#disclaimer: i am from the country that lets red bull come up with a new unhinged arrangement of our anthem every year

[ilottthepilot]

@ americans is it somehow unpatriotic to sing your national anthem with a backing track? a single pianist with a keyboard? literally any instrument???

[nobody-wants-ice-cream]

Everything Wrong With The Umbrella Academy. Episode 6, The Day That Wasn’t.

We Only See Each Other at Weddings and Funerals

Run Boy Run

Extra Ordinary

Man on the Moon

Number Five

Disclaimer: This is all in good fun! I wanted to do a really nitpicky re-watch of the series and found some really cool and interesting things I didn’t notice before. This is meant to have a Cinema Sins-esque tone. However, I did take off a lot more sins than Cinema Sins would have because I do genuinely like the series and the people that made it possible. So all of the good things got one sin off and all the bad things got one sin added. This is a really long post, so grab some popcorn. If there’s anything that I missed, feel free to add it!

I would also like to add that normally you wouldn’t watch a show this way. I am purposefully looking for mistakes, easter eggs, and other things that we’re not supposed to notice. I am watching not with the goal of entertainment, but for analysis. So most of the things that I sin, I am seeing for the first time.

Also, no I can’t do better. I am in no way qualified to give this level of criticism about anything. 

[Today we got the s2 release date!! I am so excited. To answer any questions about that, I will probably do a season 2 version of this a year after it comes out. Since some of my sins involve fandom and any fic tropes/theories we might come up with, I want to make sure that has time to happen.]

The Day that Wasn’t 

Only Dave notices Klaus coming to Vietnam via briefcase. The flashing blue lights and loud “oof!” isn’t loud enough to wake anyone else up. +1

Cody Ray Thompson’s workout routine. -1

“Katz” isn’t a fandom thing! The dude that is yelling at all the soldiers and Klaus to get ready (some sort of commanding officer?) calls Dave “Katz”! -1

Klaus is so confused that he just puts the pants on without really questioning it. What the fuck was going on in Klaus’s head? +1

Where is Ben? +1

Right where I’m paused Klaus’s face is hilarious. “It was at this moment Klaus knew. He fucked up” -1

The Power of Boners is what keeps Klaus in the fucking Vietnam War. +1

For all future Dave sins, I am calling it The Power of Boners because Dave gets one line. As soon as the show corrects this and shows us why Dave was so wonderful, these remain sins. Sin for the show for not providing more Dave content. +1

Overly saturated forigen country cliche. +1

Seriously, why is Vietnam so orange? +1

The Doors. -1

This one shot in the foreground of the girl with white boots. I want those boots so badly. Costume people, where did you get them? Sin until I know, damnit! +1

Cool white boots are cool. -1

Klaus’s dance moves. -1

Klave. -1

Scene does not contain a lap dance. +1

Or any other indication that Dave and Klaus didn’t just make out once and decided to remain friends. Please give me more Klave content show. If anything, just to flesh out this character who motivates Klaus for half of the season. +1

Luther barges in on people in the bathroom. He has six siblings! Anyone with at least one sibling knows that barging in on people in bathrooms is a shitty move. Heh, shitty move, bathroom, get it? +1

Klaus’s face when Luther deadpans “the world’s ending in three days”. It’s the face of someone who completely forgot about that since he’s been in the 60s for ten months. -1

Also, the way Luther tells Klaus “the world’s ending in three days” is the same way I might tell my brother that it’s time for dinner. +1

“Five’s a little- [coo coo whistle]” Emmy Raver-Lampman kills this line. -1

Luther’s face when Allison asks “what did Five even see?” brings me so much joy. That is the look of complete panic. Love that. -1

Luther can’t lie for shit. Checks out. -1

Anyone with siblings can relate to Diego, Allison, and Klaus’s reaction to this bull. -1

The dramatic music leading into the little “we died” followed by a sip of coffee. Priceless. -1

Title umbrella scares the shit out of Klaus! -1

Comic power foreshadowing? Sin until we get answers. +1

Foreshadowing that Five is in HQ by sending orders that don’t follow the same format as the rest of the ones on the shoe. Fiveshaddowing? -1

Kate Walsh plays an excellent villain. Part of that evil demeanor is getting all up in Five’s personal bubble. This is the closest Five has been to someone in the entire show without any injury or being drunk. -1

The Handler is creepy. +2

Five makes demands after setting foot in the building for less than one minute. +1

The masks from the comics are on the wall in the briefcase room. -1

Based on the two agents we see in the briefcase room and Hazel and Cha Cha, the uniform of the commission assassin is a blue suit, yet all of Five’s are grey or black like management. Inconsistency. +1

Typewriters. I hate those things. +1

I think Aidan Gallagher forgot what he was doing in this scene. His expression doesn’t look like Five, it looks like some kid who is letting a math lecture wash over them. You could make the argument that Five is sort of letting this wash over him too, but I would call bullshit. Five knows how dangerous of a situation he’s in right now. He shouldn’t look this calm. +1

The Handler touching Five’s face. +3

Dot has the “i’m in danger” expression when meeting Five because Dot let Five live in hell for 45 years. Five also looks like he wants to kill her. Great acting, Patrice Goodman. -1

Five’s expression when Dot says “No hard feelings” brings me so much joy. And fear. -1

The Handler makes Five the teacher’s pet on his first day by calling him leadership material in front of his new coworkers. +1

Kate Walsh was temporarily directed by Tim Burton for this scene. +1

That weird look one of the commission management people gives Five once Five sits down and starts working. I don’t like it, I don’t like it! +1

The Hargreeves mansion looks really fucking chaotic on the roof. I don’t like it. +1

Leonard’s face at finally being allowed inside the Hargreeves mansion. Just the right dose of satisfied and creepy. Well done, John Magaro. -1

Leonard is raising so many red flags that he may as well be a stop sign. +1

Umbrella Academy action figures. Oh, Reggie. +1

Luther has to explain that everyone in the whole world dies and not just them. The Umbrella Academy School of Delayed Reactions due to Stupidity was too long of a name so Reggie shortened it to The Umbrella Academy. +1

Allison’s right, Vanya isn’t being fair. However, Allison isn’t specific about how Vanya is family but Leonard is not. Sin for both of them for being dumb as hell. +2

“I’m gonna go find Vanya” “There isn’t time, we need to figure out what causes the apocalypse” irony. +1

“Nuclear war” cited as one of the possible causes of the apocalypse. Comics fans, enjoy this sin off. -1

“But I’m thinking this is about the Moon, right?” well yeah, but not for the reasons you think. Foreshadowing the moon. -1

That creepy portrait of Five behind Diego. No, not the big one, the other one by the bar. What the fuck, Reggie? +1

Leonard steals the action figure of The Monocle (reggie for those who don’t know the comics), which symbolizes the way Leonard feels he is controlling the Academy through Vanya. -1

Leonard is creepy. +1

Ben doesn’t realize that Klaus is going through withdrawal despite seeing it the day before. Sure, Ben could have been more focused on the tourture, but because Ben points out Klaus’s withdrawal by name in Man on the Moon, we can assume he noticed and that this is a continuity error. +1

Vanya’s powers affecting the world around her as soon as she is a safe distance away from the academy because reasons. Seriously, there should have been at least something while she was confronting her siblings. Show plays fast and loose with the rules of Vanya’s powers. +1

“If you tie me up after.” “Come again?” Diego and Klaus have the most sibling like relationship on this entire show. -1

Klaus’s Diego impression. -1

Excessive use of the word “bro”. One sin for every time I have to hear it in this scene. +2

“Mr. Five”. Is Five’s first name “Number” or did he not give the Commission any other name? Does this imply that he doesn’t go by Five Hargreeves? +1

This is one of the few scenes where Aidan Gallagher no longer looks like Aidan Gallagher and instead looks like Five. Acting. -1

Dot is really trying to get murdered. Don’t engage the man you put through hell for almost fifty years, moron. +1

The Handler has nothing better to do than to stalk Five. Does this lady have a job or did she take the day off specifically for this? What was she doing in the tube room?+1

The origin of “deadly little thing” is fucking Gloria? Really, fandom? +1

Five is too good of an actor. I understand why Aidan Gallagher might make some of these choices as an actor but I don’t understand how a man who grew up alone in the apocalypse can act this well. +1

The Handler keeps singling Five out in front of his coworkers. +1

The Handler’s arm around Five’s shoulders. +1

Creepy dude is back. I’m not even going to try and look up this guy’s name, but the expression suggests something I don’t want to think about. +1

Creepy guy’s name is Herb. Of course it is. +1

The file Five picks up just has a smiley face inside of it, which suggests that the Handler put it there as a red herring. Nice touch, show. -1

Gender neutral bathrooms. -1

Five’s expression when the Handler continues talking to him as she is peeing. -1

The Handler talks to Five while peeing. Gross. +2

His expression when she starts coughing is so funny. -1

Rugae +1

The Handler peeks over the door of the bathroom stall. +10

Cha Cha says, “Sure, shoot” when Hazel asks if he can ask her a question. +1

Where did the gunshot come from if Cha Cha didn’t shoot Hazel? I get they’re using it to make us think that she did, but there is no other explanation for the noise. +1

