#foster care licensing

[fosterwhat]

The kids had an event at school today. They were adorable, of course.

Right before it started a woman walked in holding a baby who looked exactly like a mini version of Henry. Then I thought I was probably imagining it, since he’s been on my mind.

This evening, after dinner, Felix asked me if I’d seen a baby in the audience who looked like Henry. I’d said nothing to the kids about it previously. So then I began to wonder if it’s another of Henry’s dad’s kids (he has many). I hope not, because I don’t want to risk Felix’s location getting back to Henry’s dad or his birth mom. That would be disastrous. The school doesn’t have the security to handle it.

I already got so upset last week because one of the teachers put up a Donors Choose page with a photo of Greta front and center. I am strict about keeping my children off all the school social media, and signed a document to that effect. This submission wasn’t sanctioned by the school which makes me even more frustrated. That some random specials teacher took a photo of my Black daughter and made her the poster child of “majority low income public school”. And risked her safety in the process. No thank you.

I still can’t get DCFS to tell me why I’m not licensed. I have tried to do respite for friends twice and DCFS won’t let me, but they can’t tell me why. I closed as a home in good standing. I had a new home visit done (was told all looked great). I turned in all the forms. Yesterday I got an email saying they think the problem is I need references and am I okay with them using my references on file. Um, yes. That’s why they are there. I emailed back right away and asked if that was the last thing they needed. No reply. My friend wants me to do respite again this weekend. The kids want the baby to visit. DCFS has zero respite beds and may end up driving the baby half way across the state instead of 10 minutes down the road. Foster care.

[doobydoobydoowau]

if i was batman i would not be that confident because how are you gonna have 6384792 children and not a single one of them respect you past the age of fourteen??? all i'm saying is that i wouldn't be stepping up to literal gods if all that money and all that swagger couldn't even make a teenager listen to me. no actually i would resign at that point. fuck his mommy issues or whatever idc get that oversized toddler off the streets and send him to parenting lessons pls.

[theridgebeyond]

My friend warned me that watching Call the Midwife might throw me into another quarter life nun crisis.

She wasn’t wrong 😖😖

[g-hua]

Do you know that "friend" who makes you feel bad about the things you do by talking about someone else who also does these things and saying that the reason that other person does these things is on purpose to be selfish or piss off others but never talks to you about the times you do those things?

Especially when they are mental health related things?

Yeah?

Fuck that friend.

[my-favouriteiot]

Hospertz: Your One-Stop Partner for Building a Successful Healthcare Facility

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Streamlining the Journey: Hospertz India Pvt. Ltd. (HIPL) caters to the healthcare industry as a turnkey solutions provider. They offer comprehensive support, guiding medical professionals through every step of establishing a new medical facility.

From the Ground Up: Their services encompass the entire process, from selecting a suitable location and obtaining necessary licenses to securing funding and attracting investors. They even assist with hiring qualified personnel and developing a strategic marketing plan.

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Focus on What Matters: By partnering with Hospertz, medical professionals can concentrate on their core competency: delivering exceptional patient care. HIPL takes care of the rest, handling day-to-day operations, licensing procedures, streamlining processes, and staff protocols. Their objective is to establish a smooth-running, patient-centric, and profitable healthcare facility.

Realizing Your Vision: HIPL acts as a trusted advisor, providing end-to-end project consultancy and management services. Their comprehensive solutions encompass the entire project lifecycle, from initial concept to final commissioning.

A Guiding Light: Driven by the vision of fostering quality-conscious and profitable healthcare institutions, HIPL leverages its three core strengths:

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A Collaborative Approach: HIPL prioritizes client satisfaction. They maintain continuous communication throughout the project, addressing any potential roadblocks and ensuring a collaborative effort towards achieving the desired outcome. Their ultimate goal is to transform your vision for a successful healthcare facility into a reality.

Building Trust: HIPL emphasizes transparency and honesty in all their dealings with clients and investors. They recognize that your vision is paramount, and they strive to make it the cornerstone of their every action.

[aspenforest732]

Bello Licentiae Chapter 1: A Fresh Start

Summary:

tw: gang activity, foster care, anxiety Moving into the dorms

Notes:

everything (except their hero costume) Akira has ever considered theirs is in their duffle bag. Figured we’d start with a little fluff after all the trauma that ended last fic 😊 ‘text’ JSL Text thoughts

Akira lazily spun the chair at Hitoshi’s desk with their crutches propped against the wall as they helped Hitoshi decide what they could pack. So far, they figured posters and figurines weren’t expected to stay, but books, bedding, stuffed animals, and small storage were up in the air. ‘ I thought you knew more about this from foster homes, ’ Akira signed exasperatedly.

“It’s different, though,” Hitoshi sighed, dramatically flopping onto the bed in between options. “We’re not leaving the home, just the house. Right?”

Akira shrugged, tossing their hands up lightly as a small smile slipped onto their face from the lack of effort it took. ‘ I think so? At least for you. We can worry about my room later, though. ’

“How are you listeners doing?” Yamada asked from the doorway, knocking softly on the open door.

Akira and Hitoshi looked at each other, silently checking each other’s comfort levels. With a small sigh, Akira hesitantly signed, ‘We’re a little confused. What can each of us take?’

Yamada cocked his head, drawing an awkward chuckle from Hitoshi. “I thought we gave you the school’s list. Do you need another copy?” He beamed and rushed on, “Or do you want to add more to the shopping list? We can get you anything new for the dorms if you want to keep some of your stuff here.”

Already committed to taking the lead this conversation, Akira tensed but forced themself to sign, ‘ No, what can we bring? What can we take from the rooms? ’

Yamada still looked between them confused for a moment before the bright grin faded into a soft smile. “I get ya, kiddos. Can I bring Shou in on this conversation?” At their nods, he quickly returned with his husband. “We bought everything in the rooms for you two specifically. If you want to leave some items here for when you visit on weekends and breaks, that’s totally fine, but you can bring anything you want with you.”

“As long as it’s on the list,” Aizawa added. “If it’s not, you’ll need to run it by us first so we can make sure it’s within guidelines and will fit. Anything you want or have to leave, we can buy another, sometimes smaller, copy for your dorm rooms.”

“Yeah, little listeners,” Yamada softly smiled. “We want you to feel comfortable and safe at school, yeah? We’ll also be a phone call away if you need us and we’re not on chaperone duty.”

‘ Everything? ’ Akira signed, eyes flickering between the couple and Hitoshi, who seemed more relieved than surprised.

Aizawa huffed, “Except the bed, yes. We already planned on getting you a futon for the dorm when we go shopping this afternoon.”

