#when i was like 12 and learning english. pronouns other than she and he were not that easy to get a hang of

[grape-eating-vampire]

"if people struggle with your they/them pronouns, tell them to pretend you're a swarm of bees" if people struggle with your it/its pronouns tell them to pretend you're The Oracle

[daisyhookumed]

( ana de armas | cis-female | she/her ) — was that daisy hookum passing through diagon alley? those close to them say they remind them of ink stained hands, untethering yourself from everything you recognize, an empty bird’s nest and a broken wing, the quiet in losing loved ones, knowing the danger of a pen and paper in your hand, long hours hunched over a typewriter as you pour your heart and soul into your book, which i suppose seems to fit that hufflepuff alumnus. they’re actually pretty loyal, creative, and compassionate for a thirty year old, but i wonder if it serves them well when working as a author and journalist at the daily prophet. rumor has it that the half-blood is aligning with the order now i wouldn’t have guessed… but this is a conversation we should be having somewhere else.

Character name: Bryony Isobel Wilkes Parkinson Nicknames: Bry, B Age & Birthday: 30 & February 25th Zodiac Sign: Pisces Gender & Pronouns: Cisfemale & she/her Occupation: Author & Journalist for the Prophet Marriage Status: Widowed Blood Status: Halfblood Previous House: Hufflepuff Affiliation: Order Wand: English Oak, Dragon Heartstring, and 12 inches Boggart: Jasper as an Inferius

part two

Headcanons (death TW, car accident tw, death by car accident tw)

Growing up, Daisy lived with her mother Ottilie, and grandmother in a small flat in Diagon Alley. Her mother had her when she was nineteen, after a summer fling with a muggle. When Ottilie Hookum told Wesley Bingham that she was pregnant, he promised that he would help out with the baby, that even though they didn’t know each other that well, they would figure out a way to make it work. But after they parted from that day, Ottilie never heard from him again, leaving her to raise Daisy on her own. Despite not having a father, Daisy had a good childhood. Ottilie worked long hours as a nurse in St. Mungo’s, so she spent a lot of time with her grandmother.

She can’t remember when she realized that her family was different than the other kids, but at some point, she realized that she didn’t have a dad. The one and only time she asked her mother about that, her mom got this…sad look on her face, and Daisy made it her mission to never make her mom look that sad again. Even though she didn’t ask her mom about her dad, it didn’t stop her from wondering about him. Who was he? What did he look like? Did he know about her? Daisy had no way of answering these questions so she learned to bottle them down over time. 

When it was time for Daisy to go to Hogwarts, she didn’t sleep at all the night before. She was so excited to finally go to Hogwarts, but she was also afraid of leaving her mom and grandmother. She worried about making friends, what house she would be sorted in, and how homesick she might get being away for a long time. But when she finally got to Hogwarts she was sorted into Hufflepuff, and she couldn’t have been happier. 

Daisy met fellow first year Jasper Ellis on the train going to Hogwarts their first year. He was a muggleborn student, but that never mattered to her–in fact, he opened her eyes to muggle culture and broadened her horizons. Choosing to sit in the same compartment as Jasper determined the rest of her life. Jasper became her best friend, and then her first love. He was her soulmate and her everything. He helped her through the death of her grandmother when she was twenty, and through getting her first job at the Daily Prophet as a journalist. He was the only one to know about her secret ambition of publishing a book. They were married when they turned twenty-five, and Daisy was so sure that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together–until Jasper’s life was tragically cut short three years later. It had been senseless, the car accident that took his life. He had gone back to visit his family for a long weekend. Daisy was planning on joining them later that night after she finished a big story for work. When the phone rang, she had answered it completely unaware that her life was going to change completely. When she heard her mother-in-law’s voice on the line, she knew instantly that something was very wrong. In just a few words, her entire world shattered. 

The days and months after Jasper’s funeral are hazy. She stopped going to work, stopped doing all of her normal routines, and it wasn’t until her mother sat her down and told her something needed to change that Daisy ‘woke up’. She took her mother’s words to heart and told her that she needed to get away for a little while. She decided she didn’t want anything to do with magic since it had been unable to save Jasper, and put in for a leave of absence at the Prophet, and went to spend some time living with her in-laws. During that year away she didn’t use any magic, lived completely as a muggle, and gained some perspective of how Jasper had lived before going to Hogwarts. 

To distract herself from her grief, she started to write a book about her experience living without magic. It was never anything very serious, her book, but somehow…when she returned back to the wizarding world and back to the Prophet, she mentioned what she had been working on and someone wanted to read it. One thing led to another, and Daisy has recently become a published author. Her book My Year as a Muggle has created quite the stir in wizarding England, especially with tensions being how they are.

[writingwithcolor]

Being an Agender, 1st-Gen Indian-American

I’m a first-generation immigrant, with both my parents being Indian immigrants. My mom immigrated to Canada before she came to America (when she was in her late twenties), and is a Canadian citizen. She was born and raised in Ahmedabad, a city in Gujarat. My dad moved to India when he was in his early twenties. He moved from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in his fifth standard, and moved from a Gujarati-medium school to an English-medium one. 

My dad is more fluent in English than my mom, though they both are fluent and speak mostly without an accent. I speak Gujarati more-or-less fluently, since that’s what we spoke at home, but I can barely even write my name. I’m Hindu, as is my family, and a strict vegetarian. I’m agender, but I use she/her and they/them pronouns. 

Beauty Standards

One of the biggest issues in the Indian-American community is the issue of body hair. I’m AFAB, so I was expected to have smooth, hairless legs and arms. The reality was rather different. Since the age of ten, I had more body hair than the boys in my class. I was mocked and called by the name of a TV animal character, whose name was a mispronunciation of my own. No one ever did anything about it. I was eight. My mother, though she meant well, pushed me into waxing and threading and other forms of hair removal since the day I turned eleven. Even now, as a fully-grown adult with my own apartment and my own life, I can’t bring myself to wear shorts or capris without having spent hours making sure my legs are smooth. Body hair is a huge issue that needs to be addressed more, and not just as a few wisps of blonde hair in the armpit region.

Food

It’s complicated. Growing up, we had thaalis (with roti, rice, sweet dal, and shaak [which is a mix of vegetables and spices]) for dinner almost every night. When we didn’t, it was supplemented with foods like pasta, veggie burgers, and khichdi. We made different types of khichdi each time, based off of different familial recipes that were all named after the family member who introduced them. My mom had to make milder food for my sister, and while my sister loves spicy foods now, I’m still not a big fan. A side effect of growing up in a non-white, vegetarian family is that no one in my family has any idea of what white non-vegetarians eat. Like, at all. It’s kind of funny, to be honest. 

Holidays/Religion

My mom is a Vaishnav, and my dad is a Brahmin, so the way they both worship is very different. My dad’s family places a huge emphasis on chanting and prayer, as well as meditation. They mostly pray to capital-G G-d, as the metaphysical embodiment of Grace. My mom’s family, however, places emphasis on– I don’t want to say “idol worship" because of the negative connotations that has– but they worship to murtis, statues that represent our gods. My mom’s favored god to pray to is Krishna, and we have murtis in our home that she performs sevato every day.

We celebrate Janmashtmi, Holi, Diwali, Ganesha Puja, Lakshmi Puja– too many to count, really. We don’t always go all-out, especially on most of the smaller celebrations, but we do try and attend the temple lectures on those days, or host our own. We also celebrate Christmas and Easter secularly. I didn’t even know Christmas was a Christian holiday until I was in elementary school, and Easter until I was in high school.

Micro-Aggressions

Whooo, boy. Where do I start?

When my sister was in first grade, she had a friend. I’ll call her Mary. Mary, upon learning that my sister was not, in fact, Christian, brought an entire Bible to school and forced my sister to read it during recess, saying that otherwise, she wouldn’t be her friend anymore. Mary kept telling my sister that she would go to hell if she didn’t repent, and that our entire family was a group of “ugly sinners.” When my sister came to me for advice, I told her that Mary wasn’t her friend, that Mary wasn’t being nice, and that my sister wasn’t going to go to hell, and that we don’t even believe in hell. When my sister finally stood up to Mary and told her that she wasn’t going to listen to her anymore, Mary got angry and dumped a mini-carton of chocolate milk on her and told her that “now she looks like what she is– a dirty [the Roma slur term].” Not only was that inaccurate, it was extremely racist, and Mary was only reprimanded for the milk-spilling, not the racist remark that came with it. 

On top of that, since I have long hair, I’m always getting asked if so-and-so can touch it, or what I do to get it so long, or why I allow myself to be “shaped by such backwards ideals of women.” My name is never pronounced correctly, and I’ve been asked to give people my “American name” to be called by instead of my actual name. I’ve been called a terrorist, asked why I wasn’t wearing a hijab (by white people btw), and mocked for my food. I’ve been told that I wasn’t “really Indian” because I didn’t have a dot on my forehead. I’ve been told I wasn’t “really Hindu” because I had milk on my plate, by a white boy whose mom was a leader of a local choir.

I grew up in a town where only 4-5% of the population was South Asian, and there were a total of five South Asians in my grade level. The school administration consistently and intentionally placed us in different classes, and I never made a friend that was South Asian until 7th grade. When I came to the school, I was placed in ESOL without even being tested, while also being in the Advanced Readers class. The school didn’t even care to look at my school records before placing me into ESOL based on the color of my skin. 

Things I’d Like to See Less/More Of

I’d like to see less of the “nerd” stereotype, of the “weak, nonathletic” stereotype. I’d like to see less of the “prude” stereotype, of the “I hate my culture/feel I don’t belong” stereotype. I’d like to see less of the “rebellion” stereotype, of the “my parents are so strict and I hate them” stereotype. I never want to see the “unwanted arranged marriage” trope. Ever.

I want to see bulky, tall Indian characters. I’d like to see Indian characters confident in their sexuality, whether that’s not having sex (for LEGITIMATE reasons like risk of STDs, general awkwardness before and after The Deed, and wanting to wait, not “oh my parents said so and also I’m sheltered and innocent”), or having a new sexual partner every night.

I want Indian characters (especially children/teens!!!) proud of their culture and their heritage and their religion, whether that’s Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, or anything else. I want to see supportive Indian parents, I want to see more than chiding Indian grandmothers and strict Indian fathers. I want to see healthy arranged marriages, or healthy mixed-marriages. I want to see mixed Indian-POC couples, I want to see queer Indian couples.

I want to see body hair on female-presenting characters, I want to see more of India that isn’t “bustling market with the scent of spices in the air” and “poor slums rampant with disease” and “Taj Mahal”. I want to see casual mentions of prayer and Hinduism and Indian culture (a short “My mom’s at the temple, she can’t come pick us up” or a “what is it? i’m in the middle of a holi fight! eep! ugh, gulaab in my mouth” over a phone call, or a “she won’t answer until 12– she’s in her Bharatnatyam class/Gurukul class/doing seva/at the temple” would suffice). I want to see more Indian languages represented than just Hindi. There’s Tamil, Gujarati, Marathi, Nepali, and Kashmiri, just off the top of my head. The language your character speaks depends on the place they come from in India, and they might not even speak Hindi! (I don’t!)

I hate that Indian culture is reduced to “oppressive, strict, and prudish” when it's so much more than that. I hate that Indians are stereotyped to the point where it is a norm, and the companies reinforcing these stereotypes don’t take responsibility for their actions and don’t change. I hate the appropriation of Indian culture (like yoga, pronounced “yogh”, not “yo-gaaa” fyi, the Om symbol, meditation, and Shri Ganapathidada) and how normalized it is in Western society. 

This ended up a lot longer than I had expected, but I hope it helps! Good luck with your writing :)

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[narcissawilted]

n a r c i s s a   l u c r e t i a   b l a c k

basics:

name: narcissa lucretia black. pronunciation: naar·si·suh  loo·kree·shuh   blak. meaning: narcissa- daffodil, narcissism, numb. lucretia- to succeed, wealth. birthday: october 3rd. age: eighteen. pronouns: she & her. sexuality: heterosexual. siblings: bellatrix black, andromeda black. parents: cygnus black, druella black nee rosier. other family: orion black (uncle), walburga black (aunt), alphard black (uncle), sirius black (cousin), regulus black (cousin), evan rosier (cousin). languages: english, french, spanish, greek, gaelic, russian. current residence: walden macnair’s home. hometown: norfolk.

wizard fun:

hogwarts house: slytherin. year of graduation: 1979. occupation: socialite. pet: two pet snakes named ophelia and desdemona. blood status: pureblood. species: witch. patronus: luna moth. luna moths represent rebirth, renewal of body and spirit, regeneration and may even symbolize the soul itself. luna moths, like many types of moths and butterflies, are quite beautiful in appearance and have docile personalities. their physical beauty and charm make these large moths symbols of reflection, nourishment and life. boggart: narcissa’s greatest fear is always feeling as powerless, controlled, and alone as she has been for the majority of her life. she sees so many people, even lowly mudbloods, with friends and love and warmth in their lives, but she doesn’t have it. she’s so afraid she never will. amortentia:   snow. the crisp, biting scent that hits your nose the second that you step foot outside the morning after a fresh snow is one of narcissa’s favorite things in the world. especially if it’s the first snow of the year. something about that is just so different and special. she couldn’t quite put into words the way winter made her feel. christmas garland. christmas was always exciting to narcissa because it meant that there would be more people in the household than just her sisters and parents. she loved seeing her aunts and uncles and grandparents and cousins, especially when they brought her presents. she also loved how much effort went into decorating their home for the holidays with garland, wreaths, candles, tinsel, and charms. narcissa was nothing if not a connoisseur of beauty. peppermint. narcissa, nor any of the Black sisters, were allowed sweets growing up. druella insisted that it would make them fat and lazy and completely undesirable. as a result, the closest thing they were allowed to have was peppermints, and narcissa went overboard on them. she almost always keeps a tin of them next to her bed. wand type: 12 1/3″, pine wood wand with a unicorn hair core, understandably delicate. pine is a quiet wood, not powerful, not weak. it is a softwood, and thus has a bit more yield, making it more inclined to a quick-learning but less powerful wands. it is, however, excellent for divination. pine wands choose independent, individual masters who may be perceived as loners, intriguing, and perhaps mysterious. pine wands enjoy being used creatively, and unlike some others, will adapt unprotestingly to new methods and spells. many wandmakers insist that pine wands are able to detect, and perform best for, owners who are destined for long lives, including garrick ollivander who had never personally known the master of a pine wand to die young. the pine wand is one of those that is most sensitive to non-verbal magic. delicate wands are a special case. it takes special care to learn spells with this wand, but it is rarely extremely powerful. they tend to choose witches and wizards with somewhat frail personalities, and once a spell is learned, although it is not as strong, it is extremely reliable. unicorn hair can be used in wandmaking; they produce the most consistent magic, least subject to fluctuations and blockages, most difficult to turn to the dark arts and the most faithful of wands. however, they do not make the most powerful of wands and are prone to melancholy if mishandled.  affiliation: narcissa is loyal only to her family.

appearance:

height: 5′6″. hair color: pale blonde. eye color: mint green. typical hair style: parted in the center and hangs straight to her shoulders. fashion style: narcissa wears only the color black unless it is a very special occasion. she only wears skirts and dresses, no pants. she prefers a short black dress with a high neckline and no sleeves with a late modern appearance. cissy wears boots with a heels most often. she has a love for jewelry that looks like bugs. [ fashion ] distinguishing features: narcissa is known for being pale and icy in appearance and demeanor, but strikingly beautiful especially against the darkness usually around her. her eyes are hawklike and intelligent, but the rest of her expression is almost always unreadable. she has no blemishes to speak of, but a scar on her thigh and one on her collarbone.

personality:

positive traits: maternal. thoughtful. observant. negative traits: icy. haughty. deceitful. theme song: behind blue eyes by the who

headcanons:

narcissa likes bugs and insects decidedly more than she likes most people. there has never been a time when she wasn’t completely enamored and fascinated by the often spurned creatures. in her opinion, they are by far the most beautiful and stunning creatures. she has extensive knowledge of them and has created a haven for all manner of insects in the greenhouse at black manor.

narcissa has always secretly dreamed of going to study dragons in romania. she’s always loved them and been fascinated by them. however, she knows that would never be allowed so she would never voice it out loud. in fact, only a handful of people even realize how much she loves the creatures. 

christmas is decidedly narcissa favorite time of the year. it is the one time that she allows herself to warm up and be totally enraptured by the holiday. her face will light up as bright as any tinseled tree. she will spend hours out in the snow and picks her presents meticulously for everyone she deems deserves one.

biography:

From the moment she entered this world, during that liminal time before the sun has risen, but the sky is still lighter than in the depths of the night, Narcissa was the antithesis to the traditional Blacks. Where her sisters, mother, father, cousins had dark hair, sharp features, cutting eyes, and venomous mouths, Narcissa was a ghost; soft, curved, delicate, haunting.