Luther frantically searching for his moon research makes me very sad. +1

Also, I’m kind of bored with this episode at this point. It’s such a low episode with the only interesting parts that make me as excited as the last episode Number Five, being the Commission parts. Everything else is kind of boring. Pick up the pace, show. +1

Reggie is a dick to Luther. +7

Luther looks so lost and broken and sad. I’m sad. Fuck you, Reggie. +1

Why the fuck was Luther carrying an axe?? +2

And rope?? +2

When and where did Luther find the time and money to get the engraved gold locket for Allison? This interaction is so full of plot holes and stupidity. +1

However, Cameron Brodeur and Eden Cupid do well with this dumb writing. -1

Seriously, who wrote this scene? The fact that I can’t bring myself to care about what is going on right now says a lot. +1

Reggie jump scare. +1

Cliche record scratch. How did that happen? Did Luther or Allison bump into it? Sin for lack of clarity and for destroying a record. +1

“Fun and games are restricted to Saturdays between noon and half past noon” Reggie is a dick to his children. +7

Klaus and Diego bonding. Literally? -1

Ben is in this scene! -1

I forgot how weird the soundtrack is for this scene. It’s too ominous. Scoring is important. +1

“Dave must have been a very special person to put up with all your weird-ass shit.” -1

“He was kind and strong and vulnerable and beautiful” that’s great, show. Why don’t you show us that instead of having Klaus say it. Just once scene where Dave shows these qualities so that he’s a real person instead of someone created to drive Klaus’s storyline? Please? +1

I feel really bad for Ben in this scene. From Ben’s perspective, he wasn’t good enough to motivate Klaus to get sober, but this random guy was. Ben angst. +1

Also, Justin Min manages to convey this without any lines. Major props. That takes some serious skill. -2

Bro. +1

“Everyone I like is already dead”. Fridging. +1

I can’t tell if this is Ben walking away or if this is the transition between Diego and Klaus’s point of views. If this is meant to imply the pov switch, It would have been easier to have Ben disappear from the same spot. If it’s Ben walking away because he can’t take being told that he isn’t good enough to get sober for, Ben angst. Either way, it’s a sin. +1

“Aww shit! I need to pee.” Diego’s expression is amazing. -1

“If this [having powers] is even true, everything I know about myself would be different.” That is Vanya’s storyline in a nutshell. This line is really underrated. -1

All of Leonard’s lines point towards the book. All of them. Which makes total sense. -1

Vanya is starting to show more sass and personality because the pills are gone. I wish fanfic writers would explore this. Including myself, I am sinning fanfic writers for not taking into account how cool Vanya is without the meds. +1

“I’m sorry you got stuck with the ordinary one” See! +1

“Ordinary” This word keeps coming up. Probably because of the whole rumor situation that we’re not supposed to know about yet. Rewatches are fun. -1

“My life is so weird” “I like weird”. And if you weren’t such a colossal creep, Leonard/Harold, I would like you too. This line is super sweet. Sin for manipulation. +1

Ellen Page isn’t my girlfriend. Have you seen this scene recently? She looks so cute/hot/beautiful here. +1

No transition, just straight from Leonard and Vanya kissing to The Handler slurping her smoothie. It’s jarring. +1

I want to know why they decided that killing Archduke Ferdinand would start World War I. Noodle incident. +1

“I had a bad Twinkie in the apocalypse once. Kinda put me off desserts.” Yet you still ate the fluffernutter sandwich, Five? +1

The Handler’s office is really cool. Once again, set designers you win this one. -1

Why would Five go straight for a decade instead of a flavor? How does something taste like the 1950s before it tastes like a popular candy from the time for example? +1

The suit is blue like the rest of the time travel assassins have. This suggests a uniform that the Commission didn’t make Five wear before, and suggests a sort of power play. Details. -1

The Handler is a fucking creep. +1

“M26 grenades from the Vietnam war”. This is the comment that sparked the theory that the Commission killed Dave. I want answers. +1

The candy that tastes like the 50s is really chewy. Why is Five still chewing it? +1

The Handler gives Five a pistol and he doesn’t immediately shoot her, which suggests that the pistol is empty. So why was the grenade still operational if the other weapons were not? You would think she would make sure that the grenades couldn’t be used against her. +1

The Handler is a fucking creep. I think Aidan Gallagher was a little uncomfortable in this scene. The look in his eyes isn’t something you can fake. +1

Kate Walsh is an awesome actress. -1

Out of all the candies in the bowl, Five conveniently takes one that is an actual candy and one that is a tracker. +1

So I want to talk about Luther. I think the show did him a great disservice by setting up his story this way. Compared to the Commission stuff, Luther’s story arc doesn’t seem important, hence the “Dad sent me to the Moon” jokes. If this was in a better order, then maybe the fandom would like Luther more. Not that I know what that order should have been, but it definitely shouldn’t have been this one. This whole episode seems kind of disorganized and Luther’s character suffers for it. After this sin, I’m going to shut up about it, so I’ll just add a few and move on. +5

“Four years of my life. A lie” “What an asshole” That’s a bit of an understatement, Allison. Seriously, this Moon research has got to have some value to it. Luther was studying the moon for four fucking years. Who knows what kind of crazy shit he could have found out about the moon’s atmosphere and what the Earth was like when the moon split from it. Those soil samples would tell us a lot about what the developing planet Earth was like. Luther’s moon research is important scientific material. And Reggie just locked it away. +3

This scene is excellent independently. Tom Hopper and Emmy Raver-Lampman play off each other extremely well. -1

“Can I show you something?” +1

The tools in the greenhouse have not moved in seventeen years. +1

And neither has the dust free record player. +1

Two cans of generic cola from seventeen years ago. And these two morons drink them. The family brain cell is dying. +1

This is such a sibling moment. Trying to do something nice and then it all goes up in flames? Sibling. Culture. -1

You know what isn’t sibling culture? The fucking locket. +3

This is a really human moment for Cha Cha. Burning the note shows that deep down, she cares about Hazel. -1

However, I don’t understand why she’s so pissed about Agnes. Is the show trying to ship Hazel and Cha Cha? Because that would be a stretch and I really don’t see it. +1

Klaus asking for one last hit is believable. Diego’s reaction is really good too. Well done. -1

Klaus’s ptsd. Putting my boy through trauma. +1

The wound on Dave’s chest has to be an exit wound. He was behind the barrier, so there’s no way he could have been shot from the front by the enemy. Someone (like a Commission agent) shot him from the back. So I guess we sort of got answers? I’m going to sin this until we know for sure. +1

Klaus is distraught. My poor boy. +1

Why is the chandelier still on the ground? You would think somebody would have attempted to pick that up at this point, right? It’s been two days. +1

Grace’s more relaxed hairstyle shows that she isn’t under Reggie’s strict control anymore. The tight pin curls are now replaced by gorgeous waves. Symbolism, well done hair stylist. -1

Grace lies because Pogo is standing behind Diego. Otherwise, I think she would have told him the truth right then and there. Secrets. +1

Yo, @ Luther. Who the fuck eats a hot dog like that? +1

Also, it was bright daylight when Diego was talking to Grace and now it’s pitch black out. What happened in those hours? +1

Talking about their regrets, Allison says “we can’t go back”. Insert every season 2 headcanon and the whole “Where are they?” tag line from the season 2 promos. +1

Allison attempts to see the silver lining of child abuse. This works and is a valid coping mechanism that I think is totally in character. Well done, writers. -1

The kiss on the cheek is very “this is the last time I will see my sibling whom I love very dearly and who also loves me for me”. This should have been it for Allison and Luther kissing because it’s a really good moment. -1

I love the dancing in the moonlight scene because it’s a reference to something from the comics. -1

The choreography is really, really good. Emma Portner fucking rules. -1

And I love the earrings that Allison is wearing. No joke, someone please tell me where I can find them, they’re adorable and I would love to have them. -1

However, the show made us see two sibling characters kiss. In a very romantic way. +15

And it’s very clear that this kiss happens outside of the fantasy too. +15

Also, without the lights and the music, were Allison and Luther just two weirdos dancing in the park to nothing? +1

The transition to get back to the Commission is really good. -1

“Gloria. The Handler knows that Five is up to something. Get this to Hazel and Cha Cha immediately.” Was the extra info about Five necessary? I feel like a regular person wouldn’t say that. +1

Gloria doesn’t know who the second best assassins are. +1

Five gets that stapler out of nowhere. This goes back to his unexplained power from episode 1, but now the question is: Is this switching power stapler based? +1

Five’s expression when he finally gets the name of the man who will cause the apocalypse. -1

And now we know the origin of the terminate Hazel message. Five, you clever bastard. -1

Did we see the terminate Cha Cha message before this? I can’t remember. If we didn’t then it’s a great reveal. If we did, then I didn’t care enough to pay attention. [I looked back] We didn’t. Great reveal. -1

Five, hide your bodies better so they don’t start waking up for comedic timing. +1

The comedic timing of Gloria waking back up. -1

“You’re a first rate pragmatist!” no he’s not. Have you been paying attention to Five’s character at all, Handler? If he was, then he never would have broken his contract because he was safe in the Commission.+1

Also, this is what a lot of fanfic writers base Five off of. Not his actual character, this fucking line. Sin for the fandom. +1

Why did they have to split up this scene? The Handler just attempted to shoot Five and now we’re supposed to care about Mom and Diego?? +1

