#knight bus shenanigans

[cherry-pop-elf]

Late Night Cutie Pie

Newt Scamander X Knight Bus Worker! Reader

((Can be read as platonic))

While working on the bus, a famous little face pops itself into the open doors. A sweetheart that’s been stressed out of his mind, and you do what you do best. Help those in need. Along with show you might have a talent for Nifflers, on top of a talent for flustering Magizoologists

Warnings: very adorable fluff, tooth rotting fluff, fluster newt, newt being painfully adorable, and of course TEDDY SHENANIGANS

“Ooooo we got a celebrity joining us tonight-!” You heard you coworker, a talking head, shout to you. You wondered who that could be, as you finished tidying up the beds. Ready for whatever lost soul is needing a good rest. Pillows fluffed, blankets laid out, and wheels oiled to keep people from flying.

“Oh no no. Im not celebrity-“ A almost timid voice would speak, as you hurried down from the upper floor. Once your shoes hit the ground, your eyes went wide with who they landed on. A man in a blue jacket, fluffy hair, and a suit case in hand. Newt Scamander. In the flesh.

“No way-“ You whispered, before those big blue eyes were on you. He gave a shy little wave, before rummaging in his pocket. Pulling out his ticket, and snapping you back to reality. As instinct, you were quick to sort it out. Not even needing to look at your hands, as you kept them on him. Snip, snap, POP, done!

“Normally we never pry, but uh. What’s a guy like you doing on a bus like ours-?” You asked. You were a Knight Bus Worker. You had to be social, after all. So being direct with people, no matter the face, is an important skill to have. One that was leaving him embarrassed.

“Well, seems you know who I am. Guess you can kinda put two and two together. Not many people trust that I’ll keep my friends under control.” He admits, with a smile that said it hurt him. They were animals. Not their fault after all. You won’t lie, though. It’s touching how he would simply turn those people away. Compared to following their rules, and leaving his friends behind.

“I mean, we’ve had the shadiest people come on here. Better to have Hippogriff shit on the bed than human shit. Least with a bird like that, you know they couldn’t help it.” You would put, rather bluntly, which had him smile. Knowing he wouldn’t be a burden to anyone on the bus, given you were being very direct with him. Compared to sugar coating, or babying him because of his Hufflepuff nature. People tended to do that, and even he was getting annoyed. A welcome change it was.

“I’ll take you to the upper floor, so you can have more room. Not a lot of people go up there, because of motion sickness. So you’ll have plenty of room to stretch your legs-!” You comforted, as you were making his night. A place to actually rest, and work with his care. You were just his angel. He wanted to hug you so badly, and you can tell with his arms tensing. Once a Hufflepuff, always a Hufflepuff.

“Bring it in-“ You reassured, and he nearly lifted you off the ground. Made you wheeze, but you couldn’t deny it. Hufflepuffs gave the best hugs. Not many people liked to treat you more than part of the bus, so it was a very nice change. Felt good to get a hug.

“Truly, I am so grateful. Be nice to sleep in a bed for a while. Not to say I do not enjoy nature, but we all live in certain environments for a reason after all." The older man said, when he finally set you free. Must be so hard, world traveling. Maybe he was home sick, so he was back in England for a while. Maybe animals were in need. Who knows! You just know he needed rest.

"Come on up then." You would escort him to the second floor of the double decker bus, and would lead him to a freshly made bed. You also made sure the frame was secure, wheels smooth, anything that could cause issues in his stay. Just wanting him to get some rest. As you did, you were not aware of Newt having a panic attack behind you. The moment you turned; he quickly hid his suitcase. Smiling big, with eyes darting everywhere.

"Doing alright? Seem a bit shaken, what's up?" You asked, as he keeps his nervous smile. A tug at his collar, before his eyes were now staring at something behind you. That made you raise a brow, before you slowly turned around. Just as you did, something jumped on you. You gave a shout, before you were tumbling into the once Hufflepuff. Both of you crashing to the ground.

"TEDDY-! NO! WEVE BEEN OVER THIS-!" You heard him shout, as you were helped up. Now you had a niffler choking you out, given he was dangling off your lanyard. Now knowing it was a niffler, you weren't upset. Your lanyard had many shiny pins and buttons. It can't be helped.

"Aw, you want a pin?" You cooed, as you soon scooped the little gremlin into your arms. Him still holding the lanyard, as Newt calmed down. Surprised to see Teddy calm as well. Just looking up at you with those big eyes. Sparkling with desire. You knew what to do, given many a child has ridden the bus. For one reason or another.

"Here is a nice shiny pin, all for you." You smiled, as you rummaged in your pocket. Soon you had a pin in hand, designed to look like the knight bus. With glittery windows, that made it sparkle like stars. That had the niffler let go of the lanyard, and make grabby hands for the pin. Into his tiny hands it went, and he hugged it tightly. A little chirp of happiness, before it went into his pouch. Safe and sound. Now he was satisfied, for the time being.

"Amazing..." Newt whispered, before he would take Teddy back. The little guy was quick to pull the new possession out, and showed it to his dad. Newt gave a 'ooo' and his eyes sparkled all the same. Just like a father, to a toddler. Melted your heart, to see a bond. How he kissed Teddy's head, and he gave chirps of joy.

"You have a talent for animals, I can see it clear as day. Teddy is always a handful, but like that you had it under control. No panic, and quick to find a solution. Amazing." He praised you, resulting a heavy blush on your face. What a praise and honor it was. Newt Scamander, praising your skills.

"Toddlers and nifflers are basically the same thing." You brushed off, before the bus was quick to make its sharp stop. You didnt move a inch, of course, but the father and son went flying. You winced, when Newt slammed into the window. He did, however, made sure to keep teddy wrapped around his arms. Pressed into his chest, so that the little thing suffered as little damage as possible. Such a pure soul.

"There is a reason we have complinetry sleeping potions and pain killers. Check the bedside table, back to work I go!" You waved goodbye, with Teddy waving bye as well. Since his dad was busy with new back pain.

Just like how it always was. Taking tickets, escorting newbies, comforting lost children, punching a drunk here and there. A typical night for the bus. As it was getting closer to the end of your shift, you would go and check on the famous celebrity. Up the stairs, and to the second floor.

There he was. His brief case locked to the bed frame, with an enchanted chain, and his coat hung up. His face pressed into the pillow, showing his knocked out face. Drooling, in a much needed rest. All the while little Teddy was snuggled close to his father. His face tucked under the man’s chin, and tiny hands hugging his dress shirt close. Safe, under the man’s arm.

You would sneak over, and make sure the blanket was pulled high enough for him and Teddy. Poor souls needed it. You wouldn’t be surprised if he would spend a few nights here. As if you would complain. The company would be needed, and who knows. Maybe a Pest Control guy would be needed. Sure get wild animagi coming in sometimes.

With Newt tucked in, and adjusting the pillow for Teddy, you would return down the stairs. All to be teased by that talking head for growing overly friendly with the celebrity. All it took was a flick, and he was spinning. That had you laugh, as you stretched.

Never a dull night, on that bus.

[spotsandsocks]

✨ 2023 writing round-up ✨

Tagged by (and I might have missed some people sorry) @exhuastedpigeon @jamespearce9-1-1 @heartshapedvows @thekristen999 @jesuisici33 @daffi-990 @hippolotamus @wikiangela

Links to all 23 fics I’ve written which I’ve just realised coincidentally matches the year maybe I shouldn’t work on that Christmas fic after all 🤔 All under the cut cos that’s quite a few and your dash does not need to be bothered by that! 😆😆 I will forget to tag someone I know it, so if I do I didn’t really and you’re tagged too cos you’re wonderful

💕💜💕Thank you to each and everyone of you who talks to me, tags me, supports and encourages me, reblogs and likes. Sends asks and questions and prompts and love in my direction. Thank you for sharing your time, talents , your words and creative skills with us all. You make my days brighter and more fun. I adore you all and wish you all a happy kind and peaceful 2024. 💕💜💕

January

Home Wanted 6k established Buddie new pet based shenanigans 🐀🐁🐀

Could Have Should Have Would Have 3k my biggest hit this year angsty then sweet

Who You Gonna Call? 9k Eddie calls Buck and works out how he feels

February

This Must Be Love 5.7k fluffy valentines fic featuring pea puns 🫛

March

Just another minute 1.2k 6x10 spec

No Place 8.4k coma!buck spec fic with a few similarities to what we got actually

It's Such A Feeling 1.8k couldn’t remember but apparently hand appreciation fic that gets smutty 😉

April

Date Night 2k I got stuck on bus for almost 3 hours and this happened - surprisingly popular considering I had no plans to write it until traffic hit!

The Answer I Needed 2.4k Buck is always there for Eddie 5plus 1 across time till love strikes

Always There 1.6k Tía Pepa sees all at Christopher’s birthday party

May

Everything But (temptation) 4.7 5plus 1 of Eddie being a flirty tease and driving Buck crazy

Worth the wait5.7 same fic but from Buck’s perspective

July

Good Knight Sweet Prince 167,316k ahh my best beloved started in 2023 and finished this year. I adored writing and sharing this what turned out to be epic length fantasy au. Knights princes dragons thwarted love and a happy ending what can I say if that’s your thing give it a go.

Let me stay by your fire (for nothing warms me like you do)4.5k couldn’t let go of mediaeval theme so knight Buck this time coming home to his blacksmith friend Eddie. Oh and bees. 🐝

August

Something Worth Staying For 21k an enemies to lover (although not really enemies) small town newspaper au where Buck turns up and Eddie hates him until he doesn’t. Featuring my real life computer disaster 😆

Tied To You From The Start 13.4k a challenge I took on and did rather well if I say so myself 😆😆 paranormal mysterious shenanigans. Buck in peril and on the run Eddie trying to save him from his own self sacraments and hot sex.

September

The Comfort of Your Hands 2.9k inspired by an anon talking about Eddie running fingers through Bucks hair. No plans for this one it just happened and again was well received. Maybe I should stop planning fics and just see what happens.

October

The Price of Love (is high) 7.7k autumnangstfest drama. I put them both through it. All past traumas coming back to cause trouble.

Your heart or mine? Yours every time 3.6k a hungry vampire!Buck and Eddie get stuck in a lift … things occur

November

100 word fics added a short fic to this little collection i actually love doing these. It’s a great challenge

Only one answer 590 couldn’t remember.. had a look and went oh yeah that was cute. Proposal fic in under 600 words

In my defence I was left unsupervised 1.3k Buck gets bored with sissors Eddie likes the results … who could resist buzz but Buck… not Eddie it seems

Nov/Dec

The Lost and The Found wip 5/10 48k this was not meant to be this long but guess what.. got carried away and plot is plotting and demands around 100,000 at least in the end I suspect. 5 chapters out number 6and 7 before Christmas this counts as 2023 doesn’t it? Come join me for the ride

@daffi-990 @shortsighted-owl @monsterrae1 @rogerzsteven @hippolotamus @loserdiaz @the-likesofus @stagefoureddiediaz @yelenasbuddie @hoodie-buck @buddierights @bekkachaos @thekristen999 @ronordmann @caroandcats @spaceprincessem @disasterbuckdiaz @heartshapedvows @underwater-ninja-13 @wildlife4life @wikiangela @thewolvesof1998 @exhuastedpigeon @weewootruck @giddyupbuck @housewifebuck @honestlydarkprincess @pirrusstuff @elvensorceress @jesuisici33 @eddiebabygirldiaz @jamespearce9-1-1 @theplaceyoustillrememberdreaming @wh0re-behavi0r @princessfbi @jacksadventuresinwriting @ci5mates @katries @megsvstheworld @like-the-rest-of-la

[ladyaj-13]

LadyAJ’s 2023 Fics

This year I wrote 16 new stories (and one new chapter on an old one!) across five fandoms - One Direction, Endeavour, Kingsman, The Eagle and new-to-me Ted Lasso. Details below, I hope you’ll check some out - I like to think there’s a bit of something for everyone. 

