#aah I have So Many Essays to write on this chapter

[pilferingapples]

To me this line:

“Give to a being the useless, and deprive him of the needful, and you have the gamin”

strongly evokes an anecdote from Gautier, talking about the big housewarming party he held with his Rue Doyenne friends; faced with the fact that they absolutely could not afford to feed and provision and decorate a party properly , and could not even really afford to feed and provision themselves properly that month, Nerval replied (and I am paraphrasing /translating here of course) " That is why we must do it ! If we can't have the necessary, we must have the superfluous; otherwise we should have nothing, and that is too little even for poets." So to me it feels like a comment about the necessity of play and beauty especially in dire straits-- a link not just to Myriel's garden, but to Fantine's joy in fixing her hair, and Cosette's desperately stolen moments with Eponine's doll, and the prisoners who sing in the dungeons, and the jokes on the barricade. These " useless" things give peace to Fantine, joy to the gamins, catharsis and comfort to the prisoners and the fighters-- they aren't useless, they're the desperate last necessity that holds off utter despair and dehumanization. It doesn't mean the existence of the gamin isn't a tragedy--it definitely is, explicitly, and a reproach against the entire society that allows it-- but it means that even despised and rejected as they are, they're still kids, and they get to be kids, in their little own little corners of the world. Take away this " useless" joy, and the gamins don't gain the "necessary" --but also they can't be gamins anymore. They become something even more painful-- Cosette in the woods, instead of Gavroche in the elephant.

(and of course it's the theater, because the gamin is essentially a Romantic, but I think I need to make a new post on that for length XD)

It's part of what is, I *think*, an argument against strict utilitarianism (a big deal given some of the socialist discourse of the day, which..whoo, I'm still recovering from some of that) and also, maybe more (frustratingly) still relevant , against the Victurnien-ish idea that art and beauty and fun are Extras that have to be Earned by material success; the "if you're so unhappy, why were you SMILING, huh " attitude. Children have a right to the flowers, in this book where the question of social rights is central; and even the misérables have the right to beauty. It's as useful as the useful, maybe even more so.

I could be very wrong about this! but in dialogue with other Romantic and socialist writings, this is how it seems to me?

(also yes let's watch Children of the Paradise soon!:D)

Brickclub 3.1.3 ‘He is agreeable’

I love the writing here. Analysis-wise, I’m having trouble placing what it’s doing.

“Give to a being the useless, and deprive him of the needful, and you have the gamin”

feels like one of the keys to it. It’s a reminder that for all the enthusiasm we’re showing for these children, this is a tragedy that shouldn’t be happening.

At the same time, it very strongly echoes Myriel:

Madame Magloire had once remarked, with a sort of gentle malice: “Monseigneur, you who turn everything to account, have, nevertheless, one useless plot. It would be better to grow salads there than bouquets.” “Madame Magloire,” retorted the Bishop, “you are mistaken. The beautiful is as useful as the useful.” He added after a pause, “More so, perhaps.”

Which I suppose is bound up in Hugo’s positivity about the soul and spirit of these children, amid the tragedy

I’m still conflicted here; I’m worried we’re downplaying how bad this is, and I’m worried Hugo has gone off one of his “poverty is ennobling” jags. At the same time, I appreciate that he’s appreciating the joy and personality that these children bring as something beyond mere tragic figures.

This part:

Theatres are a sort of vessel turned upside down with the hold at the top; in this hold the titi gather in crowds. The titi is to the gamin what the butterfly is to the grub; the same creature on wings and sailing through the air. It is enough for him to be there with his radiance of delight, his fulness of enthusiasm and joy, and his clapping of hands like the clapping of wings, to make that hold, close, dark, fœtid, filthy, unwholesome, hideous, and detestable, as it is, a very Paradise.”

reminds me I REALLY need to show people Children of Paradise some time; this might as well be the thesis of it. And it’s the same usage of “paradise” of course���slang for the highest and cheapest seats in the theater.

[deus-ex-mona]

If I Went on a Trip with You: Chapter 3

press ‘f’ for the aiyuu aquarium date from the romeo novel. it apparently doesn’t happen in this canon—

also, many liberties were taken with this chapter lmfaooo

Previous part (Chapter 2)

Next part (Chapter 4)

Aizo: First stop, the aquarium… It looks to be a short train ride away, so let’s head for the station.

Aizo: But before that, it’s almost noon, so let’s get something to eat. There’s a place that serves lunch with vegetables—.

Yujiro: I’ll pass. I hate bell peppers.

Aizo: Huh?! I chose it because the presentation of the food’s beautiful, so I thought that it’d look good in our photos!

Yujiro: So what if it looks beautiful? Isn’t it a waste to order something that you can’t eat? Don’t you think it’d be rude to leave leftovers?

Aizo: You should just eat it, then!

Yujiro: You don’t even know what your unit partner likes or dislikes. A guy like you doesn’t have the right to boss me around.

Aizo: Haah… forget it. I’m tired of talking about unnecessary things like that.

Yujiro: That’s my line. I’d rather return to the inn to take a nap…

Aizo: Napping again, oh you… There’s no way we can waste our time like that.

Aizo: We have to find something to write our essays on, and we have to take pictures too, you know?

Yujiro: We can just come up with good topics for our essay to keep up with appearances, right?

Aizo: Don’t act selfishly. Maintain the cleanliness of the room at the inn. Don’t be picky about food…

Aizo: Follow what I’ve written on my list, okay?

Yujiro: I didn’t ask you to write one, though.

Yujiro: Besides, Aizo, you’re not on this trip by yourself, right? You should discuss it more with the other person you’re here with…—

Yujiro: (Wait, what am I saying? This makes it sound like I was looking forward to the trip.)

