#maybe they will send gifts if a member loyal to the course dies

[overlord-of-fantasy]

Eileen is unhinged

*Voldemort goes to Spinners End* Eileen, opens the door a bit: Hello? Voldemort: Is Severus there? I need to talk to him. Eileen, with a plan to scam her rich family forming in her mind: No, Severus is dead. Severus, very much alive next to Eileen, mouthing under a silecing charm: MOM, WHAT THE FUCK-

[reallifesultanas]

Portrait of Handan Sultan / Handan szultána portréja

Origins and early years

Handan may have been born around 1570 in nowadays Bosnia. In the end, she found herself in the household of Sultan Selim's daughter, Gevherhan. Gevherhan and her husband Cerrah Mehmed Pasha noticed her beauty, so they paid special attention to her education. Their undisguised purpose may have been to give her to the heir to the throne as soon as possible. Gifts of this kind were very common among members of the political elite, for if the concubine was to the liking of the future sultan, the woman could later easily help her former protégés as soon as she came into power. This is how Handan became a member of the future Mehmed’s harem after his circumcision ceremony in 1582. The prince did not leave the capital immediately, only in December 1583. Then they made their way to the province of Manisa to begin their independent life there.

The trip to Manisa really exhausted everyone, as the extreme winter weather made their journey very long and difficult. Certainly, Handan didn’t particularly enjoy the journey, which lasted more than a month, but she certainly waited with high hopes for them to finally arrive. Handan and Mehmed's relationship was finally fulfilled in Manisa. In February 1585, Mehmed had his first child, Prince Selim. Most historians agree that the boy was born to Handan. He was followed by other children, so Handan had at least one daughter, Ayşe, and two sons. Prince Suleiman was born around 1586 and died as a child; Ahmed was born in 1590 as Handan's youngest child. Handan was certainly Mehmed's favorite at first, but over time the ruler turned to another concubine, Halime. This is indicated, at least, by the fact that Handan (probably) had no more children after Ahmed, while Halime did.

Mother of the prince

Mehmed ascended the throne in 1595 and Handan's life changed in one fell swoop. Following the new sultan, she traveled with her children to Istanbul, where she found herself in the imperial harem, which was under the control of Valide Safiye Sultan. Safiye was not present in Mehmed’s Manisa province, but there were gossips about her strong-will in the Manisa harem surely. Arriving in Istanbul, the first few years were relatively calm, as the chief eunuch, Gazanfer Agha, kept order in the harem, so Handan spent all her time with her children. She was also able to get close again to Gevherhan Sultan, who had gifted her to Mehmed previously. Gevherhan was well acquainted with the political elite, Safiye, and the sultan, so she certainly provided useful advice to her former slave. Perhaps the relationship between Safiye and Handan was relatively balanced due to Gevherhan's help.

An epidemic devastated the capital in 1597, killing Handan's eldest son, Selim, but it cannot be ruled out that Suleiman also died at that time. In addition to mourning, Handan also had to face the fact that it was no longer her son who was the eldest prince, but the son of her rival, Halime, Mahmud. Handan would have done anything to keep her only son, Ahmed alive, so she allied with Safiye. Safiye and Halime hated each other in particular, and it was no different between Mahmud and Safiye. As the soldiers and commoners were very fond of Mahmud, Handan began to spread rumors about the prince being impotent, so his reign would not bring a fruitful future for the empire. In addition, with the help of Safiye - and probably Gevherhan - they tried to bring as many statesmen as possible to the side of Prince Ahmed.

For Handan, it was ultimately Safiye who won the war. Safiye successfully obtained a letter sent to Halime by a seer. The letter revealed that Halime wanted her son to sit on this throne after the sultan's death. Of course, the letter was not the only sin of Halime and Mahmud. For months, both Halime and Mahmud tried to convince the Sultan to finally send Mahmud to a province; and Mahmud had repeatedly acted recklessly in the presence of the Sultan; and the rebellious soldiers deified the prince. Not surprisingly, there have also been rumors that Mahmud and Halime want to poison the Sultan. Finally, Mehmed, under pressure from Safiye, executed Prince Mahmud.

With Mahmud's death, Ahmed became the oldest prince, and Mehmed even specifically appointed him heir to the throne. From there, the prince accompanied the sultan or the valide sultan everywhere. At the end of 1603, Safiye also took the boy with her to a military parade, where she actually introduced him as heir. Handan could not accompany her son, but she was certainly very happy and relieved as Ahmed's future went in the right direction. At the same time, Handan was certainly worn out by the events, perhaps also remorseful for what had happened.  At least this is what indicated by later events.

The first female regent

On the night of December 20, 1603, Sultan Mehmed died suddenly, leaving his son Ahmed as his heir. Ahmed was the first sultan to ascend the throne childless, uncircumcised, without experience. The situation was very precarious, it was not known whether this young sultan would be accepted, so Mehmed's death was concealed and all officials were asked to join the divan the next morning on behalf of the sultan. When everyone was present, Ahmed entered the room and sit on the throne, becoming a sultan without anyone being able to raise a word against him. Instead of Ahmed in the first months two regents ruled the empire: his teacher, Mustafa Efendi, and his mother, Handan Sultan. With this, in essence, Handan became the first female regent of the empire, even if she was not alone in office.

When Ahmed ascended the throne, he did not execute his only living brother, the child Mustafa. There could have been several logical reasons for this: Ahmed was not circumcised, he had not yet produced a child, he was a sick young man, and with his eventual death the dynasty could have become extinct. In sparing Mustafa’s life, some said Handan was a key figure. This may also be supported by the fact that, according to reports, Handan often took the little Mustafa out of the garden of Topkapi Palace to play. Perhaps Handan had experienced enough of the struggle between the brothers and wanted it to end. Handan’s behavior towards the child Mustafa not only reveals much about the woman’s character but also suggests that she did not enjoy the fight against Mahmud previously, and acted against Halime and Mahmud only because of coercion. At the same time, we cannot be sure that Handan was behind saving Mustafa, for that was the logical step, it is possible that everyone thought the same way.

Handan knew exactly how much danger Safiye, who had protected her for years, could pose to her son. Sultan Mehmed III was hated by the soldiers for Safiye, so Handan was fearing that if Safiye remained close to power, Ahmed could fall to his father's fate as well. For this reason, on January 9, 1604, on the advice of Handan, Ahmed exiled Safiye to the Old Palace. With this move, Handan started a fight with Safiye, but the great valide could do nothing. For by then, Handan had been working for a long time, with the help of Ahmed's teacher, to find all of Safiye's men in the harem and divan. With the exile of Safiye, at the same time, these men and all the people loyal to Safiye were immediately deprived of their office. Out of revenge, Safiye eventually, in her helplessness, destroyed the harem with her servants as she left. There was such damage to the valide's apartment that it was uninhabitable for a long time. Thus, it is also not certain that Handan would ever have been able to move into the apartment. In addition, almost all the inhabitants of the harem left with Safiye, so Handan remained in Topkapi Palace with only a few faithful servants. The latter may not have been a problem for the new Valide. It is not known how Handan felt after Safiye left, she was certainly relieved, for by getting rid of Safiye's men, so she paved the way for her son's reign. In order to gain the love of the soldiers, Handan and Mustafa Efendi persuaded Ahmed to envisage wars for the sake of the soldiers. Because of this, Ahmed spoke regularly about his desire to finally lead his soldiers into war.

Valide Handan Sultan

Handan became worried again soon as Ahmed soon after his accession to the throne, along with Prince Mustafa caught smallpox. Mustafa survived the disease faster and easier, but Ahmed lay between life and death for a long time. As a mother - who had previously lost her child to this disease - this period could have been particularly difficult. Nor was his despair eased by the murmur of the people and soldiers, worried about the Sultan's health. Eventually, Ahmed and Mustafa recovered. On the advice of Mustafa Efendi, Ahmed showed himself to the people as soon as he was able to ride. Although the sultan looked relatively healthy, clear traces of smallpox were recognizable on his face.

Maybe that’s why Handan became a particularly protective mother. Ahmed wanted to spend more and more time outside the palace, hunting, walking in incognito, whatever the weather was. Handan was regularly confronted with her son because of this, as she tried to prevent Ahmed from falling ill again, so she wanted to keep him in the palace as much as possible. Ahmed's long-awaited circumcision helped Handan to keep him inside for a while though. The usual series of city ceremonies fell behind, as it would have been rather strange to celebrate a Sultan’s circumcision, so only a small ceremony was held inside the palace for the young sultan by Handan and Gevherhan. As he recovered, Ahmed began to receive concubines from his mother and aunts. The concubines were certainly also selected by Handan and Gevherhan.

Legend has it that the relationship between Handan and one of Ahmed’s concubines was particularly bad. According to legend, when Ahmed was still a prince, he began flirting with one of his mother's servants, Mahpeyker. When Handan realized this, she immediately punished the girl and exiled her to the Old Palace to save her son’s life. For if it had been revealed, Sultan Mehmed could easily have executed Ahmed because the princes were forbidden to have any relationship with the girls in the sultan's harem. However, when Ahmed ascended the throne, he recalled Mahpeyker. However, it must be borne in mind that there is no concrete evidence that Mahpeyker and Handan were in a bad relationship.

Handan was soon relieved as Ahmed's firstborn child, Osman, was born in November 1604. With this, Ahmed proved his ability to produce children. By now he had survived a fatal illness, constantly planning future wars, so he seemed a promising sultan, despite his young age. With the birth of more children in March 1605, Handan had already become a three-time grandmother and could have entered a calmer period of her life.

Politics

Handan, in the first few months of Ahmed's reign, ruled the empire with Mustafa Efendi. She was the one who decided who could talk to the young sultan, he decided who could be among the sultan's inner circles. Handan’s role was prominent in the first months of Ahmed’s reign, for usually after the ascension to the throne, a sultan always put his own trusted men into offices. However, Ahmed did not have his own people, for the princes build their own circles in their provinces, which was left out of Ahmed's life. Thus, to avoid exploiting her son, Handan built her son’s circles from people she knew and trusted herself.

In this she tried to give preference to her Bosnian compatriots. Handan also replaced Abdürrezzak Aga, the chief black eunuch, who, in addition to being Safiye's man, also played an important role in the execution of Prince Mahmud. The culmination of Handan's political influence was the appointment of the Grand Vizier. The new Grand Vizier, Yavuz Ali Pasa, was not only Bosnian but lived in the princely province of Mehmed III for a long time as the prince's sword-bearer, so Handan could already know the man from there. The appointment of the man, by the way, highlights the importance of citizenship in these times. The position of Grand Vizier at any other time was a fantastic opportunity that every pasha longed for. However, being the Grand Vizier of a 13-year-old sick sultan in an uncertain political environment was not very promising. It was for this reason that several pashas who could have been candidates refused to return to Istanbul not to be appointed. Finally, at the request of Handan, Yavuz Ali Pasha accepted the post of Grand Vizier to help his Bosnian compatriot. This patriotic support has been observed throughout the history of the Ottoman Empire and consisted essentially of two sides: Eastern pashas (Georgians, Circassians, Abkhazians, etc) and Western pashas (Albanians, Bosnians, Serbs, etc).

Yavuz Ali Pasa eventually ruled the empire as about a third regent. His relationship with Handan, Ahmed, and Mustafa Efendi was so close that, according to reports, they consulted several times on state affairs late at night or at dawn, contrary to the customs of the era. During these discussions, Handan was always present, but spoke behind a curtain, while Ali Pasa, Mustafa Efendi, and Sultan Ahmed faced face to face.

Also under the influence of Handan, Derviş Mehmed Agha entered the sultan's personal service in the summer of 1604. Handan had a deep trust in the Agha and sought to supervise her son through him. Derviş was also Bosnian and he soon won for himself the support of the young sultan and his mother. So much so that reports suggest that Handan has repeatedly made her son so swore that he will not oppose Derviş’s words and suggestions. The reason for this is to be found in Handan's endless fear for her son. Handan could not always be with Ahmed, nor could his teacher, so she needed someone who could be with the Sultan every minute of the day, accompany him everywhere, and at the same time pay attention to his safety and health. Handan essentially entrusted Derviş Agha with surrogate fatherhood.

Handan was gradually pushed back from the political arena, which some explain with Amed's disrespect for his mother. And this belief is supported by the fact that Handan received only a daily salary of 1,000 aspers, compared to Safiye’s previous salary of 3,000 aspers. However, certainly, Ahmed was trying to keep his mother in the background for purely political reasons. For he tried to avoid of being likened to his father in anything. Sultan Mehmed was dominated by his mother, Safiye, which made him extremely unpopular. Because of this, Ahmed did not let his mother close to politics and also reduced her salary to show people that he was not like his father. Regardless, however, there is nothing to suggest that Ahmed did not like or respect his mother. Maybe Handan herself suggested to her son to do so?

Her death

Handan's health began to deteriorate in 1605. However, the exact disease is not known. Her condition worsened particularly much when one of her trusted men was executed on August 20, 1605, by Sultan Ahmed. Sinanpaşaoğlu Mehmed Pasha was the son-in-law of the former owner of Handan, Gevherhan Sultan, which is why Handan wanted to protect the pasha with all her might. The man's death was so shocking to the valide that her condition began to deteriorate rapidly. Finally, Handan Sultan closed her eyes forever on November 9, 1605, when she was only in her mid-thirties. She was buried in Mehmed III’s mausoleum at Aya Sofya.

During her short life, she did not have time to embark on monumental constructions and charities like his predecessors. After her death, however, plenty of food and money was distributed to those in need, for Handan’s spiritual salvation. At Handan's death, she didn't have to worry about the fate of her son. Ahmed's popularity continued to grow, he had at least three children so far, Derviş stood by him as a father figure, and Gevherhan Sultan did not leave the young sultan alone. So in short, Ahmed had a great future despite the existing problems, so perhaps Handan could leave this world relatively calmly.

Used sources: G. Börekçi - A Queen Mother at Work: On Handan Sultan and Her Regency during the Early Reign of Ahmed I; C. Finkel - Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire; L. Peirce - The imperial harem; M. P. Pedani - Safiye's household and Venetian diplomacy; G. Börekçi - Factions and favourites at the courts of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-17) and his immediate predecessors; Necdet Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları

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Származása és korai évek

Handan 1570 körül születhetett a mai Bosznia területén és innen került az Oszmán Birodalomba. Nem tudni milyen állomásokkal, de végül II. Szelim szultán lányának, Gevherhan szultánának a háztartásába került. Gevherhan és férje Cerrah Mehmed Pasa felfigyelt a lány szépségére, ezért különös figyelmet fordítottak az oktatására. Nem titkolt céljuk lehetett, hogy a trónör��kösnek ajándékozzák, amint eljön a nap. Az ilyesfajta ajándékok igen gyakoriak voltak a politikai elit tagjai között, hiszen ha a leendő szultán kedvére való volt az ágyas, a nő később könnyedén segíthette egykori pártfogóit, amint hatalmi pozícióba került. Így került tehát Handan, a leendő III. Mehmed háremébe 1582-es körülmetélési szertartása után sok más egyéb ajándék mellett. A herceg nem hagyta el azonnal a fővárost, csupán 1583 decemberében. Ekkor Manisza tartomány felé vették útjukat, hogy ott kezdje meg önálló életét és ott uralkodjon.

A maniszába való utazás igazán kimerített mindenkit, ugyanis az extrém, téli időjárás igen megnehezítette az útjukat. Minden bizonnyal Handan nem különösebben élvezte a több, mint egy hónapig tartó utazást, ám minden bizonnyal nagy reményekkel várta, hogy végre megérkezzenek. Handan és Mehmed kapcsolata végül beteljesedett Maniszában. 1585 februárjában Mehmednek megszületett első gyermeke, Szelim herceg. A legtöbb történész egyet ért abban, hogy a fiú Handantól született. Őt további gyermekek követték, így Handannak legalább egy lánya, Ayşe és két fia született. Szulejmán herceg 1586 körül jött világra és még gyermekként elhunyt; Ahmed pedig 1590-ben jött világra Handan legkisebb gyermekeként. Handan eleinte minden bizonnyal Mehmed kedvence volt, idővel azonban az uralkodó egy másik ágyas, Halime felé fordult. Erre utal legalábbis az a tény, hogy Handannak (valószínűleg) Ahmed után nem született több gyermeke, míg Halimének igen.

A herceg anyja

Mehmed 1595-ben trónralépett és Handan élete egy csapásra megváltozott. Az új szultánt követve gyermekeivel együtt Isztambulba utazott, ahol aztán a háremet vasszigorral uraló Valide, Safiye Szultána közelébe került. Mehmed maniszai tartományában Safiye szultána nem volt jelen, azonban minden bizonnyal a maniszai háremben is sokat hallottak már az akaratos validéről. Isztambulba érkezvén az első néhány év viszonylagos nyugalommal telt, a fő eunuch, Gazanfer Aga ugyanis rendet tartott a háremben, így Handan minden idejét gyermekeivel töltötte. Emellett újra közel tudott kerülni Gevherhan szultánához is, aki annak idején Mehmednek ajándékozta őt. Gevherhan jól ismerte a politikai elitet, Safiyét és a szultánt is, így egészen biztosan hasznos tanácsokkal látta el egykori kegyeltjét. Talán ennek köszönhető, hogy Safiye szultána és Handan kapcsolata is viszonylag kiegyensúlyozott volt.

1597-ben járvány pusztított a fővárosban, melynek áldozatául esett Handan legidősebb fia, Szelim, de nem kizárt, hogy Szulejmán is ekkor hunyt el. Handannak a gyászon túl azzal is szembe kellett néznie, hogy így már nem az ő fia volt a legidősebb herceg, hanem riválisának, Halimének a fia, Mahmud. Handan bármit megtett volna, hogy egyetlen fiát, Ahmedet életben tartsa ezért szövetkezett a Valide szultánával, Safiyével. Safiye és Halime különösen gyűlölték egymást, és nem volt ez másképp Mahmud és Safiye között sem. Mivel a katonák és közemberek nagyon kedvelték Mahmudot Handan pletykát kezdett terjeszteni a hercegről, miszerint impotens, így uralkodása nem hozna gyümölcsöző jövőt a birodalom számára. Emellett Safiye - és valószínűleg Gevherhan szultána - segítségével igyekeztek minél több államférfit Ahmed herceg oldalára állítani.

Handan számára végül Safiye volt az, aki megnyerte a háborút. Safiye sikerrel szerzett meg egy levelet, melyet egy látnok küldött Halime számára. A levél felért egy felségárulással, ugyanis ebből kiderült, hogy Halime azt akarta tudni fia fog e a trónra ülni a szultán halála után. Természetesen nem a levél volt Halime és Mahmud egyetlen bűne. Hónapok óta ostromolta mind Halime, mind Mahmud a szultánt, hogy küldjék végre Mahmudot provinciába; valamint Mahmud többször meggondolatlanul viselkedett a szultán jelenlétében; a lázadó katonák pedig istenítették a herceget. Nem meglepő, hogy olyan pletykák is szárnyra keltek, miszerint Mahmud és Halime meg akarja mérgezni a szultánt. Ezekután végül Mehmed, Safiye nyomására kivégeztette Mahmud herceget.

Mahmud halálával Ahmed lett a legidősebb herceg, sőt Mehmed konkrétan ki is nevezte őt trónörökösnek. A herceg onnantól mindenhová elkísérte a szultánt vagy a valide szultánát. Safiye 1603 végén egy katonai parádéra is magával vitte a fiút, ahol tulajdonképpen bemutatta őt, mint örököst. Handan nem kísérhette el fiát, de minden bizonnyal nagyon boldog és megkönnyebbült volt, hiszen Ahmed jövője jó irányba haladt. Ugyanakkor Handant minden bizonnyal megviselték az események, talán lelkiismeretfurdalása is volt a történtek miatt. Erre utalnak ugyanis a későbbi események.

Az első női régens

1603. december 20-án éjszaka, Mehmed szultán hirtelen elhalálozott, így fia, Ahmed lett a szultán. Ahmed volt az első szultán, aki gyermektelenül, körülmetéletlenül, tapasztalat nélkül került a trónra. A helyzet igen ingatag volt, nem lehetett tudni, hogy elfogadják e az ifjú szultánt, emiatt Mehmed halálát eltitkolták és a szultán nevében minden vezető tisztségviselőt a divánba kérettek másnap reggel. Amikor mindenki jelen volt, Ahmed lépett be a terembe és elfoglalta a trónt, ezzel pedig szultánná vált anélkül, hogy bárki felemelhete volna ellene a szavát. Ahmed helyett az első hónapokban két régens uralkodott: tanítója, Musztafa Efendi és édesanyja, Handan Szultána. Ezzel lényegében Handan lett az első női régense a birodalomnak, akkor is, ha nem egyedül töltötte be a tisztséget.

