#rp isn’t enough anymore I need to consume them and write them into every situation imaginable

[lovemikage]

does the rotpl fandom want x readers. like my brain is rotting. if I don’t write smth for the t birds I am going to go insane.

[rpbetter]

I often see multis post that they want to make a new muse, at the same time as they're backed up on threads and asks, and they get their followers to "enable" them to make that muse in the post replies. What is your take on this? Is it a they-can-do-what-they-want situation, or is it reasonable to be annoyed when I see this? Or both?

Hey, Anon!

Both.

I mean, as usual, this is my opinion of an opinion-based matter. This isn't an equation that has an objectively right to wrong scale, it isn't actually hurting any living person or thing. But...it is incredibly annoying and can be hurtful.

They can totally do what they want, and much of the nature of genuine creativity is exactly that - the allowance of doing whatever you so desire. It's something I support rather adamantly, but it's also something I support trying our best to do responsibly and without being hurtful to anyone in a hobby that involves more than ourselves.

This isn't deciding to write another fic when you've not finished the previous four or five that others were interested in, or never finishing any of your original fiction, but continually starting new projects. While others might be enjoying those things as well, you didn't agree to interact with them. They're audience members, not participants.

When others are participants in a hobby that has to work both ways, it's different. Your actions do affect other, real human beings.

So, I totally feel like you've a right to be annoyed every time you see that happening. I do. I tend to unfollow people who do that repeatedly, as we're not pursuing the hobby in the same way. I'll argue all day that someone has a right to their, sometimes literally, eighty-plus muses they never develop or stick to, but that doesn't mean I want to engage with them as a writing partner.

For those of us who want long-term writing partners with the same, well-developed muses, this kind of thing just is annoying. As is everything else that comes with it.

As in...

They're constantly posting "talk me out of adding x" as code for "talk me into writing x."

No one actually wants to be talked out of it, which was probably more obvious to everyone else here than it was me for a little while lmao I tend to take things rather literally. This was, as one can imagine, not appreciated! Telling someone in total earnestness, "I really don't think that's a good choice. You're always saying how overwhelmed you are and just dropped multiple threads yesterday, so adding another muse is going to make you feel worse eventually. Don't do it! :)" is so not what they were looking for. As was evident by the return meltdown over how they could do what they wanted, like I said they couldn't or had any authority over what they're doing with their time.

It's an obnoxious bit of pandering for a foregone conclusion.

Have you ever seen anyone who posts that sort of thing not pick up that muse? I haven't. I've only seen muns who are legitimately on the fence about it asking others in private conversations or testing out the muse decide against it. The thing that makes this incredibly irritating is the attention-seeking and need to validate something they must know isn't a great choice, otherwise, they'd just do it. They're aware that they're behind on drafts, asks, and other things - aware that this is maybe a dick move when they owe everyone already. So, they're seeking "permission" with full knowledge that multiple mutuals are going to hop on that post with encouragement, even some of the ones being messed over by this choice.

It puts people in a bad situation.

Some of those people genuinely don't care, they just want to interact with any muse, and I'm going to be awful and say it - they don't care about totally interchangeable muses and have them themselves. That's fine, this isn't a problem for them. It is for the mutuals who are hoping that maybe if their writing partner gets into this new muse, they'll get a reply to their threads with that energy, or that they'll stick to this one and they can have consistent interactions with them. It is for the mutuals who feel pressured to respond positively because they fear not responding at all will make them seem like bad rpers.

One more thing playing into the counter logic excuse for shitty behavior of "it's just a hobby" is one more thing too many, and it does exactly that.

No one wants to be accused of being remotely too invested in RP anymore, of taking it too seriously, or having any emotional investment in muses, stories, or muns. Not accepting every choice someone makes that negatively impacts you with a grin on your face while you dump confetti on them for it just isn't a comfortable option for a lot of muns anymore. Honesty isn't a comfortable option. While the other option isn't either, it seems better than that mutual noticing you're the only writing partner who didn't hop onto that post with support any of the multiple times they reblogged it. It's only a hobby in which everyone can do what they want until what one wants clashes. Then, you're getting a callout for being addicted to RP.

And the way it tends to clash most is in having expectations of others. Ones that would be totally normal in any other hobby requiring interaction with other people.

Like not overburdening yourself at the expense not only of yourself but those on your "team." That's what is being done when someone knows they cannot keep up with themselves, but continues to add to the situation with new muses.

Not only are you no longer getting responses already while they're intending to add even more to their overflowing plate, you'll be dropped again when they have to "fresh start" their blog because they're burned out.

