#dangerous fellows christmas event

[they-breasted-boobily]

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[bambinambi]

Most Women are NOT Girl's Girls and Men are NOT Your Friends

A reflection on having lilith in the 11th house (and to a lesser extent, pluto in the 10th house)

"Lilith in the 11th house are usually ostracised from their society and their communities, usually struggle with developing friendships, especially with women, attract toxic friendships, attract jealousy and envy from other women, are overly sexualised, are usually befriended by men with ulterior motives, are often isolated or ostracised in their own friendship groups and incessantly shamed, and accused of trying to seduce or steal away other women's men."

(Disclaimer: All of these observations can, of course, be experienced by any other placements, one might argue that this is simply the female experience of friendships and relationships, but I personally attribute a lot of my experiences to this placement (as well as others) and thought it interesting to write out how I believe this placement has shaped my relationships with others, and definition and feelings towards "community")

The quotes given above are just a few of the observations I've seen written about Lilith in the 11th house. These placements has caused a variety of questions to arise, in my head, over the years;

"How can women maintain relationships with the same individuals they perceive as their rivals?"

"Can women ever be friends with other women when men and social standing are at risk?"

"Can men ever truly see women as "just friends"?"

"And how do societal issues affect how and who we forge our friendships with?"

When I was in primary school, a couple of fellow netball moms all rallied together to protest against how "inappropriately short" and "tight" my netball shorts were. My coach even went as far as taking me to the school shop to exchange my school assigned shorts for a larger pair, better equipped to hide my African body. I was 9. How could a 9 year old be "inappropriately dressed" in school uniform? There is no other way of putting it; my 9 year old body was being sexualised because it didn't reassemble those of the skinny, little white girls. It was curvier, and therefore "womanly" in their eyes, in spite of my age.

They voiced their disapproval, like I was intentionally trying to show off my body and seduce the non-existent men on the grounds. I was 9. I was made to feel ashamed. I think this event, and many others that followed after it, were the catalysed for not only the shame I felt towards my body but also my discomfort with being seen as sexually appealing. If my body was so incredibly evocative, then how could I prevent people from sexualising me in the future? And if I couldn't, what dangers could possibly arise as a result of it?

I was already being catcalled before I had even gotten my pen license, a means for insecure men to feel powerful, to instill fear into the most vulnerable like the powerless men that they were, but I interpreted it as yet another piece of evidence that the world would not see me for the child that I was, worthy of having their innocence protected like the white girls' were.

My primary school principal went out of her way to ensure I never had the chance to hang out with my guy friends. She barred them from entering the school grounds, despite having younger siblings at school, and in turn barred me from hanging out with my friends directly outside of the school grounds. She would deliberately drive from the faculty parking lot to the front of the school and sit and watch for whether we would meet up at my school. First, she barred us from hanging out directly outside the school grounds on the pavement, then from hanging out at a local café, then from hanging out at local parks, and then from walking home together (which we did so we could hang out at our respective homes). All this in spite of me stating, on numerous occasions, that my parents were aware of and approved of my plans.

I remember when my school held their annual Christmas carols. My best friend (a boy) asked if we could walk home together. We both asked our parents (who had been attending the carols) for permission to do so. After being granted said permission, we walked down towards the exit of the school, where my principal was standing to greet parents. She stopped us, stated that she didn't believe my parents had given me permission, told me to stand by her side, and told my friend to go home.

Whether she was a puritan or a separatist, her intention definitely did not seem like she was trying to protect. She sought to publicly embarrass me on numerous occasions by barring the entire school for doing things everyone knew I was solely "guilty" of. If anything, she was these white boys from me, from the "fast" black girl that I was. I never even had any real interest in boys and dating, but what does that matter in the face of stereotypes?

When I was in high school, I was one of the only black girls in a predominately white school, community, and city. White boys didn't notice us. White girls never saw us as competition, and black boys would bully and berate us for just about anything you could think of. I remember my black friend getting anxious about being intimate with a boy for the first time because she thought he would be disgusted by the fact that her nipples were brown. When I asked her why she would feel insecure about that, she explained that black boys had been saying that brown nipples were ugly and that pink nipples were prettier. The same individuals with brown nipples, nappy hair, and all the other features they criticised us for black girls for having.But honestly, I couldn't take the criticism of individuals who looked like me to heart. They evidently had inferiority complexes that, instead of dealing with, were projected onto black girls because they knew there would be no real consequences. No one stood up for black girls, including other black girls. Anyway, I digress.

Black girls would gossip about the (eventful) lives of the white girls (from a place of envy, but how would they know considering their judgement was being shared and agreed upon in an echo chamber?), focusing especially on their perceived flaws, mistakes and the unforunate happenings in their lives with excitement, like we were excited their perfect pristine lives also came with issues like ours.

Black girls would gossip equally about other black girls and boys, criticising them for everything from their economic backgrounds to their hair, to their clothes, to who they chose to/didn't choose to hang around with ("How long has she had those braids in? They look bad." "Yoh, for someone with money, you would think they would buy nice clothes." "You can tell he likes white girls." *Points at his relaxed hair and laugh*). This judgemental outlook also extended to fellow black girls, either behind their backs or directly to their faces. I was often a subject of their gossip. I was made even more of an outsider for not having a similar ethnic background or economic background, for not being able to speak the same language as them and being able to assimilate better than them. "Coconut" is the term often used, white on the inside and black on the outsider.

These black girls used their incessant gossip sessions as an outlet for all their frustrations, a time in their days when their insecurities could be laid to rest in their minds. Black boys and black girls were equally unsatisfied in their places in the world. Black boys for not being "white enough" and black women feeling frustrated that they were being made to conform in a world that was never made for them, and made no concessions on how one could gain access. You had to be agreeable and not disrupt the status quo, or dare to criticise it. You were either like them, or you were an outsider. You chose, but you'd paid either way.

Entering the 10th grade, I decided to improve my physical and mental health. Until then, I had spent my time feeling like a victim of my black personhood. I eventually realised that I didn't have to worry myself with societies over criticism, lack of empathy and complete disregard for black women, that I didn't need to carry the shame imposed upon me, that I didn't need to carry/pay any of it really any mind. And so, I exercised regularly, ate well, developed a skincare and hair routine, read affirmations every day, and grew to be a far happier and contended person. I no longer needed nor concerned myself with external validation, and in doing so, I decentered men completely and became my own source of happiness. I became like a child again, uninterested in gossip, because it no longer fed my ego, knowing others were suffering. I became preoccupied with my 100s of hobbies because I realised that I would be the only individual capable of bringing true peace with myself and to my mind.

Going into university to begin with was great. I made a group of acquaintances that for the first time looked like me, had the same interests as me, came from similar cultural backgrounds to me and had similar childhoods to me, due to having similar upbringings and coming from similar economic backgrounds. I didn't feel like an outsider in my friendship or community anymore, like Lilith in 11th house natives usually do.

Things took a turn when my two girls in the friend group started dating some men in my friend group. It wasn't their relationships that caused issues in the friendship group, but how the other women in the friend group reacted. Their colours began to show. Let's call the girlfriends 'A' and 'B', and the two boyfriends 'C' and 'D', and the other girls in the friend group 'the trio'. 'C' and 'D' were not particularly close with 'the trio' prior to getting to relationships with 'A' and 'B'. But the trio subsequently started trying to get closer and closer to 'C' and 'D' (I know this sounds like high school drama, but bare with me).

'The trio' insisted on spending as much time as possible with 'C' and 'D', linking arms with them as they followed them around on campus. They even used to greet the boys by excitedly screaming, abandoning whatever they were preoccupied with before, running at full speed, and the flinging themselves into 'C' and 'D's arms, the way a girlfriend would do.I recall the trio regaling us with the previous night's activities, hanging out in 'C' and 'D's residence rooms. I thought all of this was completely inappropriate, that it was strange to act this way towards someone else's partner, someone you know is taken. What made it worse is that the trio were closer to 'A' and 'B' prior, having lived in the same residence. The trio's loyalty should have been with the 'A' and 'B', but they chose male attention over friendship.

One could argue that a complete abandonment of concerns surrounding societal pressures and expectations and a complete decentering of men would remedy this situation, this insatiable need for positive attention (especially from men). But that would be completely untrue (and naive) and would completely negate the obsession society has as a whole by bullying women into submission and the repercussions that come with it.

These women ('the trio') unknowingly played into the oldest narrative underpinning many societies; women "need" men to be worthy and valid in society. More male validation means you are more valuable. I just know someone is going to say I'm being misogynistic or anti-feminist, but it takes one look at society to see that this is exactly the narrative that lives in the subconsciouses of many women's minds, even the many of us who think we're more progressive, or "above" that kind of thinking.

'A' and 'B' had always been uncomfortable with the trios' behaviour, grew weary of them, and became distant. In the end, the final undoing came from 'A' and 'B' connecting the dots as the to how 'the trio' had been sowing doubt in the respective relationships on both sides. Dissuaded both parties ('A' and 'B', and 'C' and 'D') from continuing on with their individual relationships based on "intel" they had gathered by playing both sides. 'A' and 'B', rightfully so, cut severed ties with 'the trio' and the rest of the group as a result of this situation, and I developed a disgust for everyone involved, excluding 'A' and 'B'.

It was the first time, I had seen women clamour for male attention at the expense of their female relationships, to intentionally ousted and wound the women in their lives to knock them down a peg, to feel superior. I didn't understand why they had even thought to do such a thing, as they all individually had partners of their own. The main instigator had been in a relationship with her boyfriend to 5-6 years. Why would she be threatened by her male friends having girlfriends?

But I guess that's the point. Some women can't handle having male attention, not solely being on themselves. They need to be the prettiest girl in the room, and if not that, the funniest, or the most relatable, or the most understanding, or the most caring something that will make the men in their lives appreciate them. Daddy issues are rampede in our society, combine that with society's insistence on obsessively comparing women, merciless fault-finding, and incessant instilling of fear as to what life would be like without a man by one's side (including what sins to never commit and the horror level consequences of not achieving such), and you have a swarm of anxious pick me's.

'A' and 'B' were jealous of me. There's no other way to put it. I was entertaining, outgoing, funny, smart, and confident. I was beloved. It started with critical comments and snowballed into outright bullying, in which they both took part in and enjoyed their unsympathetic barrage on my personhood if the twinkle in their eyes was anything to go by. They revelled in their perceived victimhood while not recognising that they too were often perpetrators of the same things they accused others of. I was cognisant of their hypocrisy. They were not. A person with BPD with her favourite covertly narcissistic person, a recipe for disaster for anyone caught in their crossfire.

Because I had gone to a girls' only school, and had grown up with a strict mother (I have moon in the fourth house). My comprehension of how women and men interacted when in social settings was very limited. I interacted with men the way I did women and unintentionally 'led on' a lot of men who I was only seeking to befriend at most. Also, I realised how territorial women could be over the men in their lives, even when they were merely friends.

In high school, this one girl who had been at my school, had moved to a co-ed school, and went from being a kind girl, who always sought to uplift the women around her, to being a girl with only male friends, struggling with forming female friendships and maintaining her already established ones, who became boy-obsessed and consequently, obsessed with increasing her own desireability from men, body-shaming and being highly critical of women, and in turn, developing an eating disorder of her own. She had gone to girls' only schools her entire life and had only made this change once socialised around men. I'll refer to her as 'E' from here on out.I remember 'E' inviting me to her 18th birthday party. I did not know anyone else attending the party, with the exception of other girls from my school who had already socialised extensively with the other party goers at previous gatherings. So I wouldn't be alone, I asked the 'E' if I could invite one of my friends who she had been best friends with in primary school. She went on to say that she didn't think the girl was "pretty enough" for any of her male friends, and that she would check with them to see if any of them would be interested in hooking up with her. It was at that moment I realised that 'E' had only invited girls to her party so that she could essentially have us hook up with her male friends. She invited only girls her male friends were sexually interested in while also being incredibly territorial over all of them. I learnt this when a male friend of hers had a clear interest in me at a New Year's Eve party we both attended.

I was always the type of drunk to be all over the place, bouncing around excited and gleefully trying to find any source of drunken entertainment. I was not fussed with who I was with. I just wanted to have fun. He tailed me around the party the entire night. I decided to play drinking games, and he would come along. I wanted to jump in the pool when the clock struck midnight. He expressed that he would do so along with me. When I expressed being cold, he leant me his jacket.

At some point in the night, when we had separated, 'E' came up to me stating that he wanted his jacket back, I obliged and handed it over to her. Once returning to my side, he expressed confusion why I was no longer wearing his jacket and where I may have placed it, as we were at a house with random people. The story that everyone heard about that night, from her, was that I was "all over him", and it was "so embarrassing to watch". It was believable.

Since when would an objectively attractive white boys be interested in a black girl? When blue-eyed blondes existed in abundance? Why would he pick the black girl? It was easy for 'E' to use this unspoken but well-known societal "code of conduct" (or "rule of thumb") to shame me. It goes white girl with blues eyes and blonde hair, white girl with blonde hair and green eyes, white girl with... you get the gist. Black girls rank at the absolute bottom of the list if they even make it on the list at all (which they rarely do).

These experiences made me realise that she didn't care about a single one of her female friends. That their were competition instead of companionship. That she didn't care were or not we attended her party, celebrated her birthday with her. A milestone. I declined 'E's birthday invitation shortly after.At university, I started working with an events company. The company was started by a tight-knit group of friends. I quickly became friendly with everyone. Or so I thought. After the first or second meeting, two of the girls had grown cold towards me, we'll call the 'F' and 'G'. Or rather 'G' had begun giving me the cold shoulder, and 'F', always following along with whatever 'F' did, copied 'G's actions, mostly in her presence. But 'F's decision to follow along with 'G's mission of making me feel unwelcome soured my opinion of 'F' altogether.

I remember 'G' was the only person in the organisation to have a car. She was the only one capable of lifting us the event sight to set up for the event that evening. She sent a message on our company group chat, stating that she would be picking up people from campus at a certain location and time, and requested we indicate who would be able to come. A number of us indicated that we could, including myself. In spite of arriving ahead of time to the location, she had decidedly left early, without me and another girl, in spite of being the first one's to respond to the message, and there only being 4 people, she needed to remember to lift at that time.

Once arriving back to the sight for the event itself, I was initially going to partake in ticket sales, but another me and the same girl who had been left behind before (who was also meant to sell tickets that night), were told to go back to the main sight because there were enough members already servicing the ticket stand. 'G' was instructed to take us back to the sight, which she begrudgingly did in almost complete silence.Now you might be thinking to yourself, "Girl, what if you did something to offend these people, and their actions are justified?" Only issue with that theory, is once I realised many women would react to me in a certain way, I tried my hardest to really show them that I did not think of myself as "all that", that they need not feel like I'm some sort of "threat".

I also don't have a single male friend. One guy 'friend', we'll call him H, invited me over "to watch a movie". 'H' kept pushing the time of our meeting back to the point that our hang out had to be scheduled at 8 pm, at his apartment. He ended up asking me if we could kiss platonically. I rejected his advances, and we proceeded to watch the movie. I eventually asked to leave, to which he stated it would be too dangerous to walk back to campus, although he did so often. I had no real choice but to sleepover as our small university town had no Uber and taxi services I rarely used and had no numbers for. He proceeded to ask to cuddle me while we slept. This was someone who I had thought of as my (only) male friend for years.

My first relationship began with my then boyfriend and classmate propositioning me. Throughout the relationship, he would continually call me a "baddie" and say things like, "I can't believe I got the class baddie." It was like I was a price instead of a partner. We expressed far more sexual intimacy than emotional, despite my efforts, and he displayed a completely unserious regard towards our relationship, including flirting with other classmates in my presence. I was not respected, nor were my feelings ever considered, because at the end of a day, I was a means of sexual relief to him, not a person.

