#i don’t read potter more or the other articles or interviews

[padfootastic]

I feel like I'm gonna combust.

James dies in fifth year.

What do his parents do? His father works in the DMLE and I have no idea if his mother has a job (can you tell me?). What is their course of action?

Are they going to sue the school for the loss of James or Snape personally? I feel like they have a pretty solid argument for sacking (punishing) dumbledore or sending Snape to Azkaban.

And I that which ever they choose, the would get easily.

Or do they have a big enough heart to forgive Snape, and Dumbledore? Ik Albus hasn't done much wrong, but if a dark curse has been made and used (killing a pureblood- even if it is a blood traitor), dumbledore will be blamed, or could be, right? And they (Potters) would have enough money and power to get their compensation, in whichever way they take it, wouldn't they?

I wonder about Sirius too, but I these are some, that, as far as I know, haven't been asked and it's intresting side for me. Like we know Sirius and lots quality from head to toe but all we know about his parents are that the are old, rich and loving. And that they have a big heart.

hello hello hello! can i just say,,,i love ur questions bc literally the same things go thru my mind lol it’s why i spend so long on worldbuilding (often the unnecessary kind too lol)

let’s take this one by one:

1. i…don’t know of flea was in the DMLE actually? 🤔 wasn’t he a potioneer? and no, i don’t think we have anything for effie but idk why, i like to think she’s a socialite with like. an enchanting business on the side? (v random ik lol but it’s fun) i’m also gonna plead the fifth on this one since i…might include it in the fic and i’ve got a few options i wanna go with there (depending on how i do the macro characterisation for the —are they ruthless, forgiving, more upset than angry etc etc)

2. definitely think they’ll take action against the school, tho, regardless of however they choose to deal w snape personally! they’re def the type to hold authorities responsible for their actions (and lack of) and i do think they’ll push for some outcome pretty hard. idk about getting dumbledore sacked bc,,,if he’s the only one who can keep the school safe during voldy’s rise… not sure that’ll happen.

3. i do err on the side of wealthy potters so i think they’ll have enough money for whichever route they take. i tend to think of them as like…new money types who’ve earned through inventing and travelling? so they earn a lot, and spend on fun things, and it’s a constant cycle. but they don’t have the kind of…historical prestige that the ‘old families’ do tho they enjoy a nice enough reputation.

i haven’t said a lot here, but i do think that a part of them will be diverted towards taking care of sirius as well, because i firmly believe they considered him a second son and they can see how much it’s affecting them and fhey’re the only other ones who get it, right, how devastating the loss of james potter can be. that being said, i find it very, very possible that they’ might ‘die of a broken heart’ and i don’t say that all that lightly. from what we get: james is a surprise child after years of trying to elderly parents. he enjoys a level of pampering and spoiling and unconditional adoration that’s far above the normal avg amount a child gets, imo, and i think after he was born, his parents poured everything of themselves into him. james was effie and flea’s entire world, and they never hesitated in showing it. i totally see them as the kind of overprotective, almost helicopter, parents who panic when their child gets even a scratch on their body—so for him to die? for them to bury their child they wished for so strongly and celebrated as much as they were able to? it’s the definition of heartbreaking. it’s so, so painful, and neither of them would be able to get out of the bed for days or even keep so much as a piece of toast down or do anything, really, for a while.

when they find out the news, effie lets out the most gut wrenching, grief-filled scream, falling to her knees. flea tries to hold onto her but he’s even weaker and both of them just. sink to the ground over their baby boy’s body. not one person had a dry eye around them. no one has seen such a level of shame on dumbledore or mcgonagall’s face before. it might be the first time snape realises the *magnitude* of his actions.

[antonius-scriptor]

Estimating and/or Altering the Wizarding World’s Population Size: Some Methods & Commentary

Abstract

There’s been plenty in the way of population size estimates of the “Wizarding World” over the years, but much of it has been contradictory or found various details hard to reconcile. I here pick and choose certain elements from official details and secondary analysis, and propose a few methods for estimating (or, for writers, controlling) the overall size which I have not seen elsewhere.

Introduction

There are no direct statements in the seven books of how large the wizarding population is, whether of the whole world or just the UK. There are answers to this question from other sources:

“Extended canon” does contain more direct estimates. The Harry Potter Wiki summarizes these, but it also notes that these are hard to square with various other details.

Discussion threads from around the internet (e.g. on Reddit, one, two.)

Articles, blog posts, etc., also from around the internet. Of these, the best and most notable is White Hound’s “Population and Pupils”, which is extremely thorough, and for anyone interested in this subject who has not read that, I highly encourage you to do so.

Wizarding student population (of Britain)

Most of the more serious analyses focus on the Hogwarts student population size and make estimates outward from there. The various estimates of that, based on details from the books and occasionally incorporating comments Rowling has made in interviews, typically end up with numbers in the 300-650 range.

(Besides taking details from the books, one could also count heads in a scene of the Great Hall from the films. There’s some relatively clear shots of the Hall during Dumbledore’s speech in Prisoner of Azkaban, and a quick count suggests there are around 30-40 people per side of a table, suggesting at most 320 total students, which would be on the lower end of but still within the previously-mentioned range.)

Now, how many magical children are there in the UK who don’t attend Hogwarts? This isn’t clear. As has been discussed elsewhere, Hogwarts is probably (by canon evidence) or actually (by subsequent revelations) the only magical school in Britain, so that leaves only those attending some school outside the country, taking correspondence courses, homeschooling, etc. There’s not really much basis to make any estimate here. One could arbitrarily assume it’s less than 10% simply on the basis that, if it were, it would probably figure into canon, as 1 in 10 adults having been educated somewhere other than Hogwarts would likely be pretty notable (for linguistic reasons alone, as White Hound suggests in ‘British cultural references in the Harry Potter books’: “it's not that there is no private Hogwarts language, it's that there is one, but everybody speaks it.”)

Even within these parameters, there’s all sorts of leeway to pick and choose between options without actually being contrary to canon. One could say, for example, that only a tiny minority elect to leave following O.W.L.s or are outright educated elsewhere, in which case Hogwarts contains all but a handful of the British population of magic-wielding 11- through 17-year-olds (as of the cutoff day, at least, before later birthdays.)

Overall wizarding population (of Britain)

One can get statistics of the UK’s population broken down by age range from the UN’s data site (admittedly rather clunky, but it works.) In 1990, the population of 10- through 19-year-olds was 7.3 million; presuming that the 10-, 18-, and 19-year-olds are exactly 3/10 of this number, there were 5.14 million 11- through 17-year-olds, which was 8.96% of the total population.

If wizarding world’s life expectancy and total fertility rate are the same as the rest of Britain’s (they probably aren’t), then combining this figure with the 300-650 estimate gives a total wizarding population estimate of around 3.3k-7.3k.

(Note, however, that as the Hogwarts student body size includes muggle-borns, this figure would also include the parents of muggle-borns. So this number isn’t merely “number of magic-users” but something closer to “number of people aware the wizarding world exists.”)

One could factor in the UK’s real-world total fertility rate and life expectancy and adjust for whatever one guesses or presumes the “wizarding world” numbers to be, but it’s hard to imagine that causing the numbers to increase substantially. Even if one assumes an equal fertility rate (doubtful, it seems like it’d be lower) and a doubled life expectancy (also doubtful, as for every wizard living well past 100 there’s likely to be someone who died young), that would only increase the estimate to 6.5k-14.5k.

Various other methods of estimation (including ones linked above) suggest a wizarding population of around 10k, so that would fall within the ballpark (while the numbers based purely on UK demographics wouldn’t.)

(It’s also possible to speculate that the wizarding world’s fertility rate is trending downward and is a few decades “ahead” of Britain’s; i.e. what their fertility rate was in the 1950s is what Britain’s was in the real-world 1990s, or something like that. This could serve to explain how the wizarding population as a whole is larger than might be expected based on real-world 1990s demographics vs. Hogwarts’ student body size.)

Aside: the Ministry of Magic

Some comments here and there have expressed scepticism at the size of the Ministry of Magic based on a population estimate of around 10k. In the real world early 1990s, around 23% of the UK’s workforce was employed in the public sector. Even if the wizarding world had the exact same ratio (I think there’s good reason to guess that it’s probably higher, though maybe not substantially higher), that would still mean there would be at least 1.5k Ministry employees (though this would depend on retirement age, and would be shared at least with St Mungo’s.)

The Ministry canonically has 8 departments (plus the Minister’s office); if we count St Mungo’s as an “9th department” and assume that 1.5k is around the correct size, that gives an average of around 165 people per department, which seems entirely reasonable. (I think it’s canon that the DMLE is the largest department, and I’d guess the DoM is the smallest, which would affect individual department sizes vs. the average.)

(It seems there are also various organisations within the Ministry, e.g. the “Committee on Experimental Charms,” which might not fit in to the 8 canonical departments. So, depending on how one counts, there could be more than 8. I don’t think this matters much, as one could double the number of departments and still have an average that was reasonable. Besides, a “committee” sounds like it could be made up of members of other departments, in which case it wouldn’t count towards this average at all.)

The only potential conflict with canon here would be Arthur Weasley’s comment that a “Ministry task force of five hundred” built the World Cup stadium. At around 1/3 of the Ministry’s employees, that would be unrealistic (unless a large number of them were temporary hires.) But magical Britain hosting a World Cup with 100,000 attendees, around 10 times as many people as magical Britain has residents, seems likewise completely unrealistic, anyway.

International population sizes

This issue has always posed a problem for anyone looking at canon with a critical eye. Most solutions have been along the lines of “there’s a lot more international schools than have been revealed, even in extended canon.”

While of course that’s a possibility, I think there’s at least a few others. One I haven’t seen touched on very much elsewhere is this idea: Britain has the largest wizarding population in the world.

While this is obviously a very “Anglo-centric” answer, I think it answers far more questions and resolves more problems than any of the other proposed solutions.

For example: Why isn’t there international intervention in either of Britain’s “Wizarding Wars,” but Britain does intervene in the magical side of at least one war (Grindelwald’s) on the continent? Why are there only three other magical schools in the entirety of Europe, or one for all of North Africa and Arabia? Why are British wizards working to explore tombs in Egypt, while there’s barely mention of living Egyptian wizards? Are there any countries that refused to sign the “Statute of Secrecy,” and if so, what happened to them? How did the British successfully colonise large parts of the world both before and after the Statute of Secrecy’s enactment (assuming some countries, especially less-developed ones, refused or were not even asked to sign it)?

These and many other questions are easily answered if one assumes that Britain has the largest wizarding population in the world, continental Europe has a smaller one (possibly only equal to Britain’s across the whole continent combined), and the rest of the world has barely any at all (though perhaps some countries used to have more, like Egypt.)

(For the last question in particular: One could say that everyone did sign the Statute, and no wizards cared about whatever the “muggles” were conquering, but I find that pretty hard to believe for any number of reasons. It’s more plausible that Hogwarts had more advanced magical knowledge than anywhere else in the world at the time, and managed to get everyone else into line by force as necessary, but it still seems pretty implausible, and much more plausible to suggest that the numbers of wizards in colonised countries were negligible.)

The only thing that might be made more difficult to answer with this assumption would be how Britain lost to the Normans, but as that predates the founding of Hogwarts, and very probably the founding of the other known magical schools of Europe, there’s probably ways to come up with relatively plausible justifications.

Conclusion

Well, this turned out somewhat longer than I had originally thought it would. I originally just needed some more cogent numbers for a Quidditch World Cup than “a hundred thousand,” especially when operating under the aforementioned assumption that Britain has a very large percentage of all wizards worldwide for my current WIP. Hopefully this winds up being interesting or useful to others, too.

[noxtms]

dear rachel ; we are pleased to inform you that your application for HARRY POTTER has been accepted to 𝐧𝐨𝐱 ! tommy martinez is now taken. you have twenty four hours to submit your account, or else your role will be reopened !

⧼ tommy martinez, cis man, he & him / seventeen going under by sam fender + harry, just harry, is messy hair & broken glasses, clothes that never fit him right and the dream of something more. he likes to clamber out the second storey window and sit on the roof he finds. he feels free, up there, uninhibited by all the things that try to keep him on the ground. he knows, or thinks, or maybe hopes, that he was loved. that he was, once, the centre of someone's world. special. back then when the closest thing he had to home was the cupboard under the stairs, he couldn't have known how very special he was. / the boy who lived is red and gold & bright green eyes. he hasn't grown into lanky limbs, but he has a smile to rival the one that icarus wore while he soared towards the sun and a selfless heart he doesn't have the good sense not to wear upon his sleeve. he likes to fly, still feels free, up there, but finds joy in what there is to find with his feet firmly set upon the ground ; the power in laughing so hard his ribs ache, the wonder that never fails to fill him when the wave of his wand yields fantastical results, the knowing, deep down, that he is loved and special, though not in that same way. back then, he doesn't want fame, just them. / the chosen one is the shiny white of an old scar & the vicious crimson of a wound still healing. battered but not broken. damaged, without question, but still stood on his feet. he likes the walk. he likes the rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other and the knowing where he's going, for once. he likes the feeling of his breathing, even, in & out. he never noticed that before. he has so much time to think and he remembers so many inconsequential things - the spider in the corner of the cupboard he couldn't bring himself to kill, the taste of the scones a half giant friend served over tea, pinning a captains badge to the front of his robes for the very first time. most of all, he thinks of love, of being loved, how it can be boiled down, so simply, to a parents sacrifice, ron driving a car to surrey to make sure he was alright, hand knit sweaters, hermione reading over his homework the day before grading, a clap of a hand on his shoulder, ginny's blazing look. he closes his eyes and his world fractures apart in a sea of emerald light. / harry james potter is a name engraved on a sun bleached headstone. on a sunday, he was laid to rest ; interred with the ones who loved him most, protected by the boughs of a lonely willow tree & hidden away from the world that tried to tell him, so many times, who he was meant to be. there is so little left to say. / they say that there are two different kinds of death. one is when you stop breathing, and it's the one we all know best. the second comes later, and it happens when somebody says your name for the very last time. by this logic, darling, you ought to have lived forever. i wish that were the case. ⧽ ━━ hey, isn’t that HARRY JAMES POTTER? i read a daily prophet article on them, once ; the TWENTY SEVEN year old half blood WIZARD is a GRYFFINDOR alumnus and was, until recently, believed dead. they've gone on to be a VOLUNTEER AT THE BATTERSEA DOGS AND CATS SHELTER & SUMMER CAMP FOOTBALL COACH. i’ve heard they can be quite AUDACIOUS & CANDID, but i don’t know… they came off very RANCOROUS & APATHETIC in that interview. it really is hard to know what to believe these days though, isn’t it? [ rachel, twenty five, gmt, she / they ]

[briarlovesclara]

but it's not real, and you don't exist

35 ways to say i love you number 13: in a letter | lily evans potter and sirius black (platonic)

this is a part of the 35 ways to say "i love you" writing collection. check out the rest!

