#just cos you love a character doesn't mean your other fave might and the same way just cos you hate a character doesn't mean your fave woul

[covertblizzard]

the world when dc fans realise that sometimes people have different headcanons and ideas about characters and storyline and plots because comics inherently are kinda minimalistic + contradictory with lots of different possible reading and interpretations and that doesn't make someone else's opinion wrong just different and you don't have to hate on everything that you don't agree with:

[catpriciousmarjara]

Tell me: Is He Gay or In a Sherwani?

Imposition of western norms in fandom analysis of Asian characters

With the rising popularity of Indian cinema sparked by the recent success of RRR on international platforms as well as the easy availability of multiple streaming services, in addition to the appearance of South Asian characters in prominent roles in western, particularly US media, I've begun to see some concerning 'analysis' posts online. So I thought I'd address something I found common in most of these takes.

Guys, characterizing your blorbos as queer is great and all, love it, but you're making a fundamental mistake by making their clothing choices the foundation for your queer headcanons, especially when it comes to male characters. Do not apply existing western cultural ideas regarding male clothing onto South Asian characters and their dressing please.

The vast majority of the clothes being used by people in various online spaces as 'evidence' of a character being queer(gay or bi mostly) are just normal Indian clothing for men, like daily wear. A top being pink or a character's wardrobe being mostly pastel means absolutely nothing...cos Indian clothing tends to be colourful in general and the tendency to ascribe colours masculine and feminine qualities is considerably less in the subcontinent. I'm not saying it doesn't exist, but generally not a concern.

There's also this pervasive idea that colourful clothing = flamboyance = queer and that itself is something many people have already pointed as a deeply flawed way of thinking and a stereotype. Furthermore, even if you do lean into the archetype of queer men being flamboyant, subscribing to the 'stereotypes exist for a reason don't they?' school of thought perhaps, there's also the fact that ideas of what is considered flamboyant change dramatically across different cultures. What is 'flamboyant' for someone might just be normal for others. Like maybe pink or purple or yellow might be considered too much, unmanly, emasculating etc in the US or something but they're just perfectly normal colours for men to wear in many, many cultures.

It's the 'Is he Gay or European?' principle. Did you characterize this Indian character (or any South Asian character really) as queer because of their canonical behaviour and portrayal, or did you just see their clothing and decide they're queer because being well groomed and having a colourful wardrobe is a character trait you exclusively ascribe to being queer?

Like guys, I like Chaipunk like the rest of you, but if you consider Pavitr queer just because his costume is a lot fancier than the others' (An actual take I've seen multiple times) without taking into account his cultural background....¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Let me make this clear, I don't think people need a ten page analysis to imagine their fave as queer. Headcanoning a character as queer can have any reason ranging from 'I said so and so it is' to 'this is my light character analysis that makes a masters thesis look shabby' and they're all valid and an integral part of the fandom experience. What I am annoyed at are these so-called 'well-researched' theories that did not make the slightest effort to look into South Asian culture and simply transposed their western bias onto Indian media and confidently make flat out wrong judgements and mislead other people. Clothing based sexual identity determinism is the least of it. That I can at least understand through the lens of a habitual process built through years of analyzing crumbs of queer representation available only through queer coded characters and symbolism such as clothing choices being the only way to see an aspect of yourself portrayed in an aggressively heteronormative media ecosystem. I do that too, because media is tragically heteronormative everywhere. But the rest? Its just straight up misinformation and misrepresentation touted as truth.

Its the same with relationships between men. There are plenty of cultures where skinship between men is not unusual and dynamics and nuances tend to be vastly different from western representations of male friendships. In xianxia and wuxia fandoms you can see this same problem in a different font when outsiders, most often the western side of the fandom, try to apply their own standards and morals onto the original work and try to interpret it through a lens it was never supposed to be interpreted through in the first place, except maybe for comparative analysis. This practice itself isn't a major problem, its natural for people to apply what is familiar to them to try and understand something new. But when this is also accompanied by them foisting their personal interpretation and analysis as the 'correct' one and trying to impose it on the fandom as a whole, it escalates into a powder keg situation as you can imagine.

Again, not saying that western parts of fandoms are the root of all evil or anything like that, gods know how toxic netizens can be. But in this specific situation, where people try to impose western ideals on to non-western content and assumes the universalism of their own principles and value systems? Indeed an issue to be addressed.

[ezralva]

I came here after reading your Choso&Yuji fics, I love them! 🥰The scenes where they are training blood manipulations are my fave, filling in the gap in the current manga chapters for me so thank you! Your author's notes very interesting but there are some things I don't quite understand. My questions:

1. Was it ever explained how Yuji can do blood manipulation? And how he get the red claws?

2. Since Choso is a Kamo, does that mean he's related with kamo, the young one? I'm still confused because I saw some fans said they are not while some said they are and the fanpage says that Choso's father is Kamo the younger's ancestor, which means they are related?

3. Does that mean Yuji had a Kamo blood too because he's Kenjaku son? Like perhaps his mother? Because why is it different between them? Why Choso reacted like that to Yuji's blood but not to the other Kamo?

4. Are the memories Choso had about Yuji is from him alone or the influence from Yuji's cursed energy?

Sorry if my questions sound very dumb to you! myb cos I was skipping a lotta chapters of the manga to catch up with current arc (I almost skipped the whole culling game thing) but I watched the anime and still not understanding a lot.

Btw my fav is your Light at the end of dark tunnel and I'm actually sad that it hasn't been updated for long despite you still write new fics for new pairings 🥲 but I dont mean to rush you or anything, just hoping one day it will be updated again 🙏

Thank you for liking my stories and telling me about it! Ah I guess it does get confusing if you don't read the manga in order. In fact I've seen manga readers still confused abt the same things as yours so no, they are not dumb questions! Hwvr, to answer, it'd be better to go into manga's chronological orders so it'd be easier to understand...so beware of long answers ahead.

1. It was nvr explained explicitly but heavily hinted, which from the ways Gege does thing so far, which is not always spitting out everything for readers. It could be perceived as true. It happened in ch 220. I'll explain later below.

2. Yep, by all means they are related. I think this much is pretty clear from the narrative even if you're an anime-only let alone read the manga. Related as in coming from the same clan/ancestry line/bloodline. Iirc I explained this in end notes of ch 1 of my long fic. Blood Manipulation is a prized CT that is passed down only thru bloodline/genetics. It wasn't a sporadic thing like Geto's curse manipulation CT. It is the same as Zenin's 10 shadows and the Gojo fam' Limitless/Six Eyes. The fact that Choso has it despite being incarnated in an irrelevant non-sorcerer body meant that his Kamo's blood from his papa (Kamo Noritoshi Sr) still runs fully thru his current body. The concept of JJK is mostly how a soul cud modify the body. For Choso this is def the case cz there was 1 panel where he said he cud no longer sense the prev body owner's soul/essence. So, as a cursed object of a Kamo blood, he had taken over the body fully. Back to the question, howvr, to which degree he's related to Noritoshi Jr we might nvr find out unless GG care enough to lay out the Kamo family tree. They could be as distantly-related as Gojo with Yuuta or more direct line in family. But I don't see how that wud ever happen cz it's neither important to the plot nor is it important to any of the character's narratives.

