#but at least they know I’ll respect their pronouns and use their preferred spelling for their name

[cle-levanter]

On the very first day when I have new students, I ask them to write a get to know me sheet that I collect and read/keep, and one of the things I ask about is their pronouns. Many students are confused as to why, but you should have seen that one student’s eyes light up when I talked about pronouns and why I ask about them. That my friends, is why I ask my students’ pronouns, so that maybe one student can feel seen and safe with me in class.

[freudensteins-monster]

Harry Potter logyn

I’m so sorry Anon, I have zero idea how many years ago this prompt was sent, because it has almost definitely been years, but I just skimmed past this ask today and honestly can’t remember seeing it before… But let’s not dwell on that - I wrote 1400 words in one (5hr) sitting. Go me.

And yes, I know we may not be loving a certain author right now, but I may have also made Sigyn trans, for certain reasons.

I also made Loki genderqueer using they/them pronouns. I usually write Loki as he/him and kept reverting back to that as I wrote, so if I missed any in editing I apologise.

Transfiguration 

Loki had hated almost every minute of their last five yearsat Hogwart’s, and considering they’d gotten detention their first week back, theirsixth year wasn’t shaping up to be any better.

It started when they’d been sorted into Ravenclaw, which wasboth a blessing and a curse. It rankled them that they hadn’t been sorted intoGryffindor like their adopted brother, Odin’s golden child, Thor.And they were somewhat ashamed to know they weren’t worthy enough (pure bloodedenough) to have been sorted into Slytherin like their half-brothers Helblindiand Býleistr, who had thankfully graduated by the time Loki had entered their thirdyear.

All them of them were assholes who ignored Loki at best or knockedthem off their broom during a quidditch match, breaking their arm in threeplaces, at worst (Odin had sent a raven congratulating Thor on his victory).

But being sorted into Ravenclaw, as much as it made Lokifeel lesser than their brothers, at least allowed them some time away from them.Things might have been better if Loki had managed to make some close friends,rather than just the occasional study buddy/academic rival. And it might haveall been tolerable if only Frigga was still alive to remind them of theirworth.

The arrival of the perpetually grim Professor Snape pulled Lokifrom their depressing musings. It also brought the presence of another student to Loki’s attention as she filed in behind Snape andquickly took a seat.

“You were almost late, Ms Anderson.”

“Sorry Professor. I got lost,” the Hufflepuff girl admitted bashfully with light eastern European accent. “The stairs at Durmstrang don’t move.”

“You’re not in Durmstrang anymore, so I suggest you get usedto it. Quickly.”

Loki bristled at Snape’s tone but kept their mouth shut. Onedetention their first week back was more than enough.

“Now, for the rest of the evening, for however long ittakes, the two of you will be returning these old textbooks and reference booksto the library and reshelving them for Madam Pince – without the aid of magic,”he intoned, gesturing at a small bookshelf crammed full of books.

Loki didn’t give him the satisfaction of groaning.

“What is it Ms Anderson?”

“I’m sorry, professor, but… where’s the library?”

Snape sighed. “I’m sure Mr Borson can show you. I want thisbookshelf empty before my first class in the morning.”

Loki glared at Snape’s retreating back before turning it onthe pile of books. When the sound of Snape’s footsteps finally faded, only thendid Loki get out of their seat. They put together a stack of books, as tall as theydared carry, and almost lost them all when they turned right into Ms Anderson.

“Watch it,” they hissed, stabilising their books.

“Sorry,” the girl muttered as she ducked behind Loki to graba stack of books almost as tall as theirs.

“Come on,” they groused, leading the girl away from the dank Potions classroom.

Halfway to the library Loki broke and attempted to makeconversation with the new girl.

“What was your name?” they asked, loathed as they were tocontinue using the same name Snape called her.

“Sigyn,” she puffed as she tried to keep pace with Loki. “Yours?”

“Loki. I don’t think I’ve heard of a student transferring infrom another school before. It’s quite unusual.”

“There were unusual circumstances,” she replied vaguely.Loki was intrigued didn’t think she’d be more forthcoming if they pushed.

Silence fell between until they reached the library. Loki, ignoringMadam Pince’s stern gaze, led them over to the Potions section. They stared atthe two stacks of books now sitting in front of them and thought about thebooks still waiting to be collected.