One Direction

Bloom - T, 28k, Louis/Liam

Do you like historical AUs? Do you like awesome art by @whatagreatproblemtohave? Then you’ll like this, written for the One Direction Big Bang.

In early 1970s Oxford, Detective Sergeant Louis Tomlinson has to deal with the dual pressures of a case that hits too close to home, and the arrival of new colleague Liam Payne. Payne is both the bane of his existence and, uh... dangerous. Very dangerous. His eyes, that is. His lips. The way he stands.

A story of rain and cobblestones, cigarettes, and repression. And the sunshine after the storm.

In Shining Armour of Trackie and Trainers - T, 9k, Louis/Harry

Because who wouldn’t love white knight Louis coming to their rescue?

Online dating isn't exactly working for Harry. In fact, it couldn't really be going much worse. But then the door of the bar opens, and the pack of friends walking in parts and - that’s Louis Tomlinson.

Louis fucking Tomlinson.

Pageant Material - G, 6k, Louis/Zayn

Watch me throw Miss Congeniality and Kacey Musgraves together, shake it up, and give it a Zouis twist. Written for the Zouis fest.

Louis flicks a nearby switch, lighting the bulbs around his mirror in a soft glow. The buttery yellow catches on the edges of his cheekbones, sharpening the dip. He looks more grown up this year. Some of his baby fat has melted away, and he sucks in his cheeks to see what he might look like by twenty five if this pattern continues. Then he crosses his eyes and sticks out his tongue.

Or, the Zouis teen beauty pageant AU.

The Way to My Heart - T, 6k, Louis/Harry

Fluffy, funny AU Larry with lots of Nouis friendship on the side. Written for the a/b/o fest.

Louis' having a bit of a dry spell, until he bumps into an attractive alpha in the supermarket and leaves with his number. It was a hard bump. Very... muscular.

The only problem is, said alpha asks Louis to cook for him - which is not exactly his skill set.

Feeling Feline - T, 4k, Louis/Niall

Nouis, my beloved, with shelter-worker!Niall and magical cat transformations. Written for the Louis rare pair fest.

“I’m telling you,” drifts through the cracked door, and Louis’ ears prick, twitching with interest. “There’s something wrong with that cat.”

“Have you talked to Liam?” asks another voice, worried. Louis thinks it’s the tall one with curly hair. Taller one. They’re all tall when you’re ten inches high.

“Not medically wrong,” the blond one says. “But I swear, and I know this sounds nuts, but I don’t think he’s a cat?”

Fine Line - G, 1k, Louis/Nick Grimshaw

It’s present day, it’s canon compliant, it’s just long enough to read while waiting for the bus assuming it’s not got stuck in traffic.

Telling his family was always going to be a big deal, but doing it alone was a sacrifice he could make.

He never thought they’d fall about laughing.

In The Dark - T, 666, Gen

Choose your own character in this spooky snippet written for the trick or treat fest.

It’s the dreams.

He’d be fine without the dreams… suggesting things. If he could face all this - whatever this is - with a clear, rested mind.

Bound - G, 619, Liam/Zayn

Vampire AU? Check. 

Months should pass like hours for a vampire, but to Zayn they’ve felt endless. Now, finally, it has come. The day he takes his consort.

Endeavour

Tread Carefully into my Life - T, 29k, WIP, Morse/Jakes

See? I told you it’s not abandoned. Maybe 2024 is the year I finally finish this canon rewrite where Jakes stayed - in the meantime, enjoy nearly thirty thousand words of their on/off up/down shenanigans!

He can't help the way his eyes drift across the room, to Morse in his shirtsleeves, arms crossed across his body. It’s a defensive posture, which is no surprise, but otherwise he looks collected. Calm. Like facing down man eating beasts is all part of the job, and despite the evidence of today, it most certainly is not part of the job.

Tigers. For the love of God, give him an axe murderer any day.

Stepping Out - G, 9k, Morse/Jakes/Joan

Established polyamory with the Oxford disaster trio. Jakes didn’t leave.

“You know what I haven't done in ages?” Joan asks, punctuating her question by flinging her legs up and leaning dramatically backwards against the sofa arm. Peter almost spills his tea. “Gone dancing. We should go.”

Kindred - G, 2k, Gen

Ohhh series nine. Pre-slash Morse/Sam if you really squint.

Sam Thursday, Morse, and the power of orange juice.

Offcuts - G, 2k, Morse/Jakes/Joan

With this final instalment, the series is complete. As a whole it's almost 32k, so if you like Endeavour and polyamorous relationships, set aside a Saturday and dive in.

Snapshot scenes of life with the trio.

Adding it Up - G, 887, Morse/Jakes

Let’s return to series three, because Jakes.

Fred’s been a copper for a long time. It’s in his bones at this point, a habit so engrained he can’t turn it off. Like Morse with his beer and Jakes with his cigarettes, Fred’s addiction is piecing things together. Even when he’d rather not.

Ted Lasso

Would You Rather - G, 1k - Colin & Jamie, Roy/Jamie

It had to happen! Diving into a new fandom is always a pleasure.

"I’m talking about percentages. Like, yeah, you’re gay. So maybe you’re at like, eighty, ninety per cent. But if I say who’d you rather fuck out of Ms Welton, Keeley and Maisie from the canteen, you know what you’d say, right?”

Colin is beginning to think Jamie doesn’t know what gay is. "Erm, no."

Squeegee - M, 525 - Roy/Jamie

Short and snappy ;)

Jamie’s beautifully vocal in bed, but long, pitchy squeaking is new.

Kingsman

The Honeypots - T, 5k - Eggsy/Harry

Partial AU with undercover, honeypot spy shenanigans and obliviousness? I wrote it for a reason. I mean, it’s right up my street.

Eggsy is MI6. Harry is Kingsman. They have each been tasked to seduce a suspected rival intelligence agent.

The intelligence part may be overselling it.

The Eagle of the Ninth

Winter Sunlight - G, 1k, Marcus/Esca

I think writing a fluffy, happy gay farmers fic is actually a requirement of this fandom. Here’s my offering.

“How is it,” a familiar voice mutters drowsily, muffled by the drape of skins and fur, “that after all these years, you still can’t manage a proper lie in?”

[nasuversekinkmeme]

Weekly Roundup: Prompts

FATE EXTRA

Charlemagne can't read but never told his knights this. Hijinks ensue.

Charlemagne’s paladins hijinks ensures. I don’t care what they are doing, just destruction and chaos.

FGO

Xiang Yu and Lu Bu meet and bond over the fact that they're mecha warriors. That is, until one mentions how amazing a beauty their wife is. Then it gets cold.

It's discovered that Ritsuka is actually an orphan and has been keeping it a secret from everyone out of shame.

CROSSOVER

I would kill for Guda accidentally summoning Omega from Mega Man Zero and the shenanigans that ensue.

[allofthelights11]

Opening Lines

Tagged in by: @anna-h-ofeliya

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (or however many you have) posted fics and see if there’s a pattern!

So I this is only from revealed works. I have a solid half dozen written that haven't been revealed yet.

The pattern I noticed was that my starter was usually not enough to tell a damn thing, so I took a couple of liberties.

Out of Time

Draco drifts. It’s an odd feeling, a floating without water. Or air. Maybe it’s just his mind drifting.

Private Tutor

“All students will be partnered up in lessons this year, without exception."

Ewe Belong With Me

Tibbs stepped over a small, rotted tree trunk partially sunken into the ground. The moss atop it rippled in the light rain, but Tibbs didn’t notice this. Rain meant nothing in particular to Tibbs.

Look at Me

She bent low over her paper, her ankles crossed and tucked to the side near the left chair leg. Her wildly wavy brown hair fell over her shoulder, obscuring her cheek from his view. He didn’t like that.

Knight Bus Shenanigans

"Ready?” Neville’s outstretched hand clasps hers securely, alleviating any lingering nervousness she might feel.

Yours

Pansy brushed her black hair out of her face and prayed for inner strength. Now was not the time to have a meltdown - internal or otherwise.

Dedicated Frank

“As a brand new initiative, we’d like to formally announce the launch of a joint partnership between the wizarding community and T.R.O.L.L."

New Phone

Hermione soaked in a long bath, confident that she had at least an hour while Parvati and Lavender were in Divination. She avoided the Prefect Bath because Ron could find her in there, and she wasn’t ready to hear his apology just yet.

Five Months until Summer

Hermione curses everything as she yanks her jumper over her head. She isn't sure what she's most annoyed about: the failure tonight turned out to be, how stupid she feels for even trying it, that she's still slightly buzzed and hates the sensation, or that she just put this stupid jumper back on backwards.

What it Means to Live

She hangs her head and lets it smack into the table in front of her. She taps her forehead again, once, twice, on the surface before going still. Another failure.

Tagging: @autumnweeen @winterwells @mlkincaidbooks @so-scarlett-maroon

[adelaiderhosynweasley]

That ‘Veela’ Shit

The summer had been probably one of the absolute best ones Adelaide had experienced in her life. After that first sleepover with Gulliver, it was like some kind of barrier had been broken down when it came to her parents and they had allowed the pair to hang out more. Most of the time, it was Gully who was coming over, where Louis and Caerwyn could keep a close eye on the pair to make sure there were no shenanigans going on that they wanted to avoid. Gulliver though, proved to be just as behind in his development as Addie and the more the Weasleys got to know him, the more comfortable they became with his presence. Well, Caerwyn and the kids had at least, but Louis was still wary, still overprotective. Sleeping bags were always stuck down to the floor in the living room, musicals were watched, instruments were shared, and sand was tracked into the house stuck in bathing suits. Beside the salted caramel jar in the cupboard, a similarily shaped one of hot fudge had become a kind of staple, Gully’s favorite snack the same way cheetos were Addie’s. It had gotten to the point where Adelaide was asking nearly every day if he could come over or if she could possibly go to his. That had only been allowed the once, Addie spending the night at the Stonefyres home among a multitude of other children who had all piled onto the living room floor in piles of blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags. Gully’s older sister had baked them all snacks, they had gone swimming down in the lake, had a large bonfire where the boy’s many assorted uncles had gladly helped the Ravenclaw learn some new tricks on her violin that had really improved her ability to play it. Adelaide had been sad to leave the next day, even if she was happy to see her own family again. All in all, the pair of young Ravenclaws had ended up having maybe two or three sleepovers a week by the time the summer was over. By the fifth one, Louis had given in and opted for allowing their fireplace to connect directly to the Stonefyres’ over the Floo Network, something he didn’t do lightly, but it was better than constantly taking the Knight Bus to retrieve the annoying little redhead. Obviously, the kids still had to ask permission, but it made it easier for them to see eachother. Addie had written to Sunny to see if she wanted to come over for a night, but the blonde had already been at Willow’s grandmother’s by that point, but they would see eachother when school started back up again. Their reunion had been a bit... awkward. The pair hadn’t spent the entire summer apart after first or second year, but the gap that had been there at the end of the school year had remained. Addie still loved Sunny dearly, still considered her one of her best friends, but there was no pretending that their interests had changed as the blonde embraced puberty and Addie remained behind.