So yeah, the opinions that said they are completely unrelated are definitely off the mark. It's silly tbh, cz it doesn't take a lot to comprehendthis particular narrative 😅. The BM technique and the great 3 clans backgrounds were there to confirm. I personally think, they must be branching a lot so it's not straight vertical line. Cz Kamo Sr had offsprings and cud have more legitimate offsprings outside the Death Paintings, it cud be said he wud be like a great great greaaat granduncle to Noritoshi Jr (which explains why the fanpage says Kamo Sr was Kamo jr's ancestor) and since Choso, Eso, and Kechizu didnt have offsprings they wud be more like great great greaaat grandcousins or cousins 8-10 times removed lmao. That's how clan family works.

Which brings us to the next Q that is Yuuji. Remember that Yuuji is always the special case.

3. Yuuji is by no means a Kamo even till now. He got BM technique thru acquired means which in ch 220 heavily hinted that he ate the rest of Death Paintings remains (as permitted by Choso). All the Death Paintings had BM like I said before cz they are of Kamo's descendants, only the properties that were different. For Choso it's poison. For Eso is rotten blood.

This is why, despite being born from Kenjaku who once inhabited Kamo Sr's body, Kenjaku didnt pass down BM to Yuuji cz once again, BM is a CT that is passed thru literal bloodline. Which is why we never saw him did BM while in Geto's body. Kenjaku being in Kaori's body who wasn't a Kamo cud not pass that CT down to Yuuji. He cud howver, resist Choso's poisonous cursed blood due to him being the other's papa.

By eating the Death Paintings' remains, Yuuji gained access to BM thru their souls which modify Yuuji's being. Most likely his red claws came from one of the Death Paintings' properties as well. This is the same to how he got stronger and gained more CE by eating Sukuna's fingers, which are also cursed objects, and how Gojo said he wud 1 day gain access to Sukuna's CT. Yuuji's body is such that after ingesting cursed objects, his soul gained control instead of being devoured like how Choso's soul took over the human body he incarnated in. It's why it doesn't make Yuuji a Kamo because he's still the one in control, not the Death Paintings he ingested.

4. I think 👆 has explained it. The memories are one-sided on Choso and they never happened. It's due to the bond between their cursed blood.

Why Choso reacted differently between Yuuji and the other Kamos? Simply cz Choso's narrative is designed to be a character who lives by and for his little brothers only. When it comes to the Death Paintings, they have cursed blood, don't they? Their CE and blood come as a package and cannot be separated. Which imo explains why it's not exactly literal/biological blood that bond him with Yuuji but rather the cursed properties in it, courtesy of Kenjaku's hopping bodies that brought and passed along his CE's components to all his offsprings and that's it...not the host bodies' genes or anything else. This is also why it's only Choso who felt the bond and not Yuuji cz Yuuji's CE didn't rely on his cursed blood back then. I didn't know abt it now though that he had eaten Choso's other little brothers and gained new properties to his bodies.

Unless somehow, when Choso and the brothers were inside the tubes their souls went to another cycle of life with Yuuji in another life lmao. But this one is my headcanon so dont take it seriously.

Thanks for the encouragement. I don't have any excuse abt it but I'll try updating the long fic when I can. That one is sth I took on more seriously which is why the writing process is much harder than the occasional one-shots that I've published. Much harder to hype myself to keep up with it as well. Plus I have lots of ideas come and go that keep swimming in my head and always have these sudden urges to tackle new dynamics when I came across a refreshing different pairing 😂

[meirimerens]

hi, this is a very random ask but it's currently 2:44 in the morning where i'm at and i've been scrolling through your blog and i just...i'm so in awe of your connection to pathologic! hard to explain rly, but the game, the world and the characters of patho mean so much to me but i've had a hard time ~understanding~ or ig? connecting? to it the ways others do, it always feels like everybody else just inherently "gets it" and i do not. despite finishing the first game, and knowing a lot of info!

i'm not really sure where i'm going with this, but do you think this sounds logical? i guess everybody has their own unique connection to the world and the game, and so it's hard to compare...i do feel passionate about it, i really really do, looking through your blog makes me smile and i think your thoughts and renditions of patho stuff might be my favourite from what i've seen so far! especially the herb brides. LOVE the herb brides. i just feel a bit lost in the sauce i think...almost like i'm incapable of forming thoughts as philosophical, eloquent and well-made as others or that i've got it all wrong. have you felt this way, in your Pathologic Journey Of Discovery?

omg same timezone darling... we could be neighbors for all we know... i'm going to try to make sense i have burakhovsky visions-induced headache + also well. is 3AM now innit.

first things first Thank You... so happy to know you Enjoy... i have much joy and much love in making my silly drawings and texts and notes and knowing they're someone's Fave so far.. blushing and kicking my feet boyishly honestly.

now to the meat (lol!) of the question... it sounds perfectly logical. it of course does. pathologic (especially classic hd) is... dense and kinda burly of a narrative, the type which Doesn't Leave You Indifferent regardless if it's in a Good Way or in a Bad Way. it's something different (again, esp. p1) than most videogame narratives and experiences we're used to, especially in this day and age. it's this denseness this burliness which i think make people think They Need to make like... essays and shakespeare plays about this game - and some of us do, and it goes craaazy - but i'll tell you what. i don't think one needs to. and you know what? cos it's a game. the team behind it gave it this shape, this form, specifically, because it's my belief as someone who Makes Shit that they found it to be the best vector of it. the thinking, the thought, the essays, the eloquence, the philosophical questions, they all planted it in the game. they planted it in this big pixel gardens. and by releasing it, they wanted you to see that garden. other people will crouch down and pick apart what kinda flowers those are, and what they mean in x or y language. they'll analyze the composition of the soil. and some people will see the worms in the humus and be like damn that's a healthy soil. to me it comes back to what i had said to someone a whiiile back who sounded like they were quite insecure about not being able to make art or write fics for fandoms: you don't gotta. the devs made a Game, they didn't sent out a questionnaire, or write on a blackboard "WHAT DOES THIS MEAN. you have 4hrs. counts for 70% of the final grade". playin a narrative game is, typically, an alone experience. many people who are Changed by games do not write essays or deep philosophical pamphlets about it. many of us in the fandom do because it called to us it spoke to us it this or that, but there is no One Way to walk the garden the devs have planted. and they planted it so others could smell the flowers.

