#most sisterly thing they’ve done in a while

[adaines-furious-feast]

I have a Fantasy High OC that I think about a lot. Not as much as my Crown of Candy one, but a lot, and I thought I would share, undercut. 

Tiffany Rosestride, of the Rosestrides, the halfling bard family. If there is a halfling backing dancer, singer, musician, actor, they are part of Tiffany’s very large family. 

She has two older sisters and a younger brother and they are all in the arts. If there was a TLC channel in Elmville, this family would be on it. Tiffany’s mother is a dance mom and deeply, deeply disappointed that Tiff has precisely zero artistic talent. It’s embarrassing really.  

Her mother has kind of moved on from this disappointment. She’s really quite busy taking her other children to auditions and rehearsals ect. Tiffany spends a year at Mumple, doing Mumple stuff. Her mother kind of hopes it will give her some business sense so she can at least be a manager. 

But shortly before the summer of her freshman year, she develops magic. Tiffany is now a sorcerer and has no idea what to do about that. She’s enrolled at Augefort for the following year, so she has to retake freshman year but oh boy is it so different than her year at Mumple. She kind of hopes she can figure out why she has magic now, or at the very least how to control her magic. 

She gets detention on the first day by accidentally using grease to cause Goldenhoard to fall while he’s chasing after Riz.  

After the corn cuties fight, when the parents come to pick her up, her mother is the last to arrive because her brother had a call-back for some commercial and she didn’t want to leave him alone. They spend most of the ride home talking about that audition. 

Mrs Rosestride – her husband is on tour, so she’s kind of single-parenting this – is very excited to learn that Tiff is in a party with a bard, and she hopes it will rub off on her. The bard-ness doesn’t. The rebellion does. 

The Rosestrides must always look like stereotypical halflings. That’s the niche that has made their family famous and Tiff cannot let the family down. It’s all long curly hair, green and yellow dresses. The only thing not stereotypical are the heavy boots she wears because there are some *weird* fans that are obsessed with halfling feet and that’s something the family does not want getting out. If it’s not part of a performance, the boots need to be on. 

Tiff cuts her hair short and swaps the heavy boots for a pair of sneakers. She’s not ready to go complete barefoot just yet but wants something more comfortable. When her mother freaks out at the reveal at Solstice, the Thistlesprings step in (they are neighbours after all, and have been giving Tiff rides home from school).  

We see Tiffany’s mother actually realize what she’s done and try to turn things around/be there for her more.  

After the Sisterly Showdown, we find out she had a letter *the whole time* that her mother had put away and just forgotten about. The whole campaign there had been hints of shadowy figures watching the Bad Kids, and they assumed it was part of the Harvestmen, but they continue after the cult is busted. They’re actually members of the Order of Hospitaller, a group of spell casters committed to being a voice for the inn keepers and Mumple-People of the world, to hold adventurers somewhat accountable and stop them just going and looting a poor guy’s shop because they want to. And they’ve been waiting for her response about whether she will take up her oath this whole time. Tiffany immediately accepts. She’s been trying to be like “hey, why don’t we stop making fun of Mumple people” this whole time and is fully onboard with this. 

When they’re in prison, her mom contacts a lawyer but he’s an entertainment lawyer and really not very useful. Tiff does go and help her family though, and her little brother decides he doesn’t want to go to the special elite bard high school that their other two sisters go to, but wants to help people.  

Anyway, Prom goes down. And they all live happily ever after for nine months until spring break. 

[dearest-painter]

If it's okay can I please ask for a platonic yandere yui with little kianna like how would she be as a big sister if she managed to escape the sakamaki Brothers

Okie dokie! I did headcanons for this one!

-She’s overprotective and definitely clingy but only because she’s worried for Kianna no matter how much she insists she’s doesn’t need to

-She’s more observant and always watches Kianna’s friends while recording or getting evidence of every bad thing they’ve done usually most of them are safe but if they get to a point Yui believes is unsafe for Kianna she definitely shows Kianna

-She’s more motherly than sisterly

-Definitely likes holding Kianna’s hand just so no one can take her away from her

-Kianna is allowed outside during night but she has to time how long she was outside and say why she was outside as Yui doesn’t want her being kidnapped

-She’s pretty harmless to Kianna but she definitely can do some mental and verbal harm to others

-Honestly out of all the yanderes in the Diabolik lovers au I’d say Yui is a safe chance, doesn’t matter if it’s romantic or not. She’s a safe bet

[earthmoonz]

*jenny slate voice* townies plzzz💘

hi babes. as I’ve briefly mentioned before, I’m putting together a rotational gameplay save that focuses on a whole family tree.

I’ve been working on it for almost 2 weeks now and atp if I have to make another townie for it I’ll give up completely so I’d really love if any of my maxismix mutuals could send me a townie that could serve as friends to my sims in my gameplay!

criteria:

preferably a poc - especially if they're fruity🙏🏾

must be okay w me slightly altering them to fit my sim style (this would be skin detail stuff (I wouldn’t edit skintones or physical features)

please send them w one every day outfit while the others r blank! (alpha clothes & accessories are fine but no alpha hairs please!)

must either be y/a or adult pls!

feel free to specify their personality and/or traits and if you’re okay w them being altered or not!

send them to me via dm! thank u loads in advance! <3333

a bit about the save (blurb under the cut)

Angela and Patrice first met at a friend’s New Year’s party, and what began as a flirtatious sparring match soon evolved into a heartfelt marriage between a formidable business woman and a tenacious lawyer. 

Five decades later, the couple find themselves heading up an illustrious bloodline that boasts entrepreneurs, creatives and a bond that seems unbreakable…for the most part. They’ve done their best to raise their four (now adult) children but that doesn’t mean that personalities won’t clash. Especially for middle sisters Naomi and Noelle. 

Born 10 months apart (Noelle was premature), the two ended up in the same year at school, making them de facto twins who often found themselves battling to be seen in their own right. Naomi (current CEO of her mother’s hair and beauty empire) has always been a textbook overachiever, while Noelle tended to be a more natural leader who people loved to gravitate towards. Realistically, Noelle loves to give and feel connected to those closest to her but often forgets to make time for herself. She’d love to be closer to her sister but would much rather turn her attention to those who validate and respect her, instead of those who play on her insecurities.

Luckily, the sisterly tension hasn’t affected the other’s daughters forming strong bonds but with the wedding of Naomi’s eldest Lea fast approaching emotions are at an all time high and something’s bound to push things over the edge.

Eldest sibling Francine is far too interested in maintaining her independence to involve herself in sibling drama. She’d much rather focus on her career and the revolving door of men she keeps on deck ‘solely for entertainment’. Being a young single mother solidified her quest to be successful and while she’s achieved this, her decision not to settle down once her granddaughter was born, is putting strain on the carefully maintained relationship she has with her daughter Faith. 

Youngest of the four Josiah has always been an artistic soul with a taste for adventure. Now he’s preparing to open a restaurant with his chef husband. With two teenagers to raise is now the right time? Or will the stress of starting a business mix horribly with the ebb and flow of raising adolescents?

[violetren]

My first theory for volume 9 while the second half of volume 8 is fresh in my mind!

Volume 9 is gonna be the therapy season, but in the most traumatic you'll need different therapy afterwards kind of way. Instead of paying a therapist they're all just be bargaining with the universe like "yo I've had this trauma for a while, and I'm feeling pretty done with it. Here you take it back and uhhh I'll take a new guilt complex. Maybe a fear of falling? IDK, fuck me up bro."

The foreshadow-y Alice in Wonderland-esque fairy tale Oscar told to himself/Oz while in captivity is my guide post here.

Aaaand this is gonna get long so! 10 ideas of shit that's gonna go down next volume beneath the readmore, each one about 1-2 paragraphs each.

In the fairy tale the girl runs away from her problems into a new land, but because she never learned from her problems they just followed after her. Yeah? So first--second? First discounting the volume therapy theme theory.

FIRST BIG THEORY: The girl from the fairy tale was real, and she used the Spear of Creation. And like Weiss and the crew, she was fucking smart about her wording. She offered up materials that'd last even after someone else inevitably used the staff. IDK what materials she woulda used. Maybe there's a story about a missing continent we just haven't heard of yet? Maybe the Brother of Light's pool, since Salem seens to have claimed the Brother of Darkness's one but no sign of BoL's these days. Maybe there is a reason the land beyond Menagerie is so uninhabitable beyond desert + grimm? idk. Point is, it's a thing that happened, and since Ambrosius can't destroy/directly kill she's still in her wonderland. For themes sake I'm gonna call her Alice from here on out.

So Alice made a pocket dimension to flee from her problems from.

SECOND BIG THEORY: Her problems were relic related. She needed to hide em, and hide herself from Salem. Tbh I'm not sure how into this one I am. Maybe she had other shit going and some version of Oz was like "hey you don't want to be here, I have some property that I don't want to be here, lets make this happen!" THE POINT IS, the little pocket realities the relics are in, are aalllllll places in her pocket reality. When the team said "hey Ambrosius just make the middle ground into one of these type places" that's what he did, cause that's how he do. What better way to make sure it works like those places than to be kinda connected to em?

THIRD BIG THEORY: Ambrosius was buds with Alice once upon a time, but knew staying in her pocket world ultimately drove her crazy. He knew his middle ground worked like the pocket dimensions because it touched em or something, so he gave a vague ass warning not to fall, because he knew where they'd fall to.

Back to the fairy tale. It's implied Alice was never able to leave/give up her wonderland because she never learned from her mistakes.

FOURTH BIG THEORY VERSION 1: RWBY + Jaune can't figure their way back to reality until they adress a major personal issue and break out of whatever cycle it's got them in. This one I feel is shaky because they all have such different issues and are in very different places with each of them, trying to do one big arc on em would be too much of a mess. Plus it doesn't account for saving any of the many civilians that may have survived the fall.

FOURTH BIG THEORY VERSION 2: nobody can leave until Alice either leaves, dies, OR is convinced to let them go. As we're following good kind people this means we watch the kids try to give someone else therapy that THEY need. RWBY+J work through their shit through variations & combinations of witnessing mirrors of their struggles in Alice/other wonderland inhabitants, and just having time and space to slow down and breathe whether they want it or not.

FIFTH BIG THEORY: Alice is the "antagonist" of the underworld because she is the obstacle to overcome.

What about Neo you may be asking. Well I want her to let go of the revenge schtick, or at least redirect it back onto Cinder thus calling a truce with Ruby. However it's more than likely she's gonna be on team keep Alice as an obstacle at least as long as it takes to kill Ruby, and so Neo will be the "real" Antagonist™ within wonderland.

SIXTH BIG THEORY: Neo because of her unwavering determination to enact revenge is gonna die this volume. She'll be the comparison against which RWBY+J will be measured. As they grow and get closer to leaving she'll become more wrapped up with whatever strange classic wonderland logic this pocket universe has. Potentially depending on how things go with helping Alice, Neo may just end up trading spots with her, and end up trapped while everyone else goes back. But dead or trapped, I have a sad feeling this could be our last volume with Neo. My only hope of her surviving at this point is that she like Emerald switches sides, and in doing so joins Winter as a Cinder foil. While Neo grows and lets go of revenge and thus survives, Cinder stays dedicated to her own desires for revenge and other self serving instincts ringing her own death toll for either the end of the volume, or maybe somewhere in vol.10.

SEVENTH BIG THEORY: Ruby is gonna be grieving and maybe even getting full on angry about being expected to fix everything just because she's the optimistic one. She shouldn't have to deal with this brand and advanced level of childhood stealing just because she wanted to do what was right and won(lost) a genetic lottery for magic powers type anger. Jaune is going to have SO MUCH GUILT to work through, mostly the survivors kind. The bees will be experiencing couples therapy, they've both been pretty solid about individual growth leading up to this, Underworld will be them learning what it means to them to be partners now that they are so different to who they were. Weiss is different. Weiss is at first gonna feel like she's there just because it was a way to really shove all the other Schnee's into their therapy arcs and gave RBY+J neutral presence to rely on. Weiss is gonna go in the most stable of the bunch. But then, slow boil style, she'll start to realise how fucked up basically her whole life has been, especially upon realising that her "good years" with her new family have been spent getting sucked into being the last line of defense against the apocalypse, but will be too busy helping the others, so at the end of the volume when everyone else is actually doing pretty good and refreshed for the fight against Salem she'll only just be beginning her breakdown.

EIGHTH BIG THEORY: All this therapy shit is gonna be mirrored back on Remnant by the others grieving the percieved loss of the hearts of the team. Both sides of these story are gonna deal with some heavy shit, but the Remnant side is gonna be the depressed side, at least as long as it takes for Oz to tell them maybe the other's aren't dead leading to desperate attempts to get the staff OR the make desperate attempts to get the relics back anyways and inadvertently find out from Ambrosius what is up. But anyways. Winter is gonna be dealing with survivors guilt and the loss of both her little sisters (friends are great but Penny was little sister zoned and it's a hill I am prepared to die on. good sisterly relationships are friendships too). Nora is gonna be doing her self discovery thing. Ren is gonna be building on his end of vol.8 developments. Oscar will continue his grappling with the merge stuff. Qrow and Willow might get forced into AA. Whitely is gonna learn his own definition of being a Schnee instead of what his dad taught him.

NINTH BIG THEORY (OR FOURTH VERSION 3): The other way they get out is QORN obtain and use the staff to bring them home, potentially by trading enemy lives for them.

BONUS CONSPIRACY THEORY: QORN if presented with needing to trade for their loved ones & lost civilians have a lightbulb moment and decide hey why not trap Salem in a pocket universe since that is a thing Ambrosius can make? Like, if this bitch hasn't budged on her not learning to appreaciate life and humanity or whatever (which I'n pretty sure is the other way to break her curse instead of stopping remnant from turning) then she's a prime candidate for shoving into a personal reality that you can only escape if you can face your problems long enough to break the cycle they have you in. It'd be really fucked up but I think it might actually be possible to run the place using her as her own material component. Like kill her over and over and redistribute the energy to make the pocket world, but because god given power + Ambrosius can't actually destroy she just reforms anyways. MIght take a few hundred thousand deaths but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Or use the BoD oasis/grimm pools to make a world that mirrored the one she chose to live in on Remnant really make it hard for her to break that cycle....

Anyways.

TENTH BIG THEORY: Working on the idea that the relics are actually hidden in secret protected pockets of the underworld RWBY+J are gonna have a secondary quest of trying to get the relics from this side, and either finding a new place to hide them ages away from their vault doors. If you wanna make it a FOURTH VERSION 4, they're specifically gonna seek out the sword of destruction (HOLY VORPAL BLADE ALLUSIONS BATMAN) either with the intent of cutting their way out underworld--ahem wonderland--or with the assumption that someone is inevitably gonna have to open the vault door, because that's just how things be these days and they'll be able to cross to Vacuo from there.

[purplesurveys]

1266

Retaking this survey I took nearly exactly a year ago, which would be around the time of one of the lowest points in my life. A lot has changed and I’m *so much* happier these days, but it doesn’t hurt to revisit and acknowledge the emotions I went through then.

Are you afraid of lifts? 2020: I only feel afraid if I’m the only person riding the elevator. If I ever got locked inside I’d always feel a lot better if there’s at least one other person stuck with me. Otherwise I try not to be too bothered by lifts. 2021: Yeah, as much as possible I would still only get in if someone else was also planning to get in; elevators that are also visibly old and unmaintained tend to scare me away, too. But generally, riding the elevator isn’t a phobia of mine.

Who did you last talk to in person? Is that person attractive? 2020: That would be my mom and yes, I think she’s very attractive. Not in that way of course, but you know what I mean. She looks very young for her age and we always get mistaken as sisters. 2021: My dad. Sure, I think he looks okay.

Have you ever had a deep, personal conversation with a stranger? 2020: As much as possible I don’t like having deep conversations with someone I barely know, but sometimes I can’t escape the situation and I end up being a part of those talks. The nicest conversation I had was with a client during my first internship – he has his own company now, but over breakfast he told me about his struggles, his old unfulfilling 9-5 job, and gave me so much valuable life advice. He was so genuine and so nice and at that time I stopped minding the fact that he was a stranger and I’d most likely never encounter him again. 2021: Ooh I remember that. Yeah, he was lovely to talk to and I definitely have not encountered anyone with stories like his ever since. Anyway, I’ve grown to be a lot more extroverted over the past year so I certainly wouldn’t mind a conversation with a stranger, as long as they haven’t established themselves as a creep or pervert.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your own appearance? Why? 2020: Probably an 8. I don’t have a problem with my physical features for the most part, but I don’t like my front teeth and that my body hair is thicker and grows more quickly than average. Those are the two things that mess with my self-esteem the most, and the two factors that took out the missing two points. 2021: 9. I still have the same points for self-esteem issues; but I’ve embraced them slightly more over the last year.

Who was the last person to send you a message on Facebook? When was the last time you saw that person? 2020: Rita. I probably saw her sometime in early March. Maybe during a board meeting for our org before the lockdown was implemented. 2021: Angela. Sometime mid-July, I think? when we went to the BTS pop-up store together with Reena and Hans. I might see her again next week for her birthday. I have to see her reaction when she opens up the present I plan to get her.

If you decided, at this moment in time, that you were going to make a sandwich, what would you put on it? 2020: Assuming my hypothetical pantry is full, I would go for a southern-style chicken sandwich with chicken breast and spicy mayo. My stomach just rumbled, what have you doneeeeee 2021: Holy shit that sounds so fucking good right now. Can I just steal my own answer? Spicy crunchy chicken sandwiches are the shit.

