#this has been happening before october seventh

[artcinemas]

it’s sad how india who once recognised palestine as it’s own nation is now assisting israel in it’s genocide it’s awful it’s sick. as a country who was colonized and invaded for centuries, are ignoring the value and parallel of the palestinian resistance. especially those specialists in history. rot.

[james-spooky]

this is a test

[all-things-jily]

Time to make PART 2 of "AO3 is down starter pack", or "iconic Jily fics you can only find on FF.net, to help you through these trying times"! (You can find PART 1 here)

That Elusive Aha Moment by Wilhelmina Willoughby

The Aha Moment: a point in time when something finally clicks. Everyone realizes that there's something more between James and Lily, though it takes some people longer than others. James has always been a slow learner.

All Right, Evans? by CokeBottleK

The thing about being Lily Evans and James Potter was that you couldn't do anything without everybody else saying something about it.

Crossroads by Emmyjean

In her seventh and final year at Hogwarts, Lily Evans finds herself facing a tragedy that leaves her life in pieces. She ultimately finds great strength both within herself and those she never would have expected.

October Thirty-First by jamespotterthefirst

Even before they were a couple, they always seemed to spend Halloween together. Series of oneshots.

Purely Business by Zayz

"They didn't do it out of love. They were not in love, nor did they want to be. They barely knew each other. None of this was romantic, not even close. What they had together was purely business."

The Rise and Fall of the Stag and the Doe by SiriusUntiltheVeryEnd

Moments. They make or break relationships. Lily didn't just happen to fall in love with James. It wasn't an accident, but a long drawn out process that grew out of the relationships of the people around them. And when it came down to it, even Lily and James couldn't fight fate.

Before The Fawn - First Draft by CalisaTenn

Before Harry, before Godric's Hollow, before the Dark Lord was defied three times... Lily Evans and James Potter discovered that neither of them were what the other had expected, and embarked on a relationship that would change the world as they knew it.

[kalkaros-is-the-boss]

So I made recently a post on my main (hannaxjo) about the ages of the marauders era characters in the movies, which led to me creating this side account. But I should’ve known better than to think about their canon ages in the books, because I noticed something that doesn’t make sense to me, and I can’t stop thinking about it. That is the timeline between Severus hearing the prophecy and Voldemort killing James and Lily. What the fuck happened between that?

So, in the prophecy is this line: the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies. Meaning, that at that time, Harry has not been born yet. Which means, at the very least over a year is going to play out before that Halloween.

And that does not make sense to me. How can it take over a year, after this? In that (unspecific) time, the following things happen; Voldemort decides that the prophecy is talking about the Potter’s baby. Severus deflects, and begins spying on Voldemort. Due to Severus’ warning, Potter’s go into hiding. Dumbledore suggests a fidelius charm. Instead of Sirius, Peter is made into the secret keeper. Peter reveals the location to Voldemort and Voldemort kills Lily and James.

These things happen like a domino. There cannot be that much time between each of these actions. Severus isn’t going to wait around to defect once he knows Voldemort is targeting the Potter, because Voldemort is definitely not going to wait around to kill them. And I don’t think it took over a year for Voldemort to decide who the prophecy was talking about. Isn’t he supposed to be smart? Like I can buy him only deciding after Harry’d been born, but it still takes over a year after that for him to kill James and Lily.

But okay, let's say Voldemort was just really slow, and couldn’t make his mind. That would make the time between Severus’ deflection and the death of Lily and James incredibly short, and that makes no sense either. Because I don’t see Dumbledore trusting Severus after such a short while. And when would he then have had the time to spy on Voldemort? In the Goblet of Fire, when Harry goes into the pencieve he sees the trial of Karkaroff. And he lists the names of Death Eaters, one of those names being Severus Snape. Dumbledore then says, that he himself has witnessed for Severus’, and he tells that Snape joined them prior to Voldemorts downfall and that he risked his life spying on him. That means that Severus had to be a spy for at least a while.

So what the hell was happening while Severus was spying? Did they not use the fidelius as fast as possible? How did Voldemort not find them? See it would make sense if Sirius was the secret keeper for a while, and then they switched it, but Sirius was never the secret keeper. So did Peter actually keep the secret for months? Because that also seems unlikely. Then, there’s the letter Lily wrote to Sirius that Harry finds in Deathly Hallows. In that letter Lily mentions that ‘James is getting a bit frustrated shut up here’, so they must be already hiding. And they must be already under the fidelius because they must be in Godric’s Hollow because why else would Bathilda have visited. She also mentions that Wormy had seemed down, which I assumed was actually because he is going to/has betrayed them. That letter was about Harry’s one-year birthday! It was written in July/beginning of August. Voldemort didn’t attack until Halloween. What happened? Did Peter not betray them until October? Or had he already told Voldemort and Voldy just wasn’t feeling it. Was he waiting until Halloween for aesthetics?

Honestly, I have no point here, except that I don’t understand the timeline. Did I miss something? If you know how this timeline goes, please tell me, because I think about this too much. Istg if I’m gonna end up re-reading the books again just because this bothers me...

[elliebelliegirl]

okay following up though... i understand that you are jewish and Israeli but (not trying to attack you, just trying to understand) how can you stand with the state of Israel after seeing the numbers of atrocities that the IDF has committed - of course the hostages should be released, but palestine will cease to exist if this continues and this is an active genocide. people are being displaced and thousands have died. how can you in good conscience stand with the actions of Israel ?

im still assuming this is in good faith! i do appreciate that you're asking and not attacking, it's really nice change of pace tbh. please understand that my ethnicity and my political opinions are not the same thing and how i feel about the state of israel is divorced from my religious beliefs. i just also believe that my people have a right to live in our indigenous land. i also believe palestinians should be able to live in israel (many already do.) anyway, here's the deal.

first, im not israeli, but my family is. i was born and raised in the u.s. while most of my family is israeli, i am not (yet.) im an american jew with strong roots in israel.

second! israelis have been displaced since october, since the attacks by hamas, the governing body of gaza. they've been attacked and killed for years (the whole reason the iron dome exists is because missiles are such an active threat.) getting displaced or killed has happened to israelis and gazans. its terrible for everyone. i am human, and therefore uncomfortable with war, but i don't think it's a genocide. i am horrified by the deaths in gaza. i hate that innocents are being harmed. i don't want to add a however, but there's a big one- it's that the ratio of killed militants v.s civilians is unfathomably low. if israel wanted to kill everyone in gaza (which is 100% not the goal) they would be dead already. the war is active now only to eradicate hamas, which would be beneficial to gazans and israelis, and to rescue the hostages. israel has offered to end the war multiple times and hamas has refused.. because they refuse to return the people they kidnapped. the war could've been over months ago!!! months ago. israel did not instigate this war, and has repeatedly offered ceasefire deals. hamas is the one shooting these offers down. also, palestine wont just cease to exist.. im not sure what that part means, can you explain it? i want to understand you, too.

also. i have cousins in the idf. one of them was supposed to come over before last days on sukkot and couldn't make it in the end. over the weekend, october seventh happened. the next time we spoke, it was a phone call right after simchat torah ended. he was on his way to the airport, having been called back to israel to meet his unit in kfar aza and start collecting bodies. i only had a few minutes to tell him i love him and to stay alive on behalf of me and my siblings. the memory is so surreal. we turned on our phones for the first time in days to texts from our israeli family saying they were alive, not to watch the videos, not to look at the pictures. im still kind of stuck there on my couch, holding my siblings in a hug and wondering if someone who hadn't texted yet was dead. then we saw people celebrating the massacre. they haven't really stopped. so we knew we couldnt really count on anyone to protect us, and this was way before israel entered gaza. people were just happy jews were dead. don't know if this is a huge sidetrack, but. this is why i stand with israel. their goal is to keep my family alive. their goal is to keep as many gazans as possible alive. that is not the goal of iran and hamas. this goes further than zionism though, tbh. zionism is pretty simple as a principle 😅

[bridenore]

HD fic recs : Career - Aurors (part 1)

Here are a few recs where both Harry and Draco are Aurors. This is part one of three and focuses on shorter fics (up to 20k). Listed in alphabetical order, as always.

but first, we fight by @nv-md [8k]

Fighting with Draco Malfoy has never been quite this  thrilling…or this frustrating. Harry’s always horny, Draco’s in  denial, and there simply isn’t enough time in the day to fight crime and  watch your ex-archnemesis wash his arse. Or what it’s like to be in love with Draco Malfoy and have to see him naked in the goddamn shower.

Christmas With Draco by @dracogotgame [9k]

Harry tries to give a two year old Draco the best Christmas ever.

Dark Places by @bixgirl1 [8k]

Harry and Draco have been Auror partners and even friends for the last few years–damn good ones, at that–which is why Harry’s never tried to change their relationship despite his feelings.   Until, of course, they’re on assignment and get locked in a wardrobe together. Remix of Leontina’s “Pure Imagination”

Draco L Malfoy (the L stands for legs) by @starquestingfordrarry [1k]

Harry could spend the rest of his life in the embrace of Draco Malfoy’s legs. If he was lucky, he would.

Fall on the Earth by @dodgerkedavra [15k]

Harry Potter hates being separated from Draco Malfoy. Not because he’s in love with him, for Merlin’s sake! Because they’re Auror Partners. One time is all it takes for Draco to be attacked with an illicit potion. Until it wears off, Harry’s job is taking care of his partner. Harry thinks the effects of the potion can’t possibly be as serious as Robards says. He thinks wrong.

