#s/o to september when my art started to actually look good

[nancypullen]

Creeping Toward September

Shhhh. The last three days we've woken up to temperatures hovering between 58-60 and I don't want to scare it away. I know it's still August, summer is still spreading her fiery breath around, and we're a solid month away from really pleasant weather, but this sneak peek is wonderful. Our daytime highs still soar to the 80's, but I'll take that cool morning kiss and dream about fall. I haven't posted in a week! We had the sweet grandgirl for three days and had a ball. We returned her Monday afternoon and then I took Tuesday off. I didn't lift a finger. Since then I've been cranking out earrings like my life depends on it. I still need to make cards and if I have time, do some of my altered art watches. I'm working on earrings first because they require more time. First I condition and blend the clay and decide what sort of pattern or look I want, then I roll and cut, and into the oven they go. Once they're baked I do a little sanding to smooth the edges, then they get an acrylic glaze and go into my little UV machine. When they're all pretty and glossy, I drill holes and put them together with jump rings and posts. None of it is hard, but it is a bit time consuming. I am building an inventory though, and that's the goal. My plan for Artisans on the Choptank is to have one display of autumn and Halloween earrings, one display of the local high school colors, and one display of just really FUN earrings - all colors and designs. I've made several pairs in the high school colors, and right now I'm in the thick of the autumn batch.

I'm really digging the gray, gold, and white. I was actually just using up scraps when I made those, but I may make more.

I won't be charging much because I know how imperfect these are. I'm not using high end findings, I'm still a bit clumsy with the whole process, and I'm simply not a perfectionist. If anything has to be exact, I'm not your gal. But for a few bucks, surely the ladies of Caroline County would like some fun earrings. I guess I'll find out. I'm planning to post this sign at my booth.

I may also have a little sign with a "days until Christmas" countdown. It's closer than you think.

So, that's what's keeping me busy. I'm happiest when I'm creating, so it's been a good week. I can't wait to complete the earring plan and get started on the cards. I've roughed out a couple of ideas.

Come on over to my booth and buy a gift for the fancy gal in your life and a card to go with it. One stop shopping! I have the Square thing for my phone so I can swipe a card, I have appropriate displays for my wares, and I'll have this banner on the front of my table.

That's me! I think that since my first foray into the craft fair world is in September, I'll use an orange table cloth and maybe some mini pumpkins with that banner. Keep it simple, but noticeable.

I'm trying not to over invest because this may be a flop. Or I might decide that I hate sitting at a booth all day. That banner was $7, my time is free (seriously, what else am I going to do?), and my supplies are mostly inexpensive. Clay is cheap. I don't want this to become a money pit of a hobby. Hopefully I can sell enough to pay for my spot at the event. Booth space for the day is $50 and it's only four hours! I think that's steep. Maybe I'm naïve.

Aright, enough about that. You've probably fallen asleep while I yammered on about clay earrings. B-O-R-I-N-G. Sorry. Honestly, I can't share a zillion photos of the grandgirl (which is what I want to do) and there's not much else happening around here. The mister is still running far and wide doing his photo stuff. The last two evenings he was at Summerfest. That's Denton's BIG send-off to summer, celebrating harvest as well as sending the kids back to school. They don't start school until after Labor Day here (throwback to my childhood!). Anyway, at Summerfest there's a lot of good music, dancing, food, fireworks, a play area for kids with giant sides and bouncy houses, and so on. I probably should have gone, but I end up attending those sorts of things alone. That's no fun. I figured I'd stay home and use those hours to produce inventory (I was trying to avoid saying earrings again). Last year I tried to enjoy it, but I had horrible sciatica pain and I was still feeling puny from a double bout of covid. I did enjoy the music though!

Heyyyyy, speaking of pain...guess who is living practically pain-free these days? Ol' Grancy has found the perfect recipe for feeling whole again! First, movement. Walking for just 30 minutes every morning and being diligent about my stretches and some core work has made a huge difference. I'd like to get a treadmill and increase my waking time. I used to do 3.5 miles every morning and it set the tone for the rest of my day. That was before my ankle surgery. After the ankle surgery I tried so hard to maintain activity, water aerobics, Jazzercise,etc. I even had a routine before Jazzercise - ibuprofen one hour before class, after class I'd drive home with an ice wrap on my ankle and then elevate it. Stupid, huh? THEN WE MOVED. That move was when I hurt my back and the sciatica stuff started. If you want to know how much true sciatica issues hurt, brawny boxer Mike Tyson uses a wheel chair when his flairs up. So PT, stretches, and walking had reduced my pain by about half. I'm not bragging when I say that I endure pain well. That's just how I'm made. An ER nurse once called me "stoic". But that doesn't mean it's not exhausting. It takes a toll, it robs you of joy. It's no bueno. That's when someone I love and trust told me all about gummies. Let me start by saying I've never smoked pot in my life. I've never had a negative view of it, it just wasn't my thing. I've never been a drinker either, I don't care what anyone else drinks or smokes, it just wasn't for me. Do you, enjoy your life, none of my business. Maryland recently legalized marijuana, like so many other states, and people are becoming more educated about the plant, the products, and the benefits. What I knew could have fit in a teacup. I learned that medical marijuana is often used for chronic pain with great success and no side effects. I cringe at the thought of using prescription meds with a long list of possible and horrifying side effects. I was already living on a steady diet of Tylenol (not good) that only half worked. So when that dear person explained to me what she uses and how, I was intrigued. Fast forward to visiting a dispensary and telling the very helpful person at the counter, "I don't want to get high, but I'm old and I hurt." She said, "Gotcha." Because I am a lightweight with everything from alcohol to cold medicine, I tried one quarter of a gummie to start. One fourth of a CBD/THC gummie and I am a perfectly normal, not high, PAIN-FREE person! I am astounded. I knew that THC is used for people who are suffering with conditions from cancer to Lyme Disease, but I assumed that those patients were trading lucidity for relief. Maybe at higher doses they are, I don't know. Still, better than so many of the alternatives. So this plant, possibly put on Earth just for this purpose, criminalized and stigmatized (with the help of big pharma who wants your money), is the simplest solution of all. Of course, just like alcohol, there are people who abuse it. Alcohol, oxycontin, all sorts of legal things are abused. People are people. I'm just saying that 1/4 of a little gummie candy allows me to move through my day without pain and feel like myself again. No expensive, addictive drug with scary side effects - just a plant. Hallelujah. I may regret sharing that, because plenty of people will judge without researching. I'm okay with it. I know what I know. I'm not a drinker, a smoker, a pill taker, or a whiner. I'll just say that if your state has been smart enough to legalize it, and you have any sort of chronic pain, I'm happy to answer any of your questions about my experience. I'm still learning, but I can tell you that it's been a miracle for me. I'm dancing again! No foggy brain, just relief.

If anyone had told young me that old me would be chewing up pot candy, I'd have called you a damn liar. Old me is wiser, thank goodness. Alright, it's past time for me to get some chores done. I've already cleaned the bathrooms but I definitely need to water a few things outside. A couple of days ago I tidied up the gardens and hacked down about half of the spent sunflowers (because I'm pain free!). I stuck the heads into a staked planter so the yellow finches can keep enjoying them.

Once I finish outside I can get busy painting eyes on these ghosties and giving them some glitter.

Can you tell I don't use my good baking sheets for making earrings? Some eyes, some glitter, and some posts and they'll be ready to go! I'm not going to do very many cutesy earrings - just these ghosts and some pumpkins. I don't want to get too stuck on holidays, I'd rather do seasons. Anywho, wishing you a wonderful Sunday. I hope that yours is as busy or as quiet as you like. Do something that delights you, whether that's a lazy afternoon in a hammock with a book or a deep clean of your space. Take care of yourself, body and soul. It's important. Sending out loads of love. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy

[jam-campasta]

Hopping on the bandwagon that everyone else seems to be doing :V

-Template-

• January • February • March • April • May • June • July • August • September • October • November • December •

[liamgranger]

CHARACTER INTRO:

NAME: William Matthew Liam Granger

AGE: 26

OCCUPATION: Bouncing around minimum wage jobs / Freelance Photographer.

BIRTHDAY: September 20th, 1994 (Virgo)

HOMETOWN: Phoenix, Arizona.

FACECLAIM: Jacob Elordi

BACKGROUND:

William Matthew Granger was born on September 20th,1994 in Phoenix, Arizona. The middle child of the Granger clan, and quite possibly the most reckless one out of the bunch.

He was named after his father, and therefore, hates every part of it. He also doesn’t feel like a William, as it feels too formal for his liking. Therefore, he goes by Liam on everything. Also hardly, if ever, will respond to William; will absolutely never answer to the nickname Will or Bill either.

Their father left when they were all fairly young, he was about 6 years old at the time, and can’t quite remember the man. However, this doesn’t cease he’s hatred for said man. In fact, Liam isn’t much of a fan to either parent. As he feels that they both left their children to fend for themselves. When his mother passed, he seemed rather unphrased by it. Rather that was true or not, is up for debate. This would be the part most would come to realize that he isn’t exactly the most forgiving man. 

Growing up, he’s always been fairly rebellious and outgoing. He enjoyed being different and not living by anyone’s rules. Which would cause fiction at home.

He enjoys art, he’s an incredible artist, can absolutely draw and paint, yet so few actually know that about him. He doesn’t tend to share that part of him with just anyone. What he is willing to share with others, however, is his photography skills. To ask him how he came into such a hobby, he wouldn’t really be able to give a straight answer. One day he simply picked up a camera, and he truly just never put it back down.

When he’s not making money off of those particular skills, he is usually found jumping from dead end job to dead end job. Anything that gives him an extra, more stable, income until he gets frustrated or annoyed with it, and just quits the job on the spot. Hes also made money off of testing his luck, in such things as gambling and drag racing.

Liam is very much for anything that makes him feel as though he’s alive. He enjoys living the fast life more often then not, and this has led him to some bad habits. He enjoys partying, and hasn’t quite grown out of that phrase yet. Rules, also, aren’t something he cares to follow often, especially because he feels as though rules are meant to be broken.

While a seemly careless and reckless soul, he’s actually not completely that. He does love hard, and despite most times budding heads with his siblings, he does love them. He also adores the hell out of his nephew, and even tho, Chloe can find herself worrying about that from time to time; in the end, he’d do anything for that little boy.

When most look at him, they do see a boy with no path in life, who’s gonna end up washed out. But the truth is he’s actually quite smart, when he applies himself, and he has dreams of being a big time photographer.

He is currently struggling with his sexuality, and may just be the one thing he’s not the most confident about in life. He hasn’t completely figured out how to deal with that part of him, but he has started to realize that he is attracted to men as well. Therefore, realizing that he may be bisexual. He finds himself quite uncomfortable with that, as he’s just not all that sure how accepting those around him would be to such a thing.

While a man who seems incredibly forthcoming with things, confident in the way he moves, and uncaring about others opinions; there are little things about him that is quite telling that he’s not exactly 100% those things. His sexuality, and his art being two of those things. They are extremely personal to him, and he doesn’t go out of his way to share either of those thing. 

He is a chaotic soul. not necessarily in a bad way, however. 

Also here’s his pinterest. I love these, definitely feel like they help give a more vivid picture<3

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

FRIENDS: While he’s quite out there, he’s absolutely a pretty nice guy over all. He’s not hard to get along with, as long as he doesn’t feel as though you’ve attacked him in some way. This could be long time friends, this could be party friends, honestly the list of any kind of friends is quite long and possible. 

ENEMIES/I DON’T REALLY LIKE YOU: Despite being an pretty easy guy to get along with, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t bumps head in the past. This could also be a number of things as well, to be honest. They could’ve fought at a party, Liam could’ve quite honestly slept with their S/O. etc. 

EXES/FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS/HOOK UPS (F/M/NB): Liam doesn’t have a very long list of exes, as he’s not too into the exclusive thing. so this could honestly be anything from a very short relationship, to a simple arrangement that ended on ok terms, or on bad terms. Could also just still be an ongoing thing as well. He is very much into having fun. (He would have way way way more female FWBS/hook ups over male ones.)

A HIGHSCHOOL SWEETHEART (F): He had, at least, semi serious relationship with someone back in high school, this could’ve been a long thing, it could’ve been a short thing. But either way, this didn’t end well. Mainly because he wasn’t even close to the all American teenage boy that a parent would want their daughter to bring home. So, either she ended it when he was actually falling for her/did fall for her. Or he made a stupid choice and cheated, or something that ended it. Either way, hearts were most definitely broken here. 

THE BOY THAT GOT HIM QUESTIONING: In my head, for some reason, this was a really good friend of his, if not his best friend. They probably aren’t in contact anymore, as this would’ve been the first time it started clicking for Liam. And that would’ve caused him to pull away, completely. 

CLIENTS: Anyone who would’ve or do need photographs taken. 

FORMER COWORKERS: The boy’s had a lot of job, that he seriously just bounced from. So, this could’ve been how they met. 

TRULY ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING, FOR REAL. I JUST WANNA LOVE ON Y’ALL AND BE LOVED. OK THANK YOU

[theclownprnc-arch]

———  BASICS! ♡

(PEN)NAME: Roy PRONOUNS: he/him but they/them is fine too ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius TAKEN OR SINGLE: taken for granted 😤 still in a fulfilling relationship with the shadowman lounging around in the corner of my eye

———  THREE  FACTS! ♡

— I genuinely hate talking about myself. Guess that counts as the first fact? But, alright, for starters: back in September I defended my thesis revolving around new genres of criticism (focusing on forms of literary criticism on the internet) and on one hand I do want to go into that direction more, but on the other hand, I fucking hate academia (just as much as I can’t stand Rupi Kaur’s work, don’t @ me) for countless reasons and I want nothing to do with it anymore. But… Time will show.

— My perhaps main interest is art and nowadays I’m trying to find more time to draw/paint as regularly as I used to. On a related note, I seriously consider diving into tattooing and in the near future, I want to finally get the beginner’s kit and start practising (yeah, about to treat myself as canvas too *wink*).

— I have two cats — Rufus and Gucci. They’re both assholes, but they’re pretty cute. Rufus is around ten years old, walking definition of If Looks Could Kill™ and a few days ago he stole a french fry from me. Gucci has the mentality of a possum (loves trash), doesn’t meow and he vibes with some of my vegan meat-substitutes.

———  EXPERIENCE! ♡

PLATFORMS USED: I actually started on Instagram, but quickly moved on to Tumblr. In the meantime, I also tried to roleplay on forums, but it wasn’t really my cuppa. Sometimes I also write on Discord.

———  MUSE  PREFERENCE! ♡

GENDER: Throughout those years I’ve written mostly muses you could call, I guess, masculine-presenting. A few times I actually did try to write female characters, but each time it was triggering my dysphoria rather badly, so eventually, I gave up. LEAST FAVOURITE FACE(S): I don’t think I have any? I mean, there are certain faces I’m not a big fan of (like that Timothee something dude), but I’m not sure if it would be enough to discourage me from writing with a certain person. As long as the character is fire, the faceclaim doesn’t matter that much to me. MULTI OR SINGLE: Tried my hand at multi once and, uh, it’s kind of dead in a ditch now, so personally I do prefer managing single blogs, but I love and appreciate anyone with a multimuse blog.

———  FLUFF / ANGST / SMUT! ♡    

FLUFF: I enjoy it in moderate doses, mostly because I feel like I’m not that good at writing fluff. Though there are days when fluff’s the only thing I wanna wallow in. ANGST: Give me. That’s good McFreakin’ food. There’s nothing I love more than the sound of my tears hitting the keyboard. SMUT: Mixed feelings about that one? Like, I’ve had some terrible experiences with smut that for a long time I was reluctant to write it and I’m still very selective with who I write it with. However, in the long run, I feel like I’m running out of good enough euphemisms (no, we’re not naming body parts in this circus tent). PLOT / MEMES: Plotting makes it way easier for me to really get into the dynamic and whatnot, but sometimes my head is too empty to put together a worthy idea. As for memes, it’s no secret that I’m a hoarder (but trust me, I’m doing my best to get more tidy with them). I like keeping them around for times when I’m not feeling my drafts, but I still want to write something. They’re also great ice-breakers.

TAGGED BY: @alreadybrcken​ ( thank you! ) TAGGING: youuuuu :o)

[byakuyasdarling]

🌸Hello!! I have a few asks, i hope these are alright ^_^

1) How did you find out about Danganronpa?

2) What kind of characters are your favourite in a piece of media? Is there like, a specific trait they all have in common, or they're mostly different from eachother?

3) If you enjoy going outside, what are your favourite outdoor activities?

4) I'm not sure if you've mentioned this on your account, but do you have any platonic/friend f/os?

Okay, I can't really come up with more interesting questions,,,,i'm sorry. Oh, I hope that you will be alright..Please take care of yourself and be sure to rest if you can!! Your f/os love you!! Have a nice day/evening/night! 🌸

Aaa Thank you so much for the ask! Your questions are brilliant, don’t worry!

1. How did you find out about Danganronpa?

I had it come up in my recommendations on my YouTube feed constantly last year, as my favourite let’s player, Jay from the Kubz Scouts, was playing through THH. He is so funny and never fails to make me laugh. I didn’t want to commit to it until a few of my friends kept mentioning it, however. I finally watched Jay’s play through and I WAS HOOKED!

2. What kind of character’s are your favourite in a piece of media? Is there like, a specific trait they all have in common, or are they all mostly different form eachother?

