#i have bad relationship with parents personally and haven't interacted with children in years. And yet i still know that.

[lunarharp]

being attached to that moment qifrey held a baby one time and my ideas for the future :)

[findafight]

Why do you (personally) think so many Steve fans loathe the idea of him becoming a dad? becoming a parent is the only dream we know he has, but it's thrown in the trash in most fics. I keep reading about steve being childless by choice, because the party is enough for him, which I really don't get, they're only 4 years younger than him, their relationship is brotherly, not parental, and they have their own parents who raised them. I love found family, but it's not the same as raising children

Oooh. Anon you are so bold giving this to me, a person who has an elaborate studio era lavender marriage au where Steve and Robin just. Get adopted by children who break into their house AND one where Steve becomes brotherdad to his half sister. A person who clearly also doesn't know why people have future!Steve childless. Man attracts kids like the pied piper.

But let me try. I have some ideas.

First off there's less space between Steve and Dustin than me and my little sister, but more than me and my big brother, so I can for sure say, you definitely become more friends less caretakery with your siblings once you/they are not fourteen. Still protective though. Maybe many people writing those don't have close sibling relationships with moderate age gaps? Like, there's a point where you feel comfortable letting your little sibling do mostly whatever, because they're big, but you're not gonna let them get hurt if you can stop it. There's also never a point where you stop looking at your older sibling to help you. That doesn't mean my big brother is like my dad?? It's very different, and that's important!! The Party for sure has a sibling-like relationship with Steve, especially Dustin, and Max, and I'd say Lucas (he has a little sister, but no older sibling, and Steve and Erica are scoops troop bonded so. Bonus brother for Lucas!)(will and Mike have their own older siblings. El and Steve interaction WHEN!!!!) and they all have actual parents. So yeah. Steve has a gaggle of little siblings he'd fucking die for, and his kids are going to have so many uncles/aunts/non-binary sibling of parent (there is no good word for that)

So. I think it's possible that because a lot of people headcanon Steve as queer, that immediately makes "having kids" a bit more complicated given the state of things for queer folk in the 80's. That's fair.

With that, possibly people sort of...transfer Steve wanting kids and a big family to working with kids. Which isn't that big of a leap for Steve! He obviously does well with the Party and Erica, and he canonically worked as a lifeguard, which almost definitely means he taught swimming too! (Small pool def wanted duel certs. Trust me). He likes kids, works well with them, and wants them. These are three things that are separate, but blend well with each other.

However I don't really agree. Obviously being parents was harder for gay/queer people in the eighties, especially men. But it wasn't unheard-of! I think saying that because he's queer and in a relationship with a man in the eighties that he'd have to give up on his dream of being a dad is rude. There would be obstacles but, really, I think Steve would see it as totally worth it.

Another reason I think people don't want to give future Steve kids is. Listen it's been a while since I saw it but. His little speech was pretty embarrassing. Mostly because it was to Nancy. And that he followed up on the way to vecna and said he thought it would be her there too... Literally any other character would have made it not awkward, but because he and Nancy haven't talked about anything other than the upside down since season 2, it was awkward and bad. If it was ANYONE ELSE it would have been so cute (it still kinda is just. Ignore that they tried to give stancy development without actually giving them development) like if Robin was there? If Dustin or Max? Erica? Lucas? Were sitting in that seat, it'd be Steve sharing a dream of a big family he had, trying to lighten the mood, of opening up to people he cared about. They'd tease him, but the implication of him wanting them there as well would be clear and very cute. Adorable.

Because those are characters that don't have the same baggage in their relationship with Steve, but the six nuggets speech was made to Nancy so immediately it's already a bit off for people who want the characters to actually, y'know, talk about the past and move forward from it. Nancy and Steve's relationship is so messy and interesting and if they wanted me to get into actually rooting for it then maybe they should have an actual conversation about it!! And have Nancy break up with Jon before!! Not just half dreams of the future while her bf isn't there!

People also try to use it as saying Steve assumed Nancy would? Just be a Sahm? Or something? When that was never the implication? Maybe Nancy would have interpreted it that way, but I didn't. Steve wanted a big family who spent lots of quality time together having adventures. Six kids is a lot, but I betcha if Steve thought that much about having that many kids and road tripping to the ocean, he was probably imagining being the primary caretaker of those lil nuggs. He was daydreaming about first day of kindergarten and tearing up for real I know it.

Also I think people are cowards if they don't think Robin and Steve would get convenience married and adopt a couple kids even tho Robin is slightly terrified of toddlers (they are fast and they BITE) and Steve would be Robin's trophy husband who's a stay at home dad that wages physiological suburban warfare by being a Wife Guy and the envy of all early nineties housewives.

[savedpeople]

MULTIMUSE QUESTIONAIRE

RULES: Answer the questions with the Muses that would best fit the answers. Bonus if you give details why. If tagged, copy and paste into a new post – DO NOT REBLOG!

(Since this is a single-muse blog, I'm going to include muses I've played on other blogs. I'm not going to include every muse I've ever written though because 1. it already feels funny talking about muses that 99% of my followers have never seen me write, and 2. some of them were very short-lived. So I'm only including the ones that I've written most or were most significant, plus my newest one that I haven't written yet, since they've been on my mind a lot lately.)