maybe sharing my personal Journey with patho will like Shine Light on why i'm The Way I Am about it: 1) completely silly, but i found it while i was going through my last exam to earn my bachelor's degree. here's one. not everyone has found this game while gettin their BA. 2) we've had architects in my family. i am attached to architecture as a subject, as an art, as a way to understand the world. i am aware of the way architecture shapes something, for the better and the worse. but most importantly, the connection, more than Intellectual, is very, very personal and like. my feefees-based. 3) my birthtown also has its own legends with A Bull! the game plays on that for me, the fact that It's Just Like Mine FR! i also Me Personally espouse a. goddess-earth centered type of spirituality so the mother boddho/living earth/spiritual conducts that are the Herb Brides it all felt. almost familiar to me. 4) patho, in narrative, speaks of art, and of creation. this speaks directly to me as an artist, a writer, a mfer who Makes Shit. 5) i've always been very. in-my-head right. just me and the thoughts marinating. been like this since as far as i can remember. brewing and boiling thoughts in my skull comes naturally to me, because my neurons are Trained To That. i'm also very much like. 🤓🤓 right. i'm a huge fan of accumulating Knowledge, sometimes even just Base Level, for fun. pulling threads between that Knowledge like that one Pepe Silvia IASIP bit is what my brain has been trained to do. and darling i love it here (mostly). Writing About Shit is what i DO. Drawing About Shit is what i DO. 5.5) i been to art school, and a huge part of the experience here was puking like guts-brewed art but being able to have a reasoned, reasonable Discussion about it, to be able to explain, to dissect, to see the made piece from other angles. i found patho at the end of that art school time, so i had gotten the habit, the want, maybe even the need to do that, to dissect others' art in order to understand mine better (or, alternatively, to cope with the fact that sometimes i Couldn't explain it) 6) the game(s) has/ve Grief as a theme (not the character, the Feefee). it's especially potent in p2. don't want to get too #personal but i have intimate knowledge of grief, and seeing characters dealing through it, and it being anchored in a narrative, is both interesting to me intellectually but also. in-my-feefees-ly. 7) this one is esp. p1 related but that one truly tickles like. Me Bones. not one second of that game have i felt lost, overwhelmed by the text, by the implication of the text (i have felt overwhelmed from Game Mechanics, but not the Dialogue/Lore itself) because as verbose as weird as cryptic as she is she made complete and utter sense to me. i have a <3 funny brain <3 and it's full of. nonsenses, incoherent, racing or twisting thought trains, flights of ideas, faulty/nonsensical connections. a lot of my writing comes from that, which i then polish for reading (as i often cannot. even reread what i wrote when that happens, thankfully with life being slower than it was it happens less). p1 complicated and verbose and slithering and snaking ways of telling you shit of giving you information of describing people and relationships felt like speaking to something that truly, truly understood me.

all of those ^ to say that My Experience of pathologic is mine. no one can have the same. and someone else's experience of pathologic will be Theirs, and i cannot have it. and your experience of pathologic is yours, and no one, neither me or anyone else, can have it the same as you do. we all, as Gamers(tm), come to the game with baggage, with different experiences, with different intellectual abilities, with different narrative comprehensions shaped by our education, our culture, our preferences, with different Desires as to what we feel a game Should Be to us, should make us feel, different desires as to how we want to experience the game.

it may feel like everybody "gets it", but you can't know how much work someone puts into wording their thoughts about the game, how much time they spend tuning their vision of it, how long they might have spent in-game being like What the Fuck. What the Fuck. What the Fuck. What the Fuck. i think patho deserves a time of Digestion. where you take it all in and your body&mind, that has experienced the game as a narrative and a play, breaks into very thin pieces the game(s) and it runs through you. it might take weeks, months. years. you might never be able to feel the game Feed You in the way you feel like it feeds some people, but i don't think that's a... necessary experience for you to enjoy the game, to find it deeply important to you. i've played, or watched other people play, many, many games that i consider important to me. that were there at a time in my life where it was good that they were, or that i thoroughly and deeply enjoyed, but that didn't Change Me like patho did, and as i've said, patho Changed Me because it ticked So Many Boxes for me. and no two people will have the same Boxes for this game to tick.

i repeat it over and over, but pathologic is a game about perspective and interpretations At Its Core. within the narrative. its role-playing experiences mean you can enter this world, but also that you can exit it. are there Objectively Wrong ways to think about things in this game? oh sure. yeah sure. are there interpretations that stem from culture/background/preconceived notions/stereotypes and are out of character, out of narrative, or go against relatively transparent bits of characterization or lore? also yes. most are benign, really. but most of the time... you're just watching another plane of the shape.

yeah, i've used this analogy before: we're all looking at the same polyhedron (in the sense of "a three-dimensional shape with flat polygonal faces, straight edges and sharp corners or vertices"), with its finite-but-huge number of planes, edges and corners. no two people are looking at the exact same planes, edges and corners. we might be looking at some together, but we're never seeing the same colors from the other planes reflect on them, the same light of the sun hitting the edges or the undersides. we're not all crawling in the same crevices, or following the same peaks. but we're all lookin at the same shape.

that was uh. fucking long! goodnight... don't stay up to late... hopefully you get what i mean. godbless

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

If Edelgard starts a war on cats it would be a CATastrophe. Bad pun aside, it really speaks volumes when people are so enamored and defensive about their fave that they're willing to say "racism, genocide and terrorism is good actually". Fiction may not affect reality most of the time, but it exposes views that some people share that makes you go "yikes.".

I can't believe I didn't even think of that when I wrote it LOL.

For people missing the context, this ask is in response to a reply I wrote on another post.

When it comes to media, it's one thing if there's nuance to the situation and it's not as direct (is she being brainwashed? Controlled? Forced? Somehow unaware? Shown to be conflicted about her actions/what she says? etc). In her case though that's not present and she means what she says. Even still, liking her as a character is fine.

It's different when people start using real life situations or making outright harmful rhetoric, which is something they do both to lift their favorite up and to vilify her enemies (which is why they have to reach so hard, and farther than their arms actually can reach to make up reasons to hate Dimitri. It's not him, it's the fact that they hate anyone who opposes Edelgard, and if Edegard wants them dead they also want them dead. Unfortunately that also turned into demonizing those with mental illness).

Fiction in and of itself doesn't affect reality or indicate what a person is like irl, but their behavior toward others is no longer fiction. Story wise you could argue it makes an interesting character to have these flaws and villainous traits, but it's another story entirely when people double down to insist their characters' actions are just and they go into detail to force it down people's throats - 99.99% of the time unprompted, when that character actively associates with people who have willingly and intentionally committed genocide and aims to do the same herself by finishing the job.

Which you'd think she wouldn't because... those same people wiped out all her siblings, but okay. Somehow the CoS is worse than them. I guess bc Agarthans are human at the end of the day, so no matter how inhumane and atrocious their actions are, they get a pass as long as there's a non-human in the vicinity. Racism typically goes hand in hand with genocide, so. Yeah.

It's not even just that though - it's how the arguments go that indicates if a person is just trying to defend their favorite. If they start brainlessly spewing harmful rhetoric at real people, and if what they say would actively defend real life issues, it's concerning. It's the manner in which they defend their favorite. If the way they argue is exactly how American-hard-rights defend themselves, it starts becoming uncomfortable for people and no longer applies to just fiction.

If what you argue sounds exactly what irl politics sounds like, that's a pretty powerful indicator of who you're dealing with. It doesn't matter if they are or claim to be American-left (specifying because Random said it's different in Europe!). If their arguing points shit on all the values American-lefts stand for, they are not, whether they like it or not, arguing for the left (which all stans claim to do, and then they start regurgitating American-right political stances, extremely often at the expense and discomfort of actual American-lefts. Might I remind you that one of them, a straight man, used abortion and gay marriage both being legally in jeoprady as a gotcha to argue for Edelgard).

It doesn't matter what you claim you're doing. If your arguments actually start reflecting things that can be real, you need to be careful about how you word it. Houses deals with a political atmosphere very heavily, which shouldn't have really been a problem... but it got too close to real life politics within the fandom and people's true colors started to show.

It should have been "I love Edelgard but damn some of what she does is fucked up" and not trying to vehemently defend every singular word she's ever said. As I've mentioned in my very lengthy "why the writing failed Edelgard", the writing is partly to blame for people being divided on her, but it's the fans' own faults if they can't draw a line between liking her character and supporting things in a way that makes it sound like you'd support them irl.

It's even worse that all that nonsense picked up really badly right around the time Ukraine got invaded and Putin was out there spewing nonsense. It became a sensitive issue to have people defending Edelgard invading other countries proudly with false claims/propaganda, because the arguments fell perfectly to a T in line with what Putin was doing.

