#lisa the hopeful reginald

[kordbot]

sketch dump of some lisa stuff i drew in the last couple weeks ! reggie, five & benny, some will nutter and a rough animatic of an animation idea i've had a while ago but didn't have the time to actually. finish [i might start working on it again soon though] [ft the chorus from see no evil by this way to the egress !]

[wwads1800]

there they go!

[androidcharles]

More info under the read more, since it gets a bit long!

Unwatermarked so you can crosspost to any site you wish, however, please give proper credit if you do repost.

Since I haven't seen any Stickmintober prompts (or if there are any I'm stupid and haven't really looked for them), so I decided to create a prompt list for myself (mostly because a while back I told someone I'd consider hosting this).

Anyway, as a small bonus, since I know it's difficult writing a small story for 31 whole days in a row (writing like that should be saved for NaNoWriMo), I thought I'd throw in a bonus writing prompt list as well! Feel free to get creative with the prompts or if you want, use the prompts from the top list.

I will be tracking the tag #stickmintober2023 for those who participate but you can also @ me if you want to see your pieces as well. I understand this is a bit short notice, I am angry w/ myself as well for taking this long to announce something like this (HELL there's prob a better prompt list on Twitter that peeps are prob preparing for that I'm not aware of) but either way, I hope you guys enjoy this little prompt list nonetheless.

That being said, this isn't a competition! Don't burn yourself out trying to chug out equivalents of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper everyday, just try to keep it simple, esp if it's your first time! And as always, have fun with it too!

Thanks in advance for participating!

Prompts for Screenreaders:

First Image: Stickmintober 2023 Prompt List! Day 1: Breaking the Bank Day 2: Henry Stickmin Day 3: Police Force Day 4: Escaping the Prison Day 5: Rupert Price Day 6: Dave Panpa Day 7: Stealing the Diamond Day 8: CCC Day 9: West Mesa Day 10: Charles Calvin Day 11: Infiltrating the Airship Day 12: Reginald Copperbottom/RHM Day 13: General Galeforce Day 14: Favorite Past Toppat Leader Day 15: Toppat or Government? Day 16: Ellie Rose Day 17: Fleeing the Complex Day 18: Dmitri Petrov/Grigori Olyat Day 19: Dance Day 20: Glitch Day 21: Sven Svennson Day 22: Completing the Mission Day 23: Favorite Ending Day 24: Underrated Ending Day 25: AU (favorite or your own) Day 26: OC (favorite or your own) Day 27: Silly Day 28: Angst Day 29: Favorite BG character Day 30: Costume Day 31: Halloween

2nd Image: Stickmintober 2023 Writing Edition!

Week 1 (Oct 1st-7th) Write about Henry Stickmin. Whether it's a headcanon interpretation of his past or about his life before or after certain events in canon.

Week 2 (Oct 8th-Oct 14th) Write about Toppat life. Either from the point of view of a character, minor or main or before or after certain events in canon.

Week 3 (Oct 15th-21st) Write about your interpretation of the events after an ending from Completing the Mission. Whether it's an ending you don't think about much or your favorite

Week 4 (Oct 22nd-28th) Write about the hypothetical past of a Toppat Leader of your choice. Special challenge: No Terrence or Reginald ;)

Week 5 (Oct 29th-Nov 4th) Two this time! Write a Halloween-y themed story or just a write something involving your favorite ship, rarepair or otherwise.

[automatonknight]

all I know abt Lisa is through osmosis from your blog and !! I am very curious could you tell me more mayhaps.. if you want....

EEK YES YES YES!!! I COULD!!!! OF COURSE I WANT I'M DELIGHTED TO!!!! it's probably gonna be rlly spoiler-y though watch out! the games also discuss difficult topics such as sexual assault, abuse etc etc. i actually don't know much about the og lisa games (the first, the painful and the joyful) beyond the scope of what i heard in hbomberguy's essay about them . the gist is that an event called "the flash" happened that caused all the women to disappear, it was also sort of apocalyptic in nature to the world in general i assume? since it looks how it looks, basically a wasteland. the first is about Lisa, who is Brad's sister if i remember correctly. it focuses on her memories and trauma of being brought up in an abusive home. the painful follows the story of Brad, who finds a baby girl, names her Buddy and takes care of her the best he can. Buddy disappears one day and he tracks her down because it's a really dangerous world, especially to her. the joyful follows Buddy herself, as she murders all the poeple who could pose a threat to her so she's safe, basically, running off what i remember. i know a bit more about the hopeful, from what i've seen it happens between the painful and joyful, although no characters from those games are really invloved, although i'm pretty sure one scene hints at the fact that Buddy was nearby. the story follows 3 losers and their boss, basically. beltboy (benny), lanks (liam), cyclops (clyde) and rodriguez, who doesn't have a stupid nickname. in non-pain runs (basically pain mode makes the game harder and it sometimes affects the endings, just as doing "joyless" runs does. joy is a drug that makes you feel nothing, so it's very effective for battles and junk, but it has its risks) rodriguez get's killed at the very beginning and the three have to find "the girl", who is rumored to be somewhere in the area, on their own. in pain mode you can recruit rodriguez when you fail to bring him gasoline. stuff mostly stays the same between routes except for events at the sportsdome, where depending on how you talk to the others as benny, different person will sustain a serious injury (and either die later on or turn into a joy mutant, if they took joy) and different person will get captured by the lovelies (they're also looking for the girl, their leader is hart and they're all assholes, basically). if rod is with you, you bail sooner and don't participate in the sports event at the dome (the prize for winning is supposed to be the girl). then again the path forks at the end, where it also depends on who survived and if you took joy. the kind of "true" ending is for joyless beltboy, who, out of all the others, isn't as obsessed with chasing the girl and is more understanding, treating her like a human being. speaking of, the girl (whose name is five i think? and she's really a grown woman runaway experiment also) actually helps you in this ending yippiee!! friends forever. there are also two bonus characters you can have in your party, yogurt master and reginald, but they aren't as tied to the story as the others. i'm worried i'm running close to the character limit here anyways here's a very cool video on the hopeful by wormgirl if you wanna watch it (it's what actually what got me into the game!)