1) Rank your softest Muse and your toughest Muse. (Personality-wise) - Strictly personality-wise, softest to toughest: Ted Logan (Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure), Max Caulfield (Life is Strange), Izaya Orihara (Durarara!!), Amaimon (Blue Exorcist), Satoru Gojo (Jujutsu Kaisen), Negan, Levi Ackerman (Attack on Titan.) This is kind of funny though because aside from Ted and Max, none of these characters can really be considered "soft."

2) Which Muse would blow through $1000 quickly? - Gojo. But he's also rich rich, so $1000 is nothing to him. He canonically owns shirts that cost more than that. Aside from him, I think if you gave Ted $1000 he could easily blow it all on music gear and albums pretty quickly lol.

3) Do any of them have nicknames? Is there a meaning behind them? - Negan has been called "Neegs" by a few, but not many can get away with that. "Ted" is short for Theodore, and "Max" is short for Maxine (never call Max by her full name, she hates it.)

4) Are any of them up-to-speed on the latest trends? Anyone more old school? - Ted, Gojo, and Max are most likely to be up-to-speed on trends, but Max appreciates the old school stuff (she prefers analog cameras over digital for her photography, for instance.) Levi and Negan are more old school, though Negan might attempt to learn trends to seem cool to his students/the kids (it rarely works.)

5) Who has the best relationship with their siblings? - Three of them have siblings: Ted, Izaya, and Amaimon. Ted and his little brother probably have the best relationship, at least as kids, though he deals with insecurity and envy as their dad clearly favors his brother. Izaya has two sisters who are twins and about ten years his junior. Their parents were abroad for work so much that he basically raised them, but his bad influence played part in them turning out eccentric. Their relationship is complicated and a bit love/hate. Amaimon has six brothers and a sister. They are all demons (literally, they are children of Satan lol.) He's only seen interacting with one which I interpret him to have a neutral to positive relationship with. I don't see him having a close relationship with any of the others. But I also haven't read or watched the series in years, so I have no idea if more has been revealed.

6) Karaoke night! Who is likely to grab the mic first and bust out a tune? - Ted. Max will join him with some encouragement. Negan if he's had a few drinks.

7) Who is least likely to enter a beauty pageant/model? - Levi (he could actually probably do well as a model, but suggest this and he'll vehemently deny it.) Also Amaimon because he doesn't spend much time on Earth and probably doesn't even know what a beauty pageant is.

8) If your Muses visited a haunted house where actors scare you, who would panic and who would be unfazed? - Ted and Max would be panicking (but they're having a blast.) Levi and Amaimon are unfazed.

9) Are any of your Muses particular about taking certain modes of transportation? - Not really. Max does get nervous about airplanes and Izaya prefers to walk or take a taxi/public transport. Gojo doesn't drive and either takes the train/subway, has his assistant drive him, or teleports/warps short distances since he can do that lol.

10) Share a little-known fact about any Muse. - So I can't really think of anything, but I have twd verses for most of my muses that I never got to use/talk about so I'mma ramble on about little things about them here. Ted - and Bill - were following a band on tour that summer, and were at a music venue in the Atlanta area when the outbreak hit. Bill's dad died saving them the first day, and they and Missy go on to survive traveling around in their RV for a while. Max found an old vintage photography store shortly after the outbreak and took as many packs of polaroid film as she could realistically carry. She continues taking photos, not just to document the new world but to also capture small moments of beauty and happiness within her group. Gojo acts nonchalant about the apocalypse until he loses his best friend to a walker bite, after which he essentially shuts down and locks himself in a room with the (restrained) walker for days, refusing to let anyone in. He even attempts to remove its jaw/hands to keep it with him (kind of like Michonne did), and it wasn't until after that he finally killed it. He puts on a big smile and acts fine, but the unresolved anger and grief come out in spades whenever he goes up against walkers. Izaya and his sisters are in an airport preparing to fly back to Japan when the outbreak hits, and get stranded in the Virginia/DC area. A group takes them in out of pity, despite Izaya giving them the creeps. But when his sisters are eaten in a large walker attack, the group abandons him, and he's presumed dead. Months later, cue The Saviors showing up with Izaya at Negan's side as one of his lieutenants. Surprise! Levi meets up with his uncle, the only family he has, when the outbreak happens. It doesn't take long for them to start butting heads morally - his uncle is much quicker to warm up to the idea of stealing and killing. But they stick together until they're separated while fighting a horde, and Levi's been on his own ever since, unsure if he's alive. He's eventually taken in by Alexandria, but has a hard time adjusting. I don't have anything set for Amaimon, but he's naturally violent and off-putting and very likely ends up with the Whisperers or becomes a cannibal or something lol.

tagged by: @wexarethewalkingxdead tagging: @esoterium @survivoirs @chitteringbeast and anyone else that'd like to do this (y'all are the only active mutuals I know that have multiple muses and weren't already tagged I don't think??)

[halliescomut]

Uncle Jim thoughts Part 1

So we're halfway through and God I have so many feelings about Jim.

Like, I did make the joke about how he's basically Luke Danes translated to Thai, and like....I can list the similarities...you know what, I think I will.

Both run a eating establishment in their town

Both haven't dated due to a big heartbreak (For Luke it was Rachel, for Jim it's his ex, who either has no name, or I can't find it.)

Both consistently do things to help their community without expectation of thanks, and honestly would prefer not to be recognized for it. (Yes, Jim is more personable, while Luke is quite cranky, but they're both still doing it.)

Both have a sassy 'troublesome' nephew who's not really bad, just in a rebellious phase and feeling very hemmed in.

