Little Wonders Daycare

Greetings to all! Stellar and Domi here!

Now that we have landed our return (and we do promise to stick around), we wanted to address things for transparency and so that we can make sure we show our goals for this AU. Now of course, if you want to see what we have in store for this year, you can just read the TL;DR below. Otherwise, we would be grateful if you can listen to what we have to say.

First, we didn't intend to be in hiatus for this long. We are a two-man team and we can't exactly work when the other isn’t present. A lot of personal things happened on both ends and life just got too busy. We did kinda feel overwhelmed with the ask box (that's our fault, not yours!) because we love interacting with those who find our work appealing, it makes us motivated! But we realize that in order to get our point across, we have to focus properly because it's an AU and we can't even give any lore? Hahaha. (⁠´⁠；⁠ω⁠；⁠｀⁠)

Second, we have regrouped and realized how over the place we have been. Despite showcasing ourselves as a Daycare AU, there hadn't been much content about the actual daycare itself 😭 We apologize for that, and this year we plan to set things right.

So, we are announcing the closure of the ask box starting today until July. Not exactly sure yet when in July, but we'll explain that in a bit. We enjoy reading your questions about the sitters, the kids, and who gets added into the AU. We appreciate your support! But like what we said prior, it became a cause of overwhelm and I (Stellar) am sure that most of the answers can be answered by our lore drop.

Yes. You heard it right! For the following months up until July, we will be streamlining our posts to introduce everyone properly! We are dedicated to seeing this through, and we are sure you are curious about them! We do hope that our pairings and character chemistries make sense to you guys. (⁠ ⁠；⁠∀⁠；⁠)

Oh and also! We do understand you want to see the newer agents around, but you will be seeing them as early as next year. We will try our best to make sure they fit into the established dynamics, of course. You have our guarantee to make it happen!

That being said, here are our schedule as follows;

March - Parents’ Introduction (This was a long time coming,,,,)

April - Acquaintances (Those who are related to the daycare. Definitely a certain Tía and someone else)

May-June - Family Dynamics (aka Parent and Child interactions!)

July - Sitter Dynamics (Workplace is more fun with chaotic chemistry)

As for the second half of the year, you’ll just have to wait and see. But we're excited to show you what we've got and to show our love for this passion project of ours! Please stay tuned! Thank you so much for your faith and patronage!

Somewhere across an undescript country within an undescript city, a daycare center forgot the credentials to their social media account, and it went unnoticed for months (not really. zhao tried telling them but we did get too busy to the point that they just let it be for a while).

They finally remembered what it was (thanks to mateo finding the paper around... who writes passwords in table napkins?) and so to celebrate, they have come together to post a picture. maybe to say they're still alive. maybe to say they have great things planned for their beloved daycare. whatever it was, they're ready to run it for the sake of their lovely, little wonders.

Well, actually- it's because a parent kind of complained that the lack of updates doesn't put them at ease... but don't tell anyone that you know.

WE missed this dearly beloved AU and we're OFFICIALLY back! - domi ( for real this time pls T_T)

The daycare isn't that well-off but we're lucky to have a coffee maker. (I asked Ying Wei about it, and she said that it came from the previous management...? I'm not that well-versed with the history of this establishment, to be honest). Not everyone drinks coffee, of course, but if I have to answer this including everyone into the picture...

I will say however that there is a... spike of hoarders among our interns when they have a project or college assignments to finish up, mostly the new recruit Zhao Yu, who apparently majors in Computer Science—which causes conflict with Vincent who practically holds the pot his entire shift.

SHHHHHHH. Don't tell Tìa Zyanya that I showed you guys. I'm her only follower in her private account and this is... give or take, 4 years ago? Just shhhhhhhhhhhh.

How much does she really know you, how much do you really know her? -M. A.

Da focc are ya on about, ya drongo? Are ya insinuatin' that I sought her out just 'cuz?!

