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recreancyrpg · 3 years ago

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WELCOME TO RECREANCY, KARLI!

You have been accepted for the role of TED TONKS!

In fact, he actually doesn’t really care what people think about him at all. He’d grown past that long ago when the white students in his primary school laughed at him praying before a meal. He’d grown past that when he moved to Hogwarts and learned that his skin was acceptable, but his blood status was not. He’d grown past that when he smiled at Andromeda Black for the very first time, knowing where she came from while also knowing she didn’t know the same about him. He sees the way some of the Order look at him — like he’s not dedicated, like he’s not brave, like he shouldn’t be here — but he’s been looked at that way his entire life and joke’s on them if they assume their opinion keeps him up at night.

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME & PRONOUNS: Karli (she/her)

AGE: 31

TIMEZONE: CST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: Same as now - I’ll slow down a bit this month as I have some trips planned and then again in the school year, but I’m good at managing thread limits when it comes to that. Just FYI, I’m scarce until Monday (I know I’ve warned you) which means blog and everything will be mobile and I might not be able to be on the dash immediately.

ANYTHING ELSE: N/A

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Edward “Ted” Tonks

AGE: 30

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis-Male, He/Him, Demisexual.

Perhaps if he’d stayed a Muggle, he wouldn’t have allowed himself to explore. The Wix World has always been more accepting of that and so, Ted did. After all, his upbringing taught tolerance within the spiritual faith his parents had tried to instill in him.

He let himself kiss Frank Longbottom when he was fifteen on a patrol late one night. He felt nothing. When other boys talked in the dormitory about sex and body parts (like girl’s tits, pussies, other words Ted didn’t like), he felt nothing. He put his hands under Alice Bulstrode’s shirt and he still felt nothing. He didn’t understand - he could masturbate multiple times a day back then and never get tired of it, so he knew he had a sex drive.

It wasn’t until he met Andromeda that he truly understood what he needed. Love, first. He’d fallen for her so damn quickly that the sex came easily after that. They fucked in corners of the castle like they were damn rabbits and, finally, Ted understood what his mates had been talking about. Now, he doesn’t have a word for it, but he doesn’t really need it because he has Andy and that’s good enough for him.

BLOOD STATUS: Muggleborn

HOUSE ALUMNI: Ravenclaw

ANY CHANGES: N/A brb dying over Rahul Kohli, my crush.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

There’s a maturity at the core of Ted as a person. He feels older than thirty - he looks older than thirty, with prematurely greying temples and lines around his eyes that could be from frowning or laughing or stress. It comes with the territory of being muggleborn in a pureblood world. From growing up Hindu in a Christian world. While he no longer practices the faith his parents raised him on, even that comes with the resignation that things aren’t fair. He no longer worries about this knowledge, like he once did. Instead, he works around it.

He holds a belief that actions speak louder than words, which is maybe why he actually doesn’t speak much. He’s quiet, but in a way that exudes confidence. This has the potential to make others nervous when talking to him. He’ll give away more with a quirk of the lips, a soft raise of a brow, than he will with his words. Of course, that doesn’t mean he never speaks up. He will when necessary. He’s not afraid to speak his mind, he just doesn’t believe that all thoughts need to be spoken. This is why he doesn’t tell Andromeda he loves her every day, but he shows it by leaving out the coffee for her or hanging up a towel she’s thrown on the floor. It’s why he’ll sit silently in Order meetings until the very last moment and raise a quiet finger to point out a detrimental flaw to a plan. He thinks before his speaks, always, because words matter.

And it’s why, when he talks, people tend to listen.

He has a unique sort of leadership quality to him in which he doesn’t actually want to be a leader. His intelligence in the Ravenclaw house comes from a very firm realist view of the world around him. He knows that, in war, leaders tend to die. He also knows that, having married not just any pureblood, but one from The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, the target on his own head is even bigger. While he’s not jumping for joy at fighting this war, it doesn’t make him a coward, despite what he knows many people think. In his mind, it’s smart to know when the odds are staked against you - and that’s certainty the case for Ted.

In fact, he actually doesn’t really care what people think about him at all. He’d grown past that long ago when the white students in his primary school laughed at him praying before a meal. He’d grown past that when he moved to Hogwarts and learned that his skin was acceptable, but his blood status was not. He’d grown past that when he smiled at Andromeda Black for the very first time, knowing where she came from while also knowing she didn’t know the same about him. He sees the way some of the Order look at him - like he’s not dedicated, like he’s not brave, like he shouldn’t be here - but he’s been looked at that way his entire life and jokes on them if they assume their opinion keeps him up at night.

Maybe that makes him too stubborn for his own good. He’s rarely the first to apologize and, once you’ve lost him, you’ve lost him. He knows how to hold a grudge despite himself and feels it a personal victory not to break before the other person in an argument. With the world constantly deciding he’s weak, Ted’s made it an internal battle to show strength, even if it means hiding emotions and rarely opening up. The irony of this is that he’s not really an introvert. In fact, he finds pleasure in being around others, listening to their stories, getting a sense of who they are. He likes figuring people out - looking for the things they aren’t saying. He’s observant because he can go an entire conversation without saying a single word about himself - and that knowledge of people makes him dangerous in a way that most people think muggleborns aren’t.