[sporadiceagleheart]

Jesus here's my May birthdays edit for those who passed away and Madeleine McCann who went missing in 2007 at 3 years old Vera S. Barton, Amerie Jo Garza, Maranda Gail Mathis, Merka Ulmann Barkan, Abram Aba Barkan, Helen B. Antin, Szyfra “Stefi” Fiszbaum Altman, Hershel “Harry” Altman, Francie Waligora Alpert, Anne V. Berend Allen, Reghina Gottesman Adler, Ludwig “Lou” Adler, My grandma Margaret Downs, Erna “Edna” Grunebaum Adler, Judith Kallus Abrahamer, Otto Heinrich Frank, Hana Brady, Bob Saget, Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, Bojana Asović, John F. Kennedy, Kyle Albert Velasquez, Joanna Caroline “JoJo” Ross, Kayla Renee Rolland, Diana Duff-Smith Wanstrath, Cuong Huy “Tony” Trinh, Ashley Tomchesson Ochoa, SFC Charleston V. “Chucky” Hartfield, Jared Alan Lee Conard Black, Bennie Jewkes Bushnell, Gene Olan “Bubba” Allen II, Brendan Neal Abernathy, Natalie Danielle Brooks, Stephanie Dawn Johnson, Jessica Adrienne “Jess” Rekos, Jack Armistead Pinto, Emilie Alice “Em” Parker, Abigail Joanne “Abbie” McLennan, Randy Michael Gordon, Robert Nicholas “Nick” Creson, Ryan Christopher “Stack” Clark, Pauline “Paultje” Adelaar, Manfred “The Red Baron” von Richthofen, Catherine II the Great, SGT Frederick William Mausert III, Ichiyo Higuchi, Tammy Wynette, Johnny Paycheck, Hank Snow, War Admiral, Hedda Hooper, Eddy Arnold, Ariya Jennings, Indy Llew, Kylie Rowand, Alyssa Miriam Alhadeff, Shana Lorraine Fisher, Caitlin Millar Hammaren, Reginald Hezeriah Harding, John Thomas Henry, Roy Huskey, Trinity Hope Jackson, Jessica Klymchuk, Dean Harold Meyers, Stephanie Michelle Neiman, Daniel Patrick O'Neil, Rachael Angelica Raver, Willie Banks, Lisa Romero-Muniz, Rose Martin Rutledge, Laura Anne Shipp, Scott Keith Sorrell, Cynthia Olinde Tisdale, Maybelle Addington Carter, Johnny Gimble, Gene Tunney, Gary Stewart, James Arness, James Brown, Pinky Lee, Peggy Mount, Gates Brown, Saint Catherine Labouré, Van Alexander, Dee Hardison, Paton Price, Connie Crothers, Jane Connelly, Orange Jacobs, Stan C. Wilson, Harold Allen Drake, Goldy McJohn, Rev. William J. Seymour, Jean-Baptiste Barrier, Lynn Hargate Evans, Bennie Jewkes Bushnell, Florence Kopleff, Roger Robinson, Gerald Irons, & More Angel

[dengames]

welp here’s another one x3

Based on this:

[bellathedweeb]

Hey look! More Hopeful pokemon! These two gave me a bit of a hard time, but I was able to figure them out. Now its time to draw all 25 Lovelies :’ )

[books-are-my-life-stuff]

LISA: The Hopeful

A hopeful adventure in a world of morons and despicable perverts.

[wutisdysshi]

Thank you, Reginald.

...I got nothin’.

[buckets-the-pistoleer]

A man in his pijamas...the fork is part of his pijamas as well... @sooperboofmin

[thesketchyskeleton]

Reginald, from Lisa The Hopeful.

[longitudinalwaveme]

Another Weird Flash/Rogues AU

Awhile ago on AAO3, I read a story with a basic premise of “What if the Kryptonians had left Krypton before it was destroyed, traveled to Earth, fallen under the leadership of Zod (or another group of evil Kryptonians) and enslaved the human race”? The story mainly focused on Bruce Wayne and Kal-El (the latter of whom quickly came to realize the wrongs that the Kryptonians were perpetrating), but, being a huge Flash nerd, I thought: What if I used that same basic idea, but focused on the Flash characters instead? This is the result. 

This AU is comparatively very early in the timeline; Barry Allen is 20 years old, Wally is about five, etc. 

-Barry Allen was about seven years old when the Central/Keystone area was taken over and its population enslaved. His mother, Nora, was sold away from him shortly thereafter. He and his father (and most of the familiar Flash characters) are owned by some unpleasant Kryptonian, as are most of the characters detailed below. (Superman fans who know the names of evil Kryptonians other than Zod, feel free to make suggestions.) In this universe, Barry’s rather timid and submissive overall. He’s very kind and wants to help people, but unlike Iris (whom he has a massive crush on), he’s not brave enough to stand up to the overseers. 

-Nora Allen passed away a few years after the Kryptonian takeover, far away from her husband and son. After mourning for a few months, Henry Allen remarried to a widow named Martha Scudder, and adopted her son, Samuel Joseph Scudder, as a second son. Martha and Henry are devoted to both Barry and Sam. 

-Sam Scudder-Allen is 16 years old, four years younger than his older brother. He was three years old when the Kryptonians arrived and was crippled at the age of seven when a heavy piece of farm machinery fell on his leg. He uses a crutch to walk and works as a tailor, since he’s not able to work in the fields. He is rather self-conscious about his “bum leg”, since it means that escaping slavery would be almost impossible for him. He’s also much more willing to stand up to the Kryptonians than his older brother currently is, mainly because he figures that, as a crippled slave, he really can’t get much worse off.