Grace finally gets to tell the truth! Sin for Pogo and Reggie for forcing her to lie. +1

The truth. -1

The Commission desk people do care about Gloria. Caring. -1

Vanya finding Reggies book. This could have been the original trigger to the apocalypse in the first timeline. I want answers. How did it go down originally? +1

Dave! -1

“I do owe a debt. But it’s not to you.” This is one of those lines that will be referenced in a future season. “See, [this character and/or relationship] was referenced in season 1” or something like that. This is my favorite Five line, too. -2

Five once again stands too close to an explosion. Fuckin’ run, dude! +1

The ending of this episode reminds me of the “and it was all just a dream” ending that 5th graders write. Nothing in this episode has any consequences. +3

And I am adding back the sins I took off and then some for the important bits like Diego and Klaus bonding, Grace telling Diego all the secrets, and Klaus seeing Dave. +4

Wednesday. 8:15 A.M. (...again). The time stamp is pretty good though. -1

“What gives us a win this time?” And then Five appears. -1

Five snatches Allison’s coffee. And he should be bleeding from the shrapnel wound. +2

Allison’s face when Five snatches her coffee. -1

Diego, Luther, Klaus, and Allison are all watching Five stumble weird and chug Allison’s coffee with the funniest expressions. I want to know what they were thinking. Ya know, beyond “What the Fuck?”. +1

Those expressions, though. -1

“So if y’all don’t get your sideshow acts together” Five this whole season has been you saving the world and everyone else as a sideshow act. That’s gonna take a lot more effort than saving the world. +1

Aidan Gallagher fucking nails this scene. Expletive required. This is why I respect him as an actor. This scene would have been so easy to over act, but he kills this monologue.  -5

If you look closely at Five’s hair, it looks sort of like the triangular shape from the comics. I can’t tell if that was intentional, but it was a good detail. Hair department. -1

“Who the hell is Harold Jenkins” followed by a coffee slurp. That is how they end the episode? Really? It would have been stronger without the coffee. +1

Season 2 comes out on July 31, 2020! I got the announcement just as I was finishing this episode! I’ll take off a sin because we finally know! Whoop!! -1

Overall review:

After the powerhouse that is episode 5, this episode feels odd and out of place. My favorite parts were the Commission parts, and everything else felt like an interruption. Even more so when you consider that the commission parts are the only parts of the episode that actually happened. Sure, it’s great character building, but without any consequences, it feels cheap. I feel like I’ve said everything I needed to say, so I won’t get crazy with the analysis. I would say more if anything in this episode actually mattered. 

Total: 112

Sentence: The Umbrella Academy of Reacting to things Slowly due to Stupidity. Say that 10 times fast. Then I will undo all your hard work through the power of time travel. Seriously, fuck this ending. 

[cameronspecial]

The Marriage Games (Ch.1)

Pairing: Prince! Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: (Y/N) (Y/L/N) grew up in the palace with her brother and the royals; her and her brother are practically apart of the royal family. The Queen decides to help her eldest son find his own queen by inviting ten female suitors to live in the palace. What happens when through this process he finds love with a woman that is not one of the contestants?  

Word Count: 2 894

Disclaimer: This series is inspired by The Selection by Kiera Cass and Yellow Roses by @h-osterfield.

A/N: I have updated my masterlist, so all the blurbs are on it. Go check them out for more Tom and Y/N situation. 

It had been two weeks since the queen had made the big announcement and the palace is now running around with maids that are getting ready for the ten new arrivals that were supposed to be here at any moment. A week ago the names of the suitors had been picked out and they have been told the details they needed for when they came to the palace. Y/N is sitting reading her book on her balcony that is facing the city. Tom slides the door open and makes his way over to the girl sitting on the patio couch. “Everything is a little overwhelming with all the maids rushing around to get stuff clean before the females come. It’s going to be so weird to have all these people in our house,” he announces as he sits beside the girl and takes the book out of her hands. She glares at him and yanks her book back into her hands, “Yeah, I just hope they are not all going to be super hormonal. It is definitely going to take some time to get used to because of the fact that I’ve been surround by guys my whole life.” She puts the book down and rests her head on Tom’s shoulder. “Yeah, this is definitely going to take some time to get used to,” he tells her as he wraps his arm around her shoulder. Tom loved these moments between him and Y/N. He felt like he and she were the only people in the world. Before they could start talking about something else, Timothy knocks on the door to inform them that their guest had arrived.

Tom and Y/N made their way down to the main hall to greet the guest. They stood at the end of the stair waiting for each of the suitors to be introduced. The royal announcer stands near the front door and introduces each of the females, “Princess Adalyn of the House of Bellerose from France.” Enters a tall, snotty looking girl with long beautiful hair that went down past her bum and bright blue eyes. Her beautifully pale skin was obviously caked on with makeup. She wore a frilled white blouse with a pretty pink cardigan and a beige pencil skirt that went to her mid thighs. Her black heels five-inch heels were perfectly shined and only added to her height. “Hello, your highness. I am very grateful for this opportunity although I wouldn’t need this opportunity if you had just answered my calls,” she says with a soothing French accent. Tom just nods his head, “I am sorry for not answering your calls. I have been very busy lately, but I am very happy that you were chosen to come and stay with us. Now, I will have the time to get to know you better.” Adalyn had been trying to get Tom to go on a date with him, but he has always avoided going with her solely based on how she acts whenever she was at one of the events that they were at. The princess is lead away to her room so that the following suitor can come in.  

“Miss Camellia Durant from England.” Camellia walks into the room with a shy smile on her face. Her dark brown hair went down a little bit past her shoulders and she had the most beautiful caramel eyes that Y/N had ever seen.  Her hair was pinned back with a bobby pin that had a daisy jewel on it. She wore a black dress with daisies and her cream flats tied the outfit together. She holds her hand out timidly and Tom gently, but firmly, take it into his hand. “Thank you very much for this opportunity,” she says in an almost whisper. Tom gives her a gentle smile, “It was not really my choice, but you are welcome. I really look forward to getting to know you.” Camelia looks over to Y/N and gives her the same shy smile that she had on when she walked in. Just like Adalyn, Nancy leads Miss. Durant to her room so that she can get settled in. “Princess Darcy of the House of Eads from Ireland.” Darcy did not look the typical princess. She has short curly orange hair and stunning green eyes. Her beige skin was spotted with freckles and her nose was pierced with a bull ring piercing. She had an air of mystery that intrigued both Y/N and Tom. She wore a leather jacket with a dark red camisole and a shark tooth hung from her neck. Her dark blue jeans were tuck into her dark black leather biker boots. Her fingers were adorned with rings, which were cold against Tom’s hand, “Nice to meet you, Holland. Can’t wait to get to know you more.” Before Tom could answer, she walks off toward Nancy who takes Darcy to her room. “She seems pretty badass,” Tom says to Y/N who agrees with him.

“Ms. Farryn Graham from England.” Farryn’s dark skin looks beautifully soft and her beautiful dark brown hair was tied back in a perfect ponytail. She wore a red plaid shirt and jean overalls with tanned Timberlands. She shakes both Tom’s and Y/N’s hand with a warm smile on her face. “I can’t wait to experience this new adventure with you.” Tom gives her a smile and tells her, “Well I am glad that you can be a part of this adventure with me as well.” The next person to be announced was, “Princess Lalia of the House of Maris from Greece.” In walks a perky girl with long light brown hair that went to her waist. Her emerald eyes sparkled so brightly just like her smile. “Hiya, I am Lalia! I am really excited to be here. Do you have Netflix right? I really can’t go anywhere without being able to watch Riverdale. This is so exciting, I really can’t wait to get to know you. Hi, you must be Y/N! I love your outfit, you look so pretty! Well, that lady over there seems to want me to go with her, so I am going to go! Byeeee,” she babbles in a strong Greek accent then she runs off after Nancy. She was wearing a black lace dress that looked like Veronica’s dress from Riverdale. She wore Jughead’s beanie and dark red heels. “She was very talkative,” Y/N comments as they wait.

Before she was announced into the room, the following suitor walks into the room and in a confident manner. She had beautiful dark brown hair and eyes; she reminded Y/N of Yasmin from Doctor Who. Ironically she wore a Doctor Who tee-shirt with a galaxy cardigan and black skinny jeans. Her black vans had a TARDIS on the side and you can tell that she is a fan. “Listen, I was not really too keen on doing this, but I thought that this was a good way to meet people. I want to say that I am looking for a relationship, but the reality is that I would rather just be friends. Maybe, later on, we can see where this goes,” she says before she walks out of the room without anyone saying anything else. That was definitely an unusual way to introduce yourself to a prince. “That was Miss Nella Khan from England, the following suitor is Princess Jensine of the House of Kaas from Denmark. Your Highness,” Timothy declares. In walks a tall female wearing a beige romper and black flats. In her hands was a white ceramic container and that peaked Y/N’s interest. She had dark blonde hair that is in a pixie cut and stunning greyish green eyes. “Hello, I am Jensine and it is very nice to meet you. I am very excited to learn more about you and your amazing country. I have prepared for you æbleskiver. It’s basically Danish pancakes with a filling inside. They are very good!” she exclaims happily. She gives Y/N hug and then hands her the container full of the Danish pancakes. Jensine then goes over to Tom and gives him a hug as well. Nancy calls her over and she happily follows her.