He believes in moral order, which stems from his past religion. Because of this, he can be inflexible and rigid. He’s not typically one to go with the flow, but he’s not all that uptight, either. He can laugh and have fun - he’d run away to get married at eighteen at the Ministry, after all! - but he also believes there’s a place for that and there’s a place for seriousness and, typically, those two don’t go hand-in-hand for him. In war, there’s a calm sureness that is as easily nerve-wracking to be around as it is comforting.

At his happiest, he’s warm and caring. He shows this with his family - with Dora and his parenting, with Andy and his love. He can just as easily laugh with his whole body, those lines around his eyes from moments of pure joy; at the same time, he can stare for minutes too silent with his arms crossed waiting for the other to speak first, those lines around his eyes from a deep, judgmental frown.

In the end, he’s hard to figure out.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

Ted’s life can be summed up in a series of snapshots - like memories in a picture book (both moving and unmoving).

ONE. Bare feet.

Ted did not grow up in the slums, but near it. He would run barefoot with children from that area of town and his own apartment building alike, playing cricket and other childhood games. He was loved. His family wanted more. His father, Rajesh, worked in trading - his mother, Sunita, stayed home with Ted.

Each morning consisted of a waking with the sun to give thanks while washing themselves for daily purification. His father led in chanting the Gayatri mantra before puja, where Ted was allowed his own silent meditation and prayers. He prayed for the good health of his family, as he was told to do, but he prayed for other things, too. A new game or toy or to be picked first on the playing fields. They did this again at night and his mother made sure he prayed once more in mid-day.

He knew no different, so life felt good. He was loved and cared for.

TWO. A Shop.

When Ted was seven, his family immigrated to the U.K. He was suddenly thrown into a primary school where they all dressed the same and his shoes were tight around the toes. He had learned the English language in India, along with Hindi, but his accent was different than others. People tended to not openly make fun of him (well, some did, but most were more subtle), but Ted was observant.

He practiced speaking like the other children, he changed his clothing, his prayers changed to hope that he could be the same. He loved his parents and they worked hard. He worked hard, too. Every day after school, his job was in the shop, stocking shelves - or, sometimes, running the register. It did well enough to stay afloat. Some people kept their purses close when they saw his family. His father continued to lead puja.

THREE. A wand.

Magic was nothing new to his family - The Vedas were one of the one of the most sacred scripts in Hinduism, after all; The Atharvaveda leading in the formulas of magic. At a young age, he knew the spiritual idea of love spells and healing spells and protection charms. But nothing could prepare him for this kind of magic. An old lady in a hat and robes came to his flat to sit with his family and explain that, yes, Ted was a wizard.

But it was a different sort than he knew. He got a wand - that shot out real spells - and he was whisked away to yet another new world with new rules. He was ready, too. Tired of the looks and the discrimination. Magic - this kind of magic - would surely be different.

As it turned out, discrimination was everywhere. No longer looked down on because of his skin or religion, he was viewed as lesser than because of something as silly as blood. (As though they all didn’t run red). Ted was angry, but not scared. He knew how to handle this - he’d done it before.

He tried to keep his morning rituals, but an eleven year old could not be woken with the sun without a mother or father to wake them. He tried to do it at night, but talking to his friends was too much fun. He tried to pray in the middle of the day, but Hogwarts had classes and would not accommodate. He couldn’t keep the determination to fast during Ekadashi when food literally appeared in front of him. Beef sat on the serving dishes at the dinner table, even when he did not ask for it - every meal had some form of meat.

Ted found himself fading from religion, a forced assimilation of the UK and Hogwarts and every other part of his life, though too young to realize it. By the time he was a teenager, he’d stopped praying even at home, he’d told his parents he would not marry a Muggle even if they tried to arrange someone for him, and decided that, in fact, he didn’t believe at all.

His parents were angry. Hogwarts as changed you, son! Yes, he said, it had - but so had immigrating. So had their choices for him. This would be his choice. They relented. They loved him. It was a very distantly close relationship in which there was respect and support, but never full openness. Parents, they said, were parents. Not friends.

(The irony, Ted thought, was that Wix celebrated Christmas. Even a non-religious population finds the white Christian norm, apparently.)

FOUR. A girl.

Andromeda came without warning, but that should have been expected from her. Ted actually smiled at her first. He knew who she was, of course. And she knew him by name without giving that name much thought. She was pretty - she was funny. Ted liked her, but he hadn’t expected someone like her to want to spend time with someone like him. And yet she did.

Friendship turned to more and, before they even kissed, they were already too far in for her to ditch him after learning about his family. They had firsts in hidden corners of the castle. They kissed in the moonlight. They made love giggling into one another’s mouths. And when they were seventeen, she became pregnant. A new kind of family forming as he made his way into the world, leaving his old one an empty nest. And she made her choice and her choice was him.

