astorxa

[astorxa]

rogerdavics‌:

“Impressive’s the word, alright,” he responded. He always liked enlightening company, and the girl casually left him in awe of her smarts like few others. He wasn’t going to bother her with  “You should’ve been sorted in our House” yet again, but did flash her an appreciative little smile. “That’s very fascinating. If it’s of any interest to you, ‘temp’ refers to a seasonal employee in the Muggle world.” It’s only fair to repay her fun fact through another, right? Before he could go on a tangent about Muggle temps, however, the man conjured an apple wordlessly. “You know, I don’t even care where this apple’s from. I just want to see what this spell will do to an apple.”

“Really? It’s always of interest to me, always,” she replied, earnest and true, because she liked him enough to actually be interested in what Roger had to say. Astoria focused on the apple, should she dare make up a spell on the spot? Would be it be dangerous? Would something bad end up happening? Getting out her wand, she uttered the first combination of latin roots to come to her mind while twisting her wand in an upwards motion, “tempus nox.” She watched as the apple turned black, glad that it didn’t do something scary like shriek. “Now it’s your turn, try something. I think it SHOULD be safe, right?”

[astorxa]

ofburningstars‌:

@astorxa

“so,” she started, tearing her eyes from the pizza she was now sprinkling with cheese to look at the youngest greengrass and smiled, “how was life without moi for the last two weeks? not too boring, I hope.” she’d only recently returned from her trip to venice and had been absolutely craving pizza à l’italienne, and had therefore brought in the idea of making their own pizzas when she’d come over to the greengrasses. of course, it would have been easier to just apparate to italy or have it magically brought to her, but there was something so soothing about cooking that she’d been disinclined to it. she looked down at astoria’s own pizza and tilted her head, “what have you put on there?”

“It was agonizing, I can’t believe I survived without Tracey Bloody Davis for so long,” Astoria said, though it was dramatic for her to say, the love & admiration she had for Tracey was obvious. The idea to make pizzas was extremely exciting to Astoria -- while she liked the holidays for many reasons this holiday was more tense than ever. Tensions in the Wizarding World were at an all time high, though Astoria tried her best not to absorb it all as if it was her own ( as horrible as it was ), it was almost everywhere. But this pocket of time was protected, Tracey was back from Venice and soon she would be on a trip herself, but they had now. “I’m putting some basil, some pesto, because when you mentioned Italian I thought -- we had to have some other green flavors. Like pesto! ”

[astorxa]

lovvegood‌:

Luna is – in her nature – a curious being, a researcher, someone who wants answers and accepts any and all of them. The world is a mystery, filled with more mysteries to be questioned. It’s a lucky thing that she’s not afraid of asking those questions. As she looks upon the face in front of her, she assesses its features before, bluntly and matter-of-factly saying: “You look different.” And with that, her gaze drifts off for a moment, returning after a beat or three, asking for an explanation.

It could be said that Astoria felt like something changed within her everyday, though when it came down to it, nothing actually did. Her mind was always moving, always thinking, it was like some days her thoughts were running a marathon with no end in sight. “What makes you say that?” Astoria asks, though she knows full well Luna is PERCEPTIVE, she’s strikingly honest & in those moments knows what she’s talking about. “Is it the baby blue blouse?” She asks another question, though deep down she knows it’s only to avoid the topic all together, not because she actually has any to ask. “The pink trim and stitching is a bold move for me, I’ll admit, but it is summer.”

[astorxa]

rogerdavics‌:

“while summering in the muggle world, i took a few sessions on classical latin,” the former ravenclaw muses aloud. “our spells are based on that language, pretty much, so i thought i could maybe make new spells easily with that knowledge… but watch.” he flicks his wand at a damaged clock in the vicinity. “tempus.” it means “time,” and one might expect the clock to perhaps work again or something of the sort. instead, the previously inanimate object begins dancing. “i wonder how inventing spells works. the system doesn’t seem to like precise latin.” 

