#dariel vibes

[harbingersecho]

some Hawkes

[shostakobitchh]

holy fuck its been two months since I was here and I just finished reading GitP Chapter 1 to 5 instead of sleeping and holy fuck its like I've been brought back to life. so damn the things that happened before and during the summer was intense man, like i fucking get why Harry was pissed asf about the reveal, but the things he said in the hole made me very angry because what the fuck harry, stop projecting onto Ariel your anger at Severus oh my god and you cant fucking just tell someone their

existence is a fucking mistake, especially you’re own sister’s dafaq. and now ariel has retreated behind the shields and while it may sound horrible i really hope she would lay her indifference a bit too thick for him, he deserves it for the hole and also ron fck off he’s contributing to the problem and the severus and harry talk FINALLY THERE’S COMMUNICATION ive been waiting for it since the reveal and i really hope they would finally sort it out and make some sort of peace with each other (2/6) but the Mark is darkening and the DEs are about to wreck shit up and please dont let Severus be at the World Cup that would just break all our hearts and speaking of DEs, I hope there’s a scene where the whole Malfoys are there and the Black entourage and I really want to see how Damon would act towards Ariel and Harry under the watchful eye of scumbag Malfoy Sr. Also fck the moment is here, CEDRIC AND ARIEL MY GOD YESSSSS. i mean im a dariel shipper down to my core but like that one scene gave (3/6) me feelings and like fck that was cute Damon would have to step up his GAME if he wants to with Ariel to the Yule Ball but if she went with Cedric then no Cho Chang so like that would be nice but dAMON HONESTLY RAISE IT UP I SHIP ARIEL WITH HAPPINESS AND YOU COME ON. so that is my initial and unorganized soul reaction to GtiP and by the way your writing style is amazing and the metaphors fuck me up and now I am questioning my own skills n existence ur that good and congrats on the job man (4/6) and now i sort of want ariel or both to be the champion - ariel cause if you ever go down with her and cedric his death would fuck her up, i mean i dont want her to suffer but im just being realistic here, or both so that her and harry would finally patch their shit up. as always your work gives me life and i hope to have more time to appreciate it after exams this week cause this absolutely feeds my soul and the angst and plot and resolutions and complexities really lightens up my day (5/6) also please by god dont kill cedric, i will not be able to handle it (6/6)

Sorry this took me an entire week to respond to :P This week had me completely knackered and I wanted to be mentally aware when I finally wrote back to you, lol. 

For the Harry vs Ariel thing, it’s weird, because everyone seems split on this issue lol. A lot of people think Harry is completely justified in how he treated Ariel, and others think Ariel should just rip Harry a new one. Their new dynamic is honestly tricky to write; they’re not making up anytime soon, but I don’t think anyone really wants them to hate each other forever (they don’t, they just think they do because they don’t wanna talk about how they really feel… great parenting from Snape, amirite?). Next chapter (the one I haven’t finished in eons) you’ll see a lot of planned ignoring and indifference from Ariel, while Harry continually tells himself and Ron/Hermione it doesn’t bother him, while acting like it does. They’re both kinda fucked up from the whole thing. 

Severus and Harry are a completely different monster. I still haven’t even finished outlining what I have planned for them in GoF, especially with Sirius and Remus a constant presence. 

But it’s interesting, because the roles have… kind of switched? Originally, it was Ariel who was pining for Harry, or at least, the idea of her brother, while Snape was happy to ignore him. Now, it’s the exact opposite – Snape desperately wants them to get back to some semblance of normalcy because Voldemort is kicking again, and because he cares, while Ariel is content with hiding everything behind her Shields. There’s both growth and regression there. 

Severus won’t be participating in any Death Eater events at the World Cup. He’ll simply be Hexing Cedric while hiding behind tents. But I do have something of a Black vs. Malfoy standoff planned, I think? That might be the chapter after next, since I really don’t have any intentions of rewriting the actual Cup game lol. I don’t have patience for that, and I’m sure everyone is anxious to see the Mark go up. 

I really can’t say anything about Cedric, Ariel, and Damon because there’s so little wriggle room to talk about spoilers, but I will say that the Yule Ball is going to be a huge moment in GitP in terms of relationships, plot, and characterization. I will say that for the Champion, only Harry or Ariel will be chosen, not both. That would make things so complicated… 5 champions? Nooooooo thanks. 

Also, Snape would actually burn down the school and lock Ariel in a box. 

Thank you so much for such a long and thoughtful message

[saedii-gilwraeth-simp]

Scar, Saedii, and Auri going out for a girls night while the boys stay and look after the kids.

To talk about the girls or the boys? Both, both is good

~~

"To tequila!" Saedii exclaims and Auri grins.

"To tequila," she repeats with the same energy, clacking her shot glass with her sister-in-law and before throwing them back. Scarlett laughs as both gag at the absolutely, undoubtedly shitty tequila carried by the dive bar. She sips her cosmo and enjoys the sweetness as Auri and Saedii chase their shots.

