#what if they have STORIES what am i supposed to DO

[magiefish]

Justine Florbelle is a remorseless sadist and Amnesia: Justine never attempts to devalue or underplay that about her character, but they also provide her with a fair bit of nuance through her backstory and her interactions with her father. Instead of treating her like a child, he treated her more like a science experiment, and in *some* way (that ranges from just off-handed comments to maybe CSA) always devalued and compared her to her mother, at least from her perspective. She's obviously insecure about it -- the whole "my beauty is blinding" bit -- and her egotism seems half-genuine and half-a defense mechanism against those insecurities by bragging about how intelligent and beautiful she is all the time. She also seems to have a close relationship and perhaps genuine affection for Clarice, though this is also tied up to a certain extent in her egotism. Above all else: she strikes me as genuinely lonely. I think its one of the things scrawled on the walls just before you escape the dungeon. She has all of this power and control, this supposed beauty and intelligence, but, at the end of the day, she is still completely isolated because, at the end of the day, she doesn't actually understand other people and they don't understand her.

Other than the horrific murder and violence, she feels like a surprisingly empathetic depiction of someone with low-empathy and/or a personality disorder because the story is genuinely invested in examining how these things not only negatively affect those around her, but also herself, which is absolutely not something you see that often! She conducts an entire batshit amnesia psychology experiment on herself in order to see whether or not there's any good inside of her and literally insults herself via recording while its happening, and even if she immediately reverts back to doing evil right afterwards, it definitely does come from a place, I think, of genuine insecurity and perhaps regret for a person she couldn't be. Furthermore, the game, via this amnesia plotline, does very much raise the question of whether or not Justine was predestined to simply be an evil person because of her low-empathy or if it was her father's treatment of her because of it that made her this way.

But, of course, there is still the horrific murder and violence, and the game never underplays that. For as sympathetic as Justine is, it never takes agency away from her by suggesting it was simply all her father's fault. She is a genuinely evil person who makes awful choices, and she is allowed to own that entirely without the story 'woobifying' or softening it in any way, without ever giving her the option of redemption or a last minute change of heart or some sort of mollifying 'maternal instinct,' while also deftly avoiding just making her a stock femme fatale dominatrix by giving her a degree of psychological complexity and even tragedy. And I cannot emphasize how rare that is for a female character and how absolutely baffled I am that it came out of a DLC for a video game released in 2011. It's fucking 2011 and these guys have more nuanced ideas and depictions of someone who might have ASPD than you guys do now! What are you doing!

STOP this is the feminism checkpoint. you have to comment something you like about a flawed female character. or explode

[axescryinwater]

｡⋆𖦹.✧˚──

the apartment is quiet except for the soft sound of the stove and the distant rhythm of traffic outside. your daughter is at the table, her little legs swinging from the chair, tongue poking out in concentration as she draws. crayon in one hand, juice box in the other. there's a mess of purple scribbles that sort of look like a shield. or maybe a cat. you’re chopping vegetables one handed, phone balanced on your shoulder, listening to a voicemail from your sister you’ve already heard twice today. the mundane feels good. normal. still. the front door doesn’t creak anymore—bucky fixed the hinge last week—but you still hear him before you see him. boots scuffing the hallway floor. the rustle of that jacket he won’t get rid of. you glance up and he’s there, like he always is lately. a little tired around the eyes, jaw set, still half lost in whatever mission they just pulled him from.

he drops his duffel at the door and steps out of his boots before he even says hi. you know what that means. it was a rough one.

“hey,” you say, not turning around yet.

“hey.” his voice is low, rasped at the edges. he moves into the kitchen slowly, like he’s not sure how to belong in the quiet after everything loud.

“daddy!” lily shouts, twisting in her seat. she scrambles down and runs to him.

his face softens the second she touches him. “hey,” he says, crouching low to catch her. “what’d i miss?”

“i drew you!" she announces proudly, pulling him by the hand toward the table.

he gives you a quick glance, something grateful in it, like he’s thanking you just for being here, for holding it all together.

you dry your hands and join them. lily is explaining the drawing: him in a suit, you with a bow and arrow (which you definitely don’t use anymore), and some kind of flying car in the sky. bucky listens like it’s the most important briefing he’s ever received.

“that me?” he asks, pointing at the stick figure with messy scribbles for hair and something that might be a star on his chest.

“yeah,” she grins. “you’re an avenger now.”

bucky huffs a laugh, rubbing a hand over his face. “guess i am, huh.”

he doesn’t sound proud. not exactly. more like he’s still trying to believe it. still doesn’t know what it means to be one of the good guys. still doesn’t feel like he belongs in the lineup. but you see it. in the way he kneels on the kitchen floor to listen to his daughter’s stories. in the way he checks every window and door before bed. in how he wakes up in the middle of the night just to look at the two of you and make sure it’s real. he’s not the winter soldier anymore. he’s something new. something softer. something harder to define.

after dinner, he helps clean up without being asked. washes dishes with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, that vibranium arm gleaming under the kitchen light. you lean against the counter, watching him in the quiet.

“you okay?” you ask.

he nods slowly. “just… tired.”

you reach for him without thinking, resting a hand on his back. “i can’t tell if you mean physically or existentially.”

he gives a small, tired smile. “both.”

there’s a pause. then, quieter: “they’re calling us something new now,” he says. “not 'thunderbolts' anymore. it’s more official. more public.”

“new avengers?”

“something like that.”

you nod. you expected this. since val’s people started cleaning house and putting the new lineup together. since they sent him back into the field with an actual team and something that looked like purpose.

“you good with that?” you ask.

he shrugs. “i don’t know. i keep waiting for someone to realize i’m not supposed to be there.”

“bucky,” you say, serious now. “you’ve earned this.”

“have i?”

“you show up. every day. for us. for them. for yourself. what more do you want?”

he leans in then, forehead to yours, just breathing you in.

later, after lily’s asleep and the apartment is dark except for the low lamp by the bed, he crawls in beside you and wraps an arm around your waist.

“i don’t know how to be the guy she thinks i am,” he murmurs.

you press a kiss to his collarbone. “you don’t have to be. just... be here for her.”

he exhales against your neck. “that, i can do.”

you two couldn't sleep. the blankets in the bed are pulled up to your waists, your legs tangled without thinking. the lamp casts a warm gold over the room. he’s lying on his side, head propped on his hand, his hair’s still damp from the shower, curling just a little at the ends, and his skin smells like your body wash.

“you're pretty.” he praises lowly, voice rough and tired.

you smile, eyes closed. “mm. pretty sure you said that yesterday.”

he leans in, nose brushing your jaw, lips finding the edge of your neck. slow, unhurried. “yeah, well. still true.”

you hum, tilting your chin up for him without even thinking. he kisses the spot just beneath your ear, where your pulse flutters, and you feel him smile against your skin. his hand slides over your hip under the blanket, fingertips tracing the shape of you like he’s grounding himself there. he tugs gently at the edge of his old henley you’d stolen months ago. his hand doesn’t stop moving. just slow passes over the curve of your waist, your thigh, your back. it’s not rushed. not needy.

he mouths at your jaw, your neck, just a press of lips. not quite kisses. you think maybe he’s too tired for anything more. you’re so caught up in the press of his body, the feel of him in your space, that you almost don’t notice when his hand presses into the small of your back and tugs. he pushes you gently until you’re on your back, flat against the bed. he shifts, moving to hover over you like always. he leans in for a proper kiss then, slow and warm. something like coming home. you meet him with a hand in his hair, keeping him there, and feel his answering smile against your lips. it’s not long before it edges deeper, rougher. he bites at your lip, tugging softly, and you arch up against him with a sharp inhale. "lily's right there—" you breathe out.

he doesn’t pull away. just hums against your mouth. he noses at your neck again, the rough edge of his stubble dragging over your skin. "she’s the heaviest sleeper on the planet. we’ll be fine.”

you kiss him, warm breath mingling in the hush between heartbeats. he smiles into the kiss, hand sliding up to cup your jaw, thumb sweeping over your cheek. steadying you as your mouth moves in a quiet rhythm, tasting the moment. it’s soft but deliberate, each kiss deepening just enough to make you both lean in more, wanting, needing, sighing into eachother. the world narrows to skin, and lips. his tongue swipes at your bottom lip. it’s so gentle, so careful.

just as he’s pulled back a fraction, the bedroom door creaks open. he’s off you in a second, dropping to his elbows at your side. you’re both breathing heavy, heart going wild. lily stands in the doorway, looking tiny in her little white nightgown. “can’t sleep?” bucky asks, running a hand through his hair. you notice in the low light that the tips of his ears are flushed pink. your shirt collar is askew, his henley twisted around your waist. she shakes her head and pads over. she’s rubbing one eye with a tiny fist and dragging her blanket on the floor behind her. bucky props himself up, shifting to make room for her on the bed. 

“alright. come here,” he murmurs, lifting her up. she slots herself in between you easily, shoving her face in your shoulder like she always does. she’s warm from sleep, the side of her little body pushing flush against yours. bucky’s hand is splayed across her back, his thumb rubbing idle circles. 

“what are you doing u?” you ask, smoothing her messy hair down. usually, once she’s down for the night, she’s out for the count. 

she looks up at you, blinking sleepily, then at him. his cheek is resting on top of her head. “i had a nightmare,” she mumbles into your shirt. 

his face softens instantly. you can feel his hand on her back pause for a second. “what about?” he asks. 

“you an’ momma were gone,” she mumbles, voice going soft. “for a long time.” her little fist grips your shirt tighter. 

“not going anywhere, kid,” he says, voice low. he presses a kiss to her head, eyes still on you. “promise.” 

[amberheart123]

Since you have read the context before replying back to me so sweetly, judging my entire character and friendship circle, let's go through the text once again together. Let's not insult each other for sharing a different opinion about mere fictional characters, about whom we do not know much since they barely have much context about the story and their relationship status.

One thing that must be considered before making our assumptions about the Marauders era is life back then. JK Rowling seemed to have included the life she'd lived in that era, showing the classist attitude of people during that time. People looked down on the poor, treating them like dirt.

You seem to blame Lily for being ignorant about his life and his struggles, which I do agree with in a way, since she is also egoistic. For her, life revolves around her studies, her family, and her friends. She seemed to be ignorant of Snape. I obviously do not encourage this behavior. I called her simple for a reason, since how many people around you, say, suppose your colleagues or your classmates, know about your internal struggles and mental health? They might leave a playful comment or seem ignorant, which might cause you to take the comment to heart, or they might seem too distant to reach out to and confide in them.

I've had such an experience, where a friend, who was all so happy and cheerful, suddenly decided to leave the earth, saying that he had always tried it and finally, enough was enough. We still blame ourselves for asking him about his mental health and being busy with studies and trying to survive the peer pressure, without paying attention to each other.

Before we start the discussion, I would like to make it clear that you know how much I dislike James and Sirius, how I consider Lily as an egoistic character who happens to make a questionable choice (that post to which you responded so harshly was not to defend Lily, but to understand and debate why she could have made such a strange choice), and how I am conflicted about Snape (quite a depth in his character, since he is morally grey) but do not wish to dismiss Snape's questionable actions because of sympathy.

So, if you automatically become defensive, thinking of me as a blind Snape hater and James supporter, I hope you let your guard down and open your ears to hear different opinions and perspectives regarding the incidents. I've had some awesome Snape fans enlighten me about certain incidents, sharing their perspectives with me kindly, and I am glad to have a change in my thoughts because of them. Although I still do not like Snape, since every single HP character is toxic in a way, and I tend not to judge characters based on their struggles but their actions (no matter what your intentions are, your actions and the way you present something, say suppose your speech, speak a lot about your character), I am glad that I no longer hate Snape blindly. I feel that there was an incredible scope for him to be the best and most redeemable character if he were kind. I criticized Snape since there was a massive potential for improvement for him.

Second of all, since the text related to these characters is very limited, and certain incidents are only talked about and not shown, every person tends to make assumptions and see the same incident in different lights. There can be various interpretations of the same lines, and the characters are judged based on our emotions and experiences. There is no right or wrong, since these aren't real people but merely fictional characters.

However, every post and comment I wrote, addressing any incident, was to hold every person accountable for their actions. No one is a saint. They should be responsible for their actions. By such comments and posts, I do not wish to ruin or ridicule the understanding of Snape's character and the concept of bullying against him, but against worshiping.

For me, the Potterworld is just a fictional world, with a limited story about Harry's parents. So I will judge the story from the Golden Trio's perspective. I do not wish to care how JK Rowling projects her own Mary Sue character onto us by bringing Lily and how she tries to glorify James and Lily's relationship as her and her husband's, which I heard was also abusive and toxic.

I have the right to have my interpretation and opinions regarding the context. Just like you are entitled to your opinions and interpretations, which you think are superior to anyone else's (since they are yours), am I not entitled to my own opinion? Every person feels connected to a particular character and tries to justify them, hoping that people will understand the character better. My aim was not to justify Lily's actions, but to prevent people from projecting all their hatred onto Lily and using her like a moral compass between Snape and James.

I've had a history of friends who've been bullied and insulted, and despite being questioned by my peers, I used to befriend them, hoping that I could change them for the better and make them happy. But those friends have only ever projected their insecurities, envy, etc, by sabotaging me or shaming me in front of others. That's why, when Lily leaves Severus, I think of it as something justified, not ignorant. It is disappointing that you use your words so casually to talk about someone's personal life without knowing what a person has been through.

Just because there is someone who has suffered more, doesn't mean that those who are privileged never suffer. It's the fact that people only criticize them for being privileged and are unsympathetic to them that makes people unapproachable and suffer silently. I hope you don't put aside others and only sympathize with the person who suffers the most. More struggles are not a measure of who is a better person.

Here's my interpretation of these lines. I just hope that you accept another perspective of thought. It takes various perspectives to form an opinion about anyone or anything, and we should try not to disregard or ignore any say.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said in a constricted voice. “Why not?” “Tuney h-hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumble dore.” “So what?” She threw him a look of deep dislike. “So she’s my sister!” “She’s only a —” He caught himself quickly; Lily, too busy trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed, did not hear him.

"But we’re going!” he said, unable to suppress the exhilaration in his voice. “This is it! We’re off to Hogwarts!” She nodded, mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half smiled.

Here, Lily is angry at Snape since Snape seems ignorant and uninterested in the fact that her sister, who is a close person to her, just insulted her and now hates her for being a witch and sneaking into her room and going through her letters. He was a friend, so she might have thought that he would care a little and ask about Petunia and offer comfort.

(Now, before you might counterattack me, calling Lily ignorant here and not caring and asking about his family, let me tell you why, in my opinion, it feels better to not force Snape to tell about himself. He grew up in a poor household, which was looked down upon during that time. On top of that, his household was severely abusive. It is best to be understanding, giving them the confidence to speak up and let the person pluck up the courage and confess first.)

I won't blame Snape for being the reason for their snooping. Lily was also curious, so they both risked it to find out what Petunia had written to Dumbledore. Lily was equally at fault, so blaming Snape for giving the idea makes no sense.

We cannot dismiss Snape's blood supremacist beliefs (although not strong yet), but let's move on now.

“Slytherin?” One of the boys sharing the compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily or Snape until that point, looked around at the word, and Harry, whose attention had been focused entirely on the two beside the window, saw his father: slight, black-haired like Snape, but with that indefinable air of having been well-cared-for, even adored, that Snape so conspicuously lacked. “Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?” James asked the boy lounging on the seats opposite him, and with a jolt, Harry realized that it was Sirius. Sirius did not smile. “My whole family have been in Slytherin,” he said. “Blimey,” said James, “and I thought you seemed all right!” Sirius grinned. “Maybe I’ll break the tradition. Where are you heading, if you’ve got the choice?” James lifted an invisible sword. “‘Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!’ Like my dad.” Snape made a small, disparaging noise. James turned on him. “Got a problem with that?”

“No,” said Snape, though his slight sneer said otherwise. “If you’d rather be brawny than brainy —” “Where’re you hoping to go, seeing as you’re neither?” interjected Sirius. James roared with laughter. Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike. “Come on, Severus, let’s find another compartment.” “Oooooo . . .” James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice; James tried to trip Snape as he passed. “See ya, Snivellus!”

Let's now talk about the wizards and their beliefs. It would make sense that certain beliefs could be taken from the Muggle world also, like their classist views. But before that, I would like to let you know how Slytherin got rebranded as a 'misunderstood' house and not a blindly racist house.

in case tiktok gets banned again here’s all my Harry Potter hot takes

James Potter's family is strictly a blood-traitor family and does not accept the ideas of the prestigious wizarding families. Obviously, not every Pureblood from such a family would have acted upon their blood supremacy beliefs as violently as certain people. They could have just looked down on them and ignored them. There could obviously be certain Slytherins who have no business being racist about anything and just mind their own business. But I don't think anti-blood supremacists tolerated any of that behavior. (I mean, looking down on someone for their origin or background is wrong in the first place.)