-Iris West, age 19, lives with her father, Ira (her mother died before the Kryptonians arrived), and her nephew, the five-year-old Wally West (both of his parents were sold away shortly after he was born). Fiery and rebellious; she’s been pushing boundaries ever since the Kryptonians arrived and is determined to learn how to read. She thinks Barry is very cute, but refuses to date him until he grows a spine. She won’t allow her children to grow up enslaved to a bunch of aliens. 

-George “Digger” Harkness, age 17, was sold to the Central City area from Australia when he was 14 years old. His stepfather, Ian Harkness, hated him so much that he actually volunteered to have him sold away, and Digger found himself living and working alongside total strangers. He’s mouthy and stubborn, but is afraid enough of the Kryptonians that he’s not openly rebelllious.

-Evan McCulloch, age 6, was sold to the Central City area from Scotland only a few months ago. He’s terrified and misses Miss McCulloch badly. He’s also been semi-adopted by Henry and Martha Allen. 

-Claudio and Marco Mardon, aged 18 and 17, respectively, and their parents, Paloma and Mattias, immigrated to the United States from Guatemala a few years before the Kryptonians conquered Central City. Surprisingly, the family was not separated and has remained together ever since. Marco, the younger of the two, is clumsy and awkward, but generally keeps his head down and doesn’t cause trouble. As a result, he, ironically enough, is actually the golden child in this reality. Claudio, with his passionate love of learning, rocks the boat too frequently and gets into trouble too often-he’s even taught himself how to read, something that humans aren’t allowed to do under Kryptonian rule. Paloma and Mattias have tried to dissuade him, but to no avail. Marco, on the other hand, greatly admires his older brother and wishes he had his courage, and the two are very close. The family speaks as much Spanish as it does English. 

-Roscoe Dillon, age 16, lives and works in his Kryptonian owner’s estate alongside his mother, Rosa. (His father, Reginald, was sold off when Roscoe was nine.) He and Rosa are isolated from most of the other humans; as result, Roscoe has few friends. He’s also more than a little odd (thanks to being on the autism spectrum), but, fortunately for him, his love of routine and organization mean that no one can find fault with his work. He still loves tops and has created dozens of them to play with when he’s not required to work. 

-Mick Rory, aged 22, is a soft-spoken gentle giant. His family was killed in the Kryptonian invasion, and he still mourns their loss, but otherwise his life hasn’t changed as much as most of the other humans’. Having grown up on a farm, he’s used to working in the fields and adjusted to the farm labor the Kryptonians required much more easily than did most others. He is friendly and helpful to everyone and has taken in a 7-year-old girl named Linda Park, whose parents were sold off.

-Giovanni Giuseppi, aged 10, lives with his mother, Helen. He and his family, used to a migrant lifestyle from their time in the circus, managed to evade the Kryptonians for quite some time, but, when the Kryptonians finally captured them, his father, Alessandro, was killed; being dropped from a high height. The six-year-old Giovanni, already terrified of heights, was traumatized by this event. He and his mother were then sold to the Central City area. Giovanni is terrified of Kryptonians; as a result, he never disobeys orders. Once lively and energetic, Giovanni is now rather timid and reserved-but he’s still incredibly intelligent. 

-Joan Garrick is the widow of Jay Garrick, the Flash, who was murdered by Zod in order to prevent his speed from becoming a threat. She is determined to carry on his work by educating as many people as she can; in the hopes that this will enable them to escape and eventually overthrow the Kryptonians. She is very close to Iris and Claudio, and hopes to teach them everything she knows.

-Hartley Rathaway, age 9, lives with his parents, Rachel and Osgood Rathaway. When the Kryptonians first arrived in Central City, Mr. and Mrs. Rathaway struck a bargain with them; giving them all the knowledge they would need in order to take over the city with ease in exchange for being able to maintain their own wealth, freedom, and power. The Kryptonians used the information provided by the Rathaways to take over the Central/Keystone area...and then enslaved the wealthy couple along with the rest of the city’s populace anyway. Needless to say, Mr. and Mrs. Rathaway are not particularly well-liked by their fellow humans. Not at all accustomed to physical labor or powerlessness, they often get into trouble with the Kryptonian overseers, and aren’t likely to receive much help from any other humans. As a cruel joke, Rachel was allowed to keep her jewelery, and, when the Kryptonians hand out the yearly supply of clothing, they always receive the finest clothes...which are, of course, of no use at all for hard physical labor. Hartley is better-liked than his parents, but he’s deaf and mute, and, since no one had the time to teach him sign language, he struggles to communicate with anyone other than his parents. It also means that the Kryptonians use him for their own amusement, rather than having him work in the fields or in a trade; mocking the obvious inferiority of the human race that he represents. That being said, he has grown suprisingly close to Giovanni Giuseppi. 