“What do you think about us splitting up? I’ll got getanother batch of books while you shelve, then we can trade on and off until weshelve the last of the books together? Might be faster.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

“Can you figure it out?” they asked, gesturing towards theshelves.

Sigyn rolled her eyes. “Yes. They have libraries atDurmstrang, you know.”

“Did they now,” Loki teased before racing off back to the Potionsclassroom.

Within forty minutes they had ferried all of the books overand only had a dozen or so left to shelve. It was then, as they stood in closequarters, that Sigyn made her own attempts at conversation.

“So… what are you in detention for?”

“The usual; talking back to Snape. I kept telling him to usemy preferred pronouns – or “your majesty” if “they” was too hard for him - andhe kept insisting on being an ass.”

“Pronouns?” Sigyn asked with no hint of revulsion, onlycuriosity.

“Mm… They/Them. I consider myself genderqueer. And thisstupid school won’t let me wear makeup, or a skirt under my robes, you’d thinkthe least they could do is respect my pronouns. Most professors and students doit without making a fuss, but some people,” they growled, shoving a book ratherforcibly onto the shelf, “just like to be assholes.”

Sigyn was quiet for a moment, her eyes flicking between Lokiand the book in her hand.

“I’m trans,” she admitted. “Durmstrang and my mother wouldonly accept me as a boy, so my father moved us to Ireland and arranged for meto transfer to Hogwarts. So now I get to be Sigyn,” she added with a softsmile.

“Is that why you’re in detention? Did Snape give you shitfor being trans?”

“What? Oh, no,” she said with a shake of her head. “I don’tthink he knows – only Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey had to beinformed, as far as my father told me.”

“Huh… one point for Hogwarts,” Loki muttered. “Then what didyou do to get detention?”

“I punched someone,” Sigyn blushed. “There was this 7thyear boy and his friends casting some sort of wind spell to blow girls’ skirtsup as they walked passed. All the girls were mortified and the boys thought itwas great fun. When he tried to do it to me, I walked right over to him andpunched him in the nose.”

Loki had a feeling they knew who would do something sorepugnant and looked downright gleeful at the thought of him getting some comeuppance.

“Who did you punch?”

“Um… I think his name was… Thot?”

Loki laughed so loud it drew the ire of Madam Pince.

“Sorry,” they called back, not remorseful in the least. “Thor,”they corrected.

“You know him?”

“Regrettably. He is my brother. Adopted.”

“You needn’t get defensive,” Sigyn smiled as she slotted thelast book into place. “So far I think you have little in common with such abrute.”

Loki smiled back. “So… all finished. Do you think you canfind your way back to your dormitory from here?”

Sigyn winced. Loki chuckled.

“Come on, I’ll show you.”

“Don’t make fun of me,” she pouted as she followed him outof the library. “Durmstrang was not as large as this place, and the layout mademuch more sense.”

“You’ll figure it out eventually,” he smirked. “What yearare you in?”

“Sixth.”

“Really? Me too. I don’t think I’ve seen you around though.”

It turned out that they were both taking Charms, Herbology,and Defence Against the Dark Arts, but Sigyn’s Herbology class and Loki’sPotion’s class caused a scheduling conflict so they would rarely be in the sameclasses on the same days. But they would be both be taking the sameTransfiguration class, they happily discovered, first up the very next morning.

“I’ll see you then,” Loki said as they brought her to thestairwell that would lead down to the Hufflepuff dormitories. “Presuming youdon’t get lost.”

“I’ll try not to,” she smiled bashfully before wishing Lokigoodnight with a kiss on the cheek.

Loki waited until Sigyn was out of sight before making theirway back to Ravenclaw Tower. They couldn’t stop smiling. In less than an hourthey’d found a new study buddy, quite possibly made a new friend, and maybe, ifthe way Sigyn blushed when she kissed them meant anything, they might just finishthe term with a girlfriend who liked them just as they are.

[entropic-introspection]

Thing that happened in Overwatch the other day. Joined a group to do some competitive, say hi, get hit with the ol’ gem of “Oh shit is that a gamer girl?”

My response is “Oh shit, is this a group of gamer guys? Fuck dude, that’s crazy.”