Feeling Everything (from lust to truth) by badjujuboo [7k]

The one thing Draco wanted from Harry was the one thing Harry wouldn’t give. But the sex was great

Fool rushes in by oldenuf2nb / @dianacopland [15k]

In a burst of unexplained magic, Harry Potter’s Auror partner Draco Malfoy has simply disappeared. Frantic with worry, terrified that something really terrible has happened to the other man, Harry realizes that what he feels for him just might be more than friendship.

The Great Magic Sex Mushroom Fiasco by @magnolia822  [6k]

Lost in the Siberian wilderness without food, Aurors Potter and Malfoy are forced to improvise, with unexpected consequences …

A House on Fire by @p1013 [5k]

For the last five years, Auror Draco Malfoy has walked into his office with hardly a glance at the illusioned window taking up the back wall. It looks out over an imagined London, a perfectly bright and brilliant view of the city that hides the smog and rain and dirt that clings to the city like a patina of time that can never be worn away. It's always a perfect summer's day with soft, white clouds that float through the painfully bright blue sky like a dream. He likes to imagine the gentle breeze that ripples the surface of the Thames brushing across his skin, since he'll never be able to actually feel it. After all, his office is located on the second floor and is, therefore, underground. Or at least that's what he did before the seventh of October, 2009.

if i could never give you peace by @poisonivy206 [17k]

There are all these bruises on Harry’s memory. A blond boy with a hand outstretched. On a broom. Walking the halls of Hogwarts like a ghost. Climbing up to the Astronomy Tower. On and on, the moments in which Draco Malfoy has cut into him, buried himself in him, until what held Harry together were all the ways in which he wanted to take Draco apart. And now his skin is so close, burning hot, his grip like a vice on Harry’s bicep, on the back of his neck. He smells like the forest, like ashes, like sweat and memories. Eleven years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Aurors Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are forcibly brought together by a new case that’s bound to reopen old wounds. Enter a Firewhisky problem, prejudices that never really go away, and an obsession as old as time.

Is This Love? by @phd-mama [3k]

Draco wouldn’t call himself a tender man. He fights the forces of evil for a living, trying his best to pay penance for the evil he’s done. He’s fought and killed in the name of duty, and when he’s not on duty, he tends either to play hard or retreat alone. He doesn’t lean on anyone, and he knows he’s not the first person anyone goes to when they need care. Comfort. That all changes tonight.

It Came Without A Warning by @p1013 [5k]

The locker room door had opened, not surprising considering how many other Aurors were involved in the sting, and there was a set of footsteps, ones Harry had learned to recognise over the last three months. “Malfoy?” he yelled. “Is that you?” “Piss off, Potter,” was the exhausted response, and though Harry knew his recalcitrant partner wouldn’t be able to see it, he smiled.

Little Talks by @femmequixotic and @noeeon [11k]

Draco’s been shagging the Head Auror for months now, and he’s sure it’s just a fling. Until Harry asks him to a Quidditch match, that is, and things go horribly wrong.

Observations by penguin474 [17k]

When his new Auror partner turns out to be Draco Malfoy, Harry isn’t pleased, but there are surprises waiting.

Pinky Promises Are Powerful Magic by megyal [12k]

Ickle Harry wants to stay with his newest hero.

The Safe House by @emmagrant01 [10k]

Aurors Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are forced to spend Christmas together in a safe house. Bet you can guess what happens. ;-)

Special Magic by lauren3210 [7k]

Harry was seriously considering the fact that his partner might be completely insane.

Summer Place by @wolfpants [14k]

Draco has the perfect life: a perfect house on a perfect street with his perfect husband. It’s all he’s ever wanted. So why does something still feel wrong? 

That which hurts (and is desired) by @shealwaysreads ( onereader ) [19k]

Draco was lying still, and pale, on a bed in a private room in St Mungo’s. The sheets were white, clean, enchanted against stains, vanishing the blood that kept spilling out of him. He hadn’t moved in two days. Not a twitch of his elegant fingers. Not a blink of his fierce eyes. Harry couldn’t even see the faint flutter of his pulse in his throat from where he stood at the foot of the bed, helpless, impotent, furious. There is nothing Harry wouldn’t do for the people he cares about. As it turns out, that might bring him everything he’s ever wanted.

Title of Their Sex Tape by @cibeewastaken [12k]

What are the Wizarding world’s most elite law enforcers doing when they aren’t catching criminals? It seems Auror Malfoy is often caught throwing food into Auror Potter’s mouth when he’s mid-yawn. This story isn’t about Draco throwing food at Harry. What it does have is: Undercover! Heists! Draco pining for Harry! Harry being oblivious, but also can’t help noticing how good Draco smells! Banters and jokes! That’s about it. 

To Be Out of Your Own (and consumed by another) by @cassiaratheslytherpuff [18k]

By now even Harry recognises the pattern; he’d be an idiot not to. He’ll have sex, and in the moment it’ll be amazing. In the moment he simply is, he feels without thinking. Good, bad, pleasure and pain, he can just let go and feel he isn’t the one in charge. Then he wakes up the next morning feeling disgusting and worthless and swears to never do it again. Still, it helps him forget about his stress, his anxiety and his hopeless crush on his Auror partner so he keeps going back.

What Real Thing? by @l0vegl0wsinthedark [12k]

They don’t cuddle, they don’t talk about their relationship (or lack thereof) and they certainly never fall asleep in each other’s arms.

The Way You Say My Name by InnerLilith [5k]

In which Malfoy calls Harry pet names to get him flustered and riled up, and Harry gets flustered and riled up because he secretly likes it. The problem is that Malfoy is only teasing…or is he?

When the Fallout Comes by @maesterchill [7k]

Draco Malfoy, hard-as-nails Hit Wizard, has a secret obsession. Well two of them. Or ten, depending how far that metaphor can stretch. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly when it tipped from the occasional off-hand observation into something more gripping, but suffice to say it’s now getting a touch out-of-hand. Hands. It’s Potter’s hands. He’s obsessed with Potter’s hands.

I hope you enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[shigayokagayama]

putting my major to use and using the principles of relative dating to try to piece together a timeline for mob psycho

reigens birthday (10/10) and meeting aliens (12/31-1/1) are the only events with solid dates but can be used as a basis to infer a lot of other dates if we work backwards

-tsubomi moving gets announced the day they get back from winter break and shes said to be moving in a month so the confession arc has to take place some time between january and february (based on how little time seems to pass between the announcement and mob's confession id say mid january)

-on winter break before they meet aliens (late decemeber) ritsu says dimple has been missing for a month, putting the broccoli arc in late november

-they had to have met the yokai hunter at least two weeks before the broccoli arc as mob says the school festival is in two weeks, putting the yokai fight in early-mid november

-since at least a bit of time passed between mob getting assigned his group and him stressing about the school festival being "only two weeks away" we can assume that the world domination arc (which happened an unspecified amount of time later) is either later october or early november. its unlikely to have been mid october as a significant amount of time seems to pass between reigens birthday and the press conference

-the seventh division leader says "the boss" (toichiro) will be coming to japan in a month which seems to put ritsus kidnapping and the rest of that arc in mid-late september

-if we use extracanonical birthday math teru and mob meeting has to take place some time after july 2nd because during ritsu and mezatos interview (which takes place shortly before it) she says hes 13 and before july 2nd he still would have been 12. given how much time seems to pass during ritsus joker arc id say late august or early september is a good suspected date for this, but we cant really rule out this happening earlier. the closer you get to the beginning the harder it gets to put dates on this stuff since it started as a gag comic

-mob met dimple one day before mezato interviewed ritsu and given that he doesnt come out of his room and go “happy birthday want to walk to school together” its still after july 2nd

-he joined the body improvement club pretty soon before this so at earliest the telepathy club arc could start in late june  

-the first episode could happen literally any time after april (when the new school year starts) as the only reference to anything setting it in time is that hes a second year

[bordysbae]

what if the reader likes to journal and shes been keeping a journal where she writes about her relationship with (guy of your choice) before they were like dating or something up until now and she gives it to them on their birthday and it’s all emotional and stuff.

“you kept those?!”

adam fantilli x reader

word count: 1k

sorry i couldn’t help myself but pick adam!! he’s too underrated ugh, but anyways this idea is so so so cute!

you and adam have been friends since before you can even remember. your moms were college roommates throughout all four years of university at michigan. so when they found out that you and your older brother drew, who’s the same age as luca, got into michigan, and that fantillis would be playing hockey there, everyone around you was ecstatic.

your feelings for adam began in the third grade, and you’re a freshman in college now. you guys began dating last year, and everyone was waiting for it to happen. you guys were clearly meant to be, according to both your families and friends, but nothing ever happened until now. of course you’ve had other boyfriends before and he’s had girlfriends, but deep down you always knew that he’ll forever be your first love.

when you starting having these ‘tingly feelings’ around him, as your 10 year old self described them, you decided to keep a diary. you would write in it every time you and adam had cute moments, and you still write in it sometimes. you’ve already filled up one whole diary, and you’re halfway done with another one, but being in college now, you don’t really have the time to write in it. so you thought, why not give the diaries to adam for his birthday?

written in the diaries are things like how once he cut you a slice of pie at the annual fantilli’s friends-giving, or even how you would get jealous that he was playing chel with your older brother instead of hanging with you. the first diary is from third grade to seventh grade, and the second one is eight grade till now.

—

you and adam drove about forty-five minutes to detroit, to eat at a fancy resturant everyone has been raving about. you’re sat at a candle lit table in a restaurant, with a view looking over the city, when the perfect moment comes up to give him the diaries.

