The Parenting Meme

[sneaks]

The Parenting Meme

HOW IT WORKS:
➔ Post with your characters, one per comment please.
➔ Others tag your muse with a number choice. Either use the RNG or pick whichever you like. For optimum fun, be adventurous! Throw random characters at each other and see what fun shenanigans you can get up to.
➔ Congratulations! Now you're parents. Hopefully you won't screw this up too much.
➔ Have fun!

01. You’ve just gotten the news, you’re pregnant. Time to tell your spouse. OR You’ve just gotten the news, you’re approved for adoption! Time to tell your spouse.
02. Oh my God, you’re in labor! OR Oh my God, time to meet your adoption prospect.
03. It’s the first night home with your new baby. Good luck.
04. Now you know why they call it the terrible twos. How are you and your spouse coping?
05. It’s your little one’s first day of school. You and your spouse are seeing them off.
06. Sitting in the stands for your kid’s big sports game. You two cheer as loud as you can!
07. The only thing worse than a two-year-old is a teenager. Time to discuss what's an appropriate punishment.
08. Hopefully you’ve got fresh batteries in your camera for prom pictures. Maybe your spouse remembered.
09. Your kid is off to college. You can’t believe the number of boxes you’ve got to fit in your car and carry to their dorm.
10. You’re older, wiser and probably going to cry at your kid's wedding. At least you two still have each other.

Comments

River Song (Doctor Who) - Open

[riverborntorun]

04 I regret nothing.

[best_served_hot]

[somehow this was all the doctor's fault. he wasn't exactly certain how yet, but he's certain he can find a way to blame it on him. it isn't like either of them are happy about it, but they have to pretend---pretend for the sake of the insane populace of this planet that is convinced they are the ones fit to raise the boy-king or god-king or whatever the hell the wailing tot is supposed to be.

it can't be more than two. maybe three. rassilon, help him was it supposed to be that loud?]

I only regret DW's code push failing to send me this notif!

[riverborntorun]

Are you going to stand there glaring at him or are you going to come help me?!

[River's biting tone manages to make it over the ruckus that the holy noisemaker is causing by shaking the bars of his crib. She strides over in a huff - motherhood is not a job she ever saw for herself, but then again, neither did she foresee the circumstances that got her stranded on a planet with the Master, of all people!

She hates this life she's fallen into - her journal is no longer filled with glorious adventures with the Doctor, a tool to help her keep track of their timelines. Now it's an outlet for her personal frustrations, where she writes about what she'd do if she ever got out of here.

But the boy.

River leans over the edge of his crib to pick him up, ruddy tear-stained cheeks and all.] Shh, shh....come on, you're all right sweetie, no need to cry...

[Her voice is calm and lilting for him (only EVER for him). It's not the little one's fault. The local people have given him some ridiculously grandiose name and title, honoring the kings before him or some such thing. But not River. She calls him Brian.]

you and me both!

[best_served_hot]

You're lucky all it is that I do is glare at him.

[had the master a journal of any kind, it'd be filled with how many different ways he was going to kill the doctor if he ever showed up. mostly, the master works at trying to find a way for them to get out of the situation they're in, but the locals are thorough.

extremely thorough, as in they will randomly wipe both of their memories outside of the basic information that they are meant to be raising the boy-king or brian as river h as taken to calling him. luckily the master is thorough as well, and he finds ways to hide information for him to sift through after it is over with.

and after the incident where the locals had show up to check on him, and found them both sadly lacking as parents (or at least him), now he's got to start playing along. he sighs, face softening (probably the only time this has happened over the months they've been stuck together), and moves over to where she's standing with the wailing tot.]

Here, let me see him. [hey, he called brian him and not it. progress, right? he holds his hands out for the child.]

glad I came back and checked the meme!

[riverborntorun]

[River just growls at his retort and busies herself with trying to calm down Brian. She tries her best, but she's far from the perfect mother. What the hell were the locals thinking?

She sighs, trying to 'shh' and gently bounce the boy in her arms. She raises a skeptical eyebrow at the Master, fingertips flexing in a protective clench around Brian. She still doesn't trust him, but if the locals get wind that she's keeping the boy from him, she'll definitely get some sort of punishment.] ...You'd better be careful with him.

[Reluctantly, she holds out Brian, transferring him to the Master's arms.] Here we go, Brian, we're going to try something a little different, okay?

[Her voice is light and sing-songy for the boy's entertainment.] And if the Master tries anything naughty, River's going to break his neck, yes she is!

I keep refreshing it myself.

[best_served_hot]

Yes, quite the over-protective mother hen, isn't she? One would have never guessed her for the sort, would they?

[he practically coos it at the boy as he gently takes him from river's arms, and holds him against his chest, one hand placed gently at his back. he bounces on his heels a bit as he continues to speak.

between the both of them and their odd voices and funny faces, brian gives a watery baby laugh, sniffling just a bit as he begins to quiet down. and oh look, the master has a tie, clearly it's something that should be played with.

tug.]

curse you, dreamwidth! *fist shake*

[riverborntorun]

[It's now River's turn to glare, because she's sure the mother hen bit wasn't a compliment.