Ahmed trónralépésekor nem végeztette ki egyetlen élő testvérét, a gyermek Musztafát. Ennek több logikus oka is lehetett: Ahmed nem volt körülmetélve, nem nemzett még gyermeket, beteges ifjú volt, esetleges halálával a dinasztia is kihalhatott volna. Musztafa életének megkímélésében egyesek szerint Handan kulcsfigura volt. Ezt támaszthatja alá az is, hogy követi beszámolók alapján Handan gyakran vitte ki a Topkapi Palota kertjébe a kis Musztafát játszani. Talán Handan eleget tapasztalt a testvérek közötti küzdelemből és szerette volna, ha végeszakad a véres hagyománynak. Handan viselkedése a gyermek Musztafa irányába nem csak a nő jelleméről árul el sokat, de arra is utal, hogy a korábbi Mahmud elleni harcot sem élvezte legkevésbé sem és csak a kényszer miatt lépett fel Halime és Mahmud ellen. Ugyanakkor nem vehetjük biztosra, hogy Handan állt Musztafa megkímélése mögött, ugyanis ez volt a logikus lépés, lehetséges, hogy mindeni ugyanígy gondolta.

Handan pontosan tudta azt, hogy az őt éveken át védelmező Safiye szultána mekkora veszélyt jelenthet fiára. III. Mehmed szultánt a katonák Safiye miatt gyűlölték, félő volt, hogy ha Safiye a hatalom közelében marad, Ahmed is apja sorsára juthat. Emiatt 1604. január 9-én Handan tanácsára Ahmed száműzte Safiye Szultánát a Régi Palotába. E lépéssel Handan kivívta maga ellen Safiye haragját, ám a nagy valide nem tehetett semmit. Handan ugyanis addigra már régóta azon dolgozott, Ahmed tanítójának segítségével, hogy megtalálják Safiye összes besúgóját és emberét a háremben és divánban. A nagy valide száműzetésével egyszerre ezeket a besúgókat és minden Safiyéhez hűséges embert azonnal elbocsátottak és megfosztották tisztségüktől. Safiye bosszúból végül tehetetlenségében a háremet romboltatta le szolgálóival távozásakor. A valide lakrészén olyan károk keletkeztek, hogy hosszú ideig lakhatatlan volt. Így az sem bizonyos, hogy Handan valaha is képes lett volna beköltözni a lakrészbe. Emellett a hárem szinte minden lakója Safiyével tartott, Handan csak néhány hűséges szolgálójával maradt a Topkapi Palotába. Ezutóbbit talán nem is bánta az új Valide.Nem tudni, hogyan érezte magát Handan, Safiye távozása után. Minden bizonnyal megkönnyebbült, hiszen azzal, hogy megszabadult Safiye embereitől, megnyitotta fia uralkodása előtt az utat. A katonák szeretetének elnyerése miatt pedig Handan és Musztafa Efendi meggyőzték Ahmedet, hogy a katonák kedvéért helyezzen kilátásba háborúkat. Emiatt Ahmed rendszeresen beszélt arról, mekkora vágya, hogy végre háborúba vezethesse katonáit.

Handan Valide Szultána

Handan Ahmed trónralépése után hamarosan nehéz helyzetbe került, ugyanis mind Ahmed, mind Musztafa herceg elkapták a himlőt. Musztafa gyorsabban és könnyebben vészelte át a betegséget, Ahmed azonban hosszú időn át feküd élet-halál között. Anyaként - aki már veszítette el gyermekét korábban is ebben a betegségben - különösen nehéz lehetett ez az időszak. Kétségbeesését nem könnyítette meg az sem, hogy a nép és katonák zúgolódtak, aggódva a szultán egészsége miatt. Végül aztán Ahmed és Musztafa is felgyógyultak. Musztafa Efendi tanácsára Ahmed, amint képes volt lovagolni, megmutatta magát a népnek. Bár a szultán viszonylag egészségesnek festett, arcán felismerhetőek voltak a himlő egyértelmű nyomai.

Talán emiatt vált Handan különösen óvó anyává. Ahmed egyre több időt akart a palotán kívül tölteni, vadászattal, inkognitóban járkálással, az időjárástól függetlenül. Handan rendszeresen szembe került emiatt fiával, hiszen igyekezett megakadályozni, hogy Ahmed újra megbetegedjen, így szerette volna annyira a palotában tartani, amennyire csak lehetséges. Ebben segítségére volt Ahmed régóta várt körülmetélése. A szokásos városi ünnepségsorozatok elmaradtak, ugyanis a szultán körülmetélését ünnepelni meglehetősen furcsán hatott volna, így csak a palotán belül rendezett Handan és Gevherhan szultána ünnepséget az ifjú szultán számára. Amint felépült, Ahmed ágyasokat kezdett kapni anyjától és nénjeitől. Az ágyasokat minden bizonnyal szintén Handan és Gevherhan szultánák válogatták ki.

A legendák szerint Handan és Ahmed egyik ágyasa között különösen rossz volt a viszony. A legenda szerint, mikor Ahmed még csupán herceg volt flörtölni kezdett anyja egyik szolgálójával, Mahpeykerrel. Amikor Handan erre rájött azonnal megbüntette és a Régi Palotába száműzte a lányt, hogy fia életét mentse. Ha ugyanis kiderült volna, Mehmed szultán könnyen kivégeztethette volna Ahmedet. A hercegeknek ugyanis tilos volt a szultán háremébe tartozó lányokkal kapcsolatba kerülni. Amikor azonban Ahmed trónralépett visszahívatta Mahpeykert. Muszáj azonban észben tartani, hogy semmiféle konkrét bizonyíték nincs arra, hogy Mahpeyker és Handan rossz viszonyban lettek volna.

Handan hamarosan megkönnyebbülhetett, ugyanis 1604. novemberében megszületett Ahmed elsőszülött gyermeke, Osman. Ezzel Ahmed bizonyított, hogy képes gyermekeket nemzeni. Eddigre már túlélt egy sokak számára halálos betegséget, állandóan a jövendő háborúkat tervezte, így ígéretes szultánnak tűnt, ifjú kora ellenére is. A további gyermekek születésével 1605 márciusában, Handan már háromszoros nagymama lett és élete egy nyugodtabb szakaszában léphetett volna.

Politika

Handan, Ahmed uralkodásának első néhány hónapjában Musztafa Efendivel együtt uralta a birodalmat. Ő volt az, aki eldöntötte, hogy ki beszélhet az ifjú szultánnal, ő döntötte el, hogy kik kerülhetnek a szultán kegyeltjei közé. Handan szerepe kiemelkedő volt Ahmed uralkodásának első hónapjaiban, ugyanis általában ha egy szultán trónrakerül saját embereit nevezi magas pozíciókba trónralépése után, Ahmednek azonban nem voltak meg a saját emberei. A hercegek ugyanis tartományaikban építik ki saját köreiket, ami Ahmed életéből kimaradt. Így, hogy elkerülje fia kihasználását, Handan a sajátmaga által ismert és bízott emberekből építette ki fia köreit.

Etéren igyekezett bosnyák honfitársait preferálni. Handan emellett leváltotta Abdürrezzak Agát, a fő fekete eunuchot, aki amellett, hogy Safiye embere volt, fontos szerepet játszott Mahmud herceg kivégzésében is. Handan politikai befolyásának csúcsa a nagyvezír kinevezése volt. Az új nagyvezír, Yavuz Ali Pasa nem csak bosnyák volt, de III. Mehmed hercegi tartományában élt sokáig a herceg fegyverhordozójaként, így Handan már onnan ismerhette a férfit. A férfi kinevezése egyébként rávilágít arra, hogy milyen fontos volt a honfitársiasság ezekben az időkben. A nagyvezíri poszt bármikor máskor fantasztikus lehetőség volt, amire minden pasa áhítozott. Azonban egy 13 éves beteges szultán nagyvezírének lenni, bizonytalan politikai környezetben nem volt túl kecsegtető. Épp emiatt több pasa, aki jelölt lehetett volna nem volt hajlandó visszatérni Isztambulba, nehogy kinevezzék őket. Végül Yavuz Ali Pasa Handan kérésére elfogadta a nagyvezíri posztot, hogy segítse bosnyák honfitársát. Ez a honfitársi támogatás végig megfigyelhető volt az Oszmán Birodalom történetében és alapvetően két oldalból állt: a keleti pasákból (grúzok, cserkeszek, abkházok) és nyugati pasákból (albánok, bosnyákok, szerbek).

Yavuz Ali Pasa végül mintegy harmadik régensként uralkodott a birodalomban. Viszonya olyan közeli volt Handannal, Ahmeddel és Musztafa Efendivel, hogy követi beszámolók alapján a kor szokásaival ellenkezve többször is tanácskoztak államügyekben késő éjszaka vagy hajnalban. Ezen megbeszélések során Handan egy függöny mögött állva beszélt, míg Ali Pasa, Musztafa Efendi és Ahmed szultán szemtől-szembe.

Szintén Handan befolyásával került Ahmed személyes szolgálatába Derviş Mehmed Aga 1604 nyarán. Handan mélységesen megbízott az Agában és igyekezett általa felügyelni fiát. Derviş szintén bosnyák volt, egyesek szerint a nagyvezír Yavuz Ali Pasa, mások szerint Handan kegyeltje volt. Akárhogyan kezdte is pályafutását, hamarosan megnyerte magának az ifjú szultánt és annak anyját is. Olyannyira, hogy követi beszámolók szerint Handan többször is megeskette fiát, hogy nem fog Derviş szavai és javaslatai ellen tenni. Ennek oka, Handan végtelen fia iránti féltésében keresendő. Handan nem lehetett mindig Ahmed mellett, ahogyan tanítója sem, így szüksége volt valakire, aki a nap minden percében a szultánnal lehet, elkísérheti mindenhová és mindeközben figyelhet biztonságára és egészségére. Handan lényegében egy pót-apai feladatot ruházott ezzel Derviş Agára.

Handan fokozatosan visszaszorult a politikai színterekről, melyet néhányan Ahmed anyja iránti tiszteletlenségével magyaráznak. Ezt pedig alátámasztani vélik azzal a ténnyel, hogy Handan csupán 1000 asperes napi fizetést kapott, Safiye korábbi 3000 asperes fizetésével szemben. Azonban minden bizonnyal Ahmed csupán politikai okokból igyekezett anyját a háttérben tartani. Igyekezett ugyanis elkerülni azt a látszatot, hogy édesapjához hasonlíthassák bármiben. Mehmed szultánon édesanyja, Safiye uralkodott, ami miatt rendkívül népszerűtlen volt. Ahmed emiatt nem engedte anyját a politika közelébe és fizetését is lecsökkentette, hogy megmutassa az embereknek, hogy ő nem olyan, mint apja volt. Ettől függetlenül azonban semmi nem utal arra, hogy Ahmed ne szerette vagy ne tisztelte volna édesanyját. Talán maga Handan javasolta fiának, hogy így járjon el?

Halála

Handan egészsége 1605-ben romlásnak indult. Pontos betegsége azonban nem ismert. Állapotán különösen sokat rontott, mikor egyik kegyeltjét 1605 augusztus 20-án Ahmed szultán kivégeztette. Sinanpaşaoğlu Mehmed Pasa Handan egykori tulajdonosának, Gevherhan szultánának volt a veje, emiatt Handan minden erejével szerette volna megóvni a pasát. A férfi halála olyan sokkoló volt a valide számára, hogy állapota rohamosan romlani kezdett. Végül Handan Szultána 1605. november 9-én örökre lehunyta szemeit, mikor még csak harmincas évei közepén járt. III. Mehmed mauzóleumában temették el az Aya Sofyában.

Rövid élete során nem volt ideje elődeihez hasonló monumentális építkezésekbe és jótékonykodásokba kezdeni. Halála után azonban rengeteg ételt és pénzt osztottak szét a rászorulók között Handan lelki üdvéért. Handannak halálakor nem kellett azon aggódnia, hogy fiára milyen sors vár. Ahmed népszerűsége folyamatosan növekedett, eddigre legalább három gyermeke volt, Derviş mellette állt apa-figuraként és Gevherhan szultána sem hagyta magára az ifjú szultánt. Röviden tehát Ahmed előtt nagyszerű jövő állt a meglévé gondok ellenére is, így talán Handan relatíve nyugodtan hagyhatta itt ezt a világot.

Felhasznált források: G. Börekçi - A Queen Mother at Work: On Handan Sultan and Her Regency during the Early Reign of Ahmed I; C. Finkel - Osman's Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire; L. Peirce - The imperial harem; M. P. Pedani - Safiye's household and Venetian diplomacy; G. Börekçi - Factions and favourites at the courts of Sultan Ahmed I (r. 1603-17) and his immediate predecessors; Necdet Sakaoğlu - Bu Mülkün Kadın Sultanları

[sestra-inestro]

Just A Really Big Mistake (6/?)

Jane the Virgin!AU - Heavily based on ‘Jane the Virgin’, I do not own Jane the Virgin or the characters I write with. All rights go to the original creators. 

Warnings: Mentions of sex, almost sex, slight angst, invasion of privacy.

Idea from @whatcouldgowrong-ohthat​ 

A/N: Did I procrastinate writing this because I decided to re watch the show? Yes. Did I also write a Natasha Smut in that time? Yes. This took ages because of planning and figuring out characters but I have a clearer head and here you are, chapter six. I will be stopping this fic after Season One because goddamn I will not be able to cope with that, even though I do want to see Natasha and June co-parenting because that would be the cutest thing ever, maybe I’ll write a oneshot or something. 

The doorbell rang through the house and May goes to answer the door. “Delivery.” The man said before dumping the gift basket on her arms and walking away again. 

May kicked the door closed and carried the basket to the table. 

“What the hell is that?” Pepper asks as she gets up from the couch. 

“I think it’s a gift from Tony.” May says as she picks a headshot of Tony from the wrapping. 

Pepper comes over and observes the basket it’s full of different assortments and gifts. May turns over the headshot to see the words ‘I’m sorry.’ written on the back. “He’s apologising again.” 

She shows Pepper and she nods. “At least he’s going to stay away from June now.” 

-

“Hi, I’d like your biggest, most grandest room, please.” Tony says with a confident smile as he checks into the Howling Winters Hotel, the hotel that Bucky owned and where you were currently working. 

-

You walked up to the bar inside the lounge and placed down a tray of empty cocktail glasses for the bartender to replace when someone called. 

“Miss?” A voice said from down the bar. 

You turned and froze in your spot, seeing the Tony Stark sitting down the bar and smiling at you. A man you’ve only ever seen on the TV shows. 

“Oh my god.” You uttered out in your frozen state. 

“Yes. It is me.” Tony flashed you his signature grin, and you swear his whitened teeth gleamed at you. 

You feel your breath hitch in your throat. 

“Please,” Tony puts his hands up and gets off his stool. “No please, just, breathe.” Tony starts breathing deeply to demonstrate and you follow him. 

“It happens all the time.” Tony explains as you keep breathing and you gleaming up at him, still not quite believing he’s on front of you. “It is sometimes very hard for normal people, like...you, to believe it when they see me in person.” He says like he’s trying not to offend you but you don’t care. 

You nod as you understand. “You know what, this is going to be really embarrassing and I’ll probably get in trouble for it later but...” You say and Tony nods along. “Can I get a photo?” You ask sheepishly. 

Tony can practically feel his heart burst. “Oh yes, I would love that very much.” 

He knew that he was going to be in deep shit with May and Pepper, but he couldn’t resist taking a picture with you, you were his daughter. 

You pulled out your phone and turned around for a selfie. As you turned on the camera, you could see him looking at over your shoulder, gazing at your face. You turn to look at him and as you make eye contact, he snaps out of it and turns to the phone. You smile at your phone as you snap a photo with him. 

You squeal as you look at the photo. “I love it! Thank you!” 

“Would you mind sending that to me on twitter?” Tony asks hopefully. 

“Not at all! I’ll do it right now.” You reassure him and tape away at your phone. He looks down and checks his phone, smiling at the photo again and immediately sets it to be his background. 

“Thank you, so much.” He says as his emotions get too much for him and he almost starts to cry. 

You notice the crack in his voice but shake your head. “No, thank you.” You smile up at him and he nods, still looking at the photo. 

“I hope you don’t mind but I really should get back to work.” You say and point towards the bar which now held your tray with fresh cocktails. 

“Oh, of course.” Tony smiles and puts his phone away. 

“It was nice meeting you, though.” You say as you grab the tray and start to walk away. 

“Pleasure was all mine, June.” He says to himself as he watches you walk away with a little skip in your step. 

If only it was because you knew he was your father. 

-

May gasps as she receives the selfie that you took with Tony. Peter turns to look at her with confusion and she shows him the picture. 

Peter raises his eyebrow at her and sighs to himself. “You guys need to tell her soon. Because if you don’t, it looks like he will.” 

May glared at Peter but she knew he was right. Even though he was a little cling-on that wasn’t going to leave the nest anytime soon, he was incredibly smart and very loyal. He helped May and Pepper this morning with Tony and fooling you, they’ve got to tell you. 

-

You were getting ready for your get together with Natasha when a staff member asked you to take a dry cleaned dress up to their suite.

With haste, you carried it up and knocked before opening the door. 

“Hello?” You called through the suite. No one answered. “Natasha?” You tried again. 

When you got no response, you went to place the dress on the bar right next to the door when you had an idea. 

You saw Natasha take a pill the morning, and with no one in the suite right now, it would be the perfect opportunity to check if she were taking any drugs you would be worried about. 

You shake your head at yourself for even thinking about it and mentally yelled. But this was just too perfect of an advantage. Would she lie to you if you asked her? You don’t know. You fought with yourself for a few seconds before your feet carried you into the room. Seeing the massive master bedroom, you saw that the wardrobe doors were open and vanity with makeup sat against a wall. 

Walking over, you saw an orange pill bottle sitting on the vanity and you picked it up to look at it. As you observed it, you see something move from the corner of your eye and you look into the mirror, seeing Natasha standing near the wardrobe doors with her hands on her hips. 

You yelp and drop the bottle, whipping around to face her. 

“Oh my god. I am so sorry, Natasha.” You start, trying to calm your poor heart from the fright. Yep, this is what you get for snooping. 

“I knew we had a meetup today, just didn’t think it was going to be in my bedroom.” She says with a tone as she walks towards you with an arched eyebrow. 

“I, uh-“ You raked your brain looking for a reason and an excuse to come up with. You could easily lie and blame it on the hormones or the pregnancy jitters that made gave you a headache. 

But you sighed. “I’m sorry Nat. I just saw you outside the crime scene earlier and I saw you take a pill.” You explained. “Snooping was not the best option, but I just had to know that you were...” you trail off your sentence, trying your beat not to offend her. 

“Using?” She suggested, her brow still arched to her hairline. 

You bite your lip as you cringe. You felt so ashamed of yourself right now. 

“Well, I’m not. Just to clarify.” She bent down and picked up the bottle. She showed you the label. “They’re Xanax pills.” 

You left out the light bit of air you were holding in about the pills. 

“I was prescribed them two years ago when my husband was diagnosed with cancer. I’ve only taken three of them. One when I got them, one when he went into an eight-hour surgery and another one today after his best friend died.” Nat looks at the pills solemnly as she spoke. 

You shifted in your spot uncomfortably. “I’m really sorry, Nat. I can’t begin to even think of-“

Natasha raised her hand and stopped you from talking. 

She looked up at you and you swallowed, nervous at what she was going to do after you invaded both hers and her husband’s privacy. 

“I understand.” She says simply. 

You frown at her. “You do?” 

She nods. “Mhm. You’re carrying our baby through pure accident and I can understand wanting to make sure you’re giving it to the perfect people.” She gives you an understanding smile. 

You smile back at her, thankful that she wasn’t going to get you fired. 

“I actually want to show you something.” She says before grasping your wrist gently and leading you out of the master bedroom and down the hall, into another room.

You stop at the door as you see the layout of a nursery. 

“I was going to put the crib near the window but Then I thought that can be harmful in case of a storm or an intruder picking the wrong window.” Natasha explained as she went around the room, touching all the baby furniture and smiling down at it. 

Looking at the beautifully set room, you started to tear up. 

Natasha turns and sees you starting to cry. “Is it all too much?” She asks you, concerned. 

“No. It’s perfect.” You nod and sniff. “I’m officially hormonal.” 

You say and give a laugh as wipe at your face. 