Are you good at controlling your emotions, or do you tend to let them get the better of you? 2020: It’s 50/50 at best. Sometimes I let self-control win since it’s usually the most responsible choice and it’s also to avoid drama, but there are days where I recognize that self-care is just as important and so I allow myself a healthy release whether the release is one of sadness or resentment or anything else. Repressing my emotions and letting them bubble up over time isn’t healthy, either. 2021: I’m a lot better at it now. I think I have done a lot of growing and maturing and processing over the last year, and I don’t get into dramatic outbursts nor repress my feelings too much anymore. Whenever I feel deeply I let the emotions stay, but I also know when I need to reach out and seek help.

At this moment in time, what do you want the most? 2020: Normalcy. 2021: At this moment in time, I wish I could go back to when I took this survey and reassure the me then that everything was going to turn out absolutely fine. But right now I wish I also had sushi.

How many times have you cried over the person you love/like? 2020: Too many. 2021: I don’t love anyone in that sense.

How exactly are you feeling right now? Why do you feel the way you do? 2020: I haven’t been feeling anything in particular these days. To be honest, I’ve just been doing a lot of…floating around, existing, trying to make it to the end of the day unscathed. I believe I’m feeling this way because there’ve been a lot of major life changes happening and I simply wasn’t prepared to deal with all of them simultaneously. 2021: Jesus Christ that was brutal to read. How the fuck did I...manage? Anyway, right nooooow I feel quite content because a new episode of Run BTS came out and I really enjoyed it!! I also feel cozy because it’s actually quite cold tonight, so it’s making me feel sleepy faster than I would like lol. What’s the relationship status of the last person that put their arms around you? 2020: She’s been married for the last 23 years to my dad. 2021: He’s been married for the last 24 years to my mom.

Has the last person you held hands with, ever told you that they love you? 2020: Yeah. 2021: ^ Gross. But yeah to answer this question in 2021 – yes she has, in a platonic, sisterly way. We say it all the time.

Is there someone you used to hang out with all the time, and now you don’t anymore? If so, do you ever miss that person? Why do you think your relationship changed?   2020: Sure, Sofie’s the first person I thought of because we used to be the best of friends. We simply grew apart when college started, since she studied in Manila and I was all the way in another city. It would’ve been too difficult to keep up the friendship with both of us also starting to have different goals and priorities, as well as new friends. I miss her sometimes, but I’m not desperate to see her anytime soon. I’m sad to see our relationship fizzle out the way it did, but we’re both pretty happy and have been doing well and that’s enough for me. 2021: I stopped hanging out with Aya because she is an abusive piece of shit, and I obviously value my friendship with Jo far more than tolerating an abuser and keeping them around in my life. As for missing her, no, not really. I’ve always found it easy to cut people off and wipe out the positive sentiments I would use to have about a person.

Who was the last person you talked to, whose name started with ‘H’? What color are that person’s eyes? 2020: I don’t know a lot of H people so it was probably Hannah even though I haven’t talked to her in a while. Her eyes are dark brown/black, like nearly every Filipino. 2021: Hans. Same, dark brown/black.

Who was the last person you talked to, whose name started with ‘M’? How did you meet that person? 2020: OMG this was so tough to think about. The only person I can think of is Angela but that’s only because her first name is actually Maria. We met on the first day of 1st grade, back in 2005. I accidentally stabbed her with a newly-sharpened pencil and made her palm bleed, and for some insane reason a lifelong friendship was established that day. 2021: Macky. He’s a coworker but is a couple of positions above me. At first I took issue with my workplace not using honorifics, but when I learned it was a tactic to get everyone comfortable with one another, I soon got used to it.

The person you love/like is offered a job in another country. Would you let them go, or try and convince them to stay? 2020: Let them, because that was what we agreed on. 2021: No matter my feelings towards the situation, I would never interfere and ask them to stay.

Is there anyone you dislike so much, that you actually can’t stand to be around them? 2020: Back in college I hated being anywhere near a frat guy. They all had the same vibe, had the same fashion sense, used the same slang, had the same shitty work ethic so I always knew whenever one was nearby. 2021: One of my uncles, who I believe has COVID literally right now because he refused to get a vaccine. Can’t say I feel awful.

When was the last time you wanted to cry, but didn’t, because you didn’t want to show that you were upset? Why? 2020: I’ve been hiding my emotions and my tears from my family the whole month because we’re not a showy family when it comes to our feelings. We deal with our emotions privately, in our own bedrooms. 2021: Like two weeks ago when my teacher in my Korean classes shared a song recommendation with us and it turned out to be this really emotional, introspective song about dealing with life anxieties. It was beautifully sung and I nearly cried, and the only reason I didn’t was because I was in a virtual class full of strangers and I wasn’t about to start bawling my eyes out in such a situation lol.

If you found out that someone had been talking about you behind your back, would you confront them? 2020: I probably only would if they’ve always been super nice to me to my face but talking shit about me if I’m not around. It would be something I’d want to get into the bottom of. 2021: Depends on who the person is and if I think they’re worth my energy or not.

Which do you think is worse - saying something and then wishing you hadn’t, or not saying something and wishing you had? 2020: I hate nothing more than being too afraid to say something and then never having the space to say it again. That’s the type of regret that stays with me and keeps me up at night. 2021: I still go with the latter.

Do you know anyone who seems almost incapable of showing their emotions? 2020: I wouldn’t say I know anyone exactly like this, but I know of people who have built a great big wall around themselves and are super defensive when it comes to their emotions in a way that you’ll never know if they’re going through something. The first person I thought of was JM. 2021: My dad is extremely unexpressive. I guess I can say I kinda get it - he has to keep up his image as the father of the house and all - but I hope he has his own, healthy ways of processing his emotions, even if they have to be done in private.

What are 3 things that are guaranteed to make you smile, or put you in a good mood? 2020: Good Mythical Morning, seeing my orgmates, and driving. Driving seems to put me in a really good mood these days, though that’s likely because I haven’t had to do it as often as I used to. 2021: BTS, my dogs, and talking to Angela and Reena.

Do you look more like your mum or your dad? 2020: I’m a carbon copy of my mom, I’ve been told more times than I can count. 2021: Well yeah, that hasn’t changed.

When was the last time you saw your grandparents? 2020: I last saw my paternal grandparents in February; with my maternal grandma, two Thursdays ago. I have not seen my maternal grandpa since June or July 2015. 2021: Start of August for my maternal grandma; and I believe it was June when we most recently visited my dad’s parents. I visited my maternal grandpa at his columbarium slot during his birthday last year.

Have you ever felt really attracted to someone, but been deterred because you found out they didn’t have a very nice personality? 2020: No. If I get attracted to someone, that means I’ve already decided that they’re attractive on all fronts, including their attitudes and personality. 2021: ^ That is such a damn lie lmao. I remember getting attracted to this boy Lance from high school and thinking he was so cute and that I should probably try my chances with him...but I immediately got turned off when I noticed how he was slightly immature for his age and I stopped pursuing him immediately.

Have you ever hugged/kissed someone you’d only just met? 2020: Probably when I was out drinking, yes. 2021: ^ That’s true but that only goes for hugging.

Where is the person you would most like to see/be with? 2020: There is no such person. 2021: All my friends and best friends are at home. At least they should be at this hour, lmao.

When was the last time you bought a CD/DVD? Which one was it? 2020: The last CD I bought was Beyoncé’s self-titled album, but I can’t remember if I bought it in late 2013 or early 2014. 2021: ^ 2020-me had no idea :’) Anyway, the last DVD I placed an order for was Map of the Soul ON:E, though I’m not getting that until October. The last thing I was able to successfully receive was my Butter CD set.

Have you ever gone against someone’s advice and then regretted it? 2020: I don’t usually ask my friends for advice since I don’t want to possibly be the jerk that asks for advice but goes against them. I’ve always just gone with whatever I think is best for myself. 2021: I guess I’m still the same as I found myself agreeing to those two sentences.

Would you ever apologize for something that wasn’t your fault? 2020: Welcome to my life. 2021: Before, I used to. I won’t let shit like that pass now.

What’s been the best thing about your day so far? 2020: I’ve done a good share of self-care activities today…I actually got up in bed and have been taking surveys, I ate a lot for breakfast, I took a shower, and fixed myself a cup of coffee. The bar has been set very low since August obviously, but considering I’ve been skipping out on a great deal of activities that used to make me happy, I’m just glad I accomplished several today. It’s the little joys, guys. 2021: Getting good feedback from my boss on a deck I had to work on all day today. Also the new episode of Run BTS, aka my favorite thing about Tuesdays.

Has anyone ever cried in your arms before? 2020: I can only recall one person who’s done this. 2021: Sure.

Who was the last person you talked to, whose name started with ‘C’? Is that person older or younger than you? 2020: Tina, but her full name is Christina so she counts. I keep forgetting she’s a year older than me. 2021: Coco. Yeah, I believe so.

Do you keep a lot of things from your parents? 2020: Yes. They know my good side - my awards, achievements, job prospects, all the shiny stuff they can be proud of. They don’t need to know how mentally fucked their firstborn actually is, because it’s not like they’d know how to deal with all that weight. 2021: Yes.

Who was the last person you confided in? Do you regret it? 2020: Angela. Not at all. She’s been my rock for the last 15 years. 2021: Andi, and no. I trust them with my whole life and then some.

What was the last film you watched, that you hadn’t seen before? What kind of film was it? What did you think of it? 2020: I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a psychological thriller. It’s not for the faint of heart, especially those who’ve been feeling depressed and/or existential lately. It certainly didn’t make me feel good and I wish I could unwatch it, not because it was bad but because it was a bit too triggering. 2021: Be With You; it’s a Korean film that’s mostly romance but with a super super slight tinge of fantasy if you squint your eyes hard enough. I loved it a lot; both the leads are sooooooooo pretty to look at and the kid is a fantastic actor. I also cried a lot, but I do think the ending could’ve been executed better as it felt rushed.

Have you ever had an argument with the last person you hugged/kissed? 2020: Lots. 2021: Nothing more than extremely petty fights, the last of which we had approximately 12 years ago.

Using one word only, describe the day you’ve had so far. 2020: Lonely. 2021: Routine.

[the-darkness-does-not-bargain]

Yeah... it really is not ideal that they did that.  I’m sure they didn’t mean to insinuate that victims of abuse should get back with their abusers at the first sign of improvement, because they’ve been really good about saying the opposite up until this point, but that IS the message they’re sending.  The fact that very few fans seem to be acknowledging it is worse.  I honestly thought we were better than that.  This show has sent so many positive messages that are great for kids to hear, but this just isn’t one of them.

Tangent here, but I am deadly serious when I say that people are making the wrong parallels when they compare She-Ra to Revolutionary Girl Utena.   She-Ra doesn’t deserve to make Utena references when it ends with the Anthy character (Adora) getting back with the Akio analogue (Catra).  

In fact, the only thing people are sort of getting right with these comparisons is that Adora and Anthy, despite their surface-level distinctions, are very similar characters.  Let’s take a look:

1. Incredibly powerful: Adora is a capable badass who also claims the mantle of She-Ra, and Anthy is basically a god (or the closest thing to)

2. Conned into believing they are worthless/powerless or their power isn’t really theirs to claim: Adora thinks all her value comes from being a hero and specifically being the weapon that is She-Ra, and she eventually has to learn that she is not a weapon or a tool and that her worth comes from within.  She has to learn to find her power to win.  Anthy is beaten down and essentially coerced into using her powers as “The Witch” to help Akio and participate in her own imprisonment.  Utena doesn’t so much help her to recognize her power, but she makes Anthy remember that she has value and power separate from Akio and her role as Witch.

3. Had a loved one they tried to protect but couldn’t due to circumstances out of their control: Baby Adora could never have prevented Shadow Weaver from abusing Catra.  1) a literal child (who is also being abused) cannot be expected to stop an adult authority figure from doing anything, let alone abuse another child, and 2) literal children are NOT responsible for the actions of another child and certainly not the actions of an adult authority figure.  But she gets blamed for not protecting Catra anyway. (Remember all the bullshit hot takes from around season 1 doing this very thing).  Anthy tried to save Dios by hiding him (which failed), and she sacrificed herself to the Mob to save him (he died anyway).  There was nothing she could have realistically done, even with all her power, to save him from the World.  Akio blames her for it anyway and the Swords of Human Hatred back up his accusations.

3. Face a toxic combination of love and hatred from the person they were unable to protect: It’s pretty obvious that Catra’s roiling emotions about Adora are both positive and negative.  The pain she felt when Adora defected is genuine.  She really felt like she lost the one person that mattered to her (even though that isn’t true and it was her choice to stay with the Horde while Adora begged her to leave, making it Catra who actually left Adora when you stop to think about it).  That love turned to resentment and hatred, driving Catra to torture Adora at every opportunity and blame Adora for her various wrongdoings.  It’s not easy to discern entirely what Akio is angry about, but it can be reasonably assumed that he is angry with Anthy for “making him Not The Prince anymore” i.e. “Making Him This Way”.  Anthy “stole him away from the princesses of the world”, which is the same kind of blame as “You broke the world, and it is all your fault!”

4. Have their struggles dismissed and/or misunderstood by people they call friends: If anyone matches up with Utena Tenjou in SPOP, it’s Glimmer.  Glimmer is a girl who wants to be a prince Hero and a leader, but she doesn’t understand what those roles actually entail (see: all of season 4).  She reacts when she sees the physical abuse Adora suffers from Shadow Weaver in the Black Garnet Chamber, just like Utena jumps to defend Anthy whenever she sees someone hit her.  But Glimmer completely fails to either recognize or acknowledge the subtler aspects of Adora’s abuse, and she later dismisses her suspicion of Shadow Weaver as baseless paranoia, which she then proceeds to laugh about.  Utena was naive and failed to notice the obvious signs of Anthy’s abuse by Akio right in front of her, but at least she didn’t do that.

5. Have to find and come into their power on their own: Sure, Adora manages to become She-Ra again to save Catra, but it’s still her decision and willpower that get her there.  Utena helps Anthy to see that she can leave her situation and that she deserves a better life, but it’s Anthy who chooses to leave Akio behind and walk out of Ohtori alone.

Now let’s talk about Catra and Akio.

Catra and Akio aren’t 1 to 1 parallels.  Catra does not appear to be a rapist and a child molester, for one thing.  She doesn’t own a red convertible metaphor for the sins, horrors, and privileges of adulthood.  She’s not a failed heroic archetype who languishes in a timeless, flowery coffin, convincing people to have sex with their siblings.  Her name isn’t a fancy word for Satan.

But other than that, they’re pretty similar.

1. They share a connection with someone who is much more powerful than they are: Adora and Catra are pretty close in skill when they are in the Horde together, but Adora edges her out just slightly.  And when Adora becomes She-Ra, her inherent power blows Catra out of the water.  There could never be a fair fight between them because Adora is a woman-shaped WMD and Catra uses dirty tactics to win confrontations.  Dios/Akio is at first portrayed as having all the power in Ohtori, but an attentive viewer will realize that’s nonsense and it’s really Anthy who has the power, a fact that becomes crystal clear when she ditches him easily at the end of the story.

2. They simultaneously love and hate that person: I don’t think I really have to explain this one.  If you’ve watched both series, you will know exactly what I mean.

3. The relationship they have with this person is both familial and romantic: Look, I’m not going to be That Girl and try to claim that Adora and Catra’s relationship is purely a sisterly one.  That is so clearly untrue even without season 5 that it’s laughable.  But there are definitely familial elements to it.  They were raised by the same woman and they treat each other like siblings do at several points in season 1.  But it’s also clear that they have been harboring burgeoning romantic feelings for each other.  Anthy and Dios are literally blood siblings who acted like siblings when they were kids, and then that relationship was twisted by Akio into this awful thing where they are “”””””lovers”””””””” (blegh) and siblings at the same time.

Catradora is not like that, before you attempt to tell me off.  Like I said, Catra isn’t a rapist, and they aren’t blood-related so it’s not actual incest.  But the underlying dynamic is the same.

4. They can’t stand the idea of that person living without them, and seek to imprison and torment them as a result: There are two main things that Catra wants for most of the show, 1) Adora with her or 2) Adora dead.  She oscillates between these two desires but never progresses beyond them until her heel-turn in season 5.  I’ve written about this before, but she’s the definition of the cliche “If I can’t have her, then no one can”.  Akio is the same.  On some level, he knows that Anthy is capable of leaving him at any time and he can’t stop her, so he tries to prevent that by abusing and manipulating her into thinking, 1) she can’t escape him and 2) it’s her fault that he’s like this so she should stay out of guilt.  Both Catra and Akio also attempt to isolate Adora and Anthy by hurting their support structures (The Princesses and Utena).

5. They seek power and validation with no regard for the consequences: Catra was beaten and diminished for her entire childhood, and Shadow Weaver purposefully praised Adora over her to divide them.  Until Adora left and she was subsequently recognized by Hordak, she had never received validation of her worth.  So, she craves it and seeks it out by doing worse and worse things to please Hordak and Shadow Weaver.  She thinks if she gains enough clout and a high enough rank in the Horde, then no one will be able to hurt her and everyone will recognize her value.  She also associates proving herself with beating Adora.  This drive for power ruins all of her relationships and leaves her at rock bottom rather than the top of the world.  Akio longs for the power he thought he had as Dios (which was really Anthy’s power all along as we see when Utena opens the Rose Gate).  He runs the duels and manipulates the duelists so they will achieve what he can’t and open the way for him to reclaim his divinity, leaving destruction in his wake.