Evidently that didn't matter to the people who never touch grass and waste their time and energy only thinking of defending Edelgard instead of just enjoying her character, but then, they don't really even enjoy her character; they just enjoy their made up version of her who fights for what they want her to fight for instead of realizing what she's actually doing. These people would be damn easy bait for irl politics and it shows. Dangerously.

So for anyone arguing about your fictional favorites, remember that context is important and how you treat the topic(s) at hand are just as important. I absolutely adore a villain just like Edelgard because of good writing, and there are points I can actually defend him (if you've been on this blog for more than like a week you prooOOOObably know who I'm referring to AT THIS POINT lmao). That doesn't mean I'm going to call invasion, racism, etc good and just for his better talking points to be achieved.

In my opinion Edelgard ended up poorly written because the writers wanted to be bias in the context of the story but couldn't properly justify the atrocities. I'll be honest, if this is how they handle (main) female villains, I'd rather just not have them. I'd rather go back to the days of Petrine and Hilda who were side villains and allowed to be as disgusting and horrendous as they wanted.

If writing a lead villain who is female won't work because they can't stop pushing their bias into the writing (don't even look at poor Petra, she got SKEWERED in CF and especially in SB) and it reflects poorly, I just don't want it. I know men at the writing table for some wild reason throughout the years have been unable to properly write females (which like, why. Just write human beings. But no, they seem to act like females are a different entity entirely), but if that's going to remain the case, I don't want them to write them in situations like these because they clearly can't handle it. They treat Edelgard as a trophy wife who has to be perfect for them and not as a complex, legitimate person.

Mind you, I also made a post before about how Edelgard is separated from other female villains by being drawn as "attractive". Ishtar gets treated much better than other female villains as well, with Heroes going as far as to outright shit on canon and give her an alt where she "joins the Liberation Army", which... the whole point of her character and her fighting in that war was that she was on the opposite side but wasn't a bad person. I could argue similar things for Burian, but that's more headcanon/literally based on just his death quote lmfao.

Point being, Ishtar is drawn to be attractive. Petrine and Hilda are not, and are outright villainous, terrible, not complex people at all (Hilda is a hypocrite, but she's not complex). Edelgard was drawn to be attractive, and was thus not treated like a villain proper. Unfortunately this got warped into the fandom we know now, but... like we both said, the way they argue for her is pretty telling and honestly pretty scary. Let's not forget that they've spewed death threats at people simply for not liking Edelgard.

No, that last sentence was not a joke nor an exaggeration. In a way it makes sense though, considering they defend genocide, racism, etc.

[pebblysand]

[FIC AUTHORS SELF-RECS]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love.

thanks for the tag @hinnyfied & @alohaemora! i'm putting these in alphabetical order :).

castles (hp) (in progress - 126,935 words):

as a disclaimer - please check the tw on this fic. i'm always a bit hesitant to rec it because of the topics it touches on, although i hope to always treat those respectfully and without sensationalisation. at the same time, it is one of my favourite things i've written, so i figured it should feature on this list, but just read at your own risk, you know?

the premise of this fic was to write my version of the harry potter, canon-compliant (meaning which complies with all elements explicitly referenced in the books), post-war trope. i.e., answering the simple question: what happens after the end of deathly hallows, during the "blank" nineteen years, and beyond? while this has been written by different people countless times, i set out to write this fic in particular because i couldn't find a canon-compliant long-fic that felt realistic and fit within the ideas i had for the post-war canon.

i have since learnt that the reason why i couldn't find anything that fit my ideas was because my ideas and my vision of the series are a bit fanon-controversial 😆 and that my tone, view on the characters, and style are not what you would typically encounter in potter fanfic. that's alright, makes sense, but that was very enlightening to find out 😆. so, half of my readers on this seem to love the fic, and half seem to hate-read it, which is phenomenon i can't really explain but sure look, why not? 😆 if you're a bit like me, that might intrigue you enough to read it haha.

as far as i'm concerned, i see castles as my headcanon for what the post-war life could look like, for harry & co. the main point is to provide a realistic take (or at least, a take that i think is realistic) on the post-war world, and to answer a key question: what does "all was well" really means? we're about ten chapters in, with six chapters (ish) left to go, so if anything in the above description feels of interest to you, feel free to click on that link and hope on the bandwagon haha.

ce ne sont que des cailloux (hp) (4,293 words):

this is a character-driven one-shot about fleur delacour. it stretches from fleur's childhood, through the war and after it, and centers around her relationship with bill. do not let the french title intimidate you, it is in english, although it definitely war influenced by my experience, growing up in france. it is a fic that doesn't necessarily get a lot of visibility but those who do read it seem to like it, as it has my best kudos/hit ratio, 😆. the piece is mostly about bravery, and it doesn't have to be innate, but can also be the result of a conscious choice. i think it's a bit of a dreamy, poetic story as well, and definitely one of my faves.

listening for that angel choir (spooks) (6,980 words):

i was a bit hesitant to include this one in the list - i'm aware that most of my following is there for potter content, but the fact of the matter is that i am a multi-fandom writer, and this is one of my favourite fics, so 🤷🏻‍♀️.

this piece is another character-driven one-shot (they are part of the same series) focused on wes carter (fiona and adam's child). ever since i first watched the show, i couldn't stop thinking about this poor kid, and what his life could have been like, both before and after the death of his parents. it's honestly one of my favourite stories i've ever written - i wanted to take wes's example to write a story about resilience and unconditional love, and just the way that life goes on, even when terrible things happen to you. i wanted to show that bravery isn't necessarily guns and self-sacrifice (which would probably have been his parents' definition) but just being able to build a life after such a tragedy.

if you haven't watched the show (which, i will admit, is pretty fucking niche), i still think it's a piece you could read. wes is hardly ever mentioned in the show and the only thing you really need to know about him is that his parents were spies.

the fault in faulty manufacturing (hp) (27,575 words):

look, this fic might just be on the list because it's my most recent one and my most recent stuff are always my faves, but if you haven't read it yet, i would strongly encourage you to read it. this fic is another character-driven story, but this time about seamus finnigan. it is long (perhaps too long), detailed (perhaps too detailed), and it is chivalrous and brave, and happy, and sad, and it just makes me want to hang out with seamus's sister a lot, as well as giving seamus a hug. the story stretches from seamus's childhood in northern ireland in the 80s to him going to hogwarts, the war, and post-war. the whole story is about lies and family secrets and coming to grow up and accept who you are, as well as seamus's friendship (and later romantic relationship) with dean. i adore this story, it's very dear to my heart, a lot of love for the characters and for ireland went into it, and i hope you like it.

truth (peaky blinders) (6,458 words):

i truly hesitated between this one and children for the last rec but as the last peaky blinders season is currently ongoing, i thought i'd go with truth instead. is this my all time favourite fic that i've ever written? no. it has its strengths and it has its flaws - i love the structure of it and most of the writing, even though a lot of the plot has now become moot/au, given that this was written post s3. the story begins after s3e6 and goes into what could have happened afterwards. the pairings are mostly grace/tommy and may/tommy, (although obviously grace is dead by this point, so most of his interactions are actually with may). the fic explores his relationship with her, and his relationship with charles. it also seems to be well-liked on the fandom, as it's almost got 100 kudos and was, for years, my most kudo-ed fic haha, so maybe that means something. @whatthefawkes also seems to like it, if you trust their opinion more than mine 😆.