Akira slipped out a few minutes later with a nod to Hitoshi as Aizawa helped him decide which of their items not to take. They padded to their room and started adding more of the blankets and plushies to their box before pausing at the weighted blanket. Mad Banquet had already confirmed that their parents agreed to the dorm setup, although Shoto’s sperm donor wasn’t happy about it. Akira wasn’t entirely sure if he was moving from Dekusquad to their group or double dipping, but the kid definitely needed a break.

Speaking of needing a break … Akira mused, running their hands through their hair as they tried not to think too hard on the implications of dorm life. Would they be expected to return to the Yamazawa house on weekends? Would they even be allowed back into the warehouse district? Akira’s thoughts swirled in uncertainty. The Inoue still hadn’t made a statement on their status, and it wouldn’t be long before someone leaked or found just the right piece of information to uncover Akira’s relation.

Their phone vibrating pulled Akira from their thoughts, and they quickly picked it up with video. ‘Haru? Is everything alright? ’ they asked.

“Yeah, Mortis, everything’s fine here. Just wanted to check in, buddy. Do you know if they’re allowing you back any time soon?”

Akira shook their head, ‘ After the first weekend, we have to sign out of the dorms, and I doubt they’ll let me sign out to the district. Eraser will probably want me here. ’

“You could always sneak out, right? That’s something teenagers do.” Haru grinned mischievously.

Akira winced, ‘ I told you they know where I am, right? What do you think would happen if U.A. drops custody? I can’t risk that, and besides, you’re talking about sneaking out past multiple pro heroes. ’

“I know you better than that,” Haru rolled his eyes playfully. “But seriously, we miss you out here. Isao keeps asking about his little shadow, and Dabi’s brooding more than usual. Oh, and Boss said you should show Kid Lavender the protective signs.”

Akira smiled fondly, ‘ When is he not brooding? ’ After hesitating a moment, they added, ‘ I’ll see what I can do, but- ’ After dropping another hoodie into their box, Akira turned around to start on books and saw Yamada hovering in the doorway, concern written all over his face.

‘Gotta go, ’ Akira quickly signed, flashing the sign for safe adult before hanging up. They took a steadying breath and turned back to Yamada. ‘ When did you come in? I need to know what context you have. ’

“Sneaking out,” Yamada said gently after a moment as his expression softened. “He’s the ‘family friend’ you mentioned, right?”

‘ Yeah, we check up on each other, ’ Akira stiffly signed. ‘ He’s just worried and was teasing. ’

After a moment, Yamada perked up. “Oh! I came to see if you’re up for getting more clothes with autumn approaching. We were planning on getting Toshi a few things, and your sweaters are looking pretty worn down. We even found a shop that specializes in adaptive clothing if you want to check that out.”

Akira nodded after a moment, a little overwhelmed at Yamada’s energy. ‘ I need a haircut. Can I go home for a few hours for that?’

“Oh! I can take you to my hairdresser if you want,” Yamada grinned broadly. “Ni’s very discreet and does exactly what you want. I’ve been going to nim for almost ten years now.”

‘ It’s really no trouble, ’ Akira hurriedly signed. ‘ Yasmin does everyone’s hair. ’

“Mori,” Aizawa sighed from behind his husband. “We’re not comfortable with you going unsupervised so soon after the attack and your family came into the picture. And I know you don’t want either of us to go with you, so you can either go to Zashi’s stylist or we can find another.”

Knowing the hero was technically one of their guardians, Akira deflated and signed for the first option. Maybe they could even go for a more adventurous androgynous look. Short hair did always sound interesting …

Akira readjusted their duffle bag as Class 1-A trickled into the courtyard in front of the Heights Alliance dorm. Fortunately, the forecast was pretty mild for mid-August, so they were getting by with crutches instead of their hybrid wheelchair from Hatsume. Akira looked forward to testing out some of the extra features in training, but that would have to wait until after the provisional license exam.

“Mori!” Kirishima called out as he rolled up with Katsuki and Kaminari. “Good to see you in one piece. I love the new hairstyle. Good to see you, too, Shinso.”

‘ Good to be back, and thanks. ’ Akira tentatively smiled, running a hand over the satisfying fuzz of their undercut. ‘ Any trouble with your guardians? ’

“The old hag was glad to get rid of me,” Katsuki huffed. Akira’s brows drew together as they shared a look with Hitoshi before Kirishima spoke up.

“Yeah, my parents totally understood. Didn’t take Aizawa-sensei much convincing.”

Kaminari’s smile seemed a little more forced as they added, “Yeah, no problems here.”

As the other students filed in, Aizawa’s eyes narrowed slightly at the rescue team members. Koji and Fumikage stood a little closer than usual, although careful to respect Akira’s space when they started to tense. They sent a teasing glance to Hitoshi as he was a little closer to Kaminari than they needed to be, but Hitoshi just rolled his eyes.

Akira winced as Aizawa brought up expelling most of the class if not for All Might’s retirement and expected them to just follow with the foreboding cloud hanging over the class. Katsuki fondly looked to Kirishima and shoved money at him, muttering about night vision goggles before stalking off to the dorms. He called over his shoulder, “If you want dinner, you’d better stay out of the kitchen, damn extras. We’re having chicken tempura tonight.”

Midoriya went off about Katsuki’s apparently amazing cooking as something twisted in Akira’s gut. They looked away from his group, briefly catching Aoyama’s eyes as the boy’s expression flashed with uncertainty. Akira slunk towards the dorms, closely followed by Mad Banquet. Damnit, he knows something.

Aizawa walked through the dorm layout, pointing out the automatic door buttons, key fab access for dorm rooms, and the need to keep walkways clear as Akira noted the lower-than-usual height of the counters and other commonly used surfaces. The individual rooms were large enough to maneuver their wheelchair, and Akira flashed Aizawa a grateful look at their room being on a corner on the second floor. The two windows provided enough light and view to help the space feel less confined without the added nervousness of being on a higher floor. Akira was right next to Koji and had no one directly above them, so they also shouldn’t have to worry about noise disruptions at night. Mad Banquet was all on the same floor, except Shoto, and Shinso pouted a little at not being in the empty room next to Kaminari.

‘ You can always visit, ’ Akira signed, jostling their shoulder lightly. Hitoshi waved them off with a slight smile and blush, which Akira took as a win. They quickly shoved down the thought that they’d never get to tease Asami like this.

Later, as Katsuki worked on preparing dinner, Akira caught his attention and pointed to the blender. At his nod, they quickly shifted it to the stool side of the large island and grabbed their usual ingredients from the fridge and pantry. The air quickly filled with the smell of spices and oil as Katsuki worked, and Akira found themself enjoying how similar, although better, it was to Dabi trying to cook.

“Did you need something?” Katsuki asked, stiffly leaning against the counter with arms crossed as Akira stuck around with their smoothie.