PREVIEW/SYNOPSIS:

"I feel like I’m going insane every time I have to write down my memories of another friend to you. It sounds horrid, but above all I dread a day where I’m writing to someone about you. Isn’t that terrible of me? I miss all of the people we’ve lost, and I cared about them, but I didn’t love them the way I love you."

content warnings: main character death, mentioned minor character death, implied/referenced betrayal, suicidal thoughts, loss of loved ones

Dear Padfoot,

James and I cannot for the life of us decide which of these photos to use for our Christmas card this year. Before you laugh, I know it’s early July, and by the time we use them Harry will be double his current size, but we knew this would happen, so we decided to start the whole process early. 

How have you been? It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve seen you. I’m sure the Order is keeping you as busy as it’s keeping us, even with Harry. We wrote to Frank and Alice to make sure Dumbledore wasn’t just getting back at us for the bubblegum frogs in Year 5, but they’re swamped too. I told them I’d try to round up a Marauder to double babysit sometime-- I asked Peter since he loves kids so much, but he’s somehow even busier than the rest of us combined. I do miss him dearly, though.

We got the terrible news about Benjy Fenwick last week. I know it’s silly to say, but that night I just lay in bed and thought about how much alike you two looked. I remembered how kind you were to him, even though he was two years younger, and how you’d joke so much about being his brother that even the teachers called him Regulus sometimes. He was quiet, but when he laughed he wouldn’t stop for ages, remember?

I feel like I’m going insane every time I have to write down my memories of another friend to you. It sounds horrid, but above all I dread a day where I’m writing to someone about you. Isn’t that terrible of me? I miss all of the people we’ve lost, and I cared about them, but I didn’t love them the way I love you.

And I do love you, Sirius. If this war has taught me anything, it’s that we need to tell people we love them. More than even a “love you” when you leave, or only remembering the dead by how close they were to you. So I’ll write it again, just in case it keeps you safe: I love you. I love you. I love you. 

Please write back with a decision about the card. You know there’s no one’s opinion we value more.

Forever yours, 

Lily

7/7/81

Lily,

Oh, my Lily. My James. 

It is with great sadness that I am writing this letter to you, doing exactly what we both feared the most-- remembering each other. But no post is allowed outside of this God-forsaken place, and I couldn’t send it to you even if there was.

I can’t believe you’re gone. Every day I wake up and when I see where I am, I wish I was dead, but then I scold myself for even thinking that. It is the worst feeling in the world to be alive and wishing to be dead, when all you really want is to be with your friends again.

A close second on the worst feelings list is that Remus thinks I did it. That is almost as unbearable as losing you. I’ve seen the papers-- the only thing they allow in or out, when the Minister comes by every so often. I can’t tell whether I’m glad or not that I haven’t seen an interview with Remus yet. I don’t think I could bear reading his words. I can’t imagine how he’s feeling. The Marauders disbanded, all in one night. He must be so alone.

I don’t want to talk about the articles I’ve seen about the rat. He doesn’t even deserve to have his name on a letter to you.

Someone died in their cell last night. I used to hear them talking with their neighbors (or maybe cellmates, who can tell?), but they’re quiet now. The Dementors should come and get them soon enough. Maybe the rows of graves will reach outside of my window before I die, so I can at least say grace for the few poor souls near me. 

I have no idea where Harry is. I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry. I couldn’t protect him. I heard that Hagrid got him-- I hope that’s true. 

You were always the best of us, Lils. I’m so sorry you had to be taken away from him so early. From James. From your life. And selfishly, most of all from me. 

I wish my words could change things. Sometimes, on my bad nights, I lay here and think that if I just try hard enough, I can go back and fix it all. That I could protect you. I once even dreamed the cruelest dream I’ve ever had, where it had worked, and I got to hold your face and say ‘I love you’ again. 

This letter will be neatly folded into an envelope shape and put somewhere or other. Where it goes isn’t important-- I’m not keeping it, it’s not FOR me, and I doubt the Dementors will care. Maybe I’ll ask the Minister to put it in a real envelope, unmarked, and give it to an owl. I wonder where these words will end up. Wherever they are, know that I am missing you the same as I am writing them. 

I love you, Lily. Miss you, too.

Sirius

1/8/82

[crowdvscritic]

round up // NOVEMBER 22 + DECEMBER 22 + JANUARY 23

Ah, the holidays…the season of almost indiscriminate consumption of holiday treats! In my quest to complete as much 2022 viewing as possible for my St. Louis Film Critics Association ballot, I had to put many other items on my to-do list on pause. (More on that ballot coming in a future post.) I watched 7 of my top 10 of the year in these three months, plus another 7 of my honorable mentions, which means I could’ve just made this entire post a rehash of my Best of 2022.

You will find my Best of 2022 in this Round Up, but you’ll also find a few movies that just missed the cut. You’ll also find a classic sitcom, sketch comedy, a buzzy docuseries, staged musicals, the start of my 2023 viewing, and more. Like I said, it’s the season for almost indiscriminate consumption, and that includes pop culture. These are my faves from this season in roughly in the order I experienced them…

Holiday Crowd-Pleasers

1. Cheers (1982-93)

Add this to my list of uninteresting opinions: Cheers = not overrated! After years of viewing on-and-off a lá Sam and Diane (thank you, ever-changing streaming service libraries!), I finished all 11 seasons. And after laughing through almost 300 episodes with Cliff, NORM!, Carla, Rebecca, Woody, Coach, Frasier, and Lilith, I’m almost certain they know my name, too. 

2. SNL Round Up

You’d think the SNL gang would know my name name by now, too. These are the sketches that made me laugh most in these three months.

“Soup” (4805 with Amy Schumer) - I have been Amy Schumer in this scenario too many times

"Jurors” (4805) - “That is not a song from Midnights!”

“Big Dumb Hat” (4805) - I have been cured of keeping these hats in my consideration set

“Monologue” (4808 with Steve Martin and Martin Short)

“A Christmas Carol” (4808)

“Father of the Bride” (4808)

“Blue Christmas” (4809 with Austin Butler)

“NFL on Fox Cold Open” (4810 with Aubrey Plaza)

“Weekend Update: Colin Jost Interviews Rep. George Santos” (4810) - I’ve yet to tire of jokes at the expense of Santos

“Weekend Update: April Ludgate and Leslie Knope on Working for the Government” (4810) - My heart!

3. Enola Holmes 2 (2022)

On my long list for the Best of 2022. This murder mystery sequel is just as charming as the original, and this one helped me realize Daniel Pemberton is one of my favorite modern composers. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

4. Double Feature - Unconventional Holiday Treats: The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special + Violent Night (2022)

If you like your holidays with a dash of quirky humor and and a dose of Kevin Bacon, the Guardians of the Galaxy have made the holiday special you’ve been waiting for. And if you like ‘em doused in blood, well, Violent Night is here to drench it on ya. Read my full review for ZekeFilm to see how it compares to its inspirations, Die Hard and Home Alone. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 5.5/10

5. Harry & Meghan (2022)

Not the ninth Harry Potter movie. After gobbling up this six episode Netflix series, I watched with rapt attention a second time because my family wanted to check it out over the holidays. Whatever your feelings on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (my hope is always #TeamFamilyReconciliation), you can’t argue with their ability to tell a story or that the British media makes for a cinematic villain. These articles from The Atlantic and The New York Times helped me process the series, too: 

“What Harry & Meghan Still Doesn’t Say About Race,” NYTimes.com (2022)

“Harry, Meghan, and the Men Who Hate Them,” TheAtlantic.com (2022)

“Why Has America Fallen So Hard for Harry and Meghan?” NYTimes.com (2023)

6. Double Feature - 1997 Volcano Action Flicks: Volcano + Dante’s Peak

Calling this a double feature is debatable since, um, they’re just the same movie. The hero (Tommy Lee Jones or Pierce Brosnan) is supposed to be on vacation but gets roped into managing a volcanic disaster—don’t you hate it when that happens? Jones teams up with scientist Anne Heche and rushes to save his daughter Gaby Hoffman, and Brosnan teams up with small town mayor Linda Hamilton and rushes to save her kids. Both are fun disaster spectacles, and since, um, they’re just the same movie, they’re getting the same scores. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

7. Six National Tour

While I do wonder about the longevity of lyrics like, “You said that I tricked ya 'cause I didn't look like my profile picture,” I can’t get the pop perfection that is the Six soundtrack out of my head. The Broadway sensation about the six wives of King Henry VIII has more songs than story, but their clever lyrics, diva solos, and accompanying over-the-top costumes are some of the most fun I’ve had at the theater in months.

8. Triple Feature - Heist Action feat. Corrupt Cops: Ronin (1998) + Out of Time (2003) + Man on a Ledge (2012)

Pick your setting: Europe, Florida, or Manhattan. Pick your cast: Robert De Niro and Jean Reno; Denzel Washington and Sanaa Lathan; or Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks. Pick your vibe: globetrotting conspiracy, Double Indemnity, or edge-of-your-ledge-seat thriller. Whether you choose Ronin (Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10), Out of Time (9/10 // 7/10), or Man on a Ledge (9/10 // 7/10), you’re in for an exciting ride.

9. Shotgun Wedding (2023)

If Jennifer Lopez just made wedding rom-coms the rest of her career, I wouldn’t be mad about it. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6/10

10. Double Feature - Late ‘80s Comedies: Twins (1988) +The ‘Burbs (1989)

In roles they were born to play, Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger are Twins (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10) who reunite as adults to search for their parents. In The ‘Burbs (8.5/10 // 6.5/10), Tom Hanks, Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, and Corey Feldman suspect their new cul-de-sac residents of murder and they search for evidence in creative ways. With those high concepts, both exceed their low bars of success with jokes and silly set pieces galore.

Holiday Critic Picks

1. The Best of 2022

Recurring themes and plots of the movies of 2022: class warfare, murder mysteries, musical biopics, taking down predators, and meta commentaries on entertainers’ careers. Read my fully redesigned year in review at ZekeFilm as well as my review of my top film of the year. 

2. Hadestown National Tour

Inspired by the Greek myths about Eurydice, Hades, Orpheus, and Persephone, this relatively new Broadway show’s outside-of-time setting evokes A Streetcar Named Desire in its set and costumes. The songs feature some of the beautiful voices and melodies I’ve ever heard and some of most inventive stage lighting I’ve ever seen. 

3. Network (1976)

In ep. 131 of SO IT’S A SHOW?, Rory is taking her fashion inspiration from the classic Network. What is its legacy, and what do these inspirations mean for a journalism panel Rory is participating in? Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, Peter Finch, and William Holden make a stellar ensemble for a satirical script prescient of the media-driven world we live in. Pair with A Face in the Crowd for a thrilling, thought-provoking evening. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

4. Kiss Me Deadly (1955)

An explosive film noir! (And this year's putting up the tree movie?) After P.I. Ralph Meeker picks up a desperate hitchhiker (Cloris Leachman), his career and his life tailspin into a series of murders and a hunt for a mysterious package. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. MOSS by Maya Hawke (2022)

The best kind of intimate, vulnerable, and sweet indie pop, especially for the clever lyrics on “Backup Plan” and “Sweet Tooth.” 

6. Rocky II - IV (1979-85)

Rocky II (Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10) is the plot inverse of Rocky but just as thoughtful. Rocky III and Rocky IV (both 9/10 // 7/10) are exciting adventures with larger-than-life villains in Mr. T, Hulk Hogan, and Dolph Lundgren. Cue ‘em up to pump up for Creed III in March!