We were internet friends for like, I don't know, a decade now????? And the focc ye mean by 'never left traces', I ain't some serial killer?! Ying Wei gave me her address! WE MET A COUPLE OF TIMES ALREADY! I LITERALLY TRAVELLED FROM BLOODY AUSTRALIA TO WHATEVER COUNTRY THIS IS TO HELP THE GIRLIE OUT!

She's my friend and if there are things she didn't want to tell me that's okay but I AIN'T GONNA TOLERATE YER SHIT, YA HEAR?

Do you really care for the kids, or are you just too drawn by your past to let them go? - M. A.

H-huh?!

My... place here? I only get paid minimum wage here as an intern. Even if I did apply here for the pay, I don't think I went here for other reason? I... uh... I did go here to make use of my Red Cross trainings for childcare and babysitting---

Am I a bad person? What's going on? Why am I targeted too? Huh?

No holiday updates from any of the sitters, the kids are on vacation so while we enjoy the nice, chill weather and the gifts we've gotten (if you have gotten any!) we also need to inform you that, well, we did hire a new babysitter but he's a part-timer, like me! He was actually with us since the start of December, and he's my college mate too. How cool was that?!

But yeah anyway, this is how I introduced them to the team! (Or most of it, anyway. It was more of a recollection than a proper recreation.)

Your long rested brothers await for you Filin, you sure remember who I am and I am certain that you don't want miss Ling to find out about your past affiliations.

Watch your back, and breathe while you can, brother. -M. A.

I... do not know what you are talking about. I was called Filin before, yes, but I do recall that I told Miss Ying Wei of my past affiliations and that she felt sorry that I am now just a babysitter instead of a national athlete for Mother Russia. I did desk job for a couple of years, but I am happy with where I am right now.

As for why I left Russia, it's only because there are no opportunities left for me there. I love my country, but after injuring my eye and failing to compete for the motherland due to my terrible eyesight, I just can't bear to face my fellow Russians in shame. I was not running away... I don't think I was running away. What are you even referring to?

How does it feel to not depend on your parents money anymore? How does it feel to have a job not suited for you?

How do you feel, doing what you swore you hated the most just a few years ago? -M. A.

...

VINCENT NO—

STOP YOU'RE CLEAN FOR 3 MONTHS DONT DO IT

Mille merde, Sasha, you're crushing me!

DON'T SMOKE YOU'RE TRYING TO GET OFF OF IT ARENT YOU?!

What difference does it make, I'M WEARING NICOTINE PATCHES!

This was certainly... unexpected. I mean, I'm pretty sure that that information isn't supposed to be accessible to the public and that's between me and my parents... did my parents send you? To laugh at me? To see how pitiful I am? Bien, to hell with it. I love my job.

Mateo is the one who is responsible for updating the website but as the last photo is his, allow me to do the honors of updating you with the finale of this... Je ne sais pas, this series? Oui, it seems to be the proper term. Mateo went in as this... hm, how curious. This is... a costume? Really? I thought he was wearing his usual outfit! Madame Ling went in as a nurse—which I was later told that she actually went as Nurse Joy from Pokémon (that surprised me), Kirra went in as Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn (Sasha a fait un travail incroyable!) And you're telling me that... Mateo wore a costume? This is a costume? Who is he even supposed to be? Himself? The colors don't fit him, he looks so... plain. Mon dieu, what a disaster. I thought he was an architecture student? Why is he—

Quoi merde—Mateo?!

Cabrón, chingas tu madre.You think you can just push me off the computer like that, homie?

The hit was unnecessary, connard!

And so is pushing me off the computer, so now I'm just giving you a taste of your medicine! Take that, tonto!

Why, you—?!?

Yes, me! Go back and work in admin instead of taking care of children since you're so bad at it!

If there's anyone who's deathly bad at something, it's you and your idiotic fashion sense! Why not ask the new babysitter for fashion tips since you obviously need some, asshole!

What?! I don't need fashion advice from him, I'm the reason he dresses that way! I told him how to dress!

Have you told him that you're just as violent as your aunt too?!

(They continued bickering until Sasha put a stop to them both—or, more correctly, Vincent was taken away against his will as Sasha carried him on his shoulder, effectively leaving Mateo to finally do this job.)

