#the hero you dream. you may find someday that you are spinning in a beautiful field only for the ground to open up under your feet. but you

[broke-on-books]

I just ran out of tags... give me a second

I've been seeing posts about Scooby Doo popping up, so I thought I'd share this:

(Source: The Scots Magazine, Feb 2023) Full text below.

This actually happened. I am obsessed!

The passion! The energy!

Amazing!

Such signage!

(Images: Daily Record)

A brilliant effort all round! The children of Scotland saved a pop culture powerhouse the world would be poorer without. I can't believe this. I love this so much.

Text of the article:

FROM THE VAULT

Strange tales from the archives. This month – How furious fans of cancelled cartoon rose up in protest.

By CHRIS Ferguson, Jan 12, 2023 (The Scots Magazine)

THROUGHOUT the ages, principled protest has been a hallmark of youth – a rite of passage for many. Today it is Greta Thunberg and her army of teen climate activists, or Extinction Rebellion protesters, who make headlines.

In the 1960s it was the Vietnam War objectors and Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament believers who set out their political agendas.

In later decades young people swelled the ranks of those demanding an end to apartheid in South Africa.

They were at the barricades as then-pm Margaret Thatcher introduced the poll tax and back out again to try to stop the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Another generation, too, had the courage of its convictions. In 1971, youngsters rose in anger at a threat to remove cowardly canine Scooby-doo from their television screens.

This was in February after the cartoon had been running for two years. Although the decision not to commission another series had been taken in the US, the BBC was the target of fans’ fury because it had to pass on the bad news to young viewers.

Within days of the announcement, an army of parka-wearing children sporting knitted jumpers and questionable hairstyles was formed.

Across Scotland children grouped together with placards, just like so many other worthy protesters before them. In Glasgow, the massed kids marched on the BBC Scotland headquarters and, in Dundee, they gathered in outrage in City Square.

Petitions were raised and demonstrations took place across the country and, by April, the BBC announced a further series had been commissioned in the US.

Legend has it these Scots Scooby fans had persuaded the American television executives to reconsider.

Hanna-barbera, the animation company behind Scooby-doo, never forgot the Scottish reaction.

A spokesman for the company said, “We’d never had a response like that before, it was very exciting.”

Beneath the main text of the article is an illustration of Scooby Doo and the gang accompanied by the pull quote: “An army of parka-wearing children was formed”

The title and byline of the article are also accompanied by a black and white photo of a boy in school uniform sitting with a little black dog in his lap, grinning and holding a sign reading "We've saved Scooby Doo" with an illustration of Scooby. The caption reads: Jimmy Brown fought to save the cartoon."]

[edenmemes]

misc poetry sentence starters

❝  one gets so used to one’s own horrors, one forgets how they must seem to other people.  ❞ ❝  you remind me what love lives in this skin.  ❞ ❝  you are the most phantom-like of all; you are a mere dream.  ❞ ❝  i’m not telling you a story so much as a shipwreck—the places floating, finally legible.  ❞ ❝  the world was made so we can find each other in it.  ❞ ❝  the night isn’t dark; the world is dark. stay with me a little longer.  ❞ ❝  i want you desperately. i want your strength and your softness, your hands, all of you.  ❞ ❝  is that too much to expect? that i would name the stars for you?  ❞ ❝  against your cheek my hand is warm and full of tenderness.  ❞ ❝  the world grows green again when you smile.  ❞ ❝  your share of pains would fill a sea.  ❞ ❝  i’m so stuck on the ‘was’ of people.  ❞ ❝  what i love in you is your power of loving, a bit wild, a bit primitive, but absolute.  ❞ ❝  i like figuring you out. you are so human and puzzling.  ❞ ❝  the unwillingness to try is worse than any failure.  ❞ ❝  you wanted happiness. i can’t blame you for that.  ❞ ❝  i did violence to my own heart.  ❞ ❝  i don’t know how to stay tender with this much blood in my mouth.  ❞ ❝  like a magpie, i am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales and dead languages.  ❞ ❝  and here you come with a shield for a heart and a sword for a tongue.  ❞ ❝  you kiss the back of my legs and i want to cry.    only the sun has come this close, only the sun.  ❞ ❝  sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof you’ve been ruined.  ❞ ❝  when will it cease, this monstrous rage of yours?  ❞ ❝  i will plant my hands in the garden. i will grow, i know, i know.  ❞ ❝  i had it all and i want it back again.  ❞ ❝  i don’t care about anyone, and the feeling is quite obviously mutual.  ❞ ❝  we are two reflections that cross swords with each other.  ❞ ❝  as for me, i am a watercolour. i wash off.  ❞ ❝  do you dare send me away as though you were were waiting for something better?  ❞ ❝  my dear, you are in danger of being burned by your own flame.  ❞ ❝  i am three oceans away from my soul.  ❞ ❝  you, occasionally, glimmer with a light i’ve never seen before. it frightens me.  ❞ ❝  i went to sleep last night so i could see you.  ❞ ❝  even the eyes of gods must adjust to light. even gods have gods.  ❞ ❝  how much can you change and get away with it, before you turn into someone else, before it’s some kind of murder?  ❞ ❝  it does me no good to be good to me now.  ❞ ❝  i may look alright, but if you were to look more closely you wouldn’t find a single healthy bit in me.  ❞ ❝  i must clothe myself in other worlds.  ❞ ❝  suffering is the privilege of those who feel.  ❞ ❝  sorry about the blood in your mouth. i wish it was mine.  ❞ ❝  the vigor, the fire, that enables you to love and create. when you lose that, you’ve lost everything.  ❞ ❝  i can be bold, because i have you with me always.  ❞ ❝  you are shaking fists and trembling teeth. i know: you did not mean to be cruel. that does not mean you were kind.  ❞ ❝  not that i want to be a god or a hero, just to change into a tree,  grow for ages, not hurt anyone.  ❞ ❝  i laughed today. for a second i was unhaunted.  ❞ ❝  you are sunlight through a window, which i stand in, warmed.  ❞ ❝  there’s something electric in your blood.  ❞ ❝  you say you are broken,   but broken mirrors like you create the most beautiful patterns of light.  ❞ ❝  time doesn’t obey our commands.  ❞ ❝  i love you quite passionately, and with a touch of tragedy.  ❞ ❝  to feel anything deranges you. to be seen feeling anything strips you naked.  ❞ ❝  i love you --- like a storm bursts overhead --- i must confess it; all the more fiercely because you burn and bite.  ❞ ❝  and i have seen rivers, not unlike you, that failed to find their way back.  ❞ ❝  i am less a god now that you’ve touched me.  ❞ ❝  your words are gentle; but my blood runs cold to think what plots you may be nursing deep within your heart.  ❞ ❝  you said i killed you --- haunt me then.  ❞ ❝  your soul is frail and solemn, loyal and spring-like.  ❞ ❝  you look like you’ve eaten the sun, like you drank so much sunlight you’re drowning in it.  ❞ ❝  strangeness is a necessary ingredient in beauty.  ❞ ❝  you will hear thunder and remember me.  ❞ ❝  ever think it’s possible for us to be happy?  ❞ ❝  and i would wonder across all the deserts of this world, even after death, to search for you.  ❞ ❝  since we’re bound to be something, why not together?  ❞ ❝  i am ashes were once i was fire.  ❞ ❝  this mouth will destroy you the moment you mistake it for something soft, for something that is yours.  ❞ ❝  it’s no easy thing to bear, the weight of sweetness.  ❞ ❝  kill the light! i’d rather wallow in the dark.  ❞ ❝  i have thought of you often since the darkness.  ❞ ❝  with your presence the sun becomes irrelevant.  ❞ ❝  there is no god left in this skin. there’s just the ash. just the ash.  ❞ ❝  open your eyes, look more sharply, see me as i am.  ❞ ❝  what the hell is tragedy? i am.  ❞ ❝  i’ve got a lot of feeling for you. you’re kind.  ❞ ❝  how beautiful it is, how beautiful, that glow before the stars break.  ❞ ❝  so much to do today: kill memory, kill pain, turn heart into a stone, and yet prepare to live again.  ❞ ❝  i am myself. that is not enough.  ❞ ❝  i may be mad, god-seized, but i will stand outside my madness.  ❞ ❝  my power, which to me is still a curse ---  ❞ ❝  ocean sea with its caressing swell; it has so often cooled my heart.  ❞ ❝  do you bathe in perfume, and dry yourself in light?  ❞ ❝  i like you; your eyes are full of language.  ❞ ❝  let me tell you what i do know.    i am more than one thing and not all of those things are good.  ❞ ❝  you are the cause and the cure --- both.  ❞ ❝  i have kisses for the back of your neck.  ❞ ❝  your beautiful glance is unbearably cruel.  ❞ ❝  we might meet again, someday between dreams at dawn.  ❞ ❝  suffering is a terrible fire; it either purifies or destroys.  ❞ ❝  lately it hurts more to imagine you are a stranger rather than a destroyer.  ❞ ❝  and i say to myself: a moon will rise from my darkness.  ❞ ❝  since you walked out on me, i’m getting lovelier by the hour. i glow like a corpse in the dark.  ❞ ❝  i will not whine. i will obey and be forever still.  ❞ ❝  you move like the moon.  ❞ ❝  my eyes ache with the weight of unshed tears.  ❞ ❝  in your eyes, the fires of twilight.  ❞ ❝  do not haunt my soul; i have done well forgetting you.  ❞ ❝  i am no one. i cannot love. it’s in my blood.  ❞ ❝  you’re wearing your armor to protect your heart. who can blame you? it only makes sense in a world like this one.  ❞ ❝  you are not real. you are a dream of a dream.  ❞ ❝  there are so many things i’m not allowed to tell you.  ❞ ❝  i am indeed a shameless, evil-minded and abominable creature.  ❞ ❝  come this evening --- i am eager for stars.  ❞ ❝  i am on fire with that soft sound you make, in uttering my name.  ❞ ❝  i want you mostly in the morning when my soul is weak from dreaming.  ❞ ❝  to me you are the desert and the sea; everything secretive.  ❞ ❝  i thought i was wounded to the core but i was only bruised.  ❞ ❝  it is a dead heart. it is inside of me. it is a stranger.  ❞ ❝  i live --- but i’m mutilated.  ❞ ❝  if there is a light then i am going to swallow it.    if there is a god then i’m going to make him cry.  ❞ ❝  i am condemned to be a saint or a monster: unable to be the one, unwilling to be the other.  ❞ ❝  you will open your wounds and make them a garden.  ❞ ❝  i come home --- and i feel like a ghost returning its haunt.  ❞ ❝  i planted roses, but without you they were thorns.  ❞ ❝  everything inside me is in revolt.  ❞ ❝  how this darkness soaks me through and through.  ❞ ❝  give me my robe, put on my crown; i have immortal longings in me.  ❞ ❝  say something dangerous like i love you.  ❞ ❝  listen, are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?  ❞ ❝  in times of crisis, we must decide again and again whom we love.  ❞ ❝  breathe the scent of little, earthly things. let the twilight touch you.  ❞ ❝  my heart is just like the ocean, has storm and calm and tides.  ❞ ❝  you became for me a sacred being, not to be touched save in adoring thoughts.  ❞ ❝  gods are stubborn. so am i.  ❞ ❝  is it better to out-monster the monster or to be quietly devoured?  ❞ ❝  there’s something soft in me. i killed it and it’s rotting.  ❞ ❝  beware. beware. there is a tenderness.  ❞ ❝  half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. real gods require blood.  ❞ ❝  i’m alive. like a wound, a flower in the flesh, the path of aching blood is open within me.  ❞ ❝  you dangle on the leash of your own longing; your need grows teeth.  ❞ ❝  i have it in me...to scare myself with my own desert places.  ❞ ❝  my mouth still houses century-old magic.     in my ears i hear a ringing and singing and no god.  ❞ ❝  keep talking. i’ll keep walking toward the sound of your voice.  ❞ ❝  i’m full of poetry now. rot and poetry. rotten poetry.  ❞ ❝  this skin is sick with loneliness.  ❞ ❝  memories are sharp. they bite. i have spent most of my life trying to grow a thicker skin just to make sure i would not bleed out whenever i felt those teeth scrape up against me.  ❞ ❝  i wonder if i will ever find a language to speak of the things that haunt me the most.  ❞ ❝  after fury, what do you do with the remains?  ❞ ❝  come on, dance with me. the earth is spinning. we can’t just stand on it.  ❞ ❝  let’s admit, without apology, what we do together.  ❞ ❝  try to find the right place for yourself. if you can’t find it, at least dream of it.  ❞ ❝  it takes grace to remain kind in cruel situations.  ❞ ❝  i am too full of life to be half-loved.  ❞ ❝  today you want nothing because wanting comes too close to feeling.  ❞ ❝  there’s nothing more terrible, more alluring, more mysterious than love.  ❞ ❝  heavenly wine and roses seem to whisper to me when you smile.  ❞ ❝  my soul is devoutly and wholly under your spell.  ❞ ❝  will you see the human in my being?  ❞ ❝  if i had a flower for every time i thought of you…i could walk through my garden forever.  ❞ ❝  part broken part whole, you begin again.  ❞ ❝  i don’t know if love’s a feeling. sometimes i think it’s a matter of seeing. seeing you.  ❞ ❝  i wonder which will get you killed faster, your loyalty or your stubbornness?  ❞ ❝  whether you come as a lover or an exeutioner, i am ready to receive you.  ❞ ❝  i think i understand your longing. it looks so much like mine.  ❞ ❝  i’ve had so many knives stuck into me. when they hand me a flower, i can’t quite make out what it is.  ❞ ❝  i like the sea: we understand one another. it is always yearning, sighing for something it cannot have; so am i.  ❞ ❝  do i not live? badly, i know, but i live.  ❞ ❝  something of you stuck with me. a splinter.  ❞ ❝  i clung to your hands so that something human might exist in the chaos.  ❞ ❝  sometimes i shut my eyes, and shut my heart towards you, and try hard to forget you because you grieve me so, but you’ll never go away. oh you never will.  ❞ ❝  my golden love, if only you knew, what precious honey you are for me.  ❞ ❝  i had an old wound once, but it is healing.  ❞ ❝  always this in-betweenness, this almost, this it might be that...  ❞ ❝  when i close my eyes, i see you. when i open my eyes i want to see you.  ❞ ❝  dark as it is --- you see, that little flickering, is the light of my soul.  ❞ ❝  am i a monster or is this what it means to be a person?  ❞ ❝  i am talking about evil. it blooms. it eats. it grins.  ❞ ❝  sapphires are those eyes of yours, ravishingly sweet.  ❞

[bookjonsa]

"Of Sansa brushing out Lady's coat and singing to herself. You know nothing Jon Snow" seems straight out of a cheesy romance novel lol. Lets be honest here.