- 22 May 2024

[nincompoopydoo]

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ  nincompoopydoo // MCU MASTERLIST

loki laufeyson

⋆ debris and misery [series - on hiatus]: Loki crashes on Sakaar and into your home. you don’t take it lightly when you find there’s a massive hole in your roof. ⋆ to catch someone's eye: During the celebration of Frigga as the Queen of Asgard, Loki finds himself slipping away from the events to the palace courtyard. To where you unfortunately found yourself stumbling towards an escape from your parents. ⋆ in another timeline: stranded on Lamentis, the event of the impending apocalypse seem to mend the fire and fury between you and Loki as deeper feelings begin to come to light. ⋆ for the sake of us: Loki dies (The beginning of Infinity War) and is sent to a place unknown to him, with never ending fields of Asgardian flowers. there, he meets his Sigyn, his late wife. he hadn’t seen her for years ever since her unexpected death of an unknown illness that no Asgardian technology could cure.

sam wilson

⋆ trouble man: you and Sam Wilson are neighbors. never spoke a word a to one another but somewhat developed an unhealthy crush on each other. as a series of unfortunate events that began with the burning of spaghetti, you find yourself entangled in a mess of the appreciation for Marvin Gaye and your fear of cockroaches with the very man himself. ⋆ coming home: Sam’s coming home. ⋆ snowed in: you get a visit from your hot neighbour on Christmas day.

bucky barnes

⋆ whiskey: you’re waitressing at your father’s bar filled with the 107th’s drunk soldiers. In the midst of chaos, you catch the attention of a certain sergeant that goes by the name Bucky. the both of you then realize that one can still find happiness in the middle of a great war.

steve rogers

⋆ pretty beautiful: after the events of Sokovia, Steve and Sam are both on the run, along with Natasha, seeking for a safe house. thankfully, Sam knows the perfect place. ⋆ promises: platonic! you find an unexpected visitor at your doorstep during spaghetti night.

agent jack thompson

⋆ steps of the fire escape: Jack spends the last minutes of New Year’s Eve looking for the morning paper and his cat, Ginny. turns out, Ginny has a knack for discovering those who are spending the last day of the year alone. ⋆ you're gonna be fine, kid [series]: you get shot and the annoying Jack Thompson maybe you’re only hope at surviving after all.  ⋆ knucklehead: where Jack and reader are pissed at each other because you wouldn’t stay off the field and put yourself in danger during a mission while Jack was being a total prick about it although the two of you refuse to admit you love each a little too much. ⋆ pretty confessions: returning to the SSR, golden hour in the midst of New York’s traffic may just lead to some pretty confessions to a very pretty woman in Jack Thompson’s passenger seat. ⋆ unbelievable: you’re strong-witted, frank and independent, and Jack finds it a little unsettling, yet he refuses to admit that he probably adores you a little too much after that one incident at the office. ⋆ babysitter: Jack Thompson finds himself babysitting Daniel and Peggy’s baby daughter. and then realizes he has forgotten how to change nappies. ⋆ baby emergency [babysitter part 2]: you, the Sousa’s neighbour, mistakenly arrive at their doorstep, thinking it was pie night rather than date night. Yet, the sight of a dishevelled, troubled and somewhat handsome Jack Thompson convinced you to help out with baby Nancy. ⋆ call me trixie: you, an aviatrix is partnered with Jack Thompson on a SSR mission.

daniel sousa

⋆ just a gunshot wound: you were badly injured from a mission and Daniel Sousa, your fellow colleague was not the biggest fan of the outcomes of the mission. yet, things get a little heated up, in a bad way, but it may have gave Daniel the courage to act on something he had always wanted to since forever.

[mostofthingsmostofthetime]

I just finished the first episode of Heartstopper, so here are some of my thoughts in no particular order.

The opening song is cool (will probably look up the shows soundtrack like I did with XO, Kitty).

Why did the camera focus so much on Charlie's bag & Elle's drink? Is it product placement?

Wow, no hate to the actor, but Charlie's eyebrows are THICK!!!!

Tori is beautiful but also kind of looks like a ghost (I think she’d be great for the role of  Violet Baudelaire from A Series Of Unfortunate Events) & why was she so pushy about the "dream guy" thing? Like let the poor boy breathe.

Is Nick's actor that much taller than Charlie's? I hadn't noticed.

I’m sorry, but knees are so weird to me lol. Also obligatory, 🎵 she's a runner she's a track star🎵.

Wait, is that PE teacher that will later interrupt the team theorising about Nick & Charlie's relationship? It's crazy how they’ve found actors who look so much like the characters in the graphic novels (other casting directors should take notes).

Ok fair enough about wanting your team to be good & wondering if the quiet, skinny, nerdy, boy is even into sports but the shit about him being gay is so stupid (bet it was Harry that said that).

Glad Charlie didn't get injured learning rugby, lol.

Nick's shorts seem a lot smaller than Charlie's ones do, but maybe that's the costume designer's way of helping Charlie’s actor look more skinny?

Omg Stephen Fry, what are you doing here lol?

Wow, people weren't kidding. Olivia Colman really did show up just to say one line. What a legend, lol.

Ben, did you really make Charlie walk all that way for such a lame ass kiss? Also, let him talk about his Christmas, you jerk!

I don't think that Form tutor is very good at his job (while Nick thankfully turned out to be nice) it’s usually not a great idea to put the skinny, gay, nerd that has already been bullied with the bigger, popular, seemingly straight, athlete, especially at an all boys school!

Ben, you dick. Like I get wanting to keep your relationship secret, but you did not need to pull the 'who the hell are you!' card. All you had to do was say hi in a confused/uninterested tone (then apologise later). If anything, your reaction came off more weird than what Charlie did.

I'm sorry, but I don't get the leaf animation. I mean, I GET it, just why leaves? Why not flowers or hearts or something? It just doesn’t seem that impactful to me, but maybe they have a deeper meaning that I'm just not grasping yet? If so, please let me know.

Ok, so I'm torn over the gay teacher. Like artistic? That's cool. Those glasses? Cute. Him giving Charlie a safe space to eat lunch? Great. Him being worried over Charlie potentially being bullied again? Awesome (take notes, Form guy), but his advice to Charlie seemed slightly lacking. Obviously, honesty & communication are important in relationships, but I'm a little surprised that possible safety concerns weren't addressed at all, especially from a fellow gay guy. Like I get that he doesn’t know the kind of guy Charlie's "dating" & that just because someone doesn't want to come out yet doesn’t mean they should be labelled as dangerous but internalised homophobia can make some people lash out & after everything Charlie's been through his clearly more likely to be vulnerable to situations like that.

Nick is a golden retriever in human form, they're 100% correct 😊.

Isaac? What happened to Aled? I hope he still shows up. He may be quiet, but he was so cute during Charlie's 15th birthday in the graphic novel.

Interesting to get to see Elle's time at Higg's (fuck that transphobic teacher & whoever was throwing sandwiches at her). Sad she doesn’t have any friends but I'm sure that'll change when she meets Tara & Darcy. Wow, is it strict over there, though, like you can't even be on your phone at lunchtime? Damn! Surprised they did it this way, though, as I was assuming they'd just make Truham co-ed so all the characters could be in the same place.

Tao, my guy, the drink thing is sweet but that hair is.....certainly.....a choice 😅.

The shots of Charlie looking at food, without eating, make me ☹️.

I gotta be honest, the montage of Nick & Charlie saying hi to each other was a little cringy to me compared to how it came across in the graphic novel, but they're meant to be teens, so I'll let it slide. It's also an effective way to highlight how differently Charlie's "boyfriend" treats him compared to an acquaintance.

Ben's hand covering up Nick's smiley face got me like ☹️/😠. They're not even together yet & I already felt like telling him to get off Charlie, like that boy is not for you! It’s ridiculous, lol.

Ben what you did was fucked up but it's hard to be scared of someone who looks so much like a meerkat in a wig (no hate to the actor) also did it seem like he just....skidded away when Nick pulled him off Charlie? Like, was the actor wearing Heelys lol? Or had someone just mopped the floor without telling anyone? Also, it's lame to wear a coat when you're cold? What in the toxic masculinity are you fucking on about Ben?

Omg the bathroom scene was so adorable, but I wanna know what kind of pen Nick was using because being covered in that amount of ink is crazy 😆.

Overall, it's very cute. I like Nick & Charlie. It’ll probably take a bit longer for me to really care about the other characters. Ben can catch these hands! And I’m looking forward to watching the Narlie relationship develop.

So while not overly ground breaking (though obviously important for LGBTQ+ rep) it's definitely enjoyable in a comforting sort of way which (considering medias fascination with marginalised suffering) is obviously important for queer youth but also must be quite healing for queer elders. Because you deserve wholesome, cheesy, romance just as much as anyone else.

[cloverdaisies]

[🗝️] cloverdaisies’ navigation: the garden

➵ feel free to explore the garden & stay as long as you like ! ♡

[ (* )-my personal favorites / SEARCH! [🔎] FIC LIST SO FAR….. ]

‘TOSS YOUR DIRTY SHOES IN MY WASHING MACHINE HEART’

➵ OT11 / MULTIPLE MEMBERS

nowhere to run ⊹ horror *

— if the landline rings, remember to answer the questions 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. you don’t want to be locked in a house with a masked killer. a tbz au based on & inspired by (scream 1996).

black heart ⊹ thriller

— a mysterious trio rules the night, masked in balaclavas armed with whatever they could get their hands on… one favor can reveal a whole lot more than you expect. this is not your first visit to the black hearted universe.

… NEXT

96’ ➵ SANGYEON

insanity ⊹ angst

— “i want you to make the darkness disappear. i want to drive to crazy. my love is dangerous.”

how to build perfect humans ⊹ thriller / romance * 2.3k

— somewhere in the f u t u r e, undercover agents are trailing the government creation of microchips, inserted into the human brain to collect information in order create a generation of ai that will infiltrate and eventually eliminate all need for the last survivors of the human race. time is ticking…

… NEXT

97’ ➵ YOUNGHOON

gingerbread man ⊹˚. fluff / 0.8k

— “a late night stroll through the xmas markets with boyfriend!younghoon, carols being sung in the distance, the smell of freshly baked gingerbread men and children building snowmen nearby; the feeling of christmas.”

… NEXT

97’ ➵ HYUNJAE

hey chat! ⊹ fluff / streamer au

— two streamers get paired to win a competition between their fellow streamers! most popular man on the app, jae.mp3 ! gets paired with smaller streamer y.n.xi ! will they win? or will they not be able to work together at all? let’s see how they get on! <3

… NEXT

98’ ➵ JUYEON

slow it down ⊹ thriller

— hi (your name) you’ve been invited to play RACEFORTIME! do you accept yes or no? nerve au

nearly witches ⊹ angst

christmas lights ⊹ angst / fluff / 2k+

— the city was lonely, as they say home is where the heart is. as you return to see your childhood friends for the annual christmas get together, old faces resurface unhealed wounds that you wish you could rewind

series: genesis angst / fluff / post apocalyptic au

— ‘the world was destroyed by nuclear warfare, 177 years later the only survivors were those living in a large system of underground bunkers, with food supply running short and rationing proving no longer effective. the higher council decide to send the younger generation of juveniles to the surface to test the earth’s survivability.’

… NEXT

98’ ➵ KEVIN

earth to kevin ⊹ fluff / safe place au

— the boy that lives in outerspace has to make contact with the real world eventually, this short piece documents his small amount of contact with earth. when someone with a raincloud over their world collides with someone that lives in complete disassociation from reality.

… NEXT

98’ ➵ CHANHEE

# ur such an emo! ⊹˚. angst / fluff * / 4.1k+

— “a preppy boy meets his unconventional match in one of the school’s most hated emo’s. from lab partners to cleaning buddies: the events that caused social royalty to fall in love with someone from the very bottom of the high school food chain.”

… NEXT

98’ ➵ CHANGMIN

wish you were sober ⊹ angst / suggestive.

— “nineteen but you act 25 now. real sweet but i wish you were sober.” a ji changmin very lightly suggestive? angst? based on conan gray’s wish you were sober.

art class ⊹ fluff * 5k+

—“your crush on your art professor might be affecting your grades, he was just perfect but you’re just a student. how you accidentally fell in love with art class for the wrong reasons…”

… NEXT

00’ ➵ SUNWOO

media studies ⊹ fluff / diary au

— this document contains a letter to the pretty boy who sits quietly in the back of a poorly lit media studies classroom. ☆

fantasize ⊹ suggestive

— “i fantasize about it all the time if you were mine.. ♪” there was something about your coworker that made you want him, maybe it was his cherry red lips or every charming word that slipped from them - whatever it was, you couldn’t resist. ʚїɞ

piece of string ⊹ fluff

— dear sunwoo, autumn nights are always better when they’re spent with you. please don’t hide yourself, you know you’re safe with me.

… NEXT

00’ ➵ ERIC

trouble to me ⊹ suggestive ish

— should’ve known he was a bad guy, maybe all the red flags would be a good sign? are you really gonna let eric sohn take you on a test drive?

how to survive senior year ⊹˚. fluff * 5k+

— a chaotic how to guide on surviving high school with an 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 crush on the skater boy with the locker next to urs.

COMING SOON…

97’ ➵ JACOB

𝗈𝗈𝗉𝗌 ! 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝖾��!

99’ ➵ HAKNYEON

𝗈𝗈𝗉𝗌 ! 𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝖺𝗌 𝖻𝖾𝖾𝗇 𝗉𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗒𝖾𝗍!

‘I KNOW WHO YOU PRETEND I AM’

I KNOW.. WHO YOU PRETEND I AM’

[hisunshiine]

—tri-wizard trials | myg

→ posted: dec 26, 2022 → pairing: slytherin!yoongi x gryffindor!reader → au/genre: hogwarts au, brother’s best friend, smallest of angst, fluff, smut → chapter rating: +18 / M for Mature → wc: 7,251 → warnings: everyone involved in smut is OF AGE. events of harry potter’s stories did not happen. Dumbledore is retired from being headmaster, but all of the other professors we know and love are not dead, everyone’s ages are different in this story, some members are not seen but are mentioned, some house banter and teasing, use of wizarding world phrases, oral (m & f receiving), loss of virginity, penetrative unprotected sex, overstimulation, second hand embarrassment → credits: story written for Toci as part of the @bangtanwritershq holiday event “Christmas Love”, thank you to my beta readers, whippedbywonho, @noonastoand @peachiilovesot7​ for all of your help! → summary: As a seventh year, this is your final year to spend with your friends. It’s also a triwizard tournament year—the tournament is known as being dangerous—and it's common for some injuries to be fatal. When your brother’s best friend and fellow seventh year, Yoongi, is chosen as the school champion at the feast, you lay out your feelings and give him a prize worth much more than the cup. → an: as a gryfferin/slythindor, i approve of the slander in the story lol! i included a key terms to help muggles, and i’m very excited to have a hogwarts au story! 

Key Terms for Muggles:

Abraxans - a breed of winged horses, gigantic and extremely powerful with an appearance akin to that of a palomino horse Common Room - “living room” for students; each house has their own  The Entrance Hall - entryway of the castle that has access to the great hall, staircase to the higher floors, and dungeons Fiendfyre - enchanted fire from an advanced dark magic curse that creates flames of immense size and heat that are capable of destroying nearly anything in its path The Great Hall - “cafeteria” of sorts, where all students and professors eat meals Hippogriff - a magical beast that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse Room of Requirement - also known as the Come and Go Room is a secret room that only appears if you are in great need of it Veela - semi-human magical beings; beautiful women with white-gold hair and skin that appears to shine moon-bright

OCT 30th — 11:47 PM

Seven years ago you were eleven turning twelve, and just starting your life here within these castle walls. Dragging your fingers along the cold stone bricks, you smile softly as you pass a coat of arms hanging from an archway. Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry has been your home for so long, and now, in your final year, you can’t believe that you have less than eight months until you’d be graduating and moving off into the world. 

Since returning back in September, you’d sometimes get this overwhelming bittersweet feeling about leaving this place next June. You’re supposed to be in bed, as it wasn’t your night to patrol the halls, but instead your feet have led you down the many flights of stairs to the entrance hall on the main floor. The soft glow of the lowered flames lit the corridor just enough for you to not trip over the trick step on your way down from the Gryffindor common room, but as you enter the entrance hall, the light changes briefly.

Your eyes flicker up, taking note of Min Yoongi standing within the age line that Professor Bang Si-hyuk had charmed around the glowing goblet in the middle of the hall. Blue flames return the corridor to a somber mood as Yoongi’s arm drops back to his side, hands tucking a sheet of folded parchment and a quill back into his robe pocket as he turns to exit.

“Hey.” 

His cool demeanor as his eyes avoid contact with yours is something you aren’t used to anymore; as your twin brother Jimin’s best friend, you’ve grown close to the blond over the years despite being in different houses, but having you as a prefect and now Head Girl has saved them from losing several house points along the way.

“Hey. I didn’t know you were going to enter?” you question as an attempt to warm his attitude, but he just grunts, moving to walk past you and back towards the hall that leads to the dungeon common room. 

Turning his direction, your hand shoots out to grasp his wrist, but upon looking at his face, you drop his arm.

“Yoongi?”

“I’m really tired YN, I’ll talk to you later.”