The third and final disappointment to Cygnus the Third who so desperately wanted a son, Narcissa was all but ignored by her father from the beginning. If he wasn’t presenting her with a lavishly expensive doll or gown, he didn’t care to talk to his youngest. Bellatrix was the apple of his eye.

Alternatively, Druella became enamoured with their fair daughter. Her features were unlike any others in the family, and Druella valued two things above all else; beauty and how that beauty can be useful to her. Before Narcissa was even capable of speech, she had a string of pearls too tight around her neck like a collar that her mother used to remind her that her grasp was inescapable. Her youth consisted of years of lessons, tutors, and strict schedules. Even by Fitzwilliam Darcy standards, Narcissa would be considered an accomplished young lady. The better she became at any given task, the more her mother demanded of her. There was no such thing as perfect to Druella, only more to improve upon. That was the beginning of Narcissa’s deceptions. She was certain to never show how talented she was, and let her family believe she was completely average.

She envied Andromeda, whose quiet nature and subdued appearance made her free of their parents tutelage. The middle child was left to her own devices and could go as she pleased throughout the day. If ever given a moment, Narcissa would soon enough steal away to a private corner of the attic, basement, or garden with an old tome from the Black’s personal library. Of course, her respites never lasted too long. The house elves, her sisters, or even her mother would find her and drag her back into the endless lessons. Narcissa never complained. She did all that her mother asked, biding her time.

The solitary light at the end of the tunnel was Hogwarts. Bellatrix had gone, Andromeda had gone, and Narcissa had been left solitary for a year, yearning for the day she’d be able to board the train at King’s Cross Station and disappear to a year away from her suffocating mother. It occurred to her a few months before she was meant to leave for school that perhaps her mother wouldn’t allow it. She even thought she’d overheard Druella begging Cygnus to let her homeschool Narcissa for the rest of her academic career, but thankfully, he’d sternly refuted his wife. Narcissa needed to be sociable and influential at school if the Black family was to continue its powerful grip on society.

Druella wept when Narcissa packed her trunk for her first year. She’d been distraught about her youngest daughter leaving for weeks. Their mother kept wringing her hands and proclaiming that she had no idea what she would do with her time now. Narcissa feigned regret for leaving and assured her mother that she’d find some way to fill her time. However, Narcissa had never been more excited to experience the freedom that came with school. From the moment she stepped on the train, it felt as if a world lifted from her shoulders. Even her pearl necklace didn’t feel quite so strangling.

Narcissa sat in a compartment with Andromeda and a few of her classmates instead of trying to find other first years to talk to. Frankly, she appreciated simply looking at the scenery as they went along. She enjoyed just sitting and being without having to do anything. Andromeda warned her that there would be people at Hogwarts who would have heard of her, and there would be plenty of rumors about her and her family, but Narcissa didn’t care. They could say that she was the devil incarnate, and she’d still be excited to hear a voice that wasn’t her mother’s saying it.

After the sorting ceremony, she began to realize the full implications of her sister’s warning. She unpacked her trunk in the Slytherin dormitory with the rest of the first year girls and attempted to make her first friends. They all smiled until names were exchanged. She heard the whispers when her back was turned. They only intensified when the eldest Black sister appeared to check on Narcissa her first day. After a quick greeting and good luck, Bellatrix told the rest of the Slytherin girls to be nice to her sister or else. As kind as the gesture had meant to be, it assured Narcissa a rather lonely first year. Even those who wanted to suck up to a Black sister didn’t bother to talk to Narcissa for fear of invoking Bellatrix’s wrath. Not to mention, Andromeda came off far more personable- an easier friend.

Narcissa threw herself into learning who she actually was. She had plenty of free time without friends to worry about and without her mother’s constant presence, though she did have to dedicate a portion of her week to responding to her mother’s letters. She decided to have average marks in her classes despite fully understanding the material and even studying further than what the classes required. It was to her advantage the world continued to see her as the beautiful sister. While the rumors about her spread even more, Narcissa became more and more lonely. She decided to play into the persona that everyone had created for her.

Her school life continued as such until the middle of her third year. Narcissa began to study legillimancies and occlumencies. She was very good at it. Disturbingly good at it. During the middle of the night, she began to explore the innermost thoughts of her schoolmates, professors, and anyone else she thought would be interesting to understand. The more accomplished she became, the more willing she was to do what was ethically questionable. The more ethically questionable her decisions became the more her curiosity for the darker arts and divination became. However, her studies no longer fill that space in her that craves connection.

Things changed when she agreed to an engagement with Lucius Malfoy prior to her graduation from Hogwarts. He was one of the few to ever see through her facades, and managed to melt away a bit of her ice over the years. However, it was soon revealed that he’d been promised to her by her father from the beginning making everything a lie. This enraged the girl who promptly called off the engagement and absconded from her parents home. While the Blacks are trying their best to keep this a secret, Narcissa has been well hidden from everyone looking to pull her back into the fold.

[alastanor]

Thanks for tagging me @thalfox this took me a long time to finish, and I'm gonna be dog tired in the morning, but it was worth it. Lol. Hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing it.

1 • What is your MC’s name? What is their name origin? What does it mean (if it ever has a meaning).

❄ Eirlys is Welsh for "Snowdrop" and it is pronounced as either Eye-r-liss, or Aye-r-liss. Depending on which part of Wales you hear the name.

2 • When is their birthday? How old are they? What about their zodiac sign? (bonus point if you give their rising or even their birth/natal chart)

♋ She was born March 10th, and she is a Pisces.

As for her age, this one has more to do with RAD. RAD stands for Royal Academy of Diavolo. An academy, if you search the definition, is typically a school of higher learning or secondary education. Like a college, if you will. But Academy doesn't always refer to a sort of college. In some cases, it can also apply to a High School. My theory is that RAD is a mixture of both. A sort of college, but with hints of High School-esque scheduling and culture. Or perhaps it can function as both. I tend to lean toward the latter, in which case I make Eirlys somewhere between 20 and 23 years old.

3 • What is your MC’s gender? And what are their sexual/romantic preferences?

Eirlys identifies primarily as female with she/her pronouns. She is demisexual, and considers herself panromantic. However, she puts a heavy emphasis on romance.

(Me personally, I don't mind they/them pronouns though I typically identify with she/her. I am also demisexual but biromantic.)

4 • What is your MC’s race? (human, demon, angel, other). If human, what are their nationality and origins?

💁‍♀️Eirlys is human. As for nationality, origins, heritage, etc... Eirlys grew up in Japan, though she herself is not ethnically Japanese.

5 • Before coming to Devildom, what was their occupation? (job, studies…)

📖 Eirlys worked part time in her school's library while attending classes full time at a college overseas.

6 • Height? Weight? Describe their body type.

Eirlys is 5'3" (160 cm) and roughly 110 lbs (49.8 kgs). Her body type would best be described as a triangle/pear shape (slim chest, breasts on the smaller side, while body widens out into voluptuous hips).

7 • Who is/are your MC’s love interest(s) (if they ever have one). Summarise their dynamic.

💛 Eirlys found Mammon irritating when she first met him, and became increasingly frustrated at how he looked down on her for being a human. But over time, as she got to know him, she came to enjoy his conversation and his company. He made her laugh, and despite being a demon he was so full of energy and life that Eirlys found not just refreshing but endearing. Before long, she realized she had fallen in love with him despite the protests of his brothers regarding her taste in men.

🧡 Leviathan was another of the brothers Eirlys found infuriating, not just in how he also looked down on her for being human, but how often he whined and complained about seemingly everything when they first met. But like Mammon, the more she got to know him, the more she found she had in common with Leviathan. Falling asleep on his shoulder watching anime with him in his room, or enjoying his company while playing games, has made it increasingly difficult not to love him in some capacity even if she loves Mammon more. Because of this, she allows Leviathan to believe she would never be interested in him. As cruel as that might be for both of them.

💜 Belphegor, on the other hand, she is fully aware of how he feels about her. She keeps it platonic between them, because even though she has forgiven him for his deceit and his attempt to kill her not once- but twice, she cannot forget it. The memory sours any thoughts of being more than just friends. Somewhere deep in his heart, she is sure Belphie knows this. And deeply regrets it.

8 • Does your MC have any specific appearance features? (Scars, marks, anything else)

She has skin pale as fresh snow, fluffy light pink hair like sweet cotton candy, and clear pale celeste blue/aquamarine colored eyes.

Beyond this, there is nothing remotely remarkable or striking about her.

9 • Does your MC have any disabilities? (physical, mental health, etc). How do they deal with it?

Eirlys has suffered some trauma in the past which has led to some issues. Don't want to give too much away as I am in the process of writing a fic.

10 • How do you imagine your MC’s voice? Describe it.

Her voice is gentle and light. Silvery, dulcet tones might be a good way to describe it. Her voice will get rather harsh and stentorian if she is angry enough.

11 • Does your MC have any tattoos or piercings? Just tell us more about it!

She has pierced ears on her lobes, she was never brave enough to get any in the cartilage as much as she wanted them. Her skin reacts badly to many kinds of metals, a kind of skin allergy, so she can never keep piercings in for very long.

12 • Describe their clothing style (if they have a favorite style). Do they have specific accessories Bonus question: how do they wear RAD uniform?

To sum it up, Eirlys dresses in typically classic chic style with a touch of hipster or grunge here and there.

For her uniform, Eirlys keeps it looking crisp and sleek. These would be good examples. Of fashion types and how she wears her uniform.

The RAD uniform images, the not quite RAD uniform one on the right, I thought the skirt may be more in line with what the uniform used. Versus the pencil skirt-esque look on the left. The boots on the right would also be more akin to what Eirlys would wear.

Is your MC able to use magic? If so, are they skilled? How do they learn? Were they able to use it before coming to Devildom?

🔮 Eirlys is still learning about her abilities, abilities that have not fully awoken though they had been stirred when Solomon allowed her to use his powers. Using his powers was like the catalyst to tapping into a yet untapped wellspring. Though the water from that wellspring has yet to fully come forward.

Before that, Eirlys fully believed she was just another unremarkable human with nothing special about her, as Lucifer often said.

14 • Describe your MC’s parents (names, jobs, personalities). Do they have any siblings? What is their relationship with their family?

🎀 From what Eirlys knows of her parents through stories, her parents loved one another very much. Her mother had been her father's first love in college, and years later they had her. However, when she was still very young her family had been killed by a reckless drunk driver while visiting other family. Eirlys was taken in by her aunt, who worked as a fashion consultant in Tokyo.

15 • How many languages do they speak? Which ones?

🀄 English and Japanese, though she is wanting to learn how to read Devilish and Celestial.

16 • What is their relationship with each brother?

I already mentioned Mammon, Levi, and Belphie above. So I will leave them out here.

🖤 Lucifer - When Eirlys first met Lucifer, she didn't know what to make of him. All she knew was that he was intimidating and likely very dangerous. It took a lot of time for her to not only come to trust Lucifer and feel safe around him, but to like him and understand his motives behind his methods. But Lucifer was never her type, and instead she looks to him now like a younger sister to a reliable older brother. Even if that older brother can be mildly sadistic in his teasing.

💚 Satan - After being introduced to Satan, Eirlys did find him attractive and was excited to find another bookworm even here among all the demons. However, after she was introduced to Satan and came to find Satan smiled when he was angry, she found communicating with him equally as intimidating as Lucifer's threats. Trying to figure out when he was angry and when he was genuinely happy really did a number on her anxiety, and eventually kept her from really communicating with him overmuch for an extended length of time. It wasn't until later that she tried getting to know him better, and coming to find the source of all his anger. That information became the catalyst and foundation to their continuously building and growing friendship.

❤ Beelzebub - Beel has ever been the sweet one, even if he was a bit more distant when they first met. Beel was never outright cold or condescending to Eirlys, and the closer they became the sweeter he became. Before long, she found just how considerate and gentle Beel truly was. Despite this, Beel never appealed to her romantically. Instead, much like Lucifer, she looks to Beel as a gentle and reliable brother of sorts.

💗 Asmodeus - His penchant for lechery always threw Eirlys off balance, being the non-sexual type. When she first met him and found he was the Avatar of Lust, her first instinct was to keep ten yards between them at all times. Asmodeus was the wild card in the deck of seven for Eirlys, because though he has tendencies toward the egotistical side, she can never fully peg him. Even after getting to know him and forming a bond with him. Asmodeus, she found, has ever been able to tell when something he did was making her uncomfortable. He never pushed cuddling beyond what Eirlys wanted it to be or was comfortable with, even if he joked occasionally about doing it naked.

17 • What is their relationship with each side characters?

🐕 Luke: She was rather bemused upon meeting Luke, and seeing him standing in contrast to Simeon lit an amused glint within her eyes. Perhaps it was because he was an angel, but Eirlys bonded with Luke rather quickly. Though she cannot say she likes everything about the child-like angel, as his anti-demon sentiment has grated on her the more she has bonded with the boys (it has grown more half-hearted recently), but she counts Luke among the few within the three realms she can fully rely on.