“so as your birthday gift this year, i didn’t get you much, but i thought maybe you’d enjoy something a little more sentimental.” you say shyly, as you reach into your purse to grab the two old diaries.

adam let’s out a little chuckle, as he reaches across the table to grab them from you. “holy crap! you kept these?! i remember seeing these in your bedroom as a kid, you’d never let anyone touch them. i remember once me, luca, and drew tried to steal it from your room and you started screaming and hitting us” adam laughs, making you blush from embarrassment.

“yeah well you’ll see why when you open them.” you say, embarrassed that you’re letting him finally read all of the diary entries you’ve written about him over the years.

he cracks open the small book in his hands, and begins to attempt to understand your messy elementary school hand writing. he reads through a few pages and you both laugh about it, and he switched over to the other diary. he opens it to a random page, which happens to be from freshman year.

october 31st 2018

dear diary,

it’s halloween night, and this is the first year since fourth grade that we haven’t gone out together. me and adam swore to never stop trick or treating until we’re both old enough to drive, so that we can go to parties together, but looks like him and his new girlfriend have other plans. adam keeps sending me a bunch of snapchats of him at this stupid party with her head on his shoulder. it doesn’t help that luca and drew went out to a party too, so now i’m at home trying not to cry. i hate having a crush on adam, i never want to feel like this again.

adam looks up from the diary and gives you a small pitiful smile, making you hide your face in embarrassment, “i regret giving you these!” you groan and hide your face in your hands. he reaches across the table and takes your hand in his.

“don’t be embarrassed, i think these are super cute. they’re warming my heart. i can’t wait to read the rest of them, and if it makes you feel any better i had a crush on you during like half of these too. you think i really liked fiona that much? i remember i kept thinking how much i wanted to be trick or treating with you instead.” he blushes.

“you’re just saying that!” you laugh, unbelieving of what he’s saying.

“i’m dead serious! why else would i be sending you snaps you while i’m at a party. i really only dated her cause i was just tired of always getting chirped for not having a girlfriend, she she had a crush on me,” adam chuckles, making you giggle a little bit at the thought.

“i was always right there, y’know”

“i know that now, and boy do i wish i could go back in time and do it all differently. you don’t know how bad i wished i was the one who took you to homecoming freshman year. me and fiona weren’t even matching colors! oh and don’t even get me started on homecoming junior year. you went with one of my teammates, i was pissed!”

“well hey, you did take me to senior prom!” you chuckle a little, looking at your lockscreen photo of the two of you from last year.

“because we were dating then! that doesn’t count”

“yes it does adam! plus all of the stupid relationships we got into during high school just proves we were bound to be” you cheesily grin, making adam smile as well.

“yeah i guess so, but seriously if i could go back and change it all i would. i would’ve asked you out like, i dunno, five years ago!”

“oh sure, cause you definitely had the balls to do that. the real question is, wouldn’t our braces have gotten caught in each other?” you joke, remembering how ugly you both looked with braces five years ago. adam laughs, almost spitting out his water, making you and him both laugh even harder. you guys get a few stares from the older adults around you guys, but you both don’t care. you’re just enjoying the moments with the man you finally get to call yours.

[dollywheeler]

October 7th, 1996

Dear diary,

Will gave us back our assignments today and he really liked it! I can't help but feel like his opinion is biased though, which is kind of a bummer. I mean, I'm glad that I got a good grade and I'm proud of it so I feel like it deserves the grade it got, but... I don't know. I feel like it would have been more satisfying if it had been graded by someone who hadn't spent Friday night fondueing marshmallows with me at his own dinner table.

Same happens in English now - I always take pride in my essays, but it's hard not to worry that Mike's taking it easy on me, even when he said he wouldn't.

At least I gave Will the copy of Morning Glory after we already got our grades back because that would have been even more damning. Which is exactly why I waited until lunch to pass by his classroom and hand over the tape I'd made as promised, away from prying eyes. Danny walked with me - I'd told him all about our dinner on Saturday over the phone - and in hindsight I probably should have known to expect Mike would be there as well.

They were having lunch together at Will's desk, and through the window I could see them startle as we knocked, but quickly smiled and waved us in when they noticed it was me. As soon as we stepped into the classroom I could tell that Mike was sizing up Danny, even though he already knows him from his English class, and knows he's perfectly smart and polite. He didn't say anything and his expression didn't give anything away as he shifted his attention back to me.

I have to say it's kind of weird having that kind of ... consideration? It's sounds strange and might not make sense but... I've never had a brother before - not like that at least. As annoyed as I want to be over him scrutinizing my life - which he still has no business doing by the way and if he even tries to meddle I will strangle him - it feels nice to have someone watching out for me.

Not that I need protecting from Daniel of all people - he's the sweetest, most considerate boy I know. He's always smiling and it's genuine. I've never met anyone who seems so genuinely happy and kind at all times. It's kind of amazing to see.

But anyway, I gave him the tape and after he'd thanked me I just had to ask Mike if he'd seen the painting Will had made in class.

He'd given us this new assignment - we're back on paint, thank god - and Will had used the projector to show us some new techniques we could try out. He'd started drawing a face from memory and it slowly became obvious that it was Mike - or well, Mr. Wheeler for everyone else in the class. He paused and blinked for a second and then he added antennae and turned him into an alien, making everyone laugh. I don't even think he'd realised what he'd been drawing until he'd seen the whole picture, turning him into an alien to make fun and distract everyone. I wish I could draw like that though - just get lost in a trance and see where my mind ends up. I feel like it would help clear up a messy mind.

Anyway, after he was done with the sketch and actually got around to showcasing the paint techniques - using blues and greens to stick to the alien theme - it actually turned out really cool.

As expected, Will squirmed in embarrassment as I brought up the painting but he pulled it out for Mike and Danny who of course thought it funny as well. And seriously, Will is crazy talented - even this silly five minute painting was insanely well done.

We talked for a while, but Daniel and I still had to get lunch so eventually we had to join the others in the cafeteria.

By the time we got to seventh period English, Mike had hung up the painting in his classroom. He even had a frame for it and everything!

Seriously, where did he get that thing on such short notice?

Love, Holly

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Thank you for your reply, I really appreciate it! (and the fact you're linking all your other metas)

I like how you explained it and it really makes sense. I actually can picture it now! I think it would be really interesting to see how impacted the muggleborns were back then. Maybe they were refused job because of their blood and overall felt insecure-- after all, we never know since Lily ended up being a full time Order's member.

I gotta says though, there are some dates I do not agree with in your timeline, if I may? Here's what Moody said concerning the Order's picture:

“There’s me,” said Moody unnecessarily, pointing at himself. The Moody in the picture was unmistakable, though his hair was slightly less gray and his nose was intact. “And there’s Dumbledore beside me, Dedalus Diggle on the other side … That’s Marlene McKinnon, she was killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family. That’s Frank and Alice Longbottom —”

And in Lily's letter, she wrote to Sirius that she cried all evening after learning what happened to the McKinnons. It was wrote late July/early August 1981 since it was for Harry 1st birthday, so Marlene would have been killed in July and that's why I am assuming the picture was taken in 1981.

Also, I started to think that the prophecy was made around January/February 1980 because of this post (which would work with the idea that he made interviews during winter break), and that the Fidelius Charm was performed only in October 1981 because of this quote:

“Not many people are aware that the Potters knew You-Know-Who was after them. Dumbledore, who was of course working tirelessly against You-Know-Who, had a number of useful spies. One of them tipped him off, and he alerted James and Lily at once. He advised them to go into hiding. Well, of course, You-Know- Who wasn’t an easy person to hide from. Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm." […] “He did,” said Fudge heavily. “And then, barely a week after the Fidelius Charm had been performed— ”

which would work with my idea that Severus only warned Albus in October 1981, and not before-- and therefore Peter being a spy for one year but not snitching on the Potters would make sense. Voldemort hadn't make his decision yet.

And it made me wonder when Dumbledore actually told the Potters about the prophecy. Did he even tell them everything? There are actually no informations about the Longbottoms hiding too, only the fact they were possible target so I wonder if they knew about it.

Also, one point I like to think about is the fact Lily and James were in the picture in June/July 1981 (possibly), but in Lily's letter she talks about James getting frustrated staying home. Were they still going to the Order's meeting but not doing missions for the Order? Or did they keep low only after the picture was taken? I know in interviews JK talked about the Potters hiding either before Harry's birth or during his christening, and I know people always assume it's because of the prophecy but what if it was simply because they knew they were possible target even without it?

I really have been thinking greatly about the First Wizardin War lately sorry 😭

Your welcome, and no problem, I love talking about this!

Referring to this post.

Regarding the Fidelius, I remember Fudge saying that, but Fudge has no reason to know when the charm was cast. Winter of 1980, makes sense for the prophecy, Considering the prophecy says:

“...THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES. . . .”

(OotP)

It talks about the future. The child will be born, not born yet. Also, the Prophecy was made at least two months before Harry was born:

“My name?” said Harry blankly. He stepped forward. Not as tall as Ron, he had to crane his neck to read the yellowish label affixed to the shelf right beneath the dusty glass ball. In spidery writing was written a date of some sixteen years previously

(OotP)

“I did,” said Dumbledore. “On a cold, wet night sixteen years ago, in a room above the bar at the Hog’s Head Inn

(OotP)

This is in May 1996, so Harry is two months before his 16th birthday, meaning the prophecy was made at least 2 months before he was born. Possibly in the winter of 1980, but not after Harry's birth.