The primary difference between them with this point is that evidence suggests that Akio self-sabotages all his attempts to regain power.  And while Catra also sabotages herself at multiple points, it’s because she’s reckless and foolish, not because she’s deliberately making things harder for herself.  Akio perpetuates a vicious cycle of trying and failing to return to godhood, and Catra perpetuates a cycle of seeking validation from the wrong place/people, inevitably failing to meet impossible standards, and falling right back to where she started.

6. They blame their special person for their own bad decisions: To be clear, Akio is MUCH worse about this than Catra, but they both do it.  Again, this is a point I’m not sure I need to discuss much.  If you’ve seen Utena’s last story arc and you’ve watched the portal universe episode, then you know exactly what I’m referring to.

I’m not sure how I can make this any more obvious.  In the world of She-Ra, Adora is Anthy and Catra is Akio.  If you’ve read this and you somehow disagree, stop living in denial.  We are better than that.

Again, I’m very happy that Catra was redeemed.  I think it should have started in season 4 but that’s beside the point.  I’m so, so happy that she recognized her mistakes and joined the Rebellion.  But they are really acting like it’s a good and reasonable thing for Adora to let Catra back into her life just because Catra is genuinely trying to improve herself for once.  It’s not, or at least not the way they portrayed it.  I could believe it if the two of them parted ways and then reunited years down the road, because then it would be easier to believe that Catra’s change for the better was permanent.  But that’s not what we got.  What we got was just a new problem that’s going to damage this wonderful show in the long run.

[les-mis-still-makes-me-cry]

Lily Evans Definitely Has a Boyfriend Chapter 4

Sitting in the drafts for a long time but let’s get this started again! Chap 1 Chap 2 Chap 3

As soon as she walked in and heard her mum bustling around the kitchen, Lily was certain that she’d made a huge mistake. There was absolutely no way anyone in their right minds would buy the idea that she and James were an item. How many arguments had they had? How many jinxes and hexes? A relationship was so completely beyond the realm of reality. This was never going to work.

Lily would have walked right back out the door if it weren’t for James’ hand holding hers, keeping her from running away. He kept her steady, looking confident as ever although she could feel his hands getting a little clammy. Ah, the great James Potter does get nervous, she thought with smug satisfaction. Good.

She led him forward, into their small kitchen. Lily’s mum stood at the hob with her back turned, so she didn’t notice their entrance at first. Lily watched James’ eyes take in the room, from the small dining table to the dripping tap to the hob where her mum heated up a pan. Had he ever been in a Muggle kitchen before? Was he shocked by how… basic it was compared to wizarding kitchens, where dishes practically prepared themselves? Judging by his fascination with the street outside she didn’t imagine he would be particularly snobbish, but she still decided to quickly get things started to distract him.

Lily’s mum still faced the stove, humming along to the radio as she flipped bacon in time. Clearly Lily was going to have to get her mother’s attention. She coughed emphatically, causing her mum to jump slightly.

“Oh, hi love, are you wanting any breakfast?” her mum asked absentmindedly, still facing away.

“Em, mum, I’ve actually… brought someone to meet you,” said Lily, blushing furiously. James’ fingers squeezed hers and have gave her a sly grin. No going back now.

Lily’s mum whirled around, eyes going wide as she took in the tall, messy-haired boy taking up half her kitchen with his long, gangly limbs. She almost imperceptibly looked him over quickly, eyes drawn to their still-joined hands, before remembering her manners.

“You must be the boyfriend! Oh my goodness Lily you should have given me some warning, I’m still in my pyjamas!” her mum babbled. She rushed forward to shake James’ hand enthusiastically with both of her own. “But it’s wonderful to meet you- I’m so sorry, what was your name again?”

“James Potter, it’s wonderful to meet you too, Mrs Evans,” James replied with a smile, warmly taking her hand. Lily resisted the urge to elbow him in the ribs seeing the twinkle in his eye as Lily’s mum smiled back just as warmly. Charming git.

“Oh please, call me Eleanor,” she replied, finally releasing his hand. “Did you say Potter? I remember Lily always used to write about a Potter, didn’t you sweetheart?”

James’ face lit up as he turned back to Lily with mischief in his hazel eyes. “You used to write home about me?”

Lily stopped resisting her urge and elbowed James in the ribs, dropping his hand. “To tell her what a prat you were, always asking me out in ridiculous ways.”

He laughed, pretending to look sober for a second. “It’s true, I was a real idiot in my younger years. I’m grateful your daughter ever looked at me again after that,” he added to Lily’s mum, who was looking from one to the other with a beaming smile.

“Ah, Lily was never one to hold grudges. And clearly you must have done something right since you’re here now together,” she said happily.

“Yes, I’m always happy to take on charity cases,” said Lily drily. Lily’s mum laughed, and turned back to the bacon. James took the opportunity to mouth to her be nice, girlfriend. She made a face and mouthed back shut up. He swooped in and put his arm around her shoulders, which she immediately shrugged off. He grinned, still clearly enjoying himself.

She pointed wordlessly at the table, and took a seat, James following closely behind.

“Can I get you any breakfast James? You must be hungry if you had to travel far to get here,” chirped Lily’s mum.

“Oh, I didn’t have far to travel at all. I mean I suppose it was far, but I just apparated here so it barely took a second,” said James.

Lily’s eyes widened. “You didn’t just apparate on my doorstep? What if someone had seen you?” she said, alarmed. Even though they had both passed their Apparition Tests this year, Lily was still afraid to use it under normal circumstances. It was all too easy to be spotted and risk being cautioned under the Statute of Secrecy, despite now being of age. People popping into existence out of nowhere were hard to explain away, especially in small Muggle towns.

“No, no, Remus mentioned there was a little alley between your street and the next that was pretty inconspicuous, then I walked over. Bought myself some Muggle clothes as well, to fit in,” James said, a touch of pride in his voice.

“Oh, I would never have known those were just bought today,” Lily’s mum said with surprise. “You look right at home in them.” Clearly her mum had nothing but praise for her new boyfriend, thought Lily. Not boyfriend, fake boyfriend. She was already struggling to keep track. Lily attempted to change the subject, to avoid further fawning from her mum.

“Do you know if Petunia is awake yet? I really wanted to James to meet her, too,” said Lily abruptly. To get him out of the house sooner, she mentally added.

“Oh you know your sister, she’s never been an early bird,” said Lily’s mum. “She doesn’t still have to wake up at the crack of dawn for school like you pair.”

“Even earlier for me, since I have Quidditch practise most mornings,” said James. Lily tried not to snort. Of course he brought up Quidditch within the first few minutes of conversation.

“Ooh really, are you on the house team?” asked Lily’s mum.

“Yeah, I play Chaser, they’re the ones who play with the Quaffle,” said James, being uncharacteristically humble. Since her mum was headed over to the table with bacon, Lily decided to play up the relationship. She grabbed James’ hand and pretended to simper over him.

“He’s just being modest, he’s been the Captain since fourth year and they’ve won every season so far. He’s amazing,” Lily gushed. James smothered a smirk at her sudden change in attitude. She felt like a total prat, but her mum seemed to find it adorable.

“That’s wonderful! You must talk to Vernon. He loves sports too, I’m sure you’ll get on like a house on fire,” said Lily’s mum.

“Mum, watching golf isn’t the same as actually playing the sport,” sighed Lily.

“What’s golf?” asked James curiously.

“It’s a Muggle sport where you use clubs to hit small white balls into holes in the ground, and you’re trying to do it in as few shots as possible,” Lily explained patiently.

“So, you’re trying to avoid playing as much as you can?” James looked unconvinced at golf’s merits.

“Vernon’s probably better at explaining it than Lily, she’s always been more of a bookworm anyway,” Lily’s mum said quickly.

“Don’t I know it, always top of the class,” he grinned at Lily, squeezing her fingers. Lily looked down in surprise at their intertwined fingers. She had almost forgotten they were still holding hands. It reminded her of his backstory he had created while they sat outside. She knew Potter had a talent for creative lies after six years of alibis for pranks, but to create something so sweet and heartfelt was… unexpected, to say the least. Lily’s train of thought ran away from her entirely as she mused on this new Potter. Lily’s mum and James continued to chat around her, but Lily stayed quiet, eating her food without breaking the connection between their hands.

His hand did feel nice in hers, she noted. His were bigger, tanned, calloused from Quidditch, hers smaller and still ink stained from her letter to James last night. She saw marks and scars all over his hand, doubtless from all the nonsense he and his mates had got up to over the years. She felt the muscles in his hand flex as he moved, always present but never moving enough to move it away from hers. His thumb lightly stroked the side of her hand, almost unconsciously. It tickled but Lily couldn’t bring herself to stop him.

“That’s very kind of you, Eleanor, but I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense, it’ll be no trouble! I would love to get to know you better, and I’m sure Petunia will too.”

“If you’re sure, then I’d be delighted. I would just have to apparate back home and pack a few things.”

Lily snapped out of her trance and looked up at James’ last sentence.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked in confusion.

Her mum tutted. “Daydreaming, as always. James was just saying he’ll need to go home for his things for the next few days.”

“Why does he need his things?” said Lily stupidly.

“If you had been listening to us,” Lily’s mum said exasperatedly, “You would have heard me invite James to stay with us until the dinner on Saturday.”

Time seemed to slow down for Lily as alarm bells started ringing in her head. Potter? Stay at her house for the best part of a week? She had to be joking, right? It was absolutely not happening, that was final. She would quite literally go insane with his joking and flirting constantly for 4 more days without a break.

And yet she couldn’t say no, at least not directly, she realised with frustration. What kind of girlfriend doesn’t want her boyfriend around after not seeing him for weeks? Especially when said girlfriend is trying to use him to get into her sister’s good books. Lily’s brain whizzed, weighing up her options, hoping her mother didn’t notice her hesitance. She knew James already had, by his thumb ceasing its little circles on her hand.

“But… where will he sleep?” said Lily. It wasn’t much of a defence and she knew it, but anything else would sound too suspicious.

“Well, I thought you and Petunia could share her room, in the spirit of sisterly bonding,” Lily’s mum said brightly.

“You have got to be joking.” Lily dropped James’ hand entirely to cross her arms and glare at her mother. “I’m absolutely not sharing a room with Tuney. And she’ll say the same.”

“And I’ll say that it’s either that or you sleep in the bath, and not to be so rude in front of our guest,” Lily’s mum said, as sharply as the softly spoken woman could manage. Her eyes met Lily’s and she knew that she had no chance. When her mother had made up her mind, her word was law.

James looked between them, panic on his face at causing this domestic strife. “I don’t have to stay, really, I don’t want to-”

“It’s really no trouble at all, James, like I said,” Lily’s mum said lightly, finally breaking eye contact with her daughter. “Isn’t that right, Lily?”

Lily and James turned to each other, his eyes looking for guidance, hers expressing nothing at all. When she spoke, her voice seemed to hold nothing of her anger just a few seconds before.

“I’d love to have you stay, James. Please, don’t worry about me,” she said calmly. She took his hand gently. He smiled back, just a hint of reservation in his eyes.

“As long as you’re happy, Lily,” said James.

“I am,” said Lily, as convincingly as she could muster.

“Great!” Lily’s mother broke the silence. “I’ll sort out these dishes then, you say goodbye to James as he goes to fetch his things, Lily. I’ll see you later, James!”

“Thank you so much for breakfast, Eleanor, it was really great,” James replied, getting up from the table. Lily didn’t say anything as she led James out of the room.

“Lily, are you-” he murmured, stopping when he saw her face. Lily just shook her head, leading him back out the front door. Only when it was safely shut behind them did she speak.

“What exactly do you think you’re playing at, Potter,” she said, her face calm but her voice filled with venom.

“Doing what you wanted!” James exclaimed. They started storming down the road together, keeping well apart.

“Since when did I want you to stay for the whole bloody week?” Lily snapped.

“Since your mum suggested it? To make this whole thing realistic?” James replied equally viciously.

“You could have said no! God, now I have to spend 4 days sharing a room with Petunia, you’ve ruined everything!”

“Why in Merlin’s name are you upset about this? You wanted me to have time to bond with your sister, and you wanted to get closer to her! You should be thanking me!”

“Thanking-” Lily couldn’t get the words out, she was so angry. “I can’t think of anything worse!”

James ran a hand through his hair roughly, other hand balled into a fist. “Then why the hell am I here trying to help you with a sister you don’t even like?”

“Because- because that’s what sisters are meant to do!” shouted Lily.

“Then why are you pissed off at me? You’re making no sense, Lily,” he retorted.

The pair reached the alley near Lily’s house where the bins kept any apparition away from Muggle eyes. Lily struggled to form an answer to James, the blood rushing through her head too loudly for her to think clearly.

“Because… this wasn’t the plan, James, it was just meant to be the one night,” she said, sounding exhausted.

“Well, plans change Lily, you’ve just got to roll with it,” James replied, lowering his voice to match hers.

She took a deep breath in and a long breath out her mouth. There was a very miniscule possibility, she realised, that she was overreacting. It was just for a few days, she lived with James 9 months of the year already. She and Petunia sharing a bedroom was bound to be unpleasant, but like James and her mother said, it might help reinforce the case for being a bridesmaid. And it would definitely give them enough time to convince Petunia that she and James were definitely an item.

She ran that list over in her head as she looked up at James again. He didn’t look angry anymore, just exasperated at her. She couldn’t really blame him, she’d been the one begging him to come and all she did was snap at him. They’d had two arguments and it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

“Sorry,” she said quietly.

He raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“What, is that not enough?” she said, her voice escalating again.

“No, no,” he assured, “It’s just that I’ve never… well I don’t think you’ve ever been the first one to apologise before.”

Lily frowned “Because it’s normally you being a git.”

“True, mostly, but you can be a bit of an arse as well, Lily,” James said placidly.

She opened her mouth to defend herself, but dozens of scenarios popped into her head to shut her up. Somehow she had convinced herself that it was always James instigating things, but she had always been just as quick with a snarky comment or a well-placed jinx. She always just considered herself to be in the right before. Before, she always had the voice of Snape on her side, telling her how great she was, how funny Potter had looked with his feet on backwards, how much of a git he was…

“Yeah, you’re right,” Lily agreed. James looked completely taken aback.

“Wait, I am?”

“A little bit, at least,” Lily said with a wry smile.

“Stop the presses! Lily Evans and James Potter have agreed on something!” Potter exclaimed to an imaginary audience, hands cupped around his mouth. Lily smacked his hands down, giggling.

“Calm down, you prat, it had to happen one of these days.”

“Nope, nothing you say will take this glorious moment away from me. If only I had a Pensieve to save this precious memory forever,” James sang tunelessly. He grabbed her hands and started twirling her around, narrowly avoiding the dustbins.

“I’ll obliviate you in a second if you don’t cut that out,” Lily grumbled, trying to fight off a smile.

He gave her one final spin under his arm and let go, still grinning from ear to ear.

“Your wish is my command, O wonderful girlfriend of mine.” He bowed to her pompously.

“FAKE girlfriend,” she reminded him.

“But of course,” he said, bowing even lower before rising back up to his full height.

“Now I suppose you should get back home and get some packing done,” said Lily.

James dropped the jester act for a minute and looked at her seriously. “Are you absolutely sure? I know I said I think it’s the best plan but if you’re genuinely not happy about it you can just say to your mum-”

“Shh, James, I’m sure. It’s the best way to convince Petunia,” Lily said. “And I haven’t killed you yet so I guess I can make it a few more days.”

“Ah, is that a challenge?” he grinned.

“Absolutely not,” said Lily firmly.

“Too late,” said James. He grabbed her hand and bent to kiss it quickly. “Till later, lovely girlfriend of mine.”

“FAKE girlfriend!” Lily insisted, only to be met with a cheeky grin, before James took a step and spun around, apparating away with a loud CRACK. Lily looked around, making sure no one had caught sight, before sighing once more.

What on earth was she going to do with that boy? Lily didn’t know if she could take another 4 days of this rollercoaster of emotions. But then, things between her and James had never been smooth. There had always been something about him that got her attention, for better or for worse…

She shook her head, ignoring the way her hand was tingling where his lips had pressed against it. Definitely for worse, she mentally corrected. Four days and she was free, and she and Potter could have another year free of interaction. It was all for the best. Gryffindor tower had never known peace when they were arguing every few days, they couldn’t inflict that upon their long-suffering housemates again.

Although a couple of them seemed to find their interactions amusing, Remus for one. Lily knew he would be desperate for news of the fake boyfriend business, especially after Potter’s request for her address. She turned and began to walk out of the alley, already writing the letter in her head.

Just as she skirted around a bin bag that looked about ready to burst at the seams, she started suddenly, hearing a loud noise echo from all the way down the street.

“SHE’S WHAT?” the voice screeched.

Lily grimaced and prepared for battle. It seemed Petunia was awake.

That’s all for now folks! I’ll probably just keep posting these on Tumblr but I’m stopping editing all the old posts with new chapters so to keep up to date either follow me (#selfpromo) or follow the story on AO3 or FFN. Much love!

[bylerchoseme]

No hate at all but why would you ship two sisters? Nothing against it, just wondering.

1. They were separated for 13 years. Anna was 5 and Elsa was 8. They did not grow up together. They weren’t exposed to how sisters should act. Remember the gates were closed until Elsa’s coronation. They didn’t have contact with the outside world.