I have to put that in quotations because I don't know how it's a fresh start when you keep everything but the blog layout the same. All the muses and all the behaviors, including adding a new one despite not having the time or interest necessary to do so, is inevitably maintaining the problems that led to burnout. Dropping every thread, changing the URL, a new blog layout, new aesthetics, isn't fixing the issue even if it temporarily reinvigorates the mun.

The mun is definitely doing things that are not helpful to them, it's stressful and upsetting to experience burnout, but it's at least that mun's choice. Both to do it and to become defensive over fixing it, thus, never fixing it. It isn't anyone else's choice to be repeatedly dropped or ignored, though...unless they just keep sticking around for it.

Again, we're supposed to respect everyone's choices. That's fine when it really works that way, when it is truly everyone. But it's not an acceptable decision to see a multimuse of twenty or more muses and say that's your limit, that you've experienced too many muns who are serial muse-adders not being able to keep up with themselves, so you don't interact with these blogs. If one feels that way, they had better not put it in their rules or ever be upfront about this as a reason, when one is demanded, for not following back or interacting.

It's not acceptable to see a writing partner adding another muse after they've owed you for months, just wiped their inbox, and keep expressing being overwhelmed/behind and become annoyed. Let alone dropping them or explaining to them why you are doing so.

The only "acceptable" course of action is hoping that they totally forget you exist so you can quietly slip away.

I don't feel like that's especially fair or mature. It certainly isn't helping the communication problem we absolutely do have here in the RPC when only one party is allowed to communicate without fear of being labeled, rather ironically, as a bad RP partner.

While this problem seems to be most prevalent in more casual RPers, it's certainly not isolated there. I feel like it's necessary to say that I've had muns I both interacted with and were simply on my dash alike who were not on that more casual side who went from being multis to being muse collectors. Once they hit over fifteen of them or so, they stopped even bothering to try to refrain from picking up at least one muse from every new piece of media they consumed or were inspired by.

It was more annoying because they had been capable of writing truly unique characters they stuck to, and even if they were, with full and upfront admission before interaction, slower to respond, those responses were well worth any wait for the quality of writing and storytelling going on. That's so much worse than someone who was always at a lower skill level as a writer, didn't have a good grasp on characterization, and wasn't especially dedicated to anything. It's depressing and disappointing, but it's also not what you think you're getting into when trying to carefully pick who to write with. Like everyone else, my time to enjoy this hobby is far from twenty-four-seven as well. It's important to me to try to choose muns I'll work out with well so that neither of us is wasting the other's time. And that's what it feels like - the investment of time was a waste because their hobby became adding infinite muses, or rather, the idea of muses.

So, yes, while it is fully everyone's right to write what and how they want to (even if it amounts to not writing at all), it'd be nice if we were all as committed to doing so in a way that was adult enough to respect commitments we've made to each other as we are, as a RPC, to losing our minds when someone merely drops the words "commitments" or "respect."

For the inevitable muse-collectors running across this:

Fiction is inspiring! That doesn't mean you needn't be inspired by anything, just that picking up or creating a whole other muse might not be the best way to follow this inspiration.

If you're considering another muse, but you find yourself already behind and/or overwhelmed? Try one of these instead:

create a plot based on it! Write up the idea and put it in your wanted plots/wishlist tag. Bring it up to partners you think might be interested in it as well, or seek out a crossover from that fandom

make it a new verse for an existing muse! This is as close as you get to creating a new muse without actually doing so, and in many ways, it takes even more creativity. How is your muse different in this AU than they are in canon, how are they the same? In the ways that they are the same, what similar events but done in a way that is natural/logical to this universe have happened to maintain that? Get really creative!

for either/both of these, make some moodboards and aesthetics with that energy while you're waiting on someone to take you up on these new things. Answer some HC asks or tag games using your new verse, or write an independent HC for the verse or plot

talk to writing partners who already love that muse about their new verse/your desired plot! No, not pressuring talk, just normal conversation between friends, but maybe they will be interested in starting a thread

simply be inspired to include some aspect of what you liked in an existent thread. A particular scene you could pull ideas from, the overall mood of a film, or the way something was written in a book - include that in your replies somehow! RP is creative writing, be creative

There are so many, honestly more organic, directions to take inspiration than bluntly adding a new muse. Especially when you're already overburdened, not holding up your end of replies, and/or not able to portray each muse as their own character properly.

Sometimes, it's not just not a great idea to add a whole new muse, and that's alright. There seems to be a serious problem with fomo going on with this whole issue, too. You're not going to miss out if you do not immediately add this character to your multi, and you're never going to fully keep up with what is trending anyway. Do it because you still want to write this muse in four months instead, they're obviously not going anywhere if that's the case, and they'll be a better developed, interesting portrayal for that.