‘I know you have Counselor, but if you want to talk, I’m here for you,’ Akira offered. ‘You looked a bit beat up when you warped in, and I’m familiar with the physical and mental aftermath of various quirks.’

For a moment, Akira thought he was going to explode on them, but Katsuki closed his eyes and took a few steadying breaths. “Thank you for the offer,” he said haltingly, almost like a script. “I’ll let you know if I want to take you up on it.”

Akira offered a small grin, ‘ Great. Thanks for taking the moment. ’ A few small pops were the only sound that followed Akira to the elevator as they felt a belated sense of relief at the stove being electric instead of gas.

They stopped by Hitoshi and Fumikage’s rooms to check on their progress unpacking and appreciate the latter’s dark taste. Akira looked curiously at the pentagram and definitively non-Shinto altar tucked into the corner of his room, but at Fumikage’s discomfort, they dropped the subject. They spent the next hour playing with Koji’s rabbit, Kerfluffle, while he finished unpacking his stuffed animals. The pastels and soft rug lulled Akira into relaxing against the bed frame as they tried to ignore the edge being in a new space brought. Kerfluffle tucked himself under their arm, demanding pets as the soft bunny settled against their stomach. Koji cooed when he next looked over but let them be as he added a giraffe to the arrangement on his bed.

After dinner, the girls proposed a room decoration contest. Fumikage was the first victim, and Akira quickly got the others out of his room, giving Midoriya a glare that held a little more heat than they meant to slip as the boy cringed back in confusion. Hitoshi’s room held a few sketches of Eraser Head and Present Mic posters on the walls along with a meditative mat and some weights. His color scheme was mostly purple and black with a few splashes of yellow.

“It’s so… soft,” Aoyama said as the class peeked into Akira’s room. The floor was mostly covered in a dark purple rug similar to what they had at the Yamazawa house, and there were various cat plushies in a pile next to their futon. A bookshelf held a few nick knacks and their Latin books, and a couple Fat Gum posters hung on the walls. Their wheelchair was folded against the far wall next to their bed, and two beanbags sat by a wheelchair-accessible desk.

“Is that a nest?” Uraraka giggled, pointing to the pile of blankets.

‘ Futon, ’ Akira shrugged. ‘ I find it easier to sleep on. ’

“Are these in Latin?” Ida asked, reaching out to their bookshelf.

‘ Yeah, I like translating poems mostly, although some of the headstones are pretty funny, ’ Akira signed, watching him carefully.

“Certainly! I prefer the romantic languages, but Latin is quite an admirable undertaking.”

Akira nodded, ‘ To each their own. Shall we move on? ’

They felt another gut twist at Midoriya’s All Might-themed room, quickly backtracking into Fumikage to his confusion. He and Aoyama were just too much to process at the same time as moving in, Akira reasoned. From the look in their eyes, Mad Banquet would probably stage an intervention soon, though. After spending a few minutes blinking the sheer brightness of Aoyama’s room from their eyes, Akira made a mental note to never step foot in it again.

Next Chapter

[sexhaver]

average r/legaladviceUK post: earlier today, the council TV license inspector was peeking through my window (as is his right, of course) and noticed a knife in my kitchen that he surmised was over the legal limit. obviously, he followed through by cutting off utilities to my apartment and putting my children in foster care. what recourse do i have here?

average r/legaladviceUK comment: that depends on whether or not they were correct about the length of the knife. if not, you can appeal to your township's bailiff on odd-numbered Tuesdays while wearing a powdered wig, which will begin the two-month-long process of opening an inquiry into the TV license inspector's behavior. if he was correct about the length of the knife, you should contact a solicitor and then turn yourself in to the nearest constable for sentencing.

[911bts]

Eddie’s Season 8 mustache, which showrunner Tim Minear confirms to TVLine is a “manifestation of something that’s going on within him,” has taken social media by storm — but we’re sad to report that, like all good things, it won’t last forever. Minear says the emotional reason behind the ‘stache will be explored “in an episode where he shaves it off.” Speaking of mustaches, Buck has an especially difficult time bowing to Gerrard as the 118’s new captain. (“He’s awful, and he’s an awfully fun character to have in the mix.”) On the bright side, Buck’s relationship with Tommy is going strong (“They’re still getting to know each other a little better”), so at least he’ll have someone to complain to after a long day of putting up with his racist, sexist, homophobic boss. Meanwhile, Bobby becomes a technical advisor on a “ridiculous firefighter show that’s nothing like reality”; Councilwoman Ortiz will remain a thorn in Hen and Karen’s sides as they fight to get their foster care license reinstated; newlyweds Maddie and Chimney weigh the pros and cons of growing their own family; and the return of a familiar face from Athena’s past will force her to “deal with a seminal event in her canonical life.”

BONUS SPOILER!: The two recurring villains of Season 8, Captain Gerrard and Councilwoman Ortiz, are “connected in many ways,” Minear hints.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Proud V

Hardersson x Teen!Reader

Summary: Your first match for Sweden

"And Sweden is making a substitute. On comes y/n Harder, Arsenal's youngest forward. Blackstenius makes way."

It's your first match for Sweden, the first of Sweden's euro qualifiers as well.

You high five Stina on your way onto the pitch.

It's a late substitution, maybe five minutes or so until the ninety minutes are up so you know you're the last kind of hail mary before this ends in a draw.

You pass some of your Arsenal teammates on the way to the corner that's being set up.

It's hardly the first time you've worn a Sweden jersey. You were a staple on the youth teams. You always had been.

Your first long term foster family had gotten you into football. They'd sorted you out with kit and gear and put you into a kid's football club to see if you liked it.

You really liked it.

Their foster license expired and you got moved but you never left your football behind.

Some families were more into it than others but none of them stopped you from pursuing your football.

Least of all Magda and Pernille.

You knew Magda from a distance when the senior team had come down to help out with whatever youth team you were on at the time. It was almost like fate that you got placed with her and Pernille over the summer.

It had been the best summer of your life both emotionally and physically.

They worked on your game while they were off season. They helped you with your studies and they took you out to the arcade and the beach and anywhere you wanted to go.

You didn't want to leave.

They didn't want you to leave.

There was a bunch of red tape around it, lots of meetings with lawyers and the judge and your care worker but by the time the next season rolled around, you had a new last name and two mothers.

Now, you're here.

Playing in Wembley Stadium for Sweden with Momma's last name emblazoned on your back.

You weave between Morsa and Johanna, slotting between them during the jostling to get into position.

The ball comes in and you make the jump.

It gets cleared away and England are on the counter attack quickly.

Magda peels away from your side quickly to sprint down the pitch to intercept while you follow at a more sedate pace.

Defending is not your role and you're not the greatest at it.

You've been bought onto this pitch for one thing and that's to score a goal.