"Okay so, as I was saying before Saedii's need to drink us under the table interrupted," Auri turns back to speak with Scar with a giggle, "Syldra's going great, it's been so long it started feeling like it was useless, but it feels like we're finally getting somewhere, y'know?" Scar nods, excited for Auri's success.

Saedii claps for Auri with just two fingers and Scarlett tries to hide her amusement. Saedii gets another couple of shots in her and their booth would become hug city.

"Saedii, how about you?" Saedii shrugs.

"Not much, still trying to collapse the Unbroken, but you know Warbreeds are stubborn fuckers," Scarlett snorts into her cocktail. Saedii is not wrong.

"Oh, isn't that the truth, you should try getting them to study," Scarlett says and Saedii lets out a sympathetic groan, before taking another shot.

"Oof, you have my respect, Jones," Scarlett flips her hair jokingly.

"Yes, I know, I'm fantastic," she says. The three pause, and then they're laughing, howling into their drinks.

~

"Daddy, they look so pretty!" Lae says, holding up Tyler's hands and showing the living room. Steph and Zila clap at the sparkly pink nail polish now on Tyler's nails. If his daughter and nieces weren't smiling so wide, Tyler would probably cringe. Sparkles are much more his sister's vibe, that's for sure.

"Oh very pretty, well done Lae, I love the sparkles," Tyler threw a dry look to a grinning Fin, who had Kal Jones in his arms, the toddler asleep drooling on Fin's shoulder. Tyler grins at that. But not as much as he grins at Kal.

Dariel was sitting in Kal's lap, enjoying his book, but Kal's hair was falling victim to Rory and Cat Jones-De Seel.

"... go over and then add a strand and go over and add a strand and go over and a strand ..." Cat continued to repeat, trying and failign to teach her twin how to braid. Cat's braid seems to be forming nicely but it is deeply offset by Rory doing hers way to loose, causing Kal's hair to flop everywhere, and then Rory pulling tight.

Tyler is wowed by Rory's strength solely by the fact that when she tries to tighten Kal's braid, he actually winces. Kal meets his eyes and looks down at his hands, which Steph was now putting plastic rings and bracelets on. Kal and him meet eyes and both just smile and shrug.

~

More "Fin being the best at getting children to sleep" energy

[transnamesuggestions]

Neutral names that give like a country hick vibe?

Dallas, Dale, Austin, Rusty, Claude, Darcy, Dariel, Dustin, Ennis, Gale/Gael, Gardener, Glenn, Guthrie, Hayes, Lyle, Mercer, Meyer, Palmer, Puck, Roy

[wthdarielle]

COUNTING DOWN TO MY BIRTHDAY. 8.14.2020 Every caption is gonna contain fun facts about me. Darielle fact #1: Sunflowers are my favorite flower and this mini-trip was a dream come true even though the name of the city is questionable 🌻🌻✨ • • • • #birthday #countdown #leo #season #august #sunflowers #sunflower #model #bikini #travel #vintage #peekaboo #vivid #followme #leoseason #dfw #dallas #dtx #dtxmodels #dtxstyle #dtxstreet #aestheticwallpapers #vintage #aesthetic #vibes (at Whitewright, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CDeZaaLp9p4/?igshid=19nyp4ublz08

[nobuckingway]

Winter is definitely NOT my favorite time of the year when it comes to horse riding. You are constantly disrupted with bad weather which in turn messes up your routines. Below I have outlined a few tips, and advice on how I cope, from keeping motivated while riding, to dealing with the likes of Mud Rash. 

Have a read below & be sure to comment on any tips you have of your own, be warned I have added in a few quirky tips of my own that may possibly only relate to me!! 

Rugging

If your horse is clipped, then I highly recommend they be rugged! Do be aware that over rugging can also be a problem. Be sure to keep an eye on the weight of your rug. Rugs can vary from light-weight, medium-weight to heavy-weight! If you turn your horse out in the winter rugged up be sure to keep an eye on their condition, take their rug of for an hour once a week to give them a breather, it also gives you time to have a good look at their weight etc. 

Try not to over rug your horse, just because you are feeling the cold doesn’t mean they are, that is not how it works! Older horses, and clipped horses may feel the cold that bit more. Start off with a light weight rug, and as you move into the depths of the winter increase the weight. Another valid point to consider, your horse may loose weight during the winter, if your horse is prone to this make sure to keep them well rugged.

You can check how warm they are & determine if they need an extra layer by simply putting your hand in under there rug, feel up around the withers, if its cold add an extra layer, if it is wet or they feel as if they are sweating they most definately need a lighter rug. Check out the 4 links below, for a selection of different rugs on offer at the moment! 

Holmestead Saddlery Winter Rug Collection

TRI Equestrian Winter Rug Collection

The Equine Warehouse – Currently have an Autumn Rug Sale!

Sports Direct Horse Rugs

Darielle’s Random Tip: A great way to find out your horses temperature, cuff your hand around the base of his ear, this is generally a great indication of their body temperature, a great way of telling if they are warm or cold! Well it works for Dante anyways!