I love this question! Yes most of my favourite characters end up to be the “asshole” or “jerk” charcater (at least as they present themselves). As a child I had a crush on each of the asshole Pokémon rivals at one stage (Blue or Gary, Silver, and Gladion). Gladion was actually the thing that got me into selfship art when I was 12, and I started this account in September when I relapsed on some things and Blue (HG/SS, Masters, and BW2 Blue, i.e. teenage Blue) was my romantic F/O.

I didn’t like how a small part of the fan base portrayed him though, so I kinda inevitably moved on to Byakuya where anything that makes me uncomfortable with his portrayal is slapped down by canon.

3. If you enjoy going outside, what are your favourite activities?

I love going outside! In primary I was the jock of the school ahaha (I was the kid who got the kinda tacky looking trophy for winning the athletics carnival lmao), so naturally I have some favourite games. I really liked playing Itta and basketball in my HPE class before we chose electives. I love to walk though! I at least walk 5km each weekday.

4. Do you have any platonic/ friend F/Os?

I only have 1 F/O, which is my romantic F/O, Byakuya. Buuutttt,,, I do think a few fictional characters would make for really great friends (despite I do not F/O them). Although I know I’ve written in my notes that Aoi Asahina (Drg THH) does not like my S/I, I personally think she’s wonderful and a really good friend! Same with Chihiro, Ibuki, Sonia, Chiaki, Makoto, Nagito and Kiyotaka! They seem like people I’d like to be my friend.

Thank you so much for the ask! I’m feeling a lot better than yesterday, it’s nice to have a break before I dive into work again tomorrow. I hope you have a wonderful day 💙

[svtskneecaps]

i’ve been enabled

here’s the sitch on the goddamn harry potter hogwarts mystery app game

it fucking sucks

here’s my main issues in a handy list i’ll go down later:

the gameplay

energy

art / visuals

the story

the writing

the choose your own adventure like elements (technically gameplay since there isn’t much else l m a o)

and i have receipts for most of this stuff. fun fact, i’ve been taking videos of all plot relevant events since year 1.

some context:

i’ve played up to year 3 myself. i have watched up until the very beginning of year 5 in someone’s youtube series (will bits? that was his main character [henceforth referred to as MC]’s name, however that was a year ago and it was in the background like a podcast so the details are sort of fuzzy. i have not played the game since march (it’s september, ish), but i’m loading it up as i type this just to get a feel for it

idk whether to assume my audience has or hasn’t played the game. i’ll keep my complaints as clear as possible.

i’m mainly an author so the storytelling sections are where i’m really going to pop off, since that’s something i have the most experience with and passion in, but i’ll be touching on everything else because compounded it’s all pissing me off lmao

[a couple hints at spoilers for maybe an event in year 1, and year 3, but nothing major]

let’s start with: THE GAMEPLAY

there isn’t any

literally. there’s like. zero gameplay.

you tap some highlighted figures, and then sometimes you get to trace a little shape, and sometimes you get to play rock paper scissors to fight somebody (they did manage to make duelling slightly better but it’s still not good by any standard)

sometimes you get to choose between three dialogue options, but those have barely any impact on the story or on your character. any impact they have is limited to a couple stat points, or maybe some house points, or like. some event at the end of the year. but like barely any make any real serious difference (but i’ll touch on that more later)

and then there’s the factor of stat points (and this gets kind of mathy, so feel free to skip to the bolded sentence)

for those who haven’t played the game, you have three stats (empathy, courage, and knowledge) that you can level up by taking classes, 1, 3, or 8 hours, for various rewards

back when i stopped playing, i had gained 8914 points in courage. if i recall correctly i was only about halfway to leveling up that stat. if you take an 8 hour class, you receive consistently 200 stat points, with a possibility of extra rewards that i can’t count for since those are randomly generated.

to get those 8914 points, i would have had to take 44.57 8 hour classes (while 8 hour they only take about 7, counting for the 2 hours it takes my energy to recharge to full). with 44.57 classes taking 7 hours each, to get halfway to level 24, i would have had to have done:

THIRTEEN STRAIGHT DAYS OF GRINDING, ASSUMING THAT ALL I HAD BEEN DOING WAS CHECKING ON THE HARRY POTTER HOGWARTS MYSTERY APP

and again, I WAS ONLY LIKE HALFWAY TO LEVELLING UP

I AM BARELY BEGINNING FOURTH YEAR. I AM NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH THIS GAME.

i think they’ve fixed this now; it said i had 8914/1550 courage and when i got stat points it fixed itself and jumped me from level 23 to 28, so thanks for that jam city.

but it doesn’t change the fact that the grinding is fucking horrible and i’ve done my fair share of hours, and who knows what it’s going to look like when i get to a higher level again

the energy

yes, i know it’s an app game. i know they want my money. but holy FUCK the energy recharges disgustingly slowly, and every bit they expand my energy bar is an insult

“here, have another energy capacity!” they say, and then add to the amount of energy it takes to complete a task at the same time, so now shit just takes me even damn longer

it’s an insult. don’t think i didn’t fuckin notice jam city.

since it’s an app game, naturally, energy requires paying real world money or the (semi) rare in-game currency to get more if you blow through your bar. they want your money. i know they want my money, but it doesn’t make me any less disappointed by how damn blatant they’re being. app games like bakery story probably also want my money, but at least those are still fun to play.

the art / visuals

now i’m not an artist. nor am i a 3-d modeller. but if solo indie devs and 10 men teams can make video games that have to have models with a much fuller range of motion (since there’s ACTUAL GAMEPLAY and not just little cutscenes of characters moving around) and that don’t make me sick to watch, then jam city working on a HARRY POTTER GAME should be able to (jk rowling fucking sucks but her books have brought in so much goddamn money that they can afford to pay their devs enough to make the game look good; in this case i’m not entirely sure where the blame lies)

there’s like. 10 motions characters can use while in the cutscenes and talking. like 10. and i can recognize every one of them, and there is not a single motion unique to a character. the characters are something i’ll touch on later in the storytelling sections, though. just, please god give them SOMETHING even SLIGHTLY different. like make two versions of a couple of the crowd animations at LEAST, so that when people celebrate at the end of the year there’s not twenty people in the shot doing the same “pump my fists in the air in celebration” motion at the exact same time. PLEASE.

sometimes animations in story events and classes sync up too, which is. beyond distracting. like it’s completely immersion breaking and i mean please, please jam city, if you haven’t fixed that please fix it. please.

the animations that roll in flying class are fun, ONCE. when you’ve seen them eight hundred thousand times because you’re grinding up your courage stat, they get hella boring. all of the classes are like this to some extent but flying is the biggest offender since those were the longest animations. if they haven’t implemented a skip button since i last played it, they should. they fuckin should.

also the fertilizer animation in the greenhouse scenes is gross. you pick up a deformed cone of dirt with your shovel like a slice of cake and then shove it clipping through the edges of a pot, where it disappears without a trace. i hate it. jam city please make the game look good.

if you still play the game please tell me it looks better; i’ll be playing through a couple things after i post this but it’s hphm. it’s gonna take me a goddamn long time to hit all the points and confirm whether what i complained about has been fixed or not

also also, wearing dresses is so distracting, especially while dueling. the way the dress flexes around your legs is like you’re wearing clothing made from jello and when my character does the idle animation her hands clip through her skirt, and there’s all kids of glitches with hair where it clips through outfits (and why in the fuck do the necklaces float a full foot from the character’s body)

the storytelling

alright there’s a lot to cover so strap in

i’m not mad about the story having some of the same beats as harry potter. whatever, right? if it worked, it worked. having a big climax at the end of the year just works well for storytelling. having a school bully antagonist also works well for easy storytelling (it’s kinda cheap, but whatever works, right?) it’s what you DO with the archetypes you use that makes or breaks your story

jam city broke it

i don’t know how to organize my thoughts so here’s a bulleted list

it is very clearly obvious they wrote this as they went along (ex. a previously unseen character pops up in year 3 and was supposedly the best friend of your greatest enemy in previous years) and didn’t think to fix the plot holes

there’s too many goddamn characters (i love them, but with a big cast comes a whole host of problems [I WRITE FOR A KPOP GROUP WITH 13 MEMBERS, I HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH THAT], and we’ll get there)

there’s too much goddamn filler for the sake of forcing us to spend time and in-game energy (yes i KNOW it’s an app game and they want our money but THEY COULD BE A LITTLE MORE SUBTLE ABOUT IT)

what honestly pisses me off the most about it is that IT COULD BE GOOD

IF THE STORY WERE GOOD, I WOULD FUCKIN IGNORE ALL OF THAT OTHER SHIT

but it’s not, and here’s the biggest gripe i have:

none of the choices you make matter. none of them. to the point where it’s immersion breaking at BEST

for example, while my MC is a hufflepuff, i know a lot of people play in slytherin. scenes where snape gets upset with your character and takes away house points no longer make sense for a slytherin MC, because snape would be infinitely more likely to give you three years of nightly detentions, or pitch you off the astronomy tower, than he would be to take house points from slytherin

honestly, they should have waited. if they wanted to put choose your own adventure elements into the game, they should have planned out every single one of those story arcs in detail, and THEN released the game. they could leave some of the more basic choices in and those choices only mattering for short term effects wouldn’t irk me as much as it does right now because THERE WOULD BE CHOICES THAT MADE A DIFFERENCE.

your very first choice over how you felt about your brother’s disappearance only matters for what wand you get (which i immediately forgot which really says something about the impact of that choice :)))) ). no matter what you pick, you still end up chasing after him for the rest of the game, so who cares?

story beats don’t land different based on your house. you could absolutely play it that merula hates you regardless of your house, that’s fine. just remember that if your MC is slytherin and lives in the female dorms, she probably shares a room with merula. which makes things fucky for all kinds of reasons, none of which jam city addresses in the current game, as far as i’m aware

also, there’s the deal with rowan

rowan is a character that goes into your mc’s chosen house no matter what (and as rowan changes pronouns with your player, i’ll be using “they” [or “she” as my player is a she and that’s what i’m used to; i’ll try to refrain but i might slip up occasionally] ). as far as i can tell, rowan’s personality remains the same no matter what house you’re in. they don’t try to play up the traits that match the house, rowan is just usually a sweet bookworm. why would the hat have put them in gryffindor? rowan khanna for me has never seemed to display any gryffindorish traits; or at the very least, no traits that should be prioritized over, say, the ravenclaw traits they have VERY STRONGLY (since rowan fills a sort of hermione role; rowan knows things about things and is your go to for research)

can we just put rowan in ravenclaw? sure, it would make it hard for fans in different houses to communicate between each other about the story for a time since certain sequences of events would play out differently, but here’s the thing:

if events play out differently based on your choices, people will want to play your game multiple times to get every ending

that’s the fun of a choose your own adventure game. if events play out distinctly differently if you’re a hufflepuff or a ravenclaw or a slytherin or a gryffindor, then people will want to play through the game four times at LEAST, once for each house, to get all the fun pieces of story (WHICH MEANS, they’ll be spending more and more time and using more and more energy, so you can make the same amount of money off people buying energy and watching the ads and maybe MORE while being able to cut out some of the more shitty pieces of filler)

in the current version, your house is just, what color are your robes and who is your prefect. i haven’t watched anyone who wasn’t a hufflepuff, but i’m sure that certain scenes and conflicts play out the exact same no matter what house you’re in

as an example, your house should affect how the duelling confrontation in year one should have gone. snape and flitwick should have different dialogue based on whether you’re a slytherin, or a ravenclaw, or a gryffindor, or a hufflepuff. snape fucking hates gryffindors, so he should be far less lenient against gryffindors, and on the flip side he should be battling between himself with how strict to be if you’re a slytherin; maybe he hates your guts because of a grudge against your brother, but you’re still in his house and we all know snape plays favorites. flitwick should be more disappointed if you’re a ravenclaw, because that’s his house and he had higher expectations for you. neither of them have many ties to hufflepuff that would skew the confrontation in a drastic direction, but had this been the first version of the game, then the confrontation that plays out in the current version we have would work fine for hufflepuff; you’re one of flitwick’s favorite charms students and he taught you this skill, and he’s disappointed to see you use it in this way, but not nearly as much as if you were one of his own

AND NOW PEOPLE WANT TO PLAY THE GAME MULTIPLE TIMES TO GET ALL THE DIALOGUE, WHICH MEANS MORE TIME, MORE ENERGY, AND MORE MONEY, JAM CITY, ARE YOU HEARING THIS??? MORE MONEY!!!!! IT’S A WIN WIN FOR EVERYONE

while we’re at it, change jacob to match his house. if you’re still gonna make him have the same house as the MC, make him match it. from how all the characters describe him that bitch is as slytherin as they come, if you’re gonna make him a hufflepuff with me then give him a clear, hufflepuff motive god damnit

finally,

the characters

there’s too many.

the problem with a big cast is no one gets enough screen time and some characters end up getting shunted to the side. that’s just what happens. you HAVE to zero in on four or five side friends and let the rest of them slip to the side. looking at my friends menu there are 17 characters you can befriend, not including hagrid, the quidditch crew, dobby, talbott, and chiara (since those are, as far as i know, unlocked via side quests, which are... fine. i don’t have any particular gripes about the side quests except for the thing with lupin being twice the size of tonks which, if you’ve read the seventh book i don’t need to explain how weird that is to you)

and BECAUSE there are so many, a lot of them have to be defined by one trait. ben is a coward, rowan’s clever and booksmart, penny has her hand on the school’s pulse and makes potions, liz likes creatures, charlie fuckin loves dragons, tonks likes pranks (seriously that’s her whole personality), andre likes clothes, barnaby is a dumb jock that likes creatures

like, traits are fun. but if that’s ALL THEY HAVE, that’s when things get a little fucky

how many of these characters have dimensions? i’m in year 4 chapter 4. the first screen recording of the game i took was on december 5 of 2019, and assuming i played about a minimum of 8 hours a day (”““played”““) until the final screen recording [may 20, 2020] before i dropped the game for about six months (i know for certain it was more than that, since i had some kind of activity going on at just about all times for at least a month of that, but i’ll take the generous estimate), at bare minimum that makes 1344 hours i spent playing this game, or about 56 days (keep in mind, this is a LOW estimate)

in those 56 days of gameplay, i don’t know ANYTHING about the characters other than their utility in my quest. i don’t know penny’s favorite color or even her favorite potion to brew, or how and why she started and when [there’s a reveal in third year that i watched someone play through, but i don’t know if i ever played through it myself; i don’t have any screen recordings of the event]. i don’t know anything about ben or his family aside from the fact that he’s muggleborn. i know some basic facts about barnaby’s family, and that he’s tough and likes creatures. rowan grew up on a tree farm and i have a vague recollection of her mentioning siblings. do we know anything about them?? do i know anything about how the characters interact with each other?? are barnaby and liz friends? they both like creatures. do they talk to charlie?? do ben and penny hang out while we’re not there? are ben and jae friends?? are jae and charlie??? DO THESE CHARACTERS EXIST WHEN THEY AREN’T NEEDED FOR THE CURSED VAULTS???

why in the fuck don’t i know these characters?? why don’t we know anything about tonks other than her affinity for pranking?? there’s a sharp bias in who the writer’s favorites are (they like the characters with angsty pasts they can twist around; what do we know about ben aside from his blood status? and he’s been around since first year; he’s the second friend you unlock. i know more about barnaby and i’ve known him for a much shorter time)

if you separate the routes, you get a chance to zero in on certain characters and actually develop them. if you’re a gryffindor, you befriend ben, charlie, and jae much more quickly and they make up the closest of your friends, along with rowan, if jam city is determined to keep their tutorial character constant across all plotlines (i still think rowan should be solely a ravenclaw, but i’ll allow rowan’s house to change so long as their personality shifts to emphasize certain qualities in order to match the change in house; your house should not just determine the color your robes are)

if you’re in slytherin, maybe you befriend barnaby in place of ben in the original game, or maybe there’s an arc where you clash heads with merula (who can still be an enemy even if you’re both in slytherin; merula doesn’t like competition and the MC is exactly that) and the rest of the slytherins in your year find themselves caught in the middle; maybe there’s an arc where your MC finds themself totally alone without allies due to the conflict between them and merula (might i suggest year two, while coming up on the climax of the year?)

hufflepuffs get to focus on tonks and penny much closer. ben can also be in this plotline, but he shouldn’t take center stage (characters should cross over plotlines, but only take center stage in one, aside from perhaps rowan if rowan remains constant). maybe chiara can get implemented into the main plotline to fill out the roster, and if not, diego caplan can get implemented earlier (i haven’t met him yet and know nothing about his character)

and ravenclaws get the ravenclaw characters BUT YOU GET THE POINT, i don’t want to bore anyone by repeating myself; this is long enough as is

what i’m saying is, these characters all have a different enough base that each route will be different just by focusing on different characters; ben and jae will respond to a situation much differently than penny and tonks might, which would ALREADY shake up the storyline of each house based on which house you choose in the beginning, and then characters overlap plotlines so you could leave hints in each route to the other characters’ unique backstories and motivations that leaves the player wanting to get to know the rest of your WELL DEVELOPED CAST (((MAKE SURE THEY’RE WELL DEVELOPED OR THIS WILL NOT WORK)))

WHAT I’M SAYING IS, THIS GAME COULD HAVE BEEN SO GOOD

if they put more effort into the story then maybe i would have gunned through the hufflepuff route so quickly and then restarted to go through all the rest of them. if you want people playing your game for longer then THAT is the way to go

yes, it will take time. yes, it will take effort. but you know what?