Yeah, that's our Jon, a romantic at heart:

Calling his half sister Sansa “radiant”:

Sansa looked radiant as she walked beside him, but Jon did not like Joffrey's pouty lips or the bored, disdainful way he looked at Winterfell's Great Hall. 

—A Game of Thrones - Jon I

Dreaming about his mother:

Not my mother, Jon thought stubbornly. He knew nothing of his mother; Eddard Stark would not talk of her. Yet he dreamed of her at times, so often that he could almost see her face. In his dreams, she was beautiful, and highborn, and her eyes were kind.

—A Game of Thrones - Jon III

Playing the hero: 

Every morning they had trained together, since they were big enough to walk; Snow and Stark, spinning and slashing about the wards of Winterfell, shouting and laughing, sometimes crying when there was no one else to see. They were not little boys when they fought, but knights and mighty heroes. "I'm Prince Aemon the Dragonknight,*" Jon would call out, and Robb would shout back, "Well, I'm Florian the Fool." Or Robb would say, "I'm the Young Dragon," and Jon would reply, "I'm Ser Ryam Redwyne.**"

—A Storm of Swords - Jon XII

*Ser Aemon the Dragonknight, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, he crowned Queen Naerys his Queen of Love and Beauty.

**Ser Ryan Redwyne, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, he crowned Queen Alysanne his Queen of Love and Beauty.

Giving courtesies:

"I don't even know your name."

"Gilly, he called me. For the gillyflower."

"That's pretty." He remembered Sansa telling him once that he should say that whenever a lady told him her name. He could not help the girl, but perhaps the courtesy would please her. 

—A Clash of Kings - Jon III

Playing the honorable knight:

After that he had taken to using Ghost to keep her away. Old Nan used to tell stories about knights and their ladies who would sleep in a single bed with a blade between them for honor's sake, but he thought this must be the first time where a direwolf took the place of the sword. 

—A Storm of Swords - Jon II

Straight out the book of courtly love...

Wooing a girl:

If I could show her Winterfell . . . give her a flower from the glass gardens, feast her in the Great Hall, and show her the stone kings on their thrones. We could bathe in the hot pools, and love beneath the heart tree while the old gods watched over us.

—A Storm of Swords - Jon V

Wishing for a domestic life:

I would need to steal her if I wanted her love, but she might give me children. I might someday hold a son of my own blood in my arms. A son was something Jon Snow had never dared dream of, since he decided to live his life on the Wall. I could name him Robb. Val would want to keep her sister's son, but we could foster him at Winterfell, and Gilly's boy as well. Sam would never need to tell his lie. We'd find a place for Gilly too, and Sam could come visit her once a year or so. Mance's son and Craster's would grow up brothers, as I once did with Robb.

He wanted it, Jon knew then. He wanted it as much as he had ever wanted anything. I have always wanted it, he thought, guiltily. May the gods forgive me. 

—A Storm of Swords - Jon XII

Calling his mare “sweet lady”:

The mare whickered softly as Jon Snow tightened the cinch. “Easy, sweet lady,” he said in a soft voice, quieting her with a touch. Wind whispered through the stable, a cold dead breath on his face, but Jon paid it no mind. He strapped his roll to the saddle, his scarred fingers stiff and clumsy. “Ghost,” he called softly, “to me.” And the wolf was there, eyes like embers.

—A Game of Thrones - Jon IX

Being friends with soft boys:

Whatever pride his lord father might have felt at Samwell’s birth vanished as the boy grew up plump, soft, and awkward. Sam loved to listen to music and make his own songs, to wear soft velvets, to play in the castle kitchen beside the cooks, drinking in the rich smells as he snitched lemon cakes and blueberry tarts. His passions were books and kittens and dancing, clumsy as he was.

—A Game of Thrones - Jon IV

Sam remembered the last time he’d sung the song with his mother, to lull baby Dickon to sleep. His father had heard their voices and come barging in, angry. “I will have no more of that,” Lord Randyll told his wife harshly. “You ruined one boy with those soft septon’s songs, do you mean to do the same to this babe?” Then he looked at Sam and said, “Go sing to your sisters, if you must sing. I don’t want you near my son.”

—A Storm of Swords - Samwell III

The boy claimed to be eighteen, older than Jon, but he was green as summer grass for all that. Satin, they called him, even in the wool and mail and boiled leather of the Night’s Watch; the name he’d gotten in the brothel where he’d been born and raised. He was pretty as a girl with his dark eyes, soft skin, and raven’s ringlets.

—A Storm of Swords - Jon VII

“Night gathers, and now my watch begins,” they said, as thousands had said before them. Satin’s voice was sweet as song, Horse’s hoarse and halting, Arron’s a nervous squeak. “It shall not end until my death.”

(…)

He could smell Horse’s unwashed breeches, the sweet scent Satin combed into his beard, the rank sharp smell of fear, the giant’s overpowering musk. He could hear the beating of his own heart. ”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon VII

Satin was all grace, dancing with three serving girls in turn but never presuming to approach a highborn lady. Jon judged that wise. He did not like the way some of the queen’s knights were looking at the steward, particularly Ser Patrek of King’s Mountain. That one wants to shed a bit of blood, he thought. He is looking for some provocation.

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon X

Imagining his half sister Sansa calling the lands beyond the wall “an enchantment”:

The pale pink light of dawn sparkled on branch and leaf and stone. Every blade of grass was carved from emerald, every drip of water turned to diamond. Flowers and mushrooms alike wore coats of glass. Even the mud puddles had a bright brown sheen. Through the shimmering greenery, the black tents of his brothers were encased in a fine glaze of ice.

So there is magic beyond the Wall after all. He found himself thinking of his sisters, perhaps because he’d dreamed of them last night. Sansa would call this an enchantment, and tears would fill her eyes at the wonder of it, but Arya would run out laughing and shouting, wanting to touch it all.

—A Clash of Kings - Jon III

Giving up his deepest desire and by that, refusing to despoil his half sister Sansa of her rights:

“How can I lose men I do not have? I had hoped to bestow Winterfell on a northman, you may recall. A son of Eddard Stark. He threw my offer in my face.” Stannis Baratheon with a grievance was like a mastiff with a bone; he gnawed it down to splinters.

“By right Winterfell should go to my sister Sansa.”

“Lady Lannister, you mean? Are you so eager to see the Imp perched on your father’s seat? I promise you, that will not happen whilst I live, Lord Snow.”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon I

Jon said, “Winterfell belongs to my sister Sansa.”

“I have heard all I need to hear of Lady Lannister and her claim.” The king set the cup aside. “You could bring the north to me. Your father’s bannermen would rally to the son of Eddard Stark. Even Lord Too-Fat-to-Sit-a-Horse. White Harbor would give me a ready source of supply and a secure base to which I could retreat at need. It is not too late to amend your folly, Snow. Take a knee and swear that bastard sword to me, and rise as Jon Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.”

How many times will he make me say it? “My sword is sworn to the Night’s Watch.”

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon IV

And of course, as if he sensed he was going to die, informing us that his fondest memory of his half sister Sansa is the following:

He thought of Robb, with snowflakes melting in his hair. Kill the boy and let the man be born. He thought of Bran, clambering up a tower wall, agile as a monkey. Of Rickon’s breathless laughter. Of Sansa, brushing out Lady’s coat and singing to herself. You know nothing, Jon Snow. He thought of Arya, her hair as tangled as a bird’s nest. I made him a warm cloak from the skins of the six whores who came with him to Winterfell … I want my bride back … I want my bride back … I want my bride back …

—A Dance with Dragons - Jon XIII

He's so fluffy!  I'm gonna die!

Thanks for your message.

Good night.

[aidanchaser]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Everyone Lives AU

Table of Contents beta'd by @ageofzero @magic713m @ccboomer @aubsenroute @somebodyswatson

Chapter Eight The Wedding Reception

Ginny did not hear much of Bill and Fleur’s vows. The ceremony was lovely, really, and Fleur looked stunning, of course. Her beauty was so radiant that it made Bill, with his scars and all, more handsome just for standing beside her. Fleur was dressed in a silvery white gown and Ginny and Gabrielle in gold, and there were Flutterby bushes and golden balloons — all of it was absolutely wonderful, but by the time Bill and Fleur exchanged their first married kiss, all Ginny could think of was how much she would like to sit down.

Despite the painful pressure on her toes, she stood beside Gabrielle and Charlie as the wedding guests came to offer their congratulations and a photographer snapped shots of the wedding party. Charlie ran a hand through his short hair, probably missing all of the inches Molly had cut off last night just as much as Ginny was missing her trainers. Gabrielle fidgeted discreetly with the small bouquet, better poised than Ginny but probably just as eager to be done standing in front of a crowd.

Still, Ginny smiled as a dozen Weasley relatives paraded by and wished Bill and Fleur well. There were half as many Delacours, all with the grace and charm that Fleur, her mother, and sister shared, and all clearly descended from the same Veela grandmother.

Hagrid and Madame Maxime came to give their well-wishes, too. Hagrid wiped tears from his eyes after greeting the happy couple, and he stopped to shake Charlie’s hand.

“How’s Norbert?” he asked.

Charlie grinned. “She’s Norberta, and she’s vicious. She’s doing just fine on her own.”

Madame Maxime said something in French to Gabrielle, and Ginny tried not to look bored as she scanned the line of well-wishers. Xenophilius Lovegood’s bright yellow robes stood out like the first bloom after a frost. She did not see Luna nearby, but she did see the Potters, the Lupins, and the Longbottoms clustered together — with Sirius Black, of course.

She met Harry's eyes and straightened her posture. She thoroughly enjoyed the way his ears darkened as he looked at her. Great-Aunt Muriel may have complained about the cut of Ginny’s dress, but Ginny had no complaints, and she didn’t think Harry did either.

Her dad had suggested that the Potters disguise themselves for the wedding, but in the end, the Potters had decided that it wasn’t necessary. It would be obvious who they really were unless they distanced their false appearances from everyone they knew, and in that case, Lily had pointed out, why attend a wedding at all. Ginny was glad for it, because it meant she could kiss Harry openly.

“You look stunning,” he said, as his parents congratulated Bill and Fleur.

She grinned, and for a moment, forgot about her shoes. “Thanks. You look nice too.”

Harry looked down at his robes. Apart from his new watch chain, they were the same robes that he had worn to Dumbledore’s funeral, but she hadn’t said anything about them then. It hadn’t seemed right, even though she had thought it. Harry cleaned up well, and she liked that his hair never flattened properly. It made him look roguish and rebellious, qualities she had always appreciated in her heroes.

“Oh, ‘arry,” Fleur interrupted, turning from James and Lily for a moment, “Papa ‘as inseested zat we take a photo with all of ze Champions. I will find you after ze dance, oui?”

“Er — sure.”

Ginny squeezed Harry’s hands. “Could you save me a seat? I think the line’s almost done with.”

“You don’t want to dance?”

“I would like nothing more than to sit down and kick off these shoes for a minute, please.”

“Alright, then.” He glanced nervously at his parents, but when he saw they were turned away to say something to the Longbottoms, he kissed her.

Ginny, who had done everything she could to abandon shyness, could not help but find Harry’s embarrassment cute. Perhaps it was foolish of her to think she liked everything about Harry, and maybe someday she would grow annoyed with his modesty around his parents, but right now, she loved everything — well, almost everything.

She had to admit, she was not fond of this dangerous quest business. Though she had always admired Harry for his bravery and his commitment to doing the right thing, she wished that didn’t come with a year of separation for them. It was hard not to feel abandoned, even though she knew that wasn’t the truth of the matter at all.