And people do have a right to be annoyed when they feel sidelined by you seeing a shiny object and repeatedly pandering for validation in dropping them for it. Particularly if you're a mun who, further, expects everyone to be just as interested in every new muse you make as the last. As in, you're annoyed when you keep creating muses no one is falling over themselves to interact with, guilting, shaming, or outright demanding that this new muse is interacted with before they have access to the previous ones.

They don't have a right to be mean you to, but they have a right to be annoyed and to drop you. They even have a right to politely decline explaining this to you if they feel unsafe, or to politely explain it to you before they move on.

Absolutely everyone's right to pursue RP and every facet of it as they so please, but no one else has to like what you're doing.

If this response grates on some of you out there? Consider the other options you have, how you might be making others feel, and that it's actually completely okay to tell yourself no. You won't perish if you tell yourself no to taking on a new muse when you, honestly, should not! It'll be okay! Maybe, you just need to evaluate if there is another muse, or more than one, you should remove before adding one. Maybe, you just need some time to reorganize how you reply before you add this one. "No" when told to yourself can simply mean "no, not right now, it isn't a good time/situation."

[victorluvsalice]

Forgotten Vows Friday: A Smattering of Cookery Headcanons

Inspired by PlayerPiano's semi-recent story about Victoria and Nell having to team up to cook dinner after Nell loses yet another French chef to her impossible demands (Dinner at 8) and some of my own experiences writing and RPing, here's some cooking skill headcanons/regular canons since they're my own characters:

-->Victor: Growing up rich with a cook available at all hours, coupled with an incident in his childhood where he burned himself on the stove while trying to make his own soup one day, discouraged Victor from learning how to cook when he was younger. However, wanting eventually to give Alice and June a hand in the kitchen that isn't just washing dishes, he eventually tries late in his Houndsditch stay, and finds -- hey, he's actually not that bad at it. Further practice at his and Alice's eventual home in Sandford, with the help of their neighbors the Winks, proves him a pretty decent cook. He especially takes to baking -- he'll make cookies and cakes for anyone for any reason. (This is an evolution of some past RP experience with this Victor -- one of his old friends on his previous solo account took it upon herself to teach him how to cook some Mexican dishes, and he ended up enjoying cooking in general and baking things for friends.)

-->Alice: Her family grew up well off enough to afford a cook as well -- however, curious Alice often wandered down to the kitchens, and to keep her out of trouble, the kitchen staff would have her measure ingredients or help mix things. The fire and Rutledge put an end to her education in these matters, but she remembered the base skill set upon leaving the asylum well enough to serve as a cook for Houndsditch. She wasn't perfect (they did their fair share of ordering in dinners), but she did well enough to keep everyone fed, and she was always willing to learn. After June arrives, she improves quite a bit under her tutelage -- and even more when they move to Sandford and she can afford better-quality ingredients.

-->Victoria: She wasn't SUPPOSED to learn how to cook, but as her family grew too poor to keep more than two servants (and really, even Emil and Hildegarde were stretching their meager budget), they realized someone was going to have to help make the meals. And as Maudeline refused to dirty her hands. . . Like her friends, Victoria isn't on the same skill level as June, but she knows her way around the kitchen, and can feed herself and others in a pinch. She and Christopher have a cook, but sometimes she wanders down and helps out from old habit. (This one's a deliberate reversal of the usual "Victoria has no clue how to cook" headcanon I usually see in CB fanfics, including the one linked -- I thought it made more sense for her to know something about it given her family's financial situation.)

-->Emily: Yeah, she's not around anymore in this world, but I always feel like these sorts of lists should include all three CB mains. . . Anyway, like Victor, and Alice, she grew up in a family wealthy enough to afford a cook, and unlike Alice had no interest in seeing how the actual cooking happened. She absolutely loved helping out with decorating dishes, though -- she'd have trouble baking a cake without help and specific instructions, but she'd be a whizz at icing it and making it look pretty. She was the kind of person who'd you want to help plan how a fancy dinner should look.

-->Lizzie: Naturally she grew up in the same situation as Alice, though she wasn't quite as curious about the whole business. Like Emily, she has a good eye for decorating food items, and while she was alive she learned how to make simple sandwiches and some small pastries in case she was called upon to host a tea or picnic. After death, she similarly picked up a few recipes in dead cooking, more or less just to pass the time (after all, the dead don't NEED to eat -- anything they consume is just for the pure pleasure of it).