It was during that time (later years) that Voldemort was rising to power and gathering followers, spreading his ideas about a pure world consisting of Purebloods and half-bloods. His ideas were destructive and murderous. I've seen many people compare his movement to that of the N@zis.

It makes sense that Muggle-borns, blood traitors, and certain half-bloods feel disgusted by those prestigious families' ideas and their support towards such a horrible person. Their hate towards the entire house grew stronger, with no tolerance against any Slytherin. If anyone were to choose to be in that house, they were considered to be ambitious and wanting to be prestigious by supporting Slytherin's beliefs against them.

But one thing must be noted: hating a person for being or choosing to be in Slytherin is wrong. Despite many Slytherins being purely racist and insulting, assuming a person to be bad should not happen. Even if it does, it can be kindly talked about and put aside. On top of that, bullying or picking on them is even more wrong. Bullying a racist or another bully won't make you a saint, but it will make you stoop to their level.

It was wrong for James to immediately pick on Snape for choosing to be in Slytherin. He could have remained silent or asked why he chose the house kindly. But he didn't and kept talking about how great Gryffindor was, boasting about it. It made sense that Snape sneered, since that was a git move from James.

But we should note that Snape also retorted back (Before you claim that I am trying to demean Snape for standing up for himself, I hope you know that there is a clear difference between standing up for oneself and snapping back. You should not stand up for yourself by hitting back, but by resolving the issue civilly. If he did not make an attempt to throw shade at James and instead would have questioned why he believed as such, I would have called Snape a saint and defended him instead.

One thing that must be noted about Lily was that she was new to the wizarding world. It seems bold to assume that she was never going to defend her friend because of this incident. (Not before and from Petunia, since she held her guard up against Snape for calling her a witch, and also being unsure since it was her sister against a stranger. Also, just being cautious around him, since he was a stranger, and his clothes were in such a poor condition. These are all assumptions, but I hope you understand another perspective of it.) If it were a Muggle environment, would she have defended him? JK Rowling never wrote, since that would be irrelevant to the main story, but some might assume that she would, while others do not believe so. After all, either of the cases is just an assumption.

However, she clearly showed her dislike towards James and Snape for their degrading comments and took Snape away with her. It would have been messy if she had started a fight with them before even reaching Hogwarts and getting sorted into a house.

Harry heard Snape let out a tiny groan. Lily took off the hat, handed it back to Professor McGonagall, then hurried toward the cheering Gryffindors, but as she went, she glanced back at Snape, and there was a sad little smile on her face. Harry saw Sirius move up the bench to make room for her. She took one look at him, seemed to recognize him from the train, folded her arms, and firmly turned her back on him.

“. . . thought we were supposed to be friends?” Snape was saying. “Best friends?” “We are, Sev, but I don’t like some of the people you’re hanging round with! I’m sorry, but I detest Avery and Mulciber! Mulciber! What do you see in him, Sev, he’s creepy! D’you know what he tried to do to Mary Macdonald the other day?” Lily had reached a pillar and leaned against it, looking up into the thin, sallow face. “That was nothing,” said Snape. “It was a laugh, that’s all —” “It was Dark Magic, and if you think that’s funny —”

The thing I wish to point out here is that, unlike Snape's horrible incident in his 5th year, we do not get to see what actually happened to Mary.

Also, Snape considers it something humorous, which seems to gather conflicting opinions. Some disregard the issue as something harmless, as Snape said, while some criticize him for finding the usage of Dark Arts on Muggleborns funny.

Something definitely happened to Mary, and we do not know the depth of the situation since it was only hinted at.

Also, we should not take dark magic lightly. It is shown as something grave, but only hinted at how evil it actually is, for example, when Harry used a spell against Draco in the 6th year. We tend to dismiss the intensity of something when it is not given much focus, but we should not do that. Yes, it is wrong to make assumptions that it is very horrendous and criminal, but it is also wrong to assume that it is harmless when the books clearly warn about it. There is literally a subject called 'Defense against the Dark Arts', but there are certain people who practice dark arts instead of defense against them.

Through this, I am not only criticizing Snape for taking an interest in them, but certain peers of his who feel the same about it, too. Yes, some 'good' characters have used dark arts at places, and I won't defend them for it. Just so you know, when I criticize someone, it doesn't mean that I support the opposite side. It's just that I focus on one person at a time and criticize them completely for that particular time.

“What about the stuff Potter and his mates get up to?” demanded Snape. His color rose again as he said it, unable, it seemed, to hold in his resentment. “What’s Potter got to do with anything?” said Lily. “They sneak out at night. There’s something weird about that Lupin. Where does he keep going?”

“He’s ill,” said Lily. “They say he’s ill —” “Every month at the full moon?” said Snape. “I know your theory,” said Lily, and she sounded cold. “Why are you so obsessed with them anyway? Why do you care what they’re doing at night?” “I’m just trying to show you they’re not as wonderful as everyone seems to think they are.”

Obviously, it was wrong to ask Snape why he 'obsessed' with the Marauders since they were the reason as to why he is so miserable in Hogwarts. In fact, both of them called out each other for their choice of friends or peers. Holding Lily accountable for being controlling in his life when she probably avoided him for what his friends did to Mary, considering that she was a Muggleborn herself, doesn't make much sense to me. Snape also brings up her housemates, hoping that she would detest them just like him, bringing up certain incidents, even after clearly knowing how much she dislikes them.

Also, about Remus, I have conflicting opinions about his character, too. After all, a bystander is equally or, if not more fault than the perpetrator. I do wish to hold him accountable for being ignorant. I'm not sure if he was a prefect year, but he could have used his authority to seek help for Snape, and I wish he were not a plain coward and did something. Considering how vulnerable he was for being a werewolf in the wizarding world, which treats werewolves as ‘soulless, evil, deserving nothing but death'. They are isolated and it is almost impossible for them to even have any education or job opportunities.

Ron made a valiant effort to get up again but fell back with a whimper of pain. Lupin made toward him, looking concerned, but Ron gasped, “Get away from me, werewolf!” Lupin stopped dead. Then, with an obvious effort, he turned to Hermione and said, “How long have you known?”

His own shared such insulting views about werewolves. After his friends found out about his secret, he was probably even more under pressure to be on their good side, to not trigger them so that they won't accidentally reveal his secret.

“Now, my three friends could hardly fail to notice that I disappeared once a month. I made up all sorts of stories. I told them my mother was ill, and that I had to go home to see her… I was terrified they would desert me the moment they found out what I was. But of course, they, like you, Hermione, worked out the truth…"

Sirius thought it would be—er—amusing, to tell Snape all he had to do was prod the knot on the tree trunk with a long stick, and he’d be able to get in after me. Well, of course, Snape tried it—if he’d got as far as this house, he’d have met a fully grown werewolf— but your father, who’d heard what Sirius had done, went after Snape and pulled him back, at great risk to his life… Snape glimpsed me, though, at the end of the tunnel. He was forbidden by Dumbledore to tell anybody, but from that time on he knew what I was…”

“It served him right,” he sneered. “Sneaking around, trying to find out what we were up to… hoping he could get us expelled…”

Snape was on his feet again, and was stowing the O.W.L. paper in his bag. As he emerged from the shadows of the bushes and set off across the grass, Sirius and James stood up. Lupin and Wormtail remained sitting: Lupin was still staring down at his book, though his eyes were not moving and a faint frown line had appeared between his eyebrows. Wormtail was looking from Sirius and James to Snape with a look of avid anticipation on his face.

Why am I talking about Remus all of a sudden? Because he was also a vulnerable person, and his biggest secret was with the group of troublemakers, who were capable of ruining people's lives for the fun of it. But he was mature enough to know that whatever Snape was going through was wrong. He knew that harassing and bullying is wrong. Unlike Snape, who thought using dark arts on someone was something funny.

“How’d the exam go, Snivelly?” said James. “I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment,” said Sirius viciously. “There’ll be great grease marks all over it, they won’t be able to read a word.” Several people watching laughed; Snape was clearly unpopular. Wormtail sniggered shrilly. Snape was trying to get up, but the jinx was still operating on him; he was struggling, as though bound by invisible ropes.

“All right, Evans?” said James, and the tone of his voice was suddenly pleasant, deeper, more mature. “Leave him alone,” Lily repeated. She was looking at James with every sign of great dislike. “What’s he done to you?”

Did you say that Lily never defended him, that she was just a controlling brat who preferred flight over fight? I get it that you're mad at Lily because of the past, but at least you should not be so prejudiced against her. You seemed to be mad at me for apparently holding prejudice against Snape (which I don't anymore), but how is it that you do not wish to bat an eye when she is being what it is to be a friend?

But too late; Snape had directed his wand straight at James; there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James’s face, spattering his robes with blood. James whirled about; a second flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of graying underpants. Many people in the small crowd watching cheered. Sirius, James, and Wormtail roared with laughter. Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was going to smile, said, “Let him down!”

“Certainly,” said James and he jerked his wand upward. Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground. Disentangling himself from his robes, he got quickly to his feet, wand up, but Sirius said, “Petrificus Totalus!” and Snape keeled over again at once, rigid as a board. “LEAVE HIM ALONE!” Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now. James and Sirius eyed it warily.

“Ah, Evans, don’t make me hex you,” said James earnestly. “Take the curse off him, then!” James sighed deeply, then turned to Snape and muttered the countercurse.

I've also heard some people say that Lily was a horrible person to have smiled, smirked, chuckled, laughed, etc, as per people's interpretations. But I want you to think again. If your friend and another git had a quarrel and your friend slips and trips on her feet (I'm not sure about you), a small smile slips on the face as an instinct, before we focus back on the situation. I feel that Lily did the same. She did not laugh along with the crowd and focused on defending Snape.

Another thing which I wish to point out about this incident is that a classist society. We tend to blame everything on James and ignore the others' horrible views. The fact that everyone, except Lily, just watched the incident unfold, as if it was a joke instead of stepping in the protect him, shows that Snape was considered unprivileged and someone worth only being a punching bag. If it were Lucius, Mucliber, or Avery hanging in the air, at least someone would have stepped up to protect Lucius and would have attacked James instead.

About Snape's friends group, I agree that they are simply his acquaintances. If he were to befriend the Slytherins, he would have been bullied by anti-pureblood supremacists and anti-Slytherins for having such disgusting views about Half-bloods, Muggle-borns borns etc (even though he probably didn't have such extreme views). If he were to hang around with Lily and defend Muggle-borns, he would have been a target of the Slytherins for being poor and would have had dark arts used on him instead. He really didn't have much of a choice.

“There you go,” he said, as Snape struggled to his feet again, “you’re lucky Evans was here, Snivellus —” “I don’t need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!” Lily blinked. “Fine,” she said coolly. “I won’t bother in future. And I’d wash your pants if I were you, Snivellus.” “Apologize to Evans!” James roared at Snape, his wand pointed threateningly at him.

It was wrong of her to call him by the name the marauders use and say all this. But at the same time, calling her an awful slur is also wrong. No matter how humiliated you feel, you don't insult your defenders, calling it a 'slip of the tongue'. I mean, they were just a bunch of teenagers with egotistic emotions and acted upon them before thinking, so it's hard to justify anyone here for acting like kids. I dislike Lily for humiliating Snape here, but let's not dismiss that mudblood is a horrible slur, too. Mudbloods were killed, used dark arts upon, etc. They were looked upon for 'stealing magic'.

“I don’t want you to make him apologize,” Lily shouted, rounding on James. “You’re as bad as he is. …” “What?” yelped James. “I’d NEVER call you a — you know-what!” “Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you’ve just got off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid Snitch, walking down corridors and hexing anyone who annoys you just because you can — I’m surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with that fat head on it. You make me SICK.”

The intensity of his gaze made her blush. “They don’t use Dark Magic, though.” She dropped her voice. “And you’re being really ungrateful. I heard what happened the other night. You went sneaking down that tunnel by the Whomping Wil low, and James Potter saved you from whatever’s down there —” Snape’s whole face contorted and he spluttered, “Saved? Saved? You think he was playing the hero? He was saving his neck and his friends’ too! You’re not going to — I won’t let you —”

“Let me? Let me?” Lily’s bright green eyes were slits. Snape backtracked at once. “I didn’t mean — I just don’t want to see you made a fool of — He fancies you, James Potter fancies you!” The words seemed wrenched from him against his will. “And he’s not . . . everyone thinks . . . big Quidditch hero —” Snape’s bitterness and dislike were render ing him incoherent, and Lily’s eyebrows were traveling farther and farther up her forehead. “I know James Potter’s an arrogant toerag,” she said, cutting across Snape. “I don’t need you to tell me that. But Mulciber’s and Avery’s idea of humor is just evil. Evil, Sev. I don’t understand how you can be friends with them.”

Harry doubted that Snape had even heard her strictures on Mul ciber and Avery. The moment she had insulted James Potter, his whole body had relaxed, and as they walked away there was a new spring in Snape’s step.

We also tend to ignore Lily for putting James in his place. We tend to vilify Lily for being a horrible friend and not defending Snape, when she clearly defended him against the Marauders, showing her strong dislike towards them. When Snape suddenly confronts her about the Marauders, which has nothing to do with the topic they were discussing, she cuts him off, expressing her hatred toward them.

I don't believe that Snape has to ever thank the Marauders for saving his life or to forgive them if they ever apologize to him (which I don't think anyone other than Remus is capable of doing). Lily saying that he should be thankful, in my opinion, was to tell him to be glad that he was alive and not in danger, and maybe out of concern, not because the marauders are some sort of amazing people and did some heroic work out there. She had clearly expressed her dislike when Snape confessed about James.

Also, just because we don't see Avery and Mulciber's ideas of evil, doesn't mean that we should disregard them and call Lily controlling and toxic. We are aware of the kind of humor and the detentions the Death Eater teachers gave to the students in the 7th year at Hogwarts. They tortured the students with dark arts. Lily has every right to speak up and confront him about his 'friends', who did horrible stuff to her other friend.

He watched as Lily joined the group and went to Snape’s defense. Distantly he heard Snape shout at her in his humiliation and his fury, the unforgivable word: “Mudblood.”

“I’m sorry.” “I’m not interested.” “I’m sorry!” “Save your breath.” It was nighttime. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. “I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here.” “I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just —” “Slipped out?” There was no pity in Lily’s voice. “It’s too late. I’ve made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends — you see, you don’t even deny it! You don’t even deny that’s what you’re all aiming to be! You can’t wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?” He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking.

Now here we are in a pickle. Is what Lily is saying the truth, or is she being ignorant?

Your perspective about this is that Snape wanted to confess to her, but felt conflicted to do so, since she was being blatantly ignorant and controlling about his life.

However, my perception about this is that Lily finally calls him out for his shared pureblood supremacist ideas after hanging around with the Slytherins for quite a long time. For me, the fact that JK Rowling only wrote about this incident (since she had to rush about the memories and just give a brief idea about the situation), rather than any other incident where Snape was seen disagreeing with those ideas, makes me feel that he agrees with them. But he also loves Lily (not romantically, obviously), which made him feel conflicted.

“I can’t pretend anymore. You’ve chosen your way, I’ve chosen mine.”

But with time, he chose his path of dark arts and grew distant from her until a point where they could never mend their friendship and be like the way they used to be; just two kids enjoying their time together, with no societal struggles.

“No — listen, I didn’t mean —” “— to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I be any different?”

This shows that he looked down on other Muggleborns. We know that he did look down on Petunia (she is a horrible person), but from this line, it can be concluded that he always looked down on her Muggleborn friends, too. The fact that she was the only person he did not insult or look down upon made her feel guilty and horrible. Imagine being a woman and having a male friend, who always considers women less than men and calls women with degrading comments, like whores, and also finding it humor in harassment or bullying that women face. Would she feel proud of being a woman and also being his friend? Would his degrading words make her feel any better about herself?

“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.

I would have encouraged Snape if he traded Lily for James, since that bastard deserved to be tortured to death. He has no reason to feel any remorse for having James dead, which he obviously shouldn't. As I had said, you do not have to forgive your bullies just because they said that they've changed and are apologizing to you, for what has happened has happened already. They left a permanent scar, which cannot be mended.

But how disgusting it is that he wished to exchange her for her own son (my opinion, obviously) and have her alive and happy. But would she be happy at all? He wanted her for himself as just alive, but why did he not care about the fact that she had a son and would feel miserable her entire life for losing her child? Sure, the son was James's, but it was her son too. A son that she loved dearly and wished to protect with her own life.

