#i aged five years while i was typing that name xD

[prototypelq]

oh, hey. so does anyone remember modding is practically illegal

[sotwk]

Hi, Anon who asked about Celebrian here! Thank you for your great answer.

I just loved loved loved your HCs so much it made me sob, fr my 3-year-old sister offered me chocolate because she saw me crying (no I’m not that young we are just like elves: born one generation apart from each other).

Toddlers cuteness and generosity aside, I love that the two women have a sisterhood-type of friendship, me and my best friend are just the same, although not related at all but in Tolkien everyone is basically related to one another and we like it that way. (“Confusingly complex family tree” As you rightly said)

Also I do love your depiction of young!Legolas because he reminds me of my little sister and it’s such a joy to have her around and that is true for him too.

Not relevant to the topic discussed, the idea of Thranduil being jealous of poor Lindir is hilarious, and it absolutely MAKE SENSE. There is a reason he became a fan favorite over the years so I absolutely want to see how that will play out and maybe what his reaction to the knowledge that a prince, a Sindar of Doriath, thinks of him as competition. Hilarious but also true, i dare say.

One last thing: If I remember correctly, but feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, Maereth has/had a brother or a sister? Im not so sure of this, I think in The Crown you mention a nephew of the elvenqueen. But I didn’t see them mentioned when you posted about her genealogy. Im probably misremembering or it’s something I made up based on your HCs.

Now I stop ranting. Have a nice weekend! Byeee <3

my 3-year-old sister offered me chocolate because she saw me crying

I'm sorry for the tears, but I hope it was a cathartic cry! *hug* I'm glad the friendship between the two Elf-Queens (Celebrian is a Queen in my mind, titles be damned!) moved you so much.

Toddlers are so amazingly compassionate! My husband woke with lower back aches this morning and our 4-year-old seriously tried to give him a massage. XD You and your little sister sound very sweet!

the idea of Thranduil being jealous of poor Lindir is hilarious, and it absolutely MAKE SENSE.

I have such a soft spot for Lindir! He's just that shy, slightly awkward and nerdy guy who might get overlooked for being quiet, but he's actually a hottie who's unaware of his own sex-appeal. So yeah. Even though he and Maereth's friendship stays entirely platonic, stew on that for a while, Thranduil.

Maereth has/had a brother or a sister? Im not so sure of this, I think in The Crown you mention a nephew of the elvenqueen.

I'm gonna give you a virtual trophy for being the first one to notice this and bring it up with me! I've been dropping mentions of Maereth's nephew/the Thranduilions' cousin in multiple hc posts and fics now! Here are just a few of those sources:

The Crown

Greenleaf's Day Out, Chapter 5

Yuletide in the Elvenking's Realm, Day 5: Five Golden Rings

SotWK OC: Olondir, Master Craftsman of the Woodland Realm

Lord Olondir (oc) is the son and only child of Maereth's brother, Calinondo (oc). Although he died fighting in the War of the Last Alliance, Calinondo is a significant character in the SotWK AU because he became heir to the knowledge and craft of the great Celebrimbor, his uncle and mentor. (Remember that Maereth's grandfather is Maglor, which makes Maereth's mother and Celebrimbor first cousins--they were very close with each other.)

Calinondo passed on everything he knew to his son, so that by the Third Age, Olondir was named the Master Craftsman of the Woodland Realm. Apart from helping craft the Elvenking's famous crown, he was responsible for other creations such as the faemir/calarsil mentioned in "Greenleaf's Day Out". Most of the armour and weaponry used by Mirkwood's soldiers in the Third Age, as you see in BotFA, was also designed by him (alongside Mirion, who was a Master Bladesmith). These Noldorin craftsmen were responsible for upgrading the inferior armour and weapons that contributed to the Silvans' defeat at the War of the Last Alliance. In essence, the fact that Noldorin craftsmanship lived on in Thranduil's family helped Mirkwood survive Sauron's onslaughts.

Because I've been sharing fancasts right and left, here is my fancast for Olondir, nephew of the Elvenqueen: Jake Gyllenhaal.

Olondir is the the only Elf in the Woodland Realm who can grow a beard in his Second Cycle. Remember whom else he descended directly from? Mahtan, the great smith of Valinor and father of Nerdanel! Olondir keeps his beard to honor that part of his heritage, which he is most proud of.

Side note: I have a creator's crush on Olondir. He's almost like a 6th Thranduilion Prince, and his character is quite sexy. He's got the Fëanorean edge to him. Although he's not super developed in my head yet, I would love to write more about him someday! XD

By the way, Maereth actually had three older brothers; her two eldest brothers were twins: Surlírë and Vëalírë, but they died in the War of Wrath alongside their father Eärondir, so sadly Maereth barely knew them. But boys and twins ran strong in their family, just as in Fëanor's.

Anywaaaaay, thank YOU for letting me ramble on this long again! XD I love you so much for geeking out about my OCs with me, Anon! I'm gonna have to write this down in a proper and more thorough post later on, but it felt really good to share this much!

[riallasheng]

Spectrum Uniforms

Just making a 'Master Post' that I can hopefully link to from my main tumblr page.

This will be the uniform versions and (once I make them) 'character collage' images.

Characters posted in descending rank order, and for characters of the same rank, descending age.

The highest rating in Spectrum is OF-7 (2 star admiral), there is no OF-1 rating or OR-1 rating, and while there are Warrant Officers, there are only two ranks of Warrant Officer.

Only the Officers are Color Coded (and all Officers are Color Coded). The Enlisted aren't color coded, BUT they have fake names, using surnames that are jobs or structures, etc (Smith, Bridge, etc)

FLAG OFFICERS and SENIOR OFFICERS

Spectrum's ranks are set up to be rather opaque / confounding to those outside of Spectrum to a greater or lesser degree as one of the measures of protection for the members of the organization.

The rank / rating insignia are purposefully understated, and there is rank title sharing between of5 & of4 (captain), and of3 & of2 (Lieutenant)

The ranks are also overall unique. While I did change the rank title on Colonel White to Admiral White, that was due to the fact that a Colonel is an of5 essentially world wide, and even if he wasn't REALLY that rank, the fact remains that White would be treated as said rank by everyone he worked with, which actually would cause issues on the regular.

Thus, Colonel White became Admiral White, using Naval ranking rather than Army because White had been Navy prior to Spectrum, AND because doing so had the added bonus of bumping the Captains from of3 up to of5.

====================

OF-7 Admiral White (2 star Admiral) Sir Charles Grey 2017 - July - 14

====================

OF-6 Captain Black (actually a Commodore / 1 star Admiral) Conrad Turner 2029 - Mar - 17 (Conrad was the co-founder of Spectrum, and prior to the Mars Mission / the Mysterons, he was the SiC / XO of Spectrum)

=================

OF-5 Captains

-----------

Captain Grey Iain Holden 2027 - Mar - 4 (nCS and ogCS Grey were so simular to each other that I merged them into a singular character, taking elements from both, although overall ogCS takes presidence)

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

Destiny Angel Juliette Pontoin 2030 - Aug - 23 (Destiny is the highest ranked of the Angels. My annual was damaged by a coffee stain, and it wasn't until a few years ago that I found out that'd I'd misread Destiny's birthyear for decades ^^;; I just kept myficverse Destiny with the 'wrong' birth year simply because it's what I'm used to for her)

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

Captain Brown Stephen Blackburn 2033 - Jan - 14 (While I originally used Brown's canon name of Alan Stephens, when I switched the TV21 Zero X comics crew with Spectrum characters (Black, Destiny, Brown, Goldenrod), Brown was showing up too often and having his real name used too much and it became too easy to mix him up with Alan Tracy, so I used his surname for his given name, and used the popular fanon surname for his surname)

-----------

Captain Magenta Patrick Donaghue 2034 - May - 17

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

Captain Ochre Richard Fraser* 2035 - Feb - 23 (Ochre was not born Richard Fraser, as well as his appearance, he changed his name with Operation Jigsaw. He was born Matthew McClaine, son of Joe McClaine (aka Joe 90) and grandson of Matthew Harding (The Secret Service).

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

Captain Saffron Elaine Jenkins 2035 - May - 11 (nCS Captain Ochre, as I merged nCS and ogCS, AND I adored Lady Ochre... I just don't like it when characters that are basically OCs use pre-existing character names... thus, Lady Ochre needed a new Color Code ^^. Her surname was changed to Jenkins as a tip of the hat to Leroy Jenkins, cause she is SO VERY MUCH a Leroy Jenkins type of character XD )

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

Captain Blue Adam Svenson 2035 - Aug - 26 (2015 - Aug - 26*) (He was one of the five non-Koala Base personnel who were trapped by the Time Bubble. When all was said and done and the Bubble went down, he was 20 years older, didn't feel safe remaining on active field duty in his 60s, but wanted to remain active in Spectrum and thus took was transfered (alongside Symphony Angel, now Captain Sky) to become base commander of Owl Base, the special ops / secret agent base)

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

Captain Scarlet Paul Metcalfe 2035 - Oct - 15

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

Captain Olive Mariah Blackburn 2035 - Oct - 15 (My only OC this high a rank, and the ONLY reason she's an of-5 is that I have her as the commander of Koala Base, and she needed to be a high enough rank for that. She's a background / support character, but she was Captain Brown's wife, and is the mother of Starbuck "Buck" Blackburn - the second Captain Brown)

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

Captain Brown (jr) Starbuck "Buck" Blackburn 2053 - Oct - 31* (nCS Blue. There was time schennannigins that occurred at Koala Base inbetween S2 (the end of teh ogCS rewrite) and S3 (the start of the nCS rewrite) that had a 'Time Bubble' go up. Inside the Time Bubble, 20 years occur for Koala Base, where-as only 4 years pass outside the Time Bubble. Which results in the son of Captain Brown and Captain Olive to be an adult when the Bubble is eventually defeated / dropped. Buck received full training during the 20 year span, and once all was said and done, he was made a Color Captain - taking up his father's Color Code by his request.

==========================

OF-4 Captain / Command Captain (Commander)

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

Doctor Goldenrod Mason Frost 2015 - Jun - 05 (Frost was a member of WARP, serving on the SR3 and then teh Zero X under the command of Conrad Turner | Captain Black and alongside Stephen Blackburn | Captain Brown. He joined Spectrum, taking up the role of lead doctor, after Doctor Fawn died when Cloudbase was destroyed)

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

Captain Sky Karen Wainwright 2022 - Jan - 06* (Actually Symphony Angel. She was one of the five non-Koala Base personnel who were trapped by the Time Bubble. When all was said and done and the Bubble went down, she was 20 years older, didn't feel safe remaining a pilot in her 50s, but wanted to remain active in Spectrum and thus took was transfered (alongside Captain Blue) to Owl Base to begin training Special Ops / Spy work)

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

Captain Vermilion Chan Kwan 2022 - Jun - 19* (Actually Harmony Angel. She was one of the five non-Koala Base personnel who were trapped by the Time Bubble. When all was said and done and the Bubble went down, she was 20 eyars older, didn't feel safe remaining a pilot in her 50s, but wanted to remain active in Spectrum and thus took over melee combat training on Koala Base from the retiring Captain Hemp)

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

Captain Hemp Cuhtahlatah 2031 - Apr - 7 (an OC, she's the melee combat trainer on Koala Base. She was on Koala Base when the Time Bubble occured, and when it went down she decided that - being over 60 years old - she could not safely remain as melee combat trainer, and retired from Spectrum)

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

Doctor Fawn Edward Wilkie 2031 - Jul - 10

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

Captain Indigo Andrew Macey 2033 - Sept - 01 (He's actually the character Macey from Big Ben Strikes Again. Spectrum checked into him after all was said and done and found that Macey was a weapons designer / builder, and rushed him trhough training to have him help construct the Mysteron Gun

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

Captain Turquoise Shaka Dlamini 2041 - Mar - 1 (an oooooolllllllld OC created by myself and a few friends waaaaaay back in the 1980s)

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

Symphony Angel Karen Wainwright 2042 - Jan - 06

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

Harmony Angel Chan Kwan 2042 - Jun - 19

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

Melody Angel Magnolia Jones 2043 - Jan - 10

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

Rhapsody Angel Dianne Simms 2043 - Apr - 27 (A small fun thing I've got is that Dianne's older brother is Robert Lyon - born Roger Simms - the spy and good friend of Lady Penelope that showed up in Penny's comics)

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

Crescendo Angel Toshi Drake 2049 - Jun - 02 (a merging of the one-off, but quite popular, character from the Angels comic of Toshi and nCS Harmony Angel)

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

Rhythm Angel Esther Jones 2054 - Feb - 08* (nCS Melody Angel, she's one of the people born inside the Koala Base Time Bubble, and is the daughter of Melody Angel and Captain Ochre, who were among the five non-Koala Base personnel who were trapped by the Time Bubble)

[symphonicscans]

Interview with Hozumi for Sarasate Magazine, 2019

There are next to no interviews with Hozumi, so when I heard about this magazine having one I immediately bought it. Finally got around to translating it, and while it doesn't really talk about much, it's better than nothing! I formatted it to fit the original magazine, but there is also a text transcript as well.

Download the interview in PDF form (or read the transcript below) (I was also really pleased to get my headcannons confirmed XD)

WHO IS SOLLIMA?

Hozumi’s “My Giovanni” was inspired by the piece Violoncelles, Vibrez!

In the story, the main character Tetsuo Tezuka idolizes a cellist named Giovanni Bazzoni, who is modeled after Sollima, and the piece that inspires him is Call of the Cello, which is of course based on Violoncelles, Vibrez!

Giovanni Sollima * Composer, Cellist

Born in 1962 in Palermo, Sicily, Italy, he studied cello with Giovanni Perriera and composition with his father Eliodoro Sollima at the Conservatorio di Musica di Palermo. After graduating with honors, he continued his studies on cello with Antonio Janigro and composition with Milko Kelemen at the University of Music in Stuttgart and the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg. In 1997, he founded the Giovanni Sollima Band in New York City, a group made up of musicians who were already active as soloists and chamber musicians, with such luminaries as Claudio Abbado, Martha Argerich, and Philip Glass. His compositions are often said to be strongly influenced by minimalist music, but he has established his own style by freely incorporating a variety of genres, including classical, rock, jazz, bop, and ethnic music from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and Africa.

His most widely recognized work is a ballad for two cellos and string orchestra, titled Violoncelles, Vibrez! (1993), which was dedicated to his close friend Mario Brunello, a fellow student of Janigro. It has been performed by many cello ensembles in Japan, including in an arrangement for eight cellos. His other solo cello piece, Lamantatio (1998), which requires the cellist to sing as well as play, is also frequently performed. He also has written a work for shamisen and orchestra, which was commissioned in Japan. He currently teaches at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome, and the instrument he performs on is a Francesco Ruggeri made in 1679. His first visit to Japan was in 2004 for the “Summer in Tokyo,” where he performed Violoncelles, Vibrez! amongst other pieces.

A Must-Read Comic for Cellists

“Boku no Giovanni”

Writer/Yumi Kogo

Characters

The cast of the comic

Tetsuo Tezuka

A boy who loves the cello. After looking for a fellow cellist to play with, he ends up having mixed feelings about Ikumi’s cello talent. He later goes to study with Yuriko Soga in Italy. After returning to Japan, he enters a competition.

Ikumi Tachibana

The other protagonist of the story. The only survivor of a marine accident, he is taken in by Tetsuo’s family and is introduced to the cello. He grows up to become a emerging cellist in the classical music world.

Tetsuro Tezuka

Tetsuo’s older brother and good friend. He used to play the cello, but became jealous of his brother’s ability and stopped playing. Later he becomes a ‘mental trainer’ for musicians.

Yuriko Soga

A cellist living in Italy, Tetsuo initially refers to her as the ‘witch.’ She has a carefree personality, but she is an internationally famous cellist. She later becomes Tetsuo’s teacher.

Yukari Narita

A student in the piano department in a Music High School. She becomes Tetsuo’s accompanist, introduced to him by Yuriko. She likes his free style of playing and they become fast friends. She brings out the best in Tetsuo.

-

“Boku no Giovanni” is a popular music-themed manga serialized in “Monthly Flowers,” a manga magazine for women published by Shogakukan. There have already been four tankoubon released. The manga depicts the lives of two boys who choose to dedicate their lives to the cello, and it’s become popular not only with women but men as well. The story is different from the usual type that follow music students living happily while competing with each other, instead delicately portraying the struggles of a boy who aspires to find his place in the world of music. It is in this setting that the character modeled after Giovanni Sollima appears, and they play an important role in the story.

The Beginning

Tetsuo Tezuka, an elementary school student who plays the cello in a small port town, feels lonely because his older brother Tetsuro, his only cello-playing friend, has stopped playing. Tetsuro had begun to feel inferior to Tetsuo’s rapid improvement, so decides to distance himself from the cello so he wouldn’t end up hating his younger brother. Unaware of his feelings, Tetsuo repeatedly asks him to play ‘Giovanni Bazzoni’s’ work for two cellos, Call of the Cello with him.

At the same time, a large passenger ship sinks on a stormy sea off the coast of their island; a faint voice in the distance is heard. Ikumi Tachibana, who followed to voice to the beach, loses his mother — his only living relative — in the accident, and is taken in by Tetsuo’s family. There, Ikumi learns that the voice he heard was actually Tetsuo’s cello playing.

World-renowned cellists Sollima and Yo-Yo Ma as models

Tetsuo starts playing the cello at age six. He always asks his older brother to play together with him.

It all started when he saw a video of Call of the Cello by Giovanni Bazzoni, which his father gave him. The character of Bazzoni — who has a great influence on Tetsuo — is modeled on Giovanni Sollima, the cellist and composer, and Call of the Cello is reminiscent of one of Sollima’s masterworks, Violoncelles, Vibrez! The other cellist in the panel, Lesser Curtis, is modeled after Yo-Yo Ma. Tetsuo was fascinated by the ‘shadow dancing’ between the two world-famous cellists and became enraptured with the cello.

