#I JUST HAD ANOTHER THOUGHT their kids nicknames if they had been elizabeth and william could have been lizzie and billy

[tawneybee]

Fnaf Movie things that got me

(⚠️LARGE SPOILER WARNING⚠️)

- The whole deal with the family layout is confusing to me. Vanessa is an Afton (another Vanessa-Elizabeth parallel) and has no mentions of other siblings, but it seems Mike and Abby aren't related to her so they're not Aftons.

- Which is weird because their family structure parallels the Afton kids. Mike is Micheal, the eldest brother. Garret is C.C, the middle brother with the striped shirt. And Abby is Elizabeth, the youngest sister who's name is an anagram for Baby (and could pass as a nickname for Eliz(abe)th).

- Also the age gap? Abby is 10 and I think they confirmed Mike is 30, which is pretty large. And that would make Garrett (unconfirmed age but his actor is 6) 14 years older than her. It's just interesting that the Schmidts had another child so late.

- This is something that everyone has been mentioning, but Nebraska is 9 hours away from Minnesota (where the movie takes place.) Why would William drive all the way up there to kidnap a random kid and drive all the way back? Unless it's not a random kid to him. Because of how Garrett's death parallels Charlie in so many ways, I've heard people suggest that Mike's father is actually Henry, and this is how William gets back at him for something involving the company. Plus it would explain why he recognizes Mike's last name.

- not to mention the Ella doll (once again an Abby-Elizabeth parallel since Ella's is a predecessor to Circus Baby in the Charliebot stages) was a springlock suit Abby was gonna be stuffed in.

-Now that I think about it- holy shit. In the end credits scene Puppet's music box plays while the words "COME FIND ME" are spelled out. What if Garrett possesses the Puppet to play into his Charlie parallel? That would be such a cool twist omg.

This will be updated with my thoughts but this is what I got so far

[void-sand-cat]

Assuming that Michael is the player for Fnaf 1/2/3/5/6 (I have no idea what's going on w/4), I doubt there is any way that the spirits (including afton kids & William here btw) knew who they were trying kill was.

So, the animatronics are old and kinda crappy right? So the missing kids wouldn't have the best vision, and (if I recall correctly) Michael looks a lot like William. Plus, we know they attacked anyone with a security uniform (rip phone guy), so they definitely didn't know. I subscribe to the headcanon that they were affected by possible murder machine programming in the animatronics from William, increasing the likelihood that they had 0 idea what they were doing, but I don't know any proof for this, so disregard it, this theory doesn't need it.

Aftons are tricker. Based on how Elizabeth talks about William, I don't think her or CC knew about how fucked up William was.

Next CC. First off, "It's me." Which works if you think he knows Michael is Michael, but it works just as well if CC thinks Michael is William. Again, I have my doubts he knew how messed up William was, but he definitely knew how much Michael was - at least Michael as Foxy bro. I do believe CC said, "It's me" with no ill intent. Whether or not it was meant for Michael depends on how forgiving you think CC is. Irregardless of how forgiving CC is, he is still affected by bad robot eyes and falls into the same hole as the missing kids.

Before moving on to William, I want to touch on Michael. I don't think he knows that Elizabeth, CC, & the missing kids think he's William. From what I understand of SL, Elizabeth does talk like she knows the player. As mentioned above, SL is not a game I have learned a lot about, nor have I learned about Eilzabeth. I said I didn't think "It's me" was said with anger/hatred, but I do believe Michael interpreted it that way. He had been fending off murderous animatronics all night, and another one just showed up in his office. What else is he gonna think? I don't know if Michael knew that CC was haunting the Golden Freddy costume, but if he did, why would he think his brother would forgive the person who killed him? As for the missing kids, he knew they were attacking security guards (at least after a point), I doubt he thought they knew how he was.

I wanted to touch on Michael before William because this is a special case. I still doubt that William knew the security guard was Michael. His eyes have to be total crap, and (if I recall correctly) he can talk, so why wouldn't he talk to his son? Why would he be trying to kill him? Instead of trying to control him, find out what's happened since he was gone, etc. That's the same. However, I think Michael knows William doesn't know who he is. And wants it like that. Michael likely figured out that William is treating him as a rando. It's not hard to put together, but why wouldn't Michael say anything? Counterpoint, WHY THE FUCK WOULD HE? He knows what William has done, and he's there to burn everything down with William inside.

I am technically in my 2nd fnaf phase, but I've only really ever seen gameplay of SB & Ruin, and that's from speedrunners. I got this far bc of game theory binge watching. Fnaf 4s lore is too confusing for me to touch, I think it doesn't matter, maybe as motivation? Eh, no idea. 6 is more of the same, up till Henry's speech everyone assumes Mike's (oh fuck. Mike has a nickname. I'm a dumbass, forgive me) some rando, Henry speech alerts them their wrong, but they burn before figuring it out.

Edit: According to AO3 tags, I misspelled Mike's name. Guess I should fix that quickly. (I can't fix the misspelling in the tags here, though.) I also fixed a mistake with Elizabeth's name at one point. Elizabeth was a typo, I have no idea how I ended up spelling Mike's name wrong. (I'm American seriously, how did I do that?)

[michael-aftons-nonbinary-lover]

‼️child!afton!reader‼️

Y/N; “What is it Mikey?”