Alright, this was my interpretation of all this. Since JK Rowling just wanted to give us a brief glimpse of the past and not delve deep into it, there is limited context about it. People are entitled to their own opinions and interpretations, but we must know that no one is superior. I am a person who pays attention to the story in the larger picture and does not pay attention to the little details. That's why I hold people accountable for their actions before understanding their emotions. My opinions might come off as rude or ignorant, which is exactly why you criticize me, and that I was not paying attention to Snape's emotions and struggles.

You might be a person who would sympathize with the characters and understand why they must have done something. You might be lenient with certain characters for struggling more than the others, which is why I criticize you.

Just because you delve into their emotions and don't judge them for their actions, doesn't make you a better person with a higher opinion. Neither have I justified bullying nor have I justified harassment. Then how is it that you feel confident enough to insult another person for having an opposite perception about something?

Also, I have a little doubt. If you are an empathetic person, then how is it that the only person you ever empathize with is Snape? Are the other characters not capable of having emotions and acting accordingly? You say that Snape suffered a lot. But does that mean the others aren't capable of suffering, just because they are privileged?

Remember that I only stated my opinion and never insulted on demeaned any character to show support for the other side. This is not a fight. If you disagree with me, feel free to block me. Many people may have different opinions, but that shouldn't offend you unless they mean hatred or violence.

Also, I know this might be off-topic, but I have a drama suggestion for you. It's called 'The Glory'. It talks about a woman who had been harassed, bullied, assaulted, etc, by a dysfunctional group of friends. She plans her harmless revenge, where she does absolutely nothing and lets the bullies ruin their lives themselves. However, she never involves their kids, since she knows that their kids are not like their parents and do not have to live in guilt and suffering because of their parents' abuses. I know that a victim needs several years to heal from their bullies' actions and how it takes toll on them mentally.

Since I see the similarities between Snape and that amazing woman, I tend to criticize Snape at times, since he had the potential to be a great person like her. She took her time to heal and mature. She became the bully's child's homeroom teacher and taught her students the importance of equality and told them that she would be strict and make them and their parents apologize if they ever boasted about themselves or bullied anyone, unlike Snape, who, on the very first class, humiliated Harry and always turned blinded eyed whenever Draco picked on Harry and his friends.

You could call Snape for being 'human' and not being able to forgive Harry since Harry isn't James, and they are two entirely different people. Then how is it that Lily is such a horrible person and not a 'human' for breaking their long friendship?

Also, about Cho and Lily. These are the two types of friends you may have. One will support you no matter how wrong you've been, while the other will criticize you if you've done wrong. By the end of the day, it's your choice, what kind of friends you'd like to have around you. My preference for a friend is Lily, who will express her opinions and correct me if I'm ever wrong, so that I can be a better person. I would not want to have a blind supporter, because they will never tell me to learn from my actions and improve. Then again, it's my preference because we are different people and may want different stuff. In fact, I once asked my friends if they would prefer Sympathy or Support, and their answers were the exact opposite. But that doesn't mean that either of their opinions was better than the other.

I do not dislike Cho at all. She was just a teenager. Fans tend to hate her for no reason. The same thing could be said about Lily. She doesn't deserve to be hated for defending your faves.

'Lily is so entitled, argue with a wall. She is such a hypocrite!' (Snape vs Marauders rant Part 3)

There were so many comments under this post criticizing Lily for marrying Snape's bully and ruining his life, knowing that Snape liked her. They sympathized with him.

"SHE IS THE WORST EXAMPLE OF FEMINISM FOR CHOOSING A R4PIST!" I even saw such a comment.

Some even claimed that Snape betrayed Voldemort on his own record and not because of Lily. They thought that he did not fancy her but was a good person at heart who wanted to save everyone, and that's why he did so.

Hypocrite? Fake friend? Are we seriously talking about Lily like this?

Fake friend, my ass.

Let's deep dive into their friendship story.

Young Snape was the one to approach young Lily first. They lived in the same neighborhood. Initially Lily was not glad to have him around since he looked down on her sister, Petunia, for being a muggle and insulted her (not as if Petunia didn't insult him back... Both were at fault.). She decided to ignore his pureblood ideology, thinking that he wasn't at all serious.

However, Lily stuck with Snape since she was a Muggle-born and had no idea about the new world that awaited her. He was her first and only wizard friend.

When she comes across James, he is an arrogant boy who is so full of himself. Yes, he was so extremely talented that people envied him. When he constantly kept asking her out, she was disgusted and annoyed. Snape kept asking her to stay away from James, knowing how arrogant James was and also probably because of jealousy, and she listened to him. (Yes, jealousy. Accept it or not, the books clearly say that everyone envied him. But he was so full of himself at that time that his big head outweighed his talents.)

As years passed, Snape interested himself in dark arts, and his pureblood ideology only deepened. Lily was left concerned about the influence his Pureblood Slytherin friends had over him. She constantly reminded him about their horrible actions and how dangerous they were, asking him to distance himself from them. However, Snape never listened to her.

Lily had always ignored his horrible influence and had always stood in support and defense of him until that one incident in the 5th year when the term 'mudblood' slipped from his tongue. That was when she realized that he had reached a point at which they could no longer consider themselves friends.

He had chosen dark arts over their friendship. For the sake of her self-respect, she chose to stand up for herself and not defend him.

(Mind you, mudblood is not something 'oh-so-cool' to say. It was a horrible and demeaning insult for someone.)

After the incident, she also found out that Snape was present with his Slytherin gang of friends, who picked on Lily's friend, Mary, who was another fellow Muggle-born and did horrible things to her. That was when she was horrified by the person he turned out to be and immediately decided to break the friendship.

Now, let's compare Snape and James and talk about how she made the right decision by choosing James over Snape.

Snape probably had fancied her; in fact, many did. However, he probably never had the guts to confess and ruin his long friendship.

But he definitely ruined the relationship by taking an interest in dark arts, evil and sadistic ways to harm people, inventing curses for such a sadistic purpose, and hanging around with pureblood supremacist Slytherins, who did horrible things to Muggle-borns like her.

'Mudblood' was never a slip of the tongue. He was not being forced by James at that time to call her that word. He did it on his own record.

He never defended and protected Lily's friend, knowing how disappointed Lily would be once she heard what happened to Mary. It could have been fear of being a target. But the problem is that he was never apologetic or guilty. While Lily accused his Slytherin friends, he kept defending them instead of feeling any remorse.

He chose his interests over their friendship. He definitely had a choice. Lily does not deserve to be hated for a choice he decided to make. If he suffered because of her loss from his life, he should have held himself responsible and not blamed James for 'stealing' her from him.

As time passed, Lily had thought that he would mature and give up on dark arts, but how wrong she was. He always remained an immature boy who never wished to grow up.

Now about James.

He had many talents that people were envious of. However, as I mentioned above, he was arrogant and so full of himself. Lily was right about feeling disgusted by the boy in the early years since he was a shenanigan. He was wrong to pick on Snape and, too, throw a spell at him while he was unaware and unarmed. How he publicly humiliated Snape can never be forgiven.

However, the reason why some Snape fans do not understand why James is considered to be better as a person than Snape is because he reflected on his past and grew up. There are definitely some James fans who justify the bullying, which is very wrong. However, if we were to talk about the unbiased Potterheads, James seems more redeemable than Snape. When James was made the head boy in the final year, he gave up on his stupid antics and lived up to the role and responsibilities.

It was actually Sirius who had a huge dislike towards Snape and wanted to trap him when Snape was desperate to find out Remus' secret and expose it to everyone. He had led Snape to the werewolf form of Remus, and James had to step in to save Snape from the danger.

After their final year at Hogwarts, James actively indulged himself in the 'Order of the Phoenix' to protect Muggle-borns, half-bloods, and half-breeds, who were in danger since Voldemort was rising to power and he was gathering more followers.

Let's keep feminism aside and not taint its name since feminism has nothing to do with romance.

(We are only here to debate why Lily chose James over Snape, not to justify James and Lily's relationship. Personally, both of them are a pile of shit.)

Lily chose a man who changed for her; a man who reflected upon his mistakes and improved himself just for her, a man who wanted to protect her from danger and protect everyone around her.

She gave up on a man who made her feel less, a man who insulted and looked down upon people like her, a man who claimed to protect her but ruined people around her.

She was a simple woman who chose a person who valued her, not devalued her.

So, my dear women (not just women, but everyone!), if you ever wish to be in a relationship, choose a person who is willing to improve themselves for you, protect you, and respect you. Do not choose a person who would want you to change yourself entirely for them and be forgiven every time due to sympathy.

Edit: Find a Ron. Both James and Snape are shitty people. If you ever find someone like those two, run as far as you can.

Believe me, I've had many friends in the past who made me feel less and made me change myself for them. I hung around them since I was not a social butterfly and had only them as close friends. But every time I hung around them, I would only feel insecure and disappointed.

[beauty-grace-outer-space]

So I'm at Versailles and it's the end of the day and I decide fuck it, lets try to squeeze in those last few fountains I didn't see, and I start wandering over to that area.

I get to one of the fountains and aw, cute, there are little baby geese swimming around in there. So I'm watching with all the other ooh-ers and ahh-ers and everyone is cooing about how cute it is when I have the realization...

These goslings are too small to get out on their own.

I watch them try a few times and listen to their chirping get more frantic and their mom and dad circling anxiously. I'm spinning around like an idiot trying to determine if any of the other five people watching this might speak even a modicum of English so I can communicate that we need to try to get them out. I determine that there is a German couple, a French couple, and a very confused Polish woman who managed to get herself locked into one of the groves but that's a different story.

I can tell that the German couple has at least kind of clocked on to the fact that the babies cannot get out and have some concerns so I immediately identify them as my allies. I'm looking around frantically trying to figure out if there's anything I could possibly use to try to scoop these babies up and out of water over the wall of the fountain and not getting anywhere because boy, do they keep it clean at Versailles.

I start racking my brain to see if I can think of any kind of German or French word that might mean hat and see if somebody might be willing to sacrifice one as a catching device to my now manic cause of saving these baby geese.

Eventually I just abandon all reason, step over the barrier, lie down on the side of the fountain, and start trying to use my map to fish them out like some sort of soggy fishing net.

At this point anyone who hadn't clocked onto the fact that they were stuck figured it out and jumped into action.

The French man has gone off to find a large stick, one of the few things to be found in a series of Gardens that may be useful in this instance, and starts corraling the babies towards my side of the pond whilst simultaneously trying to see if he can scoop them from underneath. No dice.

I am being hissed at like those geese are cursing me out.

The nice German man follows my lead, lies down on the side of the fountain, and like some sort of superhero manages to just scoop up three of the babies after a while. I got close with one but they're fast little guys.

The German man's girlfriend found a smaller board and propped it up against one of the shallower parts of the fountain to try to make a ramp for them. However, baby gees are not the most intelligent or creatures and while they jumped on top of it a few times they never quite figured it out.

On top of that, the three that had been successfully retrieved got spooked and jumped right back in.

It's at this point that the security team rolls up and my best guesses that they asked the French equivalent of, "what the hell are you all doing?" Because simultaneously it comes to my attention that would be grounds have been closed for over two hours and here we are, having illegal he crossed over a barrier touching art that we are certainly not supposed to be touching.

The German man starts explaining that there are baby geese in the pond that we are trying to get out. Security does not understand him. The Frenchman runs around the fountain and hastily explains in French. Now we've got a security team also standing watching this baby geese trying to determine what to do.

They advise that they'll return with somebody to handle it, and speed off like a bat out of hell. The Polish woman is released from her garden prison.

I stick around until I am sure that they are handling it and now I am walking the mile and a half back to the train station which should round out a nice 20 miles walked for me on nothing but a few choquette and a handful of strawberries.

TL;Dr: the goslings are ok.

[reality-warp]

A word from Rella concerning AI, binding and selling fics, and Book 3 of Rávamë's Bane

Hey folks,

I’m treating this post as a bit of a blanket PSA for all those who read my work and follow me here, but I’ll also be copying the message over to AO3 once Book 3 of Rávamë's Bane goes up. Before anyone gets spooked, all is well, I am well, and I’m still happily working on the first 5 chapters of Amabilis Insania. However there are a few glaring subjects that have sprung up in the fandom space that I can’t really ignore. The fanfic community as a whole has changed a lot in the past decade I've been part of it, and given some of the unpleasant stuff I’ve seen going on in just the past year, I wanted to cover some housekeeping points ahead of posting the next RB book.

1.) Please don’t ever bind and sell fanfics.  Profiting from fanfiction in any way is completely illegal, and puts the entire community at risk.  I’m lucky enough that I’m a relatively small fish in the fanfic pond, so no one has sold bound copies of my story specifically (that I know of). However, I know several folks who have had their work bound and sold without their knowledge, and have had to take their fics down completely to stop it happening (which royally sucks). If you see any fanfics being sold on sites like Etsy, please do report them — they are absolutely not supposed to be there. And if you want a bound copy of a fic for personal use, I'd really encourage you to learn to bind them yourself. There's a tonne of tutorials out there, it’s pretty fun and easy to learn (I picked it up in a couple of weeks) and it doesn’t take as many materials as you’d imagine. Side note: I have made typesets of LM and CM for myself and friends, but honestly, I’m reluctant to share them publicly now given all the above. That said, if you really want a copy of LM or CM for personal use only, you can message me directly on Tumblr and I can maybe look into making a watermarked version to share on request.

2.) In light of the recent news that AO3 was scraped to create a generative AI dataset, I’ve decided I’ll only be posting the final RB book to AO3 from now on. On top of that, all my fics will be restricted to users with AO3 accounts only. I really don’t want to do this as it cuts off guest users from enjoying the story too, but for now it’s the only way to protect my work from being scrapped again. I don’t believe this will be a one-time occurrence given how carelessly AI is being used right now, and I feel very strongly that no one’s work should be used in model training without their consent.

The vast majority of you in my comments, asks and kudos are genuinely wonderful, and I’m so damned grateful that you aren’t a part of the issues above. However, with all that in mind, let me be absolutely clear just for the public record…

!!TRLD: This Is The Important Bit!! You do not, and will never have my consent to: - use any of my writing in generative AI (this includes making AI-generated fanworks, or scraping my fics for training AI models) - bind and sell any of my fanfics (profiting from fanfiction is completely illegal, and puts it at risk for us all)  - profit in any way from any of my work that I have publicly shared online (this includes putting my fics on recommendation lists behind paywalls, or selling my fics in the form of typesets or bound copies)

If you do any variation of the above despite knowing the risk it poses to the entire fanfic community, I respectfully hope you spend the rest of your life in clothes that smell damp no matter how much you run them through the dryer.

To the rest of you; a genuine thank you for making the community what it is. And thank you for making the RB comments section specifically such a joyful place to be.

I promise my next post/update will be less grim.

Until then,

Rella x

[fafodill]

Rickman was old in the last movies James and Lily were 40 in the movies and Snape looked 60. The movie removed the drama that Snape made a huge mistake at 21

Like someone said in a reel once about the actors of Lily and James, 'please, drop the skincare routine so we know what NOT to use'.

Alan Rickman was waaay to old to play Snape. At the end of the day it didn't change much of the story but I think it is a shame because it would have been a way to make him maybe more relatable? While I was reading the books when I was younger, I never really cared about his age. He was 'an adult', thus he was supposed to know what he was doing, or so I thought. Now that I am in my 30s I'm really struck with what he went through because I personally am really fucking lost and winging it all the time.

Had a more (age) appropriate actor been casted, I know a lot of people would still blame him for his choices (and he's to blame, those were bad choices) but I think it could have maybe helped convey a bit more empathy. But well, we also were supposed to dislike him and be unsure about his motivations until the very end.

[klysanderelias]

Yeah I feel like the great sin of this problem is that you're no longer playing the game, you're playing FOR x. I can't count how many times I've been in campaign and heard people saying some variation of 'but it'll be so COOL when we get to' or 'all of this will make sense when' and it isn't, and it doesn't. Like, sorry, I stopped having fun six months ago, and this has all been pulling teeth for me, and I no longer care about any of these characters or events.

ESPECIALLY for long campaigns, I'm far more likely to hate the feeling that I'm being led by the nose for some future payoff than I am to be excited when the payoff comes.

And especially when it comes to backstory, the idea of 'we'll get to it' is such a malicious one. I'm in two separate games that are in the year+ length territory with players who adamantly refuse to talk about or pursue any backstory stuff because they have a carefully plotted out idea of how it's supposed to go, and of course that hasn't come up in game yet. And of course, y'know, if that character dies all that planning and backstory dies with them, so they can't die, they're protected by plot armor.

I just hate playing in games with people who are so focused on some future perfect RolePlaying Moment tm that they're unable to play the game now. We have to hit this Super Cool Cinematic Moment for the Finale and that means that the next three months are just miserable painful railroading so that all the pieces line up, and the moment isn't even good. It's a cool idea, but it sucks to play, and I'm so uninvested in what's happening that it wouldn't be fun regardless.