7. Hustle (2022)

Speaking of Rocky, this Philadelphia-set dramedy imagines Mickey at the center. Adam Sandler’s latest made my long list for the Best of 2022, and yes, it was partly because of those Rocky-style montages. Basketball isn’t my sport, but when I watch a good movie about it like this one, I always think for about 5 minutes I should really get into the NBA. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

8. What Price Hollywood? (1932)

If Hustle is a spiritual sequel to Rocky, What Price Hollywood? is the spiritual prequel to A Star Is Born.  This romance features a wide-eyed Hollywood hopeful and an alcoholic movie veteran, though the plot details are rearranged from the standard plot structure in the 1937, 1954, 1976, and 2018 versions. Constance Bennett's wardrobe is *chef's kiss*, and this melodrama would pair well with either of Damien Chazelle’s La La Land or Babylon. (Keep reading for more on Babylon.) Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

9. The Last of Sheila (1973)

After so many comparisons to Glass Onion, I had to check it out—and it totally rules! James Coburn, James Mason, Ian McShane, Raquel Welch, and more assemble a year after a mutual friend’s death, and what begins as a pleasure cruise tuns into a crime scene. I have a deeper appreciation now of Glass Onion as both a riff and a twist on this film (though it still works as a standalone movie that just happens to have a Stephen Sondheim cameo), but I would’ve loved this morally gray whodunnit even without the introduction from Benoit Blanc. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10

10. The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

And now I’ve finished Wes Anderson’s feature directing oeuvre. (Bring on Asteroid City and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar!) Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman, and Owen Wilson are at their funniest and at their most self-absorbed as they process their father’s unexpected passing on a train ride across India. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

Also this Holiday Season…

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has all the ingredients for a successful sequel—it just gets the measurements wrong. Read my full review for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8/10

I didn’t care for Damien Chazelle’s Babylon, but I’ll never forget it. Read my full review of the uncouth, unending, uneven, unforgettable epic for ZekeFilm. Crowd: 5/10 // Critic: 8/10

Plane is enjoyable, but it’s one of Gerard Butler’s more forgettable action vehicles. Read my review of yet another movie where an everyman Butler saves the day for ZekeFilm.

On SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I investigated Danny Bonaduce’s transition from Partridge Family star to wrestling star, the real Paul Anka, and the forgotten ‘70s sitcom Chico and the Man. 

Photo credits: Six, Hadestown, Maya Hawke. All others IMDb.com.

[eddiclupin]

[  ben barnes, cis-man, he/him + Migraine by Twenty one pilots ]   ━━   Hey, that’s [ Edward Remus Lupin ]? I read an article on them once ; they're [ twenty-eight ] years old of [ half-blood ] descent, a [ wizard/ metamorph ] and a [ Hufflepuff ] alumnus. I heard they had gone on to be an [ auror ] . I've also heard they can be quite [ Humble + Supportive ], but I don’t know… they came off very [ Frivolous + Workaholic ] in that interview. It really is hard to know what to believe these days though, isn’t it?

[ playlist ] [ pinterest ] [ musings ] [ visage ]

BASIC INFORMATION:

full name: edward remus lupin name meaning: edward - meaning “guardian” or “protector.” remus - meaning “twin.” lupin - meaning “pertaining to wolf.” nicknames: eddie, eds, teddy, ted age: twenty-eight (28) birthday: april 13 gender: cis-man pronouns: he/him/his sexuality: unsure blood status: half-blood alliance: neutral

APPEARANCE:

face claim: ben barnes height: 6′1″ (six foot one) eye color: brown hair color and style: dark brown, often worn shaved on the sides and slicked back. Sometimes he’ll let it to it’s own devices. scars/piercings/tattoos/other markings: scars across knuckles, a scar on his cheek, ear pierced. fashion sense: almost always has a suit on, if he doesn’t it’s a simple pants and a t-shirt style.   

PERSONALITY:

the label: the bereft meyers-briggs:  ENFJ-T ; the protagonist :  Protagonists are inspiring optimists, readily taking action to do what they feel is right. (Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging, Turbulent) likes: sweets, star gazing, collecting shells, and origami dislikes: bullies, mirrors, pet peeves: loud chewing, vices: tbd

BASIC FACTS AND HEADCANONS:

patronus: wolf wand: It is made of Walnut, possess a Snallygaster Heartstring core, and it's Swishy. Length:13⅓" (33.87cm) amortentia: fresh baked cookies, lavender, and petrichor boggart: himself

was a prefect before appointed head boy at hogwarts

was in the dueling club at hogwarts

well known for having cotton candy blue/pink hair at hogwarts

doesn’t have full control of his metamorph abilities 

CONNECTIONS:

Scorpius Malfoy; easily his best friend growing up once the bloke was born. A part of Teddy always viewed Scorpius as his younger brother. Whether that were true or not, the boy was still his family and the older boy would fight anyone that said otherwise. He often did his best to set an example for the other, even though to him Scorpius seemed far more put together than he did.

Victoire Weasley; He’s in love with her. Would he admit that out loud? Absolutely not. Victoire is also one that carries the title of best friend. One day she was just there and it was all just history since. Teddy adores her. He loves how protective she is of the weasley-potter clan (especially since he holds the same sentiments), loves the way she lights up a room with her presence, the way her hair falls when she wears it down, and the little bounce in her step whenever she sees him. A lot of the time he seems unamused with how she is with him but that is far from the truth.

Clyde Nott; during his time as prefect, Teddy made friends with Clyde. The younger bloke approached him for help on hobby searching and while he knew he didn’t have to, especially since he wasn’t his prefect, he still helped. Teddy took some time to get to know the other. It was after getting know him that he suggested maybe commentating for one of the quidditch games since he noticed the other liked to talk a lot, not that it was a bad thing. After he graduated, he often received owls from clyde about how things were going at hogwarts and eventually it went to text messages. Teddy stressed he wasn’t one for phones though.

BIO:

Teddy often heard stories from Harry and his grandmother about his parents. How valiant they were. But that was all they were to him; stories. 

As a young boy, Teddy was a handful. He acted on his emotions and often slammed doors and yelled. He was always so angry and bitter towards the world, towards himself. When he realized that screaming wasn’t fixing anything he just opted to not speaking. 

There’s always been a part of him that wishes he had that picture perfect family, or a family at all. Especially when it comes around the holidays and everyone is talking about what their parents got them or what their parents did for them. He wanted that. He wanted his parents alive, or at least just one of them. A mom to help him understand his metamorphmagus abilities rather than them just acting on his emotions; probably his least favorite thing about himself. A father to pick him up when he falls. It’s not that he’s not thankful for what his grandmother and godfather did, no, he appreciates it, but it just never really felt... fair. He knows that the weasley/potter clan are family, as well as the malfoy’s it just never seemed to make him feel any better. There had always been this hollow feeling for him and it didn’t make any sense until he had found the mirror of erised at hogwarts.

In hogwarts he was sorted into Hufflepuff, like his mother. Teddy focused on his school work, joining clubs to distract himself, especially the first two years he was there. When Vic came to Hogwarts the two basically became joined at the hip, at least for the times they could be. His focus was still on his schooling and it showed with his marks and the fact he was able to be appointed prefect and later on head boy. 

Now, Teddy drowns himself in his work. Any time they need someone he throws himself their way. Anything to stay away from going home to an empty flat. The only time he ever has free time is when he’s forced to take time off or when Victoire drags him away going on about self-care and the likes.

[mybookplacenet]

Author Interview: Aditi Mishra

Tell us about yourself.: My full name is Aditi Mishra, I am a teen author dreaming to become a bestselling author Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?: So basically from class 2 I love writing stories and I have always written short stories but from grade 6. I grew up in non writing background non of friends or relatives write and I am only person who writes so I use to gett a lot of support which always kept me motivated while writing Do you have any unusual writing habits? I don't have a writing routine, it's not a good habit but yes, it's the truth What authors have influenced you? So basically from class 2 I love writing stories and I have always written short stories but from grade 6. I grew up in non writing background non of friends or relatives write and I am only person who writes so I use to gett a lot of support which always kept me motivated while writing Do you have any advice for new authors? "The writing advice I want to give young authors is (though I'm not an expert, this advice helped me): Write the story or scene that you love. Don't write with your readers in mind, worrying about whether they'll like it. Write what you love, what you would want to read." And don't give up!! What is the best advice you have ever been given? Your life isn't yours when you will think about others:) I kinda liked it alot What are you reading now? Verity by Colleen Hoover What's your biggest weakness? Should I reveal this? 😭 What do you guys think my biggest fear is? What is your favorite book of all time? Harry Potter series When you're not writing, how do you like to spend your time? I read books , and other than a author I am student too so I do study That's it , I don't do anything interesting 😭 Do you remember the first story you ever read, and the impact it had on you? The first story that really impacted me was "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White. It's a heartwarming tale about friendship, loyalty, and the power of kindness. The characters, especially Charlotte the spider and Wilbur the pig, taught me valuable lessons about compassion and the importance of being there for one another. It's a classic story that has stayed with me throughout the years. What has inspired you and your writing style? "From my childhood, I've always loved writing stories. The people around me are incredibly supportive, and their encouragement inspires me every day. My top inspiration is JK Rowling. I draw my writing style and motivation from her. She's the one who fuels my creativity and pushes me to keep writing. She's my ultimate inspiration!" What are you working on now? I am working on somewhere between us part 2 and a fantasy romance novel What is your favorite method for promoting your work? Posting on social media, doing interviews :) What's next for you as a writer? I want to try more genres , I want to do more interviews, there is so much more to do , I am just at the beginning and special I wanna try writing non fiction How well do you work under pressure? When I'm under pressure, I try to stay focused, prioritize tasks, and break things down into smaller steps. It helps me manage the stress and tackle one thing at a time. Taking deep breaths and staying organized also really helps me stay on track. How do you decide what tone to use with a particular piece of writing? I usually think about who I'm writing for, what I want to convey, and the feelings I want to evoke. By considering these factors, I can figure out the right tone to use for each piece of writing. It's all about connecting with the audience. If you could share one thing with your fans, what would that be? Love!! Ofc I will share my love with them :) And I wanna say thank you to all my fans and I love you all :) Aditi Mishra's Author Websites and Profiles Website Amazon Profile Goodreads Profile Aditi Mishra's Social Media Links Instagram YouTube Account Read the full article

[l0vegl0wsinthedark]

newspapers publish some bs gossip about harry and draco breaking up

He'd run an extra mile that morning. Ten years ago - hell, even five years ago - it wouldn't even have made a difference. But now he could feel it in the way his right knee creaked a bit in weak protest. He sighed and Apparated into the backyard instead of running back home.

The house was quiet and still. Regulus was crunching hungrily into his bowl in the kitchen, cat food spilling out onto the spotless floor. The kettle was vibrating on the hob, on its way to boiling. Eggs, butter, and bread waited on the counter for Harry to put together breakfast.

He filled up a tall glass with water and drank it standing up, his legs still feeling a bit shaky from his run. He sighed, taking off his glasses so he could mop his face on the hem of his baggy t-shirt. His reflection in the toaster looked like he could do with a nap, and he spotted a new bunch of greys above his temple that hadn't been there last week, surely.

"Oh, look. You've left me at long last."

Harry was still frowning at his greying hair, lower lip sticking out, and the lazy drawl made no difference to his expression whatsoever.

"What," he grunted.

"I told you I should have cancelled that interview yesterday so I could go to King's Cross with you."

"You'd waited eight months for that interview," said Harry, tiredly replacing his glasses and pulling out a bowl.

There was a soft snort. "You don't even read the magazine."

Harry started cracking eggs into the bowl. "I do when you're in it."

"Seems a bit biased."

"In your favour."

"Well, yes."

"Obviously. Why would I read a potions magazine otherwise?"

"Fair." A pause. "I still read about Aurors."

"Only so you can point out everything that you think is wrong." He sprinkled in some salt and went to fetch the milk. "So, why'd I leave you this time?"

"Because I wasn't at the station to wave off our daughter to her first year at school."

"I'm leaving you for that?"

"No, I wasn't there because you're leaving me."

"Ah." He set a nonstick skillet to heat up and threw in a knob of butter.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah."

"Are you actually upset about this? There have been about seven hundred and fifty three articles like this since we started dating."

"What? No, of course I'm not upset."

"Then what's wrong?"

Harry poured the eggs in and picked out a spatula, gently scrambling the mixture and leaning his weight onto his left arm on the counter.

"When did we get so old?" he said, sounding vague and faraway.

"Excuse me. Speak for yourself."

Harry bit his lip over a grin and looked over his shoulder.

The sight was like something out of a painting. Sunlight slanted onto Draco where he sat at the breakfast table, illuminating his ridiculously fair hair, messily falling out of its low ponytail that was pulled over one shoulder. Delicate, expensive reading glasses were perched halfway down his nose and his silver gaze gleamed in amusement at Harry over the top of the Prophet. The smirk had remained unchanged over the years. His dressing gown - midnight blue with a pattern of gold stars- was knotted tightly around his svelte frame, one long leg crossed over the other, fluffy white slippers on his feet.

"We're the same age," Harry reminded him, slipping four slices of bread into the toaster.

"And?"

"And I found a new grey patch." Harry pointed to his head. "Right here."

"I don't have greys."

"Your hair is white."

"White blond."

"I ran an extra mile today and my knee hurts from it."

"There's a reason I don't exercise."

"We're not all blessed with your metabolism."

Draco snorted and turned the page. "Our kids are. James ate a whole cherry pie last week."

Harry tipped the scrambled eggs onto two plates, sighing quietly. When the toast popped up, he buttered them and sent the plates floating to the table.

"You're not really upset." It sounded less like a question and more like an order to stop being upset. When Harry didn't answer, Draco folded the newspaper and laid it next to his plate, pulling his glasses off as he sighed and got to his feet.

"I'm okay," said Harry softly, leaning back against him when he wrapped his arms around Harry and squashed his face into his still sweaty nape.

"I'm not old." Even in his forties, Draco sounded remarkably like a petulant teen.

"No, not you. Never you." Harry didn't even have to pay attention as he put together their mugs of tea.

"You should get your knee looked at."

"I've spent over twenty-five years on the force. It's an occupational hazard or whatever."

"Use the bloody salve I made for your shoulder, Potter."