🕊 Simeon: He was always rather mesmerizing for Eirlys, in ways the demons weren't. Perhaps it was the mystery that surrounded him despite being such a beautiful angel. His eyes, so striking against his features, were particularly what drew her in. Whenever she speaks with Simeon, she cannot help but smile. Despite all this, she has closed her heart off to anything beyond friendship with Simeon. Perhaps because she already has feelings for Mammon and more complicated ones for Leviathan, or perhaps because she feels a relationship with an angel would be too out of bounds for a human like her. Maybe both. Either way, she considers Simeon a very dear friend.

🦋 Solomon: He was one Eirlys didn't think much of when she first met him, though she was rather jealous of his abilities. She did slowly think of him in more friendly terms, however there was always something about him she didn't fully trust. Solomon has ever been the Cheshire Cat to her Alice.

🏵 Diavolo: Eirlys doesn't really have a very strong opinion one way or the other about him. Though the mere fractions of a moment she has spent getting to know him, the more she finds her opinion shifting to the positive. He has demonstrated himself to be incredibly thoughtful, compassionate (for a demon), and mature each time. Even if he hides it behind a constantly smiling face.

🐉 Barbatos: A mysterious and handsome face. This was the first thought that entered Eirlys's mind when she first met Barbatos. But after learning of his abilities and seeing them in action, Barbatos has bypassed all other demons in the intimidation department and landed himself firmly on the "never piss off under any circumstances" list.

Not exactly an accurate graph, but it's the best I can do restricted to mobile.

18 • What is your MC’s main hobbies and passions?

♥️ Her hobbies include: reading, music, dancing (hip hop and the like), anime, manga, video games, dramas, and movies (except horror, because she is a little chicken shit and will be the first to admit it).

♠️ She has a passion for dancing and singing, though she isn't good enough by any means to be considered professional, and typically her singing and dancing has been in rooms alone, in the shower, or driving alone in her car (in the human world).

She also has a big love for stories, especially fantasy and romance. Be they in books, movies, anime/manga, or dramas.

19 • Why did they end up in Devildom in the first place? What happened to them?

An email went out to all the students of high school and college age, explaining the exchange program with a world long thought to be a mere myth stemmed from religion, and nothing more. Those interested in participating could apply and send in their application for consideration. Anyone not interested could simply disregard the email. It explained a deadline, details and requirements for application, along with signing an agreement form explaining the rules of conduct within the Devildom. It was surprisingly thorough and organized for a simple email.

Eirlys was intrigued, but a part of her thought it was just an elaborate prank. Over the next few weeks, she heard more and more about people who had put in an application and eventually she too relented and sent in an application. Though her application was sent right at the last minute. Almost literally.

20 • What is your MC’s MBTI type?

ENFJ

21 • Do they have a pact with each bro? Do they often use their pacts? In which situations?

Yes, she has a pact with each brother. And each pact has left it's mark on her. However, she refuses to use her pacts unless she absolutely has to. Though there are times when she has used them out of anger (think "sit, boy!" from Inuyasha).

22 • What is their favorite place in Devildom?

Her room, the music room, and the Royal Library. Though there is an odd beauty to the old Colliseum when it is empty.

23 • Which sin fits them the most?

This one is difficult, but if I had to pick one I would say Pride or Envy.

24 • Describe their personality.

Eirlys is a rather compassionate and kind person with a passion for life and a fierce loyalty to her select group of friends. She is a genuine, honest, and caring individual and a passionate altruist. Sometimes even to a fault, and she is unlikely to be afraid to take the slings and arrows while standing up for the people and ideas she believes in.

Eirlys won't turn down an opportunity to spend time with those she cares about, even if that means going to social gatherings she would otherwise not attend on her own.

Despite all this, Eirlys can sometime be too idealistic or even selfless to a fault. She is prone to fluctuating self-esteem and may ask for praise or criticism out of insecurity, more than anything else. What's more, some criticisms can be easy for Eirlys to take to heart. Allowing it to further chip away at her self-confidence.

25 • What is their moral alignment?

Neutral good.

26 • Does your MC possess an object/something especially dear to their heart?

No, not really...

27 • Which character(s) do they consider as their best friend(s)?

If Mammon doesn't count considering he is the love interest, then I would have to say Levi and Beel.

28 • Choose a song that fits your MC.

Fight Song by Rachel Platten

29 • What are your MC’s religious beliefs?

Eirlys considered herself Agnostic, with some leaning toward Earthy religions. She had no beliefs in Heaven or Hell, so when she received her invitation that was rather eye opening.

30 • Describe what is inside your MC’s school bag.

Text books, notebooks, mechanical pencils, pens, highlighters, a zip bag for those things, reading books, calculator, and other generic school necessities.

31 • Describe their appearance (pic refs are ofc allowed).

♣️ Eirlys generally has fluffy waves of light pink hair that falls in cascades to the middle of her back, clear celeste blue / aquamarine eyes (haven't fully decided which), and snowy pale skin. She is not very tall, and has a triangle-shaped figure. Her fashion sense typically aligns with classic chic with a touch of hipster and grunge or street punk depending on her mood. And how she wears her uniform typically reflects this fashion sense as well, as her uniform typically looks rather crisp and pristine compared to the demon she loves.

Otherwise the other best examples I have are these images, one from a webcomic on Tappytoons.

The top image is probably as close as I can get, with the changes being thicker hair and eyes that are more blue like the girl in the images below. There is also the matter of her bangs being what curls inward as opposed to the tufts of hair beside her ears. The girl below, her hair is a bit too curly, though and her bangs aren't right. Plus the tufts on the side of her face down curl against her cheeks enough like the images above. But beyond all that, this is as close to an example of what my MC looks like. How she wears her uniform is portrayed above.

Tagging || @mammon-chan @mammoron @obeymesideblog @obeyme-lumos @beelzebubisbestwaifu @slavetothemocha @mammon-squad @mambeelz

And anyone else who wants to join in.

[greengrass-grows-all-around]

—— isn’t that rabia greengrass? yeah that is them, sitting there at the hufflepuff table with those other sixth years. when sybill looks into that crystal ball of hers, she sees glass slippers, abandoned at midnight; proving a point if it’s the last thing you do; being able to accept help, even when you can’t ask for it; the scent of candles and bubblebath; a window dying to be used as a door; an adaptable spirit hard at work; and the foolhardiness of falling head over heels over and over again, even though it only ever ends in heartbreak;  which seems about right for that nineteen year old. anyway i’ve heard they’re pretty wary, an escapist, and smarter than she looks (or pretends). apparently they’re neutral (for now) and pureblood but i’m sure that’s not related… —— playlist || pinterest  

death mention tw

THE INSPIRATIONS

lydia bennet - pride & prejudice; margo - paper towns; mary-ann (goodbye earl) - the chicks

                                                            ––––––––––––––

→ NAME: rabia ceylan nimet greengrass → NICKNAMES: rab (and she LIKES it, specifically because rabastan and regulus both turn around anyways); rabi, rabid (thanks, emira); cey   → AGE / D.O.B.: 19 / 12 April 1958 → SPECIES: pureblood witch → GENDER / PRONOUNS: cisfemale / she&her → SEXUALITY: bisexual (has recently sworn off men for the thousandth time, but things change)

FAMILY → PARENTS: azra greengrass is the only parent rab acknowledges, currently → SIBLINGS: brother: burak sisters: zehra, azra, emira → COUSINS: ? → PETS: she has a pet rat, named Louis (she found him 3 years ago)

LIFESTYLE → BORN: france → RAISED: france; the streets (I couldn’t stop her) → CURRENT RESIDENCE: london - with azra ; hogwarts castle → NATIONALITY: turkish; french → SPOKEN LANGUAGES: english, french, half decent spanglish → OCCUPATION: Hogwarts’ Biggest Flight Risk™; student;  → DRINK | SMOKE | DRUGS: she’s laughing, give her a minute → RELIGION: god is a dj, life is a dance floor

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES → FACE CLAIM: bahar sahin → ETHNICITY: turkish → HEIGHT: 5ft. 4 in. → WEIGHT: 105 lbs → BUILD: small and skinny, always looks like she needs a cheeseburger → HAIR: long, brown; sometimes she makes it look nice, sometimes she doesn’t → EYE COLOR: green → DOMINANT HAND: left → SCENT: cigarette smoke and whatever soap azra has been buying, she hasn’t decided who she wants to be next yet, it’s still in the works → NERVOUS HABITS: she straight up just leaves, now, when she’s uncomfortable; but, for the people she’s close to, and her family, anyone who can keep her in place, she has a tendency to either over/undershare, change the subject so thoroughly your head spins (repeatedly), and tends to to tell the truth halves to test the waters

CHARACTER → MORAL ALIGNMENT: neutral good → MBTI: isfp → WESTERN ZODIAC: aries → SONG: runaway - bon jovi / edge of seventeen - stevie nicks

MAGIC → WAND: black walnut, fairy wings & demiguise hair; 9 5/8 inches → PATRONUS: crow → BOGGART:  she’s not ready to talk about it; it isn’t pretty

BIO

rabia used to be the pretty, spoiled, third and (incredibly) overlooked daughter. 

not the baby, not even the direct center, rabia felt invisible most of her life

and that was not exactly helped by the fact she and her siblings were raised by nannies

and she ... oh my god, that girl is hard to keep track of

she wanders off CONSTANTLY - always has, ever since she learned to walk

she likes to be by herself, though she doesn’t mind company; she just prefers to be out wherever the problems and the people arent (exceptions withstanding, of course)

she’s reckless when it comes to giving away her heart. convinced no one and everyone wants and should have it

but no heart ever breaks the same way twice, so she still wouldn’y call herself an expert on the matter although she’s made excellent strides in the commitment arena

it wasn’t her fault he left, it was his. okay, she kicked him out and that screwed her over, but he screwed her over first, and then he had to go and ... stop existing involuntarily

but that was last year, let’s back up

rabia was not under some misguided impression that her parents cared for her - she knew they didn’t. the role of she and her sisters and her brother was to make them look good. no more, no less

they didn’t care what she did, where she did it, who she did it with, or even to

and rabia really enjoyed testing the limits of this, even if she couldn’t admit how disappointing it was to realize, truly, that no one gave a single shit what you did, or even if you were alright.

and at beauxbatons, at the end of her 5th year, she couldn’t wait for the freedom graduation was going t bring her.

the freedom to move on – with her life, with everything.

but freedom came calling sooner than anyone expected

she was only fifteen when he asked her to run away with him, he was 17 already, he’d just graduated - was anyone going to miss her right away?

no, she’d said

and she’d been right - four four years, no one came for her

but rabia and her love, the boy worth leaving her family for, were over before the first year was out, but at the time their circle was still small, and the end was messy.

of course, in the time it took to kick him out of the flat, they’d lost the flat, so they went their separate ways, and rabia started continent hopping

she WAS starting to run low on funding, though, and from there on out the next three years was a life altering, swim or drown, course on grinding, coasting, and keeping yourself off the radar, while enjoying the freedom of having no ties

last year, they ran into each other, in mexico, no less

and it was almost okay

until it wasn’t

but a jail cell, in tijuana, was not high on rabia’s list of places to see

 it was his fault, and she just happened to be there, but he’d been in mexico longer than he’d said he’d been, and she’s still not sure she wants the full story of what happened that night

not the parts she witnessed, or the parts she missed

so she did what she did best – she went to the beach

then she went to spain, because spain is better than mexico

then she started feeling homesick

but she hadn’t been back in france a week before they’d found her; 

a day, honestly, because she went to london to visit a friend, and by that very same afternoon she was sitting on her sister’s sofa 

it’s been ..... weird.

rabia never was much for rules, especially not as invisible as she was before, and she’d been on her own for quite some time, so she’s still frequently in trouble

but it’s nice to have someone who ccares enough to be mad at her for not coming home on time

and it’s nice to be with emira again, too, even if she does have to go back to school

she still regularly sneaks out and has not learned the definition of grounded yet

but she and louis – who she found near versailles, by the way, and claims is descended from royalty – have been just fine on their own, so they are looking forward to trying out “normal” again

whatever that means

for a greengrass

[xxcureangelxx]

5, 9, 10, 13, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 30-35, 38-42, 44-46, 50, 52, 54, 60-62, 66, 71-74, 86-91, 96, 100! 😊

okay I literally have no clue how old this is and if I'm even taking the questions from the right post but here goes I guess? 🙈

<u>5. What is your favorite Color?</u>

PURPLE

<u>9. How tall are you?</u>

about 1,70 meters or 5'7"

<u>10. What shoe size are you?</u>

size 40-41, I think that's about 8 in US sizes?

<u>13. What talents do you have?</u>

uhhh good question... not sure if it counts but I guess I'm quite good at a lot if things but can't do anything extraordinarily well?

<u>20. Are you religious?</u>

Absolutely not. Due to family history and a lot of other things I'm actually against it a lot but people can do whatever they feel like is right for them as long as they don't harm others with it.

<u>21. Have you ever been to the hospital?</u>

Yes, quite a lot actually. practically grew up in hospitals as a baby because of kidney issues, broke both my legs with 4 years old, had to revisit for tests a lot during my childhood because of the kidney issue. it calmed down afterwards until I was back in hospital last year because of my terrible mental health and I'm currently in a rehabilitation clinic for it as well.

<u>24. Baths or showers?</u>

Shower's because we don't have a bathtub

<u>25. What color socks are you wearing?</u>

currently none, I love going barefoot, but usually I wear white, gray or black. I know... I'm a bad gay.. no rainbow socks (;ŏ﹏ŏ)

<u>28. What type of music do you like?</u>

you know.... I hate this question with a passion even though I love music so I'll just throw in my yt-playlist here and everyone who's interested can look through it to get a picture xD not sorted in any way and not a conclusive list at all, I just add songs as I find them

<u>30. How many pillows do you sleep with?</u>

mostly just one at a time but I've got two different ones. one is the normal fluffy kinda pillow, the other is made of some kinda foam material and rather thin.

<u>31. What position do you usually sleep in?</u>

I'm always lying on the side! have been doing that since I was a baby too.

<u>32. How big is your house?</u>

compared to what? 🙈 I'd say decent size for 5 people to live in, would have space for 1-2 more if rooms were used differently but definitely not enough to comfortably live with 12 or even more people like my family used to. we've got like 3 proper sleeping rooms (one of which is the attic so not very nice in terms of heat and the staircase is smack in the middle of the room), a kitchen, a dining room, a big living room, a tiny bathroom that barely fits a toilet and shower, and the basement is a mix of storage, electrics and stuff, washing room/utility room and it's got another smaller room that's been turned back into a small workshop but used to be the room of my brother and later my grandmother.

