#i will be unbiased in my tournament running. i will be unbiased in my tournament running. i will be unb

[twewytransswag]

Round 1B, Match 7

[pilfappreciator]

Part 1 | Part 2

WAKE UP BABES!! DINNER IS SERVED!!!

Bruce/Brandi x Reader: part 2

Includes: GN! Reader, Vacay Lovers, polyamory, relationship headcanons, slight Bruce Jr. slander

💜 These two took things slow when they were wooing you, you better BELIEVE they're gonna do the same once you've actually been bagged

🧡 I MEAN DON'T GET ME WRONG!! They're not any less passionate about you or anything, but like... c'mon. They're middle-aged, run a full time business and are married with kids. They've got a lot on their hands already so chances are they're not immediatly urging you to move in with them or just straight up sign marriage documents (sorry to disappoint u_u)

💜 But like I said: this doesn't mean they're not good lovers

🧡 In fact I'd say in my entirely unbiased opinion that they'd make fantastic lovers! Wonderful! Superb, even!

💜 So naturally, once you find yourself added to the relationship? Expect all that supportive energy thrown your way too lol

🧡 No matter what endeavor you choose to pursue, rest easy knowing you'll have your own personal cheerleaders having your back at all times. You got a hobby you're really into? SAY LESS BABES!! Gift-giving is Brandi's love language so you bet your ass she's buying you everything you could possibly need. Wanna pursue some form of higher education, maybe get some fancy degree? BOOM, you've just signed yourself up for study sessions with Bruce

💜 (I mean like... he might not be much help if you're studying for something shmancy like law or medicine, but he will happily hold and read out flashcards for you :3)

🧡 Or maybe you just wanna help out around Vacay Island which? Yes hello they would love that??

💜 Running a business is no easy feat so the couple definitely welcome the extra set of hands (paws??). If you're more social and outgoing then chances are you're out on the front lines with Bruce, taking orders for food, welcoming guests and getting them settled in, leading activites like volleyball or the weekly shuffleboard tournament, etc.

🧡 Obviously if you'd rather remain behind the scenes, you're more than welcome to join Brandi on her end of things. Making food, booking guests into their rooms, keeping track of all the finances, etc.

💜 Maybe you're crap with spreadsheets and numbers and just wanna like... keep her company while she works at her desk? Grab her some refreshments every now and then?? Maybe even offer a shoulder massage once you've noticed she's been hunched over for too long???

🧡 I swear this woman will cherish you forever

💜 Whether you're another troll like Bruce or a fellow Vacationer like Brandi, the way you spend time with either of these two can differ

🧡 If you're on the smaller side? Bruce just enjoys getting to hold your hand while walking alongside you on the beach. The man spends pretty much all his time around literal giants and it can get a little overwhelming sometimes, so he can definitely appreciate having someone around who's more on his level (hehe). Brandi on the other hand just thinks your small size is cute! Hands down one of her favorite things is when either you or Bruce (OR BOTH) just like? Casually hitch a ride on her shoulder?? Or she'll hold you both in the palm of of her hand and just go "omigosh it's totally like holding a couple of grapes haha :D"

💜 Reader POV: Ah yes. Me, my boyfriend, and our giant girlfriend/wife

🧡 On the flipside, if you're closer to Brandi's size? This woman is taking every available opportunity to take full advantage of the fact. She's laying kisses all over your face, running her fingers through your hair, cuddling with you after a long day of work, etc etc. Technically speaking she COULD (and DOES) do all this regardless of how big/small you are... but at the same time it's just soooo much easier when she doesn't have to constantly watch herself so she doesn't accidentally crush you ://

💜 Meanwhile Bruce is just like "if either of you DO crush me... you won't hear any complaints from my end, just sayin"

🧡 Man is horrendously down bad 😳

💜 Last post i was like OUTINGS WITH BRANDI, but this post?? SURFING LESSONS WITH BRUCE! This man will not rest until you know how to ride a wave, okay, he is DEDICATED. Once you've gotten good enough, expect regular invites to the beach so you two can hit the ocean asdjahdslak

🧡 I like to think that even while running a business and family, Bruce and Brandi are still perfectly capable of maintaining a healthy love life— both with each other and you. Partly because they're just that in love but also cuz they don't let ANYTHING get in the way of weekly date nights (yeah that's right, plural)

💜 Bruce, on the phone: "Hey honey, me and (____) are outside the resturaunt. Where are you?"

"Oh, I'll probably be a few minutes. Bruce Jr. just set off a firework in the kitchen, you know how he is. But you two should go get us a table while you're waiting!"

"Alright, we'll see you later, love you :)"

"I love you guys more~"

🧡 And then Bruce just... hangs up and leads you inside the resturaunt, meanwhile you're just?? Very concerned????

💜 Dates with these two are pretty casual ngl. Neither feel the need for extravagant displays of love, so chances are the three of you are just spending some quality time together. Chillin at home without the kids, cooking/baking food together, watching reality TV

💜 (Tbh there's probably some trollverse version of The Bachelor/Bachelorett and lemme tell you that these two EAT THAT SHIT UP)

🧡 Of course if you wanna go out somewhere fancy then no worries!! Your girl Brandi knows the downlow on all the hottest spots in town and Bruce likely has enough connections to get you three reservations at even the fanciest restaurants

💜 Simply ask and these two will find a way to get it done <33

🧡 LOTS OF FAMILY OUTINGS WITH THE VACAY LOVERS HOUSEHOLD!!!

💜 At some point in the relationship Bruce will approach you and go "Hey, our son Benni has a dance recital tomorrow, did you wanna come?" and the second you say yes is the second you offically become a permanent member of the family. You are joining their monthly family camping trips. You are helping Brandi make cupcakes for school soccer games. You and Bruce are sitting down with the kids for homework help

🧡 Hopefully you've got good memory cuz you're gonna need to memorize 13 different fast food orders whenever the kids drag you to Bergen King askdhalslk

💜 Speaking of the little shits

🧡 You thought you were spending a lot of time with them BEFORE you were smoochin their parents?? Well congrats because the second you start becoming a permanent member at the dinner table, expect to have all 13 of them constantly hanging off you

💜 Maybe one of them needs your help practicing a new move they've learned from their martial arts class, maybe another wants someone to listen as they info dump about their latest hyperfixation, or maybe they just need help kickstarting their underground fireworks selling business

🧡 Cough cough (Bruce Jr) cough cough

ASJKJDHALJSKD THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN, I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH!! There were a for more headcanons i wanted to touch upon but the post was getting long lol. Definitely plan on doing more for them tho so no worries uwu

but i mean like if you guys got prompts/questions then go ahead, my asks are open 👀👉👈

[bisexualdivorceebattle]

Hi! Welcome to the (extremely slowly progressing)

BISEXUAL DIVORCEE BATTLE‼️‼️‼️

The tournament to see who the Ultimate Divorced Bisexual is (according to tumblr).

- Propaganda encouraged! You can submit posts, send an ask or tag me in propaganda :)

- Canon status (based on how they were submitted) is indicated by the initials under each character (eg. canon bisexual, not canon divorced = CB, NCD)

- This tournament is for individual characters not couples however ties will result in characters moving forward as a team

!! Brackets currently being planned !!

General info/rules:

- This is for fun! So don't take it too seriously and BE NICE.

- characters do not have to be canonically bisexual or divorced, headcanons are accepted.

