#muchadoaboutwhumping

[friendlylocalwhumper]

Apparently I'm not done thinking about that drabble with Lux talking to Penelope about his past. :p Something that really strikes me about it is the way that Penelope is trying hard to be compassionate - and doing well for a teen, I think! - but has these extremely rigid ideas of what the Right Perspective is. That's...familiar, as someone who likes online lefty fannish circles and in-person lefty political circles. :p The part where she insists he call himself a survivor really struck me - it's always so interesting when people trying to Say The Right Thing end up speaking over the person who's actually impacted. This isn't a direct analogy, ofc, but it made me think about how I as a youngish trans person feel when I see someone try to police the terms an older trans person uses for themself. Just!!!! That sense of, Wow, bb, your *intent* is so good but you're missing the mark by a mile-

Anyway! I love seeing the tension of Pen trying her best, and Lux working hard to be steadfast and steady while still feeling pretty shaken himself, and thinking through where he can get appropriate support (not from Pen, but maybe from his therapist if he needs it), and just! Gosh there was so much delightful interpersonal substance in that drabble. I don't know that this is of interest from a whump perspective, but from a personal one I am SO curious as to what kind of adult Pen grows up to be. She clearly has a very good heart!

the drabble has been on my mind all day, too! lux and penny are so interesting and sad and comforting.

penny is absolutely trying to be sympathetic, but she's also catty, and opinionated, and sometimes-stubborn-sometimes-flaky. she's lux's daughter, and thus she feels the weight of this, but also she's curious and it's her dad so she treats him with a lot of familiarity and not too much caution. after all, he's been careful all her life to not put too much responsibility on her to cater to his needs.

she loves her dad, and vaguely knows he's been through awful things, but also no teenager would 100% idolize and listen to their parents. she pushes back and wonders how much her dads are wrong about. she has a few phases where she's anti-magic, or pro-cops, or whatever seems to make her parents tense and upset. in the end, though, i bet she ends up being very kind and sort of guilty about being such a handful as a kid. (lux, of course, is so proud of her, and absolutely does not hold her growing pains against her.)

the part where she insists he call himself a survivor, and how she talks so bluntly about abuse, that's totally meant to show that she thinks she's so smart and in the right. lux is wiser, he obviously is somewhat uncomfortable with what she's saying, but he wants her to decide what her opinions should be by herself. she gets to be wrong and frustrating and inconsistent.

[friendlylocalwhumper]

Okay, here's an ask for Lux from this game: https://friendlylocalwhumper.tumblr.com/post/680971581945757696/new-writblr-game

Lux, this might be a tough question, but I promise I mean it kindly. If you draw on the parts of you that have the most recovery under their belt and the most healthy coping tools available - what do you want Penelope to know about how to be safe in the world? What do you most hope she'll internalize from you about how to take care of herself? <3

Lux frowns as he thinks. "Um. I want her to be safe, but... but not afraid of the world. I don't want her to be how I get sometimes, shaky and trapped in my head. I don't want her to hide and hope that no one hurts her. I want her to make herself and everyone around her safer by being brave."

Maybe he should be more specific. Penny always does better with clear examples, not vague ideas, anyway. "I take care of myself by finding good ways to vent the bad stuff. Talking to Papa, going to therapy, writing out how I feel and reading it back instead of... 'stead of thinking in loops. I want her to take care of herself like that. She just - when you're too angry and scared all the time, you put yourself in more danger. She'll be safer if she looks for help when she needs it."

[friendlylocalwhumper]

Hi, this is a little embarrassingly earnest, but I just saw that you reblogged one of my pieces and it made my day. I've been a big fan of your work for a long time (Lux has my whole heart

ohhhh thank you for sending this! it makes my day knowing i made yours! i’m so happy that you enjoy my work! i really enjoyed that work of yours that i reblogged!