"Oh, that. I ran out."

"When?!"

"I dunno."

"Fuck. I'll make more, I suppose."

"See, now this is why I could never leave you."

"Oh, for the free potions and balms?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't hear that in your vows though."

"Yeah, I should've remembered to put that in."

"I'm with you for the great sex."

"Obviously."

"You're meant to return the compliment, Potter. You utter shit."

Harry thumped the tea down next to their breakfast and turned to cup his husband's face with both hands, grinning at him.

"Oh, all right. You're spectacular in bed yourself...Potter."

*

(Send me a one-sentence prompt for drarry and I'll do my best!)

[darling-i-read-it]

Dragons

Charlie Weasley x fem!reader

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: nerves, burns, facing your fears

Author’s Note: I hope you like my attempt at charlie weasley lol! It’s been a whole since I’ve read the books so I used my memory to it’s extent lol. Enjoy love!

Requested: by anon, Hello! This is going to be really niche, really specific to the books, but may I request a Charlie Weasley x reader? I was thinking the reader is deathly afraid of dragons, ever since a bad first encounter in advanced care of magical creatures. Maybe when she graduates from Hogwarts, she becomes a journalist and is assigned a story on dragonology, following the first task of the triwizard tournament. She winds up reconnecting with Charlie, and he helps her start to overcome her fear. They also realize that they've always had a bit of a crush on each other? Thank you! Have a nice day!

Summary: the request

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

Dragons. Of course it had to be dragons. You were glad you didn’t go to Hogwarts anymore so you weren’t there that afternoon when all the dragons came out. You probably would have had a heart attack.

“Are you sure I have to do this one?” you asked your boss. You worked with the daily prophet, though you were one of the less salacious journalists there. That was probably why your boss gave you this article to read.

“Do you want to eat this week?” he questioned. You let out a stiff sigh and nodded, looking down at your assignment paper. You were to go to Hogwarts and interview some of the people there on the dragons. You had to speak to the people who brought the dragons, along with, hopefully, the Triwizard contestants. You were one of the nicer people at the paper. Your boss must have figured people like Harry Potter may speak with you, though you doubted it. Especially since they sent in Rita Skeeter ahead of you.

You turned around to leave the room. You had to get prepared for your trip to Hogwarts.

===

Hogwarts hadn’t changed much since you had been there last. It was a comforting thing to know. The students there were going through much of what you did, just with the awful fear of He Who Shall Not Be Named on top of that. You shoved that anxiety aside for the more prominent one.

“We’ve had Charlie down here with the dragons,” Hagrid said, escorting you through the trees. “I’m surprised they sent ya here Y/N. I seem to remember you not liking dragons much.” You suppressed a shutter.

“I am kinder than Rita Skeeter,” was all you were able to say. You could see them now. They were so big. “Where’s Charlie?” you asked, staying behind Hagrid's big frame subconsciously.

“Just down here. Hey Charlie!” Hagrid called out to him. You saw Charlie Weasley raise his head from behind a bush.

“Hagrid! Who do you have with you?” Charlie walked up the small hill up to where you stood. You came out from behind Hagrid which caused Charlie to smile. “Oi! Why didn’t you tell me the journalist coming was Y/N Y/L/N?!”

You and Charlie had been friends back in your Hogwarts days. You had been in the same year and had a handful of classes together. You hadn’t seen him since graduation. He looked mostly the same but more mature. Buffer than any of his siblings you bet, but still scrawny. Short ginger hair, a bit of dirt on his cheek.

“Hi Charlie,” you said hesitantly, your eyes still behind him on the dragons he was keeping. Charlie looked behind him as though he had forgotten what was there.

“Thanks for taking her here Hagrid, I can take it from here.” Hagrid nodded and patted your back with such force that you almost fell over onto Charlie. Charlie caught you, his hands on your arms to hold you up. You laughed nervously and cleared your throat.

“I’ll see you back at school,” Hagrid said and then turned around. You forced yourself to stand up straight and cleared your throat.

“I’m sorry, is there any way I could interview you over here?” you asked, gesturing to where Hagrid was going.

“What, afraid of the dragons?” he teased jokingly. You avoided eye contact and his mouth parted. “Oh you are. They’re really harmless, I promise.”

“Do you remember when we were in fourth year and Hagrid brought in that baby dragon for all of us to see?” Charlie nodded. It was one of the only classes you didn’t have with each other.

“Yes, clearly.”

“The dragon jumped out at me, when Hagrid was walking it around the house. I got second degree burns. I’ve never been able to trust a dragon since,” you explained, shuddering at the memory.

“I remember that. You told me you burnt it making tea.”

“You liked the dragon, I didn’t want to dishearten you. It is great to see you again Charlie and I would love to catch up, just maybe, over here.”

====

“I’m glad I could catch you,” Charlie said, speed walking up to you the next morning. You smiled over at him. He had obliged to moving away from the dragons to do your interview and it had been a pleasant time. You forgot how much you and Charlie got along. You were sitting at your table in the Great Hall for breakfast the next morning with the students, not bothering to ask for some other seat.

“Are you not going to sit with the Gryfindors?” you questioned.

“I am but I have a proposition for you.” You buttered a biscuit, watching him closely.

“Alright…”

“My brother Ron is best friends with Harry Potter. I can get you an interview.” Your eyes went wide and you dropped the biscuit down on your plate.

“Are you serious?”

“But only if you let me introduce you to one of my dragons.” If your eyes could go any wider they would. You shook your head, your face dropping.

“No. Charlie I can’t.”

“And let that interview go to Rita Skeeter?” You looked down at your food. An interview with Harry would do wonders for your career. You would handle it with far more grace than Rita and Harry might even let you know a bit about the next part of the Triwizard tournament.

“Charlie what if-”

“I’m not going to let you get hurt love,” he promised. You stared at him and swallowed hard.

“Fine. You better get me that interview.” ===

That afternoon you and Charlie walked down to the dragons. You could hear them before you saw them. They were all confined well, not allowing them to get away from captivity.

“Are you sure about this?” you asked quietly. Charlie grabbed your hand. You looked over at him. If you weren’t so scared you might’ve kissed him.

“Positive.”

You walked into his camp. He entered one of the large tents which looked bigger on the outside than it did on the inside. There was a bed set up, along with a small dragon sleeping on it. You jumped. You weren’t sure what you were expecting but a free range dragon was not it. It looked just like the one who had burned you all those years before. You hesitated, holding Charlie back. He let go of your hand carefully and gently woke up the little guy.

“This is a welsh green dragon,” Charlie explained. “It normally doesn’t go for human contact. It’s a subdued breed.” The dragon hopped on Charlie’s shoulders. “Come here.” You hesitantly took a step forward. “He’s not going to burn you. I promise. Plus, he’s far too tired to even give it a go.” You laughed nervously. “Give me your hand love.”

You raised your hand to hold his. He raised your hand up to the dragon's snout. You breathed in sharply as it nuzzled it’s head into your touch. You were taking shallow breaths. Charlie held your wrist gingerly, ready to rip your hand away if it was needed.

“See?” he whispered as not to disturb the moment. Your breathing deep end and the fear subsided slowly.

“I’m petting a dragon,” you whispered.

“That you are.”

You stayed there for a couple more minutes before Charlie took the dragon off his shoulders into his arms.

“Let’s let this guy sleep. We should go back to the school for your interview with Harry.”

“Thank you Charlie. For making me do that.” He smiled up at you and nodded, hand still lingering on yours.

“I hope you write a stunning article about them.”

“Trust me,” you said. “I will.”

Harry Potter Tag List; @karasong, @lov3vivian, @russian-soft-bitch, @elisaa-shelby, @alexxavicry, @valentina-luvs-u

[woundjob]

FAITH IN THE FLOW

summary: ‘the comedown’ part four: with the help of george michael, the public eye, and the power of “healthy male friendship,” everything comes together. length: 7.4k words, multimedia relationships: sirius black/remus lupin, james potter/lily evans themes etc: band au, growing up, romance, humour, warnings: sex (non-explicit) drugs (weed) and rock and roll

PART FOUR OF THE COMEDOWNVERSE/BAND AU WITH @hungryheartpotter AND @wolfbuck

 VICE UK, 2017

     http://vice.com/en/article/interviews/votre-populi-on-new-album-and  

 HOME // Entertainment // Interviews:       Votre Populi on their upcoming album ‘The Comedown’ and Married Life    

 Rising from obscurity in the recent months, London AltPunk Revival band Votre Populi has skyrocketed to the top of the UK Alternative charts and has quickly made its way overseas to a budding North American audience as well. I had the pleasure of sitting down with all five members at VICE UK HQ on Monday for their second interview with us, and was thrilled to find what every other modern punk-loving publication has said so far to be true: all five rockers are as handsome and charming as they are talented.

 Votre Populi's face and voice, Sirius Black, is the notorious Bromley Contingent-style punk prettyboy who has stolen the hearts of Instagram users of all genders, but the band is more than just his lovely face; guitarist Remus Lupin, bassist James Potter, drummer Lily Evans Potter (that’s right folks, they’ve got a GIRL drummer!) and Peter Pettigrew on the synth.

 Lily and James, as pictured in our gallery, tied the knot in spring after dating for three years, and have a baby boy called Harry as of the 31st of July. I wanted to ask the big questions, and know how their life as parents and newlyweds has affected the band.

 VICE UK: First of all. Welcome back to the VICE UK office. It’s so great to have you here again, and after such a busy year!

 LILY: More like during, really. Album’s not ready yet, after all, and after that, there’ll be another bloody tour.

 JAMES: But thank you! We’re happy to be here.

 SIRIUS: Yeah Lily, don’t be a sourpuss.

 LILY: (laughing) F**k off, you. Don’t tell me not to be a sourpuss until you give birth.

 VICE UK: I can imagine it’s been very trying, Lily. A big wedding, a new baby, and then another album! How do you do it?

 LILY: Drugs and alcohol mostly.

 PETER: She’s kidding.

 LILY: Obviously. The real answer is making the men do everything else for me. What use are men if they aren’t going to wait on me hand and foot?

 SIRIUS: Hear hear!

 LILY: Okay seriously, of course being busy has been stressful, but it’s also been very easy. I have an incredible support system, between these idiots and my family and James’s family, and our friends… The list goes on, but I assure you, I’ve been very lucky.

 VICE UK: Oh, that’s so sweet! I’m sure having your husband there with you helps quite a bit. What about the other three? It must be strange to have two band members married. Do you ever feel left behind, or do you have special someones as well?

(read on)

[maverick-werewolf]

Modern Dragon Designs - Where they came from

Your regularly scheduled werewolf facts will return soon. For now, we provide this special, because you may not realize this, but I love dragons. There’s a reason one of my protagonists is basically obsessed with dragons.

Once upon a time, there was a movie - I don’t see anyone talk about it, I’m not even sure how many people are familiar with it...

It’s called Reign of Fire.

This movie shaped the modern Hollywoodian concept of dragons. Seriously, it did. Hear me out.

Released in 2002, Reign of Fire was a movie about - essentially - dragons as that age-old trope of “let’s take one monster and turn them into an overpopulated zombie plague so we can use them to tell a story about humans and make the monster just this brainless evil locust swarm backdrop.” This has happened to a lot of monsters by now.

But wait, these dragons aren’t like the dragons you might be used to: these dragons were completely redesigned from the ground up by the filmmaker(s) in order to make a more “realistic” and “animalistic” dragon that was acceptable by Hollywood, who generally views “dragon movies” (like so many other fantasy things...) as cheesy and silly. Market your movie as a film about dragons and you probably won’t get a deal. Well, turns out, coming up with your own gritty dragon designs worked!

Doesn’t this remind you of every other dragon you’ve seen in a movie for the last, you know, 18 years? Although it actually looks quite a bit cooler than those other ones that came after it

Please note that while I may sound sarcastic, jaded, and often maybe a bit scathing, I mean nothing against the creators of Reign of Fire or director Rob Bowman. I watched the movie in theaters when it released. I applaud Bowman for coming up with unique and interesting dragon designs, in order to have a different take on the creatures, so that they fit the story he wanted to tell, instead of doing what so many people do and completely co-opting concepts without trying to alter them to fit anything and... yeah... okay, I’m not going to talk about werewolf things in this post. Getting back on track:

What I don’t applaud is everyone ripping off Reign of Fire for their own dragons, doubly so because most of these people didn’t even take into account the reasons why it was designed that way. They should have left his dragons alone and come up with their own thing, but at least I guess Bowman can go down in history as the man who designed every Hollywood dragon for over a decade to come - with no signs of stopping - even down to the tail shape.

On Vice, you can find an article and interview with Rob Bowman, the director of Reign of Fire, discussing how he came up with this dragon design and how influential it has become. I highly recommend giving it a read.

Please note the Vice article is clearly written with the bias of someone who “can’t take dragons seriously,” so it’s also a good look at the Hollywood mindset about dragons and how much Hollywood treats fantasy in general like garbage (jerks).

It’s impossible to pretend this movie didn’t basically reshape modern dragons. Let’s get to the details...

Animalistic Design

Dragons in popular culture are generally - or at least they were generally - assumed to be powerful, intelligent creatures, often of a higher nature than humans and other mere mortals. They may be good or evil, but one can’t understate that traditional fantasy dragons are regal and majestic either way.

Reign of Fire wanted to usurp the majestic, intelligent dragon image, creating a smaller, hunched, knuckle-dragging sort of dragon that looks more like an animal - like a pteranodon. This is because the dragons in Reign of Fire are not exceptionally intelligent, noble beings that speak and hoard gold and have the wisdom of the ages. They are brutal hunters that set things on fire and eat everything smaller than them. So this design choice was a conscious one and a smart one.