-Leonard and Lisa Snart, age 18 and 13, respectively, are unusual. Of all the humans of the Keystone/Central area, and perhaps the planet, they are the only ones who are not enslaved. When the Kryptonians arrived in the area, Leonard was 5 years old, and his sister was a newborn. His biological father, Larry Snart, was an abusive father and husband, and regularly beat both his wife and Leonard. One night, in a drunken rage, Larry accidentally killed his wife and was preparing to brutalize his son when several Kryptonians broke into the house. Larry attacked them and was promptly killed, but, fortuitously for Len and Lisa, Zor-El and Alura arrived on the scene and adopted the children as their own, in the hopes of saving them from the slavery they knew Zod and his allies had planned for humanity. To avoid raising suspicion, they claimed that they had adopted the children because of both children’s icy blue eyes, which strongly resembled the eyes of most Kryptonians. The children had the eyes of Rao; they said. They had been blessed with civility and intelligence that was unlike that of other humans; they deserved the chance to be raised as Kryptonians. The argument was broadly accepted, and so Lenonard and Lisa Snart became Len-El and Lisa (pronounced LYE-za) of the house of Jor-El. They were raised as Kryptonians, and, although Zor-El and Alura refused to own slaves and secretly helped many humans escape to freedom, they could not allow the children to spend time with members of their own species, lest it raise suspicion about their work. As a result, both Len-El and Lisa think of themselves as Kryptonian, and, since they are surrounded by Kryptonian children and taught by Kryptonian teachers at school, both of them firmly believe that humans need to be controlled by Kryptonians. Lisa thinks of other humans almost as cute pets, having never met another member of her species, but she is curious to learn more about them. Len-El despises the fact that he’s human. Thanks to his horrific experiences with his human father, Len-El believes that humans are cruel and barbaric, and he wants nothing to do with them. He wants to be Kryptonian, just like his loving parents. He and Lisa also have a little sister, Kara Zor-El, who is 7 years old. They adore Kara, and she adores them. They’re also both quite fond of their cousin, Kal-El (age 19). 

[wwads1800]

party members

[wildegreenlight]

in case

A/N: First of all let me have a moment to bask in the glow of finishing/publishing two fics in one month (well, two “chapters” at least). 

Ok, that’s better: when I was writing “just” I didn’t intend for it to be a multi chapter, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what might happen next. So, here is the next installment, a dose of #pitp for my DEM crew.

As of now, this is still very much a canon, missing moments work (you know I’m a sucker for those), but I am not sure if I can keep myself off the AU ledge. 

Thanks for the support, and likes, and reblogs (and violent gifs @jenn582), it really does butter my biscuit! 

Also much love to @callieskye without whom I would probably be a much more responsible adult instead of obsessing over fictional characters (and plotting to lick mona lisas). First round is on me this weekend! 

It was wrong, all wrong: not that he was really sure just how he’d pictured it. It wasn’t like he’d thought that hunting horcruxes would be easy or safe or hell, glamorous, but he had assumed that he’d be doing it with two functioning arms.

Now here he was again, flat on his back with her tending to him. Having an excuse to have her so close; her smooth, cool hands brushing back his hair from his fevered face, her nimble fingers gently adjusting his bandages, was most certainly not a bad thing, but it was not what he had wanted. He had wanted to be the one doing the tending. Not that he wanted her hurt, the thought made him literally sick to his stomach, but he needed to show her that she could depend on him. That night in his room, just a few weeks ago, he'd actually felt that for the first time she understood, really understood what he was saying, what he was feeling. Which was a special type of  miracle considering how long it took him to understand it his own damn self.

He’d spent all of fourth year trying to actively not think about what made his friendship with Hermione so different from his one with Harry. Despite popular opinion, he had known she was a girl, in a vague sort of way. He'd also already known that he liked her as something more than just a friend. But that was the same with Harry: both had flown right past the “friends” category and into “family” long before that ill-fated ball. But as fifth year loomed, a realization came clawing at him: he wanted to snog Hermione, and that was most certainly not the same as Harry. 

So the next year or so had been dedicated to the futile task of trying to convince himself that he wanted to snog a girl and that it was only because Hermione was around all the time that he wanted it to be her. It would have been a right decent plan too except for the fact that he never found himself wanting to kiss anyone else. Sure Fleur’s Veela death ray made his mind go fuzzy sometimes, but it wasn’t the same. When his soon-to-be sister-in-law left the room, the effect vanished. When Hermione left the room, it didn’t lessen his snog- wants in the slightest.  In fact, as he learned in a spectacularly disastrous fashion, even snogging someone else didn’t cure it.

He didn’t want it to sound quite so insulting to Lavender: she really was a nice enough girl. And, if here were being completely honest, all the attention and all the kissing were nice at first, but even then it was like eating a tin of biscuits when you aren’t particularly hungry. You’re all like, Wicked! There’s biscuits! And you have a few, and they’re ok, because they are biscuits after all, but when you finish them you don’t feel particularly satisfied. So, just when he'd sussed out that in addition to loving Hermione in the same way that he loved Harry and his family, he had another, even deeper feeling that he wasn’t ready to name yet, he thought he had lost her altogether. 

He guessed that love and magic were a lot alike. They were both frequently complicated, not everyone believed in them, and you didn’t always appreciate them until you couldn’t make them work.  They were both also words that quite honestly got overused. Ron Weasley grew up in a home whose very fabric was love and magic. Being friends with Harry had taught him just how much he took them both for granted. It had been both of those forces that made his 17th birthday so memorable. He would like to think that he and Hermione would have worked it out, would have stopped being so stubborn without his near-death experience, but he wasn’t so sure. 

After that day, he’d vowed to make it right. He knew it might be a long process, but she was worth it. Their friendship and whatever he might hope to build on that foundation, were worth it. They had made so much progress over the last few months: talking, planning, comforting one another.  But now, he grimaced as he tried to adjust his position on the cot, he felt so useless. How could she depend on him if he could barely move? 

Ron’s movement brought her to his side. She hovered over him, a tenderness in her eyes that most people didn’t know she possessed. He knew. It was one of the things he was most proud of: knowing the things about Hermione Granger that no one else did.  

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, just hard to get comfortable.”

“Want to sit up for a bit?”

He nodded and braced himself. Changing positions was the worst, yet the best part of his injury. It hurt like hell, but if he blocked the pain out, he could enjoy having her wrapped so closely around him.  

She bent down and hooked an arm underneath his good one. He took a moment to appreciate her proximity: the warm smell of her hair, the soft feel of her body touching his. He could almost let himself imagine all the things he should not be imagining. It had been the same during his poisoning recovery. It was a simple fantasy really: he would just turn back the covers beside him and she would climb in next to him. It didn't particularly matter what came next: anything, everything, or even nothing. It was the closeness he craved more than anything else. 