At least she knew that the mirror was tucked safely in her trunk. She did feel some guilt about having taken it from James and Lily — but not enough to return it.

And anyway, she did not truly believe that Harry would be separated from them all together. James, Lily, and Sirius would not let Harry be on his own for long. They didn’t need the mirror, not as much as she did.

At least, that was what she told herself, and what she had told Hermione when Hermione had asked her if this was the right choice.

The band began to play the song for Bill and Fleur’s first dance, and Ginny slipped away as quickly as she could without seeming anxious to get away. She found Harry seated at a table with Luna, Neville, Ron, and Hermione, and she gratefully sank into the open seat next to Harry.

“You look lovely, Ginny,” Luna said with a smile.

Ginny smiled and reached down to undo the strap of her heel. “You do too, Luna.”

Luna smiled. Her robes were as brightly colored as her father’s, and while they stood out, they suited Luna.

“I told Daddy everyone would be in dress robes,” she said, “but he believes you ought to wear sun colours to a wedding, for luck, you know.”

Ginny looked down at her gold dress. “Close enough.”

The tent was filled with applause as the song ended. The band followed up with another slow waltz; Ginny’s father took Mrs. Delacour’s hand, and Mr. Delacour took her mother’s. Slowly, the dance floor filled with couples.

“Oh, I love this song,” Luna said dreamily, and stood.

“Er — could I join you?” Neville asked, his cheeks bright pink.

Luna beamed.

Ron pursed his lips as Luna twirled in a circle and pulled Neville into the spin with her. He stumbled over his own feet, but successfully avoided a full sprawl into the floor.

“I suppose that fits alright,” Ron said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ginny asked, not caring to shield the acid in her voice.

“Er — you know. They’re just… er — Hermione, care for a dance?”

Hermione looked pleased to be asked, and readily took Ron’s hand.

Ginny frowned as Ron disappeared into the crowd. She felt particularly protective of Luna and Neville, having briefly dated each of them — or at least, she had gone on a date with each of them. Though neither outing had formed into a lasting relationship, she cared very much for the two of them, and did not think it fair of Ron to disparage them in any way.

Next to her, Harry stifled a yawn, and Ginny leaned her head against his shoulder.

“Not sleeping well without me?” she teased.

He hummed thoughtfully, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He did not answer her question, though.

Harry had a habit of getting lost in his own head. She had first noticed it during their shared summer in Grimmauld Place. His vacant expression would appear towards the end of meals, or sometimes in the middle of cleaning. Hermione had speculated that it might be the side-effect of a dementor attack, but Ginny knew better, because Ginny still got lost in her own mind from time to time. Sometimes, it was just too easy to walk the paths of dark memories. She didn’t know why her mind veered towards dangerous corridors habitually, like a familiar road home, but she worked very hard to tread new paths, to forge brighter places to walk. She wanted Harry to forge those new paths, too.

“Harry?” Ginny asked. “You still in there?”

“Er — sorry. Just… Do you know someone named Gregorovitch?”

Ginny frowned and racked her brain for the name. She came up blank. “You don’t mean Gorgovitch? From the Chudley Cannons?”

Harry ran a hand through his hair. His eyes were still distant, still wandering “No. I don’t think so. But maybe it does have something to do with Quidditch…”

“Where did you hear it?”

“In a dream.”

Ginny shook her head. “Well, I can’t think of any Quidditch players named Gregorovitch. At least not in Britain.” She was about to suggest Harry ask Ron, though she doubted Ron would have any better ideas, when she saw Viktor Krum standing near the dance floor, with a drink in his hand, chatting with Cedric Diggory.

“You could ask Krum,” she suggested. “He probably knows the names of loads more international players than I do.”

Harry’s brow creased. “Krum… — Oh, no. Fleur’s found them.”

“She’s waving you over.” Ginny slid her shoes back on and regretted it instantly. Her feet throbbed before she had even finished fastening the straps.

“I don’t want to pose for anymore Triwizard Champions photos.”

“Don’t worry; there won’t be another until they trot you all out in a hundred years to revive the competition, when you’re all withered and grey. Take this one. It’s the last one you’ll look good in.”

Harry laughed, and Ginny smiled, despite her feet. She took his hand as they left their seats.

“Venez vite!” Fleur said, waving her hand. Even as hurried as she was, she made the wave look graceful.

Harry picked up his pace with a strained smile. Ginny lagged behind, afraid to tumble in her tight, tall shoes.

She wondered how much more of this there would be if Harry survived the war, how many more photographs Harry would be dragged into. He was The Chosen One, the saviour of the Wizarding World, and five years from now, ten years from now… How would she fit into all of that?

Ginny hastily banished the thought. She didn’t like to think that far into the future. It was full of too much uncertainty. If Harry survived. If Ron survived. If Hermione survived. If her parents survived, her brothers —

For now, she was just happy to have today.

“They really do make quite the intimidating set,” a young man beside Ginny said.

She frowned up at the vaguely familiar face, tried to place the pale blonde hair and green eyes. He was graceful enough to be a cousin of Fleur’s but something nagged in her that she had seen him at Hogwarts before.

He carried two drinks, but he did not offer one to her. When he realised she was staring, he raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t remember me? That’s alright. You were about waist-high last time we met. I’m Christian Thelborne. I’d shake your hand, but —” He held up the two goblets apologetically.

His name slid into Ginny’s memory like a nail splintering wood. He was a former Gryffindor prefect, and during her first year at Hogwarts, he had caught her out of bed after hours. He had walked her back to Gryffindor Tower and had promised not to mention a word of their encounter to Percy. Ginny didn’t remember much about that night, except that she had been stressed to the point of tears, and Percy scolding her had been just a tiny part of that stress.

“Sorry,” she said, and tried to focus on the balloons that drifted behind Christian’s head, rather than recalling that dark Hogwarts corridor. “I don’t remember much of my first year.”

“I try not to remember mine, either,” he said with a grimace. “Fell flat on my face in my first flying lesson. Put me off Quidditch forever.”

Ginny laughed politely, grateful for the shift in conversation. Her gratitude, however, did not last long.

“Percy says you’re a fair flyer yourself.”

“More than fair,” she said, perhaps a bit more heatedly than Christian deserved, but not nearly as much as Percy deserved.

“Shame he isn’t here. I was looking forward to slipping a Cockroach Cluster into his drink for old times’ sake.”

“I’m sure he’s working,” she snapped, and wished desperately for Christian to stop talking.

“Scrimgeour gave him the day off, actually. I’m not sure that makes it any better, knowing he had a choice.”

Ginny bit down on her tongue to refrain from making any further disparaging comments, and to simply end the conversation. She had spent the hour before the ceremony consoling her mother, who had tearfully suggested they should delay another ten minutes, twenty minutes, that perhaps he was running late, perhaps he had gotten stuck or splinched. She would not add to her mother’s grief by letting her know that Scrimgeour had given Percy leave to attend today, and Percy had still refused it.

Her silence, apparently, communicated all of that better than her acrid tone had.

“I’m sorry,” Christian said. “He and I were good friends once upon a time. I just thought — ah, it looks like our boys have finished with the spotlight for now.”

Fleur kissed each of her fellow Champions on the cheek and flitted off to greet other guests. Ginny hoped that Fleur would pause for a moment to eat or enjoy Bill’s company, but she doubted a bride was afforded that sort of privilege on her wedding day. Ginny privately vowed that whenever that day came for her, she would only have close friends nearby, and it would be nothing more ostentatious than a Quidditch Cup victory celebration.

The only trick to it would be making sure her mother didn’t catch wind of the wedding until it was about to begin.

Now that the photographs had concluded, Ginny and Christian rejoined the group of Champions. Ginny wrapped her arm around Harry’s, and thought he looked just as relieved to be done with photographs as she was to be free of her uncomfortable conversation with Christian. Christian handed one of his glasses to Cedric.

“Thanks,” Cedric said, and took a sip of the drink “Harry, I don’t know if you’ve met Christian Thelborne —”

“I’m surprised we haven’t met yet,” Christian said, and shook Harry’s hand. “I was a prefect for Gryffindor your first few years at Hogwarts. Your mother was one of my favourite professors.”

“Er — sorry I don’t remember you,” Harry said.

“You had a lot going on those first few years. And every year thereafter, from what Cedric’s said.”

“I think we all had a lot going on,” Cedric said. “They ought to change the school motto to ‘never an uneventful year.’”

“Not a bad idea. My first year, a curse had people Sleepwalking into the Forbidden Forest,” Christian said, with a laugh that didn’t match his words. “Had all of us firsties terrified to go to bed at night.”

Krum frowned. “That sounds horrible.”

“A student was killed in my first year,” Cedric said, staring thoughtfully into his glass. “I didn’t know them but it certainly… set a tone.”

Ginny had only been eight years old that year, but she remembered when Charlie had come home from Hogwarts. He hadn’t been the same Charlie that hed left. Sure, he would still coax gnomes out of their garden with treats and still fall asleep in the chicken coop, but he had quit Quidditch and spent more time on his own than playing with her that summer.

Tragedy changed people. It had changed her, it had changed Harry — and her gut twisted as she considered that tragedy was far from over for all of them.

Ginny swallowed and pushed down her fears. In search of a lighter topic of conversation, she asked, “Krum, how are the playoffs shaping up?”

“Senegal looks very good this year,” Krum said quickly, clearly grateful for the lifeline. “Ve vere supposed to play Ireland last week but Ryan did not show and they had to forfeit. It vas not the satisfying rematch I had hoped for.”

“Didn’t I read that you’re practically qualified for the Cup already?” Cedric asked.

“Perhaps. Ve are doing vell in our group, but I do not think ve vill get very far in the playoffs.” Krum shrugged, but Ginny could see the disappointment in his dark eyes. “Vat about you, Cedric, and you, Harry? Vill either of you be going out for a team for the next Cup?”

“I don’t think I’m quite good enough,” Harry admitted. “Maybe in a few years — I mean, I’ve only really won the school championship one time. Every other time, well, it was mostly Ginny. Maybe you’ll be playing against her in a few years.”

“Perhaps I vill.” Krum said. “If she is as good a flyer as you vere vith that dragon, she vill have no trouble finding a team.”

“She’s much better,” Harry promised.

Ginny could not contain her smile. “I’ll see you at the oh-two cup, certainly.”

“I am counting on it,” Krum said with a small nod and a faint smile, something Ginny did not think he showed very often.

Krum’s smile, however, was brief. It turned into a rather dark scowl at something over Ginny’s shoulder. “Who is that?” he asked, voice low. “And vat is he vearing?”

Ginny glanced behind her, unsure what had Krum so angry. She squinted at the crowd of guests, most seated and talking or filling the dance floor. No one stood out as particularly offensive, except perhaps the Lovegoods’ bright yellow robes.

“D’you mean Xenophilius Lovegood?” Harry asked. “I think yellow robes are supposed to be lucky at a wedding, or something.”

“No,” Krum said. “I do not mean his robes. I mean the symbol around his neck.”

Ginny had to squint to see the silver charm dangling from the chain around Xenophilius’ neck. She hadn’t noticed it when he had greeted the wedding party, but she had been preoccupied by everything else he was wearing. She didn’t recognise the strange triangle enclosing a round eye, but surely it was just another Lovegood eccentricity.

Christian, though, made a noise of disgust that matched Krum’s scowl. “I can’t imagine someone would be comfortable sporting Grindelwald’s symbol like that, and in this crowd no less.”

“Grindelwald?” Ginny frowned. “The Dark wizard?”

“It does have a history beyond Grindelwald,” Christian said, “but that doesn’t really matter. I remember assigning a mouthy Ravenclaw a week of detention for etching it into one of his textbooks.”

“There vere always supporters of Grindelvald at Durmstrang, even after his imprisonment in Nurmengard, and those of us who had lost family to Grindelvald vere alvays happy to put them in their place.”

Harry stared at Krum. “I didn’t know…”

“Vy vould you? My grandfather was just one of many that he killed. Grindelvald vas never as poverful in this country. You do not learn his history apart from Dumbledore defeating him.”

“I was taught plenty, but my great-grandfather died fighting Grindelwald.” Christian took another sip of his drink. “I’m named after him.”

Harry looked surprised. “Er — me too. My great-grandfather fought Grindelwald, and that’s why my parents named me after him.”

Christian raised his eyebrows. “An honour we get to share in, then. May we each do them proud.”

Cedric, in a very small and easy to miss gesture, reached for Christian’s hand and squeezed it. Christian did not react, but Ginny wondered how many conversations they must have had about Grindelwald, and about Voldemort.

“Ve vill all do our part,” Krum said, and pulled out his wand to Refill his glass.

Harry stiffened, suddenly, and blurted out, “Gregorovitch!”

Krum frowned. “Yes?”

“Er — nothing. Nevermind. Sorry. I just remembered your wand wasn’t made by Ollivander, that’s all.”

“Is that important?”

“I just — er — was trying to remember — I thought —”

Ginny had always found Harry to be a terrible liar, but he was floundering spectacularly in this moment. She decided to lend him a hand.

“His mum lost her wand in a duel,” Ginny supplied. “With Ollivander still missing, we weren't sure where she might get a replacement.”