Aizo: …Ah? What did you say? I missed it while I was looking at the map.

Yujiro: …It’s nothing. We’re going to the aquarium, right? Come on, let’s hurry.

Aizo: Whoa…! This aquarium’s pretty huge, huh?

Aizo: There’s still time before the dolphin show, so… let’s look around for a bit.

Aizo: It looks like the seals are over that way. I think we’ll be able to see the sharks too.

Yujiro: I got it, I got it. You want to see the seals and the sharks, don’t you?

Yujiro: Don’t worry, it’s not like they’re going anywhere.

Aizo: Ugh… Stop talking to me as though I’m a kid!

Yujiro: Are there any other creatures that you’d like to see? Like fish that are a better representation of the aquarium, for instance.

Yujiro: Ah, what’s in that tank over there?

Aizo: O-oi! Don’t go off by yourself.

Yujiro: (This is the first time I’ve been to an aquarium, but… it’s beautiful and romantic, and an unexpectedly nice place.)

Yujiro: (It’s all sparkly, and… it feels like I’m under the sea.)

Yujiro: Ah, it looks like we can take photos in this area. Shall we take some?

Aizo: Eh?

Yujiro: What’s with that blank look? Did you forget that we came all this way for our photobook?

Aizo: A-aah. I knew that!

Yujiro: (He definitely forgot about it.)

Aizo: We should take one together first. Stop pouting, it’s for the photobook.

Yujiro: I know, I know. Hurry up.

Aizo: Yeah, yeah. Here I go.

Aizo: …Yup, I got a good pic! You really do look good, you know?

Aizo: It’d be better if you looked like you were having a little more fun, though… Wait, what’re you looking at?

Yujiro: That giant salamander reminds me of Suzumi. Look at how it’s wandering around restlessly.

Aizo: You’re right…! Its face is also kinda similar to hers.

Aizo: That small and speedy fish in that tank over there is also kinda like Suzumi, right?

Aizo: Like the way it’s restlessly going this way and that…

Yujiro: Pfft… The fact that it seems unreliable is also kind of similar to her.

Aizo: Haha, you don’t say! Let’s see if we can find some souvenirs of it for Suzumi later.

Yujiro: Yeah, souvenirs…—

Yujiro: (...Huh? Did I just smile normally?)

Yujiro: (Even though Aizo and I are only here at this aquarium for work…?)

[magesup]

hey hey hey again- i’m the nervous anon from a while ago that thanked you for your bokuaka stargazing post ahfhsjf. i’m kind of interested in reading chainsaw man soon because of your art (which is amazinggg btw), and i wanted to ask what makes it so good? (once again, thank you for your art-)

AAH I REMEMBER!!! welcome back stargazing anon ^^ im so happy youre interested in chainsaw man too, thank you OTL!!! but first i have to preface that chainsaw man definitely isnt a series for everyone, its super raw but i promise that if you read all the way to the end it is a wonderfully written story ;v;

usually the main reason why i like series is because of the characters, and the cast in csm is absolutely AMAZING!!! but in chainsaw mans case the plot and tiny details played more of a factor as to why i love it so much ;v;

the plot is....chaotic 0_o but for how chaotic it is still somewhat structured, like the flow of events transitions smoothly. i can definitely say this for sure: youve never read a manga like chainsaw man before. it just goes...SO off the rails. for lack of a better term, it is a mindfuck to read. i was absolutely brainfried at the end. i dont know about you but i really love series that mess with my head?? haha if you like dark series like that then i think youll like csm TvT theres a lot of violence and blood in it, and also a element of horror. its not like jumpscare horror, its like tension horror. like you dread to read the next panel and turn the page. haha i hope im not scaring you from reading it ;;o;; (i did that to my friend and now she refuses to read it now 😔)

and theres so many deep themes explored in it! like manipulation, sex, and purpose. its almost like a movie! some chapters theres barely any dialogue, just still panels. i think its really beautiful, im not a big fan of those classic shonen monologues in the first place, a single expression can hold so many words after all. 

theres so many tiny details and foreshadowing in it, which is why its so fun to reread TOT and also the development of motifs!! the mangaka, fujimoto, thought out the entire story beginning to end (hes also a huge movie fan) and he puts in a bunch of symbols and motifs and its so fun to see them pop up and discover their meaning TOT haha i love analyzing literature, so i super super love fujimotos writing style. and the way he plays with panels! he truly uses the medium of manga to his full advantage, its so creative youll notice if you read OTL

lastly the characters. i love...every single character. no joke. theres such a wide cast of characters, and all of them are bastards. haha theres not a single vanilla character in sight, which i really really like cause i get tired of “pure, do no wrong” characters sometimes, its nice to see characters that are good, yet do bad things sometimes :,) theyre flawed, which actually makes them more realistic. and the development????? dont even get me started 🤚 the character arcs in chainsaw man are just *chefs kiss* SO beautifully executed. especially the main character, denji, he goes through SO MUCH development in the last part of the manga. its really beautiful to see :,) lmao you might hate him or find him annoying in the beginning, i promise you he gets better OTL

alright last thing, the girls TTOTT!!! its so rare to see a shonen series where every single female character kicks ass, and are actually stronger than most of the guys??? if there was a power ranking in csm, they would hog the top spots. chainsaw man is truly just i believe in women supremacy. they are ALWAYS dominating over the men, its so cathartic and nice to see TOT!!! not to mention they are all hot and strong??? AND!!! THERES A LESBIAN!!! SHE HAS FOUR GIRLFRIENDS!!! her name is quanxi :,))) here is she

ok quanxi was my last selling point, i just love her so much. anyways hahaha i hope this essay of an ask helps ;v;

[purity-town]

Little late getting to these -- that's fully the fault of a class project I spent all of Monday/Tuesday and most of Wednesday working on -- but I finished my project and wrote up some long replies to these!