The dragons in Reign of Fire are meant to be more scientific, more plausible, and also simpler, in a manner of speaking. They are not colorful, magical, ancient fantasy dragons...

Trouble is, everyone took cues from this design for their talking wise noble fantasy dragons, and it... doesn’t really work, at least if you ask me.

The dragon design in Reign of Fire looks like an ancestral throwback, an evolutionary ancestor to the intelligent, talking fantasy dragon, although they are smaller. They’re hunched, they haven’t evolved forelegs independent of their wings... you get the idea. Take a look at the “proto-drakes” in World of Warcraft versus the ordinary drakes, which have tiny dangly T-rex forelegs that haven’t fully developed yet, so they walk like the Reign of Fire dragons.

A proto-drake in World of Warcraft - also say hi to my worgen warrior

So many things taking this design for their intelligent, “higher being” dragons seems kind of... odd to me, to say the least. Unfortunately, Hollywood decided that’s the only way moviegoers can “take dragons seriously,” so here we are.

“Wyvern” - Two Legs vs Four

Municipal arms of Stjørdal, Norway

In medieval heraldry, there came to be a creature called a wyvern. Now, the etymology on the term “wyvern” is a little shaky. It originally didn’t specifically refer to a “two-legged dragon.” It is thought to mean/be derived from words meaning anything ranging from “asp” to “light javelin,” and essentially boils down to a flying serpent. It is noteworthy, of course, that the word “dragon” basically just means “serpent” too.

In heraldry, though, “wyvern” came to refer to a two-legged dragon - at least, if you ask the English, Scottish, and Irish; elsewhere in Europe, they may not be so picky. And now, in modern pop culture (such as Dungeons and Dragons), we often use it in the same sense.

Wyverns weren’t really a “thing” in folklore, just as dragons in folklore didn’t look like our modern idea of a dragon. It’s debatable whether the father of our modern concept of dragons, Fafnir (from whom Tolkien drew inspiration for Smaug), even had wings at all; he was essentially a serpent, perhaps with legs. Point is, wyverns come from heraldry, especially the specificity of two legs versus four.

So now you know why you might see a lot of people (myself included) referring to this design as a “wyvern design” for a dragon.

Dull Coloration - Grey and Brown over Red, Blue, Green...

There’s something else - something very important - that Hollywood took from Reign of Fire... the concept that dragons aren’t pretty colors and are, in fact, various hues of grey and brown, and any more contrasting colors are just vague indications instead of bright red scales.

Now, Reign of Fire obviously did this because - again - they were going for the more animalistic, natural look as opposed to the mysterious majestic magical being look. Okay, that’s fine. But then Hollywood decided that fantasy, too, has to be devoid of dragons with bright colors.

The green dragon in Game of Thrones

There are countless examples of this in modern media. Any dragon that was previously brightly colored has been dulled pretty much to an extreme. Sometimes you might catch a fleeting glimpse of them looking like a brighter shade, but it was probably just a trick of the light. Why? Because all dragons are desaturated to the point of being almost indistinguishable by color.

The golden dragon in The Witcher Netflix series

This is also why you see so many mods on the Skyrim Nexus called things like “true red dragon.”

There are plenty more examples of this - I’m sure you can see the difference when you look at those dragons and other modern film dragons over, say, something like this...

Red dragon in D&D

And now we move on to...

The Fire Breathing - Chemicals, not Magic

Bowman insisted on ditching traditional fire breathing (you don't want the audience wondering whether the dragon's mouth is being burnt up with every flame) and again looked to the animal kingdom for inspiration. The king cobra, once again, was a great starting point. It doesn't spray fire, but it can spit its venom. Even more useful was the bombardier beetle, which shoots two chemicals from its abdomen that, once mixed, create a hot, burning spray. Bowman used these real-world examples to inspire his own dragons. They don't breathe fire exactly, but rather spit chemicals from two different sacks in their mouths that, when combined, ignite. "That's anatomy. That's already been designed, so we're going to draw from there," he said.

(quoted from the Vice article linked to earlier in this post)

The Hungarian Horntail in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - fire is streaming from two separate organs in the mouth, but they aren’t chemicals mixing together like in Reign of Fire...

The director of Reign of Fire wanted his dragons to be more natural in that they breathe fire through organic means, based on chemical reactions, instead of the usual dragon magic. But lots of people loved this “mouth flap”/”mouth organ” design with “streams” of fire coming from the mouth instead of fire flowing directly from the dragon’s throat, so now you see it pretty dang often.

Horns? Brow Ridges!

Another thing that is basically out now in dragon designs is the real horns of many traditional dragons, like Spyro, and like the dragons in Dungeons & Dragons used to have.

These days, it’s all about brow ridges and big spiny scales that aren’t separate horns, they’re just big pointed scales or piles of scales or bone ridges - and they aren’t a different color than the dragon’s scales, either, pretty often. And, in general, dragon’s horns have become much smaller and far more numerous, and more like spines/ridges, as opposed to the great, sweeping horns of classical dragons.

Firkraag, the red dragon, in the D&D video game Baldur’s Gate II, from 2000

Firkraag is a very traditional dragon. Now, while Dungeons & Dragons has generally kept more traditional dragons (yay!), they did fall into the brow ridge horn thing - although they, thankfully, didn’t make the horns smaller and subtler and more numerous little spikes, like so many other modern dragon designs. They also went with the brow ridge horns for tieflings (once humans with demon blood, then some weird thing in 4E, and now I think they’re humans with demon blood again), as opposed to the ordinary horns of the tieflings in previous editions of D&D.

Skyrim dragon head concept art

The Desolation of Smaug(’s design)

Here is... a big one. Here, we’ll talk some about the production of The Hobbit films over time, so we’re going behind the scenes.

Alright, so we all know Smaug, probably, by pop culture osmosis if nothing else. He is the quintessential dragon. He’s basically the founder of all Western dragon concepts: he’s big, he’s red, he hoards gold, he’s extremely intelligent and talks, etc. You get the picture. Every dragon that we have borrowed at least something from Smaug. And, in turn, he was inspired by Fafnir, the father of all our dragon concepts, from Norse mythology - but Tolkien took it all a step further and created the concept of dragons that we have today. Or, well, the not Reign of Fire ones. The fantasy ones.

A map drawn by Tolkien: notice the winged, four-legged Smaug over his mountain

During the first Hobbit movie, An Unexpected Journey, we see Smaug attack the Lonely Mountain...

In this clip, you can plainly see that Smaug has four legs. This was actually edited slightly for later editions of the movie, or so I’ve heard (I haven’t watched any later editions).

I can tell you for certain that when I saw the theatrical release, it was like this, too. It is apparent throughout the scene that Smaug has four legs and wings, separately. I know because I was paying very, very close attention, because I was going to be very upset if Hollywood turned Smaug into a wyvern.

Well, they did - later.

Smaug the wyvern looking like just another slightly different take on the bog-standard Hollywood dragon

Apparently, some studio exec decided that having a traditional fantasy dragon, even if this dragon happens to be frelling Smaug himself, would not be okay in this modern Hollywood world. So we ended up with a dull reddish spiney hunching knuckle-dragging wyvern with an angler mouth (I’m sorry; I really am sorry if you like the design, that’s totally fine, it’s a fine design, I am glad you enjoyed it, but Smaug shouldn’t have looked that way IMO and forgive me but I am still in pain over it) in place of a more traditional dragon that held more to things like, I dunno, how Tolkien himself drew Smaug. Smaug’s movie design flies right in the face of that and destroyed our chance to finally see a proper traditional dragon done justice on the big screen.

Tolkien’s art of Smaug - note the position of the forelegs, separate from the wings, like in the earlier map

This is all just one big example why we should be thankful that The Lord of the Rings films were all shot in one go, so no one could alter important things like the design of the fantasy genre’s father of all dragons, in the middle of production. Of course, the production on The Hobbit movies was a nightmare at best, as you can read about in assorted other articles, and Peter Jackson was very unhappy with what the studio had him do to the series. All of that is just another story, I suppose.

Dragons Redesigned by Reign of Fire: Example List

Now that we’ve gone over just a few of the talking points about Reign of Fire’s dragon designs (although I didn’t even get into the flat, spaded tail look in detail), here’s an undoubtedly incomplete list of several examples that have either entirely taken the design and/or were massively influenced by it...

(please note that not everything in this list held entirely to Reign of Fire’s design, obviously; some have the fire, some don’t; some have horns, some have head/brow ridges; but all of them are wyverns and most are darkly-colored)

Skyrim - Obvious influence with the general design, skin/scales and ridges design, as well as coloration; however, it is noteworthy that the Elder Scrolls has had dragons with no forelegs since at least 1998, in the game Redguard - though that dragon was also very brightly-colored (also of note: Peryite, while technically a Daedric prince and not a dragon, had four legs at least as far back as Daggerfall in 1996)

The Hobbit films, specifically The Desolation of Smaug onward - as mentioned before

Harry Potter movies - Wholesale. Two streams of fire from mouth flaps in Goblet of Fire, generally dull greyish and/or brownish colorations, no forelegs, short/simple horns that are mostly ridges...

Gods of Egypt - The giant fire-breathing cobras have the mouth flaps

Game of Thrones - This one’s pretty obvious too.

Disney’s Maleficent - In the new live action Disney movie(s), the dragon falls right into this design (though the fire doesn’t come from mouth flaps)

Netflix Witcher series - Villentretenmerth is very much a wyvern design and a dull shade, and he in fact has no horns at all, even though dragons weren’t portrayed this way in any previous Witcher adaptations

Stargate SG1 (season 10) - In the episode series “The Quest,” a dragon appears and... well, it looks just like all those other dragons, though the fire does come from its throat.

Beowulf (2008) - I try not to ever talk about or think about this film, but I have to just throw out there that the dragon is very much Reign of Fire, especially with that wyvern design.

Seventh Son - If you can call Malkin a dragon  - she was called one, I think - she definitely also has the same kind of dull-colored wyvern design.

Sucker Punch (movie)

Lots and lots of B-movies and direct to DVD/streaming films - Dawn of the Dragonslayer, Dragon (2006), Dragon Crusaders...

Something to note, also, is that cartoons, anime, and other non-film media is mostly - but not entirely - free from this influence. Cartoons especially are free from it, partially because they aren’t influenced by Hollywood producers who want “serious” and “realistic” dragons. Cartoons are allowed to have magical, colorful, four-legged dragons. Unfortunately, we are deprived of those in live action film and television, by and large.

There are still other exceptions - most notably things that were created before this influence, like Dragonheart and its spinoffs and sequels, which have thankfully kept their dragon designs consistent instead of erasing their forelegs.

Of course, why dragons are depicted as four-legged and winged in the first place - and when this depiction arose - is another topic entirely. I’m not going into that right now, seeing as how this post is already preposterously long.

Long story short, I was rewatching the movie Gods of Egypt and, when I saw the giant cobra monsters breathe fire, I was possessed to write this article. Because Reign of Fire’s influence is something I have always noticed ever since its release, and something my brother and I talk about a lot (and everyone who knows me has surely heard me talk about it, too) - because, frankly, it’s always bothered me. My favorite dragons are traditional dragons: four legs, bright colors, wings, horns, breathing fire, the works.

So, although the original creator of these design ideas did something cool and different because he wanted to do his own take on dragons, Hollywood decided that these design cues should be taken to dumb down all dragons forever, the same way that Hollywood has dumbed down so many monster designs so that the only acceptable ones just a bunch of near-replicas of each other, including werewolves.

I think it’s very sad that film producers think you can’t take something like dragons or werewolves seriously unless they are dull, nontraditional, and ugly. And I say ugly in the sense of these are not pretty, majestic fantasy designs - they are, many of them, intended to be ugly. Though I personally also hold the opinion that most of them are ugly regardless of if they are intended to be ugly.

So - now you know! If you haven’t seen Reign of Fire, go check it out to meet the father of modern dragon designs, from the color of their hides to the shape of their bodies, the smaller horns, and - sometimes - even their tails.

(Special thanks to everyone on my discord who helped me compile this list, as well as of course my brother and all our ranting at/with each other on this topic over many years)

If you like this post, maybe you’ll enjoy the rest of my blog, where I post a lot about folklore and all kinds of monsters (especially werewolves)!

Werewolf Facts --- Patreon

[secretsandwriting]

I don’t where this went but its definitely not what you were thinking of so if you want something else just say so but Like I sat down and wrote this entire thing at once so yeah… Anyways, prepare yourself this isn’t really happy.

Word Count - 1217

Beta Read - Nope

Herbology was one of your favorite classes, all the new types of plants and their uses was something that you enjoyed learning. There were so many more than you had ever thought could exist. It was fun to go through the greenhouse and find new plants to learn about. How to care for them, what they could do, and what they could be used for.

Then potions, while Snape wasn’t the nicest professor he knew what he was talking about. Students that managed to do well in his class were treated a bit nicer, and while it wasn’t the easiest class it was fun to learn. Potions opened up so many options for literally anything it was almost impossible to not want to learn them.

Care of Magical Creatures was another easier one, simply due to the fact you were raised with the idea that none of them existed and even the thought was childish, but here you were learning how to take care of them. All the different types were amazing. It was better than any zoo back home. It was amazing what they managed to hide from normal people.

Defence against the dark arts was interesting, boggarts weren’t fun. You almost learned that the hard way but thankfully Professor Lupin was a good teacher. Then there were the three unforgivable curses, those weren’t fun but it was important to know about them.