<u>33. What do you typically have for breakfast?</u>

I guess this is where it shows that I'm german but we usually just eat bread (preferably whole grain) with cheese or slices of salami or ..meat sausage? is that a proper translation? 🤨 idk... it's rather simple really. on the weekend maybe buns and boiled eggs. on the occasion that I'm too tired for it or don't have enough time I eat cereals but it's not very common when I'm at work/school

<u>34. Have you ever fired a gun?</u>

No, and I don't want to

<u>35. Have you ever tried archery?</u>

Yes!! I did last year when I was in the hospital and it was super fun! was quite good at it as well, even for my first try 😤

<u>38. What's the longest you've ever gone without sleep?</u>

I think about 3 days? if we count "barely unconscious for a few hours" as sleep that is... otherwise no clue...my memory of the bad sleepless time is quite hazy lol

<u>39. Do you have any scars?</u>

yeah, quite a few tbh. got 2 huge ones from surgeries due to my kidney issues, well they look like 2 but it's actually multiple ones since they simply cut open party of the old ones again, tiny hooman apparently have very little skin. then I got some other ones here and there from accidents, general dumbness, etc, like when I cut through my sunday morning bun and almost cut half of the tip of my finger off because my mother sharpened the knife and didn't tell me or that time as a kid I couldn't wait for my ironing pearl pictures to be done and burned myself on the hot iron, mostly stuff like that.

<u>40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?</u>

I mean.. if they're a secret... how would I know? ;) not sure if it counts that it took me months to realize I had a crush on my best friend and the feelings were reciprocated and I was too blind to see the signs?

<u>41. Are you a good liar?</u>

Nope. People actually think I'm lying more often than I lie... so.... :/

<u>42. Are you a good judge of character?</u>

I'm.. honestly not sure what this one means? like, am I able to judge what kind of character a person has after barely meeting them or smth? if so, I'm terrible at it

<u>44. Do you have a strong accent?</u>

in german? nope. in english? hmm hard to judge since I rarely hear myself speak. I think the stuff I do know how to pronounce is mostly okay but since I learned it through reading I'm simply unsure of a lot of pronunciations. 'also'.... I can not for the life of me pronouns that word no matter how many times I hear it... it's kinda become a quirk after some classmates pointed it out to me and I'm incredibly aware how terrible I say the word but.... just can't get rid of it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

<u>45. What is your favorite accent?</u>

I.. actually really love the way my best friend talks? 👉👈 they're french btw. just... typical me for struggling to understand them though, already terrible at it in german too...

<u>46. What is your personality type?</u>

honestly, I don't think I can answer that. I'm big on self loathing and everything's pretty shitty so, no thanks

<u>50. Left or right handed?</u>

Right handed. but does it even count id I'm bad at doing things with that hand too? lol

<u>52. Favorite food?</u>

hmmmm tough question... not the biggest fan of food in general a lot of the time... probably Züricher Geschnetzeltes

<u>54. Are you a clean or a messy person?</u>

Definitely messy. my allergies did not like this post trying to clean and tidy up more often though. my depression does not like this post either

<u>60. Do you talk to yourself?</u>

sometimes. quite a bit when watching movies or if I mess stuff up

<u>61. Do you sing to yourself?</u>

barely. got a lot of bad experiences with that so i keep my singing to a minimum. my shower is a great listener though

<u>62. Are you a good singer?</u>

I was in a choir for a few years when I went to 'middle school' and I had like one solo part once but other than that I can't really say because I barely ever sing in front of people

<u>66. Do you like long or shor hair?</u>

this question is currently my absolute nemesis.. I've got suuuper duper long hair and have had it ever since elementary school and I used to be super happy with it and sometimes I still am happy with it but other days, depending on where I'm at genderwise, I absolutely hate it and I just want to take the closest scissors and cut it all off... currently haven't had the guts to look for new hair styles though... but in other people? or women more specifically? I love long hair 🥺

<u>71. What makes you nervous?</u>

Or the shorter question: what doesn't make me nervous... I'd say pretty much everything has got the potential to make me nervous. I'm an overthinker, anxiety is a big thing for me and ptsd makes me scared of almost everything. so.. yeah... sucks to be me sometimes ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

<u>72. Are you scared of the dark?</u>

Yes, very

<u>73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?</u>

I try not to but sadly I sometimes do, even if it's not my place to. I really don't like that part and hope I'll be able to learn not to sometime

<u>74. Are you ticklish?</u>

Yes and I hate it 😭

<u>86. What are you allergic to?</u>

again, easier question: what am I not allergic to... it's... a lot... like, really a lot. with the test on the skin of my arm I reacted to every single substance and the more thorough blood test lead to much of the same result. the absolute worst are birch trees (pitty, love those), then the usual pollen of pretty much every tree or flower, all animals with fur or feathers, dust and... yeah list goes on and on, you get the picture... :/

<u>87. Do you keep a journal?</u>

no.. have tried to multiple times in the past but never made it more than a week... too depressing to write and read... the therapist at the rehab clinic is currently forcing me to try a positivity diary for the millionths time, can't even get that done each day even though I'm doing it on my phone and get notifications to do it each evening...

<u>88. What do your parents do?</u>

making my life hell lol.. okay on a serious note, my father was a car electrician, he's retired by now, my mother is a housewife, she used to work different jobs before her first kid, later on she took care of my grandmother who was suffering from dementia, got some money and retirement points for that too.

<u>89. Do you like your age?</u>

I-... I don't know? it's weird because I both feel a lot younger and a lot older than I am rn....

<u>90. What makes you angry?</u>

another tough question... I actually have anger issues in that way that I'm barely capable of feeling anger... used to be worse but I already worked a lot on it in therapy so there's at least some there now... in the past I simply started to cry and felt overwhelmed by sadness whenever I was supposed to feel anger... so I can't tell very well what makes me angry because I first have to realize that I'm feeling anger or more like should be feeling it....

<u>91. Do you like your own name?</u>

Not really, no, but I guess I finally figured out some reasons why.. I've recently started going by a bit of a different name too but only my closest friends know so far and I'm not sure if I'll be using it irl at all..

<u>96. How did you get your name?</u>

I'm still trying to get my mother to admit that she named me after this song but she keeps denying it.. she's a fan of this band so it would have fit.. but she keeps saying she just liked the name, no long thought process behind it..

my chosen name is a bit of a different story. an ex friend I got to know through yt gave me that nickname almost 10 years ago after I complained that you can't make a shorter nickname out of my birthname and it's also the name of s character I like, especially his voice, and... idk it just feels more gender neutral and I simply feel comfortable with it. it just fit.

<u>100. Color of your room?</u>

same as question 5: Purple 🥰 or... well half the walls are purple, the other half is white

phew... can't believe I made it through all of these....

in case people haven't noticed yet, I'm currently kinda getting back into tumblr? I think I've already stayed a lot longer than any times I tried getting back before. it mostly started because we've got super bad wifi at the clinc I'm at rn and reddit takes up waaayy too much mobile data and... idk, I guess I just missed the vibe of tumblr

I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stick around but we'll see

[sugarqvills]

links: pinterest, bio

BASICS

FULL NAME: Emmeline Asteria Vance PRONUNCIATION: Emmeline  Asteria  Vance MEANING: Emmeline ( Germanic - Work; French - Industrious, Hardworking; Latin - Little Rival ), Asteria ( Latin - Star ), Vance ( English - Fen, Marsh ) REASONING: Emmeline’s given name comes from her her paternal grandmother. Her middle name sprung from her mother’s once-great love for Greek mythology. NICKNAME(S): Emme, Vance. BIRTH DATE: 24 December - 12:32 PM AGE: Nineteen ZODIAC: Capricorn Sun, Libra Moon, Aries Rising

Capricorn is the tenth sign of the zodiac and governs the bones, joints, and knees. Positive traits include pragmatism, maturity, patience, determination, awareness, a strong work ethic, realism, discipline, money management, the willingness to overcome hard luck, leadership, initiative, opportunism, prudence, and cunning. Negative traits include pessimism, melancholy, emotional coldness, manipulation, obsession with work and ambitions to the detriment of personal development, remoteness, and materialistic snobbery.

The traits emphasized here will be ambition, determination, discipline, and pragmatism. You can’t make that castle in the sky if you don’t build a solid foundation under it, and Capricorns excel at building foundations. (Actually, they excel at planning the foundations and directing others to do the grunt labour. It’s not that they’re afraid to get their hands dirty, but large work usually requires delegation and a staff, and Capricorns are managers more often than not.) While not flamboyant or showy about it, Capricorns still tend to be obsessive overachievers, a common trait in House Slytherin. Too, wizards born under the sign of Capricorn are good at being discreet, secretive, and diplomatic; whereas the Libra’s diplomacy is based on charm and a desire for harmony, the Capricorn’s diplomacy is based on the knowledge that being on good terms with people is extremely useful in getting one’s way or finding out sensitive information. These also are traits commonly associated with House Slytherin. They might not be sexy traits, but they’re very handy.

GENDER: Cisgender Female PRONOUNS: She/Her ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Panromantic. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Demisexual. NATIONALITY: Irish ETHNICITY: White

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: Athenry, Ireland HOMETOWN: Athenry, Ireland SOCIAL CLASS: Upper Class EDUCATION LEVEL: Hogwarts, sixth year HOUSE: Slytherin FATHER: Oliver Vance, 56, Former Head of the Improper Use of Magic Office ( DECEASED ) MOTHER: Rosalyn Vance neé Rowle, 54, Former Member of the Wizengamot ( DECEASED ) SIBLING(S): None. EXTENDED FAMILY: Constance Vance, 86 ( paternal grandmother ) BIRTH ORDER: Only child. PET(S): Pawcrates - six year old black cat.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 6/10 OFFENSE: 8.5/10 DEFENSE: 9/10 SPEED: 8/10 INTELLIGENCE: 9/10 ACCURACY: 9/10 AGILITY: 8/10 STAMINA: 8/10 TEAMWORK: While Emmeline is capable of doing well with a group, she prefers to work on her own. She’ll help where she can, but would far prefer if she were left to her own devices. TALENTS: Dueling. Critical thinking. Planning. Drinking at least one entire bottle of wine by herself in a single sitting. SHORTCOMINGS: Unhealthy coping mechanisms. Emotionally repressive. Doesn’t let others in easily. Negative thinking. LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: English, Irish Gaelic, Latin. DRIVE?: No. JUMP-STAR A CAR?: No. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: No. RIDE A BICYCLE?: Yes. SWIM?: Yes. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: The piano, thanks to Gran. PLAY CHESS?: Yes, though she would prefer to spend her free time doing other things. TIE A TIE?: Yes. PICK A LOCK?: No.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

FACE CLAIM: Alycia Debnam-Carey. EYE COLOR: Green. HAIR COLOR: Brown. HAIR TYPE/STYLE: Normally, Emmeline leaves her hair down, allowing it to fall however it likes. Frequently, she’s been known to throw her hair into a ponytail or loose, messy bun while working, cleaning, or even knitting. GLASSES/CONTACTS?: No. DOMINANT HAND: Right. Emmeline is ambidextrous, but tends to favour her right hand more often than her left. HEIGHT: 165 cm ( 5′5″ ) WEIGHT: 55 kg ( 121 pounds ) BUILD: Slender. EXERCISE HABITS: Despite knowing that she should do more, Emmeline more often than not spends time at home knitting and drinking, rather than running or doing other exercises. SKIN TONE: Fair. TATTOOS: At present, Emmeline has none. PIERCINGS: Just a single hole in each ear. MARKS/SCARS: Emmeline has a few small scars from her childhood, most notable is the one on her right hand, near the thumb. Most don’t even notice it, unless they know precisely what they’re looking for. USUAL EXPRESSION: Emmeline’s typical expression is one without a smile. To many, she could come across as cold or uncaring; it’s not that she actively tries to dissuade people talking to her, it’s just what happens, especially when she’s focused. Once put around friends, however, the demeanour changes and there are more smile than one might otherwise find. CLOTHING STYLE: Emmeline is a big fan of loose, simple tops or button-ups with more fitted trousers. On very rare or special occasions, she may wear a dress, though it is never anything more than a sold colour with simple accents. In addition to her comfortable tops, Emmeline is also a fan of flannel shirts and heavier, knitted jumpers when it starts to get cold. JEWELRY: Simple silver studs for earrings in her daily life, a small silver music note pendant on a thin silver chain that she got from Gran for her thirteenth birthday. Otherwise, Emmeline isn’t one for jewelry. ALLERGIES: None, as far as she knows.

QUESTIONS

How does your character behave around people they like? Emmeline is more relaxed around those she likes. Though she isn’t the most easy-going person in the world, she is more inclined to make jokes, laugh, and not stress as much as she normally does. How quick is your character to suspect someone else? Does this change if they are close with that person? As a rule, Emmeline is very hesitant to trust others. However, once you have her trust, there are very few things you could do to lose it and have her suspect you of something terrible. How quick or slow is your character to resort to physical violence in a confrontation? Words are typically Emmeline’s go-to in a confrontational situation. There have been many instances where she’s eventually just walked away from someone rather than allow things to progress. In extreme instances, hexes and jinxes have been thrown, but as far as she can remember, there has never been anything more than a slap. What is/was your character’s relationship with their father like? It was a very strained relationship, if it could be called a relationship at all. She knew very little about the man he was in his later years, and what she knew of his formative years had only been the result of stories her Gran told her over the years. Is your character more likely to admire wisdom, or ambition in others? Though it generally tends to vary from person to person, she would probably tell you that she admires ambition more often than not. What does your character like in other people? There are a host of things she likes in others, but the first few that come to mind are: the ability to learn from their mistakes, forgiveness, a desire to learn in general, whether or not they are capable of growing as a person, honesty. Compassion for other people. Is your character more likely to keep trying a solution/method that didn’t work the first time, or immediately move on to a different solution/method? A bit of both. Just because her first attempt didn’t work the way she wanted it to, doesn’t mean she’ll abandon it in its entirety. With each failed attempt, an adjustment is made. It’s only once she has exhausted every possible method that she can think of that she will move on to a different one. How easy or difficult is it for your character to say “I love you?” Can they say it without meaning it? Saying “I love you” is one of, if not the most, difficult things for Emmeline to do. She has a problem letting herself love other people; there is a constant fear of abandonment, of not being enough, of disappointing them. She struggles to let those she truly cares for know just how much they mean to her. If she can say it to you, then there’s no chance it’s meaningless. She doesn’t have it in her to force something of that magnitude and not mean it. The only person Emmeline has never struggled with those words over is her Gran. The woman who spent so much of her life trying to instill certain values into her granddaughter. The person who raised Emmeline, who wanted nothing but the best for her. The one person Emmeline always thought would be her only constant, the only person she would be willing to die to protect. When she wasn’t in school or working, Emmeline tried to make it a priority to tell the older woman how much she loved her and appreciated all that she had done over the years

INSPIRATIONS & TRAITS

CHARACTER INSPIRATIONS: prudence halliwell ( charmed ), sally owens ( practical magic ), jessica jones ( jessica jones ), amy santiago ( brooklyn nine nine ), laurel castillo ( how to get away with murder ), wynona earp ( wynona earp ), cristina yang ( grey’s anatomy ), rosa diaz ( brooklyn nine nine ), caitlin snow ( the flash ), rosita espinosa ( the walking dead ), laurel lance ( arrow ), raymond holt ( brooklyn nine nine ), rory gilmore ( gilmore girls ), lucy preston ( timeless ), peyton sawyer ( one tree hill )

AESTHETIC: piano notes softly filling an empty room, storms raging outside while you sit in the comfort of your home, books towering so high you can’t see over them, hot tea in a chipped mug, freshly baked red velvet cake cooling on the counter, four cups of coffee in the morning just to feel like you’re somewhat there, the faintest whiff of whisky lingering in the air after an especially trying night, the deafening silence that slowly envelops you when the numbness sets in, unfinished knitting projects lying lazily over chair arms by the fireplace

SONGS: made of stone - daughter / cherry wine - hozier / that i would be good - alanis morissette / please don't say you love me - gabrielle aplin / breathe me - sia / you say - lauren daigle / hard times ( ballad ) - halocene / dear happy - gabrielle aplin / lovely - lauren babic and seraphim POSITIVE TRAITS: assiduous, strong-willed, intelligent, dedicated, tidy NEGATIVE TRAITS: melancholic, self-blaming, stubborn, inflexible NEUTRAL TRAITS: ambitious, sarcastic, quiet, restrained

[sapphos-darlings]

I’m proud of my mother. She was born in the 50s into a conservative family, if you can consider them conservative in rural Finland in the 50s - the father brought in the food, the mother stayed home tending to a flood of kids never having the energy for all of them, leaving them often on their own to look after each other, hoping they’d all make it through the day but in the end, no one had the time to make sure. They were hunters and farmers, traditionally Christian as far as I can tell. The community they lived in had a lesbian couple that everyone knew about but nobody talked about; it was taboo and shameful. Being gay wasn’t right. My mum’s straight, too, so this was easy for her to internalize.