(Apologies for any funny formatting -- I'm trying out the beta for the new post editor!)

Absolutely not.

Nope! There are a few people who do know (other guides Andrew's met before, the Dryad, and I'd imagine the Witch Doctor knows something's up even if he doesn't know why), but none of them live in Purity Town proper, and the Dryad and Witch Doctor aren't the kind to participate in rumors or spread what isn't theirs to share. The old man is also aware just because he and Andrew have talked about their curses, but he's 1) not currently in town and 2) not going to share even if he were.

Most folks don't know much about Andrew in general; Becca probably knows the most out of the townsfolk, knowing a little bit about his family and where he's from (he has some pretty specific skills as a hunter that betray this, but he doesn't talk about his exact town of birth), but no specifics and certainly not time periods.

Andrew is good at keeping things quiet; he has to be.

I would actually appreciate if you didn't post to Pinterest -- usually I'm fine with people reposting with credit (several of the things I've posted to my DeviantArt have found their way to Instagram, for example) but Pinterest has something of a reputation for stolen art (things being reposted from another Pinterest post without credit this time, or credit being hard to view for users not logged in or just viewing through Google). So reposting elsewhere is fine (though if you repost to Reddit or Instagram, tag me at u/Ariibees or @Ariibees)! I'd just prefer my works stay off of Pinterest.

The terminology related to The Guide/Andrew/The Guardian/The World’s Core/The WoF is all confusing because on some level, they’re all the same being. Kind of like trying to talk about Jekyll and Hyde -- same guy, different looks/actions, haha.

For all intents and purposes, references to the WoF being the barrier/core/whatever behind or within which the spirits of light and dark are contained is equivalent to saying “these spirits are held trapped by the magic of the Guardian, who when summoned appears as the WoF.” I do break slightly from the official lore in how the WoF/Guardian/thing holding back these spirits works (mostly because I don’t really like the idea that the Hallow is a “temporary guardian” or whatever), but the basic concept of “these are trapped by [thing that makes up the WoF]” remains unchanged.

If “loony cultist” is a reference to something, I’m so sorry, but I’m lost on it. If you’re just talking about the lunatic cultist in a funny way, then yes, they’re in here as a very plot-significant character!

I had to google what meme you were talking about, but it did make me laugh.

Andrew’s most annoyed by the nickname because people do like to call him Guide, and for someone who’s dedicated his whole life to his role, it can get tiring. He doesn’t really *mind* being called Guide -- it’s fine, that’s what he is and as long as people are respectful of his job he’ll take what he can get -- but at the same time, he’d like for people to stop thinking “Aah! Monster!” or “Weird academic know-it-all” and just...treat him like a normal person sometimes. So he fights to be called Andrew. And...Malik comes along and gives him a nickname that he doesn’t like and doesn’t allow others to use, save for maybe a small group of people of which Malik is not a part. So, not cool, man!

People love to overcomplicate explaining shading/lighting, and if you wanted to you could certainly go on and on about reflections of light off the ground and shading colors and all sorts of things, but as I’m writing this at 1 AM I don’t really care to.

If you really want to get into shading, I see nice ones on DeviantArt or Tumblr from time to time, or you can always watch a YouTube video on it. Really, though, just keep at it, think about how the shadows should look and work, and you'll get better at it eventually and pick up new ideas on how it all works. (And this is coming from someone who is new to making comics and actually started as a painter.)

Purity Town’s shading comes down to this: simplicity. As much as I’d love to spend hours and hours redrawing the panels I don’t like and carefully shading every fold of fabric and painting detailed backgrounds, I’m a full-time college student and will be working full-time over the summer -- I don’t have the time. So, I cut corners: I reuse backgrounds or use brushes (see: bricks, trees, clouds) that make certain details easier, and I try not to obsess too much over panels I’m not fully happy with. Shadows go where they feel right, and light on the opposite side.

For shading, this comes down to making things quick and easy. For these last few pages, character shading/lighting has only been five layers. One hard light layer for the bluer soft shadows, one overlay layer for darker soft shadows, one linear burn layer for hard shadows, one soft light layer for soft lighting, and one overlay layer for hard lighting. I’ll often also make use of glow dodge layers for lighting, or change the color balance or add more hard/soft light layers if there’s a very heavy color filter on the scene (such as a celestial event, blood moon, or outdoors at night).

Using all the different layer types is essentially a cheat code to fancier lighting -- don’t want to use flat black? Boom, hard light or overlay or burn will give you colored shadows. Want to make your light brighter? Glow dodge will make it burn your retinas.

Sorry that this isn’t a very comprehensive guide, but in my mind, shading and lighting is really something that you pick up over time and it’s hard to sit down and write a guide for it without making it into a massive essay on art theory that I don't even know proper terminology for because I'm not an art student. Of course with some googling you’ll find *proper* guides for this sort of thing from art majors and the likes, and those can be super helpful and technical! But for Purity Town, I just sort of go with what feels right and what's easy to replicate.

Firstly, I’m happy to hear you’re liking the comic!

Secondly, those buttons are actually there due to the theme! (For those on mobile who can’t see it, I have the theme set to only display on desktop as I prefer the current mobile layout on phone.) I’m using the simple webcomic theme (a quick Google should tell you how to install it for yourself) -- except I’m not actually using it for the webcomic features; rather, it’s a case of “this is the most simple, nice-looking non-default theme I could find.”