Yoongi’s robes billow around him as he disappears into the shadows of the castle walls, descending into the dungeons and leaving you to the chill of the midnight hour. 

OCT 31st — 2:11 AM

Back in your dorm room on the seventh floor in Gryffindor tower, sleep continues to flit from you like the golden snitch: teasing you to your face, just to disappear out of sight in a blink of an eye. 

Min Yoongi entered the Triwizard Tournament—one of the most dangerous tournaments for students that exists, with fatal injuries a common thing. Sure, the previous headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, had seen to it that students had to be of age to enter, but did age really matter in the end? 

You roll over onto your side, flipping your pillow to the cool side and think about the chances of Yoongi being selected. There are several other seventh years that you know will be entering, and you attempt to quell your growing fears. Why would a Slytherin be chosen over a Gryffindor? Could hissing, prong-tongued, dungeon dwellers really be more worthy as the school’s champion over a fierce, courageous and proud lion? 

You aren’t normally one to believe the propaganda spewed about each house, but the thought surprisingly aids in calming you down enough to allow sleep to overtake you, and you dream of dark eyes, light hair, and a gummy smile that refused to show itself to you tonight, and you have a sinking feeling it has everything to do with the conversation he must’ve overheard. 

OCT 30th — 5 - 8 PM the Welcoming Feast, several hours earlier 

You stand in the front of the castle with the other students, awaiting the arrival of the two other magical schools in the region, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. Of the three magical schools, you were at the one led by Professor Bang Si-hyuk, and in your opinion, it was the best school to attend. Beauxbatons was headed by Professor Park Jae-sang, a lively man who enjoyed working with his students. Professor Park Jin-young, the Durmstrang headmaster, was less concerned with his students, and more concerned with his own vanity. 

Watching as the Great Lake ripples with life, a large boat pushes through the water to sit atop the waves. A large ramp lowers itself to the shore, and a small group of young men disembark behind a toadly looking man and make their way toward you all.

You notice a grinning man leading the group of students and he’s quite striking in a tall, dark, and handsome way. His smile has dimples and is easily given, and exactly what you’re used to if you look at your ex. Shaking the thought away, you hear the whispers of the other female students who can’t believe how tall and cute the men arriving are. 

Soon after Park Jin-young greets Headmaster Bang, the group of men retire inside to wait for the welcoming feast. It’s not more than five minutes before a large carriage arrives, flown by magnificent winged beasts, Abraxans by the look of it.

Park Jae-sang appears to dance across the grass once he’s out of the carriage, a small group of students following him as Hagrid leads the Abraxans to the grassy paddock. You’ve heard that his school is quite small, and by the looks of it, he may have brought every ‘of-age’ student with him. You can’t help but notice only one blonde girl in the group of young men, spritely but proud as she walks with her head held high.

Once the Beauxbatons students are in, Headmaster Bang leads the rest of you into the Great Hall, where the decorations for tomorrow have come to life. Bats and orange streamers line the corridors and you hope that the visitors will enjoy their time here. Seeing your twin brother, you grab his sleeve to keep up with him amongst the crowd. Jimin sees you and smiles, eyes half moon as he wraps his arm around your shoulders in a side hug.

“YN, this year is gonna be fantastic, innit?”

“I mean, so far it already has been, Gryffindor is in the lead for the house cup thanks to that win against Slytherin last week,” you tease.

Jimin pouts; as Slytherin seeker, they lost by only ten points when your best friend caught the snitch before he could. 

“Jeon got lucky, that’s all.”

You giggle, linking arms with him as he shuffles down the hall towards his best friend. Not to say you and your brother weren’t also best friends—you shared a womb with him—but outside of your twin bond, you each had a best friend in your respective houses.

Yoongi stood along the wall next to a suit of arms, well out of the way of the crowd. As you approached, he gave you one of his rare smiles. 

“Well, if it isn’t Park-squared.”

“Ohh, Yoongi, I didn’t know you could do math.”

“Ha-ha. Anyways, what do you think of the potential champions from the other schools?” he asks, looking at your brother. Jimin answers as you turn your back to the wall, eyes on the crowd to help direct the younger students. Head Girl duties and what not.

“Well, Durmstrang looks pretty fit, I think any of them could be champions. Beauxbatons had that girl…she was quite stunning. I felt like I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.”

“Oooh, I felt that way too,” you chime in, “you don’t think she’s part Veela, do you? You know near Beauxbatons, it is more common for magical creatures like Veela to mix with wizards.”

“She could be. I didn’t quite care for her, though.” Yoongi shared, staring at you while you looked away from him across the crowd of students still lingering in the hall.

“Mmm, do you ever care for anyone though, Min? I’ve never even seen you look twice at a girl our whole time at Hogwarts,” you taunt back.

“I just have impeccable taste, and maybe the people who meet it haven’t noticed me yet.”

Giggling, you turn back to look at him.

“Min Yoongi, have you seen yourself? Even I went through the ‘I’ve got a crush on Min Yoongi but he’ll never notice me’ phase when we were in fourth year, along with half the school. I highly doubt there’s anyone left in the school who hasn’t noticed you.”

Yoongi opens his mouth, ready to question you more about this phase he had no idea you went through, but Jimin speaks first, pulling you along with him towards the now clear doors. You reach for Yoongi, who allows you to loop your arm through his own, eyes burning into your skull.

“Anyways, thank God you aren’t still drooling over my best friend, god that was such an annoying time of my life, hearing you talk on and on about him. So, who from Hogwarts do you think will enter?”

“I don’t know…” you think, “I guess I expect most of the seventh year boys will enter. Probably quidditch players, like yourself, twin. Maybe some of the other Head Boys and Girls, like Jung Hoseok in Hufflepuff. Not me, though.”

“No, no, I’m not going to enter either. Can’t mar this beautiful face of mine. One Park twin has to be beautiful.”

You shoulder him lightly at his joke, jostling Yoongi into your side more, as your group abruptly stops by the Slytherin table.

“What do you think about someone who would enter the tournament?” Yoongi quietly asks you as another person begins talking to your brother. 

“I guess…I don’t know what I think. I think they would be brave. Or maybe foolhardy. Definitely would make them hot in my eyes. Imagine seeing them take on dragons or rescue a family of unicorns in the Forbidden Forest?” you practically swoon as you imagine that one tall Durmstrang boy shirtless, lifting a baby unicorn out of harm’s way. “Why? Do you plan to enter Yoongi?”

“Yoongi? Enter? There’s no way this brooding hunk would ever be chosen as the Hogwarts Champion in the first place, even if he did enter.”

Choi Sung-ho, the Slytherin you hated the most, has the audacity to cut into your conversation with Yoongi.

“And you think you’ve got a chance, Choi? Fuck off.” You flip him the bird, turning back to Yoongi, whose features have schooled themselves into a look of indifference.

“Park, I’d gladly fuck off if you fuck off with me. I hear you can ride me like a hippogriff.”

“You’re disgusting Choi.”

“Hey, I heard you like to do nasty things in between classes, Park. The Kim brothers sure do talk a lot.”

You reach for your wand, ready to Bat Bogey Hex the fucker for bringing up your ex-boyfriend, but Jimin beats you to the punch. Literally. 

“Choi. Keep my sister’s name out of your mouth, if you know what’s good for you. I recommend you head up to the infirmary and let Madame Pomfrey fix that broken nose.” 

You glance around, looking for a teacher to appear and reprimand you for the scuffle, but you see Yoongi lower his hand, and the silently cast spell fades, allowing your small group to be seen once again. Sung-ho hastens from the Great Hall, his green and silver scarf bunched up to stop the bleeding.

“You and Jimin must beat up people a lot, you cast that charm without any warning!” you glare at the two, not sure you want to know how they became so good at timing that. “God, I can’t stand Sung-ho. He’s only sour because he asked me out in fifth year, but I turned him down.”

“He did?” Yoongi inquires quietly as Jimin inspects his hand for damage.

“Yeah, but I told him no because I liked someone else…” you turned your eyes down away from Yoongi’s searing stare, choosing instead to pick at an invisible thread on your school robes. 

“That’s why he was such a bitch to you during fifth year, Yoongi. ‘Cause she turned him down because of you.”

“What? That’s why he hexed me in Charms class?”

Headmaster Bang stood and motioned for everyone to sit before anyone else could answer. Jimin pulled Yoongi away from you to take a seat at their table, parting from you with a small wave and you were left to walk over to Gryffindor table alone, mulling over the way Yoongi eyes had bore into yours as revelations came to light of your crush from several years ago—had it ever gone away?

Sitting down, you blink several times as two people you haven't seen in ages appear. Kim Seokjin and Kim Namjoon, recent Hogwarts grads who now work at the Ministry. Seated among the professors, the reason for their appearance back at the school is revealed as Headmaster Bang introduces them to announce the Triwizard Tournament. 

“Hello everyone! Many of you might remember me, Kim Seokjin, Gryffindor house alumni and the youngest ever Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports. I am here with Kim Namjoon, former Head Boy and Ravenclaw alumni, AND also the youngest in his role as the Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. We would love to announce the start of the Triwizard Tournament! The two of us have worked with our teams to bring back this legendary tournament, and we look forward to experiencing this with you all!”

“Yes, my brother is right!” Kim Namjoon, your ex, approaches the podium to speak next to Seokjin, and when his eyes meet yours, he smiles at you lovingly. You don’t know how to feel at the moment, with feelings you thought had been buried resurfacing randomly. “This tournament helps to bring wizards and witches across the globe together, and we are so excited for this act of cooperation at the secondary level. We believe cooperation starts at a young age.”

“Professor Bang has graciously agreed to host the event this year, and now, we will allow him to present to you the artifact that will set this whole event off!” The two brothers make their way back to their seats as the headmaster returns to the podium.

“Before we eat, our guests will be able to submit their names, since they will reside outside of the castle, and Hogwarts students can submit once the feast is over…”

Your eyes drift towards the far side of the hall, searching for those dark and brooding eyes. When you find them, it’s like you’re locked into his gaze by a spell, and you don’t hear a word of what the headmaster says of the rest of his speech, unable to take in anything but the pouting face of Min Yoongi until applause surrounds you.

The Goblet of Fire has been revealed, the age line drawn around the stand, and members from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons rise to enter their names. The feast commences, and around you people are eating and talking, but all you can think about is what those eyes are trying to tell you. 

You barely remember eating, but you take your spot to make sure all of the students clear out from the Great Hall once the feast is over. Seeing the last of the stragglers heading to the entry hall, you move to follow them out, stopping when you feel a large, warm hand wrap around your wrist gently. 

“YN, it’s so good to see you.” Namjoon’s dimples light up the space as he smiles down at you and you can’t help but to smile back.

“Hi, Namjoon. I didn’t know you would be here for this.”

He scratches the back of his neck bashfully.

“Yeah, I told Taehyung not to tell you, in case you tried to hide from me.” 

“Oh really? And why would I hide from you,” you challenge.

“Well, I know that we didn’t break up on the best of terms…”

“Yeah, hearing all of my business across the castle grounds was not the greatest thing to experience.”

“It wasn’t me—this is one of the reasons I’m glad I came. It didn’t feel right sending it via owl, and well… yeah. I figured I owed you the truth in person. I found out afterwards that Peeves was snooping on us that night. He was singing some vulgar song about it in the halls—”

“Yes, I vividly remember that Ravenclaw with the crush on you enjoyed singing it.”

“I just wanted you to know that it wasn’t meaningless to me. I just, I was leaving school and you would still be here another year and I’m the youngest to be in this position. I didn’t know Peeves was there that night, watching everything. I didn’t think anyone would know about the breakup.” 

You look up to the bewitched night sky, not really wanting to relive that night. 

“I’ve forgiven you. Peeves does what he does best, and I know it wasn’t anything personal. It just sucked because…well, I thought we were in love back then.”

“I really did love you, YN.” Namjoon steps closer to you, reaching for your hands. “I think I still do.”

“Oh.”

You feel weird having your ex confess he still has feelings for you, especially when feelings for a certain Slytherin have just made themselves known to you once again. You remain silent, staring at your joined hands. 

“Look, I know you weren’t expecting to hear this, but just think about it. I’ll be here quite a lot over the tournament…” Namjoon blushes, eyes looking behind you. “Hey, Min. What's up?”

“Jimin was looking for YN, and Taehyung said he thought she was still in the Great Hall.”

You turn to face Yoongi, noticing the way he and Namjoon are having a staredown that doesn’t seem all that friendly despite the way their voices sound.

“Yeah, I just wanted to talk to her real quick.” Namjoon turns back to you, leaning down to kiss your cheek softly.

“Just think about it, YN.”

You nod, unable to answer him as he releases you and turns, disappearing into the side door the rest of the professors had retired to for after dinner chatting.

Finally feeling your body able to move again, you turn to tell Yoongi about the weird conversation, but he’s gone, leaving you alone in the Great Hall.

OCT 31st — 6 - 8 PM

The second feast in two days commences right as the sun begins to set on Halloween. The castle is decorated to your heart’s content; next to Christmas at the castle, Halloween is your favorite time of the year. The knights' armor lining the hall is shined and sparkling and the candles floating above the house tables send a warm, yet haunting glow throughout the Great Hall. 

Walking side by side with your brother, you watch as he easily melds into his green and silver crew, the lot of them side-eying you in your maroon and gold as they welcome your brother into their folds. 

“Over here!”

You look farther along where your table is positioned at the opposite end of the hall from your brother’s, seeing your best friend, sixth year Gryffindor seeker Jeon Jungkook waving you down to sit. He pats an open spot as you climb over the wooden bench and plop down next to him. 

“Sorry, I had to run as soon as I was released from Herbology, Professor Sprout kept us a bit late, and Nabi called a last minute practice, you know how she gets when players are late.” Jungkook greets with a sly grin on his face.

“Nabi wouldn’t dare punish her honey, Jeon. You could arrive late to a game and she would still shower you with praise.” You retort, leaning past Jungkook to smile at the girl seated on his other side. Nabi, captain of the quidditch team and a fellow seventh year student, has been your best friend's girlfriend for several years now. “Hey Nabi!”

“Hey good twin! Is everything okay?” she asks, and Jungkook shoots her a puzzling look.

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“Well, it wasn’t your night to patrol and you weren’t in bed last night when I got in—” she says, Jungkook elbowing her in the rib lightly with a cough.

“I mean, I had gotten up to go to the bathroom, and you weren’t there when I left or returned, I was worried about you.”

“Oh!” you laugh to yourself, ruffling Jungkook’s hair as his ears turn pink, confirming that Nabi made a slip up about their whereabouts the previous evening. “I couldn’t sleep, you know how I get. I was just wandering the halls until I felt tired enough to fall asleep.”

She nods, leaning into Jungkook to plant a loud kiss to his reddenning cheek, but the words she says to him go unheard as a loud roar rips through the hall. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students stream through the massive double doors to a loud applause, and you turn your head to watch as they wait patiently in two lines as Argus Filch, the caretaker, pulls a wheeled platform with the Goblet of Fire onto it towards the front of the teacher’s platform. 

Headmaster Bang stands, asking the students to be seated wherever there is space at the house tables, and in moments the hall is quiet as he finally approaches the podium. 

“Tonight, we will learn the names of the three school champions to take on the three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament. Before the Goblet announces the champions, are there any last minute students who would like to enter?”

The Great Hall is quiet as everyone looks around, the air suddenly tense. All eyes turn to the Goblet of Fire, which begins to spark as the flames shift, dancing in wild delight. Headmaster Bang steps towards it, where the first bit of parchment flies out from the flames. 

“The first champion, from Durmstrang, is Ok Taecyeon!”

The hall breaks out into noise as the tall man you saw the previous day leading the Durmstrang students stands and walks up to the podium. He shakes hands with all three headmasters, as well as both Seokjin and Namjoon, and then disappears through the side door you saw Namjoon go through last night. 

As the cheers die down, the goblet once again begins to cast sparks as it flares up, another charred bit of paper floating down slowly after being spit out.

“Next, from Beauxbatons—Jang Da-hye!”

You applaud with the others as the blonde, Veela-like girl rises from the Ravenclaw table and approaches the podium to copy Taecyeon, shaking the three headmasters hands before heading into the other room.

A hush grows over the students as you all wait for the goblet to announce the final champion—the Hogwarts champion. You can feel the palpable silence, sitting tensely until it gives way to the sounds of the fire beginning to vacillate, and the flames seem to shift between the brightest shades it could burn. The last piece of parchment paper shoots out of the now white hot fire, and as the headmaster reads the last name he’s just snatched out of the air, you feel your heart drop.