You pass Lotte on your way and exchange a small smile with her. You've still got to go back to North London after this and you and Lotte are friends.

Morsa recovers the ball quickly and boots it up the pitch.

Most of your team was concentrated in your half of the pitch so the ball falls neatly to your feet.

You can feel Lotte at your back quickly, almost too quick for you to react but you turn even quicker, keeping the ball out of her reach.

You don't have any backup as you drive forward into the box.

Greenwood slides in for the tackle but you jump over neatly with the ball practically attached to your feet.

Charles and Bronze start closing in as you lose Lotte behind you.

The angle's getting tighter and tighter and Earps starts coming towards you to collect the ball.

You've driven into the box so quickly that there were no reinforcements for you to pass to.

So, you kicked the ball upwards just as Earps comes out.

The ball sores over her head before landing and rolling into the empty goal.

The Sweden supporters go wild as, seconds later, the ref blows the final whistle.

You scored.

The familiar arms of Morsa wraps around you from behind as you celebrate.

"Debut goal!" She cheers as the rest of the team finally run over.

You laugh. "Do you think Momma was watching?"

Of course she was.

She couldn't travel to watch, not with preparing for her own Euro qualifiers but your phone is ringing by the time you get back to the locker room.

"Hi," You say as you pick up, Pernille's face filling the screen.

"Debut goal," She teases and you look down bashfully.

"That's what Morsa said."

"It's impressive," Pernille says.

You roll your eyes. "It's my job."

"Still impressive. Don't sell yourself short."

"I'm a Harder," You reply," It's what we do."

Pernille grins at you, face full of pride. "Don't do that," She says," Celebrate, alright? You have my full permission to let loose and drink tonight, alright?"

You huff out a laugh. "You know most mothers wouldn't encourage underage drinking."

"I think I can make an exception tonight."

[fosterwhat]

I’m trying to reopen my home to do emergency care and my god, you’d think there wasn’t a huge foster parent shortage. I actually know who to reach out to and I still can’t get anyone to email or call me back! And they wonder why they have recruitment and retention issues…

[alittlebitofloveliness]

Darry Curtis Thoughts

I am of two minds of what happens to Darry Curtis after the book.

The first is that once Pony and Soda are proper grown, Soda happy at the DX and Ponyboy away at college, Darry finally manages to save up and go to college himself. He finds a partner and a job he likes and does the whole picket fence lifestyle.

The second is that one Ponyboy starts college Darry finds the house suddenly very quiet. Over the past few years he's grown pretty good at raising half deliquent teenagers. More than that, he's come to like it. He's been promoted to foreman at his job, and finds he doesn't hate it as much as he hated the position as a labourer. he could go to college...but he's not sure thats his dream anymore. So he gets a foster license, and the day the last of the paperwork is signed he gets a call, and that night he's got two greasy, suspicious fifteen year olds dropped on his doorstep with hollow cheeks and distrustful eyes. At twenty seven, he starting to realise how young fifteen really is. So he takes them in, and they're not good kids not by a long shot. He'd thought a moody Ponyboy was trouble, but before the end of the first week with his new foster kids he's calling his brother and aapologizing, because he's realizing now that pony was a really, really good teenager. Even still, he's Darry Curtis, and he's never met a challenge he didn't face head on. So he takes these kids- kids who look like Dally WInston, and Johnny Cade, and Steve Randle, and every other east side kid Tulsa chewed up and spit out- and he parents them, and he loves them unconditionally, because that's all he knows, is love that's unconditional. And by the time these kids hit seventeen, they've mellowed a bit, and they care about him too, so when he gets a phone call from the state asking if he'd be willing to be an emergency placement for a kid whose been booted from three different foster placements, Darry Curtis says yes.

And it's not the life he expected, and Darry Curtis never marries but he has more kids than anyone on the east side, and hell, in the end most of them turn out ok. He's a miracle worker that Darry Curtis, takes desperation and turns it into hope.

[longliveblackness]

While raising her children in Harlem, Hale developed a deep sympathy for abandoned and neglected children. In the 1940s, she began providing short-term and long-term care for community children in her home. She also found permanent homes for homeless children and taught parents essential parenting skills. In 1960, she became a licensed foster parent, providing care for hundreds of children in her home. Hale's success as a foster parent earned her the affectionate nickname of "Mother Hale."

In 1969, at the age of 64, Hale became the foster parent of an infant addicted to cocaine. She responded to needs of other children with this affliction by founding a groundbreaking foster care program in Harlem, Hale House. The respite care program also provided training to drug-addicted mothers on how to improve the health of their chemically dependent babies. Hale's unique program required mothers to live in Hale House with their children and attend a drug rehabilitation program. In the 1980s, Hale expanded Hale House services to include care for infants stricken with HIV and those who had lost parents to AIDS.

By 1991, Hale House cared for approximately 1,000 infants and toddlers. During her distinguished career, Hale received numerous honors and awards for her community service. She received an honorary doctorate from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and public service awards from the National Mother's Day Committee and the Truman Award for Public Service. In 1985, during his State of the Union Address, President Ronald Reagan referred to Hale as an "American hero" for her commitment to at-risk children.

Clara McBride Hale died on December 18, 1992 in New York City at the age of 87.

•••

Mientras criaba a sus hijos en Harlem, Hale desarrolló una profunda simpatía por los niños abandonados y descuidados. En la década de 1940, comenzó a brindar cuidados a corto y largo plazo a los niños de la comunidad. También encontró hogares permanentes para niños sin hogar y enseñó a los padres habilidades esenciales para la crianza de los hijos. En 1960, se convirtió en madre adoptiva autorizada y cuidó a cientos de niños en su hogar. El éxito de Hale como madre adoptiva hizo que se ganara el cariñoso apodo de "Madre Hale".

En 1969, a la edad de 64 años, Hale se convirtió en madre adoptiva de un niño adicto a la cocaína. Ella respondió a las necesidades de otros niños con este padecimiento y fundó un innovador programa de cuidados y crianza en Harlem, llamado Hale House. El programa de cuidados también proporcionó capacitación a madres drogadictas sobre cómo mejorar la salud de sus bebés químicamente dependientes. El programa único de Hale requería que las madres vivieran en Hale House con sus hijos y asistieran a un programa de rehabilitación de drogas. En la década de 1980, Hale amplió los servicios de Hale House para incluir la atención a bebés afectados por el VIH y a aquellos que habían perdido a sus padres a causa del SIDA.

En 1991, Hale House atendía a aproximadamente 1,000 bebés y niños pequeños. Durante su distinguida carrera, Hale recibió numerosos honores y premios por su servicio comunitario. Recibió un doctorado honorario por parte de John Jay College of Criminal Justice y premios de servicio público del Comité Nacional del Día de la Madre y el Premio Truman al Servicio Público. En 1985, durante su discurso sobre el estado de la Unión, el presidente Ronald Reagan se refirió a Hale como una "héroe estadounidense" por su compromiso con los niños en situación de riesgo.