“I hope this gives you to reassurance you need.” Natasha says, walking back to you in her beautiful red bathrobe that matches her hair, and you wonder how she is so effortlessly beautiful. “And please, instead of stressing yourself when you have a doubt, just ask me.” She said in a soft voice and placed her hands on your shoulders. “I won’t bite.” 

You nod and smile at her. “I’m sorry if I ruined our coffee date.” 

Nat huffed and shook her head. “It’s okay. I guess you’ve seen the best thing that I could offer as far as helping through the pregnancy. You never have to worry about what colour to paint to baby walls.” She says as you look up at the walls. 

“You’re right.” You say. Slightly sad on the inside. A part of you wanted to help pick out the colour of the walls and the type of crib, but you have to remember that this baby has an amazing family to come to. 

You shake and sigh, wiping at your face one last time. “Well, I’m gonna go end my shift and then come back up and have coffee?” 

“Of course, I’ll start brewing.” Natasha says with a smile.  

You leave the suite and pull out your phone to text Steve. 

You were right. I am hormonal. 

He texts back almost immediately. 

No, I’m sorry I was out of line.

You really weren’t. I just cried at the sight of a nursery. 

You bite your lip before texting more. 

I might’ve also snooped in their room and found Natasha’s pills. 

You did what?!

Yep. I was worried and thought I was alone. But it’s okay, she’s okay. I’m about to have coffee with her, are we still on for tonight? 

I wouldn’t miss it for the world, I’ll meet you at the room ;)

You put your phone down and did a little skip, excited that everything was falling into place. 

-

After your coffee date with Natasha, you dress yourself up and head to the 11th-floor suite you had booked for both you and Steve. 

You round the corner and see Steve standing and waiting at the door for you. 

You give him a smile as his eyes trail over your body. You put on a nice dress for tonight and you wanted to impress him. 

“You look beautiful.” His voice is low as he drinks you in. 

“Thank you.” You say quickly before stepping up to him and wrapping your arm around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. 

Steve grasps your hips and pulls you against him. 

The kiss is so passionate that you almost feel your knees melt. His tongue softly massages against yours and you moan into his mouth. 

“Maybe we should get inside.” Steve mumbles against your lips. 

“Yeah, I think we should.” You agree and let go of him. 

He also lets you go and steps back as you open the door with the key card. 

Opening up, you see the nicest room you’ve seen besides the penthouse suite. 

The room expanded further than you could see and the bed was tall and large. 

“Holy crap.” You breathed out as you observe the room. 

Two arms circle your waist and lips caress your neck. “This is perfect.” Steve murmurs against your skin. 

Goosebumps grow across your neck and down your arms at his touch, his breath fans across the back of your neck and you feeling your chest swell and your lower belly grows hot. 

You turn to him and look him in his piercing blue eyes, pulling him down to you again and reattaching your lips. 

His big hands grab your waist and pull you against him again, travelling down your back and around your backside, giving you a firm squeeze. 

His grip made you squeal and giggle, letting his tongue enter your mouth and hoist you up and wrap your legs around his waist. 

With you in his stronghold, he carries you over to the bed and drops you onto the covers. You yelp as you hit the covers and Steve falls to land on top of you, hovering just above you. 

“I love you.” Steve whispers to you, just looking into your eyes.

Your hands caress over his cheeks and across his jawline, feeling his stubble scratch under your fingertips and the heat of his skin in your hands. “I love you too.” You whisper back to him. 

Steve’s brows crease in what you can only say was love and he leans down to capture your lips again. 

You pull his body down against yours and your legs part to let him closer to you. Your knees cage him to you and your dress rides up to your hips. You moan against his mouth and your fingers move down to lift his shirt over his head. He flings it to the side before going to pull down the straps of your dress. 

“You sure this is what you want?” Steve sits up to ask you. 

You open your mouth to answer when suddenly the fire alarm blares through the entire hotel. You sat up fast and your forehead collided with Steve’s in a clash. 

Steve groans, and sits up clutching his head. 

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” You groan, clutching your own forehead. 

“No, it’s okay.” Steve says with his eyes squeezed shut, rubbing his head. “Is it a false alarm?” 

“I don’t know, I haven’t heard anything about it.” You crawl over to the side where you saw his shirt fly. “We should probably leave.” 

You find his shirt and throw it back at him, and even though you wanted him to lay back down, he caught the shirt and covers his toned torso back up. 

“C’mon.” He says and grasps your hand, leading you out of the room again. 

You feel very solemn, looking back at the room, your moment with Steve had just been whisked away and you are now being dragged down the fire exit stairs with Steve. 

You guys make it out of the hotel and onto the lawn grass where all the residents were standing. 

“I should probably check it out.” Steve said with a frown as he spotted some police cars. You nod and let him go over. 

“Hey.” Bucky’s voice said behind you. 

You turn and see him, looking frustrated. “Hey. What happened?” 

He shrugs. “Someone pulled the alarm but I don’t think that there actually is a fire.” He sighs, clearly annoyed but he fact everyone had to evacuate for nothing. 

“You had a memorial party for Sam tonight didn’t you?” You ask him, trying to get his mind off it. 

“Yeah,” He sighs again and stuffs his hands in his pockets. Bucky thinks for a moment but smiles. “It was awesome. Very Sam.” 

“What about your father wanting to distance himself from bad publicity?” You asked, glad they threw a party. 

“I guess it would’ve been worse if word got out that my father ignored the fact that he was my old college roommate.” Bucky smiles down at you proudly. 

You smiled back up at him. 

“I’m glad that you did that.” You say. 

“Thank you, and thank you again. Your judgeyness was what helped.” Bucky places a hand on your shoulder and once again, you could feel your heart racing at his touch. 

“Hey,” Steve said from behind you, causing you to whip around and knock Bucky’s hand off your shoulder. “The guys say it was a false alarm.” Steve says with a firm tone, keeping his eyes hard on Bucky. 

“Yeah, I suspected that. I’m gonna go file these guests back into their room.” Bucky says and waves you goodbye. 

You and Steve hover for a moment before moving over to a bench that was away from the crowd that was slowly dissipating. 

“We really almost did it back there.” Steve said as he caresses the back of your hand with his thumb. 

“Yeah, we really did.” You laugh slightly, thinking about it. 

“If the fire alarm didn’t go off, do you think you would’ve gone through with it?” Steve asked and you thought about it. 

You felt safe, warm and calm with him. In the moment he was on top of you on that bed, you couldn’t have thought of anyone better to do it with. 

“Yeah,” You look at him. “I would’ve. Because I trust you and I will be glad when I can finally have sex with you.” Your words make you both laugh. 

“That’s why I have an idea.” Steve says. You look at Steve in curiosity. “Why wait to get married? We know what we want and we know that even though you don’t want to wait anymore, you didn’t say that you were going to wait until marriage.” Steve takes a pause and you stay silent but encourage him to keep going. “Let’s get married now.” 

“Like right now?” You ask, your voice high. 

“No, not right now.” Steve chuckles. “But now like, next week.” 

“Oh my god.” You say to him. “I think yes!” You say happily.

Steve’s face lifts happily. 

“Let’s do it!”

[mirthless-misanthrope]

could you maybe write about Risotto (or Buccellati would be nice if you're not comfortable with that!) that has a crush on a member that is extremely loyal and caring towards him and will often go out of their way to prevent them from getting hurt during missions, and often gets injured because of this? idk if this is a weird idea, i hope it's okay for you!! thank you!! 💙

A/N: hi anon!! this idea isn’t weird at all, it’s more than okay! i’m sorry, i’m sure you wanted a scenario, but my brain got really tired of writing scenarios and i felt really bad so i wrote headcanons for you!! as an apology gift, i wrote for both risotto and bruno! i’m really sorry, but if you really really wanted this scenario feel free to send another ask ;v;

Trigger Warnings: mentions getting hurt, Bruno’s got really sad :((

please enjoy these headcanons!!

Risotto Nero having a crush on a loyal caring member:

As a capo, he cares for his men. Regardless of your gender, he cares for you as well.

It… freaks him out a bit when he realizes that simply caring for you turned into so much more.

With your caring nature, and your unwavering loyalty to him, how could he not at least have a soft spot for you?

The first time you get injured, he’s worried… but he shows that with a bit of anger since you got injured to protect him.

“S/O, you need to be more careful. You could’ve died.” “But Risotto, if I wouldn’t have done something, you would’ve died!” “... Tch. I would’ve been fine. I just don’t want to see you injured.” Any questions about that last statement would go unanswered as a light blush shows up on his cheeks.

Each time after the first, Risotto tells you to stop taking hits for him, and each time you ignore him he gets a little more angry until he finally snaps.

”S/O, stop jumping in front of me!” “Risotto, that would’ve killed you!” “You idiot, I don’t want you to die, I love you!” … Cue Risotto sighing at his own words and shaking his head.

If you return the feelings, you two would start dating right after that occurrence, and it would be quite the interesting relationship. You two would take hits for each other and argue about it, but deep down, he would feel flattered that you care about him so much that you get hurt for him. He would try to get you to stop getting hurt so much, especially if you almost die, but it turns out, your loyalty is nearly impossible to get through. He’ll keep trying until he gets through it though!

If you don’t return the feelings, he would get a bit more curt with you for a while. He would be a little angry if you keep taking hits for him, wanting to yell at you as he asks why the hell you’re taking hits for him, but he keeps himself calm and composed. It takes a while for his feelings to dissipate, but once they do, he goes back to how he used to be. He’s not as curt… but he still has a soft spot for you that won’t go away no matter what you do.

Bruno Bucciarati having a crush on a loyal caring member:

As a mom capo, he cares more about his men than himself. So… as soon as you joined Passione, he already cared deeply for you.

Your loyalty and caring nature immediately draw him to you… but he’s shocked when he realizes that he’s fallen for you.

Everyone in Passione can tell that he has a soft spot for you, it’s painfully obvious, but he always denies it.

The first time you get injured, he’s like a mother hen, a bit frantic as he tends to your wounds.

”You need to be more careful, S/O, if that attack had been one millimeter to the right you would be dead right now!” “My apologies, Bruno… but it would’ve hit you if I hadn’t done anything. You can’t die, you’re our capo, everyone needs you.” “I’ve been hurt like this before, you didn’t need to jump in front of me like that!”

Each time after the first, Bruno gets severely worried for your health, telling you to maybe not go with on the next mission, but each time you manage to sneak along and protect him with no fail. He realizes he really needs to say something to you, not as a capo, but as a friend… or more than a friend, perhaps.

”S/O, tesoro mio, you can’t jump in front of me like this so much. I can’t stand seeing you get hurt for me…” “Bruno, why does it bother you? I’m saving your life.” “Because I love you, amore mio, and I can’t stand seeing you hurt!” His blush tells you he’s telling the truth for sure.

If you return the feelings, he would pull you into a loving embrace and make you promise to be more careful. If you wouldn’t promise, he would just end up jumping in front of you all the time, and it would be like a battle of who can take the hit for who. It would probably confuse a lot of your enemies… and it would also confuse the rest of Passione, but they wouldn’t really say much. They would just be happy that their capo is happy… even if it’s confusing to them.

If you don’t return the feelings, he would understand. He wouldn’t ask any more of you, though he would insist that you stop taking hits for him. Even if you don’t care for him in the same way, he still doesn’t want to see you injured because of him. Actually, he would probably start taking more hits for you, instead of the other way around, just because his nagging feelings won’t go away. His soft spot for you is still so painfully obvious that the rest of Passione has to convince him to stop getting injured for your sake since he’s the capo and they all need him. He’s just… a sad boy for a while after the rejection. He fell so hard, and you broke his heart, so of course he’s sad.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Reaction Shots, ch.2 (baon)

Summary:   Still in the aftermath of the events of ‘Any Other Tuesday’.

Notes: All right, chapter one was from Edge’s POV. This time let’s see Andy Jeff!

Tags: Spicyhoney, Original Undertale Characters, Established Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Prejudice Against Monsters, Violence, Injury, Prejudice from Police Officers, LV issues

part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Andy Jeff

~*~

Since he’d met Stretch, hospital visits had become a thing again in Jeff’s life. A couple years ago he’d had an experience with them as well, when Julia finally told him what was going on. She’d been in hospice at that point and he’d spent a week there with her. Until it was over and he’d gone back to school because he didn’t know what else to do. Julia didn’t have much family, didn’t spend time with them, and seeing the way they went after her estate when she died made Jeff understand why. All he had left were pictures, but he hadn’t wanted more. What he really wanted was the impossible; he wanted her back, her laughter and her kindness. She’d loved cooking too, not like Edge, more haphazard and slapdash, usually tasty and sometimes requiring copious amounts of ketchup and Tabasco. He really missed her. But his fear that hospitals would remind him too much of her were proved wrong, to his relief. For starters, the Monster hospital was a lot nicer than the sterile hospice she’d spent her last days in. The rooms were airy and painted in soothing colors, with artwork on the walls and plants in corners. It was more like a hotel room than a hospital. Not that Stretch ever seemed to appreciate it. Every time Jeff had visited, his relief at seeing him was blatantly obvious and now that he was on the other side of the equation, Jeff could agree with him on one thing; hospitals were fucking boring. Not they were supposed to provide amusement along with healthcare, of course. But as exhausted as he was, Jeff couldn’t sleep and time was dribbling away so slowly he could practically hear the tick-tocks.

His body would’ve been happy for a rest. It was just a shame his brain wasn’t willing to get with the program. The sun was coming up, he could see it coming in through the curtains, which meant he’d slept a few hours at least. Stretch was curled up again in his armchair, this time with legs drawn up to his chest and his feet tucked into the cushion. It made Jeff wince to look at, that looked like a cramp waiting to happen. Maybe skeletons didn’t get cramps? He didn’t know much, but he knew his friends normally slept in a bed, so it was a good guess that Stretch would be waking with some regrets. The television was on with the volume down, the subtitles narrating along. They even had a smart tv, but Jeff didn’t think he’d ever wanted to catch up on his Netflix less. It was still very early. Jeff texted his roommates and Thomas, anyway, before they caught the whole debacle as it was brewing on the news. That was pretty much the end of his contact list. Every other friend he had was either sitting here or already knew where he was. So that left him with Netflix, his phone, and his unsettled thoughts that kept wandering back to what had happened outside the Golden City, to the sight of his own soul, hovering above Stretch’s hand. To everything. To the ache of absence in his gut reminding him that Antwan wasn’t here, and he shouldn’t feel that way, he shouldn’t. He was the one hurt, yeah, but one look at the news had him cringing. A hate crime against a Monster ally, one that involved Stretch who’d already been in the news a few times himself recently. Jeff only read a couple headlines before he didn’t want to see anymore. Antwan and Edge, hell, the whole Embassy was probably working feverishly to get this under control, and there was a lot at stake. But he couldn’t help that small, selfish part of him that wanted Antwan here with him. Stupid, it was stupid and selfish, and— A light knock at that door interrupted the downward spiral of his thoughts. He looked over, expecting to see a nurse and instead Edge walked in. He was in one of his power executive suits, but for the first time in Jeff’s memory, he honestly looked exhausted. There were shadows under his sockets and the crimson magic that glowed in his eye lights and joints seemed dim.

Jeff gave him a little wave and was both startled and amused when Edge raised a curt hand back. There were a couple plastic bags in his other hand and Edge set it down as he glanced over to where Stretch was sleeping. His expression, his entire posture, softened when he saw him; there was no other word for it. He walked on silent feet over to him and Jeff tried not to stare goopily as Edge straightened the blanket, smoothing it gently over him. At least he could enjoy someone else’s affection vicariously.

Stretch made a sleepy sound, nestling deeper into the folds like a particularly tall and lanky puppy and Jeff expected Edge to pull a chair up next to him, the better to keep hands on. Sure, he was the one who got hurt, but Edge was a smart guy. There was no way he hadn’t connected the dots like Jeff had, no chance at all that he hadn’t realized if Stretch hadn’t fallen back a pace, he would’ve been first in line to meet those fuckers, and that didn’t even include what Jeff had seen online about the police. There was a story he needed more information on and soon. But to his surprise, Edge took a seat on the other side of the bed before he asked in a low voice, “How are you feeling?” “Sore,” Jeff said honestly. “But it’s not that bad.” It was true; he’d really expected to be in a lot more pain. But the stitches itched more than they hurt and it seemed almost absurdly easy to forget why he was here to begin with. Edge nodded, unsurprised. “A residual effect of the healing. I’ll warn you now, it will wear off, so when the nurses offer you pain medication, accept it.” “Yeah, okay, I will.” This felt weird, even a little awkward, knowing what he knew about healing; namely that Stretch really hadn’t been supposed to do it. His memory of it all was blurry and dim, and he wasn’t trying very hard to pull any of it back into focus, but he did recall Edge telling Stretch to hurry. So he knew, too, and he hadn’t told Stretch to stop. “I brought you a gift,” Edge said abruptly. Jeff had to bite back a smile, because that was such an…an…Edge thing. Directly to the point, bypassing the unnecessary smalltalk. Whenever they were all together, he made for a great foil for Stretch, a perfect straight man, but on his own, Edge kept firmly on track. From one of the bags, Edge pulled out a tastefully wrapped package and handed it to him. It was about the size of a hardcover book and Jeff opened it curiously, wondering at what kind of reading material Edge would find suitable for hospital bed reading. Except it wasn’t a book. Jeff stared down at the box with uncertain dismay. The word Ipad stared back, and not even the cheapest model. “Edge,” Jeff started weakly, trying to come up with something, but what could he say? Thanks but no thanks for this astonishingly thoughtful and too damn expensive present? “An iPad is not a gift.” “Of course it is. I gave it to you,” Edge told him. The arrogance in it was probably so ingrained in him that Edge didn’t even hear it. Well, that was a tone that brooked no argument, but Jeff was going to give brooking a shot anyway. “I have a laptop.” Something about his obvious distaste made Jeff think Edge knew a little too damn much about his aging Dell. “Yes…and now you have an iPad.” Well, fuck. His first mistake had been taking it because there was no way in hell Edge would take it back now. Especially not with the smug way he was sitting there, and that was the expression of someone who knew they’d won. “Damn it, Edge—“ “Here, let me help you,” Edge interrupted. He stood, reaching out to take the lid from the box. A quick press of a button and it started up, already connected to his Apple ID and there was another question that Jeff probably wasn’t going to get answered. "Now, I'd like you to open this document right here." How a gloved finger that covered bone was able to use a touchscreen was a mystery past Jeff’s skills, but it did. The document opened to a bunch of legalize, enough to make that aching twinge for Antwan flare. It dimmed back as astonishment overshadowed it, Jeff staring at the page. "This is an employment contract." "Excellent, you can read, we can skip that part of the interview." Edge tucked his hands into his pockets and said crisply, "I've been trying to be subtle, but it's become apparent to me that the direct approach would be best. I’d like you to come work for us at the Embassy.” “What would I even do?” Jeff asked, a little helplessly. The contract listed a lot of benefits but there was no sign of job duties or even a title. Edge sighed with pointed exasperation, and his eye lights were sharp, assessing. “Jeff, you have a degree in sociology and a compassionate soul. Do you see how that might be useful working for people who spent most of their lives trapped underground? We are not a perfect people, but we are loyal, and we want you with us.” “How do you know I have a compassionate soul,” Jeff blurted. The memory of his soul, that soft green, compassion, was still very fresh. “Did Stretch tell you?” “Of course you do, it’s obvious—wait,” Edge narrowed his sockets, eye lights flaring. “Did Stretch look at your soul?” “Uhhh.” Well, fuck, that was a smooth move. Stretch had said it was kind of a big deal, maybe it was like, like cheating or something, but it hadn’t been like that, not at all. Meekly, Jeff offered, “I mean, I asked him to?” Edge waved him off. “Never mind that, but he shouldn’t have done it while you’re so weak. What I’m trying to get at is you would be a useful member of the team and—“ He trailed off as Jeff signed it without another word. He hit send, watched as the icon swirled and popped up with a cheery, ‘sent!’. Prickles were stinging in his eyes but Jeff looked up at Edge anyway and told him firmly, “I don’t want a pity job. I want to help.” “You’ll get plenty of work, I assure you.” Edge seemed off-balance, oddly stiff and abrupt, and Jeff realized he expected to have to argue more with him. But working at the Embassy, with all the Monsters he’d met over the past year? It sounded like a dream that he didn’t want to wake from, a chance to pay back kindness that he’d never been able to with Julia.