- I don't know every character/piece of media ever and any characters that were submitted have at least been entered into the preliminaries, but if any are particularly controversial please tell me, I don't want to be dealing with discourse if I can help it

- I will be unbiased on the posts containing polls and posting submitted propaganda with minimal comment however I will not be unbiased in other posts

- related to the previous point there are 4 preselected characters who are automatically entered and these are: Lord Garmadon (Ninjago), Bruce Wayne aka Batman (assorted DC media), Dennis Reynolds (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia), Older Scott Pilgrim (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off)

-I'm one person running this so I may not be perfect at it so please be nice :) there have already been a few delays and I appreciate everyone being patient. My main is @r0bee so that's the account that'll show up when I'm responding to comments :)

[weirdstrangeguybattle]

You are so fucking annoying and obviously don't know how to run an unbiased tournament. Stop trying to skew the polls no one gives a fuck about your yu gi oh white anime boy. Thought this shit was supposed to be fair

this is a silly competition on tumblr dot com with no real meaning

i have never watched yu gi oh in my life

cranky because fiddleford's losing?

[fireguy-tournament]

Another tournament, this time with my favorite breed of characters, Fireguys!

Do your fave have fire powers? Are they made of fire? Do they have a strong thematic connection to it? Are they just a god damn arsonist? Well then nominate them!

Basics!

-General tournament rules apply (Don’t be a dick, you can submit multiple characters but not the same character multiple times, keep it lighthearted, propaganda is welcomed)

-The Fireguy does of course not have to be male, they can be of any gender

-The characters will be chosen based on the number of submissions, but the tournament bracket placings will be entirely random

-I will remain fully unbiased, and will reblog/submit any propaganda I recieve

-Unsure about the size of this tournament, it will depend on the number of submissions

-I am but one person running things, so be patient :)

Submit ur guys here!

https://forms.gle/DY2bsGVB4n1FJx1ZA

I don’t know how long submissions will be up, but at most a week!

[usoud-tournament]

Welcome To The Tournament!

This blog is exclusively to run the Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny Tournament based on Lemon Demon's song sharing the same name! This post is to straighten out the rules and details to hopefully avoid too many questions.

How the bracket order was picked out:

I did my best to do the pairings based on the order which the character first appears in the song. All of the characters in the song are fighting against each other in the first round with the exception of Monty Python's Black Knight, as we're having a mini-round with him in order to let the two Gandalfs duke it while still keeping the number of brackets enough to make sure everyone has a match. The other exception is Mr. Rogers, as he won in the original song, and I am putting him in the third round to give some other fighters a chance to fight without his interference with the polls.

How the character versions were picked out:

I knew that there would be fights and questions with many of these characters if I left what version was fighting ambiguous, so I looked around for the most well-known versions of these characters, favoring the versions which are most popular in their respective fandoms. Believe it or not, I'm not in every fandom ever, so I apologize if you don't agree with my picks. Similarly, the strengths and weaknesses are gotten from the specific version's character Fandom Wikipedia page. I apologize if I got any strengths and weaknesses wrong. The exception to this 'only one version of the characters' rule is the Power Rangers, as the song specifies "Every Single Power Ranger" Therefore I did not want to exclude any versions. I got the help of a friend to understand the Power Rangers MO and try to balance their strengths and weaknesses to make sure they didn't roll over everyone else in this tournament.

What age are they?

Some of these characters are still living or quite old, and some characters' ages fluctuate throughout their media. Because of this, I am making a blanket statement that all of these characters are fighting during the prime of their careers.

Where are they?

Based on the opening line of the song, all of the characters will be fighting in Tokyo City Earth, they are allowed to leave this starting location as much as they are able.

Motivation?

There is no specific motivation for all of these characters, other than they were placed in Tokyo and have sufficient incentive to fight each other. For example, Superman could think that his opponent is a threat to Earth, Terminator could think his opponent is trying to stop his mission to kill Sarah, etc. However, characters with moral backbones will still follow their moral codes, and a character wins a fight if either A. They kill the other character or B. They convince the other character to not fight.

Poll Logistics

I know it will be impossible to make these fights truly unbiased, but I want for as many people as possible, for them to vote based on who they think would win in a fight, not who they like most. Otherwise, the final results will be based on who has the biggest fandom. What I want from this tournament is silly arguments about how these characters would fight each other, not a survey on who people like more. Every poll will last a day and each round will happen with every pairing going up against each other in the same day. However, the next round may not happen immediately after the last one. I'll try my best to be on top of it, communicate if and when the next round will be, etc. But I'm just a humble college student and I don't want to make this tournament a part-time job

Bias

I am not in all of these fandoms, but I am in some, and I also want to engage with people in the comments. However, I do not want to skew results. So I am not going to reblog posts encouraging people to vote for one character or the other, but if any cool fanart comes out I will be reblogging that. I will also be chatting with people in the notes, but not reblogging anyone to chat so it doesn't show up on the blog page.

Finally, every poll will be tagged with the characters in them, which means this poll will be showing up in a lot of different fandoms. It is not my intention to annoy people by popping up in their feeds when they just want to look at fanart or fan posts. Therefore I'm tagging every post of mine #USOUD Tournament and #Ultimate Showdown of ultimate destiny. If you don't want to see me ever again, block those tags.

Happy fighting!

[mashpoll]

Welcome! This blog is running a poll bracket between every single episode of M*A*S*H (excluding Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen). You can view the entire bracket here!

(other info below)

The Method

Each match in the first round has been randomly generated. I did it this way to have more of a variety between the episodes competing, instead of having episodes from the same season compete for a lot of the bracket. I could have also traditionally seeded it (so the "best" episode competes against the "worst"), but while I was up for running this bracket, I was not up for making a theoretical ranking of every single episode of MASH based on how popular it is on Tumblr. lol. That's what this poll is for.

Due to the sheer amount of matches in Round 1 (118 to be exact) I will be splitting it up into 4 groups of around 30 polls. I will also be splitting Round 2 into two halves.

Also, 10 episodes (again, random) will not appear in Round 1 and will instead be inserted into Round 2. This is due to the number of matches in Round 1 not splitting up completely evenly. (i'm glad there was the Challonge website to set up the bracket for me, it would have broke my brain otherwise)

Most episode descriptions are from Hulu. Some are from Wikipedia or IMDB if I didn't think the Hulu description was very good.

Why I'm Not Including GFA

I feel like GFA is on another level compared the regular episodes of the show, since it's basically a movie and does the task of wrapping up 11 seasons of one of the most popular shows ever made. And to be honest, I think it would be the obvious winner and be unfair to the rest of the competition. The point of this tournament to me is to determine what people's favorite regular episodes of MASH are.

Navigating the Blog

Every poll is tagged with the episode names (no punctuation except for apostrophes), the seasons of both episodes, and the round number. If you want to vote for a specific episode, theoretically you should be able to search the episode name, but if Tumblr's search function is being... itself, you can use this url: https://mashpoll.tumblr.com/tagged/episode name

Sending Propaganda

As you've probably seen in other tournaments, feel free to send "propaganda" supporting your favorite episodes. I'll be posting them without a response/commentary to try and keep it unbiased. I'll also tag it with "propaganda" so you can filter it if you just want to see the polls.

What's my main?

I'd like to try to remain semi-anonymous. I say semi-anonymous because I have posted about this poll on my main, so you can probably figure it out pretty easily if you're already following me.

[cailencrow]

halloooo, little teeny tiny question… what was it like when you were participating in the Law of Talos tournament????