Krum nodded. “I haff heard of Ollivander’s disappearance. But I am afraid Gregorovitch cannot help your mother. He retired years ago. I vos one of the last to purchase a vand from him.”

“Lily Potter doesn’t have a wand?” Christian asked with a slight frown.

“When Yaxley blew up my parents’ home,” Cedric said, “he nearly took Lily with it.”

“You didn’t mention that she was there.”

Cedric shrugged. “I didn't think it mattered.”

But Cedric did not meet Christian’s eyes, and Christian stared at him with a frown that Ginny was unfortunately familiar with. She had too much experience with half-spoken fights and half-hidden secrets in relationships. Though she knew that Cedric and Christian would have to discuss this, perhaps a wedding was not the best place for it.

“How is staying with Mad-Eye?” she asked Cedric. “I imagine coming home must require thirteen passwords and seven incantations.”

Cedric gave her a smile, full of relief and humour in equal measure. “You're half-right. I had never loved my job more than the days when coming home meant facing an Azkaban-level interrogation. It's nice to be shot of that, finally.”

Harry frowned. “Have your parents fixed your house already?”

“Well, Christian’s lease was up, and he and Anne wanted a bigger space, so he asked —”

“Begged,” Christian corrected with a smile.

“Fine, Christian begged me to move in with him.”

“It took weeks of convincing. While I would love to see Yaxley in Azkaban, I can't help but think if he hadn’t forced you to live with Mad-Eye, you never would have agreed.”

“When are you moving in?” Harry asked.

Ginny frowned at Harry, and tried to understand why there was anger in his question. Christian, despite his inane need to bring up her estranged brother and his distaste for Quidditch, seemed pleasant enough. Why shouldn't Harry be happy that Cedric had an easy escape from Mad-Eye’s house?

“This morning,” Cedric said. “We’ve got a good deal of unpacking to do tonight.” He turned to Krum. “Do you have a match tomorrow? If not, come over and help. Anne’s promised to have some bottles ready to break the place in.”

Ginny laced her fingers into Harry’s suddenly tight fist. She did not understand his frustration, but she knew it would be best to get them both away to talk about it.

“Harry,” she said, “I’m afraid my feet are killing me. Can we sit down?”

Once they had made their polite exit and were well away from Christian, Cedric, and Krum, Ginny asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing,” Harry said. He pulled out a seat for her at an empty table, but she did not take it.

“Harry James Potter, don't you lie to me after I gave you a lovely out from a conversation that upset you.”

He grimaced and she thought she ought to use his full name more often.

“It's just —” He ran his hand through his hair. “I thought Cedric was leaving with me, that's all. But it certainly sounded like he was making plans for the opposite.”

Ginny, glad that Harry had given her the honest answer, took a seat. “It could be a cover.”

“Then why only agree to move in with Christian after Yaxley’s attack?” he asked, and practically fell into the seat beside her. “That was less than a week ago, and we had just talked about…” Harry glanced around, but there did not appear to be anyone listening. He leaned closer to Ginny and lowered his voice all the same. “Hermione and Ron put all this effort into disappearing without getting caught. But Cedric’s making more commitments, and even long-term plans. It doesn't sound like he’s thinking about hunting… you-know-whats. I just wish he had told me that he had changed his mind, I guess.”

Ginny frowned. Cedric was not the sort who backed away from a fight. He might take a while to get there, but he showed up. He had supported Harry in the interview with Rita Skeeter, and had even taken what he could of Umbridge’s abuse in order to shield Harry. He had insisted on following Harry into the Department of Mysteries, even when Regulus had advised against it. She did not think Cedric would abandon Harry now, not when they were so close to finishing this.

“I’m sure Cedric knows what he’s doing,” she finally said.

“I don't know how I would do this without him.”

Ginny squeezed his hand. She, too, did not know what she would do if Ron, Hermione, and Harry had to strike out on their own. Knowing that Cedric and Regulus were involved in this quest gave her some peace of mind. Yes, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were of age now but it wasn’t the same as Cedric, who was nearly a full-fledged Auror, or Regulus, who had fought in the first war, albeit on the wrong side.

“Why are you dreaming about a foreign wandmaker?” she asked, and grabbed a bottle of champagne that drifted past Harry’s head.

Harry watched her pour the champagne into two flutes. He did not answer right away, and she wondered if he was searching for a lie. Then he said, “I think Voldemort’s hunting him. I don’t know why. He has Ollivander…”

“You’re dreaming about Ollivander, too?”

Harry grimaced. “Sort of.”

“Is that… safe?” Ginny didn’t know much about Harry’s Occlumency lessons with Snape, but she did remember his parents had valued Occlumency over their hatred of Umbridge, and that said a lot.

“You mean is Ollivander safe? He isn’t.”

“I mean your dreams, Harry.”

Harry shrugged. “Safe or not, I can’t exactly help it. Not unless —” He ducked his head, and looked away. She thought for a moment he wasn’t going to finish his thought and she was going to have to push him again, but he mumbled, “not unless you want to sleep next to me every night.”

She was certain that she had misheard him. “What?”

“I don’t… I don’t dream about Voldemort when I’m with you. Not that I don’t have dreams — and not that I don’t have bad dreams — but it’s different.”

Her face flushed and her stomach filled with Flitterby bushes. “Oh —”

“Ginny!” A pair of heavy hands planted itself on her shoulders. She jumped and spilled her champagne onto the table. “What’s a young thing like you doing sitting down at an event like this? You should be out on the dance floor!”

Ginny, though she was startled and a bit annoyed to have been interrupted, smiled up at her uncle. Uncle Gideon was her favourite uncle, after all. She could forgive him this intrusion.

“In these shoes?” she said. “My feet are pressed tighter than a goat caught in a dragon’s maw.”

Gideon laughed as he fell into the seat next to her. His large belly jostled the table, again knocking over the glass she had just righted, and his lankier brother, Fabian, leaned against it to steady it as he also took a seat.

“Why aren’t you two out on the dance floor?” she shot back and refilled her glass.

Fabian shrugged as he reached into his coat and pulled out a pipe. “No one’s interested in a man with only one hand for caressing.”

Ginny wrinkled her nose. “Sorry that I asked.”

But she grinned as she said it. She’d always liked Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon’s sense of humour. She didn’t know how they’d been raised by the same parents as her over-worried and controlling mother, but they’d gained a special place in Ginny’s heart when they had gifted her her first broom for her fifth birthday.

Gideon used his wand to light Fabian’s pipe, then stuffed his own. “So, Potter, Molly tells us you plan to be off and running soon.”

“Er — yeah, something like that.”

“Molly asked us to talk Ron out of it,” Fabian murmured. He took a long, slow draw on his pipe. “Don’t think we stand much chance of that, and less chance of talking you out of it.”

“I’ve made up my mind,” Harry said. “And Ron’s welcome to make his own decision.”

Ginny reached under the table for Harry’s hand. She did not know if Fabian or Gideon heard the sting in Harry’s voice, but after hearing his concerns about Cedric, it was obvious to her that even the question of Ron leaving hurt.

Gideon shook his head. “No need to draw wands about it. Secrets are part and parcel for the Order — and for Dumbledore.”

“But,” Fabian added in a low voice, “secrets have consequences. Are you prepared for that, Harry?”

“Of course I am,” Harry said quickly. “I’ve faced Voldemort before.”

Gideon lit his pipe. “Our advice is to know when to back down, when to cut and run — and when to ask for help.”

“It’s better,” Fabian added, “to fight another day than to never fight again, even if it means coming home missing a piece or two.”

“I have help,” Harry said. “Regulus knows what we have to do.”

This did not bring Ginny’s uncles any comfort.

Gideon frowned. “I remember bringing Black in. Escorted him and his friends in and out of Azkaban for their trial, too.”

“Didn’t trust anyone else,” Fabian added. “Though I always thought it would be the Lestranges who pulled something first.”

“You never suspected that Barty Crouch would escape?” Ginny asked.

“Not for a minute,” Gideon grunted. “Thought the kid would die in there, and wasn’t surprised when that was the news that came out a few weeks later. Apparently Black’s the one we should have watched out for. Though I can’t say I expected him to live very long, either. There wasn’t much left of him when we found him.”

“No,” Fabian agreed quietly, “not much of him at all. The trial nearly did him in, too.” He stared at the crowd of dancers thoughtfully. “I had always had the idea that he and Barty were dueling when we found them, though I could never decide over what. And Black never said anything to suggest that he hadn’t been at that house with Barty and the Lestranges.”

“Dumbledore said that Regulus betrayed Voldemort, and wanted to keep his betrayal a secret,” Harry said. “Maybe he was more afraid of Voldemort than of Azkaban.”

“But by then, Voldemort was long dead,” Gideon grunted. “If he wanted to be on our side, he had plenty of chances to offer it. Even when we met him after Voldemort’s return, Dumbledore only ever told us that Black was willing to offer information to the Order, but we weren’t to trust him any further than that. I saw the appeal of having an informant, but it always felt a bit like keeping a snake in the cradle.”

“I suppose the snake was Snape all along,” Fabian said. His gaze and voice were still distant, as if he had forgotten he was participating in the conversation.

Harry tensed beside Ginny and she squeezed his hand again. She had never liked Snape either, but his complete betrayal had shocked her, too. It must have been so much worse for Harry, who had believed that Snape loved Lily. It must have been so much worse for the Potters, to know that it was Snape who had shared the prophecy with Voldemort in the first place.

“It feels like we always should have known,” Gideon said. “But that’s what everyone said about Pettigrew, too.”

“What did people say about Peter?” Harry asked quickly.

Gideon shrugged. “That he was quiet, bumbling, and easily persuaded. That it was obvious he was the mole.”

“But,” Fabian’s attention returned to the table, “everyone said the same of Sirius that first week after the attack on the Potters. That he was a Black, that he had always hated Lily, that it was obvious he would betray the Potters. People changed their tune quickly after they learned that Pettigrew was responsible.”

Ginny frowned. “Are you saying it’s never obvious?”

“Nothing is in war,” Gideon said. “All we do is built on lies and secrets. It comes with the job.”

“No one knew that better than Dumbledore,” Fabian said. “I expect that’s why no one ever knew him very well.”

“Doge knew him alright,” Gideon said. “Better than the rest of us, anyway.”

“Even better than Aberforth, I’d wager.”

“Who’s Aberforth?” Ginny asked.

“Dumbledore’s brother,” Fabian said. “Younger, I think.”

Harry frowned. “I think I saw a photograph of him once. Isn’t he in the Order?”

Gideon shrugged. “He feeds us information from time to time.”

“Was he at Dumbledore’s funeral?” Ginny asked.

Fabian and Gideon frowned at each other, as if each expected the other to know.

“I don’t recall,” Fabian finally said.

Ginny considered her own absent brother. If Greyback had killed Bill back in June, and her family had gathered for a funeral instead of a wedding, would Percy have attended?

“I wonder what they fought over,” she murmured.

“Doge wrote in his obituary that they never quite recovered after their sister died,” Gideon said. “They had a rather public fight over her grave in Godric’s Hollow. I expect something as tragic as that could very easily tear a family apart.”

“Godric’s Hollow?” Harry asked. “She’s buried there?”

“It’s where Dumbledore spent most of his youth,” Fabian said. “At least, when he wasn’t at Hogwarts.”

Harry frowned. “I never knew…”

“Most of us didn’t,” said Fabian. “Like Gideon said — lies and secrets come with what we do.”

“But Dumbledore hasn’t always led the Order,” Harry said. “Even before —”

“Even before the Order there was Grindelwald,” Gideon said. “The Wizarding World has looked to Dumbledore as a leader and defender for forty years. A man like that doesn’t get to be a man, not even to his friends.”

“He’s simply a legend,” Fabian said. “A fate I pray none of us have to live with, especially you, Harry.”

Harry fingered the stem of his champagne glass with a brooding face. Ginny searched for something to say to pull him out of his head again.

“Harry,” she tried for a bright voice, “how about that dance?”

He blinked at her. “Er — are you sure —”

She was already on her feet and pulling him out of his chair. “Come on, I really like this song.”

Harry did not look convinced, but he followed her all the same, and they both made hasty goodbyes to her uncles.

“I was getting a bit tired of all of that anyway,” she said as she led him to the dance floor.

“I thought it was interesting.”

“Talking about dying?”

“Talking about Dumbledore. I don’t know, I think if I knew him better, maybe I’d understand what he wanted me to do next.”

As they reached the crowd of dancers, Ginny put Harry’s hands on her waist. “Doge is supposed to be here somewhere,” she said. “Do you want to ask him?”

His hands pressed against her dress of their own accord and he pulled her a little closer. “No, I do want to dance. Maybe after —”

But there would be no after. A silver streak of light passed through the party and came to a halt in the center of the dance floor. It took the form of a lynx, glittering like a star against the backdrop of golden lights strung up in the tent.

The music stopped abruptly, and through the silence, Kingsley Shacklebolt’s deep voice boomed, “The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.”

[violetnotez]

One Dance |2|

Kaminari x Dancer! Reader

Anon: Hello! ^v^ I just found your blog and I really like your writing! Would you mind doing a part two to the One Dance one-shot with Kaminari? I thought that one was really cute. >v< Thank you!