Both struggle to communicate with said nephew. (Hopefully we'll see a similar resolution to Jim and Li Ming that we see with Luke and Jess.)

Both are dealing with a love interest that is a bit free-spirited, a bit sarcastic, a bit whimsical.

Both said love interests have an ex who still feels entitled to them in a way that's quite concerning tbh. (Yes, Lorelai and Christopher's connection can never really be cut, since Rory exists, but Chris still felt entitled to Lorelai even though he'd not done much to deserve it and broke her heart more than once.)

Both are consistently providing assistance to their loved ones at their own expense. It's more obvious with Jim, as he's actively dealing with economic instability, which Luke never had to do (both because of the actual timing of that show and because money politics in Gilmore Girls makes absolutely no sense) but they both are willing to forego things in order to provide for others, and they do so without complaint.

Both are set in this idea of pursuing stability over pursuing more intangible things like 'happiness'. They see a specific value in contentment vs. ecstatic joy, and they believe that to be more easily attainable and far less risky.

Not really a similarity between Jim and Luke, but I can see a parallel with Leng and Praew in Liz and TJ. They're family that's a point of stress, but also a point of joy. And like, idk how quickly time will pass for the second half of the show, but I would be so ecstatic to see Jim with baby LP. I really liked seeing Luke's interactions with Doula, and as an aunt myself, there's something so wonderful about having this new little piece of your family. This person who has these parts of all the people you love in them, your sibling, parents, grandparents, and on. Like I don't believe people need to have children to feel fulfilled, but I think this feeling of seeing some of your favorite people inside this new unique little human is just amazing and so special.

Okay, end of that list for now. What I specifically wanted to kind of talk about was the relationship of Li Ming and Jim, because it's just so realistic. Jim and Li Ming are both kind of feeling the same way in the show, but they're reacting so differently and it's because of their ages. They both feel stressed and hemmed in by the life they're currently leading. I do believe that Jim very much enjoys running the Chicken and Rice shop and being a part of his community. He definitely has a genuine affection for everyone there, but because when it all started it was with the promise of not doing it alone, it's become very bittersweet to him. Li Ming, as a young adult, quite reasonably wants to get a chance to experience more of life, and part of that is travelling, but he's limited by social and financial circumstance.

Jim, as someone who's in his late 30's almost 40, is reconciling with his life and is most concerned with stability, especially after a few years of economic instability. And he's trying (poorly) to express that to Li Ming by encouraging him to go to university so that he has the best chance at finding a stable job. Because Jim doesn't necessarily believe that one, fairytale endings even exist any more, and two, that even if they did it's far too late for him. And he wants to be sure that when he's no longer there as a support that Li Ming is in a place to support himself.

Li Ming, who's still a teenager is still in that place where he feels comfortable taking risks. He doesn't believe that it will be easy or simple to do the work and travel program, but he knows that he's capable of it, and Jim's insistence that he not go feels more like Jim saying he's incapable. But he's also existed at least for a few years in a place where he knows he has Jim's support. He's operating in a place where he believes that if he tries and fails, he still has Jim to bail him out. And in that very particular myopia of teenage-dom he doesn't fully see that part of Jim's fear is that Jim won't have the means to bail him out. Li Ming is not stupid, he's fully aware of their social status, their financial struggles to an extent, but Jim is also consciously hiding the worst of it from him.

It's a consistent conversation that you hear all the time 'money can't buy happiness' and it can't but what financially insecure people would tell you is that money can buy stability. It can provide opportunities for growth and self expression. It can provide the ability to seek medical care. The joy that we find in life is most often through our interactions with loved ones. So no, money can't buy happiness, but if you're not working a 60 hour week, then you would have the time, space, and opportunity to spend time with your loved ones, to create that happiness and peace. Not having to consistently worry about how you're going to pay this or that, means enormous weight taken off of your shoulders.

Now I don't necessarily think Jim's in the wrong in his feelings, because the reality is everyone's feelings in this situation are very valid and very understandable. But as Wen point's out to him he needs to try and put himself in Li Ming's mindset. He needs to think about how he felt at 17. In that same vein I do think that Li Ming could benefit from spreading some of that compassion he has for Heart to Jim just a little bit. And it's very true that they're both so stubborn in this situation, not because they truly believe they're 100% right I think, but because there's a fear that they're wrong. Jim is, like every good parent, incredibly worried that he might be in the wrong here, but is stuck thinking about the long-term. He's preoccupied with making sure that in the long run Li Ming will be able to be self-sufficient. And Li Ming is worried that even though he so desperately wants the opportunity and chance to travel, what if he fails. And they're both kind of doing that thing where they are taking those fears out on each other, because they know that the affection there is deep.

In like, another little sidenote, because of all of the random things I pick up about emotion and emotional reactions. There's a statement I came across almost a year ago that so completely altered my way of think both about my own emotions, but also the emotional behavior of others...and it's that anger is a secondary emotion. Anger is a reaction to another emotion, whether it's fear, pain, shame, frustration, whatever. Their arguments, that anger, is based on Jim's fear and Li Ming's frustration.