“Impressive,” Astoria raised her eyebrows, half amused half extremely skeptical -- not that Roger wasn’t smart. He was smart enough to have marked Astoria for a good Ravenclaw ( had she been one ), but inventing spells was a whole different quidditch game from what she read. She watched as the clock danced -- at least it was doing something that wasn’t EXPLODING. Giving a soft clap in Roger’s direction, she smiled, “well, I once read a paper that argued spells could sometimes change based on if the root of it changes meaning throughout time. For example, if temp, which is the root by the way, stopped meaning time and meant something like apples then tempus as a spell might do something differently. Maybe only to apples, too.”

[astorxa]

florcarrow‌:

“ don’t leave. “ her stubbornness made her wait until the very last moment, just as the other had their hand on the door to exit madam marlkin’s. her consciousness, however, got the best of her, and so the words were rushed out in a sharp tone. “ there’s trouble next door, “ she revealed, her eyes moving at last from the rack of cloaks to the other. flora had seen a potential conflict, or attack just as she was walking in, and in current times, especially in public laces like diagon alley, one could never be too careful.

“Oh please,” though Astoria knew that Flora wasn’t wrong -- the whole slightly ominous cloak and daggers act was lost on her. She knew she ought to be getting to her portkey, that she ought to be getting home soon but more time out of the house and with Flora? Both wins. Astoria took steps back towards Flora, close enough so that the soft tone in which she was about to speak in could only be heard by the other. “Are you Professor Trelawney now or did you ACTUALLY see something?”

[astorxa]

“The cruelty of the world was tranquil. The murder was deep. And death was not what we thought.”

— Clarice Lispector, from The Complete Stories: “Love” (via autumnalsonata)

[astorxa]

Merlin’s beard, what is ( ASTORIA GREENGRASS ) doing out at this hour? For a ( PUREBLOOD ) who is ( 16 ) years old, ( SHE ) really ought to know better. You know, I hear that they’re aligned with ( THE NEUTRALS ), but that could be just a rumor. I do know that they’re ( QUESTIONING ) and a ( SLYTHERIN ) student though. They’re very ( + DIPLOMATIC ) and ( + INTELLIGENT ) but also quite ( - ALOOF ) and ( - OVERTHINKING ), which could be why they remind of ( USING DISTRACTIONS TO PASS THE TIME, SWEEPING YOUR HAND ACROSS A RACK OF EXPENSIVE DRESSES, THE YEARNING FOR MORE, A KNOWLEDGE UNQUENCHED ). Some people say they’re the spitting image of ( SYDNEY PARK ), but I’ve never heard of them. 

CHARACTER INSPO: Astrid Leong ( Crazy Rich Asians ), Leila Keating ( All American ), Nancy Wheeler ( Stranger Things ), Laurel Castillo ( HTGAWM ), Peyton Charles ( iZombie ), Celeste Wright ( Big Little Lies ).

EXTRAS: pinterest 

ABOUT:

It was a particularly cold day in October, upon a house on a hill in Kent, Astoria Greengrass was born quietly, in the late evening. Even then, she came out of the womb easily without much fuss, the labor was short, she cried once and then not at all. Even from a young age, she displayed the traits of a perfect daughter -- quiet, non questioning ( outwardly ), intelligent, stoic, curious but not too curious ( yet ), poised, obedient. Halloween was just around the corner and the Greengrass’ showed off their new daughter at their annual O’Hallows Eve event, only a little over a week old, she was the apple of their eye. It was like she came into the world to be perfect, seemingly serene, lovely, good. The Greengrass’ while frustrated they couldn’t have any sons, settled for daughters who would make the family name a shining example in the Wizarding World and would make good matches when the time came, they just had to be groomed to get there. It didn’t take much grooming for Astoria to play the part, to become the part, to excel at it like she was born to do so -- much to their pleasure.

