#i've never written a hogwarts au before yikes

[protecticarus]

a short hogwarts AU as prompted by @acuriosityinajunkyard. (she also requested brotzly & farana, which works great for me. also, in order to be able to include amanda, her & todd’s age difference has to be smaller than it is canonically. I’d say everyone else are last years & amanda is like a 3rd year.)

hope this is okay!

~

The audience roared as the young players swooped through the sky on their brooms. Quidditch game days were one of the most exciting on school grounds. Days before the games were filled with excitement, school spirit and house pride. The days of the games were about triple on all of those. 

Most of the school was watching the teams compete once again and the air was filled with loud cheers. Loudest of them all being the ones coming from one Tina Tevetino. “YES FARAH! GO GET ‘EM GIRL! YOU’RE SO GETTING LAID TONIGHT!” She screamed as her girlfriend, Farah, scored again for Gryffindor.

Todd laughed awkwardly at Tina’s overenthusiastic and slightly inappropriate cheers. He was used to Tina’s lack of filter in every and all situations, having been friends with her since their fifth year at Hogwarts. However, not all the audience members seated near them were and kept glancing at Tina, who was not discouraged even a little bit by the looks. “She’s gonna kill you, you know!” Todd raised his voice over the noisy crowd. Todd knew Farah would scold Tina if she heard some of the cheers she’d come up with. “No she ain’t, she loves me! YES FARAH! THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND!” Tina screamed back and quickly got distracted by Farah flying past their section of the audience. Todd laughed.

He had never been big on PDA or announcing his feelings for, well, anyone, and Farah was similar to him in that sense. Of course, having fallen in love with Tina, who had no problem letting people know how she felt and what she thought, had changed things a bit. Todd could tell by the blush on Farah’s face when Tina declared her love and other, ahem, intimate feelings towards her, that her feelings about the gestures weren’t all negative. Todd sympathized with Farah. Being in love changed people… 

Todd looked around the audience, suddenly remembering that his sister was supposed to be there already. “Tina! Do you have any idea where Amanda is?” Todd asked, getting a bit worried about his little sister. 

“Oh, yeah, I saw her at the common room. She told me to tell Farah sorry she couldn’t make it. She’s got plans with the Rowdies.” Tina replied without taking her eyes off the game. 

Todd’s mouth flew open. “Rowdies? You mean the butch 6th and 7th year Gryffindors?” He asked. 

“Yeah!” Tina replied. 

“Why the hell is Amanda hanging out with them! She’s a 3rd year!” Todd squeaked. 

 Tina laughed. “Yeah. A 3rd year that could kick the Rowdies’ and your ass any time of the day. With a wand or her fists. You heard about her giving Friedkin a bloody nose, didn’t you?” Tina said. 

Todd sighed, less than thrilled about that particular occurrence. “Yeah. Sure did.” He said. 

“So, don’t get your panties in a twist. She’s one tough chick.” Tina said, finally turning to look at Todd. 

Todd rolled his eyes. “You Gryffindors… There’s a fine line between brave and stupid, you know?” Todd remarked.

Tina punched him in the arm. “You shut your Slytherin mouth!” She laughed. Todd laughed too. 

For some, their friend group was strange. Three Gryffindors, A Slytherin and a Hufflepuff. A lot of people made their closest friends within their houses, so their little group was special. But weirdest of all was Todd’s presence in the group. 

In his first years at Hogwarts Todd had been… Well, he had been an asshole. He’d made friends with a few boys from his house, whose favorite past time was picking on others and making trouble wherever they went. Todd still felt his heart get heavier when he thought about his first four years at Hogwarts and how he had acted. Back then, he wouldn’t have even interacted with kids from other houses. Then, on his 5th year, Amanda came to Hogwarts. She was sorted into Gryffindor, quite rightfully so, and was absolutely disgusted with how her brother and his ‘friends’ were acting. She refused to talk to him for weeks. That was when Todd realized he had to change his ways. 

He cut the so called friends out of his life and basically begged for Amanda to forgive him. He apologized to anyone he’d offended before and tried to be nice to everyone he came across. Amanda eventually stopped her silent treatment, but she still didn’t let him off the hook easily. He still had to work on being a better person, all his motivation coming from his little sister. 