I don't necessarily have a way to wrap this up...likely because there's no resolution to the story. But I just really love the honesty and authenticity of the story that's being shown. There are a lot of stories about family drama, but this one in particular very clearly expresses the deep affection they have for each other, even while they're fighting. Situations like this are never really black and white, especially when our actions stem from love. It doesn't mean that their choices are correct, that's why there's the saying about the road to hell being paved with good intentions, but it opens a door to understanding the characters and for the audience to connect. Because if you've been a provider for someone, like Jim is for Li Ming, you can understand his perspective, and we've all been kids like Li Ming, so there's understanding there as well. And I just think it's sets all of the audience up to self-reflect a little bit on how we've handled similar situations in the past, and how we could potentially handle situations in the future.

As a slight additional sidenote, yes we clearly see the acting from Earth and Fourth is top tier, and I don't know exactly how much of the screenwriting was done by P'Aof, but he is credited for that. But at the very least his directing here is so beautiful. Like, I'm not surprised, his credits are full of amazing series, but like every creative, the more you work the more you grow and improve, and I think this is his best work. It's really just great. He's definitely become a master in his craft, and while I've seen a good amount of his work, this really makes me want to seek out other projects of his that I haven't seen yet.

Well....that's idk, 1400+ words, so I guess I'll wrap it up here.

[rphelperblog]

Anna and The French Kiss Quote RP Meme

book by Stephanie Perkins- feel free to edit or change pronouns for rp purposes

“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.”

“I like you. And I don't mean as a friend.”

“What are you gonna do with a giant crossword poster? 'Oh, I'm sorry. I can't go to the movies tonight. I'm working on two thousand across, Norwegian Birdcall.'"

“But what? You love him, and he loves you, and you live in the most romantic city in the world.”

“Then let me put it another way. A gorgeous boy is in love with you, and you’re not even gonna try to make it work?” 

He teases you all the time. It's classic boy-pulling-girl's-pigtail syndrome. And whenever anyone else even remotely does it, he always takes your side and tells them to shove it.”

"I'm outta here. Enjoy your hormones.” 

“Oh my. He's English.”

"Your feelings haven't changed? Since you've been here?"

"I'm interested, but ... I don't know if he's still interested in me."

"Yeah, we set up our first date right after he asked me to marry him. Please. We're just friends.” 

“If you ask me to kiss you, I will,”

“I don't understand why things always go from perfect to weird with us. It's like we're incapable of normal human interaction.” 

Girl Scouts didn't teach me what to do with emotionally unstable drunk boys.” 

“Seriously, I don't know any American girl who can resist an English accent.” 

“How'd you get this number?"

"At least I'm not buying a Large Plastic Rock for hiding 'unsightly utility posts.' You realize you have no lawn?"

"Well, you see, there's this book. It has white pages. And it has all these phone numbers listed inside it. It's also online.” 

“Thanks. I forgot how to flip off the English. I'll use the correct hand gesture next time."

“I don’t care what he thinks. Only what you think.” 

"My pleasure. Always happy to educate.” 

“I wish for the thing that is best for me.” 

“Boys turns girls into such idiots.” 

“The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.” 

“Will you please tell me you love me? I’m dying here.” 

“Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?” 

“I'm saying I'm in love with you! I've been in love with you this whole bleeding year!” 

“They left me. My parents actually left me! IN FRANCE!” 

“My smile wavers as I revert to my natural state of being: nervous and weird.” 

“Why do I care so much about him, and why do I wish I didn't? How can one person make me so confused all of the time?” 

“Why is it that the right people never wind up together? Why are people so afraid to leave a relationship, even if they know it's a bad one?” 

“I wish friends held hands more often, like the children I see on the streets sometimes. I'm not sure why we have to grow up and get embarrassed about it.” 

“I mean, really. Who sends their kid to boarding school? It's so Hogwarts. Only mine doesn't have cute boy wizards or magic candy or flying lessons.” 

“It's not right. It hasn't been right, not since I met you.” 

"If I had a euro for every stupid thing I've done, I could buy the Mona Lisa. You'll be fine.” 

“I just can't fathom why anyone would stand on a ledge when there's a respectable amount of walking space right next to it.” 

“You must think I'm a complete idiot right? That I'm just some doormat who'll wait for you on the sidelines forever? That you can keep running back to her every time things get difficult and I'll just be okay with it?!” 

“You say that I'm afraid of being alone, and it's true. I am. And I'm not proud of it. But you need to take a good look at yourself, because I am NOT the only one in this room who suffers this problem.” 

“What my parents never considered is that I just wanted a choice.” 

Universal bitch speak for I think it's hideous.” 

“Because I don’t want to be alone right now.”

“You weren’t alone, asshole.”

“So what do I wish for? Something I'm not sure I want? Someone I'm not sure I need? Or someone I know I can't have?” 

“So what do I wish for? Something I'm not sure I want? Someone I'm not sure I need? Or someone I know I can't have?” 

“How many times can our emotions be tied to someone else's - be pulled and stretched and twisted - before they snap? Before they can never be mended again?” 

"It wasn't polite of me to come in and start touching your things."

"You can touch anything of mine you want."

“I'm a little distracted by this English French American Boy Masterpiece.”

“I don't want to feel this way around him. I want things to be normal. I want to be his friend, not another stupid girl holding out for something that will never happen.” 

"Oh, I see. Known me less than a day and teasing me about my accent. What's next? Care to discuss the state of my hair? My height? My trousers?"

“I have the strangest feeling that he's aware of me as I am of him.” 

“Sorry to be your second choice."

"Don't be stupid. Third choice. Mum's asleep, remember?"

“Please. The boy gets a boner every time you walk into the room."