Like, you watch people sit there and wait for story beats that haven't come and aren't going to because they're not even laying the groundwork for it, just expecting it to drop into their laps, and then they blame the GM!

(or alternately, the GM denies every idea you put forward and keeps saying 'you can't do that yet' or 'you can't go there yet' and then six months later he wonders why everyone sounds so uninterested when he says we're almost at the big moment)

While I rail against the idea of GM prep being like "preparing a nice story for your players that their characters can be slotted into and also as a GM it's your duty to integrate the characters' backstories into your prep or else you're a bad GM" because it often results in linear narratives with very little room for player agency but also it's an unhealthy dynamic to expect a GM to weave together a coherent narrative out of the ideas provided by multiple people who might have completely different ideas about what the game should even look like. But there's also more to the practical angle than "it's hard to prep:"

If a player whose character is deeply integrated into the narrative of the campaign suddenly needs to leave the campaign you've left yourself with a narrative void and unlike in Hollywood you can't just go recasting that shit. No one's gonna buy into this new Goblin Steve, his new player can't even do his voice properly.

By prepping games like this you're really setting your whole campaign up for failure in most cases. How about: the story isn't something the players write for homework before the campaign, right? The NPCs that matter are not authored connections your players gave you as assigned reading before the game even started. The story is whatever happens during sessions and the connections that matter are those that characters build during play.

There is of course some nuance to this but like: we see so much talk about GMs being expected to integrate player character backstories into their prep (and then their players not being engaged anyway because they felt the GM did it "wrong") and about how GMs are burning out and it's a thankless job and like. Could there perhaps be a solution?

[wenclairfamily]

Brand New Wenclair Family Story: "THE LOVE OF A MOTHER"

"Sleep well my family. Tomorrow is Friday, and you'll need your energy... considering it will be the 13th of the month..."

*PICTURE CREATED BY THE SUPER TALENTED: @emeriart

Links to the Full Story: Wattpad, Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net

-Or just click keep reading to see the full story immediately!

Wednesday Addams and Enid Sinclair. They were a duo that shouldn't have worked... but they did... and somehow their relationship resulted in marriage and two twin children - Harmony and Ana: two incredibly resourceful and talented teenage girls. Harmony, who carries both of her mothers' special abilities, continues to grow and explore the world alongside the love of her life: Megan. Ana meanwhile is a very "different" type of girl without special powers, who is still trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, while going on adventures with her boyfriend Gerard... who just so happens to be a ghost.

Recently, Harmony met a little werewolf girl named Luna, and quickly developed a strong bond with her. This resulted in Harmony and Megan beginning the series of steps to adopt the young werewolf child. However, Harmony has had very little experience working in the field of child care; thus her main frame of reference to what a mother should be like comes from her childhood memories of being raised by her own mothers...

"The Love of a Mother"

Written by: "Fun But Shy Girl"

A 23 year old Wednesday Addams sat at a desk in her bedroom, typing up a new novel on her typewriter. From the nearby bathroom, Wednesday's wife: Enid stepped out wearing a long pink dress as she said, "Okay, I'm about to head out to the office. You sure you're okay staying home with the kids today?" Wednesday only glanced at Enid while she said, "Enid, I've faced off against serial killers, demons, killer dolls, and most importantly: your mother. I think I can manage working from home with our children present today." Enid smirked, quickly gave Wednesday a kiss on the cheek, and then said, "See ya later roomy."

Suddenly, Wednesday and Enid's five year old twin girls: Harmony and Ana came into the room looking upset. Harmony, a blonde girl with braids was holding a burnt doll in her hands. Ana, a dark haired girl with a bob cut, was trying to reach out to get the doll from Harmony's hand. An upset Harmony then yelled, "Mom! Ana pinched me!" Then an upset Ana quickly said, "Mom! Harmony took my burned Joan of Arc doll without asking!" Enid meanwhile remained very calm as she simply said, "Girls. I have to go to work. If you have any problems, you're going to have to sort them out with your mother."

Then Enid leaned towards Wednesday as she whispered, "Which includes some form of conflict resolution that does not include torturing one another." Wednesday looked angry as she whispered back, "Are you still serious about that Enid? Torture is what siblings are supposed to do to one another." Then Enid, with a very direct tone to her voice, said, "We compromised on this Wednesday, and I am not changing our deal. Our girls can torture strangers that offer them candy, criminals, and politicians; but never family. Find an alternative."

Then Enid quickly left the room, leaving Wednesday alone to stare at her frustrated looking children. Wednesday took a deep breath... and then pulled out two bundles of hair that were in a nearby drawer. Harmony looked confused as she said, "Mother, is that our hair from last time you cut it?" Wednesday then began to tie the bundles of hair tightly around Harmony and Ana's wrists, while she said, "Indeed. Harmony, you have a bundle of your sister's hair tied around your wrist now, and Ana: your wrist now has Harmony's hair tied around it."

Ana looked very confused as she said, "Why did you tie our hair around each other's wrists?" Then Wednesday raised her eyebrows as she said, "It's not just hair anymore. It's also been enchanted with a very rare herb made from a near extinct plant my parents obtained while having their third honeymoon in the jungles of the Darien Gap. I was going to use it to create voodoo dolls of you both to help keep you in line, but instead have decided that the best individuals to keep you both line are each other. Now then... work out the issues with your doll now."

An angry Harmony then held up a burnt doll as she said, "I wanna play with this doll." Then an angry Ana reached out and yelled, "It's mine!" Ana quickly pinched Harmony, only to suddenly feel pain in her own body. Both Harmony and Ana yelled, "Oww!" Then an angry Harmony yelled, "Don't do that!" Then Harmony quickly pinched Ana, only to suddenly feel pain in her own body too. Both Harmony and Ana again yelled, "Oww!" Ana turned to look at Wednesday as she said, "What's going on mother?"

Wednesday kept a straight face as she said, "Essentially, by tying mystic infused hair of your respective sister around your wrist; you both have become living voodoo dolls of the other. Any pain you make the other feel, you will feel as well. Also, the mystic infused hair cannot be removed from your wrist until I decide so. So work out your issues as soon as possible. For if not, any pain you continue give the other, you will feel as well."

Harmony sighed, and then looked at Ana as she said, "I'm sorry for taking your doll Ana. I just think it's really cool." Then a smiling Ana said, "How about we play with the same doll together at the same time. We can put Joan of Arc on trial again. We can pretend she's in purgatory, and a judge is trying to decide if her soul should be damned to hell." Then an excited Harmony exclaimed, "Yay! That sounds like lots of fun!" A very excited Ana then said, "Okay. Lets make some demons out of papers and pipe cleaners first." A very happy Harmony immediately yelled, "Oh boy!"

Harmony and Ana then happily ran out of the room. Wednesday made a little smirk, and then went back typing on her type writer. However a moment later, Harmony ran back into the room, and hugged Wednesday as she said, "Thanks for helping us mother." Wednesday looked a bit uncomfortable as she said, "I... was glad to help Harmony." As Harmony continued to hug Wednesday, she said, "When I grow up, I wanna be an awesome mother just like you."

~Thirteen Years Later:

An 18 year old Harmony Addams was frantically putting a small bed together with Enid inside an apartment. As Harmony was putting the last of the bed together, she looked worried as she said, "Does this bed look ready to use? What if a piece is missing, and then it comes undone at night, which causes Luna to be traumatized forever!?" Enid smiled as she said, "The bed is fine Harmony. Also, Luna is a werewolf. You and I both know that werewolves of made of tough stuff. She'll be okay." Harmony sighed for a moment, and then said, "I know. It's just... I can't believe this is really happening. I mean, when me and Megan first applied to adopt a werewolf child, we sort of thought it was a million to one shot. I mean, me and Megan are just 18 years old for crying out loud! But then when the adoption got approved, it's like... it all became so real."

Meanwhile, Wednesday walked into the apartment through the front door as she said, "I was able to procure all your favorite books from your childhood, in order to ensure Luna begins her life here with a substantial personal library on hand." Harmony made a relieving smile as she said, "Thank you so much mother. You are amazing. By the way, did Ana say if she was gonna come by today?" Suddenly, Ana's ghostly boyfriend: Gerard flew into the apartment through a window as he quickly said, "Open this window NOW! Ana is coming in at full speed!" A worried Harmony quickly opened the window, and then Ana suddenly flew through the open window with a jet pack on her back, and a large bag in her hands. The jet pack immediately shut down as Ana entered the apartment, causing her to fall to the floor face first. Harmony looked very worried as she said, "Oh my God! Ana, are you okay!?"

Ana then jumped up with an excited smile as she said, "Aw yeah! My new jet pack is awesome!" Enid however looked very worried as she said, "Ana, where did you get a jet pack!?" Ana then just casually said, "Found it." Gerard meanwhile smirked as he said, "Ana was looking for an easier way to essentially fly beside me." Then as an excited Ana held up the bag she was carrying, she asked, "Anyway, is Luna here yet?" Harmony turned her head as she said, "No. Not yet." Ana moaned in frustration as she said, "Aw man. I wanted to make a cool entrance in front of her."

Wednesday then stepped towards Ana as she said, "Ana, what is it that you're carrying in that bag?" Then a grinning Ana opened up the bag, and from it: over twenty stuffed animals fell to the floor. Then an excited Ana loudly exclaimed, "The greatest collection of stuffed animals I could obtain around the globe! Nothing but the best for my brand new niece! I am about the coolest aunt ever! So where is the little tyke I plan to spoil for the rest of my life hiding?"

As Harmony began to look worried again, she said, "She's being driven here by Megan. We both agreed since I've spent more time with Luna than Megan has, it would be good to give them some more one on one time together... while I begin questioning if I'm still up for this. I mean... am I up for this? Was I insane to try to adopt a child so soon after I was done being a child myself? I mean... all of a sudden, all my plans for the next fifteen or so years of my life have been dramatically changed. What am I even doing?"

Suddenly, the apartment door opened, and Harmony's wife Megan stepped in while holding the hand of a little blonde girl. Megan smiled as she said, "Hey everyone. We're finally here." Harmony suddenly made a big smile, walked over to Luna, got on her knees, and then said, "Welcome home Luna." Luna however looked very nervous as she hugged a stuffed cat she was holding while saying, "Hello."

Harmony looked a bit uncertain of what to say, but then held out her arms as she said, "Well, this is the apartment that you get to live in now. The door you see to your left is me and Megan's bedroom, the door to your right is to the bathroom, and the door to the middle is your bedroom." Luna however just looked up at everyone with a confused face as she said, "Do all these people live here too?"

Harmony then stood up, looking slightly nervous as she said, "Oh, no. Um. These two older women here are my two moms." Enid then got on her knees looking excited as she said, "Hi Luna. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. We are so happy to have you be part of our family. You can call me Grandma Enid if you want... or the Fun Grandma!" Then Wednesday crossed her arms as she simply said, "You may call me Grandmother Wednesday... or the intellectually superior grandmother if you wish." Meanwhile Ana was shoving a bunch of stuffed animals into Luna's bedroom, as she excitedly yelled, "And you can call me if you ever want more toys, because Aunt Ana is here to have your back girl!"

Gerard meanwhile waved as he said, "Hi Luna. I'm Ana's boyfriend, Gerard. I'm a ghost. We met once before. I hope I don't seem so scary now." Luna turned her head and said, "No." Then Megan got on her knees next to Luna as she said, "So Luna, that bedroom over there is yours. Now there is a bed and dresser already in there, but we wanted you to decorate the room however you want. Do you want us to help you decorate it, or do you wanna do it by yourself?" Luna simply hugged her stuffed cat tighter as she said, "I can take care of myself." Then Luna quickly walked over to her new bedroom, as Harmony called out, "Dinner is at six!" Then Harmony turned away looking sad as she said, "Oh God, she's already here, and she'd rather do anything but be with me. I am already failing at this."

Then Wednesday suddenly faced Harmony as she said, "Harmony, try to look at all issues from all sides. As you yourself explained, Luna has spent time in multiple group homes and foster homes. She is used to taking care of herself, and her multiple experiences at being rejected from society has also caused her heart to harden, thus she has difficulty opening up to others. It's something I can easily relate to. For now, you simply must give Luna enough intentional non-judgmental affection for her to come around. It will be difficult and require a great deal of patience to unconditionally love someone with such a hardened heart... but thanks to the DNA you acquired from your other mother... I know you have the capability to accomplish this." As Enid looked at Wednesday with an affectionate look, Harmony smiled at Wednesday as she said, "Thank you mother. I only hope I can be as strong as you were when I was little."

~The Past:

A 23 year old Enid sat in a public school classroom facing a young female teacher. Sitting beside Enid was a five year old Harmony and Ana. Suddenly Wednesday entered the room as she said, "Apologies for arriving to this parent teacher conference late. I was stopped by a large number of strange teachers and volunteers smiling at me and insisting they introduce themselves and make small talk as I entered the building. It was extremely uncomfortable and nauseating." The female teacher then stood up looking happy as she said, "Mrs Wednesday Addams. I'm your girls' teacher: Mrs Jefferson, and it is such a pleasure to meet you." The teacher: Mrs Jefferson immediately shook Wednesday's hand. Wednesday began to look very uncomfortable again as she said, "And there returns the discomfort and nausea."

Enid then stood up, smiling as she said, "I already talked with Mrs Jefferson for a bit, and plus we already know each other. But I wanted to give you a chance to meet the girls' teacher. Anyway, I promised to help work in the kitchen for the school bake sale. See you all in a bit." Then Enid left the room, as an annoyed looking Wednesday sat down in her place. Mrs Jefferson then happily sat in front of Wednesday as she said, "Well Mrs Addams, after spending so much time with your children, and after your wife has spent many hours here volunteering, it's so wonderful to finally put a face to the name of the woman that has helped lead the most unique family to ever attend this school."

Wednesday meanwhile kept a very straight face as she said, "Well, go ahead. List all the infractions and laws my children have broken, and how close they are to expulsion. That is why I have been brought here, is it not?" Mrs Jefferson however looked confused as she said, "What do you mean Mrs Addams? Parent teacher conferences are something all parents are invited to attend. However, I have nothing negative to say about your children. They are exemplary students that are perfect role models to their peers, and show great potential to become productive members of society." Wednesday suddenly had a look of shock and horror go across her face as she said, "They are?" Mrs Jefferson happily nodded her head as she said, "Indeed. That's all I wanted to share. Anyway, have a good rest of your day."

Wednesday then got up, and took Harmony and Ana into the hallway. Once they were alone in the hallway, an upset looking Wednesday said, "Really? Perfect role models? Harmony, Ana, I am completely disappointed in you two. I raised you better than to conform to societal expectations." Harmony however looked a bit worried as she said, "But mom said we should obey the teachers. Also... none of the other kids at school know we're outcasts. We thought... if we make no trouble, people will be nicer to us."

Wednesday sighed, took a moment to compose herself, and then said, "Harmony, conforming to the world doesn't bring peace. It just allows a system of inequality and injustice to thrive. In order to take control of yourself and bring some meaningful change to this realm of existence, you have to make necessary trouble at times. To put it simple, if no one in the world is ever mad at you, you're not making any meaningful impact."

Then a grinning Ana started to look around the corner as she said, "Actually, we do make trouble... but we do it in secret. Watch this." Then Ana pointed to a large bully far away pushing a little kid into the wall. The large bully then said, "Give me your lunch money kid! I want extra chocolate milk today." Ana meanwhile grinned as she said, "Harmony, get out the doll." Wednesday looked confused as she said, "Doll?" Then as Harmony got a doll out of her backpack, she said, "That bully over there... we took some of their hair the other day and made a voodoo doll with it." Then as Harmony handed Ana the voodoo doll, Ana said, "Watch this."

Then Ana stuck a pin into the doll. The bully suddenly stopped moving and yelled in pain. Then Ana stuck more pins into the doll. The bully immediately yelled in pain many more times as they ran away yelling, "Mommy! I hurt all over!" Wednesday's eyes widened in admiration as she said, "Impressive." Meanwhile Harmony looked very nervous as she said, "We... we stole the last of those special magic herbs from your special cabinet to make the voodoo doll. I'm sorry."

Wednesday then got down on her knees, and looked at her daughters in the eyes as she said, "No. In fact... I'm very pleased. You both broke my rules and the rules of this school to fix an injustice which those in authority had overlooked. However, the only thing I wish that you both do differently in the future is not hide your abilities or heritage with your classmates and community. You both are indeed outcasts, but should have no reason to hide that fact. I am proud of you both just the way you are, and it is your role to show the world you are proud our yourselves as well."

Harmony and Ana smiled, and then they both hugged Wednesday. Wednesday looked a bit uncomfortable, but then hugged her children back. Harmony meanwhile smiled contently as she said, "I love you mother."