Getting on the train on the first had been a tearful event, but not for the usual reason of Addie being anxious. Rather, she was excited for school to start back up, for the club to get going on their next play and maybe, if she had the balls enough, to perhaps try out for the Quidditch team . She had debated it the year before but decided against it, figuring she wouldn’t be good enough. After playing a pick up game with Gully’s sisters and cousins though, she was feeling more confidant about her abilities and thought, maybe, just maybe... Her Dad had been on the team in school and Quidditch was something Adelaide enjoyed even if she didn’t talk about it nearly as much as she did chickens or music. The tears that had really been shed that day had come from her two younger cousins, Briar and Thistle, who were off for their very first year. They would be twelve soon enough, late fall babies, but being slightly older didn’t exactly fully prepare them for being away from their parents and sisters for the first time ever. Addie had understood, fully, what they were going through and had kept them close throughout the journey, introducing them to other friends, watching them calm even further as Zander joined them in their compartment. Another familiar face. It had been a tight squeeze with all of them actually. Addie, the twins, Sunny, Willow, Zander, Gully, and then M’n’M who had tripped over her robes and ended up in Addie’s lap when she’d finally located them. There had been a lot of joking, pranks, snacks, and games to cheer the two younger girls up and by the time they were arriving, Briar and Thistle were looking a good deal more relaxed. Enough to be smiling, if nervous, during their sorting where they, thankfully, had been placed in the same house. Addie knew it would be a similar situation next year, when her own siblings would both be eleven. Owena would be absolutely fine, but Rhydian was... well, he was already begging to continue to be homeschooled.

The first few weeks of school passed in a blur. Adelaide had not been anticipating their work getting even harder than it had been the previous year when they’d added more classes to their schedules, but now that they had hit fourth year... Well, the professors were already talking about their O.W.Ls that they wouldn’t even be taking until the end of their fifth year! Even so, getting back into the groove of things, of seeing all of her friends, and being in the club room again after being gone for the summer was just as fun as Addie had been anticipating. Professor Mendes had greeted them all with a gentle smile when they had traipsed into the room for their first meeting of the year, though the poor man had been giggled at and informed, point blank by Gully that ‘Auntie Freya got lipstick on you again, Uncle Max.” The professor had turned pink and found a mirror to try and get the bright cherry red lip print off of his cheek while the club had settled into trying to decide what they were going to be doing for a play this winter. They would have three and a halfish months to prepare the cast, the scenery, the music, the props and costumes. There was a great smattering of agreement about doing the pirate show they all liked a good deal, but there was also a suggestion of putting on one of the classic Beedle stories. Before the brunette knew it, they were nearly a month into the school year and the postings for Quidditch try-outs had gone up. She had brought her broomstick along, a hand-me-down from her dad that was still in good condition, and signed up before she could psych herself out of it. Thus, it was on the pitch that Adelaide found herself on a slightly foggy Saturday morning, nerves and coffee coursing through her system due to a lack of sleep caused by anxiety. Her eyes shifted to the stands were she could see the familiar shock of Gulliver’s red hair. Sunny waved to her, a bright grin on her face while Zander locked Gully under one arm, trying to fight him for the piece of toast he’d brought along. Willow appeared, running up the steps, her arms containing snacks to keep them all refreshed while they watched the try-outs. Gully had been the only one not surprised when she’d mentioned she’d signed up, having already mentioned it to him over the summer, but all of her mates had pressed her with encouragement and now, they were here, ready to cheer her on.

Addie gulped, clutching her broom tightly as the Ravenclaw captain marched across the pitch in front of them, indicating where each of them should group up depending on which position they were aiming for. Adelaide joined the other potential Chasers, having the most practice with that particular position, and looked up at the stands again, brow furrowed with a nervousness she couldn’t hide completely behind a cool exterior like her parents might have been able to. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she glanced down at it.

‘You got this, Feathers.’

Addie smiled and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Yes, she had this. The worst thing that could happen would be she wouldn’t make the team and as disappointing as that would be, it wouldn’t kill her.

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episodes 87 and 88 Subbed (Finalized)

(Previously: Episodes 85 and 86 Subbed [Finalized])

(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)

TURN-87: Fight, Ojama Trio! (Part 1)

Manjoume faces off with a pro duelist, winning overwhelmingly using the White Knight Swordsman he wields as a member of the Society of Light.  Seeing that Judai was watching his duel, Manjoume requests a bout with him, but Judai notices that the Ojama Trio aren’t in Manjoume’s deck.  He tracks down the Ojama Trio’s cards, knowing that Manjoume cared for them, and thinks of using their cards to try and return Manjoume to normal.  And so, with the Ojama Trio in tow, Judai and Manjoume duel at last.

TURN-88: Fight, Ojama Trio! (Part 2)

As a member of the Society of Light, Manjoume uses the White Knight Lord card entrusted to him by Saiou to pummel Judai incessantly.  Meanwhile, Judai fights defensively, using the Ojama Trio cards that Manjoume had cared for.  Despite all the attacks he takes, Judai presses on with the Ojama Trio, who appeal to Manjoume about the fact that they were friends.  And then... seeing the rough state the Ojama Trio have been beaten into, Manjoume at last comes to his senses.

(EDIT, 3/9/23: Re-uploaded 88 to correct a sub typo I missed before Judai uses Mystic Wok, and also updated “Cyber Dark Horn” in the preview to “Cyberdark Horn” to match its use in 89.)

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

New year, new finalized episodes~

My subs for 87 and 88 are now revised and finalized as we get 2023 underway, and it’s a pretty good duo of episodes.  Judai and Manjoume finally have a rematch to settle their score--well, they would if Manjoume remembered what that score was--and in the process, Judai works to snap him out of his Society of Light brainwashing by using the Ojamas.  Of course, he promptly gets thrown under the bus by them once it works, but they did fight hard to save him; Judai even said stuff that was kinda touching! I do still like the bit where Judai tells Manjoume how angry he is with himself that he couldn’t even tell that his friends lost and were in such dire straits that they joined the SoL (a shame the dub wrote that out), and Ojama Yellow--as beat-up as he is--pleading with Manjoume to remember them before he eventually reclaims his sense of self is such a good scene, between Mariko Nagahama’s acting, the music, and the pained “Manjoume...” (ie, “Listen to the guy...”) from Judai in response.  I also do love how Manjoume’s all “If they want to be clean, I’ll be the thorn in their side soiling things a little!” [paraphrasing], as well as the theme of having been through so much of life’s mud that of course no one would come out unstained.  (Also unfortunate that the dub decides to replace his montage of said stains and the Ojamas helping him overcome them with a focus on Society of Light stuff.)

(Also, fun fact: both episodes were screenwritten by Shin Yoshida, who does get some ire in other parts of the franchise, but in GX it’s interesting that he’s actually the screenwriter for a lot of the fan-favorite episodes [he also goes on to write Dark Johan vs Ryou in Season 3, for example]; his writing both helps them feel cohesive. [They had the same Storyboarder in Noriyoshi Nakamura, too.])

Editing-wise, not as many animation/card fixes as I did for 85 and 86, but there were still a fair amount for these two, and 88 did get more in the way of card error fixes.  All told, I fixed up six errors in 87, and eight in 88.  As always, details under the cut below, if curious!

Enjoy! Next up, will be working on 89 and 90, featuring Hell Kaiser Ryou vs Fubuki (which also sets the stage for Shou’s duel against Ryou in the 90s) and getting a little wine-drunk with Sommelier Parker’s duel against Asuka and more GeneX shenanigans.  Have also been looking forward to 90 specifically to re-do one of my earliest on-screen translation edits with the better editing skills I have now, so stay tuned for that. :)

Fixes/Edits! (87)

As Manjoume and Gelgo (the pro duelist) begin their duel at the start of the episode, Manjoume gloats and says he’ll turn Gelgo into one of the “runts”--per Gelgo--whose medals he won, but as they slide in on a split-screen to shout “Duel!” and start, there are a few frames where Manjoume behind the split-screen disappears into purple.  A quick fix in Sony Vegas as I held pre-split Manjoume still over those purple frames, then masked on Manjoume and Gelgo’s sides of the split-screen as they slid onto the screen.

After the OP, as we get an update on Manjoume and Gelgo’s duel and see their current LP count, both their LP counters start to move as if they’re changing a frame just before they leave the screen.  Also quickly fixed in Vegas, as I just masked in their counters from the previous frame over that frame, keeping their LP scores still.

As Manjoume draws for his turn after Gelgo plays Marshmallon, for a quick frame, we see that his Duel Disk wasn’t fully drawn, ending several pixels before the edge of the frame.  As fixed for the hardsub in 86′s preview, I fixed this in Vegas by just cropping the shot slightly to hide the missing part of the frame.

Later, as Judai and Manjoume get their duel underway, Kenzan and a hiding Shou join on a split-screen to hope that Judai does well, but as their split-screen splits to show Judai and Manjoume shout “Duel!”, there’s a quick frame where Shou’s split lacks a border along its edge.  Another quick fix in Vegas as I just masked on a border copied from the one on Kenzan’s split, then duplicated the layer and added a light Gaussian Blur to the layer underneath to give it a light glow along the outer edge.

Immediately after #4, as Manjoume draws to start the duel off, there’s a quick frame as he pulls his hand closer to look at his drawn card where the back of the top card on his deck is miscolored as fully orange.  Fixed in Photoshop by just recoloring it with the darker brown along the inside of the card’s back, then inserting the fixed frame into the video in Vegas.

Near the end of the episode, as Manjoume gloats about White Knight Lord being the strongest card in his deck courtesy of Saiou, we see the Ojamas on Judai’s field, and Ojama Black and Ojama Green have the other’s card under them instead of their own.  Fixed in AfterEffects by applying proxies for their cards under the right one, then masking on Ojama Black and Green over them, while also masking on the original cards’ outlines to help them blend in more.

Fixes/Edits! (88)

In the recap of 87 at the start of the episode, as we see the scene where Judai asks Manjoume about the Ojamas and his reaction in confusion, a weird quirk happens where the last 3-4 frames of the shot has him panning away from the edge of the screen; I think what happened was that the original shot in 87 was 52 frames long and they wanted to extend it by four, but while trying to, their attempt to extend the pan made the footage pan off the film or something? Kind of interesting.  Fixed in Sony Vegas by grabbing the shot from 87, positioning it to work with 88′s audio there, then holding the starting and ending frames for three frames each to make it work; not all too noticeable while watching.

As the recap touches on Manjoume’s “The strongest card in my deck, courtesy of Master Saiou!” line, I recycled the fix made for #6 in 87 with Ojama Black and Green’s cards.