Omg anon I’m so sorry this took so long to write but I hope you enjoy! You may need to read Part 1 to understand the intial plot, but it may be readable without viewing it (????)

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 2000+

Warnings: maybe some mild cussing?

Summary: After you finally finish your video for a dance scholarship, Kaminari takes you out to ask you to be his-but he gets sidetracked when a group of friends want to butt in

(RULES  | MASTERLIST| REQUESTS CLOSED) 

Part 1

You and Kaminari had been practicing tirelessly for weeks now, teaching him each step, each turn, each musical note needed to make your vision come to life.

Kami was surprisingly a very good dance partner-he learned decently quick, had good musically, and was always optimistic. He had you laughing the whole time, whether it be him taking a ridiculous tumble or him just tickling your side when you two became closer during the dance. He always knew how to make you smile.

Denki was your best friend, and as much as you told yourself your feelings for him were only that of a love for a friend, you knew it was more.

And Kaminari felt the same way.

“You think it’s good enough to send in?” You asked nervously, you teeth mindlessly gnawing on your bottom lip.

“Of course it is y/n, we look sick!” He said excitedly, a blush creeping on his cheeks. He couldn’t help but feel a rush of heat whenever you bite your lips-it was something he loved and he couldn’t help but stare at you whenever you did it.

You huffed, your slightly damp locks clinging to the back of your neck.

“I don’t know...I just feel like I look kinda dumb...like look at that spin I didn’t even point my toes all the way-“

Kaminari jumped up, interjecting you. He could never understand why you doubted yourself so much-in his eyes, you were simply amazing and absolutely perfectly imperfect to him. From the way you smiled, to your laugh, to even when you rolled your eyes at him when he was being annoying-he couldn’t get enough of you.

“Y/n-you look great. Seriously-you look freaking stunning! Don’t be worried about it, just post it!”

You looked down, your head spinning from Denki calling you “stunning”- it made your insides feel warm and ticklish, but did he really mean it? Maybe he was just being nice…..

“I don’t know….one more run-I just don’t feel good about it-“

Kaminari has heard enough of your insecurities, deciding to reach across your lap and yank your laptop away from you.

“Hey what are you-“ you cried, your stomach doing somersaults as Kaminari laid across your lap. his fingers working quickly to send in the video, his stomach lying on top of your criss-crossed legs.

“Got it-Ta-da!” He beamed at the screen, the white confirmation page making his honey yellow eyes strikingly bright.

Fear filled your stomach as you realized you couldn’t take back what Kaminari just didn-you knew you had to send in the video-it was due at 12am, and it was already inching towards 11 pm. But your anxiety stilled caused you to want to wait, to take a few more takes, to practice a little more….. you knew if it weren’t for Denki, you probably ever send in the video.

“Kami!” You yelled in mock anger, “Why'd you have to go and do that!”

Kaminari rolled off your stomach, crouching next to you. He was confused-were you really mad at him? He didn’t mean to make you upset-he just saw how amazingly talented you were. He wanted you to win this scholarship, so you could pursue your dreams: he just wanted you to be happy.

He crouched, searching your face with so much intent you were having trouble keeping your angry facade.

“What’s the matter? We had to send it at some point.”

“I know, it’s just-I wanted it to be perfect. I really need this money, Kami.”

“I know...and you are gonna get that money! Just you wait, you’ll be getting that ‘Congratulations’ email before you know it,” he gave you a playful wink,your breath hitching from it.

His face broke from his playful demeanor, worry crawling through.

“You're not mad at me though, right?”

You sighed, wracking a hand through your hair before you flashed him a small smile.

“I could never stay mad at you Kami.”

“Good!” He grinned, your smile making his heart pace. “Cause I wanted to take you somewhere.”

You cocked your head, confusion riddled in your brows. “Somewhere? Where did you have in mind?”

Kaminari shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hide the massive amount of panic flooding his body.

“Just to grab a bite-how about some ice cream?”

You smiled, nerves flooding your body. You knew you shouldn’t be nervous around him, he was your best friend after all. But every time you two hanged out, it made you feel as if you were on a first date-except you weren’t, and it made you slightly saddened that it wasn’t. But he was your best friend, and you didn’t want to ruin that-you couldn’t lose him.

“Sure! Why not?” You grinned, Denki handing you his hand to help you get up. He pulled you up with that surprising amount of strength he had-all that hero training had given him a lot of control and power in his body, something you admired as well as secretly fawned over.

His hand was warm and calloused against yours, Denki praying to god you weren’t feeling how sweaty he was. He was extremely nervous-because you had no idea what he was planning.

After spending every day after school working on this scholarship with you, he had realized he couldn’t hide his feelings for you anymore-every time you touched him, even if it was just a light brush on his skin, made him feel like he was short circuiting. Everytime you smiled at him it made his head race, and everytime he got to hold you made his heart soar. He couldn’t bear the idea of you being with anyone but him-it would crush him if you were someone else and he didn’t even at least try to win you over. He knew the consequences of him revealing his true feelings-he could lose you as his best friend-but he was ready to risk that. He was ready to risk it all just for the chance to call you his.

“You ready for the best night of your life??” He chuckled cheerfully, trying to be as cheery as possible.

You laughed, loving the infectious way Kaminari could be so happy and bright, your cheeks warm as he still held firmly onto your hand.

“Let me get my stuff-and we’ll get this ‘Best Night’ going,” you smiled, sadly letting go of his hand so you could grab your wallet and quickly freshen up from dancing.

Kaminari sighed, missing your smaller hand in his-but if this night went how he hoped it would, it would be more common. He had been planning this night for weeks-he had wanted to take you out somewhere nice sooner, to ask you if you’d be his, but you were so worried over your dance routine that he didn’t want to bombard you with his emotions. It was never in Kaminari’s nature to be patient, but for you, he made an exception and did his best to keep in his emotions. He was practically exploding at this point, annoying all of Baku Squad now with all his questions-like where to take you, what to do, how to drop the question. Mina has been the most supportive, helping to plan the whole stunt while Sero and Kirishima added in their own ideas. But now Mina would exasperatedly tell him to just “trust his instincts”, Bakugo grumbling how much of an idiot he was.

But how was supposed to “trust his instincts”- half the time his “instincts” got him in trouble or hurt. He shoved his hands into his joggers, willing his racing heart to go at a steadier best.. He had to calm down-if he didn’t this night would never go well.

“ice cream?” You asked, looking at the outside of the vintage red building. “Isn’t this a little fancy for late night food?”

“Where’s you expect us to go,” he laughed nervously, “Taco Bell?”

You shrugged, a little confused-Kaminari was the biggest foodie for fast food-anything with a sodium content that could inflate you like a balloon was all he ever ate. So him actually wanting to go eat somewhere relatively nice was a shock to you.

“Well, kinda yeah…”

You stepped inside, a cool blast of chilly air freezing your still hot skin. The inside was just like an old school ice cream parlor-dainty 50s music played, the fluorescent lights making the black and white tiles of the floor gleam like bright stars. The walls were adorned with memorabilia from many years ago, making it feel like you stepped back in time.

“Oh my god Kaminari,” you gasped, “where did you even find this place?? It’s adorable!”

He beamed like a happy puppy who did his first trick correctly-he had a hunch you would like the place after scrounging the web for hours for an interesting place to take you, but was so worried you wouldn’t like it at all.

“Cmon babe, I knew you well enough!” He joked, his cheeks red-he always called you babe, it was a simple and innocent pet name he had for you, but now with his intentions to make your relationship more intimate it was almost crossing a line.

Your cheeks were red too, that bittersweet word making your spine tingle. You loved it when he called you ‘babe’, but you didn’t expect him to like you back like you did-it reminded you that someday he’d be calling someone else that, and it stung. You brushed it off, trying not to pay attention to the resounding thumping in your chest.

You walked in, your face in awe by the adorable beauty of the parlor, Kaminari staring at you dreamily. You looked so cute when you were completely in shock-oh crap, you just smiled at him-he felt his head spin from that small gesture-Geez you’d be the end of him.

“What do you think you’re gonna get Kami?” You asked, his face in a daze.

“Huh?” He shook his head, his long locks shimmering in the lights. “Oh-uh-I don’t know! Everything looks really good…”

He stuffed his hand in his pockets, looking around the store. He could care less what he ate-he just needed to find the perfect place to sit...somewhere secluded but not so far away that you got creeped out being that alone with him..:he didn’t want you thinking he was taking you on a date prematurely. He continued to look around, until his eyes fell upon a group of very strangely dressed teens.

He cranes his head to get a better look at them.

They looked kinda familiar…

His heart jumped painfully-all of them were wearing black hoodies, the girl with painfully noticeable pink skin wearing sunglasses, two of the boys wearing fake mustaches, and the other one was pouting like a certain hothead he knew-

“You gotta be kidding me.”

He anxiously looked around, hoping against hope his group of friends didn’t bring anybody else-to his relief everyone else he saw were complete strangers. Then he turned to you, and to his relief, you were still looking at the menu and debating what to buy.

“Hey,um , I gotta go use the bathroom-“ he said hastily, “Ill be back before you know it!”

“Hm?” You hummed, “Okay Kami-“

You turned around, and were met with an empty space next to you-he had seemingly disappeared.

As you were trying to figure out how the living hell Kaminari had left so quickly, he was dodging other customers in the building, making a beeline to his friends, who were enjoying little bowls of slightly melted ice cream.

“What the hell are all doing here?!” He asked accusingly, placing both his hands on the wooden table.

“Omg hey Kami!” Mina greeted, ignoring the look of annoyance on his face. “You’re kinda late-you said you were gonna take y/n here at 10:30, it’s already been like an hour!”

“Wait- you’ve been waiting here?! Why?!”

Sero grinned at his friend.

“You looked pretty nervous when you were talking about asking y/n out earlier, so we decided to come to support you-“

“And make sure you don’t screw it up!” Mina interjected loudly, popping a red cherry off of Bakugo’s sundae into her mouth.

Kaminari shook his head, his mind racing-this was not good, not good at all. They were going to make this so much worse-you were going to see them, they would accidentally let it slip that he was trying to ask you out on a date-the possibilities were endless of how this could end disasterdly.

“Dude, Kami-chill our alittle, you're gonna scare y/n if you're sweating so much,” Kirishima said softly, noting the terror glossing Kaminaris eyes.

“Well, if a certain group of friends weren’t sabotaging a certain very special night for me, I would t be sweating so much in the first place!” He yelled accusingly, gaining a shocked look from his friends.

Kaminari sighed, wracking a hand through his golden locks, willing himself to calm down.

“Look guys, I appreciate the gesture, but I can handle this, just-“

Mina slammed her hand down gently, standing up at eye level with Kaminari.

“No! I am one of y/n’s closest friend and one of your only gal friends,” she stated, “you two are meant for each other and I know it! So I am not going to sit here knowing there is a slight chance your chaotic ass is going to screw this up!”

Mina gave a stern look to Kami, his eyes going wide.

“I think what Mina is trying to say is she just wants to look out for you-we all do!” Kirishima grinned nervously, taking Mina shoulder gently, setting her back in her seat.

“Just Don’t fucking mess this up,” Bakugo grunted in a sulk. “I could care less if you get with her-I just don’t want to hear your whining after she says no because you screwed up.”

“Aww look Bakugo actually cares!” Sero laughed, gaining a death glare from Bakugo himself.

Kirishima turned to Kaminari, flashing him a toothy grin.

“You're gonna do great man-just be kind to her, respect her boundaries, and you should be good to go!”

Mina smiles devilishly, lowering her red heart shaped glasses slightly.

“I have been shipping you two since day one, so I am going to sit my pretty pink self and make sure I get a front row seat to give you emotional support-as well as take some cute pics!”

Kaminari grinned weakly-his friends could be a pain but he knew deep down they meant well.

“Go get her tiger!” She squealed, earning a hush from Sero as Kaminari went back to you, 10 times more nervous than before.

The rest of the night surprisingly went smoother than he thought-he had paid for you guys food (something you had tried to stop him to do, but he had stuffed his credit card into the chip reader before you could). You then found a place to sit, Kaminari breathing a sigh of relief when you didn’t even notice the group of embarrassingly annoying teens that were eyeing your every move. Kirishima threw him a thumbs up, the mustache still glued to his face as Kaminari gave him a tiny grin. He had made sure you sat on the side of the booth where your back would face away from his friends, his eyes focusing between your smiling face and the smug looks Bakusquad was throwing him.

You two talked about everything and anything- from school to your own futures to hobbies to really anything that came to your minds. Kaminari started to relax slightly, acting silly and laughing constantly as he usually was around you. He loved seeing your face light up when you got excited, or how your sweet laugh just burst out of you with ease. If dating you would feel this good, he would never want anyone else. Everything was still normal, and you didn’t suspect a thing-or at least he didn’t think you suspected anything. You two had just finished your ice creams, still in the middle of a conversation but ready to leave. Kaminari’s heart quickened, his nerves resurfacing as his phone suddenly buzzed.

Bakugo: Hey dunce face hurry it up I should be sleeping by now

Sero: Ahhahah Bakugo past his bedtime?

Bakugo: shut up Soy Sauce before I burn that look off ur face!