-->June: I've already established her as a whizz at cooking in my stories. It's a combination of natural talent, a lot of hard work, and growing up in a poor, overstuffed house where everyone was expected to help out with every chore as soon as they were old enough. All the Thatcher girls are pretty gifted cooks, but June is the standout star. If she hadn't ended up at Houndsditch, she probably could have made her name as a famous chef. As it is, she doesn't mind at all using her skills to keep the orphans fed.

-->Bonejangles: The one Thatcher boy wasn't too bad at cooking either -- again, poor, crowded house where everyone was expected to help out. Sam Thatcher was more than capable of keeping himself fed if he had a place to cook, although he naturally preferred easy-to-carry stuff like sandwiches and the like. Bonejangles, however, hasn't used his talents in years -- he prefers to let Ms. Plum do the cooking in the Ball & Socket, and his indulgences after death tend to be on the alcoholic side. He could lend a hand in the kitchen if pressed, though at this point he'd definitely need a cookbook or someone telling him what to do.

-->Christopher: He came from a well-off-enough-to-afford-a-cook family, but a military man posted on foreign soil tends to learn some quick-and-dirty field dishes to make sure he has the strength to keep fighting. He's not much good in a kitchen, but he's definitely the guy you want in a foraging situation. When Victor starts gardening, he offers up some interesting ways to use the fruits and vegetables -- some of which turn out all right, others not so much.

-->The Winks: While never exactly poverty-stricken, the Winks were also never rich enough to consider the expense of a cook worth it -- particularly after patriarch Gerald died. Agatha, the mother, actually worked as a cook for a number of years to pay the bills, including at the bed & breakfast that eventually becomes the house Victor and Alice buy in Sandford (after the owners died, the son decided he didn't want to keep up the place and sold it off). Victor and Alice are only too happy to let her work for them instead -- they may have less need for a cook, but they don't want to throw the poor old woman out of a job. Hattie learned from Agatha -- she has decent enough skill, but she's happy enough to leave the more complicated dishes to her mother for the time being.

[morsmordrehasbeensaved]

CONGRATULATIONS KAY, YOU HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED AS ANDROMEDA BLACK WITH THE FACECLAIM OF ADELAIDE KANE!

We are so glad to have an Andromeda back right away, Kay! In our first acceptance round, we had such an incredibly hard time deciding for her, and we are so happy you decided to reapply for her again! You can really tell from your application that you’ve put thought into every single detail of Andromeda and her life, and your writing sample was just absolutely wonderful to read. We are super excited to have her here!!

Check out our acceptance checklist right here on what to do next!

♔ OUT OF CHARACTER INFO ♔

NAME/ALIAS: Kay AGE: I’m 27 (hello, I’m the rp grandma), and my birthday is January 30 - fun story: when I read Deathly Hallows for the first time, I freaked out at the graveyard scene because Lily Potter and I share a birthday and that sort of spoiled the emotional impact of the scene for me. PREFERRED PRONOUNS: She/her TIMEZONE & ACTIVITY: I’m from Arizona so we’re in MST right now (although we don’t change with daylight savings, which is nice) and also GMT -7. For activity, I would say probably a six or seven out of ten, depending on how long threads are in general here. I’m a teacher, so I’m gone most of the day and rping is how I relax at night, but sometimes I get home just too tired to write anything. That doesn’t usually happen, and if the rp does mostly short threads, I can almost always do some replies at night. Longer threads can be a little more difficult. TRIGGERS: REMOVED.  ANYTHING ELSE: REMOVED.