And, it seems bizarre to not hide the Potters immediately after the prophecy is made. Especially since the Order knew there was a spy in their midst since mid-1980:

YOU’D BEEN PASSING INFORMATION TO HIM FOR A YEAR BEFORE LILY AND JAMES DIED!

(PoA)

Add to that the fact the Fidelius broke upon James and Lily's death, which implies Harry was not included in the phrasing of the spell, and it indicates the Fidelius was cast before Harry was born and that Fudge has no clue what he's talking about (which is pretty in character, all in all).

It always seemed to me Dumbledore hid the Potters before Snape told him about Voldemort and that he heard the prophecy. Fudge just knows the version of events the ministry was given, not necessarily the true version.

“The—the prophecy. . . the prediction. . . Trelawney. . . ” “Ah, yes,” said Dumbledore. “How much did you relay to Lord Voldemort?” “Everything—everything I heard!” said Snape. “That is why—it is for that reason—he thinks it means Lily Evans!” “The prophecy did not refer to a woman,” said Dumbledore. “It spoke of a boy born at the end of July—” “You know what I mean! He thinks it means her son, he is going to hunt her down—kill them all—” “If she means so much to you,” said Dumbledore, “surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for mercy for the mother, in exchange for the son?” “I have—I have asked him—” “You disgust me,” said Dumbledore, and Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to shrink a little, “You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?” Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore. “Hide them all, then,” he croaked. “Keep her—them—safe. Please.” “And what will you give me in return, Severus?” “In—in return?” Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, “Anything.”

(DH)

Dumbledore isn't surprised by anything Snape is telling him. It's all expected, he knew all of it already, so I think he already had the Potters in hiding before this conversation. He knew it was Lily and James' son, Snape is even calling him out on his bullshit here. Dumbledore acts like he knew and already took the precautions he felt were needed. Snape goes and promises him anything in exchange for something Dumbledore was already doing.

And I think he didn't tell James and Lily the full prophecy. If he did, I don't think James would've been as antsy to leave all the time. Like, if he felt a strong enough duty to stay for Harry and Lily, I think he would have. Which, to me suggests he didn't know all the details. But alas, I don't know for certain, it's just speculation on my part how much James and Lily knew. I believe it was very little, along the lines of: "There is reason to believe Voldemort would try to target Harry due to certain intel he has," maybe they knew there was a prophecy but not the full contents of it.

The photo of the order and the dates super annoy me. Becouse like, if the photo was taken in the summer of 1981 it means the entire Order was practically wiped out in 4 months. Which is kinda insane and doesn't make much sense.

But, if it indeed was taken in June/July of 1981, it means it was taken after the Potters were already in hiding due to everything I wrote above. It means the Potters left Harry with Batgilda Bagshot or something to meet the Order and take this picture, which, again, doesn't make sense. God, I hate JKR's timeliness sometimes.

Yes, this is nonsensical, but it seems like, indeed, James and Lily left their hiding spot to take a picture and the whole Order died in the last 4 months of the war, painting them as way more incompetent than I usually paint them as.

But if James and Lily really didn't know how grave the danger was and didn't have all the details, and James felt confident enough to leave them under the invisibility cloak multiple times, it's possible they did go to meet the Order while in hiding on a few occasions. This would lull James and Lily even more into a false sense of security. If they were used to seeing the Order it explains James leaving often-ish, and neither of them having their wands on them when Voldemort arrives. They didn't really think they were in danger for all their months in hiding.

[braveclementine]

Chapter 1

Warnings: None, readers under the age of 18 can read this since it is all fluff.

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. I also do not condone any copying of this.

.❤️.

𝕴 𝖜𝖆𝖑𝖐𝖊𝖉 𝖚𝖕 to the small house and let myself in, not bothering to lock the door behind me. Dad would be home soon. I treaded into the kitchen and got myself grapes out of the fridge before running up the stairs into my bedroom. I set my backpack down by my desk and threw myself down on my bed, a feeling of elation filling me. School was officially out.

My bedroom was rather small, but large enough for a bed, bookshelves, a nightstand, a dresser, and a desk. The walls were a light pink and covered with posters of famous Quidditch players and a few Muggle singers (I especially fancied the Beatles). My bed had purple covers and two stuffed animals- a wolf and a cat. The furniture was all white, a small pink phonograph box sitting on the nightstand next to the bed.

There was also a window on the right side of the room, near the foot of the bed, parallel with the door. If I looked out it, I could see into the neighbors back garden. There was a calendar over the desk where I had marked the days off till my birthday. . . and to my first day back to school.

This upcoming school year, I wouldn't be starting seventh grade like all of my friends. Instead, I would be going to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. True, I haven't gotten my letter yet, but my dad said I will eventually get one because my birth parents had gone. Not to mention, he had said, that had I showed signs of uncontrolled magic when I was younger.

I suppose he was talking about the time when I turned the principals' jacket from black to bright yellow just by looking at her during a teacher-parent conference. It was an accident though and no one knew what had happened except dad. Actually, dad was quite humored by the accident. Or maybe he was thinking about the time I had breathed underwater for four minutes. I'm not entirely sure.

Of course, my Dad wasn't really my biological dad, he was my adopted dad. My real Dad-and mum- were murdered eleven years ago. Well, almost eleven years. If I'm being technical, it was 10 years and eight months. They were murdered on October 31, which has always kinda killed Halloween for me.

I also have a twin brother who I've never met. His name is Harry Potter. He lives with my Mum's sister, my Aunt. Apparently she's a Muggle. I feel bad for him. He's also extremely famous in our world. He survived being killed by Lord Voldemort. I probably would've been killed, Dad says, If my parents hadn't hidden me.

My Dad is a Werewolf by the name of Remus Lupin. That has caused some significant differences in my life compared to other wizards and witches kids (at least, I would assume considering I've never actually met a magical kid- though I've seen them at Diagon Alley). On full moons ever since I arrived at his house, he's had to set up sleepovers or fake appointments or out of town trips so that the neighbor or one of my friends parents would let me sleep over. But I don't mind, I love him. Honestly, I couldn't be happier.

The way I got to my Dads house is still a bit of a mystery, put together in bits and pieces. My dad assumes that his old friend Sirius Black might've dropped me off. There was a letter from him explaining to Lupin that I was a secret, that my parents didn't want anyone to know that I existed, not even Dumbledore. That was something huge because Dumbledore was one of the greatest wizards of all time.

However, my dad doesn't know who dropped me off. He wasn't even home when I arrived on his doorstep. He had been in the north of the country on business for the Order. (That's the secret organization he worked for to try and take down Lord Voldemort).

Our elderly next door neighbor had seen me when she was setting the milk jugs out and she took me in when she found out Dad wasn't home. I'm just glad that she didn't read any of the letters. Even better, she didn't look at any of the pictures because that would've freaked her out- they moved, unlike Muggle photos which were stationary.

When Remus-Dad- came back, she took me out to see him with my bag and stuff, and told him where she had found me. He never had a chance to ask Sirius about it because by this time, he was in Azkaban.

I won't go into all the nitty gritty details because most people have heard about notorious killer Sirius Black. But, there's some part of me that thinks he may be innocent. I don't know why I believe that, but I do. It's something that I feel in my heart. But all the evidence points at him, so my feeling must be wrong. But I don't think I am. My feelings have never been wrong before.

Anyways, so where was I? Oh right, my father put me in a Muggle school when I was five. This was so I could learn Muggle classes like math and science and history. Actually, unlike most other kids, I find such classes fascinating. But it's not normal for magical kids to go through Muggle school. My father did it because he is a Werewolf.

See, he can't get many jobs in the Wizarding world because our people don't like Werewolves. I don't understand that, but perhaps that's because I'm biased as I've grown up with him and I love him. However, he can sometimes get jobs in the Muggle world because they aren't superstitious and because most jobs don't require him to work at full moon.

My greatest wish is to discover a cure for Werewolves (I'm sure I'll have to create it). I want to help Lupin. I think that's what my real father, James Potter, would have wanted me to do. After all, that's what friends and family do, right? They help each other.

Alright, so its the last day of sixth grade and I 'graduated' with all A's. It wasn't that big of a surprise, I study quite hard for all of my classes since I'm in the highest level classes possible. Plus, it's only sixth grade and rather simple.

My dad was still at work right now. At the moment, he was teaching classes for the ministry. There weren't many people in the class but it was our only source of income so we had to deal with it. I didn't know what the classes were about. It was probably defense classes because that was what dad was good at. I did know that the classes ended soon. They were only being held for a certain amount of time.

But enough about our problems. I would rather talk about the good things in our life. Like the fact that I get to meet Harry this year at Hogwarts! Since we're twins, we will end up going the same year which is super exciting! I know that our Aunt doesn't know I exist so I'm sure she couldn't have told Harry about me, but I have pictures of my mum and dad so I'll be able to prove to Harry that I'm his sister. It's in a locket necklace that I was wearing when I arrived at Lupin's house.

It's a silver necklace in the shape of a heart. It's just a little smaller than a lime and it opens. On either side of the inside are pictures of my mum and dad. My Dad has brown hair and brown eyes and he's wearing glasses. He's wearing a blue buttoned down shirt. He has a smile that lights up the world. He's holding baby me. On the other side is my Mum. She has red-brown hair and green eyes. Lupin says I look like her but I think I look more like James. I wear glasses and my hair is only red in the sunshine. Plus, my eyes are brown, not green. Perhaps I would look more like mum if I didn't wear my glasses. And if I had green eyes.

Sometimes I don't wear glasses because I only really need them for my left eye which at 16/20 vision while my right eye is 20/20.