All the classes were interesting to say the least, some more than others but all of them were ones you never thought you would ever need to learn or were even real. Then there were your friends.

Cedric was the first one you had made. You had started the same year, of all the other ones who had joined the same year. You had connected with Cedric better. There wasn’t anyone you particularly disliked, you just hadn’t spent much time with them. Every Wednesday you two would have a baking day where you would share the sweets with your other friends.

Draco was friendly with you when he was willing to. You had found him in his first year crying alone in the hall and managed to calm him down and make him feel better with some sweets. Ever since then, he’ll hang out with you when he feels like it or wants some comfort. Which means at least once a week.

Luna was another you had met during her first year. You told her you liked her glasses and when she started rambling about things she liked you listened. Eventually time ran out so you invited her to tea so she could continue telling you. Ever since then she started calling you one of her best friends. You did the same with her.

You met Hermione in her second year, she had come up to you in the library because she was struggling with something and figured since you were an upperclassman you would know. So of course you helped where you could and when you weren’t sure you gave her the name of a ravenclaw who would be willing to help her. Before she left you offered her a sweet and told her she was always free to ask you for help if she needed it.

It was during his second year that you stumbled upon Ron, he had missed dinner and was trying to see if he could get into the kitchens to get something. The house elves wouldn’t let him in until you told them you would be there too. While you made him something he talked about Harry, Hermione, and his family. Before he finished, you told him he would just need to send you an owl and you would get him in the kitchens if he missed a meal.

Harry was similar to Draco, it wasn’t until his third year when you found him in one of the abandoned halls sobbing. Offering your shoulder and a listening ear you listened as he told you everything. It angered you that they would put this on a child but you kept it to yourself. After that, whenever Harry needed someone to listen; he would go to you.

Sometimes you would be able to get a large group of friends together at Hogsmeade together and everyone would put aside their differences and have a good time. Other times you were just small groups that got along but that was ok.

One thing most people were surprised about was the amount of Slytherins you had as friends. Sometimes it seemed like you yourself were a part of Slytherin instead of Hufflepuff. It wasn’t uncommon for you to be seen eating at their table or with a group of them. But you were like that with all the houses, it was just the fact not many people were willing to attempt with them.

It was in your Sixth Year when you were named the Mom of Hogwarts, you had access to all the dorms and were commonly seen helping and “mothering” other students. You didn’t mind it lead to more students who needed help coming to you.

Because you didn’t know everything, when someone asked you something you didn’t know you would send them to someone you knew would know. Therefore strengthening the relationships between dorms without even trying.

Then the Triwizard Tournament came and you put your name in not expecting anything to come from it. But you were called. So was Harry but that was ok, you didn’t like the spotlight and Harry wasn’t one who would do something like that.

So you worked with him, while Harry Potter was the chosen one. You were the School Mom, so everyone cheered for you to win. Even Harry.

So when the Yule ball came you went with a few of the girls but still ended up dancing almost the entire time with boys you knew from Hogwarts. Not a single one of them wanted to miss their chance.

But then disaster struck. You were killed in the third task.

Everyone believed Harry. Why? Because they needed someone to blame for taking one of the only people who treated them all the same. With Love and Respect. The entire student body started training. The students with Death Eater students stayed with others during the summer.

When the ministry tried to get involved they were met with an army of angry students who demanded measures be taken, and when they weren’t the groups were pissed. When they went underground, they went by Y/n’s army.

Then when Voldermort showed up, he was tortured on the spot as well as all the Death Eaters. All the while they were told about you.

About the girl who made sure all of them were taken care of, that all of them were ok. It didn’t matter their house or blood, all that mattered was that they were people. That’s what they wanted now. That’s what they were going to fight for in your name. Later, when it was over and students were interviewed. They all told different stories of the same person. And when the article was published, they had to make more because it sold more than any other paper had in their records.

The Mom of Hogwarts

How one student changed an entire school.

You asked so I’ll deliver– imagine a day at Hogwarts (obviously in hufflepuff), whatever year you want, and you have the classes herbology, potions, care of magical creatures and defense against dark arts. Classmates: Cedric, Draco, Luna, Hermione, Ron & Harry, the twins, and whoever you want (yes ik they’re different ages and different houses but idc) and then after school going to hogsmeade or having quidditch practice, what the common room would be like, notes passed in class, rumors, etc -A

[chuuulip]

The First Kiss of Love

Pairing: Hannibal Lecter x Female Reader

Warning:  Fluff with a smidges of angst

Words: 3262

Prompt: hey i was wondering id you could do a hannibal lecter one where the reader doesnt realize that hannibal likes her and she gets jealous when hes talking to another woman. when she calls him out on it he cant help but laugh. the reader is basically a oblivious dummy type and way too much of a klutz .

Summary: “Dr. Bloom is really beautiful.” your small, joyless voice continues its sentence. “Ah...yes indeed.” Hannibal replies casually.

A.N: This is for an anon that request some Hannibal fanfic. I’m sorry that it takes me so long xD I hope you like it! whoever you are ❤️ Thank you for @jewels2876​​ for helping me with this piece, love you ❤️ Also tagging fellow Hannibal fans 😉 @venusdemonroe​​​ and @detectivehannibal​​​ thanks for feeding me Hannibal content and discuss him with me ❤️

__

It’s been a couple of months since you’ve worked with Dr. Lecter. You were once a librarian; due to an accident, you lost your job as a consequence of a long time recovery.  Hannibal Lecter literally was an angel or your angel to be precise. Vividly, you remember the time you met him. By chance, Hannibal is in the clinic when you do your physiotherapy. He catches a small stack of books that you buy that day. He manages to balance the books in his left hand while his right-hand catches you before your face kisses the floor.

Long story short, both of you have some sort of conversation that leads to you applying for a job to be Hannibal’s secretary. You are excited but also nervous when you do your interview. You have no idea that Hannibal is a well-known psychiatrist not only just in Baltimore but also in Maryland. There is a fear that Hannibal will not choose you because of your clumsy tendencies. You are naturally what people will call a klutz. Physical activity somewhat hinders your ability to shine among others. You are either too slow or too weak. Not to mention lucky stars seem to distance themself from you. But not that day, the day when you get an email of your employment. Hannibal is pretty impressed with your CV and how good your skills on scheduling and data management, 

“Good morning.” the soft, accented voice of Hannibal greets you. Today, he wears a dark blue windowpane pattern jacket suit. He chooses a somewhat dark metallic floral pattern adorning the red-brown tie. His white buttoned-up shirt makes the color of his suit and ties pop. Hannibal always dresses elegantly, something that you always look forward to seeing.  

“Good morning, Dr. Lecter.” You stand up and follow Hannibal inside his office. He takes a seat on his brown leather chair. Everything looks immaculate as always.

“Schedule for today?” he unbuttons his suit jacket and you quickly help him hang the suit. “Thank you, my dear, you didn’t need to do that.”

“It’s alright Dr. Lecter.”

Sometimes when it’s only you and Hannibal in the office, he accidentally calls you my dear. You aren’t sure if it's because that’s the way he usually addresses someone he is in contact on a daily basis, or it means something more? Oh, you wish.

“Dr. Lecter…, for this morning you will have two appointments. Mrs. Potter and Ms. Randall. Also-- Mr. Franklin said he might need to reschedule.” Your slightly breathy voice points out other appointments Hannibal has outside the office. Your work had become kind of a blend between his secretary and personal assistant, to be honest. It was actually Hannibal's idea to engage you more into work that’s not strictly his office related. Not that you are complaining because it let you take a peek on Hannibal’s other persona. Not to mention that the payment is pretty generous. 

Not once does Hannibal ask your input on what type of thing should be added in his office, and by that, you are pretty proud of yourself. Not a lot of people give any thought about your opinion. Although Hannibal, like when his office has this sleek look and somewhat minimalist style, he always mixes something that you could say was classic inside his office. You have been inside his office quite a lot, but sometimes you help him tidy up his books and document. He’s somewhat more of a hard copy type of person than a soft copy one. Like you. You like the smells of an old book although some of Hannibal’s books smell too clinical for you. Like the smells of a hospital or a place with a lot of disinfectants.  

Pretty proud of your experience as a librarian in the past, and knowing Hannibal is a perfectionist himself, you practically turned the side of his office into a perfect mini library. The medical record shorts are alphabetically arranged while his other books are listed by genre, then in an alphabetical manner as well. When Hannibal stays longer in the office, sometimes you catch him drawing. A hobby that he said he has since childhood. One day he told you, “Growing up, I found my hobby really useful when I decided to be a medical doctor.” and you can’t help but agree. After he finishes with what he sketches at that time, he specifically calls you into his office and shows you the final product. That action simply makes your heart flutter in excitement.

“Thank you, you can leave for now.” He gives you his subtle yet beautiful smile. Those eyes of his when he smiles always send some sort of quick rush to your brain.

Giving Hannibal a short nod, you quickly excuse yourself. You stumble upon your own shoe and almost fall, face first. Luckily you can prevent that from happening, hoping Hannibal doesn’t notice, although you think he did. Scurrying from his office, you station yourself on your spot. Continue typing and archiving what Hannibal asks you. 

Sipping your now cold latte, your eyes shift to the books next to your PC. It’s a book called Les Fleurs du mal renaissance, a volume about French poetry that Hannibal had lent you after you finish some short of psychology 101. You have read a few pages of it, and since it’s in French, it takes you some time to understand it. 

Sometimes Hannibal invites you to his office to let you read his book while he draws things. Trying not to get caught red-handed, you glance at him from the corner of your eyes, savoring the scene in front of you. Wondering what Hannibal actually does on his day off, is there anything he can’t do? Your brain likes to take a detour on what Hannibal does at home when he’s not seeing other people’s minds.

A soft clink of steps on the mahogany floor wood, momentary pauses your fingers on the keyboard. 

“Good morning Mrs. Potter.” you stand up immediately. Greet her with a polite, shy smile. One of the things you are still learning from working with Hannibal is being confident. Since the secretary is usually portrayed as bold and beautiful, while you on the other hand are quite the opposite, Hannibal makes sure you take your time to adapt from ‘less contact with people at work’ to ‘in contact with different people almost every day.’

“I’m here for my appointment.” her British accent tickles your ear. It’s rare for you to meet a Brit, especially as posh as Mrs. Potter. Although you never glance at a patient’s medical record, you do actually google them. When you find out Hannibal’s reputation, you know that most of his patients are a somewhat well-known person. Mrs. Potter is an owner of exquisite but limited jewelry store on the east coast. From several articles that you read, she has had quite a lot of scandal. Despite that, you will not deny her beauty. She may be quite older than you, but the way her cheekbones stay supple and very few wrinkles decorating her face sometimes makes you jealous. 

“Yes, sure. Please wait a moment,” immediately, you walk to Hannibal's office door that's just a foot away from your desk. Giving a soft knock, you open the door and inform Hannibal that Mrs. Potter is already here. He gives you a quick nod, and you open the door wider, to let Mrs. Potter start her session. 

Hannibal isn’t a strict boss. Or that’s actually what you thought about him. Of course, you are a professional employee as you can be, but sometimes you spend time reading the book you borrow from Hannibal between your desk job. Mostly because you already do whatever Hannibal tasks you with. On some occasions, you join Hannibal when he attends some appointments, such as when he needs to be a keynote speaker in a well-known conference around Maryland and DC. An experience that you guess is his way to widen your social ability. 

“Thank you Mrs. Potter. I’ll see you in the next session.” Hannibal’s accent cues you to stand up and bid your goodbye to Mrs. Potter. The rest of the day comes out like it usually is. Typing and arranging schedules for Hannibal while also scrolling on another book to read. Even though you were a librarian before, there’s just so many books and so little time to read. 

When it’s time for you to go home, you knock on Hannibal’s office door and open it slightly when he answers you with a soft, “come on in”. You excuse yourself while also giving Hannibal’s friend a smile. Although Hannibal doesn’t have a lot of appointments today, his friend, Jack Crawford visits the office and you know that means Hannibal will stay late until dinner time.   

*** 

The next day your work finished earlier than you thought so you spend some time at work to continue reading the poetry book. Some people may find it weird that you like to stay a little bit longer at work than going back home. There’s always this thought of knowing there is someone close to you, without the need to do conversations in every millisecond, calming. When your eyes shift to your gold bronze table clock, you haven’t realized that you are pretty late, as the sky already turns dark. 

You know Hannibal is still in the office and you plan to excuse yourself before it’s getting really late. You don’t want Hannibal to drive you back home since you feel embarrassed about it. He always makes sure you arrive at home safely when you spend more time at the office or going home pretty late since Baltimore isn’t the safest place on earth. However, there is always a thought in your head that Hannibal being a little bit protective towards you, his employee because you are just a much of a klutz and he feels responsible. 

You aren’t sure what possessed you to move too quickly and it just messes up your footing. The point of your left oxford shoes hit the castor office chair. Ungracefully you trip to the floor and bring the chair with you. The falling chair let out a loud bang while you landed on your hands and knees, grimacing in pain. 

You aren’t sure when but your brain kind of mid freeze for a second. When you look up, you see Hannibal crouching down and calling your name, worried, “-- are you ok? Can you stand up?”

“I--I’m ok Dr. Lecter,” you try to stand up but you hold up your right hand in a sign of I need a minute. 

Hannibal takes care of the office chair first, putting it back in its original position. He carefully lifts you up, supporting you and letting you sit back on your office chair. “I’m sorry my dear, but I need to check?” He asks you for your permission and you quickly give him your approval. With an expert examination of his hands, Hannibal checks your knees for any swelling or visual deformity. Since your past accident, you are prone to any joint and soreness on the knees. Delicately, he gives a little pat on both your knees. “I think everything is ok, you may need to have some pain killers.”