A quick marriage at the Ministry with Andromeda holding flowers Ted had picked from a garden outside, her belly round. They found a house - made it a home. And Nymphadora. Ted had fallen in love with her even more quickly than he’d done with her mother. It was good, even with the lingering of war in the background. Even with tucked away memories that Andy wouldn’t share of her love for her sisters. Even when one of those sisters wanted him dead.

His parents accepted Andromeda in the way they did most things Ted gave them that was unexpected - with tolerance. They were still devote Hindus, after all, and that tolerance was one of their core beliefs. They looked at him in surprise when Dora’s hair - and then her ears - and then her mouth - had changed that very first time they saw it, but they too, accepted this. They did not understand, but they accepted.

They could not, of course, tell their friends about Ted’s life. In turn, he did not tell them about the war. Now, they exist on even parallels of one another. He never misses his weekly call to them - they never hesitate to open the window for an owl. But the difference between magic and magic are hard for them to grasp. They’ve resigned themselves to never fully knowing their son and he’s resigned himself to never fully having them enter into his world. They’ll give Dora hugs and kisses as grandparents do no matter what she looks like. They’ll have Andy sit at their table and share stories. But this is not the life they expected for Ted - and this is not a life he’s willing to give up for them.

OCCUPATION:

Ted works for the Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee at the Ministry of Magic. It’s not that glamourous of a job, nor is it one he would’ve chosen for himself. But Andromeda likes nice things and nice things require money and children require money and every-fucking-thing requires money. And money requires a job. The realist in him went looking for a job right after school that he would be able to get. It wasn’t as bad back then - being a Muggleborn in the job market - but discrimination is discrimination, even without war. He’d gotten the job as he knew he would and told himself that it was just for now.

Now is twelve years later and he’s still doing the same shit, but he’s fine with it. He has coworkers he likes and his boss isn’t that bad and everyone finds his Muggleborn-ness an asset here. It’s a bit dull, but he works on the same floor as Andy, so they can floo to work together. From a realist standpoint, it’s not too bad.

LIVING SITUATION:

When they first found their home on the hill, outside the city, Andromeda had thought it was small. They’d been looking for ages - Ted had just gotten his job and they were newly married and Dora was well on her way - and Ted, with that quiet frustration of his, had quietly informed her that they would not be able to afford a manor like the one she’d grown up in. She’d relented.

What Ted thought was too big, Andromeda thought was too small, and they met in the middle. Now, he’s used to it. There’s enough space for his family - and, begrudgingly, Order members who randomly come in and out through the carefully placed wards - and, after twelve years, it’s neither small nor big. Just home.

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX:

(Mentions of Andromeda/Ted have been discussed with Andromeda’s player)

There have been a lot of things that Andromeda has done in their life together that has surprised Ted (falling in love with him, telling him she was pregnant, agreeing to marry him, leaving her family for him), but none as much as joining the Order of the Phoenix. He should’ve known. His spitfire of a wife had always done what she wanted to do - so why would this be any different? Why should he have expected a warning?

That first night, she’d sat him down to tell him what she’d done - and Ted had looked at her for a long time, not saying a single word. Say something! she’d yelled, pounding his chest with her hands as she talked in circles, overexplaining herself. When she quieted, he simply told her, “You just fucked us,” before calmly standing up to head to a guest room where he’d sleep for the next two weeks.

Eventually, he found his way back into their bed, an apology on his lips that was never said and forgiveness in his kiss. And then she’d showed up with six Order members bleeding on the rug his mother had hand-picked as wedding gift. A safe house. She’d offered their home to this cause - and Ted had said nothing. He grabbed some towels, uncorked the dittany, and asked the members if they would like dinner.

He still doesn’t know when his quiet resignation turned to meetings turned to participation turned to leadership - but, here he is, about a year in, deep in the cause. He’s committed, but not in the same way some of the others are. He won’t quit his job (he has a child), he won’t throw himself in front of a spell when he doesn’t have to (he has a child), and he doesn’t spend every moment at headquarters (he has a child!) - but he shows up and, whenever he’s around, he’s present.

The Order is not his life - it’s just part of his life. And maybe that is what they need because, under pressure, Ted can keep a cool head. He doesn’t know just why they bumped him through the ranks so quickly. He’s not Alice or Frank - he’s not Caradoc Dearborn or Hestia Jones and, of course, not fucking Alastor Moody - but some members have been here for six or seven years without leading a mission.

He’s not always team lead, but he’s been asked to step up more than once. (If one was to look in Hestia’s little book, it would say Standby next to Ted’s name). It started about six months ago where his level-head got him and Edgar Bones out of a sticky situation. Edgar’s life was saved that day and, since then, Ted has gotten more responsibility he hasn’t asked for. He hasn’t complained either way - he says yes when asked, but doesn’t ask when not. That simple easiness about the Order is maybe why he’s been given the job in the first place. He’s invested, but this is not who he is.

Despite this, he’s found himself more in line with Sirius Black and his little gang of Dark Arts wix. To Ted, it’s all magic - he hadn’t grown up on the stories of darkness from the Wix World. He doesn’t mess around on his own, but he’s not opposed to the method of fighting fire with fire. Anything to end this fucking war before Bellatrix Lestrange puts his head on a stake.