♔ IN CHARACTER INFO ♔ FULL NAME: Andromeda Leto Black - she doesn’t particularly care for nicknames but Andie is acceptable, Meda, or Dromeda. Only for family or very close friends, however. BIRTHDAY AND AGE: July 19, 1960; now she is seventeen years old. (I picked a date somewhat at random but I tried to put it late enough that she’ll just turn seventeen before the school year starts, but I’m more than willing to change based on Bella’s birthdate if that needs to happen - although to be honest, I would love to have them as twins as well, particularly given how closely they resemble each other in canon. I think it would be a really interesting twist on their relationship but that’s just my two cents, and I’m happy either way!) PRONOUNS: She/her/hers SEXUALITY/ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Andromeda wouldn’t ever admit to anything but heterosexual heteroromantic, but she’s actually more pansexual and panromantic than anything. If it were an option, she might be interested in a relationship with another girl, but she knows that can’t (or won’t) happen and doesn’t see a need to pursue any relationship when she knows she’ll marry Mulciber. EXTRACURRICULARS: I’d really like for her to be on the Quidditch team as a Chaser. I love the idea of a prim and proper pureblood girl on the Quidditch team. I have a headcanon that she loves the feeling of freedom and she’s agile and fast on her broomstick (and the headcanon is expounded upon in the bio). Aside from that, I love all the extracurriculars she’s listed under. PERSONALITY TRAITS: +Loyal - you can’t be a Black and not be loyal. It’s been ingrained in Andromeda since birth to put the family first, above anything else. And she does. Except for the part of her that’s turning to other people as well, but that’s not well-known. +Smart - you have to be smart to make it in this family. Ignorance and foolishness simply aren’t tolerated, but luckily Andromeda was always interested in learning. She masks it at times, underneath a sweet facade, but her mind is quick and sharp. +Kind - It seems impossible, that kindness sprouted up in the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, but it did somehow. Andromeda looks at those around her and wants to do right by them. Again though, she hides it at times because her parents see little use for kindness. But it’s there. -Withdrawn - though she longs to treat others well, Andromeda rarely lets herself get close to people outside her family. The ones who are approved as companions hold little appeal to her, and the ones she would befriend are scorned by her family. It’s a lose-lose situation and so her solution is not to get involved. -Impulsive - she hides it well, beneath her quiet nature, but Andromeda is prone to doing things without thought. It’s a Black trait, after all, and she’s proved it by joining the Quidditch team and befriend Muggleborns. So far, it hasn’t extended to anything that might bring harm or danger to herself, but it’s only a matter of time before that happens. -Deceptive - she doesn’t mean to lie or be deceitful, but Andie learned to twist the truth to her favor as a child. She never wanted to be on Cygnus Black’s bad side, anymore than she was just for being born as female, so she managed to avoid it by slightly misleading him. She has rules for it, never anything that could hurt or endanger anyone else, but Andromeda isn’t above lying if she needs to. BIOGRAPHY: The second born daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black came into the world in scorn. Neither of her parents were pleased at the birth of another girl and for that, Druella gave her the middle name Leto, after the forgotten mother of Apollo and Artemis. Andromeda would be doomed to fall into the cracks between her sisters: never as angry and zealous as Bellatrix, never as beautiful and cunning as Narcissa. Andromeda’s strengths and weaknesses were all but forgotten as she began trotting around the house behind Bellatrix. They were inseparable and even as a tiny child, Andromeda couldn’t think of anything better. Until Narcissa joined them. Andromeda was too young to remember her sister’s birth, or her first few years, but when Andromeda was four and Narcissa was three, there was a moment when Andromeda watched her little tumbled down the stairs and a sudden blinding fear and anger at the thought of harm coming to her little sister rushed through her. And that was the first time Andromeda really understood what it meant to be one of the Black sisters: the fierce, all-consuming love; the knowledge that your entire life would be about the other two girls.

That was how her childhood went: the Black sisters were always together and Andromeda always tried to look out for the other two. She knew, instinctively, that she held something they needed. Bella was fierce and protective, and Cissa was clever and demure, and Andromeda had enough heart for all of them. Not that her sisters were heartless by any means, but it was in a different way. Andromeda wanted to soften their sharp edges and remind them of the goodness and beauty in the world. She tried to be a lady and succeeded for the most part, but there were things her parents couldn’t take out of her: the pleasure of racing on foot with her blood pounding and her cheeks flushing; the thrill of speeding through the air on her broomstick; the joy of Muggle literature. Andromeda learned from a young age how to mask those things, however, and avoid drawing her parents’ wrath on her head. She mastered the art of sneaking in books under her cloak, and rebraiding her hair after flying, and cooling her cheeks down after she raced around the manor grounds. On the surface, Andromeda acted almost as much the perfect pureblood lady as her younger sister did, and she let her rebellious nature lurk beneath that so she could indulge it secretly.

Hogwarts brought a change to Andromeda’s ordered life. The hat debated briefly which house to place her into, but Slytherin won out. Though no one would guess it, Andromeda had immense determination hiding beneath the surface as well and the hat recognized it. Andromeda wanted to be as unobtrusive as possible for her first year and shadowed Bella almost constantly, never apart from her sister. She wrote Narcissa on a nightly basis, counting down the moments until they were united again. The only thing that managed to break through the icy front she put up - imitating what she thought her sisters would do - was the weekly flying lessons. Which she didn’t need, of course, but she enjoyed nonetheless; it was fun but more importantly, it gave her a never before seen insight into the lives of those who weren’t purebloods. The fear and joy Muggleborn students felt as they began flying sent joy into Andromeda’s own heart, and she began to take note of the other students in way she hadn’t done before. Despite what her parents had told her for the past eleven years, she could see that they weren’t lesser or beneath her. That might have rattled her a little bit, but she still pursued it. That first year marked the beginning of her careful foray into the lives of halfbloods or Muggleborns, and Andromeda had a new world opened up to her. New friends, new thoughts, new ideals - pureblood supremacy, a staple of her childhood and something she believed without thinking, suddenly seemed wrong. Andromeda hardly let herself think about it, and never expressed it verbally, but she began to change.