IT’LL ALSO MAKE YOU A FUCKTON OF MONEY FROM PLAYERS PLAYING EACH ROUTE IN FULL AND THEN PLAYING THEIR FAVORITE ROUTES AGAIN SO WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR

anyway, what i’m saying is, i hate this game so much because of the potential it had to succeed, and the potential it had to be a really good game. even if they didn’t change the gameplay much, even if they didn’t change the models, i could get past ALL OF THAT if the story was interesting

so uh. jam city, if you’re reading this, please. i will let you take away all of my days of playing this. i will let you render all of my progress obsolete and send me plummeting back into my first year at hogwarts to go through the game again, if you JUST, MAKE, MULTIPLE, ROUTES!!! MAKE MY CHOICES MATTER DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!

i’m also willing to let you use the ideas i posited here without credit or payment. because that sounds like a legal hassle and i am far too lazy to deal with that sort of thing, i just want to play a good game. please. please give me a good game to play.

also, make energy take 3 minutes to recharge. please.

so uh

TL;DR : i hate this game. and i wish i didn’t hate this game.

[josiebnntt]

☾ * » Is that JOSEPHINE BENNET? Wow, they do look a lot like KENDALL JENNER. I hear she is a SEVENTEEN year old SENIOR who originally attended CARNIFEX Academy. Word is they are an ARISTOCRAT student. You should watch out because they can be IMPULSIVE and STUBBORN, but on the bright side they can also be LOYAL and PASSIONATE. Ultimately, you’ll get to see it all for yourself.

Hi everyone, again x 2. lol. I’m Lo. CST.

I’m back, again lol. I see a lot of new people, so here’s my intro. I actually have a full time job and go to uni in the afternoons but I won’t have any classes until September. So I’ll be free most afternoons. I’ll try to be as active as I can. Though I’ll be lurking a lot and might reply a bit in the morning since I’m currently doing home office. I’m so up for old plots and new plots. If you want to plot or just chat, don’t hesitate and hit me up or like ♡ this post.

I used to have a lot of RPing experienced, but to be honest I haven’t done it a lot lately. So yes I might be a little rusty, help me out lol.

Here’s a lot more about Josie:

B A C K G R O U N D   S T O R Y

» Josephine Eliana Bennett. Her family and close friends call her J, Jo, Josie, Eli, Elle or Bennett. 

» Born November 2nd, which makes her a Scorpio in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

» She comes from a wealthy family. Her parents travel a lot, so she isn’t really close to them. She’s close to her Tita, which basically raised her and her siblings. She grew up with everything except her parents love and support.

» Her Tita is not part of the family by blood, but she’s always been there for them to help out raised the Bennett kids. She’s pretty old and wise.

» Josie has two older brothers; Jenkin [24], Jacques [21], a younger sister; Jules who died when she was 7 and a younger brother; Jaden [11]. She is closest to Jacques, due to their personalities.

» Her sister died by drowning and Jo blames herself for it, even though she was only 9 at the time and not responsible for it. She believes her parents blame her for it as well, another reason why she isn’t close to them.

» She started doing art after her sister died, at age 9. Her Tita got her some lessons. It helped her deal with her sister’s death. Therapeutic.She's really good at it, but she has never been that serious about it. Not to become a professional artist. She kept on doing it and it’s the only thing she’s pretty much passionate about.

» Her family ancestors have been attending to Carnifex since it opened, just like her and her siblings.

» Her parents are true believers of the Carnifex / Luxor rivalry and that Carnifex is a thousand times better. Trying to get her parents attention and love she joined the Churchill circle. She beliefs in the cause, specially in a way to get her parents approval even though they aren’t aware of it. She would do anything to prove Carnifex is better than Luxor. Though she would play dumb; a true devil in disguised. UPDATE: She’s not part of the churchill circle anymore, but was.

» She wasn’t in school for a couple of months during the destruction of Carnifex and the transferring of the students, due to a family emergency (or that’s what she made everyone believe). Approved by her previous school and her parents. So she basically join Luxor Academy, a few months after the other’s did though she probably already knows a lot of the students. (This was back on July 2020)

L A S T  C O U P L E  O F  M O N T H S

SEPTEMBER 2019 - MAY 1st, 2020:

» She’s been in school but keeps a very low profile. 

» She started dating this college student, Bentley Boem. He really got her into stronger drugs; cannabis, cocaine, etc. So she started spending less time around school and more time with him and his pals.

»  When she was in Luxor you could spot her in class or sleeping in her dorm. She wasn’t a big participant of school events or her classmate events. She stop doing art as well. 

» Her relationship with her parents is worst. She’s pretty sure they believe she doesn’t exist anymore. She does keep in touch with her siblings but they are so far away, sometimes weeks go by.  

» She doesn’t believe she’s a drug addict but she hasn’t try to leave them, so who knows.

» She just broke up with Bentley. She’s not sure if they were actually a couple, but now she’s going to be more active around school. 

P E R S O N A L I T Y

» Josie is super impulsive and stubborn, which kind of makes unpredictable.

» She likes to party a lot, drink and take substances that will make her forget and relax. Her best mood is when she’s in the clouds. 

» She’s not close to people, unless you have won her over. She doesn’t show her feelings much, so she can be really cold to people even in a hard situation. But not mean, unless you ask for it. She does like to socialize a lot in a superficial kind of way.

» She’s bisexual. She has never fallen in love, though she did had a few crushes and relationships before. Finds people attractive easily. She flirts, hook ups a lot and it’s not shy about it.

» She’s super protective over the people that have won her over and loyal to them.  

» She’s independent in every kind of way.

» Even though she’s passionate about the things that she loves, like art and plants. She likes to keep this passions secret, only for her.

» She likes to pretend she’s a good girl, even though she wouldn’t hide the fact that she likes to party. Truly she is mean and capable of doing a lot of things.

E X T R A S

»  She loves nature and meditating and dancing.

» She likes gardening and mixing herbs for fun.

» She can play the piano, really well. Her grandma taught her.

» She speaks fluent, spanish and french as well.

» She’s not afraid of the water and she can swim, but she rather stay away from pools, lakes, the ocean.

» She has two cats, a snake and a tarantula back home.

C L A S S E S

Poetry*

French

Astronomy*

Visual Arts

Philosophy

Photography

Dance - Contemporary

E X T R A C U R R I C U L A R S

National Honors Society (Dropped)

Events Committee (Dropped)

Arts

Photography

C O N N E C T I O N S

This are just some basic ideas, to be honest I’m open to anything you have in mind:

» Hook up: Jackson Kingston.

» Churchill Partners / Close Friends: Chesire Elswood.

» Childhood Friend: Alek Addington.

» Close Friend: Dawn Penning.

» Exes:

» Competitive Rivals: Maia Croft.

» Distant Family

» Frenemies

» Anything and more.

[dinasan1]

Space Time Mushrambo

LOL, this title gave me brain damage (It's like... A crossover between Mushrambo and Space Time Detective Genshi Kun) Yeah, I NOTICED I haven't uploaded in like   F O R E V E R Tell 'ya what, I actually started working on this drawing on *September*, yup, Fuckin'    S E P T E M B E R XD But... It sorta came to a halt at some point, the frequency of sitting on the drawing decreased each day... To the point I barely even touched it :/ 2019 and 2020 were shitty years for me My health finally sorted out (I stopped with those AWFUL night shifts that were PLAGUING my sleep), improved my eating even more (not that it was actually bad for quite a while now), started working HARDER BETTER FASTER STRONGER (I'm sorry) out at the gym. However, everything job or career related was FREAKIN' HORRIBLE! I quit the job at the museum, hoping to proceed to an art career... ... Yeah... That didn't go as planned, so I went to a HORRIBLE job, at a storehouse of a clothing shop... EW! NEVER again. Then I went to be a security check...er? (It's not like an armed security guard, but just an unarmed idiot who checks people... At fuckin' minimum wage) The job wasn't actually that bad, but good lord the conditions were so PUTRID, just like a at the storehouse - It was dirty and nasty, and standing outside that IDIOTIC mall, I kept breathin' people's STUPID STINKY cigarettes, and car's fuel waste. And now look at me, I'm back as a security guard at the museum Thank GOD they really REALLY love me there XD And my timing couldn't have been more right, since I'm STILL working there, while it's completely closed off for the crowd, it's only the security there, so I sit there all alone, no stupid customers and shit. Long story short, we're forced to stay at home (with the exception of buying food/going to a job of necessity), so I got NOTHING to do but work (sketch in my sketchbook), house chores, and my hobbies (drawing is one of them obviously) So I've spent *4 days straight* of FINISHING THIS DRAWING And... it was HELLA worth it!!!!! I... Think it's my best so far! Why this character?, well, he WAS my muse back at the summer, since I rewatched this anime IN JAPANESE, properly (it was dubbed on Fox Kids when I was 5  ) I used to have the biggest crush over him when I was 5... And rewatching it many months ago, I understood exactly why He's... AWESOME!!! :eager:, I'll never forget how badass he was when he managed to (in a matter of like 2-3 seconds) ever so precisely poke out the key off of T.P lady's neck (It's in my avatar so it makes sense  ) Why does he have those creepy eyes? Only 2 or 3 times in this anime, his usually bright SHINY eyes, turned out like this... I think it tends to happen when he becomes less human and more vampire-y (using speed/reflexes etc.) So I HAD to draw him with those eyes (they just look so BADASS!) Why this specific pose and background?, well, It's because I LOVED Mushrambo as a kid (it aired on Jetix when I was like... 7 years old?), since they were so closed in their airing time AND I was crushing on both Kyoichiro and hyper sago, I decided to combine them! It's Kyoichiro, using the reference of Mushrambo's intro (where you see Sago transform to hyper Sago, with his rose and stuff) That's literally all it is. I SOLD MY BODY AND SOUL TO SATAN SO I COULD BE PROUD OF THIS ART P.S - I STILL have no idea wtf am I even doing with this resolution thing, moving to digital after 10+ years of traditional is HARD! DX https://www.deviantart.com/dinasan1/art/Space-Time-Mushrambo-834529526

[stfuisaac]

hello hello it’s lucky again and,, sadly,, we don’t have the technology that makes the thoughts we have just.... appear onto our screens yet... so this took a hot sec and still isn’t perfect bc i don’t plan on proofreading :\ but! here,, is,, my new,, drummer boy,, parumpumpumpum

‹ avan jogia, he/him, cis man, bisexual. › ISAAC BAROT is the TWENTY-SEVEN year old from SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA. when a friend asked them what they thought of the manor they said,  ❝ I HEARD THIS IS WHERE THEY DECIDED TO MAKE THE TWILIGHT ZONE. ❞ they claim GET OUT is their favorite scary movie, and if they were to die in a horror film they would BE OBLIVIOUS TO THERE EVEN BEING A KILLER UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE. their fears include MANNEQUINS, HITCH-HIKERS and DYING WITH NOTHING TO SHOW, and they don’t know we know, but… HE GOT INTO A (MUTUALLY) NEAR FATAL ALTERCATION WITH A STRANGER HE GAVE A RIDE TO (YES, HE WAS AN UBER DRIVER - HIS GREATEST SHAME). hope they enjoy their stay. ‹ PLATANCHOR requested by JOAKIM from STRESSED OUT penned by, LUCKY, 20, EST. ›

QUICK FACTS:

full name: isaac benjamin barot

date of birth: september 12, 1992

*does not perfectly reflect the below Big Three zodiac chart because that’s so much math

zodiac big three: virgo sun, taurus moon, libra rising

gender & pronouns: cis man & he/him

sexual orientation: bisexual

occupation: session drummer + lyft driver + ex-uber driver

mbti: entp

enneagram: 5w6

the song i listen to on repeat while i write the intro: “deja vu” - roger waters

BACKGROUND INFO:

alright. so.

isaac's backstory is neither tragic nor easy. his father was an immigrant who married his mother solely to get a green card (y’all, to be fair... the citizenship tests are whack). there wasn’t any real romance between the two, but the drop-ins always said otherwise. no, outside of putting on a show for government officials, isaac’s father and mother were friends at the best of times.

the best of times culminated in a son who grew up in an interesting dynamic. his father and mother never even attempted to be anything more than friends (with, as you can see, the occasional benefits). after the check-ins finally stopped, his father and mother even began sleeping in different rooms. his mother would trade in her queen for a double and replace the space his father used to take up with his cradle.

it was nothing like the ‘unhappy marriage’ trope, though... again, because they barely ever pretended to be married. they would take their wedding rings off when they went out with friends. sometimes they would even take off their rings around each other and talk the other up to someone attractive.

so it was unorthodox, but it was much better than his parents pretending to be in love in that way and giving him a skewed version of what romance should look like.

one down-side to it, though, was that isaac never knew who he was supposed to go to for what. usually it’s just a given that “if you need/want x, go to the matriarch, if you need/want y, go to the patriarch” but... what happens... when your parents are basically just your friends?

so thank god for growing up in the age of technology. like,, ya,, a literal baby can’t google things like “how to say ‘mom’” but a 15y/o can google “how to shave”

so... ya... his parents were his friends, the internet was his parent(s?).

one thing the internet couldn’t do? give him drums. it could introduce him to the likes of ringo starr, john bonham, keith moon, and ginger baker, but it couldn’t give him drums... not when he was only, like... 10, at least.

so he put a set on his christmas wishlist and figured they would divide amongst themselves.

so ya, his 10th christmas, he got a shitty little rockwood hohner kit that he would use for the next nine years.

he never received any professional training. again, he didn’t know who to ask and... youtube wouldn’t exist for another three years. he tried to teach himself using a few books and, if nothing else, figured out a few simple beats and how to gain independence.

after learning those simple little beats and not knowing if he wanted to buy the next book, he decided to take a break and, instead of going back to professional books, he’d just listen to some of his favorite tracks... most of which were ginger baker... which made things kind of hard when he only had one bass drum, two tom-toms, and one floor tom. those, plus the really low quality pearl cymbals. still, he did his best to make it work.

just a side-note that, because of videos of ginger, isaac used (and still uses, out of habit) a mix of traditional and matched grip.

he went back and forth between the books and mimicking the patterns of other drummers (mostly ginger) up until he was around 16 and his friend, ribs (y’all), decided to teach him a few more technical skills. what you want to learn for this song are polyrhythms, but those are hard and no, ginger isn’t using a crash there, he’s using a splash and do you want a discount on some better cymbals and drumheads from my parents’s music shop because this is a very functional kit but it kind of sounds whack

he continued using the same whack kit, but replaced the heads with aquarians, as per ribs’s recommendation (but evans and remo are also good) and, after literally examining baker’s kit, replaced the cymbals with various zildjian collections

even though we stan istanbul agop in this house.

he also started listening to more drummers than... pretty much just baker with a hint of john bonham, keith moon, and ringo starr. as his friend suggested, he tried out drummers like buddy rich, art blakey, travis barker, dave grohl, karen carpenter, neil peart, nick mason, simon phillips –– even was told to listen to ac/dc songs just to see how a successful band could be made using essentially the same beat over and over and over.

so now he had some split time. school. work. practice. figure out who the hell was making dinner that night/if there was someone making dinner last night because they might both be talking each other up.

although he applied to various colleges, and although some of these colleges actually accepted him, he ultimately decided not to go. instead, he moved from san jose to los angeles in the hopes that he’d find something bigger than himself... and a new drum set...

he found the latter in a ludwig kit with two bass drums, two tom-toms, and two floor toms. then he just added a bunch of stuff and tried to make it like ginger baker’s. pretty much spent all of his money on it and then some.

when his friends formed a band and found success, he was very very happy for them... but... he found himself stuck... driving ubers.

and lyfts!

he’d seen the twilight zone before. he loved that show. he’d seen the episode ‘the hitch-hiker,’ so he was really driving for the companies against his better judgment. 

his worst uber story? the time a guy got into the car, had pinged a location that was still marked as a store on the uber gps but had recently been torn down, and tried to attack him when they got there :\ he 110% fought back, though. was fired because the other guy was the one who made it out injured.

only drove for lyft after that :\

he did take on a few projects, but he... proved to be too much of a roger waters for people who just wanted to chill and have fun. there would be adverts for people who wanted to form a band and he’d be like “hell yeah! finally! a band!” then he’d get pissed that they advertised it so seriously but really... just wanted to jam. did not have any plans to try to do anything with it.

the few projects he did join that involved people who wanted to actually achieve success... if they were slacking, you best bet his inner roger waters came out! which is why he never stuck around in any projects for too long!

but ‘projects’ and ‘jam sessions’ were totally different. you want to do ‘wipeout’ in a project? he’s gonna take that intro that literally everyone on the planet knows SERIOUSLY. you want to do ‘wipeout’ in a jam session? LET’S HAVE SOME FUN WITH IT.

he does some session/studio drumming for other artists to make some extra money while doing something he genuinely enjoys... but... still... it is no project™

in between things right now, he got a call from joakim that, while muffled and staticky, sounded like it said ‘get here, please’ and clearly stated where he was.

of course, voicemail lines were crossed and many many many essential words were left out – words that were basically saying the exact opposite ahfsdkjl. the shadow’s really playin them :\

so here he is, in all his glory.

