#Imagine trying to flirt with someone and becoming the catalyst for their Friends -> Lovers evolution

[puppy-the-mask]

Too Much and Not Enough; they’ve all known each other for about a year. Rant is working late and Mutt and Mimic are hanging out. They decide to go to a party- normal so far. (spoilers for the fanfic I haven’t written XD)

Disclaimer I have no fucking clue what real parties are like: so they end up in a circle of mutt’s acquaintances playing some kind of truth or dare or spin the bottle game. Mimic is in Mutt’s lap cause otherwise it Will be taken by someone else and it’s annoying trying to hang with your friend only to have someone all over them. Mutt finds this amusing and is just like ‘hell yeah cuddles’. Of course- inevitably someone tries to shoot their shot and dares Mutt to smooch the most attractive person in the circle for an entire minute… things to not go as that person had planned

Now Mutt’s already learned his lesson about randomly smooching Mimic at parties- he did it once and regretted it- so This Time he has a plan! He 1) asks permission 2) has her turn to face him and finally 3) Kisses Everywhere But The Lips up until the last second where they were hovering just over- and then the timer runs out and he snaps out of it and acts like the last one didn’t almost happen/it was all to fluster cause he Totally was keeping track of time.

By this point in time Mimic has caught feelings and whenever they feel them they immediately squash their crushes down back into friendlier feelings. The boys have seen this and have decided to let her come to them when she’s ready. After the minute is up Mimic is hiding in their hands and Mutt’s jacket- but he notices that for the first time Mimic hasn’t repressed her romantic feelings- and continues not to for the rest of the night.

They get back to the guys’ place, they figure mimic may as well spend the night since her apartment is in the other direction and she’s Mutt’s ride. They’re cuddled on the couch watching TV when finally it gets brought up. Mimic is unbelievably embarrassed that her friends had Seen Her Romantic Attraction For A Year and said nothing- she apologizes cause she figures that’s super weird but she really can’t help it, especially rn Cause no matter how hard she tried she just can’t stop Thinking About It and all the build up just hits them at once and in the heat of the moment they don’t care if this is just gonna be a one time thing they never talk about again or what their relationship will be like going forward- they just wanna go for it. Come morning the two decide to stop ignoring their feelings(coughMimiccough) and give this relationship thing a go. Rant gets home from his night shift and joins them for breakfast- and suddenly becomes Very Awake when they tell him. He will not sleep until he too gets a smooch, and is Very Happy when he does. He just about cries when Mimic calls him ‘My Love’. Mutt is ‘Darling’ but she uses any pet name, those are just the most common/the ones associated with them.

[snowflakesandsandsunflowers]

Unpopular Opinion:

Let’s talk about the Queen for a moment. 

I don’t think that Elsa will get a love interest in Frozen II. I don’t think that Disney will even hint at a relationship or at Elsa’s sexuality at ALL. Here’s why. 

First of all, Disney creates their stories from the inside out. They first discover what message they want to share and what story needs to be told. With Frozen, the story talks a lot about love, but with a CLEAR emphasis on the fact that TRUE love doesn’t always have to be romantic. They continued to tell the romantic story with Anna and Hans and Kristoff, but Elsa was used as a catalyst to send a separate message. And the message they sent was HUGE. “Only an act of true love can thaw a Frozen Heart.” Only an act of PURE love can thaw a Frozen heart. In this moment, the love of family, the desire to belong, and the acknowledgement and understanding that being different is beautiful is what TRUE love turned out to be. 

To me, it would seem counter intuitive for Disney to take Elsa on a separate arc after such a deliberate message was sent the first time around. Frozen was a shocking movie because Disney doesn’t often admit to audiences that the princesses can and should be fiercely independent. Suddenly, a princess can be strong enough to save herself and to save others as well. No romantic love involved at all. Suddenly, years and years of being alone caused real strength and motivation to shine through these characters. They understood that even after being alone, they CAN do hard things by themselves. That doesn’t make it better or even desirable, but it does tell us that we are STRONG because of what we have gone through. We don’t need anyone to carry us up a mountain. I am powerful just the way I am and I won’t be needing your help. 