RELATIONSHIPS:

(I’m writing these off the basis of the bios, but anything can be changed with player portrayals, ideas, and through plotting. This is just a basis to start!)

Andromeda Tonks. Under the simmering resentful grudge he’s holding against her, there’s still love. It isn’t like he gives her the cold shoulder daily. They still share their bed and their life together. They share passion and laughter. But they also share something darker now - a war that Ted had just wanted to live through. Her joining up without talking to him first felt like a betrayal - but not because Ted expected all decisions to be run through him first. It felt like that because it was the first time he truly had to admit that Andromeda will never fully understand him.

She’s come a long way. Her biases look like they’ve completely changed. But they haven’t. Ted knows this in the way she’ll sometimes stare off into space, looking like she’s seventeen again and wondering about a life of what ifs. She’s never uttered it aloud, but he knows that she misses her sisters. And he also knows that he will never be able to relate.

Those sisters want him dead, Bellatrix especially. There might not be anyone else that has this much danger joining the order when it comes to that Lestrange other than Ted. And the knowledge that Andromeda had forced him into this life with that understanding makes him wonder what else is lingering behind those eyes. There’s a very real chance he will die in this war but -

He loves her, he loves her, he fucking loves her. So he’s here.

Frank & Alice Longbottom. Ironically, Ted has kissed them both. They weren’t married or even dating at the time, but his brief dating history prior to Andromeda includes a few fumbling nights and exploration with each of them, much to his wife’s delight. Ted doesn’t find this weird - they were just teenagers at the time, after all! - and has found he’s developed a good friendship with both of them as a couple and individuals. They’re rocky - as someone else in a long-term marriage, he knows they are - but he doesn’t judge this like he does some other things in his life. Marriage is hard. War is hard. They have the benefit of privilege on their side, being purebloods, and he thinks they can make it work.

Reggie Cattermole. It may be hypocritical, given his current fascination with the illegal Dark Arts, but Ted thinks that Reggie could do better with his choices. Kid is going to get himself killed or arrested and thrown into Azkaban. He’s been to the Nightscar Market before a couple of times (with Alice, an Auror, of all people) and he just doesn’t care for it. Reggie, as a person, isn’t a bad one - but a smart kid like that could be doing more with his life.

Alastor Moody. Man gets it. Ted and him aren’t what he’d call close, but there’s an understanding there. Moody knows about Ted’s wariness, but he also knows about the reason behind the wariness. Ted’s not sure if he’s the one who sees more in him in terms of leadership and responsibility or if it’s Jones or someone else, but he likes the way the older man handles himself. Ted acts like he’s forty, Alastor is actually forty. They get along just fine.

Sirius & Regulus Black. Ted’s been trying to get away from Andy’s family his entire adult life - and, yet, here they are. Sirius isn’t so bad - he’d gotten blasted off that godforsaken tapestry too, but he’s also a loaded cannon. He’s the unofficial-official leader of the Dark Arts group within the Order, so Ted talks to him often. He likes the kid, just hopes he doesn’t go and get someone killed (again).

Regulus is newer to the cause and Ted’s not sure what to think. On one hand, he’d joined the group out to kill people just like him; on the other hand, Regulus had left that group and almost died because of it. Ted’s married to a Black - he knows when they leave, they mean it. He’s not sure he trusts Regulus completely, but he does think he’s here for the right reasons. Even if his sarcasm and personality are a bit misguided in making people believe that.

Edgar Bones. Ted saved him once, simple as that. There’s not much more to be said about it. The kid’s opinion about Ted hasn’t changed much since then - there’s still an idealistic idea that they would’ve gotten out anyway! Ted knows they wouldn’t have, but he doesn’t need the credit, either. Let the kid live in that ideal for a bit longer.

Nicola Edgecombe. She’s a firecracker and, if Andy is any proof, Ted has a fondness for people like that. They don’t talk much, but Ted appreciates her perspective, even if maybe she should slow down a bit and really listen to what she’s saying.

Lily Evans. They’re two sides of a similar coin, only Lily’s boyfriend got taken, while there’s some sort of safety with Andromeda being a Black. Ted understands Lily’s worldview here - it’s the same realistic viewpoint as his. They - the muggleborns with purebloods, whether she’s still with James Potter or not, she was - are the ones likely to die here. And James - look what happened to him. Ted finds peace in talking to Lily, even if they don’t spend a whole lot of time together.

Gideon Prewett. They’re friends. Maybe not as close as Ted and Frank in the sense that Ted doesn’t open up to him as much, but he likes the bloke. They’re friendly - could be closer if, perhaps, Gideon hadn’t disappeared for four months of the time Ted’s been fighting with the Order.

Wila Travers. All this talk of spies and no one is looking at the fucking girl who had a sister as a Death Eater. Yes, he knows that Sarai technically died through the Death Eaters themselves, but it was because of the Order, this war, that that had happened at all. He realizes this is probably pretty hypocritical coming from him, given his wife’s sister is a Death Eater, but Andromeda joined for the cause - not for the reasons Wila has. She wants revenge - but what if the revenge is on them?