“Thank you Hannibal.” you blurt it out. Sometimes you call him by his first name when you aren’t in office hours, although rarely.

He graces you with that smile of his, subtle yet it always makes your heart quiver, the kind of smile you infrequently see. You notice that sometimes he has his professional smile, it is short and kind of cold. The smile you always notice when he meets his colleague. You don’t know a lot of Hannibal’s friends, but when he has some impromptu meeting with Jack, you slightly witness more smirk and sometimes there’s this naughty element like he is planning something evil, although humorously.

“Wait a minute, I will drive you home.” Hannibal left you to go inside his office. 

There’s a guilt in your stomach that you feel you are being a burden to your boss. When your concentration dispersed like vivid smoke, the corner of your eyes caught the beautiful woman you have seen a couple of times visiting the office. Unlike other women who mostly visit Hannibal for a session, this woman is indeed different. 

“Ms. Bloom.” You greet her. Your smile may look blankly courteous even, but you definitely are not in the mood to give her your big smile this evening.

“You look unwell, are you ok?” 

“I-- I’m ok.” you try to answer her, less tense.

“Alana?” your eyes shift to Hannibal as he opens his door.

“Hey, Hannibal. I try to call you but I thought I might as well just drop by.”

Hannibal’s eyes divert from you to Alana, and he gives Alana a quick nod, letting her quickly enter the office. “It will be quick. Can you wait for a while?” you give him a nod and smile at him nervously.

At first you aren’t sure why you are nervous but something finally clear on your head. Maybe you are jealous. You know a lot of women near Hannibal are not only beautiful, or rich, they are also acutely intelligent. Although you aren’t rich, you aren’t that bad looking and you will not say you aren’t intelligent but when you compare yourself to someone like Alana, there will always be inferiority engraved in your mind. Not to mention that she has known Hannibal longer and better than you.

Hannibal's office door opens and Alana exits the door with Hannibal following her. “I heard what happened to you from Hannibal.” Alana stops in front of your desk and gives you her sympathetic smile. “Get well soon.” She gives you a pat on your shoulder and says her goodbye to you and Hannibal.

“Shall we?” Hannibal changes his focus towards you and you nod in agreement. Let him help you out of the office. 

***

“So…,”

“So?” Hannibal glances at you momentarily while driving, asking you to continue what you have in mind.

“Dr. Bloom is really beautiful.” your small, joyless voice continues its sentence.

“Ah...yes indeed,” Hannibal replies casually. 

Your eyes glance at the dark street. Hannibal’s office is located in a quite busy place and it’s nice to see less traffic when you get out of the area. 

“Did both of you date?” you blurt it out. Your eyes widen in horrors as you blatantly just spill out something unprofessional. “Hanni-- Dr. Lecter, I-- I-- didn’t mean to pry on your personal life.” 

Hannibal looks at you and lets out a laugh. Something really rare, something that you even have witnessed. The crinkle on his eyes when he laughs lets his somewhat cool and calm demeanor melted. It takes you sometimes to register on what just happens. 

“I’m sorry my dear, that’s just quite funny.” Hannibal stops laughing and sends you a quick smile.

“Also that might not answer your question but the answer is no, Alana and I, we aren’t dating. I’m her mentor and our relationship is more of colleagues and friends.”    

You aren’t sure why you hold your breath, but after listening to Hannibal's answer, you let out a long exhale, feeling that something heavy has been lifted up from your shoulders. 

Hannibal’s Bentley stops in front of your apartment complex. Ever the gentleman that he is, Hannibal asks you if you need help. You decline his help as if you can’t embarrass yourself enough in one day. 

“Before you go, I have something to tell you.” Like a deer caught in a headlight, you look at Hannibal. He switches on the light inside the car and pulls his bag from the backseat. He handed you several papers that looked likely to be a job application. Your eyes widen, vision blurry as a sudden tears drop from your eyes. This is it, maybe Hannibal has enough of your clumsiness. He doesn’t find you worthy as he sometimes needs to ‘babysit you’ when you do something you don’t intend to do. 

Feeling that he may be approaching this the wrong way, Hannibal tries to comfort you. You put both of your hands in front of your chest, like a shield in a defensive manner. Try to accommodate his tall frame, awkwardly Hannibal turns his body to the passenger seat and embraces you. He shushing you and pat your heads 

When your silent cry turns into a hiccup but more calmer, Hannibal pulls away from you. With a stutter, you explain to Hannibal that you understand if he doesn’t want you to work with him again and you are thankful that he’s been a very great employer to you. 

“Hey,” Hannibal swipes the tears that rolls down on your cheeks with his thumbs, “--it’s not that. Look, my dear, the reason I handed this paper to you is not that I want to fire you, but I have been pretty impatient lately.”

You look at him, eyes full of question on what the fuck he means by that? Although you don’t let it out loud because you don’t want to make any rude comment. Because Hannibal doesn’t like that.

“I’m one of those people who do not agree with office romance.” 

Office? Romance? What the hell? No one has any romance in the office, you thought. 

“I have been pretty much intent to court you,” his eyes flicker to your lips and back to your reddish eyes. “Alana came today because she wants to give me the application personally, there’s a librarian vacancy in her University and I pretty much just want to hand it to you.” Your brain wiring, try to connect the words as if you forgot how to speak English.  

“Apologize if I’m being rude my dear, but I have observed you for some time and I encourage myself to just lay it all here so I didn’t make you upset. Of course, if I am proven wrong, you can stay and still work as my secretary. No harm, the position will always be yours.” 

“Hanni-- Hannibal, does this mean that you like ‘like’ me?” 

He answers you with a quick nod and the smile that always makes your heart flutter. You try to reach Hannibal but your knee prevents you from doing such a thing. Hannibal let out a small chuckle as he finds your difficulty quite amusing. 

You eye him in disbelief but your anger melts right away as his face gets closer to yours. His right hand's cup at the side of your face as his lips inches closer towards you. With eyes close, you feel the brushes of Hannibal’s lips. The kiss is soft and delicate as if he is just testing the water. 

You let your hands sneak at the back of his collar as you seek more contact. Both of your lips slide and glide against each other. Letting out a whimper, you grant Hannibal’s tongue to slip past your lips. Teasing and flicking languidly, exploring something that makes you shudders in want. 

After some time, Hannibal withdraws his lips from yours. Eyes fluttering open, you can see Hannibal’s pupils expand. He let his foreheads rest at yours while his hand still cups on your face. “So...I believe it is a 'yes''?” There's humor in his voice. 

With a broad smile and less reddish eyes, you answer Hannibal with a confident nod and grant him another kiss on the lips.

__

As always, like, comment and reblog are really appreciated ❤️. Let me know what you think about this xo

[biology-is-not-bigotry]

Today I was reading the news and this headline catched my attention. It said, "from best to beast" and it was about how idols often disappoint you. It featured a picture of Armie Hammer, Marilyn Manson and of course... J.K. Rowling. One is an abuser, into BDSM and with a cannibal and rape fetish. He had expressed desire to drink blood, cut toes and enslave sex partners. One of Hammer’s exes told a tabloid the actor wanted to barbecue and eat her rib. Another ex said in a media interview that he carved his initial into her skin on her pelvis, engaging in “knife play” in the bedroom. There was no doubts this was made by him and there were also pictures. The other one is a musician who abused dozens and dozens of women. I’ve been following the case closely because I was a big fan of Marilyn Manson when I was younger and I’m proud of Evan Rachel Wood for talking but this isn’t the end. There's still more women talking every day, saying they were videotaped with a GoPro underneath their skirts, saying that he had a "rape room", saying that he's still abusing his now-wife. Esmé Bianco talked about the bruises he gave her and how he’d follow her around the house with an hammer. No one can say how many victims he made. But the last one.. What did she do? She said biological sex is real and important to acknowledge. My question is.. don't people see the difference? Since when do we put women who talk about biological sex on the same level that we put abusive men and men who rape? I bet my ass that if J.K. Rowling was a man she wouldn't even make the headlines. But because she's a woman who dared to say what she thought, she's on the same level as men who rape and abuse. She’s on the same level as Armie Hammer and Marilyn Manson. As a domestic violence survivor, I can’t imagine how she must be feeling to be compared with such men. When Roman Polanski raped an underage girl, I didn't see anyone talking about that. Nobody put him in a fucking headline and told people that idols often disappoint you. Everyone was silent and he kept making movies. Nobody talked about him and nobody talked about Woody Allen. Maybe there were a few articles here and there but the argument was always the same. “Separate art from the artist!”. But... Where’s your rage? Where is your rage against people like Shia Labeouf? Johnny Depp? When it was clear he was an abuser but people still made him out to be the victim and managed to turn the story around to make Amber Heard sound like the mastermind behind it all. “No, they abused each other.” How fucking quick are people to find reasons to forgive abusive men when they do not have the same fucking empathy for women. Where’s your fucking rage? When are you going to talk about men like Michael Fassbender, Christian Bale, Alec Baldwin, Bill Murray and Terrence Howard like you talk about a woman who dares to say biological sex is real? It’s always “separate art from the artist” and you can find a million reasons for men to victimize, rape and abuse women. But as soon as a woman says biological sex is real she’s evil. She deserves to die. Harry Potter can’t be no more. Because being a man gives you a free pass to do anything but a woman can’t even say what she thinks. Fuck you all.

[l0vegl0wsinthedark]

Holding Hands

Just dipping my toe into the "faking a relationship for a holiday party" trope. (And blame @shealwaysreads for this cause she was like do it and so I did it.)

This is unbeta’d. Please be gentle with me.

*

Draco waited. The silence that had fallen a couple of minutes ago was still loud. The fire in the hearth kept spitting threateningly instead of just crackling quietly and sweetly like it should. The fairy lights around the tree twinkled gently, slowly, throwing golden patterns over Potter's skin, his dark hair.

They were sat across from each other in front of the hearth, Draco in his armchair upholstered in silver-grey velvet, and Potter in the plushy green armchair he had conjured when he'd arrived. Their drinks were sitting on the spindly-legged table between them.

Potter looked very politely confused, a tiny smile on his face, a thin line between his brows. He was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, his long, strong fingers clasped together neatly, his full attention focused on Draco. He looked...like he was waiting for Draco to finish speaking, to...explain.

Draco licked his lips and tilted his head a bit. "Erm...?"

Potter's smile widened a bit. "Yes?" he said eagerly. Draco blinked and shook his head imperceptibly. Potter's confusion deepened. "I'm...waiting for you to...you know--" he waved his hand vaguely and then grinned, "--laugh," he finally said, a tad lamely.

Draco frowned. "What's funny?"

Potter's mouth fell open on a stupid gape. "I mean... I thought..." He pushed his glasses up his nose and then scratched the back of his neck. "So, what was it you were saying? What are you asking me?"

"Did you not hear me, or are you feigning stupidity?" Draco asked coldly.

Potter frowned, bristling a bit. "I heard you, Draco, and I feel like you're taking the mickey."

"I'm doing no such thing. I explained my predicament and asked you a simple yes or no question. Would you be so kind as to grace me with an answer?"

Potter shook his head irritably. "Stop talking like that!"

"Like what?"

"Like... Like a fucking ponce. That's how you used to speak to me." Draco just looked at him. "Can you just be normal, please?" Potter snapped.

Draco spread his hands out. "I am being normal."

"Uh huh." Potter was still frowning. "So, you're saying--" He broke off and shifted in his seat, straightening up. "So, you're saying..." Trailing off, he just sat there looking like a fucking idiot. "What are you saying?" he finally asked.

Draco picked up his brandy and took a sip before leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs, lifting his chin high. "Fine. I will ask you again. Since you're a bloody troglodyte, apparently." He had to gather the will and courage all over again to repeat himself. "Will you accompany me to my parents' Christmas party as my boyf- partner? Meaning, they'll think you're my partner. We’ll just have to pretend."

"You...said something before that earlier."

"Oh. Yes. Well, when my mother asked me if you and I are lovers, after she read that article about us in the Prophet, I simply said yes." He'd managed to say it without displaying any emotion the first time. Now, however, Draco could feel heat rising up his neck and face.

Potter was looking particularly stupid as he stared with his mouth open. "Your parents think we're dating?" Draco nodded. "And they want to...meet me?"

Draco brushed imaginary lint off his trousers. "If you consent."

Potter leaned back, slumping in his chair, knees spreading, his arms hanging over the sides of the chair. He blew out a long breath with a whooshing sound, his lips very pink as they formed an 'o'. Then, rather abruptly, he chuckled, rubbing his face and making his glasses jump onto his forehead.

"Which bit did you find amusing?" asked Draco with feigned politeness.

"The whole thing."

"Oh?"

"Draco," Potter said on a laugh, "can you stop talking like that, please? It's fucking hilarious right now. Especially because that's not how one talks to their 'lover'."

Draco knew he was probably purple in the face by now. It was embarrassing. He ought to have told Potter right after he'd confirmed the rumours to his parents. They'd have laughed about it, and then asking him to go to this fucking party now wouldn't be such a fucking task.

Because they're friends. Close friends even. And Potter was probably going to say yes. He never denied Draco anything. He was always indulging Draco; taking care of Draco. Siding with Draco when that fucking Weasel ragged him. Always promoting Draco's label in his interviews, endorsing his little boutique. Trusting Draco enough let him dress him for important events even though Draco knew Potter had the most basic, unadventurous sense of fashion.