***

Ikumi finds out that Tetsuo wants somebody to play cello with, so he can play Call of the Cello with them, so he asks Tetsuo to teach him how to play. Both boys start out lonely, but day by day they grow closer through their connection with the cello, and vow to remain lifelong friends.

The world-famous cello “Witch”

Another person who stands out in this story is the character of Yuriko Soga, a world-famous Japanese cellist living in Italy. Every summer she visits Tetsuo’s house to relax. She has a carefree personality, but her playing is of the highest level. Through Yuriko, Tetsuo realizes how difficult the life of a professional cellist is, but also thinks that he has no talent. As if to fight against this reality, he refers to Yuriko as a “witch” and rejects her as an outsider in his world.

One day, Tetsuo spends a week at his grandfather’s house, and when he returns home he finds that Ikumi has effortlessly learned how to play the Dvorak Cello Concerto, which he is unable to play yet. He becomes angry and jealous of Ikumi’s talent and his ability to play with the ideal sound that he wants for himself, and there are many scenes after this that make the reader turn the pages with a heavy heart; only in comics can you see the mood and atmosphere of a person’s feelings at a glance.

As if to escape from Ikumi, Tetsuo goes to study abroad in Sicily, Italy, where Yuriko lives. Five years later, he returns to Japan only to find that Ikumi’s talent has blossomed. Tetsuo pursues his own unique way of making music, but struggles to find a pianist to accompany him in a competition due to his strange way of playing. Through his connection with Yuriko, Tetsuo is introduced to Yukari Narita, a high school pianist who prefers a free style of playing, and this inspires Tetsuo to search for his own style in earnest. It will be interesting to see how his relationship with Ikumi and his future as a cellist develops in future chapters...

(Caption beneath image: Monthly Flowers March 2019 / featured cover illustration)

Interview with the Author of “My Giovanni”

- Hozumi-san - Discovering Sollima and the Fascination with the Cello

Hozumi-san, the creator of “My Giovanni,” debuted in 2010 with her work The Wedding-Eve, which won the Silver Flower Award at the Monthly Flowers comic audition. She made her published book debut with the same work, which is a collection of short stories of which the title is one. The book won the 4th Pukurog Grand Prix in the manga category, and also placed second in the “Staff Choice: This Manga is Amazing!” It also placed second In the ladies’ comics category. Subsequent works include Sayonara Sorcier, which depicts the life of Vincent Van Gough, and Usemono no Yado.

My Giovanni was inspired by a performance of Sollima’s Violoncelles, Vibrez! The series began in 2016 and is still ongoing. We asked Hozumi-san to talk about her encounter with the cello, its appeal, and how My Giovanni was born.

She first fell in love with the cello through 2CELLOS.

Q: I understand that you have always liked minimalist music. How exactly did you come to know about Sollima?

A: My first exposure to minimalist music was with Michael Nyman’s The Heart Asks Pleasure First, but one day I got hooked on 2CELLOS. I had a CD of cellist and composer Siegen Tokuzawa, but I had never watched a proper cello performance before. When I started listening to 2CELLOS, I became more and more fascinated with the sound of the cello and started listening to serious classical music. That’s when I came across Sollima’s Violoncelles, Vibrez! From that point on, I started buying Sollima’s recordings and playing them while working on manuscripts (laughs). After that, I listened to recordings of Joe Hisaishi, Ryuuchi Sakamoto, and others that had a bit of minimalist elements, but I still find it difficult to listen to completely minimalist music. I prefer works that mix minimalist elements with folk and other styles.

Q: I heard that your encounter with Sollima’s works is what led you to create My Giovanni. What was it about Sollima’s music that appealed to you?

A: More than anything, it’s the drama! Of course there’s a strong element of repetition since it’s minimalist, but after listening to a song I feel a sense of fulfillment, as if I’d watched an entire movie. When I heard it for the first time, I remember being impressed and thinking, “Wow, I’ve found such an amazing piece of music!” I was so impressed. It seemed like all of human life experience was depicted in it, and I racked my brain wondering if and how I could draw a manga like that. I started to draw it, but it still didn’t reach the ideal I have, and I’m still struggling with it (laughs).

Q: Do you have any specific cellists that you modeled the characters of Tetsuo, Ikumi, and Yuriko Soga after?

A: I don’t have anybody specific in mind, because I think the way they perform is related to their personalities, so I wouldn’t want to attach them to a specific cellist. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to use anybody in particular as a model because, for the sake of the story progression, I sometimes have to push through the performance scenes with a more comic-like style…

But I have a feeling that there is a bit of Sollima in all of them. Actually, learning to play the cello has made me realize that more.

Q: Hozumi—san, your drawings of cellists are natural and beautiful. Is there anything you pay attention to when you draw them, or anything you are very particular about?

A: I really appreciate you saying so. But I don’t think I’m quite there yet. I actually started cello classes and tried to play the cello myself, but it’s really difficult to draw not only the instrument itself but also the playing position — and not only for cellists. I will continue to work hard to draw the flow of the skeleton and muscles as realistically as I can.

Q: You said you’re learning to play the cello. What was your impression of the cello when you started playing it?

A: This might not be something to talk about in a classical magazine, but I was in a band for a while when I was in school, so I had a little bit of experience with the electric bass. So, when I started cello, I had the faint hope that I would be a little better than an amateur because it was a string instrument… but (of course) it was completely different. Unlike electric bass and guitar there are no frets, and even just holding the bow is very difficult. It was a struggle for me to make a single note sound good. Since then, when I hear cellists play — which I used to listen to without much thought — now I am in awe of them. When I draw the characters in my work I think, “It’s amazing, they can all play so well.” (Laughs)

Q: What is the appeal of the cello for you?

A: It has a wide range, with high notes that pull at your heartstrings but also deep bass notes. I think it’s great that they can play everything from melody to bass lines, and since I used to play the bass I think it’s really cool to be able to do that! As a manga artist, my motivation for drawing them is to find a way to express the sexiness that cellists exude when playing cello.

Q: What are your favorite songs, both to play and to listen to?

A: I haven’t gotten very far with my playing because I’m too busy with the manuscript, but I often listen to the song Rain by Ryuichi Sakamoto. It’s a trio for piano, violin and cello, and I imagined this song when I was drawing the live performance scene for the same ensemble in the comic. I also like Piazzolla in general, but in particular I often play Duo de Amor when I’m drawing.

I really like to hear the cello played by my teacher.

Q: How much time do you spend practicing the cello? What do you find most difficult when you practice?

A: Actually, I haven’t been able to attend classes since I had a health scare last year, and I’m not able to play as much as I used to. Really, all practicing is difficult, but if I had to pick one thing I’d say that even though my left hand fingering is good, I can’t keep up with the bowing… sorry for being such a beginner…

Q: Is there a moment that made you glad you started playing the cello?

A: I’m really only a novice, so just being able to play a single note with a tight, deep sound is a great feeling. “Amazing! I can make the cello sound like a cello!” That alone makes me very happy. Also, it was really helpful for me to understand how to hold the bow and use proper tilted posture as a reference for drawing, it was really great! I’m also happy just listening to the teacher play so skillfully in front of me.

Q: What color is your case?

A: I haven’t bought a case yet because I’m still at the stage where I’m renting my cello, but I like white ones and the deep red Bordeaux-like color, and in the comic Tetsuo’s case is white and Ikumi’s is Bordeaux.

Q: Like My Giovanni, many of your works feature gentlemen, siblings and their home environments. Are those things you consciously decide to focus on?

A: When I create my stories, I often adapt and build on my own experiences as a teenager, so that might have an influence on my work. However, I think the best part of a story is to leave things to the imagination of the reader rather than explaining everything about how the story came to be. Although there are fragments of my personal memories in some parts, it is undoubtedly the original story of the characters, and I hope you will enjoy reading it until the end.

[astrodances]

I’m surprise that the Cardassian (or whatever your Version of the  Cardassian is in your au) would let Negaduck a Canardian be in charge of the occupation because even with a mask I’m pretty sure they can still tell he’s  Canardian

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Haha I think in my last answer about their names and stuff I was so focused on keeping that "Mallard Drake" mirror parallel that I completely disregarded this aspect of things. XD Good catch!

Well, for one thing, I did mention before that Negaduck's the mirror Emissary of the Pah-wraiths, and that they put the plans in his head for the occupation of prime Canard. So, without him, there really wouldn't be an occupation, so that's a point in his favor here.

^ A quick note/tangent regarding that: the Bajoran Occupation lasted 50 years, and the Canardian one is probably of a similar length, erring on a bit less. (I might say anywhere in the 30-35-40 year range, because prime Drake will be like DT17 Drake (and a little like Kira, in this regard), in his late 20s/early 30s (probably towards the late 20s as a balance of DT17 and Kira) by the time we catch up with him at the "beginning" of the DS9 era in the AU. And so the occupation will at least need to be a little older than Drake, so he can have grown up wanting to be a resistance member.)

What this means for Negaduck is that he's going to be older than Drake (I'm guessing rn like, 20-30 years older?), which will be probably the main trait he gets from Jim Starling (even though he's more like his DW91 self in other regards, and is still very much mirror Mallard Drake). It's fine, because hey, if DS9's mirror universe can have characters die at different times than their prime counterparts (i.e., Jennifer Sisko), who's to say that their births can't be at different times (which I'm pretty sure is actually a thing in that?? I know some people aren't even born in the mirror universe - like Jake Sisko)? (And if it isn't, I'm just gonna say the Prophets/Pah-wraiths work in mysterious ways, and time isn't linear with them. XD) It'll probably help give a little more distinction between Darkwing and Negaduck anyway in terms of physicality, but Darkwing's still able to recognize Negaduck as himself at the moment of truth bc helloooo age-up mirror. XD (DW might actually think at first that there's some weird time travel shenanigans at play, until he can interrogate Negaduck alone.)

(Mirror Gosalyn will still be the same age as her prime self though, as will probably everyone else unless things prove otherwise.)

So, Negaduck is anywhere from being in his late 40s to late 60s by the time the DS9 kicks in and the occupation is over, and anywhere in his late teens to late 20s (maybe even early 30s) when he starts the occupation.

So, that was an important thing to start figuring out (and just putting in the reminder again that this is all subject to change - this is fun though!), but to get to the actual question...

I'd say, for now, there's a couple options to consider (keeping in mind that one way or another, this is going to stray from duck and/or Trek canon/parallels, and very much live up to being an AU):

Regardless of whether things were peaceful/neutral or a little tense between prime Canard and AU Cardassia, Negaduck might've come in from the mirror universe, gone up and knocked on AU Cardassia's door, and been like, "I've got a proposal for you..." and did whatever he needed to do to convince them to invade and occupy Canard. Just did a little reading on Memory Alpha, and besides Cardassia being militaristic and hostile, it says this of the Bajoran Occupation: "...the Cardassians coveted Bajor's rich natural resources and saw the Bajoran people as inferior." So maybe that's what Negaduck uses to incite AU Cardassia into action, and when they ask why he's betraying his own people, he tells them something about wanting power over the planet, and/or some of the resources/profit (probably in particular the Orbs - but he never reveals the true intentions of the Pah-wraiths at this point). (It might also have something to do with how things are going between the two peoples in the mirror universe? We'll see. At any rate, he'll probably know where all the resources/secret areas of Canard are.) As a side note, as the man behind the plans, and be the vicious mind that he is, he'll be the one to choose all the sub-commanders and such, which is where the rest of the Fearsome Five will come in, along with Taurus Bulba later on for that collaboration.

As for him being a Canardian, the AU Cardassians might buy/be intimidated into buying the betrayal (which answers your question, at any rate), but for the Canardians, it'll be a shock when they find out one of their supposed own sold them out. So that'll be where the mask comes in for Negaduck, to hide his identity, but he might be pretty blatant about being Canardian. (And the mask/disguise thing might also just be from being the mirror Darkwing/Negaduck already, depending on what he was doing in the mirror universe?? But he'll get some AU Cardassian armor when he comes into power, so it'll get changed up a bit.) But then Darkwing grows up and comes into his own, and when Negaduck first sees him, he knows exactly who he is, and he'll be like, "So that's where I am..." (for his prime counterpart).

A little side possibility: at least for a while, and at least to Canardians if not the AU Cardassians for a bit, Negaduck might act like a shadowy figure, pulling all the puppet strings from afar? (But after the above points, this is less likely.)

The other major possibility for a Canardian coming in to lead the occupation would be to have some surgical alteration done to look like an AU Cardassian. (I know I said before that I probably wouldn't need to do this for him, but it might actually work?) It would probably be done in the mirror universe or right after he went through the wormhole to the prime universe by a very shady doctor. Negaduck might have to work a bit more to rise to power over AU Cardassia, or gather the Fearsome Five and do a takeover type of thing. And then he'd change his appearance after the occupation and continue on with trying to fulfill the Pah-wraiths' plans some other way, and both the Canardians and AU Cardassians would feel betrayed. I'm really not feeling this idea, but it would actually have some reverse precedence with Dukat having altered himself to look like a Bajoran.

The main point with either possibility is that if Negaduck, a Canardian, is going to lead the Occupation of Canard, it's going to involve betrayal.

[geekeciel]

So...erm... I want to write...

So I haven't written a fanfiction in years...and the most I did in the past was write cheesy smutty role plays with my ex friend. And haven’t really done any since. 

But I have this idea rolling around in my head, of a Kuro AU/Reincarnation story, where Seb is a modern day Clairvoyant with a Haunted doll, containing the spirit of Ciel. 

I’ve typed up a quick brain storm, with my own Haunted Doll ‘Alina’ sat next to me, and the ideas kept rolling out of me. Problem is.... my grammar sucks XD

But... would anybody be interested in reading this?

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

Brain storm - Paranormal Investigator KURO AU

Characters - 

Seb Micheals - Reincarnation of Sebastian Michealis. Is Clarvoyaint and Claraudient. 

Sees spirits like normal people, but only after the death of his mother. He saw spirits as a child, but when he ran in to her room in fear at the age of five, after seeing the spirit of a young girl with pigtails in his room, she (an accomplished medium herself) closed his third eye to protect him until such a time that he was ready to deal with his gifts. 

Upon her death at the age of 18, his third eye reopened gradually, until he was able to see spirit like he used to. He runs a successful ghost hunting channel, and hosts seminars and offers readings and party packs for people who are intrigued with the supernatural, with his best friend Agni. 

He lives in an apartment with his boyfriend Bard, who is an agnostic, but is slowly becoming a full believer. Seb loves to cook, regardless of the tiny kitchen in their apartment, and Agni often gate crashes the place for Horror Movie Curry Night.

Ciel Phantomhive - The Doll - Seb's haunted doll, a small porcelain doll, dressed in a frilly skirt, mismatched striped socks and a elaborate hat, like a circus performer. He has small delicate diamonds painted on his cheek in blue, and the right side of his face has been cracked, causing his eye to go missing. 

He was manufactured by the Funtom company (a now defunct business, due to a decline in sales during the First World War.) Such a vintage doll should have been worth a fortune, however Seb only paid the small amount of £10 for him, which he assumes is due to the damage. Ciel's spirit is a grumpy soul, but harmless. He has a dislike towards Seb's boyfriend Bard, after Bard hid the doll in a cupboard during a visit from his little brother Finian, who is deathly afraid of dolls.  

Agni - Seb's best friend, and his fellow Ghost Hunter. He owns a second Porcelain doll, named Soma, who he believes to have been a close relation in a previous life. When ever he uses the spirit box with it, he gets a lot of jabbering all at once, that he can never make out. Its almost sounds like the spirit cannot speak fast enough. 

He has owned Soma since a young boy, when his uncle gave him it as a present for his 6th birthday, which when asked by his parents why he had bought their male child a doll, he simply replied "I had an overwhelming sense that he needed it".

Bard - Seb's unwitting boyfriend who is simply a poor victim of circumstance. He met Seb during a seminar at college, where a team were doing a paranormal presentation, and had invited Seb and Agni (along with Soma the doll, Seb hadn't found Ciel as of yet). 

Bard had been sceptical by the details Seb had given during his readings to the audience, until he picked up on the spirit of a woman called Mey who had passed recently. Bard had frozen in place before lifting his hand slowly, tears springing to his eyes upon hearing the name of his late girlfriend. Seb had given him a gentle smile, and said "I'm being told, that I need to speak with you after the presentation, as Mey has a private message for you." 

After the seminar, Bard had approached Seb on the podium, and Seb leads him left of the stage while Agni packs up the equipment. "Mey wishes for you to know that she's in a much better place now, and that she no longer feels pain. She also wants you to know that you need to move on, and find new happiness... and... she says... what?" 

He looks to the space next to him, a light blush on his cheeks, before looking back at Bard, chuckling softly. "She says... I have a nice ass... and you need to take me out for coffee." 

Bard laughs, knowing his late girlfriend always did have a wicked sense of humor. "Well... If May is cool with me taking you out... then how about we go now?" And the rest is history.  

Soma - Soma is the spirit that resides inside the doll in Agni's possession. Soma funnily chose a female Romani doll, from a collection called Leonardo. He has claimed through spirit box session that he chose her "because She's pretty". 

He always jabbers too quickly in his sessions, so Agni has only managed to catch small details from the spirit. He calls Agni his "Kansama" which Agni finds hilarious. 

He also has caught the word "Prince" several times, plus "Curry Buns" which Seb always screams out "RECIPE PLEASE SOMA!"... Somas answer is always "YOURS!" which Seb is none the wiser about.

  The Little Girl - The girl in young Seb's bedroom. She never spoke, although Seb always got the sense that he WANTED to.... desperately. He and his mother nicknamed her Queen Liz, due to her pretty dress and sense of nobility. 

She only ever stood in the corner of his room, staring at Seb when he was trying to sleep. It didn't bother him, until the night he turned five... and she took a step closer. Then another the next night. And another... until finally by the seventh night, she was right next to his bed. 

Only now did she finally utter one word. 

"Sebaaaastian". 

This resulted in Seb screaming in fear, running to his mothers room and crying in her arms. His mother closed his third eye that evening, and once the the boy was peacfeully sleeping in her bed, went to his room herself, finding the little girl sat on Seb's bed weeping. 