That is, until he went and fell in love with the eccentric Hufflepuff. 

In his 6th year, he’d ended up in a class with Dirk Gently, who he’d only ever previously known as the weird Hufflepuff boy. True to his word, Todd tried to be nice when he interacted with Dirk, which seemed to encourage him to talk to Todd every chance he got. Which was often. Sometime during that semester, Todd found himself not repressing eye rolls around Dirk anymore, but repressing smiles and blushes. Neither of them went home on Christmas break that year (Todd was behind on school work and Dirk didn’t have a great family life) and they really mostly spent time together. They’d been together ever since.

Everyone that had known Todd before his 5th year would stare at them holding hands in the hallways and making eyes at each other. Todd Brotzman with a Hufflepuff? Todd Brotzman with Dirk Gently of all people? But for the first time in years, Todd felt content. He had Dirk, and he had his sister back.

Amanda loved Dirk. Todd was pretty sure a big part of her letting Todd back into her life properly was because of Dirk and his influence on Todd. Amanda introduced Todd (and Dirk by extension) to Farah and Tina since they were in the same house and so their little group was formed. Amanda, being 13 now, wanted some space for herself, so she had her own friends as well, but she still made sure to see her brother every once in a while. Todd understood. She no longer avoided him, this was just a normal preteen independence thing. 

Todd had gone from a bully, who really didn’t enjoy anything in his life, to a guy who’d do anything for his sister, his boyfriend and his friends. Thanks to Dirk, Todd had gotten better with school and had started planning his future. Todd smiled as he reminisced on the people he cared about most and how they’d changed his life. 

As if she could read his mind, Tina spoke up. “Where’s your badger?” She asked. Todd rolled his eyes. Dirk being the only Hufflepuff in their friend group, Tina loved to make jokes. One of her classics being calling Dirk ‘badger’ and especially ‘Todd’s badger’, since she’d really gotten to know Dirk through Todd. Todd had told her to lay off the jokes, but since Dirk himself didn’t mind, they didn’t seem to be stopping. 

“He said he’d be here.” Todd replied, looking around the rows of seats filled with excited people. Then, as if on cue, he spotted a familiar grin and blue eyes. 

“Todd!” Dirk’s excited voice carried through over the cheers. 

“Hey Dirk!” Todd replied as Dirk made his way to them. 

“Sup badger?” Tina said. 

“I’m wonderful, thank you for asking!” Dirk replied and sat down next to Todd, leaning in to place a quick kiss on Todd’s lips. 

Todd smiled against Dirk’s lips. “I missed you.” He said, quietly enough that only Dirk could hear him. 

Dirk grinned. “I missed you too.” He said not at all as quietly as Todd and leaned in for another kiss.

“Y’all are sickeningly sweet.” Tina said and turned towards the game again. 

Todd blushed but Dirk seemed unfazed. 

“How’s the game?” Dirk asked. 

“We’re winning!” Tina squealed. 

“I’m happy for you!” Dirk replied. Gryffindor were playing against Ravenclaw, so it was easy for everyone to support Farah and Tina’s house. Though, Dirk would of course be happy for his friends even if they were playing against his house.

After the game, Todd, Dirk, Tina, Farah and Amanda who had joined them to celebrate Gryffindor’s victory, sat around the courtyard. The air was chilly, but surprisingly warm at this point of the fall. They all sat down on the grass and talked in loud, excited voices. 

“And when you did that- that thing with the thing!” Tina, with her arm around her girlfriend, excitedly explained her favorite moments of the game to Farah, who blushed at all the compliments. 

“You really were magnificent!” Dirk chimed in from his position on the ground, sitting between Todd’s legs and leaning against his chest. Todd started to lose feeling in his arms which were holding both him and Dirk up, but he would rather not feel any of his limbs than have to tell Dirk to move. 

“Isn’t my girlfriend the coolest!” Tina exclaimed and Farah closed her eyes. “Tina…” She whined and then changed the subject. “Where were you for the first half of the game, Dirk?”