.

okay, i'm not tagging anyone explicitly cause i think i'm at the end of the tag loop here, but if anyone wants to do this who hasn't been tagged, please feel free to do it!

[punkscowardschampions]

Tommy & Meena

Tommy: All my tutus better be accounted for, like Meena: 😅 Meena: Not to engage in the bitchy showbiz stereotype Meena: but your size is not the size of the 3-7s Meena: and I don't need to rock one from the sidelines, sadly Meena: I did ask Tommy: Calling me fat & not inviting me out for juice? Oh it be like that, yeah? Meena: Never! Meena: The totally casual impromptu photoshoot would have you believe I had longer than 5 minutes to neck it down, I know Tommy: Not even in there with the 3-7s & already a savage Tommy: good luck to 'em Tommy: None to you Tommy: Who hasn't sacrificed their final mins to look fabulous? Standard, full supported fare Meena: They are hilarious Meena: some of them are SO serious though, reminds me of you Tommy: I could fire the same call out back at you Tommy: not least 'cause you're teaching in the holibobs Meena: How could it possibly be a call out? Meena: you'd have to be to get into the school you did Meena: I'm only teaching for the same reasons I 🩰 in the first place, for fun Meena: that's 🤓 at best Tommy: We started claws out Tommy: but I'll play nice & tell you to break a leg Tommy: just don't let the kids have too much fun, be a health & safety nightmare 🦺🤓 Meena: 😱 Meena: remind me never to be in the play-that-shall-not-be-named with you (as if), 'cos you'll be dropping the M 💣 like it's no thing Meena: as long as they look cute for their ma's and none of them cry, I think I get a 🥇 Meena: just a favour for Anne honestly, who has overstretched herself (not an awful pun, I 🤞) as per Tommy: Tights are a given for 🤩👏🌹 but my mastery of a Scots accent less so Tommy: I'll drop the M word like it's a 🔪🩸 to distract from my flaws, no problem Tommy: my sister witches & I love a curse Tommy: Oh dear Anne 😔 Meena: Are you more of a 🌈 or a 🐀 man? Meena: Yes, I noticed, there were some definite signs of voodoo in their room Meena: her daughter is meant to help her out now she's older but she never does 🤷 Tommy: 😂 is that a trick question? Tommy: Gutted I haven't found a club called the 🌈 passage yet Meena: 😳 Nooooo Meena: ew, what would 🐀 man even entail, gross Tommy: I mean, I've been asked if I'm a friend of Dorothy in loads of ways but now that's my new fave Tommy: I don't reckon you're ready for 🐀 man, maybe work up to it from 🐁 boy Meena: Oh God 😰 If only I was that witty and not just a nerd 😅 Meena: very nutcracker Tommy: Don't make your 📚🖋 sound 💀 dull before I've even read one Tommy: Julie Andrews would not approve Tommy: Witty & pretty & bright Tommy: it's the only way Meena: It's not Shakespeare Meena: so that's either a 👍 or a 👎 depending upon your literary persuasion Meena: not 🌈 Meena: though arguably 🐀men and 🐁boys hate the bard, well known fact so Meena: The thought of letting her down is 😿 Tommy: Loads of people find Shakespeare confusing Tommy: I like good, strong words that mean something Tommy: & I don't reckon they'd let 👑 Julie down, she seems like she'd be a fan herself Meena: Even if my plots get a little too convoluted or my dialogue doesn't quite reach passing for reality Meena: it's no Tudor English or iambic pentameter so 🥇 Tommy: 'Course you can take it as a win if you don't need a full glossary in the back Meena: or modern translation on the next page Meena: that'd be a sick burn Tommy: My ma needs a Scouse to understandable English translation hanging over her head Tommy: but you'll know that as you've been round Meena: I think I've got the basics down Meena: or she makes it more basic when she talks to me Tommy: Or she lays it on thick for me 'cause every dialect coach wants me to talk posh London as the starting line Meena: is sabotage mum cooler than stage mum? Tommy: probably depends how she feels about curses & broken legs Tommy: but it's a fresher take at least Meena: at least if you do, it's not her 💸 down the drain, just your time and effort Tommy: means I've got the basics down too, like Tommy: not her hard earned cash Tommy: never that Meena: Her basics are more fun that Ana's Meena: not saying a whole lot Tommy: she could have the good grace to be your step ma if she was gonna be so wicked Tommy: can't get the tropes these days Meena: she's not get the green paint out levels of bad Meena: the chores are cinderella levels Meena: but it's a big house and I'm grateful Tommy: Elphaba is well complex & a gay icon, neither of which Ana can claim Tommy: her wickedness & descent into insanity are totally understandable when you unlock her tragic backstory Meena: I'm just saying, don't get to work on the mini farmhouse to drop on her head Tommy: 🥱🙄 Meena: oh right, you're far too cool to do ANYTHING with your holiday now Meena: not even set decorating Meena: 🥱🙄 Tommy: is that a burn or is it the glare of my ⭐dom? I can't tell tbh Tommy: it isn't the heat of the Irish summer that's for damn sure Meena: you're strictly lead roles only now? Meena: oh, how you've changed Tommy: I'll never turn down a 👻 my ma & weird sisters would kill me Meena: so method Meena: I'll take tree #2 at this point Tommy: You'd be an amazing tree #2 Meena: *graceful bow of my branches* Tommy: you always were the best at keeping your révérence in character while the rest of us were over the 🌜 to be done Tommy: I expect nothing less Meena: even if that's a case or rose-tinted 🕶 Meena: *of Meena: I'm about everything being a little more pink Tommy: I can't decide if it's less hurtful being called a blind 🐁 or fat 🐀 Tommy: I'll get back to you Meena: At the risk of calling you sensitive...it's either that or I've got really rude in my old age 😅 Tommy: Both would be the rosiest Meena: 😊 Tommy: 🧠 Meena: Squidgy Tommy: if you want something to sink your 🦷🦷 into Tommy: 👛 Tommy: still pink Meena: Yours too? Tommy: Yeah Tommy: you don't own the 🩰👑 aesthetic Meena: This town ain't big enough for the both of us Meena: 🤠🔫 Tommy: Lend me those joggers and I'll lay down my weapons Meena: Sharing clothes should not still be an option Tommy: if you wanna keep body shaming Tommy: but there's no other real reason why not Meena: I'm talking my neverending growth spurts, not yours Tommy: measurements please Meena: am I not a lady? Tommy: are you? not for me to say Meena: I'm 5'10 1/2 Meena: too tall to pair in all the ways Tommy: not with me, honey Meena: You're old, too Meena: 🕞 for a lot of boys in my year to hit puberty 🙄 Tommy: I ain't thrown my back out yet, cheers very much Tommy: love the confidence Meena: wise old 🦉 eating all the blind 🐁 and fat 🐀 Tommy: the innuendos 🖋 themselves Tommy: love an old predatory 🌈 stereotype too Meena: okay, you're not THAT old Tommy: my 🦴 & 🦷 tell a story Meena: and what a 📚🖋 it shall be Tommy: don't get me started on my 👀 sight Tommy: look like an 👴 & I'll sound like one yelling at a ☁ Meena: thank god for contacts Meena: or being your partner would have been much scarier Tommy: I could do those old routines with my eyes closed Meena: Me too Meena: and backwards #humblebrag Tommy: 😏 Meena: stealing Ginger's words there, sadly Tommy: there's no such thing as an original idea, yeah? Tommy: what I go with when it's time to do choreo Meena: preach it and I won't feel as much of a fraud Tommy: You'll have been to church more recently than I have Tommy: it's her thing, right? 