Get mostly laughs, but one guy challenges it with “How do you know we all identify as guys?”

So I’m pulling a very bitchy face rn bc god these jokes are tired, but at least this group isn’t being totally shitty right off the bat. So I give my usual response to that shit “Tell me your preferred pronouns and I’ll use them.”

They hesitated for a second, and then spells out, “X-e-e and x-e-r”

“Xee and xer?” I confirm, “Awesome. I’ll keep it in mind.”

And that’s how I got to play with a chill tank main who’s non binary. Solid respect to xem bc xey have to deal with probs way more shit than I do.

[hogwartselementumrp]

Congratulations Areej! You have been accepted to play Augustus Wood, with Matthew Daddario as the faceclaim! Now, me and Admin Beth absolutely adored your application. Beth was personally drawn to your para sample, thinking it showed you had an excellent grasp of the character. I personally loved how you described Marzia... Just kidding, seriously. Every single part of this application was very well written, and I am very glad Raluca & Lynn forced recommended it! I really hope we get an app for Oliver soon because I believe you will make their interactions super angsty!!!

Welcome the the RP! I hope you enjoy your time with us!

OOC Information

NAME/ALIAS: Hey! I’m Areej PREFERRED PRONOUN: she/her AGE: 17 TIMEZONE: GMT ACTIVITY LEVEL: On a scale of 1 to 10, maybe like a 7?? I have exams in June that I should be studying for but also I am not. That means I’ll try to be on at least once every day/every couple of days at the minimum.

HOW DID YOU FIND THE RP (NEW MEMBERS): Lynn & Raluca made me recommended it :))))

Character Information

NAME OF THE CHARACTER: Augustus Wood DESCRIBE THE CHARACTER IN YOUR OWN WORDS:

In a sentence? Your average playboy Quidditch player.

Wand ━ chestnut and dragon heartstring

( chestnut ) “The wand of chestnut is attracted to witches and wizards who are natural fliers. However, when paired with dragon heartstring, it may find its best match among those who are overfond of luxury and material things, and less scrupulous than they should be about how they are obtained.”

(dragon heartstring ) “As a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. Dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. While they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner.The dragon wand tends to be easiest to turn to the Dark Arts, though it will not incline that way of its own accord. It is also the most prone of the three cores to accidents, being somewhat temperamental.”

Birthday ━ july 25th

( leo ) “can be among the most arrogant, self-absorbed signs of the zodiac, but also the most tender and generous. as the lion king of the cosmos, you are a force to be reckoned with — and you’d have it no other way. full of ego and the insecurity that inevitably accompanies it, you demand respect. the successful Leo, however, learns how to command it. you thrive on the esteem of others, but privately your self-esteem wavers. a natural performer, you can be a powerhouse of creative talent, charisma and instinct. you crave the spotlight and take great pains to grace it.”

( aries moon ) idk i don’t even really know what a moon sign is tbh but from what i gather, it means you’re independent, enjoy confrontation, have lots of crushes or short-lived, physical, passionate relationships but move on very quickly, and are straightforward rather than manipulative.

AND HEY LOOK i found this neat pdf that outlines it some more

So that basically covers personality, right? As for plots, I think right now he’s in a weird space of being a little unsure of himself, which he definitely isn’t used to. Typically, he gets what he wants. No questions asked. Nothing ever gets taken away from him – only handed, usually on a silver platter, so the fact that the Quidditch teams have retracted their offers has left him more irritable than usual. And the rumour that he takes performance enhancing drugs (as if he needs them). As much as he pretends he isn’t bothered and that he’ll get his job back in no time, he’s actually kinda scared, knowing that if the Quidditch thing doesn’t work out, he hasn’t worked hard enough at magic to excel in it like he wants from life.

ANY CHANGES YOU WISH TO MAKE?: FC change to Matthew Daddario pls & thanks  TITLES: ex-Quidditch captain of Slytherin, resident fuckboy RELATIONSHIPS:

Marzia Levi ━ ex girlfriend. After about 2 months of dating the hottest, most charming girl he could find, Augustus realised that she was crazy.

Scorpius Malfoy  ━ old friendship. At school, the two were healthy rivals, competing to make each other better on the field and spending time hanging out off it. That all ended after Scorp’s sickness. Out of loyalty to his friend, Augustus tried at the beginning to stay close, but Scorpius’ bitterness just pissed him off and he left him. 