Clara McBride Hale murió el 18 de diciembre de 1992 en la ciudad de Nueva York, a la edad de 87 años.

[the-bad-batch-baroness]

Where's Mommy?

Wolffe x Lilith Sestri (OFC)

Part 2

Summary: Wolffe's wife suddenly dies, leaving him a single father in the middle of a war.

Pairing: Wolffe x Lilith Sestri (OFC)

Characters: Wolffe, Plo Koon, Cara (child OFC)

Tags & Warnings: heavy angst, mention of death, off-screen death, spousal death, grief, hurt/comfort

Word Count: 911

Author's Note: Well, I made it into a series based off of the feedback I got from the poll. I also gave Wolffe's daughter a name and updated the previous chapter to include it. Uh, forewarning, it gets worse before it gets better. We still have several parts of angst to get through before we ever start seeing glimpses of happiness, but it will happen eventually!

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"CC-3636?" a nurse called as she entered the waiting room carrying a data-pad.

"Yes, I'm CC-3636," Wolffe said and quickly wiped his face. He stood up from the bench and approached the nurse.

"I need you to fill out this form so we can alert the next of kin to claim the body," the nurse said.

Wolffe knit his brows together. "I am the next of kin. I'm her husband."

The nurse bit her lip. "I'm sorry, but according to current Republic statutes your marriage is invalid, which makes you a family-friend, not a next of kin."

"Friend?" Wolffe scoffed. "We live together. Have a child together. I'd say that's more than friends."

The nurse sighed. "Cohabitation and bearing a child does not constitute a legal binding marriage in the eyes of Republic law."

Wolffe's breath was stolen as he stared blankly at the nurse. She couldn't be serious. There was no way. They couldn't get a marriage license. It was impossible. He tried and it was futile. Every which way he attempted failed. He couldn't get around the fact that he wasn't a legal citizen. He didn't even have a legal name that could've been put on the marriage license. They had the ceremony, did everything else they were supposed to do, but no one would give them an official license.

"Speaking of which," the nurse added under her breath, as if her own words pained her to speak. "We'll also need to contact child services since Cara is now considered a legal orphan."

"Orphan?" Wolffe exclaimed. "But I'm her father!"

"Is your name on the birth certificate?" the nurse asked, as if she already knew the answer.

A lump formed in Wolffe's throat and he clenched his fist. "No… It's not. But my DNA… I'm still her biological father."

"I'm sorry," the nurse said. "But legally you aren't. She will be placed in a children's care facility pending a familial investigation, and if no family is found, she will be placed into foster care."

"You can't take my daughter!" Wolffe yelled. "I've already lost my wife tonight! And now you want to take my kid from me too? What is wrong with you people!"

The nurse was startled at Wolffe's emotional outburst.

"She needs me!" Wolffe continued as he raised his voice higher. "I'm all she has left!"

"Sir," the nurse said. "I'm so sorry, but there's nothing I can do. We're bound by the laws."

"I swear to the Maker if you lay a single hand on her I'll–"

"If I may," Plo interrupted. He carefully handed the sniffling child back to Wolffe, then ushered the nurse down the hallway. "Perhaps you and I can discuss the details of this form privately."

"Very well, Master Jedi," the nurse agreed and followed him.

Wolffe collapsed back onto the bench and pressed his daughter against his chest as tightly as he could, terrified that at any moment someone would walk through the med-center doors and rip her out of his arms. He'd never let them take her. He'd rather die than let them take her. She meant everything to him, and with his wife gone, Cara was the only piece of her he had left. He didn't think his night could go from bad to worse, but his nightmares were quickly becoming a reality.

Wolffe felt Cara squirm in his arms and he loosened his grip. She didn't say anything between her quiet sniffles, but settled herself onto his lap to get more comfortable. Her face was red and puffy from crying, and she looked exhausted. Wolffe pulled up the edge of his sleeve and wiped up the snot dripping down her face, brushed a piece of her black curly hair away, then let her settle comfortably against his chest. He tilted his head down and kissed the top of her head while he rocked her back and forth the best he could.

"It's going to be okay," Wolffe whispered into her hair. "I won't let anything happen to you."

After a few more minutes, Plo returned with the nurse. They exchanged a few more words that Wolffe couldn't hear, but the nurse was smiling, so he hoped it was good news. Maker knew he couldn't handle anything else going wrong. As Plo approached the bench, Wolffe felt a new knot forming in the pit of his stomach. As tired and emotionally drained as he was, he would find a way to protect his daughter, even if it went against all of his training and every GAR regulation.

"General?" Wolffe questioned as Plo approached him, his exhaustion seeping through his voice.

"I have taken legal custody of Cara," Plo said. "She will reside at the Jedi Temple for the time being, and your wife will receive proper funeral rights as well."

Wolffe leaned his head back against the wall and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the stars."

The fact that his general would take custody of his daughter, just to keep her from being taken away from him, touched Wolffe's heart deeply. The arrangement was still not ideal, but it was better than what he hoped for, considering the alternatives of foster care or next of kin. At least at the Jedi Temple, Cara would be primarily safe and cared for, and he could see her unrestricted by laws. It wouldn't be enough when he got deployed, but for right now, at this moment, it was more than enough.

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[septic-skele]

Thinking about all the paperwork and licensing and legal hoops monster society would have to jump through once they made it to the surface. Did they have birth certificates and marriage licenses and etc. in the Underground? Do they need death certificates for the public record? Are they considered immigrants to the surface? Do they all have to attain citizenship? How soon would Toriel be able to get a foster care license for Frisk to stay with her? Aaaagh

[mr-walkingrainbow]

TORALEI ANGST LORE DROP???

TORALEIS FINALLY IN FUCKING THERAPY WAHOOOOOO!

NOOOOO ITS FAMILY THERAPY MEANING SHE HAS TO SEE HER FUCKING NIGHTMARE OF AN ABUSIVE ASS MOTHER. IT ALSO PROBABLY MEANS SHES GETTING RETRAUMATIZED NEARLY EVERY FUCKING TIME

COME ON CLAWDEEN WHY ARENT YOU LOVING YOUR GIRLFRIEND?!?!

THE REFORM CENTER FOR BEASTIE BADDIES?!! THE FUCK DID THEY JUST COMBINE JAIL. A MENTAL HOSPITAL. ALCOHOL ANONYMOUS AND CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES ALL INTO ONE ?!

ALSO? CATARINAS ALIVE? THATS UH? Not bad I guess? This is literally the first confirmation we’ve gotten that she survived the finale. So uh. That’s good I guess. Somewhat. HAHA ALOWS ME TO TORTURE TORALEI MORE IN FANFICS HAHAHAHAHAH!

