What if scouts self esteem issues weren't caused by not having a dad but because his mother was neglectful af and he had to reaally work to get her attention until he "deserves" it but most of the time he felt like an empty space because ma is always busy with whatever she was doing outside of home having 8 children from different dads but anyways. Brothers fostered him and their mom was more like a visiting boss.
Scout must be very scared of not being noticed or being seen as unworthy of being with him because of that. Hence the overcompensation. Ma failed to admit his existence on a level that satisfies.
Human sammymax posting (+kiddos) :3
what’s the point anymore?
you're allowed to give up any time you like, but if you do you have to acknowledge to yourself that everyone else has continued to keep going, and wonder to yourself why.
either everyone else is wrong about the state of things and their continued efforts are fools errands, OR it's just you who might need to spend some time readjusting your world view. ask yourself, are things actually over for you, or is the world as you know it just changing in a way that makes it feel like it's over because what qualifies as "the norm" has been forced to reshape itself? it can certainly be exhausting to try and keep up, so i wouldnt blame you for not knowing the difference right away.
perhaps the reason you feel like the apocalypse is happening only now is because it's been brought to your door for the first time in your life. you're not wrong to be scared, nor are you wrong to be tired. but you are wrong in thinking there's no point in trying, like in the grand scheme of history it's never been more over than it is in this moment. that's a very self-centered perspective to have.
there's no "correct" way to live life, which might be your main thing to learn. we've been led to believe that there is, because in mankind's addiction to efficiency we've created a self-perpetuating myth of "a life well lived"; something that is impossible to quantify, and impossible to replicate flawlessly. it mostly looked like going through school, getting a trade skill, going into the work force, making or perpetuating your family, and retiring on your own property. and now, because the channels that were once available to most people to access those things have become a luxury that disappearingly few are able to actually utilize, it feels like there's no way to live life "correctly" anymore at all. it feels like everything we try to do takes the form of a hollow echo of the idea we were led to believe was our future.
but i can assure you of this:
as long as you have food in your belly
as long as you have something that makes you laugh when you can
as long as you have something that helps you cry when you need to
as long as you feel okay asking for help with those things
there is something to wake up for, and something to keep trying for. it doesnt matter if it feels fake to you. it only matters if it works for you, because that's the only person you really need to live for.
i phrase this all in a very matter-of-fact way, because i do not know you and i cannot know your situation, nor can i feign like i have a great emotional need to help you. all the same, i hope that you won't take it as a cold or apathetic answer. it's important that you know i typed it all out because i hope that it will encourage you to stay with us.
stop drawing old dad and his crazy daughter and get to work.