#ravindew child! reader

[felixravinstills]

i have asserted that i am the felix/livia failmarriage anon.

but here's a thought i'd love to hear your thoughts on - what if they had a healthy marriage, happy household where their children grew up without ever seeing their parents yell at each other?

felix/livia failmarriage <3 but what if it wasn't a fail? (aka the nicer version of this)

honestly, I think it would work (considering that I do imagine if Coriolanus married Livia that she did somehow get charmed by him. I imagine that she could find herself getting over the childhood dislike? that I gave her and Felix), but it would be a slow burn.

For the slow burn to work, it would rely on Livia not falling for Coriolanus in the intervening time, Felix not dying, and no drama to start up that would get both of them to sour on each other.

Assuming the conditions are met, they aren't forced into a marriage, and they're feelings grow organically, Ravindew child probably grows up relatively fine. They're probably a bit spoiled, and I do think that there will always be some growing pains when they reach a certain age. Livia will have some expectation that the child doesn't meet, and Felix will not and it will seem like he's more distant. But it'll be so much less than in the failmarriage universe, and we all struggle with our parents on occasion (or at least, I imagine most people do).

It's not insurmountable, and I imagine Ravindew child and their parents love each other a lot but get into the occasional argument.

(More under the cut but it's less happy):

Being married to a Cardew does put him higher on the list of targets (for Snow but other politicians looking to seize power from the Ravinstills are included). Honestly, I can see Livia pushing and supporting him to try more in politics and maybe even try and replace his cousin (in my worldbuilding) as Ravinstill heir apparent.

Then, of course, because I always kill Felix. Felix dies. (If he doesn't die, then he's even more miserable somehow and/or following my other trend, he raises a future dictator of Panem...)

Livia's beside herself with grief (if she survives whatever assassination took her husband. It's 50/50 , but she'd potentially have her uses (to Snow? another politician?) so I imagine she doesn't die)

Ravindew child's down one parent (although they might have siblings in this universe but to keep it simple, I'll refer to only one child). Livia probably has a grief spiral but imagine she crawls out of it

Livia Cardew on the warpath for a lost love is probably a very terrifying thing. She's out for blood. I imagine her relationship with Ravindew child gets very strained at points, because Livia is very much focused on the past and revenge.

Ravindew child might start getting raised to avenge their father or get really coddled by a very overprotective Livia. Honestly, probably both in my mind.

They're a loving family but through this, I think this also seeds resentment. The coddling seems counterproductive to the first point which frustrates them both and neither communicate about it well (probably). In the end, it's memories of the better days holding them over from having frustrations erode away at the love mother and child still have for each other.

Bonus: I think it would be funny (and by funny, I mean cool and tragic) if Livia did get together with Coriolanus in this AU not knowing he killed Felix, and their child finds out and kills Coriolanus fulfilling their goal of avenge their father that their mother impressed upon them since the death of said-father only for this to actually make their relationship with their mother worse. Livia can't help the resentment of "I was finally happy again, only for it to all fall apart again." Yes, her anger should be directed at Coriolanus in this situation (for killing Felix and lying to her), but he's not here anymore... you know who is? Ravindew child. And through it all that's still her kid, she still loves them. But it's hard. and it's gotten so much harder.

...

Thanks felix/livia failmarriage anon! <3 I feel like I'm normally bad at expanding on stuff (that isn't in a fic and hidden in subtext), so let me know if you have any other questions!