"He wouldn't listen... My beloved needs him... and he wont listen." 

Seb's mother sighs, kneels in front of the little girl, and whispers "He's but a child, Queen Liz. So much younger than yourself. What ever your beloved needs from him, it must wait a little while longer." 

The little girl continues to cry "But... my mother and father are calling from that bright light in the corner... But... I can't leave my beloved" 

Seb's mother smiles softly. "Go to the light, little one. Your beloved will join you, when my son is ready to help him." The little girl moves to the light slowly, throwing a gaze back to the world of the living behind her. "Don't make me wait too long... Ciel". And with those words, she is gone.

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

THATS ALL I HAVE SO FAR.... AND NOW ITS OUT HERE FOR ALL TO SEE.... AND AAAAAAARGH! 

*Goes to hide*

[ezra-iolite]

Just as a heads up... I can't draw for shit. XD Hands and arms do not deserve to exist in art!! They are FUCKING IMPOSSIBLE TO DRAW!! (╯°□°）╯ ︵ ┻━┻

But, at long last, I now have the official design for my Transformers OC, the main character of my fanfic, More than a Name, alongside some details such as her scars (her eye works fine) which were both given by the same person, and some details on the species denta/teeth, to show just HOW different Swift's are as a Star Seeker.

My dear fellow nerds, I give you.....

Swiftwire Mutheru-Pax!!

Swift was originally born as a human boy named Andres Omari, to a Maasai-Kenyan woman named Gasira Mutheru and an African-American man named Jeremy Omari. For most of her life, she knew she was in the wrong body, but was never in a safe enough environment to come out as trans, especially after her mother lost her battle to cancer. That is, until she was kicked out by her father and fell into the care of a certain Prime of the Autobots. ;3

How she became Swiftwire is a story I'm still in the process of making, which is a story only she can reveal. But, I can say that she is now happily settling into her new life as a transfemme Star Seeker (see my Hybrid chart for the definition of that specie name ;D), as someone who can finally embrace her cultural roots as a fluent Swahili speaking half-Kenyan, as an artist with her very own studio (one she and her husband called "A Touch of Terra") in Vos city, and as a mother of her adoptive son Conduit, and her newborn daughter Sira.

And here... some random wholesome facts just because. XD

~ Swift's "dreadlocks" are actually extendable cables, which can reach all the way to the floor if she relaxed them, that are connected to her brain through very thin and well protected wires and nerves. Each dreadlock/cable contains a plug-in of every kind she can think of and require in that moment, from USB to cortical psychic patch needle, that allow her to directly connect her mind to whatever kind of tech she plugs a dreadlock into. She can move them like tendrils or the snakes of Medusa's hair due to their soft outer shell being so stretchy and the nerves within them. But because they tend to freak people out when they move, she wears a headband made of soft metal wrapped in cloth to keep it out of her face and will often will them into a hairstyle such as a bun or braid behind her, at least until she requires the use of a dreadlock.

~ Her dreadlocks are coloured orange to silver in an ombre fade. She gained this colour by accident, when she first attempted to paint her form. Miko was helping her at the time and her airbrush broke on top of her head, covering the entire crown of her head in a bright orange. Seeing this as a potential art hack, Swift and Miko cleaned the mess up but left behind what the paint covered over her dreadlocks, painting the ends silver and smudging where the orange stopped halfway down her head of dreadlocks, creating her now fox-coloured ombre hue.

~ Swift is fluent in both English and Kiswahili (Kenyan Swahili). She first learned to speak Swahili from her mother, who had very broken English but still spoke wise words to all who needed them, and only began to speak English when her father demanded it, once she reached the age of five. By age seven, she was fully bilingual and could switch between the two dialects in an instant. And while she was forbidden from speaking Swahili after her mother's death, she constantly practiced in secret, until she was finally free and began her life as part of the Autobots, where she began teaching her childhood friend Jack and Optimus Prime her mother's tongue, due to their pure curiosity for such a unique language. Years later, Ratchet finally got hooked and now he refers to Swift and her son Conduit as his "mpwa", his niece and nephew respectably, and in turn Swift refers to Ratchet as her "Mjomba", her family friend type of uncle.

~ Her scars both came from the same claws who made her into a Seeker to begin with. The one on her belly was gained the moment she fell and became Swiftwire the Star Seeker. The one on her eye that only scarred her eyelid rather than her optic was gained when she went to track down the one who wronged her in a past life, found him and fought him. That scar on her eye serves as her trophy.

~ Swift's Conjunx/Husband loves being her art canvas, which blends together his love of looking pretty and his chance at supporting his wife's endeavors. So, every other day, he'll come to work with a new look, often times just a slight change to his frame colour or a blended ombre fade with his usual red hue, and other times he'll come in wearing African dot art that compliment his angles and curves. He has no favourite frame art yet, but he still adores drawing in the attention of his coworkers from the handiwork of his darling Ladybug.

~ Star Seekers in my headcanon are best described as being basically like winged cats... and the cat part is their more dominant feature~ When Swift first began to understand her new form as a Seeker, she had strong cat-like impulses that would later become juicy blackmail or pranking material for the human gang. Two iconic cat-like behavioral traits were her biggest struggles while learning the ropes....... boxes and laser pointers. Luckily, the Autobots DO have strong enough boxes that can hold a Bot as big as Swift, such as ship cargo boxes. Remove the top, however... and Swift will be inside one with only her wings sticking out in mere seconds. Sadly, she is too stubborn to be asked for her reasons for why she got into it in the first place... her and Ratchet have many an argument over such moments. And as for laser pointers.... they're a dangerous game to play with a Seeker. But Miko adores messing with Ultra Magnus or Ratchet using such a toy on Swift, as the two older Bots can easily handle a Seeker lunging at them so suddenly. However, the moment this happens, Swift will immediately come back to her senses and seek out Miko for her actions. The fun can only last so long, after all~

[sapphirelass]

What family is all about - Weasley FamilyxWeasley!Sister

Hiiiiiii!!! It’s... been a while. Again. Let’s face it, I’ll never be able to post as often as I’d like. I just don’t like rushing stuff, or posting anything I’m not happy with, so...

Anyhow, I LOVED writing for the Weasley family, and I’ll most likely do it again soon. Bill and Charlie are both underrated characters in my opinion and I had a ton of fun letting them ‘shine’ (despite this being a sort of sad story, but that always seems to be where I end up... XD)

Also, I might have to edit this once more, but it’s late, I have not posted in about two weeks and I just want to go to sleep XD That being said, take it for what it is, and I’ll try to correct any grammatical errors later. Good night! <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Please note:

1: I don’t own any of the gifs used, nor any already established characters, so credit to the authors and original creators - You have done a phenomenal job :)

2: English is not my native language, as I was born and raised in Sweden. I have, however, studied English for almost a decade, so I don’t think it’ll be a problem, I just thought I’d let you know ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Word count: ≈ 2800 (they just keep getting longer, don’t they? XD)

Warnings: Light swearing, blood, angst

Enjoy! :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That’s what family is all about 

“How big did his tongue get?”

“It was four feet long before his parents would let me shrink it!”

The sound of laughter was heard from the kitchen as Elwira Weasley entered her childhood home. She worked as an arithmancer, and had been stationed at a research-facility in the northern parts of Sweden for the past few years. Her work took up most of her time, but she had just travelled home to go see the quidditch final with her dad, older brother Bill, twin brother Charlie and all their younger siblings.

“It isn’t funny”, her dad shouted. “That sort of behaviour seriously undermines wizard-muggle relations! I spend half my life campaigning against the mistreatment of muggles, and my own sons-”

“Are just a wee bit too daft to understand that!”

She walked through the door and found her entire family, plus two other people she didn’t know, all sitting or standing around the kitchen table.

“Ellie?!”

Her older brother and twin, with whom she had always been extremely close, both made their way across the room and pulled her into a hug so tight she could barely breathe.

“Blimey! ‘ello Bill, hey Charlie! Long time no see, huh?”

“Certainly!”, their mother exclaimed while pushing the two oldest sons to the side as she tried to get a good look at her grown-up daughter. “Not a single visit since Christmas, Elwira Weasley, we’ve had to do with owls for six months?!”

“Sorry, mum, there’s been a lot of work to do… I thought I’d stay for the rest of the summer though, if that’s okay with you?”

“Of course, dear! Have you eaten yet?”

“No, I’m famished!”

Mrs Weasley went off to get another plate, and Ellie, after greeting everyone and being introduced to Harry and Hermione, took a seat between her dad and youngest brother.

“So Ronald? Had a good term?”

“Err.. Sure? Nothing interesting except for the stuff I wrote to you about, though.”

“Well you’re going into your fourth year now - almost halfway through!” She paused for a moment and turned to her father. “You good dad? You seem a bit… tense?”

Arthur looked up from his plate and sent his daughter a kind smile.

“Don’t worry about it, darling. Hosting the world cup comes with a great deal of problems all with the need to be solved. Admittedly, it’s not really part of my job, but the entire ministry becomes quite chaotic when something like that is days away. I’m a bit stressed, that’s all. How are things up in Scandinavia?”

“They’re… somewhat slow to be honest. There’s so much work to do between like October and February, but in the summer it’s mostly filing and other boring bits of paperwork.”

“Elwira?”, Hermione asked. “Sorry, I’m just curious, what is it that you do? Ron’s never told us…”

“That’s probably cause Ron doesn’t understand what I’m doing”, she smirked, “but of course, I work with, and study, arithmancy which, as you might know, is part of what’s called ‘natural magic’.”

“Great!”, mumbled Ron quietly, making sure only his friends and older sister heard. “Hermione, there are four rules in this house, okay? One: Don’t ask Charlie about dragons, Two: Don’t ask Percy about anything, Three: Don’t ask dad about muggles, and Four: Don’t ask Ellie about her job. Break either and you’ll be stuck listening to a five hour lecture.”

 Hermione didn’t seem to be bored though, so Ellie ignored her brother’s comment and continued. 

“It’s the type of magic that has been studied and worshiped since ancient times and has a very strong connection with nature. The natural phenomena with the strongest affiliation with magic is, while they in themselves have what the muggles would call a ‘scientific explanation’, the northern lights. Meaning it’s only when they’re visible that we can make any significant progress.”

Ellie paused and glanced at the younger girl, trying to see whether she had caught on or not, and was happy when realizing that she had.

“And... “, questioned Hermione, “the northern lights are only visible north of the polar circle and b-”

“Between September and March, exactly… Meaning there’s sadly not that much advanced research that can be done during the rest of the year…”

“It’s still a fascinating subject though. I only started last year, but I love it.”

“I’m glad! At least some people appreciate the wonderful art that is arithmancy, Ronald!”

Ron looked up at the mention of his name and met his sister’s gaze. 

“I just don’t find it interesting”, he said.  

“Right, because you ha-”

Ellie didn’t get to finish her sentence before being interrupted by her twin brother.

“Hey, Ellie? Must have been fun watching the Nordic versus Germany, huh?”

“Oh shut up, Charlie!”, she groaned while putting her head in her hands. “Holy Merlin…” The Nordic National Quidditch team, of which she had become a huge supporter in the last few years, had suffered a HORRENDOUS loss against Germany, and it had certainly not been a fun night. 

Her brother, however, did not shut up, but instead burst out laughing.  

“Charlie, it’s not funny!! You should have been there though… You’d have done a much better job than the stand-in seeker we had.”

“What were the results again? 700-20?”

“... 520 actually”

“520 to??”, Bill said mockingly

“You’re idiots both of you… 520-0, happy now?”

Ellie hadn’t realized that everyone else around the table had been listening in on their conversation, but was made aware when Fred, George, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Arthur began laughing loudly.

“Why is this so funny to everyone? England lost badly too, and neither Romania nor Egypt even qualified to compete?!”

“Yeah...”, began Fred.

“But none of them lost with 520 points.”, finished George, earning himself a furious look from his older sister who stood up and shook her head.

“I’ll go see if mum needs any help…”

~~~~~~

Ellie loved her family, and therefore all her slightly annoying brothers, beyond everything, but being away from them for months and then meeting them all at the same time was TIRING! Having no desire to sleep through the world cup, she decided to go to bed early the night before, and she had barely closed her eyes before she fell asleep...

~~~~~~

“3, 2 ‘shhhh, quiet!”

Ellie took notice of the obnoxiously loud whispers, but it wasn’t enough to fully wake her up.

“We’ve got one more chance, 3, 2, 1, ELLIE!!!!”

She woke up instantly and sent a blast of blue sparks towards her older brother, barely missing him by an inch.

“What ‘ru doing, El? You can’t just go attacking people?!”

He tried to sound angry, but failed miserably, a heartwarming laugh escaping his mouth.

“You bloody idiots?! Why’d you scare me like that? You’re 21 and 23, not five?”

“Brings back memories, doesn’t it? Do you remember-”

“Yes, I do!”. She rubbed her eyes slowly, “‘85, look can you two please let me sleep?”

“Sorry, sis”, said Bill. “We’re leaving in half an hour. The kids and dad left ages ago.”

“Yeah, you don’t want to be late do you? Not when you can cheer for a team that might not loo-”

“Charlie, I swear!”

~~~~~~

The match was fantastic! Ellie would never admit it to her brothers, but it was nice to watch an even one for once. Watching and cheering with her family brought back fond memories of childhood games at the Burrow or Hogwarts, and she realized just how much she had missed actually playing. They stayed up late discussing players and tactics, but eventually their father ushered them all off to bed. 

~~~~~~

“Ellie?”

“Ellie??”

She stirred slightly and pulled the sleeping bag tighter around her.

“Ellie! Damn it, wake up!”

She opened her eyes slowly and saw her twin brother bent above her. The sight made her sigh.

“Charlie”, she mumbled. “We see each other once- or twice a year nowadays, do you really feel obligated to wake me up every time you get the chance?”

“Elwira, I’m serious! Get up!”

This caught her attention. Sure, the twins often used their full names when messing with each other, but it didn’t sound like Charlie was joking at all. She sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and yawned loudly.

“What’s going on? Wha- Charlie? It’s still dark out? Why’d yo-”

“Ellie, c’mon. We have to help dad. Someone’s attacking the muggles.”

He threw his sister a jacket and pulled her out of the tent. Arthur, Bill and Percy were all waiting outside.

“Dad?”, she asked. “What’s happening? Charlie sai-”

“We’ve got to help the ministry!”, he said while frantically trying to count everyone and make sure they were there. “Fred, George, you make sure the others are safe. Go wait in the woods and I’ll come for you when the situation’s under control. Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ellie, let’s see if there’s something we can do.”

Nobody questioned Mr Weasley’s instructions, and immediately left in different directions. There were people everywhere though, and the two directions quickly became three, four, six. Spells and curses were fired left, right and centre and Ellie found herself disarming and stunning at least a few death eaters. There weren’t that many of them, roughly thirty or so, but the insane amount of witches and wizards fleeing the campsite made it difficult to fight back. She couldn’t risk hitting any random bloke.

While duelling a tall man in a black mask, Ellie suddenly stumbled forward, a particularly nasty curse having hit her straight in the back. Falling to the ground felt way more painful than it should have, and her wand landed well beyond her reach. She groaned as a burning pain spread through her lower back, but made an effort to get back up anyways. She did, however, not make it very far before the sharp end of a wand dug into her throat.

The death eater behind her sniggered and pulled her up by the collar of her shirt.

“Well, well, well… Why’re you trying to ruin our fun?”

He stood way too close for comfort and Ellie felt his breath on her neck. She tried to answer, but the curse that was shot at her must have hit its intended target, as all that came out when she opened her mouth was a strained cough and warm blood.

The bloke holding her let out a dark chuckle and threw her to the ground. She could barely keep her eyes open, and a thick, red liquid oozed from the wound in her back.

“Not so high-and-mighty now, are we?”

Ellie lacked the strength to fight back, and to the death eaters that seemed to take all the fun out of the situation. They set off back towards the campsite, leaving Ellie on the ground next to a few pines. She tried her very best to sit up, but ended up passing out…

~~~~~~

“Charlie?!”

Bill ran up to his younger brother and pulled him in for a quick, one-armed hug.

“Charlie, you okay? We’ve got to get back to the tent. Where’s El?”

“Wha-, I-I thought she was with you?!?”

“What? Last I saw her you were together?”

The brothers shared a lock of utter terror.

“Bill, we have to find her!”

“I know… Dad went to get the kids and Percy’s back in the tent waiting.”

“There’s no time to waste then. Let’s go”

~~~~~~

They had been running around the camping grounds for half an hour, and there was still not a trace of a living soul - let alone the special one they were searching for. At first, they had been shouting her name at the top of their lungs, but were now walking silently. That was, at least, until a shout made both of them turn around.

“Bill! Charlie! What are you doing? I told you to stay in the tent?”

Arthur Weasley came running towards them, with Harry, Ron and Hermione following close behind.

“Dad!”, Charlie shouted. “Have you seen El? We can’t find her?”

“What?”, asked Arthur. “But she was with you, wasn’t she?”

“Yes, at first, but we must have gotten separated… Dad, is that? You know?”

He threw a dark glance at the skull and snake decorating the night sky and said, “Yes. Yes it is. Look, I’ll take Ron, Hermione and Harry back to the tent, and I’ll meet you back here in ten minutes, okay? Don’t go too far. Come on kids!”

~~~~~~

Just as the brothers were about to give up, go back to the clearing, wait for their dad and hopefully find both their sisters safe and sound, Bill noticed something. A glimpse of red in the moonlight…

“Charlie? Get over here fast!”

The younger brother followed Bill’s gaze and immediately set off through the forest when his eyes found a mess of ginger hair sticking out from behind a rather large pine. Bill followed closely behind.

“ELLIE!!!?!!”

Charlie stumbled to his knees and turned his sister around, trying to get a better look at her. He pressed his hand to her wrist and breathed a sigh of relief when he found a pulse.

“She’s alive”, he mumbled. “Bill, she’s alive!”

“Good. I- Good.” Bill was lost for words too and mumbled a quick “Let me see”.

He pushed some hair out of her eyes and searched for any clues to what had hit her. He was a curse-breaker after all, but that usually meant working with curses placed on things or places, not people. 

“Charlie, I-I don’t know what that is… it’s not a curse I’m familiar with and I’m no healer… You want to carry her?”

“Of course”

Charlie brought his twin into his arms and picked her up, her bruised, limp body threatening to fall unless he held on tight enough. The brothers walked back to the clearing where they’d promised to meet their dad, but kept a close watch on their sister. They would apparate, though at the moment none of them felt like they had much time for ‘Deliberation’. It wasn’t very far anyways.