“Oh, turns out my hunch was right: I figured out who stole the ingredients from the potions class so I went to talk to the headmaster.” Dirk explained. “He was very grateful.” 

Todd looked down at his boyfriend. “You figured it out?” He asked. 

“Yes. It made quite a lot of sense once I had all the information.” Dirk replied, looking up at Todd. 

Todd smiled. “I’m so proud of you.” He said. 

Dirk blushed. “Thank you, Todd.” 

Amanda groaned. “One day I’m gonna have a boyfriend or a girlfriend and I won’t have to be the goddamn fifth wheel with you people anymore.” 

~ 

if you have any fic ideas, please send me prompts! I’d love to write them. my inbox is open! x

[cellsshapedlikestars]

Dark Jonsa Ideas

Sansa was kidnapped by Ramsey and is readjusting to her life Modern AU

Jon was wrongfully imprisoned (the Starks bust him out) AU

Ned and Cat betrayed Sanaa’s trust/didn’t believe she had a traumatic experience. The Stark Siblings try to heal their relationship AU

USA Gymnastics AU (ft. Petyr Baelish in a Larry Nassar esque role)

Harry Potter AU (maybe Sansa is a squib?)

I have lots of random ideas lol I’ll keep sharing them and maybe something will click :) I love your work

Jonsa HP AU/Squib Sansa AU

Well... THIS has been sitting in my inbox for a while (not as long as that one last prompt from when I asked for them last December, though. Yikes.)

I'll be honest, I wasn't ever going to do a Harry Potter AU. It's been done a million times before and by better writers than me. But today I sat down and went, you know what? I don't think I've read a Sansa-the-squib one before. So here we are.

A disclaimer, I am no HP expert. I was when I was a kid, but I went a solid decade without ever touching it or the fandom because I got salty about the ending, and have only recently re-watched the movies. I have not read or seen any of the sequels/prequels. But also I don't think I go too deep into HP lore here, so it probably doesn't matter.

.

on AO3 here

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Sansa is on the couch reading Pride and Prejudice for the hundredth time when she hears the distant pop of a portkey outside.

It's about time, she thinks. She's never sure why her siblings have to ride that train from Hogwarts all the way down to London, only to portkey back up to Scotland, but she has learned over the years not to question things too much. She may have grown up around magic, but she understands that there are some things that are not meant for her.

There's a bark of Robb's laughter and she feels herself smile as she slips her finger in between the pages of Jane Austen as a bookmark. She may be a squib, an outcast from wizard society, but her family has not disowned her – not like the stories she has heard of other families with squibs. No, Sansa is lucky. And Robb? Robb is her biggest supporter.

She hears Rickon start moving upstairs, also having heard the portkey, and mom comes out of the kitchen. Sansa has just stood up, book still clutched in her hand, when the door opens and dad comes through first, followed by Arya, then Bran, and finally Robb.

Except – not finally. Behind Robb is a boy she's never seen before, with dark hair curling around his chin, wire-rimmed glasses, and a fully muggle outfit just like the rest of them.

Robb freezes and his eyes go wide. “Sansa,” he starts, “I thought you'd be in France.”

Sansa herself attends a very prestigious all girls school outside of London, and one of her best friends, Margaery, is taking her to France with her family this summer. “I'm not leaving for a few weeks,” she corrects Robb. She thought she'd explained it well enough in her last letter.

Its then that she remembers mom mentioning that Robb's best friend would be visiting this summer, though Robb had written no such thing in his own letter. This must be Jon – Sansa has heard enough about him in the six years Robb has been at that school. She has never met him, though she knows Robb has gone over to Ireland to visit him the past few summers.

Robb is silent for a few moments as she waits expectantly for the proper introduction to his friend. Finally it comes, a hesitant, “Jon, this is my sister, Sansa.”

She watches Jon's brow furrow, his mouth turns down, his eyes go from Robb, to Arya, to Bran, before he says, “I didn't know you had another sister.”

Sansa feels like she can hear her blood pumping through her veins in the silence of the room; soon it's all she can hear. Jane Austen falls to the floor from her suddenly limp fingers and she barely hears her mother's scolding sigh of, “Robb.”

And then she runs.