Still, he's... not bad at holding Brian, she notices. The bouncing's a good touch. And when the little manages to laugh, well, she'll deny it fervently but it does warm her heart a little. She smiles and reaches over to untuck the flap of the Master's tie so Brian can play with it.]

...Well. I suppose you are useful after all.

[best_served_hot]

Not just good looks, dearest. [when does the master ever offer compliments? really now. but he does offer a grin, pretending not to notice the glare at all. he resists the urge to sigh as she reaches over and untucks his tie so that brian can play with it more easily.

his little hand wraps around it, and the master will never admit to the small twinge in his chest that's got to be indigestion or some after effect of the mind-wipe. it's been centuries since he's been around a child this small for more than a few moments.

if he smiles, honestly smiles, well, then it must be a trick of the light or something.]

Like that, do you? Well, I suppose there's something to be said for taste. Well done.

[riverborntorun]

[River holds her tongue from spewing any remarks about his looks, good or otherwise. She's trying to be civil, nice even. For the boy's sake.

If they have more moments like this, she thinks, more moments of peace, then maybe this whole scenario will become a little more bearable. But that trick of lighting on the Master's face distracts her from anything further.

Impossible. The light is wrong or her eyes are overtired.

Whatever the case, she has no qualms about her own smiling as she waves at Brian, curiously playing with the tie.]
Unfortunately his 'good taste' doesn't extend to his eating habits. Caught him about to eat dirt earlier.

...While we're on the subject, I might as well ask - will you actually be eating with us tonight?

---is it bad that this is breaking my heart just a little?

[best_served_hot]

[well, it is slowly becoming apparent that he has little choice but to be civil in this situation. he's not even really sure of how long they've been stuck here together with the child.

how long the doctor has been gone. weeks? months?

then his mind comes back to the here and now with her question. he should really try to find his research, start working on it again, and find a way to contact the doctor or get them off this godforsaken rock.

he's distracted from his thoughts again as the child puts his fist (and part of his tie) in his mouth to chew on, and looks over at river, seeming to go through a bit of an internal struggle before speaking.]

---yes. [he shifts his grip on the child, rubbing his back a bit as he continues to chew on his tie.]

Yes, I think I will be tonight.

*holds* shhh, mine too

[riverborntorun]

[Even River's journal can't properly tell her how long they've been here. She thinks it's over a month, but she's stopped dating her entries - really, what's the point, she's no longer keeping track of a wibbly-wobbly timeline. Everything's linear now. And she only gets time to write when Brian's sleeping.

She waits on the Master's response, expecting some snark or that he'll ignore the query completely. Instead, she's surprised with the result.] Oh! Well...[This is certainly different.] I'll put out an extra plate, then.

I'm sure Brian will be pleased to have another face to throw food at.

[best_served_hot]

Throw food at? Is that what you've been doing, young man?

[he bounces the child, and takes a look around the sparse room the locals have given the child. it could do with some livening, he thinks, and then he wonders when he really started to think of things as being more domestic.]

Look at me, I'm going native. And here I was always worried I'd catch something from him.

[riverborntorun]

It's one of his favorite activities. I think he likes it more than actually playing with toys. [The comment is made wearily as she bends down to pick up a small puzzle game (circle, square, star - insert in the right holes) that's been collecting dust in a corner.]

Oh please. Despite their overly traditional values, the Lutekh people are incredibly medically advanced.

Besides, how susceptible could a Time Lord be?

[best_served_hot]

We'll definitely have to do something about that.

[the master scoffs, slightly offended at the idea that she thinks he meant for him to literally catch something from the child. please.]

I didn't mean it in that sense, anyways, I was talking about the---[he stops himself. it's a word he refuses to say aloud. a name. it'll just put him out of what is proving to be a halfway decent mood after a long day of lets see what memories we can pluck out of that head of yours today.]

---it doesn't matter.

[riverborntorun]

[She's not in that head of yours, Master. It took her a while to catch on to the Doctor's speed of thought, and she'd known him for years. It's rare that she's had an actual conversation with him since they've been stuck here.]

Of course it doesn't. [She grumbles, rolling her eyes. It was clearly too much to hope the civility would last.]

Can you keep Brian occupied while I get dinner started?

[best_served_hot]

[he watches the child as one might a dangerous weapon, but finally his features soften once more and he nods.]

I'll watch him. [and miracle of miracles.] L---let me know if you need a hand with anything?

[riverborntorun]

[That offer takes her by surprise - today seems fully of them - and she slowly nods at him.] Y..Yes, of course. Thanks.

[She begins to leave, then pops her head back in.] Oh! If he needs another distraction, there's a little rabbit he likes to sleep with. Normally I use it for a puppet show, but if you can come up with something better....

[She let her sentence drift off and shrugged.] Right, I'll leave you boys alone.