She became a mother late at at 37. I’m her only child. First, I was gnc. She wanted a daughter she could dress up pretty and pamper. I wanted nothing to do with dresses and my favourite way to pass the time was to climb trees and roll around in mud. My mum gave up on the dresses very fast. I played with wooden swords and bows that my dad and my neighbours built me. The neighbours told my parents I’d grow up to be a vegan feminist activist, in words that made sense for the time. Everyone knew I was strange.

My dad was mostly drunk and away from home, so my mum raised me much on her own. She never implied in any manner that what I was doing was wrong or improper or that I wasn’t good as I was. I had sleepovers with girls and boys all the way until early teenage, at which point we separated naturally. She once told me she was afraid what’d happen when I’d first have “boy troubles”. I never had boy troubles. She wasn’t prepared for the troubles I was going to have, though.

At 10 years old, we went to a concert together. I fell in love with the singer of the band and spent my next two years fawning over him. I think at this stage, everything was going as intended. I don’t think she even remembers this phase now, because last year, she asked me in all honesty if I’m a lesbian.

I’m not a lesbian, but you might not know that.

I was scared that I was when I turned 12 and found myself attracted to Avril Lavigne’s promo picture in a CD store. I got over my freakout in about ten minutes, but my attraction to women (not Lavigne) survived. At 14, I was involved in a weird relationship with a girl my age. I don’t remember much of it other than that I was very bad at playing relationship, and I feel guilty she left her girlfriend for that mess. At 15, I fell in love for the first time with a girl I’d love for the next decade, desperately, painfully. Between there somewhere, maybe at 13, my mum found me crying in a closet because my best friend had a crush on me and I was scared to tell her I didn’t want to be in a relationship with her. My mum stumbled over the word “boy” when she asked what “he” wanted of me. I know she knew then, but we never voiced it.

I met a crossdressing gay guy around that time. He went by the name Cherry and wore cybergoth outfits and makeup, and he turned 18 a couple weeks after I met him. My mum let me go to his birthday party and stay until 1am, and later go visit him in the capital on my own over multiple occasions, once personally meeting him and giving him a hug. He was wearing platform boots and hair extensions and probably fishnets on some part of his body. She loved him because he was like a big brother to me, and never questioned the way he presented himself or worried about him being a bad influence to me, because he made me happy and I felt safe and excited to be with him. I also had a major crush on him which I think everyone was well aware of, but it was a safe crush, because I was 13 and he was 18 and like a big brother to me, and I was a girl and he was gay and everyone knew that, too.

When I was 16 and we went on a vacation in Europe, I spent all of my time finding the means to talk to the girl I loved at all times. I racked up an insane phone bill and couldn’t care less about the Pride parade in Rome, because I would rather lock myself up in an overheated Internet shack that was no wider than our bathroom at home to talk to her for hours online. Then she met another girl and chose her to be her girlfriend, only to tell me years later she hadn’t chosen me because she was too afraid of losing me, which made no sense to me. I felt like my world had ended. I didn’t stop crying for weeks and I signed myself up in a hospital because I was afraid I’d kill myself over the heartbreak.

I think it was around that time I started going to Pride, too, but regularly only when I met my next girlfriend around 18. I was always scared to go to Pride, not because I was afraid of showing I was LGBT but because I was scared of being the target of an attack like a bombing or a shooting. One year, we were the target of a gas attack, but I didn’t even know that, because I was marching at a different section of the parade and only heard about it later in the news. I don’t know if my mum was aware we were dating then with this girl, but I think she did. I think at this stage she’d already settled on me being a lesbian, it was just unspoken between us. She’d once asked me, because I wrote fanfiction most of my teenage and I always showed it off to her because I was proud of what I was writing and it never occurred to me it might have been inappropriate or offensive that I was writing about gay relationships. She vehemently denied this for years, because according to her, she’d never spoken the word “lesbian” in her life, much less referring to me.

She did speak it, last year, though. I do believe she spoke it when I was a child, too, when she asked me if I was a lesbian. I know she did. I said I wasn’t, because I’m not, but I understand that the evidence stacked up against me. Obsession with same-sex media, Pride parades, girlfriends, girl crushes, heartbreaks over girls, never once a mention of a real boyfriend or any material boy crush aside from those I had to a few chosen celebrities, fictional characters and idols, all of whom were unattainable and never as strong and overwhelming as the love I so obviously felt for women - I don’t blame her for thinking I was a lesbian. I’m not sure if “bisexual” entered her vocabulary at any time before last year.

At 19, I came out to her as transgender. She said she didn’t understand but that she’d try her best and support me no matter what as long as I would be happy, and what I was doing was making me happier, as I was obviously unhappy and struggled with difficult mental health issues for most of my life. She accompanied me to my meetings at the gender clinic and spoke with my doctors and nurses to understand. She tried her best to remember my pronouns when speaking in English, and even though she failed and has always failed, she did learn to call me by my new name without a fault. She’s never regarded me as a man of any sort and that’s alright, because I had and have her support no matter what. So here we were for the main part of my 20s - she thought I was a lesbian and knew I’m transsexual.

It’s only these past two years we’ve really talked about any of this. That’s the size of the taboo she was raised with in terms of the LGBT matters. She might have asked me once if I was a lesbian before, but even to herself, she’s denied ever voicing that word. Last year, or a bit over, when I was 27 or 28, she finally did consciously voice the question over the phone: am I a lesbian?

No. But that was the first time I ever vocally came out as a bisexual. I’ve never hidden it, but I’ve never come out either. I’ve always just either “been” or left it unspoken. All my friends have always known, and all of the Internet has always known, and I’ve never kept it a secret, but within the family, it’s been unspoken.

She was alright with that. We talked about my transition a little bit, if I was happy with it, if it made me happier, or if I regretted it. (It made me happier, I’m happy with it. She was relieved to hear that.) Other than that, we’ve never spoken of it, but all of this is why I respect my mum more than I probably have ever respected anybody else.

I’m everything she was taught to think of shameful and bad her whole life, everything she struggled to accept as a part of “normal”, as something natural. I’m exclusively female-oriented bisexual, gender non-conforming, and a diagnosed and transitioned transsexual. She couldn’t possibly have a child deeper in the LGBT than I am. And not once in my life did she make me feel like I wasn’t good as I am, like I wasn’t allowed to be myself and express who I am and look up to the people I did. She always made sure I’d be safe to her best ability, but her concern never restricted my freedom to be myself and explore my identity, and her concern was never made to be my problem, or something I had to take responsibility of.

And this year, because the pandemic had moved the Pride parade by a few months and because that meant that my best friend (that girl I dated when I was 18) probably couldn’t join me because of her career situation, I asked mum if she’d come with me to Pride, because I don’t want to go alone. I fully expected this to be the last thing she couldn’t do. Earlier, she’d asked me to come to a gay movie with her because she really wanted to see it but couldn’t make herself go alone. That had been a throughoutly difficult experience for her - yes, she’d enjoyed the movie, but it had made her feel very conflicted because of the values she’d been raised with and the prejudices she was trying to fight. A Pride parade just seemed way beyond there - I just needed to ask because yes, I did need someone to go with, but also because I wanted to show her that I wanted to take her, and that she’s welcome to be a part of my life even in the ways that we’ve always been afraid to discuss. I’m happy to share my identity with her openly, because she’s been accepting and understanding of it and never given me a reason to feel like I can’t be honest with her. It was more symbolic than anything. And like I expected, she did hesitate, but what I didn’t expect was that she’d tell me “yes”.

I’ve never been more proud of her than at that moment. I know how much it means to her to say “yes, I will come with you to Pride”. She had to reassure herself that for her, it doesn’t mean anything else than that she’s proud of me, and supports who I am and my right and the right of everyone like me to be who we are. I reassured her about it too - Pride is full of straight allies. Pride is full of parents, partners and children, even dogs and horses of people who are LGBT. She’s not making a statement about herself by being there. She doesn’t need to come out as gay to join Pride with me. She can just be there for me.

But it means the world to me that she agreed.

I’ve quite literally never been the girl she wanted me to be, and my friends were never the friends she imagined her child having when she was planning for me. But she’s never, in any manner, implied or let me think that she didn’t love me. She’s never made me feel like I wasn’t right for being who I am. She never let her doubts or questions or concerns or prejudices keep me from living my life and pursuing happiness as it came to me. Not once.

And for that, I’m proud of her. I couldn’t have a better mother.

[s0r3wach1gauy0]

Oh boy, guess who went fuck it and answered all of @scarlettisbringingstexyback 's O.C. questions since a) I finished my shorts design finally and b) my brain needed a break from the hell that was the Tuacahn note taking session.

Anyways I will edit a cut in later so it isn't as scary to look at

1. What is their name and gender? What pronouns do they use?

This is Persephone, but she really just goes by Perse. She is female and uses she/her pronouns. 

2. Are they an engine or a car/wagon?

She is a car.

3. Who are their friends? They can be canon or other OCs!

She's friends with the coaches, Electra and his gang, tenuously friends with the Freight, and hangs out with C.B. a lot.

4. Do they have a favourite colour?

She likes black and pastel shades.

5. Are they an extrovert, ambivert or introvert?

Serious introvert...

6. Do they have a favourite animal?

She likes crows and ravens a lot and will try to get to know them at each spot she stops at with Mortis.

7. What are their sleeping habits? Are they an early bird or a night owl?

A definite night owl, she's pretty nocturnal since haunted things are really only creepy in the dark and that's when they open for business.

8. What are three adjectives to describe them?

Timid, shy, kind.

9. Do they have a crush?

She has a huge one on C.B., she stalks him around the place on her free time,,, wether he reciprocates this or not I'm leaving up to people to decide for themselves.

10. How did you pick their name?

I was really struggling to name her when the idea of Persephone popped into my head. I wanted to shorten it because that's a long name for a train and got Perse. I thought it was funny since she would probably get mistaken for Purse so I kept it.

11. What languages do they speak? Do they have an accent?

English primarily with fake Latin from horror movies thrown in there. On the job she uses a super fake Translvanian accent to interact with customers, but off the job a softer Midwestern American accent.

12. What reasons do others have to like them?

Um even if she's super quiet she is very sweet, thoughtful, and a good listener. She will also give you nice jewelry if she likes you and knows you would appreciate it please accept it

13. What are their flaws?

She is terrible with social situations in groups she doesn't know and does not like talking about herself at all leaving people to assume things about her that may not be true. I have mentioned this before but she absolutely clings on to people she deeply cares about (i.e. Mortis and C.B.) and will not let them out of her sight.

14. Do they have any pet peeves?

Yes she hates loud noises, and people who talk too much while buying stuff.

15. Are they competitive? If they were in a race, would they play fair or cheat?

She's very much not competitive but can be swayed into the spirit. I think she wouldn't cheat but if convinced she could be an accomplice to cheating.

16. Do they have any enemies/rivals? Who are they?

She hates/ fears G.B. a lot. 

17. How do they react to a compliment? An insult?

For the compliment, it depends on who is saying it. If it is basically anyone other than C.B. she is very blank faced and says thank you rather flatly. If it's C.B., she gets super blushy and hides behind her hands, barely managing to squeak out a thank you. As for an insult, she normally just hides behind her brother as he gets really angry at the insulter and then cries later.

18. What are their talents/hobbies?

She's rather good at makeup and practical effects having learned from the actors that work on the train and enjoys giving others makeovers (she would be over the moon to do C.B.'s clown makeup,,,) she enjoys fashion as well, and looks at catalogues that are strewn around the trainyard. On occasion she sometimes makes jewelry out of metal scraps she finds and will gift it off to others.

19. What do they often fail at? Why?

Even with people teaching her she is not good at racing since the high speeds scare her and she doesn't want to get hurt. She also is really bad at acting, being that she is a very deadpan person.

20. Why did you decide to make your OC?

Well originally she was supposed to be my self insert but I thought her design was too cute to not expand on and make an individual character.

Quick end of the post announcement I'm running a small ask blog as Perse so if you have questions I will be answering them in character over at @perse-speaks

[leo-geller]

hey there, hi there, ho there! it’s ya boi zack (he/him/his) here with one of my newly-favorite muses! read through Leo’s overly-detailed & long as hell intro & give it a like if you want to plot! can’t wait to bring him to you all!!

( jacob elordi, cismale, he/him ). hey, isn’t that [ LEONARDO “LEO” GELLER ] walking down bennington street? i think the [ 26 ] YEAR OLD [ COOK/ASPIRING ACTOR ] is from [ QUEENS, NY ]. i’ve heard some rumors down at ginger’s, saying that they're [ RECKLESS & IMPULSIVE ], but then again they’re known to be [ PROTECTIVE & FLIRTATIOUS ].  either way, they seem to be interesting, hope they’ll stick around.

STATS: 

Name: Leonardo “Leo” Henry Geller

Date of birth: October 25, 1993

Age: 26

Pronouns: he/him/his

Zodiac sign: Scorpio

Sexuality: Heterosexual (for now)

Fc: Jacob Elordi

Height: 6′3″

Background: (tw: mentions of abandonment, alcoholism, rehab, & abuse)

Leo was born on a cool October morning in 1993 to Solomon & Joanne Geller. They were a perfectly happy family according to the friends & neighbors of their neighborhood in Queens, but appearances can be deceiving. When Leo was 12, Joanne left her husband & son, leaving Leo alone to care for his dad & his new drinking habit. 

Soon, Saul’s drinking got worse and Leo ended up in foster care while Saul entered rehab. Leo was bounced from home to home & each time he prayed would be the last. The father of his last foster family had a habit of beating Leo whenever he acted out: stealing, setting small fires, talking back; and left more than just physical scars on 13-year old Leo. Eventually, he was taken out of the system & reunited with his dad when he got out of rehab. 