“Hogwarts champion, Min Yoongi of Slytherin House!”

The table at the far end erupts with proud exclamations, chants of his name as he clambers over the wooden bench to take his rightful place with the other champions. 

“YN, you’re kind of hurting me.”

Jungkook’s arm is gripped in your hand, and you release him once you realize. 

“Sorry, I’m just shocked is all.”

“Are you sure?” He leans towards you so only you can hear him. “Is this fourth year all over again?”

You look at him, scandalized that he so easily read you. From across the Great Hall, Jimin also takes note of your reaction. 

OCT 31st — 10:13 PM

It’s that very reason that Jimin summons you to meet him outside of your common room after most of the students had all turned in for the night. You’d just taken a bath, and your hair was still pulled up out of your face from where you’d scrubbed it clean. You swing open the portrait to step over the ledge, tugging your night robes around you to keep the chill out as you shuffle over to where Jimin is and away from the warmth of the common room.

“Jimin, where’s the Fiendfyre?” you ask, confused at the urgency of the message.

“I saw your reaction tonight. You should talk to him.”

“This is what you’ve called me out of bed for?”

“Yes, because Yoongi has been weird all day and he won’t say, which means it has something to do with you.” Jimin glares at you as if you’ve done something wrong.

“What in Merlin’s beard? I didn’t do anything to Yoongi!”

“Yoongi doesn’t hide anything from me unless it has to do with you. I’m not stupid. I saw the way he was looking at you yesterday after you let slip about your past crush, and I saw the way you reacted to hearing his name being called.”

“Okay? I still didn’t do anything! If anyone bothered him, it was Namjoon.”

Jimin’s eyebrows rise into his bangs. 

“Namjoon? What’s that smartass got to do with anything?”

“He wanted to talk to me about the breakup…and he might have mentioned that he’s still in love with me. While we were talking, Yoongi appeared, looking for me. The two of them had a staredown, but I didn’t get to talk to Yoongi afterwards.” You think back to last night. “I even saw him entering his name, but when I tried to talk to him, he basically dismissed me.”

Jimin rolls his head back with a heaving sigh.

“Well then, I feel a lot better about what I’m about to do.”

With a firm grip, Jimin takes your wrist and all but drags you down the left corridor and away from Gryffindor landing where The Fat Lady snores in her golden frame. You twist your arm in his hold, trying to free yourself, but Jimin is quite strong.

“Jimin, what the fuck?”

He reaches the weird tapestry with Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls ballet and walks back and forth past the opposite wall three times, face deep in thought, still never releasing you.

You quiet down your complaints and curses as a large door appears, feet unmoving as Jimin releases you to step forward and open the door. You can hear loud pounding from the other side, a muffled voice unclearly shouting words. Flinching as the door opens, you prepare for an attack.

“Park, I swear I’m gonna kill you—”

Yoongi appears in the doorway, chest heaving as if he was out of breath and his face contorted in anger that dissipates as soon as you two lock eyes. Both of you are so caught off guard and confused that when your brother shoves you into the doorway, you stumble into Yoongi’s arms as he catches you from an impending faceplant.

“Listen, this is for your own good. The door won’t unlock until you talk and figure it out. I love you both, so don’t hate me.” Jimin grimaces as he looks at the two of you before expressly shutting you in.

Shocked, you remain in Yoongi’s arms for several minutes as his breathing slows down and you take in what just happened. He seems to come to his senses, releasing you with a step back and you’re able to observe the walls around you in an attempt to ignore the other person in the room.

It’s a simple space, much like a stay at the Leaky Cauldron except it looks as if Madam Puddifoot decorated. Did Jimin lock you into a sweetheart suite? 

“Your brother is the worst. Slimy git deserves to be boiled in frog spawn.” Yoongi sits on the bed, his head in his hands.

“Hey! That’s my brother, and your best friend, need I remind you.”

Yoongi’s head snaps up to face yours, and you see a flash of remorse as he attempts a deep breath. 

“I know. He’s still a slimy git for this.” Clutching your night robe around your body, you’re inclined to agree. You also have no idea how long Yoongi was being held captive in here before you arrived, so you ask as much.

“Since I was finished being briefed. He literally came and grabbed me and said it was urgent that we come to the seventh floor because—” Yoongi stops speaking as his alabaster skin turns pink. 

“Because what?”

“Nothing.”

“According to Jimin, it isn’t nothing, and we won’t get out of here until we talk about ‘nothing’.”

Yoongi stands, walking towards a door you hadn’t noticed earlier. 

“We’ll talk later.”

The door slams, and you hear the tell tale sounds of water running. With a sigh, you take off your robe and plop down onto the other side of the mattress, spending the next 30 minutes gathering your thoughts. The same thoughts you were viciously pulled from as Yoongi stomps back into the room, blond hair wet and sticking to his forehead as steam billows out of the room behind him.

He’s dressed in pajamas, a black t-shirt and dark green plaid pants with silver and black crisscrossing. He’s a lot more covered up than you had been under your robe; not having expected to be seen by anyone but your dorm mates, you had dressed in tiny shorts and a tight tank top. Thankfully you had enough sense to pull on a robe before running out to meet Jimin. 

Yoongi shuffles around, slippers dragging along the plush carpet as he ignores the fact that he’s locked in the room with you.

“Yoongi?”

“YN?”

“Are we really going to do this?”

Yoongi steps closer to where you’ve just sat up, “YN, I really don’t want to—”

“I don’t care what you do or don’t want to do.” You stand from the bed, walking closer to Yoongi. “We can’t get out of this room until we talk about it, so we’re gonna talk about it.”

Yoongi lets out a huff, running a hand through his hair, pushing it back off his forehead. He seems to waver between having the conversation you’re pushing for, and you see when he makes the decision to go for it, preparing to give you the honest truth.  

“What is there to say, YN? I saw the way Namjoon was looking at you, I heard him declare his love for you. He’s the youngest in his department in the ministry, what have I got to compete with that?!”

“None of those things matter! Why do you even need to compete with him?” He was confusing you. No, he was getting your hopes up, but you weren’t sure he was talking about what you were thinking he was talking about.

“Why? Because what can I do to prove that I’m the better choice? Shit, even me getting chosen as Champion doesn’t mean I’ll be able to prove anything.” 

His words continue to raise your hopes, but you play dumb, wanting him to spell it out for you. You close the space between you and him, just a hair’s breadth apart now.

“Yoongi, I don’t get it. Better choice for what?” 

“For you! I think I’m in love with you, stupid!” His hands reach for you, cupping your face firm but gentle. “I think I love you. I think I have for a while.”

Instead of a reply, you press onto your tiptoes, lips meeting his in a soft kiss to show your affection for him as well. Surprised, it takes him a few seconds to kiss you back, responding once you swipe your tongue across his bottom lip. One hand moves to the small of your back to pull you closer, and you place your hands against his chest to clutch at his shirt and hold him to you.

“Why would you join this stupid tournament if you think you love me? You could die!” Your voice is a harsh whisper, half breathless from the kiss and half choked up from holding back your emotions. He presses his forehead to yours, his deep almond eyes burning into you, now lined with tears.

“Because I wanted to prove myself to you. I want to prove to everyone that I deserve you.”

“Yoongi, you don’t have to prove anything.”

“Please, you’re Head Girl of Gryffindor. Your ex was Head Boy of Ravenclaw, youngest in the ministry or whatever slug shit they were spewing earlier at the feast. People don’t expect us to be—you know—an us.” 

“I don’t care what people expect. I want to be with you. I have wanted to be with you since we were stupid fourth years sneaking around the castle to skip class and daring each other to skinny dip with the Giant Squid.”

He laughs, a bright sound straight from his stomach. It warmed you up, made you want to hear it more. 

“Don’t be the Triwizard Champion. Be with me instead,” you whisper, your fear palpable as reality settles back in. A single tear escapes your eye and you sniffle. Yoongi can’t bear to see you like this, but there’s nothing he can do.

“I..I can’t. Didn’t you hear what Bang said? Once your name is drawn from the goblet, it’s a binding contract. I have to compete.” Yoongi brushes his lips to yours, attempting to cheer you up with kisses. His voice is almost a raspy whisper as he continues. “But I’ll do whatever I need to in order to come back to you after every task.” Another kiss, longer this time. “I’ll fucking win the whole thing, too. Use the winnings to get you whatever you want.”

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he holds you close, large palms gliding up and down your skin as he kisses you again, deepening it so that you can’t help but release a moan that he swallows down. Stepping you backwards, he lowers you onto the bed once he feels you reach the edge, his hand protecting your head as he maneuvers you to the pillow. 

You can feel his hardened length against your thigh, pressing against his pajama pants and you squirm, desire coursing through your veins to have all of this man. Your hands move to pull off his shirt and he follows your lead, removing the counterpart to every article you remove from him off of you until the two of you are naked under the sheets.

“Promise me, Yoongi,” you say lightly, brushing your lips across his. Nudging his nose against yours in the most sensual way, he captures your lips in a brief kiss before answering.

“I promise, I’ll come back to you. After every task, you’ll be in my arms like this.”

Kissing down your neck, you sigh out as his hands knead at your breasts, lithe fingers pinching your nipples into peaks. Tongue swirling around each nipple, one at a time, you can feel yourself growing wet as he slots a thigh between yours. Pressing his leg into you, you grind for friction, light moans as your clit begins to slide easily from how drenched you are. 

“Can you cum for me, baby? My perfect Head Girl, you sound so pretty under me like this.”

You rock your hips harder, faster, building the coil in your lower pelvis as he continues tonguing at your chest and neck, sucking marks into your skin as proof that he was there.

“I need more, Yoongi,” you plead, and when he removes his thigh, you whine at the loss of touch. He just chuckles, a mocking sound that has you wanting to take ten points from Slytherin until you’re letting out a hiss as his warm tongue delves into your dripping center. He wastes no time, sucking and flicking his tongue on your clit, fingers circling your opening as he teases your folds. 

“Fuck, Yoongi, you feel so good, just like that!” A hand buries itself deep into his hair, gripping to keep him where you want him and he is happy to oblige. Wrapping one arm around your thigh, he splays his fingers wide to keep you open and in place for him. The feel of his hand spreading you wider as his tongue swipes back and forth quickly has your body shaking as an orgasm rips through you. He continues to eat you through it, lips and tongue sloppily kissing you until your hands are pushing at him from overstimulation. 

As the aftershocks run its course through your body, Yoongi kisses his way back up your heated skin, his hands soothing as they follow the same path. You taste yourself once he reaches your lips again, and he pulls your body on top of his as he continues to kiss you lazily, enjoying the happiness of knowing he made you feel good.

Heartbeat no longer racing, you relax in his hold, mind still blown over the orgasm he gave you. Wanting to return the favor, you sit up to move down his body trailing little kisses on all of the spots that stand out, like scars from fights and cute moles usually hidden under his robes, until your hand finally grasps him. He hisses, sucking in air through his teeth wetly as you stroke him lightly. Taking your thumb, you spread the precum around the tip, teasing him with kisses in the divots around his pelvis. 

Yoongi’s hand strokes your hair, a gentle touch that is in juxtaposition for the lewd things you want to do to him, but it warms your heart anyways, fluttering butterflies filling your tummy at the cute gesture. Opening your mouth, you take him into it fully, enjoying the low groan as his hips buck up in response. You slide your lips back, tongue providing extra friction as you begin to bob up and down along his shaft. You balance yourself on his thighs, eyes focused on his reactions to the things that you do to see what he likes and doesn’t like. 

The intake of breath every time your tongue runs along the frenulum, the way his stomach sinks in when your lips tighten around him, the hip thrusts whenever you deep throat him, nose to his pelvis as you swallow around him…Min Yoongi is falling apart because of you and you’ve never felt so powerful. 

You take him fully again, holding yourself firmly to his pelvis as you swallow repeatedly and his hands grip your face, holding you there as he lets out little moans of pleasure when you take one hand to fondle his balls, spit leaking around them making it easy to massage him. 

“Not yet baby, I want to..can I feel you?” he asks, popping you off of his cock with a lewd smack of your lips. 

“I’ve never, I mean, I haven’t ever gone that far before,” you hesitate, wanting to fuck him but also nervous about it. 

“Me either, I’ve been waiting for the right moment,” he admits, and his eyes tell you what he’s not saying: he’s been waiting for you. 

His admission calms any fears you have, and you nod fervently, allowing him to manipulate your bodies into something more comfortable. Lying on your back, he hikes one of your legs up at the knee, widening your hips so he can align himself to your entrance. You watch, wide-eyed, as his hardened length breaches you, slipping in inch by inch as he braces his weight above you. You’ve never felt so full, and he peppers your lips with kisses until you tell him you’re ready for more.

Rocking his hips, your bodies move in a push and pull that allows the friction of your bodies to intensify the pleasure until you’re clutching onto his shoulders, meeting him thrust for thrust as you chase the high. Teetering on the edge, your lips seek his skin, anything that you can lick, bite, or suck as you mount closer to your peak. It’s these actions that cause Yoongi to make the sounds you needed to send you into climax, legs shaking as they wrap around him to keep him close. 

“I can…I can feel you, so tight baby, I can’t—” Yoongi releases in you, unable to hold back from the tight grip your walls have on him.

Laying on his chest, you bask in the post-sex glow of your first time, his hands playing in your hair as he talks to you about when he first realized he thought you were pretty, when he first realized he had feelings, and how oblivious he was in fourth and fifth year. 

“Honestly, I could die happy right now.”

“Hey! No dying on my watch. You promised.”

“Maybe I can convince Professor Bang to let me forfeit, I think you gave me a prize much better than the Triwizard Cup.” Yoongi can’t help but to joke during such a serious conversation to try and calm your fears. 

“What about the thousand galleon prize the winner gets?” you tease back, “was this a much better prize still?”

Yoongi strokes his chin playfully as he pretends to think about it, and you stare at him in mock upset at his hesitation. Laughing, he wraps you in a hug, pulling your naked body more level to his.

“You know, I think I need a second time to make sure…”

You playfully swat at his chest as he brings his lips to yours once more. 

“Of course you are. You will always be better than all of the prizes and the ‘eternal glory’ promised to the winner.” 

Luckily the two of you are covered by the sheets when the lock to the room clicks and the door swings open to reveal your brother with his hand over his eyes. 

“I said talk it through! Imagine the Head Girl getting caught in such a compromising position.”

“I mean, you locked us in the Come and Go room, we just wanted to follow the directions.”

You bury your face in Yoongi’s neck, hiding your awkwardness at having been caught as your brother groans and shuts the door as he leaves.

“Is my girlfriend embarrassed?” Yoongi asks playfully, his hand soothing your hair down. 

“Yes, mortified.”

“At least he approves.” He continues to joke as he pulls you up from the bed to get dressed once again.

“He better! He’s the reason you’re mine now.”

Yoongi wraps his arms around your waist from behind, resting his chin on your shoulder as you gaze into the small mirror in the corner of the room.

“Don’t give him so much credit, baby. I put in a lot of hard work tonight.”

“Yes, you did, Triwizard Champion. It was all the proof I needed.”

His eyes soften at your reference to his feelings of inferiority, and he loves you that much more for reassuring him.

“I love you, YN.”

“I know.”

“Brat.”

“Let’s go, before we get caught.” You grasp his hand and pull him along back into the seventh floor corridor. “I love you too, Yoongi.”

He walks you back to the Fat Lady, kissing you goodbye sweetly before he descends to the dungeon, in hopes of getting a couple hours of sleep before he takes on his new roles as the Triwizard Champion, boyfriend to the Gryffindor Head Girl, YN.

thank you for reading! feedback is greatly appreciated! i hope all of my magical people enjoyed this one!

© hisunshiine 2022. All rights reserved.

[zealouscanonindeer]

Dangerous Games 6

Synopsis: Who can wait until the party's over. Hopefully, no one will notice.

Rating: 18+ NSFW. Minors DNI.

Category: Smut.

For @choicesficwriterscreations holiday event. Using the prompt Getting caught at the holiday office party.

Finally, exams are over! Now, I am excited to write holiday fics and read all of the amazing stuff I have missed.

previous chapter series masterlist

"Have yourselves a merry little Christmas!! "

The staff of doctors, nurses, technicians and help of Edenbrook all raised their glasses in approval of the holiday cheer. Only a few stood impassively, the Annual Christmas Party nothing but a mere formality for them. The leader of his small group was none other than Ethan Ramsey, who dressed impeccably in his Armani blazer and pressed pants downed another drink, a necessity to survive the ordeal.