Evan Rosier. A good healer, not a good friend. Ted can only be friendly with so many goddamn purebloods, especially Slytherin ones. He doesn’t hate the bloke - doesn’t really respect him, either. He’s dating someone who was happy as a Death Eater once upon a time, after all. Sure, Theo’s changed now - if he believes this about Regulus, he’ll believe it about her - but she still liked the idea of murdering people. Makes one’s head turn a bit.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

I’ll always go the route of character/chemistry and that’s no different with Ted. But I am hoping to explore Tedromeda as a stable (angry, resentful, guilty, yes – but still stable) long-term couple. I already have something new with Dirk/Emmeline - and something imploding (James/Lily) leading to both new and old at the same time in conflicting ships (with adding Hestia/James to the mix). So it would be nice to have something ongoing and comfortable. After talking to Gabe, I think she’s in the same boat! But always, ultimately, it goes Ted/Chemistry for me like every other ship I do.

INTERPERSONAL STRUGGLES:

Ted’s biggest struggle is being here. The Order itself is not an organization he ever planned on joining. He wants to live - he doesn’t want Dora to grow up without a father or a mother. And, while he knows if the Death Eaters win, he’ll die anyway, he also knows that it’s just as likely the won’t win and he could’ve kept his head down that whole time. Sometimes, that’s the smartest thing to do and he’s grappling with the fact that, now that he’s here, he’s invested himself.

This is his fight. This is his war. This is something he cares about. He just hadn’t wanted to do it. Then there’s the ironic idea of getting “promoted” so to speak when he didn’t want to be here in the first place. He’s a realist. He knows just how much more of a target he’d put on his head by joining. Bellatrix already wants him dead - now she might actually have the chance to do it.

He loves Andy - that hasn’t changed, even in his anger - but there’s something harder there, too. He’s sure of himself, so he doesn’t really care about what others think - but his quiet nature can come off judgmental (and sometimes he really is judging!) and that can be really off-putting. I’m hoping to see some others not enjoy having him around, whether it’s because of his personality or his lesser commitment to the Order.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

Well, I didn’t mean to have a weird flex with a lot of pureblood/muggleborn relationships, but here we are. I thought a long time about whether Ted would be different enough from Dirk - or if this would be too many of the same things with the ships - and ultimately, I decided it was worth it. Wheres James leads with his heart, Ted leads with his mind. Whereas Dirk is quiet from anxiety and self-doubt, Ted has an air of confidence to his quiet nature. In fact, out of all the muses I have, if accepted as Ted, he would be the least self-conscious, the least insecure (ironic, given I play James Potter here!)

I’m looking forward to exploring someone sturdy. Ted is like an old tree that’s been weathering the storm for years, unable to get pushed down. He’s also like if contractors came in and decided to chop down that tree. Ted, unlike James and Dirk, is in the “older crowd” of people. I’ll be able to explore friendships in a new way.

I’m also looking forward to seeing how a guy who didn’t even want to be here might get pulled up in the ranks. What will others think about that? He’s made it known he’s not thrilled about fighting (he’s doing it for Andromeda, for himself, for the muggleborns, to stop this damn war, but he wouldn’t have joined on his own) - how do people view that? I think some of them may think he’s a coward. Why now? Why wait so long? Why does he get responsibility after such a short amount of time being here? Give me all of it.

PLOT DROP IDEAS (OPTIONAL): N/A, but as always, reign chaos down on me!

ANYTHING ELSE?

Just for the record, I am not Hindu, but I did a lot of research prior to writing this. I’d love to be called in for anything I may have made a mistake on. Religion is no longer part of Ted’s life, so I doubt this will come into current play much, but he will reminisce on the past with his family.

A headcanon I couldn’t find a place for:

Ted had several Hogwarts friends who were Muggleborns. There weren’t many of them in general, but if he befriended a couple older and younger, there were enough. Muggleborns had a unique experience with one another, after all. When he chose Andy, many of them couldn’t understand. Most stopped talking to him. She wasn’t just any pureblood - she was a Black.

Maybe that’s why he finds it so much easier to befriend purebloods these days. Maybe that’s why he and Frank just kept getting closer and closer and closer throughout the years, even after Hogwarts. Even while Frank fought in the Order long before Ted ever did. Purebloods would never understand - and that made things easier.

He knows Andy finds it hard that she had to lose her sisters for him, even if she won’t say it. Even if she’d never make a different choice. But he had to lose people for her, too.

Final thoughts:

I feel like I didn’t talk about Dora enough in this because she’s not part of the Order, but Ted really loves his daugther and she’s probably around the house a lot now that school is out. Gabe and I will have to figure out a nanny situation or something to make sure they’re not just constantly carting her around, but I’d love to have her here and there sometimes and Order members can have fun with that.

Okay, I need to stop, this is already on 12 google pages. Hope you enjoy! I can’t believe I’m apping a third *facepalm*

#recreancyaccepted #ted tonks app

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trainthief · 5 years ago

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hey i'm one of those aforementioned "only-heard-blake-shelton" people - do you have any recs for better country music? i like finding new music but country is hard cause i don't really know where to start

I think the best way to explore any genre is to abandon the feeling that you’re obligated to develop an academic-level base of knowledge in the different foundations and aspects of it. If that’s something that actually interests you then by all means go for it, but despite how pretentious and rude people can get about music, it is at its heart just a form of expression - and while knowing which specific sounds might have influenced others can enhance the listening experience for some people, it’s not like there’s a prerequisite course load you need to take before you can start telling people you like country music at parties.