He hung out with a rough crowd in high school and began smoking, sleeping around, and getting in fights. Leo wasn’t a bad student, however, and aced nearly all of his classes, but could never let his so-called friends find that out. He just kept up appearances like he had the first 12 years of his life until graduation. 

Leo had no intentions of going to college & instead planned a cross country trip on his motorcycle to find himself. But as the trip got closer and closer, he was worried about leaving his dad alone. The two always had the other to count on, & this would be the first time since Leo was in foster care that he’d be away from his dad for more than a few days. He canceled the trip, blaming it on bad weather & low funds to Saul who didn’t pry any further. 

He started working at the deli in high school “to gain work experience” he claimed, but in actuality Leo was there to keep tabs on his dad & make sure he didn’t slip back into his drinking addiction. At first he hated working there, but came to love it over the years & considers his co-workers like family. 

Leo decided he needed to move out of his childhood home - he was quickly approaching 27 - & as fate would have it, he found an apartment on the same street as the deli. Saul loved having someone close by to keep an eye on the place & Leo didn’t mind saving Saul an early-morning Saturday commute into the city, even though he does it anyway. 

Personality: 

Leo’s your stereotypical bad boy with a heart of gold. He doesn’t really express his emotions something he learned in foster care but will to those close to him. Leo’s got some trust issues and worries that if he ever gets close to someone romantically, they’ll just end up leaving him like his mom. Still, he does flirt with any cute girl that comes in for a pastrami sandwich or that he meets at Ginger’s. He’ll break your heart or your face, depending what side of his you get on. 

Headcannons: 

His most prized possession is the motorcycle he restored himself in high school. He keeps it at his dad’s house in Queens because he doesn’t trust parking it anywhere in the city. Her name is Polly. 

Leo takes his coffee black with his morning cigarette. He knows smoking is a filthy habit, but he picked it up in high school and just can’t bear to give it up. He tries hiding his habit from his dad, but suspects Saul already knows about it. 

Leo & his dad have a standing poker night every Thursday and have kept up with it since they were reunited over 10 years ago. It’s their thing and, Leo even lets the old man win once in a while. 

He can always be found wearing boots and a leather jacket when the weather cools down, but trades that in for a tee-shirt and jeans in the warmer months. The boots stay on during summer, too.

Has a secret journal he writes his thoughts in whenever something of importance comes to him & is hidden in plain sight amidst a stack of books in his bedside table. It’s an inconspicuous brown, leather-bound book he picked up in a shop one day after his english teacher commended him on his writing. 

Though he excelled in all of his classes, Leo’s favorite subject in high school was English. He loved reading the books his teacher, Mr. Kincade assigned in class, and would get books passed on to him under the table (sometimes literally) that weren’t required but that Mr. K thought Leo would like. 

Leo doesn’t have any set career aspirations, but has always thought that becoming an actor would be cool. Acting allows him to escape into someone else’s story, allowing Leo to forget his troubles and focus on the feelings of someone else. In high school, his friends dared him to audition for the school play and he was given a small role. Ever since then, he’s been itching to get back on stage. 

Plays the guitar, and is a (very secret) Taylor Swift fan. He thinks she writes great songs that evoke a multitude of emotions. Obviously no one knows this, as he likes having at least one secret to himself.

[miraculousfanworks]

Miraculous Fanworks’ Grammar Guide: Commas

Image credit.

Grammar. It’s confusing, isn’t it? English has so many rules to follow!

Well, worry no more. We here at the Miraculous Fanworks Discord server have got your back.

Here is the first section of the Miraculous Fanworks’ Grammar Guide, 24 Hard and Fast Rules for Commas--Miraculous Fanworks Style! 

I just want to preface this by saying that it’s okay to break grammar rules in fiction writing for stylistic choices. Especially in dialogue.

But in order to intentionally break rules or guidelines, you have to recognize what they are and learn when it’s best to break them.

The Miraculous Fanworks’ Grammar Guide is a collection of basic rules of grammar and writing tips condensed into a single document, with examples from our very own Miraculous Ladybug.

If you have suggestions for the guide, feel free to join the server, DM me directly on Discord at @Cass6177, or drop a suggestion in my inbox.

Thanks, and enjoy!

-”Server Mom” Cass Maylis

24 Hard and Fast Rules for Commas--Miraculous Fanworks Style

1) Commas are all about authorial intent and indicate pauses. Basic rule of thumb: if your sentence needs too many commas, it needs to be rewritten and you probably have clauses in it that should be sentences on their own.

2) Never use a comma after "but" if it's the beginning of a sentence. This is actually because of commas as a clause separator. "But" can serve as a transition word to contrast against the previous sentence (this actually has some open grammatical questions as to whether or not it's completely precise), or it can be used in the middle of a sentence to conjoin two clauses. In the second case, you use a comma to separate the two clauses, but in the first case there is no clause to separate.

3) Using a comma before but in the middle of a sentence is only acceptable when the second phrase can stand on its own. For example, you wouldn't use a comma here: "Marinette was happy but also sad," because the second part isn't a complete sentence. But you would use a comma here: "Marinette was happy, but she was also sad," because the pronoun makes the second part of the sentence stand on its own. A sentence that can stand on its own is called an independent clause. This rule of thumb also applies to "and" and "or."

4) You need a comma before the word "too" if the word needs emphasized or requires a pause before and after it. Like, “Marinette, too, was Adrien." The commas are needed because the too interrupts the flow of the sentence. If the two doesn't come in the middle but at the end, then a comma isn't needed. Like, "Marinette liked bananas too." Too is all about authorial intent.

4a) From C-Note#9640: Commas surrounding "too" is actually a meaning thing. "Too" without commas means "in excess." ",too," with commas surrounding it means "also."

5) You always use commas to separate out things in a list. But how many to use and where to use them are subjects of contention. For example, in the sentence, "Marinette liked red, green, and blue," I place a comma after the word green and some people do not. This comma immediately before the “and” is called the Oxford comma, and it drives a lot of people up the wall. People get into fights over this, haha! I like to use them because it separates the words in my head. For example, someone saying, "Adrien owes $100 to Nino, Alya, and Chloe," makes the $100 owed to each of them. Whereas saying, "Adrien owes $100 to Nino, Alya and Chloe," makes Adrien owe Nino $100, and Adrien owes Alya and Chloe some other numbers making up 100, like 50/50. This is why I go to bat for the Oxford comma.

5a) Addendum to guideline 5: Lists are complicated, because you need a comma with three items but not two. Like, "Marinette likes red and green" does not need a comma, but "Marientte likes red, green, and blue" needs commas.

6) You need a comma before a dialogue tag unless you’re using an exclamation point or a question mark (or dashes, which indicate an interruption; more on that later). For example, “‘What?’ Marinette exclaimed” does not need a comma, where as “‘You have got to be kitten me,’ Chat said” does. Dialogue tags are also called attributive tags. They can even come in the middle of the sentence, in which case you need commas. For example: “‘You,’ Chat said, ‘have got to be kitten me.’”

6a) You need a comma after the word said or a dialogue tag if you're using a gerund (ing word). For example, "'Haha,' Marinette laughed, wrinkling her nose," needs a comma. But "'Haha,' Marinette laughed as she wrinkled her nose" does not need a comma. Does that make sense?

6b) In American English, commas always go before closing quotation marks. For example, “‘No freaking way,’ Marientte said,” requires a comma inside. But in British English, the convention is the opposite; the comma goes after the closing quotation mark. For example, “‘No freaking way’, Marinette said.” If you are writing for a British audience, use a comma after the closing quotation mark.

7) Using a comma after then is complicated. Here are some examples for sentences using the word then: http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/then

8) There are also things called compound predicates. From Grammarly, "You get a compound predicate when the subject of a sentence is doing more than one thing. In a compound predicate that contains two verbs, don’t separate them with a comma." For example, "Marinette smiled and waved" does not need a comma. But "Marinette spotted the man who entered the diner, and waved" does need a comma because we want to make sure the reader knows that Marinette waved, not the man. Make sure your reader doesn't misread.

9) Comma splices are interesting, too. When you're trying to join two independent clauses, you need a conjunction or a semi-colon. For example, "We were out of milk, I went to the store" is incorrect. You need, "We were out of milk; I went to the store," or "We were out of milk, so I went to the store."

10) Participial phrases that introduce a sentence usually need a comma. For example, "Grabbing her umbrella, Marinette left the house."

11) Interrupters and parenthetical phrases need commas. Interrupters are used to show tone or emotion. Like, "Marinette, sadly, went to camp." Parenthetical phrases are little pieces of information that don't affect the sentence as a whole, but give information. Like, "Adrien’s cooking skills, if you can call them skills, left something to be desired."

11a) Em dashes are interesting, because they're used to set off parenthetical phrases. If you use an em dash, you have to accept that what you place inside the em dashes is skippable. The sentence still has to make sense without the information contained inside the em dash. To use Treees' example from before (or something like it), "Adrien's car--a blue van--was a junkheap." The bit about the blue van is bonus information that the sentence doesn't need. But you also don't need an em dash in that sentence, a comma will do. As a good rule of thumb, em dashes are used when the bonus information phrase is super long. From Fight: "As soon as they were inside--a process Chat didn’t even pay attention to; one moment he was outside on her balcony, in the next he was standing in front of her on the floor of her room--Ladybug dropped her transformation."

12) From Grammarly: "A question tag is a short phrase or even a single word that is added to the end of a statement to turn it into a question. Writers often use question tags to encourage readers to agree with them. A question tag should be preceded by a comma." For example, "I think question tags are silly, don't you?"

13) When addressing someone by name, use a comma. For example, "Marinette, find your shoes." But not, "Marinette doesn't understand her letters yet."

14) From Grammarly: "An appositive is a word or phrase that refers to the same thing as another noun in the same sentence. Often, the appositive provides additional information about the noun or helps to distinguish it in some way." Appositives that are necessary for the sentence to function are called essential and do not need a comma, whereas unnecessary appositives are non-essential and need a comma. An essential appositive would be "Edgar Allen Poe's work The Raven is neat." The Raven is the essential appositive to the noun work. A nonessential appositive example is this: "My mother, Sabine, is a great cook." Sabine is the non-essential appositive to the word mother and needs a comma.

15) Commas in dates are tricky. Month-day-year formats need commas. "June 15, 2020." Day-month-year formats do not. "15 June 2020." If you are using a day of the week and a date, use a comma. "Tuesday, June 15, at three o'clock, ..." When referencing only a month or a year, you don’t need a comma. “June 2020.”

16) When using multiple adjectives to modify a noun, they might be coordinate, which means they are interchangeable and should be separated by commas. If a sentence still sounds natural (rhythm-wise) then the adjectives are coordinate. For example, “That man is a self-righteous, pompous, annoying idiot” vs. “That man is an annoying, self-righteous, pompous idiot.” If adjectives are not coordinate, don’t separate them with a comma. “The adorable little boy ate ice cream.” Little adorable doesn’t sound natural because of rhythm, so don’t use a comma to separate the non-coordinate adjectives.

17) Don’t separate a transitive verb from its direct object with a comma. A transitive verb is one that acts on an object. Similarly, an intransitive verb is one that doesn’t act on an object. Intransitive: “Marinette eats.” Transitive: “Marinette eats food.” Food is the object, so don’t separate the verb (eats) from the object with commas. Intransitive: “Adrien cleans often.” Transitive: “Adrien cleans his bathroom often.” Bathroom is the object being acted upon, so don’t separate the verb (cleans) from the object with commas.

18) From Grammarly: “A nonrestrictive clause offers extra information about something you have mentioned in a sentence, but the information isn’t essential to identify the thing you’re talking about. Nonrestrictive clauses are usually introduced by which or who and should be set off by commas.” For example, “The Agreste manor, which Adrien lived in, was freaking huge.” The clause, “which Adrien lived in,” is nonrestrictive because “Agreste manor” is already specific. The clause doesn’t add anything to the sentence; it’s just bonus information.

19) Opposite from nonrestrictive clauses are restrictive clauses. Restrictive clauses offer necessary information about the specific noun you used. They are often introduced by that or who and are never set off by commas. For example, “The bakery that Marinette’s family runs is fantastic.” If you removed the clause about the Dupain-Cheng family, you’d have no idea what bakery this was talking about.

20) From Grammarly: “Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions that come in pairs (such as either/or, neither/nor, and not only/but also) and connect words or phrases in a sentence to form a complete thought. Typically, commas are unnecessary with correlative conjunctions.” For example, “Either the black undershirt or the red sweater will look good with your jeans, Adrien.”

21) Parenthetical asides are used to give bonus info to the reader when a nonrestrictive clause would disrupt the flow of the sentence. Commas are placed after the closing parentheses, but not before either the opening or the closing parentheses. If the sentence would not require any commas if the parenthetical statement were removed, the sentence should not have any commas when the parentheses are added. For example, “After opening the new cookie tin (and eating several of the cookies), Adrien had a hard time replacing the lid.”

22) Don’t use a comma between an article  and a noun. An article is a part of speech that indicates, specifies, and limits a noun (eg. a, an, or the in English). Incorrect: “I’ll eat an, apple.” Correct: “I’ll eat an apple.” Often times we pause when speaking and want to add a comma there in our writing to indicate the pause, but this is grammatically incorrect. If you want to indicate a pause between an article and a noun, use an ellipses: “I’ll eat an… apple.”

23) The phrase “as well as” doesn’t need commas unless it’s part of a nonrestrictive clause. For example, “Adrien wore a white overshirt as well as a black undershirt.” And also, “Adrien’s black undershirt, as well as his white overshirt, were garments he wore.”

24) The phrase “such as” requires a comma if it introduces a nonrestrictive clause. For example, “Coniferous trees, such as pine and spruce, smell great.” But if it introduces a restrictive clause, omit the comma. For example, “Trees such as pine and spruce smell great.”

[riversoaked]

BASIC INFORMATION:

FULL NAME : jules ( julia ) rowland. 

MEANING:

name: jules, meaning youthful, downy.

surname: rowland, meaning renown land.

MONIKERS / NICKNAMES : the veteran. 

GENDER & PRONOUNS : cis-female, she / her. ( very complicated relationship with gender. please do not ask her about it. ) ETHNICITY : white english. DATE OF BIRTH & AGE: january 10, 1805. ( 40 years old ) ZODIAC SIGN : capricorn — the sign that is brave enough to never run away, but constantly afraid of their inner monsters. ORIENTATION : bi, bi, bi ! ( must be: someone who can beat her in a fight. ) ( or: a beautiful and dainty woman / twink who she would protect in a fight. ) ( strong leaning toward women tho. )  MARITAL STATUS : single and has absolutely never considered herself wife material.  OCCUPATION : quartermaster.  CURRENT LOCATION : the hms promethean.