Rugging Tips:

Keep a bail of twine handy around the yard incase of emergencies! You never know when you may need to repair a fillet string!

Label your rugs (If you can) It is quite handy to put a small tag on the front fasteners of your rug, its is barely noticable and relitavely stays out of the way! In the long run it will save you getting your rug mixed up with someone else, lets face it all rugs start looking the same once the muck starts sticking to them! 

Darielle’s Random Tip: This is a very interesting tip I read online a while ago, and I am hoping maybe one of our readers will test it out!! Here it goes, using dental floss to sew up tears/patches in your rugs! Apparently dental floss is waterproof and very strong, so feel free to give it a go and let me know how you get on!

Having a cooler on hand during the winter is vital. It is great to have them handy for those cold evenings, to throw on them to cool them down that bit quicker, also handy for putting on them while in the horse box for travelling!

Horse Care

Feeding: Some horses don’t get fed during the summer months, as they are turned out in luscious paddocks with rich grass! For me Dante, had the best of both worlds, he was fed twice a day during the summer. Not much will change for him during the winter months, with only a slight increase in his food intake. I will also be incorporating more oils into his feed, this will help his joints over the colder months. 

Sunflower Oil

Karron Oil

Linseed Oil

Karron Oil is my go to supplements for him, I find it great, that or linseed oil. When my bank balance doesn’t allow me to buy the more expensive oils, I settle with sunflower oil, (69c a bottle in Lidl, I really cant go wrong) 

Mud Rash: One of the most common winter infections for your horse to pick up. It affects the horses legs, and is associated with the skin being exposed to the bacteria that is in the soil. Not all mucky legged horses will get mud rash. Some horses simply have sensitive skin, so they are more prone. 

  Available to buy from Holmestead Saddlery

  Not to worry though, as there is a solution. When bringing in your horse from the field make it a habit to hose down their legs, and towel drying them afterwards. There are also a lot of creams on the market for this condition if it gets bad. I have linked above the Pink Hoof Clay, that I highly recommend!

Foot Care: Winter is not the most ideal time for your horses feet, especially if they are standing out in overly mucky wet soggy fields. This in turn makes your horses feet quite soft. Loosing shoes is a huge liability during the winter months, the muck has weird ways of sucking them off that I simply cannot explain, so keep an eye on those hooves when you bring them in from the field, and again hose off that muck! 

Cornucrescine, one of my favourites! Buy now from TRI Equestrian

Plus Vital, Holmestead are currently running a Plusvital Hoofcare package, click to view!

Keeping their hooves conditioned is another major plus to keeping good hoof care, you really cannot disagree that cornucrescine is on of the best, but Plus Vital is also another one on the top of my list, see a few of my suggestions below!

Darielle’s Random Tip: I am not sure if anyone else does this or if I am just a weirdo! But I always cut my horses tails a little bit shorter during the winter months, it keeps the muck from gathering on it! This may just be me being a complete freak though!! 

  Riding & Keeping Motivated

Winter is most definitely not ideal weather to be riding in, its cold, wet & miserable. I have listed a few tips below to keep you motivated. Myself & Orla will be running a winter exercise blog also, hopefully it will be up & running in the next two weeks! We will be going through different exercises to keep you & your horse motivated and fit over those dreaded winter months! So keep your eye on the blog in the future weeks!

Winter Riding Tips:

Dont put that half arsed effort in, give it 100% or dont do anything at all. If your miserable riding, more than likely your horse will start to be too. You want positive vibes & energy when your riding.

If your having an off day, or you simply cant get the heat into your body, lunge your horse. It will give them a chance to stretch out. More than likely your horse will be in the stable more during the winter, so getting them out to move their legs will keep them in good spirits. A 20 minute session is plenty, no need to go into long hourly sessions!

If you have a walker, USE IT!!! It is not only a magnificent addition to cooling down your horse quicker, but you can also use it for warming up your horse! Make the most of your amenities!

Keep things interesting. If you only have access to riding in an arena during the winter make sure to plan out exercises in advance to keep you & your horse on your toes, better yet set out a winter goal for you and your horse. Learn new things, or start doing more no stirrup work! Its all beneficial to your training!

Get up early and go for hacks! Hacking in the winter is one of my favorite things to do, those crisp winter mornings are my favorite. 

Have you got an Exercise sheet? If you do use it, a clipped horse will appreciate it hugely on those bitter cold days!! Worse case scenario, you can take if off mid session if you feel your horses is working up a sweat. 

Look After Yourself

As much as we all hate to admit it, we are all only human, not superhuman! Winter takes its toll on some of us, from catching colds to old injuries creeping back in due to the coldness in the air! If you plan on surviving the winter make sure you look after yourself as much as you look after your horse. The weather isn’t always fantastic, so don’t try to over do it with the riding if the weather conditions are not on your side. A few extra days off for your horse in the winter will definitely not hurt, and who can complain about those extra hours sitting in front of the fire!

Winter Tips:

Dress appropriately, Wear the Dam coat!!! 