Hello! Law of Talos is around 15 years old now and I can recall many late nights, drawing into the early morning on sheets of printer paper using only a BIC pen as my art tool. I wasn't talented with photoshop and my shading skills were fairly poor, so I scrambled to do my best with what I had. It was stressful and anxiety inducing at times but always exciting for the most part. I wasn't in the best place financially or emotionally during that time, and my interactions online were all I really had to hold onto to stay sane in those days. The OCT community was a mixed bag of people and personalities and unfortunately with the territory came cliques. Law of Talos was a private OCT, invitation only, and a clique was behind its creation and many of the members of that clique were participants in the tournament while others were judges. It wasn't the most welcome environment if you were someone on the outside of the clique, and it was clear that certain people were being favored to win before rounds even started. The amount of bias towards certain participants was constantly palpable during the tournament and I don't suggest anyone who wants to run an OCT ever follow Law of Talos as a example of how to do it. I will say that I did have fun penning Eric Pockets' story. He's been an OC of mine since 2001 and getting to re-imagine him as we got to meet him in Law of Talos was rewarding. He's near and dear to me and I am proud of a lot of the work I put into that OCT. As well, many of the characters from Law of Talos were extremely fun and I had a blast back then discussing character interactions with the other competitors I was friends with. I lament never getting to face certain competitors, as I would have loved to have Eric do battle with characters like Steffi, Murphy, Chimbley Sweep, or Spoiler. A lot of good people entered into that tournament and some I am still good friends with to this day. One is even my roommate. I've discussed with Unknown Person my ideas for what an Eric vs Karl would have looked like and I will always mourn what could have been. I still, to this day, take umbrage with how my character was handled in the round where he was taken out. I do not think it's very sportsmanlike in a tournament where your character is fighting someone else's character to refuse to feature your opponent's character and it is unfortunate that that tactic was used in a couple of my opponent's submissions. Random unexplained demonic possession occurring during a steampunk tournament? Never did sit well with me. I suppose I can say that Law of Talos served more as a cautionary tale for me? My next OCT after that, Escape from Nevara, was somehow even MORE of a shitshow and almost didn't launch with how mangled the leadership behind the tournament was. OCTs are tricky things to run and you need calm, unbiased leadership at the helm with a good, solid idea to serve as a foundation. Ebon Spire to this day stands out to me as the perfect OCT, run well with unbiased judges and a group of participating artists who (for the most part) respected the story and the other competitors and the tourney actually had an ending wrapped up in a nice bow. It's a rare gem in the sea of failed or rotten OCTs. So, I had fun during Law of Talos and I'm glad I got to be a part of it in the end, but it was rife with problems from the get go. Practically a third of the participants dropped out before Round 3 and it was indicative of the health of the OCT itself. It will never cease to amaze me, however, how popular Karl became though, and the fandom that has arisen around Karl, Climber, and the Castle of Nations, paired with the renewed obsession over Law of Talos, is a constant bizarre delight. I'm glad that something I took part in almost 20 years ago is somehow entertaining a new generation of people and y'all in the fandom are adorable. I might not have had the best experience but don't ever let me yuck your yum. Enjoy what makes you happy and be kind to each other.

[magical-characters-tourney]

you ban mdwh, a queer dating sim created by a queer poc but you allow harry potter, a known series with racism and homophobia written by an actual terf who causes more problems then what she's worth and this is the hill you're willing to die on? "unbaised pollrunner" me when i lie ig :/

I never said I allowed Harry Potter. You’re confusing Gandalf with Dumbledore. You know, Lord of the Rings. Not fucking Harry Potter.

I literally said I’m biased. Multiple times. I am the most biased little creature you’ll ever see. Where did I say I’m unbiased??? Because I’m pretty sure to bio says “biased.”

If you don’t like how I run my tournament, you don’t have to be here. And considering you can’t even tell the difference between a LOTR character and a HP one, I’m not sure anyone should be taking anything you say seriously. I don’t want to hear any more of this damn negativity. If you don’t like it, get the fuck out and leave those who want to enjoy this alone.

Edit: maybe it’s a bit difficult to understand for some people, but my bio says “I hold NO ILLUSION of being an unbiased pollrunner.” IE, I know I’m biased. Im biased as fuck. Get over it. And learn to read.

[mcyt-rarepair-tournament]

I know I'm running my own tournament and therefore should be unbiased but

PLEASE VOTE SEAPEEKARL

I AM WRITING A FIC FOR IT.

PLEASEEEEEEE

[gayestnoncanonsapphics]

if we know you already know about it and there’s no chance of it being a choice with the fandom (like, how you said only 3 per fandom allowed), would you prefer we submit it or no? not sure if it’s preferred or would just be clogging up your results, I just don’t know if I need to toss in a submission for gelphie or if you’d prefer I didn’t. thanks for running this!

Thanks for asking!! This is probably something I should have clarified from the beginning so that's my bad. Even if I know of a ship, it doesn't guarantee it will be in the tournament. I haven't submitted any nominations of my own because I want to remain unbiased (even if there's some ships I really like!) so the only nominations are those that have been submitted by other people. That said Gelphie has been submitted already, so their slot is guaranteed. I do encourage multiple submissions, though, because it lets me know which ships are most popular and will help me seed the bracket.

[whydoiwrite]

You think sonnett will make the olympic roster?

Let’s be real honest: a good 80-85% of the shit I say is just me being biased, and I am fully aware of that. But sometimes - like when I’m ranting about Lindsey Horan being under-appreciated and under-valued in the media - that’s not me being biased anymore. That’s the more-than-half-my-life spent in this sport at multiple levels in various capacities talking. So I’m going to assume you want my unbiased opinion of Emily Sonnett.

100% she’s on that roster. She’s versatile on that back line (and I will argue to the death with the person who *cough* never coached the sport and tried to tell me that CBs and OBs cannot be interchangeable, because they can be and they are). She can play outside back if Kelley gets hurt or if Dunny (cross your fingers, because without a lot of luck, it’s never going to happen for her, but we can hope) gets moved into the mid. She can step in at CB FOR SURE. And realistically, she can easily slot into the 6. We don’t have a natural replacement for JJ. Lindsey can do it. And Jae will end up being perfect there. But in an emergency, before Jae is on that roster full time, if you don’t want to sacrifice Horan’s offensive prowess even more than it is, look no further than Emily Sonnett.

Moving on. She is offensive-minded, which fits into our transitional game. Y’all realize she’s fast, too, right? And she’s got great ups. She’s fit. She’s resilient. She’s been injury-free, which is vv important. She’s aggressive, and Vlatko got her a lot of minutes before the shutdown in March, which calmed her down in all the right ways. And, she spent her time in Sweden becoming much more patient and comfortable on the ball. Go back and watch those games. Her vision is so far superior to her teammates. She’s looking for runs they aren’t even aware need to be made. Her first touch is incredible, and her passing accuracy is up there, too. But seriously, watch that first touch sometime. Impressive af. Anyway... her slide-tackles are on point, but her positioning is getting better so she can deploy them less-frequently. She is a damn solid defender when she settles in.

Also, for comparison’s sake, go back and watch Kelley when she first got into that Backline. Scary af. Like nail-biting omg are we going to get scored on scary. People were patient with her, but they don’t give Sonnett that same grace. And honestly, I think Sonnett is ahead of her in her development if you look at them at similar points in their careers. Kelley’s what? 32? She still gives up stupid fouls in dangerous areas because of her aggression. Not saying that a bad thing at all, but don’t praise Kelley for it and criticize Sonnett for the same thing.