Hermione pulled back slightly when she had his torso upright, “This better?” 

“Can we shift a bit to the right?” he knew it wouldn’t be any more comfortable, but at least it ensured that she would hold on a bit longer.

“Sure,” Hermione seemed to be in no hurry to let go either. Once he was settled, she made no attempt to leave, staying instead on the edge of his bed.

For the millionth time he cursed his poor timing. If only they’d had a little more time to sort things before the world had gone sideways.  More time? Are you mental...you’ve had actual, bloody years. It was like Charlie always said, Ron, you could fall into a cauldron full of tits and come out sucking your own thumb. 

Charlie…at least maybe he was safe, in Romania, but what about the rest of them? What about Ginny and his mum and his dad and...

“Ron?” Her face was tight with concern.

“Oh, sorry...I was just thinking,” as much as he didn’t want her to worry about him, his heart still warmed at the fact that she did. 

“About?”

“Jus’ my family,” it wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk to her about it, and he wouldn’t lie, but he didn’t want to worry her any more than he had to.

“I’m sure they’re fine,” she was doing her best to sound convincing, “at least you saw your dad at the Ministry so we know he is alright, and he wouldn’t have been there if anyone else was in trouble, right?”

“Guess so...makes sense.”

He had tried telling himself the very same thing, and it was a small comfort.

“And your mum and dad would know when it wasn’t safe...they would know when to go and what to do, this is even less new to them than it is to us.”

That was true. In an abstract way he knew what his parents had been through in the past, that they were part of the Order now, but it had never seemed as real to him as it did now. All the stories he’d heard growing up about his parents and the first war seemed to be just stories. He wondered if one day their children getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you? would feel the same way about their part in all this. 

“Y'know, I’ve never really appreciated how much they’re risking, how dangerous it really is,” he searched for the right words, he didn’t want to scare her any more than he had to, “but after what we saw.”

She shuddered visibly, “I know, I just can’t get over how brave he is, going there every day.”

“Exactly! And we were only there a few hours,” he fought back a tiny wisp of panic, “I just wish I could do something.”

Hermione reached out and took his free hand with both of her smaller ones, “but you are!”

“Am I?” Self disgust saturated his question.

“Yes! I know that right now it doesn’t feel like it, but we are making progress, even if it’s not the way we planned.”

“I want to believe that...I just,” the feeling of her so close was suddenly overwhelming, and he found himself wondering if it might not be possible to just live the rest of their lives right there in that tent, “feel so bloody useless.”

“Don’t you think I feel that way too?”

“If you do, you shouldn’t,” how could she ever think such rubbish?

“I was worse than useless yesterday,” she glanced over at his bandaged arm, “I got you hurt.”

“You saved me, saved all of us! If you hadn’t been so quick...I don’t even want to think about what would’ve happened!” He felt anger rising up through his chest and lodging in his clenched jaw.

“We were lucky, that’s for sure,” she smiled down at their clasped hands.

Luck always runs out. 

Just a few days ago he had been so confident, so naive. Their trip to the ministry had opened his eyes to so many things. Even though he’d always been unaware of it consciously, he’d truly believed that his family’s blood status would keep them, keep him safe. He’d even thought foolishly that he could use that to protect Hermione. But then came the Cattermoles. He just couldn’t stop putting himself in Reginald Cattermole’s shoes. The thought of Hermione sitting in that courtroom while that toad smirked down at her...every time he thought about it, he wanted to puke. And Mary hadn’t even been anyone of real importance to Umbridge: how much worse would it be if she caught them? Could Hermione not see how bad this really was? Did he want her to?

“Hermione...I need you to listen to me, there’s something important I need you to promise me, ok?”  

She studied his face, her eyes locking with his, “You know I would do anything you needed me to.”

Did he? For the most part, yes, but he knew she was not going to like what he was about to ask of her. He took a deep breath and continued before he lost his nerve.

“In case...in case something happens...to me,” he tried to finish, but the sight of tears in her eyes made him lose his momentum. 

Her voice was barely a whisper, but it was hard as steel, “don’t say that...don’t ever say that.”

“I have to...we have to...look, I’m going to do my damndest to stick around, to keep you safe, to keep all of us safe, but,” he ignored her shaking head, “but you have to promise me, in case something does happen.”

“Promise what exactly.’

“Promise me you will go.”

“Go where?”

“To Australia...to your parents,” it wasn’t ideal, but it was the best he could do.

“Leave Harry?”

“No...yes...damn it Hermione, I don’t know! I just want you safe.” 

“I want you safe too, would you make that promise to me? Would you leave if something happened to me?” 

“Don’t want to think about it,” he closed his eyes, swearing under his breath, “s’not a fair question really?”

“Why not? Why can you give me a “in case” and I can’t? ”

“Because in that “case” I can’t see myself giving a single fuck what happened to me,”  a tear slipped down his cheek, but he didn’t try to stop it.

“Don’t you think I feel that way too?’

Did he? Isn’t that what he wanted? It was wonderful, awful thing...that she might, truly feel for him what he felt for her. 

“What do we do, then?” that he had spoken the question aloud seemed to surprise her just as much as it did him.

“What we always do...keep each other going.”

“Keep each other safe.” 

Ron’s fears were by no means assuaged, but he had learned when not to argue with Hermione. He knew there was no way to convince her, well, because there would be no way to convince him. As much as it might appear, on the surface, that they were different, he had grown to appreciate just how alike they really were. 

“Do you want me to let you rest? I’ve got some reading to do, I could do it outside or,” she looked suddenly shy especially considering the gravity of their conversation,  “I could stay here...in case.”

“In case?”

“Well, in case you need me.”

Hadn’t he all but spelled out to her just how much he did? How he couldn’t stand the thought of a world, magical or muggle, without her in it? Why was it so hard for her, for him, for them to let go of those last few scraps of insecurity? 