During the winter months, I always bring a spare pair of clothes with me to the yard, or I leave them sitting in my car! It is not ideal walking around the place is soaking wet clothes, or with wet soggy feet, so make sure to pack some spares.

Wear a hat, keep that head warm! It keeps the heat in. 

Invest in a good pair of gloves, for riding and for doing the yard work! See below some I highly recommend with Roekl being my favs, I cannot fault them! 

I recommend everyone buying at least one pair of these gloves! I have 3 pairs, and have my eye on another for Winter! Click To Buy – Stockist TRI Equestrian

One last tip I would highly recommend to everyone during the winter months, look after your tack! It can take a bit of a bashing during the Winter, from not being used as regularly to sitting in cold tack rooms! That along with your boots, (tendon, fetlock boots)they will all need a lot of attention if you want them to stay in good condition over the winter months!

If you follow our Instagram #NoBuckingWayBlog you will know that I often waffle on about a certain leather cleaner that works absolute wonders!! I will link it below.

Absorbine Horseman’s Leather Cleaner, in my opinion, simply the best! Click To Buy – Stockist Holmestead Saddlery

  Hopefully someone finds the above helpful, if you have any tips of your own to get you throught he winter, make sure to leave your comments below!

Darielle

#NeighNSlay 

Tips & Tricks for Winter Riding Winter is definitely NOT my favorite time of the year when it comes to horse riding. You are constantly disrupted with bad weather which in turn messes up your routines.

[claudecat17]

Random O's Thoughts on a Rainy Day

I figured I'd fill in the gap between games by maybe complaining about things a little bit, and just sorta free-form this here thing for a change. Which reminds me: at some point next week there will be a guest post by Tom, non-political in emphasis but still very worthwhile. The door's always open for anyone that cares to write something up. Chances are I'll be fairly lazy during the O's road trips when it comes to posting here, so have at it!

The attendance thing has been gnawing at me since that second game. And I know I've probably said as much as can be said about that before. We all know the myriad reasons that the yard isn't even half full during the week, especially this time of year. No need to rehash all that. I've also written extensively about how I think this issue could be fixed, pointing the finger at the club's lackluster marketing efforts. This is the key to the future of the team if you ask me.

Think about it. What if this downward trend in butts in seats continues? In a few more years it'll be maybe 7-8k on weeknights if nothing changes. Granted, the bulk of the revenue comes from television and other media sources, but at what point do the powers that be do something about those empty seats? What does it mean, if anything, if there aren't enough people to fill even a quarter of 'em on weeknights? The money will still be rolling in as long as MASN and the like maintain viewership, but at what point does it become simply too embarrassing?

Perhaps things will only change when things become so dire that the buzz around town, on radio and among fans at large, begins to focus even more on the attendance thing. It's already reaching critical mass if my circle of fan friends and acquaintances is any indicator. And depending on which sports talk radio host you can stand to endure, it's becoming topic number one there too. The fact that we're just two games into the season, that conditions were primed perfectly (excellent weather, incredibly compelling first game) for an uptick in the second game's crowd yet it was still embarrassingly small... this does not bode well for the O's marketing status quo to remain viable.

Time will tell, but the O's would be well served by not dragging their heels too much longer. It's long past time to begin (actually resume) offering discounts on upper deck seats and all the other things I've talked about before here. A complete overhaul of the marketing approach is long overdue. It's time to be proactive, before the team loses Manny Machado and the shit really hits the fans (pun intended).

What else? Oh yeah, I see that the O's have made a few more minor roster moves. It has not been a good year for poor Dariel Alvarez. Now, I can't pretend to have any knowledge of how these things work, but it sure seems callous for the club to cut bait with the guy just as he's set to undergo Tommy John surgery, this after they've already forced him to become a pitcher, seemingly against his will.

So who's on the hook for that surgery? Does Alvarez remain nebulously in the team's clutches? Was the cutting of bait purely procedural? I'd hope that somebody's had a sit-down with him to explain all this, but knowing what little I do know of the inner workings, nothing would surprise me. My innate cynicism has in no way been tempered in my years at the yard, this year especially.

The overwhelming sense one gets being in my position is a sort of "penny wise pound foolish" vibe. For example, in watching coverage of several Opening Day games on the tube, I noticed that most clubs staff their gates with personnel clearly identified as separate (and presumably better trained, higher paid) from the rest. People with "SECURITY" in all-caps on their apparel, often beefy dudes looking very professional and intimidating.

At our yard? On a busy day you may be processed by an entire team of people that don't do the whole metal detector shuffle thing regularly. They may even be rookies, thrown into the fray with no clue beyond the 15-20 minutes spent on this during their several hours of training sessions. This won't ever be an issue in a big way until it is. My hope is that nobody sneaks something truly dangerous in with bad intent. It could be a lot harder to do that if the O's spent the dough to hire security professionals.

At all levels, you see folks being saddled with too much responsibility for their pay grade. It's heartwarming, and indicative of how much people enjoy the heck out of just being at the yard at all, to see people happily doing so much more than they probably should be doing. Unfortunately this can translate to bad information flowing. It's fairly common for fans to ask me questions that they've already asked others who have given them bad info. This is fine when it comes to food locations, but when it comes to ticket policies or pricing, this can be bad.