🙏 Meena: Being Catholic is not exclusively HER thing Meena: but she is remarkably good at it, yes Meena: 🎨 Tommy: not in this town or with that attitude Tommy: are you even 🍀 if you don't out devout each other tbh? Meena: she isn't even Meena: Brazilian and better than you 😘 Tommy: Again, not with that attitude Tommy: she's lived here years, like Meena: So has your Ma Meena: she's about as 🍀 Tommy: She's basically 💍 to one & doesn't possess the 🌈 urge to merge Tommy: it's stubbornness Meena: 🙏 to the choir Tommy: 🍻 Meena: didn't steal any of your beers, thank you Meena: just had a juice Tommy: We'd be having this out face to face if you had Meena: father's son Meena: I get it Tommy: ❌🥊 ✔🩰 Meena: that's definitely not original Meena: 😿 Meena: life story = stolen Tommy: Anne's no Julie Walters Tommy: but I've played him as a kid in the 🎶 Meena: Rude Meena: she 🚬 as much Tommy: Still? Tommy: ☠ Meena: Of course Meena: she doesn't try to have it out the window during classes anymore though, so that's progress Tommy: Talk about rose tinted Tommy: such good memories those Meena: They're the only ones I've got so Meena: I think so Tommy: When she has you back next, tell her that in this house we swear by 🚭 patches Tommy: might save a life Tommy: & give you a chance to make some more decent memories Meena: Noted Meena: I make memories just fine now Meena: but you only get one childhood Tommy: Peter Pan just made me 😢 anyway Tommy: What the fuck is that ending? Meena: The one we all get Meena: they told you in the first line Meena: All children, except one, grow up ✨ Tommy: No need to keep it in the family like that though Tommy: Fly though another window, Peter you heartbreaker Meena: The reason he showed up in the first place was to hear Wendy's stories about him Meena: she knew what she was doing telling her daughter about him Tommy: You go ahead & pass yours down but I'm just saying, I won't be encouraging my kids to run off with my first love Meena: No, silly Meena: she wanted him to come for HER, she thought she could still fly, still go with him Meena: she grew up without noticing, by accident, she didn't mean to Meena: that's why it's 😢 Tommy: Like I said Tommy: didn't need it girlsplained Meena: Do when you don't get it Tommy: Everyone knows she wanted Peter to come back for her Tommy: the thirst was real Meena: You're just being childish on purpose now Tommy: I'm saying probably don't let your kid go off with him when you know the same thing's gonna happen Tommy: that's bad parenting, like Meena: She doesn't regret it happening Meena: just because all children have to become adults doesn't mean deny them of the wonders of childhood, idiot Meena: get Jane on accounting instead of having adventures in Neverland, okay Meena: SUCH a Mr Darling, you, I had NO idea Tommy: Or get her a lad she can grow up along side & not have to 😢 at the window for Tommy: it don't have to be Neverland or bust Meena: Yes it does, he IS childhood, you don't get to take it or him with you Meena: Wendy took all the lost boys back with her, that didn't make her miss Peter any less Tommy: Our dog was a shit nanny I did alright out of it still Meena: Well, my brother was worse so I win Tommy: 'Cause I was your hot boy at the window Meena: Something like that Tommy: feels like flying to me Meena: When you remember. When you can. When it works. It's that easy. Tommy: I mean, it's less catchy than just do it ✔ but I don't hate it Meena: Take it up with Neil and Nike Tommy: crusades are for term time Meena: no cardboard sword or shield for you then Tommy: If I can't stab anyone with it, I don't want it Meena: okay, psycho Meena: no need to go that far to prove you've changed from the boy in the window Tommy: 😂 Tommy: if I have to be on stage, gimme a decent prop Tommy: not much to ask Meena: ... Meena: #diva Tommy: #reluctantboardtreader Tommy: Ro's a better actress & Ali's a better singer Tommy: I need something to mess about with to keep me standing still Meena: it must be rough, having talented sisters Meena: one thing I can't accuse Drew of Tommy: Nah, like you said, only get the one childhood Tommy: it made mine loads better Meena: Cute 😊 Tommy: Don't need to tell you Tommy: you know 'em as well as I do Meena: Yeah Meena: well enough that there's no need to disagree Tommy: feel free to hit me with a cardboard sword if you're gutted Meena: My insecurities in my own abilities don't make me lash out 👅 or 👊 Meena: could make a thinly-veiled reference to you in a story though so, consider yourself warned Tommy: other people are safe from mine, so there's no warning needed for you Tommy: not gonna challenge you to a dance off Meena: not in your holidays Meena: gotta rest Tommy: There'd be fuck all point doing it in term time Tommy: in a virtual one you could easily blame the lag Meena: You calling me a cheat? Tommy: pointing out how effortlessly you could Meena: You're meant to say I wouldn't need to Tommy: I don't need to say that Meena: Rude Tommy: It's a compliment Tommy: we both know you wouldn't need to cheat & even if you did, you wouldn't anyway Meena: Yes, but it was rude you weren't gonna say it Meena: but now you have so ha 😊 Tommy: Says you who wants me to rest up all hols like an 👴 Meena: You said it first, actually Tommy: Where? Meena: you called me out for working in the holidays Meena: which implies you ain't Tommy: what so if I ain't teaching I have to be resting? Tommy: oh please Meena: what are you doing? Meena: didn't 👀 you Tommy: [a selfie from wherever he's taken Rocky cos that's what I like to think he's doing since he wasn't there] Meena: figures Meena: almost definitely would've 👂 him Tommy: Yeah Tommy: my 🎧 only do so much Meena: He's so cute though Tommy: it's the 🦇👂 Meena: and the freckles Meena: and the gappy teeth rn Tommy: 🙄 good save with the 🦷🦷 comment Meena: ? Tommy: Come on, who else in my family has a face full of frecks? Tommy: they're both taken though Meena: oh please Tommy: 🥱 Meena: You don't need to tell me about people fancying your siblings Meena: story of my life Tommy: he's 💪 but what else is there to say? Meena: Are you expecting me to answer that? Meena: don't be weird Tommy: I'm saying it's not much of a story, long hair & a six pack Tommy: so I won't be telling you I fancy him Meena: I likewise fancy none of yours, freckled or otherwise Tommy: Lovely to clear that up Meena: 🤷 Meena: Okay then Tommy: 👌 then Meena: Really? Tommy: Yeah really Tommy: what else? Meena: Alright Meena: nothing Tommy: there's something Meena: Beyond not getting why you're being so snappy about it, there really isn't Tommy: I can handle an attitude check Meena: Are you alright? Meena: Bored...school-sick? Meena: doesn't sound right but you know Tommy: Bored is closest Tommy: but that doesn't sound right at the beginning of summer Tommy: at least we can blame Rocko, congrats to him Meena: The