~~~~~~

“DAD!”, Bill shouted as soon as they noticed Arthur in the clearing where they were supposed to wait.

“Boys! Didn’t I tell you t-”

“We’ll take that later, Dad, you’ve got to help her!?”

Arthur Weasley was speechless, which had most likely never happened before, and Charlie felt so helpless. This was worse than his worst nightmares, and there was nothing he could do. Had it been a wounded dragon, sure, he knew loads about them, but this?

“Dad?”, asked Bill. “What can we do?”

“Right. Er… I suppose there’s no use trying to get you to wait here?”, he said while looking at Charlie who frantically shook his head. “Right, Bill could you go back to Percy and the kids? Fill them in on what happened? Then Charlie and I’ll take Ellie to St Mungos, okay?”

Bill didn’t look too happy with the idea, but nodded nonetheless.

---

“Charlie sit down!”

“Fred, he can’t”, said George. “Hey, I think you missed a spot over there, Charles”

“Shut it both of you! Honestly, why am I the only one that’s worried?”

Arthur stood up and put an arm around his son.

“Listen, we’re all worried, but walking back and forth isn’t helping anyone. Just sit for a moment, huh?”

“No, dad, you don’t understand! It’s my fault. We were supposed to stick together! I let her out of my sight...I-”

“Charlie, we all-”

“No, Bill, you don’t get it either, I should-”

“-let your sister sleep for once? That’d be greatly appreciated, thank you.”

The entire family turned at once, and found the oldest daughter struggling to sit up.

“EL!!”

Charlie stumbled over and put a hand on his sister’s back, trying to help her up, but unfortunately placing it right where the curse had hit her.

“Auch!”

She moved away from his touch and he pulled his hand back immediately.

“Blimey, Ellie I’m so s-”

“Charlie, it’s good. Don’t worry about it.”

Ellie pulled her brother into a hug, though he was now extremely careful, and she looked over his shoulder at the rest of her family. Her eyes met Bill’s and he sent her a kind smile. She gestured for him to come join them, and eventually the whole family found themselves in a loving group hug. Molly did her very best to wrap her arms around all her children, desperately trying to convince herself that they were all there - safe and sound and loved. 

Because if there was one thing the Weasleys had a lot of, it was love and that is, after all, precisely what family is all about.

~ L

Masterlist

[miqojak]

Layers Upon Layers

one: outside layer

[Name:] "Jak." [Hair Style & colour:] "Black and orange. I wear it pulled back and braided." [Eye Color:] "Gold and jade green." [Height:]  "Fuck if I know exactly. Under five fulms." (4'9") [Style:] "Depends on the day. Maybe the hour. Leather and mini-skirts are always a good bet, though. Sometimes a nice suit, sometimes my bike gear, sometimes a little something more form-fitting, elegant and gilded - 'desert chic', I suppose." [Best Physical Feature:] "Definitely my ass...though my legs cut it close, on that one. What do you think?"

two: inner layer

[Fears:] "You ask that and actually expect people to tell you?" (Small/enclosed spaces with no readily available exit, levin, Garleans, people getting too close to her/seeing who she really is) [Guilty Pleasure:] "People feel guilty for what they like? Who's going to judge me, the sheep who can't come up with a single original thought of their own, and feel guilty if they do?" [Biggest Pet Peeve:]  "Biggest...that's tough, actually. Probably blithe optimism, or naivete. People too ignorant, or unwilling to ask questions and look deeper - or those simply unwilling to face hard truths. There can never be any growth if you aren't honest with yourself, after all. Unmotivated slackers. If you have no goals, why are you wasting this star's air?" [Ambition for the Future:] "To be feared and respected in equal measure. I've been pushed around for a long time, and now it's my turn."

three: thoughts

[First Thought When Waking Up:] "Probably...my to-do list for the day? That or wondering what the weather is like, and whether or not I'll be going on my usual morning run or be stuck working out indoors. That or 'Huh, they haven't killed us all yet.'" [What You Think About the Most:] "What my next step is in life - how I want to pursue that power I'm after without compromising who I am...and how the fuck I ended up with someone who actually cares about me in my life while distinctly trying to avoid that type of thing...and why he stuck around. I wonder about the 'why' a lot." [What You Think About Before Bed:] "Depends on the day, and what's happened, and if I'm headed there alone. If I'm not alone, it's probably something to the effect of 'I still can't believe he wants to be here/wants me to be here'. And whether or not I'm alone...there's always the nagging, ugly reminder that Garlemald's towers sit hunched in the sky, ready to end everything for everyone - predator and prey alike. It could be the last night for any of us." [Your Best Quality Is:] "My ass. But other than that...well, I'm honest, and my loyalty can't be bought. I'm not a good person, but I have my own...'code', in a sense, I guess."

four: what’s better

[Single or Group Dates?] "Group dates sound like a punishment. I can barely stand the slack-jawed idiots around me as it is. Though undoubtedly the punishment would be upon the others, considering who my date would be, and the fact that we'd probably spend the time verbally destroying the other couple." [To be Loved or to be Respected?] "Respected. Love without respect is horrifying. I've been there, I've suffered it, and I'm still recovering. But I still...don't know that I believe in love. At least not how most people do, I guess. Love makes people do stupid shit when they believe in it. Respect doesn't. Respect can stand alone, without needing love. Respect has to be earned. There's no claims of 'respect at first sight.' But like I said...love without respect is...ugly. Scary, even." [Beauty or Brains?] "Both, or no deal. Brains are essential, but I can't have a walking pile of dogshit on my arm, now can I?" [Cats or Dogs?] "Neither, I don't do pets - animals are food. But...I suppose I'd say dogs, though you'd probably incorrectly assume cats, based on the fact that I resemble one. But...there's been more 'canines' in my life in the last year or two than I care to recall."

four: do you…

[Lie?] "No. Not unless the situation is dire - my morals don't matter if my life is on the line. Survival comes first always." [Believe in Yourself?] "Much more than I used to. I've accomplished, and survived, more than most could even begin to imagine." [Believe in Love?]  "Not...really? Maybe? Though I'll admit that for all my vehement denial in the past, someone has made me re-examine my emotions in the last half a year or so. I don't think I believe in the sort of 'love' that the general public believes in. I had someone force his fairy tale romance down my throat and do me a lot of harm both physical and mental with those ideals, as he forced me to be someone I wasn't. If adhering to what society expects of love is all that someone cares about - hitting the expected gestures as told in fairy tales? That's about as real as a fever dream. I don't like the word 'love'. Not what it's come to be associated with, and what's expected of you along with it." [Want Someone?] "For the first time in my life...yes. Not that I don't 'have' him as much as I can claim such, but when he's not around, I find that I want him to be. So...yes?"

six: have you ever…

[Been on Stage?] "No? I mean, my organization does run a jazz club, and it's been various theaters before that, and I've...sat on the stage, basked in the spotlight of an empty theater? I prefer to be...less in the actual spotlight, however." [Done Drugs?] "I've only been clean and sober for...maybe a year now? So yeah. I've...done a lot of drugs." [Changed Yourself to Fit In Somewhere?] "I've been a con-artist to put food on the table, but I don't believe in changing who you are to 'fit in.' If you don't fit in...you don't fit in. You are who you are. Being anything else is a lie, and does you a disservice. It's also a pathetic cry for attention - for the other bleating sheep to accept you into their herd. I won't debase myself to 'fit in' with my lessers."

seven: favorite

[Favorite Color:] "Black, white, gold, and red. I don't have just one." [Favorite Food:] "Once more, I don't have just one. I like red meat, I like seafood, and I enjoy rolanberries quite a bit. Of late, I think my current favorite snack is takoyaki though - this fried dough ball with octopus inside...just thinking about it makes my mouth water." [Favorite Game:] "Breaking and entering."

eight: age

[When Your Next Birthday Will Be:] "No idea." [How Old Will You Be?] "No clue. I'm...twenty and four summers, roughly...give or take a couple." [Age You Lost Your Virginity:] "Care to lose yours to one of my knives, here?" [Does Age Matter?]  "Should it? I suppose I'd be a bit baffled to see an old geezer with a hot young thing, but even so...who cares? I haven't exactly had a lot of lovers, but I don't think I ever asked any of them their age. So long as people stay the fuck away from kids, it's a non-issue in my opinion."

nine: in a partner

[Best Personality:] "An unflinching realist who not only faces the truth, but deals it out themselves. Ambition, and the ability to be honest with themselves about who they are." [Best Eye Colour:]  "Who gives a shit? If I find them worthwhile, I'll like their eyes, I assure you." [Best Hair Colour:] "Who's out here checking people off a list because their hair is the wrong color? I mean, after some shit I went through, I might not want to ever see another red-head again, but realistically...who gives a single fuck? I think you're asking the wrong questions here. People often do - too busy dwelling on lust at first sight." [Best Thing to do With a Partner:] "Murder? Crime in general? ...Or a hot bath."

ten: finish the sentence

[I Love…] ...I just told you I don't do love. But...I do love the sun." [I Feel…] everything at once, or nothing at all, it seems." [I Hide…] who I am." [I Miss…] my family." [I Wish…] ...wishes are for simpletons. Actions achieve what you want." Thanks for the tag: @eligos-venator @placesyoucallhome @bek-sc @sundered-souls (I think I found you all who tagged me!)

I am late to this party! Tag yourselves if you want to do it, so I can read your stuff! I feel like most folks have done it, and I'm too brain-dead atm to root around in the bowels of Tumblr to see who hasn't, since I'm many days late! XD

[gaygryffindorgal]

HPHM character profile

Identity

Name: Verna Aelia Malinda

Gender: cis female

Age: Depends on the timeline

Birth Date: December 15th, 1972 (Sagittarius)

Species: Human witch

Blood Status: Half-blood but thought to be pureblood by the Wizarding community.

Sexuality: Lesbian

Alignment: Chaotic good

Ethnicity: Mixed (black mother, mixed father)

Nationality: British

Residence: The Malinda Manor, somewhere in the English countryside

Myer Briggs Personality Type: The Protagonist (ENFJ)

The Mage

1st Wand: Hornbeam, 11 inches, dragon heartstring, unyielding

2nd Wand: Ebony, 11 ¼ inches, dragon heartstring, unyielding

Animagus: Calico cat

Misc Magical Abilities: -

Boggart Form: Evil!Jacob turning against her.

Riddikulus Form: Evil!Jacob transforms into a tiny, angry kitten.

Amortentia: (What do they smell like?)

Fleetwood's High-Finish Broom Handle Polish

Caramel apples

The orchard behind her childhood home

Amortentia: (What do they smell?)

Nailpolish

Old books

Coffee

Patronus: Calico cat (same as animagus form)

Patronus Memory: A summer day at the Malinda manor when Verna was young, Jacob is teaching her to fly while her parents watch from the sidelines, happy and carefree.

Mirror of Erised: Her family back together again, everyone is safe and content.

Specialized/Favourite Spells: Depulso (the banishing charm), Incendio (the fire-making spell)

Appearance

(I don’t really 100% vibe with her in-game appearence since the hair selection for natural hair is not the best but I make do.)

Height: 5′10 (178cm)

Weight: like normal weight for an athletic girl that tall ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Physique: Athletic

Eye Colour: Blue

Hair Colour: Black

Skin Tone: Brown with warm undertones

Body Modifications: Earrings, nose ring (6th year onwards), a few tattoos as an adult

Scarring: -

Inventory: Wand, Merula’s gift necklace (5th year onwards), some cat treats for Osborn, random old homework and other pieces of parchment discarded at the bottom of her bag at all times, a bag of apple rings (her favourite sweets).

Fashion:

It’s 1984-1991 and I want jam city to let it show in their quest reward items!!!

Allegiances 

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Ilvermorny House: I don’t really vibe with Ilvermony so I have no idea xD

Affiliations/Organizations: Gryffindor house. Gryffindor quidditch team, Malinda family, Circle of Khanna, The Order of Phoenix

Professions: Worked as a Defence Against Dark Arts substitute teacher for a year shortly after Hogwarts, trained to be an auror for a while but dropped out due to disagreements with Ministry policy

Hogwarts Information

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy: A

Charms: O

DADA: O

Herbology: A

History of Magic: P

Potions: A

Transfiguration: E

Electives:

Care of Magical Creatures: E

Muggle Studies: E

Quidditch:

Verna is the chaser of her house’s quidditch team for most of her Hogwarts career.

Extra-Curricular: Duelling club, Dragon club

Favourite Professors: Minerva McConagall

Least Favourite Professors: Severus Snape, Patricia Rakepick

Relationships

Brother: Jacob Aurelius Malinda

Growing up, Jacob was Verna’s hero. He is five years older than Verna but nevertheless they spent a great deal of time together as children, Jacob often babysitting his sister. Although he was never as much into Quidditch as Verna, he would spend hours teaching her to fly and even take her to watch matches a few years before his disappearance.

Although otherwise short-tempered and rash, Jacob had endless amounts of patience for Verna. With very absent parents, Jacob all but raised Verna from a young age and Verna trusted him to look after her more than their parents, which is why it was shocking to her when he disappeared without a word.

Father: Mervyn Malinda

The sole heir to the Malinda estate, Mervyn is an important character within the Wizard society. However, what the general public doesn’t know, is that he is, in fact, an illegitimate child with a muggle mother. This has been kept secret by his grandmother, father, and step-mother throughout his whole life. The only other person to know the truth since his birthmother’s passing is Juniper, his wife.

Mervyn works as the Head of The Department of Magical Transportation. He is not a very affectionate father, but he tries his best to support his children. Mervyn used to be a Gryffindor.

Mother: Juniper Malinda, née Raeburn

A prominent witch from the pureblood Raeburn family, Juniper married Mervyn Malinda out of love. She is a little eccentric and spends a lot of time working on her potions. For a time, the Malindas had a relatively peaceful life with their two children, up until Jacob went missing. After that, Juniper and Mervyn grew distant and started to argue a lot.

Juniper works as a potioneer and values learning, diligence, and holding onto what you believe. She used to be a Ravenclaw.

Love Interest: Merula Snyde

Verna and Merula start out as rivals but due to having to work together during their search for the cursed vaults, they are forced to spend time together. Both start to develop a crush on the other but are in complete and utter denial about it. Verna is the one to realize her feelings first, and she starts to antagonize Merula just to have tension-filled moments with her, which is a completely normal and rational approach to letting your crush know you like them.

Merula and Verna date in school and a while after it but eventually break up in the turmoils of the war. Depending on the version, they might end up together later on though.

(also, as a sidenote, i headcanon merula as like, really short so this dynamic is so much fun when verna is TALL)

Best Friend: Charlie Weasley

They both like Quidditch and are complete dorks. Worst pair of prefects Gryffindor has ever seen, totally incompetent at their job.

(Is this me projecting my love for Charlie into my OC? Absolutely yes and I have no regrets.)

Rivals: Merula Snyde, Patricia Rakepick

Enemy: Voldemort, R

Dormmates: Rowan Khanna, Skye Parkin, Eloise Montague, and  Yasmin Wakefield (the last two are my ocs just to fill the dorm for my fic but these spots are up for grabs if anyone wants to be dormmates!)

Pets: A black cat called Osborn

Closest Canon Friends: Charlie Weasley, Rowan Khanna, Ben Copper

Closest MC Friends:

Farrow Raeburn @threeon1match​

Verna’s cousin from her mother’s side of the family. He is a year younger than Verna and in Slytherin. They are nevertheless close, and Farrow has a huuuge crush on Verna’s cool, dragon-loving friend Charlie.

Background/History

Pre Hogwarts: 

Verna had a wealthy childhood in the countryside at the Malinda manor. She had a close friendship with her older brother who taught her to fly her first broom. Verna had a keen interest in learning spells even at a young age, and her parents would often find her using magic before she was allowed to (often with disastrous consequences). The year Verna was meant to start her studies at Hogwarts, her brother went missing and her mother became very distant, while her father acted as if nothing was wrong. Verna became determined to find and rescue her brother.

Hogwarts Years:

If I would get around to publishing my fic maybe you guys would find out!! But the basic skeleton of the storyline follows the game’s events, just modified to suit a different medium and sans all the dumb stuff!!

Order of the Phoenix / 2nd Wizarding War:

Verna works as a substitute teacher in Hogwarts for a year, after which she trains to become an auror. However, she doesn’t like the way things are run at the Ministry, so she quits and moves home to the Manor for a while, trying to figure out what to do with her life. Before she can come to any conclusions though, the Second Wizarding War starts to pick up speed and the secrets her family has kept all these years transform from dangerous to fatal. Verna is recruited into the Order of the Phoenix by her old friend Bill Weasley.

Verna reunites with many of her old friends from school while working in the Order. Her father is killed during the war and her relationship with her mother goes through a lot of turmoil.

Her ultimate fate is not set in stone and in some versions she dies during the war and in others she makes it.

Post-War:

Depends on whether she survives or not. If Verna lives, she will eventually find her path to a teaching position at Hogwarts OR a curse-breaking job with the (much-changed) Ministry.

She also reconciles with her ex Merula, and the two of them get together.

Personality

Positive attributes: caring, brave, selfless, confident, passionate, protective, resourceful. Negative attributes: impatient, impulsive, stubborn, cocky, reckless, competitive, short-tempered.

if you made it this far, wow! congrats! thank you!!!! i love you forever!!!

[love-and-anarchy-au]

Love & Anarchy: Chapter 11

HAPPY FRIDAYYYYYYYY!!!!!! AHHHHH this chapter is the last chapter of “A boy named Alec Artino”! gosh, this chapter is so weird but i had no other idea to introduce this characters before the first chapter of “A teen named Ace Artino” xd. sooo, may i apologize for being so cringy and uncoherent :) hope you enjoy this piece of “t f.”