I've heard things that are genuinely stupid, and it's difficult if not impossible to get the truth at times. A few people, very believably, told me that they tried to buy upper deck tickets last year on very lightly attended nights, only to be told at the window that all they had left were pricier seats down below. Seats at 3-5 times the price up yonder. Now that's a serious issue, if true.

And I lean towards believing it, if only because of the number of discrepancies I've personally seen, differences between what you see online as sold seats and what you see in person. Or being told that folks have tried to buy tickets somewhere specific, only to be told that those aren't available. Differences between what's available online versus through the window. Sounds to me like the whole ticket sales infrastructure could be substantially improved.

How about the "new" food choices this year, hurriedly publicized just a couple days before the first game? The closer you look into it, the more you realize it's mostly the same old stuff, just gussied up a bit with a few new sauces, a few new shapes of bread. No new physical locations. Still no more Geno's or Polock Johnny's, still no more Natty Boh or the lounge it once inhabited. Seems like they were backed into a corner and had to quickly improvise something. Some of the signs weren't even changed by Opening Day.

So I guess that's enough. Cheery, huh? Just callin' it as I see it. Room for improvement in several areas, none of which really affect my own enjoyment of the wonders of Camden Yards or the baseball played therein (except possibly the gate issue). My primary concern continues to be the marketing though. If they don't get that together soon it's only going to get worse. And I'm sooo tired of answering out of town fans' "where is everybody?!?" questions.

-------------------------------- Link to past posts, faster than the top-right icon thingie: https://disqus.com/home/forum/claudecatsplace/recent/ --------------------------------

[shostakobitchh]

You are right about not having Damon and ariel date from the start to the end 👍 .i can only hope you save her first kiss for him . It is your fault you made us love him soooo much😂❤.

we shall see!! that all comes down to how close cedric/ariel become honestly. I haven’t really decided who her first kiss is going to be quite honest. It’s all just rly funny to me that out of the entirety of last chapter, everyone is like BUT WHAT ABOUT DAMON even though he hasn’t even appeared in GitP just yet.

[shostakobitchh]

Dariel Yule Ball AU

Prompt: Damon asking Ariel to the Yule Ball and Snape finding out.

I have like 4 of this same question in my inbox LOL but HERE IT IS GUYS AFTER ALL THIS TIME 

Nothing here is set in stone. It might happen, it might not, so don’t get your hopes up friends. 

“it’s about time”

She knew this tournament was the worst fucking idea anyone had ever had in the history of mankind.

McGonagall had trapped her — and that was exactly what she had done — simply because Ariel was a Champion. She didn’t see why this meant she was required to go. Ariel might’ve considered it voluntarily if it wasn’t being shoved down her throat, but it was, and she was panicking.

It wasn’t so much the idea of a dance — Ariel had never been to a dance before, or done the act, but she was quite sure none of the students had. Maybe some of the Purebloods, but that was because balls and dances were as common as caviar. The real issue was that McGonagall had dictated that Ariel find a date.

She’d never been asked on a date before. She’d never asked someone herself. McGonagall might has well have asked her to take down another dragon — Ariel would’ve done that again in a heartbeat if it meant not having to go to this stupid fucking godforsaken ball.

“Who am I going to ask?” Ariel moaned into her hands.

“You could just die.” Damon offered, very unhelpfully. “Then you wouldn’t have to go.”

“McGonagall would resurrect me.” She muttered. “I’m doomed.”

“I don’t think she’d go that far.” He rolled his eyes. “At least, not unless Harry offs himself first. Then that’s a possibility.”

“You’re not helping.”

“I don’t think I can.” Damon’s eyes danced around her, and as Ariel followed them, they weren’t doing what they normally did. They seemed to scatter, the blue in Damon’s eyes bleeding into the air around them instead of crystallizing.

“I have no one to ask.” She buried her face in her arms. “I’m going to be the laughingstock of the school — who the hell would ever say yes to me? I don’t talk to anyone else!”

“Yes,” Damon said dyly. “What a predicament. Maybe you should ask Harry.”

“Shut up. That’s gross.”

“Merlin, I didn’t mean as an item — he’d just be your date.”

“Stop talking, Damon.”

“You could ask Lupin.”

Ariel poked her head up, giving him a one eyed glare.

“Cormac?” 

She gagged. “He’s already asked Katie, anyway.” 

Katie Bell -- she was the perfect kind of date. Blonde hair and blue eyes and a heart shaped face. Ariel was none of those things. She was broody and too pale -- her eyebrows were uneven. She didn’t wear makeup like the other girls. She’d probably take out her fucking eye if she tried using a mascara wand. 

“Well, I guess there really isn’t anyone.” Damon said, looking oddly defeated. There was something amusing in it though, even though nothing about the situation was very funny. 

“No,” Ariel muttered. “There isn’t.”