*Y/N and Micheal throwing snowballs at each other*

*William walking out to tell them it’s time to come in*

*Micheal throwing a snowball at William on accident*

*Caroline snapping a picture just at the right time*

The picture TOTALLY gets hung up in the hallway and Will absolutely HATES it😭💀

William in the picture: 🧍‍♂️ (/hj)

Partners in Cold Crime

-(Afton kid!reader and Afton family)-

-(Summary: You and Michael have a snowball fight that doesn't end the way you thought it would)-

-(CW:

-(Michael-10, reader-9, Evan/Crying Child-7, Elizabeth-5)-

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

You dodged another one of Michael's unforgiving throws, just barely missing the icy snowball that had been heading towards your face.

"Mike! Mama said no head shots!"

He stuck his tongue out at you, clearly implying that he didn't care what Mama had told you all before you had gone out hours before. Lizzie and Ev had already gone back inside, finishing their snowman long before you and Michael had decided to have a snowball battle royale.

You launched a snowball towards Mike, growing frustrated when he ducked away from it with ease.

"You're too slow, 'Sweet Pea' !" He mockingly used the nickname your father had given you as a very small child.

You glowered at him, stalking towards your older brother, snowball fight be damned.

"What are you doing?! We're not done playing, I haven't won yet!"

"I'll show you who wins, asshole!"

You grabbed a small pile of snow, treading behind Michael and shoving it down the back of his shirt. His eyes went wide as he felt the cold hit his back, shrieking as the freezing feeling finally got to him.

"OH, IT'S ON, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Michael grabbed as much snow as he could carry and began to run towards you. Of course, as an older sibling yourself, you knew that when older siblings began running towards you, it usually didn't mean good things were about to happen. Like right now.

You bolted, running in circles and past small obstacles, dodging and ducking most of Michael's cruel bombarding of Mother Nature herself.

"HA! You can't get me!"

A snowball hit your face, temporarily causing you to fall. You got up quickly, rubbing melting snow from your eyes and heading for the door. As you arrived closer to your safe haven, the door opened by itself! What a lucky little kid you were! Maybe Mama had seen and had taken pity on you, sparing you from your older brother's wrath.

Except the figure wasn't Mama. The figure was taller, with brod shoulders and a tall, lanky build.

"DADDY! HELP!"

Your father stepped out of the doorframe, a questioning look on his face.

"What's wrong, Sweet Pea? Why are you running? Is everything ok?"

You stopped running, falling towards your father and gasping in as much air as you could.

"Mike has- he's got- snowballs- running-"

"Ok, breath first, don't overexert yourself. You're ok."

That's when you spotted him from the corner of your eye. Michael crouched behind the large trash can outside of your house, large, completely formed snowballs laying by his feet. His face held a devilish smirk, and his eyes twinkled with mischief.

You ducked under your father's arms, running up to the porch.

"Where's Micha-"

A snowball, obviously intended for you, hit your father in the face, at the same moment your mother's camera went off from right behind you. You stood frozen from your spot on the second step of the porch, Michael standing out in the yard doing the same.

Your father sputtered out snow, wiping off his face with his hands, while your mother burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, Will! This is going in the hallway!"

"WHAT?"

Michael stared at you. You stared at Michael. You were the first to speak up.

"Mama got a picture right as the snowball Mike threw hit you in the face."

Your father sucked in a breath, glaring towards the front door and, by proxy, your mother.

"Come on, it's time to go inside anyways."

Your siblings watched as your very irritated father, who still had snow clinging to parts of his shirt and face, walked inside.

Elizabeth laughed loudly as Evan came to see what happened. They both eventually got the whole story, through deciphers of your and Michael's giggling.

"Is Daddy gonna be ok?"

"He should be fine, Ev, just needs to change his clothes."

Evan nodded, seemingly happy with the outcome of your father's predicament. As long as he wasn't hurt, Evan would be ok with it.

A few weeks later, and the picture now hung in one of the many hallways your mother had dedicated to family photos. There was one of Evan's first soccer championship, the day he scored the winning goal. One of Elizabeth's first ballet recital, which she had been so proud of and happy to be in. One of Mike's 10th birthday, which featured you and your sibling, and some of Mike's friends, hanging out in the arcade at Fredbear's. There was one of you from last spring, back turned to the camera, painting easel set up and looking out the window for inspiration. The painting, which told the small story of Michael pushing Evan on the homemade rope swing your father had made when he found out about your mother's pregnancy with Michael, now hung above your parents bed.

Your mother loved capturing every moment she could, always taking her camera with her when you traveled, or when an important event was happening. You loved walking down the "Family Hallways", as they had been dubbed, looking at everything you could find.

Your father may absolutely despise that picture, but he knew it added to the memory building your mother had done for years. And he wouldn't change that for the world. Even if it meant one silly picture that was still laughed at everytime it was passed by.

(lol, idk what that ending was but it's written>:))

(edit: I DIDNT EVEN NOTICE THE TYPO UNTIL PEOPLE POINTED IT OUT, HELP💀)

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

LICORICE PIZZA (2021)

Starring Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Skyler Gisondo, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, John Michael Higgins, Christine Ebersole, Harriet Sansom Harris, Ryan Heffington, Nate Mann, Joseph Cross, George DiCaprio, Ray Chase, Emma Dumont, Maya Rudolph, John C. Reilly, Dan Chariton, Este Haim, Danielle Haim, Moti Haim and Donna Haim.

Screenplay by  Paul Thomas Anderson.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Distributed by United Artists Releasing. 133 minutes. Rated R.

Paul Thomas Anderson returns to his Boogie Nights 70s milieu for the alternately charming and frankly kinda weird Licorice Pizza.