2. Sisters aren’t supposed to have chemistry. Why do they? Simple. That’s what the writers and animators wanted.

3. They’re strangers. You saw how busy Elsa’s schedule as queen was to a point where she could only see Anna at breakfast and during dinner time. Even when they were living together, they were separated. That’s not enough time.

4. Their parents did not teach them about family relationships. It was more of a “You can’t be around each other because Elsa has powers.” That’s it.

5. Anna doesn’t know how far to go for Elsa. She pushes herself further. She doesn’t think whether her actions are deemed romantic.

6. The devotion they have for each other. This is obvious on Anna’s side because she didn’t have to hide how she feels. We saw Elsa’s devotion to Anna in different ways but not like Anna’s.

7. Disney decided by the time it was too late that a mistake was made which is making them sisters. Like do they not know how to write?

8. Anna has told Elsa she loves her twice without the sister label. Her I love you sounds like she is in love with her. She feels so much for Elsa.

9. Canon gave Elsa and Anna a romantic trope. It doesn’t take rocket science to figure that out. The original idea was to make them girlfriends.

10. When a fandom is growing, you have to realize where the heart of Frozen is and write accordingly.

11. Elsanna is very popular in China. You don’t want to piss of that country. Whatever sells there, you have to make sure they like what they’re seeing.

12. They’re captivated by each other’s beauty. There isn’t anyone else they would rather be attracted to.

13. They’re drawn to each other like magnets.

14. They’re inseparable. Frozen 1, Olaf’s Frozen adventure, and Frozen Fever made that clear. They can’t let the other go.

15. Elsa had to accept herself before she let Anna near her in an intimate and heated way. Watch the beach scene in Frozen 2 to see what I am talking about.

16. Sharing the same bed while living in a castle doesn’t make sense when you’re sisters. That’s a routine. They do it all the time.

17. In Frozen 1 after Anna unfroze, Elsa ran a hand down Elsa’s cheek. Anna looked at her dreamily like she was love struck.

18. The realization Elsa is Anna’s true love hit her hard because it was unexpected. Anna’s immediate response was to look at Elsa’s lips which isn’t normal sisterly behavior.

19. Love is crazy and causes you to do crazy things. They’ve done a lot of crazy things for each other.

20. If people have to question their relationship, something is there. No one would need to do that if they were siblings.

21. Their love overshadows all love out there including canon couples. The world wasn’t prepared for Elsa and Anna.

22. Disney didn’t care to put effort in other relationships. Elsanna is effortless.

23. Elsanna is once in a lifetime. Once is all it takes to create something extraordinary.

24. Disney plays games to much. If they wanted to send the message of sisterhood, it should have happened. If they didn’t intend romantic feelings, well they didn’t deliver.

25. Elsa wanted Anna for Christmas. How can you wish for someone or something you already have? Unless you want something bigger.

26. Anna and Elsa share looks that are close to them kissing. They get lost in each other.

27. It’s come to a point where Anna delivering her speech to Elsa about believing in her more than anyone or anything isn’t considered sisterly talk. I won’t say publically why that is the case.

28. The fact people think Anna and Elsa are friends or cousins explains it all. You don’t need to watch Frozen 1 to know they’re sisters when Frozen 2 starts off with them as little girls and the word sister is repeated.

29. The funniest thing right now is when someone says Elsa is lesbian and another person says but “Anna and Elsa are sisters.” People immediately assume Elsa as a lesbian means she is into Anna.

30. I don’t ship two sisters. I ship everything Elsa and Anna represent together. They have the foundation, build up, and qualities of a healthy relationship.

31. Do I even need to bring up the kid that wanted Anna and Elsa married? Or the kid that told her father “that’s not how sisters talk to each other?” Even kids are catching on.

32. I want you to define siblings for me. Tell me what makes a sibling a sibling. If you can’t apply real life siblings to Elsa and Anna, they’re not siblings. They don’t know what that means.

33. Elsa and Anna are comfortable in the context of doing anything with each other. They don’t have to think about it or second guess what they’re doing. If it feels right, it feels right.

34. Anna looks at Elsa like she is the special woman in her life. Her eyes do this thing. I can’t explain it.

35. Elsa may not understand love as well as Anna does but she does understand Anna’s love for her is indefinite. That’s why she runs from Anna out of fear.

36. You push away the one person you love the most. Elsa needs to learn to create a sense of unity with Anna.

37. They’re distracted by each other and forget other people exist. Anna only sees Elsa. Elsa only sees Anna.

38. In Frozen Fever, they had the red string of fate also known as the red thread of marriage. Why not a different color? Why red specifically?

39. Elsa doesn’t appreciate Anna bringing men to her. I don’t think she ever will.

40. The script made them like lovers. A sisterly dynamic wasn’t conveyed well on screen. They didn’t work out like sisters.

41. Forbidden love is popular. Although, that’s not the reason why I personally love them together.

42. The angst between Elsa and Anna is another reason. They challenge each other.

43. Because of the complexity. That’s a recipe for exploring the two in a variety of ways. They just work romantically.

44. They’re taken in every sense of the word.

45. Being in love with each other is all Elsa and Anna know how to do. That’s the one thing they can’t go wrong with.

46. I didn’t choose Elsanna. Elsanna chose me.

47. I love how they’re so in sync.

48. Love is love. Your heart wants what it wants. You can’t fight the feeling.

49. Elsa and Anna are the best of the bestest love story. No one comes close to them.

50. They’re love is permanent.

[whitherliliesbloom]

Okay but for actual relationships you haven’t gotten to talk about hmm, Illya and Alisaie, Illya and Aymeric, Illya and Raha. Platonic or not, your pick.

[Anonymously send me what characters you ship my muse with - CLOSED]

I think I’ve actually talked about all of these except Aymeric but I’ll re-elaborate on my points about each dynamic again.

Illya + Alisaie

I definitely seriously considered romance between these two especially at the end of post-Stormblood, but that was already the point at which I was quite invested in Illyanaud, so I never really committed to the idea. 

If they were ever to date in some alternate timeline though, I think Alisaie would be the super protective girlfriend who scolds Illya for not taking care of herself more than ever before. Illya’s hesitation to show physical affection and shyness would likely bother Alisaie a little, and unlike her brother I don’t think she’d know right away it’s not because Illya DOESN’T want to show affection, it’s because she’s afraid Alisaie wouldn’t be comfortable with it. Also Alisaie is more likely to be irritable and act grumpy when Illya doesn’t immediately respond or react to flirtation (because she’s dense). That’s all minor issues though but at the end of the day Illya’s grown and matured enough to be able to understand when she has to take initiative in relationships. At the end of the day they’re super wholesome and soft with each other too. Only reason I haven’t really done anything with this ship is because I feel bad just thinking about it.

In terms of the main verse though, they have a sisterly bond and they definitely see each other as practically family now. Illya loves spending time with Alisaie not only because there’s familiarity from their days together in the binding coil but just because Alisaie is extroverted and talkative without being too forward and domineering to scare Illya off like most other people would upon their first meeting. And Alisaie just really looks up to how considerate Illya is to her.

Illya + Aymeric

NGL I did consider shipping them at one point until I found out his age. At this point I can’t really see their relationship as anything but platonic. 

There’s obviously a lot of respect between the two despite their rocky first meeting, where Illya was very suspicious of Aymeric and his intentions. Aymeric doesn’t seem the type to pass judgement quickly and so I don’t think he had any real opinions on Illya until she came to Ishgard and quickly became one of their greatest allies to date. They don’t really bond much, seeing as Aymeric is pretty reserved himself but they both do make an effort to talk more frequently outside of business and politics, especially after he invites her to dinner. 

It’s also the first time Illya’s been treated to a fancy candlelit dinner in her life and she’s understandably very awkward throughout the dinner. She loosens up somewhat only for their dinner to be interrupted. 

Since then, they’ve both been far too busy to really spend time and the next time Illya would meet Aymeric after she officially leaves Ishgard to involve herself with the liberation of Ala Mhigo is at the ghimlyt when she causes a minor explosion to defend him from an incoming enemy attack, and he notes just how much she’s grown over the two years he hasn’t seen her. 

Illya + Raha

During the crystal tower storyline, Illya and G’raha bond quite a bit. His mischievous but friendly nature made Illya wary at first, but it was clear later on that he had no ill will. They talk about a bunch of stuff but it always seems to end with G’raha asking more question about her experiences and Illya answering. Just when Illya’s grown attached to him as a friend, he decides to lock himself in the crystal tower which upset Illya, but she understood the reasons for what he did and swore to carry on on behalf of his love for adventuring just as much as she did.

A lot has happened since then, and when the exarch’s hood flew off after her battle with Innocence, she instantly recognizes him. 5 years wasn’t enough to wipe her impeccable memories of their friendship, it would seem. 

She’s shocked, confused but also a little heartbroken to see how much G’raha has changed and undoubtedly how much he’s had to endure. While there’s a fondness in the way she interacts with the exarch after finding out his identity, there’s also a sad distance between them - a void that her 5 years and his hundred years of separation has caused. They’re both different from how they remembered. G’raha had once admired Illya, but she’s gotten so strong, so mature and more confident over the years that now more than ever before, it seems she’s on a completely unobtainable level compared to him. While Illya feels like G’raha is a shell of his former self, and she’s torn between feeling like she could have prevented his suffering while also acknowledging it was only through his sacrifice that made saving Norvrandt possible. 

These two are friends, but ones who are like reunited childhood friends who both matured so drastically that they now as adults have to come to terms with the fact that things are different - that time has passed, and that time wasn’t kind to either of them, but they can make the most of it and still be friends regardless.

[razorblade180]

Lasting Embers part24: Broken Children

[Menagerie, Oasis]

The Sun is in full affect over the desert as Sienna sits by the water to stalk her lunch. Taking her time as her is raised by her face; claws out and ready to strike. Her mother resting in the shade and enjoying the show.

Jacquelyn:You know you should learn to fish like everyone else.

Sienna:I could but....*stabs hand in the water* I enjoy the advantages I was given at birth way to much. *pulls out a fish*

Jacquelyn:*chuckles* Show off, do your sister a favor and catch three more.

Sienna:Since when does she eat that much at once.

Jacquelyn:One is for her, the other two. *points pass Sienna*

Alpha rests on a sand dune just outside the Oasis like he was painstakingly trained to remember. His eyes fixated on the freshly caught fish.

Sienna:Should I be concerned that you let her keep that grimm around?

Jacquelyn:The whole pack helped protect her because of him so I don’t mind. Plus I think it’s pretty interesting how she basically out did what makes the cult special in the first place. Makes me proud hehehe.

Sienna:I don’t like the way he’s looking at me. Jael come get your pet!!

Jael:*inside*I’m getting dressed and he’s more of a wild animal that just knows better than to pick fights he’ll lose.

Jacquelyn:Heh, sounds like Adam after a week of dating.

Sienna: “dating” he was sort of your prisoner mom.

Jacquelyn:Prisoner of lo-

Sienna:No..... Jael please come take care of this. Both Alpha and our mother have too much attention on me.

Jael:You wouldn’t be saying that if dad was the one paying attention to you!

Sienna:Like you’re one to talk! Come out here and say it to my face kid.

Jael:*mumbles* one of these days I’ll hit her for the dumb goat jokes.

After washing her face and putting her hair in a ponytail, she was ready to fish. Dressed in just a red crop top and black swimming trunks just in case the fish put up a fight. Honestly she hope they did how scorching today was turning out to be. The heat never bothered Adam as much though, yet he usually wore black. He’ll have to tell her the secret to it when he comes home.

Jacquelyn:Hey sweetie can you bring me my scroll before you come out here? I think it’s on the table.

Jael:*picking it up* I swear you never have this on you when you need it. What if someone like dad sends something important like.....like..... *drops the scroll* ...........

Sienna’s ears twitch as she hears a louder thump and startling her to the point of dropping her lunch. Sisterly and animal instinct kick in and she rushes inside to see Jael on her knees.

Sienna:Jael! What’s wrong!? *shakes her arm* is it your heart or something? Talk to m-

Jael:*crying*........the scroll *points to it*

Carefully but with haste, the older faunus picks it prepared for anything. Or at least she thought she was. Her ears automatically fold down as she suddenly feels small and frail like her early years. Despite that however, she remains calmer and mature out of necessity. Pulling her kid sister into her arms and staring disappointingly at the message.

“Things are worse than we thought. I’ll be home soon but not as long as I’d like. Sorry to do this to you but I’m leaving for another job that can’t wait; I don’t know when I’ll come back...”

Jael:We’re never gonna have time as a complete family will we?

Sienna:I.....*sniff* I don’t know.

[Patch]

After a bit more walking through the forest both Tenzen a Yujin finally made it to the house. The yard was still thoroughly trashed to the point some surrounding trees were damage. Tenzen was told about the explosive welcoming gift that was Yujin trying to beat her mom but this was another level.

Tenzen:All this happened on your birthday? It looks like a war zone.

Yujin:*weakly* No, there was plenty of sparring afterwards between Adam, myself, and even mo- Yang.....

That started to make a lot more sense. One brawl out of anger was one thing. Three or more though against people like Adam and Yang was another. Even without knowing much about the former terrorist he knew that he was cream of the crop when it came to battle like the others. No doubt these matches put Yujin through her paces as a huntress in training. That fact became more valid as he approached a familiar looking blade that had been broken in two.

Tenzen:*picking it up* Jin is this Tempered Steel? It’s completely ruined....

Yujin:Yep, guess it wasn’t as strong as I thought. Gave out on me when I blocked an incoming shotgun punch; her semblance being amplified didn’t help.

Tenzen:What are you going to use for the entrance exam then? It’s a month away sure, but making a good weapon takes up most of it.

Yujin:Don’t know, don’t really care that much either....*walks inside*

Tenzen:.....

He wanted to pry a bit more about that statement but chose not to push his luck. Fortune was smiling on him since she bothered to speak at all in her state; tired and almost colorless. Conversations about Beacon’s upcoming entrance exam can be revisited later, for now he followed her into the house they’ve shared many memories in. Most of them filled with smiles but a gut feeling another memory containing tears was on the horizon. Yujin is cracking, badly.....

Tenzen:Listen, I know you’re thinking about a lot but- agh! *stumbles to his knees*

Yujin:Tenzen!? *helping him up* are you okay!?

Tenzen:Fine....guess my ribs are still healing hehe.

Yujin:I can feel you burning up; no doubt you have a slight fever. Sigh....and an empty stomach because I ran out instead of making you food like I promised. I’m such an idiot.

Tenzen:You had a lot on your mind, it happens.

Yujin:Yeah well it shouldn’t. *lays him on the couch* can’t believe you came after me in your condition.

Tenzen:Yeah you can, it’s pretty on brand for me to look after you even when you want space. *cough*

Yujin:......Might have a point there. I’ll make you some food and water. While I’m gone try to think about your own health for a change. *walks off*

Tenzen:No promises.....

Comfort finally set in within a few minutes of laying on the couch. Was the ceiling always so high up? He’d gotten so used to having to look down that he’d rarely had a reason to look anywhere else. Though the last time he did look up it was to see an incoming boot crash into his face. Jericho wasn’t going to be a name he’d forget anytime soon.

Yujin:*carrying a bowl of stew* it’s a bit late for breakfast now and something tells me you need a hardy meal.

Tenzen:*eyes widened* Beef stew huh? Don’t think I could’ve asked for anything better. Hey, you didn’t make yourself any?

Yujin:Not hungry.....

Tenzen:.....*puts a spoon full in front of her*

Yujin:Tenzen-

Tenzen:I thought about my health for a few minutes and now I’m back to you. Eat a little bit Jin. *waving it in front of her* who doesn’t want to taste their own fabulous cooking?

Yujin:My dad made this.

Tenzen:That’s a relief all things considering...

Yujin:Hey! What’s wrong with my cook- *spoon enters her mouth*.....

Tenzen:That was easier than I thought. *smiles*

Yujin:*red* Why do you have to be so annoying?

Tenzen: *eating* I only push because you refuse to budge when you should. Stubbornness is one of your best and worst qualities. *lifts spoon to her*

Yujin:.......*takes a bit*

Tenzen:I knew you’d give in eventually. Some color is finally getting back to your face. Had me worried for a sec.

Yujin:I know what you’re trying to do. Get my mind off things....

Tenzen:Not exactly, just trying to ease the tension a little I suppose. You barely said a word on the way home and it’s a bit challenging to read your mood when you stare at the ground. However, doesn’t take a genius to know you’re about to blow....

Yujin:........*takes another bite*

Tenzen:We both know this bowl is gonna run out eventually. Talk to me please...

Yujin:I’m fine...

Tenzen:You’ve been saying that since the day she left Jin. We both know that a lie.

Yujin:*grips spoon* I don’t feel like talking about this man.

Tenzen:Haven’t been trying to feel much at all lately from the looks of it. Well, except the night I gave you your present. *messing with her bracelet* don’t think I’ve ever seen such a big smile one your face; with your mom no less. Are you really gonna dismiss all of-

Yujin:I’m not dismissing anything!! Having those moments with her were nice but it was just that, a moment. It didn’t change how I feel about all the countless moments without her. *staring at the bowl* Nothing has changed, everything is the same as it’s always been. So can we finally drop it? Pl...please?

Her hands start to shake and her voice cracking. Despite his best efforts she just refuses to open up to him. The bowl gets set aside as the both of them try to figure out what to say.