TL;DR:

i was gonna kms if i didn’t play another drummer, so this is my ginger baker fanboy whose parents were literally just best friends and, as a result, were also both his friend. the internet raised him. started playing drums when he was 10 on a low qual kit with low qual cymbals that his parents got him for christmas, but literally why would you get a beginning a good set? continued playing. eventually moved to los angeles and tried to form many successful projects, but was too much of a roger waters. was summoned up here by the shadow man fucking around joakim. his greatest shame is how many ubers he has driven.

PERSONALITY INFO:

he will always say his proudest moment was when he learned how to play ‘toad’ by ginger baker cream all the way through.

big ginger baker fanboy.

loves the twilight zone and will just spill a random fact out about it every now and again.

a lowkey control freak which completely goes against the way he dresses and the vibe he gives off. 

is only a dick about it if you’re part of one of his ‘projects’ but aren’t taking it seriously tho :\

ok i’m too tired 2 write a personality section rn when im already rly bad at them but!! again!! feel free 2 j refer to the zodiac big three + the personality types!!

FEARS:

mannequins: they’re already creepy enough when you really think about it, then you add in that episode of the twilight zone where the characters wake up in an unfamiliar house and go outside and basically everyone is just a mannequin? ya he hates mannequins.

hitch-hikers: so, as we have just seen, he’s had it bad enough with people who were registered to an app, paying, their personal information readily available, etc., etc... so then what would happen if it was just a complete and utter stranger who didn’t have any personal information, any ping, and was the sole focus of a different twilight zone episode? he... is going... to drive past you. he’ll feel bad about it, but...

dying with nothing to show: here’s the money shot! here’s the deep fear! as has been shown throughout, isaac craves success and some form of a legacy. if he dies with nothing to show for his life, then was his life ever worth it in general?

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

ok,,, it might be bc im tired rn,,, but i have the most basic list that will hopefully be updated tomorrow bc it is SO VERY BASIC:

friends

fwb

ons

exes

enemies (much easier to get on his bad side than it is w/ fluke)

BRAINSTORMING AND/OR SOMETHING FROM YOUR WANTED CONNECTIONS AND/OR WHATEVER YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR!!!!

[lavieendonna]

Brushwork || ArtMajor!Calum AU (Chapter 29)

Summary: An Art Major AU where Dallas - third year gawky art student at VCA -  makes a deal with Calum - her cute new neighbour and project partner - and they spend the semester learning that the perfect masterpiece takes a whole lot of brushwork.

Date: 20 September 2019 Requested: no one cares   Pairing: Calum + Dallas Words: 3.8K Warnings: none! Except that if you try to find my master lists, most of the links are all fucked up because I haven’t gotten around to changing my url links from lavieencalum to lavieendonna. soz.  A/N: Christ on a cracker. It’s been.... literal months. But here is something to make up for it, although I know it won't. I already know that no-one reads this story any more so :) oh well. I just need to finish this for my own peace of mind. Anyway. 

Big Love xo 

Ask | Masterlist | ‘Brushwork’ Spotify Playlist | Next Chapter | Brushwork Mobile Masterlist | Chapter One | ‘Brushwork’ News | ‘Snapshot’

Chapter 29: It Was A Wonder Why I Didn’t Just Hold A Press Conference, Answer Everyone’s Questions, Then Proceed to Blow My Brains Out in Front of Them All.

I’d not really taken notice of the time since I’d arrived at the cinemas earlier in the evening. Not that I was there to see a movie or anything, no I was still too broke for that. But the cinemas down the street from the student residence had a quaint little eatery upstairs near the theatres. It was kind of like being in a pub (without the middle-aged men telling me to get out if I wasn’t going to let them cop a feel in the bathroom) and almost a little hipster, even – especially considering the cocktails all had ridiculous names (I was yet to figure out what was inside an ‘Illegal Alien’) and it served predominantly vegan (albeit delicious) food.

The Hideout was quiet and warm, and much more welcoming than either Bitters or The House. When I’d been laying around the apartment aimlessly feeling sorry for myself, I knew I needed to get out of the house and into a new space and this place had popped into my head. Calum and Ashton had brought Polly and me here once months ago, and though we’d had a great time we’d never come back. I wasn’t really sure why, because it never really came up in conversation either. It was just the kind of place that simply existed, almost like the way the four of us used to just exist.

It was almost kind of exciting working in my sketchbook and drawing in a new environment. There was soft jazz floating through the room and the coffee was better than anything anywhere on campus had to offer. There was something about the ambience that was putting me in the mood to just draw my dumb little heart out, and I didn’t really stop until the chick behind the bar wandered over for the first time since she’d delivered my last coffee over an hour ago.

“I think the last one went cold.” She offered a quirk of her brow and motioned quickly with her chin to the mug that sat on the table across from me still more than half full. She slid the new beverage onto the table next to the abandoned one, and sat herself down in the seat across the booth.

“Thanks,” I pursed my lips sheepishly, feeling as I melted slightly into the cushions of the booth and my cheeks burned a soft pink. “Sorry, I didn’t even realise I’d forgotten the other one.”

The girl shrugged but offered small crooked twitch of her lips which I guessed was supposed to be a smile.  

“Don’t be sorry.” She said simply, but almost kind of firmly. “You were in the zone, I could tell. Something on your mind?”

It sounded like the kind of line she should be asking me over at the bar while she wiped down the counter with a dirty dish rag after sliding me a beer that I would drink in a heartbeat then follow up with so many more this girl would have to haul me out to the curb by the waistband of my jeans. Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen, but I couldn’t help but look at this girl and really feel like her job here at The Hideout was her calling. She really looked the part, her shaggy chestnut hair brushing her shoulders, the eyebrow piercing and the name badge that read ‘Rocky’ even though I was almost certain that wasn’t her real name. Her entire being just screamed ‘Mentoring Barkeeper’.

“I guess you could say that.” I said little vaguely, pulling the new coffee closing to me by the saucer and relishing in the taste. “Is it that obvious?”

Rocky made a face and I grimaced, knowing exactly what that meant.

“You’ve had the same crease in between your eyebrows since you walked in.” She said almost matter-of-factly, tapping the spot on her own forehead to make her point. I blinked and absent-mindedly reached for my brow.

“Really?” I practically squeaked.

“Don’t think too much about it.” She said with the hint of a wider smile twitching on her lips. “It makes it worse.”

“Oh, God.” I muttered other unintelligible things while Rocky chuckled lightly, though she looked thoroughly amused.

“What’s got you troubled?” Rocky asked again with a slightly tilted head. I sighed, pursing my lips. “Actually, let me guess.” Rocky’s face shifted, her mouth forming a small ‘O’ as her eyes narrowed on me and a glimmer of mischief flashed through dark irises terrifying me slightly. “This is about a boy.”

I blinked dumbly.

“How… How could you tell?” I asked, not even bothering to be ashamed and just genuinely impressed by Rocky’s observational skills. The girl offered me a slight, one-shouldered shrug and gave a smug smile.

“It’s a talent of mine.” She said matter-of-factly. “My theory is that I was clairvoyant in a past life.”

“You believe in reincarnation?” I couldn’t help but arch my brow incredulously. “And clairvoyance?”

“No.” Rocky deadpanned with a one-shouldered shrug. “But it hasn’t been overly busy in here lately so I have to amuse myself somehow.”

I laughed and Rocky grinned at me, mischief being replaced by a softer, more comforting expression before I sighed yet again – which made a lot of sense, considering my entire life up to this point was just one big sigh.

“I have no idea how to fix this.” I admitted glumly, and as I reflected on my own words I was beginning to realise that this was the first time I’d officially and whole-heartedly admitted that out loud. And it was to a complete stranger, no less!

“What happened?” Rocky asked. “If you don’t mind my asking, that is.”

I had to stop myself from physically groaning at the inquiry. I was so over telling this story. Between my mother and my sister and Polly and now this girl – it was a wonder why I didn’t just hold a press conference when everything went down, answer everyone’s questions all at once then proceed to blow my brains out in front of them all.

I must have made a face that conveyed that entire thought pattern because Rocky’s hands went up, palms out as if in surrender.

“No, sorry. I get it.” She said softly. “You don’t have to tell me. I mean it’s not like you know me.”

“It’s not that,” I said immediately, even though that was (in part) a lie. “I’m just… this all started because I have a big mouth, that’s all.”

Rocky nodded slowly, but after a moment she leaned forward slightly and offered a calm, though slightly stoic, pursed-lipped half-smile.

“Look, I know we really don’t each other at all, and I gotta be honest, like, if the roles were reversed I probably would have told you to piss off by now.” I snorted and Rocky smiled too. “But you haven't done that, which means that whether or not you have a big mouth, you’re a good person. And you seem open to help, regardless of who it comes from.”

I had to sit and let Rocky’s words sink in for a moment while I took a long sip of my drink. Like she said, she was a total stranger, and yet she was under the impression that I, Dallas Noel James, was a good person. I couldn’t pinpoint why that meant so much to me, but it did.

“How do I show Calum that?” I found myself asking quietly. “How do I show him that… that I want his help? Like… specifically.”

Rocky seemed to stare at me for what seemed like longer than necessary, and for a moment I felt completely and utterly stupid for stooping so low as to ask someone I didn’t know for advice. I watched as a small frown formed between her shapely brows.

“His name is Calum?” She asked kind of dumbly.

“Uh… yes?”

Not for the first time since I’d arrived at The Hideout, Rocky narrowed her eyes at me, clearly deep in thought. “Huh.”

I blinked at her, kind of confused about how she managed to only take that away from my very genuine question.

“Why, uh… why do you ask?” I questioned when Rocky failed to elaborate on her ‘huh’. She tilted her head, right hand finding her chin while her eyes narrowed further.

“He wouldn’t happen to be, I don’t know… like six-foot-something? Dark hair, loads of tatts? The tall Māori kid, what’s-his-face… Hood!”

I couldn’t help the slightly creeped-out side-eye I gave Rocky as she described Calum to a T.

“Uh… yep. That’s… that’s him.” I said suspiciously. Rocky’s brow un-furrowed as realisation flooded her eyes and this kind of all-knowing smile finding plump lips.

“I should have known you were the girlfriend.” She said, almost proud that she’d put two and two together. “He was in here like a week ago telling me a very similar story.”

“Um…” I gulped, a shiver travelling up my spine though I wasn’t sure if it was because she knew who Calum was, because she’d now figured out who I was and what I’d done, or the fact that she’d just referred to me as ‘The Girlfriend’.  “Did… Is that what he said I was? His… his girlfriend?”

Rocky gave a light-hearted chuckle and shrugged.

“More or less.” She said vaguely with a casual wave of her hand. “But that’s beside the point.”

“It is?” I squeaked out and Rocky nodded.

“It is.” She repeated. “The point here, Dallas,is that you two are both clearly meant for each other.”

“Uh… I mean… um.” I stammered for a minute, almost thinking that I’d misheard her. I understood every word of Rocky’s sentence separately, but it was like the order she chose to put them in was completely foreign to me. Not to mention, I hadn’t even told her my name yet which meant she’d definitely heard it from someone – that someone being Calum.

“Hang on, how do you know Calum again?” I asked, partly because I was stalling so I could come up with something to say in response to Rocky’s statement, and partly because I was still really confused about her role in this.

“Oh, Cal buys my patches on Etsy.” She said as if it was supposed to be obvious to me that she sold patches on Etsy. “His sister has a jacket for them and I’m pretty sure they’re mostly mine.”

The jacket I borrowed from Mali that I’d worn to the Showcase came to mind and suddenly everything made sense. Calum told me himself, Mali knew someone who made custom jackets and he knew someone who made patches – and as it turned out, Calum’s someone was Rocky.

“Oh. Right.” I found myself saying carefully, nodding slowly and taking another sip of my drink that was, much like the last one, ever-so-slowly getting colder and colder. “Right, yeah, that… that makes sense.”

“Are you alright?” Rocky asked with an arched brow. “You look kind of… green.”

“I’m…” I did what I could to laugh. “Yeah, that’s kind of normal for me these days.”

“Is it what I said?” She asked, softer now. “About you and Cal?”

“No, no, it’s not that.” I ensured her, shaking my head quickly. “I just…” I looked at Rocky, almost with a bit of hope. “Do you really think so? What you said about us?”

Rocky didn’t say anything, though she did give me that small crooked smile of hers again and nodded once.

It took a few moments, but slowly I let myself smile back a little.

Rocky’s eyes flickered down to the workbook I was slaving over, her smile disappearing as she gestured with her chin to the piece I’d been working on all afternoon.

“Whatcha working on anyway?” She asked, and although I felt good about our conversation about my predicament, I was glad for the change of pace.

“Oh, um.” I looked down at the sketch, the wings of the butterfly not quite finished yet. It was nice, I guessed, but there were eraser shavings all over the page still. “It’s just… I don’t really know, actually. It was supposed to be a design for a tattoo but it’s, uh. It’s not done yet.”

I leaned back away from the book so that Rocky could lean forward, and I watched as she reached forward and pulled the book closer to her. She gave a small chuckle, nodding with what looked like an impressed expression.

“The rubber shavings make it look like that half of it the butterfly is made of shattered glass.” She commented and I looked down at the page again, really trying to see what she could.

“Huh.” I almost mumbled out. “I guess it does.”

“This is wicked,” Rocky nodded at me approvingly as she flicked through the book’s pages slowly. “You are one amazing artist, you know that?”

“Ah,” I gave a humble shrug, a small pursed lip smile finding my lips. “I’m alright.”

“No, really.” She said seriously, pausing on a set of sketches and running her fingers delicately over the lines. I lifted my chin slightly and peered over the top of the sketchbook to see what had caught Rocky’s attention, my cheeks flushing pink when I realised that she’d found the very first drafts of the ballerinas we modelled the mural after. “These are… Jesus, girl, there are stunning.”

Rocky was practically speechless as she stared at the pages, turning each one so gently it was like she thought they might disintegrate at the touch. And I was speechless too; I almost couldn’t remember the last time I let somebody look at all of the work that was supposed to be only for me.

“They are, aren’t they?”

A new voice joined us in the booth, both Rocky and I looking up in a flash to see who it belonged to. Rocky beamed at the new addition, excitement glistening in her eyes as she greeted him and closed my sketchbook softly. I, on the other hand, did my best not to projectile vomit in my new friend’s face, and felt myself melt into the leather cushions in an attempt to become invisible.

“Ah, speak of the devil and the devil shall appear, am I right?” Rocky said cheekily. Calum laughed, though I could tell he was holding back on my account.

“Pretty sure you’ve been here all along, Rock.” He shot back and Rocky’s mouth formed a small ‘O’ as she feigned offense.

“I prefer the term diavola, actually.” She said very concisely, though her smile was wicked and playful.  

“More like Satan’s Mistress.” Calum snickered, and even I couldn’t help the snort that forced its way through my throat. I immediately regretted the noise, too, because it meant I was no longer invisible – not that I ever was – and Calum’s attention turned to me.

“Hey, D.” He said carefully with the tiniest hint of a smile I’d ever seen him offer anyone. With a quick, terrified glance at Rocky (namely, my only support system at this exact point in time), I gulped like my life depended on it before pursing my lips together in a very similar, tiny, tiny smile.

“Cal, hey…” I said, although it was hoarse and half-choked because my throat had spontaneously gone dry. I cleared my throat, and while I was feeling almost confident for a split second and thought I might actually be able to get out the words I’d been dying to say, it all disappeared in an instant and I was overridden with fear once again. “I, um. I was just… leaving.”

“No, she wasn’t.” Rocky interjected loudly, making me jump a little and turning Calum’s initial disappointed expression into an incredulous arched brow. Rocky wasn’t bothered in the slightest, she just shuffled herself out of the booth and somewhat pushed Calum into her place. “I’m gonna go get you guys some milkshakes. Calum, usual?”

Calum gave a stiff nod and Rocky almost floated away, oblivious to the shitstorm McFlurry she’d just created and left behind, or – and this was more likely – she was aware and she didn’t give a shit at all.

There hung an awkward silence in the air that Rocky left behind, neither me or Calum knowing what to say. I did what I could to avoid eye contact, but eventually I let my gaze wander to his face and, lo and behold, he was already looking at me.

“It’s, uh. It’s Strawberry, right?” I spluttered out like an idiot and, as suspected, Calum’s brow lifted.

“What?” He asked with a slightly amused chuckle. I cleared my throat again because I could just feel the moisture leaving me from the inside out, but also because I needed a hot second just get a grip.

“The milkshake.” I said with a little more conviction. “You usually get strawberry.” I decided not to ask him this time and just point it out. And, apparently, it was the right move. Calum smiled gently and it took everything I had in me not to melt at how much I missed that.

“You remembered.” He said, impressed.

I shrugged, stealing a glance over to the counter across the way where Rocky was still eyeing us up as she made our drinks painfully slowly. I watched as she made a face before turning her back to us, giving Calum and I what little privacy she was willing to give us. My face flushed pink and for a moment it was almost like Polly was still here.

When I turned back to Calum he looked, not exactly troubled but like he was waiting for me to be the one to mention the elephant in the room. I gave a small sigh because even I knew that it was the right thing to do. I didn’t want it to be, but there was rarely a time in my life where I got what I wanted anyway so I bit the bullet and did what I could to gather some kind of sentence that resembled every last thought I’d had for the past few weeks.

“Listen, Calum,” I breathed out, and Calum perked up at the sound of his name like he’d missed the way I said it or something so equally as cliché that it belonged in a Nicholas Sparks novel. “I want… no, I need to apologise.”