“Three more to go,” Y/N sighs as they wait for the next person to come in. “Miss Primrose Quincey from England.” She wore a black shirt that said Winner with red flannel and light blue jeans with purple vans. “Hi, this is palace is really big and I really need the bathroom,” she informs the pair. Primrose wasn’t scared to say what is on her mind because any normal person wouldn’t have just said that in front of a prince. Y/N had also noticed that she had an American accent. Tom let’s out a chuckle and points her in the direction of the bathroom. Y/N watches the dark brown hair and light brown eyed female runs off in the direction of the bathroom. “I like her, she’s not afraid to say anything in front of me,” Tom comments. “Yeah, that’s true. I have never seen anyone rather be in a bathroom than with you,” she teases. Tom just shakes his head as the following person to walk in.

“Princess Rosetta of the House of Sabato from Italy.” She has pretty curly auburn hair and light blue eyes. Freckles spot her face which adds to her beauty. She wore a pastel pink dress that went past her knees with a thin light brown belt around her waist. She wore a white lace cardigan with brown ankle-high boots. “Hey, you have a really lovely place, your highness. Your family are very lovely people. They have been very kind to me and I couldn’t be more grateful,” she remarks sweetly with a huge smile on her face. “Well, thank you! You are very kind as well. I am very glad that you could join us,” Tom voices to her with a smile on his face. She looks at Y/N and gives her a smile, “You are very kind and pretty. I have seen you at some events and have always wanted to talk to you, but you are always helping people and talking to everyone.” Y/N’s face heats up at how nice she is being and tells her thank you. Another conversation couldn’t be held because of the fact that Nancy had asked to take Rosetta to her room.  Timothy enters the room with the last contestant and announces, “Finally, Miss Mabel Newman from England.” Mabel walks in with confidence and pride. She wore a colourfully knitted hoodie with black leggings and biker boots. Her long wavy ombre brown that frames her face perfectly. Her hazel eyes stood out in the crowd of the rest of the suitors and she looks very nice and sweet. However, Y/N doubted that Mabel was only what she seemed because of the vibe she got from her. Tom didn’t seem like he got the same vibe based on the conversation that Y/N is eavesdropping on. Tom seemed to have been sold on the whole nice girl act.  

Tom and Y/N collapse onto Y/N’s bed after their long morning with meeting the suitors. “So what did you think about the girls?” Tom asks his best friend for advice. Y/N takes a moment to think, “They seem cool. Although Adalyn and Mabel give me this vibe that I can’t really explain, it could just be me. You shouldn’t base your opinions on your maybe future wife based on what I say.” Tom understood what she was saying and he respected her opinion. “Well, since you won’t be the only female in the palace for a while now. I think we should go out together only the two of us. Just in case I don’t have time while the females are over. What do you think?” Tom questions her. Y/N smiles at him and gets up from the bed, “I think we should go down to the beach. How about you?” Tom jumps up from his bed and runs out to his room. Y/N took that as a sign that they were going, so she prepared her stuff to go. She got out her one piece with the sleeves that go off her shoulders. The pastel blue bathing suit was decorated with pink coronations. She grabs sunscreen, a floppy sun hat and sunglasses. She packs them in her beach bag, then goes to grab her book,  portable speaker, and towel. She packs a pair of underwear and puts on her clothes before running off to Tom’s room. “Hey, you almost done?” she calls to him while she pounds on his door. “Yeah,” he replies to her as he opens the door with a bag on his back.

They walk down toward the water on the calm and isolated beach. This was the Holland’s family private beach, so it was only the two of them alone with a few security guards walking patrolling the beach. Y/N places her towel in front of the beach tent and kicks off her sandals. “You know the pool chairs a probably more comfortable than the sand, right?” Tom informs the young female. She looks at him and pats the spot beside her, “Yeah, but if I am in the tent then I am not going to be in the sunlight. Now, come here please so that you can help me with my sunscreen and then I can do yours. You definitely don’t want to get a sunburn again, Tommy.” He obeys her order and sets his towel next to hers. He grabs the sunscreen bottle and starts putting some on him; Y/N grabs the bottle to start doing the same thing and when they get to their backs, they helped each other out. Once they got the sunscreen settled, Tom calls over Timothy and asks him to bring a beer and virgin sex on the beach. Y/N smiles at the fact that Tom knows her choice of drink and knows that she doesn’t do alcohol, but he should know that because they have been best friends forever. Y/N takes out her book and starts reading her heart out, however she didn’t get to enjoy it very much because someone had ripped the book out of her hand and put it back in her bag. “Love, we came here to hang out together and that’s what we are going to do. Let’s go take a dip,” Tom suggests to her, but she immediately starts shaking her head. “Tommy, it’s too cold.” She starts backing away from him, knowing that he is going to try to pick her up and throw her in the water. “Well, I know you will always be up to making a sandcastle. So let’s go!” he bargains with her.

She decided that she should do this with him, so she grabs some sand building stuff from the tent and goes toward the spot that Tom had chosen for the castle. She sits beside him and they start making a pile of sand for their castle. Timothy is coming back with their drinks in his head and the two of them had just about finished building their castle. They clean off the sand on their bodies in the ocean and go to the lounge in the tent. They sat on the pool chairs, sipping their drinks, and talking about life. “Are you really going to be okay with all the girls at home?” Tom questions his friend. “Yeah, Tom, I am not going to hold you back from doing what you want. It’s going to be something new, but if it means that you may find your happiness then I can survive,”  she promises him, knowing full well that he wouldn’t do this if she didn’t want him to. Tom nods his head in understanding and sits up from the chair, “Okay, I believe you. Now, let’s talk about your birthday. What do you want to do for it?” It took Y/N a while to remember that her birthday was in about two weeks and to think about what she wanted to do for it. “Hmm, I think I just want a movie night with the family and Harrison.” Tom nods his head and starts to plan her party in his head. “I guess the water is warm enough now,” Y/N thinks out loud and a big smile comes up on Tom’s face. Tom picks her up and runs her to the water. They swim around in the water and splash each other like children. There were several times that Tom and Y/N had dunk one another underwater, and by the end of the day, they were both so tired. They made their way back up to the palace and take a shower. Y/N got changed into pyjamas and was lying in bed when all of a sudden there was a knock on the door. She tells the person to come in and in walks Tom wearing only his boxers. He lies down beside her on the bed and they continue to talk about life. Tom was planning on going back to his room, but he was so tired that he fell asleep on the bed with Y/N. He subconsciously pulls her into his chest by her waist, even in his sleep he wanted to protect her.

Taglist:  @tmrhollandkay @embrace-themagic @whereartthouwakanda @smexylemony @bookgirlunicorn @mysteriouslydelightfulwolf  @melancholland @casualprincess77   @notes-from-my-journal  @katiekitty261 @spidermansmj14 @redrebecca @deranged-sewer-rat @loverofthingscool @jackiehollanderr @iamthescarlettwitch @parkeret @i-bitch-you-bitch @furiouspaperfarmegg @arrantsnowdrop @loxbbg @hollandechart @converseskyline  @musicandbokkslovingweirdo @holypizzafestivalfire @youllbemineandillbeyours @lydiasbxtch @tomshufflepuff @bookgirlunicorn @spideysimpossiblegirl @starlightfound @softspideyboy @captainbuckyy @arrantsnowdrop @timelock97 @ophcelia @mendesmusical @the-tales-of-ck @tchalameme @thequeensardine @inlovewith3 @alovely-day

[demethinkstoomuch]

Deme Rates Villagers, Part 4: Birds

Disclaimer: Images are from the wiki, all good dogs, my ratings are mainly just there because “Deme gives her abstract thoughts on villagers” is hardly a catchy thing. 

Let’s get to the birbs! Are there borbs? No, not really, Animal Crossing birbs have a pretty straightfoward and uniform shape, they are most likely not borbs.

Ace

Another villager time forgot! Without seeing a clear shot of his eyes (they’re not perma-closed), a big element of his design is sadly lost on me. Otherwise, he’s pretty cute. Nothing fancy, but cute.

2 (Hidden Eyes) /5

Admiral

Eyebrows. Angry. Eyebrows! 

...What’s with his stomach not being the same color as the underside of his face, though? It makes them feel disconnected, which honestly loses some of the appeal for me. On the other hand, angry eyebrows for a grumpy bird. 

Eyebrows... /10

Anchovy

To be honest, I don’t know what to make of Anchovy. On the one hand: I like his simple, bird-like color scheme. I like his square eyebrows... But his expression, his pupils so very, very tiny... Kinda weirds me out. Which, spoiler, is going to be a thing with the birds. Not good eyes, the birds. But once I started looking at other screenshots, with his beak a bit more closed, I came to like his look of mild surprise, in a sort of flickering fondness.

A decent bird, perfectly cromulent. 

I don’t know but it swings between 4-6/10

Flash

Oh man, look at this bird! It’s a crying shame he hasn’t returned since the gamecube days, what with his little swirly little hair-feather, sleepy rectangle eyes, and jaunty little hat, and a cute blue coloring. We are robbed of his revival, and I, for one, will weep for this little bird.