Truth be told, he'd never have even attended but for one junior fellow who had promised him that it would be well worth his time. Yet nowhere among the throngs could he spot the person he wanted. And then he saw her, his mouth going dry and eyes abashedly checking her out from head to toe, his body involuntarily deciding that if he didn't have her now he would most certainly die.

The light blush pink satin dress hugged her body, gently flowing slightly outward, ending mid calf, her gorgeous legs in nude stilettos. He observed the lack of a slit before his eyes landed on the dainty necklace enhancing her cleavage, inviting him in for more.

The refilled glass of scotch, slid harshly against the counter awoke him from his staring. The subject of his attention, however hadn't realized his apparent interest for she seemed still preoccupied in conversation with her colleagues.

A wave of laughter rippled through the room as people turned to look at one of the senior residents of the endocrinology department hang up mistletoes around the hall. Ethan's eyes followed him, slightly annoyed as he got closer to her table, she turned around, looking up at the plant and the man sitting opposite her, the paramedic he recognized.

They laughed before their friends joined forces pushing the two towards the tradition. He saw her nodding a 'No', only leaning in to give him a friendly kiss, excusing herself. She walked towards him, her deep honey eyes meeting his. Once she reached the bar, he finally heard her voice for the first time that evening.

***********

I stopped next to Ethan, eyeing him through my peripheral vision, smirking slightly on feeling his gaze on me. Turning to the bartender,

"One martini, please. "

I slid closer to him, as he eyed me, close enough to prevent any eavesdropping, I whispered.

"Glad you came? "

His Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped his scotch, his perfect poker face on.

"That remains to be seen. "

"Why? "

"I assumed when you said it was worth my while, you were referring to whatever you have underneath this. "

"You know what they say, when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me. In truth, I have nothing underneath this, nothing."

To emphasize my point, I slipped my hand into his blazer pocket, pushing one of my panties in there and gently patting it.

"Penny.. I.. "

I grabbed my drink smiling at my victory, starting to walk away before his voice boomed. I stopped in my tracks, pleased by his demand.

"Dr Kallie, a word in private please. "

I turned around, walking towards the exit with Ethan in tow. Closing the door behind him, he rested his warm hand against my lower back, my body reacting almost embarrassingly to his simple touch. I glanced at him questioningly.

"In my office. "

He led me to the desired floor, the uninhabited corridor further aiding our devious desires as Ethan turned me around, picking me up bridal style and opening the door to his office with his shoulder.

"I thought you're home would be a more private place? "

"It would be but I'm not sure I can wait that long. "

I smiled as he put me down bolting the door. I rested gently against his desk, running my hands along it. I glanced nervously at the glass doors, although the top part was completely transparent, the lower three fourth of the glass was tinted, making it almost impossible to see anything with clarity.

Ethan's voice brought me back as he loosened his collar and opened his top two buttons.

"Prove it. "

"What? "

"That you have nothing on. "

"Well then, watch. "

I reversed our positions, pushing him against the desk before beginning to give him a show. I ran my hands up my thigh, gathering my dress. As I reached higher up, I let the fabric slip through my fingers pushing the straps of my shoulder next.

I slowly slid the dress off enjoying the way Ethan's knuckled turned white as he gripped the edges of the desk. And just like that I stood before him completely bared.

"Rookie, on the desk and spread your legs. Now. "

He clicked his fingers, pushing himself off and discarding his blazer and untucking his shirt. I got onto the desk, spreading my legs to give him a view. He lowered himself slightly taking one of my legs in his hands, removing my shoe and kissing his way up. Reaching my upper thigh, he stopped, repeating the same thing on my other legs.

His lips reached for mine, as messy kisses ensued. I tugged his bottom lip, sucking on it before moving my attention to his neck, his beard rough against my lips as I continued down his neck. His hands rested on either side of my hips as he pulled me closer, dry humping as he continued grinding against my slit, the friction causing a loud moan to erupt through me.

He pulled away, adding his fingers, setting a perfect pace and curling them inside me. He bent down pressing his lips against my clit, kissing it as my pleasure burst. Unable to take it anymore, I whimpered.

"Ethan, I need you in me. "

He unbuckled his pants, pushing them down with his boxers, his dick twitching in excitement. Pushing my legs wider, I lowered myself onto the desk, resting on my elbows as he towered over me, sliding his dick against my wetness, ready to go before backing away.

"What happened? "

He rounded the desk, opening a drawer followed by the noise of tearing a condom packet. Sliding it on he returned back to his place between my spread legs.

Thrusting in, he moaned, his eyes clouded by lust as he began thrusting deep, the desk creaking underneath me as the intensity of his thrusts grew. Objects clattered as he continued, grunting loudly as sweat began to slowly descend on our bodies.

I let out small moans and pants, the pleasure skyrocketing as one of his hands came to rest on the nape of my neck, his chiseled features shifting in pleasure as his granted loudly, signalling that he was close.

He pushed me down to lie on my back, the change in angle causing him to go deeper. My walls clenched as I screamed his name, his own release following mine as he steadied himself with both his hands on either side of my head.

I sighed as the waves of pleasure swept through me, my head swimming by his closeness. He pulled out, removing the condom and throwing it in the trash.

We reluctantly began putting ourselves together, dressing to look like we hadn't just had sex on his office desk.

"Ethan, give me my panties. "

"You certainly didn't seem to need them before. Tell you what, why don't you drop by my place later to pick them up. Keep my blazer in exchange."

He wrapped it around my shoulders, kissing my forehead, leaving before me to avoid raising any suspicions. Too sore and tired to return to the party, I dropped a text on the group chat that I was heading home and would probably be asleep. Not that I would be getting any sleep tonight.

**********

The next morning I checked in for my shift, noticing two nurses giggling among themselves.

"New hospital gossip? " I questioned laughingly.

They stared at me, shocked that I hadn't heard the hot take yet.

"Haven't you heard? Dr Ramsey fucked someone in his office at the party yesterday. One of the staff members on the floor saw him but they couldn't see his partner."

" Damn the glass! He walked out of the party with lipstick marks on his neck...and apparently there was a lot of screaming." The other nurse chipped on helpfully.

"Really, You don't say. "

*********

@liaromancewriter @potionsprefect @jerzwriter @cariantha @peonierose @kyra75 @queencarb @genevievemd @tessa-liam @coffeeheartaddict2 @tveitertotwrites @openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Christmas at the Compound: "Couple" Days of Christmas

Day Four: Precious Moments

Special things he does just for you. This one's for my fellow disabled lovelies.

Finn:

You hated cars. Hated them. You didn't care if that was a strong word to use, it was accurate. It was a car accident that had taken your mother's life away and nearly taken yours as well; thus, of all the things in this world, it was cars that you hated the most. But at the same time, you really loved Christmas lights. There was this event that the state park hosted every year - one hundred miles worth of lights, strung through the trees - and just the idea of it seemed so magical. Except you had to ride in a car to go through it, and you simply could not do that so you figured it would be best to just let that idea go and spend your time baking instead. 

"It's a beautiful night," Finn said from the doorway of your kitchen. "Would you like to go for a walk?" 

Your head snapped up, eyes wide. "OH HOLY-"

"Night?" He grinned and that was enough to halt the string of profanity about to leave your lips.

"Yeah, lets go with that."

He huffed a laugh and stepped through the door, moving to lean against he counter next to you. "So... would you like go?"

You looked down at your rumpled pj's and fuzzy slippers and then back up at him, raising a brow. "On a walk?"

"Yes."

The half-eaten cookie dough mixture you'd been working on drew your gaze. "Now?"

"Yes."

"But... cookies." You whined.

"You can bring that with you," Finn smirked.

You frowned. " That's not socially acceptable."

"Your point?"

Blinking, you grabbed the mixing bowl of cookie dough off the counter and snatched a blanket off the back of the couch. The only thing you changed about your outfit was your shoes. It was a shame to part with them but you figured the slippers would be just a wee bit impractical trudging through the eight inches of snow outside. Slipping a pair of boots on, you were out the door without another word. 

"Make sure to lock that," You called out, scraping more cookie dough into your mouth. Did you care what you looked like? No. No, you did not. Finn huffed. You waved your spoon over your shoulder at him. "Better watch that attitude, sir. I am under no obligation to continue supplying sweets."

"That wasn't me," Finn replied from behind you. 

"Hmm?" You finally looked up, only to be met with a sight that defied all expectation. 

There was a horse-drawn sleigh standing in your driveway. You whirled around, and jabbed the spoon in your hand at the old-fashioned vehicle. Your expression demanded an explanation.

"I thought we might go see those lights you're always talking about," Finn said, tucking his hands in his pockets. He cleared his throat. "If-if you want to, of course..."

"You bet you jawline, I do!" You exclaimed. Quickly shoving another spoonful of cookie dough in your mouth, you rushed over to the sleigh and climbed in. "I've always wanted to ride in one of these things!"

Elijah:

Your morning routine was a simple one. Get up, smack your alarm 'till it shut up, put on your prosthetic, get dressed, take your medication, eat something remotely food-like, and rush out the door while braiding your hair. You did most of that, until you reached step five. There was a window in your kitchen which was where you kept your (prescription) drugs. The thing was right over your sink and it didn't have blinds, so you couldn't really ignore the view outside as you got yourself a glass of water.

You took one look at your lawn and died inside. 

"Why me?" You groaned. Well, whining about it wasn't going to get you anywhere so you continued about your routine, snatching a granola bar in proxy of an actual breakfast to make up for your misfortune. You were definitely going to be late for work.

Throwing on a coat, you stumbled out the door - shovel in hand and ski strapped to your metal foot. In front of you, your deck and the stairs leading down from it had become a dangerous slope you would have to descend. You would have gone out the front door but - lucky you - that thing was entirely blocked by the squishy, cold, whiteness that now covered everything in sight. So many other people love snow. You and your prosthetic leg were not among them. You raised your eyes to the grey morning sky, glaring daggers into the lazy clouds. 

"Jack Frost, when I find you, I am going to beat you to death and steal your wallet," You announced. You stuck your tongue out at the heavens just for good measure. Then, with a sigh, you shoved off your deck railing and half-walked, half- glided down the stairs and the side of your house to the gate. When you got there, the latch was frozen shut - golly gee shucks - and you would have to bust it open with your shovel. Oh joy!

You raised the snow shovel, but just as you were about to bring it down, the ice cracked and shattered as the gate was forced open. You shrieked and dropped the shovel, stumbling back only to trip and fall on your arse into the snow. The gate swung to reveal Elijah, who frowned down at you. 

"What are you doing down there?" He wondered, raising a brow and dusting his hands off.

"What are you doing here?" You countered, pushing the hair out of your face. "Don't you live in the city?"

"Well, yes." He held out his hand and you took it, letting him pull you up. "I drove here," He answered simply.

You blinked. "Well, duh... But why?" 

Elijah shrugged. "Well, I saw the snow and figured you had enough to do without the added task of digging yourself out of your driveway."

It took you a second to process that but when his words finally registered, your eyes flew wide.

"Wait, what?"

He just smiled and stepped out of your way. You shuffled yourself though the gate and Elijah took your hand wordlessly, guiding you out into your front yard. What you saw took your breath away. He'd really done it.

He'd come all the way out from the city, to shovel snow off your driveway. The two of you didn't know each other that well. Sure, you'd had a few pleasant conversations but not enough for you to count yourself his friend. He'd only asked about your leg once and you had answered but you didn't go into detail. You weren't about to unload your struggles on a stranger. You had never mentioned how difficult snow was for you. You had never even asked. 

"I'll have it finished by the time you get back from work, but for now I managed to free your vehicle at least."

"Elijah, I-I don't know what to say," You breathed, your words turning to mist in the air.

He smiled. "You don't have to say anything."

Klaus:

You've been on forearm crutches for as long as you could remember, having been born with a genetic condition that rendered your balance questionable and your legs unable to support you. However, using a wheelchair never appealed to you much, because you're stubborn that way and anything anybody else can do, you can do better and that's a simple fact of life. Thus, stairs are difficult for you - they are the bane of your existence though you would never say that out loud for multiple reasons but one big one especially. 

Because you know what place has a lot of stairs? The compound. You agree with Marcel in nicknaming that place the Abattoir or "slaughterhouse" because you're certain those stairs are going to kill you one day. Yet, despite his many offers to shift location to someplace without a built-in death trap, you refused to complain because then Klaus would feel guilty about it. You're completely aware of how much Klaus loves New Orleans and that house and you would never want him to feel obliged to leave on your account. So you kept your mouth shut. But, to his credit, he's frustratingly observant. So, on Christmas morning, he swept you off your feet and carried you down the stairs to the Christmas tree. The following morning, you left your room to discover a brand new fireman pole and a sort of dumbwaiter system running through all five floors - from the attic to the basement.

"Merry Christmas, love." A voice said from behind you.

With a gasp, you whirled around to see Klaus standing there with a faint, slightly nervous smile. He was probably worried you wouldn't like it, since you were always so determined to do things without help.

"It's a little late, but-" Now he was trying to fill the silence - gauge your reaction.

You just shook your head. "Oh, shut up." His expression fell, but only for a second because then you were throwing an arm around him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. You tried your best not to cry but soon you were bawling like a baby. "This is the best Christmas ever!"

Kol:

You had a lot of mixed feelings about the holidays. On one hand, they were amazing - with warm blankets, sparkling lights, and good food. But on the other hand, you often found yourself left out. Hearing loss and speech aphasia made for an isolating combination, and it was always the same old story, even around your own family. You would always be on the outside looking in. It was fine, really; you'd almost gotten used to it by now. At least, that was what you liked to tell yourself as you sat at a table with your family for a feast where everyone else could contribute to the conversation except you. 

Only your mother had ever bothered to learn ASL, the rest of your family figured that since you could still talk, you should do so; despite it being painstakingly difficult and frustrating for you. Besides, it's not like anyone really wants to watch your hands while they're trying to eat. Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Years - they were always the same.  As you grew older, you even began to dread them just a little. You weren't just miserable. You were a ghost - completely unseen and unheard by your family during the time of year you were supposed to acknowledge each other the most.

When you moved out, you started skipping out on holiday dinners. Because somehow, being invisible and surrounded by family was so much more lonely then just being alone. It wasn't too much of a stretch; you got sick a lot so nobody even questioned it that first year. Then one year turned into two, and two into three, and three into five and seven and so on. 

You had hoped they would notice after a while, had hoped that they'd at least miss your face. They never did. 

You had hoped for an email or at least a text, none ever came.

You loved the holidays - loved what they meant. You just didn't love what they meant for you.

That was why you sat with a sketch pad on the floor in front of your Christmas tree, sketching well after midnight on yet another Christmas Eve while your heart shed tears of longing for the family that forgot you existed. Your hearing aids were off, left on a table in your bedroom where your boyfriend was out cold. It was chilly on the lower floor and the carpet was scratchy and salty tears dripped onto your paper, but you ignored all of that. You just wanted to draw the Christmas lights, because weren't they just so beautiful? 

A muffled voice sounded from behind you. The words were to quiet to recognize but the tone sounded like a question - a very tired question. Kol was up.

You didn't turn to face him. Instead, you just tapped your ear and said: "N-no."

Footsteps. Then he was kneeling beside you. He tapped the corner of your drawing and said something else. It was a short statement, spoken softly. Probably a complement. 

"Not-not, uh... Not-" You sniffed, wiping at more tears. "Not do-one. Not done yet-t."

The boy nodded and took your hand, pressing a kiss to your knuckles. His arm moved to rest around your shoulders and he leaned back against the couch. He pulled you along but you didn't mind. 

And Kol didn't say anything. He just let you finish your drawing. It took you until about two thirty in the morning. When you finished, you were rather tired and you'd cried all the tears you had, so you tapped his arm. He stood and let go of your hand. You glanced up at him. The boy smiled and didn't speak a word. 

He signed them instead. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart." You could see yourself cast in the warm, off-white glow of the lights reflected in his eyes. "I love you."

Your family may have forgotten about you, but perhaps you could learn to love the holidays again as long as you spent them with someone who saw you.

Stefan:

You had spent your whole life being ridiculed for the Ulnar Nerve Palsy that rendered your hands just short of useless. When they weren't locked up, they were trembling uncontrollably. Had you been born a witch then at least you could have made endless Dr. Strange jokes about it, but of course you weren't that lucky. You were only human. Perhaps a little less in the eyes of most, though you tried your best not to let their opinions hurt you.

Anyway, on Christmas morning when Stefan dragged you out of bed, you had to admit to being a little surprised. He hadn't slept over and as far as you were aware, he didn't have a key to your house.