“I think we have already established that’s always the case, even when I’m too pigheaded to admit it.”

The last thing Ron remembered before he drifted of to sleep, side effect of the pain potions, was Hermione resting securely in the crook of his arm as she read. He knew that it would not, could not last. That what they had seen at the Ministry was just the beginning of a long hard road. He prayed to anyone who might be listening that when their task was done, that he might have a lifetime to hold her just like this. But, just in case, he decided to enjoy every moment he had been given right now. 

[winterhelps]

-------------- masterlist of names that were in the harry potter series.

hey there! i don't know how this idea of masterlist popped into my mind, but i wanted to make something different and since there are lots of characters in the harry potter series, i thought it would be fun to make this list. the names are in alphabetical order because i like things some way organized - hope you like it. please, give a like or reblog this post to spread the word (i'd really appreciate that) !!

 female

agatha, alecto, alice, alicia, amelia, amy, andromeda, angelina, apolline, arabella, araminta,  ariana, arsenia, astoria, audrey, augusta, aurora, bathilda, bellatrix, bertie, bertha, bridget, cassandra, catriona, carlotta, cedrella, celestina, charity, cho, daisy, daphne, demelza, dilys, dolores, dominique, dorcas, doreen, doris, druella, eileen, eleanor, elladora, eloise, emma, emmeline, eunice, euphemia, fleur, gabrielle, galatea, gertie, ginevra, ginny, gladys, gormlaith, greta, griselda, gwendolyn, hannah, helena, helga, hepzibah, hermione, hestia, hetty, ignatia, iolanthe, irma, isolt, jane, jean, katie, kendra, laura, lavender, lily, lisa, lucy, luna, lysandra, mafalda, mallory, mandy, marietta, marjorie, marlene, mary, meghan, merope, millicent, minerva, mirabella, miranda, miriam, molly, morgana, muriel, myrtle, narcissa, natalie, nymphadora, olive, olympe, orla, padma, pansy, parvati, patricia, penelope, perenelle, petunia, pomona, poppy, porpentina, queenie, rionach, rita, rolanda, romilda, rose, rowena, roxanne, septima, seraphina, susan, sybill, tina, tracy, valentina, veronica, vicky, victoire, walburga, wilhelmina.

male

aberforth, abraxas, adrian, aidan, alastor, albus, algie, alphard, ambrosius, amos, amycus, andrew, antonin, anthony, archer, argus, armando, arnold, arthur, augustus, bartemius, barty, benjy, bertie, bertram, bilius, bill, blaise, bob, cedric, charlie, colin, cormac, cornelius, credence, cuthbert, darren, dean, dedalus, dennis, derek, devlin, dirk, draco, dudley, eddie, edgar, elphias, eric, ernid, ernie, euan, evan, fabian, fenrir, fergus, filius, flavius, fleamont, florean, frank, fred, gelert, geoffrey, george, gideon, gilbert, gilderoy, godric, graham, gregory, hardwin, harold, harry, harvey, heathcote, henry, horace, hugo, ignotus, igor, jack, jacob, james, jimmy, joey, justin, justus, kenneth, kevin, kingsley, kirley, lancelot, lee, linfred, louis, lucius, ludo, magnus, malcolm, marcus, mark, marvolo, merton, michael, miles, morag, morfin, morgan, mundungus, neville, newt, nicolas, nigellus, oliver, orion, otto, owen, patrick, percival, percy, peter, phineas, pierre, quirinus, rabastan, ralston, reginald, regulus, remus, roddy, rodolphus, roger, rolf, ron, ronald, rubeus, rufus, salazar, scorpius, seamus, septimus, severus, silvanus, sirius, sturgis, ted, teddy, terrence, terry, theodore, tibirius, tobias, tom, vernon, viktor, vincent, walden, walter, william, willy, xenophilius, zacharias.

note: you may think some of these names weren't in harry potter, but some were just mentioned once or twice in the books or on pottermore (most of them are mentioned in the books/movies, but there are some exceptions).

[alj4890]

And Then I Met You

Part 4

What happens when the one you thought you were meant for turns out to be meant for someone else? 

@walkerinfolkvangr @alleksa16 @penguininapinktuxedo @blackcoffee85 @stopforamoment @fullbeaumonty @cocomaxley @darley1101 @hopefulmoonobject   @krsnlove @littleblossom357   @annekebbphotography  @gibbles82   @bella-ca 

 Masterlist

Part 4

A little over five weeks after arriving in Hollywood

"Not only will this give us a chance to set everything up, it will force them to spend more time together away from work." Addison explained to Holly.

"I suppose. Do you think he will agree to it though? I mean, they are both so stubborn." Holly whispered the nearer they got to the study.

"It's fool proof!" Addison took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Thomas called out.

They walked in to see him organizing the parts completed for the screenplay with Amanda's pictures and Addison's costume ideas. In the corner of the room, Amanda was typing away, only pausing to smile at them.

"Did you need something?" He asked without looking up.

"Actually, I need to borrow Amanda for a moment. I have one of the dresses nearly finished and would like some input to the final touch."

She glanced up in surprise. "Me? I trust your judgement. I'm afraid my fashion sense is subpar at most." Amanda went back to typing, thinking the conversation was over.

"Please! It is based off your imagination and I want to make sure it lives up to what you had in mind." Addison begged.

"I have learned from experience that she will not stop asking." Thomas told Amanda. "Better to go now than have endless hours of being pestered."

She chuckled and got up. "Show me what you got."

"YAY! I can't wait until you see it." Addison grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the study.

Holly waited until they were out of ear shot to enact stage two of the plan. She cleared her throat and waited for Thomas to look up.

"Yes?"

"What are your plans this evening?" She asked, while pretending to scroll on her tablet.

"Plans? I have no plans other than work." He muttered.