Although she did well in her classes, making it to the top in marks consistently, Andromeda spent her first four years rather unnoticed in the shadows of Bella and Cissa, and that was fine. But something in her longed for a change, and she resolved to join the Quidditch team when she was a fifth year. She didn’t inform her parents until after the fact, when she had the acceptance secured and she could inform them that she had flown “exceptionally well” and brought some pride to the family despite the less than ladylike pursuit. She so rarely opposed them that Cygnus and Druella gave in, in the end; Andromeda was on the Quidditch team and that was that. There were other changes; Andromeda was a little less careful in her associations with Muggleborns, although she always explained it away as necessary for a class. She didn’t become more vocal but she began writing down her thoughts and every counter-argument for blood-purity she could imagine. And it was barely noticeable, but she began seeing that there were other people as important as her sisters. Andromeda could barely bring herself to admit it, even to herself, but she saw the flaws and cracks in Bella and Cissa, and began to wonder what it would be like to have different friends. People who had flaws and cracks still, but not the ones that seemed to run straight to the moral foundations of society. With these thoughts already blooming, it was little wonder that Ted Tonks managed to work under her skin and into her heart so easily. Though she won’t admit it to anyone, least of all herself, Andromeda already knows where their friendship is headed, if she finds her courage. She knows it can be done - the Black family can be left behind, a life of freedom and goodness chosen - but doing it is a different matter entirely.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Playlist: I picked each song for a reason, and the progression is meant to signify her character growth through the years: It begins with “Sweet Liberty” as currently Andromeda feels stuck and wishes for a change, although she doesn’t have quite the courage to make the change. “Broken Glass” and “Sit Still, Look Pretty” were chosen for the lyrics about changing circumstances and her willingness to grow and change (“So what? Still got knives in my back/So what? So I’m tied to the tracks/I’m gonna dance on broken glass” and “I don’t want to sit still, look pretty”); as she grows older, Andromeda is more willing to let go of her past and move on. “Say Something” is about her feelings toward her sisters as she starts making this change and realizes what it will cost her. “Fight Song” would be representing the time after she finally makes her decision and adjusts to it, and “The Girl I Mean To Be” is somewhat similar. With both of those two songs, Andromeda is learning who she is now and how she’s going to act. The last two songs - “Brave” and “Warriors” - are for when Andromeda is an adult, comfortable in her new situation and willing to fight for her new family.

Mockblog: I have some edits and character development asks published here, and I might do more while we’re waiting to hear about acceptances, just because I have a ton of muse for this version of Andromeda and it’s been a lot of fun writing her.

Plot points: (Here are some things I would like to do with Andromeda)

Muggleborn and Halfblood friends: As much as I love Ted and Andromeda, I believe that he can only be part of her reason for leaving the Black family. I’ve written this into her bio, but I believe Andromeda’s journey to leaving began earlier, and Ted wasn’t the only or even the biggest part of it. I’d specifically like to see her and Lily Evans developing a friendship (honestly, they have to have some things in common and Andromeda would have grudging respect for the girl who beat her out to the Head position). Any other Muggleborn or halfblood students would be welcome as well (or blood traitors!) and I want to have her and Sirius develop a relationship as well. I think he would be a part of her decision-making process, if only to offer support and a glimpse into the other side of things.

Bella and Cissa: They’re still close at this point in their lives, but that has to crack at some point. I’ve never had the chance to write this aspect of Andromeda’s life, and I’m dying for a chance to do so. Everything that has to happen to lead up to the estrangement, and the bitterness on Bella and Cissa’s part is so fascinating and I want to explore whether it’s a series of small things or one big fight, and who shoulders most of the ‘blame’ - not that it should be pinned only on one sister, of course, but surely one of them started the final descent into it. I have a personal headcanon that Cissa and Andie kept in touch via owl despite the estrangement and although that doesn’t have to be included in the future for this particular version of her, I’d love to lay the groundwork for it.