 "That was it? The whole story?"

"Yes. God, you're right. That was pants."

“Why do I care so much about him, and why do I wish I didn't? How can one person make me so confused all of the time?” 

“The first thing I notice is his hair - it's the first thing I notice about anyone. It's dark brown and messy and somehow both long and short at the same time. I think of the Beatles, since I've just seen them in Meredith's room. It's artist's hair. Musician hair. I-pretend-I-don't-care-but-I-really-do hair.” 

"Stand in line. Tell them what you want. Accept delicious goodies. And then give them your meal card and two pints of blood."

“I don’t care what he thinks. Only what you think.”

“Pinkie means excited or happy, thumb means thinking or worried. I’m surprised I know the meaning of these gestures. How closely have I been paying attention to him?” 

“You're the most incredible girl I've ever known. You're gorgeous and smart, and you make me laugh like no one else can. And I can talk to you. And I know after all this I don't deserve you, but what I'm trying to say is that I love you. Very much” 

“So what do I wish for? Something I'm not sure I want? Someone I'm not sure I need? Or someone I know I can't have? Screw it. Let the fates decide. I wish for the thing that is best for me.” 

“I love it when he cocks an eyebrow whenever I say something he finds clever or amusing. I love listening to his boots clomp across my bedroom ceiling. I love that the accent over his first name is called an acute accent, and that he has a cute accent.” 

"Why are we talking about parts again?"

“Some people are finicky about going to the theater alone, but I’m not. Because when the lights go down, the only relationship left in the room is the one between the movie and me.” 

"Why are you giving away the cookies?” 

“Closed. Plenty of time to see it later, remember?"

“How much detention did you get?

"Two weeks. One per arsehole.” 

"Sorry. Privileged information. Only people with parts can know about said parts.” 

“Callipygian. Having shapely buttocks. Nice one, Bridge.” 

“Meretricious. Showily attractive but cheap or insincere.” 

“That guys. Sideburns. You like him?"

“I must be a masochist to keep putting myself in these situations. I need help. I need to see a shrink or be locked in a padded cell or straitjacketed or something.” 

"I ask myself, if the worst happened—if I did get knocked up-would I be embarrassed to tell my child who his father was? If the answer is anywhere even remotely close to yes, then there's no way."

[vergess]

Re: your recent post on FFXIV melee daddy issues and Thancred and Fourchenault showing signs of juvenile abuse, you are not the first person I've seen with the "Louisoux was a bad dad" take, but I haven't seen anyone really dig into it yet, would you mind expanding a little on that? Also, in the case of Thancred, do you see what he went through informing his relationship with Ryne later? Idk, I've always wondered about Ryne conflating Thancred and Ranjit *together* into her Eden trauma monster.

Oh, I absolutely think that Thancred's treatment of Ryne is born from his own childhood abuse, yes. I mean, obviously his weird mourning love for Minfilia Prime was a factor, but the way he treated Ryne before her name change was really nasty.

I don't think he ever got directly violent with her, but I do think Thancred's actual understanding of where to draw the line in physical training for her was really skewed. I would not be surprised by some Bro Strider type shit where he's by all accounts doing 'okay' but my god he's nearly killing that child with a sword.

Now, obviously, training Ryne to defend herself when they're on the run from an evil empire is a Good Thing don't get me wrong, but Thancred pushed Ryne ABSURDLY hard in Shadowbringers. I forget her actual age, but she's in the 14-16 range and has Mega Trauma about older men and fighting, and Thancred was at best very cool tempered and distant towards her. There's a reason she thought he only liked her for being Minfilia rather than for being herself, after all.

Now, as for Louisoix.

The estrangement of children from their parents is usually the fault of the parent, that's how having undiluted and absolute control over a person's life for the first 16 years or so works.

So, if we start from that assumption, and ask ourselves why Fourchenault became so viciously anti-Louisoix even though he lived near enough by to be a part of the twins' lives as babies. Even though, as shown in Endwalker, Louisoix's morals and goals were pretty much in alignment with Fourchenault's own (with one glaring lunar exception).

If you live nearby your parents, you let them interact with your children, you agree with them on most major ethical issues... why would you still so violently loathe and distrust them?

Well, abuse is a very common and effectively complete answer.

Looking at the way Fourchenault treats his own children, seeing their safety as paramount over all else including their autonomy, we can conclude that his trauma centered around a similar theme. One potential explanation for that would be Louisoix was ever-present but highly neglectful and dangerous for his children, leading Fourchenault to overcompensate in the opposite direction: absenteeism and safety-obsession. Both of which are "kind hearted" enough to explain a fair bit of how Ameliance speaks about Fourchenault in spite of his everything.

Thancred, much like Fourchenault in this regard, seems to have never actually learned how to interact with other people like human beings until late in Shadowbringers. Both of them fell back on obsessively fitting themselves to particular social roles with relatively limited behaviour sets. Thancred's flirtatious slut and grizzled war veteran, Fourchenault's honour student and conservative politician.

If their home life was not conducive to learning basic emotional control, such as "not being seen as human beings ourselves but rather as little dollies for our father to LARP Mad Scientist at" that makes a lot of sense.

It's very easy to imagine Louisoix taking them on "adventures" at dangerously young ages, never being particularly concerned about the welfare of his decorative sidekicks in his pursuit of, yes helping people but also always learning things.