“You were upset, Dallas,” Calum was already trying to defend me and I wish I surprised by that but I just wasn’t. “All of the things you said… I don’t blame you for that.”

“You should blame me for that.” I half-scoffed. “I said some shitty things to you, Cal. But that’s not what I’m apologising for.”

“It’s not?” He asked and I shook my head.

“No.” I confirmed. “No, I… I pushed you away. And not even just a little, like, I tried to throw you out of my life. And I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am for that.”

Calum’s smile that he gave was warm and understand and everything I didn’t deserve after what I’d put him through. And it made my bottom lip quiver, but I refused to sob. Because I was better than that.

“D, you don’t have to be sorry.” He said softly, his hands finding the surface of the table like he was thinking about reaching for me but wasn’t too sure if he should just yet. “I get it, it was a crazy time –”

“I do need to be sorry, Calum.” I interjected a little more aggressively than I had intended, but I think the desperation was clear in the way that my voice jumped an octave half way through the sentence. “I’ve spent the last three years stuck inside my own head and too debilitated by my own fear to see that when things went wrong in my life, it was my own fault. I convinced myself that I was no good at anything so it couldn’t possibly have been my fault that things blew up. You were right, Cal. I was full of shit. And you were only trying to help me through it but I… I pushed you away. And I’m… I’m so sorry for that.”

Usually this was the moment that Calum would get up and sit next to me, hold me close and tell me that it was going to be okay and that he was going to stick by me anyway. But he didn’t. He just looked at me a little sadly, patiently waiting for me to go one. Because he knew I wasn’t even close to done.

“You scare me.” I felt myself saying, and I didn’t even mean to but it tasted like the truth in my mouth. Calum’s eyes widened in confusion, though he didn’t look hurt.

“What?” He almost chuckled. “How? Why?”

I laughed now, though it was more of a reflex.

“Because!” I said dumbly. “You… you make me feel like there’s nothing wrong with me. Like I’m not a complete mess.”

“But you’re not,” He said, eyes narrowing at me slightly as if his statement was supposed to be obvious. “You’re, like, a regular mess. A standard, average mess for our age group in the twenty-first century.”

Brown eyes glistened through a cheeky grin and I laughed, though there were tears on my cheeks. That being said, I wasn’t upset. I wasn’t actually sure I could identify the emotion that I was feeling, all I knew was that there was something liberating about being able to talk to Calum again.

“It’s just that, for a while there…” I gave a small sigh, my gaze dropping. “Being a mess was all I knew how to be. And when you came along and made me feel normal… I didn’t know how to be that. How to be… what you wanted.”

When I looked up again, Calum was getting up and sliding himself into my side of the booth to sit next to me, one arm sneaking around my shoulders as he smiled gently.

“It’s okay, D.” He said softly. “You’re already everything I wanted, and you don’t need to try so hard to be perfect. Because you are so, so great.”

A smile slowly finding its way across my lips, warmth spreading through my chest so much it felt like I might burst. I could feel the butterflies in my stomach fluttering with excitement, Calum’s lips inching closer and closer to mine.

Somehow this moment in time was simultaneously fondly familiar yet excitingly new all at once. It was kind of like living in a dream, only one of those lucid ones where you’re fully aware of your surroundings and have the power to change it.

That’s what it felt like, having Calum’s lips press against mine again. It felt powerful.  

“Aw, well would you look at that.” Rocky’s voice was followed by two relatively loud thuds on the table, scaring the living daylights out of me. “As my Nonna would say; l’amore vince sempre.”

The girl pushed two milkshakes towards us, one strawberry and one chocolate. My cheeks were still flushing a brilliant red as I melted into the seat yet again, Calum rolling his eyes but still chuckling as he reached for the drinks.

“Always one for subtlety, Rock.” He sighed before looking back at me with glimmering brown eyes.

[crystalmoonarcher]

Surname, Given Name: Kawaguchi, Amaya

Birthday: September 15th (Virgo) Age: 19 Height: w/shoes 158 cm (5 feet 2 inches) w/o shoes 153 cm (5 feet) Weight: 56 kg (123 lb) Pronouns: She/Her Blood Type: AB Marechi: No

Rank: Hashira Weapon: Light cerulean blue Nichirin Blade Breath Style/Blood Demon Art: Breath of Snow - derived from Breath of Wind and Breath of Water.  This unique style makes use of quick and fluid movements to freeze a target.  It can cause the temperature to drop to dangerous levels for both the user and their opponent.

First Style: Snow Flurry - A quick succession of forward jabs, usually aimed at the throat.

Second Style: Blizzard’s Fury - Multiple quick slashes, usually used to chop off a demon’s limbs.

Third Style: Dance of Winter - Fast moving slashes done in a spinning motion.

Fourth Style: A Light Snowfall - A thin sheet of snow falls and disperses enemy projectiles.

Fifth Style: Everlasting Winter - The user moves quick enough to make it seem like they are in more than one place at once.

Sixth Style: Absolute Zero - A spinning attack unique to Amaya meant to slow a target’s movements.

Seventh Form: Yuki Onna - An attack unique to Amaya, in which the user dashes forward and hits the opponent with multiple slashes.

Stats:

Breathing Technique - 6/5

Speed - 5/5

Strength - 4/5

Stamina - 4/5

Intelligence - 5/5

Charisma - 3/5

Abilities:

Master Swordsman

Enhanced Strength

Immense Speed

Enhanced Reflexes

Flexibility

Ambidextrous

Demon Slayer Mark

See-Through World

Personality:

Seems cool, calm, and collected at first look but is pretty awkward

“Snow Princess”

Seems to space out a lot, but is actually paying attention

A people watcher

Quiet, prefers to listen to other people talk.  Will give some sort of gesture to show she is still listening

Will not start a conversation.  People have to engage her if they want to talk.

Afraid of people to some extent

Blunt with her words

Has trouble trusting people after past experiences

Will talk more if she actually likes someone

Is an ailurophile (cat lover)

Is (unfortunately) more likely to talk to a cat than you

Has a tendency to ignore people who annoy her and pretends they don’t exist

Would kill for her friends

Likes Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream

MBTI - INTJ

Appearance:

Blue eyes

Black hair tipped white

Bangs point down in the middle and slant in towards center on the sides

Hair is tied back with 2 ribbons and a snowflake hairpin

One of the ribbons accompanied by the snowflake hairpin holds some strands of hair from the front

The second ribbon holds the rest of her hair in low ponytail

Pale skin, she usually only goes out when there is very little sun

Thin, short arms and legs, small hands

Does not look very muscley but actually pretty strong

“Dainty” appearance

Usually blank faced

Voice Claim Japanese: Maki Kawase (Junko Konno, Zombieland saga)

Voice Claim English: Christine Marie Cabanos (Hapi, Fire Emblem Three Houses)

Background:

Amaya grew up with her mother(Amaterasu), father(Mamoru), older sister(Amane), older brother(Makoto), and two younger brothers(Masaru and Masaki) in a mountain home.  She enjoyed growing up surrounded by her family, and life had been relatively normal.  She wouldn’t have asked for it to change in any way, but fate had other plans.

When she was 11 years old, a demon came across her home.  Amaya was petrified as she watched the demon kill one of her family members one by one.  Just when she thought it would be the end of her life, Amane had jumped up and shielded her and Makoto from the demon.  As she cried for her sister, a demon slayer had shown up and saved the remaining siblings.  The two were led to the village at the foot of the mountain after the dead had been buried and respects had been paid.

Amaya and Makoto stayed in the village where they met two orphaned kids, Eri and Eiji Mori.  The orphaned children all stayed with an elderly woman.  However, it had taken a few months before the Kawaguchi siblings were able to settle down and get used to a life without the rest of the family.  As she grew more comfortable with her situation, Amaya began to play games with Eri and Eiji in the streets while her brother watched them.  She thought life wouldn’t change anymore after this, but her brother had other plans.

When she turned 14, Amaya learned that Makoto planned on becoming a demon slayer.  She had begged him to stay, not wanting to lose the only family she had left.  However, her pleas fell to deaf ears as her brother was set on his decision.  Makoto told Amaya to become a demon slayer and find him again, only then could they be together again.

As she watched her brother leave, Amaya made a silent vow to become a demon slayer.  She began training on her own and set out for final selection when she turned 15.  She had passed and returned to the village to tell her caretaker.  While her new found grandmother had been proud of her, Eri and Eiji were not.  The Mori siblings still offered their congratulations, however and continued to play games with Amaya until a swordsmith arrived with her Nichirin Blade.

Amaya left the village with the promise to write back to everyone she knew there, and she set out on her first assignment.  During a particular assignment, she ran into Makoto again.  She had been excited to see him again, but Makoto only had a look of horror and disgust on his face.  Her world had gone numb when her brother told her to stay away from him and that he never wanted to see her again.

Heading her own way, Amaya completed assignment after assignment for the next year.  Then one assignment brought her back to the village she had spent part of her life.  Worried, she rushed back without hesitation.  Upon arriving at the village, Amaya headed to the home where she had stayed, only to find that the elderly woman had been killed.  Filled with rage, she turned to confront the demon that had been lounging in the corner of the room.  Her rage turned to mute horror when she discovered that the demon was none other than her friend, Eri.

Amaya had hesitated, but she pushed down the feeling of dread and faced her unexpected opponent.  With a heavy heart, she struck down her demon turned friend.  Just as she thought things would settle down, the dying Eri informed her that Eiji had also become a demon and had gone to another location.  As Amaya was about to grieve for her losses, one of the villagers entered the building.  Not knowing the full story, the villagers had believed she had been the one to kill the elderly woman.

After being chased away, Amaya found herself fleeing up the mountain to the home she had lived in with her family.  She stopped to rest just outside of the home and tried to collect her thoughts.  As she was able to calm herself, she heard her kasugai crow arriving with a message: “Kawaguchi, Amaya.  You have been promoted to the rank of hashira!”

Amaya went on to complete more difficult tasks, and she met different demon slayers on the way.  However, she refused to allow herself to get close to any of them.  Whenever she felt like it was happening, she would just leave that demon slayer.  It went on for a long time, until she met a particular one that stuck out to her.

Taisho Secret(s):

Amaya has a scar on her back, but it wasn't from a battle as some newbie demon slayers have been led to believe. She got the scar from falling out of a window backwards. Shinobu was there to witness it. The other hashira are aware of how it happened, but most of them(except Shinobu and Himejima) tell some convoluted story of how it happened. As a result, newbie demon slayers do not know what to believe.

The home that Amaya is currently living in is the very same one she grew up in. She chose to return and repair the place because it holds some sentimental value. That and, it is also where the rest of her family is buried.

The snowflake hairpin that Amaya wears belonged to her older sister Amane.  Amaya found it hidden behind a bookshelf while she was repairing the damages done to her home.

Relationships:

Kasumi Shimizu - “She is actually pretty nice… Sometimes she gives me some food to eat when we are paired up on assignments.”

Makoto Kawaguchi - “He is my older brother, but I don’t think he likes me very much.  He said he never wanted to see me again.”

Atsuko Suzuki - “She is like an older sister to me, but I will not let anyone know that.”

Misaki Fujimoto - “She is a close friend of mine.  We get along well.”

Ren - “She seems like a nice kid.”

Sayuri Yukimura - “She is a friend of mine.  Kind of like a younger sister.”

Yuka Yukimura - “Why is she so loud?”

Yoshi Yukimura - “He… can be annoying at times.”

Yusuke - “I took him in after finding him in an abandoned village.  He is a good kid.”

Kiku Inoue - “A brat…”

Eri Mori - “She was my friend… She said she hated me for leaving.”

Eiji Mori - “He’s still alive somewhere out there, and he probably hates me just like Eri did.  But I don’t blame him...”

Tsubasa Kurahawa - “I like Tsu… He’s the first friend I’ve had in awhile.  I’d kill for him.”

Ishikawa Rei- “I’ll admit, he is like a brother to me.  But um... I don't know if he is okay with that...”

Nomura - “I think she is like a sister.  An unpredictable one, but still a sister.  I care for her even if she doesn’t know it.”

Akira Sato - “...is it wrong to say I don’t like him?”

Minoru Maki - “He ran away from me.  Did I do something wrong?  All I did was say hi…”

Hanata Fujisaki - “She fell asleep on my shoulder before.  I didn’t want to wake her up, so I just stayed there.”

Orihime: “She is an amazing person.  She is also my adorable tsugoku.”

[midnightiscoming-kasabian]

Serge Pizzorno: ‘Music isn’t the answer, but it’s a good start’ 

The Yorkshire Post, 05/09/19

In the autumn of 2018, as they came off the road after an 18-month world tour that corresponded with their fifth successive number one album, Kasabian decided to do something they hadn’t done in years.

For the first time in more than a decade and a half, when they signed their first recording contract, the band agreed to take a rest.

Except Serge Pizzorno, their songwriter and guitarist, soon found himself restless. “After about two weeks it was ‘hmm, I’m not sure about this, I just need something to do’,” he says, explaining the route to his debut solo album, The S.L.P.

“I didn’t want to make another Kasabian album if mentally I wasn’t quite…I didn’t have any angle on what I wanted to do and I’ve always said, ‘Never make music to service the machine’. I need to feel it, I need to be inspired. Then it occurred to me I’ve actually got a bit of time to try something, to go on a sort of adventure to a new world, a little down-the-rabbit-hole trip and see what happens. I knew I’d come back a different person.

“Sitting on a deckchair’s great and wallowing in your own ‘hasn’t this been a good life?’ But no, I need to come back with new ideas and new enthusiasm, so I had this music that I was calling ‘Meanwhile’ in a hard drive, it was two or three little pieces of orchestral stuff that I thought had something interesting and then the cogs in my brain turned and I thought, ‘You know what, this would make a really interesting record’. There was me in the band and then there was ‘Meanwhile’ on something else and I thought I’d just fill in the gaps between this mini film that I’m sort of going to make in my head and in a four or five-month period I wrote the album.

“None of the songs on there were leftovers or could have been Kasabian songs, it was all brand new stuff that I flowed with. Making the record was so exciting because I just woke up every day going, ‘What shall we do today?’ I’d get a beat going or a few chords, something would happen and it would be exciting.”

The three ‘Meanwhile’ tracks that punctuate the album show the 38-year-old’s fondness for the soundtracks of Ennio Morricone and John Barry. It’s an musical avenue that the Leicester-raised musician had been wanting to explore for a while. “With Kasabian we’ve covered a lot of ground and I’ve touched on those places but it usually turns back into a song of sorts, whereas this…With soundtracks I like when the melody repeats and you get this kind of theme that runs through, it just gives it an identity, it’s really interesting. I was just trying to keep the album alive.

“I think the art of making an album is really important. I keep being told that it’s not got long left o people aren’t making them any more but I really believe in an album and a journey. I like to put this on and it takes me to new places.”

The S.L.P.’s varied tracklist also includes a couple of techno bangers and a homage to long-time inspirations the Wu Tang Clan. Pizzorno liked the idea that he had licence to roam far and wide. “That’s the word: licence. And experimenting with vocal delivery and getting a specific emotion or character that I could pinpoint, experimenting with the cadence and the way that I’m performing. I perform the songs in front of the speakers, I don’t use headphones, I perform in the studio just with a mic, having the music blaring out.

“The process was very similar to Kasabian, I write at home, but with this within a day the song would be almost finished and that was quite a liberating experience. Nothing was overthought, it was instinctive – this is the way I feel today, this is going to go down and there’s another song done, great.”

‘Meanwhile…At The Welcome Break’ features Northampton rapper slowthai while ‘Favourites’ has a guest appearance by another Mercury Prize nominee, Little Simz. Pizzorno says he was looking for collaborators who had something to say. “This album is where I see myself today, where I see Britain today. I wanted young British artists on this album, especially artists that I think are at the forefront of 1) having a voice and 2) making really interesting music. It just felt that ties in with the whole idea. Working with those two, that’s something at the start that I wanted to explore and moving forward, I think now I’ve started this what’s great is it exists, it’s somewhere I can visit. Approaching people to work with they now know this side, it’s a lot easier to explain what I’m trying to do.”

Given the album reflects how Pizzorno sees Britain today, does he see society’s current polarisation with sadness? He pauses for thought. “I started making music to connect, to bring people together,” he says eventually. “For me, the connection, that’s why I did it, why I wanted to be part of making music. I feel now, more than ever, it was an opportunity to bring people together. We are pushing further and further apart from each other and that’s dangerous territory. I just feel that we need to bring everyone together. It’s OK to disagree, we need some ground in which to meet. I just fear that we’re pushing and pushing. I just want to get everyone round. 

“Music isn’t the answer, but I tell you what, it’s a good start. You can show just through speaking people have a common ground where they can meet. That’s a starting point and once we get them in the same room hopefully we can listen to each other’s stories and find a way of moving forward together that’s not apart. Whether you disagree or agree with what’s happened with Brexit, we have to move on from that and try and bring everyone together because it’s a scary landscape if we don’t. No one deep down could really want that.”

The reaction from Pizzorno’s bandmates to ‘The S.L.P.’ is, he feels, “testament to why we’ve been round for 20-odd years”. “I’ve just had beautiful vibes off everyone. I think they were all part of [this feeling that] something needs to happen’. Every now and again there needs to be a storm in the harbour, everything needs a little reset. If we go on tour and make an album the cycle is predictable, once you start shifting around…Even for fans, everyone’s going, ‘What’s going on?’ and I think that’s exciting because then when we do come back the excitement will be intensified because maybe people weren’t sure if it was going to happen.”