Blue Bird Lamentation / 10

Jacob

What is it with these birds and looking tremendously surprised by existence? Jacob is apparently sort of Brazil-inspired, which is an odd choice of country to make into a charmingly tropical bird, but alright. He and Pave can enjoy carnivale festivale together.

6 /10

Jacques

Look at this fantastic little hipster! He has a beard even if it’s absurd for a bird to have a beard! Blond eyebrows! The green beanie! If he’s come out before the existence of Smug, I’d say he’s a cute little lumberjack, but smug officially marks him as a proud resident of... Maybe Portland, but I’m thinking Seattle. Walks around in the rain, goes hiking in the woods on the weekends, sure, but during the week he goes to an independent coffee shop that does artisanal, free-trade coffee. He used to go to Starbucks, but then they got mainstream. Do hipsters of a certain type play the harmonica? Well, they do now because he is one and he does. Look me in the eyes and tell me I’m wrong. You can’t, can you? He’s so wonderfully a thing. Also, he’s got nice eyes, good, big pupils, and does a nice job tying his beanie color into the rest of his design. A good, good boy.

He would only accept a rating if it was ironic. I have no way of telling if my ratings are ironic or if they’ve looped back to being semi-sincere or if they’re just dumb gags and that’s not irony, you guys, so let the fact that he’s a serious contender for my New Horizons goals list be enough.

Jay

He’s really more of a swallow than a jay, looking at his coloring. Specifically, he’s got the red head and blue body and white underside of a Lesser Striped Swallow. So, now you know. That’s a plus for me, though not a super powerful one, and his eyes have that sort of strange staring quality I noted about Anchovy, but the eyebrows are less good. A rather run-of-the-mill bird.

He’s wearing a 6, however, so 6/10.

Jitters

Oh god that is unsettling. The dark-ringed eyes that are just the wrong sort of wide and staring... I feel like he’s seen Things. I don’t want him to show me Things. (What is funny is that I feel like, given the opportunity, I would probably loop back around and love his thousand-yard, sleepless, burnt-out stare. But I haven’t, so it creeps me out.)

Aaaaaaaaaaah! / 10

Joe

This bird is too small and dark for me to really see, but that might be a nice purple. Look, some villagers from the foggy shores of the past just cannot merit comment.

-/10

Lucha

I wonder why Nintendo keeps looking at luchadors and going “You know what this needs to be? A bird.” This is clearly Hawlucha’s little brother, and the effect could be more dramatic or detailed, but it does rather get the job done! 

Lucha Libre / 10

Madame Rosa

Well, well, well, a villager with a form of address in their name! How interesting! I like her face, what little of it we can see, and I think her color is appealing. She looks suitably fancy. Honestly, another villager it is a shame to lose.

Admiral Gets To Come Back And That’s Fine But Why Not Rosa? / Villagers Who Didn’t Get Amiibo Cards

Medli

So, here we are. The first of the Amiibo specials! This one is obviously meant to be Medli from Wind Waker, and as an emulation, she’s cute, but please, understand... It’s creepy when fur or feathers or something on an animal character goes for that fair-toned flesh look. The naked mole rat look, except not on a naked mole rat. It’s creepy when custom ponies do it, it’s very creepy when Animal Crossing villagers do it. Please stop.

No Seriously I think about this every time I wanna make a pony of a specific fictional character and then I shudder in deep distaste / Please For the Love of All That Is Good And Holy, Stop. Let Them Have Fur! Or feathers!

Midge

Awwwwwwwwwww! Midge is so cute! Look at those cute little swirls on her cheeks! Her precious little tadpole eyes! She’s a pretty, rosy sort of pink, too. I approve, even if honestly there is no rhyme or reason to her, she is just cute. 

(@ o’  v o’ @) / 10

Otis

Who is this guy, and what do I think about him? He looks... Like a bird. That covers that, I think.

-/10

Peck

Peck has a nice Java Sparrow look to him, though not entirely. The eyebrows are such a bright red that I don’t quite dig it, but I have to admit, he is a cute. Not my favorite vaguely Java-Sparrow-y person, though. That will always be Azami!

Drives Safely / 10

Piper

Man, Piper just does not have cute eyes, this image is a lie. She’s got half-circle eyes that make her look kind of bored. And given that she has so little detail, she really needed cute eyes to make me pleased.

3/10, an actual rating that isn’t just me giving a numerical shrug.

Robin

Robin’s pretty rockin’. I like the subtle blush, assuming that’s not a trick of this one screenshot. The little bit of blue “hair” up on his head ties together his tail and.  Shame his stomach’s not red all the way down. Commit, Animal Crossing designers! Commit! 

Rockin’ Robin: Tweet / Tweet Tweet 

Shoukichi

Oh man, it’s a little daruma doll bird! That’s so good! Look at him, he got his wish I guess! Not much else to say, save that I am sad no one has seen him again. I wish he’d come back one day.

One Eye / Two, for that unfilled wish.

Sparro

This is a pretty cute sparrow. You know what he could use? Bigger eyes. I feel the eyes have been an issue with the birds, and I intend to solve this puzzle. ...I think, considering my reactions, it is that they have big round bobble-heads, and so need a big eye to not look weird. Anyway, I appreciate the big dark rings, but not the weird little blush. He looks like he had a little beard, also good.

W(hy is there a missing W?) / Z

Twiggy

Twiggy sure is. The blue on the cheeks and the tail is nicely tied, and I like the very dark stripes on the legs. I have no particular other feeling, but these are good eyes.

5/10, the rating that is me giving a numerical shrug.

Twirp

Oh, I see Nintendo once considered the matter of bird eyes. And making their pupils ginormous. I see. Hm. Well, I guess I do like it better That said, I have no idea what is going on with this creature. Is it meant to evoke a shaved head? Is this creature naked? He looks very naked. Look, just. I respect your saying farewell to me, Twirp. Goodbye.

??????? / 10

The birds have some fun motifs, and we’re seeing a lot of realistic-ish birds, which is fun, but I think we’ll definitely have more enthusiasm-inducing species. Not new time, though. Next time is cows and bulls, and my expectations are low.

[writingrosesandcoffee]

The Princess and the Wizard (Part 2)

Title: The Princess and the Wizard Author: Nesma A/N: Still writing. Disclaimer: I own nothing.

-&-

"So, how was our walking date?" Petunia asked as she walked into my bedroom. Immediately kicking off her black ballet flats, dropping her tan leather bag on the floor along with her black jacket, before throwing herself on my bed.

"It was good. We read you spent a lot of time getting the books and food items that you forgot to bring." I said, putting my book down and uncurling myself in the arm chair nearest my bed. "I also got to know one of the newest security members of my team," I said, wiggling my eyebrows a bit at Petunia.

"Oh yeah? Which one? The one with the long black hair? He's quite fit." Petunia said, perking up in my bed. She rested her head on her hands as she stared at me with excitement.

I snorted. "No, that's Sirius by the way. I got to know James, the one with the messy black hair-"

"Oh. That one?" Petunia asked, her face immediately scrunching up into a look of disgust. Which, I took offence too. So, Petunia and I did not share the same views as far as attractive men but James was certainly attractive.

I mean, first, he looked like he was in shape. Though he was wearing a jacket, it did seem that he had toned arms and his shirt did fit him quite nicely. Then, there is jet black hair and hazel eyes. Nothing makes me swoon as much as the combination of dark haired men with light eyes. Always a combination that I am fascinated with (and I tend to go after those guys considering my dating history). Then, there is the small detail that James has dimples. Cute little dimples that would make any girl want to grab his face and litter it with small little kisses. Because dimples are dimples.

Of course, would I even dare share all of these thoughts with Petunia? Of course not. The girl is actually attracted to someone who looks like he is a human bull of some sort (very large, though Petunia claims he's strong). He has basically no neck (which I guess means opposites attract since Petunia has double the neck). And, he has blonde hair and brown eyes – actually, this part isn't terrible. But he's always so serious and plain and no jokes whatsoever.

"I think James looks nice. To each their own after all." I said calmly. Which, I thought was a much more diplomatic line rather than saying, 'I think James is much fitter than Vernon so there.'

"Whatever. Is he like Kingsley with a million and one degrees?" Petunia asked, rolling onto her back and staring up at my canopy.

"Actually… I'm not sure. I know James went to school with Kingsley at some point but it is unclear when that happened." I said, twisting my strand of hair as I tried hard to remember if James said anything about his past.

"Mysterious background. That's probably why you think he's fit." Petunia said suggestively.

"I don't think he's fit, well, not like that at least," I mumbled, standing up and walking towards my desk. I started to shuffle some papers around, even though no organisation was really needed as a slight blush started to creep on my face.

"Oh come on, please tell me that you've moved on from Robert," Petunia said movements could be heard in her direction as I turned around to face her. "He was honestly such a bore and a jerk." Petunia said, crossing her arms.

I rolled my eyes at her. "I know. I dated the bloke, remember? Believe me, there is nothing that makes me want to date him." I said with a sense of finality as I shoved some random pieces of paper into a drawer.

And I was telling the truth. After all, I had no interest in really seeing Robert. Though, that was impossible since he did go to a majority of the social events that my family does. You see, Robert is a fine guy. He's attractive, at least to me, and I can have a good time with him. We like to talk about History a lot. But, he has this streak of arrogance that makes him so unappealing. And this nasty quality in which he could only talk about himself. Which meant the relationship ended rather swiftly (four months). Which was a record for my shortest relationship, while my longest was for a year or so.