REMEMBER THIS AU HAPPENS IN THE SAME UNIVERSE THAT THIS ONE

Find out what this AU is about here

Masterlist

Tag list: @healing-winston-pratt @dawniebb @obsidianfr3sk @nodrianbcyes @everyone-has-a-nightmare @magykaldealings @quinterickson @cerenoya @cassin-the-assasin

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

Words:

8,377

Part 1: A boy named Alec Artino

5 years old Alec

  “Who are you?”

   Alec looked to his side. He was in the immigration area of ​​the Gatlon City airport. The place was packed with people of all ethnicities and all ages, it seemed like a catalog of human types, all diverse and unique. The one who spoke to him, who asked him who he was, was a girl with short dark hair, looking at him from the other side of the row. The girl had amber eyes, like condensed honey, and she wore a dark dress that was too big for her. She was from Italy too, as she had spoken to him in Italian and her tulle bag bore the Milan shipping label.

    Alec was a kid back then, but he'd been through so many beatings that he didn't have the luxury of relaxing often.

    “Who are you?” Alec asked suspiciously, and stepped away from the plasticized cloth tape that “separated” them. The girl smiled.

    There was a buzz and another boy, out of nowhere itself, came up to him and shook Alec’s hand. The boy’s hand was cold, his eyes were gray, like a morning mist, and his hair was as well combed as his. The boy looked like a prince, with his impeccable expensive clothes and porcelain smile, though he wasn’t showing his teeth.

    Alec was a toad from another well, wide-eyed.

    “I'm Jacobo Roselo, nice to meet you; you are...?” said the boy, in a voice woven with manners and politeness and respect and authority and everything Alec lacked. Seeing as someone who couldn't want anything from him, a lonely bruised creature, only made him distrust more.

    Alec frowned slightly. How could he get rid of this child?

    Maybe you shouldn't get rid of him, Julieta suggested.

    Alec clenched his fists nervously. Why were they speaking to him? Sure, there were many more children they could interact with, but no, they had chosen him.

    Why?

    “I was asking her,” he said, pointing to the girl. Jacobo made a despicable gesture with his hand and the honey girl smiled bigger.

    “I'm Alessandra Onitraze. Please tell us your name.”

    It was a request and an order, in her commanding but harmonious voice.

    Alec sighed and said, finally:

    “I'm Alec Artino.”

    Alessandra smiled strangely and hinted:

    “Aren't you afraid that they won't be able to pronounce your name? The citizens of Gatlon, I mean.”

    Alec raised an eyebrow.

    “You’re conscious that there’s Alecs in Gatlon, right?” Alec replied, trying to understand what in Heaven Alessandra was saying. His voice was monotonous.

    Alessandra also made a demeaning gesture with her hand, and spread some of her citrus perfume through the air. What did those two have with shaking their hands as if they were filled with drops of water?

    “Whatever, I'll change my name to Alexandra,” said Alessandra.

    “But why? Why would you want to change your name?” questioned Alec, more confused.

    Alessandra sighed.

    “My father gave me this name, and he betrayed us (I mean, my family), but mostly me. So I don’t want to carry that weight anymore, and Alexandra sounds good…”

    Alessandra sighed again, now more sad than tired. She took something out of a small white tulle bag. That "something" had eight legs, was hairy and dark. It was a spider, quite small.

    Alec didn't move, but he swallowed hard, not scared of  the spider itself, but because they might kick them out for keeping animals through customs, when they were strictly forbidden.

    “Where did you get it? You can't bring arachnids into customs,” Alec murmured, near Alessandra. It was strange, because he had known her for five seconds and already wanted to protect her.

   That's because you're very noble, Alec.

   That’s because I don’t want to be kicked out.

   Alessandra laughed; she had a hiccupping laugh, as if there were thousands of bubbles exploding in laughter low and high at the same time. When she stopped laughing, she looked Alec in the eyes, and smiled mysteriously, so naturally that Alec guessed she must have done a lot of that gesture, so molded it was on her face.

   “Let's say they stick to me.”

   Alec froze, with a ridiculous expression of astonishment.

   She is a prodigy.

   Alec didn’t reply. He wasn’t going to tell anyone she was a prodigy.

   He didn’t want to watch any more prodigies murders.

   Alessandra sighed one more time, bored. The spider crawled up into her hair, laid its eight legs on the short, thick strands, and lost itself in them, as if they were a small, pompous jungle. Alexandra was humming a quite deep and intense song, while Jacobo was there and he was not, it was like an apparition.

   “I’ll call myself James. I like it better than Jacobo,” stated Jacobo, corporeal now.

   Then, an uncomfortable silence embraced them.

   Follow the game. Play with them, suggested Julieta.

   Alec sighed.

   “I could be Ace, I guess…” said Alec, wanting them to not hear him and to forget what he had said.

   Though he liked the way it sounded.

   Ace. Ace Artino.

   Alec suppressed a smile.

   Not like Alessandra, that smiled showing all her teeth and the space among them.

   “Sounds good! And besides, is just a nickname; it’s not like we’re going to the civil registration to change them” she joked, and laughed again, reminding Alec of the sound that bubbles made when they exploded.

   “I am, actually” replied James, as he was saying he was thinking about going to the park, and not considering changing his identity.

   Alec was puzzled. Was he out of his sanity?

   “But what about your parents? Do they know you want to change your name?” asked Alec, now a little bit worried for that kid.

   Jacobo laughed.

   “‘My mothers don’t mind me,” explained Jacobo and then he exemplified,         “ ‘Jacobo wants to change his name? Just do it. Jacobo wants to go kill some prodigies? Do it now, please. Jacobo wants to jump off a building? Oh, whatever, we didn’t even love him.’ ”

   Alessandra laughed again. Alec drew his eyebrows together. He felt sorry for Jacobo, maybe because he was in a similar situation…

   “I’m sorry” felt Alec, and Jacobo looked at him in the eyes. They were so cloudy and indecipherable…

   “Don’t be. I bet you are in the same situation,” he answered.

   Alec opened his eyes as plates.

   “What makes you think so?” he inquired.

   Alessandra raised her hand, enthusiastically , as she was in class.

   “You’re talking to strangers in customs,” she observed.

   Jacobo nodded, approving Alessandra’s observation.

   “And there’s no responsible adult around you. You are alone. Waiting,” he added.

   Alec sighed, and then nodded one time. They were right: his father and his brother were going through papers and forgot to bring him with them. So there he was: talking to two kids he’d just met as he knew them since his birth.

   Well, not that much.

   Suddenly, Alessandra opened her mouth, as she had the cure to cancer on the tip of her tongue.

   “What if we’re our own family?,” she proposed, her voice filled with hope and ideas and a brighter future than she’d had minutes ago.

   Jacobo smiled, without showing his teeth but making wrinkles in his skin.

   “I like the idea. What do you think, Ace?”

   Alec looked at them both, saying nothing and everything.

   He could have laughed. He could have mocked and remarked how ridicule was the even thought of making a family with people you had met in customs and just for minutes. He could have denied it with his head.

   But he didn’t.

   He smiled and replied:

   “Why not?”

   Just because he knew those kids had to be Julieta’s angels. The ones he had prayed for.

   They had to be.

   It was the only explanation Alec found logical at the moment.

   And it was enough.

   He was so lonely, and he wouldn’t mind some company.

   Even of insane kids.

   Wasn’t he insane himself?

   It was those kids decision.

   Alessandra squealed and clapped, full of joy.

   “It’s official: from now and on we’ll be a dysfunctional family of three Italians-that-moved-to-Gatlon-because-of-different-reasons,�� announced Alessandra and smiled even more.

   James smiled too, still not showing his teeth, but his essence.

   Alec twinkled at them.

   “Nice to meet you Alexandra Onitraze and James Roselo”, said Alec, using an ejecutive voice and making Alexandra laugh one more time. James finally showed his immaculated teeth.

   “The pleasure is ours, Ace Artino.”

[dredreadsdrawing]

Oc-Tober Day 16: Palette

my tablet annoys me but i continue to draw with it :,o oof. 

I used this Palette day for my other beloved DnD oc. Reir the bastard half-elf rogue from a prestigious elf-mafia lolol. Thank goodness I had already wrote her backstory in a word dock like, in February XD Augh writing one bigass story is enough for today. Here it is: 

Reir is a half-elf. She was born from the daughter of the biggest elf-run criminal organization, and a poor young farmer. Whilst on the run, her mother was injured and almost died, but Reir’s father found and saved her. They fell in love while she recovered, but she was picked up quickly by her brother and taken back to their city base.

She missed the farm and countryside, so she’d sneak to visit her love secretly for years. When her father and brother found out, they freaked. A lowly, much younger human was no worthy life-companion for their rose. After losing Reir’s grandmother, they became incredibly overprotective of her because of her, and this situation was no exception. They put her under house-arrest and threatened the farmer with violence.

After years of tolerating their suffocating doting, she couldn’t handle any more. She broke out and ran to him. He agreed to running away with her, to start over somewhere else. Things were going well along their travels, until they hit an impasse and were ambushed. Her love was killed in front of her eyes. She was taken back to be a bird in their cage, her will to fight now extinguished.

A month later, her pregnancy was diagnosed. Her brother was the only one to find out along with her, and before he could report it to his father, she pleaded to keep it a secret. She wanted to keep the child; she had a new reason to live. He gave in and helped her hide it from their father, unknowingly assisting her in her last attempt to escape as well.

She ran away again, planning to get her child away from their overbearing crime life, but she had waited for too long to put her plan into play. She started giving birth mid-way into her travel, stuck somewhere alone with no help for miles. By the time her family found her, her brother forced to tell his father the secret, she was dead, her child wrapped around her arms and kicking fussily.

Her father was in despair. He punished her brother severely, blaming him for her death, while also dropping the baby to be his responsibility. He refused her legitimacy. He had plans to expand their territory and claims, but died soon after the incident, rumors floating that he took his life from the grief. Now the brother was alone as the head of the family, stuck with a baby without a family name.

He planned to abandon her to an orphanage, thought there was no place for a child in his life. But her likeness to her mother outweighed her likeness to her father, and he couldn’t go through. He ended up dumping her to two of his subordinates; a half-orc and another half-elf. She was to live in seclusion at the top floor of their base.

He was an absent father figure to her. He’d visit rarely and briefly just to overlook her education. He saw the job of raising her as a lower priority, put his duties as the leader of the organization above all else. To quiet her every time she acted out of line, he would punish her the same way his father would his sister; he’d lock her in a quiet, dark room. Instead of taking the punishment meekly and learning to be good, she took it as a challenge and rebelled from everything he threw at her.

She grew picking up the worst habits. If she wanted something, she’d no longer ask for it. Stealing was easier and more fun. If she wanted to know what others were doing, she’d simply follow them; she trained herself to be quiet and stealthy. Because she was constantly thrown into the room, she learned to hide things in her clothing and body, to pick locks, to adjust to the darkness quickly and to climb from ledges half an inch thick. As a child, she was a nuisance. As a teenager, she was a menace. As a newly fledged adult, she was an outright criminal working outside of her uncle’s interests and solely for her own.

When she became of age, she thought he would finally induct her into the gang, but that day never came. He assured her she would never be a part of them and gave her a list of reasons why. She took it ‘in slide’; if he didn’t want her, it was his loss. She went crazy with her crimes, never thinking of the consequences, or of the mess she’d leave behind. She could always run back to the comfort of the organization’s name even when she wasn’t a part of it.

She was giving their business a bad reputation. If he couldn’t control his own brat, how could he keep his subordinates in check? Contacts began pulling back, the city law enforcement was asking for bigger bribes, everything was going to shit. Her uncle was done covering for her, and he gave her a final threat. He told her no more tricks, no more stunts, no more getting out of the house. She would be a good girl, or she would be disowned completely. He wasn’t playing around. She nodded along, but rationalized his anger as stemming from her debt. So she just needed to pay everything back huh? As soon as he left, she planned her biggest scam.

She stole millions from the mayor, not knowing he was already under the gang’s thumb. She stored the money in the organization’s vault, and proudly paraded her deed. She was called to her uncle’s office, and she prepared herself for her induction. She dressed in her finest, prepared a beaming smile. She opened the door, going into a speech about how it was finally time for her to make her grand entrance, but one look at her uncle’s face shut her up. She smiled awkwardly, trying to get a rise out of him. What, no hug? A high five? Her uncle raised his hand. Excited, she made to move towards him, but was immediately knocked out by henchmen behind her.

Without a word of farewell, she was shipped far away, dumped across the world with a two day stay at an inn, a dagger, and a bag of coins. She woke up confused and without even a note of explanation. She was alone, and cut off.

 Extra info:

The half-orc and half-elf truly love her and treat her like their daughter. Her difficult relationship with her uncle was the root of her bad behaviorism though, and they felt powerless as they watched her fall into more and more hopeless tries for his attention. When she was shipped, they were heartbroken. They were never told of her final threat or how it happened, they were simply fired from their job as ‘nannies’, and reinstated in grunt work. They hold a grudge against her uncle and fully plan on escaping the organization to look for her.

To further explain her bad behavior from her uncle’s perspective: Her mother was a model-obedient girl type. She was an angel who always did what she was told (until she fell in love.) She had been kind, patient, and loving; the perfect sister and the perfect woman in her uncle’s eyes. Her daughter though, was the worst. She was a brat, rebellious, selfish, overconfident, and had zero regard for others.

Her nannies could see where all of these negative properties stemmed from as she grew. She became rebellious as a form of getting his attention, she’s self-centered because she was never taught to work in a team and never even had any friends, and she’s overconfident because she’s learned a lot from what she considers the best criminals. However, her uncle never spent much time with her at all. He never truly got to know her, and never had one on one conversations with her about herself. He was only ever around long enough to see the bad, never stuck around to figure out the good.

She was extremely caring towards her two father figures, the half-orc and half-elf. She’s clever and an extremely quick-learner; gifted in everything she put her mind to. She was determined to the point of being naïve; she always believed even when she pretended she didn’t need it, that her uncle would open up and accept her one day if she did a job big enough. She’s also super optimistic. She never lets anyone or anything bring her down, and has never let herself get depressed. She’s smart enough to get through anything; her overconfidence always shone through.

I’m uh, making some quick stuff for oc-tober lol. im sooooooooo behind :,o but i managed to get semi-caught up..... tomorrow ill have to do today’s theme lol Im jsut abit too depressed today :(

[missjosie27]

Year 3 Part 10- Defending

Hello, everyone.

Welcome back to another chapter. As we last left off, Barnaby officially joined David's side and we get to see some of the ramifications of that today. Wonder what poor Merula thinks of that XD

Elora Dunn I made a Hufflepuff in this version as opposed to Gryffindor. Seemed redundant with a character like Ben already in that house.

Also in this chapter I will feature a small cameo from Chester Davies. My character is a Gryffindor so of course we don't see him that much but I head cannoned him to show up at some point so I hope I did him justice. It is a small bit of filler in here today but as with everything in my story, it's all about the small details and development. Two more to go for Year 3! Enjoy!

If it were any other Slytherin, the new addition to the cursebreaking squad might have been quite awkward. With Barnaby the fit was so seamless, it was though he’d already known everyone for years. Despite his reputation as being one of the toughest kids in school with a penchant for dueling, winning him over revealed a key aspect of his character: that in reality he was just a big softie.

Barnaby loved to duel and learn new spells, his physical strength was immense (as evidenced by being able to lift Rowan off the ground using one hand with ease) and he was already quite tall for his age. But he also carried many other previously unknown attributes, the first of which was that he had a way with animals. He took particular interests in bowtruckles and nifflers, being the only person who knew how to tame them. Professor Kettleburn was so impressed, he made him a full time protege in handling more dangerous creatures such as hippogriffs and even the invisible thestrals.

He also loved to eat and would consume so much food in one sitting that one of the prefects at the Hufflepuff table actually had to ask him to save some for the first years. But above all else, Barnaby Lee at his core was a kind person and despite not being academically inclined, had a simple way of expressing things that put a problem into perspective. Perhaps most telling was that he never truly desired to hurt anyone and would defend those he cared about with vigor.

He explained all of this to Penny in Herbology, who giggled at some of the stories.

“Honestly, I’m actually really glad you introduced him to us the other night, even if he consumed half the food on the table,” she laughed. “I know most people think he’s slow, but he’s so sweet. Chiara went redder than a strawberry when he complimented her necklace.”

The aforementioned girl proceeded to flush the same color.

“I did not!” she protested.

David rolled his eyes as he tended to his dried nettles.

“That’s just because you girls think he’s handsome.”

Penny gave him a playful swat on the head.

“It is not...okay maybe a little.”

David clutched his hands together in a girly, romantic gesture and began speaking in a mock feminine tone.

“Oh Barnaby Lee, he’s ever so dreamy with his green eyes and enormous jaw!”

That earned him a triple swat, this time from Penny, Tonks, and Chiara.

“Focus on your dried nettles, dears!” Professor Sprout called out spotting the mischief from her place at the center of the table.

“Sorry, Professor!” David called out and he added some water to his pot.

“He’s handsome don’t get me wrong, but he’s not my type,” Tonks commented.

“What is your type?”

The pink haired witch shrugged.

“Don’t know really. Haven’t thought about it much.”

“I know Penny and Chiara have been thinking about Madam Puddifoot’s tea shop,” David joked as he falsely gagged, while ducking another swipe from a giggling Penny. “Anyway, the point is, Barnaby is a good bloke. And he’s dead useful to have around.”

“I’m surprised you of all people have accepted someone from Slytherin so readily,” Rowan teased him, coming up behind him to borrow some soil.

“Hey I’m a pretty easy going bloke, I can admit when I’m wrong.”

“Except when it comes to Slytherin apparently,” Tonks teased, which earned her a splat of dung on her robes.