BACKGROUND:

PLACE OF BIRTH : london, england. port city, baby !  RESIDENCES : whatever ship she’s on. she hasn’t ever really had a stable “residence.”  RELIGIOUS VIEWS : she’ll pray to literally any god she thinks might be listening. she’s tried it all! ultimately, some form of christianity. spiritualism. sailor superstitions. it’s a mix.  EDUCATION : very little formal education. she learned to read / write when she was a teenager. she learned a lot on the job! she’s a little proud of this and also a little salty when she talks to people far more educated than herself.  LANGUAGES SPOKEN : english and a handful of other languages where she’s picked up very selected and colorful phrases.  FAMILY :

child: eleanor clarke ( ~7 years old, being pregnant literally saved jules’ life after the rest of her crew was killed / captured in her final days as a river pirate. she pleaded the belly to avoid getting hanged herself, used the child to garner sympathy, was released from jail, and dumped the child on her sister. honestly, it was the best for everyone. father is known, but unaware of eleanor’s existence or what happened to jules for that matter. ) 

parents: mother ( anna rowland, deceased ) + father ( albert rowland, as good as deceased ). the short story: anna and albert marry young, have jules, end up in a poorhouse, and albert runs off. jules and her mother think dear old dad is dead, but he’s just gone off and married some new and younger woman who actually has a little bit of money. anna dies due to the horrible conditions of the poorhouse, and some of the other people try to take care of jules but she’s ~12 years old and absolutely unruly and runs off. 

siblings: ida clarke ( half-sister, 8 years younger --- a result of dad’s new marriage, which jules found out about after running off. jules absolutely hated her at first, since her family was living in conditions that were a lot better than what jules ever had, but ida’s sheer stubborn goodwill eventually won jules over. ida taught jules to read / write when jules was ~16. yes, it was embarrassing for jules to learn from an 8 year old; no, no one knows about this. the two keep in touch. ida is married with two kids now, one of which is jules’ birth daughter. ) 

OTHER FAMILIAL RELATIONS : none that still talk to jules. jules LOVED burning bridges. 

APPEARANCE:

FACECLAIM : katheryn winnick. HAIR COLOUR / STYLE : blonde, typically messy, always pinned back or braided. since her mother died, she wore her hair short so that she could blend in / be mistaken for a man. since she joined with malachy, this is the first time in her adult life where she’s been able to wear her hair long. she has no idea what to do with it, but it makes her feel pretty, okay!!! she’s never felt pretty before, and maybe that’s shallow, but she deserves this, okay!!  EYE COLOUR / SHAPE : hazel, round eyes. HEIGHT : 5 ft. 8 in. BUILD : athletic / toned. can and will beat you in an arm wrestling match.  SPEECH STYLE : low voice, tries not to speak too often, communicates far more with looks. she always sounds like she’s mocking you even when she’s not. kind of just grumpy.   RECOGNIZABLE MARKINGS : too many scars to name. the most prominent: a shocking amount of scars on her back, small scar on her cheek, a scar across her stomach. some tattoos: pig on the left foot, chicken on the right foot, heart on her forearm with a name that has since been done over with a dagger. ( also let jules give you a tattoo. ) BEAUTY HABITS : she’s gross. someone give her tips and teach her how to properly wash her hair. :-/ 

PERSONALITY:

TROPES : bruiser with a soft center,  ineffectual loner, old soldier, for the greater good  INSPIRATIONS : jude perry (the magnus archives), anne bonny (black sails), azula (avatar: the last airbender), bucky barnes (captain america) (i know, i know)  MBTI : istj --- introverted, observant, thinking, judging, turbulent.  ENNEAGRAM : type eight --- the challenger, sees themselves as strong and powerful and seeks to stand up for what they believe in.  ALIGNMENT : chaotic neutral --- an individualist first and last. HOGWARTS HOUSE : gryffindor. POSITIVE TRAITS : bone-deep loyal to the captain, observant to the strengths and faults of those around her, trying to do better  NEGATIVE TRAITS : certain in her superstitions, haunted by who she was in the past and who she might be again, willing to do whatever it takes for her cause  HABITS : tugging on her hair, just straight up not answering questions if she doesn’t want to, slipping into her Commanding Voice even when it’s not the place for it  HOBBIES : cleaning her weapons, drinking with the crew, playing cards, just listening and watching the water, training  USUAL DEMEANOR : she does not really give off the vibe of approachable. she comes across as brash and rude and a bit barbaric. she’ll pace back and forth and can snap at people, but if she knows you... she is a lil nicer... she’ll slap you on the back and thrust a drink in your hand. 

HEALTH

PHYSICAL AILMENTS : she’s broken some bones that haven’t healed right, and her back hurts sometimes. just some aches and pains that feed into her “oh it’s time to retire” jokes.  NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION : trauma, baby........  ptsd and lots of resulting anger issues from it.  PHOBIAS : fear of ghosts, fear of the past, fear of what she is capable of.  ALLERGIES : none that she knows of. SLEEPING HABITS : insomnia due to.... everything going on with her lmao  SOCIABILITY : bad at it, negative charisma. she’s like a cat that pretends it doesn’t want to be petted and will slowly come up to you and you’ll start petting it and then it’ll bite your hand for no reason. desperately wants affection, does not know how to give affection / receive affection.  ADDICTIONS : she was very alcohol dependent for a few months before malachy found her. now it’s a bit more casual, but it’s a little too easy for her to cross that line. 

[brandtmax]

welcome back to gallagher academy, soo-yun ‘maxine’ brandt ! according to their records, they’re a first year, specializing in research & development; and they did not go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of ( sugar-free mints, a messy low bun, wisps of hair alongside her face, the end of a pen between her teeth, the patek philippe calatrava 4897r-010 in rose gold, off-white pants in every fabric ). when it’s the ( virgo ) ’s birthday on 08/23/1997, they always request their japchae from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. 

henlo it me again i hope u guys aren’t sick of me yet bc i have a new bby named max! i’ve written a lot™️ so brace urself but it’s worth it ( i think ) + trigger warnings: death and alcohol dependency under the cut xxx

the basics

full name: soo-yun ‘ maxine ’ brandt

nicknames: max — just max

age: twenty-two years old

birthday: august 23rd, 1997

gender: cis female

preferred pronouns: she / her

sexuality: bisexual

major: research & development (  formerly a b.a. political science degree from yale university )

known languages: english ( native ) / german ( native ) / korean ( native )

background

nationality: american

birthplace: new haven, connecticut, new hampshire

current location: gallagher academy, roseville, virginia

financial status: upper class

religion: non-theistic

appearance

eye color: brown

hair color: black

height: 5′8.5″

notable features: curly hair on lazy days, rosy cheeks

usual mood and expression: calm, furrowed eyebrows whenever her eyes are on work; lethargic and irritable when she’s overworked ( or without alcohol )

family

birth order: second born

parents: soon-bok ‘ vivian ’ jang and stephen brandt ( d. 2018 )

siblings: min-jun ‘ parker ’ brandt ( b. 1995 ) & georgia ‘ gigi ’ brandt ( b. 2001 )

significant others: chris harmon ( 2013-2015 ) / ava carrillo ( 2015-2016 )

her story so far (this is so long n serious lol)

soo-yun 'maxine' brandt was born and raised in new haven, connecticut, to jang soon-bok ( vivian ), a surgeon, and stephen brandt, a ( n allegedly shady ) criminal justice lawyer.

the brandt siblings were raised like any other blue-blooded, very strict but loving household ( strict = mom / loving = dad )

brandt house rules: get straight a’s, follow the 12 am curfew and don't bring anyone home that you know you’d get disowned for. follow those three rules, and you can do whatever you want.

there was pressure for the brandt siblings to be academically accomplished, but it wasn't anything they couldn't handle. they were well-tutored, semi-popular, attractive teenagers, which were common in new haven, and everyone knew they were destined for ivy league.

in high school, she dated chris harmon, and it was the kind of relationship that could only be described as the personification of a kinder egg. sweet on the outside, a waste of time and money on the inside.

which is fine; it took max about 2 months to get over it when they broke up halfway through senior year, because neither of them thought of their relationship going far. the joy of getting into yale ( already expected ) trumped the feeling of losing a boyfriend. she even bet parker $5,000 she'd get early admission. she won.

during college, she had an on-off relationship with ava carrillo for a year, which inevitably became a permanent off. it turned out that it wasn't a good idea to throw herself into a committed relationship the minute she stepped foot into yale. max never had the time, and ava didn't have the patience. at least she tried it tho !

things seemed to be on the up and up for their family, and the worst thing max has ever been through is being awake for 24 straight hours to prepare for a final presentation. but ! you know what they say about the calm before the storm.

( tw: death ) on december 18, 2018, their father unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack during a layover flight in new york. the brandt family was at home when they heard the news. needless to say, they had a quiet christmas and new year.

the family tried to move on as best they could, but the siblings knew their dad's death irreversibly changed their mom. they have a rocky relationship to begin with, the siblings always feeling like vivian never wanted to become a parent and only did so for their father. they have absolutely no mother-children bond, and it got worse when stephen died. being the older brother, parker took it upon himself to take care of vivian, balancing that with running the home stretch with his undergrad degree.

on the other hand, maxine still had a few years left at yale. no amount of therapy helped her cope with the loss of her father, the way her mother seemed to become a shell of herself, how parker had to break the momentum of his career to be there for their mom, and the constant pressure to do good academically.

( tw: alcohol dependency ) it started with buying bottled moscow mules because she didn't like how beer tasted, and she wasn't dumb enough to go straight to hard liquor. just one to take the edge off whenever stacks of coursework became too much, or when her mother would send her an email talking about her day, and she didn't have the courage to read it. then it went from a one, two, three-time thing to a whenever-i'm-upset thing, which slid into a whenever-i-feel-like-it thing. after a while, it became a daylight thing where she would add a splash of soju ( or whatever ) to her lunchtime drinks, and she genuinely thought it was just a funny idea at first. max wasn't the only day drinker in her social group, anyway. she found it acceptable, no different than how other people would pound red bull every 6 hours like it's their life force. it was manageable for her since she was able to schedule when she'd be indisposed, and she still can.

parker had ( and still has ) no clue. despite the two being close, max spared him the burden of having another thing to worry about. as long as she can control it ( or she thinks she can ) then nobody had anything to worry about.

eventually, both maxine and parker were offered the opportunity to join gallagher academy, with parker in line to graduate with honors in global affairs and maxine, not far behind with her own impressive academic portfolio in political science.

though really, her acceptance into gallagher has less to do with her published papers ( still impressive, tho ) and more to do with her covertly helping her father win cases by doing some expert sleuthing, strategizing, witness dispatching + discrediting, sexc breaking and entering, and good, old-fashioned manipulation !

it was something they both wanted; to be a part of the bigger picture in the world, but they knew they couldn't leave their mother alone. parker, who chose to make the sacrifice, let maxine go and stayed behind to take care of vivian.

( but if we’re honest, maxine would’ve left for gallagher regardless if parker was coming with her, but she’ll never tell him that )

despite the guilt and telling parker she wasn't going anywhere ( cough ), he insisted on her taking the once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a part of something they never knew existed. he knew they were going to end up resenting each other if they both stayed. at least one person in the family should be doing something that made them happy.

and so max dropped out of yale and left for roseville, even though she hadn't thoroughly planned out her career trajectory.

she’s eager not just because of the school, obviously. she can't handle going back to their childhood home and seeing how hollow everything is. plus, the immense anger and denial she feels over her dad’s untimely death has no place in new haven anymore.

she promised parker she'd make it up to him, though. somehow, someday.

who is this b*nch

max is relatively easy to get along with, tbh !

she’s a mood matcher; meaning if you’re nice to her, then she’s nice to you ( and if you’re gonna be a punk bitch, then she’ll be a punk bitch right back )

she’s a lil spoiled, lil sheltered, and lil ignorant but her general friendliness makes up for it, she’s the type to be friends with ( almost ) everyone

internally: perfectionist to the point of being ruthless, first place is the only acceptable place, meticulous, neurotic, workaholic, overachiever, if you’re not useful then what’s your purpose?, slightly egotistical, etc etc

externally: caring, protective, and supportive mom friend who just wants people to get their shit together because inadequacy is unacceptable, fixer, likes to dip into different social circles, consciously makes the effort to be more patient with people

she’s incredibly ambitious ? morally ambiguous ? slightly self-serving and self-involved ? her father’s a criminal “justice” lawyer whose clientele doesn’t exactly consist of the beacons of society so... she learned a lot of lessons about how you can win any case in the courtroom if you’re smart enough to a ) make a good story, b ) get the fitting evidence by any means necessary, c ) discredit and discard the necessary people, and d ) be charming and persuasive enough to rock the jury

she’s actively trying to be more open-minded and assimilate to a diverse group of people because back in yale she was definitely in a wasp bubble, and admittedly there are times where she will come off as super snobby without meaning to and tbh sorry about it

she’s still an extremely sociable person because yale also taught her how to network like a motherfucker, and how it’s important to know / be friends with everyone

honestly, intense people turn her off ( both positive and negative ) a little because she can't handle concentrated personalities in one sitting

even though she’s a little intense herself sometimes but it’s fine, we love hypocrites in this house !

neat freak ? but honestly who doesn’t like a friend who squeegees the shower every day and has a tiny can of lysol in their bag and an aroma diffuser with three ( 3 ) oil blends

she’s like... weirdly aggressive sometimes and most definitely has anger issues ( still in denial over her father unexpectedly passing away and getting stuck with a mom who doesn’t like her own children very much )

but also, she’s just agro in general and has a number of physical hobbies. she’s an ice skater, equestrian, a soulcyclist, and a kickboxer. she can fite.

she’s not the type to make fun of herself because she's not at a point where she sees qualities in her that are okay to laugh at ( unless you’re tight )

keeps her negative juju to herself because she’s a very private person

will prioritize work over play because she'd hardwired like that, but that doesn't mean she's anti-fun ( clearly )

definitely needs to loosen up a little that doesn't involve alcohol... jenga perhaps ? or actually try therapy again ?

very effectively sneaky about her growing alcohol dependency ( sugar-free breath mints, brushes her teeth + uses mouthwash after every meal )

dry sense of humor

at all times: wears a 1-carat, emerald cut, pavé diamond ring ( family heirloom ) + carries her trusty black hydro flask with her ( 24 oz. ) and no one is allowed to drink from it !

her signature scent is le labo bergamote 22 🤍

hmu on my discord @ tin#0697 for plottage !

[midas-or-khaos]

Spirit, Chapter 3

��...Say what?” She must be joking, Bill was not becoming some glorified pet, no matter how nice Buttercup was. Ekashi’s parents looked to be on the same wavelength, the tattooed shape around his mother’s mouth that resembled a permeant smile managing to match her disappointment. The kids with sour pouts just looked like they ‘wanted one’. Fucking great. Catch 22. Upset the whole family, what a surprise. At least Grandma intervened.

“Daughter, don’t worry yourself, your son will be fine. All of you carry on, enjoy your food, relax, we will deal with this. Aiya, stop pouting, a spirit is not a dog, you can’t ‘have him’.”

Bill appreciated the lack of focus on himself as all went back to what they were doing, if slightly slowly. The gaze of the eager teens still weighing in every now and then, Aiya especially.