"Good. Just making sure." Petunia said as she stood up from my bed. "I suppose I better make an appearance in front of my own security team. Let them know I am alive and all." She said, sweeping her hair over her shoulder as she collected her items.

"I'll walk with you. I need to pick some things up in your room anyways." I said, standing up and walking with Petunia on her side as we left my room. Though, nearly immediately after ten seconds that we left the room, James was at my side.

"Do you mind if I talk to you miss? For a moment?" James said, fretting a bit as my sister gave him a once over glance. Giving Petunia a small smile, and a pat on her shoulder, she waltzed off.

"Of course, what would you like to talk about?" I asked, putting my hands behind my back as James' hand went through his hair.

"I wanted to apologise for my behaviour earlier, it was quite impolite and disgusting how I talked you-" James said quickly, his breaths coming in short.

"Ah, so you realised your walkie talkie transmitted sound both ways?" I said innocently, smiling at him as his hand dropped from his hair and his jaw went slacked. Chuckling to myself, I put out my hand.

"Can I see your walkie?" I said, and James gave me a suspicious look as he started to fumble with the electronic on his belt. I don't blame the guy, I did after all, perhaps, land him in some serious trouble with Kingsley.

After thrusting the small black box in my hand, I peered at the side and flipped a switch before handing it back to him.

"There. Now you can hear what's going on from their end, but they won't be able to hear us so you can speak candidly." I said and James took the device from my hand and peered at his closely. "How do I know I can trust you?" He asked, putting the device back into his belt holder.

"Well, the fact that I did just show you a nifty trick on your device should soothe you soul." I said sweetly, tilting my head as James' eyebrows raised.

"Yes, but you nearly got me fired-" He said, cooly. I rolled my eyes at such an atrociously false comment.

"No. I didn't." I said quietly, fixing my eyes on him. He took a step back as if he was aware of what I was going to say next. "You nearly got yourself fired." Jabbing my finger at his chest as he stared down at it dumbly. "It is hardly my fault that you were so bold, so arrogant as to think that you could talk to me like that without turning off your walkie." I said roughly because I had an entire country blaming me (well, my family) for the poor state of affairs in this country.

Adding James Potter to the mix? No, thank you.

"Besides," I said quickly, flipping my hair to the side as I crossed my arms, "I hardly doubt that Kingsley would ever fire you-"

"We are talking about the same Kingsley, right? Big man, huge muscles? Looks like he eats ten of me for a snack?" James asked in a panic way, exaggerating his body measurements as I laughed as his impressions.

"Yes, yes we are. But I still stand by what I said, he won't fire you in a million years." I said simply.

"What makes you so sure?" James asked hotly, crossing his arms over his chest as I leant back on the wall behind me with his eyes squinting down on me.

"Well, for starters, you don't have the exact military or educational requirements that Kingsley desires in his security team. Nor do you seem to have the personality type that Kingsley wants in his security team." I stated as James face's eyes went wide, as his arms went slightly slack as if I had punched him in the stomach.

I was never one to shield from the truth.

"But," I lowered my voice a bit for this, causing James to lean in a bit, "But-you clearly possess something that impresses Kingsley. And that's not a small feat." I said kindly, grinning at him as a hard-line set in on his face.

"Really? Because I pissed him off twice today. Once for when you stumbled on me and I acted like a complete fool and the second because I talked to you in an improper way." James gave a sigh as he shifted his weight, his hand going to his hair again. "I feel completely out of my element here and I'm starting to realise that the learning curve is quite steep. And I probably shouldn't be saying any of these things to you. I mean, I know how to protect you and I have gone through the training necessary for this job… it's just the politics I'm struggling." James said, running a hand through his hair again as he took a few steps away from me.

I frowned a bit at this. It's not that anything he said worried me, after all, I did completely trust Kingsley choices. It's just… how often does someone grow up in England without knowing any real knowledge of the royal family? With the number of products out there with my face and the news coverage of our every movement… there have only been a few people who I've met who were completely oblivious to my status. But they recognised my name. And James? It seemed like he had no idea the power of the Evans name.

"You're doing fine. Besides, I thought it was part of training to learn the history of our family and politics?" I ventured, and James froze for a second-his hand back in his hair and his glasses almost tittering off of his nose.

"Yes. Usually, that is part of training, but Kingsley was very eager to have us join the team. Something about us having dashing good looks if I recall correctly." James said, his shoulders relaxing as he gave me a red carpet smile.

And usually, because of the dimples, I would have been swayed with such a smile and laugh, maybe even placing a well-thought hand on his shoulder. However, that is not at all what I did. I went back to leaning against the wall and stared down at the floor thoughtfully. After all, why was their training compromised? What was so important to have them join the team that Kingsley threw the training manual out the window?

After a few seconds, I brought my gaze up and gave James a wide smile, the photo-ready smile. And with the smile finally reaching his eyes, it was clear that he bought my confidence. "Huh, interesting theory. But I do suspect that he hired you because of your skill, you're not that pretty." I said, giving him my own wink as he chuckled along.

"Right. Well, I do apologise for any inconvenience… I'll behave better in the future."

"There's no need to though." I said and James stopped in his tracks as he gave me another wide-eyed look, his jaw slightly slacked. "I mean, uh, well, not as it may imply… but I shockingly like talking to you. I wouldn't mind a few rounds of conversations with you." I said bluntly, my cheeks heating up and praying to God that it was the cute pink cheeks versus the flaming fire that splashed across my face.

James gave me a smile, one with dimples. "Consider it done." He said, giving me a small wink as he sauntered off, his hands went to the walkie talkie and a switch was turned on. My heart thumped a bit more than usual, but then again, perhaps that wasn't so strange.

-&-

"Right, what do we have for the next few weeks?" I asked, as I finally plummeted to bed that night. My lazy pyjamas were on, too big and worn far too often, while Petunia sat like an angelic faerie at the end of my bed.

She raised her eyebrows, "Do you mean as far as social events this coming month? Or as far as dates with Vernon?" She asked, pulling a strand behind her ear.

"Both." I said, lying back on my pillows as a small, secretive smile spread across her face. Which would mean that we would be discussing her calendar with Vernon first.

"Well, for the next two days, there is nothing so we can actually work out together. But then, on Thursday, we're hoping to get another walk in so we'll be 'reading' outside again-"

"Lovely." I murmured, as I fiddled with the bed spread in front of me, trying not to fall asleep at the utter boredom of my sister's love life. Petunia simply ignored my moody tone as she continued to ramble on about her calendar.

"Then, this week is a mad house at all the events we have to be at, where the only thing we need to do is just be there. Oh, and we have an interview coming up in a few weeks-"

"Oh, gosh, I'm so good at those." I said, giving a sigh as Petunia gave me a hard look, "We'll practice this time. Extra hard, I promise."

"Okay, then what?" I asked, as Petunia put a hand to her chin as a look of concentration washed over her.

"Oh – we do have a meeting the Malfoy family." She said and I gave her a look of confusion. Because, first, what kind of name is Malfoy? There are, admittedly, a lot of odd names in this country. Though, I had never heard of a Malfoy. And if they were meeting us, that must mean that they were extremely well connected. And I had no memory of ever meeting a family named the Malfoy.

"I know. I didn't know them either, and I couldn't find out too much about them when I tried to research them. They must be relatively new on the social scene. Kinda surprised that they were able to get a meeting with us though so soon." Petunia said as she shrugged her shoulders as I scrunched up my face.

"When are we meeting with them?" I asked, putting my own hair up in a pony tail.

"At the start of next month, so four weeks or so." Petunia said as she leant back on the bed post.

"Odd. Alright, do we need to prepare anything?"

"I think it's just a formality? Like, congratulations for unlocking level royalty in the social networking of England, please collect your prize of meeting the princesses." Petunia said in a sarcastic tone and I threw my head back to laugh.

"Well, I do say we are an amazing prize." I said between my laugh as Petunia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, well, we'll see how it goes. Oh, what did that James bloke want with you?" Petunia asked, her head snapping up to monitor my gaze.

I bit my lip as I twirled a strand of my hair. "Oh, he just wanted to apologise… again for his behaviour today. He may have crossed a line. I can't tell yet." I said, shrugging my shoulders.

"Did he? What did he say?" Petunia asked, pressing in and I could hardly find the need to tell her the odd conversations of the day.

"Nothing terrible. Only Kingsley would find them scandalous for my pure ears-"

Petunia snorted and I grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked at her head. Luckily for her, since pillows as weapons can be quite deadly, it missed her by a mile. "Oy. That's not a very nice thing to insinuate about the youngest princess."

"I know, but can you imagine how they would react if they knew our lives? Our dating lives especially?" She asked, trying to resist to grin as I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"I'm sure they know some of it…. Hopefully not all of it." I said, as I grabbed a pillow and hugged it to my chest. Petunia shrugged as she hopped off the bed.

"Hopefully Kingsley won't be too harsh on him, looked like he was a kicked puppy or something." She said, over her shoulder as she opened the door and slipped out.

For James' sake, I truly hoped his punishment wasn't severe.