During the OP, as we see the episode’s preview clip featuring Ojama Knight attacking White Knight Lord, two errors happen: 1) There’s a quick frame as his sword starts to break where the unbroken sword is still in the shot, and 2) a couple frames later, Ojama Knight’s body vanishes for a frame, while his arm and the broken sword stay on the screen--these errors also happen in the episode proper.  Fixed in Vegas by 1) holding the previous frame pre-sword-break over the duplicate-sword frame, then 2) taking the frame post-body-vanishing where Ojama Knight’s body comes back and copying it over the frame in which it vanishes.

After the OP, as Judai calls out Manjoume’s talk of “pure-white brilliance” given his history of not washing his jacket, the shot of him doing so with his field visible has the Ojamas’ cards reversed under them (their name boxes should be facing Judai’s right).  Fixed in AfterEffects by first applying the correctly-facing proxies under them, then masking the Ojamas and Judai’s leg over them--after that, I then made masks around all the white zoom lines on the original footage using keyframes, which I then applied to a white-color layer to recreate the white lines over the cards.

A bit later, after White Knight Lord takes out Ojama Black and hits Judai with 300 points of damage, Ojama Green and Yellow look back at him worriedly, but Ojama Green has Ojama Black’s card under him.  Fixed in AfterEffects by taking the last frame of the shot and applying Green’s proxy under him, masking him back on top; I then took that fix into Vegas, where I keyframed and redid the panning shot for the fixed card.

After equipping Shield Attack onto Ojama Knight, Judai has him attack White Knight Lord only for the attack to fail due to its effect, but this is where the two errors in #2 happens in the episode proper; fixed in Vegas the same way.  Right after that, as Judai and Manjoume are on a split-screen in which Manjoume explains that White Knight Lord has several abilities, Manjoume starts to move a frame before their split-screen starts to split, as he goes on to say that Lord can’t be beat in battle.  Fixed in Vegas by holding Manjoume for an extra frame over that so they both move at the same time.

After Judai uses Ojamandala to bring the Ojamas back and Kenzan notes his defensive boost, Manjoume laughs as he starts his turn, but another error occurs with his Disk not being fully drawn, for three movement frames here, as he moves his arm to get ready to draw.  I did think about fixing this by drawing the missing edge of the Disk in using Photoshop in each frame, but opted to just use Vegas to crop the shot a bit so that the edge of his Disk hit the edge of the screen.  I then made the shot zoom back out to where it was as Manjoume moves his arm to activate Hell Gauntlet.

After his unwhitening, Manjoume activates the effect of his Goblin Negotiator Magic Card while Judai attacks his Ojama Green with White Knight Lord to protect him, but Ojama Green and Black’s cards on his Disk are in Attack Mode when they’re actually in Defense Mode (and you can tell they’d intended the cards to be in Defense Mode with how they’re not fully covering the Monster Zones).  Fixed in AfterEffects by placing their proxies in Defense Mode on one of the frames, then used Vegas to redo the zoom that happens.

[sibylliine]

𝙻𝙾𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽  :  anywhere ( knight bus shenanigans )  !

they’d never have gotten away with indulging in their side hustle if it were ANY busier, but between it being midweek and word getting around that otto was the one driving the 59, tonight, damaris was getting a shocking amount of down time. the greying wizard was notoriously slow even by muggle standards, nevermind other knight buses, and more than once in the last few hours had they slowed to pick someone up in the middle of the english countryside only for them to have ‘forgotten’ something crucial and insist they’d catch the next one. with rent due friday and bills going out of their account first thing monday, they’re lucky & they know it. the sickles they make off a susceptible customer each time they spread a tarot deck across a spindly table aren’t much, but they build up enough to be worth it, over time. they just have to keep going - which they do, though with everyone else on the bottom floor now sound asleep, they feel like they’re able to be a little more dramatic without fear of being overheard. usually, it pays more. “it’s not looking good, bruv,” they suck in a breath for emphasis and make sure to look at the chosen cards with appropriate levels of horror. tonally, it’s actually a really good imitation of the tik tok - and they’re a little chuffed by it - but they don’t have high hopes of their wixen comrade actually getting the reference, “it’s not looking good.”

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

The Snake Who Lived and The Prisoner of Azkaban

What if Harry was Sorted into Slytherin?

Year 1

Year 2

A few reminders going into POA. One, Hermione’s dead. So we don’t have any Time Turner shenanigans this time. Ron blames himself and, come to think of it, this would probably have made him extremely determined to catch The Heir of Slytherin back in COS. He was probably the one to accuse Draco and suggested Harry confront Hagrid, though Harry never did this. These notes are kind of retroactive but oh well. 

Owl Post remains more or less the same, minus Hermione’s letter and present of course. Dumbledore also sends a letter probably saying something to the effect of how their trip to Godric’s Hollow needs to be postponed because of the escape of Sirius Black, a known Death Eater. I’m not sure if McGonagall sent Harry the letter about Hogsmeade because she was his Head of House or because she was Deputy Headmistress, but I love the idea of Snape sending Harry a passive-aggressive letter with Alan Rickman’s tone. Anyway, Harry has another surprise visitor in the night - Dobby. Who, if you recall, was not freed at the end of COS, Harry simply had no opportunity to do it. He sympathizes with the Elf, as he is a slave to The Malfoys after all. But he’s also frustrated as Dobby is once again here to plead with him not to return to Hogwarts - this time, it is the threat of Sirius Black that frightens him. Harry refuses, and warns Dobby that any attempt to keep him here will be prevented by Dumbledore, just like last time. When they overhear one of the Dursleys getting up to use the bathroom, Dobby quickly disapparates. 

Aunt Marge would still be a colossal asshole, and Harry’s behavior would, according to Vernon, determine whether or not the Hogsmeade permission form gets signed. But this time, I think Dobby would actually sabotage the visit. I don’t think it would go the same way. Marge may still get inflated, but Harry may or may not be the one to do so. Before she can even instigate him, Dobby’s magic comes into play. He’d do things like flood all the toilets, make the lights burn out, make Ripper attack the Dursleys. Anything to make believe Harry was doing magic. I could still see this ending with Marge’s inflation. Harry is sent to his room because, guilty or not, he is blamed. Dobby is there - attempting to silence The Sneakoscope - and Harry, now provoked and angry, attacks him with magic - whether accidental or deliberate.

Thing is, the Ministry is going to blame Harry too. They didn't believe Harry last time, why should they this time? He realizes he is well and truly screwed now, and there’s no going back, so like before, he decides to run for it. He may even have to body-bind The Dursleys on his way out, but something tells me he doesn’t mind that. He goes to Mrs. Figg for help, trying to explain the situation. She uses floo powder to call who Harry hopes will be Dumbledore but turns out to be - Snape. Hooray. Snape absolutely rips Harry apart when he finds out what Harry has done, causing an argument that frightens all the poor cats. Harry bites back that Snape would have done the same if he’d ever spent years being relentlessly bullied. Oh, you all know what’s coming. Snape, with immense satisfaction, outlines exactly how James and his gang used to treat Snape, up to and including a vague allusion to The Prank. “He even tried to have me killed, and as ever, Dumbledore looked the other way.” This stuns Harry, who can’t believe what he’s hearing. 

So, no Knight Bus. Dumbledore agrees to let Harry stay with Figg rather than Snape as he sorts out the business with The Dursleys and desperately tries to maintain Harry's annual stay there. Memory charms may have to be involved, but we'll come back to that. But now we have a situation on our hands. No Knight Bus, and the Knight Bus was the only thing that stopped Harry from meeting Sirius, remember? I imagine Sirius would try to get into Figg’s house to talk to Harry just the same, but unfortunately for him, she has twelve cats. Yeah, they howl up a storm and Padfoot takes off into the night, but not before Harry glimpses his retreating form. He tries again a few nights later, this time taking a chance and approaching the door as a man. This too, fails, as Figg is a former member of The Order, and recognizes him through the window. She screams and Sirius retreats once more. 

Harry doesn’t yet know that the appearance of the escaped convict and the stray dog he glimpsed are at all related. But after this, he is moved to Diagon Alley for the remainder of the summer where he’ll be safer. Staying with Florean Fortecue because he was totally meant to be an Order member and Rowling just forgot to say so. Harry buys all the books he needs for his new classes, including The Monster Book of Monsters, and he also sees The Firebolt. He also gets a personal visit from Fudge who warns him that it is now officially on his record that he attacked muggles with underage magic - but, in the interest of keeping Harry out of the spotlight and off Sirius’ radar, they’re going to be dropping the charges. Still, it may come up later, especially in OOTP. We’ll have to see. 

Harry runs into Ron, who still went on that vacation to Egypt. (I mean hell, Percy’s girlfriend died, he could use a break.) They also both meet Crookshanks in the pet shop. Except this time, Hermione doesn’t adopt him. But I think Harry does. He has a new appreciation for cats and he can always relate to being an unwanted orphan. Obviously, Ron isn’t happy, nor is Hedwig for that matter, but they’ll learn to live with it. Hogwarts students aren’t really allowed to have two pets but then again, they’re not supposed to have Rats either. With the level of special treatment Harry is typically given, I think he gets away with this. Actually, Snape and Dumbledore would likely *prefer* He focuses his attention on pets, rather than lawless adventures. 

I don’t know if Harry would overhear Arthur and Molly’s discussion about Sirius, but do you know who could? Ginny. And she would relay it to Harry, since they’re closer pals now. Molly and Arthur are especially worried since Harry came within an inch of Sirius back at Little Whinging. While Harry isn’t exactly their surrogate son this time around, he has now befriended both Ron and Ginny, and I think he’s reaching the point where Molly in particular would activate her mama bear instincts, especially once Ron tells her some of the stories Harry would have recounted about The Dursleys. Arthur would likely still warn Harry not to search for Sirius, though as this is probably their first meeting, it comes off as even weirder to Harry. 

Hogwarts Express time, and that means Dementor time. Harry has a bunch of horrible memories for the Dementor to feast on. There are the ones from canon, but there’s also his time being possessed. Yikes, I knew going to Slytherin would be hard on him, but still. He probably sits with Ron and Ginny. No way to be sure they’d happen to pick the same compartment as Remus, but it doesn’t especially matter. No matter where he’s sitting, he’d summon a Patronus and send the Dementor off the train. Ginny probably has an easier time with the Dementors than she does in the canon timeline but she'd still have some horrible Possession memories of her own to grapple with. Ron likewise remembers calling Hermione a nightmare, and later learning that she was killed.

Though Harry is overjoyed to learn that Hagrid is teaching one of his new subjects, he is equally dismayed to hear that The Dementors are going to be a mainstay. Draco mocks him for fainting but Nott privately admits that The Dementor upset him too - he reimagined his mother’s death when it passed by. The next day, Harry tries to visit Dumbledore’s office but cannot guess the password, so he instead goes to Snape and asks how long the Dementors are going to be at the school. When he is told that they’ll be around until Sirius is caught, Harry voices the idea that Sirius can’t be worse than them. With a deadly look in his eyes, Snape remarks that Sirius is much worse. But, he adds, Harry had best be careful not to run afoul of the Dementors. “They are only here to protect your ungrateful skin, Potter.” 

Time for new classes. Let’s cover the odd one out first. Muggle Studies. The only student we know took Muggle Studies is Ernie MacMillan. Now, is Ernie more apologetic toward Harry for falsely suspecting him last year? Not remotely. Keep in mind, the rumor around the school is that Harry went down into The Chamber and left a message warning the school staff not to close Hogwarts. Officially yes, Dumbledore would have cleared it up and said that he was kidnapped, and The Heir would have been identified as Voldemort. But Harry *did* command the Basilisk as well, he’s a Parselmouth and the Monster was a Snake, not to mention he’s in Slytherin…I think a number of students still consider the whole scenario to be a bit dodgy. No one complained about the school staying open but…Penelope still died.