Anyway, that point aside, here’s some basics: country itself is a really broad concept, and was initially defined more by its ideology and source than any specific structural musical qualities that it tended toward (although its creation was most heavily influenced by Irish, Mexican, and African musical traditions). The common use of instruments like guitars, banjos, and fiddles is more to do with the ease of accessibility and portability for poorer Americans of the late 1800s, who - especially in the West - tended to be at least somewhat nomadic. Thematically speaking, it was most often centered around the experiences of blue-collar workers, including but not limited to cowboys. Subsequently, it has suffered under the combined efforts of corporations and politicians to market a parody of rural America’s own culture right back at them, and that’s why - especially if you’re only in your 20’s or younger - it’s very possible your knowledge of it is defined by commercialized Bro Country (which in my opinion is almost always antithetical to the actual spirit of country music itself, and also from a musical perspective tends to be uninteresting bullshit).

As far as subgenres go, the ideas quickly become so vague that it’s really up to the listener to decide how they want to categorize their music. Region and era can influence sound quite a bit, so that’s one way. Subject matter is another. Actual musical structure is a further one. I’m not going to bother and try to give you a comprehensive idea of all the options, because that’s impossible to do in anything shorter than an essay. Instead I’ll just fill you in on some of my favorites, and some song suggestions to go with them:

Country Music You’ve Been Listening to This Whole Time Without Knowing It: this is an easy one to start with. Lots of folk music is also country music, whether you were aware of it or not. James Taylor, John Prine, John Denver, Bob Dylan…. You’ve been here this whole time.

Outlaw Country: Tends to be either dark or mournful, but regardless it’s dramatic and fun. Usually framed around some fictional crime the singer has committed, which they have either been sentenced for or are on the run from. Good examples are Kate McCannon by Colter Wall, Mama Tried by Merle Haggard, Late July by Shakey Graves, Gallows Pole by Willie Watson, and Hell’s Canyon by Lost Dog Street Band

Spirituals: I’m definitely not going to tell you how to feel about religion itself - but given that music has been such a deeply rooted part of spiritual expression for as long as we’ve recorded history, and has very often evolved in tandem with or in response to religious movements, I think you’re really cutting yourself off from some good tunes if you try to ignore it entirely. Johnny Cash’s later stuff, especially, has the same dark overtones of his earlier Outlaw music but with the addition of gospel stylings and a religious severity that comes together in a way that’s honestly just straight up sexy to listen to. Ain’t No Grave and Redemption Day are probably the best two examples of this. On the other side, there’s the simplistic and heartfelt kind of spiritual country found in stuff like Hank Williams’ I Saw the Light, or I’ll Fly Away as performed by Gillian Welch, which I find really moving.

Honky Tonk: On the subject of Hank Williams, honky tonk is really fun music, and I deeply resent the fact that it’s been incorporated into the classist caricature of rural stupidity. At its heart, honky tonk was just designed to be a good time, and the vocal techniques it employs are actually really difficult to master, so it deserves a lot more respect. Hank Williams, in particular, also tends to use it to get right at the heart of subjects I really enjoy (although don’t confuse him with his son Hank Williams Jr, who writes Bro Country and unfortunately seems to be a terrible person). Anyway, Mind Your Own Business is one of his (and one of my favorite personal anthems), and Wealth Won’t Save Your Soul is a powerful one too. Regarding more modern honky tonk, my favorite up-and-coming musician is named Nick Shoulders, and I’d recommend his songs Rather Low and Snakes and Waterfalls.

Nice Comfortable Country Music Sung By Ladies: this is definitely a genre specific to just me, but it’s a type of music I grew up listening to a lot as a kid and I really love it. Like the title says, it’s just country songs by various very talented women who make you feel like you’re warm and at home. I Have a Need for Solitude by the great Mary Chapin Carpenter, Across the Great Divide by Nanci Griffith, Traveling Alone by Tift Merritt, Angel from Montgomery by Bonnie Raitt, Hammer and a Nail by The Indigo Girls

Poor Boy Blues: again, not a definitive stylistic subgenre so much as it is an opportunity to show off a few different songs of a few different styles that all follow a common and relatable theme, specifically one that is important to the overall genre itself. Dead End Street by Blake Mills, Crop Comes In by Chatham County Line, Thirteen Silver Dollars by Colter Wall, My Rifle My Pony and Me by Dean Martin, Cowpoke by Dave Stamey, Automobile by KALEO

Love And Heartbreak: have you really lived if you haven’t rocked out to Cowboy Take Me Away by the Dixie Chicks? No, you haven’t. You’ll also be happy to hear that I recall a poll that listed Cowboy Take Me Away as being the number one song every cowboy will sing along to on full blast whenever he’s alone. Anyway, there’s also Buddy by Willie Nelson, Crossing Muddy Waters by John Hiatt, Morning by Jim Ed Brown, Every Time I Hear That Song by Brandi Carlile, Gentle on My Mind by Glen Campbell, Kathleen by Townes Van Zandt.