Sit back and watch the kid play - like really watch her as if she were any other defender - and she deserves to be on that roster of 18 for her soccer ability alone. But then add in the intangibles. All signs point to her being highly coachable, highly motivated, and having a great soccer IQ. And then there’s the obvious. Any coach will tell you that you need a personality like Emily Sonnett in a tournament as stressful as the World Cup or the Olympics, because the mental aspect of those grueling weeks is as important as everything else.

Now that that’s all over, can we talk about fish sauce, because it is an underrated condiment.

TL;DR: Emily Sonnett is on the Olympic roster

[kh-marriage-material]

I was worried about doing my own submissions but then i said fuck it and did it anyway. No point in running a tournament about something I'm passionate about if I'm going to pretend to be completely unbiased.

less than an hour and there are 9 different characters submitted, 3 of which have been submitted twice. THREE. One of them was called a malewife in both responses for him. There's already some quality reasoning too, enough to make me wonder if Terra is truly the biggest kh waifu.

[constant-creative-chaos]

Dating Cedric Diggory Would Include:

Cedric is a complete sweetheart

He absolutely adores you, you can see it in his smile when you catch him staring

Not only is he the sweetest guy in all of the UK but he is a gentleman

He carries your books for you

He kisses your knuckles when he greets you

He escorts you to your dorm or common room

You get the picture

Speaking of pictures, he has pictures of you pinned to his bed frame

His friends often tease him and ask how he landed someone like you

His reply is always the same

“I dunno mates, I ask myself everytime I see them smile.”

He often extends his prefect bathroom privileges to you if you aren’t one yourself

“Ced, c’mon! Let me down, I promised I’d meet Granger in the library to study!”

“Or instead of leaving me alone to drown in my misery without you, we could go down to the black lake and go for a swim!”

As much as Cedric is a gentleman, he is a goofball, honestly, that boy will do anything to make you smile

Also, constant teasing about your height

Weather you’re taller or shorter than him, he always has some well mannered joke

Summers spent with the Diggory’s? Yes, Amos loves as if you were his own

Speaking of Amos, he is constantly teasing Cedric in front of you and is embarrassing Cedric

“Oh yes! I’m assuming Cedric never told you about how he used to run around in his Batman pajamas, he was in love with the muggle comic character!”

“He did not, but please tell me more, I am fascinated.”

“Dad, please stop.”

During your time at the Diggory’s house in the summer Cedric and yourself would often be found doing small domestic tasks like cooking together

Amos finding you two curled together on the couch, sleeping soundly while a movie is playing in the background

Cedric falling asleep to your humming while you read

He reads to you when you’re tired but can’t seem to sleep

“Eros sat still, looking out at the sun rise one last time- oh,”

“No, no, I’m still awake, keep reading. I love hearing your voice,”

He knew you barley awake, but continued reading anyway

The train ride back to Hogwarts would always be spent with him patrolling your section of the train

he knows how to braid hair, if your hair is long enough he’ll braid it for you

you’re the person he pulled from the lake

after he kisses you he likes to press his forehead to yours

he grabs your face when you kiss

he adores it when you play with his hair

he also loves to flirt with you even though you’re already his

as much as he’d like to say he’s smooth and shit, he’s really not

He loves holding your hand, it’s adorable

He is always up to go on an after hours adventure with you

You two found the shrieking shack entrance through the whomping willow in your third year

Now he drags you there every once in a while to escape both of your friend groups

He has taken you out on broom rides around the grounds a few times

He says he likes it because of the smile on your face when you see the castle’s silhouette from the lake but it’s because he likes having you so close to him

His favourite date spot is the astronomy tower after dark, and everytime you to go up there together he tells you the same line

“You make the stars look dim,”

That’s also where you two kissed for the first time

“You make me see stars,”

One day you convinced him to let you put a charm on him

It was a small enchantment that replaced every scar with white stars

And after the triwizard tournament he had quite a few scars that he hated but the stars on them just reminded him of you

Eventually he began to accept them and as he did the charm faded

And when he realised why it stopped he just hugged you tightly and thanked you

After Hogwarts you guys decided to move in together in a small flat in near the ministry

Slytherin Reader:

Hufflepuff accepting you as one of there own almost immediately after finding out about Cedric and yourself

Always finding yourself defending the Hufflepuffs against the bigoted Slytherins

You're always dressed up in yellow and black in every Quidditch game Cedric is playing in, even against slytherin

Cedric being the most Slytherin positive Hufflepuff you have ever met

To the point where he will often steal your silver and green, Slytherin scarf

You pretend to be annoyed but you secretly love seeing him so casually show his pride for his Slytherin partner

Cedric understanding your fear for him meeting your parents

But eventually he convinced you to introduce him

“Mother, Father, this is Cedric. He is my boyfriend-“

“House and Blood Status?”

Cedric smiling kindly at them, “Hufflepuff and Half-blood.”

Your mother fumed, you were not to stain your families perfect blood line with him

He just continued to smile at them even after your mother scolded you for associating with him and calling him a half breed

And his smile went from one of kindness to one of pride at your quick and sharp retaliation,

“Mother, our family has been inbreeding for decades, Aunt Marina has three kids with her cousin, and you are not one to talk.”

Your father was quietly angry and disgusted because of his shared views of blood status with your mother

But no matter there statements Cedric was yours as you were his, and that perfect as is

But after the meeting Cedric reassured you that you are not like them, which was incredible

Making incredible friends in the hufflepuff house

Keeping your unbiased and kind slytherin friends close

Cedric getting along swimmingly with them

Lounging in each other’s common rooms and ignoring the stares and comments made

Playfully glaring at each other when someone makes a comment about the others house and then laughing about it and confusing people

Gyffindor Reader:

Doing something stupid and brave and Cedric whispering to you,

“I see why you’re in Gryffindor now,”

Being caught out in the halls with Cedric by filch often goes like this:

“Oh hey Filch, I saw some students down by the- QUICK DISTRACTION!” *throws something*

and then dragging Cedric along with you through the halls as you sprinted away with him

Then ending in you two laughing and panting in some random broom closet at the opposite end of the school

Giving him warning when a Weasley prank is about to go down

Watching out for the golden trio and making sure that they’re alright

And helping them on some of there more dangerous stunts

Which Cedric often scolds you for scaring him and putting yourself in danger

If you play Quidditch, showing your Gryffindor intensity and not playing easier against him

Cedric always coming to the celebratory and random Gryffindor parties

Often he stays to the very end with you and Harry says some stupid line before heading off to bed

“And then there was two,” Harry said, slapping his and hands down on your shoulders, “Use protection.”

And then he’d walk up to bed laughing silently to himself, leaving both you and Cedric beet red

“I know that he’s the only one that can kill Voldemort according to the prophecy, but I will strangle him in his sleep.”

Cedric then proceeding to tease the hell out of you and make plenty of innuendos

No but Harry is constantly teasing you, annoying little git

To get back at him Cedric and yourself just become even more comfortable around each other around him

“Ugh! C’mon, anywhere but around me!”

putting you’re name in the goblet of fire as well because an adventure is an adventure

nearly killing him after he came back half alive from the final event

Ravenclaw Reader:

Cedric dragging you away from the pile of books on your bedside table

“Your books will be here after date night, I promise,”

After big fights, which don’t occur often, you’d find a book on your bed with a sweet message on the front page

Reading aloud to Cedric after nightmares from the tournament

Study Dates

Distracting each other during said study dates

Constantly reminding him to do his homework

Letting him copy your notes

Finding the cozy, warm environment of the hufflepuff common room much more relaxing then the elegant and sophisticated look of the ravenclaw common room

“Why is there an eagle on your house crest if it’s RAVENclaw?”