So yeah, Harry’s not popular with anyone right now apart from maybe the Slytherins, and that would be for the wrong reasons anyway, so Harry would not want it. His only true friends at this point are Ron, Ginny, Hagrid, and Nott. He could have other Slytherin friends who are decent to him - girls like Greengrass and Tracey Davis are never confirmed to be part of Pansy's gang, but it's likely that they are. Either way, these characters they’re basically blank slates so I am hesitant to use them. Theodore at least has a bit more to go on. Still, I find it more realistic that Harry make friends over time. Sadly, I doubt any of them would be taking Muggle Studies, and I’m getting way off topic anyway. Harry is eager to learn about muggles and Charity Burbage is intrigued to have him in her class, as she rarely gets Slytherins. I think they’d have a good relationship...for the most part. Harry’s still not that dedicated as far as students go. 

The Hippogriff and Tea Leaf lessons go more or less the same way. Trelawney predicts Harry’s death, might even predict him falling to the dark side if she wants to follow the rumors, and Draco ruins everything in Care of Magical Creatures. In fact, I think he deliberately provoked Buckbeak this time. I think the moment he learned of Hagrid’s appointment, he knew how to take his revenge. After all, he’s losing Snape’s favor, and he blames Harry for that. So this time. Draco goes ham. He misses classes, keeps going back to the Hospital Wing, has Lucius come down to the school and raise hell, demanding Hagrid be sacked. Lucius knows full well that it’s just a scratch but he also wants Hagrid fired anyway, so he plays along.

However, this backfires on Draco. He plays up the arm injury so much that Marcus Flint decides to hold renewed tryouts for Seeker. Whether Draco is faking it or not, if he’s not going to have his arm out of the sling in time for the first match, he can’t play. At the encouragement of his Slytherin friends (Nott, Greengrass, Davis) Harry attends Tryouts. Maybe acquaintances is a better word but they get along decently well and at least some of them have to find Draco annoying, or would rather hedge their bets on the celebrity. Either way, Harry tries out and given his natural talent, he gets chosen as the new Slytherin Seeker. 

Draco is pissed off. He tries to get his father to make it go away, but honestly there’s nothing Lucius can really do. He can’t ask Flint to play a Seeker with an injury that would impede his Seeking ability. Also, the Slytherin team have had their Nimbus 2001s for a year now, so the window for Lucius to take them back has kind of already closed. In this situation I’m not sure what he would do, but Draco? Knowing him, he gives away that he’s faking the injury in the effort to keep his Seeker position, which means he loses on basically all counts. Buckbeak’s troubles are probably over, but we’ll see. 

Boggart time. Neville’s Boggart is still Snape, and I think Harry would have a unique appreciation for that. Between this and Harry saving his Remembrall back in Year 1, I think Neville would likely grow fond of Harry, though being a Slytherin he may still be intimidated by him. Harry still assumes his Boggart to be a Dementor and Remus still stops him from facing it, but here’s another change. Ron’s Boggart could still be a spider, for sure, but his arachnophobia wouldn’t be as strong this time, since the encounter with Aragog never happened. No, instead, I think his Boggart transforms into Hermione. Little First Year Hermione who never got to grow older, and Ron believes it’s his fault.

Here’s a minor change. I think Harry, as a Slytherin, would be surrounded by people who would suggest that he forge The Dursley’s signature a lot sooner. This did happen with Dean Thomas in the original books, but only after Harry had already asked McGonagall to sign it for him. I don’t see him asking Snape, and I can see Theodore or maybe Daphne offering to forge it for him. Like I mentioned, I think this year sees at least a few Slytherins migrating from Draco’s side of the rivalry to Harry’s. Since Harry may consort with blood traitors and Gryffindors…but Draco’s just a pain in the ass. Either way, Harry is still barred from Hogsmeade on Halloween. Here’s the thing: Dumbledore was never going to actually let him go. The lack of permission slip was just a good excuse. But as far as anyone knows, Sirius Black is out there and aiming to kill Harry, so no way the staff are letting him leave school. Harry’s pretty incensed at this injustice. 

He tries to go see Ron at Gryffindor Tower, who didn’t go into Hogsmeade, to check on him. However, he cannot get past The Fat Lady. So instead, he meets with Remus for tea, they discuss the Boggart and Remus explains why he didn’t let Harry face it, impressing Harry by actually saying Voldemort’s name. Harry witnesses Snape delivering the Wolfsbane Potion. I don’t think any of this changes, but Remus would definitely be intrigued to see James and Lily’s son in Slytherin of all things. Sirius attacks The Fat Lady (man, even in the original books, this was weird. It’s the only time he ever acts outwardly violent toward someone who is totally innocent, but I digress.) Though this time, Harry is mostly concerned about Ron. 

At this point in the original timeline, the teachers crack down on watching Harry. McGonagall even tries to stop Harry from playing Quidditch but he talks her out of it. Snape would not be so easily swayed, and he likes to torment Harry, so he would straight up inform Harry that he’s off the Slytherin Team and Draco will have his old spot back. Harry doesn’t take this well, and goes to Flint and Hooch, who go to Dumbledore, and it’s agreed that, since Harry has been practicing for the first match already, he can at least play in that. 

But the first match is not going to go well. It’s not against Hufflepuff, but against Gryffindor, and I suspect Ginny would be playing Seeker. Not sure who would have played it the last two years, probably just someone we don’t know, but Ginny is a second year now and we know she’s got Quidditch talent. Either way, it doesn't matter who Harry is facing. He still sees The Grim, and falls off his broom thanks to the Dementors. Slytherin loses the match, Harry’s in disgrace, and now he really is off the team. He’d been banking on proving himself in this match to try and change that outcome but now his fate is sealed, and Draco can visit The Hospital Wing to gloat. 

Dobby appears once again, after hours, in a scene not unlike the one from Chamber of Secrets. He’s obviously not responsible for the Grim, or the Dementors, but as far as he’s concerned, they prove his point. He begs Harry to go home, as Harry begins to notice that Dobby looks awful. Bruised and battered. He’s been punishing himself nonstop for getting Harry in trouble with the Ministry. Now beginning to feel pity, Harry tells him to stop. Instead, he suggests that Dobby can make it up to him by using his Elf Magic to tail Sirius Black. If you listen hard, you can hear Hermione rolling in her grave.

Which reminds me, Crookshanks is in contact with Sirius like before, he’s hunting Scabbers like before, and it causes a rift between Harry and Ron, though not a significant one. Even if Scabbers eventually fakes his death, the boys live in different Houses, so Crookshanks could hardly be responsible. Meanwhile, Snape takes over teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts while Remus is ill, and gives the Werewolf Essay. 

I don’t think the Weasley twins give Harry the Marauder’s Map in this timeline. They’d like him okay, they’d trust him at least a little, but they haven’t really spent much time with him at this point. Also, they’d have heard about Ron’s ordeal of seeing Hermione again as a Boggart. So maybe they give the Map to Ron instead. But I assume Ron would share it with Harry anyway, show him what it is and how it works. Still, he’s the one who’s keeping it for the time being. Either way, they sneak into Hogsmeade. Harry doesn’t have the Invisibility Cloak either, as it’s in Dumbledore’s custody, so just like before, he and Ron hide under the table to avoid being seen by the string of adult characters who arrive, and proceed to drop an exposition bomb about Sirius Black. That he was The Secret Keeper, and James’ best friend. 

Even in the originals, what follows is possibly the lowest, darkest point that Harry ever had, where he genuinely considers the idea of hunting down and killing Sirius. He goes to confront Snape, and asks what Snape knows about the death of his parents, and who was responsible. For his part, Snape has frozen in place, his expression unreadable, but he definitely thinks Harry is referring to something else before Harry presses on. “I know they were friends. Black and-and my Dad. It wasn’t him who tried to kill you, it was Black, wasn’t it?” Snape coldly remarks that it was both of them, that James simply got cold feet after the fact, but now Harry is convinced that whatever bad behavior his dad may (or may not) have exhibited toward Snape in school came from the influence of Sirius. 

Ron isn’t able to shake Harry from his cold rage, nor is Hagrid or any of his Slytherin friends. You know who I think does, though? Ginny. She and Harry have a unique bond where she can call him out when he’s being stupid, and he’ll listen. She points out that if Sirius is caught by the Dementors, he’ll suffer a lot more than whatever Harry could hope to do to him. So instead, Harry turns his attention back to restoring his spot on the Quidditch team. (As well as helping Hagrid with Buckbeak’s case, if we assume Buckbeak is still on the hotseat. I doubt he is, though.) His Slytherin friends have been advising him to buy a racing broom of his own. He’s a better flier than Draco, and he’s got the gold for it, so why not? Before Harry can pursue this idea, however, Christmas comes and he gets the Firebolt anyway. 

This instantly makes Harry more popular among the Slytherins, inspires the awe and envy of his Weasley pals, and is enough to convince Flint to once again replace Draco with Harry. Though Hermione isn’t here to tell McGonagall about The Firebolt, it would quickly become the talk of the school anyway, and it would reach the ear of the teachers. Meaning Snape likewise confiscates it as McGonagall did, though he’s certainly more of a bully about it, with his typical sneer and everything. When Harry protests, Snape can shut him up by admitting that yes, Sirius was the brains behind the attempt on his life, so Harry had best take this seriously. 

At this point, Dobby reappears and is unable to provide any information about Sirius. He searched Hogsmeade and the surrounding areas, he searched Diagon and Knockturn Alley, he even called upon Sirius’ old family home and spoke with the Black family elf Kreacher, but Kreacher had not seen him in years. Dobby does have an interesting story to provide though. While searching Diagon Alley, he witnessed Harry Potter’s cat visiting Gringotts, carrying a slip of parchment in his mouth. Dobby was unable to eavesdrop, but Crookshanks subsequently left Gringotts and went over to…Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry is flabbergasted. Crookshanks bought him The Firebolt? It can’t be, right? Dobby further reveals that he’s seen Crookshanks hanging out with a mysterious black dog. Yeah, it’s safe to say that Harry begins to wonder about his cat. 

Harry begins his Patronus lessons with Remus, I don’t see why that would change. He likewise learns that Remus knew James and Sirius during their time at Hogwarts, though as before, Remus wouldn’t let on just how close they actually were. Harry struggles for a while, but eventually settles on the memory of looking into The Mirror of Erised in Dumbledore’s Office, which remains one of the happiest moments of his life. This proves effective at helping him conjure a basic Patronus. Meanwhile, Harry has to tell Flint that he’s lost the Firebolt, and Flint probably doubts Harry ever had one to begin with. Or, if he’s already seen it, he can just say that Harry has to get it back if he wants to be on the team. Either way: No Firebolt, no Seeking for him.

Scabbers disappears. Ron initially blames Crookshanks but later concedes that it would have been damn near impossible for him to be responsible. Harry, remembering Dobby’s tale, is privately not so sure. He is given back The Firebolt, probably by McGonagall still as Snape wouldn’t want to return it, and she can make some professional rival’s comment encouraging him to work hard, because it’s going to take more than a good broomstick to defeat Gryffindor. That kind of thing. I think McGonagall is rather fond of Harry, even if she doesn’t know him as well this time. She’d have seen him hanging with Ron and Ginny, after all. 