I’m literally in love with this so fucking much. But really. Come on. The society could do better. Get toralei in individualized therapy. Catarina should be in rehab WAY longer then she’s been before they even initiate such type of conjoined therapy. Operating under basic guidelines. They can allow supervised visits between mother and daughter but they shouldn’t be in something like therapy till the mom’s somewhat proven/served time that allows them to see she’s headed on the right path. Not to mention they’d BOTH be in individualized therapy as well. It wouldn’t just be family therapy like this. Also. I love that Toralei got to stay at the Wolfs house. But??? What the fuck was CPS thinking? They’d never put a child with a random family who has no foster care license when she has ALIVE AND WELCOMING NEXT OF KIN. Toralei literally could have stayed with the weretwins and her aunt/Uncle. Like??? The cousins ADORE her! (Too a concerning agree. Don’t get me wrong I love their relationship. But Persephones treating dissapointing toralei like it’s life or death. I could somewhat understand that panic for a parent. But it’s somewhat unhealthy for a cousin. Although it’s not completely odd. I know I’d be destroyed if I ever dissapointed my older cousin who I look up too. I feel like it’s somewhat like that?)

Anywho. I LOVE how supportive Meowlody and Pursephony are with toralei and family therapy. They don’t judge her. And they don’t judge their aunt. Just tell her to say hi for them. They offer unwavering support and with how much Toraleis currently getting I’d say it’s dearly needed.

also. Not related but I LOVE Meowlody having adhd. I have adhd and I connected with her SO FUCKING MUCH in this episode. Jsut in this clip. Her volume control and excitement about the ‘wrong things’ just is so relatable. Her being confident but also somewhat not confident about a list of tasks. Practically begging her sister to realize she really did listen but it’s so hard to remember and things get confused and to show that we DO have good memory! We just see it in different ways! God. Amazing. My only thing is I wish she would have audibly confirmed it. Like we know they had Twyla verbally say she’s autistic. Why couldn’t they do that for adhd? It’s odd but I’ve never actually seen it verbally stated in tv before.

anywho uh- I’m gonna be writing so much fucking toralei angst so yall should be on the lookout!

AND YO THAT OPERETTA GENERATION ONE REFERENCE WAS UNHINGED I LOVE IT

And yo was that a hint of FUCKING YARN SALT AKA MEOWLODY X BARKIMEDES I SAW???

[david-talks-sw]

An argument I hear from time to time is the following:

"I don't care that this novel is considered Legends, if it was canon when George Lucas was in charge of Lucasfilm, it's still canon to me now. Whatever George says is what counts, I don't care what Disney says."

Putting the Expanded Universe's Star Wars and George Lucas' Star Wars in the same basket. And that's, uh... inaccurate.

So without further ado, let's explore:

George Lucas’ involvement in the Expanded Universe

Early years of the EU...

When the first bit of EU content came out in the form of the novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Lucas was too busy working on the films, so Alan Dean Foster wrote it by himself (which explains why Luke and Leia's relationship plays out romantically).

After the movies came out, when new material was going to be created, George told Lucas Licensing and other authors that the Prequel era was off-limits to write about, because he might tell that story one day.

Beyond that, they could go to town and write sequels, for instance. After all, part of why Star Wars was created was to let people's imagination run wild and George was happy to let other artists play in the sandbox he created.

That said, things were very clear from the get-go.

These weren't his stories.

The Thrawn books, Dark Empire, all this material was explicitly just Tom Veitch and Timothy Zahn and whoever else's creation. Not George's, who was described by Lucas Licensing's Lucy Autrey Wilson as "not very involved".

The most he did was answers "OK/Not OK" questionnaires about what the EU writers could or couldn't write.

Telling Yoda's backstory? Not OK.

Telling Han's backstory, between the Prequel and Ep. 4? OK.

Having someone wear Vader's suit after his death? Not OK.

The Emperor returning in a clone body? OK.

So that's it. That was his involvement in the 90s.

Him saying "don't write something set during this/that period".

"OK/Not OK" questionnaires.

It's also worth mentioning he didn't approve of Mara Jade, Luke's wife in the EU. In his mind, "Jedi don't marry".

Rather, the character herself wasn't an issue... until she married Luke. When Timothy Zahn asked for Luke and Mara to be married or engaged, back in 1993, Lucasfilm initially vetoed the idea.

According to Brian Jay Jones (author of "A Life", George Lucas' biography), in 1995 George convened a 'Star Wars Summit' wherein he gathered licensees and international agents to Skywalker Ranch to reinforce "the need for him to maintain quality control, especially in the areas of publishing, where some characters—such as Luke Skywalker, who’d been given a love interest in a fiery smuggler named Mara Jade—were living lives far beyond the ones he had written for them in the original trilogy".

Sources:

During the Prequels...

George Lucas was writing and directing three movies with large themes, shot almost back-to-back, commuting between Australia and California. That's hard enough as it is.

Also, in the 90s, most movies were still shot on film. During the making of Phantom Menace, Lucas shot parts of the film by combining prototype digital Sony cameras and using them in combination with videotapes, rather than shooting on film.

For Attack of the Clones, George worked with Panavision and Sony to develop fully digital cameras, which eventually became the standard.

As if that wasn't enough, by making the Prequels, Lucas and ILM were also creating fully-digitized worlds (Coruscant, Geonosis) and characters (Jar Jar, Yoda) and laying the groundwork for the CGI technology that has now become essential for today's blockbusters.

Having established all this...

Do you really think he had the time or the patience to read through a bunch of novels and guidebooks?!

Simply put: George Lucas was too busy revolutionizing cinema to be involved in the development of the EU.

So if you ask George who Tahl or Vitiate are, or what the Stark Hyperspace War or a vapor manifold are, if you ask him to recite you the Sith Code... he'll grumble and say "heck if I know".

He outright admitted that fans know more Star Wars lore than him.

Because SOMEBODY ELSE wrote that stuff.

And he let them do it because:

It made money. A lot of money, especially after TPM came out. Money that could fund his next films. You don't mess with licensing. Hell, it's why he was so cool with there being all those Star Wars parodies.

He didn't see those stories as canon anyway, so it couldn't hurt. He saw them as a separate universe, an alternate timeline wherein the films happened ALONG with all these other tales.

So associating the EU content with Lucas is unreasonable. He was too busy, so he just let Howard Roffman, Lucy Autrey Wilson, Sue Rostoni and Lucas Licensing do their thing and crank out new stories and transmedia content for the fans.

It was a one-way relationship. The licensing parallel universe needed to have some internal consistency AND adhere to what Lucas established in the new films movies (which was difficult because they weren't involved in the production process), but he didn't need to be in line or consistent with anything they established.