“Cedric, I’ve asked myself that everyday for the past five years.”

He always comes to find you in the Library in the early hours of the morning when you’re finishing an essay to bring you to bed

“Sweetheart, you’ve been up for hours doing this essay, come to bed.”

“Ced, i want to, trust me I do but it’s due tomorrow. I’ll be fine.”

He’ll soon lose patience and pack your stuff up and drag you to bed weather you’d like to or not

Hufflepuff reader:

Being the power couple of hufflepuff

first years always coming to you for help

you two the unofficial hufflepuff parents

all the hufflepuffs younger than you guys come to you guys with their problems

hexing the shit out of people teasing your hufflepuff children

you can be found on Cedric’s lap in the common room 90% of the time

being an absolute sweetheart but also willing to throw hands with anyone who disrespects your house

sneaking next door to the kitchens together

“Puffball.”

“Cedric, dear, sweetheart, you are, as much as i hate to break it to you, also a Puffball.”

honestly being a softie 

but never underestimated after hexing Malfoy into oblivion after he bothered the first years

you guys make fun of each other for being in hufflepuff

it confuses people sooo much

[therainroguefanfiction]

🔥 ℝise Ⱥbove I̾t ◈ Chapter 034 [Jen versus Iida]

📑 Table of Contents | ◂Backward

Word Count: 2,040

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

〈“Take the hurt and the pain, I don’t need it! I wanna live, I wanna be the change. We can all be kings and queens, if we can just learn to believe.” Thousand Foot Krutch, “Fly on the Wall”〉

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

I made my way back to the seating area for my class, settling down behind Fumi. The match had already begun and Ochaco was going on the offensive first.

“Wow, look at her go! That’s a good start and all she has to do is touch him one time!” Zuku spoke up, his eyes shining with excitement.

“But it won’t be easy. You know Bakugo’s not gonna let her get too close to him.” Iida added.

“Which is why he won’t dodge. He’ll focus his energy on counter-attacking!”

She got in close to him and with a sweep of his hand, Bakugo launched an explosion at her. All of us were on the edge of our seats.

“Woah! She flew her jacket over as a decoy, what incredibly quick thinking!”

Ochaco appeared behind him, reaching her hand out but he whipped around, sending her flying backward with another explosion.

“Look at that reaction time!” Sero exclaimed.

“Seriously, that dude’s insane…” Sparky commented. “You can’t get the drop on him. And since Uraraka can’t use her quirk unless she touches him, his lightning-fast reflexes put her at a huge disadvantage.”

I wanted to make a smart remark to him but the sudden explosion in Ochaco’s face made me flinch, keeping my eyes on the match. I knew deep down that if he actually held back, it would be an insult to both of them, but still… it’s a painful match to watch. I can’t imagine someone so goddamn pure being on the battlefield, ya know? I kinda wish she didn’t want to be a hero.

Warmth enveloped my hand, breaking me from my thoughts. I hadn’t even realized how hard I was gripping Fumi’s shoulders until his hand rested over mine. I mumbled a quiet apology, loosening my grip but not pulling back.

Ochaco appeared behind him again to the same result as before. Over and over again, she kept getting blasted only to get back up and keep fighting. Why? What the fuck is driving her? Pushing her to give it her all? I just don’t get it, man. It’s obvious to everyone that she’s outmatched, and I hate to think that, but Bakugo is just in another league when it comes to combat. Even so… she keeps getting up. I know she wants to be a pro hero, but she doesn’t have to get her ass kicked by Bakugo to do it!

“Looks like she’s not resting between attacks despite being exploded. Poor girl…” Mic’s voice was low and devoid of his usual enthusiasm. What a fucking buzzkill. And then the audience started to buzz like angry bees.

“Hey, shouldn’t one of the teachers step in?”

“Yeah, this is too rough.”

“This is shameful! Listen, kid!” A man in the audience stood up, raising his voice as he pointed down at Bakugo. “You really want to be a hero? Then stop acting like a bully? If you’re so good, then just send her out of bounds!”

“Who the fuck -” I growled, standing up as my blood started to boil. “- does that dickbag think he is?”

“W-Winchester, calm down!” Sparky cried, swallowing hard.

“Stop toying with her and end this match!”

“Yeah, you heard the guy!”

“The crowd is now booing Bakugo!”

“Winchester!”

I rushed forward, jumping up onto the railing as my skin started to glow red. My narrowed eyes swept over the crowd before landing on the man that started this. “Shut the fuck up, all of you! All of you fuckers came here to watch these fucking kids beat the ever-living shit out of one another and now you want to boo and cry foul?!” My hands shook as small flames licked at my fingertips. “What fucking hypocrites! What right do you have to order that this match be stopped, huh?! Fucking Ochaco is fighting her fucking hardest to win, and so is Katsuki! You’re really going to rob her of her chance because you can’t handle it?! Stop being a pussy or fucking leave!”

“Winchester is now insulting the crowd! To be honest, I kind of agree with what the crowd is sayin – hey, woah! What the crap?!”

“Where is the man who started this uproar? Are you a pro?” Aizawa demanded angrily. “Because if you’re being serious, you can go home and hang up your cape! I’d suggest looking into a new career.”

I snarled at the man, waving my hand like I was shooing away a bug. “You heard ’em! Scurry off with your tail between your legs, you fuckin’ cunt.”

His eyes narrowed at me. “You rude little b -”

“Bakugo’s fierceness is an acknowledgment of his opponent’s strength. He knows she deserves to have made it this far, so he’s making sure he does whatever it takes to keep her at bay and come out on top.”

“I think it’s about time,” Ochaco said, grabbing everyone’s attention as she breathed heavily. “Thank you, Bakugo, for keeping your eyes focused on me!”

“What?”

Wait a minute… my eyes widened as my gaze snapped up. Ochaco, you little fucking minx! I didn’t notice it because I was so worried about her, but now everything makes sense. She kept attacking non-stop to distract Bakugo while she used her quirk to float up the debris he had made with his explosions.

With a cry, she brought her fingertips together. All at once, the debris started to fall from the sky, shooting toward Bakugo like angry missiles.

“A meteor shower!!”

“Now you notice…”

“She had a plan all along!” Zuku jumped up, gripping the railing.

Ochaco rushed at him, using the debris as a distraction. Bakugo held his wrist, the other palm facing toward the sky. He unleashed a powerful, large blast, the force nearly knocking me off the railing as it sent Ochaco flying backward. I huffed, kneeling down to grab the railing between my feet.

“Bakugo banks out a huge demonstration of power! He blasted apart Uraraka’s finishing move and remains untouched!”

No, he ain’t untouched. It’s really fucking subtle, but his hand is shaking. That blast took a lot of out him.

Ochaco shakily climbed to her feet and Bakugo rushed forward to attack, stopping short when she fell over, hitting the ground. Poor girl, she’s completely spent.

“Uraraka is down!!”

“It’s too much…” Iida breathed out.

“Yeah,” Zuku nodded worriedly. “She’s way past her limit.”

Ochaco started to crawl across the ground toward Bakugo, still not wanting to give up. Holy fucking Deadpool in a tutu, I never knew that girl had so much fucking drive within her. Midnight held her hand up to Bakugo and he relaxed his stance as she rested her hand on Ochaco’s back.

“Uraraka is K.O’d. Bakugo advances to the next round.”