Um... Sorry about that. You didn't have to see that, haha.

Anyway! If you ask me, I definitely had a blast at our party! It was just unfortunate that we weren't able to post videos and other photos besides the ones we have with our Little Wonders since we needed consent from the parents and the, well, sitter after party is, um... not really available to be disclosed to the public (let's just say that depressed adults are involved). But enough about that, let's talk about my lil' homies!

First things first, I love Pokémon. I still have my original Gameboy cartridges for Pokemon Blue and Red, I collect the cards, I've played all of them and I have very strong team compositions in all of my games! I thought that maybe the kids would like Pokémon and so I dressed up as one of my childhood heroes—Ash Ketchum! No kidding, I cried so hard when I watched him finally become the world champion from the episode from last year. There's news about the series finally ending, too! So it felt appropriate to give a tribute to my own personal hero.

I was planning to bring my very own 'pokémon' to the party (it was just a bunch of my exotic pets, nothing much) because the kids wanted to see them but I realized that, well, the kids are very rowdy and it would be hard to bring them. So instead I made little pokéballs for everyone!

As for my favorite buddies, I like to think that I'm putting them here because they're fun and chill to hang with! They're absolutely cute, passionate, and adorable, no one can resist these little troublemakers even if they make a mistake.

I absolutely adore Tala's sass and liveliness. She would talk to me about the Filipino telenovelas her moms would watch with her and I love her enthusiasm about learning about her culture this way. She's quite the conversationalist, too, as she never runs out of stories!

Jamie was livid when I gave him the pokéball I made and I know mi hombrecito would appreciate what I gave him. He reminded me of me due to his obsession with the action figure and cartoon character KAY/O. He's quite the lively and imaginative kid and I couldn't be more honored to have a little space in the little guy's head everyday and every night when he falls asleep.

And of course, who's going to forget lil' Sunwoo Byrne? Kid's got a huge appetite, she absolutely loves the sandwiches I made her before! I do think it's cute that both her and Jamie are fans of Pokémon given that they bond over watching cartoons and the like! Makes me feel secure knowing that there are still kids who loved cartoons as much as I did—do, since I still watch them now. They're just fun to be around with, you get me?

Ah, right. Vincent attended the party (but it was quite obvious that he didn't want to be there). That Frenchie thinks he's—wait, what are you—!

Ah, there we go. I cannot let Mateo badmouth me again. Non, non, such a bad subordinate he is, really. Alors, if we have to answer then at least let me do it myself. (He threw me off of the computer! Que penjedo!)

I appreciated Sasha's offer to make a costume pour moi but alas, I already have it with me. It's a pirate costume from a while back and it's quite the surprise that it still fits me! I suppose I am still in pristine condition if I am still able to wear clothing from a decade ago. Also, s'il te plaít, ne m'appelle pas babygirl.

As for my favorite Little Wonder? Well, I will let you in a little secret, oui? I... really do not like kids. Surprising, non? I do not have experience taking care of them—I am still learning up until now. There was a point where I gave up and told Madame Ling if there were other positions I could work on instead of taking care of kids and I was in administration for a while but I do not know what it is... Maybe it was the time that Sasha was doing little puppet shows for the children and seeing how Jamie's eyes sparkled and giving Novikov ideas—something in me told me that maybe it's a good time to show off to this kid and make him like me. Jamie is a very passionate kid, I will admit, and even if I cannot keep up with le petit garçon's energy, I think... mm, oui. I believe I admire him. He has a good future ahead of him, and I try to entertain his creative thoughts every once in a while.

Klara est un incroyable prodige. But despite that, I do believe that the other sitters and I believe that she should have a proper childhood. I am incredibly thankful for her father who lets her be a child rather than pushing her to excel out of her own will. I definitely do not want her to end up like me, and I am very glad that she didn't have to fight for his approval. Quel enfant chanceux. She has a good head on her shoulders, and I am very honored to be the one she seeks out for when she has questions that needed logical answering. The fact that she trusts me the most in that regard is oddly... heartwarming. C'est très sympa, vraiment.