He wanted this, so much. “Thank you,” Jeff told him, quietly. Edge relaxed visibly at that. “As an employee of the Embassy, you’re entitled to housing in New New Home. Here-“ he leaned in, reaching for the Ipad and Jeff couldn’t stop himself. He wrapped both arms around Edge’s slim form and hugged him. He regretted it instantly. Edge stiffened immediately, standing stock-still in his arms. Fuck, Edge didn’t like being touched unexpectedly by anyone but Stretch, he knew that, he knew it. Before he could pull back or apologize, an awkward hand patted him gently on the back. “You’re welcome.” “are you two done?” Came sleepily from the other side of the bed. “because if you need more bonding time or a chance to sing kumbaya or something, i can go.” Edge drew back and retorted, “If you’re going somewhere else, you may want to take advantage of the clothes I bought you.” The blanket was cast aside as Stretch scrambled to his feet, already reaching for the bags. “babe, in a world of mediocrity, you are a shining star.” “Only because you are easily pleased.” The bag was quickly tossed aside as Stretch pulled out the clothes and laid them on the foot of the bed, making pleased sounds about the sweatshirt and pants, and Jeff didn’t miss that a few of those things were way too short for Stretch. Edge had obviously brought him clothes, too, and Jeff swallowed hard before managing, “You could’ve gone home to change and get some better sleep.” “uh huh,” Stretch agreed absently, chuckling delightedly as he held up a T-shirt with ‘She-Ra, Princess of Power’ emblazoned on it. “excellent. or i can stay here and use the ensuite shower.” “Are you planning on camping here until they cut me loose?” And Jeff was blinking hard because he already knew the answer. “yep.” “Of course.” One more question, the one he’d resisted asking because he wasn’t needy, he understood, he did, but, “Where is Antwan?” That softening fell over Edge again, but Jeff had never seen it directed his way before. “Finishing his work at the Embassy. He’s going as quickly as he can, but there’s really no one who knows it better than him. He was here when they brought you in and waited until he knew you were safe.” Jeff nodded, swallowing hard. “He asked me to stay with you, but to be honest, that was my plan to begin with,” Edge told him with a gentleness Jeff had heard before, months ago when they’d spoken about his parents. “He’ll be here as soon as he can.” “sure he will!” Stretch gathered up an armload of clothes and headed towards the bathroom. “keep an eye on the injured party here, i can’t even stand my own smell right now and that’s saying something.” “Where would I go?” “I will,” Edge said firmly. The door closed behind Stretch and Edge settled back into his chair, pulling out his phone. He was quickly absorbed, probably working, but his eye lights slid Jeff’s way anytime he moved, trying to get comfortable with the slowly growing ache in his side.

The television wasn’t offering any new enticement and he since he couldn’t rightly turn away his new gift, at least he could play with it. Jeff went to the App Store, scowling when he saw the sum loaded to his account and silently promised that he would be paying them all back very soon, for everything. His excitement over a new job was dampened a little by Antwan’s absence, but it was okay. Everything would be fine. He downloaded a game, losing himself in the mindless shifting of gemstones and triumphant lights.

And waited.

~~*~~

Read Chapter Three

[homenum-revelio-hq]

Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix, Beth!

You have been accepted for the role of SIRIUS BLACK with the faceclaim of Jade Hassoune! We really enjoyed your discussion of Sirius’ relationships, particularly how his adult relationships (both negative and positive) have shaped his life. We also loved his biases and privileges section and thought it showed both strengths and flaws! We are so excited to have you as part of this roleplay!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Beth

AGE: 24

TIMEZONE: CST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I do work full time, but having a strong writing community is important to me and something that I actively make time for. Even on a bad week, I’ll check in at least two or three times to write, and I try to be around when I can to check the dash and talk even if I don’t have time for a reply. Also, I am that person who goes on semi-hiatus during a particular season and still tries to make regular activity because it’s important to me to try and stay on top of owed replies.

ANYTHING ELSE: I have no major triggers or squicks.

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Sirius Black

AGE: 21

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis-male, He/Him. Sirius is bisexual, and while it isn’t something he hides, it also isn’t something he advertises. He’s been accused of being willing to flirt with anything that moves. While he finds that accusation unfair, he knows it’s not always untrue.

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Gryffindor

ANY CHANGES: I would like to request an FC change to Jade Hassoune. I have a few reasons for this. The lazy one is that I already have gifs for him. That said, I think he can bring an interesting range for Sirius because some of his gifs are a little more brooding while others are big and expressive. He has a certain edge to most of the characters he has played that can work for situations where Sirius is being defiant or stubborn. I also like that because he is a person of color, it continues the tradition of taking what JKR gave us and making it more diverse. Plus, he has the hair (well, had) and effortless looks Sirius is known for.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Sirius has always been too big for some people to handle, and his response has always been that it isn’t his problem. Toning himself down for a situation is easier said that done, especially given Sirius’ tendency to speak first and think after. That impulsiveness has been there since he was young, and it can be a big disadvantage to him, especially when combined with his stubbornness. Sirius will say something without thinking of consequences, then dig in his heels about whatever it was rather than admit he might be wrong. This also means that he’ll sometimes go in-depth with planning for something that started out as a joke comment. He doesn’t know when to quit.

Choosing to instead focus on the positive, Sirius would argue that he isn’t impulsive but rather instinctual. He doesn’t always think things through before he does them, but that has worked out well for him, especially during duels.

Sirius would consider himself incredibly loyal, but the shadow side of that might be that Sirius can be a bit possessive. He makes strong assumptions that such loyalty will always be reciprocated, and he has a hard time understanding when that isn’t the case.

It frustrates him greatly that it feels like people around him focus on his flaws and don’t appreciate his strengths because he’s a fairly gifted duelist and fast thinker. Plus, his transfiguration skills are pretty great. Sirius never had to study in school because things came easy to him, and now that he’s out of school, it seems like everyone else is still “studying” at war when Sirius just wants to make a decision and go do.

Sirius doesn’t have a lot of patience for time or for people. When he gets frustrated or otherwise emotionally overwhelmed, it tends to make him rash and angry. Sirius would respond to one of his friends getting hurt, for example, by shouting at whoever their patrol partner was that should have been protecting them. He knows he’s no diplomat, but Sirius spent his formative years purposefully being the opposite. He can’t suddenly change it now.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY: (child abuse tw, but it’s minimally referenced)

Sirius spent his early days fighting against anything and everything. His father was once someone Sirius looked up to, but he doesn’t remember a time now of it being fondly. Instead Orion was someone to look at with fear, someone to flinch away from when he raised his voice or his hand. Sirius didn’t always know what he did wrong in those early days, but he quickly learned that sometimes it was better to be wrong on purpose because at least it felt earned. His mother was just as bad but in different ways. Sirius tended to hear her screaming more often, but he flat out ran once when he was nine because he knew one of her punishments was coming. Walburga was more creative than her husband, but she was also more of a perfectionist. Thanks to her, Sirius felt policed constantly.

His only shelter in those days was Regulus. Most days it was the two of them against the world.  They didn’t always publicly get along, especially when Sirius’ antics landed them both in trouble. Still, they had each other on nights when it hurt to be alone or the nightmares crept in. They could sit side by side in the dark and whisper about what life would be like someday  when they had magic of their own. Hogwarts changed everything for Sirius, and while that was mostly positive, it unfortunately meant that he lost Regulus. He couldn’t talk to his brother anymore; the language was gone. Even over the summers, things could never be the same. When Sirius ran away, he didn’t even tell Regulus he was going (although to be fair, he didn’t realize he was until a moment blew up too big with his parents to ever turn back). While he spent the rest of the summer wishing he had, the two didn’t even look at each other when they were first in the Great Hall together again at school. That childhood bond felt like it had finally severed completely.

The one person who seemed to humor Sirius at family events when he was young was Uncle Alphard, who always stuck out just a little bit. Sirius remembered hearing whispered about how Alphard was ‘peculiar,’ which wouldn’t have been a problem, except that he wouldn’t put duty first and produce an heir, which was a problem to a family as obsessed with legacy as the Blacks. Sirius had loved to hide in his shadow to avoid Orion and Walburga. He died a year after Sirius ran away, but Sirius had never imagined he’d be left Alphard’s fortune.

He immediately tried to use that fortunate to try and pay back the Potters for taking him in. While he’d suspected they wouldn’t accept anything, it choked up Sirius that they insisted that would be taking money from family. In many ways, Sirius considers James as much a brother as Regulus. Maybe they didn’t have the childhood history, but they had the important stuff. They had shared values and adventures, similar ideas and likeminded attitudes. At least they used to. Some days Sirius isn’t sure he knows who James is anymore. He doesn’t know what happened to the carefree James he used to know. Regardless, he isn’t about to let him go the way he once did Regulus.

OCCUPATION: 

Employee at Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour—Sirius has some money left from his uncle’s inheritance, but he needed something to keep him busy. He has toyed with applying for the Auror training program, but Sirius rationalized that he can do more for the Order with a less specific work schedule. Plus, he is aware of his own authority issues and feels like that might not be the best option to push himself at the Ministry with everything else going on. The job might not seem very punk rock, but working for Florean gives him something to do, people to interact with, and a fairly easy schedule to slide around.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

Sirius has always been a bit self-absorbed about his role within the Order. He has always known he’d never make the inner circle, but he hadn’t wanted to. In school, Sirius had cultivated a careful rebel-without-a-cause attitude. He has a cause now, but he’s still a rebel first and foremost. Of course, Sirius is fighting for muggles and muggleborns. They just aren’t his first priority. Sirius’ first priority is fighting against the pureblood society he was raised in because he sees nothing good about it. The two causes aren’t necessarily the same thing. He often feels frustrated by the lack of progress because it feels like the people he grew up resenting just continue to grow more powerful. He sees no progress for the real cause nor progress for his own. Much of the time, Sirius would like to just do something big. If they can’t make progress, he’d like to at least make a statement, but he doesn’t even seem to be able to do that. Too much fine print in what’s supposed to be vigilante justice.

SURVIVAL:

If you asked Sirius what his plan was for tomorrow, he’d says the present is all that matters. That’s how he lives his life in most aspects. No matter what the war looks like, Sirius doesn’t look forward and see a bleak future because he doesn’t think that far away.

Right now, he’s living in an apartment that’s technically in Muggle London but as close to the Leaky Cauldron as he could find. He lives there alone and likes that only one of his neighbors complains about the loud music. He prefers muggle music, but the occasional wizarding rock album is similar enough to not give anyone pause. Sirius can mostly cook for himself, although his cooking does tend to be a bit basic. He can do pasta and protein with the occasional veggie when he feels like he has to. He can, though, make a mean cocktail, and that’s a skill Sirius has used often.

RELATIONSHIPS:

James was the first person Sirius had ever really found that understood him completely and totally. He saw James as this magnetic person he always wanted to have around. As they got older, things shifted, but Sirius never wants to lose that. Right now he feels like James is beginning to pull away and leave him behind. For what, Sirius isn’t sure. Stuffy meetings and worrying about people who take you for granted seems ridiculous to Sirius, but he tries not to say anything. James might act the part, but Sirius knows deep down he has to still be the same person. But Sirius has lost a brother before because of growing differences. He doesn’t want to do it again.

Remus is something that Sirius has always admired and thought the best of. Lately things have changed as Remus seems to make choices that Sirius doesn’t understand, and he also can’t figure out if they’re actually Remus’ choices or things being dictated to him. Sirius doesn’t like the idea that Remus is spending all his time around werewolves and wanna-be Death Eaters. Sirius doesn’t trust it and doesn’t like that Remus doesn’t have anyone with him to have his back. Lately he’s had a nagging thought that he wants to push down. If Remus won’t talk about it, what isn’t he saying? What’s going on when the Order isn’t around? Some days Sirius is afraid to find out. Others he can’t believe himself for ever doubting.

Then there’s Peter. Sirius has always suspected he’s too loud for Peter, too much. But Peter has been a loyal friend for years, always there when Sirius needs him. Lately he doesn’t see Peter as much, and while that’s hard, at least Sirius doesn’t have to worry about who he’s with. Peter’s too smart to accept a mission that sends him undercover among people with sharp dark magic skills and sharper tongues.

Lately Sirius has become enamored with the things Dorcas says, enjoying the lack of care in her voice. He remembers those days. He remembers when he wasn’t trying to temper himself to help James keep an image. She seems to agree with his frustration about the lack of progress. Her methods perhaps seem questionable, but in Sirius’ experience, the best things in life often do. He wishes the rest of his friends would remember that.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

I ship chemistry above all else. I really like the idea of potentially exploring an m/m relationship with Sirius but am really just open to whatever comes up with a partner of any gender identity. The only specific ship I am mildly interested in is Sirius/Remus, but looking at the bio materials, the at-odds angle seems like it will be much more fun.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

Sirius grew up being taught that muggles were inherently primitive and uncivilized, despite the neighbors sharing their very walls at 12 Grimmauld Place being muggles. He learned pretty quickly to fix his own perspective on that in school, especially when surrounded by supposedly inferior magic users like Lily who were so gifted. It was one more reason his parents were wrong, and Sirius did so love when his parents were wrong.

He had a harder time wrapping his head around the idea that not everyone could just decide to  be something different than what they were used to. Sirius always had a safety net to catch them when he was about to fall. When the final straw hit and he ran away from home, he had the Potter household to turn to, an equally pureblood, equally rich family who had the means to take him in. At a critical point when he needed his own money, Sirius received his inheritance from Alphard’s passing. Sirius has always managed to bounce up when he was at a crossroads that could have ended disastrously. The idea that someone else could be in a tricky situation with an “obvious right choice” and choose wrong because they didn’t have the resources to choose right is completely foreign to Sirius.

This sense of choice also fits into Sirius’ opinions on werewolves. He’d grown up hearing they were nothing but savage monsters, but Remus had never seemed that way. Once the other Marauders had become animagi, Sirius saw the full moons as proof that while Remus as a werewolf was wild, he was still Remus in some ways. They needed a different form, but the wolf didn’t attack them on sight. The knowledge, though flawed, gave Sirius a strong believe that the choices Remus and any other werewolf made on a full moon could be changed with the right leadup and decisions.

Back on the subject of muggles, Sirius has tried to embrace muggle culture, but he’s done so in a way that almost borders on fetish. He has spent time in muggle spaces, but it’s usually bars, movies, and other places that give him some kind of entertainment or satisfaction. He’s embraced muggle transportation, even if it did mean tweaking the motorcycle as soon as he bought it. Sirius would like to believe he has completely understood muggle culture, but in some ways he still holds on to that muggles-are-primitive mindset without realizing it. He doesn’t think they’re lesser; he just only pays attention to the things that can be of use to him.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

I love the concept of it being just the Order and the nuances that come from that. In the books, we see glimpses of just how much friction for the organization we see in Harry’s time. I can only imagine the first time around when not everyone believed he could be beaten. Everyone has a slightly different agenda, and since this rp focuses so specifically on the good, it means more time to devote to complicating what that means.

PLOT DROP IDEAS: 

I have no specific ideas, although it would be interesting to see Sirius having to deal with family-related consequences, whether that’s something like dealing with Orion’s death eventually or maybe the consequences of something anti-muggle/pro-Death Eater that his parents sponsored or created.

ANYTHING ELSE: Not that I can think of!

[aggimaginary]

The Grinch 2: Happy New Year Chapter 16-The Perfect Date

Finally! I did it! I finish this chapter, and I know you'll love it. Please read, and review. Enjoy!

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The night has finally came. The sun has set, and the Whos turned on their lights. The town always shined brightly every night. Some families tested the fireworks they brought for the New Year.

At Mt. Crumpit, the Grinch read a blueprint while counting the steps from the lever box to a giant catapult.

"Uh, Grinch, what's with the catapult?" Aggie asked.

"You will know," said the Grinch as he put two bricks under the wheels of the catapult so they won't move.

Aggie looked at the catapult, and found the bouquet of flowers and boxes of chocolates in the scoop, "Oh, now I get it. You're going to catapult the gifts to Donna's house, and when she got them you'll show up, like a surprise!"

"Close, but wrong, girl. I'm just going to catapult the gifts, and Donna will get them. End of story," the Grinch explained.

"What?! Aren't you going to get her for your date?"

"Yeah, about that… I change my mind. I'm not going to date her."

Aggie yelled in shock and rage, "WHAT?!"

"I'm sorry, Aggie, I still can't do it. I'm quite nervous," Grinch rubbed his hand nervously.

"I can't believe I wasted my time buying these stuffs from the mall for your date, which you're going to abandoned!" the winged human shouted. "But this isn't all about me. Donna's gonna hurt if you don't show up.".

"She'll be so hurt if everyone finds out I'm dating her, and they'll laugh at her. I don't want to hurt her. She's too kind for that. So, I'm not going to date her."

"You're lying."

"How would you know?"

"You're lips are movin', and I know when someone's lying. I'm a detective once, you know. So, you tell me the truth, or I'll blast you with penguins in three seconds!" Aggie pointed her wand staff at him as it glowed, ready to blast

"Alright, fine!" The Grinch shouted and grunted in defeat. "You want to know why?! Because she doesn't love me!"

Aggie's anger faded as she slowly lowered her wand staff from him, "What did you say?"

Grinch hung his head down, "She doesn't love me. I got the feeling she doesn't like me at all."

"How can you say that? She said 'yes'."

"Of course she said yes, so she can make me happy. But I know she doesn't feel the same if I'll tell her I love her."

Aggie, tired of standing on the snow, sat down beside the catapult, "I… I don't understand. What's really going on, Grinch? What's up with you?"

The Grinch exhaled after his shout as he sat down beside Aggie to explain, "Do you remember when you and Cindy Lou were outside of her house removing the Christmas decorations and I was inside?"

"Yeah. So?" asked Aggie.

"I was up in Donna's bedroom that time. When I was cleaning, I saw the picture of her and her husband of their wedding day. She was so happy when her husband was still alive. Then, I was thinking, if her husband already died, why didn't she find someone new so she won't be alone taking care of Cindy Lou and the twins while she's working?"

"Maybe she wants to take care of them on her own."

"I know that, but I think it was something else… she still loves her husband. Everybody knows that, Aggie. Just like you. A woman never leaves her man because she still loyal and loves him, even if he's dead or alive. Donna never want to find someone to replace her husband and have someone other than him. She kept herself busy so she won't think of other man catching her eye, and stayed taking care of their children. And maybe if I'm with her, I might ruin their family if Donna spends a lot of time for me than the children. I don't think they're ready for a new father. I don't want to ruin their family and happiness, just like when I almost ruined their Christmas. Cindy Lou still loves her dad. Donna still loves her husband. Even if the twins never got a chance to meet their real dad, I don't think they'll accept as their new dad. I don't want to be a substitute. I don't want to take Mr. Who's place at all. It's unfair for their family. It's hopeless, Aggie. I don't think they have enough love for someone like me… I don't think I have enough love for them too. I'll ruin everything if I stay with them."

Aggie felt guilty after listening to the Grinch's real reason. She also cried when Grinch started to cry when he shared his confession to her. She placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him, "I know how you feel. When I almost married Red, I feared that Roy and Rebecca won't accept me as their step-mom or 2nd mother, because Ruby was their real mother, and I'm marrying their father. I also feared that they won't love me, and there's not enough love for them to love me as their family. But, you know what I discovered, Roy and Rebecca already accepted me, even before I married Red. I'm already part of their family because I'm also their godmother. I was so relief and happy for that. Even if Roy and Rebecca weren't my kids, I already treated them as my own, kindly and fairly. As for you, Grinch, that won't happen. You just thought wrong. You will never replace Mr. Who. Donna Lou kept the picture of her husband because she missed him so much, and she won't be lonely all the time, even before and after going to sleep. I also spoke to Cindy Lou one day. She said she still loves and misses her dad, but she really wants a father-figure by her side, and she wants her brothers to have the same since they never met their father. And Cindy Lou wants you to be their father-figure. She knows you're the one. She also told me that Mr. Who wants his wife to be happy, and you're still the one. I also felt that Donna really wants someone to make her feel love again, and still, it's you. If Bricklebaum said himself, Donna deserves to have someone by her side because she's an intelligent, hardworking and beautiful woman, and you deserve to be love by someone like her. So, what do you say?"

The Grinch quite touched about Aggie's reflection. But still, she's right though. Donna deserves to be love again after her loneliness of the loss of her husband, and her kids need a father by their side. Their family would be incomplete without one important family member. Grinch really wants the Lou-Who family to be happy, and feel complete again, but he always thinks of consequences. What if it was the exact opposite of what he was thinking if he lives with them? It would be a disaster. He doesn't want that to Cindy's family. He never plans this at all. Grinch got up and left Aggie sitting below the catapult, "Forget it, Aggie. I'm not worthy to be part of their family. I'm too different and too much for this family. They still be happy without Mr. Who or me around. I'll just catapult the gifts to Donna Lou's house, and we're done." He started to pull the hook of the catapult with him.