“And that’s it for the second round! Ah, I was really pulling for her… Oh yeah, I guess Bakugo is moving on…”

I sweatdropped. Note to self: Kick the cockatiel next time I see him.

“You’re supposed to be unbiased, you know.”

“Let’s try to forget that depressing outcome!”

“Or not.”

“With that, the second round is complete! We’re taking a quick break and then we’re back with more matches!”

I hopped down from the railing and rushed off before anyone could stop me, heading toward the waiting room. Man, that was the most intense match, I hope Ochaco is okay. I bet she’s upset about losing, but she should feel proud. She did really fucking well against Katsuki. I rolled my neck as I stepped into the air-conditioned room. My match against Iida is next. He always annoys the piss of out me, so I surely don’t mind getting the chance to unleash some hell on him.

“Woohoo!! We’re finally about to learn who the winner is in the eleventh match – Kirishima or Tetsutetsu! Whoever prevails in this arm-wrestling match will advance to the third round! Let’s go!!”

I fell into the chair with a sigh, letting my head fall back. All this way and I can still hear that fucker as if he were standing here screaming in my damn ear. That’s one hell of a quirk, bro. I hope Kirishima wins his match. He’s so strong and full of spirit, but he lacks confidence in his abilities. I should really talk to him about that. Maybe I can take a piece of paper and write ‘You are strong, you are awesome, stop doubting yourself’ and smack him in the face with it. Why stop there? I need to do the same for Zuku.

“Kirishima earns his spot in the third round!”

Atta boy, Kirishima.

“Now we’ve got a full roster for the next round of the tournament! Let’s get the party started now, ya dig?!”

That’s my cue, ugh. I left the room, heading down the hallway.

“The first match of round three! He comes from an elite hero family, from the hero course, Tenya Iida! Versus! Her origins are completely unknown, also from the hero course, Jen Winchester!”

I sweatdropped as I stepped out into the sunlight. Elite versus unknown, huh? How fucking annoying. Iida’s eyes narrowed at me from across the arena, his voice low and full of distaste. “I don’t trust you, Winchester. Your attitude leaves much to be desired and you always act as if you know something we don’t, like you’re hiding something.”

I scoffed. “And? As if your holier than thou attitude is any better. Always prancing around like you’re better than everyone else, ordering people around like their beneath you, telling people how they should be acting. I’m gonna be honest, I’m really going to fucking enjoy knocking your ass down a few pegs, elite.”

“START!!”

My body temperature shot up as fire swirled across the ground in front of me. He took off running, his speed enough to dodge the onset of flames. I scowled, my eyes following his movement. There’s no point in trying to chase the fucker around, he’s too damn fast for me to catch. Instead, I’ll create an opening and let him come to me. Just as my flames were dying down behind me, he appeared in the air in front of me.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

“What incredible height on that jump! He easily cleared the flames surrounding her!”

“Recipro… burst!!” His leg connected with my forehead and I gritted my teeth, feeling my bones cracking from the force. Before I could recover, he landed and jumped again, slamming his leg against my stomach. The force sent me flying across the ring. I coughed loudly, wincing in pain. Fucking hell.

“Look at that speed! Winchester can’t react in time!”

Che. I grunted, slamming my palms against the ground as he rushed forward, but a wall of flames shot up between us, making him stumble backward. I coughed again as I pulled myself up. So he wants to end this quickly, huh? I wonder why that is? Doesn’t matter. If he wants to end is to quickly, who the fuck am I to deny him that?

Limit release!!

My shirt shattered as power rose from within me, rushing through my body.

“Oh no, it looks like Winchester is finally starting to get serious! I hope she doesn’t kill him…”

“She won’t.”

Thanks for believing in me, Dadzawa. I grinned, focusing my attention behind Iida. I appeared behind him just as he tried to jump over the flames again. Using his momentum against him, I slammed my flaming fist against his back, quickly grabbing his wrist before he could go flying. I turned my body once before throwing him toward the arena. His body slammed against the cement, rising up a few inches before falling back down. He grunted in pain, his eyes glassy.

“Learned that move from watching All Might at the USJ,” I grinned.

His teeth clenched and his hand shot up, snatching my wrist to pull me closer. He lifted both legs, slamming his feet against my stomach. The impact lifted me off the ground and knocked the wind from my lungs. Using what little bit of power he had left, he picked me up and tried to carry my body out of bounds, but flames erupted around me and he yelped, dropping me. I rolled, landing on my knees a foot away from him.

“Iida almost got Winchester out of bounds, but she saved herself at the last moment! How will this fight turn out?!”

I tasted metal on my tongue and spat out blood onto the concrete before wiping my hand with the back of my hand. “Is that all you got, prep? Sorry, but I ain’t that easy.”

His eyes narrowed and he made a move like he was going to rush me, but his foot only slip forward a bit, fists clenching at his sides.

“What’s wrong, bud? Run out of gas?” I smirked, holding my flaming hand up. “I hope you’re ready for this because it’s really gonna fucking hurt.” I flipped my hand over and the flames shot down into the cement before shooting up toward the sky. Like a huge wave of flame, it crashed into his body and forced him back out of bounds. My lips twitched up as it pinned him to the wall, the cement cracking behind him.

Midnight rushed up in front of me, giving me a sharp look as she held out her hand. I clicked my tongue and flipped my hand back over, the flames shooting back toward me as they died down until there were nothing but embers against my palm, floating away on the gentle breeze.

“Iida is out of bounds! Winchester advances to the next round!”

“Shooting into our hearts like a wave of fire, Winchester wins the first match of round three and advances to the semi-finals!!”

I stuffed my uninjured arm into my pocket and stepped down the stairs toward the hallway. As soon as the darkness surrounded me, I released my form, my shirt returning to me as pain started to overwhelm the adrenaline. I groaned. My arm fucking hurts. My stomach fucking hurts. I’m tired. I’m hungry. This is fucking torture.

Fucking bastard, I shouldn’t have held back. I admit, I underestimated him…

I released a breath as I turned the corner, grunting when I nearly ran into someone. I tried to walk around the kid, but he held his arms out, a haughty expression on his face. “What’s this? Is someone from 1-A actually injured? I thought all of you were too strong to be hurt and yet all of you keep getting injured. How shameful!”

I deadpanned. “Bro, I ain’t in the mood for your inferiority complex. Move the fuck out of my way before I shove a chimichanga up your ass.”

A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek and he swallowed hard, but that infuriating smirk didn’t falter. “That’s not a very heroic thing to say, is it! Looks like 1-A is training villains, not heroes. You, Bakugo and Todoroki aren’t fit to be heroes. Did you see how Bakugo treated that poor girl? And Todoroki went way too far against the tape boy. And there’s you. How shameful for you all!”

My eyes narrowed and I straightened my back. I’ve got a few inches on this brat, good. “You should really learn to keep your fuckin’ mouth shut, kid.”

He hummed, his smirk growing. “Everyone says class A is better simply because you all faced off against real villains, but we all know that your class did nothing in the attack! You only survived because of the teachers! Everyone saw how easily Shiozaki beat that electric freak! Such a loser, don’t you agree? And that poor gravity girl, who let her in the hero course? She’s not fit to be a -”

My fist slammed against his face. I felt the crunch and heard the crack before he cried out, falling to the ground and cradling his nose. I kneeled down beside him, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt to bring his face closer to mine. “Now you listen here, you little fuck. I don’t know what your fucking problem is with my class and I honestly have no fucks to give you, but you better get this straight right now – Katsuki may be a total pain in the ass with the temperament of a deranged chihuahua, but he’s going to make a damn good hero one day! And yeah, Sparky can be a total dunce most of the time, but he’s still a better person than you could ever hope to be. Todoroki is a total edgelord with major daddy issues, but he’s fucking working on it, and he’ll be a damn good hero, too! Every single fucker in class 1-A – minus Mineta – is amazing in their own way and every one of them will be an amazing hero!”