You shielded your eyes from the lights in the hallway. Judging off the chatter from downstairs, it seemed the rest of your family was already up. "How did you get in here?" You demanded. He just smiled at you and grabbed your wrist instead of your hand.

"Your cousins let me in," He replied with a shrug.

"I hope they shot you."

"Oh they did." He nodded. "The little one caught me in the throat."

You snorted a laugh. Christmas Nerf wars were a tradition at your house, especially since you spent it with your aunt's family. She had three boys and they all loved Nerf guns.

"You guys ready to open presents?" Stefan shouted when the two of you reached the bottom of the stairs. A chorus of excited shouts, sounded from the living room.

You rolled your eyes but continued on. You would most likely have to ask for help or unwrap your presents with your feet. When you got to the living room and sat down, Stefan sat beside you with a pile of his won presents. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you yawned.

"Are we gonna start this party or what?" When you finally glanced up, you had to hold back a laugh. Everyone in your family, including Stefan, had put oven mitts over their hands - rendering them as useful as your own.

"Now we're gonna race!" Your youngest cousin said.

"Okay." You grinned and grabbed a present from under the tree with your feet. "Y'all are going down!"

[potionboy3]

character profile

► basics:

Full name: Maritza Krum

Meaning of name:

Nickname: Mari

Pronouns: She/her

Sexual Orientation: Straight until proven otherwise

Nationality: Bulgarian

Birth date: 5th of April 1894

Zodiac sign: Aries

Those born on April 5th are loyal individuals with the ability to learn and rapidly resolve various challenges in life. They are creative and imaginative with your approach to life. You are known for your adaptability and restlessness. They are known to be active and always eager to learn new things.

► Physical appearance:

Faceclaim: Daniela Nieves Height: 155cm Eye colour: Hazel Hair colour: Dark brown/Brown

► Personality:

Positive traits: kind, charismatic, insightful, fair, caring, practical, loyal, curious, quick, flexible

Negative traits: over-emotional, anxious, nervous, sometimes insecure, can be desperate in situatations, lonely, a little bit childish

Personality type: ENFJ

Character’s greatest joy in life: Her dog Bela, Safety of Linus

Fears: The war itself but specially Linus or Bela getting hurt during the war, something bad happening to her parents, TOWER

Priorities: People she loves, her wealth, her looks

Character’s soft spot: Linus, Bela

Is this soft spot obvious to others? Yes

Greatest vulnerability or weakness: She fears the war and it sometimes weakens her judgement

Secrets of the character: Her job during the war times

Does anyone else know? The people she works with, later TOWER

Drives and motivations: Her career and possible future

► Past

Hometown: Sofia, Bulgaria

Type of childhood: Maritza and her family were wealthy during her childhood and she was close with her parents. She lived in a large house and was quite spoiled.

Religion: Not religious

Dream job: Something related to fashion

► Present

Occupation: Maritza was hired by the French Ministry of Magic as a double agent because of her background. She's a socialite who's often sent to events to spy on the muggle and enemy plans as well as delivering messages from the French Ministry to other Ministries such as the British Ministry of Magic. She doesn't take part in fighting but is sometimes caught in between because of her dangerous position.

Currently living in: During the war Maritza lives with her dog in a small apartment in Paris. She often feels lonely and she isn't used to her new lifestyle. Pets: Cocker Spaniel called Bela that she adores and always worries over.

► Magical info

Blood Status: Pureblood

Education: Durmstrang Wand: Red Oak wood with a unicorn hair core, 10 ¼ and quite flexible flexibility

Garrick Ollivander noted: "You will often hear the ignorant say that red oak is an infallible sign of its owner's hot temper. In fact, the true match for a red oak wand is possessed of unusually fast reactions, making it a perfect duelling wand. Less common than English oak, I have found that its ideal master is light of touch, quick-witted and adaptable, often the creator of distinctive, trademark spells, and a good man or woman to have beside one in a fight. Red oak wands are, in my opinion, among the most handsome. Patronus: Mink Minks are very territorial animals. Patronus minks do not take kindly to attacks on their casters. Resourceful animals that thrive near freshwater, they will go to any ends to protect the witch or wizard who cast them. Keen-eyed and quick-witted, Dementors don’t stand a chance against these ferocious fellows! Patronus Memory: A perfect Christmas day from her childhood (she loves Christmas), later hugging Linus for way too long. Boggart: Bela suffering in front of her, Getting a letter that Linus has died Specialized/Favourite Spells: Defensive spells and practical spells as well as spells concerning beauty Favourite subject in school: Maritza didn't enjoy her school years that much with Durmstrang being more of a warrior school, but she did what was told and was in fact very good at gymnastics as well as defending herself during duels. She enjoyed Charms class as long as the spells were to her liking and also enjoyed herbology.

► Family Mother: Daimary Krum Face claim: -

Relationship with them: Daimary is a Venezuelan witch who married into the Krum family. Maritza looks a lot like her mother and she is the blame of her more vain side. Daimary was the one to teach her about fashion and aesthetic. She didn't like the idea of Maritza attending Durmstrang but gave in as it was a tradition with the Krum's.

Father: Vasil Krum Face claim: - Relationship with them: Maritza was close with her father who adored his daughter and always wanted the best for her. The family was faced with money problems due to Vasil's financial mistakes and problems with the law during Maritza's teenage years and she had to move to France and try to make it on her own after graduating. It distanced her from both of her parents, specially after neither took little to know interest in the on going war. Her parents did stay in her life and later she forgave her father and the two became closer again later in her life.

► Love interests

Linus Sullivan @unfortunate-arrow Faceclaim: Joseph Mazzello

Relationship to them:

Maritza and Linus first came across each other when Linus arrived to France. Maritza happened to be at the docs that day due to her work. They only saw each other quick but locked eyes. They came across each other the second time during Battle of Somme where again they didn't speak, but Linus witnessed Maritza escaping by appareting away from the situation. The first time they actually met was during Linus's leave in Paris. After finally meeting each other the two spent his leave together quickly getting attached to each other. Maritza gave Linus her necklace as gift with a wish of him coming back to her. After the war the two were reunited and married.

►Enemies TOWER

Maritza witnessed the horrors of the dark wizard organization TOWER during her time working for the French Ministry of Magic, during the war she even became a target for the group.

Relationship to them:

► Relationships with others

Friends: Ares Gaunt @gaygryffindorgal, Alexej Kavinsky eventually *up for more*

Person character goes to for advice: Her father, later Linus Person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Linus Person character feels shy or awkward around: Ares Gaunt Person character openly admires: Her father

► Habits Spending habits: Somewhat wasteful with money but is learning to do better Smokes: No Drinks: Sometimes Other drugs: No Extremely skilled at: Fashion & makeup, dancing, taking care of people, calming other people down Extremely unskilled at: Calming herself down

►Traits

How he feels about herself: Maritza is a positive person who has good and bad days but she knows her own worth and wants to show off her beauty.

How do other people perceive him: Kind and understanding mostly, She's easy to like and people admire her style.

Style:

[wherevenusholdssomeofficespace]

Part 5

The Murphy family of Milo Murphy's law is in my opinion the least developed of the main families, due to the shows focus on school shenanigans and a time traveler subplot, not helped by it’s relatively short run time (H&G is already at 23 to MML 40)  But the Murphy family, tied together with the hereditary Murphy's Law is an extremely important element of the show. How the family bonds because of it and how even those who don't suffer from it make allowances in their life for those who do.

Milo values his father's advice immensely (as a fellow sufferer of EHML). Sara, while often a bit paranoid, and sometimes plans events around avoiding her father and brother, loves them dearly and makes sure to include them in things important to her. Brigette is shown to enjoy extreme sports and change, but still finds her husband and son exhausting at times.

While most of the extended Murphy family only features in the Christmas special. Beyond Milo's parents, sister and dog, he also has grandparents, an aunt, uncle, cousin and ancestors. These characters are all delightfully charming in their own right. His grandparents are constantly talking over each other so they are incomprehensible unless you're focusing on one, his aunt and uncle are somehow more positive than Milo, and his cousin is in denial about the whole thing. Sheriff Murphy’s attitude. Each member of the Murphy family showcases a different way of approaching the Law. Grandma Murphy is a bit of a badass, presumably necessary when raising two sons with Murphy’s Law. Martin became a safety inspector and chooses to be a bit more cautious, using his condition to his advantage all while managing it to the best of his ability so it causes less damage otherwise. Joey chooses to frame everything going wrong in the most positive way possible, as it can’t be things going wrong if you refuse to acknowledge the events as negative. Meanwhile Nate ignores it and tries to live his life out as best as he can without acknowledging that the things going wrong actually aren’t more than normal troubles and therefore easily manageable. Grandpa depends on family traditions and taking pride in Murphy’s Law to give it meaning, to make him feel empowered in living with it.

There's also a cousin Reggie who Milo mentions once as having painted the Mona Lisa that's hanging in the Louvre, but he's unseen and probably on his mom's side. (The Louvre is in France and there is kind of an implication of French heritage on one of his grandmother’s sides, so he could have family in France. It could easily be Grandma Murphy, which would be funny if she, a Danger married a Murphy. But there really isn’t enough information to make any assumptions and it’s probably more coincidence than anything).

Many of the episodes are about the family. For instance, there’s the family vacation episode, the roller disco derby episode and the episode where Sara and Milo go after shirts they believe to be important to their mom. And even in episodes not just about the Murphy family they still often make appearances, such as in Picture Day, Goulash, or Love Toboggan where the Murphy family may set the scene, providing motivation or the goal.

There’s something to be said about how despite the Murphy family being inherently unusual, and carrying that label with pride, how normal they really are. Brigette is shown to want normal mom things, like half-decent pictures of her son, or beating other mom’s at Goulash competitions, while knowing full well what she was getting into when she married her husband (and even otherwise may even like the excitement Murphy’s law may provide). Sara just wants teenage girl things like her date not going totally wrong, or getting to enjoy a movie premier. Even Milo and Martin are shown to be rather normal and annoyed by their condition at times. Martin likes lattes, and gets worried about their insurance premiums. Milo worries about his future and getting held back in school, gets excited when meeting celebrities or about learning. And of course Diogee may be the best dog in the world, but other than his penchant for getting himself anywhere in the world when Milo needs him, is an extremely ordinary dog. And both Milo and Martin at least are shown to enjoy skiing and really the whole family seems to enjoy just getting out and doing things. So much of Milo Murphy's Law is the Murphy family doing ordinary things just with Murphy's law throwing some curveballs in. The Murphy family is at their core, a normal family.

Even when Milo isn’t spending time with his family, he carries his family in a lot of what he does. Milo constantly brings up his fathers extremely specific sayings, and constantly making references to the wild stories his family has lived through. Milo goes out of his way to invite the Murphy’s to Christmas, he brings up his family as the thing he loves most immediately when asked. Sara carries her family in her love of Dr. Zone, a fan because of her father, and making space in her fandom for her brother and his condition.

The Murphy family is more defined by blood than the families in Phineas and Ferb due to the fact Murphy’s Law is a hereditary condition, and thus the blood relations is something that brings them together rather than relationships forged in absence of it. In Phineas and Ferb family is the similarities despite surface differences, and love despite relationship tensions. In Milo Murphy’s Law it’s the differences despite surface similarities, and love despite external problems. But that doesn’t mean that blood is the end all be all in Milo either. Far from it.

[sundayschurchbench]

Replying to @trashlie and @hotdamncomics for their reblogs on this post under a cut so I can spare my friends the walls of text of a comic they're not reading lol.

Trashlie, friend, reblogger of theories and fellow Thursday night feels partner absorbing all the details... you bring up such great points.

But on the other, Yui has spent Kousuke’s entire life gaslighting and manipulating him; it’s only natural that it would be difficult for him to reconcile these two versions of her, and sometimes he’s unable to in the end. 

Every time Yui makes a move she says she does it with either his or their family's best interest in mind. Over and over. Kousuke has seen himself benefit time and time again from her unorthodox methods. And we know that he's not against life being unfair in his favor.

He has never had reasons to doubt that was her only motive, but he isn't a child anymore. He has seen and experienced things she has done that are worse than merely giving him an unfair advantage.

I'm actually curious about how Kousuke would respond if he realized his mother is trying to ruin and remove Rand from the picture.

This is why I so desperately want Rand to connect to Kousuke that evening. Even if Kousuke doesn't immediately believe him and thinks any mushy words mean Rand is disappointed in him (as he thought earlier that night when Hansuke took the call sneakily) the seed will have been planted.

Kousuke might see that he is been a pawn in a power struggle he's never signed up for. He didn't want to reach the top to ruin his father, but to meet him. He didn't want to reach the top to be to busy to spend time with his father, but rather if his father's burden were less, then maybe they would have time to spend together.

Yui's played a game that can backfire on her.

Because if Kousuke doesn't end up resenting Rand for his neglect, for having another family, then she can actually lose her pawn to him.

Especially if Kousuke uncovers that his mother sabotaged whatever closeness they could have had.

I really need Rand to be able to reach to at least one of his sons before the time skip. Even if it's just to plant a seed.

If Yui wanted to ensure that Nol never stood a chance against Kousuke, then damaging not only the way others see him but also the way he sees himself was a sure fire way to do it, wasn’t it?

Indeed, psychological manipulation in the hands of professionals with the intent to harm instead of helping is very dangerous.

And it makes me think back on the formal.

We know that Yui could not have predicted Nol's involvement or how things played out with him entirely, but she took the chance when it presented itself.

She knows damn well that Nol doesn't like her touching him, so she crept up on him deliberately to cause the rest of the events to unfold. She's so threatened by his existence that she'd risk her precious heir in order to cause another situation—a very public one—for Nol being unstable and malicious toward Kousuke, the heir.

After all, her son could have sustained far more serious injuries, but she didn't care. Yui was willing to risk it if it meant ensuring Nol had another mark against him.

She could always blame any lingering health issues after that accident on Nol purposefully hurting Kousuke.

Of course, the one who got hurt was Shin Ae, which she could still use against him to at least trigger him to go back to whatever state kept him down and defeated before.

Either way, she took a huge risk, which means she is actually very concerned about Nol's existence.

He is the one who truly gets under her skin, as we've seen.

[That lip quiver at the Christmas party was so satisfying...]

/ / / / /

Okay, so hotdamncomics, yes! I remember you from the kdrama life. Glad to see you have similar taste in comics. You bring up interesting points! I think the formal arc really helped us see the personalities, as well as "core" values (at that time) of the major characters.

Kousuke who didn't help Shin-ae when he tripped her at the formal is his real self, someone concerned foremost by how people see and perceive him than someone else's comfort or safety. He's not a nice and proper gentleman at core. That's a mask, one he put on when he invited Shin-ae to dance to prove a point that he was a gentleman. Even here he's failed to act in her interest regardless if he was genuine. He took priority. Let me fix my previous blunder by offering that poor girl a dance and not so much about proving he wasn't embarrassed of her.

He knew someone like her wouldn't know how to dance but he put her on the spotlight because repairing his image was more important than proving he wasn't ashamed of her. He could have chosen to play the piano with her by his side. It would still draw attention, still show her he's not ashamed of admitting he knows her, but would have placed her comfort ahead of his image.

This is actually a fantastic observation and you proposed a great alternative to inviting her to dance that would have conveyed the sentiment that he knows her and doesn't mind being seen with her without further embarrassing her by offering to partake in an activity he should have assumed she wasn't accustomed or knew how to do.

But, we see this again when Shin Ae's falls. Yes, he is the one closest to grab her when she falls over the railing, but once they hit the pool, he's first concerned with getting himself out and then remembers she's fallen too which is entirely different from Nol's eventual choice.

Nol comes up to air with Shin Ae.

And after the Christmas party arc we were aware that he was dealing with suicidal thoughts in that moment—he wanted to remain there, essentially drown, but seeing her pushed him to go back to his hell.

He didn't deserve the "peace of death."

It's not that I think there is something wrong with people who will prioritize themselves, but it does serve as a contrast between just how different Nol and Kousuke operate.

There have been so many hints that prove Kousuke isn't in fact that kind gentleman—that is part of the persona, of the expectation of a well-rounded heir and the type of man his father would admire.

Kousuke often slips out of that mask, particularly when stressed, to show who he is. A man who says more than he should under the veil of honesty, often hurting or insulting those around him.

"I don't mean to offend," is always said by those who will offend.

Yujing's actions feel too personal and led by revenge to be something shallow. Someone important must have urged her to try for a story that can ruin her career if she doesn't execute it perfectly and with no room for a counter defamation lawsuit.