Ted Tonks: Look. This is one of my favorite relationships in the entire Harry Potter universe and I really want to see it develop from the ground up. Obviously they’re already friends in the rp, and I love that, but I picture Andromeda as very hesitant and opposed to romance (she never saw the need for it when she knew she would be betrothed someday) and the feelings with Ted are very unexpected, unwelcome, and confusing. But they’re real and strong, and enough to make her break away from everything she’s known, and I want to write that.

Healing: My personal choice for Andromeda’s future is Healer, and I would like to write her as starting that process (whether she shadows the Hogwarts healer, or starts working toward an internship at St. Mungo’s). I think that a career like this is something she also didn’t consider much because she was meant to be just a trophy wife, but she’s going to change her mind on that and start working in the direction of a job. (One of the ways I’ve written her in rps where she’s older is that she talked her parents into giving her a few years to work after graduation and postponed the marriage until she was twenty-one or so, which I think would be a fun thing to include here).

Writing Sample:

“Andromeda. Your father wishes to see you in his office.”

Stopping midstep, Andromeda murmured, “Yes, Mother,” instinctively even as she schooled her face into stillness. There was no question as to what this unwelcome order signified: a betrothal had been arranged, and she would be told of her fate now. She’d known it was coming - Bella had faced the same thing a few weeks prior, but Andromeda hoped she would have some leeway first. Time to grow more accustomed to the fact - although if sixteen hadn’t been long enough, a few more weeks certainly wouldn’t be either. Marriage seemed so much closer and more real with a face and name to the betrothal threat.But she turned quietly and began the trek through the manor house. Just moments ago, she’d been full of life and excitement and now everything seemed duller somehow.

She’d barely made it down the first hall before she heard footsteps behind her - light, dainty footsteps that only could belong to Cissy. A glance over her shoulder confirmed it. Narcissa caught up to Andromeda, wand out. “Hold still, let me fix your hair.” Andromeda paused and let her younger sister fill the role she had for so long, of beautician. All Andromeda could manage with her hair was a braid, sometimes a French braid or something more complex, but rarely more than that. In moments, Narcissa had deftly wound up the loose tresses into an elegant knot and moved around to pull some free to frame Andromeda’s face. “No matter what happens, or who it is,” she said in voice soft but firm, “nothing will ever come between us. We’re sisters forever.” With the hair fixed and color applied to Andromeda’s lips and cheeks, Cissy fell into step beside her on the way to the office. It gave Andromeda courage to feel her sister’s hand gripping her own and hear the tapping of heels on the floor.

They were nearly to the office when Bella appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. “Here,” she said brusquely, thrusting something in Andromeda’s direction. It was a necklace, heavy black beads and a sparkling onyx stone; one of Bella’s more treasured articles of jewelry and something that Andromeda had long admired. “Not to keep,” she added, eyes narrowing, “just for now. It’ll make you feel better.” Then she fell into step with the others as well, seizing Andromeda’s hand in a grip far tighter and more fierce than Cissy’s, but no less loving.

Andromeda was lucky to have them.

At the door to the office, the sisters paused. Andromeda embraced Bella and Cissy, allowed them their last minute fussing - Cissy with soft murmured exclamations over how pale she was, Bella with hissed advice on how to stare Cygnus Black down without crying - and then rapped lightly at the door. At her father’s terse command to enter, she shot one last look at her sisters and then stepped into the office. She could count on one hand the number of times she had been in this room. It was Cygnus Black’s inner sanctum, a place where few entered freely and even fewer came out unscathed. She’d been called her shortly before her eleventh birthday to discuss her upcoming Hogwarts education and the family expectations, and once when she was thirteen after one of her classmates had reported to their parents that Andromeda had been seen talking to Lily Evans more than once during the course of that year, and those parents subsequently informed Cygnus and Druella. Andromeda didn’t like to think of that conversation. Once she had come here after making a good impression on some Ministry official at a function; that had been surprisingly nice and ended with Cygnus gifting her a necklace and earrings that had belonged to his mother. But this time wouldn’t be like that one, although she suspected she would come out of it with jewelry.

“Sit down,” he began, waving a chair in front of his desk. As Andromeda took the seat, her father never even looked up from the letter he composed, and Andromeda was left to stare around the room as dread built in the pit of her stomach. The office never instilled any sense of peace or tranquility in her; it was too dark and the walls felt like they were closing in around her - which wasn’t even a feeling associated with the pending betrothal. She always felt like that in the study. “I have finalized your betrothal,” he added after setting the quill down and studying her for a moment. Andromeda didn’t reply; Cygnus didn’t like that. His daughters, or at least Andromeda, was to be seen and not heard, silent until invited to speak. Bella could get away with interruptions, as his favorite; even Cissy could, because she was the undisputed beauty of their family. But Andromeda’s place was different. “You will marry Joseph Mulciber after you completing your education. His family can use the good connections after the disgrace of his father,” his lips curled in disdain that someone of their rank had been so foolish as to get caught, “and we have secured Rodolphus Lestrange for Bellatrix. You will do well with Mulciber.”