Kirishima: Alright lets calm down a little

Sero: Yeah once he gets his bottle before bedtime

Bakugo: I WILL RIP YOU FACE OFF

Mina: Stop it! So when are you asking the question?

Kaminari: I dont know just give me a sec

Mina: well hurry it up it’s getting late and I think it’s getting to Bakugo’s head

That’s when he heard Bakugo begin to start yelling, his eyes wide with fear as the ash blonde’s hood feel off as he aggressively yelled at his friends. All of Baku Squad immediately piled on top of him, forcing him to sit down, which only made him angrier.

To Kaminaris horror, you had heard the ruckus too, turning around to see what was going on.

Before you could fully look, he grabbed your hand, desperate to keep you from seeing his chaotic friends.

“Y/n wait-“

Your heart raced instantly, feeling his hand in yours. It was warm, calloused yet soft at the same time-it felt perfect against your own, and you relished the slight buzz of electricity coming from it.

Kaminari noticrd the shock on your face, wondering why until he realized he was holding your hand, heat rising to his cheeks.

It was now or never at this point.

He sighed, realizing now was the best time to tell you.

“Y/n-I-Ive liked you for a long time. Like-a lot-more than just a friend. I tried to ignore it, but-it just seems impossible. Your the only girl I can think about, and-I-Just-I was hoping, if it was alright with you, if I could make you mine...and ask you out on a date?”

You stared at him in complete disbelief, your eyes wide. How was this even happening? He had feelings for you-was this a dream?

Kaminari took your silence the wrong way, beginning to ramble.

“You don’t have to If you don’t want to-I get it we can just continue to be friends and you can forget all about me saying anything about-“

“Kami, I would love to go on a date with you...I’ve actually felt the same for a really long time,” you blushed, your fingers brushing his skin.

“You have?!” Now it was his to be in shock, his skin turning a tomato red as he yelled in surprise.

You giggled at his outburst, reaching for his hand again as you jumped out of the booth.

“Wanna start heading out?”

“Uh-uh sure!” He stammered, nervous again to grab your hand but loving how it felt in his own.

As you two began to leave, you were stopped by none other than Bakusquad themselves.

“Oh hey guys!” You waved, your hands still interlocked with Denki’s.

“Hey girlie!” Mina ran over giving you a quick hug, taking note of your rosy cheeks and intertwined hands.

“Whoa-so you two are a thing now-would have never guessed that!'' She said over enthusiastically, sending a wink to Kaminari.

“I’m so happy for you guys!” Kirishima yelled happily. “And I’m really glad it all worked out!”

You looked at Kaminari, his cheeks growing redder-did they know something about all this?

“Uh-what that’s supposed to-“

“Welp it was great talking to you guys!” Kamianri yelled out quickly , “but I think it’s time for us to head out, so-we’ll see you tomorrow!”

Kaminari rushes you out, the snickers of Baku Squad getting quieter as he took you out the door.

Even if he was embarrassed by his friends, he couldn’t get over the fact that you had said “yes”, and he just couldn’t stop smiling by that.

--------------------------

[myselfinserts]

❝ Isn’t this kingdom beautiful? ❞

Hero work had died down over the last few months since Maddox’s arrest. Villain activity had gone strangely quiet. It was sure to pick up again once the new EHA head was established. Some heroes were being forced to take their mandatory time off. The only exceptions being students and those in the apprenticeship program. And of course Inkwell, who refused to let the Geodes rest until they cleaned out the current EHA from top to bottom to the best of their ability. 

Regi had left for two weeks for a conference and seminar. Not presenting anything, as much as he wanted to, but this was for up and coming new faces that had yet to make a debut. Though he had been invited to do a Q&A, as well as a photo shoot for one of the support tech magazines, and he’d be paid pretty nicely for his time, so he’d taken the offer. After that, he’d be helping head a seminar at the nearby college. His schedule would be completely filled.

Because of this, Luci was left with a lot of time to learn the ways of their future kingdom. 

A task that was nearly impossible. 

Memorizing dates was simple enough. Basic holidays, back closure days, the school year. Simpler customs Luci was able to catch onto quickly, like how it was seen as normal to leave your ears unpinned if you had the Elspie ears, and pinning them back was seen as peculiar. Or how it was seen as normal for a household to have at least one cat, typically one gifted to you when you purchased a new home. Greetings were usually done with a nod, and it was seen as impolite to tip your hat without doing so. Estmund had many little things about it in that vein that Luci picked up easily. 

The struggle came when it was time to learn the ways of the aristocracy and politics. Not basics like table manners or how to properly wave or bow. And nothing like how to dress for whatever occasion. No, they had to learn how to give speeches, read a room, communicate effectively with diplomats and world leaders. They had to be sure to be able to communicate in multiple languages, never knowing when an interpreter may not be at hand. Laws upon laws upon laws. They had to memorize every single one, and every single name of every law maker in the country. They were expected to see people every day. There was hardly any time to break. 

And the stress was irritating their quirk. Keeping up with the whirlwind of emotions as an empath was hard enough back home, but it only got worse as they tried to be someone who, to be perfectly honest, they weren’t. Luci could hear the whispers. Feel the thoughts being thought about them as they readjusted their posture, or as they tried to maintain a proper level of eye contact. They were tripping over their words more than ever, leaving no one impressed with the heir of Estmund. 

After the first week of trying to become a proper prince, Luci had been told that they’d be getting a helping hand. 

“Are you sure this will help?” they asked nervously. Standing at the throne never failed to make them anxious, and the circumstances only aided in exacerbating the feeling. “I don’t want to cause anyone any trouble.”

Davis nodded calmly. “Don’t fret, my child. I assure you, I would not have called for him if either of us would think it’d be trouble.” He gave them a gentle pat on the head. “And you are absolutely no trouble at all.”

“I’m sure I know a certain designer who would disagree with you there, but okay.”

Before Davis could counter that comment, Milo hurried over to them, whispering in his ear before receiving a nod and hurrying back to the doors. “He’s here.”

“Announcing the arrival of his Lordship, Count Lauris Gossamer!”

Slowly, the doors opened, and everyone stood to attention as a man entered the room towards the throne. 

As the young man slowly approached, Luci felt their heart lurch. He was about as tall as themself, with eyes the same whiter than crisp, freshly fallen snow as the king, and beautifully long hair the same tawny brown hair as Isleen. Aside from those features, this man looked nearly identical to Luci in every other way. Unlike the shepherd, however, this lad carried himself with a regal air befitting a king. Confidence, poise, and a genuine smile. Had they not known better, they'd have assumed this man was the true heir to the kingdom.

The man stopped a few feet from the throne, kneeling politely and placing a hand over his heart. His clothes were clean, stiff, and regal. An elegant royal blue with gold detailing. And a circlet very similar to the one Luci wore during their hero work.

It's not possible for me to be able to compete with someone like this.

"Greetings, your Majesty," the man stated warmly. "I have returned from my studies abroad, and my reports are already on their way to your office. I hope all has been well while I've been away."

"It's been far too long, Lauris," Davis said. "Come, to your feet. No need to be so formal."

The man nodded, quickly rising up and recomposing himself. "Of course, sir."

Davis smiled fondly, motioning to Luci. "There's someone I wish for you to meet. As I'm certain you've heard, the heir to Estmund has returned to us."

Luci swallowed, bowing politely. "I'm Lucien Adaire, Crown Prince of Estmund. Back in Elspie I'm the Peaceful Shepherd Hero: Amaryllis. Uh…it's, um. It's a privilege to meet you, sir."

"My name is Lauris Gossamer," the young man introduced himself. "It is an honor to meet you, your Highness. Would addressing you as ‘Prince Lucien’ suffice?"

"I, uh…y-yes. I guess."

"Lucien, Lauris, relax." Davis took their hands and pulled them closer together. "We're all family here. There's no need to be so formal." Davis looked to Luci, giving them a light pat on the shoulder. "Lauris here is my ward, and holds the title of Count of Gossamer. I took him in as a young lad and raised him as though he were my own as best I could. I’d say he turned out to be quite the noble. Fencing, archery, debate team, and well on his way to a doctorate in political science. We’re all proud of him."

“Th-thank you, sir.” Lauris blushed, lightly tugging on his sleeve. "Though my house is newly established, I hope to make it a proud one that can stand tall beside the other nobles of Estmund.”

Luci smiled. “I’m sure you will. I hope to be able to match your skills someday myself.”

“I would hope you’d plan to surpass me, Prince Lucien. I’m not going to accept a half assed student.”

“...come again?”

Davis chuckled. “Lauris here is going to be tutoring you on all the things you’re struggling with.” His gaze turned soft. “Milo’s tough love and tossing a life preserver methods approach worked well for me, but they don’t seem to be helping you. I figured someone a little closer in age might be able to offer something you need better than we can provide.”

“Oh...” Luci went red. “I forgot about that...”

Lauris smirked. “We’ll fix that in no time.” He lightly pulled himself away from the embrace. “I still have unpacking to do, and tomorrow is no good since its a new moon, so we’ll start our lessons the day after tomorrow. Before sunrise. I’ll send for you.” 

“Huh? Oh. O-okay.” 

“Perfect. In that case, I’ll see you all for dinner.” With a quick bow, Lauris took his leave with a spin on his heels, hair bouncing slightly as he twirled. 

Luci sighed. “He seems...interesting.”

”Indeed,” Davis chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll both get along well.”

“I...I really hope you’re right.”

“Prince Lucien? It’s time to wake up.”

Luci woke up with a groan, glancing at their phone and sighing when they saw it read three in the morning. “Let me guess,” they gumbled, “Count Gossamer is calling for me?”

Milo smiled, heading to the closet and pulling out a comfortable day outfit for them. “The carriage is ready, and I packed you breakfast and lunch. We’ll see you both home in time for dinner.”

“I was afraid you’d say that.” 

Reluctantly, Luci got out of bed and got dressed. They hardly remembered stepping into the carriage, nearly passing out the moment the door closed and they headed out. 

Dinner two days ago had been awkward to say the least. It was less of a dinner and more of an interrogation. Lauris was relentless in his questioning. What was hero life like? What about Luci’s husband? What laws did Elspie and Estmund share? How much of Estmund’s culture did they memorize already? What laws? What did they excel in? What did they find themself to be lacking? On and on, in a nonstop barrage until Luci had to excuse themself and locked their bedroom door for the night. 

The next day was unsettling. The entire palace staff were acting as though they were in mourning. Dressed head to toe in black, several crying heavily. Davis seemed unusually distant, barely able to turn his attention back to Luci and Isleen long enough to agree to go out to the old cabin on his next day off. When Luci had asked how Lauris was doing, everyone stared at them as though they’d seen a ghost. 

“How are you this morning, Prince Lucien?” Lauris asked cheerfully. 

Luci scoffed. “Why are you so perky? It’s three-fucking-a.m.” 

“My oh my, what a potty mouth.” 

“You’d have one too if you woke up from my nightmares.”

Lauris shrugged. “Wouldn’t know the feeling. I don’t experience dreams.” His smile faded. “Don’t experience a lot of things really.”

“That so?” Luci looked him over carefully. He hadn’t noticed at first, but Lauris was dressed rather similarly to the palace staff today. “Something to do with your quirk?”

“Yeah. There’s a lot I can’t do because of my quirk. But the pros outweigh the cons.” Lauris leaned back, looking out the window pensively. “You can go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you when we arrive at our destination.”

Luci shook their head. “No, it’d be best if I stay awake.” They paused. “And...I actually want to ask you a few questions.”

“You can ask me anything after we get there.”

“No, I really need to talk about something. And you spent all dinner the other night interrogating me.”

Lauris sighed. “Very well. You get one question.” 

One question. Of course it’d be that cliche. Luci let out a huff, racking their brain and trying to figure out what to ask. There were so many things they needed to know. This man was supposed to be their teacher. This man was, if you wanted to get technical, their brother. If they were going to be spending time together, it’d make sense to get to know him. 

But only one question to start? 

“I guess I’ll start with the basics,” Luci sighed. “How did you meet my father?”

Lauris blinked in surprise. “That’s your first question?”

They shrugged. “Best to start at the beginning, right? And being the ward to the king technically makes us siblings, doesn’t it?”

“I...suppose,” Lauris said. “Well, I guess it does tie into your studies also, so it’s as good a place to start as any.” He closed his eyes, and his voice became gentler. Softer. Like feather down. “As I am sure you know, Estmund has three orphanages across the entire island. They’re some of the oldest establishments in all of the kingdom, so they’re protected by the Historical Society. But at the moment, Estmund’s orphanages are empty. There’s no orphan children. Hasn’t been for a little over twenty years or so.”

“I read about that,” Luci muttered. “But what does that have to do with you and my father? Did he take you in from one of them back when they were full?”

Lauris simply chuckled. “They were never full in my time there.” He looked at them, eyes gentle. “I was the last orphan on Estmund. Everyone else was adopted. I was about nine, maybe ten? I was the only one left at St. Cornelia’s Prep School and Boarding Home. The king showed up for an annual visit, and found me studying under a tree in the courtyard. At first he thought I was the son of the Headmistress. When he heard the truth, he took me in, no hesitation.” His laughter grew just slightly. “He wasn’t even thinking when he did that. Everyone at the castle when I arrived at first thought I was a replacement heir. It was hilarious when I told him I didn’t want the position. The thought had never crossed his mind, so hearing me say ‘I don’t wanna’ made him turn into a cod for a good minute.”