Pizzorno’s short tour that corresponds with the album’s release includes a show, for Crash Records, at the Brudenell Social Club. It includes a Q&A section. “I just wanted to say thank you, really, for the support,” he explains. “It’s just been incredible. This is like a little satellite planet out in the distance in outer space. The band I’m in is a huge thing, I’m never going to want to compete with that, I would be crazy to. This is just this little thing that exists and I wanted to say thank you and sign a few albums, say hello to a few people, do a few little acoustic things, that’s kind of the thinking behind that. The Q&A is to explain what the album is about, why I made it.”

The S.L.P. is out now. Serge Pizzorno plays at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on September 12. www.the-slp.com

[sleeplesspensieve]

Remedy For Guilt - V

Summary: The daughter of Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange is offered the opportunity to teach at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after training as a Healer since her graduation. Her past haunts her and she relies on her old Potions teacher for help but what will happen when they get too close for comfort?

Rated: E for graphic sex scenes in later chapters. Over 18′s only please.

Word Count: 4021

Multichapter Fic (Expected to be around 30-35 chapters with a planned sequel which will take place during the Harry Potter Books)

Chapter Five – The Start of Term

Saturday, September 1st had finally arrived. Most of the staff were placing the finishing touches on the grounds in preparation for the students who would be arriving that night. Others responsible for organising transport were gathering the thestrals in the forest for the older students to ride. Soon enough 7pm neared and the Great Hall began to fill with students excited to see their old friends and greet the year that was to come.

Lyra Lestrange was seated in between Professor Vector and Professor Snape on the High Table. Professor McGonagall was observed to enter the hall followed by a group of small first years. Lyra always took relief that she was sorted privately in the Headmaster’s office rather than in front of everyone in the school though her sorting was quick, the hat shouted ‘Slytherin’ as soon as it touched the hair on her head.

After the Sorting Hat had sung its song Minerva instructed the first years and began calling out each name. She was reminded of a game she’d play with the other students who sat near her. They’d whisper their guess and the person with the most correct guesses would receive a galleon from all of the losers. As the game gained popularity Lyra and her friends got significantly richer.

Lyra began the game in her head and she managed to get the first few right. She looked to the wizard on her right and began whispering her guesses smugly.

“Belby, Marcus,” McGonagall called out.

“Slytherin,” he whispered in a voice loud enough that Snape could hear her.

The Sorting Hat repeated her choice with a loud voice. The Slytherins cheered.

“He’s pure blood,” Snape rolled his eyes.

“Bell, Katie.”

“Gryffindor,” she whispered again.

“Gryffindor!” the Sorting Hat yelled, a fierce applause erupting from the far left hand side of the room. From the corner of her eye she saw Professor Snape cock an eyebrow.

“Carmichael, Eddie.”

“Gryffindor.”

“Ravenclaw!” she frowned in response to the Sorting Hat’s announcement.

“Chang, Cho.”

“Ravenclaw,” she said.

“You can’t say Ravenclaw just cause she’s a-” Snape began.

“Ravenclaw!” A playful smirk came across Lyra’s face as she guessed correctly.

The game continued with Snape joining in. They both guessed all the Slytherin’s correctly, it was easy enough as most of them were pure bloods or as Lyra used to describe they looked like douchebags.

“Edgecombe, Marietta.”

“Ravenclaw,” they whispered in unison.

The Sorting Hat agreed. The Potions Master noticed the Headmaster give them a sideways glance and he pointed it out to Lyra. She looked over and smiled at the Headmaster then turned to Snape and smiled cheekily. She felt like a schoolgirl getting caught passing notes in class. They watched the remainder of the Sorting Ceremony in silence, instead of guessing their house Lyra attempted to remember the names that matched the faces. She looked towards the far end of the hall where most of the older students were and recognised quite a few faces of students who were in younger years when she attended.

Albus Dumbledore stood up to welcome the students. “Welcome! Let’s get straight to it!”

Lyra enjoyed watching the first years’ eyes widen in surprise as the tables filled with food. She helped herself to some food in front of her and Professor Vector engaged Lyra with conversation about the latest discoveries in Arithmancy.

“I’m disappointed that you didn’t continue the subject,” Septima said. “You did so well in your OWL.”

“I wanted to put my best effort into my other subjects,” Lyra said with a fake smile. In all honesty she had little to no interest in Arithmancy.

“I heard you got all O’s,” the Arithmancer said.

Lyra nodded, “Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology and Music.”

“You could have been an auror with those grades,” she replied. “I suppose Healers are important too. You could’ve done without Music and done Advanced Arithmancy.”

Lyra gave a fake laugh and replied, “Well, I just needed something creative to maintain my sanity.”

“Music is a lot of work though,” Septima continued.

She looked towards Severus with wide eyes hoping he would take note and save her from the conversation but he smirked and continued talking to the teacher next to him. Septima resumed her meal and Lyra did the same.

A few moments passed and conversation in the hall was at its height, most students had finished eating. The Headmaster stood to address everyone.

“Now that we are done with our feast I would like to give my usual start of term notices,” Professor Dumbledore announced, “As most of our students should know by now, the Forest is out-of-bounds, magic is not permitted in the corridors between classes and there are a number of objects which have been banned, the list is fastened on the door of Mr Filch’s office.”

“I would also like to take the time to introduce our new Muggle Studies teacher who has taken over Professor Quirrell who will be away, Professor Burbage.” Charity stood up and happily waved at the students. Oh god, Lyra would be next. “We also have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lestrange.” Lyra stood briefly, giving a half smile then sitting.

“Try not to seem too excited,” Severus said to Lyra in a low voice. She was starting to question whether this was a good idea. She shrugged it off, most teachers only last the year anyway, then she could be off to continue her studies.

“Also, this year we have decided to host a ball to celebrate a thousand years since the founding of Hogwarts,” the Headmaster continued, “It will be held on December 20th prior to the end of the school term and it is open to all students.”

With that the Headmaster dismissed the students and they headed to their common rooms directed by their prefects. The teachers soon dispersed, some of them were responsible for patrolling the corridors until 10pm where Mr. Filch and Mrs Norris would take over, the rest returned to their rooms. Lyra made her way to her living quarters and began to prepare her lessons.

~

Monday came around a lot quicker than Lyra had hoped, though she was relieved that her first two classes were first years, Gryffindor and Slytherin followed by Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. At 9am sharp Lyra opened the door to her classroom and welcomed the first lot in. The children were so small and cute, she couldn’t have imagined she had ben that little at age eleven. She smiled at them as they went past, each student finding a place for them to sit.

“Good Morning, students,” Lyra said as she walked to the front of the room once the students had all settled in. “I am Professor Lestrange and I will be teaching you Defence Against the Dark Arts this year.” The words felt so strange on her tongue. “The purpose of this subject is to best equip you for the world in a practical sense against things that you may encounter. I realise that all of you will come from different backgrounds so you might be wondering what you will encounter.”

With a wave of her wand the blinds were drawn and another switched on the projector. “For those of you from non-wizarding backgrounds you may have grown up thinking that creatures such as werewolves,” an image of a werewolf transforming played on the screen, “vampires,” the image switched to a woman being bitten, “and ghosts,” the projector went blank and the Bloody Baron emerged from behind it and walked down the aisle between the desks resulting in a few students jumping from their seats, “are all myths and legends but I assure you they are real.”

“It is my job to equip you with the knowledge on how to best defend yourself against not only these creatures but also from witches and wizards who may want to harm you,” she said. “I do not mean to scare you but it is best to be honest and I assure you, no harm will come to you as long as you are in Hogwarts and you are sensible. Defence Against the Dark Arts is a compulsory subject up until your fifth year, with good reason, so I suggest you all put the effort in.”

“I’m sure you are all excited to learn how to use your wands,” she continued, “So I thought I would teach you a simple spell.” “Lumos” she cast, her wand emitting a bright white light from the end of it. “Handy when you find yourself in a dark cave or you have lost something under your bed, it also is effective against some spectrals and spirits who do not like light.”

The class got out their wands and Lyra demonstrated the proper wand technique, encouraging students to follow her movements. Once the period was over she assigned the students to practice the spell as homework, expecting them to be able to do it by the time their next class would come around on Wednesday. Lyra found that her method was successful and repeated the same thing for the first years in next period. She was surprised that she actually found teaching enjoyable, seeing the students learn the wand-illuminating charm was extremely satisfying. They’d beckon for their attention excitedly as they succeeded in their attempt, she awarded 10 house points for the first successful charm.

Lyra had a short break to eat before she had to teach the fifth years which she was dreading but not as much as the seventh years. Both these groups of students were in their examination year which meant that she would have to cover any incompetence that the teacher prior to her had, she just hoped it wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

Third period came around and she highlighted the importance of the OWLs before handing out an exam to test what they had learnt over the past few years. After they had completed it she asked the students what they had learnt with their last teacher. It all seemed to follow curriculum but she didn’t manage to fit any actual theory or practical into the lesson so she had no homework to give. She spent her free period sorting through all the exams and highlighting areas she thought she would need to cover over the year. She had managed to spend the hour adjusting her lesson plans to include their gaps in knowledge and it seemed to all work.

Soon enough it was lunch, having skipped breakfast out of nervousness Lyra was keen to head to the staff room and help herself to some sandwiches. Whilst she was there she noticed Professor McGonagall and Professor Severus talking, she was worried that it was about her but they invited her over to sit with them.

“I heard your classes went well,” Professor McGonagall said. “All the first years couldn’t stop talking about it in my class. You’ve given me a real challenge.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause a distraction,” she said.

Minerva laughed, “Not at all, I think it’s a good thing.” She held her shoulder and gave her a smile, “You seem to be a natural, don’t stress too much.” The Transfiguration Professor let go and moved off.

“How have your lessons been?” Lyra asked Severus.

“Another untalented bunch,” he said. “The Weasley twins managed to blow up their cauldron. They are trouble, keep an eye out for them.”

“Bill and Charlie weren’t that bad,” Lyra said, she knew the boys from her years in Hogwarts.

Snape shook his head, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Severus had warmed to Lyra a lot quicker than he had expected. He originally wanted to keep close see if she would be up to anything that would put the staff or students in danger but he didn’t see any evidence of this. Instead Severus felt himself forming a friendship with the witch. Seeing her in the state she was in the other morning made him feel partially responsible for taking care of her but he didn’t understand why he felt obligated. He had known Lyra when she was a child during his days as a Death Eater and when she was a teenager at Hogwarts, maybe he felt like he was still her teacher. Nonetheless he had set aside some time researching potions that might be suitable for her.

Severus drew one out of his pocket that he had discovered and brewed over the weekend. He handed it to her, “This might help.”

She smiled and took the bottle out of his hands. “Thank you, Professor.”

“One teaspoon an hour before you go to bed,” he instructed. “No more, no less. Also, you may as well call me Severus, most of the staff have invited you to call you by their first name and it would seem improper if I allowed it to continue.”

“Thank you, Severus,” she smiled.

The remainder of Lyra’s day was uneventful. She taught the third years about boggarts and had them each face it with no problems. The fourth years were her final class for the day and they spent their time practicing counter curses. After dinner in the Great Hall Lyra was exhausted, Severus reminded her to take the potion he had given her and she did follow the instructions.

Lyra managed to fall asleep with ease that night and the next morning she woke up well-rested. She was relieved it worked, it allowed her to have time to go and have breakfast before the start of her lessons. She had hoped to run into Severus to thank him but he was nowhere to be seen. She sat with Filius and Septima, both complimenting her success on her first day.

When the daily post arrived Lyra was surprised to see that the Malfoy family owl was circling overhead and held two letters with a small package. She opened the letters, both addressed to her and read them carefully.

Lyra,

I hope your first day of teaching went well. You know if you have any problems you can come back here. I’ve sent you a small treat just in case they aren’t feeding you right. Lucius sends his regards.

Your Aunty Cissy x

Lyra laughed to herself at the brief letter her aunt sent her. She opened the small package and saw that there were six cupcakes that Narcissa had decorated green with an animated silver snake. She placed them aside and opened the other letter that was delivered.

Hi Lyra,

I miss you. Mother said I can write to you when I want. I helped her make the cupcakes, I chose the colours. It matches the scarf you wore when you were at school.

Crabbe and Goyle came over and they lost the toy snitch Father bought me for Christmas last year. He said that he wouldn’t buy me a new one.

How is Hogwarts? Is everyone nice to you? Do you have friends yet?

I hope you come to visit soon.

Love from,

Draco

She smiled fondly at the messages her family sent her. It placed her in a positive mood as she dismissed herself from breakfast and went on to face her classes for the day. She promised herself that she would write her replies when she was finished. The first few periods went by smoothly and soon enough Lyra was teaching the seventh years. It was considerably smaller than the rest of the year groups she had taught, as she only had one seventh year class whilst with the others she had two. She was familiar with a few of the students as they were in their third year whilst she was in her final year. The two who stood out were Charles Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks, her cousin.

The bubblegum haired girl approached the older Slytherin student who was standing in front of the lake. She had recognised her as Lyra Malfoy, or should she say Lestrange as the rumours had recently circulated the school. “Are you alright?” the younger of the two asked.

“I’m fine,” the older girl said. “Who are you?”

“Nymphadora Tonks, most people call me Tonks,” she said, “Actually I prefer it if you call me Tonks.”

“Right,” Lyra said dismissively.

“I actually spoke to my mum and she said you were my cousin,” Tonks said.

“Most pure-bloods are related,” Lyra responded.

“I’m only half,” Tonks said, “My mum’s your mum’s sister.”

“Oh, the blood traitor,” she said. Tonks’ hair turned red in response. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean it like that it’s just the way my aunt and mother spoke about it. They never referred to her by name, just said that they had a blood traitor sister that tainted the Black family tree. I honestly couldn’t care less about the whole blood purity thing.”

Tonks’ hair returned to the bubblegum pink it was before.

“You’re a metamorphmagus,” Lyra pointed out.

Her hair turned a lighter shade of pink, “Yeah.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Lyra said. “Would be a useful skill for an Auror.”

She wondered if that was why her cousin was in her classroom, it was an essential subject to become an auror. She shrugged off the thought and stepped forward to address the class.

“You’ve probably heard the speech a million times by now,” Lyra began. “This is your final year of Hogwarts and you will be tested at the end of the year. The results of your NEWTs will play a huge determining factor in the career you wish to choose. I also have no doubt that the teaching of this subject has been rather inconsistent so I’d like for you all to partake in a quick test to see where your learning is at.”

It took about 15 minutes and Lyra quickly flicked through the papers. She was shocked at the amount of information missing from their learning. “Seems like you’re all quite behind in the subject,” Lyra said. “No matter, I will get you up to date. First and most important question is have you observed the use of the unforgivable curses?” The students shook their heads. Lyra sighed, she didn’t want to have to do this but she knew it was necessary. “You’d usually learn and see the spells in your sixth year, can anyone name them?”

“The Imperius Curse,” an unfamiliar student called out.

“5 points to Ravenclaw,” she said. She summoned a rat that was in her office. She pointed her wand at it, non-verbally casting the spell. She didn’t want the students to know of the incantations. She made the rat run in circles jumping every so often.

“Under the effects of this curse you are subject to the caster’s bidding,” Lyra explained, continuing to control the mouse making it attempt to do star jumps on its hind legs, “This curse may be used in your NEWT exam though it is more likely to be tested on if you would like to become an auror. It takes great self-control to resist the Imperius curse and even great wizards who are trained to resist it can still be affected if caught off-guard. The next one?”

“The Cruciatus Curse,” Tonks said.

“5 points to Hufflepuff,” Lyra said. She cast it on the rat it starting squeaking noisily. She did not enjoy doing this to an innocent mouse and as a result the spell’s effectiveness waned. “This was my mother’s choice of weapon, in fact, she taught me how to use it. It is why she’s in Azkaban right now. The use of it on another human being results in a lifelong sentence in Azkaban. It causes immense pain to the victim as you just saw. Finally?”

“The Killing Curse,” Charlie said, “Please don’t kill it.”

A flash of green light and the rat was dead. “5 points to Gryffindor,” she said. “Don’t stress too much Charlie, it was an old rat, he lived a good life but yes the killing curse. An instantaneous and painless death to the victim, it is unblockable and uncounterable.”

“But that Harry Potter child survived,” a student piped up.

“Yes,” Lyra said. She knew of the downfall of the Dark Lord all too well. “We don’t know why or how though so I wouldn’t take any chances against it. When was it legal to use these curses?”

“Aurors  were allowed to against You-Know-Who and his followers,” Tonks said.

“Correct, 5 points to Hufflepuff,” Lyra said.

Lyra continued her lecture on the Unforgiveable Curses and soon enough the class had come to its end. She assigned them homework to prepare for the next lesson and they all trailed out except for her pink-haired cousin.

“Tonks,” Lyra said, “What can I do for you?”

“I just wanted to tell you that I’m planning on becoming an auror,” Tonks replied.

A happy smile grew across Lyra’s face, “Really? That’s great, I’ll be sure to teach you as much as I can.”

“Thanks,” her cousin said with an equally big smile.

“If you need anything don’t hesitate to let me know,” Lyra said, “I know we’re not close but you’re still my cousin and I’m here for you.”

Tonks’ smile began to fade, her hair turning into a bluer hue. Lyra looked questionably at her as Tonks gathered the nerve to tell her what she had really wanting to tell her. “Before we started, a lot of students in my year were questioning whether it was ok for you to be teaching because of what happened when you were here.”