It would become easy to see only the selfish motivations for every action, and judge yourself and others by those motivations rather than their actions, that way. And this is a problem both Fourchenault and Thancred also struggle with. Fourchenault assuming that even his own children's desire to save the world is base egotism. Thancred assuming his desire to save a child from prison was because he's a deviant pervert who (gasp) loved a woman who looked like her. Both of them take very obviously kind, good, generous behaviours and instantly create the most disturbingly selfish reasons for them, then obsessively act defensively towards those people.

Meanwhile, they attribute kindness and gentleness to their own actions based solely on their intentions, and not what they do.

Honestly, if pre-transformation Ryne was dragged in front of the heads of state by Thancred who then dressed her down and threw her out "to save her life" I would find it eerily plausible. Thancred and Fourchenault have a surprising amount in common, and the things in common are all trauma responses lmao.

Two dudes raised by the same man a decade apart both come away with the same trauma symptoms?

Yeah, Louisoix was an abusive father, absolutely for sure. Whether he intended that harm (I would wager he did not) is rather irrelevant.

[theemptyskies]

Real talk.

Note that this is all my own opinion.

In an Azula Redemption fic, in my opinion, she would not have to apologize for anything she did during the war to anyone. Not Aang for shooting him with lightning. Not Mai or Ty lee for imprisoning them. Not the Gaang for chasing them. The only one I might concede is targeting Katara during an Agni Kai.

What she probably should do, is apologize for the way she treated Mai, Ty lee and Zuko when they were children. If it takes place post smoke and shadow then she should apologize for what happened then as well.

She does not owe Ursa anything. While Ursa did love her, she very much neglected Azula which left her feeling that something was wrong with her. She has every right to never let Ursa in her life again. There is no argument that can be made against it. Azula's feelings are valid. She was neglected by her mother. Ursa's personal feelings don't matter. She may have loved her but I don't recall any instance where she actually told Azula that, or spent time with her, or showed even close to the same level of affection. Ursa did kiss her on the cheek the night she left, however I will point out that she woke up Zuko and made sure the last thing she said to him was basically I love you while she left Azula unconscious, unaware of the action. We never even see a scene where Ursa says "I love you" to her.

It's what makes the hallucinations so tragic at the end of season three. Those scenes can be read in a multitude of different ways. My reading of them, examining Ursa's relationship with Azula, noting that every interaction they had was shown to be confrontational, referencing "The Beach" where she did show that Ursa's relationship and abandonment did hurt her deeply, implying that she did want her affection, is this.

Ursa's neglect of Azula throughout her childhood caused Azula to develop feelings of inadequacy. This feeling pushed her to try as hard as possible to earn Ozai's affection, where she succeeded until he left her behind before the final attack in the Earth Kingdom. Coupled with Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal, this caused her feelings of inadequacy to resurface stronger than before. Everyone left her behind. Her mind conjured the image of Ursa, the origin of her feeling, saying "I love you Azula, I really do.", things we never saw her say.

I read these scenes as the hallucination saying things Azula always craved to hear. Affections that were always withheld from her, hammering away at her already fragile psyche. Reminding her repeatedly that she was never good enough for either of her parents.

So no. I don't think Azula ever needs to forgive Ursa or give her a chance and there isn't an argument that could be made to convince me. At most, I think Azula should confront her as the core of a majority of her trauma, similar to how Katara did with Yon Rah.

For me, an Azula redemption is about her coming to terms with her trauma. It's about her finding her place in a post war world. Her rebuilding her relationship with Zuko, the only family she was ever truly close with. It's about her seeing through the lies and manipulations implanted by Ozai from a young age. It's about her gaining a good, healthy support system that won't give up in her.

It's about her, in the end, finally finding peace, whatever that happens to mean for her in your particular fic. If it involves romance, that's great. A lot of people who make "shipping tier lists" rank almost every ship with Azula at the bottom, often saying things like "nobody deserves to deal with a relationship with Azula" which, as someone who grew up in an abusive household who also relates a lot to Azula, I gotta say it kind of hurts hearing people say those things. Everyone deserves love.

If your fic doesn't include romance and focuses on her familial relationships then that's also great. She definitely has a lot on her plate and building that healthy support system is an amazing route to take your fic, leading to a great heartfelt ending.

Please note, Azula's misdeeds should not be overlooked. Anyone you want to have her connect with, she will have to earn it. But I feel like it's important to understand why some people behave the way that they do. Not excuse thier actions, but to help map out how they can make up for them. That's why we were shown Zuko's tragic past while also seeing him burn down a village and threaten defenseless elderly people.

With the way she's portrayed, it easy to forget this powerful, intimidating character, is just a child. She's just 14 years old. It's something I think a lot of people who write off her character as irredeemable don't account for. Whenever I dig past her surface level "bad guy" traits with this in mind, admittedly, I'm often brought to tears. She's very much a product of her environment. It's because of that, that I think she can learn to be a better person.

To recap, an Azula redemption in no way shape or form NEEDS to include Azula trying to make the Gaang like her. It was war and every one of her actions during it have no bearing on her, from her perspective. If you want her to connect with them then you can, just don't be someone who talks bad about a redemption fic because she doesn't. 🙂

She did treat Zuko, Mai, and Ty lee very poorly as a friend and sibling. So she does owe them an apology and they are also under no obligation to give her another chance.

Ursa does not need to be forgiven, nor should it be portrayed that Ursa did nothing wrong. Azula's feelings are valid.