When she remained silent, he threw down his pen and gave her his full attention. "Why? Is there something I am supposed to be doing?"

"Yes. Ryan Summers is throwing a party at an old warehouse that holds all that old movie memorabilia you love." She stopped scrolling and looked up, judging his expression.

"And?"

"And I think you need to attend. You are considering casting him in the role of Arthur. Not only that, but you might spot your Reginald and Elizabeth there. Seeing them in an unscripted environment will reveal how much chemistry they all have." Holly argued.

He frowned as he debated whether or not he should attend. Holly stood calmly before him, waiting on his answer. He let out a beleaguered sigh. "Fine. What time is the gathering?"

"Eight o'clock." Holly promptly answered. She turned to leave and stopped.

"Is there a problem?" Thomas growled, wanting to focus on his work.

"Not a problem, just a thought. I think Amanda should go with you. These are her characters after all. I believe her input would be invaluable." Holly faced him with what she hoped was an expression without guile.

He folded his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. "You are only considering Ryan because you heard her say that he was the one she thought of when writing the character." She reminded him.

He nodded stiffly. "Very well, I will see if she is willing to go."

"Good." Holly began to walk out again and stopped. Thomas ran an agitated hand down his face. "What?" He bit out.

"I just remembered that I booked reservations to take her to Tao tonight. I completely forgot and promised to help Addison with that costume. She needs to complete it if she is going to start on some of the other costumes." Her brow puckered as she pretended to debate on what to do.

Thomas covered his face with his hands and counted to twenty. He reminded himself that Holly was an excellent assistant and she was a friend. She was annoying the hell out of him at the moment with these sudden plans, but he could deal with it.

"Help Addison. Amanda will understand." His muffled response came from behind his hands.

"I know she will. I hate canceling on her at the last minute. She's been so excited about it. I think she was hoping to get out of the house for the night." Holly hoped that would end up being the case.

Thomas stood up and shoved his chair out of the way. "And I suppose you will tell me no other night will do?"

"Well, it is a difficult reservation to make this time of year." Holly took a cautious step back when he glared at her.

"What time is the reservation?"

"Six."

"Then I will take her on the way to the party. Will that solve everything or do you have some other forgotten plan?" He raised his eyebrows in disbelief as she actually checked her tablet.

"Nope! That will do it. Thanks boss." She saluted him and quickly left. 

_____________________________

"It will really help us if you can keep Thomas distracted at the restaurant. There are a few things left we have to set up." Addison told Amanda. "His birthday was before you arrived and he hates a fuss. But, we came up with the best surprise ever. Scheduling it this many weeks after give us the ultimate element of surprise."

Amanda laughed at her excitement and puppy dog eyes. "Of course I will help. That is some dedicated party planning skills you both have."

Holly walked in on that last bit. "We aim to please. Plus, he gives amazingly thoughtful gifts for birthdays."

"I still tear up when I see my desk." Addison said, sniffing a little.

"Desk?" Amanda asked.

"He once asked me where my love of designing costumes came from. I told him about this desk my art teacher in elementary school set in a corner for me to use whenever I had a free moment. It was decorated with Lisa Frank stickers and every color I loved. And the glitter. It was everywhere." She laughed and then let out a sigh. "He found my art teacher and discovered she had kept my desk as it was. He had it shipped to my home as a reminder of where my passion originated."

"That is so sweet." Amanda said softly.

Holly nodded. "He does stuff like that for Christmas too. He never goes for the conventional stuff."

"Well, I will definitely help with this surprise. Just tell me what I need to do.

Addison and Holly beamed as they told her the plans. "Now remember, he thinks you and I were supposed to have dinner and that it is Ryan's party you are attending."

"Got it." Amanda stood up, "I'm going to finish up what I was typing and then get ready for the evening."

"We did it!" Addison squealed once she was gone. "I wonder if the sparks will keep flying."

__________________________

Thomas placed his hand on the small of Amanda's back as he led her into Tao. She paused and took in the shadowed ambiance with decoative lamps and candles flickering at each table. The Asian decor was prominent with the Buddha statues placed throughout. They were seated on the second tier of the restaurant and had a clear view of the entire place.

Amanda thanked the hostess and took the menu. Her attention wandered to taking in the sights before her. She looked up and caught Thomas staring at her. He quickly lowered his eyes to his menu.

He opened his mouth to only close it when their waiter came by. After he left to retrieve their drinks, Thomas asked her about her life back in Cordonia.

A teasing glint came in her eyes, "Haven't I bored you enough with all my stories these past few weeks?"

He chuckled. "This time I can actually listen without Addison's interruptions."

She shook her head with a smile and answered his questions. Over dessert, he brought up the pictures he had seen of the wedding at her home. "That was one of your friends, wasn't it? Maxwell, I think."

She paused a moment and nodded. If he hadn't been watching her so closely, he would have missed it.

"Yes. It was his wedding." She took a sip of water. "He met his Nadia and after a brief courtship, they decided to get married.

"You must be very close to him." Thomas noticed a sadness come over her.

"Yes. I suppose I am." She turned her head and looked out over the restaurant.

"You must miss seeing them."

"I do sometimes." A smile flirted about her lips. "I've been so busy with you though, that I haven't had much time to think about it.

"Is that a good thing?"

"It is." She picked at the cake on her plate. "I needed this."

"Cake?" Her laugh at his teasing made him smile.

"No, though it doesn't hurt." She sobered. "Working with you. Getting away from Cordonia for a while. I didn't even realize I needed a change."

His dark chocolate brown eyes studied her face. "Why did you need a change?"

She froze a moment and let out a sigh. "I needed to get my mind off of some things." She bit down on her lip as she debated on whether or not to tell him. He sat there patiently and eventually reached across the table. He covered her hand with his.

"You don't have to explain." He said softly.