Lyra sighed, “I assure you Tonks that I’m not like that anymore. You should tell them to trust Professor Dumbledore’s decision.”

“You’re right,” Tonks said as she turned to leave.

“Tonks,” she called out after her, “I haven’t used the Dark Arts since I left, even using those curses was difficult for me. Trust me, I do regret what happened, that’s why I became a healer.”

Tonks nodded before dismissing herself. Lyra was unconvinced that she had managed to sway Tonks’ opinion on what occurred during her schooling years but did not allow herself to dwell on it for too long. Instead she found herself going through the exams she had set for the fifth and seventh years that they had completed in class and began to assess what needed to be covered in order to make sure her students would be prepared. She worked all through her lunch break she snacked upon the cupcakes that her Aunt sent her rather than grabbing something from the staff room. From the taste along Lyra could tell that her Aunt Narcissa had actually made it herself instead of telling the house elves to do it. She set aside some time prior to her class resuming to write a letter of thanks to her family.

Aunty,

Thank you for the cupcakes, they tasted delicious. Everything is going well so far. I’ll keep in touch.

Lyra x

Dearest Draco,

Thank you for the cupcakes and letter, it brightened my day. I hope you continue to write to me as I also miss you, Draco.

I’m sorry to hear about your toy. If your dad doesn’t buy you one then let me know and I’ll get you something special for Christmas.

I am enjoying my time at Hogwarts and I have befriended most of the teachers.

If all goes according to plan I will be home for Christmas.

I love you. Be good to your parents.

Hugs and kisses from your cousin Lyra x

She sat the messages aside, intending to send them prior to dinner which arrived much sooner than she expected. Lyra felt as though the day progressed significantly faster than her days at St. Mungo’s, possibly because she would usually get stuck doing paperwork but this teaching position allowed a lot of time for interaction with other people which she preferred. Lyra walked to the Owlery and found her Snowy Owl, Silver waiting for her.

“Back to the Manor,” she said as she attached the letters to Silver’s leg and fluffed it’s feathers before it took its flight.

[wp-yahoo-style-1042-yahoopa-blog]

'Being fat is not beautiful. It's an excuse': Revolve accused of fat-shaming with sweatshirt meant to shine light on horrors of trolling

Revolve is being dragged through the mud for releasing a fat-shaming sweatshirt. (Photo: Revolve)

What started out as a well-meaning sweatshirt has led to an uproar on social media over mixed messages about fat shaming and body positivity.

Social issues advocate and artist Florence Given found the sweatshirts on Revolve’s website on Wednesday, with the featured image showing a straight-size model in a pullover that read, “Being fat is not beautiful. It’s an excuse.” Disgusted by the message the sweatshirt sent, Given shared photos of it on Instagram. She also showed another sweatshirt the brand had on its website, emblazoned with the phrase, “Too boney to be boned.”

In tiny print below the quotes, the sweatshirts say, “as said to” beside an Instagram handle, giving the impression that these were comments pulled from someone’s Instagram account. The accounts attributed on the sweatshirts belong to models like Cara Delevingne and Paloma Elsesser.

According to Fashionista, the quotes were comments reportedly said to famous women — but the campaign backfired when the apparel was released early without any context. Since the $168 sweatshirt went up on Revolve’s website on Wednesday, Twitter has been awash with comments bashing the brand for the offensive message.

why is no one talking about revolve selling a “being fat is not beautiful it’s an excuse” sweatshirt, that’s so messed up

— m (@valentisilk) September 12, 2018

Hi @REVOLVE let's talk about why this is so misguided and stupid: https://t.co/YrLAe8yBNP

— Tyler McCall (@eiffeltyler) September 12, 2018

What is there to say about @revolve's decision to include this sweatshirt in their inventory? That they think it's okay and will resonate with their customer base speaks volumes. pic.twitter.com/9x1xXXyBGR

— Lisa Braun Dubbels (@lisadubbels) September 12, 2018

honestly i sometimes wish i covered body positivity all day everyday because i'd love to go IN on this https://t.co/USC2C7SWnU

— Izabella Zaydenberg (@belkabelka) September 12, 2018

Also like may I say that the attribution text is so small as to render my first few reads of the sweatshirt as CHAMPIONING this awful line? You could read the quote a city block away but would have to be in conversational distance to catch the "as said to".

— Jenna Kass is sleepy (@JennaKassArt) September 12, 2018

The sweatshirt got the attention of outspoken actress Jameela Jamil, who posited a rhetorical question for the brand.

Jesus Christ @REVOLVE what are you doing?! pic.twitter.com/Jtv0fHQEpI

— Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamil) September 12, 2018

Tess Holliday, a plus-size model who recently faced backlash from haters over her history-making Cosmo UK cover, also called out Revolve for being “a mess.”

LOLLLLL @REVOLVE y’all are a mess. pic.twitter.com/CrzOkd5oE4

— Tess Holliday 🥀 (@Tess_Holliday) September 12, 2018

“They have a huge following that’s mostly young women and they are perpetuating the toxic idea that our worth is tied into our size,” Holliday said in a statement to Mic. “They must have never seen me, because I’m fat and beautiful.”

Instagrammers were just as angry. “I am actually disgusted and bewildered….. who in the design meeting thought – “hey – I know a good idea” … and what idiotic team agreed with them!!??????” someone commented on Given’s post. “This can’t be real,” another pleaded. “BEING DISRESPECTFUL ISNT BEAUTIFUL ITS DISGUSTING.”

Revolve already has a reputation for its lack of diversity (remember #RevolveSoWhite?) and this sweatshirt is just fanning the flames. According to Fashionista, the largest size available in the sweatshirt was an XL. And that’s a stretch for Revolve, since the brand usually doesn’t sell anything beyond a size L. Just look at its size guide.

The fact that the sweatshirt is modeled on a slender woman is just a slap in the face to curvy girls everywhere.

So…. @REVOLVE thinks its okay to market this sweatshirt — which only comes up to an XL, by the way — by putting it on a thin model? Considering Revolve doesn't even have diverse influencers this is….A Choice. https://t.co/40R1iWTHkp pic.twitter.com/JhdonQbF3Y

— Tyler McCall (@eiffeltyler) September 12, 2018

“Can’t believe this is real? Why wouldn’t they just hire Paloma or another model who has been a victim of this kind of thinking. Do better @revolve @lpa,” someone suggested on Instagram.

As for plus-size representation? If you Google “Revolve plus size” you’ll find it. You won’t find anything in it though; there are “0 items” in the section. Not even the sweatshirt in question.

Revolve’s plus-size section is empty. (Credit: Revolve)

If this was Revolve’s foray into size inclusivity, it appears the brand missed the mark.

Given got a hold of LPA founder Pia Arrobio on Instagram, who explained the idea behind these sweatshirts, which was a collaboration with five women to “shine the light on how horrible trolling is.” The plan was to launch the sweatshirts on Thursday, but they “went up early on Revolve for some reason,” Arrobio tells Given on Instagram, before the context of the quotes was made clear.

View this post on Instagram

UPDATE: heard back from @palomija and she told me she is MORTIFIED about how this quote has been used, and is asking for her quote to be pulled • The brand @lpa responded and they have got @revolve to take down the shots – this is our convo. Problematic marketing = a problem with diversity in the work place. This is still incredibly problematic and an awful attempt at ‘claiming back’ toxic narratives because (in my opinion) it just gives them power by putting them back into the world and at a £162 price tag. The designs went up to XL, so the women who this tee is supposed to ‘empower’ probably wouldn’t even fit into one. But at least we got the pics taken down…Ugh.

A post shared by FLOSS (@florencegiven) on Sep 12, 2018 at 8:23am PDT

One of those women, actress Lena Dunham, distanced herself from the project Wednesday afternoon in a statement, citing Revolve’s presentation of only “thin white women.”

“As a result, I cannot support this collaboration or lend my name to it in any way,” Dunham wrote in part. “This doesn’t take away from my love or respect for what Pia has done with LPA, but I am deeply disappointed in @revolve’s handling of a sensitive topic and a collaboration rooted in reclaiming the words of internet trolls to celebrate the beauty in diversity and bodies and experiences that aren’t the industry norm.”

View this post on Instagram

  For months I’ve been working on a collaboration with my friend Pia’s company LPA through parent company @revolve – sweatshirts that highlight quotes from prominent women who have experienced internet trolling & abuse. This is a cause very close to my heart and the proceeds were meant to benefit charities that help young women by empowering them to express themselves through writing and art. Without consulting me or any of the women involved, @revolve presented the sweatshirts on thin white women, never thinking about the fact that difference and individuality is what gets you punished on the Internet, or that lack of diversity in representation is a huge part of the problem (in fact, the problem itself.) As a result, I cannot support this collaboration or lend my name to it in any way. This doesn’t take away from my love or respect for what Pia has done with LPA, but I am deeply disappointed in @revolve’s handling of a sensitive topic and a collaboration rooted in reclaiming the words of internet trolls to celebrate the beauty in diversity and bodies and experiences that aren’t the industry norm. *** I’d like to especially extend my love and support to @palomija, whose quote was the first to be promoted and mangled. She’s a hero of mine. Like me, she gave her quote in good faith and shared her vulnerability in order to support arts education and to spread her message of empowerment, and she wasn’t consulted in the marketing. Not an ounce of negativity should be sent her way. *** My only goal on this planet is to empower women through art and dialogue. I’m grateful to every woman who shared a quote and so disappointed that our words were not honored. As a result, I will be making a donation to the charity of every woman’s choice who was wronged with me and I hope that @revolve will join me with a contribution of their own. *** P.S. This Rubens painting makes me happy because it’s about women joining in love, but he didn’t recognize diversity at all- he just loved curvy butts. Problematic fave.

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Sep 12, 2018 at 11:47am PDT

Social media users were unhappy with more than just the way the top was modeled.  “[O]kay but why would they sell a shirt like that???” someone commented on Instagram. “Even with the explanation, those shirts are an awful and poorly executed idea.”

When the answer is “The merchandise went up early? Also, fundraising! And bullying is wrong!” to the question “Why are you selling a sweatshirt conflating fatness with laziness?” perhaps a rethink is in order? https://t.co/bJzdtovmHj

— The Immortal Iron Feminist (@lschmeiser) September 12, 2018

This sweatshirt from @revolve is part of a series of things said to different women BUT the truth is you’ve put this on a sample size model .. sizes only go up to a 10, it’s kinda hard to… https://t.co/GBd4avU4vJ

— Curves Become Her (@AartiOlivia) September 12, 2018

“This morning, images of a forth coming LPA collection were prematurely released on Revolve.com,” Revolve told Yahoo Lifestyle. “The capsule collection – originally conceived by LPA alongside Lena Dunham, Emily Ratajkowski, Cara Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse and Paloma Elsesser – was set to debut tomorrow as a direct commentary on the modern day ‘normality’ of cyber-bullying and the shared desire to create a community for those most affected by the epidemic.” Proceeds were set to benefit “Girls Write Now,” a charity focused on mentoring underserved young women and helping them find their voices and tell their stories through writing.

“We at Revolve sincerely apologize to all those involved – particularly Lena, Emily, Cara, Suki and Paloma – our loyal customers, and the community as a whole for this error,” they added. “The collection has been pulled. We are proud to donate $20,000 to ‘Girls Write Now’ in the hopes that those who need it can still benefit from what was to be a meaningful, insightful and impactful collaboration by LPA.”

While the brand admitted the promo shots were poorly executed, they would not comment on how those photos came to be.

Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:

Magazine editor gets called out for fat-shaming: ‘Why are you using 3 fat and out of shape women for your models?’

Woman fat-shamed by bakery customers gets revenge by buying all the cupcakes

Woman says she was fat-shamed at Universal theme park — and she’s filing a discrimination complaint

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.

[your-dietician]

Entertainment heat wave is coming this summer: What to watch for | Entertainment

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/entertainment/entertainment-heat-wave-is-coming-this-summer-what-to-watch-for-entertainment/

Entertainment heat wave is coming this summer: What to watch for | Entertainment

Remember 2019, when hot girl summer became a motto for living with confidence?

Well, with life getting closer to normal and vaccines nudging the pandemic into — fingers crossed — the rear-view mirror, 2021’s entertainment calendar for the next few months has a similar mood.

Call it a hot everything summer.

Blockbuster movies are returning to theaters. Live concerts are set to resume. Television and streaming shows are back to being a nice part of the mix, not a sole entertainment lifeline. And with travel heating up again, beach books can actually be read on a faraway beach.

To navigate this soaring heat index for fun, here is a list of recommendations that are sunny, breezy, steaming and sizzling. You get the idea.

Hot Jeff Daniels summer

Michigan’s resident acting great always keeps it real — remember his plaid dad shirt at February’s virtual Golden Globes? His latest project evokes his home state’s ethos of blue-collar endurance. “American Rust,” a nine-episode series premiering Sept. 12 on Showtime, stars Daniels as the police chief of a Rust-Belt Pennsylvania town who is feeling “ticked off and kind of jumpy” when a murder investigation tests his loyalties. If the preview looks a bit like HBO’s gritty “Mare of Easttown,” that’s a very good thing.

Hot goofy summer

In real life, metro Detroit native Tim Robinson could be a calm, collected guy. But as a sketch comedian, he’s made an art form out of wildly overreacting to life’s little embarrassments. “I Think You Should Leave,” his mini-masterpiece Netflix show, is back July 6 with a second season. Besides brilliantly making himself the butt of the jokes, Robinson always remembers his hometown friends. Let’s hope for repeat appearances by his pals like “Detroiters” co-star Sam Richardson and Troy’s own Oscar nominee, Steven Yeun.

Hot retro Motor City summer

The Detroit of the mid-1950s comes alive in director Steven Soderbergh’s “No Sudden Move,” available July 1 on HBO Max. The crime drama starring Don Cheadle, David Harbour, Benicio del Toro, Jon Hamm and more is about some low-level criminals given a simple assignment that draws them into a mystery that stretches to the heights of the automotive industry’s power structure. The film was shot last year in Detroit under strict COVID-19 safety measures, because Soderbergh, who filmed 1998’s “Out of Sight” here, would accept no other city as a substitute.

Hot road trip summer

Six years ago, a young waitress from Detroit created a viral Twitter thread about a bizarre journey she took to Florida with a new friend to do some freelance stripping. It was as compelling as a novel and as vivid as a movie. Cut to June 30 when “Zola” hits theaters starring Taylour Page and Riley Keough. It’s a comedy and a thriller that defies expectations and makes J-Lo’s “Hustlers” seem mild. Director Janicza Bravo and screenplay co-writer Jeremy O. Harris have created a raunchy adventure that still respects A’Ziah (Zola) King as a strong woman and original writing voice.

Hot action dad summer

Yes, Matt Damon is now old enough to play a Liam Neeson-esque outraged father out for justice. In “Stillwater,” Damon is a worker for an Oklahoma oil rig who must travel to France to try and clear his daughter (Abigail Breslin) of murder charges. Think “Taken,” if it were a serious drama directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy of “Spotlight” fame. It comes out July 30, just in time to make Damon’s fans from his “Good Will Hunting” days feel ancient.

Hot reboot summer

It has been almost a decade since “Gossip Girl” ended its run, which is way too long to be without fashion tips from impossibly beautiful rich kids. The newly reimagined “Gossip Girl” on HBO Max arrives July 8 with some notable improvements, like the inclusiveness of its cast of newcomers. But it’s bringing back the original narrator, Kristen Bell (who grew up in Huntington Woods), as the voice of the title character with the hidden identity.

Hot sweating summer

Sweating is a bodily function, but what exactly is it all about? “The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration,” out July 13, will explore the biology, history and marketing behind the moisture that makes us glow (to use a polite term). It covers everything from the role of stress in sweat to deodorant research that involves people who can sniff out, literally, the effectiveness of a product. Since the New York Times recommended the book as one of its 24 summer reads, you know that author Sarah Everts did sweat the details.

Hot Olympic star summer

The 2021 Tokyo Games, which run July 23-Aug. 8, will feature the world’s best gymnast, Simone Biles. She still enjoys competing, but quarantining gave her some time to improve her work-life balance, as she told Glamour for its June cover story (which comes with a dazzling photo spread of Biles). “Before I would only focus on the gym. But me being happy outside the gym is just as important as me being happy and doing well in the gym. Now it’s like everything’s coming together.” For the 24-year-old GOAT, the sky — or, maybe, gravity — is the limit.

Hot variety show summer

“What percentage of white women do you hate? And there is a right answer.” That was among the questions posed by internet sensation Ziwe to her first guest, Fran Lebowitz, on the current Showtime series that carries her name. Combining interviews, sketches and music, “Ziwe” deploys comedy to illuminate America’s awkwardness on issues of race and politics. The results are hilarious, so find out about Ziwe now before her next project arrives, a scam-themed comedy for Amazon called “The Nigerian Princess.”

Hot ice road summer

Take the driving skills of the reality series “Ice Road Truckers” and add one stoic dose of Liam Neeson and you’ve got “The Ice Road,” which premiered Friday on Hulu. The adventure flick involves a collapse in a diamond mine, the miners trapped inside and the man (Neeson) who’s willing to steer his ginormous rig over frozen water to attempt a rescue mission. Crank up the AC temporarily!