~The Present:

In the middle of the night, young adult Harmony and Megan were laying in bed together in just their underwear. Suddenly, the two women heard Luna scream. Harmony and Megan both jumped out of a bed as a frightened Harmony yelled, "Luna!" Harmony and Megan then rushed into Luna's bedroom, to see Luna had turned into her werewolf form, and that the bed beneath her was broken. Luna had tears in her eyes as she said, "I didn't mean to break the bed. But... I turned into a werewolf when I was sleeping, and when woke up and felt fur on me, I got scared and jumped up and down hard."

Harmony then stepped towards Luna as she said, "It's okay Luna. All werewolves only wolf out at night the first few times it happens to them, and many can't even control it the first bunch of times it happens too." Then a smiling Megan said, "In fact, I learned at school that most werewolves only werewolf out at night their entire lives. However, many werewolves can't talk in werewolf form, but you can. That makes you special."

However Luna looked scared as she tried to pick up the pieces of the broken bed while saying, "No, I broke the bed. I should fix the bed." Harmony then stepped towards Luna as she said, "Luna, don't worry about the bed." Luna however looked very upset as she waved her hand and yelled, "Let me fix it!" However, Luna's werewolf claw unintentionally hit Harmony in the arm, scratching her. Luna's eyes suddenly widened with terror as she said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I'm a monster." Then Luna fled into a corner and began to cry.

Megan however stepped towards Luna as she said, "Don't talk like that Luna." However as Luna continued to cry, tears began to appear in Harmony's eyes. Then Harmony rushed out of the room trying to hide the tears on her face. Meanwhile a sympathetic looking Megan just sat near Luna as she said, "It's okay Luna. I'm just gonna sit right near you. Don't worry. It's gonna be okay."

Meanwhile Harmony fled into her own bedroom, fell to the floor, and began crying too as she softly said to herself, "I don't know what I'm doing. I am a terrible mom. Oh God, I don't know what I'm doing. I am such a terrible mom."

~The Past:

A young adult Wednesday and Enid were sitting in bed wearing their night gowns each reading a book. Soon, Enid put a book down as she said, "So... the kids have been quiet for over a half hour now. Ready to get frisky in bed my gorgeous gothic wife?" Wednesday raised one eyebrow as she said, "Gladly." However before anything else could happen, there was a knock on the door, followed by Harmony's voice saying, "Mom. Mother. Can we come in?" Wednesday groaned in frustration, and then said, "Come in."

Little five year old Harmony and Ana opened the door, and walked into the room. Enid looked slightly worried, but kept a smile on as she said, "Hey girls. What's wrong?" As Harmony crawled into bed next to Enid, she said, "We were both having nightmares. Can you make us feel better?" With a confused face, Wednesday asked, "What were you having nightmares about?" Then as Ana sat in front of her two mothers holding a stuffed cat and toy ghost, she said, "Well... you know how you told us to not to use the computer without your permission? Well... we kinda did, and we... we watched... a video of Barney the Dinosaur." Then an upset Harmony said, "Yeah. Now we keep having scary dreams of a big giant dinosaur trying to force us to hug him and ignore 'stranger danger'." Enid chuckled a bit softly, and then turned to Wednesday as she said, "Wednesday, you got this?" Wednesday sighed a bit, and then looked at her children as they and Enid cuddled close to her.

Wednesday then spoke in a soft voice as she said, "As you prepare to go to sleep, let me tell you the true story of Barney the Dinosaur. You see, Barney is not a strange dinosaur that has been brought to life through magic or the power of imagination. Rather, he is a man in a suit that had to give up his dreams of being a respected stage actor in order to take any work he could to pay the bills. Now this is a man would rather perform for the royal Shakespeare company or star in a major Hollywood movie; but because of the uncertainty that is the entertainment industry, he had to remain in the role of Barney the Dinosaur to pay off his student debt from school. However, even when he would finally audition for other roles, he would find that the reputation of playing the main character in a children's show that had no actual education value would result in him unable to find any work. Thus, the seemingly jovial man who played an incredibly upbeat dinosaur seemingly on drugs, would eventually find himself actually drowning his sorrows with real drugs, and would then die a miserable death all alone; thus becoming someone that could never cause harm to anyone ever again."

Then just as Wednesday finished telling her story, she saw that Harmony and Ana had fallen fast asleep, and a pleased looking Enid was asleep as well, with her head leaning on Wednesday's shoulder. Wednesday then made a smile as she gently touched Enid's hand while softly saying, "Sleep well my family. Tomorrow is Friday, and you'll need your energy... considering it will be the 13th of the month..."

~The Present:

In the early hours of the morning, Harmony stood in the middle of the kitchen as she looked out the nearby window with a worried expression. As Megan walked out of the nearby bedroom, she noticed Harmony's distressed face. Then Megan walked over and gently placed a hand on Harmony's shoulder. "You okay?" she asked softly. Harmony took a deep breath, her eyes misting as she said, "I just don't know if we're doing the right thing. What if we're not cut out for this?" Megan hugged Harmony as she said, "We're learning to be moms Harmony, just as Luna is learning to be a werewolf. We'll figure this out." Then as Harmony hugged Megan, sadness was still in her voice as she said, "But I should've been better than I am now. I mean... as Luna's new mom, I should be better at this."

Suddenly the door to Luna's bedroom opened. Luna, who was now in her human form, stepped out cautiously as she said, "Is is time for breakfast?" Harmony then put on a smile as she said, "Yeah. What would you like me to make you Luna?" Luna meanwhile opened up one of the lower cabinets where she saw some cereal and said, "I'll just have this cereal in my room." Then Megan stepped towards Luna as she said, "Whoa. Hey Luna. You don't need to eat cereal alone in your room. Here, we all get to eat together as a family at the kitchen table."

Luna looked confused for a moment, but then nodded as she picked up the box of cereal and walked to the kitchen table. As everyone sat down together to eat, Luna looked around the table at the various food items that were laid out. Harmony then noticed Luna was starring a plate of bacon nearby, and asked, "Did you want some bacon Luna?" Luna however looked down as she said, "It's okay. I'm thankful for the cereal." Then Megan happily gave Luna a plate of bacon as she said, "Hey. We share all the food in this house. If you see any kind of prepared food on the table, feel free to ask for some. Also... it's very natural for werewolves to want to eat some meat every now and then."

Luna slowly took a piece of bacon, and then took a bite. Her face immediately scrunched up as she said, "It's salty!" Megan laughed as she said, "It's okay. Not everyone likes everything. That's why we have options. We have some chicken in the frig, or I can make pancakes." Then as Luna began to focus on her cereal, she said, "No. I'm okay. Thank you for the cereal."

Suddenly a knock at the door was heard. Harmony quickly got up as she said, "I got it." Harmony then opened the front door to the apartment where she saw Ana standing. Ana waved as she said, "Hey sis. Just wanted to check in and see how my new niece is doing." Harmony however quickly stepped out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. Harmony then covered her face, as tears began to appear while saying, "Ana, Luna is a mess. She spent most of the night crying, she lashed out at me, she's seems too afraid to ask for food or even sit at the kitchen table with me for breakfast, and I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do."

Ana then quickly hugged Harmony, and spoke with a smile as she said, "Hey, hey. It's okay sis. It's okay. Luna has been through some rough times. There's gonna be an adjustment period. Also... maybe none of us should have come by yesterday, and it should've been just you and Megan in that apartment as Luna was starting to get adjusted to things." As Harmony began to lean on a nearby wall, she said, "Maybe. It's just... growing up, mom and especially mother always seemed like they knew exactly what they were doing. I keep wondering, why I can't be as good a parent as them..."

~The Past:

A young adult Wednesday Addams sat on a darkly painted bench in the park on one cool fall day, her eyes buried in a book titled 'The Complete Guide to Necromancy for Beginners'. A dead leaf fell from a tree and landed right on Wednesday's book. Wednesday then smirked as she said to herself, "Excellent. Soon these trees will be completely devoid of their bright colors, the grass will turn brown, and I will be able to finally enjoy this park actually having some true beauty."

Suddenly, Wednesday heard her five year old daughters: Harmony and Ana screaming. Wednesday looked up, and saw Harmony and Ana running towards her with a little bit of mud on their clothing. Immediately, Harmony said, "Mother, some mean boys tried throwing mud at us. Stop them!" Wednesday however calmly looked at her daughters with a deadpan expression as she said, "Children, I cannot be everywhere you go, and I cannot solve all your problems for you. If you believe peers of yours have dishonored and disrespected you, then you must enact proper vengeance on them yourselves." Ana however looked confused as she said, "How do we do that? Throw mud right back at them?"

Wednesday then suddenly began to show some genuine interest and mild amount of excitement as she said, "Exactly, but you must do more than just overpower your enemies. You must take their sense of power and control from them. You see, it's not just superior strength that causes those boys to feel like they have power and control over you. It's also their belief that they can cause you distress and humiliation by throwing mud at you. So in order to take that power and control away, cover yourself in mud before you fight back. Show your enemies that you no longer fear their weapon of choice, but instead own it. By letting your enemies see you have no fear, you will ironically instill more fear into them."

Suddenly Ana looked excited as she said, "I know! How about we put cat masks on, and then once we cover ourselves in mud, we can pretend we're Kitty Mud Ninjas! The boys won't know what hit them! Come on. Lets use our allowance to buy some cat masks at the nearby party store!" Harmony looked excited as she yelled, "Yay!" Then Ana and Harmony began to run off to the nearby party store... but then Harmony suddenly took a moment to run back and hug Wednesday as she said, "Thank you mother." Wednesday looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment... but then hugged Harmony back as she said, "You're welcome Harmony."

~The Present:

As the afternoon rolled into evening, Luna was sitting in her bedroom on a sleeping bag while looking at a book. Harmony then stepped into the bedroom as she said, "Hey Luna. Wanna play a board game? I got Monopoly Millionaire, and Clue. It's actually a version of Clue based on my mother's teenager years weirdly enough. Her and my mom's faces are literally on the box." Luna however kept her face focused on the book as she said, "I'm fine."

Harmony then took a deep breath and said, "All right. Well how about we watch a movie tonight? I got a big collection of classic horror films my mother let me watch when I was little." Luna didn't even look up from her book as she simply said, "No thank you." Harmony felt a bit rejected, but decided to keep trying as she said, "How about I show you how to make a nice dinner?" Again, Luna simply said, "No thank you."

Harmony looked defeated as she walked away... but then stopped, turned back, and walked back towards Luna as she said, "Luna, why do you not want to do anything with me or Megan? We're a family now. We want to spend time with you and care about you." Luna then looked up from her book, and simply said, "I know. Everyone does... until they stop caring. No one cares about me for very long."

A look of sadness entered Harmony's eyes as she said, "Luna, that's not true. There are lots of caring people in the world." Then a suddenly frustrated Luna yelled, "No, they're not! Every foster home and group home tries to get rid of me! Even my own real mommy tried to get rid of me! No one wants to keep me! No one! I... I..." Then suddenly as the early evening moonlight began to enter the room, Luna felt her body begin to change. Suddenly hair began to grow all over Luna's body as she turned into a werewolf. Luna then looked at her werewolf claws as horror entered her face. Harmony however remained calm as she stepped forward while saying, "Luna, it's okay." Then Luna immediately yelled, "Stay away!"

Then as Luna moved her arm, her claw hit Harmony in the arm, causing Harmony to scream for a second in pain. Luna looked horrified as she said, "Oh no. I did it again! I'm a monster!" Then Luna ran to the corner of her bedroom and began to cry. Megan immediately entered the bedroom from nearby as she said, "What's going on?" Tears were now in Harmony's eyes as she said, "I... I didn't mean to upset her. She just got angry, and wolfed out, and..." However before Harmony could finish, Megan just sat near Luna and said, "Don't worry Luna. It's okay. No one is mad at you." However as Luna continued to cry, a crying Harmony quickly stepped out of the bedroom.

Then as Harmony was walking away, she heard a knock at the front door. Harmony immediately opened the door, seeing Wednesday holding a bag of food. Wednesday had a straight face as she said, "As your other mother has requested, I have brought sugary sweets here, despite them having no nutritional value that..." However Wednesday stopped talking as she realized Harmony was crying with a distraught face. Wednesday immediately put the bag down as she said, "Harmony, what troubles you?"

As Harmony wiped away some tears, she said, "I don't know what I'm doing mother. Luna is constantly sad or scared or both, and I don't know how to handle it. There's nothing I can do that makes her better. Mother... how were you able to do this so easily when me and Ana were kids? How did you always know what to do when I was growing up!?" Wednesday then crossed her arms and looked at Harmony with a straight face as she said, "Harmony... the truth that I would never admit to anyone except you is... I entered parenthood with no clue what I was doing. In fact, with many passing moments, I felt like I was enduring a hellish torture that I had no control over; barely holding onto my very sanity..."

~Flashbacks from the Past:

A young adult Wednesday walked in the kitchen seeing her five year old children: Harmony and Ana looking very sick while sitting at the kitchen table. Wednesday immediately approached her children as she said, "What's wrong?" A sick looking Ana then said, "We ate all our Halloween candy in one hour." Then Harmony covered her mouth as she said, "Uh oh. I think I'm gonna..." Then Harmony and Ana immediately vomited all over Wednesday's clothes. Wednesday meanwhile looked very uncomfortable and uncertain what to do.

Wednesday and Enid were sitting in front of a computer, while Enid said, "Okay. With all our major debts paid off, I think we're finally ready to take our first major family vacation to Transylvania next year. I know you're really excited about this Wednesday." Then suddenly the sound of an explosion was heard, which caused the house to shake. Harmony and Ana quickly ran into the room as Harmony said, "It's not our fault. Uncle Fester's present to us exploded on it's own!" Then Ana casually said, "Also, it's sort of his fault for surrounding it with caution tape. I mean... it was practically begging us to open it before our birthday. Also... I think half the living room is gone now." Wednesday then closed her eyes, breathing in and out deeply as she said, "It would seem our trip to Transylvania is about to be postponed for another year or two."

Wednesday was analyzing a metal cube in the basement as Harmony and Ana came down the stairs. A smiling Harmony then asked, "Hey mother. Whatcha doing?" Wednesday put the metal cube down as she said, "Trying to find a way to understand this artifact I discovered. It's some sort of ancient puzzle. Apparently if I solve it, it will result in..." Suddenly Ana held up the metal cube, which was glowing now, as she said, "I solved the puzzle in three seconds mother! What do I win!?" Suddenly the metal cube opened up as a terrified Wednesday said, "According to legends... centuries old demons are about to released." Then an excited Harmony and Ana innocently yelled, "Yay!" Then a terrified looking Wednesday grabbed both her children, and ran out of the basement as fast as she could while several demons began to appear from a portal created in the metal cube.

Wednesday sat in the living room blind folded as she said, "You girls know I don't like surprises." Meanwhile a happy Harmony and Ana stood in front of Wednesday as Harmony said, "Well, you'll like this one. Okay. Take off the blind fold." Wednesday quickly took off the blind fold, only to see Harmony and Ana holding a large colorful dress in front of her. An excited Ana said, "Ta da! We made you a new dress mother, all on our own!" As Harmony pointed to the dress she said, "See how we put all the colors of the rainbow on the dress! It even has a picture of pink unicorn on it!" Wednesday suddenly began to look terrified, her eyes were very wide as she said, "Oh my... children... this is... too extravagant a gift for me to wear."

Then an excited Ana said, "I know! It's so pretty! Wear it right now mother!" Then an excited Harmony and Ana yelled, "Wear it! Wear it! Wear it!" Wednesday then reluctantly put the bright rainbow colored dress on her body. Wednesday tried to remain calm as she looked at the dress on her body, while she softly said to herself, "It's just clothing. It cannot harm you. It's just clothing. It cannot harm you." Harmony now looked confused as she said, "Mother, are you okay?" Wednesday then quickly stood up, and tried to look calm as she said, "Yes. Thank you for your thoughtful gift children." Then after one moment of standing still, Wednesday immediately ran into her bedroom, locked the door, took off the dress, and then screamed bloody murder while hugging herself. Meanwhile, as Harmony and Ana heard the screaming, a smiling Ana said, "I think she really likes it."

~The Present:

Wednesday stood before Harmony in the apartment hallway as she said, "Harmony, being a mother is a life of madness, and feeling like you're always on the verge of losing your sanity. The truth is, when I performed the experiment that resulted in you and your sister being born, I was not fully aware of the challenges being a parent would entail... but with that being said, I had no intention to fail you and your sister. So I persevered through every mistake, looked for every creative solution to every problem, and remained confidant I could meet every challenge. However, when I did face a set back or obstacle, it didn't make me feel weak. Rather, the moments where I realized my skills were at a lower point than required, it provided me the opportunity to force myself to rise higher than ever before. You and your sister did test me Harmony... but through raising you, I became stronger... which I am certain Luna will do for you."