Roxanne Weasley ━ pseudo-little-sister. She keeps his feet on the ground, as much as she can, anyway. He protects her.

FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS:

Parents ━ Being the oldest Wood boy, Augustus knew that practically the whole world (but especially his parents) had expectations of him to play Quidditch professionally. It seemed to be all his mum and dad would talk to him about growing up. So, as a cause of this, his relationship with them is less of a typical parent-and-son bond and more of a mentor and their trainee. He doesn’t mind much though. As long as he was playing Quidditch well, they never really bothered him getting into too much trouble at school since they weren’t around enough.

Oliver Wood ━ Ever since Oliver got in the way of Augustus and his dreams, he can’t help but be a little irritated at his younger brother. He tries not to blame him. Tells himself, assures Oliver, that this is only a minor drawback, that he’ll get his position back. But the truth is, Augustus isn’t so sure. Oliver’s naivety may have ruined his chances to become a professional Quidditch player for good, and that has caused a strain on their relationship.

Minerva Wood ━ Minerva’s probably the person he’s closest to in the world. With their parents gone a lot of the time when they were kids, he used to spend most of his time around his sister, so they told each other everything. Now they’re living together, they’re even closer. The only thing is his boyfriend who he thinks she can do better than.

PARA SAMPLE:

“What do you mean, performance enhancing drugs?”

There was no way this irrelevant man, clad in a pretentious suit, tie and matching robes (it was July, for fuck’s sake – how was he not boiling?) was serious. He, Augustus Wood, on drugs? Well, Gus thought, running a hand through his recently windswept hair, that part was admittedly believable. But ones to make him better at Quidditch? Ridiculous. It’s not like he needed any help.

“Look, I don’t fuckin’ care,” he said, cutting across the old man’s pathetic reply. “I just need this bullshit out of the papers before anyone sees it.” Saying that aloud made him realise something: that there was a very real chance of his parents reading that morning’s Prophet, stumbling across the blaring front-page headline about their son on steroids. 

If there was anything the Woods had always discouraged from their children, it was scandals. Whether they be (what Augustus had become notorious for) dating scandals, or something more like this, the celebrities grew exasperated when their kids’ names were in the papers, mostly because there was usually some element of truth in them. Not this time, though. Unfortunately, Augustus wasn’t sure they’d believe him if he told them that.  “Most rumours are fine. I can deal with rumours. But this? I get it – I fly so well that people think I must be on something, right? That there’s no way this talent can be natural? It kinda makes sense they’d assume I’m on steroids or whatever, but I swear I’m not. There, that’s the truth. Case closed. Now get this out of the fucking press.”

“It’s not that easy, sir. It’s already been printed, and –” his publicist began to reply, but Augustus already grew tired of his voice.

“Unprint it, then.”

What was possibly worse than his parents finding out? The scouts from Quidditch teams, the ones who’d been practically obsessed with him, asking to recruit him at the earliest opportunity, reading the article. It’d destroy their image of them. If his own mother and father wouldn’t believe that this was only a rumour, there was no chance that these guys would. His career would be over.

Augustus sighed. Oliver had a lot of explaining to do.

[elysiumrp]

Congratulations DAVID! You have been accepted as Mathieu Leon Please go through the checklist and send in your account within 24 hours. If you need more time, make sure you send a message to the main.

Every single admin knows how much it absolutely sucks to have to pick between two amazing applications for a character, but in the end your reasons for wanting to play Mathieu just won both Izzy and me over. You seem to already have a true connection to a character you haven’t even played yet, and that just isn’t something that we could turn away from. Mathieu has quite the arrangement right now with Merlot and the money it’s making both in the wine bar and back in the blood section, but as word inevitably gets out (as it always does) I’m sure that it’ll be a huge source of conflict. It probably doesn’t help either that the owner of the other supernatural bar is back in town, and we all know about the centuries old feuds between werewolves and vampires. But, it doesn’t matter, Mathieu has a great staff by his side, and an intelligent mind to boot. If anyone can figure it out, it’ll be him. Welcome to Elysium!!