The previous/next buttons are added by the theme with the intent that the blog is being used as a typical webcomic website, with nothing but comic pages being posted. However, I post asks and other art here too, and I do so with the intent that people looking at #Terraria or their dashboards in general will see it. So...I use html formatting to make the first/previous/next/last links, along with an index and chapter-by-chapter viewing (using /tagged/chapter##/chrono) so that no matter where you’re coming from, you can still navigate just the pages!

If you want to add just the previous/next buttons, I can’t really help you -- web development is not my area of study in the slightest. But you can check out the theme that they come from and if you want to install only them, you can surely find a tutorial on it somewhere!

(As a side note, the comments section is not from the theme, it’s from a site called Disqus. I don’t expect many people, if anyone, to leave comments, but since I link back to this site a lot and many folks don’t have Tumblr accounts, it’s an option I like to make available.)

Hiya! My hike was pretty nice; it was a short and easy one, but that was quite appreciated as the trail is unmaintained from November to April, and the trail was covered in fallen trees and quite rocky. Still had fun, though!

And for backgrounds, it depends! For indoors scenes (or outdoors scenes with buildings) I don’t tend to use references, outside of looking up things like “which side of a door is the handle on.” I will, however, integrate real-life textures (see: the quilt and rug in Guide’s house, the wood walls on the building in the background of this week’s page), and paint over paintings from the Terraria wiki.

For outdoors scenes, for simple backgrounds (such as foliage-heavy) ones, I typically don’t need references. I like the difference between detailed, lined indoor/man-made object scenes vs. painted, messy outdoor scenes. But for things like mountains, I do sometimes look up references to help with color choices and the likes.

The town’s layout is a bit strange in that depending on the scene, the background could be drastically different. One side of town faces more mountainside, one side faces the orchards/open hillside, and the other two sides face various degrees of open space and more mountainside/forest. References taken on top of mountains are helpful to get an idea of what degree of foliage I should include between the characters and the sky.

Though this is very specific to the town of Purity -- other towns/villages will have significantly different-looking backgrounds, even the foliage-heavy ones.

That said, what's even more helpful than looking at photos is looking at paintings. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron is really good for getting an idea of how to draw grasslands and distant mountains, plus Studio Ghibli movies in general!

[tsukidrama]

hiii!!

ooh avoiding the spoilers is a huge mood. and aot is easily one of the worst fandom for this, i got spoiled like half of the story when i started watching it, it was so irritating.

i watched some episodes of what we do in the shadows (4 or 5 i think) and you're right it’s so great so far!! the new characters are as good as the previous ones, and the episode with the werewolves was really funny lmao, also laszlo’s topiaries omg. guillermo has to be my favourite so far. do you have a favourite in the show? and thank you for the heads up!!

hey friend!

thank you for your understanding and the nice message the other day! i'm still in a funk unfortunately but an effort is being made.

GIRL I BET... that's one of the reasons i'm really glad to have started up with attack on titan years ago. it was horribly painful to wait through every hiatus but at least i never got spoiled. it's so complicated, there are so many layers to the spoilers for that series.

god the werewolves are so funny. my favorite overall episodes from season 1 are episodes 6 and 9 "The Baron's Night Out," and "The Orgy." but every episode has at least a couple of lines that make me laugh out loud. picking a favorite character is hard because i love them all for different reasons! but if i had to pick a favorite:

Nandor! he's this notorious war lord but 99% of the time he walks around with 3 brain cells in his head that Guillermo has custody of. plus the two of them are so cute (for the most part lmao) and i love how Nandor had 37 wives but still can't talk to a woman to save his life. he has a lot of existential crises too and i relate!

i’m definitely watching the movie over the weekend! aah i’m glad then 🥰. english teachers are the backbones of our society but WOW she must have loved you at this moment omg and her keeping the essay must have been so gratifying!! this is all making me even more excited to watch the movie, especially if there are parallels. i’ll keep you updated!!

aah i hope you enjoy! whenever or if you ever get the chance i'd love to hear what you think about it! it's not much of a happy story but it's the kind that sticks in your head forever.

you're right about English teachers though! i've always had good ones, but the teacher i had my last 2 years of high school really stepped up for me. that lady is genuinely a saint. i used to skip other classes just to talk to her, and the summer before my final year i went on a trip to Europe with her that she sponsored.

thank you for the details!! 3 and 4 are going to be interesting but girl i can’t wait for 5, this is going to hurt and we're all here for it (and 6 too because i want annie to go better while the rest is for your writing). kittens!! i can’t believe annie is going to be a mom (or grandma?). super-spy annie is also something to look forward to, and i know i’m going to love pieck already. only good things planned!!

in case anybody besides me forgot what i had said: "3) Paradis peace ambassador trip 4) Papa having a lady friend (or does he?) 5) rock bottom mental health and a very bad night terror, then finally the long awaited 6) Annie goes to therapy!"

omg do you love pain?? you're either going to love me or hate me once shit gets real. i mean, there's going to be a fair amount of comfort written in as well. i'm trying to build up the suspense in these next couple of chapters so that it doesn't feel like a gut punch.

i think Annie is the kittens mom too! she'll definitely insist on keeping all of them. there's enough space on the farm and she couldn't bear to split up the family. the super-spy arc is going to be a little farther down the line but i'm super excited to write it!!

Pieck actually will show up in chapter 6! briefly, but still significant.

aksdjld yes!! if you ever post the playlist i’m totally here for it 👀, and i totally get it if you don’t want to post it because of the 🤢 shippers so if you don’t what’s the style of music in the playlist? have a nice day! - j

heh, honestly i probably will post it. i got another anon asking about it, so i just need to come up with a better name than anti-****** or else i'll probably get death threats. it's basically songs about women who are in unhappy boring relationships, or singing about wanting to date girls/break up with their boyfriends. OF COURSE.