I took a breath, clenching my fist tighter. “Yeah, they all have their issues and I’m convinced they are certifiably insane, but at least they don’t go around putting people down! At least they fucking try and don’t give up! Maybe if you fucking stopped belittling those better than you and actually focused on yourself, you can become half as good as those fucking brats are. Finally, don’t you ever put Ochaco’s name in your filthy ass mouth. You got a goddamn problem with class A? Then you got a fucking problem with me, kid, and I’m a fucking woman – I hold grudges for fucking decades!”

His eyes were wide and full of fear, blood leaking through his fingers.

“Holy crap…”

My eyes shot up and I cursed. Standing at the end of the hall was Sparky, Sero, Ryuu, Kendo, all looking at me with wide eyes. “Fuck my life…”

Kendo cleared her throat as she approached, taking the boy by the back of his collar. “I told you to stop messing with class A, Monoma, didn’t I? Now, look at what happened. Are you alright?”

Monoma stood up on his own, his voice nasally. “Ahahaha! I’m perfectly fine! As expected from a student of class 1-A, that punch was weak!”

Ryuu sweatdropped. “That bleeding nose of yours says something different…”

He simply humphed and walked away with Kendo following behind. Ryuu bit his lip, glancing at me. He looked like he wanted to say something but I refused to meet his eyes and he sighed, following after his classmates.

⊱ ────── {⋅. 🔥 .⋅} ────── ⊰

▸ Forward

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[arysafics]

Out Loud

Summary:  Clarke is really into quidditch, but since she sucks at playing, she's forced to annouce the matches at Hogwarts instead. Except she kind of keeps going off on tangents about how hot the Gryffindor captain is.

Rated T, ~2,500 words

Clarke isn’t allowed to commentate Slytherin quidditch matches anymore, on account of how Professor Jaha says she’s too biased. Clarke is still of the opinion that it’s the umpire that’s biased, and not her, but she handles her ban reasonably well, considering she only got to announce for three matches before it happened. Only Professor Diyoza, head of Slytherin, realises that Clarke was the one to curse the Ravenclaws’ brooms so they release green smoke when used.

“If only you would put your talent into something useful, Clarke,” Diyoza sighs. She takes 5 points from Slytherin, but she doesn’t tell anyone else about what Clarke did.

Clarke’s ban doesn’t extend to commentating the other matches, though she is on probation. She swears to herself she’ll be on her best behaviour when commentating the upcoming Gryffindor vs Hufflepuff match. Well, to the best of her ability. The problem is, her mouth kind of runs away with her while she’s announcing. The filter that’s normally there in everyday conversations disappears, and whatever comes into her head pops out. She needs to get a handle on it though. If they ban her completely, she’ll have to just watch the match with the rest of the plebs.

See, the thing is, Clarke loves quidditch. She goes to the World Cup with her dad every year, and she’s always arguing with someone or other about who the best players are, who has the best strategy or who’s going to win. She goes to all the Slytherin training sessions, even though she’s not on the team. Her classmates are careful not to bring up quidditch in front of her, because they know it will just set her off and they won’t be able to shut her up about it for at least an hour. In fourth year, she was caught taking bets on the school tournament. They almost banned her from quidditch entirely then and there.

Despite her love of quidditch, Clarke can’t play for shit, and it’s always irked her to no end. It’s her only failing, as far as she is concerned. She just doesn’t have the coordination or something. She tried out for the Slytherin team her first five years at Hogwarts, for every position. Not agile enough to be a chaser or a keeper. Not enough power to be a beater. Not swift enough to be a seeker. So now they let her commentate.

“Remember you’re on probation, Clarke,” Professor Jaha tells her as she takes her place in the commentator’s box. “I’ll be right here making sure you don’t say anything you shouldn’t say.”

“Yes, professor,” Clarke sighs. She turns her attention to the stands, full of students wearing house colours and waving banners. They’re already cheering and screaming, though the players aren’t even on the field yet. Clarke gets her wand out, silently casting the amplifying charm to project her voice over the stadium.

“Welcome back everyone!” she says. “I’m Clarke Griffin and I’ll be commentating this match. Yes, that’s right I’m still here, even after Raven Reyes tried to get me banned after my commentary on the last match.”

“Clarke!” Jaha scolds. She gives him a sheepish look. She turns her attention back to the pitch as the players fly out and the crowd cheers even louder.

“Today’s match is Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff! The winner of this match will play Slytherin in the final. Gryffindor have been playing a little too well this year so let’s hope Hufflepuff wins this one. Although I, am of course, completely unbiased.” Clarke glances at Jaha to see him rolling his eyes. The players take their places around the centre ring. “Today’s umpire is Professor Pike of Ravenclaw.”

Pike stands in the centre ring and releases the bludgers and snitch from their wooden case. He picks up the quaffle and throws it into the air, blowing his whistle as he does so.

“And we’re off! Finn Collins, Hufflepuff chaser, and two-timing bastard—”

“Clarke!”

“Sorry, professor. Collins has the quaffle. He dodges a bludger, struck by Octavia Blake. He passes off to Harper McIntyre, who shoots for a goal and—it’s nicely defended by Gryffindor captain, Bellamy Blake. Side note—did the Gryffindors get new uniforms? I’m sure Blake didn’t look that good last match. Like he looked good, but the way he fills out that new uniform is something else. Okay, he’s passing the quaffle to Zoe Monroe, who skirts around Collins, heading straight for the goals.”

“Clarke, keep your commentary on the game please!” Jaha scolds.

“I am! Ooh! Kyle Wick just hit a bludger right at Monroe! She managed not to get hit but she dropped the quaffle and now it’s in the hands of that dirtbag Finn Collins again. Personally, I think he should be banned from the team, because if he cheats on women, who’s to say he doesn’t cheat at quidditch?”

“Clarke! This is your last warning!”

“Collins passes to Gina Martin. She’s squared up against Blake, ready to take a shot at goal. This is awkward, they used to date.”

“Clarke…”

“It’s relevant information, professor! I’m just giving context! It’s not like I’m speculating on why they broke up. Although I think it’s because they had zero chemistry. Watching them kiss made me want to barf. She’s going for it and… Blake dives for it, giving us a glimpse of those magnificent abs. Ooh, he misses, but at least he looked good doing it. Ten points for Hufflepuff!”

The crowd erupts into cheers from everyone but the Gryffindors themselves.

“Ooh, Blake does not look happy about that!” Clarke says. His scowl only grows as Clarke says the words. Bellamy fetches the quaffle and throws it back into play forcefully.

“Monroe has the quaffle again. She passes to Wells Jaha. He’s really improved in the last year—he’s flying down the field. No one can stop him now! He’s going for goal—it flies right past Lincoln, the Hufflepuff keeper, and we are tied at ten all!”

Lincoln wastes no time putting the quaffle back into play, and in thirty seconds it’s back at the Hufflepuff goal end.