I think this is actually quite right. We don't know what kind of "terrible situation" Rand helped her out of—but he had a hand in getting her to where she is. Someone who has tasted defeat or loss is protective of security and more prone to self-preservation.

She does have a strong ethic and she mentions she wants to restore faith in journalism by exposing the truth no matter how ugly. It'll be interesting to see what prompted her to take this risk to bring a very powerful woman like Yui down. Perhaps Yujing isn't meant to hit the knock out, but weaken her enough where the others on the board (if we go back to the chess theory) can act.

[agentgrange]

Shortlist of planned campaign settings I'd love to include in Delta Green Able Archer in no particular order:

Vietnam-Thailand-Cambodia Border (played as GRU-SV8 agents and their Vietnamese allies against the Khmer Rogue and Kuen-Yuin, 1980)

Ipswich / East Sussex (based on the Rendlesham Forest incident, possibly set in 1981 after the real world events of Christmas 1980.)

Mammoth Caves, Kentucky (general southern gothic and hollow earth shenanigans, player favorite.)

Fulda Gap, Germany (takes place during Able Archer 1983 crisis)

Hawizeh Marshes, Iran-Iraq Border (Height of the Iran-Iraq War, expect stargate hopping.)

Anchorage, Alaska (based loosely on the Robert Hansen case, where Agents will hunt the most dangerous game.)

Panjshir Valley, Afghanistan (an inversion of the Kali Ghati scenario where Delta Green agents will conduct an insurgency against GRU SV8.)

Lisbon, Portugal (unlock the secrets of the Knights Templar and their ancient, doomed war against the unnatural.)

Tokyo, Japan (Delta Green agents are forced to team up with Genyosha to investigate the rise of extreme film.)

Panama-Nicaragua Border (following the footsteps of Sub Rosa and the legacy of Delta Greens brutal history.)

Baltic States, USSR-ish (Closing the story with a last conflict between GRU-SV8 and Delta Green during the Baltic Chain protests.)

I can only do 10 of those 11 initial ideas, so I'd need to drop one. Most likely Lisbon or the Baltics campaign. The Portugal one because it can really be set in any era and I feel like it doesn't quite fit the theme of the other campaigns-- though I like it because it's different enough to be a refreshing break from the others like a nice Iberian vacation for your Agents. The one in the Baltics would tie a lot together in the end as a backdrop to a final showdown between old rivals that would be built up over the series, but the scope is big enough to make my head spin. Curious on others thoughts.

Along with these, some would have their own mini-scenarios with their own maps tacked on for oneshot "flashback" sessions to play out information revealed in-characters through some other means like reading an intelligence report or hidden tome. These are meant to be more experimental, for fun, and not meant to be fleshed out to a full campaign. That would include, potentially:

The Sino-Vietnamese border clash of 1979, playing as Kuen-Yien agents

Northern Ireland, playing as the Army of the Third Eye or

Ancient Wales playing as aspirant Knights of the Round Table (like ancient PISCES)

A Hollow Earth section in Agatha for Mammoth Caves

Land-Between-the-Lakes, Kentucky in 1955 responding to the Hopkinsville Goblin case

Kodiak Island as an Anchorage late game expansion

Playing as Knights Templar in medieval Antioch (for Portugal)

Teutonic Knights in medieval Riga (for the Baltics)

US Invasion of Grenada, 1983

Genyosha samurai uprising in Kyushu, 1887

This shits a lot, and it's going to take me a loooong time to cover it so any sourceguide drafts will be mostly outlining these settings assuming I stick with tackling all these overtime. But insight, encouragement, or especially suggestions is from fellow Agents and Handlers who listen to my rambling ass will be my bread and butter throwing this together so please, I encourage anyone to ask questions or give advice!

[lazuli-writes]

Honour

summary: The letter Ron left Muriel following his and Daphne’s flight from the Prewett ancestral home.

pairing: none

genre/warnings: light angst / mentions of past torture & family problems (very brief)

estimated word count: 900 words

a/n: This takes place in the early summer right after Ootp. Ron had just been disowned and fled the burrow. He had already been kicked out the twin’s shop. Remember folks, copying other people’s works is plagiarism and that’s illegal. Don’t be that kind of person. Anyways, hope you all enjoy it :)

©little-lazuli. Do not copy, repost, or translate without permission

Dear auntie Muriel, 

I want to start off by saying that I held no wish to disrespect you with our unanticipated departure. However, after the moments we shared last night, I felt the need to heed your words. You were right. I was foolish for leaving my parents, my siblings, and my family that night. My irrational temperament and clear lack of decorum towards my mother was out of line. I shouldn’t have run away. Maybe if I hadn’t, I would not have gotten the mark in the first place. There isn’t much that I would consider to be more painful than that night, that Christmas Eve. 

You labeled me daft for taking the mark, and for my part in the events that precipitated that painful memory. And I understand. But never, for even a second, would I wish I had not been there. I do not wish I was not taken that night. I do not wish I was not tortured that night. I do not wish I had not taken the dark mark in Daphne’s place. That will never be something I will ever regret. 

I love her aunt Muriel. 

Daphne Greengrass is the woman I wish to marry. I wish to be the one to hold her every time she awakens from a nightmare. I wish to be the one to have kissed her under the light of the sun, the moon and the stars. I wish to be the one she can call her friend, her shield, her love, from this day until my very last. I wish to hear her voice sing me into Morpheus’ realm. I wish to have her arms hold me forever. I wish to be her husband. 

It’s because of this necessity for me to be hers in totality, that I have taken my leave from your shelter. It was never my mission to find somewhere for myself to catch my breath. I was disowned for my inability to convey what I felt. I didn’t give my parents the truth and as such, they reacted in the only way they knew. They feared the unknown. 

My mission, from the moment I took the mark for Daphne, was to ensure that Daphne and Astoria could have somewhere to stay. I was foolish in not asking for help. I bloody well believe it would have been smarter to keep them in this secret space in Hogwarts I had discovered in my fourth year. But yet here I was. I completed my mission. I found you. It was never my intention to take advantage of your hospitality in such a way auntie, but as I am writing this letter, I cannot help but feel as if I am spitting on your virtue. For that, I owe you my sincerest apologies.

Granted I haven’t even asked you yet, but here I am speaking it as if it was fact. I wish for Astoria to stay here, within your home and the home of my mother’s ancestors. She cannot and will not be allowed to join Daphne and I on our journey. Tabby, the last of the Greengrass elves will remain with you to help keep an eye and care for her as Daphne and I travel. I cannot stay. Even though I have amputated my arm, a show of loyalty I also hold no regret over, I refuse to have my presence bring you and Astoria to danger. What we plan on doing is not safe. And we believed it better for Astoria to remain behind, as well as not to attend Hogwarts. 

You told me last night that our families share a history. Prewetts, Weasleys, Princes, and so many others… We shared a history in defending those who could not defend themselves. We defended our own when muggles hunted us, calling us demons. We defended muggles, when our own fellow wizards wished retribution on the son for their father’s crimes. 

You taught me that my ancestors were warriors, willing to defend themselves to the last breath. Though I may no longer be considered a Weasley—and therefore unable to do the name any honour. Your words from last night have given me hope that maybe I could still do right by our shared ancestors. With that in mind, I will tell you what I aim to do. 

That monster, that snake, He who must not be named. I wish to fight back. I wish to help our side of this war. And I will. Me and Daphne may not be able to go up against the likes of him and his supporters. But there are so many others at the mercy of their wrath. I refuse to sit or hide. I refuse to remain quiet. I am going to fight back, auntie. I am going to help those in need. 

With this in mind, Daphne and I have left your home. I do not know when or if we’ll be back. All I ask is that you keep Astoria with you please. With the fidelius now up, you both shall be safe. Again, I sincerely apologize for my leaving, but I hope you can understand. I pray this letter isn’t the last you will hear from me and I hope to one day see you again, because despite still being the scary crone I have grown up believing you to be auntie. You are one of the most exceptional witches I have ever been lucky to know.

Thank you again, for everything you have done for me. I look forward to hopefully seeing you again.

Your nephew, Ronald Weasley

[pastrnaks-sainz]

I posted 985 times in 2022

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I tagged 376 of my posts in 2022

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Longest Tag: 101 characters

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My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

this shirt makes me feel things

36 notes - Posted April 23, 2022

#4

Black Tie

Pairing: Connor McDavid x reader 

Type: Fluff 

Warnings: None 

Word Count: 1.1k

Summary: Every once in a while there was a black tie event hosted by the team that Connor had to attend. As a member of the Oilers organization you also had to attend. You and Connor both hated fake sipping champagne and talking to people you hardly knew. For the past two years that similarity drew you to each other. This year, though, had Connor feeling flirty. 

Request: Request #29 with Connor McDavid? 👉🏼👈🏼 (from anon) 

Fluff Prompt #29: “Who gave you permission to go out in public looking like that?”

~~~~

It was nearing the point in the evening when your social battery was dangerously close to zero. Like, blinking red about to be stranded in the middle of the ocean with no life preserver, dangerously close to zero. And if you knew Connor McDavid as well as you thought you did, his would be in the danger zone too. 

“That time of the night, Y/N?” Zach chirped as you walked past him. You shot him a look and playfully flipped him off as you continued on your way to what would become your safe corner for the night. You sat down and tried your best to look like you didn’t want to jump out the window. 

“I see the clock has struck midnight for the both of us,” the voice of your fellow introvert Connor McDavid had you genuinely smiling for the first time all night. 

“Thank god,” you sighed as he sat down at the table across from you, placing his drink down in front of him. “It looks like you lasted longer than me this year.” 

“I actually think we both tapped out at the same time,” Connor said, looking around for any sponsors he might have to hide from. “There are times I rethink my career choice and this is one of them.” 

“Yeah,” you agreed, making eye contact with him. Like always, your stomach fluttered. “This industry isn’t the best if you’re not an extrovert.” 

“I genuinely have no idea how Leon does it,” Connor said, looking over to see Leon Draisaitl in the middle of the room somehow managing three different conversations and one of them was in German. “Man is a god.” 

“He has to be,” you agreed, shaking your head in awe. “There is literally no other explanation.” 

Connor laughed and took a sip of his drink. He swallowed before turning his gaze onto you. Your cheeks heated up to the point you would have sworn your face was literally glowing. 

“So what was the conversation that did you in?” with his question the party around you seemed to melt away. 

“New camera equipment, believe it or not,” you answered. 

“Really?” Connor was surprised. “I thought you loved getting new gear?” 

“I do, believe me I do,” you worked for the Edmonton Oilers’ media department. Getting new gear before a season was like Christmas. “But there was just something about it tonight that I could not sit through.” 

“Business conversations are the worst,” Connor agreed. “I couldn’t even explain what the one I just abandoned was about. I think it was skate laces? I don’t even know.” 

“Who knew these black tie events could be so goddamn boring,” you said, eliciting a laugh from Connor. 

“Agreed.” 

Connor thought for a second before speaking again. He wasn’t sure if it was the amount of drinks he’d had at the party or if it was something else, but he had a little extra courage that had his threshold for stupidity so far up it was in danger of becoming part of the ballroom ceiling.

“Hey, wanna leave?” 

“I’m sorry?” you looked at him in shock. You had been to countless of events like these and ended up in this scenario countless of times before but not once had Connor proposed the idea of ditching. “I know you won’t get fired but I still have my job to worry about.” 

“Oh don’t worry about it,” Connor said as he stood up. Oh. He was serious. “If someone gives you a hard time just point them in my direction. I’ll say you were feeling sick and since I was with you you just asked me to take you home.” 

“Alright, I guess that’s believable enough,” you answered and took his hand, allowing him to help you up from your seat. 

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79 notes - Posted April 9, 2022

#3

500th

Pairing: David Pastrnak x reader 

Type: Smut 

Warnings: Oral (f+m receiving), fingering, swearing, protected sex, hair pulling kink, cockwarming 18+ ONLY 

Word Count: 1.1k

Summary: You knew David was close to 500 career points, but you didn't expect him to reach that milestone in his first game back after being out for three weeks. The good mood he was in when he got home somehow became an even better mood when he saw you in nothing but a pair of heels and his jersey. 

Smut Prompt #8: “A beautiful sight, you wearing nothing but my jersey waiting for me”  Smut Prompt #15: “Pull my hair” 

A/N: I guess this is a part two to 200th. Also i am on my knees for pasta, literally would do anything for him

~~~~

David hummed to himself as he unlocked the apartment door and let himself in. He was in a good mood. His first game back after being injured against Detroit could not have gone better. He didn't expect to score the first goal of the game, but when you’re David Pastrnak anything can happen apparently. 

That anything can include coming home to seeing your girlfriend laying in the middle of your bed wearing nothing but a very sexy pair of heels and your jersey. David dropped his bag on the floor, his jaw hanging open. He shamelessly raked his eyes up and down your body. 

“What’s all this?” he asked once he found his voice. 

“You had a big game,” you responded in the best sultry voice you could muster. “I thought you deserved a little reward.” 

“A reward?” David hummed, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. He took a couple steps forward and knelt on the bed beside you. His finger tips lightly skimmed over your ankle. “A beautiful sight, you wearing nothing but my jersey waiting for me.” 

“I thought you might like it,” you responded, pushing yourself to sit up and meet his lips. David kissed you fervently. You moaned against him, hand coming to cup the back of his head and hold him in place. 

You used the leverage you had gained against him to flip him onto his back. 

“What’s all this?” he asked, tucking his arm behind his head and watching you get to work unbuttoning his pants. 

“You know how a milestone gets rewarded by now,” you smirked, pulling his pants and boxers down. His dick, hard and red, slapped against his stomach. David’s muscles tightened as the cool air of the room touched his tip. 

You licked your lips, practically able to see his dick throbbing with want. The man was insatiable, and you were fully prepared to have a long night. 

“Y/N, don’t just fucking look at it do something,” David’s voice was strangled.

“As you wish.” 

He moaned, loud and long as you licked a thick stripe up the underside of his dick along the vein. He gathered your hair in a ponytail and gripped it tight. You brought your mouth down on him, taking as much as you could. His moans were music to your ears as you bobbed your head up and down. You hollowed your cheeks every once in a while, making him moan a little louder each time. 

You knew David’s body so well that you could bring him to the edge and back three times before he started to get frustrated. And it wasn’t through his voice that you knew he was getting frustrated. It was when his hips would not stay still. He kept squirming, trying to find the right position in order to get some sort of relief. But every time he did you changed what you were doing. 

It wasn’t until he gripped your hair a little bit tighter that you finally took pity on him. You gripped the base of his dick and gave him short but firm squeezes and alternated between gently sucking his tip and giving him little kitten licks. David’s stomach tightened as he came. His eyes screwed shut and he let out a strangled moan. 

“Congratulations, baby,” your voice was hoarse as you crawled back up his body to whisper in his ear. 

“You are going to be the fucking death of me,” David all but growled. He kissed you passionately, his lips claiming you as his own. You whimpered and let him push you onto your back. His hands traced your sides before reaching the hem of the jersey. He lifted it over your hips 

“David,” you whimpered, snaking your hand into his hair as he lifted your legs onto his shoulders. You felt his breath on your dripping pussy before you felt his tongue. You jumped at the contact before allowing yourself to relax into his ministrations. 

He knew your body as well as you knew his. It made sex that much more pleasurable. You squirmed as he switched between licking and sucking your clit and blowing cool air on it. He threw his arm over your hips to keep you still. You moaned louder than you had since he started and tugged on your hair. 

David emitted a sound you’d never heard come from him before. He pulled away from your clit and looked up at you with dark, hooded eyes. 

“Pull my hair,” he commanded. You shuddered at the sound of his voice but gave the roots of his hair another yank nonetheless. His eyes rolled back and his muscles tightened. “Fuck.” 

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81 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

#2

Friend From College

Pairing: Jeremy Swayman x reader 

Type: Fluff 

Word Count: 1.9k

Warnings: Swearing

Summary: Jeremy was quickly adopted by his new Bruins teammates. And that comes with being harassed by Brad Marchand and eventually Nick Foligno until you invite your closest friend down to Boston during Christmas break to meet your new teammates. 