Harmony looked amazed as she said, "Mother... I... I don't think I've ever heard you speak in such an inspirational way before... but thank you. Thank you so much." Harmony immediately hugged Wednesday. Wednesday, without any hesitation, then immediately hugged Harmony back, keeping a straight face as she said, "Don't mention it... to anyone... for the rest of your life." Harmony smirked as she let go of Wednesday while saying, "Well mother... it's time for me to go be a mother now." Then Harmony walked back into her apartment as Wednesday left.

Within moments, Harmony dragged two sleeping bags into Luna's room, where Luna was sitting still scared in the corner while Megan was sitting nearby. Megan looked confused as she said, "Harmony, what are you doing?" Harmony looked straight at Luna as she said, "Luna... if you'll let us... me and Megan are gonna sleep with you in your room tonight. The two of us will sleep in sleeping bags near you. We can sleep right next to you, or on the other side of the room. Whatever you're comfortable with." Luna, still in her werewolf form, looked confused as she said, "Why?"

As Harmony sat down on the floor, she said, "Because I want you to know that me and Megan are never gonna leave you, and we'll always be right here for you. Even if you're in werewolf form for the rest of your life, and you accidentally scratch me a hundred times, we are never leaving you." As Megan sat right next to Harmony, she smiled at Luna while saying, "Luna, we don't want you to be here for a short time. We're your family now. We want to be your mothers forever... if you let us."

A nervous Luna crawled closer to Harmony and Megan, and then said, "Lots of people said they liked me and even loved me... but they never meant it. They always sent me away. Even my real mom sent me away. I don't even remember her. Why did she give me away? Why did she not love me!?" Then Harmony scooted closer to Luna as she said, "I don't know the story behind your real mother Luna. I wish I did. Maybe we'll find out one day. But until then... all I can do is promise you that me and Megan wanna love you with all our hearts, as if we were your real moms. I know other people have said stuff like that to you before. So we know it'll take awhile for you to believe we mean what we're saying... but tonight, we are not leaving you alone; just like how you never have to feel alone for the rest of your life now."

Luna however just looked away from Harmony, a sad look still in her eyes. Harmony looked slightly devastated, until Megan whispered to her, "Harmony, you've been trying to tell Luna you love her, and that she doesn't have to hide. Yet, you've been hiding a part of yourself from her. I think you need to show Luna the part of you that relates to her most of all. She's only seen you show it during an emergency. Now is the time to let her see it's an acceptable and normal part of this home."

Harmony nodded, and then closed her eyes. Suddenly Harmony's body grew as fur began to appear everywhere. Soon, Harmony was in her werewolf form. Luna now looked at Harmony with wide surprised eyes. As Harmony starred at Luna with her big wolf like eyes, she said, "I know I take up more space in this form. Is it okay if I sleep like this with you tonight?" Tears appeared in Luna's little werewolf eyes, and then suddenly she rushed into Harmony's arms and hugged her. Soon, Harmony and Luna lay on their sleeping bags together, hugging one another. A smiling Megan then lay beside them and embraced her new family in a hug as well.

~The Past:

A young adult Wednesday and Enid lay together in bed as little Harmony and Ana lay between them nearly asleep. As the two little girls looked very content, their eyes slowly closed while Wednesday said, "And so the three little pigs learned what they built their homes out of was meaningless, because the simple wolf who was only obeying his natural instincts was going to eat them anyway at the slaughter house where all pigs are inevitably sent. The end." Wednesday then looked at her two daughters, seeing they were completely asleep now. Enid smiled as she said, "Look at them Wednesday. So perfect. You ever think they'll have their own families like us when they grow up one day?" Wednesday kept a straight face as she looked at Enid while saying, "If they fully understood what we go through for them on a daily basis, they wouldn't. For only a completely insane person would ever want to raise a family like ours." Enid however smiled as she reached out, placed her right hand under Wednesday's left hand, and then said, "Well... thank you Wednesday... for giving me this insanely beautiful family of ours."

~The Present:

In the middle of the park in the evening, Gerard was flying through the air as he said, "Come on Luna. You have to pass through me if you wanna get a point." As Gerard flew through the air, Luna was in her werewolf form as she was happily running on all fours under Gerard. Luna then leaped into the air, but wasn't able to reach the height Gerard was flying at. Meanwhile Ana stood nearby as she said, "Come on Luna! You just have to put a little more power into your jumps. Remember, your Aunt Ana believes in you!"

Meanwhile at a picnic table nearby that had a large street lamp near it, sitting together were Wednesday, Enid, Harmony, and Megan. As Enid watched Luna running around, she smiled while saying, "Luna looks like she's really starting to enjoy herself." Harmony, with a look of relief, said, "Yeah. Although even after a month of living with us, she does sometimes still get sad at night, and gets scared by the occasional loud noises. Her therapist says she likely has issues with anxiety... but since I still do too, me and Megan realized instead of seeing this as a bad thing, we should just view this as one more thing that can help me and Luna grow closer as we both work through our issues together." As Megan held Harmony's hand, she said, "It actually inspired us to start attending family therapy sessions together... and we think it's really helping us."

Meanwhile, Luna jumped high into the air, with her little werewolf body passing right through Gerard's ghostly form. As Luna landed on the ground, she yelled, "I did it!" An excited Ana yelled, "You did! Great work Luna!" As everyone at the picnic table clapped a bit, a happy Harmony called out, "Awesome Luna. Now come over and eat some dinner." Luna then happily rushed over to the picnic table, while Gerard floated down next to Ana. As Ana and Gerard watched Luna sit next to Harmony and Megan, Gerard asked, "So Ana... do you think that in some way maybe... we could have something like that one day?" Ana turned to look at Gerard with loving eyes as she said, "Maybe. But for now... Gerard, I just want you to know I am happy with the life we've made already with each other. I mean we've never even kissed, and may never will... but that's okay because I'd still rather have what we have now than anything else in the world."

A moment later, the entire family began to place themselves around the picnic table. As everyone began to talk and enjoy themselves, Enid scooted closer to Wednesday as she said, "Look at this family Wednesday. None of this would've happened if you hadn't combined that weird mystic plant extract with my DNA in your body to make yourself pregnant... and even though I was totally freaked out when you did that crazy experiment without my consent... I just want to say thank you... for all of this." Wednesday looked at Enid with an expression that showed no emotion, but then her actions spoke louder than words as she quickly gave Enid a romantic kiss.

However the kiss was interrupted as Megan said, "Oh. Guess what. Luna has gifts she made for her two new grandmas." An excited Luna then opened up a nearby bag as she said, "Oh yeah. I made them with help from Aunt Ana." Then Luna suddenly held up two matching rainbow colored dresses, each with a picture of a pink unicorn on them. An excited Luna asked, "Do you like them?" An excited Enid slipped into one of the dresses as she said, "Aww. I love it. Thank you Luna." Wednesday however began to look terrified, her eyes were very wide as she softly said to herself, "Oh God. The nightmare has returned."

Meanwhile an excited Luna said, "Come on Grandma Wednesday. Wear the new dress. Wear it! Wear it! Wear it!" Wednesday then reluctantly put the bright rainbow colored dress on her body. Wednesday tried to remain calm as she looked at the dress on her body, while she softly said to herself, "It's just clothing. It cannot harm you. It's just clothing. It cannot harm you." Luna now looked confused as she said, "Grandma Wednesday, are you okay?" Wednesday then quickly stood up, and tried to look calm as she said, "Yes. Thank you for your thoughtful gift Luna." Then after one moment of standing still, Wednesday immediately ran out of the park, jumped into her car, took off the dress, and then screamed bloody murder while hugging herself. Meanwhile, as everyone else heard the screaming, a smiling Ana looked at Luna as she said, "I think she really likes it."

THE END

...

..

.

EPILOGUE:

One More Bonus Scene from the Past:

In the middle of the park two seven year old boys, and one little five year old boy were walking around with buckets of mud. One of the older boys yelled, "Come out of hiding girls. The 'Boys Rule and Girls Drool Club' is about to cream you with mud!" Meanwhile, the little five year old boy said, "Devin, is this a good idea? Those girls looked scared when you tried to throw mud at them earlier. I thought you said this would be fun." The older boy then said, "Shut up. I'm your big cousin, and I know what's best. Now lets find those little girls and take them down!"

Suddenly, emerging from a nearby mud pit was a five year old Harmony and Ana; their bodies drenched in mud while they were wearing cat masks that covered most of the upper section of their faces. Harmony and Ana immediately made roaring sounds, followed by Ana yelling, "You drew first mud. Now prepare for vengeance from the Kitty Mud Ninjas!" All three of the boys immediately looked scared as Harmony and Ana immediately began throwing large buckets of mud at them.

The two older boys suddenly got out some water balloons and threw them near Ana's feet. The sudden wet ground caused Ana to fall as she said, "Oww! Uggh. That hurt." Harmony then looked determined as she said, "Don't worry Ana. I'll get them!" Then Harmony immediately chased after the two older boys with a big bucket of mud while saying, "You don't get to hurt my sister and not face my wrath! Raaaaaahhhh!" The older boys suddenly screamed in fear as they ran away from Harmony.

Meanwhile, the younger boy, whose face was partially covered in mud, approached Ana as he said, "Are you okay? I'm sorry you got hurt. I'm just visiting my cousin today, and he sometimes does stupid stuff." As Ana tried to sit up, her face was still covered in mud and her cat mask as she said, "I'll be okay. I'm used to it. All the boys at school hate me too because I'm so weird."

As the young boy sat next to Ana, he said, "That sounds awful. Why are they like that? I mean, my mother taught me to treat all girls like they're special." Ana shrugged, and then said, "Well my mother said most men are intimidated by independent women with clearly superior skills... but that's okay. I don't need a boy to like me or kiss me to make me feel special." The young boy then scooted near Ana as he said, "Well... even if you don't need this... I hope it makes you feel a little more special."

Then the young boy leaned his head forward and immediately kissed Ana on the lips. Ana was surprised for a second... but then kissed the boy back. After a moment, their lips parted, and they both looked at one another with smiles and blushing cheeks. Then the young boy stood up, still smiling as he said, "Nice to meet you Miss Kitty Mud Ninja." The young boy then walked away, waving to Ana, while a smiling Ana waved back.

Soon, the young boy reached the edge of the park where an adult woman was standing near a car. The young boy smiled as he said, "Hi mom. I'm ready to go home." The young boy's mother groaned in frustration and then said, "Didn't I tell you not to get dirty? Oh well. I hope you had a good time playing with your cousins and the other kids in the park today. Come on. Lets go home Gerard."

*Next Week: WEDNESDAY ON SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

...no seriously, THAT is the entire premise. ;)

Trivia:

-The final picture in this story was created by fanfiction writer/ artist: Konge (with tweaks by myself).

-All of the flashbacks in this story take place before Chapter 17 - Gomez and Morticia Come to Visit.

-Ana and her ghostly boyfriend Gerard first met in Chapter 64 - Ana's Amazing Adventure.

-Luna was first introduced in Chapter 79 - Love Finds a Way.

[bloodb3nders]

chapter one.

| touya todoroki (dabi) x fem!reader |

wc: 2.01k

warnings: same as masterlist

a/n: i hope this appeases the mha masses. i am trying i promiseee also im so excited for this hello? NOW PLAYING: i can do it with a broken heart t. swift

︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶

“Ground zero! Ground zero! how are you feeling after this takedown?” reporters clamor around you, cameras flashing in your face and microphones shoved at you. 

You stand on tattered pavement, one hand on your hip, looking like you didn’t even break a sweat after an intense battle with one of japan’s most notorious criminals.

you're decked out in your hero costume, a skimpy little thing your pr manager said would help ‘boost your ratings.” a black bodysuit sits over your figure, sleeveless. a collar close to your neckline that opens up into a deep plunge, leaving nothing to the imagination. two burgundy belts made an ‘X’ across your chest, and held secret pockets which held different liquids and chemicals for you to create blasts and explosions. two burgundy forearm bands started just before your wrists. Two blasters perched on top of them, ready to fire at any moment. your muscular legs were bare, save for the two knee high burgundy boots you donned. 

you you looked like fucking wonder woman. you cursed best jeanist every time you looked in the mirror. he’d convinced you the outfit didn’t make you look like a complete slut. 

he’d lied. big time. 

your hair was pushed back in a messy, braided ponytail that hit your mid back. some strands of hair escaped it, and framed your face, resting atop your shiny, burgundy eye mask.  

“I’m just happy to serve Japan by taking down this criminal. my agency’s been watching him like a hawk for some time now, and it feels good to make the streets of musutafu safe!” you commented with a cheery grin on your face, which elicited many cheers from the crowd. 

suddenly, your in-ear piece buzzed, alerting you to a call coming your way, probably from your personal assistant and best friend, sapphire. as more reporters clamored around you, begging for your attention, you shot them a sheepish grin, and jumped, pushing your hands down as dark red sparks came out of the palm of your hands. 

“I’ll catch y’all later!” you said, signature grin on your face as you left them in a dust of dark red smoke, with the after scent of brown sugar. once you were up in the air, you muttered a brief accept call, and sapphire was patched through. 

“talk to me, sapphire, what’s up?” you say, awaiting her response as you blast through the air back to your agency, seeing your sleek, black-tinted mirror building in sight. 

“first off, congrats for just having the hottest villain takedown in the history of Japan!” she exclaims, and you shake your head as you chuckle. 

“i’m serious, you’re already trending on twitter, and people are THIRSTING,” she says. 

“oh boy, I’m gonna be in for a lot of fan mail tomorrow, aren’t I,” you say, rolling your eyes as you descend onto the roof of your building. 

“wait, y/n, you’re not back here, are you? I just got a gps alert,” sapphire says, and your brows knit with confusion as you make your way to the door to the stairs. 

“yeah… why, saph?” you inquire, and you hear a slight gasp.

“you’re supposed to be on your way to the USJ to meet All Might, remember? you’re helping with out with UA training today!” she exclaims, and you groan. 

“gah, I’m gonna have to see the little brat then,” you say, and sapphire giggles through your ear piece. 

“katsuki is gonna be soooo excited to see you, you know he loves seeing you, especially in action!” she says, and you roll your eyes. you quickly blast off, as you begin to make your way in the direction of the USJ. 

“he has a real shitty way of showing it you know," little hoe literally calls me a pimp every time I see him,” you say pointedly, and sapphire lets out an amused sigh. 

“please, whenever your mom drops him off here and you’re not around, he practically begs me to tell him stories of your coolest takedowns,” she says, and you smile. your brother is a bit of, a LOT of a handful. and a hot head. and he swears like a sailor. 

he’d always been more like your mom, mitsuki bakugo, in that regard. you took more of your dad’s more gentle, more normal demeanor. 

but, he’s your little brother. and you tell yourself you love him. when it slipped to all might and hawks that your baby brother was attending UA, you knew you were in trouble. 

it wasn’t that you hadn’t occasionally shown up at UA for training demonstrations and some mentorship, but now you were there almost every damn week. although, it did allow you to berate katsuki every time you saw him. and kick his ass. 

but, and though you’d rarely admit this to him, you were proud of katsuki. his quirk had manifested well as he had grown, and even though he was an arrogant hot head, you knew one day he’d probably be fighting side by side with you. 

however, that day is still very far away. 

unlike katsuki, your quirk was a little different. a bit more complicated. while katsuki produced explosions, you emitted some more semi-permenent matter from your hands. more of your dad’s quirk had come into play. you were able to create semi-permanent matter in your hands and shoot it out, and it would explode in a few moment’s time. 

in your burgundy ‘X’ held different chemicals you could rub on your hands to create stronger explosions or alter their chemical composition to make them stronger. usually this only played out in regular explosions, and you could direct them through your blasters. but your favorite part of your quirk was when you could create a burgundy staff, that would explode little by little whenever you landed a blow on an opponent.

it was “fucking awesome,” as katsuki once put it.

USJ slowly came into view, and as soon as your eyes focused on it, you noticed something was off as you saw gray some trailing from the building up into the sky. 

“the fuck is happening this time,” you muttered to yourself, and as you descended, you see one of the members of Class 1-A, although his name is beyond you, zoom out of USJ and towards the direction of UA. 

as your burgundy boots hit the ground, you cautiously neared the entrance, and held out your palm, a burgundy staff immediately appearing. you gripped it and took a deep breath, as you neared the entrance. crashing noises and the sound of battle neared you. just as you go to enter, a whooshing sounds near by you. 

“Ground Zero! Great timing — the students need us!” All Might, in all his glory states triumphantly, and your head tilts to the side, before shrugging, and readying into position. the #1 hero poses for a hot second — which you grimace at considering the fact that there are sixteen-year-olds in need of some saving. 

