#it's about to be another classic “they'll work out their problems later i promise”

[mikittalabs]

in case you're wondering how the ocs are doing i've half spontaneously/half cuz i think it'd be interesting decided to make azure and louis get into a toxic codependent relationship while they're still teenagers. for enrichment

[breitzbachbea]

(For that ask game)

I wish you would write a fic where...Sadik and Herakles consider adopting a child

yes this is Exi speaking

You know what, I think I could have Sherlock Holmes'd who this ask is from. It's very on brand. (Also, you don't have to hide behind the little grey face.)

I wish you would write a fic where…

(BTW, I provide the links to the original posts so that if anyone else stumbles over the ask can reblog the post OR send me another one. Doesn't matter if it is an old ask game, I am always happy to share my thoughts and interact with others. Even if I cannot promise a timely answer.)

Ho boy, va be'. If I am fair with you, I'd not even give these who fuckers, out of all the ships, a kid in the Hetaverse. At least not in the interpretation of them and their relationship that I follow. (It's mostly how sadlygrove portrays them in their fics). Now, there is very few people I'd also give a kid in LFLS, even if I might think they'll make great parents in another context. But Herakles and Sadık are near the absolute bottom of the list of people who should have kids together. I'm currently writing the 4th Part of my TurGre Fanfic "The Amulet" and these two can't even keep their shit together for their fellow friends. Not in a million years. It's just not going to work out in a way that'll be healthy and good for the children or anyone involved.

However: They do have children in the "Testa di Moro" AU. Here's the post about that one. Herakles and Sadık are happily married with a boy and a girl in that one - too bad they end up half-orphaned due to Michele's vanity.

I can totally see them adopting kids in my Constantinople AU though. (Here is the post for that one and if you haven't checked it out yet, you absolutely should because I am sooo proud of that one). Some more thoughts on that and parental TurGre under the cut.

The question of succession in that AU has crossed my mind before, wondering if maybe the offspring of the closest relative of Herakles would then be next in line. You know, there would have needed to be something in place if in this AU, gay marriage is viable. Briefly also considered if one of Herakles many, many half-siblings could be electable, but the problem with that is that there's simply too many. So why not adoption?

I have no idea about childhood and specifically imperial childhood in 14th century Byzantium or Seljuk/Ottoman Turks. Since the AU is however Alternate History mixed with some feel good, basic fantasy, I'll just go ahead with the "Parents that love their kids and are intimiately, hands-on involved with them" 18th century middle class idea. (I am not saying that non-Western or prior families do not love their kids or spouses nor that already back then parents huddled their kids that much, but I would say that this modern, classically Western view of the nuclear family has its roots there. Just so we are all on the same page with tooth rotting, anachronistic fluff). Also, I choose Eirene and Theophania, because 1) Their name meanings (Peace and Manifestation of God) are pretty dope 2) Both were names borne by members of the Byzantine Imperial families (Theophanu was also the name of the Byzantine wife of Otto II of the HRE and she's one of my favourite medieval women) 3) Sadık is already on thin ice with the people of Constantinople at times, so to demonstrate some good will, both of the girls have proper Greek names. I suppose both of them are also Greek or at least not Turkish, but who knows. It's politics, ya know.