"Oh, Grinch," Aggie sighed sadly. She felt so sorry for him, and she couldn't accomplish this mission if the Grinch can't go on his very first date. When she got up from sitting, she noticed the bricks near the wheels of the catapult as she suddenly has an idea.

The Grinch almost reached the lever box while pulling the hook of the rope that connected to the catapult, "Alright, just attach this here, and we'll be ready to launch." He finally hooked the rope with the lever box.

As planned, Aggie secretly used her telekinesis to moved the bricks from the wheels as the catapult started to move, and Aggie whistled, pretending that she didn't do anything. Max noticed the bricks are moving, but didn't know it was Aggie, and the catapult started to slide towards the Grinch. The dog barked loudly to warn his master.

"I know, Max. She's gonna love my gifts," He laughed until he turned around, and noticed the catapult is coming towards him. He was pushed by thick snow as he jumped on the heavy counter-weight, which the catapult rolled on the edge. He noticed the flowers and chocolates are going to fall from the bucket. The Grinch quickly crawled up to the bucket, and pushed the catapult with his weight backward to stop it from rolling and almost down the edge. That was a close call as Max and Aggie met up with him. "Whoo! That could be so much worst." But then, he noticed Aggie turned her wand staff into a knife, and was about to the cut restraining rope. The Grinch discovered if she cut the rope, the catapult will send him and the gifts to Whoville. "Aggie!"

"Sorry, Grinchy, but this is for your own good!" yelled Aggie.

"Oh, you're so evil!" Grinch gritted his teeth angrily.

With one last smirk on her face to her new friend, Aggie successfully cut the restraining rope, catapulting the Grinch and the gifts towards town.

"WWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed.

Max watched in worry for his master, but Aggie still smiled for her work, "Well, at least he can still go on his date."

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At the Lou-Who household, Donna and Cindy Lou went outside to check if the Grinch came, but he didn't.

"Where's Mr. Grinch?" Cindy Lou checked on the clock. "It's 7:30, and he wasn't here!"

"It's a long walk from Mt. Crumpit, dear," Donna Lou defended. "It's not like he's gonna fly here for 2 seconds."

Suddenly, the mother and daughter heard a familiar scream coming from nowhere. Then, they saw the Grinch coming from above, and landed in front of their house under the snow, followed by two gifts.

"Oh my goodness, Mr. Grinch, are you okay?!" Donna rushed down few steps to help the Grinch up, followed by her daughter, who also helped him up.

"Yeah. I'm okay," the Grinch grunted when he got up. When he wiped the snow off his suit, he stared at Donna in awe. He froze when he caught sight of the Who woman in front of him. She was dressed in a beautiful sparkly or glittery purple dress. She was also pretty because of the make-up, earrings on her ears, and the same headband she has on her hair everyday. When he kept staring at her, the Grinch's heart starting to beat rapidly again, but he clutched his chest to lower its volume, and his cheeks turned red, even behind his green fur.

Donna Lou raised an eyebrow when she noticed him staring. "Are you alright, Grinch?"

Grinch shook his head, "Yeah, I, uh… I'm fine." Then, he noticed he was holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates with just one hand. "Um… for you!" He grinned nervously.

Donna delightfully took the flowers, and sniffed them, "Wow, tulips, orchids and lavenders! My favorite. How did you know?"

"Let's just say, I had some help," Grinch said, referring to Aggie, and, possibly, with Cindy Lou.

"These are wonderful," Then, she opened the box with plain and white chocolates. "Wow, these are so… delightful. Thank you. You're so thoughtful, Grinch."

"Heh, heh, I am, aren't I?" Still nervous, Grinch scratched the back of his neck.

Then, Donna turned to her daughter, "Cindy Lou, could you please bring these in the house?" She handed the flowers and chocolates to her.

"Sure, Mom," Cindy took the flowers and chocolates, and rushed back inside the house to keep them.

When the girl is inside, it's the Grinch's time to take her on a date. There's no turning back now, "So, um… are we ready to go?"

"Wait! I have to call Mrs. Wilbur to look after the kids," Donna said as she was about to rush back to the house.

"No need, Ms. Who…" When there was a sudden breeze blowing the couple's hair, Aggie appeared with Max in front of them. "I'll watch over the kids tonight."

"Are you sure you can handle this, Aggie?" asked Donna.

Aggie held her hand up, "Please. I have three children, two step-children, and 100 godchildren. I know how to babysit young children."

"Well, alright," Donna almost had her doubts. "But remember to feed the twins, put them to bed, and Cindy Lou should be on her own bed before 10pm. There are some leftovers in the fridge for you two to eat, and her friends should go home before 9pm."

"I got this, Donna. Now, you two enjoy your night and have fun!" Aggie carried Max, flew inside the house, and closed and locked the door.

Grinch and Donna just stared in confusion. That was until the Grinch gave his hand to Donna. "So…" Cleared his throat. "Shall we?"

Without hesitating, Donna took the Grinch's hand, and the two started to walk out from the house.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Cindy Lou and Aggie watched Grinch and Donna go through the window, and then turned to Groopert, Axl, Ozzy and Izzy.

"Alright, guys, are you ready?" asked Cindy Lou.

"YEAH!" Her gang exclaimed excitingly.

"Great! Now, let's do what we've planned for!"

"Just stay close to me," Aggie added.

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The couple then walked over the bridge, leading themselves out of Whoville.

"So, where are you taking us?" inquired Donna.

The Grinch then realized he doesn't know where they can have their date, "Well, you see… um…" Before he can answer in panic, there are blinking arrows suddenly shown on the snow, pointing them to their locations. The Grinch didn't know what's going on, but he knew who's responsible as he decided to play along. "We'll just follow the arrows! It's a surprise."

"Wow, Mr. Grinch, you really prepared yourself," Donna said as she followed the blinking arrows, while the Grinch looked around him to find someone he knew who was responsible for this, but he tried to ignore it as he followed Donna.

Behind the arc of at the entrance of Whoville, Aggie, the kids and Max were following them, and when Aggie's wand staff was glowing, this means she made blinking arrows on the snow, to guide the two to the location of their date spot.

When they got through the pine trees with snow and stepped on the last blinking arrow, the Grinch and Donna discovered they are on the frozen lake. For the Grinch, he thought this is a wrong place, but for Donna, it's a beautiful place. When Aggie, the kids and Max were hiding behind the trees and bushes, Aggie poofed up Christmas lights on trees to make the place brighter, and a dinner table for two with a plate of spaghetti with meatballs, two glasses, a bucket of ice with a bottle of wine in it, and a candlelit on the middle. The Grinch and Donna were surprised by the place that it magically changed from dark place to a bright beautiful place.

Donna looked around in awe as her eyes reflected the lights, "Grinch, did you do all of this?"

"I did?" He was confused, but he has to play along so he won't mess this up. "I mean, yeah, I kinda did."

"I knew you're very thoughtful man, Grinch." Donna smiled as she grabbed his hand. "Come on, let's eat. I'm starving!"

The Grinch had to keep the pace when Donna rushed to the dinner table to eat. Grinch pulled a chair for her to sat down. When she sat on her chair, he sat down on his own chair.

"So, um, bon appetit," said the Grinch.

"Bon appetit to you too," replied Donna Lou.

Before the two can eat and Aggie was about to make music, she, the kids and the dog noticed the same goat they encountered yesterday, the strange one who screamed so loud. If it comes close to the dated couple and screams at them, their date would be ruin. Taking the risk, Groopert and Ozzy came out from the bushes with a net, and captured the goat with it while Grinch poured some wine in Donna's glass, which they are distracted and never noticed the two boys strangling the goat. In panic, Aggie quickly retrieved the kids with the goat, and ran back to the bushes, making rustling sounds.

The Grinch and Donna hears the sound as they looked around to see what's making that sound.

"What was that?!" exclaimed Donna.

"Probably it's just a squirrel," guessed the Grinch.

Behind the bushes, Aggie kept the goat's mouth close while keeping her own mouth close. The kids and Max kept themselves quiet as well. Aggie then poofed up a music player with romantic music as she put it in autoplay, and poofed two pairs of ice skates near the frozen lake, just in case. "Sorry, kids, let's leave them alone." She whispered before poofing themselves out of here, leaving the couple alone.

While eating, the two heard a soft romantic out of nowhere, but the music hypnotized them to look and smile at each other, then proceeded to eat their dinner. Grinch and Donna seemed to enjoy each other's company while eating their food. When they coincidentally slurped the same strand of the noodle of their spaghetti on ends, they almost led their lips to each other's into a kiss, but Donna shyly face away, and her cheeks turned red. The Grinch also blushed, but he rather not to discuss that right now. When he noticed there's not meatball left on her side, he gave the last meatball to Donna.

"Thank you, Grinch, but this is your meatball," Donna wanted to take the meatball back to him.

"I won't mind. It's yours," Grinch insisted.

"You're very thoughtful."

"And you're so beautiful."

"What?"

"Um... nothing! Nothing."

Grinch tried to compliment nicely while keeping his mouth shut, but things started to get awkward between them. However, Donna never saw any awkwardness between them at all. She thought it was cute when he grinned nervously at her. When they had finished eating, the music suddenly changed to the instrumental version of "Tale as old as time."

"Ooh, I love this song!" Donna listened to that beautiful music as she hummed to it.

Like what he read in the book, it's his chance to offer her to dance as he walked beside her and bowed while extended his hand to her, "May I have this dance?"

Donna was quite surprised and stared at his open hand as she giggled, "Of course." She then slowly took it.

The Grinch led her away from the dinner table to an empty space on the snow, not near the frozen lake, where it is safe for them to dance. Just like he practiced, he pulled her close as he gently took her hand with one of his hand, while he placed his other hand on her waist. Donna placed her other hand on his shoulder. When they're read, he secretly glanced down to his feet, imagining the paper footprints that he practiced yesterday. He followed the steps as he led themselves in a waltz, while she tried to keep with her partner since she never dance like this for a long time.

"Where did you learn to dance like this?" Donna inquired.

"Let's just say… I had lots of help from a friend," Grinch replied.

"I never knew you're a fast learner and a good dancer."

"Oh, I would never say I'm a good dancer. You see, this is my first date, and I want to make it perfect… just for you."

Donna blushed, "Thank you, and it's okay. I know what is like when you're in a first date since… well, I've been there before."

"Yeah, I know," the Grinch twirled her around.

When they were distracted in a dance, the two didn't noticed they were about to dance towards the frozen lake. Just one step backward, Donna had her foot on the frozen river as she almost slid backward. Luckily, the Grinch caught her and held her closer to his chest tightly. She tried to stand again, but she kept slipping as he held her even tighter, trying not to let her go.

"I just wish we have ice skates," Donna said.

The Grinch looked around, and noticed two pairs of ice skates beside them, "What about those?"

"That'll work," she answered.

When Grinch lifted her back up on the snow, he took the ice skates, while Donna removed her high-heeled shoes to wear those skates. Grinch volunteered to help her to put the skates on her feet, while he wore his own. When they were ready, he offered her hand again, but, this time, Donna hesitated.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm sorry," she hung her head down. "I just… I never danced on ice before."

But Grinch held both her hands, and said, "Don't worry. I will teach you."

Donna smiled and nodded in respond as he pulled her with him slowly on the frozen lake. Just like what they did on snow, they started to dance in a waltz, but more graceful. Grinch still held Donna closer so she won't let go and fall. Their waltz turned to, like, ballet when they lose their nervousness and fear of this dance on ice and they felt like having fun with each other. The Grinch twirled Donna three times before she leaned her head on his chest. He was quite shock though that she leaned on his chest, but he let her be as he wrapped one arm on her back. While she rested her head against his chest, Donna can hear the Grinch's heart beating rapidly and loudly. She wanted question him about this, but she doesn't want to interrupt him because he was so calm and relax when he pit his arm on her back. She never felt this feeling for a long time when she was with her husband, but now, she's letting someone else to do it.

When Donna lifted her head to face the Grinch, they stared at each other's eyes where, where emerald meets blue, with warm smiles on their faces. Because of this moment and were hypnotized by each other's eyes, they leaned their foreheads at each other, while feeling a warmth love around them, if that's what love feels like.

Donna was the first to pull away, "Uh…, I'm quite tired."

"Why don't rest for a bit?" the Grinch suggested.

"Good idea," She agreed as the two skated back on the snow, took their ice-skating shoes off, and sat back on a bench together.

When they rested, the Grinch and Donna were silent for a while, quite awkward to talk. They looked at the stars above them, and were fascinated when there are billion stars in the sky tonight as Donna rested her head on Grinch's shoulder, which made him blush.

Donna started to talk, "It's so beautiful out here, isn't it?"

"Uh, yes, it is," Grinch replied immediately. He was panicked.

"You know, I miss having dates, especially with my husband, Lou. He was such a gentleman when he asked set up a date for us."

"Did he set up a date like this, too?"

"Yeah, but just not like this. He made us dinner, took me to dance, but he never took me to an ice-skating. I never knew you're good at this."

"Well, I don't exactly do that all the time. I just dreamed to skate, but I never do that in public."

"Oh, but you should be. You're so amazing."

"Yeah, thanks." The Grinch scratched the back of his head and chuckled. Then, something in his head told him to ask some questions about her. Because of this date, it's his chance to get to know Donna better. "Donna, um, I was wondering, if you don't mind me asking."

"I don't mind at all." Donna turned away from the stars to look at the Grinch, "What is it?"

"Ever since your husband died, are you quite okay when you realized you're going to take care of Cindy Lou and the twins on your own?" He asked, but he thought that was a bad question.

Donna hung her head down in sadness, "To be honest, Mr. Grinch, I'm not actually sure that time. When Lou died, I was still carrying the twins. I don't know what to do. I feel so hopeless and sad, but I have to be strong… for my family, for Lou, for Cindy Lou, and for Buster and Bean. I work so hard, just for my family, and I have to take care of my kids on my own, even if I was really tired of all this work. I'm still a mother, and I'll do whatever it takes to make them better lives."

The Grinch stared at her in awe and felt so pity, "Wow, you're a very strong woman, Donna."

Her cheeks turned red again, "Thank you, and I'm so sorry for your loss."

"That's okay. I'm already happy with my children. What about you? Why you've been so alone in your cave and hate Christmas?"

"I…" Before Grinch can say anything, he realized he doesn't want to discuss about his past. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Come on, just tell me. You can trust me." Donna said, putting her hand over his.

When Grinch glanced at her hand on his and looked back at her, he exhaled sadly. "When I was a kid, I was an orphan. I never knew my real parents. I lived in the orphanage. Everyone teased me and made fun of me because of my... um, appearance. I have a best friend and roommate, Whittaker. He's the closest friend I've got, until he was adopted. After all the kids at my age were adopted, I was left alone in the orphanage. No one adopted me. I have no one to celebrate Christmas with."

Donna covered her mouth in shock as she felt pity when she heard his story, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Grinch. I didn't know."

"It's okay, Donna. I want you to know, anyway. I mean, I never told any Who about my past before."

Then, when she recalled he lived in his cave for 53 years, Donna just remembered that mysteries man who took her I from the cold when she was 5 years old, "It was you."

The Grinch raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"I remembered. It was you. When I was a little girl I lost my balloon and flew all the way up to Mt. Crumpit. I climbed there to retrieve it, but it was so cold up there, and I can't fight the blizzard. Then, someone carried me and took me inside a cave where it was warm and cozy, and I fell asleep. But when I woke up, I was here in Whoville with my balloon. I thought that was just a dream, but I'm not sure if it was a dream." Donna Lou explained.

The Grinch paused for a while and looked as he recalled that memory of finding a Who girl and took her inside his cave to warm her up, and then took her back to Whoville the next morning, "It's true. That was me. I saw you shivering. I wanted nothing to do to you, but I can't just leave you to die, so I took you in, warmed you up, fed you, and you fell asleep. And then, the next morning, I thought your parents might be worried, so I took back home with your balloon."

Donna almost sobbed and thankful for the Grinch, "Thank you so much for saving my life."

"No problem." Grinch nodded as he kept staring at the stars.

"I was wondering why you showed up a little late and you seemed so different than usual tonight. Is everything okay?" She asked.

When she questioned him, Grinch secretly started to panic in the inside. He doesn't want Donna to know what happened before he was catapulted to Whoville. It might break her heart. "It's nothing, Donna. I'm fine."

"You don't look so fine. It's written all over your face," she suspected. "Tell me, Grinch. What's going on?"

He can't lie to her anymore. He doesn't want to break her heart, but he doesn't want to keep secret fro Donna anymore as he sighed and confessed, "I was supposed to ditch you."

Donna didn't hear that, "What?"

"I was supposed to ditch you, okay?!" He replied loudly with guilt. "I'm not suppose to take you out."

"What do you mean? Why?"

"I'm sorry, Donna Lou. When Cindy Lou, Aggie and I cleaned up the house, I went to your room to clean, and I found the picture of you and her husband at your wedding day. I saw you were happy when your husband was still alive. When your husband died, I always wondered why you are still working at the hospital and taking care of your kids on your own without someone else to help you, and you didn't have time to find someone new for you. I only thought that it's because you're so busy, but I've been thinking something else… it's because you still love your husband and you remain loyal to him. A woman, like you, never leaves her man because she still loyal and loves him, even if he's dead or alive. I know you never want to find someone to replace your husband and have someone other than him. I thought you're already happy with your life, even without your husband by your side. You have three amazing kids to be with. I don't want to ruin your family! Maybe if I'm with you, I might ruin your family if you spend a lot of time for me than the children. I don't think they're ready for a new father. I don't want to ruin your family and happiness, just like when I almost ruined Christmas. Cindy Lou still loves her dad. You still love your husband. Even if the twins never got a chance to meet their real dad, I don't think they'll accept me as their new dad. I don't want to be a substitute. I don't want to take Mr. Who's place at all. It's unfair for your family."

Donna was so speechless. She doesn't know what to say. She doesn't expect that there's someone who said something like that to her. After the Grinch explained, she remembered her promise to Lou that her heart always belongs to him, but her own heart started to beat when she stared at the Grinch's nervous and sad face. Is she... in love again? She then felt very pity and worried for the Grinch as she leaned a little closer to him, "Grinch, I…"

"It's okay. I know you're mad. You have the right to be mad at me. I screw up. You still can't find someone to accompany you, not only because you has three kids to take care of, but also you still loved your husband and stayed loyal to him. I understand that." The Grinch waited for Donna to get angry at him with, probably, shouts or slaps or something else, because he deserved it.

But Donna never showed any anger at all. Instead she turned Grinch's head to look at her, "Grinch, I'm not mad."

He was confused, "What?!"

"I'm not mad at you. Why else I agreed to go out with you after you asked me out?"

"I just thought you say that because you don't want to hurt me, and I asked you out just to make you happy," He lied at the last part. "But I just realized when I know you still love your husband, you can't fall in love again,"

"Why do you say that?! I don't understand! It's like you…" Donna then realized something as she looked at the Grinch. "Are you saying… you love me?"

The Grinch covered his mouth as he doesn't want to tell his feelings for her, but when he looked at her, he can't keep it forever, "Yes. I love you, Donna Lou. I fell in love you when we met that Christmas. You're the strongest woman I know. I can't tell you because I know you don't feel the same way. I know you can't fall in love again, and you couldn't fall in love with someone like me. I'm the Grinch who was a grump and used to hate Christmas. No one wants to love someone like me. You're heart still belonged to your husband. I don't want to take your husband's place, not just for the kids, but also just for you. I don't think you and your kids have enough love for someone like me… I don't think I have enough love for them too. I'll ruin everything if I stay."

"Grinch, please, listen to me," Donna stopped him right there. "It's so not true. Yes, I still love my husband, and I still do, but that doesn't mean I don't have enough love with someone else." She noticed the Grinch had his eyes widened in shock. "Grinch, it's not true about what you said. My children, especially Cindy Lou, needs a father to be with them. And… I felt so alone after Lou died. I just kept it as a secret so everyone won't noticed I'm quite sad. I'm still happy with my children, but I miss Lou so much. It's like I really need someone to be with me. I didn't expect there was someone who wants to be with me… and it was you, Grinch. And it's not true that I can't fall in love again, because I can be in love again. And there is definitely someone who can love with someone like you… me."

"What?!"

"I love you too, Grinch. I see how much you help me a lot these days, and I appreciated it. You also love my daughter and sons. This made me feel I suddenly fell in love with you. Lou is a very nice man. He doesn't want me to be alone for the rest of my life because I love him. He wants me to be happy and to be with someone like you."