Experimental: if you’d like to get a little weird with it, I’d recommend The Gold is Deep by The Dead Tongues (which uses some really ambient reverb and a small church organ for a more psychedelic sound), or Familiarity by The Punch Brothers (which compositionally borrows a lot from modern classical chamber music with its rhythmic systems and pacing).

There’s lots more we could get into here, like bluegrass, slow dancing music, spaghetti western soundtracks, and the fact that not all country pop-rock is bad, but I’ll stop myself here…. If you’re looking for a more general source for a lot of country all at once, here’s my favorite of my country playlists. Hope that was helpful!

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fierte-verte · 5 years ago

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HP Next Generation (Part 1)

Edward ‘Teddy’ Lupin

* hufflepuff!

* inherited every lovable trait of his parents—lupin’s patience and compassion, along with tonk’s humor and will

* which really just makes him the most likable person there is

* harry’s number one fan; there is no one he feels closer to than his godfather

* a hardworking, persistent student who’s quite talented at charms and spellwork

* a friend of every professor; mcgonagall even refers to him as “saint lupin” sometimes

* “at last, a normal one”

* possesses ungodly patience, which is a good thing to have when you’re part of the weasley clan

* great with kids, partly because he himself is one at heart

* lily and roxanne are his girls, no elaboration required

* protective of first years, especially the cute ones

* will gladly morph into his wolf face to scare off bullies

* takes great pride in being a metamorphmagus;

* doesn’t play quidditch but goes to every match for “spiritual support”

* head boy in his seventh year—what else did you expect

* apart from that, also the human alarm clock in his dorm

* “you can’t skip breakfast! maybe lunch, but not breakfast!”

* can be a bit dense or insecure if under pressure

* friendly nature hinders his ability to recognize when people are taking advantage of him

* luckily, victoire is always there to whack some sense into him

* “teddy, you can say no”

* and that is why he’s fallen head over heels for her since day one

* low-key terrified of bill, though he tries hard not to show it

* “h-hello uncle bill”

* just a sweetheart who wants to spread some cheer and love in the world

Victoire ‘Vicky’ Weasley

* ravenclaw!

* she’s got the grace and confidence of fleur, as well as a fair share of bill’s collected demeanor

* a level-headed and assertive witch, who wins every argument there is

* in fact, she’ll make you feel incredibly stupid for even starting one in the first place

* the personification of tough love

* won’t hesitate to whip her cousins’ asses if they ever get into trouble, which they do—a lot

* nevertheless, will also make sure they’re each well fed and happy

* occasionally sheds a tear when she realizes just how quickly they’re all growing up

* excels in basically every subject at hogwarts, except history of magic

* “half of the textbooks are about our family anyway”

* knows she’s drop-dead gorgeous, but prefers when people compliment her smarts instead

* and boyfriend teddy does it regularly

* “what would i do without you vicky”

* in return, likes to remind teddy of his worth every day

* “ted, your mum and dad would be so proud of you”

* prefect since her fifth year, head girl in her seventh

* gives herself a lot of pressure, which sometimes may lead to breakdowns

* has a secret soft spot for albus and likes to watch over him in discretion

* constantly restrains herself from strangling fred II, who has a knack for making her blood boil

* closest with bill, and despite her fervid denial, somewhat enjoys seeing teddy panic in front of him

* “c’mon dad, you’re scaring teddy”

Dominique Weasley

* gryffindor!

* adventurous girl who eats fun for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

* a wild ball of energy; will jump off a roof just for “the fun of it”

* gives fleur heart attacks on a regular basis, while her old man looks on with a proud smile

* “good one dom—you get it from me”

* the proud troublemaker amongst her siblings, practically worships her uncle george

* “can’t teach you any pranks, i’m afraid. your mother will have my head”

* loves care of magical creatures and exploring the school grounds; is hagrid’s star pupil

* probably friends with all the nifflers you can find and is one step away from understanding their language

* wants to become the next best zoologist after newt scamander

* plays seeker for the gryffindor team, with a style quite similar to her uncle harry’s

* thrives on using random french phrases to confuse people

* carefree, playful personality attracts admirers from all four houses

* the yin to her cousin molly ii’s yang; they are each other’s greatest rival and frenemy

* the middle child who enjoys riling up her big sister

* also the middle child who babies her little brother no matter how old he gets

* witch with a hot temper, hexes people way more than she should

* gets scolded by madame pince for having trouble with controlling her volume

* “ms. weasley this is the library”

* rarely cries, but when she does the whole weasley bunch come to give her a huge, warm hug

Molly Weasley II

* slytherin!