Then again, Anderson has always been a bit of a problematic director for me, although I appreciate the craft, the only one of his movies that I totally liked was the aforementioned Boogie Nights. However, he has had a string of critically acclaimed movies that left me rather cold – Magnolia (which I actually liked until the last 15 minutes), Punch-Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood, The Master, Inherent Vice and now, I guess, Licorice Pizza.

Well, perhaps Licorice Pizza doesn’t belong in that company. I actually really liked lots of parts of the movie, although I do think lots of other parts are sort of odd. The pacing is all over the map, and the storyline doesn’t make much sense, but as a child of the 1970s, I do recognize lots of the references being made here and they are a lot of fun. Licorice Pizza deserves big praise just for using a poster of the 1973 film The Last of Sheila as a prop.

I’m just not sure exactly what Anderson is trying to get at with this story. Even the title of the film is a bit of a fake out. I assumed from the title it would be about the music industry. (Licorice Pizza was the name of a chain of record stores in Los Angeles in the 1970s and in a broader context was a nickname for vinyl LPs.) The fact that the star of the film, Alana Haim, is a musician (from the sister group Haim) and not an actress also fed that thought. (In a nice touch, not only do Alana’s sisters play her sisters in the film, but her parents play their parents as well.)

While Licorice Pizza is nearly wall-to-wall 1970s music (most of it great), it is not specifically about music. It’s more about show business and hustling in LA during the 1970s energy crisis. It is similar to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in the fact that many old Hollywood characters pop up for strange sequences including William Holden (renamed Jack Holden in the movie), producer Jon Peters, Lucille Ball (renamed Lucy Doolittle here), agent Mary Grady, restauranteur Jerry Frick and actor Fred Gwynne. And like Once Upon a Time…, it doesn’t quite work as well as you’d hope.

I guess this show biz ambiance is due to the fact that the male lead – Gary Valentine – was based on the life of former child actor (and waterbed salesman) turned film producer Gary Goetzman. Valentine is well-played by another first-time film actor, Cooper Hoffman – son of the late Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who worked with Anderson in Boogie Nights, Magnolia and The Master.

Gary runs across Alana Kane (played by Haim) when she’s working for the photographer when he’s getting his high school photos taken. Alana is at a bit of a crossroads in her life, taking lots of dead-end jobs and angry at the world. However, the charming young actor is immediately taken by her and tries to ask her out. Alana isn’t interested in him romantically, but she enjoys talking with him and soon they are constantly spending time together. Gary is a real go-getter for a high school kid, so he talks her into joining him on acting gigs, in opening the first waterbed store in the region and eventually opening a penny arcade.

Gary never loses his attraction to Alana, although he recognizes it is unrequited and starts to see other girls. Alana seeing him with other girls makes her have a reaction that surprises even her – suddenly she’s a bit jealous and may be interested after all. But Gary seems to have moved on, so she gets involved in doomed relationships with an older actor and a budding politician. However, the two of them are often together, keeping their eyes on each other, but afraid to admit their feelings.

I guess I should address the elephant in the room, at least for me. Nobody else seems to be bothered by the fact that a sorta romance between a 25-year-old woman and a 15-year-old boy feels kind of creepy. I mean, yes, less creepy than if it were the other way around, but still I spent the entire movie wondering why this woman – neurotic though she may be – was spending all of her time with a bunch of young teens. And when she wasn’t with them, she was often throwing herself at older men.

I get that she was sort of lost and had low self-esteem, but still….

Yes, I get it was sort of fantasy fulfillment told from the perspective of the boy as a grown man. And yes, I get that it was based on an idealized version of a true story. It still felt a little hinky to me, though. Paging Mary Kay Letourneau….

However, if you can look past that – and most people seem to be – Licorice Pizza has lots to offer.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2021 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: December 25, 2021.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #336

"get back, you’re never gonna leave him  /  get back, you’re always gonna please him”