Damon went very quiet after that. His eyes went back to the Charms textbook, all traces of humor gone from his face. The lines in his cheekbones seemed to sharpen — his eyes greyed. They did that, Ariel had noticed, when he became very serious, which wasn’t often.

“You okay?” Ariel asked, frowning. 

“Yup.” he said shortly. 

“You sure?” 

“Yup.” the p at the end popped. 

She continued to stare at him, wondering what had shifted the mood -- had she said something? Or was Damon simply annoyed with the subject? He didn’t care much for people -- Ariel assumed he that meant he didn’t care for balls, either. Maybe he was nervous about finding someone for it? No... Ariel couldn’t see Damon going to a dance with someone... unless maybe... 

“Damon?” Ariel tried again. “What’s wrong? What’d I say?” 

“Nothing.” he slammed the book shut and stood. “We should get going -- I don’t want to be late to Potions again.”

She nodded, but kept her eyes trained on Damon as she gathered her things. He wouldn’t meet her eyes as he forcefully shoved his books into his satchel. 

They walked in complete silence down to the dungeons, and he didn’t say a word the entirety of class. Damon simply handed her the ingredients as they went down the list of her father’s instructions. Ariel looked up towards the end, finding Severus watching them carefully, like he could sense that something was off as well. 

Ariel waited for everyone to leave so that Severus could ask whatever it was he was going to ask -- Damon left without saying goodbye, or even so much as looking at her. 

She also wanted to ask Severus if he could get her out of the ball. Dances didn’t seem like something her father would approve of -- a date certainly didn’t. They’d never really discussed dating, since things kept trying to kill her, but Ariel had a hunch Severus was a fan. 

“Can you tell McGonagall I can’t go to the Yule Ball?” Ariel asked as soon as the the door swung close. 

Severus scowled. “I already did.” 

She blinked in shock. “What? Really?” her heart then sank; he’d only look that mad if things hadn’t gone his way. “What’d she say?”

“She came to me.” his lip curled. “She told me there’s no way around it -- you have to go. It’s tradition.” 

“Since when do you care about tradition?” 

“I don’t!” Severus snapped. “McGonagall does, and as a Champion, and your Head of House, she has the right to make it mandatory. I can’t do anything as your father, since legally, I am not. Otherwise, I would’ve done everything I could to fight against it.” 

“I have to find a date.” she mumbled into her arms. 

She felt his hand squeeze her shoulder. “I know.” he sounded very empathetic. Or disgusted. Ariel couldn’t tell. 

“I want to die.” 

“I’m trying to ensure that doesn’t happen.” when she looked up, he was seating himself beside her. “Though, the sentiment is shared between us, I assure you.” 

“Do you have to go?” 

He stared back like she’d just asked her if he really hated Sirius. Ariel snorted. 

“You won’t have to be miserable alone.” her father said. “Take comfort in that.” 

Her heart throbbed in appreciation. “I’ll try.” 

He hummed a sound of agreement, and then, furrowed his eyebrows. “What’s going on between you and Bellatrix’s brat? I noticed a lack of chatter on his behalf during class.” 

“I don’t know.” Ariel scowled at the desktop. “We were talking about the ball, and then he started acting like a pill.” 

A funny expression passed over his face. 

“What?” she asked. “What am I missing?”

“Nothing,” Severus sounded like he was chewing on nails. “that’s... strange. Perhaps you should end the friendship once and for all. It sounds terribly stressful.” 

She glared. “Nice try.” 

He shrugged and stood. “On with you -- we’ll talk later. My NEWT students will be here any minute, and I don’t want them seeing you here after class.” 

Ariel though about her father’s reaction, and it bothered her the more she dwelled on it. He seemed to have figured it out within a sentence, and it had obviously struck a chord. Granted, everything about Damon pissed him off, but was it because of the ball? 

She caught sight of him exiting the Great Hall -- when he saw her, their eyes locked, and he turned away. 

“Damon!” Ariel called -- he turned, and then sped up his pace. “OI! Don’t ignore me, Malfoy! Get back here!”

He ignored her and kept going. Ariel ran up behind him, grabbing his hand to pull him to a halt. Damon pulled away like she’d electrocuted him. 

“Why are you snubbing me?” she demanded, crossing her arms. “I didn’t do anything, did I?”

“Nope.” he said tonelessly. “Nothing at all.” 

“Damon.” Ariel gave him a knowing glower. “It’s about the ball, isn’t it?”

That seemed to do something. Damon’s jaw clenched -- the blue eyes his eyes deepened, like there was a hurricane brewing in them, churning the waters. 

“If you want to get a rise out of me,” he hissed. “you can at least have the decency to be straight about it, Potter.” 

Ariel gawked. “Mock you? What in Merlin’s name --” 

“No one to go with? Is that funny to you?”

“That sounds an awful lot like a me problem, not anything against you!” 

“You could have asked me, instead of fucking moping about, Jesus Christ and Godric, Potter!”

Ariel blinked, taken aback by his sudden fury. “Alright, calm down, will you?”