She shoves her way past mom and through the kitchen and out the back door. She doesn't pay attention to where she's going – all she can hear is that horrible little voice in her head.

Robb doesn't talk about you. Robb is ashamed of you. They all are.

Somehow, inexplicably, she ends up at the little shed where they keep the quidditch supplies. She hates this building. It isn't meant for her.

She yanks open the door anyway and slams it shut behind her, finding a spot on the floor to sit. It's only then, when she's finally stopped moving, that the tears come, hot and fast. She pulls her knees up to her chest and buries her face in them and tries to be as quiet as she can. In the distance, she can hear her family shouting her name, but they will not be able to find her. She has no wand to trace, and tracking spells don't work on her, either.

Some things are not meant for Sansa. She has always known it.

She doesn't know how long she spends curled up in the quidditch shed. Eventually she stops crying and she wishes that she could call Mya – one of her best friends from school and the only person who knows about magic. They'd gotten drunk one night from vodka that Margaery had snuck into the dorms and she and Mya had been the last ones awake. She remembers Mya pinky-promising her that she would never tell.

But she can't call Mya, because electronics don't work at Winterfell Manor. It is too old, too infused with magic. If she wants to make a call on her mobile, she has to bike into town. She has all her friends convinced that it's just poor reception.

(And that only reminds her that the Starks are one of the old families – a long line of proud witches and wizards. She does not belong here.)

The door to the shed suddenly opens and she gasps a bit in surprise, which makes Jon's eyes move to the floor, where she is. If she'd just stayed silent, perhaps he would have never seen her.

“Hi,” he says, like he's not sure what else to say. “Your family's looking for you.”

“I'm a squib, not deaf,” she bites back, feeling a fresh wave of tears rise up in her.

Jon sighs, then looks off to the left and in the distance, she can still hear her name being called. Then he comes inside and lets the door swing shut behind him and he sits on the dusty floor beside her.

After a few moments of silence, he says, “I don't want to say that I know what it's like, but I think I can understand a little.” She gives him a glare, and he winces a bit. “I just meant, I'm muggleborn.”

“Congratulations,” she balls her hands into fists and looks away from him.

“What I mean is that my family doesn't talk about me either,” he explains, speaking slowly and carefully. She likes his accent. “It's not the same, not totally, but my mom spent so many years lying to people, I think she just found it easier to stop talking about me altogether. She can't tell anyone that I made the quidditch team, or how many O levels I'm taking.”

That makes Sansa turn her head again to look at him. He's got a rueful smile on his face, it looks a bit sad.

“She got a new job last year,” he continues. “I don't think any of her new coworkers know I exist. I know it's not totally the same, she isn't allowed to tell people about what I am, but I still... it still sucks.”

“At least you have magic,” she whispers.

“So what?” She levels another glare at him and this time it makes him smile. “Magic doesn't make anyone inherently better, no matter what those weird blood purists say.” His face twists into a scowl and she wonders if he's had run-ins with them before. She knows the type – families like the Targaryens who think magic should only be kept in the old families. No muggleborns, no half breeds, and certainly no squibs.

She used to think her own family was different – hasn't dad been championing for the rights of house elves and goblins and werewolves and other magical beings? She has never doubted it before, but suddenly she wonders if dad is the same – if dad doesn't talk about her, either. He sent her away to a boarding school in a different country - what if dad doesn't talk about her, just like Robb doesn't?

Robb, who always told her it didn't matter whether she had magic or not, she was still a part of the family. Robb, who encouraged her painting and writing and told her she could be whatever she wanted to be. Her older brother, her protector. He's ashamed of her.

“My mom doesn't have magic," Jon says, his voice fierce. "I've got friends back home that don't. They aren't any less of a person than me. And if I'm being honest, there's stuff from the muggle world I miss when I'm at school.”

“Like what?” she sniffs, trying to subtly wipe her nose on the knees of her jeans, which are still pulled tight to her chest.

“Like phones. Like movies and football and good music. Good music,” he emphasizes, “have you noticed that all wizard music is just about magic? It's like they can't sing about anything else.”

To her surprise, a bubble of laughter builds in her and it escapes from her lips. Jon looks a bit pleased with himself.

