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featherxquillMy LAN connection was completely b0rked yesterday. I found a crappy liltte wireless connection to steal in my room, but it was painfully annoying, what with the LAN down. It's back now, though, so YAY. Appologies to anyone I missed/dropped out on. Was double annoying because of the article I was working on for journalism class yesterday. Which I have to go and hand in. Rather soon.
Anyway, fic.
Title: Children
Characters: Rita, mentions of family
Rating: G
Summary: Rita muses on children and childhood.
A/N: Written for the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
fanfic100 prompt of the same name. For ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
potterpants, who wondered what I'd do with it and set the muse to work. The familial connection here is probably rather AU, but I thought it interesting. Interested to know what you all think.
People tell me I should have had children. It would have softened you, they say, as if being soft was a good thing.
Perhaps what they really mean to say is ‘it would have made you less selfish’, or ‘it would have made you care’. ‘It would have made you understand more’.
I’ve plenty of understanding. You don’t get as far as I have in the journalism business without knowing how people think, what the expressions on their faces say about how they feel. You don’t get far without being able to read people and manipulate them. I’ve plenty of empathy – more than most, perhaps, but I don’t let it get in the way of what I have to do. As far as giving birth making you care? Well, that’s debatable.
I hate the fact that people speak of having children as a way to better yourself. Pass on your pure blood, have an heir, become a parent. Don’t give birth to a person, give birth to a legacy.
As if that’s any environment to raise a child.
Perhaps I’m sounding bitter, but I’m sure it’s a sentiment every discontented pureblood child can identify with.
Of course, you have everything. Everything money can buy. A father who sneers at families with new money and families who want to make a name for themselves by affiliating with the Dark Lord. A mother who loves her three daughters with reckless abandon, who buys dresses and pretty pink bows for the youngest because she will never have the chance again, who buys books for the middle-child to feed her mind and encourage her growth, and who finds in her eldest a confidant of sorts, a special bond forged in the years they spent alone together, before the others came along.
I was that eldest, and my taste for secrets was fed at an early age. I liked to break things as child, as a teenager – toys, rules, hearts.
We were sheltered, idealistic children – something that was tainted for me and turned into cynicism by seven years in Slytherin. My sisters never had that problem, or indeed, that blessing. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, for them.
Idealism doesn’t measure up to the real world. Being products of a sheltered, pureblood legacy does not measure up to the real world. Stella learned that the hard way – got pregnant and disowned and ran off to marry a muggle.
Idealism didn’t do much for Alice, either. Look what happened to her.
Anyway, fic.
Title: Children
Characters: Rita, mentions of family
Rating: G
Summary: Rita muses on children and childhood.
A/N: Written for the
fanfic100 prompt of the same name. For potterpants, who wondered what I'd do with it and set the muse to work. The familial connection here is probably rather AU, but I thought it interesting. Interested to know what you all think.People tell me I should have had children. It would have softened you, they say, as if being soft was a good thing.
Perhaps what they really mean to say is ‘it would have made you less selfish’, or ‘it would have made you care’. ‘It would have made you understand more’.
I’ve plenty of understanding. You don’t get as far as I have in the journalism business without knowing how people think, what the expressions on their faces say about how they feel. You don’t get far without being able to read people and manipulate them. I’ve plenty of empathy – more than most, perhaps, but I don’t let it get in the way of what I have to do. As far as giving birth making you care? Well, that’s debatable.
I hate the fact that people speak of having children as a way to better yourself. Pass on your pure blood, have an heir, become a parent. Don’t give birth to a person, give birth to a legacy.
As if that’s any environment to raise a child.
Perhaps I’m sounding bitter, but I’m sure it’s a sentiment every discontented pureblood child can identify with.
Of course, you have everything. Everything money can buy. A father who sneers at families with new money and families who want to make a name for themselves by affiliating with the Dark Lord. A mother who loves her three daughters with reckless abandon, who buys dresses and pretty pink bows for the youngest because she will never have the chance again, who buys books for the middle-child to feed her mind and encourage her growth, and who finds in her eldest a confidant of sorts, a special bond forged in the years they spent alone together, before the others came along.
I was that eldest, and my taste for secrets was fed at an early age. I liked to break things as child, as a teenager – toys, rules, hearts.
We were sheltered, idealistic children – something that was tainted for me and turned into cynicism by seven years in Slytherin. My sisters never had that problem, or indeed, that blessing. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, for them.
Idealism doesn’t measure up to the real world. Being products of a sheltered, pureblood legacy does not measure up to the real world. Stella learned that the hard way – got pregnant and disowned and ran off to marry a muggle.
Idealism didn’t do much for Alice, either. Look what happened to her.
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Date: 2006-03-08 12:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 10:22 pm (UTC)Yes, the Alice :). I'll obviously play with it in some of the later propmts. Glad you liked!
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Date: 2006-03-08 02:17 pm (UTC)Also, b0rked? Word of the day, lol
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Date: 2006-03-10 10:23 pm (UTC):D
And I love the love the word b0rked with all my heart. Saw someone on the flist use it and had to have it for my own!
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Date: 2006-03-08 02:36 pm (UTC)And the final paragraph is just great.
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Date: 2006-03-10 10:29 pm (UTC)Anyway, I'm glad you liked!
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Date: 2006-03-09 03:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-10 10:30 pm (UTC)Thankyou! :D
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Date: 2006-03-09 10:08 pm (UTC)what happened to alice? :)
that was great, I specially liked this line: 'I liked to break things as child, as a teenager – toys, rules, hearts.' -grins-
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Date: 2006-03-10 10:31 pm (UTC)Well, I was thinking the Alice of canon - the one who became a Longbottom. I think I'll play around with it in future prompts.
Glad you liked that line - I was rather fond of that one, too :)
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Date: 2006-03-22 02:24 am (UTC)haha. was very good! :)
♥
sorry it took so long to reply.