* witty witch with enough sarcasm to fill up a gringotts vault

* likes to be rebellious at times but will always put family first

* has weekly bets with her father over quidditch matches, which she usually wins

* competitive nature makes her and dom an intense pair, yet they just get each other

* takes the crown for being street-smart in the weasley bunch

* even so, will push herself to do well in school—totally not to impress her twelve-owls father though

* very interested in ancient runes, as well as becoming a curse-breaker like her uncle bill

* has a long-term hufflepuff boyfriend and they’re really cute together

* head girl, sort of a surprise but, then again, she is percy’s child

* seeker for the slytherin team; is rather good at strategics on the field

* watches over her cousins every single day, despite acting as if she’s too cool for them

* is protective of her sister, whom she wishes would be more outspoken

* “you won’t know if you don’t try, lu”

* very proud of her cousin albus, likes to think of herself as “taking him under her wing”

* “aha! another slytherin in the family”

* secretly worries that she doesn’t fit in, will also misunderstood sometimes

* luckily, good old dad knows just how to deal with it

* “you don’t ever have to feel sorry about being different”

Lucy Weasley

* ravenclaw!

* on the one hand, is very sweet and could probably give you cavities

* on the other hand, will happily expose her cousins’ shenanigans with no mercy

* that being said, you could technically bribe her with some high-quality chocolate

* has a beautiful voice and sings well

* knows things about people before they do themselves

* and remembers every family member’s birthday and favorite color by heart

* “arguably” grandma molly’s favorite, according to her other grandchildren

* “i think your prayers were heard, mollywobbles”

* a witch particularly gifted in divination and astronomy

* in fact, her mother suspects she might be a seer

* can be overwhelmed by her visions if she doesn’t take good care of herself

* an avid reader of the quibbler, and therefore gets very excited whenever luna visits the burrow

* doesn’t play quidditch but attends all her sister’s matches

* enjoys talking to her cousins about all the strange dreams she has

* “there was a hippogriff in the teacup...”

* deems louis her favorite cousin, but looks up to her older sister the most

* “mols you have great energy today”

* would conjure up rainbows with her wand for baby lily and hugo when they were upset

* more shy than the average weasley, even though she tries hard to be daring

* “m-maybe you could let me try that, fred”

Louis Weasley

* ravenclaw!

* creative boy with almost eerily sharp instincts

* speaks terrible french, though fleur never has the heart to correct him

* comes up with a couple hundred millions of ideas each day

* “what if there were carolling treacle tarts at christmas?”

* youngest in his family but absolutely despises being treated like a baby

* does well in his arithmancy and alchemy classes at hogwarts

* and has collected at least thirty chocolate frog cards of nicolas flamel

* “is it really true, uncle harry? that you’ve seen the stone?”

* visits his uncle george and ron’s shop whenever he can

* prefers to study the mechanics of prank items rather than actually using them

* “louis you throw these, not take them apart!”

* bonds with his grandpa arthur by looking at muggle artefacts

* and believe it or not—shares a healthy amount of uncle percy’s interest in brooms

* “what if your broom could shrink into a quill for easier access?”

* tends to get too absorbed in his own thoughts, thus bumping into people all day every day

* there’s too much going on in his brain, so he can be a little forgetful at times

* “for merlin’s sake, here’s a remembrall”

Fred Weasley II

* gryffindor!

* confident and has quicker reflexes than you can blink

* owns a makeshift prank shop in the courtyard, in which he does not give a damn about getting caught

* “two galleons for this? no? how about three then?”

* in short, a terrible salesman and mcgonagall’s living nightmare

* rather skilled at apparition, which he makes full good use of

* “stop doing that in the house!”

* takes delight in spoiling other people’s drinks with stink pellets

* does everything in his power to annoy younger sister roxanne

* but will “accidentally” drive away anyone who is interested in her

* surprisingly, however, a real gentleman who will take no disrespect for girls

* chaser and captain of the gryffindor team; allegedly gives the best pep talks before matches

* “the g in gryffindor stands for victory”

* favorite bedtime story consists of fred and george’s adventures

* madly respects uncle harry for his contribution towards weasley’s wizard wheezes

* and aspires to take over the shop in the future

* has a gloomy side that he desperately hides from everyone

* burn outs from constantly having to be the moodmaker of the bunch

* “oh freddie, sadness is not meant to be buried”

James Potter

* gryffindor!

* with a name like james sirius, his temperament cannot be any more obvious

* every bit strong and hot-headed like his dad is

* frequently denies the fact that he thinks the world of his mum’s hugs

* wants to carry on the marauders legacy and become an animagus

* popular with the ladies, though no one really knows why since he’s a dreadful flirt

* spends too much time teasing younger brother albus; one of these days he’s about to get hexed badly

* “so al, have you and scorpius snogged yet”

* will give surprisingly useful advice every other full moon

* a natural at DADA, being someone who trusts their instincts completely

* insists on learning the patronus charm from harry

* also claims happiest memory is that of eating ten pumpkin pasties in one setting

* plays seeker for the gryffindor team; is constantly fueled by his unhealthy obsession with quidditch

* will take any opportunity to snicker at his uncle ron for being a chudley cannons fan

* “even my socks stink less”

* has weird fixation with maintaing a cool image and does not, for the love of merlin, understand what the word discretion means

* “oh...so that was a secret...”

#harry potter #hp headcanon #headcanon #hogwarts #hp request #teddy lupin #james potter #albus potter #lily potter #rose weasley #hugo weasley #hp next gen #next gen

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