Mum is holding Harry in the photo. He's got a chubby baby face and he's laughing about something funny. He has black hair just like our father and it's sticking out in every direction. He waves his fist in the air sometimes. We are all smiling.

Lupin has pictures of James in the house that I look at sometimes. There's also a wedding picture of James and Lily. Lupin had been there- but he was very camera shy. But, I'm content with the way things are.

The doorbell rang and I snapped the locket closed. Only Muggles rang the doorbell. Wizards, if any came- which most didn't- knocked. Dad would've just walked through the door.

I bounded down the stairs and opened the door.

"ELIZABETH!" My best friend Trang threw her arms around me. "Guess what!"

"Uhm, no idea." I said, hugging her back. "Come in?"

Trang came in through the door and I closed it behind me. "so what's up?" I asked again but I really didn't need to prompt her.

"I-got-accepted-to-Cincinnati-Hills-Christian-Academy-for-seventh-through-twelfth-grade!!! I told you I was going to test into different boarding schools right?"

I ran back her words in slow motion. Ah, okay, yeah. She had been talking about it nonstop but I didn't comment on this particular aspect.

"Where is this Cincinnati Hills-"

"Oh we call it CHCA for short." She said, grinning. "And obviously it's in Cincinnati."

I racked my brain. I was good with countries and capitals, not so much cities. "Er- what country is that in?"

"America."

My mind went blank. Then I said, "AMERICA! WHAT!"

"I know right! I can't believe it." Trang was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

I sat down on the couch, feeling just slightly overwhelmed. "So it's a boarding school, correct?"

"No, I have to stay with an American family. It's called having a host family. Sometimes its a trade. Like if they had a daughter who wanted to come here to Britain, then we would trade."

"Do they have a daughter?" I asked, interested.

Trang laughed, "Trying to replace me?"

I laughed too. "Of course not." I winked at her. I wouldn't even be here to meet the hypothetical girl.

She grinned. "No, they were a childless couple but they lived near CHCA and they wanted to host me so I'm grateful."

"Imagine their American accents." I said, trying not to laugh.

She laughed.

We talked for another couple of hours until Dad came home through the door.

"Hey girls." He closed the door lightly behind him.

I looked up at him and my forehead creased in worry. He didn't look happy, though he had a light smile on his face. I stood up and Trang did too.

He smiled at Trang, "Are you staying for dinner?"

Crap, dinner. I closed my eyes, frustrated with myself.

"No, mum wants me home at five unfortunately." Trang said.

I looked at the clock "It's five twenty."

"Oh no." Trang said. She threw her arms around me and I hugged her back quickly. She rushed out the door, saying a quick good-bye to Lupin, and the door clicked behind her. I hurried to the kitchen.

I opened the refrigerator door. I needed to get a job this summer, something small hopefully. That way I could help bring in some money, even if it was Muggle money. Lets see, If 1 Galleon is the equivalent of £5.00, then I would have to make £5.00 to equal one wizarding coin. I bit my lip.

"Elizabeth?"

"Yeah Dad?" I asked, my voice going up an octave because I wasn't supposed to be thinking about getting a job.

"Are you okay? You seemed a little out of it when I came home." He set his battered leather briefcase on the chair.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to make dinner because I was talking to Trang." I said, my face still in the refrigerator door. There- I could cook the leftover chicken with rice and greenbeans and maybe potatoes if we still had any. Not that I liked potatoes but I'd already screwed up not having dinner ready.

Lupin laughed. "I'll go get changed and I'll be down in a moment."

"Okay." I said, pulling the chicken out and putting it on the counter. The refrigerator door swung closed and made a light click. I checked the calendar on the wall. Next week was full moon. I sighed. No wonder he was feeling so down. Unless it had to do with the Ministry classes. . . was this week the last week? No, I had thought they ended in August.

I put the chicken in the pan and put the lid on it. The rice went into another pan and the greenbeans in one next to that. I searched the kitchen for potatoes. We had a couple left. I washed it and cut off the yucky parts and put it in the microwave for six minutes.

As all of that was cooking, I grabbed my notebook out from underneath a box that Dad never moved. I grabbed my pen and opened up the book. I flipped to the back pages where I kept my job ideas.

I was only ten, almost eleven, so not many places hired. Actually, almost none. I could work at the pool in the snack bar. I would make £7 an hour. That wasn't a lot. If you thought about it, it was really like a Galleon a hour. If I worked a full 5 hours a day I would make £35. If I managed to work every day except Sunday, I could make £245. That would put me at around 49 Galleons.

I stared at the numbers on the page. Only 49 Galleons? I put the book down and flipped the chicken over.

But that was 49 Galleons a week, right? So in a month I would have. . .196 Galleons? How much were our bills? We lived in a Muggle house so we had to pay them in Muggle money, right? Or did the Ministry interfere and we had to pay in Wizarding Gold? I chewed on my bottom lip. It was all so overwhelming. I didn't have enough information and if I started questioning dad about bills he'd get suspicious.

I heard footsteps on the stairs and I flipped the book open to a new page with nothing on it and started jotting down a grocery list.

Once dinner was ready, I slipped the book back under the box and brought dinner out to Dad and a smaller plate for myself.

He looked at me, "You're not eating much anymore."

"I ate something else when I came home as well." I said. Technically, it was true, I'd had some grapes.

We ate in silence for a bit and then he said, "I have some bad news."

I bit my lip again. At this rate, I was going to make it bleed.

"The Ministry has stopped the classes a few weeks early." Dad said. So I was right, the classes were suppose to end in August.

"Of course." I said bitterly. "Stupid Ministry and their prejudices."

He smiled sadly. "I think you're the one who's a bit biased, don't you think? We are very dangerous creatures."

I scowled. He put a hand on my head and I leaned forward. He kissed my forehead and I felt that everything was going to be okay. We'd figure it out. He was my father after all. And he would always be around to take care of me.

⬅️ ➡️

[newstfionline]

Thursday, October 10, 2024

More than 2.8 million without power as Hurricane Milton slams Florida, causes deaths and flooding (AP) Hurricane Milton plowed into Florida as a Category 3 storm, bringing misery to a coast still ravaged by Helene, pounding cities with winds of over 100 mph (160 kph) after producing a barrage of tornadoes, but sparing Tampa a direct hit. The storm tracked to the south in the final hours and made landfall Wednesday night in Siesta Key near Sarasota, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. The situation in the Tampa area was still a major emergency as St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding there as well as other parts of western and central Florida. The storm knocked out power across a large section of Florida, with more than 2.8 million homes and businesses without power as of early Thursday. Before Milton even made landfall, tornadoes were touching down across the state. The Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, was hit particularly hard, with homes destroyed and some residents killed. By early Thursday, the hurricane was a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of about 90 mph (145 kph) as it churned about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Orlando.

In the hole (NYT) Sometime in the next two years, the federal debt will likely cross a worrisome threshold: It will exceed the size of the country’s annual economic output (or GDP) for the first time since 1946. There are a number of causes, but what these causes have in common is a federal government that seems incapable of paying its own bills—and an electorate that tells pollsters it cares about the federal debt but votes for politicians who support low taxes and high spending. I know that the federal debt can be a hard topic to think about, partly because budget scolds have been warning for years that it is too large. Then it keeps growing, and nothing bad seems to happen. Those scolds can sound like Aesop’s boy who cried wolf. But it’s worth remembering what happens at the end of that fable: Eventually, the boy was telling the truth, and a wolf really did come to eat the town’s sheep. Likewise, the federal government will eventually face consequences for spending more money than it raises in taxes. Already, the costs of high federal debt are evident. About one-seventh of all federal spending this year will cover interest payments on debt the government previously accumulated. Over time, interest payments will account for an even larger share of the federal budget, leaving less money for everything else. The interest payments mean that the longer the government waits to deal with its growing debt, the more painful the solution will need to be.

Voters in the US don’t directly elect the president (AP) The U.S. has a unique system for electing a president, the Electoral College. In modern times, it has put disproportionate voting power in the hands of a few states that are fairly evenly divided politically. That forces campaigns to dedicate most of their money to the so-called battleground states. There are seven of them this year—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The lack of attention to other states leaves voters in much of the country feeling as if they and the issues they care about are being overlooked during the presidential contest. In two of the last six U.S. presidential elections, candidates have lost the nationwide popular vote but won the presidency. This includes former President Donald Trump, who lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 by nearly 2.9 million but still won enough votes in the Electoral College to become president. This often sounds crazy to people who live in democracies in the rest of the world. The U.S. is the only country to have a system where voters select a body of electors with the sole function of choosing the president. In most other democracies, the president is directly elected through the popular will of the voters.

A Cartel Battle Turns a Mexican State Into a War Zone (NYT) Bodies dumped on the side of the road. Gun battles in upscale neighborhoods. Tractor-trailers set aflame on the highway. People plucked from their cars by armed men in broad daylight. This is what it looks like when war breaks out within one of the most powerful criminal mafias in the world, the Sinaloa Cartel, pitting two rival factions against each other in a bloody struggle to control a multibillion-dollar narco empire. The bloody struggle between two rival factions of one of the most powerful criminal mafias in the world, the Sinaloa Cartel, has cost Culiacán, a city of one million people, hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, business leaders say.

