ego is already big enough
this is great aunt joyce she's always talking about crazy things and somehow she's always right, love the woman
this my cousin eddie, he went to prison once, we dont talk about that
this is my cousin max, she and her boyfriend break up like 60 times a year
this is uncle billy, he goes to anger management therapy mandated by the state
this is my second-cousin mike, i hate him but mom says i have to talk to him at easter lunch
do you rember when we told you great uncle jim died? yeah actually he faked his death for tax reasons and he's back now!
. . .
so yeah just some of my 2am rumbling thoughts about ST hope u enjoyed
“Oh Dear! I’m a 40-something Elementary School Teacher Who Was Isekaied into a Magical World as a Foolish Knights Squire- And Must Keep Him Alive Long Enough to Kill the Demon King!!!!!!”
(A silly little original story I have a-brewin- That is NOT the official title, I just thought it was funny cuz isakai anime’s and mangas always have the longest titles ever that explain the whole plot for no reason.)
Oh look! Drawings!!!
EXPLAINATION:
The basic idea of this story is that this “foolish knight” happens to be a part of a very lofty prophecy- As he is destined to be the one to save his world from the evil demon king. However, the problem is if he lives long enough to do so. As this knight is so prone to trouble, that every moment is a possible death wish. The cosmic overseers of this world are forced to intervene. So, they start to send in folks from other worlds to stand by the knights side in order to keep him from accidentally killing himself- You know, before he can save the world.
The issue is that the people they send in to be this man’s “squires” don’t last very long- Either quite literally quitting the first few days as they can’t stand him, or dying in the process of protecting him. This won’t do, so the overseers are in desperate search of a soul that could handle the chaotic atmosphere that surrounds this knight- Someone with the patience and problem solving ability to balance it all out.
And who better than an elementary first grade teacher, whose entire career is built off of dealing with tiny maniacs?
Enter our main character, who has the patience of a saint and quite possibly the sweetest woman you will ever meet. Obviously exaggerating here, but she teaches first grade and her kids love her.
(Keep in mind, there is romance in this story, between the squire and knight, but it’s like the soft wholesome kind of falling in love you know? It’s been 10 years since the squires late husband died, and it’ll be heavily implied that the foolish knight is actually her late husband reincarnated in a different timeline, But they will never ever know that.)
So begins her adventures with the knight, and it’s very silly. The knight displays himself as cocky and full of himself, but in reality he barely knows what he’s doing half the time. Ever since that prophecy came around, it’s been some big shoes he’s been trying to fill. Meanwhile our mc is having a blast exploring this new world and having a more active role in helping people directly- Even if the Knight almost always takes the credit. (He doesn’t do it to be mean, he just got flaws- And she is perfectly content to let him do so.)
Yadda yadda, their party of 2 will later become a party of 3 when the squire stops the knight from slaying a little kid demon, and she takes the little creature under her wing cuz no kid deserves to be slain. (Oooh plot twist, the demon girl was the demon kings daughter- But it’s chill-) Probably a lot more stuff, but that’s the basic gist of it all. Just a silly Willy idea of mine.
I’ve got a lot of original ideas beyond just my fanart stuff, so yeah enjoy!
Remember this trend? Seems like forever ago… This was for a crossover AU I had starring anti-Mable, theraprism escapee Bill, and Zib from the invader zim comics. (Among also Steven universe but he’s not in this video-) Fun crossovers lol. I love it when villains get their found family’s and stay villains mwhahaha
settling into the owl house (｡•ᴗ• )