Hot kindness summer

There is a better way to be a human being, and he shares a name with an Apple TV+ series. “Ted Lasso,” the fish-out-of-water sitcom about an American football coach (Jason Sudeikis) who’s drafted to lead a British soccer team returns for a second season on July 23 —the date that Lasso fans will resume their efforts to be more empathetic and encouraging, just like Ted. Only there’s a new sports psychologist for AFC Richmond who seems impervious to Ted’s charms and home-baked biscuits. She doesn’t like Ted? We’re gobsmacked!

Hot podcast summer

When Michael Che guested on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” recently, his segment was interrupted repeatedly by Dave Chappelle, who kept plugging his “The Midnight Miracle” podcast available on Luminary. What Chappelle was selling is worth the listening. “The Midnight Miracle” brings him together with his co-hosts, Talib Kweli and Yasiin Bey, and his famous friends from the comedy world and beyond for funny and though-provoking conversations interspersed with music. If you were a fly on the wall of Chappelle’s home, this is what you might hear.

Hot series finale summer

The last 10 episodes of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” start airing Aug. 12 on NBC, a too-short goodbye to one of the most underrated comedies in TV history. You can give all the glory to “The Office,” but the detectives of the Nine-Nine could go toe to toe with Dunder-Mifflin’s Scranton branch in terms of quirkiness, humanity and office romances and bromances. It’s hard to pick a favorite dynamic among the characters, but the irritated father-incorrigible son vibes between Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) and Det. Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) are sublime.

Hot musical comedy summer

Keegan-Michael Key and “Saturday Night Live’s” Cecily Strong lead a star-studded cast in “Schmigadoon!,” an AppleTV+ series premiering July 16 that magically transports a backpacking couple to a land of 1940s musicals. Until Broadway reopens in September, this parody love letter to the power of musical theater should do nicely. And the premiere episode’s song “Corn Pudding”? Catchy!

Hot nostalgia tour

Hall & Oates are criss-crossing the nation with enough 1980s hits —”Maneater,” “Kiss on My List,” “I Can’t Go for That,” “You Make My Dreams Come True,” etc. — to make you want to trade your mom jeans for spandex leggings. As if they weren’t enough top-40 goodness, their opening acts are Squeeze, still pouring a cup of “Black Coffee in Bed” all these years later, and K.T. Tunstall, whose “Suddenly I See” is immortalized as the anthem of “The Devil Wears Prada.”

Hot all-female, all-Muslim punk band summer

A British import now airing on the NBC streaming spinoff Peacock, “We Are Lady Parts” would be notable alone for defying stereotypes about Muslim women. But this sitcom about an all-female, all-Muslim aspiring rock band is a gem of both representation and laughs, thanks to characters like Amina, a shy doctoral candidate in microbiology whose complaints about a guy she calls “Bashir with the good beard” inspires a song.

Hot documentary summer

While Woodstock has become synonymous with epic music gatherings, the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 is finally about to get the pop-culture recognition it deserves. “Summer of Soul: (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” directed by the Roots drummer Questlove, will hit theaters and Hulu on July 2. It chronicles a mostly forgotten event that drew superstars like Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, the Fifth Dimension, Sly & the Family Stone and B.B. King. Using his vast knowledge of music, archival footage and interviews with performers and those who attended, Questlove has created a history lesson that’s also the best concert you’ve never seen before.

Hot Marvel summer

Once you’re all caught up with the summer streaming sensation “Loki” on Disney+, please turn your attention to two new films. “Black Widow,” the long-awaited star turn for Scarlett Johansson’s former KGB assassin Natasha Romanoff, makes its debut July 9. It’s followed by “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” set for Sept. 3 and starring Simu Liu (“Kim’s Convenience”) as the martial arts master of the title. All brought to you by the corporate global entertainment domination machine that is Marvel.

Hot biopic summer

“Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson, arrives Aug. 13 at theaters, nearly three years to the day the world lost the Queen of Soul. Although Cynthia Erivo gave a fine performance earlier this year as Franklin in “Genius: Aretha” on the National Geographic network, the odds are good that Hudson, chosen by Franklin herself for the part, will be the definitive screen Aretha.

Hot fiction summer

Terry McMillan calls “The Other Black Girl” essential reading. Entertainment Weekly describes it as “‘The Devil Wears Prada’ meets ‘Get Out,’ with a little bit of ‘Black Mirror’ thrown in.” This debut novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris mixes office politics with suspense in its story of Nella Rogers, an editorial assistant who’s the only Black staffer at a noted publishing company. When Hazel, a new Black employee, is hired, things seem to be improving. But then Nella starts receiving ominous unsigned notes. Sounds like yet another reason to keep working from home.

Hot slow dance summer

After nearly four months on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, “Leave the Door Open” remains the song most likely to provoke a quiet storm on the dance floor. The hit single from Silk Sonic (aka Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) may sound like a cover of a long-lost ‘70s classic R&B tune, but it’s a contemporary song that can make you forget the humidity long enough for “kissing, cuddling, rose petals in the bathtub, girl, lets jump in.”

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[cannedapricot]

Murder Mystery Party! Wanna One

happy late halloween!! here’s a halloween special, murder mystery party! wanna one for you all!!

welcome to the annual murder mystery party held every halloween

it’s a tradition you see

every student on campus is invited

and everyone apart from the victim is a suspect

but the thing is, nobody actually knows who the host is

rumor has it that the original host actually died one night and others have been keeping the tradition alive

but people also say that the host changes every year and is decided by lottery

every student receives a invitation a month before the 31st

so y’all have enough time to get a costume together lol

the envelope always matches the theme of the party

last year, it was a simple, slick black, matching the theme of a classy work dinner kinda party

included in the envelope was a wad of paper

containing everything you needed to know about your character and if they were the murderer or not

or if they were the person flopping to the floor dramatically and dying rip

but of course

this is all fictional and done for fun

or is it????? ???? ? 👀👀👀👀👀

this year, as usual, you received an invitation on september 30

this year though, the envelope was decorated in victorian accents 

in gold lettering, the first piece of paper read,

“you are hereby invited to the biggest victorian masquerade party of the year”

you already want to skip the party this year lma o

victORIAN CLOTHING IS EXPENSIVE. EVEN IF YOU’RE RENTING OK

ALSO A MASK????

LOOKS SADLY AT BANK ACCOUNT

but guess what!!!

minhyun and jaehwan ain’t having none of that!!!

again,,,, but loOK, IN MY DEFENSE,,, MINHWAN ARE BFF GOALS

the two drag you along with them to rent costumes

with you throwing a tantrum like a six year old on the way

“buT IT’S SO EXPENSIVE I CAN BARELY AFFORD TO E A T”

“oops the wind’s too loud, what’d you say?”

“tHe WiNd’S tOo LoUd. THERE’S NO WIND JAEHWAN”

so you settle for pouting

art student! baejin happily agreed to make masks for all twelve of you so that’s some money saved lol

you wince looking at the price tags

“300 foR A MONTH????? ARE YOU K I D D I N G M E”

stOPS BREATHING FOR A SHORT SECOND

bitCH YOU ARE SKIPPING THIS DUMB ASS PARTY--

“y/n where do you think you’re going??”

minhyun caught you by the hood of your hoodie

shIT

YOUR GREAT ESCAPE PLAN WAS FOULED BY NONE OTHER THAN THE GREAT EMPEROR HWANG

angrily puffs

the three of you are just as poor as each other

so you guys end up renting the cheapest three 

but of course, minhwan look 10/10

you’RE STUNNING AS WELL THOUGH

“yes y/n, step on me”

“i- what the fuck”

looking at other people’s character’s info was strictly against the rules 

you’d be uninvited every year from then on if you’re caught

but you were able to ask others about theirs 

cause it’s up to you to decide if they’re lying about it or not

and that’s what minhwan cautiously asks you on the way back to the dorms

“hey y/n, what’s your character this time?”

you

haven’t

really

looked 

at the info

and after renting the costume,,,,, yoU GOTTA MEMORIZE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER BEFORE THE PARTY

because well, taking out your info sheet at the party breaks the atmosphere

swEATS

“uH,,,, GUESS”

SONIC SPEEDS OFF

YOU WEREN’T GONNA LET THE TWO KNOW THAT YOU DON’T KNOW

BECAUSE HELL, JAEHWAN’S NEVER GONNA LET IT GO

EVEN IF IT WAS SOMETHING TINY LIKE THIS

so you SLAM your door open, stunning your dorm mate

CHUCK your rented costume on your bed

gently

because that thing was expensive as fuck

and FLIP out your character sheet

you were the child of a well known lord

and so you were in the middle upper class

you had an older brother who is SUPER protective of you

well, at least the sheet said

every character was unique and had different alibis

and murder motives

the host obviously has to spend all year on this lol

the victim was said to be a person in the higher level middle class (one of the only information about the victim given)

and so you were confused as to why you would be a suspect

why would someone in a higher social position murder someone lower??

a sigh of relief left your lips as you realize you’re not the real murderer

you sucked at lying

but you were a suspect due to the fact that you knew the victim since you guys were children and the two of you were sworn enemies

not the “oh my god i hate you but i also love you” kind

but the “fucKING HELL I ACTUALLY HATE YOU WITH ALL MY SOUL” kind

as you two grew up, you got mature,,,, but they got worse

you overheard something about the victim wanting to assault your father

anD SO YOU WERE SUSPECTED DUE TO THIS

BECAUSE EVERYONE WOULD THINK THAT YOU HAD TO KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL YOUR DAD

huffs

this would be a tough character to pull off

especially since the victim has plans to kill your father

that’s a strong motive

your dormmate willingly tells you that they’re a part of the working class

you hum in response

your gut feeling telling you to not show up at the party at all

buT YOUR MIND IS TELLING YOU TO GO BECAUSE YOUR WALLET IS HAVING A BREAKDOWN DUE TO THE STUPID COSTUME

so that’s what you do

on the 31st, you’re getting ready with your dormmate

and you receive a text from seongwoo as you’re fixing your mask

which, by the way, is also stunning. art student! baejin is talent itself

“hey, i apparently have a younger sibling and i’m asking everyone but they say that they don’t have no sibling. you’re my last hope y/N ARE YOU MY LONG LOST SIBLING”

you lowkey wanna reply with “fuck off”  but you reply saying that you, do, indeed have an older bro and that you two are not long lost siblings

“yUS IM POSITIVE ITS U, ARE U A CHILD OF SOME LORD???”

“yea”

“oKAY Y/N YOU CUTE LIL SIBLING, BIG BRO WILL PRO T E C T YOU”

flashbacks to haunted house pat timer! ong seongwoo

the info sheet said protective older bro but ong can’t wait for you to get a s/o lmao protective my ass

with a roll of your eyes, you head towards the party with your dormmate

WHICH WAS HELD IN SOME FANCY, EXPENSIVE HOTEL

it was already packed by the time you got there

you couldn’t tell who was w ho

the masks were throwing you off

your dormmate disappears off to the “kitchens” as she was a working maid

the host of the fake masquerade party (not the real host, the person whose character is the host in the script) was wearing a beautiful royal blue mask and was heading your way

you lowkey panic™

humaN INTERACTION???? ALREADY????

“hello, i’m your humble host today, lee daehwi”

“ohMYGOD DA E H W I”

“who is this--”

you pull him into a HUGE hug

“iT’S Y/N YO”

“yOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BREAK CHARACTER FOR THE FIRST HOUR Y/N GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER”

“oH FUCK i mean hi!! i’m y/n,,,,”

swEATS 

“HOW DO PEOPLE INTRODUCE THEMSELF IN THIS ERA??” 

you whisper

“IDK I’M JUST GOING AROUND SAYING THAT I’M THE HOST”

he whispers back

YOU SCREAM INSIDE

“what are you supposed to be though??” you ask daehwi, looking at his costume

“i’m an earl,,,, i have no idea what an earl is but i mean,,, i get throw parties so,,,, it’s high in the hierarchy right?”

do earls throw parties i have no idea i can’t remember anything from black butler

you ask where the other guys were and so daehwi leads you to them without hesitation 

“lIL SIB!!!111!!11!111″

fuck

its “protective” sibling seongwoo!!

“lmao let go seongwoo” duke! daniel says

seongwoo pouts

the boys tell you their identities one by one as requested from you!

jisung and minhyun were barons, sungwoon’s a country farmer, seongwoo was of course the son of a lord, jaehwan was a duke along with daniel, jihoon and woojin were thieves (phantom thief! au anyone? 👀), baejin was a knight, daehwi was an earl and guanlin....

“you guys have it all good buT I’M A BUTLER???? HELLO???”

y'all burst into laughter

the party was gREAT

THE BUNCH OF YOU BASICALLY HUNG AROUND THE SNACK TABLE THE WHOLE PARTY

UNTIL YOU WERE ALLOWED TO BREAK CHARACTER AND DANCE LINE MADE A BEELINE FOR THE DANCE FLOOR

then it neared midnight

and everyone was wondering when someone would flop dead

then it hit midnight exactly

and an arrow came flying in through the window

and hit someone on the chest

biTCH WHAT THE FUCK

THAT SCARED ME LOL

THAT MUST BE THE DEATH FOR THE NIGHT

and so y’all buzz over to the victim

buT

THE ARROW AND BLOOD LOOKS SO REALISTIC??

sungwoon mutters,

“that’s not real blood is it? why does it look so real this year”

seongwoo pushes through the crowd and sniffs the blood for sungwoon lol

expecting it to be fake

but his eyes popped wide when

“thiS SMELLS LIKE REAL BLOOD???”

HOLY SHIT

“IS SHE BREATHING???”

“NO???”

FUCK

ABANDON EVERYTHING

LEAVE THIS PLA C E

REAL MURDERER ON THE LOOSE

CALL THE COPS SDUGBISB

someone does but it was raining real hard and the traffic was screwed up due to some crash

it’s gonna take the cops ages to arrive

shIT Y’ALL SCREWED

Y’ALL AIN’T GOING OUT IN THE RAIN IN THE HEAVY ASS COSTUMES

UNI DORMS WERE MILES AWAY

ALSO THINK OF THE PRICE TO GET IT DRY CLEANED 

AND THE DEAD PERSON WAS EXPOSED AS THE REAL HOST OF THE MURDER MYSTERY PARTY

AS WELL AS THE MURDERER OF THE NIGHT

YOU WENT THROUGH HER POCKETS AND FOUND THE MASTERLIST OF WHO WAS WHO

SHIT

for safety reasons, the party goers decide to stay in clusters

and try find the real murderer so you guys can lock them up and make sure they’re not gonna kill anyone anytime soon

you melt into wanna one’s group

they don’t question you because y’all a cute group of friends

but you guys decide to start from finding where the arrow came from

so you guys head outside (with some shotty umbrellas jisung found)

and head towards the general direction the arrow came from

seongwoo and his extra ass climbs a tree to “observe” 

he stumbles upon this machine, timed for 12 on the dot

y’aLL GET GOOSEBUMPS

SEONGWOO’S GLOATING ABOUT IT ON THE WAY BACK INSIDE

“I’M SO TALENTED, I SHOULD BE A DETECTIVE”

“k”

back inside, you find the others cornering your dormmate

because they’re known for having a rivalry with the victim

but this is the “ oh my god i hate you but i also love you” kind of rivalry

the others didn’t know that though

you knew though

so you, being the hero you are, step in

wanna one trying to hold you back because

“stAY OUT OF TROUBLE Y/N”

“thAT’S DANGEROUS”

but you end up defending your dormmate anyways

it took a lot of persuasion on your part but

you didn’t do persuasive speeches for nothing during classes

and you end up successful 

jihoon stepped in at some point to help you but that wasn’t the point

and everyone continues their search

until woojin finds this rather big muddy footprint on the marble floor

which obviously could only be there if someone went outside during the party

it hadn’t rained when the party started

and it couldn’t be any of the w1 squad

it was a different shoe size than what the 12 of you were wearing

then everyone started comparing the bottom of their shoes lmAO

it was a mess

jisung couldn’t take it anymore and just screamed at everyone

“SHUT UP!!!!!!!!! LETS JUST COMPARE ONE BY ONE OK???”

and that’s what everyone did

they came up one by one next to the print and guanlin squinted at their facial expressions to find anyone looking like they’ve just killed anyone lol

this continued until there were only a few people left

and the killer broke from pressure

he admitted that he had committed the crime

if he was gonna be exposed soon anyways, might as well admit it himself

“i was supposed to be the victim tonight, but i was the victim last year, and the year before that! it’s not fair that everyone else but me gets to have fun. i found out who the host was through multiple sources and begged her to change me for another role. but she shot me down without hesitation. i asked her why,,,, but she just looked at me coldly and said that i was only suited to be the victim. i,,,, got angry and lost control,,,,, i planned this tonight. i’m so sorry.”

he said with his head down

daniel sighed as he moved to hold the dude’s arms to his sides

“such a shame", he tuts

anD CUE THE COPS WHO BASICALLY DID NOTHING

WEE WOO WEE WOO

they show up and the murderer away

needless to say, the campus tradition was no longer continued

no one wanted to attend ever again

“hey guys, are you going next year?”

“hELL NAH”

here’s the late halloween special!!! sweats in 2.3k words

you can tell that i tried to finish it on time by how rushed the ending was,,,,,, it’s not my best aaaaa likE THE KILLER BROKE UNDER PRESSURE????? IM SO SHIT AT THIS. I’LL STICK WITH CRINGEY FLUFF FROM NOW WHE E ZES

also, my search history is filled with searches about the victorian era dsbvisb