“I do like muggle music better,” she admits, something she has never even thought to say to any of her family before.

“We'll have to compare,” he says with a soft smile. “Swap playlists or something.”

“Electronics don't work here,” she tells him, and he nods.

“That's right, Robb told me I'd have to go into town to ring my mom.”

“I do that to talk to my friends.”

“Well,” he shrugs, and his eyes dart away from her, “maybe we can go into town together and go to a movie or something. Robb doesn't really get them, he says. It'll be nice to go with someone who does.”

“I'd like that,” she whispers, then presses her face into her knees because she thinks she might cry again.

“Robb might be weird about it,” Jon continues. “But honestly, I'm kinda pissed at him for never mentioning you, so he can deal with it.”

Another burst of laughter, mixed with tears – she is a swirl of emotions and she's too muddled to try and figure out what she's feeling. She's not sure how long they sit there, but eventually she notices that her name is no longer being called.

“We should probably go back,” Jon murmurs at some point, and when she looks up, she can see that the sky through the little shed window has turned orange.

He helps her stand, and they leave the shed and walk back towards the house. The kitchen door opens and mom appears on the landing, hand pressed to her heart. Robb is right behind her, looking pale and withdrawn.

“Sansa-” he starts, but she holds her hand up.

“I'm not ready to talk to you yet,” she tells him, but it comes out shakier than she wanted. She wanted to sound strong, cold even. Instead it just sounds like she's about to cry again. The stricken look on Robb's face doesn't make her feel any better, though she wishes it did. She wishes she took comfort in hurting him, but it just makes everything worse.

“You missed dinner,” mom says softly, “come inside, I have some warmed for you.”

She follows her mom in and sits at the kitchen table as mom sets a plate in front of her. She notes that mom doesn't use magic at all to do any of it, though she does suspect there was a warming spell. Mom always tries to do things the non-magic way when she can.

“Jon and I are going to go to a muggle movie in town,” she tells mom, picking up her fork and pushing some peas around on her plate.

Jon gives an uncomfortable cough before he says, “I just thought it'd be nice to do something...” He trails off, running a hand through his hair awkwardly.

“You missed dinner, too,” mom says softly, gesturing at another seat at the table, and then another plate appears in her hands.

“I think a movie is a fine idea,” dad says. He and mom sit at the table with her and Jon - Robb has disappeared, like he understands she can't bear to even look at him right now.

“Dad?” She still hasn't eaten a thing, she's not sure she can. When dad looks at her, she asks, “do you talk about me? At work?”

Dad sits back in his chair and mom reaches across the table to take his hand.

“Do you know, when I was young, I never thought much about the rights of non-witches and wizards. And do you know why I've made it my mission now? I'm ashamed to say it took you to open my eyes to it. You're all I talk about, Sansa, even when I'm talking about werewolves or muggleborns or centaurs or... anyone.”

“I should go,” Jon murmurs, pushing his chair back and standing as Sansa presses her hands to her face. He leaves the room, though there's a part of her that wishes he would stay. He understands her, and he seems to understand that she needs to be alone with her parents right now.

“You aren't ashamed of me?” she asks, voice wobbly and low. She sounds so pathetic, but she needs to know.

“Never,” dad says fiercely.

“But you sent me away.”

“We thought it was best,” mom sighs, and then her chair scrapes back and suddenly Sansa is wrapped in her mother's arms. “We looked for the best school that we could send you to. We wanted you to have everything. Any opportunity you wanted. You couldn't have that here at Winterfell.”

“I think perhaps we should have explained it better,” dad says, just as soft. “I think there's a lot of things we could have done better. I think there's some things we should talk about more, with the whole family.”

Sansa thought, perhaps, that she was all out of tears, but she isn't. She turns and buries her face into her mother and cries for what feels like hours. She cries until she is too tired to cry anymore and then dad picks her up like he hasn't done since she was a child and carries her upstairs.

Maybe one day she can forgive Robb, she thinks. Maybe one day she can forgive Arya and Bran, though their betrayal hurts less. She and Arya never really got along, and Bran likely followed the example set by his older siblings. It's Robb that hurts most of all.

But maybe one day.