The room had started spinning, although Andromeda betrayed no sign of distress. Mulciber? She had envisioned someone like Rodolphus or … or Lucius Malfoy - not actually Lucius, of course, because it was no secret that he and Cissy were meant to be a match. But Mulciber? She would have thought after his family’s scandal that he wouldn’t even be a consideration. But then, as her father had said, with the Lestrange family already linked to theirs - and the Malfoys as good as - there was no need for Andromeda to make such a spectacular union.

Joseph Mulciber. She was going to hate being married to him. He was cruel and thoughtless and she could see in his eyes that he would do anything to reclaim the family’s spot among pureblood society. Life with him would be miserable.

As Cygnus continued speaking, Andromeda didn’t hear a word; between the spinning room and the upheaval in her stomach, it was a wonder she made it through the rest of the conversation without losing her breakfast. She took the ring from him woodenly and slid it onto her finger - an ugly, ostentatious thing that didn’t fit into her aesthetic choices at all. But surprisingly, it wasn’t Joseph who occupied her thoughts as her father spoke.

Ted. All she could think about was Ted. His hair shining in the sun by the lake, his eyes so soft and gentle as they talked. The warmth of his hand. She was half in love with him, she knew, or perhaps completely in love with him. How could she face him knowing that she was betrothed to someone like Joseph Mulciber?

When her father dismissed her, Andromeda slipped out of the office and found herself glad that Cissy and Bella had dispersed. She couldn’t manage a conversation at the moment - with anyone, not even her sisters. The sympathy would be her undoing and she needed time to collect herself. So instead of seeking them out, she slipped through the halls of the house until she came to her room. Though Druella Black decorated the rest of the manor, she had allowed each of the girls to take charge of their own room when they were thirteen, and Andromeda’s reflected what she wanted quite well. Decorated in almost white and silver, she felt more at home here than anywhere else. Which meant that as soon as the door was locked behind her, the tears that had stung her eyes slipped out and rolled down her cheeks. The betrothal had been bearable when she thought she would marry someone like Rodolphus or Lucius; someone she at least could tolerate, or perhaps even respect in time. Someone she could build some sort of life with. But Mulciber … she could hardly even stand to look at him, let alone talk to or - she’d have to kiss him, someday. Do far more than that. The thought turned her stomach.

She would become her mother - a sudden wave of sympathy struck her. Was this how Druella Rosier felt, as she was informed of her betrothal to Cygnus Black? Perhaps it had been a cold, loveless marriage that turned her into the detached, disinterested woman she was today. Perhaps she could give Andromeda advice on how to handle her future -

But Andromeda didn’t want that future.

Andromeda didn’t want that future.

Bellatrix faced it, Narcissa faced it, Andromeda faced it. But she didn’t want it. And unlike her sisters, she could see a different future. It had blond curls and hazel eyes and a good heart. She had subverted her parents’ plans before - when she joined the Quidditch team, when they wanted her to host a tea for her sixteenth birthday. Surely she could come up with a way to change this as well, or at least buy herself some time. Joseph didn’t strike her as a patient person, really; if she could postpone the betrothal long enough, then he might lose interest. Her parents would be a challenge, of course, but she thought she could manage it. If there was something in it for the family, some hint of prestige or glory … something that would improve their reputation.

Something like healing - a Black working at St. Mungo’s might be a little unorthodox but with what Bella would undoubtedly do to the family name, they could use it. Andromeda was an excellent potioneer and wonderful with charms and had fairly good people skills. That was something that could be used to postpone a betrothal: she could work for a year or two. Or three, or five. She’d still only be twenty-two, if she worked five years; long enough to make Joseph Mulciber regret the betrothal and break it off, with time for her to steer her father’s eye toward someone she could stomach.

By the time she emerged, with the ring dangling from a chain around her neck, Andromeda had a plan for her future - work with the Hogwarts healer for the next year, secure an internship at St. Mungo’s, hint to her parents that it would be good for the family - and a pretty lie to explain why she didn’t wear the ring on her finger - “It’s so lovely but distracting. I thought as a necklace, then we would still know of the intentions without risking blindness any time I moved my hand,” delivered with a demure smile would assuage anyone’s concerns - and she felt much calmer in general. As her sisters moved to intercept her on the way to dinner, she flashed them a genuine smile.

“It’s going to be fine.”