When the Grinch heard that Donna loved him back, his sadness and doubts turned to happiness and almost cried with joy, but there was also guilt, not to her, but to his two friends, "They were right."

"Who were right?" asked Donna.

"Cindy Lou and Aggie." He said. "They told me the same thing before our date, and I didn't listen. I have my doubts."

"It's okay. You've been alone for a long time now. I understand," she put her hand on his again. "I just hope this date was worth it for you."

"Well, I hope this is worth it for you. I never felt so alone when I'm with my dog and your family, especially with you."

"Grinch, I feel the same to you."

At this moment, when their faces are coming closer to each other, Donna grabbed the Grinch's black tie, pulled him closer to her, and kissed him on the lips. Grinch was a bit stunned, his were eyes wide open in shock but the kiss was soft and tender as he gave in and wrapped his arms around Donna, kissing her back. The kiss became intense as he leaned in a little more. Donna moved one hand on his cheek while her other hand rested on his chest, feeling his heart beating, and the two kept kissing passionately. After they felt like eternity, they finally parted, and had their cheeks turned red.

"T-that...that was.." Grinch tried to describe this situation.

"Incredible?" Donna asked, like she was reading in the Grinch's mind.

"Yeah...just like you said...incredible." Grinch said.

Donna leaned for another kiss as the Grinch returned the kiss, and they hugged.

After their long sweet date, the Grinch and Donna walked back to the her home. When they opened the door, they saw Aggie rubbing Cindy Lou's hair who was sleeping on her lap, while Max was there sleeping besides the two girls. Cindy Lou's gang were no longer here anymore since they already went home.

Aggie turned to noticed the Grinch and Donna, "Oh, you guys, you're here." She exclaimed silently while carrying Cindy Lou, and handed her to Donna. "Sorry, Ms. Who, I tried to send her to her room, but she wanted to stay and wait for you guys, until she fell asleep. You two came late."

"Sorry, we're quite… enjoying each other's company," the Grinch said.

""It's okay, Aggie, I'll take care of it," Donna took Cindy Lou from her.

"Well, I think it's time to go home, then," Aggie suggested as she tried to wake the dog up. "Max, come on, we're going home."

The dog got up and yawned, and when he turned to see his master, he jumped off the couch and ran towards him.

"Aww, I miss you too, Max, even if I was out for only few hours," Grinch playfully rubbed his dog's face.

"I'm having a great time, Grinch," Donna smiled at him. "You should celebrate New Year's Eve with us."

"I'll be honored." He bowed down in agreement.

"Thank you for the date. It's lovely," Donna surprised him with a kiss on his cheek, which Aggie and Max smirked at each other. "Good night. I hope you three go home safely." She closed the door in front of them.

Without saying a word and still stunned, the Grinch started to walk away from the house as Aggie and Max followed.

They traveled all the way up to Mt. Crumpit with a sweat or snow. When they made it to the cave and the Grinch closed the door behind them, he let out a sigh of happiness.

"Wow, you haven't talked all the way home," Aggie said.

"I did it, Aggie. I finally told Donna how I feel for her," He said happily.

"That's great. Anything else?" the winged human expected something else.

"Well, we ate, we danced and we… kissed."

"I knew it! I knew you can do it!"

"Yeah. It's quite hard when I told Donna my real reason why I almost ditched her. She took it well, and she loves me back."

"I told you she loves you."

"All thanks to you, little buddy," the Grinch bent down to reach Aggie's size. "You know, if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have to courage to tell Donna my feelings for her, and I wouldn't tell Cindy Lou and Bricklebaum my secret. I believe now that this is your mission. Thank you."

"Aww, you're welcome, Grinch, and thanks for giving me a chance to help you. Just doing my job," Aggie chuckled.

Without hesitating himself, the Grinch hugged Aggie tighter as he was thankful for having a friend like her. Aggie was stunned and shocked though, but she returned the hug, glad that she helped him with his problems.

After the hug, Grinch scanned her face as he thought she looks so familiar to him, "You know, you reminded me of someone, but you don't him. He's a good friend of mine when I was at the orphanage. He was also a supportive and helpful friend just like you."

"Whoever he was, I'm sure he's glad to help you too."

"Yeah. I better go to bed. Donna invited us on their before New Year party tomorrow."

"Sure. Go along. Good night."

As Aggie watched the Grinch and Max walked to their respective bedrooms, which Max is in the kitchen, she noticed her element on her ID just glowed and blinked again, just like when she was called on a mission four days ago. This can only mean one thing…

"I did it." She smiled when she realized her mission is over.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I remember there was a clip in YouTube that the Grinch dreamed or imagined to be a great skater when he watched it on TV, so I decided to use that in this chapter. So, during the date, an instrumental version of "Tale as old as time" was played in this chapter. I also reused the catapult scene from the movie. I hope you like it! Pls read and comment!

[nemossubmarine]

DA RP Write-up #16.2

Setup session number two is here. Let’s see how our heroes manage to wiggle their ways into Halamshiral.

First though, ship finances. We decide to start on two different businesses: spices and drugs. 

Spice sales go well enough, though they don’t make much profit, so we turn to drugs.

Two of our first attempts at being drug sellers go very poorly and we basically lose most all our money.

We have enough money for one stint, and everyone chips in to help, though Randy has to persuade Humbert to partake.

Once persuaded Humbert persuades some of our crew members to join as well.

Boshara does some research, mostly relating to when not to sell drugs, and Alf helps.

With this intel, we manage to sell for a pretty good price, keeping our ship afloat for the time being.

The rest of the session went between different players seeing how their players managed to get into the party. I’ll relay them here one by one.

Randy is obviously using his Orzammar connections to get an in. But to use them, he’d have to return, so first he gathers some information on how things are below the surface, so he knows if it’s safe to return.

Randy learns that King Aeducan has died and a man by the name of Decan Stonefist has become regent. He’s a middle-of-the-road kind of guy, apparently supported by Marjaleena.

The Chantry is pretty pissed off about the whole withholding lyrium shipments thing, so Orzammar has entered into trade negotiations with the Chantry to see how this might be remedied.

Randy asks Alf to talk with the carta people on board: From them he learns that Hedda has perished and a new carta leader has moved the operations back to Dust Town and scaled them back considerably from planning on blowing up Orzammar.

Randy takes a small group of people with him: his mother and sister as he wishes for them to be taken back to the house, Pitkä-Breck, Jasinto, Jasinta and Carla, the Antivan Crow, bc of course she comes with.

Randy also asks Jelaina and Darian to come with as drivers and possible get-away drivers for Boshara’s mom.

He also asks if Cahair would be willing to take Rina, his little sister back to the ship after she has been taken into the house, as a child of 2 years isn’t really party material. Cahair agrees and Richard comes with.

At Orzammar Randy manages to persuade Carla not to come in with them. He also gets Dagrun, Rina, Breck and Merle (though he is not present and has to come by to finalize the deal) to become members of house Mandulfr.

Randy and Marjaleena invite the regent Decan to a dinner and talk business.

Decan bemoans the Chantry for trying to screw Orzammar over just because there was a slight hiccup at the delivery thing.

Randy asks if Decan has maybe thought about selling to outsiders, maybe not lyrium, but other stuff. Decan is interested.

Randy mentions that he knows of the Empress’ birthday, and maybe it’s about time Orzammar sent someone there.

Decan asks if Randy is volunteering and Randy says why not.

So they set it up thus, Randy will go to the party as Orzammar’s envoy, and try to see if he can make any deals with foreign leaders to make the Chantry reconsider its demands of Orzammar.

Other than that Randy is not to take any political sides.

Randy’s friends will come with, as well as his wife Marjaleena (who Randy reveals may be pregnant), Marjaleena’s assistant (and secret gf) Ragna and perhaps some soldiers from Orzammar as well.

As for getting the invite, Randy suggests they make a power play and just send a note saying they will come to the party.

For a birthday gift they are planning on giving the Empress a bronto as well as a piece of jewelry made by Orzammar’s very own Kivi-Jaakko.

Boshara and Humbert have headed off to Orlais to meet Humbert’s sister Hannah. They have also taken Aarli Hauveli with.

On the way there, Humbert tries to desperately introduce Orlais to Boshara. It’s mostly just very awkward.

On the last night, Humbert tries to get them to agree on a story and accidentally makes it sound like he’s still wooing Boshara, which leads to a huge row, especially when Humbert, desperate to try and keep Boshara from just walking away, says he knew her mother but refuses to tell anything about her to Boshara.

Boshara hurls a stonefist at him, accusing him of being controlling and gross. Boshara’s attack causes Aarli to attack Humbert too, so Humbert punches the dog. As you do. 

Humbert tries to force her not to leave, but she slaps him and goes out to drink for the night.

In the morning things have calmed down considerably. Humbert says Boshara should be Rosamund, Evenine’s daughter, but Boshara says why can’t she just be Humbert’s daughter straight-away. Humbert agrees to this.

So off they go and meet Hannah Pomdeter. Rosamund is introduced to her, and then Humbert and Hannah have a conversation by themselves.

Humbert says Boshara is his, but claims that the mother has died. He was hoping Hannah could somehow arrange Rosamund to get a good marriage.

Hannah says that one of her daughters, Amanda is making her debut at the Empress’ birthday, and though Rosamund is a bit old, she could do so as well.

First they’d need to fake her a non-bastard parentage, which Hannah is pretty sure she can manage.

Humbert is very pleased to hear this.

Boshara, or Rosamund, is okay with the idea of a debut, and is put into the same etiquette and dance classes as Amanda.

Humbert wishes to partake but Boshara isn’t really having much of it.

Amanda and Boshara develop a friendship of sorts, especially since Boshara is much more adventurous and says-them-as-they-is -type. A clear bad influence. 

Humbert can’t stay at Hannah’s for the whole time, as he has to find another way in. So he returns to Val Royeaux and enlists as a royal guard.

Before he is hired, he is suspect to a long questioning on his motives and his family’s position in the Game. The guards don’t take in just anyone.

Humbert manages to answer well enough and is taken in for a trial period, which means lots of night-shifts and garbage assignments.

Humbert manages to break off a drunken fist-fights between two minor nobles and that earns him the respect of his instructor and a ticket to Halamshiral.

At Halamshiral he manages to make such good friends of the other guards that he can pick just about any place as he pleases for the party.

Alf is also planning on getting himself as hired help to the Winter Palace.

He goes to the alienage of Kirkwall to ask any advice on gaining an in. A friend of his, named Kari, tells that they hire from the Val Royeaux alienage and all the elves must have someone speaking for them. Kari says that a friend of his, by the name of Marie could be of help.

So Alf goes to Val Royeaux and tries to fit in. He gets caught almost immediately, but luckily him telling that he knows Marie gets the other elves to help him.

Marie is an older elven woman, who very happily takes Alf in, and says that he’ll make a fine servant, he’ll just have to learn few more words of Orlais first.

Alf stays with Marie at the alienage for few weeks. He makes some friends, though others do not like him much as he is clearly better off than the alienage elves and doesn’t even really need the servant job.

Finally Alf and the others elves are carted off to Halamshiral, where Alf will be doing laundry for the preparation of the party and at the party he’ll be serving drinks at the upper level, on the account of him being tall and handsome.

Alf gets “lost” several times at the Palace, scouting about. There’s three entrances to the Palace, the main gate, a smaller eastern gate by a guardhouse and a bigger western gate which is always bustling with people. This information Alf relays with the help of Haukka to Jelaina.

Alf also asks around what kind of people he can expect as guests and hears a lot about all the fancy folk that will be attending.

The elves are especially excited and a bit worried about Randulfr Mandulfr from Orzammar attending, as they have no clue how to act with dwarves.

Alf convinces them that they should totally all kneel when giving the dwarves drinks.

Elspet has also made her way to Val Royeaux where she is looking for a fine lady for whom she could be a +1.

She spots a lady in her 30′s at a market. Her first attempt at approach, which is to fake-fall down next to her doesn’t really go very well, but Elspet’s honeyed words very quickly catch the woman’s attention.

She is Isabella Leroi, a widow and a daughter of a count.

Elspet pretty snugly finds her way into Isabella’s bed. Isabella even pays for her stay at the fanciest inn in all of Val Royeaux, when Elspet says her friend with whom she was supposed to be staying, threw her out.

Elspet is now a lover of Isabella, but she would need to get introduced to Isabella’s friends before she can even hope of getting invited to go with Isabella to the party. Isabella is a bit doubtful, as Elspet is a Fereldan low-born.

So Elspet uses her skills as a perfume maker to make the most loveliest perfume for Isabella and some salves and samples for her friends.

Through an about two-month period Elspet finds herself a comfortable little position by Isabella’s side, before finally telling her that she would really like to meet the Empress.

Isabella is pleased to tell that she knows the Empress personally, and has an invite to the party.

Isabella’s father is loyal to Empress’ rival Gaspard, so Isabella wishes that Elspet would not be so openly pro-Empress at the party.

From Isabella, Elspet gathers some intel on the people our heroes might expect to see at the party.

The central conflict of the party is of course between Empress Celene and Gaspard, who was also hoping for the crown when the previous Emperor died.

There are people loyal to both of them at the party, plenty enough to cause some interesting moves in the Orlesian Game.

Maric Theirin, the King of Ferelden, will also make an appearance, the first time after Fereldan independence. He is a bit of a wild card, and people are wondering how Celene might be hoping to play him in the Game.

There is also the court mage, Damien Lafond, who might be getting de-throned by an upcoming mage by the name of Vivienne de Fer, attending the party with her lover.

Celene has also managed to invite an emissary from Orzammar, Randulfr Mandulfr, and no one really knows how he will play into this whole situation.

Other notable people are Michael Vael, the eldest son of Starkhaven’s prince and Duke Prosper de Montford, a steadfast ally of Celene’s.

And then there’s of course Edmund Pentaghast and Katerine Holzer, about who Elspet tries to get as much information as she can.

Edmund has no notable ties to Orlais, he has always kept up Nevarra’s ties to Starkhaven.

He has no notable enemies either, though he is a bit old-fashioned when it comes to women: he denied an Orlesian woman marrying his son as he felt she was too old (even though he is 15 years his wife’s senior) and reportedly he had wished for a wife that would be less active in politics.

He even tried to get out of his engagement with Katerine, which was done when they were both young, few years after Konstantine was born.

The envoy from Nevarra would also feature, by the request of the Empress, two members of Mortalitasi, the Nevarran death mages. Edmund’s wife Katerine is not on good terms with the Mortalitasi.

It seems like best bets on who wants Edmund dead are either the Mortalitasi or his wife Katerine.

Now everyone has found an in to the party. Next session we’ll be having a small adventure run by Räddi, so I can get my stuff together for the actual meat of this story. So for next time we shall leave behind the high-end society and go a-sailing!

[bringhimbackandhidehimthere]

The Untamed: Episode 4

1. so wwx does study... interesting

2. if i were in this lecture, i would 100% fall asleep solely because of the cloud recess color scheme

3. call me hot for teacher but like zewu jun can like... get it 

4. im the face wwx makes when he realizes theyre going to read out all 3000 principles 

5. i love that “don’t be suspicious” is actually a tenet of this clan 

6. wwx literally has no chill at all. like how does he get away with anything when he literally can’t help but act mischievously. he draws so much attention to himself 

7. i am wwx not paying attention to the daggers lz is throwing at him and waving anyway 

8. their hair clips all pop off!

9. i love the face wwx makes when jc calls the gift from the jin clan meriticous... we love agreeing brothers

10. nie huasang straightening his bangs when he’s called up!!! good grooming

11. i forgot that this is meng yao’s villain origin story first and an office romance second. also that this is where zewu jun fell in love with meng yao like straight up. they’re little hand touching as he accepts the gift/// the longing. im calling pride and prejudice

12. wen chao’s idiotic face makes me. so angry. stop setting people on fire. you’re a nobody. 

13. why are the security services at lan clan so inept. like isn’t your whole job to protect your clan. you can’t even protect each other. 

14. i wish. just once. wen qing would use her sword. 

15. lwj ready to fucking fight wen chao is my sexuality

16. why does wwx have. zero. (0). self control. like why are you going after wen chao in front of the whole clan. and pulling your sword rn. literally trouble maker from day one. and i say this with exasperation. 

17. FLUTES BABY. they can do it all 

18. the hard on meng yao gets when zewu jun does That. understandable. 

19. lan qiren is the slowest moving motherfucker in the history of cloud recesses s2g

20. so jc never got to present!! fucked up!

21. lmao i never noticed wwx dropped his sword at the end there

22. nie complimenting wwx’s courage in confronting wen chao like. baby. it’s not courage. it’s stupidity. 

23. jc knows. his courage isn’t something normal people can do. thank you king for recognizing your brother is a freeq

24. lwj is so fucking funny. wwx is so obsessed. they’re so funny in the beginning. 

25. i forgot that jc is the most relatable character on this show. like he’s normal. he gets annoyed with wwx. he’s in love with wen qing. essentially me. 

26. sometimes this show makes logical jumps related to cultivation that i cannot explain and it makes me so confused. 

27. the yearning in zewu jun’s eyes when meng yao comes to say goodbye... volumes

28. “we are peers” the hands dropping. i cannot believe them being like this two seconds after meeting. 

29. i love wen qing. 

30. they actually went fishing. 

31. nvm nie huasang is the most relatable. pretty much none of what wwx said made sense. but whats the use in arguing? lets fish. 

32. NIE. you have my heart. 

33. why does wwx look so dry. like he was just playing in a river. make him wet!

34. i love lanyi so so much. her heart is so big. except for when it comes to jc!! i never noticed the face he makes when lanyi tells him that wwx is exactly like the rangers the jiang clan is descended from. like i always interpreted it as him accepting that wwx is wild and thats okay. but no. its because wwx is like the perfect jiang clan member and jc is, as usual, too serious and not as comfortable with/understanding of jiang tenets. he’s always going to be second best. even with his sister he always comes after wwx. like always. no wonder king has such a middle child complex. who puts him first? no one. and he knows it even as a teen. 

35. the three of them. breaks my heart to think about later. 

36. why are their lectures like That. who wouldn’t fall asleep. 

37. wwx making trouble two seconds after he said he wouldn’t. par for fucking course. 

38. MY FAVE SCENE IS HERE. like wwx is SUCH a know it all. but also Lan Qiren is so mean to him in the wrong way. like you’re not going to get him to not be obnoxious by calling him out in front of everyone. he doesn’t respond to that. 

39. wwx having the audacity to smile at lwj after pranking lan qiren. iconic. 

40. literally be more obvious about your crush wwx. i dare you. 

41. lan zhan looking confused that wwx is smart is so funny. he genuinely thought this kind was like a jock. like fine he can use a sword but whatever. and then he pulls some knowledgable bullshit and lwj is like. ugh. 

42. the LOOK that wwx sends lwj when lwj answers for him. like he’s actually prideful and competitive.

43. my chest inflates every time i get to hear lan wangji say anything other than wei ying. im turned on right now. go baby go 

44. fucking wei wuxian. tie’s little shh. jc telling him to shut the fuck up. yanli’s worried look. the side glances from lwj and jin zixuan. like. take a hint. or a scroll to the head because you can’t figure out when to shut the fuck up. 

45. wangji’s little moment of panic when he’s faced with the prospect of being in charge of wwx’s punishment is so funny. 

46. i forgot how much wen ning’s smile lit up the fucking screen. also forgot that the first thing idiot #1 did when told to go to the library is go to the back hill. 

47. “you’re too humble” maybe you should be taking notes dumbass 

48. kudos to wwx for managing to actually look embarrassed about being told off by lan qiren. he was so cute back when he still somewhat respected the cultivation world. 

49. the hero worship that wen ning has for wwx just because he’s nice to him kills me. he’s such a loyal person. imagining how different the whole story would be if wen ning and wwx didn’t befriend each other in gusu is like. first of all wwx would probs be dead. altho maybe if he died so early on everything wouldn’t be as terrible as it is later. who knows. 

50. i forgot that they fight again here. at least until wwx recognizes that it’s lwj and immediately turns babey

tl;dr

name a more flippant character than teen!wwx. i’ll wait. 