What were your favorite things to draw when you were a lil kid? When I was a very little kid, idk. But once I got into meerkats... I drew them like crazy. Do you think there is something with or around you, like a spirit, angel, ghost or something else? How does this make you feel? No. Imagine you’re a stranger looking at yourself. What things would immediately catch your eye? Ugh, let's not. When did you feel the most confident in your life? Probably my senior year of high school. I was happy with Jason with plans for the future together, I was doing excellently in school... I thought I was really going to go somewhere. Do you think love is needed to have good sex? For some people, no. For me, loving one another is an absolute must. Do you think, or want to, die in the city you currently live in? Fuuuuuuuck no, I hate it here. What is the strangest thing you have ever encountered? Probably when I was otw home from my doctor appointment and we passed a random guy in drag walking on the side of the street... That guy is an icon. Favourite soft drink? It's really strawberry Sunkist, but I love it to a degree I don't even allow myself to drink it, because I will fucking destroy that shit so quick. So I tend to just say Mountain Dew Voltage is my fave. What do you like to put gravy on? I hate gravy, period. Have you ever gone canoeing/kayaking? No, but it sounds fun. What is one thing you know about your family history you’re proud of? Uhhhh idk. Who depends on you the most? My snake. Are you related to anyone famous or historical, if so who? Yes; William Clark and Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth, idr which. Would you ever donate a kidney to anyone, and who? Mom. She only has one kidney, so, y'know. She kinda needs at least one. I wouldn't even hesitate. What is the main quality you think makes a great parent? Unconditional love. What three things do you think of most of each day? My weight is #1. Every second of every day, it, as well as Jason, are somewhere towards the front of my mind. The final is financial and job-oriented stuff. Does/did your high school have pop machines? It did. Do you know anyone who’s won the lottery? No. Have you ever slept in a water bed? Yeah. How often do you use Flickr? I pretty much abandoned my account; nowadays I only occasional check my friend's profile who works at the Kalahari Meerkat Project because she uploads wonderful pictures of the 'kats as well as gives interesting info about them! Who is the last child that you took a photo with? Mom took a picture of me holding my youngest niece Emerson because it surprised everyone; I NEVER hold babies. She crawled over to me and reached up though, so of course I was going to pick her up. How often do you wear hats? Never. Would you ever get a nature tattoo? Sure! Idk what, but I'm rather sure I'll get at leaast one. Is anyone in your family sick at the moment? No. Where do your siblings work, if anywhere? My older sister is a mammographer, and my younger sis is a social worker. Where is your favorite place to buy groceries? Wal-Mart, I guess. Who do you generally talk to the most? My mom. Is anyone saved in your phone under a nickname? Mom is "Mama Bear," and then my siblings are "Little Sister" and "Big Sister." Whose birthday is coming up? My lil sister has her birthday in April. Have you ever ordered from an informercial? No. When, where, and why did a needle last pierce your skin? I needed to get blood drawn for some testing. It was drawn from my inner elbow, obviously at the doctor. Have you been to an escape room? Was it a success? I never have, but it'd be fun. I enjoy puzzles. How many followers do you have on Instagram? I don't feel like checking. What’s the most recent music video you watched? Thoughts? "Mutter" by Rammstein. I picked a screenshot from it to draw, so I rewatched it to select one. It's a beautiful video, but also strange, which Rammstein is great at. Have you ever recorded a cover of a song? No. What makeup products are your go-tos? If I wear makeup, the bare minimum is black eyeliner. Are you going to school this year? No. I gave college as many shots as I could handle both sanity-wise and with finances in mind. I do NOT want to even ATTEMPT to imagine the debt I have after going to three different colleges and dropping out each time. What is your favorite water activity? I enjoy just kinda swimming around aimlessly, relaxing. What are your favorite video games? Okay, I talk about SH2 and SotC enough on questions like this, so I'll mention some others I really enjoy as well: the Silent Hill franchise in general, Spyro games, The Last Guardian, both The Evil Withins, The Last of Us, some Resident Evil games (the 4th in particular), etc. etc. I just love video games. Do you like jello? I enjoy the flavor, but the texture makes me squirm. When was the last time you gave someone "the finger?" Probably while riding in the car with Mom when a dumb motherfucker swerved into our lane. Or something like that, idr the exact occasion. Have you ever held a snake? Yesssss, I want to hold all the snakes. ;_; Most unique place you’ve ever been to? Uh. I guess maybe the Whirligig Park/"Acid Park" nearby us? It's just this large expanse of unique architecture that are mostly, as you guessed it, extravagant whirligigs. You've got to see it if you come to the town. I have some pictures on my deviantART if you wanna see a few pieces. If you were a superhero, what color would your cape be? NO CAPES! Have you ever slept out on your porch all night? Oh fuck no. I'd feel way, way too unsafe. Do you like horror movies? Yeah! What’s your favorite Coke product? Just normal Coke. Watergun or water-balloon war? Watergun. I don't like being hit with stuff. Do you know anyone that’s afraid of elevators? I kind of am. Is there anything in your room that belongs to a boyfriend, or a friend of the opposite sex? I have three plushies from Jason, Tyler, and Girt. My Marilyn Manson poster is also from Juan. Who’s your favorite Beatle? I don't know; I was never a big fan, so I don't know any of them as people well at all. Have you ever texted an ex whilst drunk? How’d that go? I've never been drunk, but no, I've never texted an ex because I was drinking. Do you have to stand on your tip-toes to kiss your boyfriend? I don't have one. The only instance where I had to do that was with Girt. Tall motherfucker. Have you ever been tackle-hugged? Yes. Those are the best. Have you ever rejected someone’s kiss before? Girt once tried to make out with me and I noped the fuck outta that situation. It was so fucking awkward. Is your mood or the overall tone of your day often affected by the dreams you had the night before? My nightmares definitely can. Do you think that there are any positive aspects or outcomes of suffering from a mental illness? If you have a mental illness, do you think it has changed you for the better in any way? I definitely believe my mental illnesses forced me to mature faster and also instilled a great sense of empathy in me. And don't forget emotional endurance. What is your opinion on celebrity culture and celebrity worship? Have you ever been guilty of putting a celebrity on a pedestal? Do you think it’s somehow more acceptable/understandable to obsess over certain types of celebrities (musicians over YouTubers, say) than others? At what point do you think an obsession like that crosses the line? It's dangerous and can be very blinding. An outsider could say I put Mark on a pedestal, but I've always been very aware that he's not perfect and really just another human, I just happen to love him a lot for the human he is, haha. As time's passed, my vision of him has become healthier though (not to say it ever reached the "unhealthy" threshold); it's gotten easier for me to judge him and stuff like that. I think an obsession crosses the line when you put on rose-tinted glasses to look upon someone and entirely ignore their flaws, or if you try to invade their personal lives, ex. being one of those creeps that loiter outside their houses and stuff. If you were to pursue a career in photography and had the opportunity and means to photograph whatever you wanted, what would most like to photograph? Ah, livin' the dream. If I had to choice and would be paid well regardless of focus, I would absolutely travel and photograph the local nature/wildlife. Is there a certain type of clothing (outerwear, activewear, loungewear, etc.) that you enjoy shopping for more than others? Shirts, 100%. Are you ever afraid to post your ideas, artwork, photography, etc. online for fear that they will get stolen or not credited? When it comes to OCs, yes, given that things have been stolen from me before. Photography doesn't worry me much because I don't think I'm good enough for someone to possibly want to steal it (and besides, I use a watermark), and I do the same for drawings. It's the unique characters I make I worry about being stolen if I share them. When is the last time you did something sexual? A few years back. Who is the last person you showered with, if anyone? I haven't showered with someone since I was a little kid and my younger sister and I would to conserve water. What do you think when you see roadkill on the side of the road? It really makes me genuinely sad, and I always wonder if it could have been avoided if the driver was more alert, slower, and thinking about more than the damage it could cause to their car... I enjoy photographing roadkill, brutal as it may be, out of respect for them and the desire to make their individual stories known and just kind of like, raise awareness of it. Too many people are just annoyed by hitting an animal versus more concerned. "Stupid deer," stuff like that. I sometimes worry that doing so can be interpreted as disrespect, to photograph and publish pictures of their corpses online, but I sure hope not. It's the least of my intentions. I just want people to see and care. Have you ever had an ex that just didn’t understand that it was over? Biiiitch I was that ex, 120%. But besides my situation with Jason, this was how Tyler was. I had to tell him about five thousand times to stop texting me. Are your fingernails currently short or long? They're always pretty short. Would you rather have big or small dogs? I like medium-sized dogs most. I'd have to pick large dogs between the two, though. What is your favorite sports drink? I'm not a fan of sports drinks. What was the last compliment you gave a guy? Yesterday, a guy in PHP shared two poems he wrote while hospitalized, and they were wonderful, so full of passion and emotion. I sure as hell told him they were amazing. He's going for his Master's for poetry, so he knows what he's doing for real. Does your jaw ever crack, pop, or lock? It's popped on very, very few occasions. Have you ever thought of how you would give your kids “the talk”? I don't want kids, so no, I've never thought of this. I certainly wouldn't wait for sex ed in school, though. I feel like it's a bit late. I feel children need to know what it's about at a younger age with how disgusting some people are... I want them to be informed on what consent and molestation are so they know to let Mama know so I can punch someone's face into a whole new galaxy if they're ever violated. Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on something? Oh, always. Do you ever write/draw on windows that are fogged up? I did as a kid, sure. Not so much now. If you were married, and your spouse’s parents became ill, would you let them move into your home? If they were truly sick enough to need assistance but not actual hospitalization, yes. I'd want my spouse to do the same for me. Have you screamed in a pillow before? Yyyyep. What do you like more, acoustic or electric? Electric. Did you actually have a cookie jar? We have a Santa one, though I don't even know if we ever used it versus just having it as a decoration. What’s worse, having someone mad or disappointed in you? Disappointed. What do you bite on more, your tongue, lip, or nails? Bottom lip. Do you think that knowing when and how you’re going to die would ruin your life? "Ruin" it seems a bit extreme, but I definitely wouldn't like it. Do you have a favorite bromance? From TV or a movie. Not really, if we're only talking those two options. Do you find flea markets and thrift stores enjoyable? Yeah, you really can find the coolest shit for great prices. What color is your wallet? Mostly red and white; it's a Harley Quinn design. Have you ever been somebody's photography subject? No. Nicki Minaj fan? I believe she's a very talented rapper, but I don't enjoy her actual music. I just don't like rap. Have you ever seen the Niagara Falls? No, I wish tho.