OOC INFO

Name: David  Age: 24 Timezone: EST Preferred Pronouns: He/Him Previous RP Experience: [RFP] Activity Level:  I would like to say maybe 6.5/10? I am very interested in being active and involved but I work 2 jobs (about 60ish hours a week) and I am also a musician so I’m trying to perform a lot so sometimes I might be too busy but I’ll always try to at least do one reply a night, and catch up on the weekends. Anything Else: Ducks.

IC INFO

Character Name: Mathieu Leon Why did you choose this character:

I’m drawn to Mathieu because of his attitude. He could literally care less about what goes on outside of his own little “kingdom”. It’s almost comical how a centuries old vampire who has seen almost even major event in recent history is only concerned with running a secret bar. I love the fact that he choose to look beyond the day to day struggles of the supernatural and the human world and almost choose to believe that, basically, once you’ve been around for as long as he has none of it matters anyway. I’m also drawn to the fact that he is such a lone wolf. Most vampires I feel have at least one major companion in their life to keep them grounded, or at least so they aren’t lonely. But Mathieu has done it all on his own and has never lost his head (he might have made some other’s lose theirs :P) I’m drawn to the fact that he knows what he wants and how to get it, but isn’t going to get too caught up in the drama that is going on around him unless he absolutely has to. I’m also drawn to the fact that he is so interconnected to literally every race of supernatural and humans because of the nature of his bar, so interacting with other members of the site will be much more organic.

Describe your plan for them:

My plan for Mathieu is two things mainly. The first is to explore his seemingly repressed emotional side. I want to go deeper into reconnecting with his maker. It is an interesting dynamic that they share it seems, especially because they are on opposite sides of the supernatural issues at hand. I also want to maybe even explore him wondering if he really should have been alone all these centuries. The other thing that I want to explore or at least flesh out more is his reckless side. He died while still relatively young, at least for todays standards, so he isn’t one to exactly play by the rules all the time. I would love to see him get into some trouble, but because of his age, put some people in their place. I also want to explore his interactions with humans. It seems interesting to me that someone who is against registering as a vampire, and against the whole idea of integrating the species as a whole would willingly be around humans as often as he is. I’m hoping to explore why that may be.

Describe your character’s feelings and reactions to the initial reveal of the supernatural world:

Mathieu was initially annoyed and angry when the supernatural world was first revealed. For centuries he had gotten to do what he wanted because of what he was and now he couldn’t. Yes, vampires and other supernatural beings had been undercover before, but they were able to relax their guards every once in a while and more importantly to Mathieu, he could use all of his supernatural abilities at east. Now, after everything basically went to hell in his opinion, he had to be much more careful because it was becoming even more dangerous to be what he was and that didn’t sit well with him, that is, until he found a way to focus that danger into something exciting and fun. His bar has become not only a safe haven, but also a place for those who wanted to live on the edge. Basically, at least to him, it was as if they were part of a secret community within a secret community.

Describe your character’s feelings and reactions to the current state of the world, and how it impacts them as an individual:

Mathieu isn’t exactly sure how he feels about the current climate. On the one hand, he thinks humans asking a vampire to register is a sick joke and wishes he could show them who the real powerful people were. He also feels that, as long as they aren’t banging down our doors, the issue really doesn’t matter. He rolls his eyes at both human and supernatural preaching messages of unity and tolerance, because frankly they will never be the same and they will never take anything that belongs to him, at least without a fights. Despite all this, Mathieu doesn’t want anything destroying his bar or the reputation his is trying to build.His motto in his business is the sam one that he uses every mony so when it comes to keeping his business a secrete from not only some other superntrausl but humans aline.

Para Sample:

Derek swatted at his father, until he released him. He felt his face was hot and his eyes were wet which usually would have made him feel week and foolish, but in this moment he didn’t care. “How can you say that? This is your wife, and my mother.” Derek felt himself losing control. “You can’t just let her stay like this we have to at least try.” Derek turned back to where his mother lay, grabbing her hand in his and closing his eyes. He felt his power elevate within him and tried to focus on taking some of it and giving it to his mother, hoping that this would rekindle her own power and hopefully cause her to wake up. As he was about to complete the spell, his father rounded on him, “Selfish child!” he yelled at Derek, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away from his mother. But this time Derek would not be tossed around. Rounding on his father, he shot out his hand, “Don’t touch me!” His father was blasted back into the wall on the other side of the room. Derek wasn’t finished though. He felt his body getting hot as he spoke, “You’ve drilled into my head since the day I could understand, ‘Protect the Coven at all costs.’ Well this is it Dad. Mom is a part of the Coven, and we have to save her, no matter the cost. I don’t give a shit what the doctor’s think. Call it a miracle for crying out loud. And screw the rules. This is family.” That was when Derek himself was thrown into the door. His father lowered his hand and straightened his jacket. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that. I am the leader of this Coven, what I say goes. And I’m also your father, show some respect.” Derek stood, dusting himself off. “I can’t respect someone who would rather let his wife die than take a risk to save her.” Derek felt himself get hot again, and this time didn’t hold back, “You’re a coward. You don’t deserve to call yourself a leader if your willing to turn your back like this.” Derek’s voice rose until he yelled, “I hate you!” When the yelled escaped him, the window on the other side of the room shattered, raining glass onto them and onto the ground outside. His father started yelling trying to deal with the nurses and hospital staff that had burst through the door at the sound of the glass breaking, but Derek wasn’t listening to any of it. He gave his mother another look, squeezing her hand slightly, and then turned and left the room.

Derek left the hospital immediately and drove back to Rockport, determined to erase the thoughts and feelings of what had just happened from him mind, at least temporarily. He stormed into the house and began his destruction. He raided the liquor cabinet, grabbing a bottle of whisky and taking several large gulps, and then smashed the empty bottle on the floor. The liquid set his throat on fire, but made him feel strong. He continued around the house in this fashion, throwing things, particularly his father’s things, around and not caring in the slightest if he was acting immature. An hour or so passed like this and at the end of it, Derek was drunk, riled up, and emotionally numb. 

He made his way into town and was walking along the streets. It was night at this point and people were out, celebrating the last weekend of summer. He rounded a corner only to run into a group of guys, all who appeared to be in their early twenties. Running into them, the apparent leader of the group yelled, “Hey watch it punk!” and pushed Derek back so that he stumbled slightly. “Get out of my way,” Derek said, rolling his eyes at the jacked-up jock that stood in front of him. “You really don’t want to test me right now.” The group of guys were all as drunk as Derek was, but they didn’t have what Derek had. “What’d you say to me?” the one who had pushed him said, his words slurring slightly. “I won’t let some kid talk to me like that.” The guy pushed Derek again. Derek clenched his jaw, running a hand through his hair and laughed, “Push me again. I dare you.” Derek narrowed his eyes. The group of guys laughed, egging the boy in front of Derek on. “C’mon Josh. Teach that twerp a lesson.” The boy, Josh, held up his hand to quiet them, and smirking, pushed Derek lightly on one shoulder and then shrugged, laughing, “What are you going to do kid?” Derek took in a heavy breath and let it out, feeling his fist get slightly heavier as he concentrated on putting his magic, which was heightened by his rage, behind his fist. He then took a step and swung at the boy’s face. When his fist made contact he heard a sickening crack. Josh fell to the ground immediately, howling and clutching his nose, which had become a fountain of blood. The group of guys erupted into a chorus of, “Holy Shits!” and immediately tried to help Josh up. Derek laughed and started to walk away, picking up a pack of cigarettes that one of them had dropped. He held one up to his mouth, and blew on the end. It immediately light, and he took a long drag from it. One of the boys then yelled, “Hey guys! That asshole’s getting away.” They all turned to see Derek walking down the street. Derek turned his head only slightly; raising an eyebrow and seeing them start to run towards him. He sighed, taking the cigarette from his lips and tossing it on the ground where a line of flames erupted on the sidewalk. That stopped the guys in their tracks and mad Derek laugh. He didn’t know where his life was going. He didn’t know if his mom was going to be okay at the moment, and he didn’t know what his father would do, but in that moment he just felt alive. He had won, and he felt stronger than ever.

Any questions/concerns/things you’d like to change: (siblings to add, pronouns, sexuality you’d like to specify, personality, face claim, history, etc., etc.)

No problems! I will attach an additional para sample tomorrow in Mathieu’s own voice I’m just literally falling asleep typing at the moment