At some point in the latter half of this year, Hermione dropped Divination. Harry is now back on the Quidditch team, much to Draco’s anger, so he has less time to study, and since he’s taking three electives, he can technically drop one. Would be easy to say Muggle Studies as that’s the new addition, but I actually feel like, of the three, he’d be most likely to drop Divination as well. He never liked it much, and Trelawney opened this year by predicting his death. So he drops Divination at around this point and therefore he never hears the second Prediction. 

Harry’s next Quidditch match could happen here, whether against Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw doesn’t really matter. While this is where he first met Cho, when he faced her in Quidditch, I think Harry’s less likely to crush on her this time. Sure, she’s pretty, and he’d notice, but he’s also been spending a lot of time with Ginny, and for bonus points, let’s say at least one of his new Slytherin friends is now on the team as well. No way to know if this would happen in the original universe but we do have to take some liberties here. Harry may have been too late to be in this match anyway, but let’s say he was. I think either way, he wins, and a similar sequence plays out where Draco attempts to sabotage him by dressing up as Dementors with Crabbe and Goyle. Harry conjures a Corporeal Patronus for the first time but doesn’t even notice as he’s too busy chasing the Snitch. Remus notices though, and he notices its form. 

Sirius breaks into Gryffindor Tower and appears over Ron’s bed before Ron screams and Sirius manages to escape. Everyone is hard pressed to understand why Sirius keeps going after Gryffindor Tower. It has to be common knowledge at this point that Harry isn’t there, right? Harry half-wonders if Sirius isn’t deliberately targeting the Weasleys to hurt him, and his anger is stoked even further. When he talks about this with Theo and the others, he is oddly tempted by their description of The Unforgivable Curses, and how, if Harry really wants to take the fight to Sirius, he’ll need that kind of magic on his side. (I have to assume that he would have heard about the Curses a bit sooner in that Common Room.) 

The next Hogsmeade visit would play out similarly. I think this is where Ginny finds out about The Marauder’s Map, and while she normally appreciates a good bit of mischief, she finds The Map disturbing. It reminds her of Tom Riddle’s diary, which, once Harry sees it, he cannot unsee it, and is now hesitant to trust The Map as well. Ron argues that it has only ever helped them and Harry eventually agrees to go to Hogsmeade with him, but Ginny insists on coming as well, and she’s not taking no for an answer. She wants to look out for them. 

What’s different about this sequence is that Harry does not have The Cloak with him, so he wouldn’t go around throwing mud at Draco because he’d get seen. Draco may wind up seeing him anyway, but Harry still makes it back to Hogwarts before Snape is told, so there’s still no proof. In this timeline, he doesn’t even have The Marauder’s Map, so Remus doesn’t get brought in, he doesn’t find out Harry has the Map, and he doesn’t confiscate it. Now *that* is going to make a hell of a lot of difference in a short while.

Quidditch Final time. Again, I don’t think it matters which House Slytherin winds up facing. Either way, Harry’s on a Firebolt, and he’s a brilliant Seeker, not to mention the rest of the team is on Nimbus 2001s. So I think it’s safe to say Slytherin wins, which bolsters Harry’s reputation among his Housemates by a lot. Draco, meanwhile, is sinking into unpopularity and hating it. He’s never hated Harry more.  Exams begin, but Harry’s no longer in Divination, so he doesn’t hear the Prediction. No one else was there, so it goes unheard. 

So how does the climax play out? Probably plays out mostly the same, at least at first. Assuming that Crookshanks accompanies Harry around to various places, he’d likely be there when Harry visits Hagrid. Ron may also be there, Ginny might be too, but given their different schedules it’s not a guarantee and honestly it doesn’t change much. Either way, it was Ron who found Scabbers in the original timeline, but it could easily be Crookshanks, and either way, Crookshanks goes in for the kill. He grabs Scabbers in his mouth and takes off through the open window. 

Harry and Ron give chase, pursuing Crookshanks to the ominous Whomping Willow, where he seems to vanish behind the branches. Both boys are concerned for their animal companions, and Harry is not one to give up, so a few black eyes and sprained ankles later, they discover the secret entrance and make their way inside. Ron has the Marauder’s Map, but it wouldn’t extend all the way to the Shack, meaning they wouldn’t see the damning names of Sirius and Peter. So when they arrive, they find Sirius Black sitting with Crookshanks, holding Scabbers in a binding spell. (Sirius totally worked out that Crookshanks was Harry’s cat and is all the more fond of him because of it.)

Sirius likely incapacitates Ron in some fashion, binding him with ropes, body-binding him, silencing him, or something to that effect. Harry attacks Sirius, and given how he's lived in the Slytherin Dungeons for the last three years, odds are he knows of The Unforgivables. Him not knowing them was basically the only reason he didn't use them here, in the original timeline. Would he kill Sirius? I doubt he has it in him, but you know what Harry could and likely would do? Crucio. I feel sick just saying it but Harry did have an unfortunate pattern of using that spell even in the original books. Ron is horrified, and Sirius, amid his screams, pleads with Harry. Asks for the chance to tell his side of the story. Harry relents, just for a moment, and agrees to listen. If nothing else, he wants to know why Sirius did it, right?

Sirius insists that Peter is alive and begs for the chance to prove it. Either Harry agrees, or Sirius manages to disarm him. Either way, he then force Peter to resume human form, before explaining everything to Harry. He also releases Ron from his own binding, as a gesture of good will. He likely assumes Ron is Harry’s friend, and figures a warning not to run will suffice. (As if Ron was ever going to abandon a friend.) But anyway, onto the story. The story of how he and his friends became Animagi, (though leaving out certain details like about Remus being a Werewolf) how he, Sirius, was initially The Secret Keeper but the plan was changed at the last second under the belief that Voldemort would never suspect a wimp like Peter of being the Keeper. But Peter had been a spy for Voldemort for a while by that point. Peter denies everything, but cannot explain how he himself is alive.

The pieces all fall into place as they do in the original timeline - such as Scabbers having always been missing a toe, or how he was stressed and sick before he met Crookshanks, at around the point Sirius’ escape was reported. All of that still checks out, Ron still went on that trip to Egypt and all. But here’s an important change - Remus never got his hands on The Map. Therefore, he didn’t see Peter’s name on it, and didn’t head down to The Willow. Therefore, Snape didn’t either. Therefore, Remus doesn’t miss his last dose of Wolfsbane and transforms safely in his office. 

This is the final nail in the coffin for our poor little traitor. Harry not being quite as close to Ron, as well as Ron’s early traumas, meant that Fred and George were always going to give him the Map instead of Harry. If Harry never gets it, Remus never confiscates it, and without Remus having the Map, he isn’t involved in Peter’s capture. It was only Remus’ transformation that gave Peter the opening to escape. So how about that. Harry being a Slytherin means that Peter doesn’t get away at all. His back to the wall, he could try blackmail - threatening to reveal Sirius is an Animagus and that Harry used an Unforgivable. But both of them are probably undeterred. Sirius, Harry, and Ron all carefully lead him through the Willow’s secret passage and back up to the castle. 

(Of course, in both timelines, they literally could have just stunned Peter, and taken the risk of him trying to escape completely out of the equation. I have no damn clue why Sirius doesn’t think of this. Harry doesn’t know the stunning spell yet but both Sirius and Remus should. Oh well. It may be a plot hole but it ain’t MY plot hole.) 

The only real tricky part is getting into the Castle, getting past the Dementors. But Harry can conjure his Patronus properly for the first time here. It’s not as cool as using it to save his past self, but it will suffice. Sirius also conjures his big ol’ puppy dog Patronus, and together they clear the way. Actually making it inside the castle is tricky, as seeing Sirius Black would lead to people firing first and asking questions later. But Harry could jump in front of him to shield him, and with Crookshanks nearby, the chance of Peter trying to sneak off or succeeding at such is unlikely. 

What happens next depends heavily on who Harry actually encounters first. Probably Peeves or Filch, and if it’s the latter, he would be of no help at all and I could honestly see Sirius just hexing him out of frustration. If Snape shows up, that’s an absolute nightmare, you all know he wouldn’t listen to Harry or Ron. But I have to assume McGonagall, the absolute queen of punctuality and also the second in command at Hogwarts, would get there shortly after Snape if not before. She would listen to reason, and both she and Snape would, of course, recognize Peter. We can have a nice moment where McGonagall apologizes to Sirius for doubting him and expresses disappointment in Peter.

With the spy apprehended and sent to Azkaban, Sirius is exonerated. Course, Peter probably blabs, in an attempt to get a reduced sentence. Sirius could just as easily be thrown right back into a cell for being an unregistered Animagus. Snape would certainly be pushing for that to happen. But I think Dumbledore would be able to persuade Fudge that such a sentence should be commuted. After all, Sirius did spend 12 years in Azkaban for a crime he didn’t commit. At that point the Ministry should be willing to call it even. I have my suspicions that Dumbledore may not want Sirius around, as he cannot control him the way he can The Weasleys, but Sirius still has a legitimate claim to guardianship over Harry. Still, Dumbledore also wants to stay in Harry’s good books, and there’s no legitimate reason Sirius wouldn’t be acquitted here. 

As for Harry, I can see that being overlooked as well, though this will have consequences down the road. The Trace doesn't seem capable of detecting if an underage wizard uses an Unforgivable, but if a genuine accusation was made, Priori Incantatem would prove Harry's guilt. Nonetheless, he's thirteen years old, he had a justifiable catalyst, and Sirius, the victim of the equation, isn't exactly pressing charges. I think Dumbledore could make these charges go away. However, Fudge's patience is starting to wear thin. I also think Ron's friendship with Harry has now suffered another fracture, even if Ron doesn't actually discuss it with Harry outright. For his part, Harry feels awful about having done that to Sirius, who immediately and unconditionally forgives him, because of course he does.

So what does this mean moving forward? Well, we have a few points to go over. First of all, because Remus never misses his Potion and never gets loose on the grounds in Wolf form…does he even still resign? Well, knowing the job is jinxed, I think he does still have to leave somehow. It occurs to me that, Remus missing his potion or not, Snape could still out him. And while Remus did have a close call in the original timeline, that was never the real reason Snape exposed him - he was angry that Sirius got away. Harry helping to clear Sirius’ name would inspire similar rage, and I think Snape would still tell the Slytherins about Remus. Harry doesn’t (initially) view this as a horrible betrayal because he didn’t even know Remus was a Werewolf. He is instead confused and upset, especially since his Slytherin pals (and Ron) would speak horribly of Werewolves. He’d ask Snape if it was true, and later go see Remus. 

I think this meeting, as well as a later one with Sirius, would begin to turn Harry’s mind around. It is here that he would learn why The Marauders became Animagi, that they wrote the Map. Harry realizes that Ron has it, though he may or may not tell Ron. I think Harry talks to Sirius as well, and he asks Sirius if he and James really tried to kill Snape. Sirius would downplay this, act as though it was no big deal, but Remus would not think it was so funny. Harry would reflect on the endless conflict between his father and Snape, comparing it to his own with Draco. 