“It just… pisses me the fuck off when you assume you have to be miserable alone, but you know I’d fucking go with you, but you’re so fucking thick —”

“Wanna try and broaden your vocabulary?” She rolled her eyes, ignoring the pleasurable squirm in her stomach at his words.

Damon took a deep breath, glowering at her. “Did you really not think of me at all?”

“I thought you’d… might want to go with someone else.” Ariel thought of Pansy’s face looking after Draco — Daphne Greengrass looked at Damon that way, sometimes. No one had ever looked at Ariel like that.

What did it matter to Ariel who did and didn’t look at her? She didn’t have time for relationships. Things kept trying to kill her… that was where he attention needed to be. Finding a date wasn’t going to stop whatever Voldemort was up to with Wormtail. 

Damon snorted. “Like who?”

She felt herself blush, and cursed herself for it — Damon grinned.

“I wasn’t going to go,” he said. “but I’d go with you.” 

Ariel’s heart gave a funny little jump. “To help me out?” 

She didn’t know what she expected Damon to say, just that she didn’t want him to say just yes. She wanted an actual reason -- maybe it would 

“Well then, Ariel Potter,” He gave a ridiculous bow, one Lockhart would’ve been proud of, and Ariel snorted. “would you do me the honor of being my date to the Yule Ball?”

Severus was expecting a girl, not a note to appear in his quarters later that night. It came with a pathetic puff of smoke, like it had been ready to cower had it lingered longer. 

He eyed it cautiously. Ariel and he sent notes if she was staying in Gryffindor Tower, which she wasn’t supposed to be doing. She was supposed to be here. Why wouldn’t she -- 

we were talking about the ball and then he started acting like a pill -- i

Severus ripped it open, and there, in her handwriting, was one of his greatest fears alluding that it had finally come to pass. 

Dad

I’m writing to you in order to give you some space to cool off after you read what’s below. Please don’t hurt yourself — or anyone else. Please. I need this in order to prevent humiliation in front of the entire school (or, really, three schools, which makes my case even more convincing).

I love you. Please. Please.

He flipped over the parchment.

Damon asked me to the Yule Ball, and I said yes.

Dumbledore had to send away for a new desk, the next day. 

[shostakobitchh]

AU Prompt where Dariel comes to get Ariel from her house over the summer for her first date and Severus gives him the talk

“Sit.”

The words are sharp and clear, but Damon can still sense something else lingering behind them. Snape is watching him like he’s getting ready to make a run for it, and for a split second, Damon actually considers doing just that. He’s wearing those menacing black robes and a glare that could set fire to anything remotely flammable.

“Where?” is the next injunction. There’s no context – he could be asking where Damon is planning on hiding if this date goes south, but he isn’t that thick.

He clears his throat. “Diagon Alley.”

“To?”

Damon blinks – that’s a mistake. Snape’s face flashes like lightning, but just as the thunder is about to strike, he saves himself.

“I uh – Christmas shopping.” He says quickly. It’s not a lie, either. Ariel’s volunteered to help him find something for Draco and Harry. It’s their first Christmas a couple, and she’s suggested they get them something similar to make it more sentimental.

Damon does not tell Snape this – knowing him, he’d probably take Damon’s attempt at friendliness the wrong way.

“Christmas shopping.” Snape echoes back in a voice that suggests Damon is taking his daughter to Azkaban. He shudders and offers a stiff nod.

“Yes, sir.” He clears his throat. “That’s all.”

Snape growls. “It had better be, boy. What did you think it would be?”

Great – he’s insinuated that something else may be occurring – which it’s not… or maybe it is. Damon wouldn’t have minded snogging Ariel in some dark alleyway, but looking at the look on Snape’s face, he doesn’t even want to try and hold her hand anymore.

“Nothing, sir.” Damon says quickly. “I was just–”

“Just what, Malfoy?”

He takes a deep, steadying breath. Snape has the unique talent of unnerving him without doing much – he couldn’t even toast a piece of bread with the heat he’s putting on him now. He’s nervous, and anxious to see Ariel, and Snape is both amplifying and hindering both of those things.

“I just plan on making sure she has a good time, sir.” Damon finally says evenly. “I think she deserves it, don’t you?”

Snape blinks – his eyes narrow dangerously, and for a moment, Damon thinks he’s about to really lay into him, but he doesn’t. He crosses his arms, and says in a voice low voice: “You will have her back her by nine. Any later and I will make sure YOU don’t return home tonight.”

Damon wonders if that means death or imprisonment. Probably both.

He then asks himself if most boys are grilled to that extent – probably not. He’s better for it, he supposes.

“You’re here early.” a warm voice calls from the hallway. Ariel is carrying her coat, and at the sight, Damon feels his chest loosen.

“I am.” He smiles at her, and Snape flings knives at him with his eyes, but he doesn’t notice.

“I was giving Mr Malfoy my expectations for your evening out.” Snape tells her flatly – he’s silently fuming, now. “You know the rules – or should I repeat them?”

“I think we’re good.” Ariel rolls her eyes and squeezes his arm as she makes her way over to Damon.