[fromtheashesofvalyria]

They were both too young to know how to love.

Of course leave it to Harry Potter to be what drags me back into writing fan fiction. Apologies to people who follow me already since this is pretty different from posts I’ve done in the past, so feel free to ignore. 

I just wanted to try and get some thoughts out about a fanfiction I’m currently writing, specifically the relationship between Harry and Daphne. Or the lack of one right now anyway. ;)

The basic background is that this is a soulmate AU with soulmate marks and empathy/semi-telepathy (I’m not sure what to call it honestly). The three main ships are Dramione, Ransy, and Pottgrass, and it’s a slowburn enemies to lovers starting from Goblet of Fire on. Emphasis on slowburn and enemies considering two of the involved are Draco and Pansy.

Before I started writing again, the only ones of those three I shippped/read fanfiction of were Draco/Hermione and Pansy/Ron. I originally picked Daphne because I’d read fics that had her as a character and liked her in them; after that I read two fanfics that made me really ship them, because the amount of ships I have due to fanart/fanfic is huge. (Previously I was, and actually still am, a Nottgrass shipper because I am a multi-shipper a lot of the time.)

I’m going to put the rest of my rambling under the cut.

So there are a couple different things going on here. The most superficial was that, when I had started writing, I’d been re-watching the Lizzie Bennet Diaries so I was a bit influenced by Pride and Prejudice when writing Daphne at first. Specifically the inspiration was Matthew Macfaden’s Darcy from the 2005 movie and Daniel Vincent Gordh’s William Darcy from LBD. (And as an aside Astoria was slightly based on Georgianna from the 2005 movie and Gigi Darcy from LBD.)

The inspiration became less strong the more I wrote, but her being standoffish/cold/rude to non-Slytherins (except Astoria) and the scene where Daphne tries to make a deal with Harry was inspired by Darcy's first, horrible proposal to Elizabeth. But that’s the shallower reason, let’s get into the meat of it, which is background vs appearance. 