Despite the jokes, the more David was able to get to know Barnaby the more he could feel his animosity slip away. In fact, he almost didn’t mind when the Slytherins became the favorites to win the Quidditch Cup after trouncing Hufflepuff 400-70, the key word being ‘almost’. But there was a practical side to it as well. Upon learning her former minion switched sides, Merula was beside herself with rage and began embarking on a campaign to make both of their lives as difficult as possible. Her taunting became subdued but she constantly attempted to blow up his cauldron in potions, put a flobberworm down the back of his pants, and tried hexing him on more than one occasion in the corridors. It was a mark of frustration; she was no closer to finding the vault but the constant attempts at sabotage began to wear thin.

“You need to learn how to properly defend yourself,” Barnaby told him one day after potions class, a session in which Merula caused the fire underneath his cauldron to flare, which singed off his eyebrows.

“I already know how to defend myself, I’ve beaten Merula in every proper duel we’ve had,” he argued keeping his head down, trying not to let passerbys witness his eyebrow less state.

“Most duels aren’t ‘proper’, Dave. Especially not if Merula is the one starting them. It’s better to be prepared for all kinds of ways people will try to attack you.”

“How come she leaves you alone?” he bemoaned.

“Oh, she doesn’t,” Barnaby admitted. “First she yelled at me and told me I was a traitor so I don’t sit with her anymore. Then she somehow snuck into my dorm and put bulbadox powder into my sheets. I was itching for days after that...”

“-that’s good to know-”

“But you still have a lot to learn. Especially defense.”

“Bill Weasley taught me a few things,” David offered.

“Did he?” Barnaby asked with wonder. “I’ve always heard the Weasley family loved the color orange. Don’t know much about their dueling, though.”

“Er right...well Bill’s definitely talented there’s no doubt about that. Perhaps we could work together on improving.”

Barnaby puffed up his chest with pride.

“If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s how to fight and teach others how to do it. Also I’ve always wanted to duel a fifth year!”

“We’ll get a spar going soon, mate,” David promised. “In the meantime, I need Madam Pomfrey to regrow my bloody eyebrows.”

It turned out to be solid advice. Though his offensive prowess was high, especially for his age, it turned out the third year Gryffindor did not know much about spells that would protect him from harm as well as cause it. This became apparent when both Bill and Barnaby bested him by simply using shield charms to block whatever he cast. In an effort to improve and become more versatile, he began learning defensive strategies and the application of the shield charm itself. The burly Slytherin also warned him that Merula and Ismelda were constantly studying in the library and by the fireside in an effort to gain an edge when the inevitable rematch occurred.

With Merula Snyde, it’s more like a never ending rematch

However, what he didn’t know was all of this was about to come in handy in a most unexpected way.

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

It all happened quite suddenly and quite by accident.

On an average Saturday morning in early April, David was walking back from his brother’s room after another planning session with Tulip when he noticed Argus Filch prowling along the usual route past the Transfiguration classroom. Though he technically wasn’t doing anything wrong, he still didn't want the caretaker to cast a suspicious eye towards him anywhere near the secret location. So he took a detour through the gardens instead.

Inside the viaduct architecture, he was idly wondering to himself how close Rowan was to breaking the final bit of code inside his brother’s notebook (as well as how pretty Penny looked in her new jumper dress and spring boots) when he noticed something peculiar and also a bit disturbing. Over by the large tree where some the older students liked to hang out, he noticed five of them were standing over a smaller, terrified looking girl who was practically trembling with fear.

Part of himself told him that it wasn’t his business and it was best not to get involved. But the sense of justice, always strong in his persona, prevailed and he made an abrupt perpendicular cut across the grass and towards the commotion. As he drew closer he could hear the dialogue, which only served to feed his temper.

“...didn’t mean to. Please, I don’t want to fight.”

“Shoulda thought of that before you nosed into an area that you don’t belong in,” one of the lead bullies said harshly.

“B-but it’s not your area,” the little girl argued. “It’s for everyone who goes to Hogwarts!”

By now, David had a better look. The girl in question was a first year Hufflepuff who definitely fit the part of someone traditionally ‘uncool’. Thick glasses, short, copper colored brown hair, an oversized sweater to couple with several books clutched in her small hands. There were five who were currently bullying the poor first year, three boys and two girls, at least half of which were from Slytherin and the other two appeared to be Ravenclaw. The leader was a sixth year he recognized as Hadrian Flint, a member of a prominent family of the same name, a brown haired, freckle faced boy with poor teeth and an upward nose that reeked of arrogance. Also present was Ismelda Murk for some reason, who looked as though she happened upon the scene and was along for whatever kicks she could find.

“Just beat it, kid,” one of the Ravenclaws said. “This is our spot. Don’t make us do this the hard way.”

“And besides, Hogwarts doesn’t belong to people like you,” Flint told her nastily while his Slytherin companion nodded in agreement.

“And who would that be exactly?”

His unannounced presence caused Hadrian to spin around and face his challenger. His face immediately became a pronounced sneer.

“Get lost, Gryffindor. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Don’t be shy, Flint. Let the whole world know what you were about to say. I’m sure it will be most enlightening.”

Flint took a step forward but was soon informed by his companion who exactly this Gryffindor was with a whisper to the ear.

“Ahh...the cursebreaker. Well how bout I cut you a deal since I’m feeling right generous today. You go back to your curses and I’ll go back to this curse. Sound fair?”

“She didn’t have any idea this spot is where the older students hang out. Let her go.”

Though Hadrian was taller, David was not about to back down. He knew the reason he was picking on this poor girl and despite being outnumbered was not about to let her become the victim of a borderline torture session like Diana Blishwick the previous year.

“Mudbloods like her don’t deserve anything except learning their place,” Ismelda spoke now, a vicious gleam forming in her cold, gray eyes.

“Shut your hole, Izzy. I’m not even sure what you’re doing here but I do know that Merula’s boots need polishing. Give them some extra shine, will ya?”

Ismelda pulled out her wand in retaliation for the remark but Flint told her off in equally harsh fashion.

“Stow it you greasy giraffe neck. Honestly you could be Snape’s daughter with that hair.”

David might have laughed had the older Slytherin not been as equally reprehensible. The Ravenclaw girl and boy (which were evidently a couple) didn’t seem as perturbed anymore, but the rest of the group was hellbent on doing something awful to the muggle born Hufflepuff.

“Last chance. Leave or you suffer just as she does,” Flint told him menacingly. Again, David did not back down, instead he crossed over and put the much smaller girl behind him.

“Don’t make any sudden movements,” he told her. “And stay behind me. What’s your name?”

“Elora...Elora Dunn,” came the frightened reply.

“Well, Elora...brace yourself.”

He turned his attention back to Flint, Ismelda, and the other three students that were there. The Ravenclaws did nothing but the other two Slytherins withdrew their wands and Ismelda’s evil smirk grew wider.

“Have it your way then,” the tall Slytherin shrugged. “Immobilus! ”

“Protego! ”

It was his first attempt at using the spell in an actual battle and the results were quite effective. An invisible, reflective shield formed in front of himself and Elora Dunn, causing the spell to ricochet and deflect right back at its owner, freezing his body in place. Within seconds, Hadrian Flint toppled over in a heap on the grass.

It was a victory but a short lived one as the other two Slytherins readied their wands while David still guarded the first year girl. Given his narrow position and the fact that he was protecting someone else he doubted he could fend off two more opponents at the same time. Thankfully, it was not required as suddenly a prefect arrived at the scene, recognizing him to be Chester Davies, who was also head boy.

“Enough! You will stop this now!”

The Ravenclaw couple hadn’t drawn their wands in the first place, but Ismelda did not comply, sending a common cold hex towards David which missed, though the other Slytherin did heed the order.

“I said that’s enough! Five points from Slytherin!” Chester shouted, pointing directly at the third year Slytherin, who reluctantly relented, her pale expression now extremely sour.

“What in Merlin’s name is happening here?” he continued to inquire. “Dueling is forbidden.”

His gaze settled on David and he knew the time to explain was now. He had never interacted with Chester before though there was a chance he knew of his cursebreaking exploits. Either way it was best to act quickly.

“I didn’t start whatever you witnessed,” he told him. “Flint and his goons were attempting to harm Elora here.”

The first year Hufflepuff peeked out from behind his back at long last.

“It’s true. He defended me when I thought I was about to be hexed. They called me a uh…”

The poor thing, David thought sadly. She clearly had not heard that word used against her yet. Anger flared within him knowing it wouldn’t be the last.

He mouthed the word ‘mudblood’ to the Head Boy, who’s face reeled in horror. Chester Davies, known for his mellow, taciturn demeanor then unleashed quiet fury, first on the Ravenclaw couple.

“But we didn’t do anything!” the fifth year boy protested.

“You still threatened her,” Chester said coldly. “And by standing by and allowing the other three to do harm you have disgraced yourself.”

“The little brat wouldn’t leave!” the girl shouted back.

But that only served to further their scolding

“You claim to be part of our house and yet have the wit and foresight of a damp rag. I will be reporting this to Professor Flitwick and I will recommend detention for a week. Five points from Ravenclaw.”

Chester then took the time to reluctantly unfreeze Hadrian Flint, who immediately leapt to his feet and tried to spin a tale.

“You all saw it! He attacked me!”

“Stuff it, Flint,” the Ravenclaw immediately shut down. “I saw you cast the first spell and I know the word this one used to describe Miss Dunn,” she said, indicating Ismelda, who looked as though she wanted nothing more than to kill everyone present. “Rest assured, McGonagall will be informed as will Professor Snape.”

Furious and belligerent, Flint spat on the ground, uttering, “Blood traitor.”

David thought Chester might blow a gasket (he knew he would have) but instead he coolly regarded him as though he were simply another stone inside the Hogwarts walls.

“Better a blood traitor than what you are, Flint. Now get out of here.”

The tall, lanky Slytherin heeded her this time and shuffled away with his companion. Ismelda had seemingly skulked off as well.

“I’ll handle these two,” Chester told him, as he too ordered his housemates away. “You see to it that the first year gets back to the Hufflepuff common room. You did a good thing today.”

Admiration increased for the Head Boy as David nodded and looked over to Elora, giving a kind look.

“Come on, let’s go.”

As they walked back towards kitchens, he noticed Elora fidgeting as though she wanted to say something. Eventually, she mustered up the courage.

“Um...what’s your name?”

“David,” he replied simply.

“Thank you, David for saving me back there. I wish I was brave like you.”

He stopped just before they reached the barrels leading to the Hufflepuff common room and knelt down to make proper eye level contact with her.

“Elora, you’re already brave. At no point in time did you move when those gits asked you too. There wasn’t a braver person today in all of Hogwarts.”

She beamed so much David thought she might shed tears over the books she was carrying. Then, her face became puzzled.

“What was that name that girl called me?” came the innocent but horrifying question.

David sighed, he’d hoped it wouldn’t come to him having to explain something like that. But he wasn’t going to pull punches either. Someone like Elora needed to know the intentions of people such as Flint, Ismelda, and others.

“You come from a family with no magical background. Therefore some that do think you aren’t as good as they are,” he said sadly.

“But why?”

Therein lay the crux of the issue: why . Truth was, he could give many reasons why but none of them could adequately explain prejudice. It was something you lived through, but nothing about it was logical.

“It’s complicated,” came his reply. “Just know this: you are just as worthy to study magic as anyone else here. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise….also learning a few jinxes wouldn’t hurt either.”

“Can you teach me?”

Though he was a bit surprised, the innocent eyed look of this first year softened the dubiousness of his answer.

“Sure thing. We can find the time.”

Elora nodded and suddenly gave him a big hug, unexpectedly throwing off his balance.

“Ack! He...thanks kid.”

The first year tapped second barrel from the bottom in a distinct rhythm and skipped her way inside, but David didn’t immediately leave leave the area. He paused, willing himself not to drive himself into a fury over what just occurred.

Not all Slytherins are bad

Not all Slytherins are bad

David thought of Barnaby and how he was able to persuade him to change sides and the difference it made in his character. Or the eccentric Liz Tuttle helping him with potions ingredients. Then he thought of people like Ammon Lucian, Hadrian Flint, Ayla Yaxley, and Ismelda Murk and the pit of black vengeance returned, bubbling like tar ready to consume all who became entrapped in it.

As if to punctuate the conflict, Merula Snyde popped into his mind as did Liz Tuttle’s words regarding her

“Merula’s not all bad…well she’s mostly bad. But I know for a fact she’s had a hard life and she’s not always what she seems.”

He shook his head. What did she mean by that? He knew Merula’s parents were locked up in Azkaban but by all accounts she lived like a queen in Hertfordshire in the Snyde Manor. At no point in time had she ever apologized or bothered to show there was anything lurking beneath except vicious arrogance and deceit.

So why was there pain in her lavender eyes every time he beat her in a duel? Why was she so obsessed? What was it about him and his brother that Merula couldn’t let go?

David pushed those thoughts aside for now, having little time or patience to figure out the psychological ramifications of the house of snakes. There was homework to finish and another vault to find and break its curse.

If it took a few Slytherins, whether enemies or friends, to get there he would do so.

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

David never expected much to come of his deeds the previous Saturday. As far as he was concerned, the act of aiding Elora suited him just fine. They’d even scheduled a time to meet where he could show her a few spells. Come Monday, however, that changed.

While at breakfast with Ben, Charlie, and Jae (the latter of whom was chugging multiple goblets of milk on a bet) he was called to the head table by Professor McGonagall.

“David Grant!” she called out. “Please step forward.”

By this time, he temporarily forgot about what had happened and assumed whatever his head of house wanted was nothing good. Usually when they talked outside of class it was due to some trouble he’d been up to or the cursed vaults...oftentimes both.

“Yes, Professor?” he asked as he reached her place at the faculty chair.

“It has come to my attention that you were involved in an altercation last weekend involving a first year student and five others.”

David felt his heart quicken. Was she really about to punish him for doing the right thing?

“Yes...I was.”

But he need not have worried, for in the next moment she gave him a rare smile.

“Do not worry yourself, Mr. Grant. I know you were attempting to protect Miss Dunn from those who sought to make her feel unwelcome and unwanted.”

Her nostrils flared showing a subtle moment of anger before it vanished and she continued.

“Your actions are to be commended. Twenty points to Gryffindor for your courage and defense of those younger than yourself.”

Fear instantly turned to immense happiness as he reciprocated the smile.

“Thank you, Professor.”

“You are welcome. And do tell Mr. Kim that he will likely vomit if he continues in his high consumption of milk. I do not want a mess in the Great Hall nor in my classroom when it occurs today.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“I expect nothing less from one of my best Transfiguration students.”

He was sent on his way feeling considerably proud of himself for getting the normally strict and reserved Professor McGonagall to show not only a positive emotion but pride in him. And there was more yet to come. Before he could retake his seat, another familiar face confronted him, this time in the person of Angelica Cole.

“I heard what happened as well, David.”

“In case you were wondering, I earned twenty house points out of it so by your standards I should be showered with roses, am I right?”

Angelica rolled her eyes but her mouth twisted upwards in a smile all the same.

“Incorrigible as ever. But I want to echo McGonagall’s sentiments. Chester told me everything and what you did is precisely what our house is supposed to entail: courage, protecting those who cannot protect themselves.”

She paused before continuing.

“When we first met I thought you were going to be another troublemaker. But I was wrong. And I want to apologize.”

David was surprised, not necessarily by the apology (he and Angelica had gotten on fine this year) but the sentiment she was showing. There was a heavy amount of emotion in her eyes and an acute sense of something bigger at stake.

“Angelica, are you alright?”

“Do you know why I’m saying these things?” she asked him point blank.

“Because I’m just so naturally charming?”

“Because I’m leaving,” Angelica corrected, ignoring his joke. “I have less than two months left at Hogwarts before I graduate. And whether you realize it or not, you’re rising in seniority. David, I want you to take my place after I’m gone.”

He blinked a couple of times, hardly daring to believe his ears.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I know it isn’t coming for at least two more years. But before I leave Hogwarts I’m going to recommend to Professor McGonagall that you be made prefect when your time comes. Through everything there is a quality you have that stands out: leadership.”

David couldn’t help but remain shocked at the ringing endorsement but there it was. He had gone from pain in the arse to leadership material in the span of two years. Nevertheless, he thanked his prefect sincerely.

“Angelica...this means a great deal. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Thank yourself,” she said smiling. “I told you at the beginning of the year that you were worth more than wisecracks and being Jacob Grant’s younger brother. You’ve earned that distinction and much more.”

The conversation ended as the seventh year was forced to quell a potential food fight at the end of the Gryffindor table and David rejoined his group but with positive thoughts to enjoy for once.

“What happened with McGonagall and Angelica?” Charlie asked. “You certainly seem pleased.”

“I dunno mate, they’ve appeared to take a liking to me all of a sudden.”

“Everyone likes you, Dave,” Ben reminded him.

“Thank you for the vote of confidence, Ben. But even my popularity has limitations. In particular with a brown haired, deriding, boot wearing, Slytherin girl.”

“Wouldn’t worry about her so much,” Jae replied, by now having stopped chugging milk though he still sported a white mustache as a result. “She ain’t exactly popular among her own house anymore. Most people find her insulting and cruel.”

“She can sit on a pin for all I care,” David shrugged. “Maybe I’m just becoming a little more mature.”

“That’s hilarious,” Charlie laughed.

“So is your bloody snoring even though it keeps me up at night.”

They continued to banter like this for the rest of breakfast when Rowan happened on the scene and right away everyone could tell he had stumbled upon something quite important just by the look in his eye.

“Rowan, you’re just in time to see whether or not Jae can light a fire from his wand with a fart."

But the joke either didn’t register or it paled in comparison to the news

“I need to speak to you,” he said directly to David. “Alone.”

Shrugging but also silently recognizing that something big was going on he played it off as though it were nothing to avoid arousing suspicion.

“Alright then. Lead the way.”

As careful and inconspicuously as they could, Rowan and David exited the Great Hall and into a private column within the corridor. Upon making sure no one was watching, the former of the two boys pulled out a familiar, leatherback, brown notebook.

“I did it,” he whispered. “I finally managed to match the half page to another message in the book and decipher it.”

This was indeed wonderful news and David could hardly wait to hear it. Excitement pulsed through his veins, barely being able to contain it.