His eyes are only for Ariel, but as Snape grunts and begins to stalk down the hallway from where Ariel came, Damon notices some of the anger leave his face, leaving behind something he can’t name, but can feel lingering in the air.

[shostakobitchh]

Not gonna lie, I sure hope not, because I'm imagining a terrible, terrible scenario lmao. BrO I'm so freaking anxious for fourth year - this is literally the first time this've ever happened!! Look at what you've done with me bro. I can already see that I'll be anticipating fifth year - and I bloody hate OoP lmao (you're an amazing author!)

I think fifth year is actually the worst?? @spicywheeler can testify to this but once we push through it the rest of the story is pretty tame, which is ironic, seeing as DH is a literal WAR but ANYWAY

the dariel thing isn’t the type of terrible you think, trust me. it’s like, pretty tame, I think, compared to other stuff. fourth year is a wild ride too but it’s not like CoS (NOTHIGN will be like CoS i’m putting that horror novel behind us)

[shostakobitchh]

dariel is love, dariel is life. damon and ariel 4 life. write that on my tombstone. yes. get married. fuck I love damon (and ariel)

I am so stunned and humbled that y'all all love Dariel even tho poor Damon hasn’t been kicking much in PoA but I must agree with you, anon friend. i want to hug them and put them somewhere where there’s no bellatrix or voldemort. maybe they’ll steal snape’s idea and run away to siberia together.

[shostakobitchh]

Prompt: “Okay, the blood isn’t mind, calm down.” happy writing 😊

thank you anon friend

“Okay, the blood isn’t mine, calm down.”

Damon is panting, his blue eyes sharp, like they’ve been through a shredder, and then carved by a meticulous hand. She can feel his energy radiating off of him – the hair is standing up on the ends of her arms.

“Then whose is it?” Ariel whispers; her hands are shaking, and conscience is rattling about inside her head, singing and jeering, and Ariel wants to shove her hand inside and strangle it make it stop stop stop –

“Your father’s.” He says, and conscience soars.

[shostakobitchh]

(I hope I'm not bothering you with all those asks) also, dariel is a ship that I really want to ship but I'm kind of afraid it'll be a replay of snily? or that Ariel will need advice but no-one will give her.... (or, worse, that Damon start thinking that he doesn't deserve Ariel) (I'm rambling, sorry)

Dude I love the asks and oneshots and literally anything Red Sorrow related. Feed the flames, my friend. 

A lot of people have actually been like “omg Snily parallels!!” and I’m like “yes kind of maybe!!!”

I think Damon is like, 50x more emotionally stable compared to Snape at that age. We’re in good shape for the ship to sail. As for similarities, I think that Ariel is just as oblivious as Lily was, but that’s not necessarily meaning failure. Snape is an idiot, Lily was young, and Ariel has both of those things in the back of her mind to help her avoid the same mistakes. 

I have plans for them. Don’t worry about Damon and Ariel – worry about Snape finding out the ship is preparing to leave port. 

[shostakobitchh]

was reading through your old asks and I think the idea of grandad snape is adorbz. could you do a short 5-10 sentence AU prompt of snape doing his classic worrying over Ariel but when she's pregnant?

“Will you calm down?” She hears Damon hissing from the other room. “She’s fine – we went for a walk. I didn’t enter her in triathlon.” 

“She is due in two weeks and you thought dragging her around London was a good idea?” 

Ariel rolls her eyes – Severus interrogates one of them, or both of them, at least three times a week. It’s like he’ll cease functioning if he doesn’t snipe and worry about her “condition.” The last time he called it that, Ariel disconnected their Floo, and when he showed up an hour later to apologize, he had brought with him several potions to combat her morning sickness. 

“Stop threatening my husband.” Ariel says as she joins Damon at the Floo. “I’m a big girl, and I’m going stir crazy. We barely went around the block.” 

Her father growls. “You shouldn’t be running about outside, let alone standing right now.”

“Watch it,” She warns. “You’re going to upset junior.” 

“Threatening to name your son after me is becoming rather old.” He snaps. “Go sit down – I’ll be over later with Poppy.” 

The baby kicks, like he knows he’s being spoken about – what Severus doesn’t know is that Ariel’s serious about the name. 

[shostakobitchh]

I think tumblr ate my answer? Fuck. I rambled a lot about Sev's relevance to the ship and made an analogy with sailors? I think? Anyway, Sev already antagonizes Damon a lot, and he courting his daughter won't help that - which means that either Damon will do something that will "prove him worthy", or Ariel will fight her way. And I can't help but notice: neither of the options are particularly good. Because Damon "proving himself" isn't easy, since it's Sev... No need to mention the other.

Yeah, tumblr does that sometimes. RIP answer. 

He hasn’t done much since Ariel’s first year – he’s been pretty well behaved in the Damon department, so gold star for good behavior, Snape. 

I can’t comment much on either of those options because spOiLErs (will third year ever end???) but yeah it’s gonna be a rough start for them, but differently than what you’re thinking. I have plans for them, and Snape’s reaction, and it won’t be what you’re thinking ;)