“It’s Harper shooting for goal again—and Blake’s defence is flawless. Harper needs to up her game if she’s going to get it past Blake. Ooh, a well place bludger by Echo as Blake tries to pass the quaffle off to Monroe. It’s missed him, thankfully—wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty face—but he’s dropped the quaffle, and now it’s a race between Monroe and Harper to see who can get there first. And it’s Harper! Can she make the shot this time? She hasn’t been able to so far, maybe she’s distracted by Blake’s arm muscles. Seriously, they got new uniforms, right? Or did someone put a shrinking hex on his? Because that thing is so tight is almost indecent, and it can’t be just me having indecent thoughts right now… Ooh! He grabs the quaffle, but he fumbles it a little. It’s okay, doesn’t make him any less of a great quidditch player. They all have a little fumble now and then. I’ll tell you what, I’d let him fumble around my—”

Her wand is snatched out of her hand before she can finish. She whips her head around to see Jaha glaring at her.

“That’s enough, Clarke.”

“What did I say?” she whines.

“Well, I wrote it all down and I’ll be sending it to your head of house. Get back to the Slytherin common room now. Diyoza will deal with you later.”

“But I want to watch the rest of the match!”

“Now, Clarke.” He hands Clarke her wand back, and Clarke takes it from him, reluctantly descending the stand. By the time she reaches the ground, she can already hear Jasper Jordan taking over as announcer. Jaha must have had him on standby, knowing Clarke would screw up. She scowls. She doesn’t even know what she said wrong! She was just saying what she saw. And now she doesn’t even get to stay and watch the end of the match. It’s so unfair.

  Clarke slouches in the chair across the desk from Professor Diyoza, her expression sour. After the match, Diyoza had called Clarke straight to her office.

“I really thought you learned your lesson after last time,” Diyoza says. “You’re normally so careful with what you say. I don’t understand.”

“I guess quidditch just gets me all riled up,” Clarke shrugs. “I can’t help it. I don’t even know what I said that was so bad.”

Diyoza pulls out a piece of parchment. “Jaha made sure I got this exact dictation of what you said.” She looks down to the parchment. “First you called Finn Collins a two-timing bastard, and also a cheater and a dirtbag.”

“He is though.”

“Not related to quidditch.”

Clarke huffs. “What else?”

“Most of the other stuff is just you going on about how hot you think Bellamy Blake is.”

“I did not say that.”

Diyoza eyes her with amusement. She reads directly from the page. “The way he fills out that new uniform is something else. Blake dives for it, giving us a glimpse of those magnificent abs. He misses, but at least he looked good doing it. It’s missed him, thankfully, wouldn’t want to mess up that pretty face. It can’t be just me having indecent thoughts right now—”

“Okay!” Clarke interrupts. Her face is flaming. “I’ve heard enough.” She can hardly believe she said all that out loud. She can tell Diyoza is laughing at her, even if she isn’t actually laughing. “So, what’s my punishment then?”

“To be honest, I think it’s punishment enough that the entire school now knows you have a thing for the Gryffindor quidditch captain. That’s pretty embarrassing, right?”

Clarke scowls. “Shut up,” she mutters.

“Do you speak to all your professors like that?” Diyoza asks, rolling her eyes.

“Am I being punished or not?”

“Yeah, twenty points from Slytherin. And you’re banned from announcing all future matches.”

“Fine.”

“Don’t sulk, Clarke. I doubt Gryffindor’s resident golden boy will find that attractive. They won, by the way.”

“You’re the worst house leader ever,” Clarke says, mostly trying to disguise the fact that she’s blushing again. She gets up and stalks out of the office, Diyoza’s laughter trailing after her.

On her way back to the Slytherin common room, she spots Bellamy coming towards her and quickly changes direction. He’s the last person she wants to see right now. Unfortunately, the hallway is empty apart from the two of them, and he sees her before she can escape.

“Hey, Griffin!” he yells. Clarke stops, squeezing her eyes shut. Her face is hot already, and she hopes it doesn’t look as red as it feels. She turns to face him, trying to muster up some semblance of nonchalance.

“Bellamy,” she says. “What’s up?”

“What the hell was that out there?” he says angrily.

“What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. All the shit you were saying. That was really uncool.”

Clarke cringes. “Sorry I embarrassed you,” she says shortly. “If it makes you feel any better, I totally humiliated myself as well, so there’s that.”

“How exactly did you humiliate yourself?”

“You heard what I said, right?” she snorts. “I kind of admitted to the whole school that I’m into you. Which would be fine if it were anyone else, but no, I have to have a crush on perfect Gryffindor quidditch captain Bellamy Blake. It’s totally ruining my cool Slytherin brand.”

Bellamy is staring at her like she just grew a second head.

“What?” she snaps.

“You’re into me?” he says dumbly. Clarke stares back, confused. He did hear everything she said at the match, right? “I mean—you didn’t just say all that stuff to throw me off my game so we’d lose the match?”

Oh. Oh, that would have been a great cover. Clarke only wishes she’d thought of it herself. And fuck, now she’s blushing again.

“I—” she swallows. “Fuck.” Her eyes drop to her feet, unable to look at his deep brown eyes scrutinising her. “I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut,” she mutters.

“You’re into me,” he repeats, almost wondrously. He laughs. Clarke looks up, glowering at him.

“No need to laugh at me.”

Bellamy’s wide grin drops, and he quickly turns apologetic. “Oh, no,” he says. “Sorry. I’m not laughing at you. I—uh—” He rubs the back of his neck nervously. “I’m kind of into you too.”

Clarke gapes at him. “What?”

Bellamy laughs again. “Yeah. It’s really annoying.”

Clarke’s heart soars, and she’s not sure she’s doing a great job of keeping the goofy grin from her face. “I bet I’m more annoyed about it that you are.”

“No way. My crush on you is way more inconvenient. Your stupid sexy voice always distracts me from quidditch. Today was especially bad. It’s like… my brain was sure you were saying all that stuff just to put me off, but my dumbass heart got all worked up because it wanted you to mean it.”

“Well, you’ll be happy to know I got banned from announcing any further matches.”

“It was probably because of the part where you said you wanted me to fumble around your—what was it? You never finished that sentence.”

“Oh my god,” Clarke groans. “I’m so embarrassing. This ban is probably for the best.”

Bellamy eyes her, smile playing on his lips. God, she feels like she could melt into a heap under his gaze. Her heart is beating so fast she thinks it’s going to burst out of her chest.

“Clarke?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I kiss you?” Clarke nods, and then Bellamy is closing the gap between them, taking her face in his hands and pressing his lips against hers, so gently Clarke thinks she might be imagining the whole thing. She deepens the kiss, opening her mouth for him, letting her tongue brush against his. Her whole body lights up for him. He groans softly, then pulls back. Clarke opens her eyes to his. Goosebumps cover her skin.

“Everyone is going to make fun of us for this,” Clarke says.

“No one would dare,” Bellamy laughs. “Everyone knows you can hex anyone and get away with it. Like what you did with the Ravenclaws’ brooms.”

“You know that was me?”

“Everyone knows. Mostly because I figured it was you and I was so impressed I told everyone. But I made it seem like I thought it was a stupid thing to do.”

Clarke smiles. “You think I’m impressive?”

“Don’t tell anyone.”

“I’m going to tell everyone. Especially Diyoza.”

Bellamy shakes his head, confused but endeared. “Okay? Weird, but okay.”

“So, do you want to like… date me?”

Bellamy grins. “Yeah, I want to date you. If you’re not too concerned about your cool Slytherin brand. Which, for the record, you don’t have.”

“Shut up and kiss me again.”

“Gladly.”