“Rowan that’s amazing! Go on! What does it day?”

Proudly and pompously flipping to the correct page, Rowan read the information aloud but also in a hushed tone so no one would hear them.

“‘The entrance is the Restricted Section of the library. That is the source of the fear and the vault itself.’ ”

David ran a hand through his hair, ecstatic but also mentally kicking himself. Of all the places they looked, the one place they forgot was the restricted section?

“I know that look,” Rowan told him seriously. “Don’t beat yourself up. None of us here had any idea where the entrance was, even with your brother’s notes. But it doesn’t matter now.”

Drive and passion drove David to new levels of happiness and determination. They had managed to navigate through all manner of blockages, dead ends, and run arounds only to finally come through in the end. They knew where the vault was and now it was time.

“Time to break into this latest cursed vault,” he spoke aloud.

[chocochar]

ᴍʏ ɪᴅᴏʟ ʙᴏʏꜰʀɪᴇɴᴅ | ɪᴅᴏʟ!ꜱʜᴏᴜᴛᴏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ | Part 1

Part 2: TBA

(AN: I'm excited af to do this, and yet I've never written for Shouto before and I don't know how well this will do. XD But here we are! 

Quick Notes:

Everyone is 3 years older than canon, so like Shouto, Izuku, etc are all 18, Natsuo is 22, Fuyumi is 26-27, etc.

This is a no quirks AU.

(F/n) = First name

(L/n) = Last name

(C/n) = Cousin's name

With almost every chapter I'm going to include fake tweets or texts/DMs that the characters make during the chapters. Just mentioning this so they don't seem out of place, I thought it'd be an interesting idea... (＃⌒∇⌒＃)ゞ

I think that's it, so let's jump in, yeah? (๑´ω`๑) )

[(F/n)'s POV]

        It's a day that, for the most part, is like any other. I wake up at around 10 AM, shower, and get dressed before having something for breakfast and sitting on my couch. Living in a small apartment not too far from my college my walls hold pictures of me and my friends and family, some shelves with things I like to decorate my little home with, and posters of my favorite shows as well as my favorite idol group: DYNAMITE.

        In this day and age Japanese and Korean idol groups are the big things people talk about; social media is flooded with posts and profiles dedicated to these celebrities, from the girl groups to the boys. The top two, though, are undeniably H3R0 and DYNAMITE. While I'm a huge fan of the latter most of my friends and my cousin are big into H3R0. Given the groups rivalry we've discussed which is better and who would win in a 'singing and dance battle' between the two, that's supposedly been rumored about, but I've always tried to stay out of arguments involving which is better. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but most of the time I escape the situation.

        Not saying I don't like H3R0, they've got great music and the members are all gorgeous, I mean I follow them all on Twitter, I just prefer DYNAMITE. Checking my phone and Twitter I see the three boys of H3R0 all posted within the last hour, talking about their concert tonight... 

        ...Which I'm being dragged to. By (C/n). Having today and tomorrow off of work at my family's restaurant and currently on a break from school I was going to relax the days away, probably be glued to my laptop or TV, but last night she decided to call me begging I go with her tonight.

        "(F/n), pleeeeeeaaaasssse!! Suki fell through and Erika has work, please come with me!!"

        "Why me? You know I'm more of a DYNAMITE fan, plus I don't know how I feel being your last resort," I replied, in the middle of making dinner.

        "I'll give you all my DYNAMITE stuff if you do! And you were my first thought but obviously I didn't ask you right away since, y'know, you being a fan of their enemies and all," she said, and I nearly told her no, but then again staying home for 2 straight days might get a little lonely... And I wanted that merch.

        Checking the time after a couple of hours watching TV and playing around on my phone I see it's after 1 and knowing she'll be here around 4 to get me so we can get there early I stand with a groan and go to do any makeup I feel like doing as well as brushing my hair.

        By the time (C/n) shows up I'm all ready and I comment,"I thought you said 4, it's only 3:15."

        "Well it doesn't hurt to get there as early as possible! I want as much merch as I can get," she replies, crossing her arms. I grab my jacket and follow her out, replying,"They're not going to run out of merch just because we're behind a few dozen people."

        The drive there is as expected, busy and we get in nearly two accidents because she's driving like a crazy person. Parking she almost doesn't wait for me as she runs to get in line, the two of us getting a decent spot at least right before the mobs show up. Looking around I feel awkward; so many excited and screaming people, I feel sort of out of place knowing I'm like an enemy invading their territory. I scratch the back of my head looking up at the large screens on the outside of the venue, the trio all displayed with their names and their group's title in front of them. The place is huge, and even as they start filing us in after an hour and a half of waiting it still feels crowded; I get my foot stepped on her bumped into more than once, and I hold my phone and wallet tightly in my jacket pockets not knowing who might try to take them.

        "Okay, (F/n), what do you want?" (C/n) asks me once we reach the stands to buy merch and I look at everything provided. All in all, I really don't know what to get, but shrugging I figure a t-shirt won't hurt. Telling the woman behind the table she nods, takes my money, then grabs the one I want and hands it to me. "That's all you want?" my cousin asks, to which I nod.

        "Well I gotta save room for the DYNAMITE stuff you promised me," I remind her with a 'sweet' smile, and she averts her eyes, mumbling while pouting her lips something like,"Psh, lame..." before getting everything she wants (which I get stuck helping her hold, how does she have this much money?!) then we leave to go find our seats.

        The place is packed, again I feel way out of place here, and even as they start doing a countdown the boys coming out I stay quiet while the stadium fills with thousands of voices counting down. (C/n) and I aren't too far from the stage, hell we're in the third row in the front of it! I wonder how much she paid for these... Suddenly everyone stands and starts screaming so I jump to my feet and look up to watch as one by one the boys come running out. First is Izuku, waving his hands and holding the big, sweet grin everyone adores; next to come out is Iida, also waving his hand, who comes across as the middle man of the group, a bright personality but still fairly level headed and bookish; last is Shouto walking out smiling, who I've always thought was the best looking of the trio. He's won a lot of fans over with his more reserved, blunt attitude, a lot considering him so mature for his age. They're all dressed in outfits that, while different, still go together with Izuku in a green shirt with no sleeves, Iida in a long sleeved white shirt, and Shouto in a black hoodie over a blue shirt, all wearing black jeans and different types of sneakers.

        "Hey everybody, how're you all doing tonight?!" Izuku exclaims, the fans cheering in excitement.

        "Are you all ready?" Iida follows, the crowd somehow getting even louder and I cover my ears as Shouto adds,"I can't hear you, are you guys ready?" while pointing out to the crowd. I keep my ears covered over the piercing cries and I watch as the boys all shout,"Let's go!!"

        The concert starts, and while it's not the one I would normally want to go to the boys are pretty good! Their moves and voices in sync, I clap after every song and even sing along a bit when they do one I like or have heard over a dozen times thanks to (C/n) or my friends. The one I'm most mesmerized by is Shouto, his melodic voice enrapturing me as well as the smoothness of his dance moves, my eyes hardly leave him for more than a few moments when one of the other two is singing or taking center stage. If I was as big into this group as everyone else here I'm sure I'd be one of his thousands of fan-girls.

        As it seems to get closer to the end I say to (C/n),"Hey I'll be back, I'm going to go look for a bathroom!"

        Managing to squirm my way out of the masses of people I'm almost to the exit when suddenly people start rushing down the aisles as the boy's come down to the front rows to give hugs and high five or touch the hands of the fans, a barrier and the 'guards' being set up around the ground floor rows so the people in seats higher up can't come pouring down to crowd the trio more than they already are. I start getting pushed around, squished, but I push on until I find an exit and I rush out of it. It's not like the other exit doors, and I see a few doors lining the wall. When I walk further down I start to get confused, mumbling,"Uh... Where did I..." I don't see anyone, the stage crews and security all out making sure the boys aren't getting mobbed, and I freeze when I reach stairs to my right... leading up to the stage. My eyes widen, and I'm about to turn around and run out when the music ends and the boys are back on saying their thank yous.

        "We're so lucky to have fans like you! Seeing all your faces here tonight..."

        "... it makes us feel fantastic! If it weren't for all of you..."

        ".... We wouldn't be here, so..."

        "Thank you everyone!" They call out in unison, waving as screams erupt in the large room. I jolt when hearing someone coming and looking around I quickly duck into the nearest room. It looks like a dressing room... "Oh no..." I don't have time to dwell on that as I shut the door just as I hear the boys exiting the stage and I run to the couch against the opposite wall. Hopping behind it I hide and cover my mouth, waiting. I can hear my heart beating in my ears so loudly, which makes it difficult to hear if anyone is coming. When the door opens the noisy organ jumps into my throat and I hope I wasn't noticed slipping in. If I'm caught I have no idea what they'll do, and I also have no idea how to get out of here!! The person steps in and shuts the door; it's silent for a moment, and I almost wonder what he's doing.

        "I know someone else is in here, come out before I get security." 

        'Oh hell no, is that...?!' I think immediately, gulping. Do I get out or risk him going to get security?? Is that really Shouto?! Did he see me??! When I don't come out, being too lost in my panic to think straight, he sighs and I hear his feet shift as he adds,"Fine, have it your way."

        "W-Wait!" I exclaim, popping up from my hiding spot holding out my hand with a frantic expression. "Please, I swear I wasn't trying to sneak into any of your rooms!!"

        He looks surprised at first, like he wasn't expecting me to just show myself, before he grows immediately suspicious while looking ready to run out the moment I even move. "Then what were you doing here? How did you even get past security?"

        I scratch the back of my head and can't seem to find the words. Being in the presence of one of the biggest idol stars in Japan right now, it's a weird feeling, like I feel smaller than normal while also a bit anxious. Although that's mostly from being caught unintentionally sneaking into his dressing room. But I can see now is not the time to hesitate so holding up my hands to show I'm not holding a weapon or anything I reply,"Uh, well, you see, there wasn't anyone in the hall, I think they all either went elsewhere or were keeping you guys safe when you left the stage. B-But again, it wasn't my intention at all to sneak in here, I was only looking for a bathroom but the crowds basically forced me through the door leading here! I mean you can frisk me right now, I don't even have my phone on me!!" 

        His eyes narrow as he watches me, probably looking for any sign I'm lying, but fortunately he seems to loosen the stiffness of his body a bit as he says,"... Alright, I'll believe you." Letting out a sigh of relief I didn't realize I was holding I climb over the couch and I get a better look at him; He looks pretty exhausted, which I'm not surprised by, but his eyes don't look at bright like they normally do in pictures and interviews. I don't think much of it, maybe he's just really tired from the concert, but I do still feel bad for him. He's still watching me, and smiling at him I try to be as friendly as I can.

        "Sorry again about this, I'm sure you were pretty startled! Ummm... Oh, here, do you have a pen?" When he provides me with one I ask for his hand and I write down an address on the back of it, Shouto looking puzzled. "As repayment for giving you a scare that's the address of my family's restaurant. The place isn't very well known and small, but the food is 5 stars! If you and your group ever want a good meal come over and I'll treat you guys!... Even though I'm sure this is nothing for you guys, huh?" I nearly forget I'm still holding his hand and letting go my face heats up with embarrassment and I take a step back, scratching my cheek. "A-Anyways, uh... Can you help me sneak outta here? I don't really want to get busted and arrested..."

        He's quiet for a minute staring at his hand before he meets my eyes with his own heterochromia and nods. "Sure, let me look before we go out," he tells me, stepping past me and opening the door to see if anyone is outside. I sneak up behind him and peek out too, able to see a few people out there talking; one or two look like stage hands and security, while the other 3 are a chubby, sweet looking woman who looks quite a bit like Izuku, a rather muscled blonde man whose hair is slicked back, a man with black hair who looks a bit like Iida, and another muscled man with short, messy red hair and a beard and mustache. Shutting it he runs his hand through his red and white locks and faces me, saying,"Unfortunately, I think they're discussing some things with our managers so we'll have to wait until they leave."

        "Well... what about you go and distract them while I sneak out like a ninja?" I ask, somewhat joking although he cocks a brow. "Sorry, um, so what about that?"

        "I could try but they'll most likely only tell me to get some rest and brush me off," he admits, turning and walking over to his couch while slipping his jacket off. I rub my neck trying to think of something else but nothing comes to mind and I follow him, plopping down next to him. "They should only be there a few minutes."

        "Well then I hope you don't mind me sticking around until they leave," I say, smiling at him although awkwardness immediately settles around us. For a few moments I chew my lip trying to come up with some way to break the ice, and turning to face him I see he's on his phone. He doesn't seem too stiff like me, I'm sure he's realized by now I'm not a threat although I'm pretty sure he's not thrilled having a stranger in his room when he's supposed to be changing and relaxing, I'm guessing. So to make it at least a smidge less awkward I say,"So, uh, my name is (F/n) (L/n), although it's a really weird situation it's nice to meet you." 

        He looks at me before nodding, locking his phone and replying,"You too, I'm actually pretty glad it wasn't someone trying to steal my things or take my picture again. That's happened way too many times to count." He shakes his head, before asking,"You seem pretty calm, though. Have you done this before?"

        "Me? No, no this is my first time even being in the same room as someone famous. I guess..." I hum, trying to think about why I'm not freaking out over sitting next to a celebrity. Even though inwardly I'm still a little shocked by all of this. "I guess it's cause you seem pretty normal to me? Like you're a big idol, you've got millions of fans worldwide, I won't lie I am kinda starstruck, but I can tell you're a regular guy under all that spotlight." I go pink after saying this and I laugh, adding,"That was cheesy, huh?"

        He stares at me before turning his head away and giving a soft, tired looking smile as he says,"No, it's the first time I've heard something like that, thank you." He turns his head to look at me again, the smile gone but he adds,"You seem pretty nice, (L/n)-san."

        "Really? Thanks, I'm glad you think so," I grin, resting my chin on my palms and deciding to continue the conversation  we start chatting, asking each other different questions like our hobbies or silly stuff like that. I decide to ask,"So, how is showbiz like?" and I catch the way his face falls and he looks away, me now regretting asking since it seems personal.

        While he doesn't outright say it, I can tell he's not keen on talking about it, his words sounding like they hide bitterness underneath as he explains,"It's... Fine. It seems glamorous on the outside, but it isn't all like that. While having so many fans and making so many friends of big names is nice sometimes it feels a little lonely, that and all the lessons and the little rest some of us get wears us out when we have big shows like this." I feel sympathy for him hearing this; it sounds like he's been through or seen the darker side of the red carpet life, and now I wonder if that's why his eyes look a little lifeless. "Sometimes some of us just want to run away from it..."

        I watch him stare at the floor after mumbling this, sounding like he was talking to himself there. 

        "So, why don't you?" I ask. It seems to catch him off guard and he looks back up at me surprised.

        "What...?"

        I shrug and cross one of my leg over the other as I sit back, continuing,"Why don't you try to leave, or at least go on a break for a bit to get yourself in order? If you're an adult, even if you're on a contract, if you're wiped out you need to take some time for yourself. Granted I don't live in your world so I'm pretty sure it's not that easy, but maybe you or whoever is to that point, you just need to think of your own needs for a change."

        He stares at me speechless, eyes wide and his lips slightly parted. I'm guessing he's never been told that before. Noticing it's been at least 10 minutes it feels like, I stand and walk over to the door, peeking out and telling him in a whisper,"Oh, they're gone! C'mon, my cousin is probably waiting." He seems lost in thought so I walk over and poke his forehead, his heterochromia orbs blinking as he focuses on me. "You said you'd help me out, remember?"

        "Oh, right," he says, standing and following me to the door. He steps out, nobody luckily nearby or looking as he hurries me out. We take another way out where no one can see us, and it leads outside. Taking in the fresh air once out the door I face him, the night air causing a chill throughout my body as I hope my cousin didn't forget my jacket, phone, and t-shirt.

        "Thanks Shouto, and again, sorry for all that but it was nice meeting you," I say, getting ready to leave but I freeze when he grabs my hand. Looking at him I'm confused, seeing he has something on his mind.

        "Did you really mean what you said earlier, about doing what's better for yourself? Even if it means leaving?" He asks, leaving me more puzzled since he still seems stuck on this. He can't really be thinking about running away right?

        "Y-Yeah, I meant it all," I reply, tilting my head. I slip my hand out of his grip and start to walk away, calling back,"You should probably get inside before someone sees you, and remember to come visit the restaurant sometime!" With that I hurry and run off to find (C/n), glancing back to find he's gone back inside.

[X][X][X]

        I thought that was going to be the only encounter with the idol, so if you told me I'd run into him again a few hours later when he shows up at my family's restaurant as they're closing up looking for me I wouldn't believe you. Getting a call as I'm laying on my couch watching TV I'm confused about why my mom is calling me this late and answering I ask,"Hello? What is it mom?"

        "(F/n), sorry if I woke you up, but there's a young man here looking for you. He said he's your friend, I think his name was Shou... Shouta... Something like that," she tells me. I sit up right away, wide eyed and my phone nearly falling out of my hand. What the hell- I meant to visit when it's in the day time, when I'm actually there! But it sounds like it's just him...?

        "Mom, I'll be there soon," I say as I quickly get my shoes and jacket on and grab my keys as well as my wallet. Hanging up and essential items in my pockets I hurry out of my apartment.

        Getting there by taxi I rush in and look to find my mom talking to someone, who I can only guess is Shouto. He's wearing the hood of his jacket up, a beanie to hide his hair, and sunglasses. A bag rests on the floor beside him and when my mom looks at me he does too, my expression one of confusion and shock as he stands and takes off his sunglasses; he meets my eyes and lifting his bag onto his shoulder he walks up to me and says,"I know this is strange, but... I felt like you could help me."

        "... Huh?"

        "I took your advice, and I ran away."

        ".... Huh?!"

(AN: THAT WAS SO MUCH TO WRITE. And it wasn't even supposed to be this long, I just couldn't stop writing... (〃￣ω￣〃)ゞ 

Sorry about how long it is, later chapters won't be over 10 pages... Unless you guys prefer that?? But I hope you guys enjoy it, I'm going to try to regularly update it every few days or once a week, I guess the more response it gets the sooner the updates? 