As far as the give Elsa a girlfriend hashtag goes, to me, it would simply make more sense for Disney to start fresh with another animated franchise with a clear message from start to finish with representation in mind. The message of Frozen has already been established. I don’t think they will take the risk of changing what they already have in place here just because it’s what Frozen fans really want. In all honesty, because of the dialogue that Elsa’s character has started about the lesbian community, I wouldn’t be surprised if down the road, another film is released making those intentions fairly clear. Doing this will allow Disney story writers and animators to make sure that the story is a solid one without changing something that is already canon. 

Back to Elsa herself though, who’s to say she doesn’t want a companion? Who’s to say she doesn’t need someone to boost her up and keep her grounded? I think questions like these are totally valid and should definitely be considered, but at THIS point in her life, I can’t imagine she’d be completely focused on finding a permanent lover. It may follow her around as she’s doing paperwork and meeting with representatives and whatnot. I mean she has to consider that someone else will need to continue to rule Arendelle after she’s gone.. but luckily, she has her sister as that backup for now. Plus, Anna is already engaged in a relationship with Kristoff and I’m sure Elsa is aware that Anna is far quicker to jump into things like starting a family than she is herself. Elsa knows that passing the crown is something to think about, but isn’t a huge concern at the moment. 

We also can’t forget that the main reason the Queen can’t focus on relationships right now is because she is still recovering from years and years of isolation and mentally breaking herself down. Elsa only just barely understands what love is. Elsa only just barely understands how to love herself. She needs help. She is clearly a logical thinker and I think Elsa knows that right now, her focus needs to be on healing before she could possibly burden another person with everything she is going through. Elsa has the perfect support of her sister and Anna is really all she needs right now. Not to mention, she is trying to open up and discover who she really is WHILE ruling a kingdom. I can’t imagine the stress she must already be under. 

Not to mention, Elsa has become an icon and a symbol for her kingdom. She is their QUEEN. She is unique and talented. They look to her because they see strength in the way she carries herself, they see grace in the woman she is becoming after such a traumatic past, and they see dignity in her humble, honest, and tender nature as a ruler and as a friend. These are all things that she has done for herself and for her kingdom. She does it for no one else. She does it even when the days are long, exhausting, and hard. They see a FIERCELY independent Queen who can and should take care of herself. She does it better than anyone and you’d better believe she would never let anyone take that from her. 

She’s also an incredibly reserved individual. Sure, she’s learning to open up, loosen up, and lighten up, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is content to keep things to herself. She likes to make decisions alone in a quiet place. Whether this is because she learned to live without socializing or because this is just a part of who she is, it is truly where she thrives. She likes to be left alone and she also likes to be with loved ones. I imagine that after her past, the stress of trying to flirt or become someone she isn’t just for the sake of love would be overwhelming to her. Again, I just don’t think she is ready to take on something as emotionally challenging as courting someone. Am I saying it will never happen? Of course not. Just observing her as a character is making me realize however that she has some demons left to deal with and trying to do so while attempting to make others fall for her would be so so hard for ANYONE to do. Not just Elsa. 

In conclusion, I just don’t think that Frozen II is going to address her romantic desires or her sexuality at all. I really think that she has a lot of growing left to do as an individual before she can even think about what comes next. Dealing with her past to prepare for her future. Her status in the kingdom is super important to not only the people, but also to the story itself. She is a symbol of strength because of what she has accomplished all by herself. 

Naturally, as a HUGE Elsa fan, I WANT her to be at her happiest. If that comes from finding love, then YES SHE DESERVES IT. But she deserves it when she is ready for it. Until then, she deserves to know that she is perfect just the way she is, she is capable of doing difficult things, and that her independence is something that makes her incredibly unique and valuable. 