-&-

But I had no time to discover how James was reacting to his new role or punishment.

"What is going on?" Petunia whispered frantically in my ear as our car arrived at the hospital that we had to make a visit at.

I looked out at the window. As usual, there were large crowds pushing back against the officials that had been station there. There was lots of yelling, some had signs painted in multiple colours that splashed how much they loved us. There were grinning faces, sobbing faces, and shocked faces. These were the faces I was used to at an event like this.

But a number of the people looked angry. Furious even as they brandished their hateful signs, faces turning a deep red, and I could hear their voices so clearly that I know that they'd be whispering hoarse in a few hours. Eyes were bulging out as I skimmed the signs - mostly declaring justice for the Prewett.

"Angry. Clearly, over the Prewett murder." I muttered, smoothing down my skirt, my hands trembling slightly as I took a quick glance out the window.

"Who?" Petunia asked, her head swivelling around her neck as she tried to read the signs as I heaved a sigh.

"The Prewett. One out of the latest families that have been murdered behind homes that appeared to be locked. It is as if they murdered themselves but… nothing really points to that. The case… it's gruesome." I said, feeling my stomach twist and turn as Petunia gazed thoughtfully out the window, her lips parted slightly as her eyes scanned the crowds.

In honesty, the Prewett murders were one that shook me to my bones. It was a case in which when the police had arrive, everyone was dead. Everyone had a look of absolute horror and pain on their faces. Their bodies had suffered massive internal organ failure before their heart gave out. To put the body under that much stress… it is cruel, to say the least. And if there is someone or something out large, people have the full right to demand that someone steps in to over see it all.

And thus, when got out of the car, we were nearly mobbed by those fighting for the Prewett's right to life.

-&-

The next few days was complete insanity. It was one of those weeks when it was difficult to tell when the day started and when it ended. I had to spend every night with my sister picking out appropriate outfits for the next day. Researching what the tabloids had written about us. Seeing if there were any unflattering photos of us or if there was another essay about our fashion sense.

I was constantly being shoved out in front of cheering crowds, crumbling buildings, newly built buildings, and strictly quiet political settings. It was all completely tiring, that by the middle of the following week, I was looking forward to the solitary walk that I would have with my books as Petunia slipped out to Vernon.

Despite eagerly setting out the blanket and pulling out my books and such, did I notice that Sirius Black was standing nearby at a tree. A nagging worry was tugging within, and I resisted the urge to throw my cares away with an open of a book. Standing up and wiping the debris off of my dress, I wondered over to Sirius who made it a mission not to look at me per say.

"Kingsley didn't give him too much hell?" I asked, crossing my arms as I shifted my weight around as Sirius coughed.

"I don't care if Kingsley or the others can hear this conversation. If you're worried, you can shut it off. I know your mate must have shown you how to turn it off." I said stiffly, as Sirius gave a huge sigh and tugged at the device and flipping the switch.

"Happy?" He asked as he tucked it back into his belt. I staggered a bit as I wasn't used to facing annoyed security guards as he clearly was.

"You didn't answer my question-"

"No, he didn't get into too much trouble. Just extra studying time, how to treat princesses and such." Sirius said sternly, refusing to meet my eyes.

Oh, wonderful. Those manuals are so poorly written (they are updated so often that it's very confusing of how to keep up on them). Also, all the images in there of Petunia and I are very obviously retouched. Like, glaringly retouched and laughable. Then, the cartoons in there are priceless. This isn't too bad of a punishment, James is probably laughing is head off.

"Oh, that's not too bad. Those manuals are dry but hopefully Kingsley will let up on you two."

"Excuse me, but I actually knew how to respond to you when I first met you. I also didn't turn into some blubbering goon-" Sirius rambled as I laughed, cutting him off.

"Oh, stop being so harsh on him, he was nervous." I said, dropping my arms to the side as Sirius eyed me.

"I know he was, he's just a little out of his element. Not used to the whole royalty thing. Lived under this pitiful rock with hermits as parents." Sirius said with wagging eyebrows, causing me to laugh again.

"I mean, I think he'll do fine. Just as long as he stays out of Kingsley's way." I said, before frowning, "Well, actually, if both of you will. Didn't you both get in trouble at school a lot? And probably from Kingsley thanks to his Head Boy duties?" And Sirius smirked as he tossed his long hair back.

"Well, James always relied on my wits and charms to get us out of trouble. They tended to work 100% better on the Head Girl rather than on Kingsley…" Sirius trailed off with a wink and I giggled to myself.

"I can't even imagine someone trying to flirt their way out of trouble with Kingsley." I said, grinning at the thought. The man was always so serious, always so strict, and I doubt that the man ever broke a rule in his life.

"Oh, many tried and many failed." Sirius said wistfully, staring off into the sky as I laughed.

"I have to say, glad that you two still have your job. Though, I'm sure you'd have more fun doing something else. I lead… well, apart from the crazy mobs that want to attack and kiss me, a quiet life." I said, and Sirius grinned.

"The crowds were a little out of control. Especially at the event early this week." He said, his face darkening a bit as I heaved a sigh.

"Well, what could we expect? There was a protest not too far from us about the recent murders. Especially with the Fabian and Gideon Prewett being murdered-"

"You heard about that?" Sirius asked incredulously, his face that was smiles moments ago harden, looking more menacing than welcoming.

I sniffed angrily as I rolled my eyes. It appeared that the only appropriate response to the Prewett murder was to be blissfully unaware as my older sister. Batting my eyes and expressing my deepest sympathies as furious citizens yell for investigation and then casually forgetting the brutality hours later.

Lord forbid that I would know what's actually affecting the country.

"Of course I did. It was all over the news-" I snapped, crossing my arms as I stared at Sirius' bewildered and darkened face; his eyebrows drawn down as his eyes focused solely on mine.

"Your news-" He muttered, glancing slightly to the left before, for the briefest of seconds, flashing an angry look with his lips snarled back, before resuming his brooding look.

"What do you mean my news?" I asked quietly as Sirius' eyes shifted a bit as he shook his head, gritting his teeth. "Sorry, I… I know that not all of the murders were getting the lime light of being written about. I guess I was surprised that you bothered to learn names. I… I'm sorry." Sirius stammered as I gave him an odd glance as he stared directly at the ground, heaving slightly.

"Yeah, well, it's horrible. Twins too, right?" I asked as Sirius stared off into the distance and nodded. His hands were clasped in the front and his shoulders were tense.

"Right, well, not exactly shocking then that the public is angry." I said, trying to shift the topic of the conversation onto something else.

"Yeah, but it's obviously not your fault. Those people are morons." Sirius said bitterly kicking at the ground a bit.

"I suppose. Oh well, have any fun plans tonight after you're done here?" I asked, crossing my arms again as Sirius took a deep breath.

"I have a meeting tonight with James and Kingsley, some security stuff. Maybe go to a pub and grab a drink or two. It's been a long week to be fair." Sirius said, heaving a sigh.

"Drink extra for me, will ya?" I asked, and Sirius grinned.

"Now, that's something that I would never deny." He said and I laughed a bit.

"Say hi to James from me?" I asked, and Sirius gave a small grin. "Of course." He said as I walked back to my blankets and book. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading, focusing on the words and not on the bloodshed taking place in the world.

-&-

Three days later, on another walking date with Petunia, James was the assigned security guard. I gave him a small wave as I set up the blanket and books. Though, it was only a matter of time before I heard the crunching of leaves as James stood at the edge of the blanket.

"I thought I'd tell you hi back." He said, and I looked up at him, shielding my eyes as I stared up at him.

"Excuse me?" I asked as James crouched down.

"Well, you told Sirius to tell me that you said hi. So, I'm saying it back. Hello." He said, grinning as I laughed at his awkward antics. James took this as an invitation to fully sit on my blanket and something in my heart swelled when he did.

"Did you turn it off?" I asked, pointing to the walkie talkie as James nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"I did. I am learning rather quickly." James said as I bit my lip.

"How did your meeting go from a few nights ago?" I asked, and snuck a glance at James who wore an expression of shock on his face.

"How did you know about that?"

"Magic. Duh." I said, laughing at my own hilarious joke; though I was the only one since James merely chuckled along before giving me an expectant look.

"Right, well, Sirius told me. It's not top secret now, is it? It's just between you two and Kingsley." I said and James heaved a sigh.

"Something like that. We had others come in, helping with training and such." James said gruffly as he started to pull a bit at the grass.

"Were you two able to go out afterwards? Grab a drink or something? It has been a few hectic days on the job I assume." I said and James laughed a bit.

"Yeah, we did. We couldn't stay very long, though, Sirius did make an utter fool of himself in front of the bartender." James said, grinning at the memory.

I smiled a bit as I leant back on my hands. "Oh yeah? What happened?" I asked as James messed up his hair, a grin forming on his face with my favourite dimples.

"Well, we already had a bit to drink but right before we left, he went straight up to the bartender and told him, 'I need to have an extra drink – it's for Princess Lily. I need to drink extra for her.'" And I started to roar with laughter. After all, how many people drink because of me?

"That sounds great." I said after I gained control of my happiness as James smiled at me.

"It was, the bartender thought he was full of shit of course. I mean, part of our job is never disclosing that we're in fact part of your security team. As I'm sure you know." And nodded, thinking that this was a little extreme but Kingsley, as usually, disagreed.