She was also kind, inquisitive, sneaky, knowing the more she obeyed the less they’d watch her. At a young age, even though she was younger than many of the pureblood children she hung out with, she was the maternal, caring, quiet, warm presence many of them lacked. A quiet warmth among them, trying to give them the love that none of them got by simply being there, being by their side. If you needed something, go to Astoria. If you wanted something done or needed someone to back you up and legitimize your hijinks, go to Astoria. The only time she deigned to stand up against the adults was in defense of her fellow purebloods, as she felt a camaraderie as well as a responsibility for them she couldn’t really explain. Perhaps, it was the fact that they all had similar upbringings, that they were all practically indoctrinated into a society after the First War that was dying. The Greengrass’s were a dying breed and she easily took on the role of diplomat, of perfect dutiful daughter. She didn’t know anything else even though she longed to.

By the time Astoria was 11, she knew society well. Praised in Witch Weekly as ‘One to Watch’, she made subtle waves within society, going back to her mother’s home in Singapore frequently to further integrate with Pureblood society internationally. The name Astoria Greengrass was known in Pureblood circles and by the time she sixteen, she was fairly popular within them. A perfect socialite, a perfect daughter, a perfect diplomat, she’d been groomed since birth and fit into the role perfectly.

EXCEPT. She wondered. In between the traveling, her parents started to be less lenient with her due to her just being the daughter they didn’t need to worry about ( not that they were the most attentive parents in the first place )  -- she slipped in between the cracks and saw a world that was more than what she was given. The hate they raised her with she realized was fear, which was then countered by her need to know, her curiosity that was once unthreatening, propelled her into muggle cities, into muggle books, muggle music. Of course, she never talked about it, with anyone. But she knew. In her mind, there was so much more than what she had and the longing for it started. A life long love affair with knowledge, never quenched but always thirsty, was born.

That’s when the distractions, the hobbies of sketching, drawing, baking, cooking, reading, became needs. Her mind reeled, her mind saw so much more and realized how her family was on the wrong side of history. Sure, she could enjoy the perks of living, she could enjoy her name & her reputation, the money, the privilege she had of being pureblood, but the morality of it all started to weigh on her heavily. The older she got, the more she read about the dead during the First War. The people her family had helped slaughtered ( at least, they were neutral/DE leaning -- by proxy their blood was on her hands ). The people her Ministry parents had let slide, the people who came in and out of their home who were objectively bad people. She baked, though she wasn’t the best. She painted, she sketched, she made clothing designs of ornate dresses, some of which were brought to fruition and many of which were actually worn by Astoria. Witch Weekly asked her when her clothing line was coming out and Astoria became motivated to actually make one. Not due to desire, but due to the guilt of her life weighing down on her more and more -- instead of doing something about it, standing up to her family, Merlin forbid betraying them, she fell deeper down the rabbit hole of her life. They wanted a clothing line of evening gowns? Astoria would deliver. Brands wanted her to wear their clothing? She did and made them her own. Astoria got better and better at living a life that she felt horrible living because what other option did she have?

Astoria was a true hatstall between Slytherin and Ravenclaw.  He saw she was a wonderer, someone who had an unsatisfied need to learn about everything, that she would soar if she was to be an eagle. The hat kept trying to convince her that Ravenclaw was where she belonged, after all she read books, practically soaked up knowledge like a dry sponge & valued it extremely — but being away from her family? Away from the big sister she loved with all her heart and soul, the people she grew up with? Astoria was a Greengrass, but more importantly she held her value of family above anything else. After a few minutes, the hat saw this, it realized that maybe she did belong in Slytherin after all and let her go. Green robes adorned her, and she joined the House of Snakes with a superficial smile. Because underneath all of that, she was nervous, that maybe she had made a mistake. This was something that she often wondered but was able to push it away for years, happy that she was with the people she loved.