pressure to have the best summer ever!!! gets to us all Tommy: & for that we can blame the insta feed Tommy: love none of being my fault Meena: Sure we can think of something if you wanna feel that classic guilt to make you feel at home Tommy: 💭 gotcha Meena: not promising full 🧠 power to it Meena: am on costume duty so Tommy: I can't decently sew but I've never missed with a hot glue gun so Tommy: ✨ Meena: Yeah? Meena: That would actually be a big help Meena: talk to Ali, she had a million ideas, as per Tommy: 'Course Meena: Of course I just see the limitations of the vague 'Summer' theme I'm meant to follow, but she sees nothing but endless possibilities Tommy: sounds legit Tommy: I'm on my way back, no doubt she'll jump on me soon as I get through the door for all hands on deck Meena: Sorry and thank you in advance Meena: it was all I could do to convince her I had to get back to cook dinner so she is certainly in full project manager mode Tommy: it'll cure how schoolsick I am, we're always adding 🎀 or ✨ to something so it'll pass for something else more fabulous Meena: that's the spirit Tommy: if you can't turn a 👻 into a 👸 or vice versa you might as well fuck off home Tommy: does Anne want them full JonBenét Ramsey 💄👑👶 or is ALL on the costumes? Meena: Oh God Meena: thankfully she's not gone that crazy in her own old age Meena: JUST costume Meena: though some of the mothers see fit to attack them with lipgloss, hairspray etc but that's their own M.O. and we don't need to go there for 'em Tommy: Small mercy, like Tommy: does she have any lads this time? Meena: not in the 3-7s Meena: pretty sure there's a lad in the 7-12s though Tommy: Oh Anne Meena: not every lifetime a Billy Elliot comes about, clearly Tommy: way to not capitalise on my success Meena: um, okay bighead Meena: did you think you'd start a revolution in 🍀 with your talent, like Meena: calm down 😅 Tommy: The point is, literal poster boy material right here & she hasn't made a single one Tommy: 🚬 is an expensive habit Meena: ugh Meena: 🤫 Tommy: 😂 Meena: going to make a very unflattering poster of you when I get home Tommy: I can't wait to be tagged in the 📷 Meena: I'll just put 'em up 'round town Tommy: Ooh like a scavenger hunt Tommy: I knew I wouldn't be bored for long Meena: was vibing public smear but yes Meena: it can be that too, you're very welcome Tommy: trying to shame me again, I 👀 Meena: if the 🩰 fits Meena: ask yourself why Tommy: You're a Meenie, there's why Meena: 😏 Meena: been a long time since I 👂 that Tommy: I'll pull your hair next time I see you if you're feeling nostalgic Tommy: what are mates for, like Meena: Got all summer Meena: see if I get to that level, like Tommy: if the 🩰 fits Tommy: I know Meena: mine barely did Tommy: if you're gonna keep teaching, you'll need a new pair Meena: I know Meena: they're so expensive though Meena: and who knows Tommy: Anne'll have you back in a heartbeat Tommy: & there'll be a pair here that'll fit, my ma don't throw anything of ours away Meena: I don't know how she manages to live off what she makes Meena: never mind the idea of this being anything more than a favour Meena: the shoes will be a help though, I'm gonna pay for how small those ones were tomorrow Tommy: Sugar daddy Tommy: there's a definite twinkle in her eye Tommy: I'll get in the loft or wherever the fuck else when I get back Tommy: you're a [correct guess of the size of her foot because obviously] yeah? Meena: OMG Meena: to be her daddy he'd have to be at least 90 😂 Meena: ✔ Meena: Thanks, like, IOU Tommy: Don't worry about it Tommy: get me Anne's 💘 goss & we're even Meena: not taking up 🚬 to get in on those breaks but aside from that Meena: do my best Tommy: yeah, don't Tommy: I've heard somewhere it's  ☠ Meena: 😏 Meena: not that dedicated to the ballerina lifestyle Tommy: I won't tell, that HARSH truth would break dear old Anne Meena: Somehow I don't think so Meena: no poster girl, like Tommy: she 📞 you, I'm still waiting by mine Meena: 💔 Meena: she knows you're far too busy being a 🌟 to recruit Tommy: Yeah yeah Meena: You know she'd be beyond over the 🌙 to see you Tommy: I'm not twirling in to take your job Tommy: how out of order Meena: sounds like you have trouble controlling 1 kid Meena: never mind a class of Meena: not scared Tommy: he's my brother, he's feral Tommy: & you're rude Meena: he's feral because he's YOUR brother orrrrrr Meena: and I am not! Tommy: if the 👂s fit Tommy: have you forgotten what I was like OR? 'cause if you're trying to be polite, you've misjudged the timing Tommy: & yeah you are Meena: I'm not sure feral is the word I would use for you now or then Meena: you can interpret that as politely or im as you wanna Tommy: He's obviously not following in my exact footsteps then, 'cause who could Tommy: only you Meena: we were good partners Meena: 🤠 Tommy: 🏆🥇🥈🏆 Tommy: I'll dust 'em off when I 🩰 hunt Meena: you'll need several feather dusters Meena: 👴👵 Tommy: or a well flamboyant sleeve Tommy: 😏 Meena: very romantic of you Tommy: when you're having your goss sesh with Anne, the tea is that I didn't wear 💄 in public until I was nearly 12 Tommy: it'll help her control those 👶🤡 urges Meena: there's nothing summer about sweating off stage makeup Meena: poor babies Tommy: 🥀 Tommy: not the vibe Meena: definitely not Meena: not a fun sponge, they can have as much glitter as they like Meena: but full glam on a toddler ain't it Tommy: Thank Christ for the shared sanity Tommy: some of 'em at school would put full glam on a 🐶🐱🐰🐹 Meena: 🙄 Meena: it makes sense for the West End Meena: but the stage in the community hall is not that far from the what, room for 50-100 sitting? Meena: 🤡 features not necessary to see the facial expressions Tommy: Mmmhmmm Meena: when will I see you on stage then? Tommy: West End or community hall? Meena: 😅 Meena: former, obviously Tommy: Like I said, reluctant boardtreader Tommy: I only do the acting school makes me do Meena: yeah, but lots of shows must have some dance roles, right? Tommy: They do & I do 'em as & when Tommy: Billy Elliot already having been mentioned, like Tommy: I've got loads of auditions ✎ in this summer for all kinds of things Meena: well, let me know next time, will you Tommy: 'Course Meena: trying to keep your 🌟 secret or your fam from the audience, like? Tommy: Don't reckon having my ma in the front row would let me really shine, do you? Meena: I see where you're coming from Tommy: I can do without Fraze taking the piss about every role I don't get, like he understands the odds, as well Tommy: but if you wanna come, you can come Meena: like it's not one of the most competitive markets 🙄 Meena: so many people never get a role, like Tommy: he likes being a shit to be one Tommy: the role he was born to play Meena: yeah Meena: sounds familiar Tommy: gimme 2 more sisters over either brother Tommy: even if they were better 💃💃 Meena: wouldn't know Meena: source material varies on how fun that would be Tommy: 'Course it does Tommy: can't get the backup when I need it Meena: I'm 🤔 Meena: unless you're part of a twin duo of sisters, it's usually presented as more 🥊 than 💖 Tommy: Jo & Amy, not Jo & Beth Tommy: I've got Bea & Ro as well as Ali, I get it Meena: That about sums it up Tommy: I'd still take 'em over my brothers, know you can relate Tommy: Hell, I'd take the mystery sister we don't talk about & I've never met, over Fraze Tommy: there's a 📚💡 for you Meena: definitely 🖋 worthy Tommy: 👍 Tommy: [pictures of like all the trophies and other stuff he is finding as baby dancer mems cos he's back home] Tommy: more inspo Meena: Obviously, if this were any story, she'd be a teacher at your school Meena: 💃genes Tommy: she could be Tommy: I wouldn't know Meena: I bet most of your teachers are Anne types though Meena: so, too old, and not a hint of resemblance Tommy: Loads of 'em are young & 💪 so I love the added incentive not to 😍 a teacher Meena: you wouldn't anyway Meena: not a guy, a sister Tommy: I'll let you know if I run into her in 🌈 passage Meena: might be a coincidence too far Tommy: AHa! 