Luci’s eyes went wide. “Wait...you don’t want to be king?”

“Why would I?” Lauris asked. “All I ever wanted was a home. King Davis gave that to me.” His gaze grew distant, for just a moment. “I would have, though, if he asked me. If there was no other choice. But I just don’t like the expectations that come with being king. There’s a lot expected of me already, as ward to his Majesty and a newly established Count. I’d be expected to marry and have an heir myself, but I don’t want to ever get married. I do wish to adopt one day, but marriage is out of the question. Not to mention that there’s much left for me to learn not just about the world, but also my quirk. I have far too much to study to consider being king.” He lightly punched them in the shoulder. “Seriously, you are a lifesaver in that regard. Last thing this kingdom needs is someone who is half-assed about being part of the royal line of succession.”

“That’s...that’s a fair point, I suppose.” Luci smiled fondly. “I want to do my best for my parents. For this kingdom. For this new home I can make for myself and my family.”

“And that’s why I’m here. I’ll be teaching you, and in turn, I’ll learn from you. We’ll work together. Agreed?”

“...yeah. That sounds good.” Luci paused. “Do...you want to hear about my adoption? Back in Elspie?”

Lauris cocked an eyebrow. “You sure you’re okay telling me that?”

They nodded. “It’s only fair, right?”

The conversation lasted a while. The two broke into the basket of food that had been packed, slowly exchanging stories as they rode along in the carriage. The exhaustion and awkwardness Luci had felt had practically vanished. It hurt a little, reopening the old wounds, but they didn’t feel invaded or ill doing so. They didn’t even notice they were well into the mountains until the sun started to rise. Staring out the window, the rays of gold and pink filled the carriage in a heavenly embrace. The ocean glimmered like brilliant silver. Fire painted the skies, welcoming and hopeful. 

“Isn’t this kingdom beautiful?” Lauris asked. 

“It is,” Luci agreed. “The most beautiful place I’ve seen in a long while.” Something pointed and tiled poked out from beyond the tree line. “What’s that?”

“St. Cornelia’s. I’ll be taking you to my old stomping grounds. Figured a day away from the castle might help with your studies.”

Luci smiled. “Sounds good.”

[back-to-swift]

Taylor Songs That Most Swifties Sleep On!!!!

A Place In This World

The lyric, “I’ll be strong, I’ll be wrong, oh but life goes on,” is so important!!!! Especially for young people who listen to her music. I wish I appreciated this song more, but I didn’t fully take it in when I was younger.

Cold As You

SHE WROTE THIS SONG WHEN SHE WAS 15 OR 16!!!!!!! It’s so beautifully written and extremely heartbreaking when you really take in the fact that she was so young. One of her best heartbreak songs to date. And the bridge!!!! “And I know you wouldn’t have told nobody if I died, died for you. Died for you...” I HAVE CHILLS!!!!

Tied Together With A Smile

The fact that she wrote this song about her friend who had an eating disorder makes me love it so much because the message behind it is SO important!!! “You cry but you don’t tell anyone that you might not be the golden one and you’re tied together with a smile but you’re coming undone,” a lyrical genius. I wish girls struggling with eating disorders could see their true beauty because they deserve to be happy. Girls, you are all beautiful and Taylor loves you so much. Remember that.

Stay Beautiful

This cute little song is about a feeling we’ve all felt before, about that one guy that makes us feel all giddy inside. The one who gets our hearts racing with just one look. The ones we can barely say anything to because we are hypnotized by their beauty. They’ll never know how much we genuinely hope they succeed and get everything they want out of life.

Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)

This song is one of the cutest ones she’s ever written. It describes the type of relationship we all dream of. The relationship built on friendship, a friendship shared with a cute friend from our childhood. It’s so pure.

Jump Then Fall

This song is one of my favorites. It describes the feelings we get when we start falling for someone and how we would do anything to see that person smile. It’s a song we listen to when we like someone so much that every time we are around that special someone, we can’t focus on anything but them and the only thing going through our minds is that we would be perfect together.

Come In With The Rain

Wow, what a beautiful song. It’s one of her most underrated sad songs. A song about how she gave so much to their relationship while he didn’t even take the time to really get to know who she was. “I’ve got you down, I know you by heart, and you don’t even know where I start,” a beautiful lyric.

The Other Side of the Door

THIS SONG!!!! It deserves so much more appreciation. It’s so detailed and just a piece of art. “When I left I wanted you to chase after me.” THAT LYRIC IS SO GOOD. And at the end when she says so many words in so little time, I WILL NEVER BE OVER IT!!

Hey Stephen

I LOVED THIS SONG SO MUCH FROM THE SECOND I HEARD THE FIRST MMM-MMM!!! This song was my favorite when I was younger because it’s so cute and pure. It’s just about an innocent little crush and I love that.

Breathe

Why does everyone pay this one dust???? It’s so relatable and tragically beautiful. Even though it can be hard to breathe without someone, one day you have to learn to let go and find a way to live without them. And even though you think you’ll never be able to do that, you will. I love this song because it can be about anything, any type of loss.

Tell Me Why

This song is great because it’s young Taylor standing up for herself in a way. And one of the most wise lyrics, “Why do you have to make me feel small so you can feel whole inside?” Even young Taylor knew that he was obviously insecure about himself and that’s why he was constantly tearing her down. This song is a true bop.

The Way I Loved You

THIS SONG IS A MASTERPIECE. I love how she paints a perfect picture of him and then switches it up in the chorus and bridge making it clear that it’s really the not so perfect parts of relationships that make it all worth it. THE BRIDGE, need I say more???

Forever & Always

This song is one of my favorites forever. I always loved the sass of it and how real it is. I used to relate to this song more than anything else because when you’re so captivated by somebody and you spend a lot of time thinking about them and being there for them, you really notice when they start to distance themselves and it drives you crazy when all of a sudden they make you feel so unwanted, without warning. I feel this song in my soul, truly. And let’s not forget the iconic chair flipping.

Never Grow Up

This is one of the most meaningful songs to me. I didn’t really take it in when Speak Now was released because I was so young (I think I was 11 or 12) and I didn’t know what it felt like to actually be grown up. In case you don’t know, growing up is not all that amazing, it honestly sucks. And when I think about all the kids who have made an impact in my life and who mean so much to me, this song really hits me hard because I don’t want them to ever lose that innocence, that light in their eyes, that wonder. I don’t ever want them to get hurt and I wish they could stay little forever because this world is so ugly and I don’t want it to end up crushing them. Now that I’m almost 20, I really have realized that everything I have is someday gonna be gone and I feel this song on a whole new level and I respect it so much.

Better Than Revenge

ONE OF HER MOST SLEPT ON SONGS TO DATE!!!! AND IT’S ONE OF THE BEST SO WHY DO YALL PAY IT DUST???? I love this song so much because it’s so sassy and savage af!!!! I live for this one and you should too!!!! It makes me feel so powerful and bad ass, not gonna lie.

Innocent

THE LYRICS IN THIS SONG ARE ALL SO GOOD!!!! I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY NOBODY APPRECIATES THEM??!!?? Some examples include: -Lost your balance on a tightrope, lost your mind trying to get it back. -Wasn’t it beautiful when you believed in everything, and everybody believed in you? -Wasn’t it beautiful running wild ‘til you fell asleep, before the monsters caught up to you? -Time turns flames to embers, you’ll have new Septembers. Every one of us has messed up too. Lives change like the weather, I hope you remember today is never too late to be brand new. -Who you are is not where you’ve been. THESE LYRICS ARE SOME OF HER BEST!!! DON’T EVEN FIGHT ME. DON’T SLEEP ON THIS SONG LIKE I USED TO!!!

Haunted

This song is a masterpiece on every level possible. It’s so intense and the lyrics are insane!!!!! This song will always be one of my favorites because it’s honestly perfect. You can really feel the emotion she put into it!!! One lyric that will always hit me hard is, “Something keeps me holding onto nothing.” A TRUE WORK OF ART.

Last Kiss

This is one of her most lyrically complex songs ever. I don’t know why it literally took me so many years to appreciate this song!!!!! Those years I spent not liking this song are years I can never get back, man. But for real, this song is so emotional and beautiful and I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love it. The bridge is the bridge of all bridges!!! If you still don’t like this song after really soaking in the lyrics of the bridge, I don’t know what’s wrong with you honestly. This song deserved a grammy.

Long Live

THIS SONG SHOULD BE APPRECIATED BY EVERY SINGLE SWIFTIE!!!! THIS SONG IS FOR US!!!!! I can’t believe Taylor Alison Swift wrote such a beautiful song for us. Do we deserve it? I don’t know!!! This will always be one of my all time favorite songs just because it is about our relationship with Taylor. The lyrics, “Hold on to spinning around, confetti falls to the ground, may these memories break our fall. Can you take a moment? Promise me this, that you’ll stand by me forever, but if God forbid, fate should step in, and force us into a goodbye, if you have children someday, when they point to the pictures, please tell ‘em my name. Tell ‘em how the crowds went wild, tell ‘em how I hope they shine. Long live the walls we crashed through, I had the time of my life with you.” OK I’M CRYING JUST TYPING THESE LYRICS!!!!! This song is SO special, I can’t believe it exists!!!!

Superman

This song is so cute and pure!!!!! I love listening to it because it makes me so happy!! It’s about when you put that person you like on a pedestal and see them as a hero, even if they have a bad reputation. You see in them what most people can’t and to me, that’s beautiful. I love when she says, “I always forget to tell you I love you, I loved you from the very first day.” 

Treacherous

I’m just gonna start by saying this... THIS SONG DESERVED A GRAMMY. Treacherous will always be one of my favorite songs of hers solely because of the lyrics. The verses, the chorus, the bridge, EVERYTHING. FLAWLESS. If you don’t like this song, we can’t be friends, I’m sorry. It’s literally a work of art.

I Almost Do

This is that song that I would listen to while literally sitting in my bed staring out the window as rain poured down outside because I was that dramatic. No, but all jokes aside, this song is so tragically beautiful. It’s just so relatable because have you ever had someone in your life that you literally go to for everything? Someone you can talk to about anything? Someone you get so used to having around and sharing your best and worst moments with, that when they walk out of your life, you feel empty. One day they aren’t there and they aren’t that person you can talk to anymore. And everything inside of you wants to text them or call them but you can’t because they don’t care like they used to. They moved on. I don’t know but that always hit me deep.

Stay Stay Stay

I love this song so much because it just makes me so so happy!!!! This is about the kind of love we all wish to have someday. We all want to find someone who loves us no matter what. I live for the lyric, “It’s been occurring to me, I’d like to hang out with you for my whole life, stay.” It’s just so sweet and pure!!

Holy Ground

DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW BLESSED WE ARE TO HAVE THIS SONG????? THIS SONG IS SO MAGICAL!!! Everything about this song is amazing. The verses, the chorus, the bridge, EVERYTHING. FLAWLESS. I remember one day I was listening to this song and I thought, “Wow, every single lyric in this song is absolutely incredible.” This song deserves everything. It deserves a grammy. It deserves to be a single... no, it is not too late. And it deserves your recognition.

Starlight

This song just gives off happy, carefree vibes. It reminds me of my grandparents... you know, that old fashioned kind of love story. A love story I will always be dreaming of.

Come Back... Be Here

I never realized how perfect this song is!!! It’s so beautifully written!! She has so much talent and it is so evident in this song!!! One of her best lyrics of all time is, “This is falling in love in the cruelest way. This is falling for you when you are worlds away.”

State of Grace (Acoustic Version)

Have you ever listened to this song while taking a drive at night or as you’re falling asleep???? Because I highly recommend doing one or both of those things because I have never felt so calm in my life!!! And I just love the song in general so much!! It has so many incredible lyrics like: -So you were never a saint and I loved in shades of wrong. We learn to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts. But this love is great and wild. -This is the state of grace, this is the worthwhile fight, love is a ruthless game unless you play it good and right. These are the hands of fate, you’re my Achilles heal. This is the golden age of something good and right and real. ART.

Out of the Woods

Okay don’t even get me started on this song. I really didn’t like it when I first heard it because I thought it was so repetitive but this song really is a masterpiece!!! The story it tells!!! It literally paints a picture for us!!! It’s like you’re experiencing it all with her!!! AND THIS SONG LIVE!!!! WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!!! I love this song and video so much, I can’t even put into words how perfect everything is. LEGENDARY.

All You Had To Do Was Stay

This song is lowkey so deep. I love the verses!!! “People like you always want back the love they pushed aside, and people like me are gone forever when you say goodbye.” WHAT A LYRIC. I don’t know, this song sounds all fun and light hearted but if you listen to the lyrics it really tells a story about someone who couldn’t commit. Someone who truly had it all with her, someone she gave her heart to but all they did was let her down. I love this song so much, it will always be one of my favorites.

I Wish You Would

This song was so fun to watch on tour!!! Again, it's one of those high energy songs that lowkey has a deeper meaning. It's about how there were so many things left unsaid and it's her finally saying all the things she should've said before he left. I love it because how many times do we find ourselves in these situations?