Draco wanted to roll his eyes. Potter was the softest, most indulgent person and he was probably going to say yes. But that didn't make any of this any easier. Because obviously Potter thought it was funny that the two of them might be lovers. He found this whole thing really amusing.

There was a thin strain of hurt somewhere in Draco's chest but he ignored it.

"So how long before you say yes like we both know you're going to?" Draco drawled.

Potter grinned widely. "What am I going to be wearing?"

*

The Manor was an absolute wonder to behold. Draco was sure even Hogwarts was never this heavily decorated for the holidays. Fairy lights, glittering icicles, ice sculptures, wreaths, ostentatiously decorated Christmas trees, more lights - the whole house, inside and out, was dripping in red, green, gold and white.

Potter stared around in silence, his expression very serious. He was dutifully holding Draco's hand (just like a lover might) and was taking in the sight of the gigantic ballroom they were in, guests milling about sipping golden champagne from crystal flutes, house-elves trotting around between people's knees holding up trays of hors d'oeuvres; the four gigantic, glittering Christmas trees in each corner of the room, the ice sculpture of a delicately carved fairy, her wings spread, in the centre of the room, sparkling fairy dust falling from her hand and disappearing mid-air.

To Draco this was just about normal, if a tad bit overdone (for the enjoyment of the guest of honour he'd brought along with him, he supposed), but he still blushed in embarrassment when he looked around with Potter's eyes; he was probably convinced now that his parents were pretentious or something. Feeling a bit timid, he glanced sideways at Potter.

He was looking very, very handsome tonight. He had on robes of deep, royal violet - dark enough to nearly pass off as black - with intricate gold embroidery that Draco had spent hours working on himself. He'd let Draco clip a matching cape, embroidered and lined along the hem with fur, onto his shoulders with matching brooches that glittered under the light of what had to be at least a thousand candles hovering above them. He'd made a decent attempt at taming his hair - not a successful attempt, but Draco gave him credit for trying anyway. He'd switched his usual clunky glasses out for the vision correcting spells that Draco knew he hated but it meant his eyes were shining so bright and green that it made Draco's stomach clench a bit with something he’d always staunchly ignored.

Then, his parents spotted them. Lucius was in black as usual - the material expensive, but still black - and Narcissa looked decades younger than she was in robes of pale lavender and silver. Draco smiled as she beamed at them, gliding over alongside her husband.

"Darling." She feathered her lips over Draco's cheek. "Fashionably late, I see. And fashionably dressed," she added, turning to Potter and holding out her hand, her smile small but her eyes warm.

Potter bent over her hand and brushed his lips over the back of her hand briefly - just like Draco had instructed him to - before straightening up and smiling politely. "Thank you for inviting me to your wonderful party, Mrs. Malfoy."

"You are very welcome - literally. And please call me Narcissa."

Lucius had watched and listened in silence, his hands clasped behind his back, his serious gaze fixed on Potter. When Narcissa stepped back, he slowly extended a hand to Potter.

Draco held his breath. They hadn't discussed this. He had no idea how Potter was about to behave with his father but he knew he wouldn't blame him for anything he said or did. Potter was a much better man than his father. This was fact.

But Potter simply shook hands with Lucius and nodded. Draco felt his shoulders relax.

They mingled. Draco had to repeatedly 'introduce' Potter to people as though they all didn't already know who he was, who his fucking parents were. It was laughable. But this was a stupid fucking formal Pureblood soirée and Draco still had his manners. What surprised him was how well-mannered Potter was being.

Potter was also being very loyal to his role as Draco's partner.

"He was such a little terror as a child, bless his heart," said some old crone, patting Draco's cheek with one wrinkled hand. Draco wanted to hiss at her like a cat.

"Aren't we all, at that age?" Potter said calmly, smiling.

"Oh, you're very dedicated to him, I see" she simpered. "Such a pleasure to see. You hardly ever find this in you youngsters these days."

"He doesn't give me much reason not to be dedicated to him."

Potter was still holding his hand.

"Draco doesn't tell us anything about how the two of you put your rather unhappy history aside in order to accept your...softer feelings for each other." Narcissa looked like she'd been bursting to ask Potter this all evening; she'd finally gotten a chance now that she was done making the obligatory rounds amongst her guests.

Potter looked at him, and Draco, his face hot, returned his gaze, trying to apologise wordlessly. But Potter just grinned.

"Well, I don't know about him but," Potter smiled down at Narcissa, looking handsome and charming and, well, fuck, "it was just a natural, automatic thing for me, really. The more I got to know the real Draco Malfoy the deeper I fell in love with him."

Draco felt his eyes widen a bit. He wanted to look at Potter to figure him out, to try and discern just how much he was bullshitting. He wanted to read Potter because Potter was supremely easy to read. The man wore his heart on his sleeve. Draco could always tell, just from one glance, the kind of mood Potter was in.

Trying to appear casual, like Potter hadn't said anything that made Draco's breath catch, Draco looked sideways at him. Potter was smiling, his eyes honest and soft and crinkled at the corners. He was nodding along to something Narcissa was saying.

And he was still holding Draco's hand.

"Very well done," Draco muttered, once his mother had wandered away into the crowd.

Potter smiled and squeezed his hand. "You said you'd give me a tour of the gardens," he said. Draco nodded and led him out.

They strolled in a leisurely manner. It was snowing but there were charms in place which meant that the snow never actually touched them, instead disappearing about a foot over their heads. The gardens were decorated too, lights twinkling everywhere, lighting up the paths.

"This must've been a great place to grow up," Potter eventually said.

They turned the corner and in the distance was the turret-shaped gazebo, hung with white-gold lights. Narcissa, when the weather permitted, loved to paint in the gazebo. Draco smiled.

"It was." Then, guiltily, "I mean... I don't mean to brag or any--"

Potter laughed. It was a low, deep, familiar sound that made Draco break out in gooseflesh.

"Draco," he said gently. "You don't have to feel guilty every time you talk to me about your childhood."

Draco lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "'m not guilty," he mumbled.

"No? You're still that insufferable, obnoxious little shit you were in school?"

Draco actually felt his face fall. He turned to Potter, unbothered about sounding vulnerable. "That's what you thought of me?"

Potter laughed. "Can you blame me? Do you remember you back at school?"

Draco slumped a little. "I suppose." They were nearly at the gazebo now. Together, they turned onto the path that led to the steps leading into it. Then, "That's...not what you think of me now, is it?"

"Draco," Potter's voice was gentle, yet teasing, "Everyone thinks you're a prat. You have to know this."

"Yes, but you?" They climbed the two steps and walked into the gazebo.

"I think you're a prat too." They were still holding hands. "But you're my prat."

Draco turned to look at him but Potter, with a sharp yank, was pulling Draco to himself. With a soft 'oof', Draco hit Potter's chest. Now they were holding both hands.

He quickly pulled himself together although Potter could probably feel his heart galloping in his chest. "Am I, now?"

"Isn't that what we've just spent the last hour and a half proving to people?"

"Well," Draco said slowly, "I was under the impression that it was an act."

"Well," Potter said quietly. "I'd rather it...be real."

They were standing pressed together in the centre of the gazebo, fairy lights surrounding them, Potter's green, green eyes reflecting them as he stared intensely at Draco. He looked like he was challenging Draco, like he was daring Draco to laugh in his face and carelessly brush aside what he'd said. Because that's what Draco Malfoy would do when Harry Potter declared something like that, right? He'd stomp on Harry Potter's proffered heart and revel in it.

Draco couldn't even imagine doing something like that. Especially not when Potter was holding his hands and smelt so good and looked at him like he was promising him so, so many things.

"You were very convincing tonight," said Draco.

"It was really easy," said Potter.

"You held my hand throughout."

"I wasn't about to give up the chance I had."

"Thank you for coming with me tonight."

"I wasn't about to give up the chance I had."

"Potter?"

"Shouldn't you be calling me Harry if we're together?"

"Would you like that?"

"I would love that, Draco."

"You've called me Draco for years now."

"I have."

Draco looked down at the lines of gold thread on Harry's chest, gleaming against the violet silk. "I think I'd like to call you Harry," he admitted.

When his gaze lifted back to Harry's, he was smiling at Draco. Then he looked up above them.

"Mistletoe," Harry said simply.

Draco's ears were ringing as though he'd been struck.

"Oh," he said, his voice quavering.

Harry just smiled again, and slowly let his head drop forward so that their foreheads touched. Then he brought his mouth up to Draco's brow and kissed it.

"Oh," repeated Draco.

They were just gazing at one another now.

Damn it, thought Draco as he broke first and kissed Harry full on the mouth.

They were still holding hands.

*

[captain-aralias]

fic writer interview

thanks @amphipodgirl :D this is perfect for a lazy start to the day.

name: you gave your real name here, so so will i! it’s katy. i don’t know why i’m sort of holding it back in carry on fandom (well, i’m not, but weirdly it feels like i am) - i literally uploaded it to the fanlore page i made for myself and have to update at some point. 

this fanlore article also reminds me that, as well as aralias, i went by ‘polkat’ for what was a comparatively brief number of years. i’ve been aralias for more than a decade. if you’ve heard my podfic you’ll know that inexplicably i pronouce it a-ril-ee-as. 

fandoms: i currently write for ‘carry on’ (but of course) and that’s mostly what i read too. i also still read a bit of blake and i sometimes read a bit of untamed. 

my big previous fandoms are blake’s 7, doctor who, and harry potter. star wars too, but before i knew about online fandom - i never wrote for it. 

where you post: i post here! sort of. and AO3. i love AO3 - like, a lot. i used to post to Livejournal and the Doctor Who specific archive Teaspoon and an Open Mind (which is a great title) and some of my works were on the Pyradonian, which was a D/M specific Who archive, but i didn’t put them there. 

took me ages to stop posting into LJ itself as I had such brand loyalty, but linking to AO3 is better in every way. 

most popular one-shot: we’re at the point, where i no longer need to check. it’s Sex and Blood by a long way.

most popular multi-chapter: another one that’s way out in front of the others. Keep Calm 

i went away to make some coffee after posting and remembered that S&B isn’t a one shot. it just feels like it is to me. which means i literally do not know the answer.... let’s find out.

most popular one shot: by hits and bookmarks it’s... seasonal fluff from Legally Blonde the Musical written for yuletide 2010 Shampoo & Conditioner (In One) - a disappointing top scorer as it is extremely bland. 

by kudos Coming up for air squeaks into the top spot! which is nice. maybe it’s here just because i don’t write many one-shots for carry on, which is a much more popular fandom than B7 or Who, but i like this fic - i’m glad people have read it.

most popular multi-chapter: why, look that. it’s Sex and Blood by a long way.

i literally had no idea people would like this fic so much when i thought ‘vampire pon farr - that sounds pretty funny. i’ll write that’.

fic you were nervous to post: i love feedback and generally am relatively confident my own writing, so i think whatever nervousness i might have felt about any fic i wrote would be overwhelmed by the need to get it into the public domain as quickly as possible. 

there are things that i was nervous about in my early ‘carry on’ fics - like, can i make the mage sympathetic, are people going to be ok with me putting sex here in the middle of this fic. 

actually, i remember i was nervous about posting Portions of the Soul of Man which is a pretty tame truth or dare Blake/Avon fic based off (probably the best) B7 big finish audio. this seems mad more than 7 years later, but the fandom was so small and i was weirdly anxious about saying ‘i mostly want to be writing shippy fic between these two characters’ because - and again, this will seem nuts because B/A is the juggernaut - i just thought people didn’t want it at that particular moment in time. 

how do you choose your titles: i noticed recently that ... they’re all quotes or idioms. again, seems obvious, but i was just happily doing exactly the same thing over and over and not noticing. my two exchange fics tipped me off - they’re both song titles, one of which also has a specific ‘carry on’ meaning. 

that’s nice about carry on fandom though - quotes and idioms are super important. 

do you outline: not really. for longer things, i’ll sometimes make notes of things i want to happen - but mostly it’s in my head. i have a bunch of notes for the role swap thing that i’m increasingly thinking i might never write. so, definitely no correlation between it being done and being helpful.

complete: on AO3, if you remove the tags for ‘meta’ and ‘podfic’ i have 173 remaining works dating back to 2002. (ugh - don’t read my work from 2002!) 

i’ve also uploaded my snowflake fic - although AO3 has hidden it from me extremely effectively. if anyone else has this problem, you can get it back by choosing to click ‘edit works’ from your works homepage, but (as far as i can see) through no other method.

do you take prompts: i’ve re-worded and moved this because i thought it was a bit of a naff ended.

i do take prompts. i love prompts - although i like them to be super specific and probably based on the canon universe.

in progress: two. one for COE - secret. started, need to pick it up again. still aiming for release on 25th, but probably unrealistic. one about simon and baz working on the coven.

coming soon: see above. my snowflake fic will definitely be posted on the 25th. after that, the fics that i mentioned. depending on the prompts i’ll probably sign up for carry on anon fest. i might write the roleswap. i’d like to write something with sharkmartini. 

there are also a few things that i prompted that, if no one writes them, i might end up doing it. i have historically - in both B7 and Who - written fills for things i prompted because, turns out i did know how to write them after all.

tagging some people to do this too if you like!

@unseeliebansidhe @bazzybelle @amywaterwings @vampire-named-gampire @palimpsessed @phoxphyre @sharkmartini @krisrix @annabellelux @fight-surrender @sourcherrymagiks @bunn1cula @thisbluespirit @scone-lover @rainshaded @otherworldsivelivedin @xivz

obviously i didn’t do six sentence sunday because it’s SECRET. (not long now though)