Biden’s Cuba Policy Leaves the Island a Wreck (Drop Site News) The sight of hungry people scavenging through dumpsters and panhandling was once more common in cities in the United States and Europe than in Havana. But a series of quiet moves, first by Trump, and now by Biden, have produced a humanitarian crisis throughout Cuba. Cuba has been sanctioned for longer than any other country in modern history. But almost a decade ago the Obama administration softened sanctions on the island and restored diplomatic relations with Havana, admitting that over half a century of immiserating the island had failed to oust the communist government. The economic rebound was swift. But in the final weeks of the Trump administration, the White House put Cuba back on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, alongside Iran, Syria and North Korea, for nakedly political reasons and without providing evidence. Cuba watchers expected that Biden would restore Obama’s raft of achievements, as he had promised. Instead, Biden has one-upped Trump by going further than the previous administration in attacking Cuba’s tourism industry—the main engine of the island’s economy. Two years ago, the Biden State Department barred foreigners who visit Cuba from visa-free travel to the U.S. That meant that people from the United Kingdom, France, Spain and 37 other countries found out that a mere holiday in Cuba could forfeit their visa waiver, and many decided not to risk a visit to the island. The terror designation, together with more than 200 sanctions enacted against the island since Obama left office, has pulped the Cuban economy. By driving down people’s living standards and crushing the dream of a better tomorrow, the Trump-Biden sanctions have produced a mass exodus from the island of historic proportions.

Spanish olive trees find new home on Hungary’s slopes (Reuters) Wine maker Csaba Torok, who grows olives on Hungary’s warm southern slopes near Lake Balaton, believes his trees from southern Europe have found a successful new home as Europe’s climate gets warmer. As southern Europe is hit by more frequent droughts and scorching heatwaves, the areas where olive groves can flourish appear to be shifting northwards, he said. Hungary’s winters have become palpably milder over the past years. Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, the European Environment Agency said last month. Spain, which usually supplies around 40% of the world’s olive oil, has suffered poor olive harvests in the past two years due to heatwaves and a prolonged drought, doubling olive oil prices to record levels.

So, Are You Pregnant Yet? China’s In-Your-Face Push for More Babies. (NYT) The first time a government worker encouraged Yumi Yang to have a baby, she thought little of it. She and her husband were registering their marriage at a local office in northeastern China, and the worker gave them free prenatal vitamins, which she chalked up to the government trying to be helpful. When an official later called to ask if she had taken them, and then called again after she did get pregnant to track her progress, Ms. Yang shrugged those questions off as well intentioned, too. But then officials showed up at her door after she had given birth, asking to take a photograph of her with her baby for their files. That was too much. Faced with a declining population that threatens economic growth, the Chinese government is responding with a time-tested tactic: inserting itself into this most intimate of choices for women, whether or not to have a child. Officials are not just going door to door to ask women about their plans. They have partnered with universities to develop courses on having a “positive view of marriage and childbearing.” At high-profile political gatherings, officials are spreading the message wherever they can.

U.N. says it’s ‘seeing the same patterns’ in Lebanon as in Gaza (Washington Post) The United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is “seeing the same patterns that we saw in Gaza�� in Lebanon, a spokesperson for the agency said in a video shared on social media Tuesday, as Israel continues its military campaign in Lebanon and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of the potential for “destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza.” Jeremy Laurence, the OHCHR spokesperson, said that in Lebanon, “the same means and methods of warfare that have been used” as in Gaza, “and as a result we are seeing civilians pay the ultimate price.” He also pointed to shuttered hospitals and mass displacement, among other parallels with Gaza. “The devastation is beyond belief for all people in Lebanon, as it is in Gaza,” he said. “We can’t let this happen again.”

In Gaza, children who survive Israel’s assault face a lifetime of trauma (NBC News) Osama Muhammad Abu Mustafa was convinced he would become an international soccer superstar. Playing on a local team at the municipal stadium in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, he envisioned a future “like Ronaldo.” He was 13. He was practicing soccer with his cousins when the bombs fell. “I had the ball—and then a missile fell,” he told NBC News’ crew on the ground in Gaza in an interview in his home, where he was still recovering months after the July 3 airstrike. What happened next is a blur, he said. But when he woke up, he was in a hospital bed, where he learned that one of his cousins, his aunt and her husband had been killed. He had also lost his left leg. “The occupation killed my dream,” Osama said. “They stole it from me.” Now, Osama struggles to find the will to leave his hospital bed, even in a wheelchair. Osama is one of hundreds of thousands of children whose lives have been shattered during Israel’s yearlong military offensive in Gaza. Like the rest of Gaza’s children, who make up about half of the strip’s population of 2.2 million, Osama bears no responsibility for the Oct. 7 attacks, nor the devastating war that followed. But children like him are paying a high price, with more than 16,900 killed, including dozens of infants under the age of 1, during the intensive Israeli bombing and ground operations.

Water gushes through sand dunes after a rare rainfall in the Sahara desert (AP) The Sahara desert in southeastern Morocco has flooded with more water than seen in decades, with two days of rain in September leading to several areas getting more rain in hours than they ordinarily would get in a year. The rain, an extratropical storm, has interrupted what has otherwise been six consecutive years of drought and will refill groundwater aquifers. Lake Iriqui, which is a lake bed that has been dry for the past 50 years, now had water rushing into it, and the village of Tagounite managed to get 100 millimeters of precipitation in a 24-hour period—unheard of.

A ‘Once-in-a-Lifetime’ Comet (NYT) Look up, stargazers: A comet discovered last year is getting brighter as it makes its closest pass by Earth later this week, and this could be humanity’s last chance to see the comet before it disappears into the cosmic depths. The celestial visitor is Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, or C/2023 A3 to scientists. Astronomers are expecting the comet to be especially vivid, possibly rivaling the brightness of Jupiter in the night sky. The comet is expected to be at its brightest on Wednesday and potentially visible through the end of the month. “This one is, I would say, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Gianluca Masi, an astrophysicist based in Italy and the scientific director of the Virtual Telescope Project.

[666writingcafe]

Lesson 20.5

Author's Note: So, season two. A great follow up to season one as far as I am concerned. However, there is one issue that I have with the original version, which is that Diavolo (and to a lesser extent Solomon) keeps very important information away from MC until the last possible second. For those who have gone through the season, you'll know what I'm talking about.

So, the reason for this "half-lesson" is so that I can resolve this issue that I have with the original season. Obviously, you do not have to accept this into your personal canon if you don't want to.

With that out of the way, the half-lesson is below the cut.

Diavolo

It's been a rather boring day. There's been so much paperwork that has needed my attention that Barbatos has practically chained me to my office chair so that I can complete it in a timely fashion. Don't worry; I told him to do everything in his power to make sure I didn't get distracted. Plus, he has provided food and drink at reasonable intervals, and he has instructed me to stretch every so often.

So, when Barbatos enters my office, I think nothing of it. However, that changes quickly when he states,

"My lord, you might want to hear this." Before I have a chance to reply, he pulls out his D.D.D. and taps his screen a few times. Once he's done, a voice message begins playing.

Hi, Barbatos. This is MC. I'm not sure if you'll get this message, given that I'm in an entirely different realm, but if you do, please call me back as soon as possible. There are catastrophic things happening in the human world, and I think I might be causing them.

"I take it that MC trumps paperwork?" I ask. Barbatos nods his head. Wordlessly, he taps his screen a couple more times, and soon I can hear ringing emanating from the phone.

"Would it be offensive for me to say 'thank god'?" MC asks from the other end of the line.

"Not in this context, no," Barbatos answers. "You are on speaker."

"Who's with you?"

"I am," I respond. "Barbatos and I are in my office."

"I see," MC replies. "I know you and I aren't exactly on the best of terms, but I really need your help. I figured you were busy, hence why I called Barbatos."

"Just doing paperwork. So, what exactly is going on?" MC sighs.

"I've been having nightmares. They don't allow me to get much rest. I feel like a zombie."

"What are they about?" Barbatos asks.

"I don't know for sure, since I'm not able to see much other than bright flashes of light. I always end up feeling enraged during these nightmares, and there's a lot of yelling that occurs."

"That doesn't sound pleasant," I tell MC.

"At first, I thought that maybe it was a side effect of medicine I've been taking, but then I've noticed a pattern. There's been an increase of natural disasters that have occurred in the human world. On the days that those disasters get reported, I've had that nightmare the previous night."

"Forgive me for saying this, MC, but that could just be coincidence," Barbatos states.

"Not when it's happened over 50 times. I've kept track. I have three notebooks full."

"Of just events in the human world?"

"Not exactly. There's plenty of nights that I've had that exact dream, but nothing gets reported. So, initially I had your reaction, but then I realized that there are two other realms that could be affected as well." Barbatos and I exchange glances. There has been an uptick in unexplained phenomena that has been occurring in the Devildom recently. In fact, that's what a fair chunk of this paperwork is about.

"Do you have those notebooks near you?" I ask.

"Yes."

"Do you have dates written down?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. I'm going to give you some dates, and I want you to tell me if they're in your notebook. Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Februrary seventh." Paper rustling.

"Yes."

"March twenty-sixth."

"Yes."

"April twelfth."

"Yes." Barbatos' eyes widen, which concerns me. He's usually the more composed one.

"September first." More paper rustling.

"Yes."

"October eighteenth."

"Yes."

"Okay." I pause, unsure how to proceed. "MC, this is serious." Several seconds of silence.

"Alright," MC finally responds. It almost sounds like they're trying not to cry. "I see. Well." More silence. "I know that Devildom history is much better documented than what's up here, so maybe either one of you can tell me if there's ever been someone like me before."

"No," Barbatos quickly answers. "Humans have had connections with angels and demons for millennia, but those connections have always been separate until now. If a human is involved with angels, then they don't mix with demons, and vise versa. You are the only one that I'm aware of that has both angel and demon marks on your body. That's the first thing that sets you apart.