[wizardsuniterpg]

CHARACTER BASICS

Name: Emma Lee Misabun Date of Birth: Place of Birth: Telford, Shropshire, England Actual Age/Age of appearance: 23 Marital Status: Single Sexual Orientation: Heterosexual Pronouns: she/her Religion: None Health details: No Allergens Occupation: Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee Agent (Ministry of Magic)/Task Force Member

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Height: 5’-2” Eye Color: Soft Brown Hair Color/Style: Shoulder length chestnut colored hair of a medium thickness. It’s straight, with only the slightest of waves. Aesthetic/Style: Emma is QUIRKY!  She’s known for her rather out there choices, particularly with her socks or tights.  She’s feminine in her dress, though reserved and not prone to showing an exorbitant amount of skin.  When she wears skirts, never higher than knee length, they are usually accompanied by patterned tights and heels. Other: Emma has pierced ears.  She had considered getting a tattoo at one point, but then chickened out at the last second. Play-By Used: Emilia Clarke

BACKGROUND AND CHARACTER

Like many young witches and wizards in England, Emma attended Hogwarts.  She was sorted into Hufflepuff, a house she loved and was proud of, no matter the connotations about it.  School had been rather normal for her in her early years.  She attended classes, developed a crush, and lived a normal life.  Though she was never the life of the party, she had developed a couple of close friendships, one to a girl named Tabitha.  

They were as thick as thieves, and could most times be found in each other’s company, which was of great relief to Emma since she was often times found to be the butt of jokes.  Her quirks were easy to tease which made her easy to single out.  Surprisingly though, Emma took it in stride.  Her greatest gift was being able to see the good in people, and as a result, she could fault the others for their mirth, even if it was to her own detriment.  

It was in the spring of their sixth year when she and Tabitha had opted to go to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade to celebrate their up and coming final year of Hogwarts.  Oh the plans they had!  Tours of Europe and the States across the pond!  They were going to go on a grand adventure to sate Emma’s love of muggle fashion!  Of course, they also had other reasons for being at the pub, and that, of course, was Tabitha’s crush on a certain bartender, Mr. Alex Fraser..  

It turned out, that the two Hufflepuffs weren’t the only ones at the pub to party, and an entire slew of 6th years had reserved a room upstairs to let loose.  Of course, Tabitha had been all for it, but Emma had been terrified.  Tony Dryden was going to be there.  She’d had a crush on him since their first year, and there was no way she could go up there!

Push came to shove and somehow, Tabitha had convinced her bunny of a friend to go up.  The only problem was that they didn’t know which of the rooms the party was in and went up too many floors.  It was while they were crossing in front of one of the doors that it flew open, knocked by two dueling wizards inside.  The blast struck the door, sending Emma straight into Tabitha!  

It had all happened so fast.  Before Emma could even realize it, Tabby had gone over the railing and had fallen to the pub floor, many levels below them.  She’d died on impact.  

Naturally, the two wizards had fled the scene out the window, but all the partying students had heard the commotion and had left to see what had happened.  Emma was the only one they saw, staring in horror down at her friend below.  Naturally, the rumors flew and everyone blamed her.

Emma’s last year in Hogwarts had been a lonely one because of it, and sadly, she couldn’t have graduated fast enough.  Once she had, she traveled to the states to intern at The People’s Design, a fashion design company in New York, New York.  She’d wanted to get away from wizards and surround herself with the muggles she loved, but inevitably, she came to realize that as much as she loved and appreciated the muggles, living amongst them wasn’t the answer she’d been looking for, and so she returned to London, and became an agent of the Ministry of Magic’s Muggle-Worthy Excuse Committee Department.  It was a cause she could fully embrace, and she was proud of her work.

It was because of her skill with charms and her knowledge of muggles that she was then tapped to join the Taskforce, and that is where she went.

CONNECTIONS

Alex Fraser - Dear friend, like an older brother Babs Maeve Mimzy - Her old charms professor Tabitha “Tabby” O’connell (Deceased) - Best Friend Tony Dryden - Past crush

Future plot ideas: Nothing yet, would like to get her over her fear of heights/flying

FAMILY

Mother: Neena Misabun Father: Roland Misabun Siblings: None Pets: Pips - a small black and white piebald mouse Children: None Spouse: None

MAGICAL

Wand: 10-½”, Hornbeam, Unicorn Hair Basic education: Hogwarts - Hufflepuff Higher/other education: After graduating from Hogwarts, Emma interned at the The People’s Designer Agency (A fashion design company in New York, New York) Lineage: British Half-Blood Skills: Emma has an eye for clothes, specifically design, and is very good at charms related the construction of garments; She is also good with defensive magic

SOME FACTS

Smoking: No Drinks Alcohol: On occasion Worst Habit:  Doubting herself, though many would say her choice in socks Allergies: None Most Common Misconception about them: Biggest Fear: Loss of life, regardless of whether she knows them or not Greatest Strength:  Her heart: she is loyal to a fault and sees the good in absolutely anything Greatest Weakness: She is horrible in offensive magic Weapons: None Intimate Facts

Ideal Kiss?: Something gentle and sweet, certainly not pushy… maybe on a moonlit night or something… or a grocery store or… I don’t know.  It’s a kiss!  What wouldn’t be ideal about it? Sleeps In?: Quite enjoys sleeping in actually Virgin?: Yes What turns them on?: This is private, thank you.

Random facts

Most Uttered Phase/Word? Tends to Always? Bite her lower lip Is Ticklish? Yes Oddest Thing? Her Most likely to find them? At home or the ministry Knows they’re really sorry if? She babbles quickly with lots of apologies

[liloelsagranger]

New oneshot: Prepare for trouble and make it double

This is a oneshot for @teamrocketfanart. I hope you like it (the last part is a little bit short, BUT (SPOILER ALERT!) there will be a big wedding in my fanfiction “Until all eternity” if my readers want to. The next thing I’m going to upload is the tenth chapter of my longest story “UAE”. Have fun and thanks for your support :) Prepare for trouble and make it double Jessie, James and Meowth flew in a high arch through the air, eventually hitting the cold hard ground of an untraveled street surrounded by fancy terraced houses. The magenta-haired woman bobbed up, narrowed her eyes to a slit and tried to recognize the place in which they had landed. Jessie’s head was throbbing, the violent collision had caused a blurry and distorted vision. She staggered like a drunkard towards her team-mates. „Where are we? This sure doesn’t look familiar to me,“ she wondered while culling her belongings that were spread over the sidewalk. Jessie reached for her ruby red lipstick and her grass-green earrings, stowing them into her leather pouch. James shook his head and sat up. His whole body trembled and he felt dizzy and disoriented. He couldn’t remember what happened before the impact. Why did they blast off again? Did they lose an encounter with the twerps? Did Pikachu give them a sample of his powerful electric moves? James had a quick glance at his partner and looked quite surprised. „Jessie! What are you wearing?“ he was completely startled by her unusual sight and thought that this was a side effect of a possible concussion. „What do you mean? I’m wearing my uniform, you fool!“ Jessie snorted derisively and crossed her arms in front of her chest. „Dis is not yous uniform, Jess,“ Meowth put in his two cents. He made a stab at standing up, his knees were wobbly and he clinched to James’ arm to find his footing. Jessie looked down at herself, carefully examining her dress. It was navy blue and speckled with white dots. The cut of the dress was elegant and reminded her of a picture she had seen in a vintage magazine. Her hands moved upwards, frisking her hair that was worn quite sleek and smooth, with a slight wave at the front. Her outstretched fingers passed gently over a scarlet red headband that was made of plastic. Two pearl earrings adorned her porcelain face. Jessie flashed a smile. „Pass me your hand mirror, James! I want to admire my immortal beauty,“ she snatched at the item and looked at herself in the mirror.

„Truly unique!“ Jessie was really carried away by that pleasant sight. A flawless complexion and perfectly painted kissable lips. She was a feast for the eyes.

„What does this portend? Where are we?“ James asked, visibly frightened. „Look over there!“ Meowth pointed at a poster stand only a few meters away. Team Rocket got back on their feet and walked up to the adverstising board that was lit by a streetlamp. There was a picture of a man with blonde hair and a pompadour. He grinned ear to ear, his fingers sliding over a piano keyboard. He was wearing a striped suit, his name was Jerry Lee Lewis. Jessie didn’t notice anything unusual at first glance. He was probably putting on a big concert in the city hall of this inconspicuous place, but James caught sight of the date and let out a scream. He couldn’t belive his eyes. „It says the concert takes place tonight at nine o’clock,“ he swallowed hard. „What’s so bad about it? Why are you flinching? You look as though you’d seen a ghost“, Jessie scolded „Take a look at the date,“ he said with a quavering voice, pointing at the big brown number on the yellow background, right behind Lewis’ ears. Jessie and Meowth pushed their friend aside and stared at the ciphers disclosing the present year: 1957.Meowth’s jaw dropped, Jessie jumped out of her skin. She stepped back. „How’s that even possible? Did we do some kind of time travel? Is this a feeble joke? Who wants to frame us?“ she worked herself up. James spotted a wrinkled piece of paper on the sidewalk. He picked it up and tried to smooth out the single pages. He checked the date in the top right corner of the newspaper that confirmed their journey to the past. „Pinch me! Maybe, this is just a dream and I’m about to wake up,“ Jessie asked and Meowth acceded to this request, but nothing changed. They were still standing next to the poster stand, unsettled and suspicious. „This could be a test,“ James assumed. „They want to put us through our paces, they want to check our exercise capacity and see whether we’re able to deal with the pressures or not,“ he considered. Jessie was by no means convinced of James’ theory. “Or maybe, we’re just victims of a mass hysteria,“ Meowth whispered. „Maybe we’re no longer ourselves,“ Jessie presumed with regard to her superficial change.

Why would they send the trio back in time? This was a mystery which had to be solved. Suddenly, they could hear footsteps coming closer. An elderly woman, clad in swamp green, called for a certain Lady Jessica. „Quick! Go hide behind the bushes, we must not be seen together!“ Jessie ordered. James and Meowth jumped headfirst into the dense scrub and took cover. They peered through the brushwood in order to observe the scenery. The woman walked up to Jessie and grabbed her hands. „I was sick with worry, Lady Jessica. Where have you been today?“ the elderly woman wanted to know. Jessie had no idea who that lady was. She had curly vermilion hair and steel-blue eyes. „I was busy,“ Jessie answered, trying to come up with a credible excuse. The woman began to wipe the dirt off Jessie’s dress. „Look at you, totally soiled and your hair is more than tousled. We need to fix this before you’re going to meet John,“ she explained. Jessie’s eyes widened. „Who’s John?“ Jessie asked, giving a jerk as the woman bored a metallic bobby pin into her scalp. She was coarse and didn’t handle Jessie with kid gloves.The elderly lady laughed out loud. „You little jokester! John is your fiancé and tomorrow, you’re getting married,“ the woman exclaimed, ramming another barrette into Jessie’s hair. „I’m getting married?“ Jessie was more than astonished. „She’s getting married?“ James and Meowth whispered in unison. This was a major piece of news. „Who would marry a prickly character like Jessie?“ Meowth wonderd, casting the branches aside to obtain a better view of the curious events. „Of course, you are. He’s a splendid specimen! You’ve greatly exceeded the nubile age, it’s time to marry you off to a decent and career oriented gentleman who cares for you and who offers you the possibilty to live a worry-free life!“ Jessie was blown away by the description of this man called John. She imagined him being tall and buff because he was working out every day. He had dark hair and chocolate eyes, an overwhelming smile, money and stocks in abundance. He was well trained, strong and a self-starter. He would shower her with compliments and gifts, provide her with an unlimited credit card „I’m ready to meet my future husband,“ Jessie got into raptures, linked arms with the elderly lady and left her team-mates behind. Meowth wanted to take the initiative and follow Jessie and that woman, but James held the he-cat back. „Jimmy! What are yous doin’? We need to stop her,“ he shouted, baring his sharp claws. „No, Meowth! Haven’t you seen the overjoyed expression on Jessie’s face? She was delighted with the thought of John. Who knows, he could be the right guy. She’s been dreaming about a regal wedding for so long and now, there’s the possibility to put this greatest wish into reality. We shouldn’t detain her from eternal happiness, let’s go,“ James stood up and ran deeper into the forest. He couldn’t tell Meowth that Jessie’s decision had hit him especially hard. James was convinced that she enjoyed lving with Team Rocket, living with him. They’d spent so much time together. He had always tried to please her. James rememberd countless episodes of their common adventures. Jessie had protected him from the Ghost of Maiden’s Peak, he remembered her soft smile in their hot-air balloon when he had decided to choose Team Rocket over money and wealth, or her encouraging words in the shipwreck that threatened to take them down into the depths of the ocean. James always thought that he wasn’t all the same to Jessie, that he made part of her life and that she had found a loyal and trustworthy friend in him. There was this song playing in his head, he recalled the lyrics that described their relationship right on the mark: You were the rain falling on my skin Yeah, I was dying when you pulled me in I was your rebel and you were my girl It was us against the world But apparently he had been deceived in Jessie. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, she was gone. Jessie was about to meet John, a paragon, a doer, a man of the world and very likely the complete opposite of James. Jessie was led to an old manor with a grey facade and dark green window shutters at the end of the street. The Team Rocket-member spotted three figures behind the curtains. She recognized a woman with an updo and two men sitting at the table, sipping tea or coffee out of tiny ceramic mugs. The elderly lady, called Patricia, opened the entrance door and yield to Jessie. The young woman entered the manor and was welcomed by a man with short white hair and a giant moustache. He bowed down in front of Jessie, linked arms with her and guided her to the kitchen. There was a man sitting with his back to the agent and the woman behind the curtains proved to be a lady in her late 50ies, wearing a pastel yellow high waist Vivien swing skirt. „Jessica!“ she exclaimed and ran up to Jessie in order to hug her and place a tender kiss on her cheeks. Jessie kept calm and wasn’t trying to get away, although she felt anything but comfortable in this position. „Look who’s here,“ the woman smiled all over her face and Jessie was more than impatient to finally meet her future husband, the man of her sacred dreams. He stood up and turned around, that’s when Jessie experienced the strongest horror in her life.

John looked exactly like James, the same eye colour, the same lavender hair, they could definitely pass off as twins.

„Good evening, Jessica,“ even the voices were identic. Jessie was quite shocked. John reached for her hand and kissed it. She giggled and blushed deeply, unable to cope with this situation. Jessie began to laugh hysterically.

„This is a joke, right? Where are the cameras? You got me,“ she chuckled. „James, you’re such an idiot,“ Jessie clipped the man standing in front of her. John was perplex. Why did his fiancée Jessica act like that, completely out of sorts? She couldn’t calm herself, it was too much. „Jessica, is everything okay with you?“ he asked her, caressing her hand as she was still laughing herself to tears. „Stop calling me Jessica. Who’s the brain behind this? Meowth?“ Jessie wondered. „There is no Meowth. What is wrong with you? I think it’s the edginess that is driving you crazy. You can’t wait to marry me,“ John hugged Jessie and gently fixed a flyway hair. She immediately released herself from that tight embrace. „Stop it! It’s not funny! Why are you doing this to me, James?“ Jessie was slowly getting annoyed. „Sweetheart, my name is John,“ he confirmed. There was only one way to prove her theory. Jessie reached for John’s trouser pocket because she knew that James stored his crown cap collection in there, but she grasped at nothing. This wasn’t a prank, she was really facing her future husband, looking like that pathetic guy she spent so many years with.

„May I talk to you privately?“ he asked her. Jessie nodded, gradually realizing that John meant business. She followed him to the kitchen and he closed the door behind them. The kitchen was extremly colourful, but looked old-fashioned. She spotted stainless steel counters, which blended beautifully with the warm quality of wood and plaster surfaces throughout the room. There were a classic red espresso coffe pot, a scale, a magnetic kitchen timer, a set of three storage containers on the tray and a few milk pint bottles ready for use, eggs were frying in the pan. John wrapped his arms around her waist. „You’re going to be the perfect housewife, spending hours over a hot stove, cleaning the house and windows and feeding our children,“ he smiled softly at her, but Jessie flashed her eyes at him. „Get your hands off me,“ she yelled, pushing her fiancé away.

„Do you really think I’m going to be that dependent and naive dolly who prepares breakfast for her committed spouse? Listen to me, my friend, the only thing I’m going to do in this kitchen is slamming that roasting pan right into your face!“ Jessie was red from anger.

That’s not how she imagined her marriage. She was a headstrong woman, the leader of her former trio, the dominant and strong-willed person, but this was 1957 and powerful post-World War II propaganda encouraged women to seek husbands, settle down and have babies. Women who enrolled in higher education often did so in order to improve their domestic skills, but Jessie was a rebel and she wouldn’t let John or his family lower her to a level of a mere kitchen utensil. Jessie was emancipated and a feared Team Rocket-agent. No one was allowed to mortify her, she clearly called the shots.

The grip on her shoulders grew stronger. „You’re going to obey me, Jessica. You belong to me,“ John whispered with a threatening undertone. „There is no way back. Our parents agreed on this wedding and now it’s our task to please and not disappoint them,“ he added. Jessie tried to release herself from his firm grip. She fought tooth and nail against his arms, eventually able to break away from John. Patricia stepped into the kitchen and witnessed the discrepancies between the couple. „What’s going on?“ she exclaimed, observing Jessie running for cover behind the cooking island. „You can’t force me to marry him!“ Jessie shouted, she was all churned up inside.

„You can’t buck the trend, it’s your duty to become a good housewife and mother, so don’t be reluctant to enter into marriage,“ Patricia impended.

The elderly lady and John began to slowly walk up to Jessie, trying to calm her down, but the Team Rocket-member was faster, pressed the door handle of the rear exit and rushed out into the cool night.

Jessie began to run as fast as her legs would carry her. She got past countless lighted row houses and a well-groomed park. Thousands of thoughts circled endlessly in her mind and developed into a torment. Why had she always been unlucky in love? John wasn’t the first man who tried to change her manner. She remembered a guy called Sebastian who had tried to turn her into a submissive and obedient woman without own will. She remembered Toni who had exploited her to such an extent that she began to feel disgusted with herself. Men were known to bring bad luck. A disappointment followed the next. She always caught a Tartar, she struggled to swallow the tears which choked in her  throat. Finally, Jessie stopped in front of a bar and set foot in it. The pub was crowded. Men and women were high-spiritedly dancing, drinking and celebrating. A band played some wild Rock’n’Roll-music and had to watch out for flying bottles and glasses. The magenta-haired woman cleaved a way to the bar counter and sat down on a stool. She ordered a strong drink and reached for snacks and peanuts in a little black bowl. At first, she didn’t even notice that someone approached her, until she felt a soft squeeze on her shoulder. „Jessie?“ a male voice said. She turned around and stared into two emerald-green eyes. James was standing behind her, slapping on a faint smile. „James,“ Jessie wrapped her arms around his neck, still fighting to hold back her tears. „I’m so glad to see you,“ she whispered. Meowth jumped on the bar counter and sat down next to his team-member. James realized that something was bothering his best friend. He returned the gesture and pulled her gently towards him. „What’s wrong? Don’t you like your future husband?“ he asked her. Jessie didn’t want to show any weaknesses, she who always proclaimed that feelings were for wimps, but she reached a point where she could no more get a hold of herself. „It’s terrible!“ she whimpered. James took a napkin and wiped her tears away. „Tell me,“ he surprised her with his caring side. „They want to force me to marry a macho. He’s so convinced of himself, he wants me to be a hausfrau, he wants me to cook, clean and watch after our unborn babies. They want to break my spirit and I cannot permit that! I’m a strong person, James, and I don’t want anybody to hector me! I’m independent, I’m a feared Team Rocket-agent, for goodness sake! I don’t want them to prey upon me, that’s just not my world. I do have an own will, I do have objectives and no one is going to demote me to a mere kitchen utensil! The problem is that there’s no way I could escape this wedding, it’s settled and there’s no chance to take off and bunk,“ she unburdened herself of her tragic situation. James could relate to her concerns, something similar was waiting for him if he would ever turn back to his parents and his domineering fiancée Jessiebelle. That’s why he wanted to stay out of marital matters.  „And the worst part about it is that he looks like you,“ Jessie sobbed. „Well thanks,“ James felt a little bit offended by her remark. That’s when Meowth got the perfect idea. „Wait a minute,“ he looked at James and scowled. „Yous said that he looks like Jimmy, why don’t yous replace ya future husband with him?“ the scratch-cat proposed, pointing at James. Jessie raised her eyes. „That sure could work,“ she considered. James blanched and loosened his collar. „No way! I’m not marrying you,“ his voice was shaky. He swallowed hard and began to sweat. „Where’s da difference, Jimmy. Yous two are acting love-love all da dime,“ Meowth replied, convinced that his fraud would bear fruit. „But, but Jessie and I are just friends,“ James stammered, scared at the thought of entering into marriage. One part of him was able to acquire a taste for a sincere relationship with Jessie, for he had developed romantic feelings for her over that past few years, but the other part strived against this idea. He was afraid that Jessie would turn out to be an even worse partner than his dreadful fiancée and that he would suffer for the rest of his life, servile and abulic. „What about da hugs, what about yous holding hands?“ Meowth broached the subject again. „Purely amicable,“ James set the record straight. „And what about that incident at the waterfalls? Don’t you remember?“ Jessie tried to jog his memory. James thought back to the night in July when he and Jessie had made out under the moonlight. Both had been squiffy and excited.  After emptying a bottle of cheap wine, he had taken the initative and crushed his lips on Jessie’s. James had kissed her in the most passionate way and she fell for his display of affection. It had been a memorable but unique moment. „Blame the wine,“ he replied with no guilty feeling. „Come’on James, please! Do me this favour. It’s just a fake marriage, the only thing I want to do is deceive them and restore my well-deserved freedom. We exchange our vow rings, take some pictures with the guests and disappear in our hot-air balloon as soon as they turn their backs on us, please“, Jessie begged. Normally, she wasn’t the person who would call for assistance and help, she was convinced to solve all major problems on her own, being tough and self-confindent, but tonight was different, James and Meowth had to bail her out.