AND THIS CLIP TOO sorry about the weird editing on top but it was the only clip i could find that had the whole monologue and the lines afterward lkasjfhlCSJNDV iconic and wildly enough fits so well

[bush-viper-cutie]

“The Worst Game” || YEAR 3 – Ch.17 (HP au)

                              Chapter List

<-- Last Chapter                          Next Chapter -->

Day posted: 9/4/2020

Word count: 3, 186

Relationship: EVENTUAL severus X oc (slow burn)

Rating: E for everyone

Warnings: none

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A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.

This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D

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~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

The clouds outside were dark and ominous above their heads. The sky was covered and not a ray of sunshine or smudge of blue sky shone through the large dense storm clouds. The wind howled in their ears and threw cold rain on their face as they walked up the grassy lawn back into the Castle. They had barely been able to hear Hagrid during their class and that really told them just how bad this storm was. The wind had turned his loud booming voice into a quiet squeak, no louder than a kitten’s purr.

Draco and his pack of Slytherins ran past with smug looks. Draco clutched his re-slung arm and snickered. “Ooh! Aah! It really hurts.”

“I can’t believe them,” Ron crossed his arms. “He had taken that stupid thing off MONDAY, and two days later he needs it again because ‘the weather’?”

Heather had been feeling quite guilty about her plan. It had saved her and gotten her back on her team, but it had screwed the Gryffindor’s practice up big time.

Harry groaned. “Don’t remind me!”

Harry had gotten very upset the day Draco had put her plan into action. He’d done it during potions, where he knew he could get away with it. They’re potions were boiling deep in their cauldrons and class was almost over when he’d clutched his arm in pain and fell to the ground, howling about feeling the storm clouds in his bones. Professor Snape sent him to Madam Pomfrey’s and by dinner time the Gryffindor captain was told that the match had been rescheduled to Saturday morning and it was now against Hufflepuffs.

Hermione put a reassuring hand on his arm, “You’ll be fine.”

They walked into the castle and Heather took Harry’s wrist, looking at his watch. “We’ll be late!”

“So what? It’s Lupin,” Ron smiled, “He might even give us points for it.”

Heather shook her head and elbowed Hermione who nodded and they both began running in the direction of the Defense classroom. The bolted up the stairs and just as they reached the door the bells rang throughout the school.

Heather pulled the door open and held it for Hermione. She walked in and gasped. Heather poked her head around the corner and saw Professor Snape sitting at the desk with his arms crossed and staring at them with narrowed eyes.

“Take your seats before I start removing points.”

They ran to their seats near the front and quickly took out their books. Heather had forgotten Professor Snape was supposed to teach Defense today! She turned to the door as Professor Snape began the lecture.

The seconds were dragging on and even Hermione was looking worried now. Harry and Ron were really taking their time.

Finally the classroom door opened and Harry walked in with Ron laughing behind him.

“Sorry we’re late, Professor Lupin. We – ” Harry came to a halt as he spotted Professor Snape at the front of the class.

“Are your ears working, Potter? Did you not hear the bells ring ten minutes ago?” Professor Snape pulled his robes around himself as he crossed his arms and smiled. “Shall we make it ten points from Gryffindor then? Take your seat.”

Ron sat in the nearest chair but Harry didn’t move, instead looked around at everyone and at Heather, who shook her head, begging him not to speak. She jerked her head to his seat but he didn’t budge.

“Where’s Professor Lupin?” Harry frowned.

Professor Snape’s smile twisted. “He’s too ill to teach today.” He narrowed his eyes and dropped the smile. “I believe I told you to take your seat?”

Harry still didn’t move. “What’s wrong with him?”

At this point the whole class was looking horrified at Harry, except the Gryffindors who mostly all looked very impressed.

“Nothing life threatening,” he said regretfully. “Let’s see. Five more points from Gryffindor. I’ll make it fifty the next time I have to ask you to sit down, Potter.”

Harry finally took his seat next to Heather. She shook her head at him, but he kept his eyes trained on Professor Snape as he went on.

“Before Potter’s interruption, I was saying Professor Lupin did not seem to record what topics he has already covered and so – ”

Hermione’s hand shot up in the air. “Sir, we’ve done boggarts, Red Caps, kappas, grindylows, and we’ve just finished – ”

“Quiet,” Professor Snape snapped. “I did not ask nor did I call on you, Miss Granger. I was merely commenting on the lack of organization Professor Lupin appears to have.”

“Professor Lupin is the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher,” Dean Thomas spoke up.

Insulting Professor Lupin must have struck a nerve among the class because a murmur of agreement with the bold Gryffindor ran throughout the class.

Professor Snape looked more menacing now, glaring down Dean and the rest of the whispering class.  “You are all easily satisfied,” he spoke through his teeth. “First years should be able to deal with grindylows and especially Red Caps.” He paused and picked up the text book, “Today’s lesson shall cover – ” he flipped to the back chapter, “Werewolves.”

Hermione’s arm shot up again. “Sir, we’re supposed to be starting hinkypunks today – ”

“Granger.” Professor Snape’s voice was deadly calm and steady. “I believe the instructor for this class today, is me. Not. You.” He turned to the class, “Page 394. Read along.” He looked around and frowned, “Now! Everyone!”

Heather had already opened her book to the last chapter and stared at Professor Snape as he began his lecture. She’d never seen him so mad, not even after Neville had tripped and knocked over several handfuls of glass jars full of very old potions ingredients.

Professor Snape paced the front of the class. “What is the easiest distinction between a werewolf and the true wolf?”

The class stayed motionless and silent except for Hermione who raised her hand instantly. Heather looked down at her book and read the first lines of the first paragraph and raised her hand as well.