Also I am looking for ideas for future chapters, since I'm planning some chapters dedicated to cute moments between (F/n) and Shouto along with the main story so if you have any ideas feel free to leave them in the comments! Hope you like it, let me know if you did?)

[xvangoghssunflowerx]

Anemone Estrella Profile

Credit for template: @hogwartsmysterystory

Identity

Name: Anemone Estrella (Nickname: Ann).

Gender: Female

Age: 18

Birthday: August 12, 1973

Species: Human/Siren

Blood Status: Half-blood (father is a Siren, mother was a pureblood witch. I am using the fish-like sirens of Greece, not the bird-like ones).

Sexuality: Pansexual 

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Ethnicity: American 

Myer Briggs Personality Type: INFP

The Mage

Wand: 

Cedar Wood

Dragon Heartstring Core

10″

Quite Bendy Flexibility

 “Whenever I meet one who carries a cedar wand, I find strength of character and unusual loyalty. My father, Gervaise Ollivander, used always to say, ‘you will never fool the cedar carrier,’ and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I would go further than my father, however, in saying that I have never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom I would care to cross, especially if harm is done to those of whom they are fond. The witch or wizard who is well-matched with cedar carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them.“

Animagus: None, but can grow fins and gills if near a body of water.

Misc Magical Abilities: 

Pescatongue: She has the ability to speak to any fish or water mammal. 

metamorphmagus: She can only change her hair color and turn into a Siren form. Though she rarely changes her hair color, unless she’s in a bad mood. 

Bogart Form: Fishing nets and spears. 

Riddikulus Form: The fishing nets turning into bubbles and the spears into fish. 

Amortentia: She would smell like salt water and driftwood, the kind of smell after taking a nice long walk on the beach. 

Amortentia: She would smell owls. And then she would smell flowers from herbology class. 

Patronus: Siren (she doesn’t use her patronus as she hates being associated with them). 

Mermaids/Sirens are known around the world as half human half fish creatures. Muggles know them only from folklore that can lead humans to their death through song (by distracting them), or by simply drowning them. But a mermaid patronus will only drown out the Dementors, luring them in by their sweet songs. 

Patronus Memory: Playing with her father and mother at the beach. 

Mirror of Erised: At age 10, she would see her mother braiding her long hair. At age 18, she would see her lover and her holding hands. 

Specialized/Favourite Spells: 

Singing: Her father taught her how to use singing as a weapon against humans for protection, not necessarily to kill them. 

Caterwauling Charm: Learned to disarm opponents. 

Nebulus: Used among sirens to trap sailors. 

Ventus: Creats hurricane like winds. 

Appearance

Faceclaims: None. 

Game Appearance: 

Height: 5′04″ 

Weight: 160lbs. 

Physique: Chubby, pear-shaped. 

Eye color: Brown

Hair: Blue and pink, thick long hair. She always has it down. Her fishtail is baby blue.

Skin tone: Light skinned.

Body Modifications: Ear piercings. 

Inventory: Has a gold seashell pendant around her neck, and has her wand with her at all times. 

Allegiances:

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Affiliations/Organizations: 

Slytherin

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry 

Ministry of Magic

Order of the Phoenix

Professions:

Spy for Order of the Phoenix 

Ministry of Magic

Auror

Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures: Merpeople and Siren Division (Not of her choosing). 

Hogwarts Information

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy:★★★★★★★★★★

Charms: ★★★★★★★★★★

DADA: ★★★★★★★★★★

Flying:★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Herbology: ★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

History of Magic: ★★★★★★★★★★

Potions: ★★★★★★★★☆☆

Transfiguration: ★★★★★★★★★★

Electives:

Swimming: Though not actually an elective, Hogwarts allowed her to take it up in her spare time. (There’s an indoor pool somewhere in Hogwarts, I just know it! XD). She avoids the Selkie in the lake. 

Quidditch:

Hates quidditch, would rather watch two people beat each other with sticks than play or watch. 

Extra Curricular: 

None. 

Favourite Professors: 

Minerva McGonagall:  One of the only professors who knows about her father. She admires her and her strict approach in lessons.

Professor Flitwick: She does find him a little annoying, but enjoys the spells that are taught. 

Least Favourite Professors: 

Professor Silvanus Kettleburn: She feels uncomfortable around him, and how he treats magical creatures. (Letting them escape, etc). 

Relationships:

Father: Taras 

Merfolk: Sub-category: Siren. 

Height: 6′5″

Blue and pink hair long and thick. Ice blue eyes. Light skinned. He has a blue tail. 

Was next in line to succeed his father as king, but was disowned for involving himself with a human witch. 

He’s soft-hearted. Over protective of his daughter. He despises humans, except his deceased wife. He gave up living in the ocean to raise his daughter when she was 3. His feet are in constant pain from being on land for so long. 

When Anemone went to Hogwarts, he went back to the ocean, returning only during the summer. 

When he was younger, he was cold and kept to himself. Not letting others see how kind and considerate he was. 

Mother: Valda Estrella 

pureblood witch from America

Height: 5′6″

Blonde wavy hair and brown eyes. Tanned skinned. 

She was sorted into Thunderbird whilst in Ilvermorny.

Patronus: Sting-ray 

Fell for Taras at 18, just after graduating from Ilvermorny. She had decided to venture around the world in search of magical creatures. She was exploring near the ocean of Tsigrado for sea dwelling creatures when she came upon a beautiful voice. Losing herself in the voice she hadn’t noticed she was about to step off a cliff leading to a rocky ocean below. The song stopped before she could fall. She kept coming back to the spot, hoping to hear the voice again. 

Taras was annoyed by this, as the spot was one of the least frequented by humans, so he confronted her with a self-made spear. To which Valda only smiled and said: “You’re beautiful.” Taras fled there after. 

She still kept coming, over and over. This time venturing into the open waters (like the daring idiot she was), not knowing that the reason for there basically being no humans around, was because the water was treacherous. She almost drowned, but Taras, having been watching from underwater, saved her. Taras had yelled at her for being stupid, but she smiled again, “I found you.” 

She fought in the first wizarding war in 1970. But stopped fighting when she got pregnant in 1972. In 1975, she wanted to go back and help, but Taras wouldn’t have it. Saying that humans should be left to their own demise. Pissed off, she left for a walk. She never came back. Her body was later found near the docks of a nearby village. 

Love Interest: Talbott Winger

First met in their Second year, both wanting privacy. Talbott was annoyed to have her around, as was she. After a while, they both realized they just wanted to be away from large crowds of people. So they became friends. 

Anemone tried her best to keep her siren form a secret. However, she saw Talbott transform into his Animagus form, he kept his distance from her there after. She confronted him one day, dragging him to the Black Lake. Once there, she dove head first into the water, not resurfacing for a good minute. Talbott panicked, until she peered her head out of the water. “Can you keep a secret?” Talbott could only nod. To which she raised her tail out of the water. Since then, the two became inseparable. 

Talbott asked her out on a date in their fourth year. Then they went steady in their fifth year. 

Taras, her father, was largely against it. Always glaring at Talbott when he came over in the summer of their fifth year going into sixth year. At one point telling him that he could kill him if he wanted to. Talbott wasn’t too afraid, as he shrugged it off as a father(beast) being overprotective of his child, and knowing full well how much merfolk hated humas. 

They both became aurors and helped fight in the second wizarding war. After the war, they continued to work for the ministry and had twins (a boy and girl). Both gaining the ability to entrance with their singing and being able to turn into sirens, though for a limited time. 

Best friends:

Andre Egwu

Tonks

Beatrice Haywood

Rival: 

Penny Haywood: Annoyed by her. She feels a fakeness emanating from her persona. 

Enemy:

Sirens of Tsigrado Kingdom

Voldemort

Death Eaters

Dormmates:

Liz Tuttle

Ismelda Murk

Merula Snyde

Pets:

Bottlenose Dolphin: Named Bluefin. Found her trapped in a resort, her and her father helped free her. 

Sea turtle caretta-caretta: Named Viridescent. She helped rescue him when it was a baby from local muggle teens who were torturing it.

Closest Canon Friends: 

Talbott Winger

Beatrice Haywood

Tonks

Background/History

Anemone was born and raised near Milos, Greece. Often visiting the Tsigrado beach. Her father and mother would take her to the beach as often as they could. Sometimes she would stay in the ocean with her father for days at a time, while her mother stayed in town. It was the happiest three years of her life. 

She hated the muggles and witches/wizards in Milos because of how poorly they treated the animals and ocean. She would always find trash, plastics around the beaches. At age five, her and her father rescued a dolphin from an “aquarium”. Not so much an aquarium as a small pool, the size of a jacuzzi. 

The following year, she almost sang a couple of muggle teens off a cliff to their death for torturing a turtle, before her father interfered. 

That same year, she had befriended a wizard who could turn into an eagle. They never told each other their names, and he left the area after only a month. He was the only human that she found trustworthy, since he helped save some birds. 

At Hogwarts, she kept to herself, and minded her own business. Only Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the ministry knew of her lineage, Which was kept secret for her safety. 

She made friends with Talbott, in second year. She then realized it was her old friend from years ago, so she confided her secret to him. 

Beatrice began to hang out with her, to spite her sister, to which Anemone protested, but at the same time, didn’t care. Beatrice found out about her siren self, when she followed her one day to Hogwart’s underground pool. She thought it was amazing and promised to never tell a soul. 

Tonks became her friend in first year, loving that they were both metamorphmagus. Anemone accepted her being around, as it was easier to ignore her than to avoid her. 

Personality

Introverted, when she needs to be. She would rather be lost in thought among the relaxing waves of the ocean than to be near humans. 

She loves music. She hates to admit, but she loves lots of music made by muggles. (Favourite bands being: The Beatles, Abba and Queen).

Misc

Is half siren, half witch. Was being hunted by the Tsigrado Kingdom of Sirens, now they search for her as she is the only heir left, besides her father. 

Her mother was pureblood, but was orphaned at age 12. She left her daughter a gold seashell necklace. 

Her theme music is: Chiquitita by ABBA and How I Became the Sea by Owl City. 

[erin-gilberts]

Bc It’s such a good post will you answer all the cafe asks?

Yessss totally! 

Vanilla Chai Latte : Are you in love?

Yes, wholeheartedly and unapologetically, I am. 

My girlfriend and I have only been together for two months, but it’s one of those things where when you know, you know. I’ve been in relationships lasting upwards of a year where I still didn’t know at the end of them whether or not I was in love. Early on in the year, I was actually even having conversations with my mom about how I wasn’t sure I’d ever been in love; I had no concept of what that felt like. I didn’t feel like I was feeling what I was supposed to be in relationships. I wondered if I was aromantic and if I wasn’t meant to experience romantic love.

With her, I’ve realized everything love IS supposed to feel like, and I’ve realized I AM capable of feeling those feelings - I just hadn’t met the right person yet. My heart was waiting for her. 

We daydream of the life we intend to build together, and it delights me to be able to wake up every day and choose her, again and again, as we run boldly and breathlessly into the future we now share. We totally u-hauled but we’re both so committed to blooming and becoming together; it’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before despite having quite a bit of experience in relationships. 

Flat White : Coffee or Tea?

Coffee. It feels more substantial to me with more ways to customize it exactly how you like it. I also just have a lot of really positive memories being in coffee shops! I’m currently obsessing over Starbucks’s seasonal salted caramel mocha. 

Cappuccino : What’s your middle name?

Elizabeth! I was named after my mother and grandmother, so it’s the only part of my birth name I kept when I changed my name. 

Mocha : Dream Job?

A famous professional organizer on the same level as Marie Kondo and Dorothy Breininger! They’re my inspiration and the reason I went into this kind of work. Also, the executive director of my own LGBT-focused nonprofit (which I have been, and I intend to be again!). 

Pumpkin Spice : Dream car?

The super fancy bike I’ll use the day I ride in the AIDS LifeCycle? Haha, I don’t drive and I don’t intend to! 

Jasmine Tea : If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

Ugh, if I could visit any place in the world right this moment, I’d choose to go back to Toronto in a heartbeat. I went there in 2015 for the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival and I LOVED that city. It was so fun and the people were so welcoming. Other than that? Moscow, because it’s where @googoogojob lives, or New York City, because I just learned Hook & Ladder 8 (the Ghostbusters firehouse) is a real place and I want to see it! 

Old English : You’re stranded on an island, who do you bring with you?

Do I have a limit?? If I have a choice, I’m definitely bringing my mom, brother, maternal grandparents, best friend, best friend’s family, cat, and girlfriend! That’s like the minimum amount of people in my life I couldn’t go without. 

Iced Chocolate : Do you have a crush on someone?

My girlfriend, who I continually redevelop a big gay crush on every day! But I feel like that’s not quite the spirit of what this question is asking, so - I also have a big gay crush on Kristen Wiig, which my girlfriend endlessly makes fun of me for! Like, to the point I named my cat Erin Gilbert. 

Caramel Frappe : Favorite video game?

It’s a tie between Minecraft and Undertale. I swing wildly between playing Minecraft daily to not playing for months, but it never gets old. The sandbox nature of the game enables infinite creativity, and the low stakes make it both accessible to me (not a gamer) and relaxing. And Undertale with its story and unique mechanics remains to this day the game to inspire the biggest emotional response in me. I’ve thought about having, “Despite everything, it’s still you” tattooed. 

Iced Lemon Tea : Favorite song/band?

My favorite songs of all time are “The Greatest” by Sia and “I Know a Place” by MUNA, both of which were written in the aftermath of the Pulse shooting and can be interpreted as the process of rediscovering queer joy at the same time your community is constantly faced with tragedy and pain. They hit hard in a beautiful way as a hate crime survivor. 

Iced Cafe Mocha : Favorite thing to do on rainy days?

I like to go out as soon as the storm passes and just walk downtown in the rain. The air always smells and feels so good; it clarifies me and I feel renewed. Walking in the light rain or before / after the storm always feels like breathing, really breathing, for the first time. It reminds me I exist and it reminds me that’s neat. 

Hot Chocolate : Are you an affectionate person?

Yessssss oh my god. I live and breathe being affectionate and not even in a strictly romantic sense. I’m naturally an exuberant person and I delight in making people happy. My girlfriend would also say I engage in “cat behavior” with my demands to be held or touching constantly. XD 

Caramel Macchiato : You’re travelling the entire world but you can only take one person with you. Who do you take?

My girlfriend @sweetmckinnon. Not only would we have the unprecedented opportunity to be gay in every country and continent, but we’re both writers, and we’d write an excellent book about these adventures! 

Green Tea : How tall are you?

5’7. 

Early Grey Tea : The inevitable Zombie Apocalypse is upon us! What’s your plan of action?

I’m rounding up everyone I care about and taking us to the nearest commune of marginalized people. We’ll be avoiding those uber-macho survivalist types like the plague, because their arrogance will 100% get everyone killed. At least marginalized communities would be more likely to understand working together and looking out for the community, not just yourself. 

Mint Tea : How do you relax?

Indoor cycling is my drug of choice. It’s HARD to be mad or stressed when you’re exerting that intensely. I might also write self-indulgent fanfics or indulge in a little controlled chaos (I’m an acrylic pour and collage artist). And talking to my girlfriend, best friend, or mom always makes me feel better, too. 

Vanilla Latte : Board games or drinking games?

I genuinely love board games and wish I had more people to play them with. 

Iced Coffee : Do you like reading? If so, what’s your favorite book?

I like reading, but having ADHD has made it extremely hard to read entire books in recent years. My favorite book is probably The Radium Girls by Kate Moore. The author takes what’s already a horrific story and a dark chapter in American history and with her devastating writing style, humanizes each woman involved to the point it makes you ache to read knowing the inevitability of their fate. Anytime anyone asks me for a book recommendation, this is the book I suggest. 

Italian Soda : Describe your dream date

My dream date would be after we’ve been together for a while - maybe on a date that’s special to us, like our anniversary, or maybe just on a random night because we feel like it, we have one of those super romantic dates like you see in the movies. We dress up super cute, go out to dinner and come home to a bedroom full of candles and rose petals on the floor, and every moment is spent just enjoying each other and what we have together in every way we can. <3 

Sparkling Water : Describe what qualities you look for in a person

Passion - I’m an activist who became the executive director of their own nonprofit at the age of 16. I’m not going to mesh with someone who’s just going through the motions of life without any aspirations. 

Flexibility - It’s a turnoff for me when someone is EXTREMELY committed to a very specific view of how their life is going to be. It tells me right away I’m going to have to continually contort myself to fit into their unbending path, because I accept I can’t predict the direction of my life with any degree of precision and I’m not rigid about it as a result. 

Creative - I’m currently dating another writer and it’s the most fun I’ve ever had in a relationship. The quickest way to get us to pop off into a spirited debate is to get us started about story structure and characterization. We. Go. OFF. And could go off for days. Our shared creative passion gives us endless ground to connect and bond on. 

Those are just a few, but definitely a few important ones for me! 

Orange Juice : Have you ever had a valentine?

My first girlfriend, who I dated from 12-17, is the only valentine I’ve ever had. The timing of my relationships as an adult has never worked out for me to be partnered on Valentine’s Day. We weren’t super out about our relationship at the time and didn’t spend Valentine’s Day together, but I still have the love letters she sent me copied into my 7th grade diary, and I still have the antique gold heart necklace with enamel roses she gave me one year, too! Lots of lovely memories from that relationship. 

Rose Hip Tea : Describe your first kiss

My first girlfriend and I were 12-13, cutting class in the bathroom because she was often bullied for her sexuality. She was having an especially rough day that day and I knew exactly where to find her. She kissed me out of the blue while I was comforting her and in all of my baby gay naivety, I hadn’t fully realized I was gay or that she liked me that way prior to that. Turns out I was and she did. We dated for five years. 

Herbal Tea : You’re at a candle shop, what scented candle do you buy?

Oh, I’m going right to the bakery scent section. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate-scented candles, but vanilla? Christmas cookies? Gingerbread? Sign me the FUCK up. 

Sandalwood is also one of my favorite scents, but depending on what it’s blended with, it can be hit or miss for me in candles.