The Hat wasn’t wrong in the end, Astoria Greengrass belonged in Slytherin even if she was a Ravenclaw. She didn’t just belong there because of her last name or her company, but because of cowardice born from self-preservation and the deep need to be loyal to her family, to be by her sister’s side, though not prominent in all Slytherin wizards, was in her veins. Doing the right thing seemed much worse than betrayal, saying something against what she was taught was practically betrayal, so she kept her mouth glued shut. Astoria seemingly turned a blind eye to the budding war around her ( even though that was very much not the case, which was worse ), following her sister dutifully as a Greengrass as a socialite, even if she would’ve rather been home reading many of the books she had collected ( even if some where muggle and not allowed, she hid them under her bed & floorboards ). At 16 almost 17 years old, she’s more conflicted but down the rabbit hole than ever -- a small line of designer gowns under her belt, Witch Weekly’s endless love & praise being named Witch Weekly’s Jr. Socialite Of The Year -- something that weighs heavy on her. Her parents are pleased but Astoria is finding it harder and harder to adorn herself with beautiful clothing and look in the mirror like she isn’t as guilty as the Death Eaters by simply standing idly by. "The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis. " Astoria thinks about this quote. Often.

Underneath the grace and demure demeanor is not someone you want to piss off. With a sharp tongue and a sharper mind, Astoria could easily tear someone down, pick someone apart, so observant and very wry, but she doesn’t. She doesn’t need to and realized at a young age that she would gain more with being adored & loved than being feared -- but it doesn’t mean she can’t. This distinction is important.  She bites her tongue, she swallows the blood, but it doesn’t mean she can’t draw it if necessary.

EXTRA FACTZ:

alright i’m gonna stop bc i usually write long intros and i’m trying to learn the art of brevity

ISFJ & libra

has a cat named asteria because she thought it was funny tbh

patronus: swan

none of that blood curse BS bc cursed child isnt valid in my house!!!!!!

boggart: her sister’s dead body which signifies letting her family down and the person she loves most down, losing her family as well

if u didn’t already know daphne is everything to her

plays piano and violin

loves the stars and star jewelry, she does kinda like astrology too

questions her gender v v deep down, doesn’t really acknowledge or talk about it and doesn’t feel there’s room to

knows she aint straight though and is cool with it

buy the stars by marina and the diamonds is her SONG

always looking good. always looking fresh. she dresses up that uniform with so much jewelry, she looks GOOD AT ALL TIMES and is always wearing some sort of jewelry. designer everything on hogsmeade weekends. like ur girl is looking fresh 2 DEATH

it’s astoria or ria, even then only a few people can call her ria. it’s astoria or bust lol! none of that tori shit!

is something of a wine expert?? she’s real posh tbh. she went to italy (1) time and was like wow i am cultivating a Love of Wine and has done so

[astorxa]

“I have and continue to face hardships in this industry but it has always fueled me, never stopped me. Me being a half Asian and half African-American woman can stump people; I’ve gotten feedback like ’we love her, but she’s not Black enough’ or ‘she’s too pretty to be in a funny role like this one.’ I’m extremely honored to be able to represent minorities and be a force for our young people.”

[astorxa]

Caitlin Park-Lewis, PLL: The Perfectionists ‘Pilot’ (1x01)

[astorxa]

I saw her wings of silver, and thought them made of moonlight and grace. Imagine my surprise to find wings of steel, not starlight, in their place.

the-inquisitor-rio  (via yoncewrites)

[astorxa]

[astorxa]

we don’t own our heavens, we only own our hells.

[astorxa]

In this mouth I gather darkness, an aria, rosewater tongue, tympanic bone, a poem more quiet than quietness, a bronze song, something undone, salvia, a crushed butterfly. It is the blood on a light bulb, the seventh sadness, a fluctuation that closes oceans and eyes. The vermilion and solitary luminary shimmies and singes the feathers of the aviary.Moon, the clock’s word, dear mother, ruin, rain.

Elegy for the Unsaid by Simone Muench (via hush-syrup)

[astorxa]

[astorxa]

i’m 110% here for silk & velvet dresses