“No one?” Professor Snape tisked and gave his twisted smile again. “I see that Professor Lupin has failed to teach you even the most basic distinction between – ”

Parvati Patil stood up. “We’ve already said we haven’t gotten through werewolves yet. We’ve just finished – ”

“SILENCE,” Professor Snape snarled. “What an unfortunate surprise. Quite disappointing to meet a third-year class so behind they couldn’t even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I’ll make sure to inform the Head Master of this and we’ll see what he makes of it…”

Hermione finally took her arm down. “Please, sir. The werewolf differs from a true wolf in the snout, the claws, the – ”

“Miss Granger, this is the – second – time you have interrupted me this class,” his voice was calm and cold again. “Five points from Gryffindor, for being an insufferable know-it-all.”

Heather pressed her hands to her face. How many times were the Gryffindors really going to interrupt Professor Snape? And was it bold or stupid to do so while he is clearly fuming with anger? She removed her hands and looked over at Hermione who had gone red in the face and was holding back tears. She felt guilty for being very annoyed but every Slytherin knew not to cross Professor Snape, and after three years of being his students, the Gryffindors should know that too.

“You wanted to know the answer and Hermione gave it! If you don’t want to hear it, why even ask us?” Ron shouted from the back.

Everyone turned to look at Ron who quickly realized he’d gone too far.

Professor Snape advanced on him slowly, savoring each step. He leaned down and gripped the edge of Ron’s desk, bringing his face close to his. “Detention. And if I ever hear you criticize the way I teach – any – of my classes, again… You will be – very – sorry indeed.”

The rest of class went by slow. Professor Snape had decided not to read to them and instead prowled around the desks as everyone read and took notes off the book. At one point he took to looking through their essays on past topics criticizing how Professor Lupin graded them too easily, as if daring another student to speak up out of turn.

“This makes no sense . . . Wrong. Wrong. Not even close . . . He gave this nonsense an eight? It’s a two at best . . .”

No one dared speak up after Ron’s outburst. They all bit their tongues and ignored his comments. Heather stared at the stack of papers in his hands and looked for any sign of her own essay, wanting to see what he thought of it. He picked up one with an ink smudge on the top left corner and she knew instantly it was hers.

He scanned the essay and looked at her. “Atrocious.”

She bit her cheek and went very red, glaring down at the words on the textbook. The bell rang and the class all sighed with relief. They started packing, wanting to get out of the room as soon as possible but Professor Snape held them back.

“I want two rolls of parchment, to be handed into me, on the ways wizards identify and kill werewolves. I want them by Monday morning. Any student who does not complete two full rolls will lose their house two points. It appears it is up to me, to get this class back on track.” He sat down and dismissed the everyone. “Weasley. Not you. We must arrange your detention.”

Heather followed Harry out with the rest of the class. The second they reached the stairs the whole class erupted with anger at Professor Snape.

“I can’t believe he said my essay was ‘atrocious’ – ”

“You know Ron was right. I answered what he asked and quite frankly– ”

“He hates Lupin. It’s so obvious! He’s never been like that with any other Defense teacher.” Harry stopped them next to a column. “Is this really all because of Neville’s boggart?”

Heather laughed. “Do you really not think it’s because of all the times YOU Gryffindors interrupted him today? He could barely get a sentence out without – ”

Harry groaned. “Don’t tell me he’s still your favorite teacher after this!”

Heather bit her tongue and crossed her arms. ‘Atrocious’? Really?

Ron came running down the stairs and almost yelled ‘Watch it!’ when he bumped Harry. “Oh. I didn’t see you.” He stepped behind the column and threw down his bag. “I have to scrub the hospital wing bedpans! With no magic! What an – ”

“Ron!” Hermione hissed, stopping him from cursing out their teacher.

Ron crossed his arms and glared at her. “Fine! But I still think Black should’ve hid in his office and torn him to pieces. It’d’ve done us all a great favor!”

Heather gasped. “That’s a very morbid thing to say, Ron.”

He rolled his eyes. “But you’re not denying it.”

“Of course we’re denying it,” Heather and Hermione said in unison.

The next morning Heather woke with a groan. She had spent several hours last night outlining her werewolf essay and now her eyes were tired and stinging. She had thought maybe the structure of the information from her essay had made it ‘atrocious’ and thought making sure the ideas flowed well would make him not think it was horrible.

She got up out of bed, dressed, and headed down to breakfast where Harry and Wood were talking – or more like Wood was talking at Harry who looked just as exhausted as Heather felt. She walked over and took a seat next to Harry.

Wood gave her a look. “I think maybe this morning you should go sit with your house… Since I’m talking strategy with Harry and soon the rest of the team.”

Heather frowned. She had always been accepted at the Gryffindor table, especially since she sat next to Harry always. “But you’re not playing us.”

“No. We’re not.”

Harry turned to her with a sheepish look. “M-maybe just this once? I mean the rest of the team will get here soon anyways.”

Heather huffed and stood up, crossing her arms. “Fine.”

She didn’t really have a right to be so upset. She was the one to blame for ruining their match, but no one knew that besides her own team. It was the second secret she was keeping from Harry but she still didn’t think it was very fair to be kicked from her usual breakfast spot.

She walked over to the Slytherin table and pulled a plate of toast over, taking several slicing and angrily smeared butter on them. She bit down and waited for more people to join the table. After several bites, most of the school had finally made it down and were excitedly eating breakfast in preparation for the match.

The Slytherin Prefects had decided to borrow Hufflepuff scarves and hats and were handing them out. Heather pushed hers aside and got dirty looks from a few fifth years and the Head Boy. The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff teams left and minutes later everyone else was filing out and heading down to the Quidditch pitch.