Tenzen:Alright, I’ll drop it. I want you to know that if you need to talk though I’m always available. This is eating away at you and it’s gonna keep at it until you eventually explode.

Yujin:Maybe, not everyone can be like you Tenzen. I can’t be open and strong like you all the time. You’re better than me....

Tenzen:*eyes widened* Says who? Jin you should not compare the two of us. We are different people.

Yujin:But in similar situations. Ren and Nora are leaving but you look.....fine. How the hell are you fine while I feel so....so.... *eyes flickering*

Tenzen:Woah I-

The front door opened before he could comment. It was a Yang wearing a tired expression not so different from her daughter. Somehow that got under Yujin’s more than it should’ve.

Tenzen: Mrs. Xiao Long? I wasn’t expecting you to drop by.

Yujin:That makes two of us.

Yang:Yeah well, there’s supplies that I need to get. It’s a time sensitive issue. *walking to a bookshelf*

Tenzen:How’d you get here so fast.

Yang:*grabbing paper* Dad drove me.

Tenzen:......I think I should probably get home. He’s supposed to be escorting me anyways.

Complete and utter tension was starting to stir. He knew what he was doing was not about to be pretty. It needed to be done though, or certain feelings might never come out until it was too late.

Yujin:Tenzen I really think you should st- *kissed on the forehead*.......

Tenzen:I’ll text you when I make it home. *leaves*

Who would’ve thought the sound of a closing door could feel so horrible? Yang continued to gather office supplies quickly, yet calmly. A fight was the last thing she wanted to have but all the signs pointed to that if they tried to talk right now. Not knowing what was on her own daughters mind was a special kind of torture. Yujin wasn’t too keen on keeping quiet though. She spoke with a tone colder and more deliberate than usual.

Yujin:What’s with the supplies?

Yang:Don’t really know, Ruby gave me a list and I’m following it.

Yujin:Guess that means everyone else must already be gone if you’re over here planning an arts and crafts project.

Yang:......

Yujin:*glaring at the back of her hand* If time is a factor then that means a decision was made right?

Yang:....*puts the bag on the ground* I leave in a week....

Yujin:Hmph, of course you decided to go.

Yang: Listen, this wasn’t an easy decision for me. I want to stay, I really do. However, there’s just so much going on. I’ll still come back, as soon as I c- *turned around and punched right in the face. She stumbles into the shelf*

Yujin: “I’ll come back as soon as I can.” Last time I heard that it took ten years. *tears run down her face* I’m not listening this time.

Yang:*wipes her nose* You know this isn’t easy for me either right? All these years of wanting to comeback and it falls apart immediately. You think.....*red eyes* you think you could just cut me some slack for one minute!!!!! *gets up*

Yujin:Oh spare me the pity part! You did this to yourself and you know it! All this time and you didn’t come back once!

Yang:To keep you safe!

Yujin:News flash, I almost died anyways!

Yang:I.....I was told.

Yujin:Here’s the dark reality of the situation mom. The moment you came back home you kept telling me about how hard it was to be away, that it was a difficult decision, and we’d try to make up for lost time. Yet that decision could not have been too hard because in a matter of hours you’ve already decided to leave me again!!!

Her voice shakes the room and tears flow uncontrollably as they hit the floor.

Yujin:The reality is even if I dropped onto my knees right now and begged you to stay, you might still walk out. Even if you did stay then you’d silently hate yourself for not helping. Heaven forbid they die on that mission because it would kill you inside. So instead of giving me this annoying run around about wishing you could stay, admit to yourself what you already know. Being a hero that protects everyone is just more important than being with dad and I.

Yang:That’s not true in the slightest! Everything I do is for the two of you and the rest of my family. It’s always been that way and I’ll continue to do anything for the you both!

Yujin:THEN STAY DAMNIT!!!

Yang:....

Yujin:*drops to the ground balling* Let whatever threat make its way here instead. Wake up with us, plan with us, laugh with us, keep me in your arms...... I don’t want to a hero, I want my mom. That’s all I ever wanted. I’m so sick and I tired of people telling me you love me and I just want you here to say it yourself.

Yang:*crying* Yujin there’s not a minute when I don’t love you. *sniff* you know that don’t you?

Yujin:I know, but you’re still gonna leave right? It’s just who you are. *glaring at her*

Yang:*looks away* I’m sorry.....

Yujin:*heart drops and eyes widened*..........

Yujin:Fine, I see how it is. I’m gonna make this real easy for the both of us. *tosses her the supply bag*

Yang:What are you doing?

Yujin:I’ve spent my entire childhood waiting to see you again; I can’t spend anymore time doing that. If you pick up that bag and walk out that door then you don’t have to worry about rushing home to see me again. Dad might be waiting but I’ll be continuing to live my life without you like I’ve been doing. Far as I’ll be concerned, it’s like you never came home in the first place. *clenches her fist* or you can walk over here right now and tell me that you’re going to stay.

At this point, maybe it would’ve been best to not know her feelings. That somehow Yang inflicted more damage to her daughter than Raven ever did when she left Tai and herself all those years ago. The road to hell must really be paved with good intentions. Even so, this isn’t the time to lose faith. Yang never needed a week to decide and she bet Adam knows that too. It’s for damage control; salvaging whatever you can of the relationships that will be left behind. Her only wish is that there’s something left to salvage in the first place. Slowly she grabs the bag and walks towards the door; reaching for the knob.

Yujin:So that’s really your choice huh? *shaking*

Yang:I hope one day that you’ll forgive, but for now I guess this is it. *opens the door*

Yujin:..........I hate you.......

Yang:Me too...*leaves*

Ruby and Jaune stand in the yard waiting for her return. Ruby takes the supplies and walks with her sister back to Tai’s house, Jaune stares at his front door. Nobody mentions the obvious bruise or red eyes Yang displays.

Jaune:I’m staying here.

Ruby:Thought so, go take care of your kid. We got the rest from here.

Jaune:Yang....you know she doesn’t-

Yang:She does Jaune. Right now in this moment, she does hate me and I can’t blame her. *tearing up* I can only hope it’s not forever.

The sound of broken glass ends the short conversation. With a final hug the sisters leave and Jaune walks into his once unbroken home. He looks around to find the source of the sound until he finds himself upstairs in the bathroom. Yujin his hugging her knees with her head down right below the sink. Right above it is a freshly broken mirror shattered with a single hit. He has pretty good idea why it got broken.

Jaune:Yujin.....

Yujin:Are you here to yell at me?

Jaune:No, wouldn’t make anything better. *sits next to her*

Yujin:.....Is something wrong with me?

Jaune:What?

Yujin:I keep wracking my brain thinking there’s something I missed. A little something that would’ve gotten her to stay, but I got nothing. Is the problem really just me?

The girl stares brokenly at her father. Eyes relentlessly pouring tears down her face as the glow purple; obviously without her control. The reason the mirror broke; showing her the last person she wanted to see right now.

Yujin:Am I just not enough for her to stay dad?

Jaune:*hugs her tightly* Please don’t think like that. You’re more than enough for her and I. Don’t you ever forget that. *crying* I thought I could love you enough for the both of us while she was gone but I guess not.

Yujin:I....I just want to stop feeling so hurt! I want to feel fine!

It took awhile but she finally admitted it to herself. Yujin wasn’t fine with any of this; she’s never been fine with any of this. Not that anybody ever believed the blatant lie but herself. That was over now though. The Yujin that told herself how strong she was truly left for the first time. Left behind was a devasted teenage girl that was crying her heart out in her father’s arms; desperately seeking comfort. A girl wishing for her mother, despite the hate that she has for her.

[hoshi-cola]

Madison Collins Info

-Madison has shoulder-length wavy chestnut hair, vanilla skin with a pink tone. She has roundish-almond cobalt blue eyes. She often keeps her hair in a messy bun outside of training. In training, her hair is pulled back into a more professional bun or the occasional pony-tail. 

-As mentioned in her bio, Madison stands at 5’7” and weighs 139 lbs. 

-Madison has 6 total siblings. 2 older sisters, 2 older brothers and 2 younger twin sisters. 

-Madison has chubby cheeks. She doesn’t mind them but just don’t start pinching or squishing them unless given permission to. She will throw C4 in your toilet and make sure you don’t get one for years to come.

-Seriously, don’t touch the chubby cheeks. Either pair. Don’t touch her cheeks.

-Madison narrowly avoided death 3 years before joining Team Rainbow. A sniper nearly killed her while she was attending wounds on the field. She was saved by a comrade and romantic interest of hers, who took the shot for her and unfortunately passed a few hours in the hospital.  

-Madison has a knack for engineering. It’s more of a hobby rather than a job.

SAS

-Sledge and Madison are on good terms but Sledge does think Madison should stop her constant pranks on Thatcher. This causes a few small arguments but those are often forgotten about the days afterwards.

-Thatcher is a common target for Madison’s pranks. He does find them annoying and will occasionally get pissed off. He will be the better man and often calm himself before confronting her which will make Madison a little salty she didn’t get a reaction she wanted.

-Madison and Smoke get along very well. He, unlike Sledge or Mute, praises Madison’s pranks on Thatcher. He’ll occasionally join in too. The two share a few drinks every few nights and a small rumour has started the two may have spent a night in the same bed if ya catch my drift.

-Mute and Madison don’t get along. At all. She tried being friendly but Mute shut that down almost immediately and a little rudely. It doesn’t help that he isn’t a fan of her pranks either. They don’t enjoy each other’s company.

FBI SWAT

-Madison and Ash are very distant. The two don’t talk much, but neither has a bad opinion of each other. When the two do talk, it is because of their jobs. 

-Thermite was actually one of Madison’s first friends when she first joined Rainbow. The two share a lot of bad jokes with each other over a few drinks. He’s the one that tends to cheer her up during tough times.

-Castle and Madison have gotten along very well. Their relationship is more neutral as the two don’t talk much but when they do, it’s a joyous conversation and the two can’t stop joking or laughing. Add Thermite in the mix and the base won’t be silent for hours.

-Pulse and Madison have a semi-close relationship. The two often talk when it comes to missions, training or their gadgets and how they can improve them. Pulse has actually taken her under his wing when it comes to combat training.

GIGN 

-Madison and Twitch don’t have any opinions on each other. In fact, they don’t talk at all. Madison can’t recall the last time they talked to each other. Madison is interested in Twitch’s drone, perhaps she’ll inquire about it soon.

-Montagne and Madison have a good relationship. She appreciates his kindness and his ability to keep calm when others can’t seem to do the same. He’s usually the peace-keeper between her and Lion’s fights.

-Doc and Madison are at odds. They don’t appreciate each other’s ways of medical care/treatment. But at the request of Harry, Doc has begun to mentor Madison. 

-Madison often protects Rook as if he’s her child, despite their close age-gap. Rook doesn’t mind, he actually likes the sweet attention she gives him. 

SPETSNAZ

-Madison has shown her distaste for Glaz. She doesn’t like what he does, which is sniping. Glaz doesn’t seem to care and doesn’t acknowledge her or her feelings. 

-Fuze and Madison haven’t talked much. They’ve shared their greetings but the two don’t seem interested in becoming anything more than just co-workers. 

-Kapkan and Madison got off on the wrong foot when Madison shared her distaste for Glaz. The two have gotten a bit better although there still is that odd atmosphere. The two occasionally go for drinks with Tachanka every few weeks.

-Tachanka and Madison have gotten along great. The two talk a lot during and outside training. They go out for drinks every few weeks but there have been a few arguments between the two. Mainly over the Spetsnaz and JTF2 quarrel. 

GSG 9

-Blitz and Madison are very close. The two get along swimmingly, especially with their senses of humour. They chat a lot in their free time and enjoy each other’s company a lot. Even if Blitz doesn’t like most of Madison’s pranks.

-IQ and Madison have an odd standing. Their conversations are awkward and a tad bit uncomfortable. Both avoid each other for now. 

-Jäger and Madison are good friends. She enjoys chatting with him when they’re in the same room. With their shared creativity and curiosity, the two create new devices or odd ways to improve their own devices. Which doesn’t always work out but at least they try.

-Bandit is Madison’s prank buddy. The two are best friends and it’s been like that ever since Madison joined Team Rainbow. The two just kinda clicked and it’s a given since the two might as well be twins from different mothers. 

JTF2

-Buck has piqued Madison’s interest romantically. The two met in the Canadian Armed Forces but the two never talked before Buck left. She tries to be around him and socialize with him but Buck keeps his distance like he does with other operators. Madison is confused about how Buck feels about her.

-Frost is a good friend of Madison. She’s often the down-to-earth support and adviser Madison needs when she has some problems. The two have a more serious, less-joking kind of friendship and both seem to keep it that way.

SEALs

-Madison and Blackbeard get along surprisingly well. Madison was actually a bit timid when she first saw Blackbeard, she thought he’d be some sort of no-nonsense, all serious business kind of guy. But she was only semi-right. Blackbeard is actually a laid-back guy outside work and the two get along fine during those times. 

-Valkyrie and Madison are more casual acquaintances. They’ll greet each other in the halls and occasionally talk during gatherings but it’s nothing more. 

BOPE

-Capitao and Madison don’t talk. At all.

-Caveira and Madison don’t like each other. Their personalities clash and they disagree a lot over the littlest things. Atmospheres tend to grow tense when both are in the same room.

SAT

-Hibana and Madison are naturally close through Pulse. The two have grown a sisterly bond and often defend one another against others. Hibana will occasionally train Madison when Pulse isn’t around to do so.

-Echo and Madison are neutral on each other. They’ve met but their relationship won’t be going anywhere. 

GEO

-Jackal and Madison have had some conversations. She’s mainly concerned over his insomnia although he tends to reassure her that nothing is wrong. The two aren’t good friends, more like acquaintances. 

-Mira and Madison have become good friends. Mira will teach Madison a few things while she works on some of the gadgets. The two have also become secret gossip buddies. 

SDU 

-Ying and Madison are acquaintances. They don’t talk often but Ying will admit that it is nice to have Madison around, it cheers her up.

-Lesion and Madison haven’t talked much but neither has gotten any gut feelings about each other so they leave each other alone.

GROM

-Zofia and Madison don’t like each other. Neither can explain why, other than “she takes things too seriously” or “she’s too laid-back”. 

-Ela and Madison have done the occasional prank on each other or another operator. Madison isn’t as close to Ela like she is with Bandit but they’re good friends

707th SMB

-Dokkaebi is also like a sister to Madison although, she isn’t as friendly as Hibana. Dokkaebi’s a little more direct and blunt to Madison which Madi appreciates a lot because she needs someone to slap her with the cold, hard truth sometimes. Overall, a strong relationship.

-Vigil and Madison haven’t talked yet but Madison considers Vigil weird and odd. Madison wanted to talk to him at first but after a week of joining Rainbow, that desire died down. 

CBRN 

-Lion and Madison hate each other. They can’t stand each other and display this almost daily. The two can often be found in arguments over the tiniest of things. Look at them in the wrong way? Huge fight. Overall, they wish to murder each other.

-Finka scares Madison but the two do talk when they go out drinking. Madison often has to keep Finka from jumping onto Tachanka while drunk. The two don’t talk much but when they do, it’s pleasant conversations.

GIS

-Madison finds Maestro pleasant but a little forward. She enjoys his jokes and loves his stories. She could listen to Maestro’s stories for hours and she actually has. She considers the two good friends.

-Madison and Alibi have neutral opinions on each other. Well, Madison does, Alibi keeps her eyes on Madison. Alibi doesn’t fully trust Madison just yet.

GSUTR

-Maverick and Madison have talked occasionally. It’s a pretty neutral relationship but Maverick has made it clear Madison could come to him if anything is bothering her. Madison appreciates the offer and has returned his offer, telling him he could come to her as well.

-Clash creeps Madison out and plus, she’s kinda scared too. A screaming British cop with a shock shield? Madison will pass.

GIGR

-Nomad and Madison are good friends. The two enjoy each other’s company and Madison loves watching Nomad sketch out a few drawings. She finds it peaceful. She’ll go to Nomad if she needs to calm down which happens often when she’s been around Lion. Nomad doesn’t mind, Madison always makes her laugh.

-Kaid and Madison don’t get along. Madison doesn’t like Kaid’s strict training and retaliates against him. This causes him to get stricter and it starts the loop all over again. The two tend to avoid each other.

SASR

-Gridlock loves Madison. She loves teaching Madison all about engineering and considers Madison her student when it comes to the topic of engineering. Madison enjoys Gridlock’s enthusiasm and actually looks up to Gridlock as a role model.

-Mozzie and Madison love creating new gadgets or drones together. The two get together to edit their gadgets, during this time, Mozzie also teaches her about engineering. Mozzie’s been considering allowing Madison to become an aunt-like figure to his twins. 

Jaeger Corps

-Madison barely sees Nokk. The two haven’t even greeted each other yet. 

Secret Service

-As much as Madison loves to listen to stories, she finds Warden a little annoying. She will listen for a bit but she’ll leave after a half hour if she could. She can’t stand Warden, he annoys her so much.

APCA

-Amaru and Madison don’t talk much, neither seem to care for each other. 

FES

-Goyo and Madison have had some chats and like Amaru, Goyo and Madison don’t seem to care for each other.

NIGHTHAVEN 

-Madison doesn’t trust Kali. She has this gut feeling that Kali is up to something and is very wary of Kali. Kali doesn’t seem to care for Madison. 