Now, George did set some guidelines/boundaries and there were obviously do's and don'ts. But once those boundaries were set and the brief was established, the authors had a lot of freedom and, like, 99% of their interaction was with their editors from the respective publishing houses (Scholastic, Del Rey, Dark Horse) and the folks at Lucas Licensing.

George was only really brought in to sign off on, like, some of the major plot points only once in a blue moon. Stuff like:

"Let's make a Maul novel". George would go "fine, just keep him mysterious."

"What species should Plagueis be?" George: "he could be a Muun, here's concept art."

Nothing more than that. Again: the Expanded Universe was other storyteller's interpretation of what Lucas had created.

Sometimes, it was spot on and it aligned with George's vision.

Other times, this additional lore was created by writers who didn't know what he was doing with the Prequels, so they were in the dark regarding certain plot points.

And then you have the authors who absolutely disagreed with George's vision of the Prequels, or of Star Wars, in general, but wanted to engage with the material nonetheless.

Which is why, whilst sometimes the EU fixed some plot-holes, sometimes the EU had inconsistencies.

Inconsistencies such as Ki-Adi Mundi being a Knight on the Council, who is married and has kids (when the Jedi being prohibited from marrying is a major plot point in the Prequels)...

… or the Jedi being essentially superhuman (when one of the narrative reasons Qui-Gon is killed is to show that the Jedi are mortals, not supermen)…

... or other stuff like Mace having a blue lightsaber for a period (because who the hell knew purple was an option?!) or some Jedi having red lightsabers, or Sith Lords being able to become ghosts after death, when that's a feat you can only achieve by being selfless.

It's also why you get conflicting definitions of what the Jedi call "attachment" or conflicting narratives trying to reframe midi-chlorians as a cold, intentionally-flawed way of seeing the Force (when they're meant to be a beautiful metaphor for symbiosis and how the Force works).

And it makes sense that some of this stuff wouldn't track, considering how Lucas stated multiple times that he didn't have anything to do with it, that it was a separate universe from his own...

Safe to say that if George had any involvement in the EU, it was so minimal that he, himself, didn't count it as "involvement".

Additional sources:

Later years of the EU...

After the Prequels were over and done with, Lucas created The Clone Wars with Dave Filoni. At first, he'd just suggest a few storylines, but he quickly got VERY involved in the whole process. Far more involved than he ever was with EU content.

And y'know... Dave Filoni is a massive Star Wars fan and an avid EU reader. So, from time to time, Filoni would bring up EU material for Lucas to consider during the story conferences, and they'd look at what was out there together.

But it's important to note that George's stance toward the EU didn't change and became a rule for everyone on the writing staff: the EU content was nothing more than a pool of "fun what-if ideas" that they could draw inspiration from.

If they could, they'd try to not mess with continuity... but if the story called for it, they could retcon anything without batting an eye. Because it wasn't canon to them.

It's why author Karen Traviss quit working with Lucasfilm after the Mandalorians were retconned into pacifists in The Clone Wars.

The only things that were truly canon were:

George Lucas' own word.

The movies.

Previously established The Clone Wars lore.

And that's it.

Everything else was somebody's else's concern. Not George's.

Sources:

This way of seeing the EU continued all the way to the time shortly before George sold the company to Disney as his drafts for the Sequels featured:

no Jacen, Jaina or Anakin Solo (Han and Leia's kids from the EU),

a still-alive Chewbacca (who died, later in the EU),

no "New Jedi Order".

Every version of George's Sequels ignored the EU.

Which would explain why the EU reboot was planned in the summer of 2012 (when Lucas was in charge)!

I'll repeat: the EU reboot was planned months BEFORE George Lucas sold the company to Disney.

Because of course it was! It's a natural result of 30 years' worth of content that's so intermeshed that it would stop future artists - namely George himself - from creating anything else.

Sources:

Exceptions to the rule:

1. Comics (kinda)

He did read the comics. Or at least, he gave them a glance.

Aside from the fact that he grew up reading comics, understand that George Lucas is a visual artist, first and foremost.

That's what he's about and that's what he loves, that's what speaks to him. There's a reason his upcoming Museum of Narrative Art will feature comic panels and pages of all kind.

During pre-production on Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, Lucas had the art team draw concept art before a script had ever been written so he'd have ideas for set-pieces.

Later on, J.W. Rinzler pitched him the idea of adapting his early drafts for Star Wars into comic form. Lucas' initial reaction was going "hell no". Rinzler had concept art made…

… and George took one look and was on board.

So it's not a stretch to assume that a book telling a story through beautiful drawings would catch his attention more than a novel.

Case in point: He knew who Quinlan Vos was and was enamored with the character. He knew Aayla enough to put her in Attack of the Clones after seeing a cover of Republic by John Forster featuring her (below, left).

(although, it's worth pointing out that he doesn't call her out by name a single time, in the director's commentary of the Attack of the Clones, she's just the "Twi'Lek Jedi" and her inclusion was done mainly to add more diversity to the Jedi fighting in the arena)

Over a decade later, when the comic Star Wars #7 came out in 2015, Lucasfilm acquired artist Simone Bianchi's original 20 pages and cover art for George, so he could feature it in his the Museum of Narrative Art:

So at the very least, he looked at the comics and admired the visuals.

Whether he actually read the comics in detail or just skimmed through most of them because he liked the pretty pictures (likelier, imo) is an entirely different matter.

Sources:

2. Video-Games (kinda)

Lucas would periodically check in on the status of LucasArts games, lending creative input and advice.

Sometimes, his advice ranged from "weird" to "he's gotta be fucking with us, right?"

Apparently, he advised the team developing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed that they dub Starkiller "Darth Insanius" or "Darth Icky".

And you know what? I have no trouble believing it.

Firstly because if you're going by the idea that he gave no fucks about the EU, then of course he'll come up with "meh" names. But also, this is the same guy who created "Winkie" in 2012/2013, the character who'd go on to be named "Rey".

He also told the team creating Star Wars: 1313 that he wanted a fresh face as the main character, then only weeks before the game was announced he went "let's make it Boba Fett".

Finally... the cancelled Darth Maul game by Red Fly.

Codenamed “Damage”, then “Battle of the Sith Lords”. Think Batman: Arkham City meets Star Wars.

Red Fly pitched it as a coming of age story where we see Maul be kidnapped, tortured, eventually joining the Dark Side, and ending in TPM. Then they had interactions with LucasArts and found out Maul survived his fight with Obi-Wan.

The game went through several iterations, partly because the people at Red Fly were kept in the dark about the developments in The Clone Wars (Season 4 wasn't out yet), and even when some tidbits came out and they knew characters like Savage Oppress and Death Watch would be included, they didn't get more details.