Sword still at his hips and clothes still dirty, Sadık stepped into living quarters of the palace. He'd have to do something about the dirt before the council meeting later in the day; honestly, after his return from the campaign, he craved a bath more than anything else -- "Baba!" All of his physical aches were forgotten, even the dirt that hung to his uniform, when he heard the excited voices and fast steps of his daughters. He merely had enough time to hunker down on one knee when Eirene and Theopania jumped him. "Hey, hey, girls, be careful with baba's sword," he said and moved th sword a little away from them while they still giggled and squealed into his neck, shoulders and chest. Now he wrapped both arms around them and held them close. "So, how are my girls? Oh, I'm so happy to have you back." He squeezed them, one arm around each one. "We've missed you, baba!" Eirene said while Theophania only buried her face in his shoulder. "I missed you too." He kissed first Eirene and then Theophania on the hair. "My darling princesses." He patted Theophania on the back. "Now, now, baba's still all dirty from travel, get your pretty face out of there." Theophania only shook her head, dug her hands deeper into his uniform and Sadık chuckled. He gently loosened his grip on Eirene to slip one hand each under Theophania's armpits and pick her up to set her on his knee. She immediately leaned her head against his shoulder and buried one hand his uniform again. Her eyes were closed, almost squeezed shut. One arm around each girl's waist, Sadık bobbed the leg Theophania sat on. "Hmm, what's the matter, Theo? What's wrong?" Theo didn't answer. "We missed you," Eirene reiterated and when Sadık looked at her, there was a bright and eager sparkle in her eyes, a whole radiance to her excited face. "You know, we also worried. And, and, you've been gone for so long and we have sooo much to show you. And, we learnt new things with our teachers! So, we started reading this new text and it's really, really old!" She beamed with pride at him. "Oh, wow! What clever girls I have," he said and ruffled through her hair. "What's the text?" "It's uh ... It's ... It's really old and Greek and ... one of those! One of those babás reads! He read with us! He said he's really proud of us and that he's gonna teach us, too!" "Mhm, speaking of that, where's your babás?" He shortly looked to Theophania. She had loosened her grip and half-opened her eyes. "He's in the library, at a council meeting with the officials," Eirene explained. "He said we could go and play as long as he's busy." "Ah, yes." He gently nudged Theophania off his thigh, who seemed real hesitant to use her own two legs to stand on. When she finally did, Sadık knelt and grabbed both of his daughters tight, to stand up with one on each arm. "How about we go into the gardens while we wait for babás to be done with the council, hm? How does that sound, Theo?" "Mhm," Theophania said. "I want to go into the gardens." Sadık kissed her on the cheek. "Good, then we'll do that." "Baba, your beard itches," Theophania mumbled. "Hey, well, I didn't want to waste time this morning getting dolled up when I was so close to getting back home to you," he said and she giggled.

Sitting by a basin in the gardens, Eirene was talking about a trip they had been taken on by Dilan, much to their teacher's displeasure. The story greatly amused Sadık however, who could picture the teacher's upset reaction and reasoning quite well upon his students being taken on an interdimensional trip to the great places he could only lecture about. Theophania watched the fish in the basin. "Timothea said that you would come back when I asked her, but I didn't believe her," Theophania suddenly said and he turned to his daughter. "Huh?" "I asked Timothea and Omar every day if you'd come back and ... and they said they couldn't see the future but ask the Jinns and then they said that everything is okay ... but I didn't believe them, because I was scared that you wouldn't come back." So that's what had been eating away at her. Sadık turned to her and picked her up to sit her on his thigh again. "Hey, Theo, no need to worry about that. Baba will always come back, no matter what. And if Thea and Omar tell you so, you have to believe them. They know stuff, you know?" He poked her nose, but she only looked at him with brows knitted in worry. "But I'm scared that you won't," she said. "Like, they said they can't see the future, so ... what if they don't know? I don't want you to ... I want that you come home." He stroked her hair and pressed her head against his chest. "Oh Theooo, you shouldn't worry about your baba. Fathers are there to worry about their kids, not the other way around. Were you worried sick the entire time I was gone?" "She was!" Eirene said at the same time that Theophania nodded, tears in her eyes. "Hey, don't cry, it's okay ... I'm here ... We're all here, your sister, your fathers, everything is alright, hm?" He kissed her on the hair and let her cry into his chest. It went on for a few minutes. Eirene's tries to cheer Theophania up weren't very successful, so that he told her to simply leave her sister be. "Why don't you go and take a little walk, a little look elsewhere?" Sadık asked Eirene, who kicked the air with a bored pout. "Go visit the new animal that you brought back from your trip. Me and Theo will join soon." "Okay!" Life had immediately returned to the girl and she jumped to her feet before she ran down one of the paths and disappeared behind the bushes. It didn't take long for her to return in company. "Oh, finally done talking, your Highness?" Sadık asked Herakles with a grin. "For now." Herakles carried Eirene on his arm. "Seems like you came straight from the camp." "Well, I've been ambushed as soon as I stepped into the palace, so I didn't have time to change yet." They chuckled together about that. "Mohammed just arrived and I was showing him around the gardens, since there's still time until the next council. He's still looking at the ... peculiar speciman that Dilan and the girls brought back." "Oh, wasn't that what we and Theo were gonna do?" Sadık looked at Theophania, whose tears had finally dried out. "What do you think of that, Theo? You want to tell Mohammed about the animal?" Theophania nodded. She even smiled at him and Sadık smiled back. "Alright." He kissed her on the cheek, which made her giggle and got up. "Baba! Your beard still itches!" "Shut up or I'll kiss you again!" He threatened, which only increased the giggling. "I'm not joking!" "You're still a clown," Herakles said as he slowly turned to go. "If I were you, big shot, I'd also shut up, or you're next," Sadık said and Herakles snorted while they ambled through the gardens, two giggling girls on their arms.