-Similar to Kali, Madison also doesn’t trust Wamai. Her gut is telling her that something is wrong about NIGHTHAVEN. 

[frstbvrn]

( natasha liu bordizzo, 19, she/her ) class is in session for KRISYLIS ‘KIT’ WARD. the student file says they’re a WITCH belonging to house FLARION and currently a  NINTH year. we see here they are GUARDED and STUBBORN, but they’re also RESOURCEFUL and PROTECTIVE. we wish them good luck in the new school year, where they’ll learn SPIRIT MAGIC/NECROMANCY. 

kit.   yes,  always  kit.  if  you  call  her  krisylis,  she  will  quite  literally  punch  you  in  the  face.  (  also  i’m  gonna  have  to  use  her  brunette  gifs  sometimes  bc  i  only  have  85  in  this  look  but  let  it  be  known  the  red  look  above  is  her  aesthetic.  )

she  was  born  into  an  extremely  religious  family.  they  weren’t  bad  people,  but  they  didn’t  understand  the  things  that  happened  around  the  kids.  her  older  adoptive  brother,  brighton,  was  always  different.  he  could  do  things  that  the  family  had  no  explanation  for  and  it  also  didn’t  help  that  he  was  gay  with  a  capital  g,  something  the  wards  extremely  frowned  upon.  apparently  their  god  was  a  homophobic  piece  of  shit.  AWK.   her  family  brought  him  to  live  with  them  when  she  was  ten  and  he  was  fifteen.    they  were  holy  people,  pillars  of  the  community,  so  of  course  they’d  take  in  a  ‘  troubled ’  teen.    they  thought  they  could  fix  him.   then  with  kit,  little  bursts  of  accidental  magic  would  happen  around  her  when  she  was  upset  or  hurt.   they  thought  it  was  the  work  of  the  devil  so  they  called  in  a  priest  to  do  the  exorcism.    brighton  was  the  oldest,  took  the  brunt  of  their  attempts  to  purify  their  spirits,  and  he  died  during  a  baptismal  exorcism  gone  wrong.   this  broke  kit.   her  magic  spiralled,  her  anger  and  hate  dousing  the  family  home  in  flames.   she  wanted  them  to  suffer  and  they  did.    the  only  reason  she  got  out  alive,  why  she  didn’t  get  consumed  by  flames,  is  her  brother’s  return.   he  was  a  phoenix,  and  he  rose  from  the  ashes  in  a  burst  of  flame.   they  set  the  rest  of  the  house  ablaze  and  burned  it  to  the  ground.   kit  and  brighton  were  the  only  survivors.  while  he  managed  to  get  her  out  alive,  she  sustained  major  burns  to  her  back  and  has  scarring  from  their  healing.  he  lied  to  the  cops,  said  it  was  a  freak  accident,  and  has  kept  her  secret  to  this  day.  

kit’s  been  at  arcanas  for  as  long  as  she  can  remember.  it’s  the  closest  thing  she  has  to  a  home,  especially  with  her  brother  being  there.  she  started  on  time,  as  a  first  year,  and  he  did  the  late  enrolment.  she’s  not  sure  if  the  recruiters  found  them  using  their  magic  or  if  it  was  the  nationwide  news  story  that  covered  the  fire.   she’s  a  bit  of  a  nightmare;   has  no  respect  for  authority,  shirks  the  rules,  does  whatever  she  wants,  but  if  you’re  one  of  the  people  who  manages  to  break  past  her  defences  ?   she’ll  salt  the  earth  if  it  means  you’re  okay.   you’re  protected.  

 she’s  a  pathological  liar,  to  the  point  where  she  sometimes  forgets  the  truth.  she’d  probably  be  a  legit  psychopath  if  it  weren’t  for  her  brother.   he  keeps  her  sane.  she  has  scars  from  the  fire  on  her  back  but  don’t  mention  them.  ever.     she’s  also  lowkey  terrible.   maybe  high  key.   she’s  not  above  going  after  things,  or  people,  she  wants;  even  if  they’re  unavailable.   especially  if  they  are.   she  loves  the  thrill  of  the  chase  and  then  gets  bored  when  she  catches  them.  (  jade  knows  this  first  hand.  they’ve  been  on  the  merry  go  round  for  awhile  now.  except  maybe  it’s  been  about  more  than  the  thrill  of  the  chase  for  awhile  now.  just  maybe.  ) 

  she’s  also  habitually  late  or  doesn’t  show  at  all.  it  isn’t  uncommon  to  see  her  just  not  show  up  for  classes  for  three  days  because  she  ‘  wasn’t  vibing  it ’   —  seriously,  why. 

if  she  found  out  that  the  zanzara orb was stolen from the armory  she’d  probably  just  wait  until  the  school  goodygoodys  fixed  everything  and  not  worry  about  it.  she’s  no  hero  and  if  things  go  to  hell  and  everyone  dies,  eh,  at  least  they  won’t  have  to  write  their  exams.

 AESTHETICS: FIERY  RED  HAIR.  FLAMES  LICKING  YOUR  FEET.  DANCING  WITH  THE  DEVIL.  BLACK  LEATHER  JACKETS.  STUDDED  BOOTS.  PAIN  HIDDEN  BEHIND  CRUELTY.  HARD  LIQUOR  AND  DANCING  TO  VINYL  IN  YOUR  UNDERWEAR.  BAD  REPUTATION  BY  JOAN  JETT.

CONNECTIONS

after  getting  kicked  off  the  tennis  team,  kit  went  out  for  track.  since  she’s  been  on  the  team  for  so  long,  over  the  years  she’s  developed  almost  a  brotherly/sisterly  vibe  with  el  presidente  rome  hawks.  she  drags  him  and  gives  him  a  hard  time  but  would  also  throw  down  for  him  if  someone  came  for  his  throat.  it’s  complicated. 

if  there’s  a  party  that  needs  to  be  organized  in  house  flarion?  it’s  on  dominic  masters  and  kit  to  get  that  shit  done.  they  don’t  get  along  in  much  else,  but  parties?  yeah  that’s  where  they  excel  and  team  up  for  a  win.  it’s  all  about  having  fun  and  most  importantly?  not  getting  caught.  

what’s  worse  than  having  one  chaotic  person  in  your  house?  two.  kit  would  never  come  right  out  and  say  pigshitter  is  her  friend  (  she  does  call  her  pigshitter  after  all  )  but  the  two  somehow  manage  to  get  themselves  into  trouble  so  much  that  you  could  say  they’re  a  dynamic  duo.  of  destruction,  mind  you,  but  still dynamic.  if  house  flarion  has  smoke  rolling  out  of  its  windows,  its  probably  their  fault. 

tba  via  plotting.

[thedaughterofkings]

Kiss Mates

For my very dearest Larissa, @ohfuckthisshit!

I believe one of the last things you asked for was to make you cry like a baby, but I can’t do that, it’s your birthday!!! I hope instead you’ll accept the following 2.8k of Drarry fluff! It’s all sugar with almost no nutritional value, but that’s just how a birthday cake (or perhaps rather cupcake in this case) is supposed to be, isn’t it!

It’s based on this post I found deep in my prompts tag.

Happy reading and the happiest of birthdays!

“Aaaaand here he finally comes - Scary Harry, the youngest seeker in a century, even knows how to ride a dragon, and no, that is not a euphemism, Malfoy! Give it up for - HARRY POTTER!”

The crowd is deafening as Harry flies on the pitch, shaking his head still and glad that no one can tell how red his cheeks have gotten. Without Professor McGonagall beside him with her wand ready, Lee has only gotten worse. Ugh, he doesn’t even want to imagine what the Prophet is going to fabricate around that dragon line tomorrow. If he has any luck, they’ll focus on the actual dragon part (somehow that hadn’t become wider knowledge yet), but knowing them, the focus will be on the Malfoy part. Especially as poor, reformed Draco, saviour of the poor and the sick and the unfashionably clad has been their absolute favourite person as of lately. Add in Harry and a salacious suggestion and Rita Skeeter is going to have a field day.

Becoming a professional Quidditch player hadn’t ever been the plan. Well, there had been that short period in first year, high off his first game, but Voldemort had all too quickly entered the scene to entertain that fantasy for long. Then for years, Harry had seen no future without that snake-faced bastard at all. Auror had seemed to be the only way to go, the only way to learn the necessary skills he’d need to stay alive, while helping other people at the same time. But then defeating Voldemort had turned out, not easier, never easy, but certainly quicker than Harry had ever dared to hope. And there he’d been, seventeen, graduated from Hogwarts with not a single NEWT but enough power and influence to just fill up his resumé with all Outstandings and no energy left for fighting at all. 

Ron had jumped at the chance to enter Auror training with no further qualifications necessary, Hermione had had three apprenticeships in widely differing fields lined up three weeks after the final battle, plus an internship with Amelia Bones at the Magical Law Enforcement, and a further eight apprenticeships at the ready should that not be enough to keep her busy and Harry had - been at an utter loss.

Enter Oliver Wood. Literally.

He’d stormed into the Infirmary, where Harry was suffering through a multitude of tests because saying “I am fine” was apparently not sufficient when you’d actually died, and had not even waited for Harry to pull any robes or even just a shirt on before he’d gotten started. Madame Pomfrey had tried to shoo him out immediately, but as Harry had long ago learned, Oliver Wood talking about Quidditch was an immovable force that would budge for nothing but victory. 

“Your country needs you! Your people need you!” he’d boomed and Harry’s heart had sunk. Hadn’t he given them enough? Had they really produced another Dark Lord so quickly? But of course Oliver was not concerned with such measly things as good and evil and megalomaniac wizards. He was talking about Quidditch.

Apparently they were already planning to rebuild the League and according to Oliver it was Harry’s holy duty to help with that - youngest seeker in a century, Harry! Best I’ve ever seen, other than Krum of course, you don’t think you could send him an owl and ask if he’d sign up, too, could you? Imagine the crowd you two would bring! Not that I think you can’t do it on your own, Harry, your talent is obvious enough! Promise me you’ll think about it?

Harry had thought about it. And realised that he had nothing better planned. And that getting to fly and play Quidditch for a living sounded pretty damn perfect. 

Ginny had just told him to enjoy the year while she was still in Hogwarts and be prepared to get his ass kicked once she got her professional start. Their relationship had been another of those things Harry had been at a loss about, but thankfully Ginny had always been smarter than him in that respect. Once things had calmed down a little bit and they’d found themselves alone together for the first time, she’d given him a long hug and a sisterly kiss on the cheek and that had been that. Harry had a feeling he should have felt more heartbroken about that, but given the grander scheme of things he mostly felt relief. And so did Ginny, it seemed.

Hermione had gotten that look that promised a lecture when he’d told her his plans, but then she’d taken another look at him and swallowed it all down. Harry doesn’t know what she’d seen - the mirror showed him a face that had never been well fed but looked dangerously thin now, with tired eyes that still refused to shut sometimes for fear of what images they might see in the dark - but she’d been fully supportive of his career choice ever since. Funnily enough it was probably the one field she was no automatic help in, but Hermione wouldn’t be Hermione if she hadn’t taken it as a chance to learn more. Nowadays she could quote Quidditch through the Ages as well as Oliver Wood himself and had been an immeasurable help in formulating his contract and setting up the League as a whole. 

Ron had struggled most with his decision at first, surprisingly enough. He’d been firmly expecting Harry to join him in Auror training and had had their future planned out accordingly - they’d be partners and solve all the cases had been his plan, Harry thinks; it hadn’t gotten much more detailed than that. To Ron, Harry turning his back on being an Auror had felt like him turning his back on Ron and he’d been quite upset by that. But Ron being Ron, he’d come around quickly once Harry announced he’d be signing up to the Chudley Cannons. 

Ron had been a factor in Harry’s decision of course, but not the deciding factor. Harry had talked to the representatives of almost every team in the League and the guy from the Cannons had been the only one just concerned with the sport and Harry’s qualifications there and not with his fame or power or anything like that. The Chudley Cannons had been the only team where Harry had been sure he’d be chosen for his athletic merit and where he’d actually get to play and not be paraded around as a glorified mascot. 

He has been playing for the Cannons for six years now and it was the best idea he ever had. On the pitch he’s not the Chosen One, The-One-Who-Killed-You-Know-Who, the Most Desirable Bachelor of His Generation (though that’s a title he recently lost to Malfoy, which he’s not very cut up about), or whatever else horrible capitalised moniker they’ve come up with this week. On the pitch he’s - as Lee just introduced him - the youngest seeker in a century, the one who outflew a dragon, the one who actually flew on a dragon, and, hilariously enough, Scary Harry. Throw Malfoy off his broom once and you’re settled with the most ridiculous nickname of them all for all eternity. Harry still holds it had been an accident. And even if it hadn’t been, the git had it coming. And he wasn’t even hurt! He’d done some absurdly agile somersault in midair, somehow got a hand on his broom again and had almost still caught the snitch before Harry. Still, Scary Harry had stuck around. 

Malfoy going pro, too, had been a surprise. 

Ginny had been signed by the Holyhead Harpies as soon as she’d graduated from Hogwarts and she and Harry had fought for most snitches caught, quickest snitch catch, and every other seeker related record in the League ever since. That he’d expected. She had threatened to kick his ass, and did it more often than not. To beat Ginny, Harry really had to dig deep and fly his best flight. Everyone else was boring in comparison. Until Malfoy of course.

After his trial - during which Harry, Hermione, and even Ron had spoken in his defence, he’d kept a low profile. Harry had only known where he’d ended up because he’d gone for an apprenticeship under the same Potions Master Hermione was studying with. The two had kept as far apart as they possibly could at first, but after their Master had threatened to throw them both out, they’d reluctantly started working together and actually started getting along, much to Ron’s eternal horror. They weren’t best friends, and Hermione would never set another foot into Malfoy Manor if any of them could help it, but they were cordial, friendly even almost. Still, it was most definitely a work friendship, so Harry got to mostly avoid Malfoy.

Until Malfoy got his mastery in Potions and instead of doing the sensible thing and either opening up a shop or alternatively relying on his still considerable funds and lazing about, he’d gone pro. Where Harry was the youngest seeker in a century to join a Hogwarts team, Malfoy became the oldest seeker ever to join a professional Quidditch team. And he silenced all rumours of having gotten on because of his money very quickly. From then on the rivalry for the Golden Snitch for the best seeker of the League had become trifold - a fight between Harry, Ginny, and Malfoy. 

And it was fun!

Malfoy was as competitive as ever, but it’s not as though Harry or Ginny were any better. They all used all the skills and tricks available to them, but it stayed fair for the most part. The throwing Malfoy off his broom had been an accident after all. Still, none of them held their punches (sometimes literally), and Malfoy gave as good as he got. (One time Ginny literally ripped out some of his hair - and then innocently produced the snitch when he’d hurled around. Apparently it had been hiding under his plait and Ginny had seen an opportunity and gone for it. She was without a doubt the most vicious of the three of them, and, knowing who she grew up with, Harry really shouldn’t have been surprised by that.)

Off the pitch, Malfoy at first was unfailingly polite, stiffly so, but when it became clear that the Quidditch world was really much more concerned with what was between his legs than on his arm (the brand new Firestorm, the most expensive broom on the market, two generations on from Harry’s old trusty Firebolt, not whatever you were thinking), he’d loosened up. The two of them had ended up gravitating towards each other - by virtue of ducking away from everyone else - at official functions and Malfoy’s sharp tongue and strong opinions on everything from hair styles to fashion choices to the newest development in poison antidotes (Harry was a little lost for that one) was much more entertaining when not directed at Harry or his friends. They’d even done the awkward “let’s leave the past behind us bit” and now they were almost friends. Work friends at least.

Or rather, not work-work friends, because on the pitch everything was still fair game (as long it was actually fair game of course - or close enough to get away with it. Harry finally understood why the hat had wanted to put him into Slytherin.)

Speaking of work, the game is about to start. Which means it is time for the newest addition to a long list of Quidditch traditions: the Kiss Cam. A muggleborn witch had adapted the Muggle custom and the wizarding world had embraced it enthusiastically. Instead of a camera capturing two people sitting next to each other, two mistletoes appeared above the heads of two people somewhere around the pitch - the trick was that instead of being randomly selected, the mistletoes went for the two people with the most chemistry. And because the wizarding world wouldn’t know subtlety if it bit them in the ass, the mistletoes showered their victims with sparkling hearts and made kissing sounds. Thus, you either had the option to be a walking spectacle for the entire game, or you kissed your Kiss Mate. 

Oliver hated it because it could delay the start of the game by quite a bit if the mistletoes chose people on opposing sides of the pitch, but Harry used to find it quite funny. Used to being the important bit here. Because it is far less funny when you are the one with a blinking mistletoe above your head. Up close the kissing noises sound more like Fang greeting Hagrid after he has been away and the showers of sparkling hearts make it rather hard to see. Harry hasn’t been able to spot the other mistletoe yet and while he tries to see past the hearts, he wracks his head trying to think if anyone was going to come to the game today who the mistletoe might choose. 

He hasn’t really had any serious relationships since Ginny and she has her own game to play today, so it definitely can’t be her. (Never mind that that ship has sailed long ago. Plus, Ginny had her own mistletoe moment just a few games ago - Luna of course complained about Nargles until Ginny shut her up with a kiss. They made it onto the front pages of both Witch Weekly, Seeker Weekly, the Prophet, and of course the Quibbler, which Ginny was rather proud of.)