So what happens to Harry? I think it’s at this point that Harry wants to go live with Sirius, if Sirius will have him, and we all know he will. Dumbledore would likely tell them about The Blood Wards at this point, because I don’t think Sirius is going to just accept that #DumbledoreHasHisReasons. He’ll want to know why on earth Harry is expected to stay with Lily’s horrid sister, and once he finds out about the abuse Harry suffered at the hands of the Dursleys - he’s going to hit the fucking roof. What's more, he's seen James's son, who was Sorted into Slytherin to be taught be Snivellus and he's already learning Unforgivables. If Dumbledore and Sirius can agree on one thing, it's that Harry badly needs proper guidance.

So, because of the Blood Wards, Sirius begrudgingly agrees that Harry can stay at Privet Drive for a couple of weeks a year if Sirius can stay with him. As Padfoot or otherwise. (The Dursleys are going to love that.) Remus is out of a job at this point but Sirius and Harry both have money, so ultimately, he probably stays with them. (My Wolfstar shipping heart is racing, but I’ll stay focused.) The main question is where Sirius will go to live at this point.

Logically, he’d stay at Grimmauld Place, but he hates it there. That’s the house he grew up in and was abused in. He has the money to live somewhere else, but finding a three bedroom flat in London on short notice, when he’d have to translate that money into muggle money…I feel like this is one of those situations where he’d plan to find somewhere else to live, but would initially, reluctantly, move back home until he gets his life re-established, only to be stuck in a rut in that same house.

Couple more points about Sirius. One, I think he demands that Harry’s Cloak be returned permanently, and Dumbledore concedes on the condition that Harry promises not to use it irresponsibly. Sirius also doesn’t need to write Harry and Ron from afar and rather than Ron receiving Pigwidgeon, I wonder if Harry doesn’t give one of his pets to Ron. Since, y’know, he lost his rat and all. Whether it’s Hedwig, so that he can have an owl, or Crookshanks. The latter idea is considerably funnier, but Harry would have bonded with Crookshanks by this point as well, and Sirius would have too. Anyway, that about wraps up “Owl Post Again.” The Dementors are still removed from Hogwarts as Sirius is cleared, and he signs Harry’s Hogsmeade permission slip like always. 

We're starting to see the fractures. The timeline is changing more and more. Cannot wait to see what becomes of this in GOF!

[ao3feed-brucewayne]

Oh No, We threw the baby out the window

by Purplefox135

In which Ember and Youngblood accidentally preform the equivalent of throwing a young baby out a window onto a bus during a roughhousing session and are desperately trying to figure out where the baby went before Mom and Dad find out.

Team Phantom goes through different methods to find Danny.

Danny gets into Gotham shenanigans and Bruce’s adoption senses are likely to go off.

Words: 1654, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Danny Phantom, Batman - All Media Types

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Danny Fenton, Jazz Fenton, Ember McLain, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Youngblood (Danny Phantom), Johnny 13 (Danny Phantom), Kitty (Danny Phantom), Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Damian Wayne, Duke Thomas, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon, Batfamily Members, Ivy (Poison Ivy 1992), Pamela Isley, Vlad Masters, Rogues Gallery (Batman), Frostbite (Danny Phantom), Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Fright Knight (Danny Phantom), Jack Fenton, Maddie Fenton, Danielle "Dani" Phantom, Wulf (Danny Phantom), Cujo (Danny Phantom)

Additional Tags: Ghost King Danny Fenton, baby ghost danny fenton, Baby Jason Todd, Halfa | Half-Ghosts (Danny Phantom), Halfa Jason Todd, Jack and Maddie Fenton Bashing, Not Phantom Planet Compliant (Danny Phantom), Good Parent Clockwork (Danny Phantom), Good parent Frostbite, Kidnapping, I’ll add more tags as I go, Don’t know absolutely everywhere this is gonna go so strap in

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/43618222

[stars-over-new-jersey]

Knight Rider 3x07: "The Rotten Apples"

Welp, there was a long run of good episodes there, some of them better than they had any right to be. I was overdue to get a clunker, and this episode was one.

The basic premise wasn't terrible, but the execution fell down all around. The "rotten apples" themselves got the worst of it; they had a terrible case of "hello fellow kids" writing going on and consequently three-quarters of their lines were just cringey.

There was also only one really good car stunt in the episode, where Michael jumps from KITT to the bus after the brake lines were cut. KITT protecting the little girl from the stallion was actually better done than the bull scene back in season 1, but that's not saying much. The worst was KITT allegedly scaring off the tough kid by... doing donuts in the dirt?? Yikes.

The addition of the monster trucks was probably the cringiest bit; they were clearly added in just to appeal to kids and go "LOOK KITT CORNERED BY MONSTER TRUCKS" in the ads for the episode. Cattle rustling with monster trucks is.... I've got no words for whatever this is.

Worse, the cuts in the scene where KITT skis his way out of being trapped by the monster trucks is cut funny so it's not very clear what's going on.

And Hasselhoff's hair seems to be on a one-way trip to Mulletville.

Ratings (out of 5):

Cheese Level: 🧀🧀🧀🧀 Cringe Level: 😬😬😬 Michael Knight Hotness: 🔥🔥🔥 Vehicular Shenanigans: 🚘🚘 Overall Rating: ⭐

* my Knight Rider episode reviews

[locym]

SCA Update

So.  It’s been awhile. I’ve had some tough times personally that I won’t go into, but my life was changed and the person who changed it didn’t go about handling it in the best methods. The result of this was depression, and suicidal thoughts. I’m not over the hump. People keep asking if I’m doing better. I won’t be for a long time, but I’ve made the choice to BE better. My apologies to all of my friends who have been wondering if I disappeared, and or was hit by a bus for no saying anything. I literally just .... Couldn’t.  But now for the purpose of this blog. SCA Shenanigans. As any of you know I am in service to his Lordship Agmundr Glumson, the Murder Giant. The Lord Defender of Blatha an Oir. He bade me to participate in Embers and Ambrosia to fight for the Shield of The Barony, the other Champion position in the Barony. I did so, and after a tough series of battles, I proved victorious and became the Shield of the Barony.  We then went to Baroness War and let me tell you all, it was a great event. The war was fun as hell and I found my stride. Normally the Lord Defender commands the Baronial Forces, but in the field battle, his Lordship named me General. I led our forces against FOUR other armies, as the other baronies all came against us at the behest of the King. We held them off for a time, but sheer numbers saw us whittled down and eventually defeated. Though we caused a great number of casualties amongst our foes. 

During the next battle I fought in the shield wall in the King’s Armies. We defended a keep from Three Baronial Forces. It was tough, a slog, but despite the numbers we held the gate and stopped the invaders. When the rolls swapped we fought hard. Slamming again and again into the enemy’s gates. I broke through and captured the flag, winning the scenario. We then moved to the last field battle.  Once again standing beside the King and his forces we lined up. This one being two sides instead of each Barony fighting o prove triumphant. We pushed the foemen, and the shield walls crashed. In the end, we proved victorious, driving our foes from the field.  Next. We went to May Crown. A Tournament to battle for the Crown of An Tir. I did okay. I’m definitely more of War fighter than a Tournament Fighter, but I made a good accounting of myself. I even participated in my first Squire’s Tournament, where as the last to introduce myself I went full Knight’s Tale Jeffery Chaucer and made an epic introduction and made my Inspiration (a good friend whom I fought to earn her a crown lol) blush a shade of red I hadn’t seen in a long time lol I lost, but I accomplished the Quest given me by His Excellency to be his squire for a day.  Next was June Fair. Where Blatha an Oir did make war against Dragon’s Laire. Once again his Lordship granted me command of the Baronial Armies, this time for the entirety of the war. This time, given free reign, I went full tilt and engaged our foes with every ounce of skill I knew of ancient warfare. There were many battles, and thanks to the skill and tenacity of our great barony’s fighters, we proved victorious over Dragon’s Laire and forced them into peace between our two great Baronies. His Lordship was very pleased and grilled me a steak for being a fine General. I did blush, and I did enjoy the hell out of the Steak.  Finally we had July Coronation. It was pleasant and it was my dog’s, Lyra’s, first event. She had fun meeting new people and new doggos. We did many walks and had a great time together. Once again I took part in the Squire’s Tournament and this time made it to the Sweet 16. Though I was knocked out right away in these semi finals, it was an honor to make it that far in my second Squire’s Tournament.   The next event is Autumn War, where the Lord Defender has once again placed me as General of our Armies. We raise the banners and the Rabbit Banner, my personal banner, shall be flown over the field in combat as the combined might of Blatha an Oir, Glym Myr, Dragon’s Laire and our allies match up against Stromgard and her allies. I will be going against non other than Sir Edward, An Tir’s Warlord for the last 30 Years. I will show him what I am capable of.  The Lands of the Golden Blossom will be victorious. The Banners have been called. The war horn blows. Raise the Rabbit Banner and drive the foes from the field! TO WAR! 

[heffrondriving]

wildly obsessing over kenlos hours.txt

[moider-time]

Hello! Got any headcanons of Steven being Mr. Knight?

More Steven? Your wish is my command:

After that first transformation, Steven sometimes asks to go out instead of Marc being Moon Knight.

While sometimes he does go and be Khonshu's fist of justice, other times he just goes out to help.

He gets cats out of trees, walks women home safely and gets food for the homeless.

He even helps kids with their homework (he sucks with any language homework).

If people ask, he'll also just sit with them until their bus or train.

Mr. Knight is way less intense than Moon Knight. He'll just eat a doughnut with you if he has the time.

There was one time where he was asked to model for someone's painting. Khonshu was very angry that night but Steven always says it was worth it for the smile on the guy's face.

When he does have to be Khonshu's fist of justice, he does need a little more guidance.

Marc gets him in touch with a few friends to help him learn how to fight. Steven would always prefer not to but he does enjoy getting to let out his frustrations in fights.

Eventually, the police realized that the guy wandering around in all white without a cape is a pretty chill dude (the one with a cape though? Absolute menace. Steven and Jake totally make fun of Marc about that)

Sometimes they'll ask him to help with a case, and after helping them solve some (if some of them were due to supernatural shenanigans, well then as the Fist of Khonshu, it was his responsibility to help) he was recognized as the hero London was waiting for.

He does get all flustered at seeing Mr. Knight in the papers though. Marc finds that adorable.

[xiao-cafe]

drabble game — prompt 13

pairing: diluc x gn!reader

prompt: “who did this?”

tags: teenagehood shenanigans, i enjoy bullying kaeya

wc: 0.6k

notes: definitely not related to inheritance but definitely inspired by inheritance. so if you haven’t read inheritance by @favoniuscodex do it right now or else

“Who did this?”

“I did, sir.”

You whipped your head towards Diluc, eyes wide as you stared at him in shock. To your right, Kaeya was mirroring your actions, yet a sly smirk was set on his lips.

Oftentimes did you get into trouble with Kaeya but somehow, even the stoic Diluc wouldn’t be too far away, sighing his disapproval as he accompanied you both.

This time, however, the three of you had been caught attempting to steal some priceless foreign wine from Grandmaster Varka’s collection and thanks to Kaeya inability to shut up and your quick temper, the two of you broke out into a rowdy fight and dropped a stolen bottle.

The wine bottle shattered across the floor of the grandmaster’s office with a resounding crack and soon enough the man himself appeared, face grim.