The core of a redemption fic (for me) is character growth, in this case for Azula.

Romance is ok in an Azula redemption fic. I personally enjoy Azutara fics where she helps Azula through her mental health recovery and trauma. Citadel is an interesting fic that takes place several years into Azula's stay in a mental institution. Here's a link if you wanna check it out. Keep in mind, it's nine years old so comic events aren't a thing 🙂 https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6939866/1/5

Not having romance is equally ok. There are a multitude of great fics both post canon and AU that follow this route. Here is a fic recommendations for it. This one is an AU taking place during the war.

Her actions should not be excused because her story is a tragedy. She still did bad things.

Hopefully you all enjoyed my little ramble that I also hope is understandable. I tend to go off on tangents a lot. Considering it's 6:30 am where I'm at and I still haven't slept, this probably has horrible grammar and is likely riddled with typos. So I'm sorry about that bit lol 😅

[tylerwritez]

Sunday, September 19th, 2021, 10:31 p.m.

Hey guys

I'm here again,,, which, as y'all know, means I've got something to say.

My life has been sorta stupid lately. I dont quite remember when I posted here last, but,,, a LOT has happened since then. I got into a lot of new music and tweaked my image a bit, my parents found out all about my self harm... and now they are being REALLY strict. No closing doors, I gotta do my art downstairs instead of in my room, my messages got searched, my room and bags are regularly searched, its like I have 0 privacy which ie ridiculous because I'm not going to fucking kill myself if left alone for... omg... a few moments :0

Whatever. They're trying. I love my dad. My mom... I love her too yeah, but idk, I have a weird reaction inside me to her touch, I'm like GETOFFME which is so weird???? But it makes me panicky. Idk why. There are so many things I dont know about myself. I proabably have BPD. IM PISSED at my parents for being so strict but I understand why. It's because they're scared I'll hurt myself real bad one of these days and the damage will be hospital/death level.

I haven't self harmed since I cut up my left leg... so that's how long... lemme check

Since September 11th

It's been only 8 days? WHAT THE FUCKKKK??? it feels like so much longer. I guess that's what it's like when you're addicted... time passes slowly. For example, it feels like FOREVER since I last smoked a cig, but it was really on the 17th.

I made a new friend which is cool. I'm going to call them Velo, which is in their disc user but not their actual name. Velo is pretty cool... they're a chill person, and I'm afraid I maybe came off as annoying, but I'm doing my best at social interaction,,, its been a long time.

Velo has been helping my tattoo my arm, I did a heart and they designed a face to go inside the heart. So far it's looking super epic! I also have a smiley face on my knee, a sad face on the other knee, and I'm going to do a sun so i can match my BFF, whos getting a moon.

Wow I'm so #rebellious

ANYWAYS I'm not here to talk about my shitshow life. I'm here cos I'm sad and I wanna talk about that and HONESTLY doing my best right now Not to hurt myself because I WANT TO HURT MYSELF!!!! so badly. But it makes me feel guilty,... my parents were so upset. Crying and shit. It made me feel so bad, but like, they shouldnt be doing all that crying shit in front of me... I swear sometimes they forget that I have feelings too...

Right now, I'm mostly upset about my slight weight gain... I'M FUCKING FAT and ugly as fuck, my acne meds dont seem to be working and I... my fucking face... is shaped WEIRD.... i look at my body and I dont even see anything remotely human it all looks disgusting and fat and gross and repulsive and like some kinda of monster and my skin is disgusting and full of acne like some kinda monstrous thing and I have got scars and scabs and... it hurts. It hurts knowing how fucking ugly I am. Seeing that other kids my age havent got dots all over their fucking faces, it's just me. Since I was 10 years old. And IM FAT holy shit I'm so fat I'm so ugly I dont even look human my lips are gross and my nose is fucked up and I dont even look like a boy becos my thighs and hips are fuckinf massive I hate seeing little blond children knowing theyll grow up without my fuckinf problems, I HATE IT, I HATE CHILDREN I WANT TO FUCKING KILL THOSE PERFECT FUCKING KIDS FUCK FUCK FUCKKK I hate seeing them knowing their family loves them and they never have to question that, knowing theyll grow up without the struggles of being trans, knowing theyll grow up without the struggles of being mentally ILL and of having everyone deny your sickness and assume you're a bad person and ruin your ability to trust adult authority figures and ruin your relationship with your parents and ruin your ability to walk into offices without crying or tensing up FUCK if I was a bit more off the rails than I am right now id take one of those little blond kids and beat the shit outta them because fUCK, FUCK, FUCK YOU, ,, WHY YOU ??? WHY YOU AND NOT ME? WHY??? WHAT COULD I HAVE DONE AS A CHILD TO DOOM ME TO THIS??? and the answer is nothing. It's not that kids fault, or my fault, or some fake gods fault, or my parents fault, or the teachers fault..... its nobodies fault. This is just how things ended up. A combination of faults from everyone. We are all to blame, but in little, complex pieces that make me think that nobody is to blame.

Its sadder having no one to blame. You cant rile up your anger and point a finger saying YOU did this to me, its YOUR fault... you just gotta put your head down on your desk and cry because there was nothing anyone couldve done to make it better for you.

I'm sad.