"The second thing is the source of your pact marks. There have certainly been humans that have pacts with a lot more demons than you, but usually those pacts are with lower level demons. If they do have pacts with demons in our position, it's usually with one or two. Three's usually a stretch, but it has happened. In those situations, however, the human doesn't survive much past the date that the third pact is made. Their body is simply too weak to handle that much power.

"Before you, the only human that I thought might have been able to survive that many pacts would be Solomon, but everyone else has their reservations, hence why he only has two pacts with higher-level demons: myself and Asmodeus.

"You are the first human in our history that has pacts with all seven Avatars, and you've managed to remain intact. That suggests an immense amount of power that has never been documented in a human before. You could very well be creating an instability in the fabric of the universe that is causing these things to happen."

"Thanks, Barbatos," MC snidely remarks.

"I apologize," I tell MC. "Barbatos can be rather blunt at times." I briefly pause. "Here's what we'll do: I'll have Barbatos reach out to Solomon and tell him to pick you up. Your first stop will actually be to the Celestial Realm to investigate if similar events are occuring up there that are happening in our realms and that match any of your missing dates."

"And how exactly are we going to get up there?"

"Simeon. I leave that responsibility to Solomon. He should be smart enough to know that he needs to talk to him first. The three of you will probably rendezvous somewhere close to you."

"What about Luke? When he finds out that Simeon is meeting up with me, he'll want to tag along."

"Leave that to Simeon. He's basically the boy's guardian; I'm sure he'll come up with a reasonable story."

"True. So, I'm assuming we're going to the Devildom once we're done in the Celestial Realm?"

"Yes. All four of you. It'll raise less suspicion. We'll figure out our next steps once you arrive."

"Please don't tell the brothers about this," MC instructs. "It'll only make things worse."

"You have my word."

[adventure-showdown]

What is your favourite Doctor Who story?

ROUND 1 MASTERPOST

synopses and propaganda under the cut

The Left-Handed Hummingbird

Synopsis

He took up a firing stance, holding the thirty-eight out in front of him. "Mr Lennon?" he said.

1968: Cristian Alvarez meets the Seventh Doctor in London.

1978: The great temple of the Aztecs is discovered in Mexico.

1980: John Lennon is murdered in New York.

1994: A gunman runs amok in Mexico City.

Each time, Cristian is there. Each time, he experiences the Blue, a traumatic psychic shock. Only the Doctor can help him – but the Doctor has problems of his own. Following the events of Blood Heat and the Dimension Riders, the Doctor knows that someone or something has been tinkering with time. Now he finds that events in his own past have been altered – and a lethal force from South America's prehistory has been released.

The Doctor, Ace and Bernice travel to the Aztec Empire in 1487, to London in the Swinging Sixties, and to the sinking of the Titanic as they attempt to rectify the temporal faults -- and survive the attacks of the living god Huitzilin.

Propaganda

First story from Kate Orman! It’s weird, strange, and uniquely her! (@finalpam8000 )

Human Nature

Synopsis

"Who's going to save us this time?"

April, 1914. The inhabitants of the little Norfolk town of Farringham are enjoying an early summer, unaware that war is on the way. Amongst them is Dr John Smith, a short, middle-aged history teacher from Aberdeen. He's having a hard time with his new post as house master at Hulton College, a school dedicated to producing military officers.

Bernice Summerfield is enjoying her holiday in the town, getting over the terrible events that befell her in France. But then she meets a future Doctor, and things start to get dangerous very quickly. With the Doctor she knows gone, and only a suffragette and an elderly rake for company, can Benny fight off a vicious alien attack? And will Dr Smith be able to save the day?

Propaganda

the tv adaptation of this has tighter writing but the book has. idk a lot of stuff in it that's interesting that unfortunately didn't make it into the episodes. i think they should fight (October)

Lungbarrow

Synopsis

"Nonsense, child", retorted the Doctor. "Grandfather indeed! I've never seen you before in my life!"

All is not well on Gallifrey. Chris Cwej is having someone else's nightmares. Ace is talking to herself. So is K9. Leela has stumbled on a murderous family conspiracy. And the beleaguered Lady President, Romanadvoratrelundar, foresees one of the most tumultuous events in her planet's history.

At the root of all is an ancient and terrible place, the House of Lungbarrow in the southern mountains of Gallifrey. Something momentous is happening there. But the House has inexplicably gone missing.

673 years ago the Doctor left his family in that forgotten House. Abandoned, disgraced and resentful, they have waited. And now he's home at last.

In this, the Seventh Doctor's final New Adventure, he faces a threat that could uncover the greatest secret of them all.

Propaganda

cornerstone of weird doctor who lore and jokes about looms (anonymous)

Is it good? No. But damn if it doesn't cause some good fandom fights. #LoomRights (@eighthdoctor)

The Blood Cell

Synopsis

"Release the Doctor — or the killing will start."

An asteroid in the furthest reaches of space — the most secure prison for the most dangerous of criminals. The Governor is responsible for the worst fraudsters and the cruellest murderers. So he's certainly not impressed by the arrival of the man they're calling the most dangerous criminal in the quadrant. Or, as he prefers to be known, the Doctor.

What does impress the Governor is the way the new prisoner immediately sets about trying to escape. And keeps trying. Finally, he sends for the Doctor and asks him why? But the answer surprises even the Governor. And then there's the threat — unless the Governor listens to the Doctor, a lot of people will die.

Who is the Doctor and what's he really doing here? Why does he want to help the Governor? And who is the young woman who comes every day to visit him, only to be turned away by the guards?

When the killing finally starts, the Governor begins to get his answers...

Propaganda

12 and Clara's greatest adventure, some really exciting moments, cool plot, a very good side chracter, just fun times (anonymous)

Engines of War

Synopsis

"The death of billions is as nothing to us, Doctor, if it helps defeat the Daleks."

The Great Time War has raged for centuries, ravaging the universe. Scores of human colony planets are now overrun by Dalek occupation forces. A weary, angry Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes against the Dalek stronghold but in the midst of the carnage, the Doctor's TARDIS crashes to a planet below: Moldox.

As the Doctor is trapped in an apocalyptic landscape, Dalek patrols roam amongst the wreckage, rounding up the remaining civilians. But why haven't the Daleks simply killed the humans?

Searching for answers the Doctor meets 'Cinder', a young Dalek hunter. Their struggles to discover the Dalek plan take them from the ruins of Moldox to the halls of Gallifrey, and set in motion a chain of events that will change everything. And everyone.

An epic novel of the Great Time War featuring the War Doctor as played by John Hurt.

Propaganda no propaganda submitted

[cursed-elo-images]

INCORRECT ELO QUOTES PART 7

So unfortunately I ran out of quotes to generate so this is the seventh and last part. However, I might wait a year or two and see if perchance.org in question creates more quotes I can generate. That said, if that happens, I might make more volumes of these quotes!!! But only if new ones keep getting created. That also explains why this part is rather short.

I hope everyone enjoys this last part of the Incorrect ELO Quotes Extravaganza!!!

Richard: *closes a cabinet*

*a crash is heard behind the cabinet door*

Mik: What was that?

Richard: The sound of someone else's problem.

Mik: That’s the key slice of truth we need to complete the entire truth pie.

Richard: Ooh, can we get some actual pie?

Mik: I like the way you think.

Richard: Is it just me or is instant ramen even better uncooked?

Mik: It’s just you.

Mik: Where did you get that tomato soup?

Richard: It’s actually a bowl of ketchup I just microwaved.

Mik: This is tied for most terrifying day of my life.

Richard: Tied with what?

Mik: Every other day of myself!

Mik : And what do I get out of this?

Richard: I will give you a dollar.

Mik: What do you think I am? A chump? I would never do it for a dollar!

Richard: How bout two dollars?

Mik: You got yourself a deal.

Richard: I feel like I can be myself around you.

Mik: You’re weird and quiet around me.

Richard: Yes.

Mik : Unpopular opinion, not all dogs are good boys.

Bev: Blocked.

Mik : Sometimes, they’re good girls!

Bev: UNBLOCKED!

Mik: Can we get a birthday cake?

Richard: It’s not your birthday.

Mik: The cake won’t know!

Mik: Knock, knock.

Richard: Who's there?

Mik: Boo!

Richard: Boo who?

Mik: Why are you crying?

Richard: I'm not crying.

Mik: Hello notcrying, I'm Mik.

Jeff: Hugh is not allowed to violate the dress code, even on 'casual' Fridays.

Jeff: No matter how many times you say please, Hugh. We won't put any of the hats you've been asking about into the dress code.

Melvyn: Shouldn't get stressed out, it's not good for the baby.

Jeff: What baby?

Melvyn, crying a bit: Me.

Hugh: Happy October 32nd! Second Halloween!

Richard: That doesn't exist.

Hugh: Not with that attitude.

Jeff: Hugh, we're hungry!

Richard: Hugh! What's for dinner?

Bev: We're hungry, Hugh!

Hugh, frying a bottle of ketchup over the stove: *screams*

Hugh & Melvyn in the back of Jeff's car: MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS!

Richard: We have food at home.

Jeff: *pulls into the McDonald's drivethrough*

Hugh & Melvyn: YAYYYYYY!

Jeff: *orders one black coffee and leaves*

Kelly: Are oranges named orange because oranges are orange or is orange called orange because oranges are orange?

Mik: Which came first, the orange or the orange?