„What do you want me to do, Jess?“ James was anything but pleased with the idea, but he had realized that his best friend was in need of support.

„You two have to kidnap John, tie him to the heating, steal his suit and the rings and get ready for the ultimate ploy,“ Jessie explaind, rubbing her hands. „I think I’ve got no alternative left but to meet your request,“ he sighed and hung his head in discontent.

„Thank you,“ Jessie wasn’t actually averse to marrying James. Sure, there have been wrangles and they’ve delivered fierce blows to each in the past, but on the whole, he had always been loyal and attentive. James nodded silently and he and Meowth set out for a nocturnal abduction.

It didn’t take them long to track John down. Jessie had described them the way to the old manor, and her future husband was sleeping in the beautifully equipped sitting room. Meowth used his claws to make a hole into the giant glass window and the Team Rocket-members tiptoed stock-still to the dusky pink couch, trussed John and shut him up as he began to scream and shout. „Hmm, there are some similarities,“ James looked at the lavender-haired man, „but he can’t hold a candle to me,“ he determined.

James threw his doppelganger over his shoulders and he, Meowth and the unfortunate soul left the building as quickly as they had come. John tried desperately to stand up to James, but the agent pulled the ropes and silenced the braggart. Meowth switched on the torch and searched for a suitable garden shed to lock the future spouse up. They pushed him into the small cottage, took off John’s last piece of clothing, snatched at the vow rings and padlocked the doors. „That was the easy part of Jessie’s plan,“ James sighed, the rings in his hand. Both were silver, the smaller one had a tiny diamond on top. ‚Jessie would love it,’ he thought and stowed the box in his trousers. It was the day of the wedding. Jessie was wearing an ivory gown with floral applique with a sheer tulle panel at the neckline and a dreamy ball skirt. She applied some mascara and lipstick to stand out above the crowd. James was already standing on the altar, nervous and with sweaty hands. Meowth bore him company, dressed in a neat dark brown garb, a flower looking out of his breast pocket. Then the time came, the music played and Jessie, her face covered with a veil, walked down the aisle. The priest welcomed his protégés, thanked them and the guests and introduced the purpose of this gathering. After the opening blessings he asked Jessie and James to turn face to face to each other and to express the sincere promises to each other. James took out a note from his trousers and began to read the lines: „Jessie, my partner, my companion, my safe haven,“ his voice was shaky. „We’ve been togehter for so many years,“ he choked, took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on the words written on that tiny little piece of paper.

„I can’t imagine a life without you,“ he was more than close to tears.

„Thank you for,“ James sobbed heart-rendingly, not able to talk anymore. Jessie grinned under the veil and caressed his cheeks. „It’s okay,“ she whispered, so that only James could hear it. „The groom is terribly nervous,“ the priest joked and everyone laughed out loud. „Let’s skip this part, okay?“ Jessie suggested and James nodded in agreement. „We both know why we want to stay together,“ she added, reaching for his hand.

„John, do you take Jessica to be your wife? Do you promise to be faithful to her?“ „I do,“ James replied. „And do you, Jessica, take John to be your husband?“

„I do,“ was Jessie’s answer.

James took out the rings and placed the smaller one on Jessie’s finger. „Jessie, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity.“  The priest observed the scenery and eventually pronounced them as husband and wife.

„You may now kiss the bride,“ he said. James leaned in and was about to place a tender kiss on Jessie’s lips and then she woke up.

Jessie was sitting bolt upright in her bed. She glanced over to James who was still snoring and asleep. It had only been a dream, she didn’t have to marry John nor James. She was back in the presence, far away from the 50ies, far away from strict rules. ‚That was a strange dream. Why would I want to get married to James?’ she asked herself. Was this really only a dream or possibly some undisclosed desires?

[batmomhoe]

They’re a Bit Protective

Requested by an anon

Summary: How the batfam gets protective of each family member/how they show they care.

Warning(s): None (Super Long)

//This is not finished yet but it’s already taken forever and I just feel like it’s prohibiting me (mentally?) from getting other requests done. Feel free to send in for an unfinished character and help me complete it. It’s not the best, nor is it the most accurate, but please appreciate it.

Bruce:

Batmom:

basically “don’t touch bc everything I love that someone else touches BREAKS.”

has a tough time actually incorporating your feelings into his protective methods.

when you decided you wanted to help man the computer he upped the security by 10000%

A lot of his showing he cares comes out sexual, mainly because when he’s physical with you the whole world melts away.

Dick:

Batmom:

Dick constantly calls you even when he’s away(unless he’s on a mission or undercover)

makes sure you’re okay emotionally, just constantly checking up on you, he knows Bruce can be cold sometimes.

will never decline a brunch invitation.

Barbara:

He’s protective of her in the sense that he’s not protective(does that make sense?)

She’s kickass and he knows she can handle her own.

But he can be caught keeping a watchful eye on her during fights - just in case.

Jason:

He tries to relate to him but he just can’t.

Dick is upbeat and mostly-optimistic and Jason’s practically the polar opposite.

That doesn’t mean it won’t stop him from checking up on Jason every now and then.

Whether it be catching him on parole or breaking into his brother’s apartment for some “brotherly” bonding time...

Tim:

Dick always cherished the last picture he had the his parent’s, it was only a coincidence that Tim and his family were in it as well, or so he thought.

Dick completely shot down the idea of Tim getting involved with Batman even though his smart’s impressed Dick.

Dick really admires how hard Tim has to try and how hard he does try to keep up and be in top physical condition.

Dick tries his best to help Tim keep up his social life because he knows first hand that the teenager life seems to be harder than the vigilante life.

Stephanie:

Dick likes to just hang out with Steph, he knows she has a lot on her plate and he likes to offer to help with her homework.

Orrrr have a movie night.

He tried to help her out of her “amateur” Spoiler days and was happy when she decided to become Batgirl.

Cass:

Just like Barbra, he knows Cass can handle her own in a fight.

But he likes to keep a watchful eye on her.

He also likes to just talk with her, even when she was mute he would just babble as she went about her business.

Damian:

He tried his best when he was Batman to show Damian the ropes of the Robin mantle and Dick did a better job than Bruce ever could have.

Damian’s only a kid and Dick just really tries to get Damian to do some typical kid things

Mainly so Damian’s not forced to live the lonely life Dick’s watched Bruce lead because he has a choice.

Though he knows Damian “hates” him for it, he also knows when Damian’s sixty years old and Dick is already dead he’s not going to resent the memory of being dragged to the zoo then.

Barbara:

Batmom:

You’re the only one Barbra doesn’t feel guilty venting to.

Everyone else is dealing with almost the same shit she is but you always listen and give her actual advice.

Every time she sees you she gives you a hug.

Dick:

She will kick anyone’s ass for him.

Even from her wheelchair.

Obviously they have history together and she’s almost convinced that no matter what happens they’ll still have a mutual respect for each other.

She knows him like no one else does, so she helps out with the things she knows he forgets(like reminding him to actually do his laundry once in a while.)

Jason:

Jason’s aggressive tactics and overall rude attitude annoyed her for the longest time.

But there’s not much you can say after the guy died.

When he came back she tried to reach out to him but he was already closed off.

She still tries to reach out and shows up every so often to help with a bad guy or two.

Tim:

She admires his detective skills and smarts in general.

She’ll find out what he’s learning in school and talk about it with him like two little nerds.

Of course she tries to help him out with his girl issues and gives him date ideas...and legit excuses for bailing out on dates when duty calls.

She is his go-to for advice.

Stephanie:

AKA The sister she never had

Steph decides to open up to Barbra first(besides Tim) and they just click.

Again, she gives boy advice and pretty good advice too.

There’s few girls in the vigilante business so they kind of stick together and cover each other’s backs.

Cass:

Babs was kind of reluctant about Cass, she was pretty intimidating and the fact that Cass was rather unstable made Babs even more leery about it.

She definitely admires Cass's fighting abilities though.

When Cass starts to open up, Barbra is right there to offer a friendly smile and some take out Chinese.

Damian:

She tries to be a supporting figure in his life.

Especially since Dick was the one training Damian.

But Damian is Damian and although Babs tried, and she still tries, Damian was trained to be closed off.

Jason:

Batmom:

He’s much more aggressive in protecting you.

After he came back to Gotham the first thing he did was check up on you.

But he saw you moved on, and he couldn’t just show up out of the blue suddenly alive, plus he had a mission to do.

He won’t ever say anything, but he loves when you force him into a hug.

Dick:

He appreciates Dick respecting him as a vigilante.

Before his death he didn’t really see a lot of Dick, but all he knew is that he would always be compared to him.

Though he doesn’t really show it he also respects Dick quite a bit.

When shit hits the fan he’d much rather stand next to Dick than Bruce.

Barbara:

Babs was really the first female he became friends with.

Pshhh he did not know how to act.

Still to this day he’s sooo suave with the ladies.

He knows if he ever needed any advice, Babs is like the batfam’s personal advice-giver.

Tim:

He hated Tim as first because he was reminded how easily replaceable he was to Bruce.

After a while it really clicked at how much shit Tim had to go through because of Jason - and Tim wasn’t exactly the naturally athletic type either.

Jason just doesn’t want what happened to him to happen to Tim.

Stephanie:

Pretty sure they have sarcasm battles

Along with “who has the shittier life” battles

He digs Steph’s style and they both appreciate the fact that they both tend to be more aggressive when fighting.

Cass:

During his time with the LoA, Jay gained massive respect for anyone who was trained with them.

She’s hardcore af but she’s also loyal to Bruce, almost a little too much and he’s a little leery of that.

If Cass asked him for his own beating heart he would probably give it to her.

Damian:

Jason feels a little awkward around Dami(maybe because he allegedly banged the kid’s mom????)

But at the same time there’s this normalcy when he’s around Damian.

The kid grew up with a tough childhood, similar yet completely different to Jason’s.

Both of them seem to express their emotions through anger, making it easy for each other to aggressively jump in for backup of the other.

Tim:

Batmom:

Protectiveness from Tim goes unseen for the most part.

He knows how careless you are with your electronics and he’s constantly stealing them so he can put a firewall on them(and a tracker.)

But the best gift he gives you is smiling.

The sleepy smile as you hand him his cup of coffee.

The excited smile when he makes a break in a case.

The sly smile when you figure out he upgraded your laptop.

Dick:

Dick is the master acrobat so Tim tries to wiggle in a bit of analytical thinking into the

Barbara:

Oh the geek talk!

Both Tim and Barbra are more analytical thinkers

Jason:

Stephanie:

Cass:

Damian:

Stephanie:

Batmom:

Dick:

Barbara:

Tim:

Cass:

Damian:

Cass:

Batmom:

Dick:

Barbara:

Tim:

Stephanie:

Damian:

Damian:

Batmom:

Dick:

Barbara:

Tim:

Stephanie:

Cass:

[thearabkhaleesi]

GAME OF THRONES SEASON 7 EPISODE 1 “DRAGONSTONE” - RECAP/REVIEW

All my Game of Thrones episode reviews/recaps are sorted by location & contain no spoilers based on leaks or set photos, but might include predictions for the following episodes/rest of the season. 

King’s Landing

The first scene in King’s Landing we see this season is Cersei & Jaime having a conversation on Cerise’s new map-floor. At this point they haven’t really talked since Cersei became queen, and they especially haven’t talked about Tommen, and Cersei doesn’t even care about it anymore. She immediately wants everyone to bow down to her & when Jaime when points out to her that the don't have any allies anymore, she reveals that she called on Euron Greyjoy! I have to admit I was shocked by this & thought that he'd show up to ally with her on his own but it makes a lot of sense now. As you might've seen, Euron was such a character, bragging about himself the whole time while throwing shade at Jaime ("two good hands" & saying that killing his brother felt so good & that Cersei should try it). Even though Cersei refused his marriage proposal (what he wants in return for his ships), he has promised Cersei a gift…🐍🐟(also Euron looks so emo this season) I want to take a second to talk about Jaime: I mentioned before how Jaime is a different, better person when he’s away from Cersei & I think we’re definitely seeing that side of him becoming more dominant; he’s not a perfect or all-good character (no one is) but he’s a good person. Jaime remarks that they need supplies from Highgarden (home to the Tyrells) but Cersei just killed most of them…so that could lead to Jaime & the Lannister army heading there to make them swear loyalty & provide them with supplies or to suffer…

White Walkers

We got an amazing but eerily chilling glimpse of the White Walker army marching behind a cold and dark winter storm… and now they have wight giants. (just to clarify: this is not Wun Wun, the giant that died fighting for Jon Snow in Winterfell. It’s just another giant, but a wight/zombie). 

Bran Stark

Bran Stark & Meera Reed have reached the Wall/Castle Black, met Ed & the other members of the Night’s Watch. Since he crossed the Wall, it’s a huge possibility that the White Walkers will be able to cross as well since Bran was “marked” by the Night King (remember: last season, the White Walkers/wights only knew where Bran was because Bran had a vision and was HELD by the Night King. It sort of made a connection between th two characters, kinda similar to how Harry Potter & Voldemort had a mental connection in the Half Blood Prince)

Arya Stark

What an opening scene! Seeing Arya disguise as Walder Frey & murder even more members of his family brought me so much joy & relief than I’d like to admit. “Tell them the North remembers. Tell them winter has come for the Freys.” AHHH!!😱 I liked how Arya spared the women at the dinner, since she knows that they’re innocent and also so that they can spread word of what happened there & what happens when you mess with the Starks.🙌🏽 I also loved Ed Sheeran’s cameo, I expected it to be different but it was great. The main importance of the scene, was to show Arya that there’s still some good in the world. Recently, she’s been 100% focused on her revenge mission that she blocked everything out and was so cold after killing the Freys, but this scene sort of made Arya escape her mission for a while and made her realize that even though these men “work” for the Lannisters, they’re not that loyal to them and they’re decent people. (Of course, there’s a possibility/prediction I heard that in the 2nd episode Arya will kill them all. That would go against everything I got from the scene & tbh I think that’s unlikely). Speaking of, I was extremely surprised to hear Arya say she’s going to King’s Landing!😨 We all assumed she meant Winterfell when she said that she’s going home, but she apparently meant Westeros; this shows that she truly is 100% focused on her mission & isn’t thinking about anything else; now we just have to hope that Arya will stop by her family home before heading south👀 One of the Lannister guards was talking about how he wanted to visit the Sept & the Dragonpit in King’s Landing but the Sept blew up & the Dragonpit is in ruins… keep the all I’m going to say is keep the Dragonpit in mind. We might see it this season.

The Hound, Thoros, & Beric

The Hound & the Brotherhood Without Banners are travelling in the North, and come across an abandoned cabin only to find 2 skeletons inside. Missable detail: When the Hound & Arya were journeying around Westeros, they came across this cabin & met the owners; this explains why The Hound didn't want to go inside & why he felt the need to bury them & recite a eulogy. The discussion between The Hound, Thoros, & Beric was actually quite important. The Hound is questioning what he believes in & Thoros helps him see a vision of the White Walkers' descent, which he sees to be by Eastwatch by the Sea, the eastern end of the Wall, serves as the main port and resupply post for the Night's Watch. Beric also questions why he keeps on getting brought back to life, he sort of doesn't know what his purpose is anymore... I think we will see Beric discover his true purpose later on inthe season. I'll stop there to avoid getting too spoilery.

Old Town

Looks like Sam isn’t quite having the time of his life at the Citadel. I like that we’re seeing him slowly learn how to become a Maester rather than just speeding through the whole thing, and the montage of him cleaning the Citadel was actually quite funny. He’s now working with Maester Ebrose, a surgeon, who is the only one who believes that Sam has seen the White Walkers & that they’re coming for war. I liked the Maester’s reply to Sam though because to me it seemed that although he believed Sam, he doesn’t seem to think it’s that big of a deal and thinks that the Wall will protect them since it’s protected them before and there were so many events labeled as “the end” but they never were the end so why should this be “the end”. I just thought it was interesting that even though he believes Sam, he doesn’t really believe it to be big threat.📚 Later we see Sam steal one of the Maesters’ keys and steal a book, that he & Gilly read which is about The Long Night. In the book, he finds a map of Dragonstone that shows a mountain of dragonglass hidden underground, so he decides to write a letter to Jon letting him know (since Dragonglass is one of the weapons that can kill White Walkers….. The next day, Samwell meets a shadowy figure with a greyscale covered arm who asks him if the Dragon Queen has arrived… JORAH! I definitely think he’ll be cured by Maester Ebrose next episode. I also want to say I really appreciated that Sam found out about the dragonglass this episode, because it means that towards the end of the season he’ll discover something bigger to help in the war against the White Walkers! (Maybe more about dragons, dragonglass, how to defeat the WW, how to make Valyrian steel, and more!)📚 EDIT: I forgot to mention that in the book, I spotted Catspaw! Catspaw was the dagger that Jaime gave to an assassin to kill Bran while he was in a coma in season 1, and it's currently with Littlefinger. The passage next to Catspaw was apparently hinting at how Valyrian steel is made... (for more information on Catspaw, read my "Arya's dagger post here . Also, it reminded me of the scene in Harry Potter when they're getting the book from the restricted section😂 + Jim Broadbent plays Slughorn in the HP movies! Time for Sam to learn about horcruxes😂

Winterfell

Jon is meeting with the Northern lords to discuss the coming of the White Walkers and the fact that they need dragonglass. He decides to send the Wildlings to guard The Wall’s castles, especially Eastwatch by the Sea, which is located at the eastern end of the Wall, serves as the main port and resupply post for the Night's Watch.. It is now suspected that that is where the White Walkers will attack from instead of Castle Black. We also saw Jon & Sansa disagreeing about the fate of House Umber & House Karstark's castles during the meeting; I personally agreed with both of them but think Jon ultimately made the right decision since their lords are kids and not adults). Right now Sansa is more focused on the issues in the South, while Jon is focused on the North. I think Sansa definitely has a point in warning Jon about Cersei, especially since she knows Cerise’s tricks just as well as she knew Ramsay’s; however, I agree with Jon that dealing with the oncoming war against the White Walkers is the most important thing right now. Yes, there is a bit of tension & little arguments between them, but their bond is still strong, and there’s 2 other siblings in Westeros fighting more than they are… I like that they talked their disagreement out, and actually had a conversation about it; they're slowly learning to listen to each other (which they should). Sansa also made a really good point that he should learn to listen to her, be weary of others' tricks, & to not repeat the mistakes of Ned & Robb. I also love what Jon said about Ned Stark & the word ‘but’. I also really like that Sansa did not listen to Littlefinger or let him get to her in any way; I know we have 6 episodes left and that could still change but I think this episode showed us that Sansa’s bond with Jon can’t be broken easily by Littlefinger. She knows his ways, and is careful & off towards him. I think she was telling the truth when she said she’s only keeping him around because she needs his army (The Knights of the Vale). But I know that Littlefigner is a devious man, & there’s something up his sleeve… We also see Brienne back, and I love the glances between her & Lyanna Mormont.

Dragonstone

KHALEESI MY QUEEN IS BACK HOME! Her scene was very brief in this episode but it meant so much! Seeing her finally land on Dragonstone literally made me cry, I got so emotional. Ever since we saw it in the trailer, I loved seeing her take down Stannis’ banners and officially reclaiming her home and the place she was born. Notice how she walked straight past the dragonstone throne to get to the map table, she has no time for games or any delays, it’s time to conquer Westeros.  I am so ready for what’s in store. Let’s begin, Khaleesi.🐉