Yknow tonight when i went to bed, I couldnt find my nice pillow... it's one of those fuckinf memory foam cool whatever pillows with a batman pillowcase. I looked all over for it but then I realized that the pillow in question is the one I use at my DADS house.... and i broke down crying. I was confused, my brain was confused, between my two houses, because it was thinking of it's old life.... in one house... I'm not even upset about the divorce, I swear to god I'm not. It's just sometimes, my brain is confused about where i am... and I just find that so SAD. It's like oh, right, my parents dont love each other no more, I forgot about that for a moment.

Yikes. ANYWAYS. talking about this didn't help much cos I'm still bawling my eyes out. I'd love to smoke some to calm me down but I only have 2 and I'm saving em for lunch tommorow with my friend... goddamn. I give in. If I'm not too exhausted, I'm going to burn myself and then ill cry some more cos I look like freddy fuckin kreuger then I'll burn myself some more.

Goodnight guys... not that theres anyone out there whose even listening, who even CARES. Jesus.

[hxst-with-the-mxst]

Ship meme: Chris x Lindsay // feel free to not do! I know we haven't interacted yet!

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - As long as Lindsay’s willing to take it. He’s head over heels and wants to make sure she feels comfortable with an older guy.

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Chris sort of had a crush on her from day one on the island, but couldn’t place it. Later in the season and in the seasons that followed, her sweet nature and mannerisms just hooked him.

How was their first kiss? - Their first wasn’t even on the lips. He’d helped her figure out something, just needed someone to talk to really. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and thanked him. He fell, hard.

Wedding:

Who proposed? -  Chris

Who is the best man/men? - Chef

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Beth

Who did the most planning? - Chris. He tried his damnest to get it perfect for her. This included calling everyone he could think that knew her to figure out exactly what her favorite/dream wedding was. Chris doesn’t do planning, He usually hires someone for everything. But for her? Anything.

Who stressed the most? - Chris

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Blaineley & Topher. Both would try to break them up/sabotage things.

Sex:-the readmore only worked on the little side preview thing on the last one so I’m going to keep it up top and put an nsfw tag at the bottom. Apologies-

Who is on top? - Chris mostly, but sometimes Lindsay because he “wants his gorgeous model to have the spotlight.”

Who is the one to instigate things? - Both.

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

*Chris is a freak, but he would always check if She was ok with whatever. Also would rather explore what she wants more than anything anyway.

How long do they normally last? - However long it takes for both to feel satisfied.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - Chris wants to take care of her more than anything, but for both it really depends on the mood/day.

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

*Depends on what who is in the mood for. He can go VERY gentle or VERY rough.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

*He’s very affectionate. He’ll probably cuddle/nuzzle with her for a good while after sex, or just have his arms around her in public.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - One. A girl named Moira. Chris cleared the name with Lindsay of course, but that was his mother’s name and he thought she ought to be honored for taking care of him.

How many children will they adopt? - None

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Chris. He doesn’t want to, but Lindsay is -probably- grossed out and he takes over. Not without gagging and all that himself though.

Who is the stricter parent? - Chris. Although, he is the kind of parent to fuss then when the other parent leaves just leans in and tells the kid that was dangerous-and be more careful next time- but you aren’t in that much trouble.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - See the previous one.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Chris just gives her money to buy her own. Both are too busy most of the time in the mornings.

Who is the more loved parent? - Lindsay. Not that Chris is bad to her or anything, but she’s just more loving to her so she gets more love back.

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Both, though Chris does more talking/negotiating.

Who cried the most at graduation? -  Both. Both are easily emotional. -Chris gets more emotional off camera than on.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Both, but Chris has severe problems going to police stations now due to the treatment he received in jail before.

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Lindsay. Or they just go out to a restaurant.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Chris. Also, guess what Moira got from her father?

Who does the grocery shopping? - Both, or Chef just pops by/calls and asks if they need anything while he’s out shopping.

How often do they bake desserts? - Not very often, as Chris actually doesn’t have that much of a sweet tooth. However, he will bake something occasionally to be sweet to Lindsay & Moira.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Makes salads sometimes because it’s just easier, but Chris is more of a meat person. It doesn’t matter to him though.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Either Chris cooks for them, or he makes reservations early at one of those places you have to wait weeks to get into.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Both

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidentally while cooking? - Answer the same as the last one. Chris due to getting distracted by the smallest noise from Moira because he fears the worst has happened due to him treating the kids so terribly for years on TD.

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Cleaner service. Though if Lindsay or Moira’s sick he’ll make sure to clean up the room they’re in so they’re more comfortable.

Who is really against chores? - Neither want to.

Who cleans up after the pets? - Chris. He’s used to cleaning up after his dogs when he was younger and thinks nothing of it.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Cleaning service did this once. Chris blew them out of the water because what if Moira was allergic to something? He watches the new service more sternly after.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - I’m thinking Lindsay? Chris couldn’t give less of a darn. He’s used to playing host.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Chris. He promptly just puts it in the swear jar they have going because he hadn’t been doing it lately like he should’ve.

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Both take longer. Doesn’t matter to either of them though.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Both. They just make it a family thing.

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Any and all opportunity, the place is decked out. Both love decorating.

What are their goals for the relationship? - For Chris to better himself as a person, and for both to give each other the best years of their life. And when Moira is born, to make sure she has the best life possible.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Both if Chris doesn’t have hosting duty.

Who plays the most pranks? - Both. Chris tones down the more vicious pranks and only hits Chef or one of his other friends with them, and Lindsay tries to get the prank master. Sometimes she does, and sometimes he acts like she does.