Maybe one day dad will succeed, maybe one day being a squib won't be the shameful thing it is now. Maybe one day the world will be different.

For now, though, things are the same. For now, she'll focus on the things she has – her trip to France with the Tyrells. The new set of oil paints she had picked up in London before she came home. A muggle movie with a boy that might understand her better than her family ever could. She thinks she's looking forward to that one most of all.

That's her last thought before she finally slips off to sleep.

[whatsaboomlakalaka]

fic writer interview!

thanks for the tag @grantairesbottle !!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

20 ! how did that happen !

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

56,068

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

5 on ao3 but really 4 bc I think Original Work + Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game) count as one (its backstory for one of my PCs)

the others are Les Miserables, Dimension 20 (specifically Fantasy High) and Life with Derek

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

What To Expect When You're Expecting A Soulmate - (Dimension 20 (Fantasy High)) - Fig/Ayda - the figayda soulmark au nobody asked for but i wrote anyway - classic first words your soulmate will say to you are written on your body somewhere, bc with their first interaction how could i NOT. 2k, oneshot!

Llamas and Siblings and Pies, Oh my! - (Life with Derek) - Casey/Derek - texting fic! the whole family's involved! i don't know how to describe this one except ridiculous and very fun! 4k, oneshot!

Bump In The Night - (Life with Derek) - Casey/Derek - a mix of soulmark aus from a 3am prompt that i wrote in 40mins and didn't read through before i posted. wild that its this high up tbh. 600 words, ficlet!

A Pretty Good Bad Idea - (Life with Derek) - Casey/Derek - summer vibes prompt that's actually just pwp - everyone loves smut OPPPPP. 2.5k, oneshot!

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger - (Les Miserable) - Enjolras/Grantaire - again, everyone loves smut? this fic is so old omg but yeah i guess its a thing i wrong. canon-compliant pwp. 2k, oneshot!

5. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Yes! Always! I love to chat come talk to me!!

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

God, right. Do we mean angst like "everyone's about to die"? Because if so, What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger, again, or Just Open Your Eyes - but they're both Les Mis and like. Is death angst in canon-era Les Mis bc idt it is???

Non-death related, I'm going with Evacuate The Dancefloor. Mostly because it was going to end happily and then the last 40 words just came out of nowhere but like. It had to. Idk. Sad wanking innit.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Hmmm I haven't written any with like crossed over characters but I like putting people in different settings. Hogwarts AUs etc. And like. My Life with Derek Tag AU, cleverly just titled "Tag".

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Writing for small fandoms is a blessing, no.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yeah but like I'm not comfortable writing it really? But sometimes I do it to challenge myself and those are always the fics with the best stats which is WILD.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I’m aware of!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not that I'm aware of!

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nel said this too in hers lol but like. No posts fic, but RP. A lot of RP.

Also @nosybutterfly and I have the starting of a Life with Derek one but we've both been working on separate things recently - Em we should get back to it !!!

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

The ship that first got me into fanfiction was Harry/Ginny (Harry Potter). But I've probably read more Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Miserables) than anything else. Plus Combeferre/Courfeyrac (also Les Mis). Honourable mentions to: Beck/Johanssen (The Martian), Josh/Donna (The West Wing), Laurie/Amy (Little Women), and Casey/Derek (Life with Derek).

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Nothing has been posted of it yet but I've got this one Ballet Dancer!Casey/Photographer!Derek Long Distance AU and. Eurgh. One day.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think I manage to get a lot of info into not a lot of words. I also think I'm funny but who knows what everyone else thinks.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I start so many things I know I'll never finish yikes

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter - I don't even remember my old username but it was on Sink Into Your Eyes, back in the day.

Also Firefly - mostly on fireflyfans.net

19. What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

A Thousand Years Go By (Love Don’t Die) - Life with Derek - Derek/Casey - the mcturi siblings are paranormal investigators checking out sam's new mansion-come-hotel. 8k, oneshot!

this fic hit me like a fever dream and i could think of nothing else until it was written. its also got just... so few hits compared to my other dasey fics and that makes me sad sometimes ngl.

Tagging anyone who wants to do it! Say I tagged you and I'll back you up!!