And of course, Ryo. Like Klara, the kid also has a good head on his shoulders. The only thing is that he doesn't join the others in playing, and it seems that he likes himself enough to only offer his company to his own. I couldn't help but feel for him. There's just... something about him that I couldn't quite place. But he allows me to be in his company—or, better yet, he wants my company. He doesn't tell me much, he only answers to me sarcastically when I ask questions (which is rather surprising for a kid his age! Trés impressionant!) But overall, he's truly nice. I do find it odd that he has not taken his adoptive father's surname, but that's not for me to pry on. There are things in life that aren't meant to be out in the open. C'est la vie!

...

Ah... apologies, I did not intend to get too sentimental, but I suppose that it's quite a nice thought to get lost in. Thank you for asking me this, merci beaucoup.

And Tala? Oh, dear. Our beloved Lady of Lightning does not like moi. They did ask me to include her here for some reason.

Our beloved Mister Sasha Novikov decided to go as a cute polar bear with the onesie that he made himself. When I asked him about how he bothered to make an elaborate costume for Miss Ling and Miss Kirra but only a onesie for him, he said:

"Oh, well... I don't really like wearing too many layers of clothes. I think there's just too much work into costumes and cosplay—but I certainly wouldn't mind making other people's costumes if they requested me to (as you can see with Ying Wei's and Kirra's). I like being comfortable in front of the children too so being a bear and being in a nice onesie would at least make me less intimidating for the kids, да? I wouldn't want to scare them away even if it's Halloween."

And it seemed to work because the kids absolutely loved his costume that he made himself. Especially Tayane, since she's dressed up as a werewolf (and I believe she had convinced her father to go as Little Red Riding Hood for the party), which made her all the more excited to see Mister Sasha with his cute outfit.

When I asked him about his favorite little wonders, he was quite straightforward:

So obviously there's more! While Miss Ling went as Nurse Joy from Pokémon (I convinced her), I suggested that Miss Kirra should go as Aloy from Horizon Zero Dawn!

Of course, we don't have much of a budget so both Miss Ling's and Miss Kirra's costumes were provided for by Sasha! (You wouldn't think that he's a seamster but he is!) And as you can see, Miss Kirra had her fun flaunting her costume with her favorite little wonders (she is currently hooked with the game and is visiting me on the weekends since they don't have a console).

As to why she likes them, this is what she told me:

"They are really fahkin' nice kids! Ryo might be quite rebellious 'n invisible sometimes but he's my fahkin' cute little fellah helpin' me out in our wee little garden. For the bloody absent kid that he is, he surely likes bein' in me garden for quite a lot 'n even asked me for a book about gardenin' so that he could learn more, that cheeky little bugger.

"Tala's a bonza, energetic kid too! Sassy little queen that she is, admittedly I kinda like seein' her get all sassy with the other sitters includin' me. Of course, the bloody kid's still respectful 'n ya could tell that she's well-loved by her mothers.

mateo is in charge of social media posting.

Right, halloween! So yeah, I'm sorry, I forgot... I did ask for Miss Ling's permission and to be fair, she forgot to respond to me too. So anyway, we gathered around and asked the parents if they were fine letting us post about their kids and their costumes and that also took a while, too... You can guess how that went.

So we also got a lot of questions about our favorite little wonders and, well, we took the opportunity to use our Halloween party to get some shots for it, as well!

Since it might be such a huge post, we decided that we'll post them one by one this week! I have my favorites too, but you guys have to be patient. So here's our first answer for today coming from the very foundation of Little Wonders—Miss Ling Ying Wei!

Also the daycare must be really nice for both the kids and the babysitter

Here cookie 🍪 :D

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

I hope you enjoy this au as much as we do since we poured all of our hearts into this thing 💖. Thank you for the cookie too😭😭- domi

She really needs that...

yes it's an ooc post go ham with guessing which belongs to which (⁠☆⁠▽⁠☆⁠) — Iris and Domi