Harry Potter was orphaned at the age of one years old, was raised in an abusive family who didn’t even give him a room for ten years, had no friends until he got to Hogwarts, and was lied to by the Dursleys’ about what his parents were actually like. There were no pictures of his parents, he wasn’t told they were a witch and wizard, and he didn’t even know they were murdered. When he is told about his parents, he is given the romanticized view of James and Lily and their relationship. He thinks they were the perfect picture of soulmates, as he hasn’t been told that James was once a jerk that Lily really disliked. His first real experience of familial love was with the Weasleys and thinks of them as the best family in the world. Daphne knows nothing of this aside from the fact that he was raised by muggles; I don’t think she thought much about Harry at all outside of times parts of his adventures were found out by the school. Like the flying car incident. As she said in the fanfic, Harry just sort of existed to Daphne. 

Harry is only fourteen years old at the start of the fic, and has only had a crush on Cho at this point, but he does know that he wants to have the real love and respect his parents had. He wants to have a family of his own that would actually be loving. He doesn’t want his potential future children to grow up without love. And, most importantly, he doesn’t think Daphne is capable of that. 

What Harry knows about Daphne’s background is that she’s part of an old, wealthy pureblood family a la the Malfoys or the Parkinsons. (He wouldn’t know the term Sacred Twenty-Eight.) That’s pretty much it and would be about the amount of knowledge all the students from the other houses would know (except for Astoria, the Ravenclaw little sister, who is just as uncomfortable as Daphne when asked to talk about their parents). Harry is also generally dismissive of Slytherin house as a whole thanks to Draco and his gang; he thought they looked like a “pale and unpleasant lot'' at the Welcome Feast in first year. 

Here’s how Daphne comes across to the kids outside of Slytherin: standoffish; doesn’t seem to talk much outside of class participation, and is often sarcastic when she does; doesn’t seem to have friends outside of Slytherin and the only non-Slytherin she is consistently genuinely affection towards is her little sister, and not everyone sees that; while not a member of Pansy’s gang is still known to be a good friend of Pansy’s, and is also close to Blaise who is seen as equally snobby. 

(Speaking of Blaise, Daphne still wants to know why she’s the only one to get an insulting nickname like Ice Queen when Blaise and Theo are often just as anti-social towards the other houses as she is. In Theo’s case, more so. XD) 

Of course, it’s easy to sympathize with Daphne when you know what her background is really like. Her parents, despite being soulmates, have an absolutely toxic relationship that their daughters had to witness: “Daphne Greengrass hadn’t been a fan of the soulmate concept for years now. She could even pinpoint the exact moment her disillusionment started: the night before her sixth birthday when her father finally told her mother that, soulmates or not, he had never loved her and had only married her out of both obligation to the bond and to the alliance with her family. This had then turned into a screaming match in her father’s study accompanied by the sound of glass being thrown at a wall.” This is just one incident. 

Daphne was so used to her parents arguing (and to be really clear, I’m not talking about normal arguments couples have; I’m talking about full-blown trying to verbally/emotionally hurt the other as possible or just arguing to try and win against the other person) that she was already making it her job to comfort Astoria, who “was still a baby, and upset by it”. Daphne has grown up with a very dim view of romance and romantic love. 

Now, Daphne does know that people can be genuinely in love. For all their many, many faults, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy are devoted to each other. Pansy’s parents aren’t on the same level, but are loving/affectionate enough with each other. However, she doesn’t think love and happiness are guaranteed so it’s better to have something more solid like respect or trust. However, that is hard to get across to Harry because she’s grown up to think being emotional is bad/a weakness and it’s hard for her to open up to people she doesn’t know well. (Pansy was her first friend at five years old and is still her best friend up until this point; it’s also the reason her other friends are the Slytherins she’s known for years at this point. People she’s used to.)

She could have approached Harry differently, flirted, or suggested dating, or tried to be romantic but she would have thought of that as dishonest/manipulative. Because Daphne knows love isn’t guaranteed for soulmates. Because Daphne knows she’s not the most likeable person. Because Daphne isn’t sure she could love Harry and doesn’t want to lie about it. Yes, Slytherins are all about cunning and clever ways to get what they want, but this is one of the areas Daphne would not even consider something like that. For all her issues, Daphne does have some standards. 

Self-control and (just control in general) is something Daphne clings to because her parents were often unpredictable and she had to create a sense of being in control of her life. Her father is not a warm or empathetic person and he looks down on people being too emotional. (Yes, this is supposed to be hypocritical considering he’d get into screaming matches with his wife.) He would be out of the house a lot for both work and to get away from his wife. Her mother was emotionally and mentally in a bad place for a long time and withdrew from her children a bit. She improved by the time Daphne was at school, but her favorite is clearly Astoria for reasons that will be expanded on later. Daphne tells herself she gets it because Astoria is her favorite family member too. (Also I just want to make this clear, Daphne and Astoria are close siblings who genuinely love and care about each other. Daphne is also Astoria’s favorite family member. Their relationship, as I like to see/write it could be another post though so moving on.) 

This need for self-control also was because of the stutter she had growing up. She was already self-conscious about it and she was very aware that her parents (her father in particular) saw it as a problem, which stressed her out more and made her stutter worse. The more emotional she’d get, the more likely she’d stutter. Whereas the more comfortable she was, the less often it happened. Pansy already mentioned in one of her POV’s that she barely heard Daphne stutter around her after a while; not a huge spoiler or surprise, but it was the same with Astoria. One of Daphne’s pre-Hogwarts tutors was essentially a wizard speech therapist, so she had it under control by first year but it was still recent enough at the time that she was pretty afraid of slipping up at school. Also consider the fact that some students (not just Slytherins either, but from all houses) made fun of Quirrell's stutter, and he was a teacher. (Yes he was evil, and only pretending to have one, but they didn’t know that then.) How much worse would the teasing be for a first year student? So as her father told her, sometimes it’s better not to talk at all. 