Whatever. They do their best to make something from what they're told. Then they have a meeting with George. As this GameInformer article explains:

“A friendly George Lucas entered the room and was eager to hear the pitch from Red Fly’s creatives. “Before they could finish their spiel, Lucas cut them off, stood up, walked over to [two Sideshow Collectibles statues of Darth Maul and Darth Talon], rotated them to be facing the same direction, pushed them together, and said ‘They’re friends!’” adds the source. “He wanted these characters to be friends, and to play off of each other. […] The problem with the idea of Maul and Talon teaming up for a buddy cop-like experience was that they were separated by over 170 years […] When this vast time divide was brought up to Lucas’ attention, he brushed off the notion of it not working, and said that it could instead be a descendant of Darth Maul or a clone of him.”

So now the game is about a descendant of Maul, guided by his ancestor and fighting a redesigned Darth Krayt, etc?

The game was eventually cancelled when George sold the company.

Worth pointing out that this was circa 2010/2011... around the time that George started working on his Sequels, according to Jett Lucas. And we know that the treatment for the Sequels that Lucas presented to Bob Iger featured old man Maul and Darth Talon as the villains of the trilogy... take from that what you will.

3. The Prequel novelizations (kinda)

They were all given a copy of Lucas' screenplay.

While most of their work was with Sue Rostoni, Lucy Autrey Wilson, and Howard Roffman on the Lucasfilm team (like some of the other authors), Terry Brooks, R.A. Salvatore and Matthew Stover all spent a bit of time with George before writing their respective novels.

George told Terry Brooks to write some additional material for Anakin Skywalker because there wasn't enough of that in the movie. He was shown rushes from the set, they "opened the safe" for him. When Terry had further questions re: midi-chlorians and the history of the Sith, George goes on a 30-minute monologue about all that.

R.A. Salvatore had a 45-minute interview with him that turned into a 3-hour chat. He was able to go back to the Ranch a few times during the writing process, and one of those times George chatted with him and his wife during lunch. He was shown various cuts of the film and concept art.

Matthew Stover and George talked for a whole afternoon (I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume he was also shown the other stuff like some cuts/deleted scenes, concept art, etc etc).

Was there a line-edit of the ROTS novel from Lucas? Regarding the Revenge of the Sith novelization, some people bring up the idea that George Lucas did a line-edit on the book because Stover wrote this statement on theforce.net:

That said...

Stover, also stated that Lucas told him to write whatever he wanted as long as it was good,

he also said he didn't actually see Lucas type the edits,

an anonymous Del Rey editor stated on theforce.net that the notion that George edited the novel himself is "extremely incorrect".

There's enough "reasonable doubt" for the argument to be made that the Revenge of the Sith novelization was edited the same way as any other Star Wars novel, rather than by George himself.

The fact remains, though, that it was a novel written by someone who understood the source material, as it was explained to him in detail by George Lucas himself (a luxury many SW authors never got).

Lucas' backstory for the Sith in the TPM novel: If Pablo Hidalgo is to be believed, the backstory of the Sith, as detailed in the Phantom Menace novelization, came from Lucas.

(Obviously, I'd allow for the very likely possibility that there was some embellishment by Terry Brooks)

20 years later, however, it seems George decided to stick to the idea that there was no war between the Jedi and the Sith.

Final thought:

A lot of people will insist that George was involved in spite of all the above-posted evidence. Saying stuff like:

"But [X person] said that it was canon..."

Sometimes, they’ll link you to this whole website collecting quotes of other people saying "the EU was canon" (never George Lucas except for, like, one/two quotes where he acknowledges the existence of Sequel books which MUST mean he saw them as canon, right?) and...

On the one hand... of course they'll all vaguely say he's "involved" and tip-toe around the subject; it's technically true and, again, they're trying to make money. It's a business, folks.

On the other... yeah? Duh. Of course it was canon to Lucas Licensing and the authors who wrote for the EU. But it wasn't canon to George. And I just gave you a whole bunch of quotes directly from him and/or the same people quoted on that website, all confirming that he didn't see them as canon and he wasn't involved (or barely was).

Other times, we're straight-up approaching "burying head in the sand/lalalala I'm not listening!" levels of justifications.

Like, we just talked about the Sith's origins, right?

I remember a while ago, this Star Wars YouTuber was reviewing this quote from Lucas, in The Star Wars Archives: 1999-1995:

The YouTuber's reaction the second after reading the quote is saying:

"And of course, what George is referring to, here, is the Battle of Ruusan and the Brotherhood of Darkness using the Thought Bomb created by Lord Khan to kill the Jedi Lord Hoth and…"

My guy! You read a whole excerpt that started with "there was never a war between the Jedi and the Sith" and the words "Ruusan" or "Thought Bomb" never being mentioned once in the passage (or in the TPM novelization)... and concluded that George was referring to the Jedi/Sith Battle of Ruusan? And all that other EU stuff?

See what I mean, folks?

Now, look, I grew up with these stories (heck, I grew up with these stories in three different languages). So I get it. I know they're awesome.

And, yes, there is a difference between the kind of content we used to get and the content we're getting now (for one, lightsabers used to be lightsabers, in video-games, not baseball bats).

But if you're trying to prop up the EU, the facts show that the "George Lucas signed off on them" authority argument isn't a valid one. Because he clearly wasn't very interested or involved in it.

And why would you want to use this authority argument, anyway?

You shouldn't need to say "this came from Lucas" to like those stories. They don't need to be George Lucas Approved™ to matter and to be validated as "worthy of appreciation". They're valid on their own, they're great stories. And if you like them better than the Sequels, go to town. I know I do.

The only thing you can't do (with a straight face, at least) is hold them up as "the True Lucas-Approved Canon™ as opposed to the Disney Trash" in a rant, because you'd be wrong and/or lying. Neither had Lucas' hand in them in any meaningful way.

Finally... I was devastated when the EU was officially made non-canon, in 2014. And for a few years, I saw the new Star Wars continuity through this lens:

"Any EU content is still canon unless it's directly retconned...!"

Trust me, when I say that only pain lies that way. Because that's not how a lot of Star Wars creators, including the Flanelled One himself, see it. The way they saw/see it is:

"Unless it's been shown in a movie or TCW... it's a legend, it might have happened."

This line of thought seems to be increasingly applied to the new Disney canon too, by the way. "If it's not shown on a screen, then it's probably canon yet also up for grabs to be retconned."

And the sooner you accept that this is how it's being treated, the sooner you accept that the EU was never canon to Lucas or Filoni...

... the less painful it'll be when, I dunno, you watch The Acolyte and it's nothing like the Darth Plagueis novel or Plagueis himself is absent, or he's there, but as an Ithorian instead of a Muun.

(note how I didn't use the word "painless")