🩰 Tommy: when do you need these? Meena: 🙏🙌 Thursday, but Ali and Ro said they'd come to do measurements then so you can throw 'em at 'em Tommy: Am I not invited? Meena: Are you coming to steal my spotlight? Tommy: I'll go hang with Carly if you can't handle our ⭐️🌟✨ Meena: her plans sounded like they involved 😴 Meena: 10am class was not her preference, I don't think Tommy: 🧸😪💤 Tommy: I can work with that, rest, yeah? Meena: I don't think you were invited there either Meena: you should probably come Tommy: she's not as savage as you Tommy: who is, like Tommy: but alright, Meenie Tommy: check your attitude by thurs & I'll come Meena: oof! 😤 Tommy: I'll teach you this counting trick Fraze used to have to do when he was lil Meena: I know how to count Meena: key 💃 skill Tommy: the whole way to 10?! WOW Tommy: I thought you just 👀 me Meena: 😒 Meena: you're very rude Tommy: 😂 Tommy: you're adorable Meena: you sound like my brother now Meena: not a cute look Tommy: what am I if not the big brother you should've had? Tommy: fairy godbrother is going a bit far, like Meena: We've established I'm alright for 'em Meena: you're not getting a free sister here Tommy: 🥺 Meena: 😠 very mean very serious Tommy: I realise I'm gonna have to drag you away from Anne, she's hardened you Tommy: you used to be like 🍦 Meena: melts in the ☀ Meena: so ideal Tommy: melting wins 🏆🥇🥈🏆 remember Meena: all my 🏆🥇🥈🏆 live in your loft, or wherever your mum keeps the precious memories Tommy: you don't have any of 'em? Meena: a few 🥇🥈s Meena: my room's not a shrine to past victories or anything as tragic Tommy: I'll bring you one of the smaller 🏆 you can put a 🌱🌿 it'll be very chic Meena: That's student decor 101, is it? Meena: 👍 cheers, though Tommy: at my school it's full shrine, past, present & future Tommy: so I left mine at 🏠 Meena: just another competition Tommy: Yeah Tommy: I don't need to be surrounded by 🏆🥇🥈🏆 to know I need to go for gold Tommy: it's a scholarship requirement Meena: no need to get in a pissing contest with the kid who's been Simba for 3 runs, like Tommy: I'd be a FANTASTIC 🦁👑 Tommy: but if they have to 👀 at my decor to know it, I'm fucking up somewhere Meena: is this a bad time to tell you you aren't black Meena: can't say it's unfair on that specific casting Tommy: I learned the hard way when I performed that rap, cheers for letting me by the way Tommy: best friend goals that day Meena: it was Meena: very creative Meena: who am I, was I, to stomp out that spark 😏 Tommy: 🔪💖 Meena: 😂 Meena: oh god, hope your mum kept evidence of that Tommy: she did Tommy: my 🧢👟 styling was unforgettable before I even opened my mouth Meena: if you wanna beef with Anne, start with the hip-hop dance classes Tommy: Jesus Tommy: what a time Meena: So innocently problematic Tommy: You should write about Anne Tommy: she's lived a life Meena: I have Tommy: so if I trade you the rap footage, can I read it? Meena: Hmm Meena: tempting but Tommy: come on, what's more embarrassing than 👶 Vanilla Ice? Meena: my writing being nothing more than scribblings, potentially Meena: I don't really share it Tommy: I'm not asking you to insta it & tag Anne Tommy: Please Tommy: I'll be a perfect 😇 about it Meena: Okay Meena: but it's as serious as your rap career so no serious criticism please Tommy: you're the best, Meeps Tommy: & I'll be on my best behaviour Meena: Believe it when I see it, slim shady Tommy: maybe you'll 👀 it when you believe, Wendy Tommy: living for that compliment though tbh Meena: couldn't risk biggie Meena: as you're feeling so #fatshamed today Tommy: 😂 Tommy: & you don't wanna go for 🍦 Meena: Where did I say that Tommy: When you gave me a weather forecast Tommy: #notideal Meena: that was about melting myself, thank you Meena: no offer was made Tommy: let's go for 🍦 then!! Meena: !! SO AGGRESSIVE Tommy: !! I'M STARVING Tommy: & unlike Rocko I've got all my 🦷🦷🦷 & they're all sweet 🍬🍭🍦 lovers Meena: I know Meena: not as cute but more #relatable Meena: I have to finish dinner but then I can go Tommy: making it or eating it? Meena: I'll just make it Meena: don't want to spoil my 🍦 Tommy: 🙂 am I cute yet? Tommy: 😁😁😁 Tommy: 🦷✨ Meena: do you have all your stickers from the dentist still too? Meena: massive show-off Tommy: if she could've peeled 'em off & saved 'em, they'd be here Meena: so cute Meena: if I'm ever feeling suicidal I must bring it up Tommy: one word for it Tommy: & one exit strategy Tommy: suicide by bad cop Meena: suitably theatre of me? Tommy: I support it Meena: your support means SO much, obvs Tommy: 💐👏 Meena: throw 💎💰 please Tommy: I'll raid the dressing up & monopoly boxes Tommy: bear with Meena: ooh bagsie thimble Tommy: I remember Tommy: actually am best friend goals here Meena: obviously you want the dog, but you have to fight your dad for it Tommy: I'll end up with the 🎩 Tommy: can't escape the 🤩 Meena: it suits Meena: who ends up with the boat though? Tommy: Ali if she can customise it to look more like a pirate ship Meena: so Ro gets the wheelbarrow Meena: makes sense Tommy: She loves The Secret Garden Tommy: then & now Meena: I support that Tommy: 🤞 you'll support how it influences her 💡s for your summer theme Meena: it's definitely more spring to go full 🌷 🌹 🥀 🌺 🌸 🌼 🌻 Meena: unfortunately Meena: 🐙 🦑 🦐 🦀 🐡 🐠 🐟 🐬 🐳 🐋 🦈 is a bit 😬 Meena: seashells and mermaids is most likely what we'll go with and what the girls and the ma's will like best Tommy: I know we're all 💔 over the cliches Meena: it's basic but workable Meena: you will have to reign them both in or it'll be 😬 or worse Tommy: I can do bad cop Tommy: uniform optional Meena: 😂 Meena: not swoon worthy Tommy: are any of 'em? Tommy: not to personally shut down uniformdating.com Tommy: but like Meena: nurses not do it for you? Meena: or firefighters Meena: army men Tommy: okay I'll give you 🔥 men Meena: See Meena: something for everyone Tommy: 👌 hothoses.com or whatever can stay up Meena: ewwwwww Meena: shh Tommy: 😂 Meena: you're still sweet and innocent Meena: leave my memories as they are Tommy: 👶😇 Meena: more like it Meena: 👀 you Tommy: you're gonna see me covered in melted 🍦 that'll be more like it Tommy: not knocking any 🦷🦷 out though Tommy: line has been drawn in the sand Meena: that's fair Meena: I said 🚭 Meena: we're even Tommy: 🤝