The grandmaster narrowed his eyes at Diluc, assessing the redhead’s admittance to the incident. But Diluc remained calm, his gaze unwavering as he explained the situation once more.

“I was merely returning the wine bottle that Kaeya stole from you and accidentally dropped it, sir,” Diluc spoke evenly, the slightest of smirks making an appearance as he glanced sideways at Kaeya who had just been thrown under the bus.

“Hey I-” Kaeya was quick to interject but a swift jab into his ribs from you shut him up, and the blue-haired boy could only glare coldly at you and his brother.

“Is that so?” Grandmaster Varka tapped his chin with a finger as his intense stare moved from Diluc to you and finally, to Kaeya.

“Alright then, Y/N you may leave.” He said, shooing you away with a flick of his hand.

“But sir! I am-” It was now your turn to be interrupted as Diluc clamped his hand over your mouth, shushing you effectively.

The action did not go unnoticed by both the Grandmaster and Kaeya and you were wildly aware of the growing blush on your cheeks.

Glancing at Diluc, the boy shook his head at you and offered a rare, genuine smile.

The message was clear.

You left the office quietly but not without motioning a slice to the neck at Kaeya in response to the mischievous expression that took over his features.

Before you closed the door to the office, your breath hitched in your throat as the sunrays from the window illuminated Diluc’s face, and you could’ve sworn he shone bright like a knight in shining armor.

Hours passed as you waited for the two brothers to emerge from the office. You had caught wind of the whispers and from what the other knights were saying, Diluc and Kaeya had been tasked to clean up the mess and they were both subject to cleaning the stables for a month.

You heaved a sigh of relief, glad that you had managed to avoid the punishment thanks to Diluc.

You frowned. Why would Diluc go out of his way to receive the punishment in your stead? You were utterly confused and even as the two brothers finally appeared, you immediately asked Diluc the burning question you had.

“Why did you do that?”

Instead of receiving a proper answer, Diluc averted his gaze from you holding his hand out to keep you a distance away from himself.

“Only an idiot like you would ask him that at this point,” Kaeya voiced out helpfully from your side. The boy snickered as you swatted his arm before turning your attention back to DIluc.

“I felt like doing it,” Came Diluc’s uncharacteristic response.

You weren’t convinced and from the redness of his ears, you could tell that Diluc was embarrassed so you let him off without any further questioning. You crossed your arms, raising an eyebrow at Diluc as he continued to avoid your gaze.

“I really don’t get it…” You murmured.

Kaeya’s condescending laughter was cut short as Diluc slung his arm around Kaeya’s neck and tightened his hold.

end.

bonus: Y/N rejects Diluc after figuring it out LMFAO

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 12th of April, 2021

This is speculation only

Cards drawn 11th of April, 2021

Question: What do we need to know about Prince Philip's funeral?

Interpretation: Harry and Meghan and their shenanigans, when the funeral is supposed to be about Prince Philip and only about Prince Philip.

Card One: The Knight of Swords. This is the card of an air sign person, particularly a Gemini. In this spread it stands for Prince Philip and all that his life represents. The funeral is reminding the world about the values that Prince Philip embodied - honour, dignity, service, the ability to keep information to yourself, the ability to keep your private life private, to be able to put others ahead of yourself with dignity and grace, to protect what is important to you, creating a legacy that lives after you, etc. This is Prince Philip's funeral and it should be all about him.

Card Two: The Nine of Pentacles. This is a card about money, wealth, material goods. Here we see Daedalus, the craftsman, standing over a pile of gold that is the result of his hard work. The money represents both financial security for the future and the result of honing and practising his craft in the past. The pile of gold is standing out to me, so this card is all about money. Coming after the Prince Philip card, it is about Prince Philip's money/estate - the money and goods that he leaves to his wife, children, friends etc.

With Harry as the underlying card (see below), this says that Harry is concerned about his inheritance from Prince Philip. He is expecting a lot of money, as represented by the large pile of gold on the card. The Moon card coming after this card, on top of the Harry (and his guilt) card in the spread, tells me that there could be and probably will be some illusion or deception about the amount of money Harry will inherit from Prince Philip. It may not be the huge amount that he expects. It may be that there will be PR articles about how much Harry inherited, and they turn later to have grossly over estimated the amount. It may be that Harry will try to use emotional manipulation/deceit to get more money from the inheritance than that amount to which he is entitled. It may be all of these and other forms of deception/illusion/deceit.

Nothing is going to be as it appears when it comes to Harry and his inheritance from Prince Philip. Do not believe the articles that will come out. Do not be upset by them. Remember this and wait for the truth to emerge over time.

Card Three: The Moon. This is the central card of the spread and the only major arcana card in the spread, so its energy is very important. The energy of the Moon card here is one of deceit, distortions of truth, illusions, and perhaps outright lies. Nothing is as it appears on the surface, especially when it involves Prince Harry (the underlying energy of the spread), and you have to dig deeper to find the truth. The truth of these illusions will almost certainly be cloaked with secrets and/or hidden in the shadows (for example, the article that said Prince Harry wanted to wear military uniform at the funeral - I can find articles discussing this, I can find articles giving the opinions of people on whether it will happen or not, but I can not find the article that said Prince Harry asked to wear military uniform - it has vanished like moonbeams in the light of day). These deceptions will be particularly strong around Prince Philip's inheritance (the Nine of Pentacles) and Harry's past (the Six of Cups).

Card Four: The Six of Cups. This is a card of the past, of looking over the past, and sometimes of childhood. On the card Psyche sits on the rocks, remembering her past life with her husband and drawing strength from it for the future. In this spread, this card is a card about the past. The funeral of Prince Philip will (obviously) be about his past and his life. Here, with the underlying energy cards being about Prince Harry, it says that this is a card about Prince Harry's past, especially his past with Prince Philip. With the Meghan card ahead of it, this refers specifically to Harry's past when he was coupled with Meghan, and how they treated Prince Philip. With the Moon card behind it, expect deceptions, illusions, secrets etc around this past. The past may be re-written to show a different version of Harry and Meghan's relationship with Prince Philip, with any actions that reflect badly on the couple being re-written to show them in a better light. Harry may also use his past with the BRF as part of his deception/illusion/manipulations to get more money from Prince Philip's inheritance, or to soften the impact of his past actions towards his grandfather (for example - 'they treated Harry so badly and he still went back to the funeral as a respectful grandson' - that sort of distortion of the truth).

As with the question of Prince Philip's estate, nothing is going to be as it appears when it comes to Harry and how his past is portrayed with Prince Philip and the BRF. Do not believe the articles that will come out. Do not be upset by them. You know the truth, and all the distortions of the truth in the articles can not change what actually happened.

Card Five: The King of Wands. This is a fire sign person, particularly a Leo, and in this spread it stands for Meghan. It is at the opposite end of the spread from the Prince Philip card, and this indicates that Meghan's values are directly opposed to those of Prince Philip. Instead of the funeral being about him, she wants to make it all about her. The card of the past/childhood (the Six of Cups) appearing before this card indicates that Meghan may do something about her unborn child or her first child to pull the attention back to her, and/or release PR about them in some way to try and get attention. She may also release PR combining the past with the present, the most obvious example being articles comparing Harry walking behind his mother's coffin (the past, child) to Harry walking behind his grandfather's coffin (the present), especially if she can twist this to suit her victim narrative (for example, he was forced to walk behind his mother's coffin and now the mean BRF wouldn't let him wear a military uniform for his grandfathers, despite him being on active service during his years in the army, the only one of the BRF to do so - the lies and distortions of truth in this example are what the Moon card represents in the spread).

Underlying Energy Card One: The Knight of Pentacles. This is an earth sign person, particularly a Virgo, and in this spread the card stands for Prince Harry. He is the energy underneath everything else in this spread, and he is the major concern as people prepare for the funeral.

We know that the other members of the BRF will behave at the funeral, follow HM the Queen's wishes, and ask only to grieve in private for a short time before returning to their duties. We have no such reassurance about Prince Harry, who has already shown that he will go against the express wishes of the widow, HM the Queen, in his quest for attention and PR that he can use to make money (he showed this when he and Meghan put up a cold and heartless tribute to Prince Philip on their website when HM the Queen had said that nothing would be said by the Royal Family, and everyone else just had copies of the tribute from Buckingham Palace).

Underlying Energy Card Two: The Nine of Swords. This card shows Orestes tormented by the Furies after he killed his mother. They pursued him wherever he want, and he could not escape them. Similarly, Harry's thoughts are tormenting him. He is plagued by thoughts of how he treated his family (who he is returning to face at the funeral), how he treated his grandmother, who his grandfather spent his life protecting and supporting (putting up that heartless 'service' statement after the Queen has said no member of the family was to speak out is the latest in a long line of disrespectful actions that have caused her stress and worry), and how he treated his grandfather (the Oprah interview while Prince Philip was in his last days on this earth and blowing off an important event for the Royal Marines, a position he inherited from his grandfather, to attend a movie premiere are two incidents that come to mind). He feels guilty.

The Moon card above this card and the Knight of Pentacles (Harry) card says that Harry is not only involved with deception around the funeral, but he is also deceiving himself. He feels guilty, but he is not yet ready to admit to himself that his actions caused hurt to others, and so he lives in a constant state of uneasy and defensive self justification.

Harry can not escape these thoughts and they are causing him stress and sleepless nights. The thoughts keep coming up in his mind (like the swords pointed at Orestes in the picture) and every time he has to justify his actions to himself. It is in this state of mind, stressed, defensive, and self-justifying, that Harry is attending the funeral.

I am not saying that Harry is not grieving his grandfather, just that the energy coming from the card is stress, guilt and the self-justification of someone who knows they have behaved badly but are not ready to admit it. These feelings are most likely powered by grief at losing his grandfather, and that is why they are so constant and so strong.

Arrangement of the Cards: Look at how the spread is arranged. Prince Philip is at one end and Meghan at the other, with Harry (and the Nine of Swords, his guilty feelings) as the balancing point underneath the five cards. This says to me that there is a range of energy between that embodied by Prince Philip (service, duty, putting yourself last) and that embodied by Meghan (putting yourself first and only you, no conception of duty or service), and at this point of time Harry is standing precisely at the middle of these energies, in fact he may even be torn between them. He may turn back towards the Prince Philip side, or he may turn towards the Meghan side, but at this time he is balanced in the middle. The Moon card is directly above Harry, indicating that there will be some sort of deception(s) or illusion(s) about his presence/behaviour at the funeral, and/or that he will use the funeral as a cover for other behaviour, and/or as a way of getting what he wants. The cards on either side of the Moon card show what will be involved in and/or the reason for this deception/illusion: Money (the Nine of Pentacles) and Childhood/Children/the Past (The Six of Cups).

Conclusion: This funeral is meant to be all about Prince Philip, but Meghan wants to make it all about her. Harry is in the middle, and he is tormented by his past actions with respect to his grandfather, actions that he has to keep justifying to himself. The Moon card says that there is so much illusion and deceit going on on, both in Harry not being honest with himself (deceiving himself about his intentions/motives/how others react to him/being self justifying etc) and in Harry's actions at the funeral, especially in regard to his inheritance from Prince Philip, and in regard to his past, especially his past actions towards his grandfather. Harry may be using deceit/illusions/emotional blackmail based on his childhood to try and get the money he thinks he deserves.