This is really not a dig on anyone especially when I'm currently writing a spy au which is about people being capable of fighting. But it made me think about the concept of badass characters a lot of people have and the need for them to be able to fight when

a lot of the time badass characters to me is them fighting against what others have made them. A character known for violence who choses kindness and not to fight is something more dear to my heart than anything else. Characters like Renee who absolutely know how to fight

but choses to be better for herself and works to be able to forgive herself for things she doesn't want to see herself do anymore is a badass character. Characters like Neil as well, who grew up around violence and hatred who choses to distance himself from it.

Who we see canonically only ever really fight against Aaron or on court, any other time he's either an instigator, runs from a fight or gets punched. So this concept of not making him too soft means he has to be able to fight is kinda funny

to me in the sense that we do see him fight only he uses his words instead, which to him is such a big deal as it calls attention to himself and already is him being brave when he's always been a person trying to hide. So I don't see the need for Neil being able to

win a fight as him being badass.
And again, I do also really enjoy fics with protective Neil that fights for Andrew or Kevin or any of the other characters. But I don't see that as the only way to write him , or the need to make fics where he falls back on

his father's lessons because that makes me sad sometimes and doesn't feel like a win moment for him as someone trying to become better by his own standard.
This is not to say you cannot make him able to fight and not having it be totally fucking dope, just

that fighting doesn't have to equal being badass, choosing to walk away from it as well is a cool thing. It also doesn't mean that I don't see characters who do chose violence to protect themselves and others as not good either.