All Might then catches you off guard, as he grabs your arm, and the both of you zoom into USJ at a nauseating pace. “hey!” you exclaim, nauseated as you realize the pro hero has launched you into the air. your feet immediately ignite, and you blackflip  to the ground and pose next to All Might. You smile to yourself, knowing sapphire would call it a “sexy ass entrance.”

“No need to fear, All Might is here!” the blond pro hero says, causing you to cringe slightly at his corny ass saying. 

your eyes narrow as the noises of battle cease for a moment. Across from you is a clearly tired aizawa facing off against shigaraki, a VERY wanted villain not known for his, well, mercy. other villains surround the area, and your eyes scan over the tattered kids that have been fending off these criminals. you silently thank the gods you never had to deal with this when you were at UA. the biggest problem you ever had to deal with was hawk’s prima donna diva attitude, and that was after UA.

“And I brought Ground Zero!” he adds, and gestures at you. you give him a confused glance, and shrug your shoulders. 

“OI PIMP, ABOUT TIME YOU SHOWED UP!” a grumbling voice shouts, and your eyes whip around to a spiky head of blonde hair. piercing red eyes gaze into your own burgundy pair, and without further ado, you launch yourself at the villain within a few feet of your Pomeranian looking brother.

“SHUT UP YOU LITTLE SHIT,” you say, as you clash with the villain, hitting him with an explosive spark as your baton finds it target. on the other side, katsuki is blasting the fucker into oblivion, causing the villain to cry out as the two siblings angrily defeat him. after you kick him to the side, you spot a purple blob out of the corner of your eye chasing a somewhat terrified midoriya.

katsuki instantly blasts kurogiri, another villain you know is associated with shigaraki, instantly gaining his attention as his purple blob of a head whips around to the two of you. “get the fuck out of here!” you shout to katsuki, shoving him lightly as you enter intense close-range combat with kurogiri, blasting him with a canon as you attempt to land a hit on the foggy man, who keeps opening up portals around you to disorient you. 

sadly, one opens up beneath your feet, sending you falling from the ceiling of the USJ into the mountainous section of the arena. your eyes dart to an electric blonde, seemingly held captive by some villains. repairing your staff, you launch down onto the villain, blasting him off the mountain, watching him tumble down. 

“don’t worry kid, you’re safe now,” you say, as you put a hand on your hip. the blonde stares at you, jaw dropped as he stands there a little dazed.

“y-y-y-you’re g-ground z-zero!” he exclaims, as his head tilts, transfixed on you. 

let’s just say kaminari denki had a HUGE crush on you. maybe even a poster of you under his bed he’s been begging katsuki to get you to sign for him.

“no shit kid, let’s get you to safety,” you say, as you grab the boy, and jump off the mountain, blasting yourself over to group of other students waiting for All Might to finish the job. 

︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶

“job well done, heroes!” All might exclaims, and you shoot aizawa a tired look at his corny comment. 

you love and respect All Might, but he can sure be a corny mofo sometimes. 

you stand among the teachers of UA, planted next to aizawa, outside of USJ. The Class 1-A students sit on some benches nearby, looking tired and ready for food and a full night’s rest.

“how’s it going, oldie?” you inquire, after All Might was done debriefing the heroes and teachers.

“the students this year are a handful,” he muses, and you snort. 

“I’m sure my angel katsuki has nothing to do with that,” you chortle, and he chuckles. 

“OI PIMP! I HEAR YOU YAPPING ABOUT ME,” a booming voice calls out, and you deadpan, slowly turning your head towards your angry pomeranian brother. 

“call me pimp one more time and I’m throwing away all your fanboy shit!” you spit at him, and he sneers at you.

“you wouldn’t dare,” he growls, and you give him a pointed look. 

“try me, hoe. and by the way, mom and dad told me to take you home, we’re having family dinner tonight.” you say, and katuski shrugs, the fight instantly dissipating at the mention of home. 

“let’s go you sweaty freak, I don’t wanna watch mom rip out your balls for making us late,” you chide, and the fire lights back up in your brother’s eyes. amused eyes watch the pair of you, as you grab your brother’s arm, slowly dragging him away, shooting a quick wave to your fellow colleagues. you notice the blonde boy you saved from earlier looking at you, still dazed. you roll your eyes,

“pimp.”

“hoe.”

“shitty sister.”

“chihuahua lookin ahh.”

“I DO NOT LOOK LIKE A FUCKING SHITTY DOG” he growls, trying to claw at you with his free arm. 

“shut up, you shit,” you say, as you wrap your arms around katsuki, and blast off. 

you miss the days when he couldn’t talk. aka the days before he turned one. 

︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶

a/n: hope this isn't shit yet, also all likes comments and reblogs r appreciateddd.

[calisverse]

MATTERS OF THE HEART: LONGING, DEVOTION, HEARTBREAK, LOVE BETRAYAL, CONFESSIONS AND MORE. all sentences were taken from pinterest boards with different quotes regarding matters of the heart related to all types of love: toxic, healthy, obsession, forbidden, desire, longing and much more. change all names, locations and pronouns as you see fit.

"Consider that kiss a parting gift."

"In another life, we would have been perfect together."

"I know you're bad for me,but I can't stay away.”

"I kissed you just to watch you fall.”

"I wanted you to feel the sting of my betrayal.”

"Your touch is forbidden,but I crave it.”

"That kiss was for every lie you've ever told."

"I wanna be yours,the chapter that completes your story."

"You're everything I've ever wanted, but not right now.”

"I wanted you to taste the bitterness of my revenge."

"If circumstances were different, we would be together."

"Our rivalry is the spark that keeps my ambition burning.”

"I'd rather have a forbidden love than no love at all."

"We're breaking all the rules just by being together.”

"It hurts to love you in silence.”

"I'm invisible to the one I love the most.”

"Your obliviousness to my feelings is my daily torment.”

“I pretend your smiles are meant for me.”

"Every moment of that kiss was filled with my loathing."

"Every argument with you feels like a dance."

"We were never supposed to be on the same side."

"I didn't expect to feel this way after the kiss.”

"We crossed a line with that kiss."

"You'll never know how much I care.”

"Our love is a risk I'm willing to take.”

"You're my addiction,and I crave danger."

"We're bound by a love that could burn us both.”

"Our competition is fierce, but it's what makes us both stronger."

“We both know what this is.”

"This is purely physical, nothing more."

"I can't stand you... but I can't seem to stay away."

"Remember that kiss, it's the last piece of r you'll ever have.”

"By you, I am forever undone.”

"It's infuriating how you're always right.”

"That kiss was my silent scream."

"Our hearts don't care about the consequences."

"Now you know what it feels like to be played.”

"That kiss was for all the heartbreak you caused.”

"Everyone keeps telling me you're the bad guy."

"If I ever see you anywhere near her, you'll have to deal with me."

"H-How long have you been standing there?"

"I think I'm in love with you, and I'm terrified."

"When are you going to realize that I don't care?"

"Who gave you that black eye?!"

"I'm sorry, what were you saying? I keep getting lost in your eyes"

"Oh, god, you've insulted me! What ever shall I do? I'll be mentally and emotionally scarred for years!"

 "Don't say you love me."

 "It's a hobby of mine to prove you wrong."

"I wish things were simpler for us.”

"We're like fire and ice, destined to collide but never meant to be together."

"We have to keep this a secret for both our sakes.”

"is now a bad time to tell you i'm claustrophobic?" 

"i never noticed your [insert feature/trait] before. it's cute."

 "this might be a bad time to mention it, but i really like your cologne/perfume."

"i know. but i need you to stay calm, okay? breathe with me."

"i won't let anything happen to you, i swear."

"not that i'm not enjoying this, but could you move your hands?"

"we never speak of this again, do you hear?"

- "never figured you for this much of a cuddler."

"i know you don't like being touched, but there's not that can be done about that now."

- "you're not okay, you're shaking. what can i do? please, just let me help you."

- "your heart's beating really fast, i can hear it."

"look at me like that again and I might think you want to fuck me."

"no, I don't like them touching you because I don't like it when someone else touches what's mine."

"I gave you all the chances to escape me, you didn't take them. don't pretend like we both don't know you secretly like being my pet."

"I am only being gentle because you're wounded. we're still enemies."

"I'm not letting you go out there and get yourself killed. we've fought many times before, and I always won. what makes you think I'm not going to do whatever it takes to stop you from walking out that door?"

"promise me I am the only enemy you have." 

"you can't just jump in front of a bullet to save an enemy. god, what the hell is wrong with you?”

"I'll kiss you if that's what it takes to shut you up."

"we're not friends or lovers. we're enemies. but there's no bond greater than the bond shared between two people who are covered in each other's blood, is there?"

"you let your lover die to save the world. but here you are, willing to let the entire world burn to save me from myself."

"I will deny you death until you beg me for it."

"Sometimes memories are the worst form of torture."

" "Hungry dogs are never loyal."

"You here to finish me off, Sweetheart?"

 "People do bad things when they are trying to survive."

"Aw look at them- so young and willing to get themselves killed." 

"Remember boy, history is written by the victors."

"I want to taste you so badly." 

"Make me beg for it."

 "You surprise me every day."

"Let's find out how much you want it."

"Kiss me, I can't wait any longer."

"Come on, please, do it."

"Oh, you like that?"

"Hmm, you're not very patient, are you?"

"Well, let's see what happens tonight."

 "Oh, you're hard to please."

"I had a very nice dream that started like this."

"Can you be good for me?"

"You're still holding back, just let go."

"I've never even loved you"

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Can I leave now?"

"You're finally showing your true colors."

"They weren't wrong about you."

 "How could you be so cruel?"

"I loved you, I really did."

"You've changed a lot."

"I'm sorry, just hate me for the rest of your life."

"I guess that's just how little I meant to you."

"Who was that?"

"I don't like the way he/she/they look/s at you."

"So what if I'm jealous?"

"How come you never do that with me?"

 "Hey. You're mine." 

"Don't worry. I'm yours."

"I can't have these people all over you."

"Don't you trust me?"

 "You're not the one I don't trust..."

[galaxymagitech]

1 and 30 for the fic questions!!

Thank you for the ask!!

Fic Writer Ask Game

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

Hmmm. I think it really depends on what you’re there for, because I have two completely different versions of Bruce Wayne living in my head.

fool me thrice is a good introduction to how I write Batfamily dynamics, my characterization of the Batkids, how I develop a plot across scenes, tackle questions in my writing, and write an abusive Bruce Wayne while still maintaining his internal life and not demonizing him. This fic is pretty characteristic of my Bad Parent Bruce Wayne fics, and my writing style in general. If you want to read my Bad Parent Bruce Wayne fics, I’d recommend this as a starting point for how I see things playing out.

Olive Branch, on the other hand, is the introduction I’d recommend for Good/Okay Parent Bruce Wayne. It shows how I deal with misunderstandings, uncertainty, and at least somewhat unreliable narration (which is very common in my fics). Like fool me thrice, it involves extended dialogue and relationship work, but unlike fool me thrice, it is a single scene. In general, the writing style and the way I portray Jason’s internal thoughts vs what he says are a pretty good example of how I normally write.

But honestly, unless it’s in a series, any work is a good starting point I think!

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter?

I routinely try to push my comfort zone in small ways, such as by trying to write a romance fic or write two characters who I haven’t written interacting before. But I think the second farthest outside my comfort zone I’ve written is actually my most recent multichapter fic, once you cross the line (will you be satisfied?), which is on 2/5 chapters. It’s a TimSteph fic—which is outside my comfort zone due to being romance and not a pairing I’ve read a ton of—but it also contains frank discussions of sex and birth control and on-screen making out. No on-screen sex (I am unwilling to research how people having sex works in practice) but still the only fic that I’ve ever rated M for sexual reasons. I think writing this fic has made me open up a little bit to including more sexual elements in my stories, and it’s also made me think more about tagging practices on AO3.

Surprisingly, the farthest outside my comfort zone I’ve gone was a complete accident. I wrote a fic that was supposed to be dark and kind of messed up, but the first draft fell off the deep end. I decided I couldn’t post it, because I’d unintentionally added subtext. And if I could see that subtext, other people definitively would.

The fic underwent extensive edits. Some of these edits were really, really stupid, such as the Find and Replace incident. In hindsight, I would’ve done it differently, but at the time I was just happy that I brought the fic back into my comfort zone. This story became Graveyard, which doesn’t quite manage to say what I originally intended it to, but at least it doesn’t say anything I didn’t intend it to.

This fic actually did inspire a change in my writing process. Before I write my fics, I now lay out every way I think the fic could be interpreted and decide which interpretation(s) I am okay with and want to explore. And then I develop a plan for how I am going to emphasize the interpretation(s) I intend to emphasize while de-emphasizing alternative ones. Obviously, I can’t control how people view my fics, and people could easily be misinterpreting them. But incorporating this calculus into my writing process at least means I’m not blindsided and can avoid another Graveyard incident that messes up the fic.

This started out in an anxious way, but now it’s more for clarity’s sake. When I write, I have something I want to communicate. Sometimes there’s ambiguity in that, but only specific, intentional ambiguity. But I don’t want to have cracks in my stories (or poems) that lead to validating misinterpretations of my original message. I’m a lot more intentional about what I write now. So overall I think this incident has improved my writing.

[analog-autistic]

fake dash with various of my ocs. different “sets” of ocs will be separated with a — for my own sanity

previous oc fake dash (good lort that’s from October. oh my god)

also @fake-post-archive hope you don’t mind me tagging you!! ^^

“🔦 madmandelian” (and all other users in that section) are mandela catalogue ocs! everything else is my own stories)

—

🍨 dex-is-so-fucking-done Follow

>be me

>member of the followers of the light

>im “not perfect” (intersex + autistic) so everyone is shitty

>under 20 so I can’t leave without my parents permission

>ask “too many” questions about things that don’t make sense to me

>they literally sew my mouth shut with magic

what do I do chat

👁️‍🗨️ isuggestvoid Follow

I have a suggestion

🍨 dex-is-so-fucking-done Follow

#i mean????? #what other choices do I have yk. #but also. im scared

☀️ ilovethelight-deactivated Follow

invading children of the ab*ss territory on my own wish me luck

☀️ ilovethelight-deactivated Follow

HELP I FUCKED UP

🦊 totally-normal-hypnotist Follow

lmao

#another one bites the dust. i suppose #i should show this to beetle #the hypnotist’s yips #edit: beetle’s addition to this is “it’s not an invasion if you’re alone and also a dumbass”

—

🔦 madmandelian Follow

Anonymous asked: you really shouldn’t be using “M.A.D.” in such a cutesy and romanticized way, it’s a really serious epidemic :/ especially since I don’t really believe that you have it, because you’ve never posted about it.

breaking news: I don’t want to talk about my wildly debilitating trauma with random internet strangers

#what a shocking revelation #ashleyanswers

🔦 madmandelian Follow

one of my friends says she got a computer virusss!!! everyone place your bets on if it’s a normal virus or if it’s the alternates again

🔦 madmandelian Follow

you’ll never guess what fucking happened

#man in the tv needs to fuck offfffffffff #bitch you have done ENOUGH #computer viruses #mandela daily life #<< such a funny tag #tw alt mention #tw alternate mention

🖤 probably-a-person Follow

i am normal and can be trusted with your home address

🌳 climbing-trees-away-from-my-problems Follow

tree

🖤 probably-a-person Follow

okay! :)

🌳 climbing-trees-away-from-my-problems Follow

what does this mean

🌳 climbing-trees-away-from-my-problems Follow

hello?? it’s been like a week what do you mean by this

🌳 climbing-trees-away-from-my-problems Follow

HELLO??

#HI! HI! #IT LITERALLY JUST STARED AT ME FOR LIKE 5 HOURS TILL I PASSED OUT #AND THEN IT DISAPPEARED!!! #I DONT KNOW IF ITS STILL IN MY HOUSE OR NOT!! #tw alternates #tw alternate #cw alternates #cw alternate

—

🎊 sparkledog-partygod Follow

watching over my lil sister for a bit (simon) (god of chaos u kno her) and. zomg girl u r fucked UP /aff

🃏 simonsays Follow

there is nothing wrong with playing touys . :(

🎊 sparkledog-partygod Follow

hoomans aren’t toyz

ur “simon says”-ing them to kill eachother in increasingly grotesque wayz

🃏 simonsays Follow

can’t a girl have some whimsy around here

#i do still mean that affectionately. ur my lil sister i love you #<< awww thanks :3 #simon says: read my post

💀 vultured-cultured Follow

quick question for older forest spirits: is there a way for me to get piercings??

if it helps, im a vulture skull ^^

👻 respect-the-elders-deactivated

You should not get piercings AT ALL! It is blasphemy against The Great Forest Deity and worship of the Deities Of Rebellion!

