The Parent/Child Meme!

[viva_la_materia]

THE PARENT/CHILD MEME

Parents, congratulations! The precious responsibility of legal guardianship has been placed upon your shoulders. You are now in charge of a real, live, adorable(?) child! Welcome to the greatest adventure of your life! In theory, anyway. Let's hope you don't screw this up...

Children, also congratulations! Whether you had one before this meme or not, you have officially acquired a genuine responsible(?) adult to love and cherish you, teach you useful skills, and look after your every need! In theory, anyway. Let's hope you aren't too much of a handful...

HOW IT WORKS:

Make a post with your character's name and fandom in the subject line, and make note of whether you'd rather play as a GUARDIAN, as a CHILD, or as EITHER. Guardians must be over the age of 18 and children under the age of 18, but if your character is too old or too young for the role you want to play, just shoop their age and make a note of it in the subject line!

[Examples:]
YUFFIE KISARAGI | FFVII | GUARDIAN (25)
ROY MUSTANG | FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST | CHILD (6)

Easy as pie! Now, pick out a likely-looking guardian for your child or a child for your guardian (cross-canon tagging is totally encouraged here, but canon relationships are also fine), tag their post, and start playing! Rolling up a relationship, a scenario, or both at the RNG is entirely optional. Good luck!

RELATIONSHIPS:

1: Born
Behold, the fruit of your loins! Whether you've been raising this kid from day one or have belatedly become their primary guardian, the DNA testing doesn't lie - you are this child's ancestor.

2: Adopted
Not every parental bond starts in the womb. You've selflessly opened your home and your heart on a permanent basis to this bundle of joy. Best of luck as you bond with your new child!

3: Fostered
Sometimes the greatest gift is a place to call home, even if it's just a temporary chapter of life. For however long they're in your care, this kid is depending on you for stability and love.

4: Found
Where did this kid come from? You'd better puzzle it out quick, because you've suddenly found yourself with an extra mouth to feed, and there's nobody else around to do the job.

5: Borrowed
There is somebody else to do the job...but they've passed the baton to you for the time being, or you offered your services yourself. Babysitting is a major responsibility - do your best!


SCENARIOS:

1: "Now I lay me down to sleep..."
It's time to put this kid to bed. How many bedtime stories and drinks of water is it gonna take? Only one way to find out.

2: "Part of this balanced meal!"
Food is the foundation of life, the kitchen is the heart of the home, and mealtime with loved ones can be a peaceful oasis...or a trial by fire.

3: "I'm so proud of you!"
Part of the joy of parenthood is celebrating your child's accomplishments. Whatever your kid did right, make sure you let them know how happy it's made you.

4: "Come, stop your crying, it'll be all right..."
Something has gone badly wrong for this little one. Whether the cure involves a first aid kit, some good advice, or just comfort and reassurance, it's up to you to make things right again.

5: "Say 'ahh'..."
Being sick is never fun, but having somebody around to take good care of you can make all the difference to an ailing child. Try not to catch it yourself, though.

6: "And let that be a lesson to you."
Sometimes, when your child puts a foot wrong, it's your job to set them right. A time-out, a telling-off, grounding, or even corporal punishment...what method do you set stock by?

7: "Now, follow my lead..."
Teaching a skill to a young person is a wonderful way of passing on your wisdom to the next generation. Let the training begin! And let's hope your specialty isn't anything illegal...

8: "Get behind me!"
A threat has emerged, your child is in danger, and you can feel the adrenaline kicking in. It's time to get in there and protect your young!

Comments

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

S-she was lovely. The best mummy.

[Hey, that's more than pretty much anyone else has gotten out of him.]

[markedbeloved]

That's good. You keep hold of those memories tight, okay?

[He walks over to one of the small apartment buildings. It's not the best, but it isn't falling apart either.] I live on the top floor.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[Sherlock looks up at the building, then back at the man.]

What are you afraid of?

[markedbeloved]

[Soubi raises an eyebrow.] The rent is cheep here, especially on the top floor.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[Sherlock frowns, his hands clasped behind his back.]

It's not what I asked.

[markedbeloved]

I know. [He just smiles and starts walking up the stairs to the top floor.] Coming?

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[He frowns - almost pouts.]

Fine.

[He would have rather had an answer to his question. Perhaps he can get it if he goes with the man.]

[markedbeloved]

[And up the stairs they go! Soubi opens the door to his almost bare place. There was furniture, but no decorations at all. It seemed to be a main room with a kitchen and living room with a bedroom and bathroom beyond that.] Here we are.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[Sherlock takes in his surroundings and looks at the bag of groceries.]

Live alone, then?

[markedbeloved]

[He just nods and heads over to the nice kitchen. It was a pretty good size for such a small place.] It's what I enjoy.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[He follows, but looks slightly anxious.]

How old were you when they died?

[Sherlock thinks that's why this man likes being alone.]

[markedbeloved]

[Soubi had already said that, but he was willing to say it again as he put everything out to make dinner.] I was six.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

Were you an only child? Since you said a total stranger took you in. Did you learn to like him?

[Sherlock might have a great memory... his mun however has been crunching numbers all day and couldn't retain even one more piece of information.]

[markedbeloved]

Yes, I am an only child. [Soubi... he just sighed about that.] No, I never did. [It was a lie, but he didn't betray that. Ritsu had left Soubi when he was older. The anger from that showed on his face by choice.]

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

I wish I were an only child. No older brothers telling you what to do, acting like they're better than you just 'cause they're older.

[He pauses.]

You're not really from around here. Not with a name like Soubi.

[markedbeloved]

Brothers aren't always close, but they are family.

[Soubi started cutting up vegetable for a dish, putting a wok on the stove to heart up.] Right, I'm from Japan.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[Sherlock is impressed.]

Japan is far away! Clear on the other side of the Euro-Asian continent. What do you think of England?

[markedbeloved]

The people are different, but I'm here to teach art so I interact with the students mostly. They are very loud.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[Sherlock has become guarded at that.]

What age of students?

[markedbeloved]

College. [chopping up so many veggies really fast.] The local one has an exchange program.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[Sherlock nods.]

Good.

[Not grade school then. And a teacher. He's safe - which Sherlock had already picked up on.]

You do that lots, with the slicing. Can you teach me?

[Sherlock and a knife... good idea?]

[markedbeloved]

[Oops. he's all done.]

I can teach you knife skills later, okay?

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

You're putting me off because you think I'm too young for knives. I'm not an idiot, you know. Why does everyone think I'm an idiot just because I'm young?

[He doesn't do well on tests, is all. But he notices a great deal, already at the age of 10.]

[markedbeloved]

[He just laughs.] I really was done. [see, all the veggies are cut.] You can chop the meat if you want.

[highfunctioning_sociopath]

[He sighs.]

No, that's boring. I want to know how to cut fast like you did.