We know that Frozen II is going to be about solving an unknown mystery. We also know that the parents play a large role in the story. This movie is GOING to deal with Elsa’s tortured and traumatic past. She is going to have to face those demons and it’s going to be hard. “I don’t think Elsa’s okay..” - Olaf 

I don’t see how, even if an opportunity  was presented to her in this film, Elsa would in any way pursue a flirty relationship of any kind. She has quite the weight on her shoulders. I mean, think about it. Her parents DIED. The only people she was allowed to communicate with were GONE. And now she is off to find out what really happened? Talk about torture. Talk about suffering. Don’t talk about relationships. Because I don’t think Elsa’s heart can take any more before it shatters and can no longer be fixed. And as an audience, I don’t think we could take that either.. 

I am thrilled to see Elsa’s fierce independence shine through as she faces this new unknown. She is single, she is strong, and she’s gonna kick some serious butt in Frozen II. End of story. 

[brugioshi]

jumbled thoughts on why I’m drawn to the character of Draco Malfoy

Within-universe he was the bully, sure, but from the readers’ perspective (ie the universe I live in) he was the hated one. That’s the position I felt I had in the world reading the books as a kid.

And if we’re being real, maybe he wouldn’t have been so wretched if there were small changes in the ways others treated him. For all I know, I’ve come off as a jerk to people who snubbed me.

Both survivors of trauma

The supreme conflict of emotion that results when one’s family has been a major source of both cruelty and love

Carrying physical scars that many might say we can’t be faulted for, but which we were nonetheless complicit in receiving

No doubt the most fleshed-out character in Slytherin. When Pottermore came around and Rowling elucidated what each house truly stood for, there was no better icon for us cunning folks.

The protagonist’s most… intense feelings towards someone of the same sex were towards Draco. Maybe that’s why, as a young bi kid, I felt something about them.

When more books came out, and he did have non-friend non-family feelings, his relationships felt so dispassionate to me. Kisses and crushes were exactly the kind of thing I’d been hoping for as I grew up with Harry, but the depictions never resonated with me. Maybe it’s just that books marketed towards kids are going to keep it bland in the crush department, and not gloss over schoolmate rivalries. It’s not like I read anything else as a preteen/young teen that I related to on a romantic level.

By that I mean there were no books that spoke to me in that way; my first experiences with fanfiction revolved around Harry/Draco slash. It was all very tame stuff, rolling around kissing on Quidditch fields, but I guess those formative experiences stick with you. In my case there was a very direct connection between growing up and (what was later called) drarry. “H/D slash” was the first thing I really bonded over with the girl who would soon become my first significant other.

It isn’t just those who make “the wrong choices” who end up “exceptionally lonely,” who will “never escape the past.” So much of Draco is identifiable in me as a trauma victim.

Now that I’m a Certified Grown-up and read Certified Grown-up Fanfic, drarry stuff is at once an escape and a challenge. “Escape” might not be the right word here, since reading fluffy feel-good stuff has been a big catalyst for me trusting people again and not withdrawing socially as much anymore. My point is, both a.) dealing with trauma and b.) ensuring consent has been freely given (even moreso than one normally would, bc y’know, ~enemies to lovers~) are big themes. I’m not feeling up to mentioning specifics, but you can imagine this presents opportunities for me to see myself on the page sans too-close-for-comfort stuff I’d come across in stories set in our world.

Tom Felton is a wonderfully expressionate actor. Draco’s not a character I ever anticipated myself trying to emulate, but I think of him all the time now. Shit goes down, sometimes I cry, but I can’t put my life on hold while I wait for the puffiness to go down. Sometimes I have to head out still red-eyed and sniffling a little. My only rule is that I hold my chin level.

Pretentiousness as self-preservation

Mean flirt

If your hair’s just the way you like it, life’s a little bit better

We probably accomplish a little more when we’re acting entitled (Quidditch, Potions) than when we’re not (uhh)

Probably other reasons— I was genuinely wondering, so I sat down to write this preliminary analysis. I just started rereading the series from the beginning; I hope to discover more connections that I long ago lost the ability to explain. For now, it’s reminded me of a piece of Dumbledorian advice. Maybe it will inspire hope in me and the other little Dracos out there: “Scars can come in handy.”