How You Get The Girl

This song is one of those feel good songs!! I don’t know, it always puts me in a good mood. It’s literally an instruction manual for men who lose their girls for stupid reasons. But for real if a guy ever told me, “I want you for worse or for better, I would wait forever and ever. Broke your heart, I’ll put it back together, I want you forever and ever,” I think I would fall over and cry.

This Love

I always skip this song, not gonna lie, but every time I listen to it, it makes me so emotional. It tells such a beautiful story about a love that will never die. A love she lost and never got over but then he unexpectedly returned and I don’t know, that’s just so beautiful to me. The lyrics are so beautiful, I can’t get over it. I was soaking it all in yesterday and they really got to me. “Your kiss, my cheek, I watched you leave. Your smile, my ghost, I fell to my knees. When you’re young, you just run but you come back to what you need...”

I Know Places

I really don't know why this song is slept on so intensely because I could honestly write a whole essay on why it's one of her best!!!! Every time I listen to it, I don't know what to do with myself because it's so good!!!! It's got that mysterious vibe. THE LYRICS THO. -Love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out. -Loose lips sink ships all the damn time. -Just grab my hand and don't ever drop it, my love. They are the hunters, we are the foxes and we run. -They take their shots, but we're bullet proof. And you know for me, it's always you. In the dead of night, your eyes so green. And I know for you, it's always me.

Wonderland

This song is magical from beginning to end. I love how she compares a love to Wonderland, honestly that is so clever. One of my favorite lyrics she has ever written is, “We found Wonderland, you and I got lost in it,” along with, “And in the end, in Wonderland, we both went mad.” I will never get over the fact that she never sang this live and she probably never will.

You Are In Love

This song is so beautiful. It makes me want to experience love so bad. That’s really all I have to say about it. She just describes love so perfectly in this song.

So It Goes...

THE MOST SLEPT ON SONG FROM REPUTATION. I DON’T GET IT. YOU ALL REALLY LIKE DRESS MORE THAN THIS????? I LITERALLY FELL ON THE GROUND WHEN I FIRST HEARD THIS SONG AND I AM NOT EXAGGERATING AT ALL. You guys all think Dress is the most sexual but So It Goes... literally says, “You know I’m not a bad girl but I do bad things with you,” and “...scratches down your back.” This song is iconic and so ASJKAJDKLJS!!

Gorgeous

THIS SONG GETS SO MUCH HATE. WHY??!!??!?! It’s so cute!!! And so relatable!!! This song is a legit representation of my life and because of that, I will always love it. AND HER DANCE FOR IT AT JINGLE BALL I AM DECEASED STILL. The most relatable lyric possibly ever... “Ocean blue eyes lookin’ in mine, I feel like I might sink and drown and die. You’re so gorgeous, I can’t say anything to your face, cause look at your face.”

King Of My Heart

THIS SONG. At first people were giving it the credit it deserves but now everyone pays it dust. And I really don’t know why because the beat and the lyrics and the fact that she’s so in love makes it such a bop. I can’t wait to hear the bridge live on tour tbh.

Dancing With Our Hands Tied

You really can’t help but dance to this song and if she doesn’t sing it on tour because y’all pay it absolute dust, I will find someone to fight. The lyrics are some of the best on the whole album. The whole second verse is SO good. I think you all should give this the credit it deserves. Don’t let it flop.

This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

When I heard this song for the first time I was honestly shook to the core. It really ended the haters. And the obvious shade in the second verse!!!!! Sis was spilling tea left and right!!!! And I’m so here for it!!! This song on tour is going to be absolutely insane!!! Also the annunciation in, “And therein lies the issue, friends don’t try to trick you, get you on the phone and mind twist you.” And THE BRIDGE!!! MAMAAAA!! THE CACKLE!!!! Truly iconic.

@taylorswift @taylornation

[char27martin]

Finding the Right Writing Inspiration for Your Life

“Writing takes a combination of sophistication and innocence; it takes conscience, our belief that something is beautiful because it’s right. To be great, art has to point somewhere.” —Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird

Writing helps you find the lost pieces of yourself—those pieces that were misplaced, forgotten, or squashed long, long ago. Through words, we may carve a new path for ourselves or recapture the power to own who we are.

Writing brings intention. It is a permanent place to settle and explore who we are in this one tiny moment of eternity.

This guest post is by Jennifer Probst. Probst is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of sexy and erotic contemporary romance. Her book THE MARRIAGE BARGAIN was ranked #6 on Amazon’s Best Books for 2012, and spent 26 weeks on the New York Times’ bestseller list. Her work has been translated in over a dozen countries, sold over a million copies, and was nominated for a RITA award. She was dubbed a “romance phenom” by Kirkus Reviews.

To create on a daily basis and dedicate endless, precious time to making up stories, writers must have faith in themselves and the stories they are driven to tell. This career allows you to believe in magic, because though the work must be done—and it’s sometimes a brutal path—I have found my words often take me to a new level of expression and understanding. I can step back after the grueling process, read, and be struck by the wonder of such a gift.

Of course, this lasts only a short while. Then I’m back to picking it apart and judging. Still, a tiny piece of grace and brilliance balances those long periods of confusion and hopelessness.

But the real food for my soul is inspiration.

Where do you get your ideas?

Would you believe that’s the number one question writers are asked?

This question fascinates people. To take the kernel of an idea and allow it to grow and sprout within the pages of a book is a miracle. Without the seed of an idea, there is no book. Our all mighty, beloved, bitchy muse is the one who sifts through our potential writing inspirations to eventually cling fiercely to one idea and whisper, “This one is it. I must write this.”

My entire life has become an inspiration. If a creative artist is feeling flat and lifeless, inspiration is the food for the soul that will nourish and hydrate. If we lose our bit of magic, we may become wooden. A pale, robotic image of our best selves. We will scratch the surface and never unlock the rusty old cellar that contains our dreams and visions, and eventually, our greatness.

That’s creative death.

Writers must pay attention. You need to open up as life unfolds around you. This will keep you full of stories.

Here are some of the places I continuously find inspiration.

[128 V̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶G̶o̶o̶d̶ Excellent Alternatives to the Word “Very”]

Reading

Reading in various genres will sometimes act as a springboard to the excitement you need to power your own work. I want to be that good, I think to myself as I read a brilliant passage from another author. I need to work harder to create such magnificence.

I love this quote from Kyra Davis, a New York Times bestselling author:

To be a truly successful writer you need to be a voracious and eclectic reader. If you’re writing romance and all you’re reading is romance, there’s a good chance you’re going to end up writing a romance that’s very similar in format, style, and tone to all the other romance novels out there. In a market this crowded, you can’t afford that. So pick up a Donna Tartt, an Anne Rice, a David Sedaris, an Elizabeth George, and any other book written by a respected author outside your genre and figure out what makes their books sing. Use that information as both inspiration, or even as a loose guide, for creating something very original within your specific area of fiction.

Movies

Movies and television have inspired some of my most passionate ideas. I decided to create the Billionaire Builders series because of my obsession with HGTV. Whether it’s House Hunters, Property Brothers, or Fixer Upper, I’m fascinated with the process of building and making things new. So I created the Pierce brothers and their family business, which has been passed on from one generation to the next, and they allow me to live in an HGTV world.

Television series have reached an all-new level. When I watch Game of Thrones or The Walking Dead, I’m able to break down how an episode is created with a specific character arc. It has also helped me study the way a powerful scene is developed. If you consider each hour installment as a chapter in your book, inspiration is rich in regards to character, motivation, growth arc, and themes. Next time you watch your favorite show, step back as a viewer and study the content like a writer.

ORDER NOW: The Brainstorm New Ideas Value Pack is designed to help you succeed with proven tips on structures, hooks, characters, dialogue, viewpoints, settings, and more. Only available online here at the WritersDigestShop.

Real Life

My past dating disasters and close female friendships inspired my Searching For series. I had so many terrible dates that I laughed about years and years later. The series became a way to relate to all the readers who had gone through similar experiences. Taking disasters and spinning them with humor is a way to reach people.

In my book, Everywhere and Every Way, my heroine is getting ready for her date with the hero and is trying to find a way to make sure she doesn’t sleep with him. She decides not to shave her legs as a way to curtail any intimate involvement. Imagine her horror when a kiss leads to more, and she realizes her mistake and is forced to confess her secret to the hero. I heard from many readers who identified with the scene, even though this famous feminine secret has now been outed.

Quotes

Quotes from writing masters, religious leaders, or brilliant thinkers inspire me. If you’ve read any of my books, I always insert quotes that have made a difference in my life. Hearing words from someone else that strike a chord makes me feel part of a tribe, and therefore less alone. I’ve penned entire stories powered by the inspiration culled from a simple quote that struck me as a core belief of one potential hero or heroine.

When you hear a quote that inspires you, make sure to write it down in a journal or copy and paste it into a document that you go back to every now and again. You will be able to reference quotes that touch you for future blog posts, social media, and stories. I also use quotes to dig deeper into my character development. For instance, when I was creating my hero, Caleb, in Everywhere and Every Way, I picked a few quotes that would resonate with him. I did the same with his two brothers in the subsequent books, and the difference in what quotes affected them showed me the unique aspects of their personality.

People

People inspire me every day. If you are involved in any type of group, sit back and watch the dynamics. You can see the leaders rise to the occasion, the reserved stay in the background, the social chatterer who keeps things lively, and the academic who is usually serious and on point. Of course, these are exaggerations and stereotypes, but you will be able to witness how personality types can become characters, and then you’ll get a better idea of how to write their stories.

People’s stories are important in the world of writing. My favorites are the underdogs. I love hearing about up-and-coming wiz kids who create their own companies with only their intelligence and a belief in what they are building. The boxer, who keeps getting up and finally wins the big fight. The bullied kid from school who becomes a billionaire CEO. The poverty stricken, who triumph and then decide to give back. I am always pondering these brief newsflashes on morning programs, local news, and social media. They’re all stories in the making, as my muse sorts out the ones that will eventually stick, those that will appear on the page.

The rescue shelter I work with, Pets Alive, publicized a cry for help in social media featuring a beaten, abused pit bull whose back legs were paralyzed. The dog was about to be euthanized when workers from Pets Alive looked into his face and saw hope still burning bright in his eyes. Even with all the pain he’d been through, he held onto the goodness of people. The shelter decided to save him.

His story went viral. Robert was finally adopted and fitted with a special scooter so he could get around. His owner created his own Facebook page, Rockin’ Robert, and he has become a beloved public figure. Robert’s story inspired me, and I knew I needed to write about it. I incorporated his story into my book, Searching for Someday, as my heroine’s companion. I reached out to Robert’s owner to interview him and find out about Robert, so that I could write his story as factually as possible. The love between Robert and my heroine in the book became as important as the primary love story between my heroine and the hero. I mingled the two stories to create a far-reaching theme that left readers more thoroughly satisfied. When my hero succumbed to Robert’s charm, I knew the book had an extra layer that made all the difference.

I still receive e-mails regarding readers’ love for Robert, and many have posted on Robert’s Facebook page. Incorporating stories that inspire can help you write an extraordinary book.

[10 Ways to Make Your Submission Stand Out in the Slush Pile]

The Internet

The Internet can be very inspirational. Well, the good parts of the Internet—where there are lovely dog videos, people who rescue animals, real-life heroes who go out of their way to save others, and funny everyday people who want to make us happy—can be inspirational. These parts of the Internet remind me of the goodness in people and how one brave, kind act can topple a world that’s sometimes too dark. It reminds us what it is to be human.

Taking some time to explore new websites and read articles helps bring fresh information to your stories. When I was writing the Searching For series, I investigated dating sites and matchmaking agencies, and became familiar with the social parameters of Match, eHarmony, and Tinder. Research has never been easier! Most answers are at the tips of our fingers.

Music

Music is a part of my soul and an integral part of my writing. I always listen to music when I write; certain theme songs resonate with me. I have created an entire novel based on one song that touches me deeply. Music is a passionate love in my life that goes hand-in-hand with my writing.

Many authors use playlists to set the mood of a book. In my self-published works, I’ve begun to include iTunes links at the back of my books so readers can easily purchase my playlist.

If you’re struggling with your manuscript, try changing the music. Listening to specific songs while writing a sex scene or a fight scene can bring a burst of energy. If you write in silence, you may want to experiment with background sounds that boost creativity. There are wonderful sites that play soothing background sounds such as rainfall.

Open your senses to all possibilities in order to bring richness to your writing. Inspiration is the fuel that drives us forward as writers.

Fan this fire, allow it to burn hot and bright within you, and your days will be filled with stories.

An Exercise: Write a list of everything that inspires you: people, books, movies, television, music, or any situation in your life. Anything and everything goes. Then study that list; allow yourself some precious time to ponder where you receive most of your inspiration. If you target something specific, make sure you honor your soul by giving yourself more of what inspires you.

Need More Inspiration? Write Naked is filled with the lessons and craft advice every writer needs in order to carve out a rewarding career. Order now!

The post Finding the Right Writing Inspiration for Your Life appeared first on WritersDigest.com.

from Writing Editor Blogs – WritersDigest.com http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/finding-right-writing-inspiration-life