Jeff: Orange was first used to refer the fruit 1280 years ago but was not used as a color until 1000 years ago.

Bev: What was the color called before then?

Melvyn: There was no color, duh! Everything was black and white!

Jeff: Where’s Hugh?

Richard: Doing stuff.

Jeff: I don’t like the sound of that. Where’s Bev?

Richard: Trying to stop Hugh from doing the stuff.

Jeff: And Kelly?

Richard: Trying to stop Bev from stopping Hugh from doing the stuff.

Jeff: I see. And what are you doing here, Richard?

Richard: I’m supposed to stop you from stopping Kelly from stopping Bev from stopping Hugh from doing the stuff.

Melvyn: A party is a celebration of a life, bringing people together to let the guest of honor know how much they’re loved. Jeff has done so much for us. This is our chance to do something for him.

Hugh: By forcing him to have fun at a party that he doesn't want to be at?

Melvyn: I knew you’d understand.

[lumineescente]

Seungjin drabble (slowtober challenge)

hii im doing a thing called slowtober (made by @/oeildesaturne on instagram, french speaking folks check it out!! although be aware of tw mental health and eds talks) and i’m posting on twitter a seungjin au per word

I’m late in the updating on tumblr but for the seventh days (october 19th - 21st) the word was “ghost”

i was extremely tempted to write angst i'm not gonna lie, but i decided not to (because it is seungjin and they deserve all the sweetest thing in the world and no angst unless there is comfort) so i went on the other side of it - no pun intended there - and go for something very fun!

if you know new girl you'll recognize my inspiration btw

this is just a silly love confession gone wrong, haunted house funfair are involved and accidental hitting too!

oh btw when i'm done with this challenge i'll hold a little poll on twitter to see which drabble should be written as a whole fic!! so if you like it, you might want to follow this:) (or not) (like it's up to you)

and i keep forgetting to thanks everyone for their time hehe<3 i appreciate every likes!

AND if you enjoyed this challenge who is now over you can vote on this form for your favorite that I’ll be writing into a full fic on ao3! (“soumettre” is “submit” btw)

if you want to check all the drabbles you can go here

In Hyunjin’s opinion the funfair is more lame than fun, but he is here for Seungmin and it goes way above and beyond any lame thing he can attend. Even if it means ruining his Halloween night, and bringing all his friends into his doom, because Seungmin got this stupid job in a haunted house. The overwhelming romantic feelings, and painfully one sided, he has for his best friend of several years has obviously nothing to do with these kind of decision. Never. No matter what Minho would say about it. Or Felix, or Jisung.

Anyway, he twitches in his halloween costume. Way before this whole situation happened, Hyunjin had decided to make his costume a bit funnier than usual, when they were supposed to celebrate it in the warmth of a house, and had picked a slutty nurse costume. Except now the skirt is definitely way too short for his liking, showing too much of his legs and the autumn night has no mercy on his skin. He could have changed when he had known the plan would, but Hyunjin is terribly stubborn.

Parents of young children are looking at him with horrified eyes, he stands a bit taller in his costume. Although he is not sure if it is the slutty or the skirt part that horrifies them, he can bet that they would have been less upset about it if he had been dressed as a man. Fuck them.

“You look very sexy,” he hears Seungmin’s voice say to him.

“I’m also very cold,” he answers.

Seungmin sits down in front of him. Hyunjin is holding on to a cup of hot beverage like his life depends on it, maybe it does though. Seungmin is dressed as a ghost, well not like the easy kind, with just a white sheet or anything. For such a little funfair and a haunted house that is so tacky Minho has already told them he had went two times and had not been scared once, the make up artists and costumers are very good.

Hyunjin is a scaredy cat, he would rather die than enter the haunted house, it can be as predictable as possible he knows he will end up on the floor crying, so he would rather wait outside for Seungmin to be done.

“I have a coat that I don’t use,” Seungmin tells him, “does not suit the vibe very much, plus it’s hot in the house.”

Hyunjin shakes his head.

“Then die in the cold,” his best friend flatly says.

“Hey! Being sexy comes with a price.”

“You’d be sexy fully covered or dressed as a pumpkin, what you wear does not matter.”

Hyunjin raises an eyebrow, “sexy pumpkin? Is that your thing?”

Seungmin blushes. Hyunjin can not see it under his make up but he knows him well enough to guess it. He feels proud of himself for that, if he can not do anything about his one-sided attraction at least he knows him better than anyone else, and knows exactly what to say at what time. So there is that.

“That’s not…” Seungmin stutters, “don’t be stupid! I’m just complimenting you.”

Hyunjin blinks several time, registering exactly what all of this meant. It is not unusual for Seungmin and him to compliment each other, even on their apparences. Well Hyunjin could never spend a day without telling Seungmin how handsome he looks (he makes sure not to make him uncomfortable of course), but there is something different in the tone of his voice. An embarrassment, or maybe it is the term that he has used. Hyunjin’s not sure.

“You think I’m sexy,” he says, “all the time.”

“Yeah, of course. You are so attractive it’s stupid, not that it’s the only thing that I like about you.”

Maybe the cold has frozen all his braincells, maybe but he does not react at all and Seungmin looks away.

“Sorry, forget about it,” he mutters, “I gotta go back to work, break is over.”

Hyunjin opens his mouth but nothing comes out and before he can do anything else Seungmin is gone. He stays still for a moment, trying to process what he has just heard.

“Hey,” Felix says.

His costume is way too complicated for the place they are, a cosplay from some video game he enjoys so much, and he struggles to sit down on the spot Seungmin has just left. He moves his hand in front of Hyunjin’s eyes when he has no answer, “Earth to Hyunjin?” he adds.

“Felix,” Hyunjin says in a very low voice that startles the latter, “is it possible that… maybe, Seungmin likes me?”

Felix’s hat almost drops off his head as he lets out the longest and deepest sigh he has ever had, “woh, the question is more is it possible that Seungmin does not like you? And the answer is no, by the way.”

“What do you mean?” Hyunjin asks, confused, “what do you mean?”

“Well I’m sorry to break it to you but you know every time you came to me crying because of your one sided feelings for Seungmin? They never were one sided.”

“Why didn’t you tell me??”

Hyunjin stands up, suddenly getting the control of his body back. The beverage falls down on the table spilling hot chocolate everywhere but he does not care.

“Hey! I tried! Don’t blame the messenger, you both are so oblivious it’s stupid and also kind of entertaining.”

“Fuck,” Hyunjin mutters already not listening to whatever Felix is saying, “I’ll be back.”

Without thinking he starts running toward the hunting house. There’s no need for a ticket since they paid to enter the place in the first place. He probably scares a bunch of kids and outraged some more parents but if he starts to think he will back down and he can not because Seungmin now is probably thinking that Hyunjin rejected him or something.

He regrets it immediately when he enters the house and the lights are shut down and the floor is cracking under his feet and he hears laughter in the echo, and screaming. His blood turns cold in his veins, he makes one step forward but something sticky touches him on the shoulder and he screams, painfully aware at how much skin is out to be touched. He wants to cry.

He is a man on a mission, so he does not and goes on, yelling for Seungmin’s name a bit louder every time something scares him (every two seconds).

Weird things are touching him, the floor is either too viscous or too thin, moving or painfully still, he tries not to lose his balance as fear entirely flood his brain. The noises are too loud between the children screaming in fear and the scary music and sounds everywhere. In theory he knows every trap he encounters are made up but it still works every time.

He enters a new room and feel a hand catching his shoulder and he does not think as he screams and pushes back. He hears a loud noise that has nothing to do with the haunted house, and a bunch of curses, and suddenly two people catch him and hold him on the ground. He tries to fight back but their hold is too strong. The lights are blueish in the room and his eyes have finally being used to the obscurity.

“Seungmin, are you okay?” someone says panic in their voice.

Hyunjin’s brain focuses back. In the side of the room he sees a silhouette getting up from the floor, helped by another one.

“Yeah, I’m fine I just hit my head on the side.”

“Oh my god,” he stutters, “I’m so sorry.”

The two people over him hold even tighter, he let out a scream of pain.

“Seungmin, it’s me,” he mutters, “fuck, I’m so sorry I just got scared!”

“Hyunjin?!”

He sighs as he recognize Seungmin’s voice.

“It’s me, are you hurt? Did I hurt you?”

“You can let him go,” Seungmin tells the two persons.

They seem unwilling to agree to that.

“Please,”  Hyunjin whimpers, overwhelmed by the entire situation and the fact that he still is terrified by the whole haunted house. “I’m really sorry.”

Eventually they do and Seugmin goes to his side, “why are you here? Hyunjin this is so…”

“I like you! Like more than a friend.”

He hates himself this is the worst way to confess to his long time crush. After hurting him and in the middle of a haunted house, in front of obviously very judgmental people right now. He can not blame them for that. Seungmin stares in disbelief.

“Is this why you pushed me?”

“No! This is because I was scared, I’m still very scared.”

Seungmin shakes his head but he faintly hears him laugh.

“Okay, I’m going to take a break and get checked by a doctor, okay?”

Everyone agrees to that. He then stares once again at Hyunjin who is still lying down on the floor.

“I’m wondering if you deserve to finish the haunted tour by yourself or…”

“I’m really sorry,” he repeats.

Seungmin extends a hand that he grabs and gets up.

“Fine,” he tells him, “but that’s because I like you like more than a friend too.”

The sparkles that Hyunjin feels in his heart manage to make the scary atmosphere fade away. Seungmin still holds his hand and he feels warm. He gets closer to him. Maybe the funfair is not that lame.