“Ekashiba, take a look at the back of your hands. You should have the symbol of the earth.”

Taking a look at the hand holding him, more black strips peaking out from the curved round the blind spot he hadn’t noticed in his observations when looking up. This pensioner wasn’t lying huh? How’d she know all this?

Looking up, poor ol Butters was on the same wavelength as him. Lost.

“Grandma, how do you know all this? I mean, I know you were a priestess in the past at that huge shrine in the mainland, but last I heard, that was when you still practiced shamanism.”

“I know all this because it’s happened to me before when I was young. It’s a rare occurance, but sometimes the Kamuy see the plights of humanity and decides to intervene themselves. It’s why I converted in the first place.”

Non of that made any real sense.New religion, new name, nothing he knew anything about. All except the word Kamuy.

“Oi, wait a minute, what are you talking about? Are we in Japan?”

Both adults looked down.

“What’s kyapan?”

How could they not know the country they lived in? Were names not translating over properly, like when Ekashi couldn’t say buttercup? Or were these some extremely isolated people like the Mormons or something? But even the Mormons knew about modern technology, these people knew nothing. They weren’t a tribe in the middle of Amazon, they were in JAPAN! The most technologically advanced countries in the world!

The patronising slowness couldn’t quite keep out, “Japan as in, the country we’re in, y’now? Tokyo, Nara, Hiroshima? Any of this sound familiar?”

A lacking level of understanding was shared between the equally furrowed brows. Grandma wasn’t impressed though, giving a supreme side eye that could best his own mum’s, that spoke ‘more shit is coming out your mouth than your arse and that isn’t a good thing’. To top it off, she also spoke with the same hint of sass. Oops.

“Is that what you call this land? Then no, we aren’t in ‘Kyapan’, as you say. We’re in Shikotsu.”

Shikotsu? Where the hell was that?! That didn’t sound like any country he knew, was he even on earth!

Grandma was paused for thought, spite trailing out and softening the creases of her wrinkles in favour of curiosity. At the very least he didn’t have to worry about her holding grudges, a small blessing,

“I’m curious. If you don’t speak our language, where are you from?”

“England, Manchester. I just moved down south to learn how to illustrate books.”

Another pause.

“Child, where do you think Shikotsu is?”

She couldn’t possibly be hinting at... could she be right?

“On the continent of Asia? Maybe North America at a real stretch” Ekashi let loose a small gasp. No way.

“Spirit, this is... I think you may have come from another world.”

Breath stopping coming in, the bitterness of carbon dioxide building in his lungs and biting at his throat couldn’t bring his mind to focus. It all felt so clear now, the veil lifted. Somewhere in this haze of madness, his mind had unwittingly tricked him into believing all this was a fever dream he could escape from. That there was an exit. The signs were right there all along but he’d refused to understand. This wasn’t as simple as being in a foreign country. This was another world.

Why... no-

What is this absolute Bullshit?

“ROOSTER!”

“CHRIST!” He couldn't hear.

“Breath, Rooster.”

Rumbled Ekashiba, calloused, warm thumbs rubbed at shaking shoulders. Breathe. He could breathe. All this anxiety was getting on his nerves, he was never like this before, and being needy was the bane of his life.

“I’m sorry, I overreacted. All I seem to be is a panicky, freezing deadweight.” Both hands came round in a living blanket, leathery skin sinking to fit his form in this odd ‘hug’. It should’ve been repulsive, physical touch often being the biggest cause of overstimulation for himself when so riled up, and yet he couldn’t help but relax again like before. This must’ve been a ‘spirit’ thing. It was so wrong, but so right, a nasty juxtaposition messing with his head.

Thankfully Grandma spoke up, “It is to be expected, you have gone beyond what you ever knew possible.”

Plucked up, Bill found himself flopped down on familiarly patterned wool. The hands retreated, and came back with a ladle of some kind of stew. The scent of unfamiliar ingredients sent his mind buzzing with a hunger he’d all but forgotten, helping to sweep aside all negativity. Too much adrenaline in such a short space of time, along with sickness and sleep left the boy all too busy to think of food.

“We can talk later, child. For now, you must eat.”

That was all she had to say.

Eating was a mostly silent affair on his end, with recognisable comments passing over rarely as the family talked about whatever. It was nice to at last be out of sight and able to just be himself In his mind alone. All that staring had been down right creepy and near predatory from some of the youngest. Ekashi wasn’t letting him go just yet, placing the worn out youth in his lap as he too ate and talked overhead. It was like eating on a parachute sized hammock, and honestly the whole fiasco of it was an Olympic sport. So it was no wonder as he finished the last piece of whatever root vegetable that was, that he just collapsed on the stretched fabric and drifted along consciousness.

A prod at his side. Ughhhhhhhh.

“No no, it’s too early to sleep. You slept till noon when you were ill and now you’re better. You must stay awake until the sun comes down or you will not sleep tonight.”

Buttercup, why must you do this? The boy was sure this giant was nice a moment ago.

“Hurry up, sun.” Came the belligerent reply.

A chuckle for his troubles.

“The sun will set when it’s ready. Till then there is more to do. Firstly, getting you some proper clothing while I go tend to the dogs.”

That was about as much fun as doing a french speaking exam with an actual french person. Buttercup’s mum had reluctantly taken to measuring the child, whilst his dad acted as a helping hand, sourcing fabrics from around their expansive fire pit (must've been a general utility room then). Admittedly it started out awkward, but the whole encounter wasn’t wasted being silent, oh no. Grandma and Akiko(who’s name he kept forgetting ) took It upon themselves to take this chance to start teaching some basic words, clothing items finally getting names. Turns out he knew jack shit about textiles (though from his D grade in year 7, it was hardly surprising). The Attush, which was the main robe everyone wore, wasn’t made of wool. It was made of nettles, and lined with deer or bear fur for warmth. Then the sleeveless jacket was called a Jin...baooooriii? Sounded right. Anyway, that was made of cotton. That piece of clothing, and the jewellery wasn’t worn often. Turned out as Bill was told to T-pose and be a mannequin, The story of his discovery from their perspective came up Akiko was happy to tell the story to help get her mind off the fact that she was dealing with him (or that’s what it certainly felt like, though it wasn’t a lie that he wasn’t enjoying being touched by unfamiliar tree trunk fingers, so fairs fair) and let Grandma translate. Turned out that they’d just come back from a festival for the god mentioned earlier when they heard him shouting.

After all this, the least he could do was try and make a good impression to the mum so she’d lessen her upturned lips and the two could finally be manageable around each other.

“Is there anything I can do to help? I feel kind of useless here while everyone is helping out-”

A waving, bony hand silenced him.

“You will help in time, don’t worry. But for this there’s no tools your size, so we will do it. Just carry on learning our language for a start.”

Damn it, there had to be something he could do other than stand there like some wallflower. Couldn’t help, couldn’t sleep, and damn it he hated languages with a fierce passion. It’s hard enough remembering English words half the time, let alone getting them muddled up with something new. Plus it never made sense, any of it. The rules to language are constantly broken, and then the need for female and male pronouns on furniture and other inmate objects? He was a fish and language was a bird flying right the fuck over his head... he never was one for good metaphors.

“Alright, I’ll give it a go.”

“Perfect.”

It was 3 more hours before anything could be put away, and if boy didn’t have arms like Beyonce then this was all for nothing, ‘cause the fatigued ache had made it that he couldn’t even raise a hand. On a brighter note, a small understanding on pronouns was squeezed out.

“Alright, we’re done. Go take your clothes and find Ekashiba.”

“Why am I gonna find Ekashiba?”

“To help show you how to put all of clothes on.”

Oh come on, he’s 19, he knows how to get dressed! It’s a robe, not Fort Knox. Fuck sake.

“...where is he?”

“Just through that passage on your right. Try and stay by the walls, less chance of getting stood on.”

“See you soon.”

Following the walls was nothing new. Any time spent in middle school with 12 year olds who had a cross between Sisyphus’ boulder and a boxer’s right hook for a backpack would teach you how to stick close to solid safety. Bill had spent 5 years in that shithole. Took awhile, wasn’t any need to rush, just follow the sound of dog chuffs and wagging tails thumping the floor. Maybe he could find a nook to get changed in?

A familiar droopy firebrick-red face popped his face round the corner of the wide corridor. Doge was back! Yeah, maybe he could get the dog to hide him.

“Hey boy, come heeeeerrrrreeeeee.”

Trotting over, the lion maned good boy bent down and licked happily at the familiar sight of Bill, and all that licking, whilst gross, was ticklish and friendly.

“Geh! Sssstttooooppppppp ehehehhehe. You’re too much!”

“Well, looks like Poro has taken a liking to you. She must see you as one of her pups.” Buttercup stood at the exit, looking down and smirking impishly while letting Bill get loved on, making no move to stop it.

Doge was a she. Of course he got that wrong; hard to tell who’s what when their body has enough hair to make a rug.

“Oh. well, all the same stop Girl.”

“Poro, come here.”

At last, sweet freedom! Sweet, messy freedom

“Thanks for the impromptu bath Poro.”

Gruff

“I’ll give you a bowl of water to wash.” Ha! Sympathy is a bitch.

Despite the cheekiness, Ekashi seems to mean well. He realises more than the others that Bill is more an adult than the family give credit for and leaves the boy to do as he wishes while he grooms the dogs. Given the opportunity, the lukewarm bath sesh dragged out, head resting on the rim of the bowl and a review of the day reeling behind the doors to his mind. He’s tiny, check, he’s never gonna be Bear Grills, check and he’s now in one way or another attached to a giant from another world. Check...shit. Obviously it must’ve been the gods if grandma had seen all this before. Why though? What did a uni student from Manchester have in terms of use? He was tiny, had no skills for survival, fighting or cooking, he didn’t know anything about this world; what use was a painting degree and two A levels in mythology and acting?

It’s an hour later of mulling that the boy actually brings it up.

“Ekashi, what is the festival you went to about?”

The man paused in his workings, but didn’t turn round.

“The festival is meant to celebrate the beginning of the world. When from chaos, the elements of the world came about: earth, water, fire and air. Together they came, and the world was born from their clashing and fighting, which broke them apart into infinite pieces, which became the all that exists in the world. The rivers, the grass, all of it.”

“Your Grandma mentioned the Kamuy sent me.”

Ekashi froze, back tensed. Bill fell silent, feeling he’d hit something he shouldn’t.

“...During the festival, there is a chance for prayer. We give offerings and can ask for assistance of give thanks.”

This was beginning to feel a lot like not his business.

“...what did you ask.”

“I asked for guidance.”

He was dodging the answer. Bill was always so bad at reading people, but this didn’t need facial expressions or tones of voice. This felt... apart of him.

“...And?”

“...And a chance for something new.”

[purplesurveys]

853

1. What is your first language? Filipino.

2. How many languages do you know currently? (Even if you’re not fluent) I can read and speak fluently in Filipino and English. I can slightly read Cebuano and Spanish if there’s enough context and if I recognize enough words haha. There are also phrases in other Filipino languages that I’ll be able to catch but they are very few and far between, like Kapampangan and Ilokano.

3. If your first language is not English, when did you start learning English? If your first language is English, have you ever picked up another language and when? I started reading from a very early age and since all the books my parents got me were in English, that’s where I learned my first English words. My grandpa also always preferred speaking to me in English so I learned more phrases and sentences from him. Then the ball rolled when I learned even more English once I started going to school, and then I got exposed to TV shows and movies.

4. How do you feel about films being dubbed and voiced over? Do you prefer to have it in its original language with subtitles or does this not bother you at all? Dubbing is very important at least in the Philippines because we don’t have a completely literate population, especially in the lower classes. It helps them a whole whole lot to just hear voiceovers speaking in Filipino when watching movies that are in English. But for my own personal consumption, I prefer subtitles.

5. Speaking of subtitles, have you ever read them and disagreed with their translation? Yessssss. Some Filipino phrases can be super harsh and when I read the English translation they just don’t pack a punch as much as it would have in Filipino.

6. Do you listen to music with lyrics in languages you do not understand? What draws you to it? I never do that. I personally don’t enjoy listening to music I don’t understand.

7. Do you try to learn a language through music and films? Well I don’t specifically *try* to learn Korean through films and shows. It’s just that I watch too much Korean media that I just kinda pick up words and phrases and end up learning.

8. What is a language that you’ve always wanted to learn, but feel that you would never be able to learn? Any Philippine language other than Filipino.

9. Is your household bilingual? Yes.

10. What languages sound harsh or rough to your ears? Probably German and Russian. Sometimes French. Chinese people also always sound like they’re mad when they’re really just having a normal conversation haha. Koreans sometimes do it too.

11. Do you think the native speakers of the languages that you find rough to be rough as people or have a “harsh” personalities? Not necessarily. Like what I observed from the Chinese and Koreans, it’s really just how they normally speak. They can be completely calm but sound super pissed off to a non-native speaker. Takes a bit of getting used to.

12. In your opinion, what languages sound pleasant? Japanese sounds incredibly soothing to my ears, as long as it’s not a squealing schoolgirl/anime girl talking.

13. What accents and/or regional dialects do you have? I speak Philippine English. Sometimes I’ll codeswitch and speak Taglish, but I only save this for informal settings like if I’m with my friends.

14. Do you think that there are certain situations where it is necessary for a person to speak “properly”? In your opinion, what does it mean to speak properly? I guess. I speak ~properly when I’m in a formal or serious situation, like when I was attending my internship, or when I’m in an oral examination, or when I’m speaking with my friends’ parents.

15. Do you believe that a structure of a language shapes the way a person thinks and conceptualises the world? For sure. For instance, Filipino’s a gender neutral language. We have no term for ‘brother’ or ‘sister’ or ‘she’ or ‘he,’ and instead we simply have a term for sibling and the pronoun they. That’s why I was puzzled for quite a while when I saw that other languages had gendered nouns even for inanimate stuff, like Spanish. Your social standing will also dictate the language that you speak and the words you choose to say.

16. What do you find most beautiful about your first language? It’ll be hard to explain to a non-speaker but deep Filipino sounds very poetic. I’m very envious of those with an exceptional command of the language. Also, we have a billion verb tenses and while that’s not necessarily beautiful, it’s fun to see non-speakers get tongue-tied about all of them HAHAHA.

17. How do you feel about linguistic erasure (when certain countries deliberately try to eradicate a language that isn’t considered the standard)? Do you think it happens in your country? Yeah Filipinos act so embarrassed about Filipino and always prefer English. That’s why so many kids now are more fluent in English – some even have a British accent thanks to Peppa Pig??? – and I think that’s even more embarrassing.

18. Can you roll your ‘r’? Yes.

19. Can you pronounce the French ‘r’? How about the German ‘r’? I can do the French r in a way that will probably be considered stereotypical. I’m not claiming that I can do it 100% because I don’t speak the language. I don’t know what the German r is.

20. What grammatical rule or feature in English do you find most bizarre or fascinating? Probably double letters. Thankfully I was always good at spelling, but I know it’s difficult for non-English speakers to memorize the double letters in words like committee, obsession, commemorate, bookkeeper, etc.