She found Ron and Hermione fast and joined them as they headed up the stands. They took their seats opposite the Slytherins and waited for the teams to come out of the changing rooms.

Hermione was looking up at the sky, holding her hair down from blowing in her face. “These are safe playing conditions… right?”

Heather and Ron looked up at the dark grey clouds that seemed to be gathering right over the school grounds. They looked so heavy they could fall to the ground.

“I’ve seen games played through giant hail storms,” Ron shouted over the wind. “This is nothing!”

Heather pulled hair from her mouth and decided to braid it down. She leaned over the railing and saw Madam Hooch walking out of the Quidditch ball closet with a chest under her arm and her broom in hand. Both teams came out and the school cheered as they took their positions.

The rain had started to really pour and Heather found it hard to see anything going on. She squinted and saw they were mounting their brooms and they the game was in play, but she never heard Madam Hooch’s whistle blow. The wind was muffling everything, and even Lee Jordan’s loud comments came back as a whisper.

All that she could hear was the cheering and screaming when Gryffindor scored points. Heather pulled her robes on tighter and pulled her hood up as she searched the skies for any signs of Harry, but everyone just looked like red and yellow blurs. She was glad she wasn’t playing, though yesterday wouldn’t have been as bad as it was now. There was another roar of cheers and she heard vague words about Gryffindor scoring points form Lee.

The sky was getting darker and the wind felt like slashes on her cheeks. There was a loud crack of thunder and suddenly a flash of lightning struck a nearby tree. Madam Hooch was now holding her wand to her neck and blew hard on the whistle, cutting through the sound of the rushing wind. The teams touched down onto the muddy field.

“Have they postponed the match?” Hermione asked hopefully.

Ron shook his head. “I think it’s a time out.”

“How can you tell? I can barely see anything from here?” Heather squinted hard.

“Oh! I have an idea!” Hermione ran down the stairs and seconds later she was running across the field to Harry.

“What is she doing?” Ron shook his head.

Hermione was running back and the whistle blew again. She ran up the stairs and shook her hair as she stood next to them. “Hopefully now he’ll see better with his glasses. I used a simple spell on them. He should be able to see the snitch now.”

“And he’ll end the game already.” Heather was already soaked to her skin and wanted desperately to crawl in bed and sleep the rest of the day away.

She looked up again, trying to spot Harry among the red streaks, when lightning struck again and illuminated the dark sky and a terrifying image appeared in the clouds. A black silhouette of a shaggy dog. She gasped and looked around, but no one else seemed to have been paying much attention to the actual sky, just the red streaked players.

Had she just seen the grim? She looked around again as the crowd quieted down and even the wind seemed to silence. The cold cutting rain suddenly seemed warm compared to the air that seemed to be freezing on the spot. She looked behind and saw waves of black floating cloaks making their way over the stands.

Her numb body was alive again with fear and guilt and sadness. All her worries and anxieties seemed to pound in her head as the cloaked figures floated around, moving their heads in search of something. She felt tears freezing on her cheeks and sobbed, remembering all the times Uncle Vernon had screamed and yelled at her, and all the times Dudley had hurt her.

She thought of Harry and tore her eyes away from the dementors. There were dots of red and yellow looking down at them from the sky, and a streak of red falling through the icy mist. From the corner of her eyes she saw a white light growing so bright it seemed to illuminate the whole stadium. She closed her eyes from the blinding light and suddenly felt all the horrible feelings seep away.

She gasped for breath and opened her eyes, looking around at streaks of black dashing away in a fury. She turned back to the field and saw Madam Hooch, Professor Dumbledore, and all the players huddled around the center.

Heather remembered the grim she had seen in the sky moments before the dementors showed. “Harry!” She ran down the stairs and bolted across the muddy field. Her feet almost stuck into the ground as she ran into the circle of people huddled around a body.

Hermione gasped behind her as they came into view of Harry, knocked out and wedged into the ground.

Professor McGonagall came through. “Albus, is he alright?”

Professor Dumbledore nodded. “Quite so. I slowed his fall. Why don’t we take him to Madam Pomfrey so she has someone to fuss over for a few days.”

Heather watched them levitate Harry and carry him out of the field. Ron, Hermione, and Heather followed close behind. She understood the words Professor Dumbledore had said, but Harry’s motionless body looked so pale and cold under the smudges of mud.

She blinked and realized it wasn’t the rain that was making it so hard to see, it was her tears. She wiped them away and sobbed, feeling Hermione grab hold of her hand and Ron put an arm over her shoulder as they walked up to the castle.

~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~ * ~~~

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13, 14 and 15 for the New Years ask thing?

13.) Most memorable Comment or Review?

On my fic, You Get What You Give: Ch. 37

HopeSilverheart:

Hii! Ah, so I've been refraining from commenting on this fic because I have a tendency to write long long comments and you get so many already I didn't want to bother you >.< But! I've been following this fic for ages now, the girls weren't even in Hogwarts when I joined along, and this is by far my favourite Tom/Harry fic, and maybe even my favourite HP fanfic overall. You have a way with words that amazes me, and all of your other fics are just as great, but this one has captovated me from the very beginning. I'm going to rant I'm sorry but I love this fic so much and I need to tell you how much I appreciate what you write!

I think what I like the most about the fic is the universe you've created... Without changing the universe at all. Everything is the same but nothing is the same, and I've never read a fic that changes things as well and realistically as this one does. Of course, nothing is truly realistic about magic, but your characters make everything seem possible. You didn't make Bella or Prue into some invincible witches, and you gave all of them flaws that are either already present in the original books or that fit perfectly with their character. The fact that both girls have this extraordinary power could make it seem as though they can do anything, but you tone it all down with the restrictions they face (their inability to focus on things they dislike).