Harry doesn’t know any of this. 

Before things really started in the fanfic, Harry’s one interaction with Daphne that really stood out to him was that time she was sarcastic to him in first year after his first Quidditch game: “You know my family made the snitches used at Hogwarts. Please try not to choke on another of them next time.” When fourth year started, she ignored him completely in the Great Hall, and didn’t help her friend in a way he didn’t recognize/understand. 

The next day, Daphne sends him a note ordering him to meet her during lunch, after not acknowledging him in public. (As Harry says, she didn’t even write please. It also didn’t ask him for a date and time to talk, just told him to meet her in a specific location.) When he asked if she was proposing to date him, she “made a truly exasperated sounding noise” which definitely hurt his pride a little. She also tried to approach a relationship (not necessarily even a romantic relationship, just in general) with him, someone she has barely spoken to,  like a business deal, which he thinks is a cold way to look at it and he loses his temper. However, it should be noted that she asked him why when he rejected her out of hand and well, don’t ask a question you wouldn’t want an answer to. 

Later on he sees her picking on a second year for seemingly no reason. In reality, this is a girl who did something to her sister and Daphne doesn’t let things like that slide when it comes to people she cares about. 

Now afterwards things get murkier because Daphne is wanting to freeze him out/ignore him, but he is the one to poke at her. The soulmate bond is like an outside force that pushes down on two people to try and force them together, which can be downright unbearable if you really don’t like the other person. Harry finds the pressure it puts on them very hard and is stunned when she acts like she’s not affected at all. (He’d feel better if he knew she was feeling it just as much as him. Sort of like how Hermione and Ron both take comfort in the fact that Draco and Pansy are having as bad a time with the bond as they are.) He’s already under stress from the situation with his scar hurting and Sirius leaving his hideout to come back to England because of it, now add on to that the stress of an outside magical force trying to bond him to a girl he doesn't like and who doesn’t like him. No, he’s not handling it in a great way, but he’s young. 

And Daphne could always try and talk to him about things good (sending him a song through the bond to help him sleep when worry for Sirius was keeping him up) and bad (the incident with the second year), but she doesn’t try. Partly it’s out of pride, but largely it’s because she’s developed unhealthy coping skills that she doesn’t realize are unhealthy.

[hotbrownmourningpotion]

The Dragon Prince and History

There’s not a lot of historical references in The Dragon Prince, but I am stuck at home and bored so I may as well put my history degree to good use. I studied European history, and my specialty is the Wars of the Roses, so mostly this is from around that era. Some of these are stretches, really big ones; but if nothing else I hope that this encourages you to read more about these fascinating men and women throughout history. And if anyone has other ideas about historical references in this show please let me know, I would love to open a discussion and hear your thoughts.

Harrow - Edward the Fourth

Edward the fourth was King of England from 1461 to 1470 and then again from 1471 to 1483, until his death. Edward’s father was leader of the York faction of the War of The Roses, who tried to depose Henry the Sixth. But his father was killed in battle and Edward took the throne. Now is when the parallels start to come in. Edward enjoyed military success against the Lancasters during the War of the Roses, a feat we see in Harrow as he did take down a dragon and a magma titan. Like Harrow, Edward’s wife had been married before. However when Edward decided to marry the young widow instead of the woman he’d been betrothed to, his allies turned against him. They deposed Edward and Henry the Sixth was briefly returned to the throne until Edward returned with an army and took back his throne. The remainder of his reign was said to be peaceful, but when Edward died a new conflict arose. Edward’s son was twelve years old when he was set to take the throne but the child king was never crowned because of Edward’s brother, Richard the Third.

Harrow could also be based on King Henry the Fifth for his military prowess and untimely death.

Viren - Richard the Third

Richard the Third was king of England from 1483 to 1485. After the death of his older brother, his twelve year old nephew was set to take the throne. Richard, however, deposed his nephew on the grounds of illegitimacy, as Edward had been betrothed to another young woman before he married the widowed Elizabeth. Richard locked his two young nephews in the Tower of London and neither were ever seen again. It is said that Richard killed them but the bodies were never found. While on the throne, Richard personally drowned his older brother and married the widow of Henry the Sixth’s only son (who he killed.) Like Richard, we see Lord Viren as manipulative and conniving, he is smart and knows how to take advantage of a situation so that things go in his favor. Similar to Richard, Viren locks up the heir to the throne in order to take his crown. Of course he didn’t murder anyone to get to his position (that we know of) except for the creatures he’s used for dark magic, but he is a power-hungry narcissist who did conspire to have his son kill both heirs to the throne. Richard is often regarded as one of the most evil Kings in English history, he was defeated by Henry the Seventh, who then married Edward the fourth’s daughter, Elizabeth of York, and the two of them joined the York and Lancaster houses to end the war of the roses and began the reign of the Tudors.

Callum - Henry Tudor

Okay so this is actually for Callum and kinda Rayla. Don’t worry, I have some for Rayla separately but there are a few parallels in their relationship that I can’t ignore. Symbolically, Rayla and Callum remind me of King Henry the Seventh and Elizabeth of York. The War of the Roses had been going on for generations between the Lancasters and the Yorks, and these two joined the houses of Lancaster and York together with their marriage and ended the War of the Roses. After the defeat of Richard the Third, Henry became the first Tudor King and Elizabeth became his consort. But being consort, she didn’t have the same power as her husband, which is where our second couple comes in.