Request: Can you do 4 and 43 from fluff with swayman thank you in advance (from anon)

Fluff Prompt #4: “Is that my sweatshirt?” Fluff Prompt #43: “Will you two just kiss already?”

~~~~

Jeremy took a deep breath before walking into the locker room. For the past weeks, ever since Nick Foligno had walked in on him on FaceTime with you, he had been harassed about when he was “going to introduce us to your girlfriend, Swayman?” He was going to need all the luck he could get being around the team whenever there was even half a moment of silence. 

“Good practice, Sway,” Patrice greeted him with a nod. Jeremy’s shoulders relaxed. Bergy was one of the only ones to not give him a hard time. Although he didn’t exactly take steps to stop the heckling whenever it started. 

“Thanks,” Jeremy returned the greeting, taking a sip of his Dunkin coffee. 

“Oh, hey, I have an extra ticket to the game tomorrow if you want it, Stephanie said she’d reserve the seat beside her,” Bergy said before leaving. 

“Oh, sure,” Jeremy smiled. “Thanks, Cap.” 

“No problem,” Patrice gave Sway a subtle wink before walking out to the equipment room. 

Jeremy groaned. He knew exactly who Patrice wanted him to give that ticket to. But you were still in Maine with your family, you wouldn’t want to make that drive all the way down to Boston just for a hockey game. But then again, it was worth at least giving you a call, right? 

“If I don’t call her they’re never going to let me forget it,” he sighed and picked up his phone, knowing that if one of the friends he’d made in Boston showed up tomorrow night with that ticket he would never live it down. He was pretty sure their next steps were going to be going through his phone, finding your number, calling you themselves, and telling you they thought Jeremy liked you. And he could never live with himself if that happened. 

“Y/N! Your phone is ringing!” your little cousin yelled from the basement. You downed the rest of the drink in your glass before jogging down the stairs. 

“Hello?” you answered, not even bothering to glance at the caller ID. 

“Y/N!” Jeremy’s cheery voice was on the other end of the line. You smiled to yourself as you stepped into the toy closet to get away from the noise your younger family members were making. 

“Thank god you called me,” you sighed. “I’m hiding from the kids. You gotta get me outta here, Jeremy.” 

Jeremy’s chest warmed. 

“Well lucky for you Bergy just offered me a ticket for the game tomorrow night if you want to come down,” he said, applauding himself for the smooth offer. He knew, though, that if any one of the guys walked in he would instantly crumble. 

“Oh my god, please,” you were relieved. “I’m gonna drive down right now. Jeremy you have no idea how happy I am to get out of this reunion.” 

“Anything for you, Y/N,” he said. “Let me know when you’re thirty minutes out. You can just come straight to my apartment, I’ll send you the address.” 

“You’re a legend, Sway,” you said before hanging up and walking back up stairs. 

“Who was that sweetie?” your mom asked as you reached for your keys. 

“Jeremy,” you responded. “He invited me to the game tomorrow night. I’m gonna drive down this afternoon. I should be at his place by like eight. I’ll be back here on Monday.” 

“Have fun!” she told you as you walked out the door, knowing you were going to take any escape you could to get away from the extended family in town for the weekend no matter what she said. 

Jeremy was thankful that his mom forced him to buy one extra set of sheets than he thought he needed when he got home after practice. He was also thankful for his real estate agent for persuading him to get an apartment with a guest room. He set up the guest room before settling down on the couch. 

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84 notes - Posted March 16, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Bloodied and Bruised

Pairing: Matthew Tkachuk x reader 

Type: Fluff 

Warnings: Injury 

Summary: Matthew wasn’t usually accident prone, but this morning’s practice had him beat up in more than one way. He’d taken a puck to the knee, causing him to limp for the rest of the day. And he’d gotten an accidental high stick to the face, causing a small but nasty cut just above his eyebrow. You knew it was bothering him more than usual after he begged you to stay with him. 

Request: Hi can you write a Matthew Tkachuk imagine with the prompts 37 and 63 from your list where he had a rough practice and gets injured and you help bandage him up. You want to be there for him even though he usually keeps to himself but this time he needs comfort from his girlfriend with some cuddling please. Thank you! (from anon) 

Fluff Prompt #37: “Quit being such a baby and let me put a new Band-Aid on your face” Fluff Prompt #63: “Can you- do you want to- please stay with me, I don’t want to be alone”

~~~~

The front door creaked, announcing Matt’s arrival home from practice. You grinned and hastily wiped your hands on the towel you had over your shoulder before tossing it down to the island. When you saw Matt standing at the end of the hallway, shoulders slumped and head down, you knew something was wrong. 

“Matty, baby,” you hummed, brows furrowing in concern as you walked up to him. “What happened?” 

“Got a little banged up,” he mumbled. You cupped your hand around his jaw and moved his head so you could get a close look at the cut above his eyebrow. A small white Band-Aid was overing it, but a few drops of blood had already seeped through it. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” you wrapped your arms around his waist, expecting him to push you away like he always did when he was injured. But instead he melted into you, letting his head droop to your shoulder and his hands resting lightly on your hips. You knew the injury was bothering him. 

“You’re really warm,” he said, his voice muffled by your hoodie. 

“Come on, baby,” you took his hand and pulled him down the hallway to your bedroom. He followed like a puppy dog. You sat him down on the edge of the bed and went to retrieve the first-aid kit from where you’d stashed it under the sink. 

“What are you doing?” he asked as he watched you open it and pull out a package of Band-Aids. 

“Changing that Band-Aid,” you answered, flicking your eyes up to his cut. “There’s blood coming through it, if you keep it on it’ll get infected.” 

Matt pouted up at you. 

“Quit being such a baby and let me put a new Band-Aid on your face,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest. Matt smirked and kept his eyes on you as you carefully peeled off the white Band-Aid and replaced it with one of the new ones. 

“All better?” he asked. 

“All better,” you nodded and placed a gentle kiss over the Band-Aid. 

You turned around, ready to head back to the kitchen to finish making the mac n’ cheese you had started, when Matt’s hand latched around your wrist. You turned around, eyebrow raised in question. 

“Can you- do you want to- please stay with me, I don’t want to be alone,” he muttered, hanging his head. Your heart panged. There must have been something more to his injuries acquired at practice that a cut over his eye. 

“Did something else happen?” you asked, sitting down on the bed beside him. 

“It’s nothing,” he tried shrugging it off. “I just took a puck to the knee, that’s all. It’s not a big deal.” 

You watched as he pulled up the leg of the shorts he was wearing. An ugly purple bruise was starting to get darker. 

“I’m gonna go get you an ice pack,” you said, leaving before he got the chance to protest. When you got back you found his curled up in bed, cuddling a pillow. 

A smile shadowed your lips as you placed the ice pack on the bruise that was slowly forming on his left knee. The second Matt felt you near him he tossed aside the pillow and wrapped his arms around you instead. 

Matty was usually like a porcupine when he was injured, never wanting people around him. You had no idea what caused this change in him but you liked it and you didn’t want it to go back to the way it was. He almost never let you play with his curls but now he was humming in contentment as you raked your fingers through his hair and twisted the curls around your fingers. 

276 notes - Posted February 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[amplesalty]

Halloween 2022 - Day 18 - Dead Calm (1989)

Not to be confused with Dead Clam which I nearly typed and would make for a much less interesting movie...

That’s a weird poster. I get the red tint is implying an element of danger but  why is Nicole Kidman’s head like that? It doesn’t make any sense perspectively and it makes her head look like an island.

Anyway, it’s the return of another blog alumni today with Sam Neill who we’ve seen before in Event Horizon and In the Mouth of Madness. He could become something of a frequent contributor in future years given he’s also in one of the Omen sequels if I go down that route and Possession which is on my watch list somewhere. By this point Neill was already some years into his career but this also serves as one of the early credits for Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane, so this has some degree of star power to it, albeit in a ‘before they were famous’ sort of way. Although maybe that’s being unfair to Kidman, after all who are you do doubt BMX Bandits?! It also serves as a bit of international flavour which I don’t think we’ve had too much of so far this year. It’s all in English but an Australian movie is a bit of a change.

I didn’t just pick out those 3 names as highlights of the cast, that is the cast. It makes a change from a lot of these other movies that have tons of characters and locations, here it’s just 3 people and only two real locations. Dead Calm tells a tale of a couple trying to relax out at sea following the traumatic death of their young son, only to come across a lone sailor who isn’t quite what he seems. So with only two real locations for 90% of the movie, their two boats, it has this weird dynamic of being claustrophobic but yet somehow not. Surely they’re confined to these two boats but at the same time they’re in the vastness of the ocean. So on the one hand, it’s not like they can really go anywhere or escape, but it feels a bit more open because technically there is all this open air around them. It’s just that it’s nothing but sea for miles and miles with no one else around.

That aforementioned death of their son is particularly brutal; let’s just say there’s a car accident and little Billy wasn’t wearing his seat belt...it’s just kinda shocking in how upfront and graphic it is.

But at least you can take some solice in the fact that it’s Christmas so there’ll be some pretty lights to look at. And this is an Australian movie so it’s going to be nice out. That must be neat to experience, granted it’s not so novel for them since it’s their normality but just to wake up on Christmas morning and be able to go to the beach or something just seems like a really foreign concept that would be neat to do once. Well, I suppose we could do that here but you’d freeze your nardinos off.

Zane plays Hughie Warriner who comes aboard with the Ingrams and shares a story of his fellow passengers who all got sick and died quickly, John suspects botchilism from some dodgy tinned salmon. Hughie has a real nervous energy and jitteriness to him which is probably fair given that he seems to coming off a traumatic experience but there is something immediately off about him which becomes all the more apparent when after waking up from his rest, he realises John has gone to inspect the other boat and flips out. Hughie breaks out of the room that John has locked him up in and promptly makes off with their boat whilst Rae is still aboard.

So Rae is trapped with this shifty character on a boat that’s speeding away from her only possible help, whilst John is stuck on a slowly sinking ship that he needs to repair in order to give chase and rescue his wife. It creates this dual sense of drama where you have John, who is a Navy officer, using his know how to get the boat working again in order to track down Hughie. Meanwhile, Rae is left to fend for herself against this weirdo.

Only, he’s not outwardly hostile at first, he’s often content to just chill on deck, listening to music and smoking whilst Rae hangs around below deck trying to radio John. There’s this balancing act of Rae trying to maintain this cordial relationship with this guy who could potentially snap at any second. It adds this tension to the whole thing that there’s something bubbiling away within Hughie that has the potential to explode at any moment and really make things dangerous for Rae.

It’s something that is apparently explored in much greater depth in the book this is based on, talking about Hughie’s mental state and insecurities that Rae is able to manipulate to help preserve her own safety. And this wasn’t the first time someone tried to adapt the book to the big screen, in the 60’s Osron Welles tried to make his own picture called ‘The Deep’ which was never finished due to production issues and the passing of its lead Laurence Harvey in 1973.

I enjoyed this one, the sort of split stories that are obviously still tied together but showing these two characters experiencing danger in two completely different forms. With Rae, it’s like the movie jumps straight into ‘final girl’ but it’s not just her fighting back, there is that element of her trying to live with this monster in order to buy time until help arrives. But she’s not just some damsel in distress, she’s trying to formulate all these plans in order to try and overcome this situation.

Though that’s somewhat undone with the ending which was apparently demanded by the studio who preferred to have a more definitive ending that didn’t leave any ambiguity. Kind of a striking and shocking visual though, makes for another book end to the film following the car crash at the start though both do seem very over the top whilst viewing the movie as a whole. Rae can be pretty stupid at times as well, whether due to some sense of wanting Hughie to face justice or because she doesn’t want to kill him, she doesn’t take the few chances she has to really save herself. I suppose you don’t really have much of a movie to see if she manages to clock him over the head and dump his ass overboard ten minutes in.

Another worrying entry into the animal cruelty we seem to be seeing this year too, I’ve been actively trying to avoid that!

[dan6085]

Here’s a detailed guide for **Season 1** of HBO's *Industry*, an intense drama series about the high-stakes world of finance, exploring the cutthroat culture within a prestigious investment bank in London. The show centers on a group of young graduates competing for permanent positions at the firm, Pierpoint & Co.

---

### **Episode 1: "Induction"**

- **Original Air Date**: November 9, 2020

- **Synopsis**: The series begins by introducing Harper Stern, a determined and mysterious American graduate who joins Pierpoint & Co. in London, eager to prove her worth. The pressure mounts quickly as she and her fellow graduates, including Yasmin, Robert, and Gus, compete for permanent roles in the highly competitive banking firm. The episode sets the tone for the high-pressure work environment and the personal struggles the characters face. An unexpected tragedy strikes early, establishing the brutal consequences of failure.

### **Episode 2: "Quiet and Nice"**

- **Original Air Date**: November 16, 2020

- **Synopsis**: Harper tries to manage the fallout from the previous episode while navigating the tense dynamics with her manager, Eric Tao. Meanwhile, Yasmin struggles to assert herself within the bank’s culture, particularly when her supervisor seems dismissive. Robert’s hedonistic lifestyle begins to blur the line between his personal and professional lives, while Gus, the polished and confident graduate, takes a risky approach to impress senior management.

### **Episode 3: "Notting Hill"**

- **Original Air Date**: November 23, 2020

- **Synopsis**: Harper’s ambitions lead her to take a dangerous step as she lies to secure a major client. This bold move impresses her superior, Eric, but puts her in a vulnerable position. Yasmin, determined to make her mark, tries to prove her capabilities, but her efforts to be seen as more than just an assistant meet resistance. Robert’s reckless behavior begins to catch up with him as he indulges in heavy partying, risking his professional standing.

### **Episode 4: "Sesh"**

- **Original Air Date**: November 30, 2020

- **Synopsis**: Tensions rise as Pierpoint’s senior management increases pressure on the graduates to secure clients. Harper finds herself caught in a web of lies as her deception becomes increasingly hard to manage. Robert faces the consequences of his partying lifestyle, and Yasmin starts to navigate her complicated feelings for her coworker, Kenny. The firm’s work-hard-play-hard culture is showcased as the characters spiral deeper into the bank’s demanding, hedonistic world.

### **Episode 5: "Learned Behaviour"**

- **Original Air Date**: December 7, 2020

- **Synopsis**: Harper’s mentor, Eric, takes a more hands-on approach with her, but his mentorship is a double-edged sword. As Yasmin grows increasingly frustrated with her lack of professional recognition, she takes bold steps to assert herself, but faces pushback. Robert tries to reel in his wild behavior as he focuses on impressing his superiors. Gus finds himself caught between his personal ethics and the moral compromises required by his job.

### **Episode 6: "Nutcracker"**

- **Original Air Date**: December 14, 2020

- **Synopsis**: The episode explores how the graduates deal with Pierpoint’s demanding social events, with Christmas looming. Harper faces her biggest professional challenge yet as a risky trade goes wrong, putting her future at Pierpoint in jeopardy. Yasmin continues to clash with Kenny and grapples with her feelings toward her boyfriend. Robert and Gus begin to realize how far they’re willing to go to secure their positions, as relationships at work become increasingly strained.

### **Episode 7: "Pre-Crisis Activity"**

- **Original Air Date**: December 21, 2020

- **Synopsis**: The graduates face the ultimate test as Pierpoint moves closer to deciding which of them will receive permanent offers. Harper’s struggles with honesty come to a head as Eric confronts her over her actions. Yasmin’s attempts to take control of her career come with a personal cost. Robert's relationship with Clement deteriorates, and Gus faces a major decision about his future at the firm. The tension mounts as everyone prepares for the decisive final push.

### **Episode 8: "Reduction in Force"**

- **Original Air Date**: December 21, 2020

- **Synopsis**: In the season finale, the graduates anxiously await Pierpoint’s decision about who will stay and who will go. Harper faces a crisis as her lies and personal issues catch up with her, forcing her to make a drastic decision that will impact her future. Yasmin finally confronts her supervisor, Kenny, leading to a dramatic showdown. Robert reflects on his choices and comes to a surprising realization about his future. The episode ends with the fate of each graduate hanging in the balance, setting up the dynamics for the next season.

---

### Themes:

- **Corporate ruthlessness**: The graduates must navigate a brutal work environment where their personal lives and ethical boundaries are continually tested.

- **Ambition vs. morality**: Each character faces moral dilemmas as they pursue their ambitions, often making choices that compromise their integrity.

- **Personal struggles**: Underneath the professional veneer, the characters grapple with personal issues, from imposter syndrome to addiction, loneliness, and the pressure to succeed.

- **Power dynamics**: The series explores power imbalances in the workplace, especially as it relates to gender and status.

### Conclusion:

*Industry* Season 1 delivers a high-intensity exploration of life within a major financial institution, where the stakes are high, and the cost of failure is brutal. The characters’ development throughout the season highlights the complexities of corporate life, making the show a gripping look at ambition, ethics, and survival in the world of finance.