"No it's fine. I...I once thought Maxwell was the one I was meant to be with." She paused when his thumb moved over her knuckles. "When I saw him with Nadia, well, there was no one else more perfect for him."

He glanced down at their hands when she slipped her fingers through his. He continued to move his thumb over her knuckles. "You hosted his wedding to another woman despite how you felt."

She gave a slight shrug. "He's my best friend. It would have hurt him if he had known how I felt. He is very tenderhearted and would have most likely eloped to keep from causing me pain. They were able to have their dream wedding and I was able to say goodbye to my imagined future."

He couldn't believe the selflessness in such an act. "Do you still have feelings for him?" He didn't know why, but he dreaded her answer and almost took the question back.

She met his eyes and slowly shook her head. "I don't think I do. I made a conscious choice to bury those feelings when they became engaged. I haven't really felt those twinges in my heart whenever I talk to him like I once did." She gave a small smile. "Perhaps my feelings for him were not as strong as I once thought."

Thomas relaxed some with her answer. He opened his mouth to only be interrupted by a lady rushing up to their table. "Are you Thomas Hunt?" She asked in an excited voice. A man, that was clearly her embarrassed husband, came up behind her.

"Yes, he is." Amanda said, trying not to laugh at the expression on his face.

"May I have your autograph? Your movie, Semblance, is one I know by heart! Casting Chris Winters and Shannon Wright as the two lovers was perfect!" She let out a soft sigh.

Thomas thanked her and handed her pen and paper back to her. "Why don't I take a picture for you with him? This way you will always remember this night." Amanda said, ignoring the glare he sent her.

The woman handed over her phone and yanked her unwilling husband in the picture. Thomas stood next to them and forced a pleasant look on his face. Amanda winked at him and snapped a few pictures. The couple thanked them and left.

Amanda started laughing the moment they were gone. "Your face!" She was able to get out between snorts.

He folded his arms and waited for her to calm down. "You had to mention a photo."

She nodded while giggling. "I'm not even sorry." His deadpan expression made her laugh harder.

He shook his head and stood up. He came up behind her to assist in pulling her chair back. He held her jacket up and waited as she slipped her arms in. She thanked him and linked her arm with his as they walked outside. "Come on, you know you are a little flattered by such attention." 

"A little." He admitted. 

_____________________________________

Thomas was speechless when he realized the party was for him. While people surrounded him, Amanda moved away and watched from afar. She leaned against a wall and grinned when Addison threw her arms around him when he thanked her and Holly.

As people began to mingle, Thomas searched the room for her. He stood with a few of the guests and tried to see who she was talking to.

"What do you think Thomas?" Ryan asked.

"Hmm? Sorry, about what?"

Holly looked at him in surprise. "About where you will shoot the movie."

Thomas finally spotted Amanda on her own looking at one of the exhibits. "Yes, I suppose the character would feel that."

"What?" Holly asked.

He walked away without responding. Ryan stood there in surprise while Holly's jaw dropped. She ran over to Addison to tell her the whole story.

"No! He really didn't answer the question?" She asked, bubbling with excitement.

"Yes! And he left without another word!"

They both turned to observe the two they were trying to get together. Thomas was pointing out something in one of the display cases and was giving some sort of explanation. Amanda smiled and said something that caused him to laugh. When she moved on to another exhibit, he followed her.

The rest of the night seemed to go in that same pattern. Addison drug Matt and Ryan in on keeping tabs on the couple. The four of them watched as Thomas seemed to leave a conversation if he saw Amanda on her own or near someone that had a questionable reputation. At one point, the model from the afterparty blocked his path and placed her hands on his chest. 

“I was hoping to catch you alone.” She purred.

He did not even attempt to mask his annoyance. “Didn’t you arrive with Tommy Phelps? I think you should stick by his side.”

“No need to be jealous. He is nowhere near the same caliber director as you are.” She moved closer to him. He took her wrists and gently but firmly pushed her away. “Don't mistake a question as jealousy. Now, if you will excuse me.”

She stared at his back in shock that he left her. Thomas walked over to where some tables and chairs were set up. He scanned the area and saw Amanda sitting by herself. She had a peaceful expression with a touch of humor on her face as she observed the party. She was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when he sat down beside her.

“How are you enjoying your party?” She asked once her heart had calmed down.

“It is actually more pleasant than I would have thought.” He studied her for a few moments. “Why are you sitting here by yourself?”

Her cheeks began to color. “I like to mingle then get off by myself and observe. So often first impressions are false. I like to see how people interact with others to decide on whether or not I wish to move from being an acquaintance to a friend and so forth.” She traced the ring of condensation her drink left on the table. “I suppose that sounds rather silly or conceited on my part. I’ve learned through my experiences at court that one’s time is too precious to waste on the wrong people.”

Thomas looked out over the guests. Some had their false smiles and personas firmly in place while others genuinely had their hearts on their sleeves. He thought of all the people he had wasted time on to only find out that they were not worth another second of his. He then thought of those he wanted to spend time with. At the moment, there was one that topped that list and had for a while now. He let his gaze rest on the one and took in her serene expression as she watched, with a hint of a smile, those that fascinated most people. He couldn’t think of anyone in this room he found more interesting than Amanda.

He leaned over and asked if she was ready to leave. She nodded and they found Holly and Addison. Thomas thanked them again and ushered Amanda outside. The two instigators watched them leave and grinned when Thomas placed his hand on her back as they walked to the waiting car. 

When they got home, Thomas walked with her upstairs. He paused outside her bedroom. “Thank you for your part in keeping me from knowing about the party.”

Amanda chuckled. “It was the least I could do since I did not have you a birthday present.” He scoffed and said there was no reason for such a thing to be done.

She placed a hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. “Happy Birthday Thomas.” She whispered in his ear. She opened up her door and went inside.

He froze and stared at her closed door. He snapped out of the line of thoughts her kiss caused and went to his own room.