King William the Third and Queen Mary the Second.

I’m gonna leave the War of the Roses behind now and talk about the couple who co-ruled England. Mary was the older daughter of King James the Second and she insisted that her husband rule alongside her, not as her consort but as her equal. I mention this only because even though I don’t think Callum will ever become King, I think that if he hypothetically ever did he would want Rayla to rule alongside him. Just hopefully no one dies of smallpox this time.

Rayla - Æthelflæd 

Before anyone asks no, I am not sure how to pronounce that, so for simplicity sake we’re gonna call her Ethel. A lot of different historical figures come to mind as potential influences for Rayla, Joan of Arc being a pretty obvious one but I feel everyone knows her story so I am going to tell you about an Anglo-Saxon queen who killed a bunch of Vikings. Ethel was born to Alfred the Great, who was known for being great, around the year 870. Usually women were not allowed political roles but Ethel said fuck that and learned how to fight, which was a good thing because her land was being invaded by the Vikings. She fought against the Viking invasion and won because she was strong and intelligent, avenged a bunch of deaths, and was just an all around awesome badass queen. Her crown was passed down to her daughter, who was later overthrown by some particularly awful male relatives. I feel Rayla embodies the spirit of a woman who could outsmart and kill a bunch of Vikings, as we’ve already seen just how smart and badass she is. However as I've said before, a lot of historical figures could also easily fit into Rayla’s character; some of the others include Grace O’Malley, Black Agnes, and some pretty fierce Scottish queens.

Claudia - Lady Jane Grey

The nine days queen was named heir to the throne by her cousin, Edward the Sixth. Edward was the son of the famous Henry the Eighth and his third wife, Jane Seymour, and he feared that his older sister, Mary, would return the country to Catholicism if she took the throne so a plan was drawn up to skip both Mary and Elizabeth and place Jane on the throne. The fifteen year old Jane fainted upon hearing that she’d be queen. This plan was doomed however, as Mary was popular with the people and was already raising an army. After nine days on the throne, Jane was arrested by her own father and Mary beheaded her cousin. Now you might be wondering what this has to do with Claudia. Well like Claudia, Jane had a father who cared more for what his children could give him than he did for their wellbeing. Claudia is also just a teenage girl who wants to make her father proud and doesn’t realize she’s his pawn. That’s not to say she’s naive, she’s smart but she’s scared and will do anything to ensure her family doesn’t fall apart again. In the end, like young Jane, she is fiercely loyal to her father and wants to do right by him. Do I think this means Viren will abandon his daughter the way Jane’s father abandoned her’s? I actually don’t know. I think Viren loves his daughter very much, but he is taking advantage of her love and her loyalty. I also don’t think that Claudia will ever be beheaded (it is a kids show after all) and I don't think she will be queen but there is another parallel as she was heir to a throne for a very short time when Viren crowned himself King.

Amaya - Marguerite de Bressieux 

(and Christina of Sweden, pictured below)

Wanna hear about the awesome lady knight who killed rapists during the Hundred Years War? Of course you do, so allow me to introduce one of the coolest women of the 15th century. Marguerite was a Lady whose castle was captured by the Prince of Orange (not to be confused with the prince of banana) who assaulted her and other ladies of the castle. So she donned knight’s armour, rode into battle and killed her assailants, making sure to remove her helmet as they were dying so they’d know exactly who’d killed them. It was a proud moment but she unfortunately did not survive the battle. Amaya will never die in battle (we will rise up and kill the writers if that happens) but the rest of her story fits pretty well as it is about a woman overcoming hardships and wanting justice. Amaya is just as badass and awesome as a lady knight who leads armies and such. Of course, this isn’t the only historical parallel with Amaya’s character but it is the most badass. Another historical badass woman she could embody is Christina of Sweden, who lived how she wanted, dressing as a man, loving women, and smashing the patriarchy.

Ezran - Queen Elizabeth the First

Okay so obviously Ezran isn’t a girl but just stick with me for a second here. Elizabeth grew up in a time of great political turmoil and wasn’t seen much as a princess as she was seen as a pawn. She was locked in the Tower of London by her sister Mary, who was a devoted Catholic who earned her nickname “Bloody Mary” by burning an estimated 300 Protestants. When Elizabeth came to power she promoted religious tolerance, and today we remember her as one of the greatest monarchs in history. Ezran has the potential to be a great monarch, one that Katolis will remember. By working alongside Elves and Dragons in Xadia, he is promoting a message of equality that the human kingdoms have yet to see. 

As for the rest, I’m not really sure. I mean, lots of really awesome assassins have existed that could be Runaan but none of them really feel right. And Janai, I’m not too sure who her historical counterpart could be, possibly Arawelo (another awesome queen who said fuck the patriarchy) but that might embody her sister more. Sarai could be Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was granted a divorce from her less than favourable first husband and became Queen consort of England but she could also embody aspects of Isabella of France and Cecily Neville. Soren I actually don’t have any ideas. I mean, he could be Richard the Lionheart but I’m not too sure. Ultimately I’m stumped on Soren and Janai.

So there it is, my personal analysis of The Dragon Prince characters and their potential historical counterparts. If anyone has any other theories please share them, I would love to hear other opinions. 

I hope that everyone is having a good day. Stay safe out there friends.