And you've characterized Hermione in a way that I love, because instead of focusing on a 2-dimensional version of her that I'm so used to seeing, you made her into a - yes - incredibly smart girl but that doesn't just focus on her books. Hermione cherishes her friends and she looks to the outside, she plans and imagines and wishes for a better world, and that makes all of the difference. She cares about her classes, but she has ambitions behind that. In the original books, and in many fanfics, she simply comes off as a bookworm or even arrogant, but you didn't do that at all and I adore you for it! In this fic, we know what she wants to do, and she never acts like a pushover who simply tries to get her friends to work more: she's an invaluable part of their friend group, not only for her brain, but for who she is as a whole, and I don't know if I'm making any sense, but just know that I think you portrayed her perfectly. I especially love her letters with Amara, but I'll touch upon that a bit later.

Prue's characterization is the one I admire the most in your fic. At the beginning of the fic, she's easy to dislike; she cares about Quidditch only, we don't know much about her, and she got the "easy" life when Bella suffered alone. But then you add an entire other story to the fic and it changes everything! Lily and James' relationship and the way it influences Prue is - well horrible - but also fantastic. Because it means we get to see that everything Prue seemed to be was more like a shell of what she truly was. When her parents disappeared and she had to deal with everything, she started to become more and more likeable and now i love her! Especially her interaction with Salazar and the founders in this chapter! She spoke her mind and pointed out some very real things and that's one of the things I love the most about this fic! Although to be fair I love almost everything about it >.< And I was losing it when Helga was trying to hold back and Prue just quickly hurried out!

Then the stories you gave Neville and Theo!! Aah, it's always hard to deal with kids in bad situations, because it makes me feel so sad ): Honestly, Neville's whole home life breaks my heart. He's a kid who doesn't care for fighting but is being forced into it, and can't do anything about it :/ I loved the way you added Moody to his story, the way he actually helped Neville and trained him but wasn't harsh? He looked out for Neville in a way, and when you haev your whole family against you, one person can make a huge difference. AND a loyal group of friends makes a huge difference too! On Theo's side of things, it was very dark in the beginning, I mean his grandfather was awful, but I'm so glad he gets to live with Blaise and his mom now!

Which brings me to the group of friends! Wow, I mean, could you have created a better group? -

- Because I don't think so. You put together characters that we've seen in thousands of other fics, but in a combination that I don't think I've ever come across before. As you pointed out in this chapter, she gathered people who, like her, struggle with social interactions and don't find it easy to make friends, and that's why they fit so well together! They all had tough childhoods and their families weren't the best for the most part, and they met and yeah, they weren't suddenly best friends, but now they know they can count on each other and it's precious. I also like how you portrayed Bella in relation to the group in this chapter. We all know that Bella is their "leader" but I hadn't felt it until this chapter when they're without her and feel almost bare.

AH there's so much to talk about, I'm sorry this is so long! But Tom and Bella's relationship! Right, so it's pretty delicate to handle in most fics, because Tom is a lot older than Harry and you know... That causes issues. But you handled that problem in the best way. Because he was stuck in the diary for decades, Tom is fundamentally only 16 (or is it 17 now? I didn't follow along on his exact age). He wasn't really able to develop and mature when he was stuck in the diary, because how could he? So you tackled their age issue relatively well (there's always going to be some question of whether or not them being together romantically is appropriate and bla bla bla). And since Bella is aging faster, that makes things easier too! But their age aside, I love love love their dynamic in this fic!

Bella has always had this sassy, doesn't care about what people think, attitude, and it clashes to well with Tom's more traditional attitude, their earlier interactions were particularly fun to read, but now that they're friends and tease each other, it makes me so fond of them! They tell each other more than they tell anyone else, and it's so sweet to read! Their conversations are always full of sarcasm and learning and jokes, but when you think about what Tom is like, how Bella is his only friend, and how Bella cares about him so much no matter how much she makes fun of him: it's precious, okay! ): And I love you for making them into the best friendship. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to be so so happy when they start to see each other in a romantic light and all that (I mean, as if Tom would ever let anyone else have Bella) but I'm so glad you made their friendship so strong first!

Oh my god I could go on forever, there is so much to say about this fic, I'll never be done if I say it all! But the main thing that makes this fic different: how much of the muggle world you've incorporated into the magical one. It's not that Bella wants to stay in one only, it's that she cares about both of them. She has her friends in one world, with her magic and her roots, but then she has her job and future in the muggle world, and you give us the perfect blend of both worlds all the time! Bella makes people realise that the muggle world isn't too bad, not by saying "muggles are human too, we should care about them" but by saying "muggles can offer a lot, I am successful BECAUSE of the muggle world" and it works so well!

Her connection to Amara that led to the latter's friendship with Hermione (those two are such good friends it's amazing), and how we get news about the political situation through their letters, it's flawless! Nothing feels useless in what you write. There's letters and articles and writing and it's so well done! Plus, the addition of ice skating is genius! I don't know much about skating, but I sure know ten times as much now that I've read this fic! It's like a break from all the magic, but I never feel like it's boring or that I want it to stop: I love those moments when Bella does what she loves the most. Now that we've got competitions in the mix, it's even more fascinating!

OKAY, I could say so so much about this fic, I have too many things to say, but it's late and I'm sure you don't want to write an essay about this, but know that I am so thankful that you decided to write this fic. Thank you for the best Christmas gift ever this Tuesday, and for the extra chapter on NYE, thank you for writing! <333

14.) Fav fic you read this year?

The Historical Importance of Runic War Warding in the British Isles by samvelg. Harrymort, WOC-Harry, Drama, WIP.

15.) Fav fic author you read this year?

@samvelg-likes-things