Squinting at the stands hasn’t brought the other mistletoe into focus and Harry is just about to resign himself to playing with a rather obnoxious handicap, when a movement across the pitch draws his eye. Malfoy had taken position high in the air already, just like Harry had, but now he is moving, speeding so fast he is starting to blur. Still, the mistletoe clings on stubbornly, leaving trail of sparkling hearts behind like a shooting star falling from the sky.

A shooting star that is headed directly for Harry.

For a second he thinks Malfoy won’t be able to stop in time, aiming to knock them both off their brooms instead of suffering the embarrassment of having to kiss Harry, but at the very last moment he pulls his broom up sharply and comes to a halt right in front of Harry, so close that they almost touch, close enough that Harry can see Malfoy draw in a deep breath, hold it for a few seconds and then release it slowly. His spine straightens, as if he’d come to a decision and he quirks an eyebrow at Harry in silent question. Neither of them has said a word yet, but it’s not as if they have the greatest track record in that respect. So Harry just lifts his chin slightly in answer to Malfoy’s wordless question and the last thing he sees is those grey eyes flash at the challenge before Malfoy tips them both into a spin that blurs out everything around them. Their brooms lock together and Malfoy’s arms wrap around Harry, one of his legs linking with Harry’s too while they roll once, twice, three times in midair. 

It’s not just the movement that leaves Harry dizzy, though. 

Draco’s lips are surprisingly soft, but still insistent and Harry is helpless to do anything but respond in kind. The kiss is over before Harry can enjoy it properly, more a hint of a promise, than a real promise of what might come, but when they are upright again, Draco doesn’t move away immediately, his hands steadying Harry on his broom, one on his hip, the other around his shoulders, and his face so close still their noses almost touch. Harry’s eyes cross as he tries to focus on Draco’s nose, and Draco laughs softly. It makes his eyes wrinkle slightly at the corners and stretches his pink mouth. 

Harry thinks the crowd is screaming around them, but the noise is muffled and distant compared to Draco’s voice:

“Dinner after the game tonight? Winner chooses, loser pays?”

Harry hears both the challenge in his voice and reads the question in his eyes and thus responds to both when he promises: “It’s a date.”

Then he spins away, already plotting where to take Draco when the whistle sounds to signal the start of the game. Cheap muggle fare would be hilarious, but then again, seeing one of those pretentious waiters in the expensive restaurants that always look at Harry as if he’s nothing more than a spot of dirt underneath their shoes being put in their place by Draco’s sharp tongue would be very satisfying, too.

Either way, if he plays this right, they’ll get not just the front page but the centre spread in at least the Prophet and Witch Weekly, perhaps the Quibbler, too, if Luna hasn’t found any new species this week. Ginny will be so mad.

But first, he needs to catch the snitch, so he can win this game.

After all, he’s got a date. 

[clarketomylexa]

halley’s comet and other extenuating circumstances ch. 2

read on ao3

The diner is empty. 

The laminated sign in the window — decorated for the season with one, shiny, pumpkin sticker grinning jovially — reads ‘open’ in black, block letters but this early, people are still respecting what they think is common courtesy and staying away until a more agreeable hour. 

Which is fine by Lexa because she gets paid either way; whether she’s pouring coffee or finishing the Calculus B homework Clarke lured her away from last night — cheeks flushed and still in her uniform from practice—in a booth in the corner. She runs a finger over the mauve bruise on her jaw at the thought. 

(If Gus has noticed, he’s had the grace not to say anything). 

“Did you know Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system?” 

“No.” 

“It has the average surface temperature of four-hundred and fifty degrees Celsius.” 

“That makes sense,” Clarke says: “‘Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus’.”

“Are you saying that the temperature of a planet six-hundred and twelve miles away is dictated by your sexual preferences?” 

“Are you calling yourself hot?” 

Clarke grins — game set and match — and Lexa feels herself falling for her a little harder. 

In the month since Clarke invited her to the game, her life has become a John Huges cliché; they have graduated from car-pooling to holding hands to kissing beneath the bleachers after cheer-practice and it’s safe to say it has given Lexa whiplash. Not the bad kind though—if there is such a thing—but the kind that she imagines you would get if you got on a roller coaster without strapping in, or even expecting to get on a roller coaster in the first place. 

Clarke is her roller coaster and Lexa was so wholly unprepared for her to appear when she did, Lexa’s head hit the back of her seat and she hasn’t stopped feeling dizzy for it since. 

She watches Clarke rest her sneaker on the worn, laminate cushion of the booth, a windbreaker—turquoise and blue with the logo of a brand Anya drools over when they drive to the outlets two towns over on the sleeve—over her t-shirt and jeans and she looks prettier now, drenched in weak Fall sunlight, with syrup on her fingers, than Lexa has ever seen her. Which includes the moments she’s spent sitting on the end of Lexa’s bed with her arms crossed over her pale-pink bra and her lip gloss on her chin, flushing prettily while Anya berated them for going at it too loudly. 

It's game day today—Fridays still don’t agree with her but they have gotten more manageable now that she has a reason to partake in the festivities, even if her reason is more the half-time show than the game itself—but Clarke has forgone her uniform for the morning at lease. Instead, it sits beside her in her gym bag, waiting until after her morning student council meeting to be put on and Lexa thinks she’s relieved. Not because she doesn’t like Clarke’s uniform but just the opposite.

“It’s a joke that that book spent a hundred days on the bestseller list,” she clears her throat, copying a problem from her textbook into her spiral, worried she’s thinking too loudly. When she looks up, Clarke has her cheek in her hand and is grinning at her. 

“What?” Lexa asks. 

“Nothing.” 

“Clarke.” 

“Nuh-uh.” 

Lexa nudges her under the table and Clarke squints at her happily. Her chin slides off the bracket of her palm and she sits up, placing her hands on either side of her plate of hotcakes as she leans over the table to kiss her—a sticky-sweet kiss that tastes like syrup and toothpaste somewhere beyond that. It’s slow and sweet, filling Lexa up with liquid sunshine from the pit of her belly to the top of her ears until all she can feel is Clarke’s grin against her mouth. She can hear footsteps somewhere beyond their booth—Gus probably—and when she starts paying attention again, back from the faraway planet that the feeling of Clarke beneath her fingers always sends her to, their teeth knock. 

Clarke leans back on her hands and Lexa goes to apologise when she sees her lips curl under her teeth. She smiles down at her breakfast—the picture of a naughty bashful school girl—as Gus meanders past with a rack of dirty mugs, doing his best imitation of ignorance. 

It isn’t convincing in the slightest. 

“You’re coming tonight, right?” Clarke asks when he’s gone, lowering herself back to her seat. One foot sits propped up on the bench of the booth and the other remains under the table to play footsie with Lexa’s.   

“If you want me to,” Lexa says softly as if worried if she speaks too loudly the sunshine will drain away and she will have to wait the minutes until Clarke sees fit to kiss her again, cold and sunshine-less. The thought almost doesn’t bear thinking about. It reminds her of the excruciating minutes between AP English and Biology—the only passing period in the school day when she and Clarke don’t manage to find each other—and it’s excruciating.   

“‘Course,” Clarke says executively. “We have to plan our costumes.” 

“Costumes?” 

“Costumes.” Clarke quirks her brow cheekily. 

A phone alarm goes off before Lexa can ask anymore and Clarke rummages through her backpack to silence it, checking the time as she does. “Shoot. I need to go.” She swings her backpack over her shoulder, then her gym bag and pries two ten dollar notes out of her bi-fold, handing them to Lexa as she slides out of the booth. 

“I’ll see you at lunch?” she asks, kissing Lexa on the cheek. 

“Yeah,” Lexa nods, then looks down at the money in her hand. It’s too much for breakfast. “Clarke—” 

“The tip’s for my waitress,” she grins, waving to Gus who looks up from where he’s studiously stacking glasses by the counter as she goes. “Tell her I think she’s cute.” 

//

Lexa isn’t nervous about the pumpkin patch until she hears people talking about it. 

(Well, that’s a lie, because the day she isn’t nervous about spending time with Clarke is the day that the stars descend from the heavens). 

When Clarke first brought it up over lunch with Octavia and Lincoln, it didn’t seem like it would be any different from their breakfasts at the diner or their study dates that turn very quickly from English to Biology of the kind that probably won’t be tested on the SATs. In fact, when she was younger she loved Halloween for that very reason. She remembers Anya saving quarters their parents gave her for taking out the trash to buy them tickets for the kid’s haunted hayride the Greens put on every year, presenting Lexa with her ticket and paper bag of candy corn like she was bestowing her sister a great honour. 

Then, Anya started the sixth grade and suddenly, the thought of a kid’s anything was morally reprehensible, let alone sitting in a moving vehicle for any length of time longer than the eight-minute drive to school. Lexa made a habit of being busy on Halloween after that. 

She thought the function of it remained the same though, no matter how many years she missed sitting in her room streaming Scream one through four on her laptop. Or at least she did until her calculus substitute let the class dissolve into a rapturous discussion of who had invited who to the pumpkin patch and, suddenly, it seemed like the most important thing in the world — more important than Spanish homework or SAT prep. 

It makes her panic as she stands in her room after school, surrounded by the casualties of an uncharacteristic rampage through her closet. The white and green of her Polis High School debate team has been relegated to beneath her bed. So has her track uniform and instead, every dress, skirt, shirt and sweater she owns lies trampled beneath her socked feet.

Lexa never saw herself as someone who would participate in the trashy, teen-film cliche of changing thirty-two times before going out but she thinks she understands the necessity of it now. This is a date — an honest to God date. Since Clarke asked her to the football game they’ve been falling into things without thinking about them — falling into hanging out after cheer practice, falling into eating in the cafeteria together at lunch, falling into the routine of having breakfast together at the diner on Friday morning while Lexa works a shift — but this is premeditated and it makes her nervous. 

In the end, she goes to Anya for help, who looks at Lexa past her mascara wand when she asks to borrow her clothes in the same way she would if Lexa told her she was quitting model UN to join the prom committee. 

“I thought you didn’t go out on Halloween,” she says, returning the wand to its tube and setting it on her vanity between a mug of makeup brushes and a jewellery stand. She has a t-shirt on and a towel wrapped around her head — halfway to getting ready for a date with Raven — and Lexa squirms in the doorway, looking for familiarity among the gauzy curtains and framed prints on the wall. She thinks she can see the edges of a mural they painted in elementary school hidden beneath the edge of an Urban Outfitters tapestry. 

“Clarke invited me to the pumpkin patch.” 

Anya doesn’t seem to need any more explanation than that. Her lips curl into a smile and she rises from her desk, herding Lexa towards her closet where she pulls two hangers off the rack and holds them up to her. After a moment, she puts them back, sending Lexa to her room for a pair of jeans and when Lexa returns, a tight, white longs-sleeve and a cable-knit jacket sit on the bed. She hands them both to Lexa, nodding in approval once she’s changed. 

It’s the most sisterly thing Lexa thinks they’ve done in a long time. Anya pulls the wrinkles out of her shirt and tucks the hem into Lexa’s jeans, maneuvering her in front of the mirror like she would when Lexa was seven years old and being bribed with Birthday Cake Pop-Tarts to be her dress-up doll. 

She sits down obediently on Anya’s desk chair when she’s asked, parting her lips for Anya to apply a coat of lip gloss she isn’t sure she asked for and staring at the join in the ceiling Anya points out as she pulls out a tube of mascara and, by the time she’s done, Lexa feels even more nervous than she did to start off with. 

“We don’t do this very much,” Anya says once she's satisfied with her handiwork and miming rubbing her lips together to blot the lip gloss. Lexa follows suit, looking past her sister at her own reflection in the mirror atop Anya’s dresser. 

“You’re busy I guess,” she shrugs, which isn’t exactly a lie, but it’s also the favourite excuse for not doing things in their family, from Sunday night dinners to the summer vacations they took annually before their father got promoted. 

They are busy though, Lexa reasons — Anya with cheerleading and Lexa with everything else — it’s OK not to be living in each other's pockets. They were close when they were younger — inseparable actually as if Anya was trying to make up for the fact that they were half-sisters by being twice as involved — but school only seemed to exacerbate the distance between them. 

“Not too busy to be your sister though,” Anya challenges, stern-faced and Lexa smiles in spite of herself. “OK?”

“OK,” Lexa nods, rolling her eyes as Anya chucks her chin. Her phone vibrates in her pocket and she fishes it out, reading Clarke’s message — ‘I’ll meet u at the diner after your shift <3’ — and smiling. 

When she looks up, Anya is watching her with a mixture of fondness and exasperation. She hands her the tube of lip gloss she used and flicks Lexa’s hair behind her ears before shooing her out of her room with a shake of her head and a “go meet your girlfriend, Lexa” and this time, Lexa complies. 

//

“Could I get two ciders please?” Clarke asks, leaning on the toes of her sneakers to reach the vendor, the sleeve of her jacket falling down her arm as she hands a twenty dollar note over the lip of the trailer’s window. 

(Strike breakfast, Lexa thinks, thoroughly flustered beneath Anya’s jacket and the thin layer of makeup her sister had insisted on, this is the prettiest Clarke has ever been. Lexa would trade this morning’s syrup-stick kisses for Clarke’s chapped cheeks and the palm of her free hand pressed flush to Lexa’s own any day).  

“I’ll pay!” She says, lunging forward and replacing Clarke’s rolled up note with one from her bi-fold, flattening it against the side of the truck before handing it over. 

“You don’t have to—” Clarke tries to argue, mouth thinning into a pout when Lexa bats her away and accepts two take-out cups and a paper bag of apple cider doughnuts that feel warm in her hands. 

“I got a big tip from a pretty girl today,” Lexa explains, shrugging as the wander back towards the picnic table Octavia has saved for them along the fence-line. 

“A pretty girl? Should I be worried?” Clarke teases. 

“Probably not,” Lexa reasons slyly, watching as Clarke drops her jaw in faux-outrage. 

“Watch it, Woods,” she says. “Or this’ll be the last time I invite you out on a nice date.” 

There’s that word again, Lexa thinks — date — and it makes her stomach knot even more than it already had on the twenty-minute drive here. 

This is certainly the most date-like that hanging out with Clarke has ever felt, from the way Gus had acted like a proud father hanging his daughter off to her homecoming date when Clarke came in to pick her up at the end of her shift — ‘your face,’ he’d said, pointing to the mascara on Lexa’s lashes and the shine of gloss on her lips, ‘you look…very grown-up’ — to the way they had driven here with their fingers linked over the gear stick. 

Even paying for Clarke’s drink feels oddly official — so far they’ve stuck to paying for their own meals at breakfast or football games, or if they share a milkshake they split the bill down the middle — and it’s scary in a way Lexa hasn’t quite found anything scary before. 

(It makes her feel grown-up when she thinks about it. Strangely permanent like none of her extracurriculars, good grades on the fridge or compliments from her parents ever have. Like, if she looks back at this moment in ten years, she will see herself here holding hands with Clarke beneath the Jack-O-Lantern lights and it will be as clear as it is to her now). 

“So’re we doing the maze?” Octavia asks eagerly as they sit down — Clarke sliding onto the bench on the same side as Lexa instead of opposite her as she would in a booth at the diner. It makes heat bloom through her body despite the evening chill. 

It’s nearly six o’clock now, and the string lights threaded overhead paints the twilight yellow and gold and flickering orange. To their left, the fields of pumpkins have almost fallen into darkness while, to their right, the Green’s barn is lit up, the lopsided scarecrow Lexa remembers from her childhood Halloweens sitting atop a pumpkin pyramid outside. 

Every few minutes a shrill scream will come from the direction of the maze and a terrified teenager will come running out of the exit, laughing and gasping for breath, happy to be back amongst the relative safety of the throng of families and little girls in Elsa dresses milling about in the light. 

Lexa doesn’t think any part of it appeals to her. She hasn’t stepped foot inside a haunted attraction since she was eight years old and facing her first Halloween without Anya’s coat sleeve to cling to — the jump scares in Scream are thrill enough for her — but when Clarke nods, and Octavia and Lincoln do too, she doesn’t have any choice but to say yes. 

Grinning, Clarke takes a sip of her cider before she slides a cold hand beneath Lexa’s jacket and fastens her fingers in her belt loop, leaning her head against Lexa’s shoulder. When she leans up a moment later to kiss Lexa gratefully she tastes like hot cider and allspice and the fake strawberry flavour of her lip balm Lexa has come to know.  

Words roll around in her head — words like date and girlfriend — but the longer she finds Clarke pressed against her, warm and real and present in a way Lexa never could have imagined her to be when she watched her sip her root beer floats from behind the counter on game days, the more she finds her fear draining away. By the time their ciders are finished and their doughnuts have been eaten and Lexa is standing in front of the maze, staring at the gruesome party store prop poised over the entrance, she doesn’t think it even existed in the first place.

“Are we doing it together or separately?” Lincoln asks, handing out the slips of paper and plastic Bic pens for the scavenger hunt. 

“Separately,” Octavia says immediately, sliding under her boyfriend’s arm in a way that makes Lexa think she’s going to use the opportunity to find a quiet annex on the far side of the maze and make out. 

“Don’t worry,” Clarke whispers when Lexa blanches at the thought — every horror movie ever made says splitting up in a corn maze is begging to be hunted down by a masked psychopath. “I’ll protect you.”

(It occurs to Lexa as she’s being pulled through the darkness that she’ll never stop finding extenuating circumstances for Clarke).

[pasttorn]

SHORPS’ PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET ! !

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted.

Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

Mun name:  SHORP ! ! or any name that varies from it, really. shorpie, sharp, shirk, shire-- as long as i know you’re referring to me, anything’s cool ! OOC Contact: tumblr im’s & discord ! ! ! note: i might be slow at replying to messages !

WHO’S THE MUSE ?

      i’ve got, , , many , , , but let’s go with vulcan & luke ? my top two muses i’ve always got muse for ? vulcan is an engineer, working with the fire fighting brigade ! he adores animals & living beings, & his dream is to bring back the world’s extinct animal, to give back to earth as much as has been taken from it. luke, on the other hand, is a carpenter, who’s always willing to make new friends at any moment & is fond of over exaggerating everything-- be it orders for him to work on, or just life itself !

       other muses can be found in their respective bios ( once im done writing them up, anyway ). if you’re interested in one-- even if you might not know them--, hmu at any moment for me to explain the basics for you ! ! i’m always happy to talk about my muses

POINTS OF INTEREST.

      going from what was stated earlier, vulcan is pretty strict when it comes to the things he makes ! as soon as he’s done making something, he’ll toss it and / or kick it around-- since something that breaks with ease isn’t a ‘ complete piece ‘ in his opinion. in luke’s case, he’s just a ball of sunshine ! it’s rare to get him down, or to get him to stop interacting with someone-- talking to people is his favourite past time !

WHAT THEY’VE BEEN UP TO.

        vulcan’s been hard at work, upgrading gadgets & making new things for his fellow company 8 members to use. the easier he makes the job for them, the more fulfilled he becomes, after all. luke, however, spends it in the forest, hacking away at trees like always ! whenever he’s not chopping a tree down, he’s either making up new axe-related moves or has joined someone for the afternoon.

WHERE TO FIND THEM.

        vulcan can either be found at the company 8′s barracks ( either inside the building or outside near the street, since he enjoys working in various different places ), while luke is most commonly found in front of his home or in forests ! or wherever there’s the most people, really.

CURRENT PLANS.

        for vulcan it’s to continue being helpful, as well as doing everything he can in order to get even another step closer to his dream ! luke is mostly focused on besting his father, getting him to acknowledge his abilities, as well as acting as a good superior to bo !

DESIRED INTERACTIONS.

       OH MAN there’s a lot. for vulcan i’d like for him to interact with more company 8 members ! ! ! with yuu or lisa ! ! ! with other people who enjoy robots / machines / creating things ! ! for luke, i’d like for him to interact with anyone in hm: animal parade / tree of tranquility ! ! or for more owen’s, ,  & selena’s, , , , or just people in general who’d mesh well with this ball of sunshine

        for other muses, i’m adding a ‘ plotting / interaction reference ‘ to each of their bios, in order to give those interested in a certain muse how to interact with them !

OFFERED INTERACTIONS

      honestly, , , anything, really. i have such a large variety of muses-- if you want angst, fluff, brotherly / sisterly relationships, unrequited loves,, , i can give them all. i’d be happy to give them all. just give me a holler & we can come up with something that works !

Current open post/s:

        i don’t really do opens,,  ,since i’m pretty bad at coming up with stuff so very vague, , , so , , , na h

Anything else?:

       i’m slow ! i’m lazy ! i have a shitton of muses ! ! it may take me a while to reply to our thread or to reply to im’s, but don’t let that deter you ! just know i’m most likely looking for a chance to reply as soon as possible & am wanting for a chance to speak to you ooc ! !

TAGGED BY: @abisnorida​ ( ayy thanks ! )

Tagging: anyone who’s interested ! ! 

[kainosite]

Les Misérables 2018, Episode 4

If I post the review before the next episode airs in the US that counts as “timely”, right?

The Good

• Extremely South London Éponine is the best thing in this series.  From the moment she steps into Marius’ room, their interactions are absolutely perfect.  Her crass attempt to offer herself to him and her delighted wonder when it fails, Marius’ appalled, half-paralyzed bewilderment at the whole situation and his awkward charity, Davies’ made-up slang for the écu, “You’re a star, are you sure!?”,  Éponine code-switching at the end and then grabbing the bread on her way out, even the noncanonical, nonconsensual kiss – the whole scene is spot-on from start to finish.

As is her reunion with the rest of the Thénardier clan.  The coarse sisterly banter and Azelma’s look of joy when Éponine hands her the stale bread, Thénardier’s petulant ranting, his violence towards Éponine and Mme. Thénardier’s weary indifference to it, his immediate attempt to crush Éponine into submission when she shows any sign of independence or self-worth – it all paints a vivid picture of Éponine’s world, and the juxtaposition to the scene with Marius makes it very clear that her infatuation with him is not about a crush on a boy but rather about getting the hell away from all this.  And I love that she grabbed her five francs back at the end.

• It’s interesting that the miniseries with the most graphically awful Toulon also has the most determinedly reclusive Valjean, and it’s consistent with his experience in Montreuil-sur-Mer as well.  In the novel Madeleine’s fall is precipitated by his carelessness towards his subordinates, first with regard to the consequences of his factory’s morality policy and then with regard to Javert’s feelings.  But that’s all pretty indirect, and Brick Valjean could reasonably feel that he was the victim of an arbitrary misfortune and that if he’d been a bit luckier everything would have worked out fine.  Westjean, on the other hand, was hunted from the moment Javert showed up in town and was personally responsible for Fantine’s downfall.  From his perspective, his attempt to participate in society must seem like a catastrophe.  He might well wonder whether it’s possible for someone in his position to do any good at all, given the debacle in Montreuil.  Both guilt and prudence suggest it might be better to just give up and become a hermit.

• Cosette’s little convent friends.  This miniseries has consistently gone out of its way to place the female leads in community with other women, and it’s nice to see.

• Rivette continues to be excellent even with a silly moustache.

• The Mabeuf + Marius timeline continues to be nonsensical, but I enjoyed their meet-cute and Marius was charmingly obtuse.  I also enjoyed Davies’ commitment to Georges Pontmercy/Mabeuf, which is the only explanation I can think of for why Mabeuf might keep a collection of old newspaper clippings about Georges in his attic.

• Gillenormand is still pitch-perfect.

• This episode was not Quinjolras’s finest hour, but he was extremely done with Marius’ shit, which though not particularly Brick-accurate is a quality I always appreciate in an Enjolras.  Giving him Combeferre’s “To be free” line was inspired.  I’m also impressed by his ability to adjust his rhetoric to match his audience – “Think of the poor veterans living in poverty!” is the way to win Marius to the side of revolution, if anything will.

• The juxtaposition of Javert’s lonely, cheerless bedtime routine and Valjean broodingly watching Cosette at the piano could have been filmed by a Valvert shipper (Look!  They’ll never be complete without each other!), which in a way I suppose it was.

• The police patrolling the Luxembourg Gardens while Cosette is looking around in raptures was a nice subtle touch.  This series plays up the Valjean vs. Cosette conflict more than I might like, but it does a very good job of showing you where they both are coming from.

• THE HANDKERCHIEF SCENE!

• I do appreciate Westjean’s ongoing commitment to self-branding.  Also the fact that they included the chisel scene makes the Coin of Shame a nice piece of foreshadowing.

The Meh

• I suppose it makes sense for a Cosette raised by Shouty Valjean to shout a lot herself.  This Valjean + Cosette pair actually articulate their needs and desires and communicate them to each other, instead of repressing everything and sinking into silent depression.

On the one hand, that’s healthy.  Good for them.  I know people are concerned about the tenor of their relationship, but frankly Westjean has done a better job than Brick Valjean of raising Cosette out of the unquestioning silence of her abuse.  They both adopted a kid who “had suffered so much that she feared everything – even to speak, even to breathe”.  Only Westjean has a kid who doesn’t exhibit the exact same trauma symptoms six years later.

On the other hand, who are these people?

• I do not appreciate Javert’s medal, but I very much appreciate Javert’s resentment of his medal while there’s still a Valjean on the loose.  If we’ve gotta go Bread Crimes let’s really commit to it.

• Sister Simplice is convinced the outside world has become more dangerous.  Sure, I guess?  1823-25 when they came into the convent was a relatively calm period, and there has just been a successful revolution.  Still, this seems like a good time for the show to mention that.

• “Wow,” I thought, “What a perfect choice for the Rue de l’Homme Armé!”  Oh wait, it’s the Rue Plumet which is still mostly orchards at this point.  That said, the garden is fantastic.

• Marius’ wet dream was actually okay.  After the Éponine Peep Show Incident I feared the worst, but there was nothing terribly wrong with it.  Marius had vaguely sexual thoughts about Cosette, his subconscious pulled a bait-and-switch and transformed her into Éponine, at which point he went “Nope nope nope DNW!” and awoke in a cold sweat.  This is not at all an unreasonable thing for Marius to dream, especially in an adaptation that’s dangling Éponine’s sexuality in front of him as aggressively as this one is.  The key theme of Marius/Éponine from Marius’ end, which is that he’s not attracted to her because he understands it’s immoral to fuck starving child prostitutes, comes through loud and clear.

• What a weird way to do the Chaîne scene.  I can see it happening: most Valjeans would never intentionally expose Cosette to a sight like this, but because Westjean is stuck with a Cosette who actually asserts her needs, he has to push back much harder than usual in order to maintain their secrecy.  He doesn’t show her the Chaîne to punish her or upset her – it’s clearly an ill-judged attempt to convince her The World Is Bad and win their argument from the day before, and perhaps also to start a conversation about his own past which will explain why he’s a paranoid recluse.  A bit manipulative perhaps, but that’s well within Valjean’s repertoire, and he’s thoroughly punished for it by the narrative since the whole scheme ends up backfiring horribly on him.  Cosette is not just appalled by this glimpse into the brutality of their society but repulsed by the convicts themselves, and the viewers get an explanation for why Valjean will be so adamant later that Cosette must never learn his true history.

I do think the Chaîne scene is important for explaining Valjean’s Cosette Issues so I’m always glad when an adaptation decides to include it, but on balance I think it works better when they stumble across it by accident.

• The attempted kidnapping at the Gorbeau tenement was fine.  Points for including the chisel and all the “neighbors” slipping into the room, minus points for Valjean punching everyone.  I’m not sure why Valjean thought paying off Thénardier would help anything, but then Valjean has never been the king of good decisions and this Valjean less than most.

The Bad

• I appreciate Valjean’s aspiration to spend the rest of his life hiding in a hole.  I do not appreciate the hard sell on Cosette taking the veil.  It just makes him seem selfish and inconsiderate of her needs, to a degree that he isn’t in the novel.  His “I thought we’d found a home here together where you could grow up and I could grow old, and you could grow old, and I could die, and you could die, and we’d be buried and we’d be together forever! :D :D :D” line is hilarious and adorable in the way it expresses the tragic limits of his aspirations, but I would sacrifice it in order to lose this scene.

• After holding down the fort on costumes and set design for two episodes, the Prefecture of Police sadly let us down this episode.  You guys were doing so well!  No uniforms, no illegal tricolors in 1823 like some adaptations we could mention *cough2012cough*, but now it’s 1832 and suddenly everyone is dressed like an officier de paix and Javert has a medal and they’ve still got the fleur-de-lys up.  Also that blah jacket of navy serge is not what the Prefect of Police’s uniform looked like in the 1830s, lmao.  I mean, for fuck’s sake, it’s fancier than that now.  That thing Chabouillet was wearing in the 1978 movie is also not remotely what the Prefect’s uniform looks like, but at least they bothered to slap some gold braid on it.

I will grudgingly accept the uniforms as a visual representation of the increasing professionalization of the police, Not!Gisquet’s Légion d’honneur is a reasonable reward for him apparently allowing the July Revolution to happen, and I do appreciate them swapping the portrait of Louis XVIII for Louis-Philippe inside, but there’s no excuse for Javert’s medal or the flag.

• Surely the entire purpose of casting Josh O'Connor as Marius is so Marius can be shy and stiff and awkward, and emphasize these qualities by having a face that consists primarily of nose and ears?  Otherwise you could cast someone who actually looks like Marius.

I know everyone shouts a lot in this and he probably needs to be able to shout back to keep up with Cosette, but from his very first words to Gillenormand he’s far too assertive and confrontational.  Part of the charm of Marius/Cosette is how isolated and naive they both are, and how these victims of childhood abuse are able to find in each other a safety they might not find in anyone else.  (Marius’ damage is obvious, and while Cosette’s is more subtle her tendency towards unquestioning acceptance would leave her incredibly vulnerable to the Tholomyèses of the world.)  This adaptation portrayed this kind of mutual refuge very well with Valjean/Fantine, of all things, so it’s weird they didn’t think to do it here.

Of course, Bambersette is healthier than Brick Cosette in some ways so maybe she doesn’t need it so much, but they still need to sell us on the pairing somehow.  Meet-cutes in the Luxembourg are all very well, but handkerchief sniffing can only get you so far.

• I see Fantine’s inability to put her hair up like a respectable woman is hereditary.

• If we have to see this much of the principal-tenant of the Gorbeau House I want to see some parrots, dammit.

• Éponine has a job and we have no reason to assume she’s bad at it, so I’m not going to say she wouldn’t do a sexy peephole dance for her new neighbor the law student.  At this point she knows nothing of Marius’ virtuous chastity; all she knows is that he’s young, male, richer than her, and she’s probably going to be forced to sleep with him for money at some point.  This scene could happen.

But we sure as fuck didn’t need to see it.  Stop sexualizing the starving child prostitute, Davies.  It’s disgusting.

• Speaking of things not to sexualize, why the hell does the dressmaker assume Valjean is Cosette’s sugar daddy and not her actual relative?  It made sense that everyone thought so last week because Valjean was being super shady.  It makes sense for Thénardier still to think so, because Thénardier is Thénardier.  It makes absolutely no sense for random strangers to assume it.  It’s the nineteenth century!  People die in childbirth!  There’s a cholera epidemic!  Teenage girls need their fathers to take them clothes shopping because all their female relatives are dead.  This is not such an unusual scenario that anyone would remark on it, or make highly offensive insinuations about a customer.  And why doesn’t Valjean just introduce himself to people as her father???

Mild, mild Valjean/Cosette is Brick canon and I don’t think we can justly criticize an adaption for including it, but every random passerby shouldn’t be remarking on it.

• On my first viewing of this episode, I assumed that its portrayal of the Amis as tiresome drunken louts could be explained by the fact that Andrew Davies simply didn’t like Enjolras, and probably not the other Amis or the June Rebellion very much either.  The superb barricade sequence in the subsequent episodes demolishes that theory.  Never has it been portrayed so well, and certainly not in any English language adaptation.  But that leaves me at an absolute loss to explain what Davies was doing here.  This is our first introduction to the Amis: they should be likable, so that we will like them.  They are not.

The irony is that it’s not particularly hard to prosecute a case against Enjolras, if you want to complicate his heroism a bit.  Enjolras is ridiculous and slightly insufferable!  Enjolras is a guy who thinks “Citizen, my mother is the Republic,” is a coherent and comforting response when his best friend musically drags your Napoleon eulogy.  I mean, just look at these twats in hats in the Théâtre de la Jeunesse adaptation.  They are highly mockable!  And on a more somber note, Enjolras led a revolutionary cell that misjudged the public mood so badly it got a hundred people killed to no useful purpose.

But Enjolras is not deliberately trying to orchestrate a battle to the death over France’s system of government.  Enjolras had the chance to battle to the death only two years ago, and he’s still here.  What Enjolras wants is to jump up on Lamarque’s casket and have all the National Guards and the troops of the line wave their muskets in the air and say “Yeah, fuck that pear-faced buffoon!  Down with the king!  Vive la république!”  That’s why his side have been quietly trying to propagandize and subvert every military unit in Paris for months, which Davies knows, because Enjolras mentions it himself in Episode 5!  If the monarchy could be overthrown without any bloodshed at all, that would be ideal.

And Enjolras has too much dignity to throw food at anyone, even Grantaire.  If we must take a swipe at Enjolras through the medium of food fights, Courfeyrac should throw food at Grantaire and Enjolras should give him a pious lecture about wasting food when so many are starving.  That wouldn’t be in character either, but it’s at least within shooting distance of proper characterization and it highlights annoying qualities the characters actually have.

• Speaking of annoying qualities characters don’t have, when Courfeyrac is coming off as sleazier than Tholomyès you are doing it wrong.  Courfeyrac knows girls you don’t have to pay, beyond the usual ‘showing them a good time’ expenses.  He does not have to take his dorky virgin friend to a brothel to get him laid!

• Grantaire is a drunk, but he’s a grandiloquent drunk.  That is... his entire characterization.  How could anyone get this wrong?

• That fucking brothel scene.  WHY.

If you must do a Sexual Awakening of Marius plotline, and evidently Andrew Davies must, I think the correct sequence is this: Courfeyrac and Grantaire take him out beyond the barrières and try to set him up with cute girls.  Marius is having none of it, of course; he’s too shy and awkward, girls are scary, he doesn’t want a fling.  Then he sees Cosette in the park and he’s smitten.

A visit to a brothel Courfeyrac is too classy ever to patronize is not in the cards.  The sole redeeming feature of this scene was the fact that Enjolras declined to attend.

This episode was a return to form, and by form I mean the Thénardiers were fantastic and everything else was incredibly fucking uneven.  While I can’t say that this Gavroche will make fun of Enjolras’ rubbish beard, I can say this Gavroche would make fun of Enjoras’ rubbish beard, and that’s what really counts.