"Sounds nice." I said, grabbing a book and gripping it closely to my lap as James eyed it.

"Still Jane Austen?" He asked and I nodded, and a proud look spread on James' face.

"You know, I looked it up after you were reading it. She seems to have written a lot of books." He said as if that was supposed to impress me.

I mean, it's Jane Austen. Of course, she's written lots of books! I mean, dear lord, where did this boy go to school if he thought that Jane Austen was this obscure author?

"Uh, yes, I take it you've never read any of her books? Have you seen the films?"

James blinked rapidly, "Uh, there are films? Of her books?" And burst out laughing, placing a hand on his shoulder as I continued to laugh hysterically.

"I'm guessing your parents never really let you watch television or go to the cinemas?" I asked, taking my hand back and wiping my eyes as James eyed the place my hand was previously.

"Well, yeah, of course. I mean, I know what films and cinemas are. Please." James said, scoffing and pretending to look deeply offended as I rolled my eyes.

"I know you do. Otherwise, I'm not sure how you would be functioning in this world here. But yes, Jane Austen is rather famous. Many films have been made based on her stories. I quite like Emma and Pride and Prejudice but that's just me." I said, rambling a bit as James eyed me from the corner of his eyes.

"Perhaps I'll pick up a copy of the books. Or maybe just watch the movie and dazzle you with my knowledge." He said, swiping a hand through his hair as I scoffed and laughed at him. Unsure of how to really respond.

With the other blokes… well, neither of them picked up a Jane Austen novel unless it was required for their literature lessons. And all of them would pick it apart and constantly remind me that she essentially wrote 'chick novels' for her generation and why would we even bother to give her the time of day? This was usually when I would close my eyes, count to ten and try very hard not to shout at them until my throat went hoarse.

But James didn't seem to mind of what Jane Austen wrote. To be fair, it sounded as if he had no idea who Jane Austen was which… well, I had never met someone who didn't have the faintest idea of her.

"Perhaps. We'll see, though." Giving him a small grin before opening my book, James took the hint and stood up. Wiping debris off his pants before taking station further away from me.

I found it rather hard to concentrate on the Bennet sisters that afternoon.

-&-

The next two afternoons, Petunia and I went to the gym for our workouts (considering we had an interview coming up, we thought it would be best to look slightly toned so that when we get the dreaded body question we could at least answer it somewhat truthfully). However, after two gym sessions, we decided a break was in order and Petunia went to visit her boyfriend and I spent my afternoon with my books.

Of course, James was on duty this afternoon. As soon as I settled onto my blankets, I found that his shadow was overcasting me as he stood on the edge; waiting for me to invite him to sit down.

"So, I'm part way through Pride and Prejudice." He stated, crouching down and settling on the edge of the blanket after I gestured for him to sit.

He did what?

"You… you're in the mist of reading Pride and Prejudice?" I asked in a disbelieving way as James chuckled.

"Don't sound too surprised. You're hurting my feelings over here." He said, giving me his puppy eyes. I bit my lip as I averted my gaze.

"I'm sorry, you just don't seem the type to read Pride and Prejudice." I said, blushing a bit.

"No, you're right. I normally wouldn't read Pride and Prejudice but Jane Austen is one of our greatest national treasure. And, I really should start reading the classics more, and what better way to start than with Pride and Prejudice?" He asked, leaning back on his hands as he stared up at the sky.

"What part are you at?"

"I'm a slow reader and the language took a little getting used to for me… but I'm at the part where they're at the ball." He said sheepishly.

"That's not bad at all considering you just started reading it."

"I know, but I'm hardly as fast as you are." He said, gesturing to my stack of books. I blushed and laughed a bit.

"It's different, I'm rereading some books. And I can never decide what to read-"

"Just like your sister, who, I've noticed has never joined you on these walks despite what her schedule states." James said, giving me this irritatingly knowing look: a smirk on his face, eyebrows raised, and his eyes full of mirth as I scrambled in my own head for a clever lie.

"Well, you see, Petunia can be sensitive to the chemicals they use for the grass-"

"You have a blanket-"

"Yes, but, she needs to have her medicine just in case. And sometimes, she'll take the medicine inside, making her drowsy? Right, and so she'll fall asleep right then and there." I said, feeling my face heat up as James locked eyes me, squinting a bit as if he was trying to see if I was lying. And then, his face relaxed and he shrugged as his hand went over to the walkie talkie. And pulled it out of his belt loop.

Oh no.

I could feel myself panicking as James gave me a grin before pressing a button and bringing the device close to his lips. "Princess Petunia is in her room, copy that, please send a confirmation once you've laid a visual-"

"She's not in her room!" I blurted, reaching over and trying to tug at his hands to release the walkie talkie (and only for the walkie talkie, it's not as if I wanted to feel the callouses on his fingers or anything). Yet, he tightened his grip as my fingers were nestled within his.

"Oh, she's not?" James asked innocently. "Where is she then?"

I bit my lip as I eyed our hands. They did look nice together. "Sometimes, she takes her medications in the hall way so she literally falls asleep on her feet. In the middle of a hallway." I said quickly, and realising that it was the dumbest lie that could have ever flown out of my mouth.

"Alright then, I'll just send some people over-"

"Why don't I help? I can search the hallways for her and then just alert the nearest guard when I find her-" I said quickly, standing up as James buried his face into his hands.

"Merlin-I mean, oh my god Lily, are you that stubborn?" He asked, laughing a bit into his hands as I stared down at him.

"What do you-"

"We all know that she's snogging Vernon Dursley senseless right about now. In fact, we can give you coordinates." James said, lifting his head out of his hands as my jaw dropped to hit the floor.

"For how long?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips as James started to chuckle.

"Since the start of their romance. Do you really think that there is anything in here that happens without Kingsley's knowledge?"

"Obviously I did if I told you my sister falls asleep in the middle of the hallway." I sputtered, as I buried my own face in my hands as I started to blush a wonderful crimson colour.

"It's quite amazing the lies you told. I can't believe you slept in her bed that one time-"

"You were hired after that!" I spluttered out, taking my face out of my hands as James gave me a guilty look.

"Sorry love, the other blokes were talking about it. Couldn't help but overhear."

"Ugh. Well, that's great." I muttered, plopping myself down and rolling onto my stomach as I hid my face in my arms. James laughed and put a hand on my shoulder.

"It's fine. It's funny and it shows that you're loyal and dedicated to her. That's never a bad thing." He said in a soothing tone.

"True." I said, lifting my head up. "I guess it's fair that you 'officially' know considering that she's going to go public with her boyfriend in tomorrow's interview." I said, shifting around so that I was sitting up and looking across to James. He shrugged.

"That's great? I'm sure it'll make some tabloid headlines, but it's not as if he's a bad choice or anything."

"No, he seems nice. I'm sure the media will go crazy now that Tuney has a boyfriend." I said, sighing a bit as I fiddled at the grass.

"Is that a bad thing?" James asked, tilting his head to the side. I shrugged.

Though we've both had boyfriends, and tabloids have picked up on it… we've never done the whole publicly announcing it to the world fiasco. For royalty, that is a big move and signal that marriage may not be too far away. While the relationship is young for Tuney and Vernon… they already seem serious. And if she's announcing the relationship to the world… well that means that she thinks Vernon is the one. And it won't be long until she's announcing the engagement and leaving me behind.

Not that I was worried about our relationship but things do change once one person in the dynamic duo gets into a serious relationship. And I wasn't quite sure how I felt about the whole situation.

"I don't know." I answered truthfully. "I don't mind the guy, it's just… things will change and I'm not sure how I feel about it, you know?" I said and James nodded.

"I went through a similar thing with Sirius." James said quietly, fidgeting with his hands.

"You did? Sirius had a serious relationship?" I asked, leaning forward as James nodded stoically.

"He is. And it was very hard me to comprehend what she had that I didn't-"

"Oh, James." I whispered, putting a hand on his shoulder as he hung his head.

"Yes, and I often grew jealous of how much time he spent with her versus me… we even got into a drunken fight-"

"Over a girlfriend?" I asked quietly and James tilted his head back and laughed.

"No, no. His damn motorcycle." I scoffed as I removed my hand. "You got jealous of a motorcycle?" I asked incredulously.

"He named it Bella. Because it was so beautiful." James said seriously and I couldn't help but erupt into a fit of giggles.

"Bella? He actually named it Bella?"

"Oh, yes he did. And he talks about her all the bloody time. Drove me mad, so I told him. Granted, I should have simply talked to him rather than shout at him… We should have both been sober too. That would've helped." James said, shrugging a bit though as he smiled at me.

"Anyways, my point is to just talk to her if you're feeling that you're growing apart. Though it still seems that you two are close… just from the security side. Seems like you two have something special." James said, and I couldn't help but smile. Because Petunia would never leave me behind, and even though she drives me absolutely bonkers, she is still my sister.

"Thanks, James… that was nice of you." I said, giving him a small smile that he easily returned.

"Well, with that, I guess I should pretend to be working." He said, giving me a wink as he hopped up, brushing some debris off his pants. "Enjoy your afternoon!" He cried, as he walked away as I started to read about the Bennet sisters again.

Except, this time, I flipped back to the ball and started to read from there.