💀 vultured-cultured Follow

get off the internet grandpa

💀 vultured-cultured Follow

LMAO bro deactivated

#i am saying something

👾 rawrierawr Follow

help i wanna worship god of parties but my parents are the worst and won’t let me do anything what do

🎊 sparkledog-partygod Follow

dw bestie I’ll smite them fur u X3

👾 rawrierawr Follow

HUH

#hello??? god of partying themself reblogged my post?????? #sure ??? #rawring into the void

[monotonedongs]

I have been watching your work for some time now and I am very pleased with each of your works! I would like to ask if you are going to give a "cygate child" (I think you can call it that?) any name? Are you going to come up with a great story for this idea or not? (although even these small works are very interesting!) Thank you in advance for your reply!

Hey and thank you for your ask and your compliments - it always makes me happy that the things I doodle can entertain someone else. This is going to be a little wall of text, oops. There is a set of doodles at the end!

It's extra funny when it all started as a joke after me and my friend saw the Cyclonus funko and went wow. And I thought it was funny they gave him blue??? optics for some reason? So I was gripped with the inspiration to draw that silly meme about "9 months in the womb and they look like their mum". And it all snowballed from there.

To be honest, I do wish to give the Cygate child a name; funnily enough I was talking to my friend about this yesterday before you sent me this ask... Names are hard. I was brainstorming a few, where wind is honestly the biggest reoccurring theme. So far I have;

Aerostorm - Aero means wind.

Bora - Bora is the name of a specific wind, but also a specific model of car! So both Cyclonus and Tailgate in there I suppose. :] Could alternatively end up as Borae just for the flow of the name. HOWEVER Springer is apparently known as Bora in Italian!

Stormsurge - Because stormsurges follow cyclones. :]

Derecho - A widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm, causing hurricane-force winds, heavy rains, and flash floods.

Microburst - Another wind-related one, a strong downward and outward gushing wind that comes from above. Also a play on how the sparkling originally was very small when they emerged, but as they grow they turn out quite large...

The list might not be complete and I need to marinate it in my mind a bit <:]

For a story - I am not a writer, and most of the time I am talking my friend's ear full about this hsdfgdf but I do have some basic ideas while a lot is still a bit up in the air, I suppose. Some of this is also based on the info from MTMTE/LL so possible spoilers if you haven't read the comics!

This sparkling is an accident.

Tailgate nor Cyclonus didn't really think this was possible since they are old by most of the other mechs' standards, Tailgate having gone through cybercrosis and Cyclonus having been for lengths in the Dead Universe. No way their bodies would have such resources to start creating anything like that. But maybe the fact that Cyclonus donated some of his spark energy to Tailgate made it a very small possibility that wouldn't have been able to happen otherwise because of the state of their history.

Despite my initial meme drawing, I think Cyclonus would be the one who ended up sparked because he is larger and seems to have a more fancy build. His body just happens to have more resources to deal with building something inside it. I don't really picture them changing shapes when sparked, but having some kind of dedicated spot/mechanism to build a sparkling.

Therefore there is even less hints to what is happening below the outer plating. I haven't quite decided/figured it out but: - either they find out when Cyclonus ends up getting some strange pains and/or commands trying to activate that he is not familiar with - and then bam congrats to the parents!!! Cue very baffled and surprised Cyclonus and Tailgate trying to process what just happened while this very tiny thing is going through their start up tests. - or Tailgate/Cyclonus randomly notices this new, odd EM-field/communication connection when the sparkling has developed enough to be able to emit EM-fields and/or connect with means of communication somehow. Again cue very baffled and surprised Cygate and then having to drag Ratchet into the whole ordeal to see what is going on.

Despite being an oopsie sparkling and a big surprise to everyone, they are much loved and both Tailgate and Cyclonus are very happy and proud despite this not being something they had envisioned or planned for. They will take the challenges as they come.

The sparkling emerges soooo small. As their frame grows though they quickly gain mass and get quite large, maybe even larger than Cyclonus? My friend suggested maybe they end up a shuttle-class despite their alt-mode being a jet/plane or so after Cyclonus. Whirl is the extremely ecstatic uncle, even if he finds the sparkling very aesthetically displeasing he has a lot of love for this thing that Cyclonus and Tailgate somehow morbidly made, despite that Whirl would never imagine them being somehow compatible like that. He is an important part of the family and helps raising the sparkling, keeping them safe from anyone he deems scary and letting nobody insult them because only he can do that, teaching them curse words, having fun and enjoying life.

I have not settled on if this happens during the whole Lost Light travel/while onboard the Lost Light, or if this happens after they all part and Cygate lives in Upper Tetrahex. Lost Light would be fun for plot/comedic idea reasons, but also so stressful to most of the adults involved haha. Upper Tetrahex would probably be much more peaceful for both sparkling and adults, but less possibilities for comedic moments I suppose as most of their close friends beyond Whirl would be spread across Cybertron and such.

Anyways that was such a wall of text, I am not sure if I got down the basics of my thoughts but rounding this off with some doodles I did saturday night that builds on that idea of "unknown EM-field/com-port" thing.

[la-principessa-nuova]

this is what i ended up doing btw

which lead to this exchange:

and then he didn’t respond for a bit, and then a little over an hour later:

and responding to this was the hardest text message i’ve ever sent, even though it only took me 12 minutes:

if only that was the end of the story…

because one bit of context that is missing in all of this is that leading up to coming out to my dad, I had come out to the rest of my family, and my older sister wasn’t in a position to provide emotional support, and my mom and younger sister were not handling it particularly well, and I remember one day laying in bed and bawling my eyes out while thinking about how alone I felt in it, and realizing how badly I felt like I needed the support of a parent on my side

And even though my dad has always been bigoted and had said a lot of strongly anti-trans things, there is a part of me that was holding out on the hope that he might be that, because he was the only unknown, and therefore the only chance I have left at a family member filling that role for me. and despite his views, his deepest moral true north is being there for family.

but at the same time, he has never been particularly good at connecting emotionally, so my hopes were not super strong. So when I saw this, yeah, really meant something, but also I’d always struggled with telling my family that I love them and that made it really hard to respond on top of the strong feelings.

then like 20 minutes later i was just saying how he was handling it surprisingly well to someone and then i get this:

which i didn’t respond to for a couple reasons. one of them was that the choice of wording with “always being strong” just triggered some feelings of being misgendered even though it probably wasn’t intentional, but I was even more sensitive to it then than I am now

but then as much as i appreciate him taking responsibility for the effect his drinking had on me, there is some awkwardness in associating it with me being trans like as if it fucked me up into being trans. but maybe he only meant it as in why i didn’t tell him sooner, which to be fair is probably at least in part related.

but also like it’s not the first time my dad suddenly apologized with a long text at night and saying he was done drinking (although usually not referring to already being a few months in), and I know how those have gone before when I have engaged with them.

then i didn’t say anything for a few days because I was busy with other things, and the a few days later he sends me this:

And this part is where the difficult part of his reaction really began. because it’s really hard to respond to this in a way that doesn’t just escalate into arguing, because he is acting like it’s so unreasonable that I would have assumed that he might have a bad response to me being trans and that I would have kept this from him for so long, but he was saying horrible things about trans people on at least a weekly basis, and probably much more often recently had I been around to hear more.

Like to pick one of the worse examples, he has said that all trans people should be lined up and shot. And he has come home throwing a temper tantrum because he was so offended that he saw a trans woman at Jo-ann Fabrics.

Perhaps then it’s reasonable that I had gotten a bit more distant as I got the means to no longer live in that house.

and of course, following up the message with a photo of the two of us when I was little is just so hurtful because I don’t know how I’m supposed to read that other than look how happy we were when you played the part of a boy properly. and it might sound like I’m overly reading into it, but based on what my parents have said since then this seems like what their intention would’ve been, but it comes across to me like he’s trying to remind me what I‘m “really” like and how much happier I was as a boy, with a hint of “please don’t take my son from me”.

So it took me a day to respond, and in the meantime I must have talked to my mom and she mentioned that he was upset about the last name change, which I had completely forgot about at this point.

I responded with a very long text that I would like to include but it’s just so much so i’ll summarize it, but if you want to read the whole thing:

but basically, I went into how why i hadn’t been visiting as much and how AuDHD makes that more difficult, and how hearing him say awful things about trans people hurt so much, and how associations with some family trauma ruined the last name for me, as well as the practical reasons I had started using it as a last name that lead to me getting used to the new last name.

my dad responded a reasonable amount of time later for the length of the message and his reading ability not being great, with a positive and supportive response

then the next day just as i was wrapping up my therapy session and saying how well it was going…

as you can see in that screenshot, it was almost a week before i was able to say anything to him after that and I never responded to it directly. but yeah, not just the horrible phrasing and overreaching but also just the thing about researching it and people being depressed as if there isn’t empirical research showing the opposite effect. yeah… i did not respond and i feel justified in that

I probably did see him in person at some point that week, but I’m pretty sure I would have said the bare minimum, and I definitely did not address that

funny thing is, I made the decision that if my parents ask me about it at this point that I will pretend that I’ve already had bottom surgery and see how long I could get away with them believing that, but it hasn’t really come up in a way where I could try to pull that off, haha

well, i guess this is going to be an interesting weekend

fuckin yolo i guess

[egophiliac]

EGO EFO EGO OVERBLOT SSR ANNOUNCED OVERBLOTS SSR ANNOUNCED MALLEUS' HAS BEEN SHOWN BANGS POTS AND PANS EGOOOOOO

OH NO

[ganondoodle]

botw2 (totk rewritten) ganondorf design (+some story) post

Mummy version what link and zelda discover beneath hyrule castle when investigating the failing shiekah tech and discover a cave system that leads to several abandoned shiekah research/security sites and ultimately lead to a cave in which ganondorf is still sealed away by the ancient queen of hyrule; after the initial sealing (or capture rather) her descendant and the shiekah, who were rapidly advancing their tech at the time, build around it, both to keep the seal secret and safe (as the actual sealing was a short but intense battle between him and the queen that wasnt intended to happen like that, in the middle of the throne room that got broken and both ended up in the underground, the only survivor being the young princess of hyrule from that time- since all involved parties except for her died little was known as to how and why but the stories were spun regardless and ultimately the final narrative was in hyrules favor) and to use ganondorfs immense spiritual power and magical skill- eventually becoming one of the main power sources for all shiekah technology (ouch)

the chamber is all shiekah built (post sealing) and similarly secured like the monks in shrines (though visibly decaying and failing)- once disturbed the remainder of the ancient queen fused into zeldas hand (with seemingly no effect but temporary pain, perhaps she will hear voices from the past telling her not to explore any further .. still working on that) ganondorfs body falls to the ground but then springs back to life, somewhat clumsily but fiercly attacking zelda and link, the shock from being in this horrendous condition between life and death for thousands and thousands of years and suddendly being thrust back into his decayed and used up body still fresh

the mastersword is broken and links arm destroyed, both link and zelda start to flee from the crumbling cave, zelda dragging link behind her in panic (and as he is hurt)- after which link gets his shiekah tech arm (and the arm stays gone) and the world changes

mid game fight- this game is not as free in progression as botw, you can do alot when you want but some things will remain locked, the mid game fight can only happen once the 4 main regions problems have been dealt with (very different to canon totk, but that is for a different post) and the castle, which fell into the underground shortly after the intro, is made accessible (specific way how still in work) the interior is both broken castle, rooms previously blocked, and shiekah tech- since beneath the castle was a whole, giant array of tech made to secure the castle, including reserves of ancient energy specifically for the royal family and the entire mechanism behind the rising pillars filled with guardians-

at the start of the dungeon link is grabbed by malice/miasma hands and dragged into the castle, seperated from zelda and the mechanics she introduced (crafting/reparing weapons and more), theres no way out, teleports are blocked; after getting further in alone, zelda finds you again, and nothing seems out of the ordinary (unless you have a keen eye, she only uses her left arm and would walk past things she usually wouldnt) after a certain amount of progression, without warning, as soon as zelda is out of the cameras view she will attack you relentlessly, not speaking a word and with changed eye color- after fighting with her/beign chased into the main throne room, the real zelda breaks through a wall, her friends in tow (yunobo, teba+tulin, riju, sidon, which she went to to ask for help, explaining the time gap), and ganondorf drops the disguise, a fight with him (mummy version) ensues, though he is very much back to his senses

at the end of the fight he shows (or forces her to see) zelda his last memory from when he lived, the confrontation with the ancient queen to his sealing (since she doesnt know/is in denial of her families role in both all this and the sonaus (zonais) extinction (as well as the betrayal and persecution of the shiekah later on), and his beef is with her specifically, link is just her guard dog after all) (i wasnt sure to include a direct scene from the past, but this one scene is very self contained and gives alot of context while still letting most of the past be a mystery- as i want to keep it as feeling ... removed and unknown as much as possible from the world you know)

(after which he leaves the scene as zelda tries to understand what she just saw)

post revival Ganondorf (beginning of end fight cutscene and phase 1.) only appears at the end (excluding the possible cutscene in the mid game fight, which shows him in his time, alive, which is a different design than this that i will make for a cutscene/story post)

the end of the game is in/on the forgotten plateau (it ends were botw began :) ) perhaps it rose higher and revealed an entrance after more game progression (at least one more dungeon, master kogas, and the restorations of the master sword via deku tree dungeon and sword quest involving the dragons; how much of the past you cared to explore within caves, which ARE the underground- its in several bigger and smaller, harder to access caves, each being somewhat to very unique and reveal more context, is largely irrelevant, it mostly serves to give YOU more context and make you think)

the dungeon is within the plateau, once to the end there is a longer cutscene of zelda trying to talk with ganondorf, now in his, largely, restored form (largely as in, not exactly as he was in past, clothing difference etc), her having come to understand what her legacy is and wanting to take responsibility for it; he listens calmly and talks to her for a bit (but the tension is very high, he knows what threat he poses and his goals, zelda is visibly trying to keep it together) and for a bit it might look like she can avoid this conflict

but he makes it very clear then, that she cannot undo anything, there is no possible price she could pay, he has suffered at hyrules hands for generations, having seen the world that was his home grow into myth, see his own people forget him, and how the history was remembered, not as it was, but as they wanted it to; he is forever changed, ripped from his time and all he ever held dear (there are clues and a mention of him having had two daughters, a little boar figurine, carved from wood of trees now extinct, hangs from his belt even now)- he wasnt a perfect king, but well liked and kept his country to stay strong against hyrules schemes .. until he fell- he is not truly alive, he is in a strangers world and this world hates him, it is anger and hatred, rage against all that happend, guilt for having failed his own, feeling betrayed by them yet, even if not truly their fault as no one knew what really happened except him, but he was imprisoned, with no breath to speak nor air to scream

he does not care for this world and his only goals now are to disrupt as much as possible, be the unstoppable force that hyrules always been, be the monster they wanted him to be, do as he wants until someone stops him ...and kill zelda to end her rotten family- but even if she gave up her life willingly he wouldnt take it, she will have to fight and make her own hands dirty and she does not want to die.

your friends arrive, and the battle begins.

(rough examples of his weapons are further below; he fights with one arm only in phase 1. then reforms his missing arm with malice, borrowed from the boar appearance, though it is not usable enough to truly replace it, it acts more like beasts claw and to copy some of links abilities, like the hookshot)

Beast Ganon(dorf), normal appearance (phase 3)

at the end of phase 2 he knocks out your friends, changes into beast form and attacks you, zelda using her magic to shield both her and link so he cannot bite through, instead smashes them both through stone and dirt all the way to the surface of the plateau on which the fight continues, this time only link and zelda

(his movement isnt a senseless rage, but a graceful being, he moves and jumps, floats and swims through the air as the ground in an almost dragon like way, he still wields magic, not all malice, but lightning and perhaps even more too, it is still him, just a different form)

Beast Ganon(dorf) while charging magic (phase 3)

Ganondorf phase 2 + Ganondorf phase 4 (slightly out of order but the boar wouldnt fit on one picture with other forms)

at the end of phase 3 (beast) it seems like you have beaten him, he is down and zelda takes charge, ready to do as she did to the dark beast she faced before (dark beast ganon in botw) but as she raises her hand a sword slash cuts off half her right hand- he is not done yet and refuses to be dealt with like that again, not by her hand again-

the final phase is a mix of all, including his appearance, this is the final struggle, to give every last drop of strength, the hole in his chest is open, malice eyes staring from within, it keeps him alive yet still-

zelda is disabled for this fight, she has been taken to safety by your friends, this fight is all on link to finish; while this is his most desperate and vengeful form, he is not senseless either, he summons his sword to attack you with as he did in phase 2, then throws it at you, quickly conducting lighting to it and while you are busy dodging lunges like in beast form (to paint the picture a little), this fight is supposed to be truly challenging.

(heres a rough example for his weapons)

(not fully sure of the ending scene, but there is supposed to be a short view into a timeskip in which zelda also has half a prosthetic hand made from shiekah tech)